28 May 3 June Weekly

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WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BULLETIN

28 Ma y May une TO 3 J June (Dummy Copy) 2012
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NATIONAL NEWS
"One MP - One Idea" Scheme The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has announced a new scheme "One MP - One Idea" under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). The scheme will focus on - a grass-root bottoms-up approach to innovation and development and to arrive at solutions for local problems which are sustainable and scalable. According to the scheme, , applications will be invited for providing innovative solutions pertaining to social issues, especially in the area of education & skills, health, water & sanitation, housing & infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environment, community and social service etc. These innovative solutions will be evaluated in a transparent manner by a selection committee headed by the DC/DM of the Nodal District and consisting of six members from Engineering, Finance, Health & Sanitation, Academia, Industry and Banking & Financial Institutions. Then an 'One MP - One Idea' Competition may be held in each Lok Sabha constituency annually to select the three best innovations for cash awards on the specific request of an MP to promote such a scheme in his/her constituency. Member Parliament shall award Certificate of honour along with cash award of Rs. 2.5 lakhs, Rs. 1.5 lakhs and Rs. 1 lakh to the first, second and third best innovative solutions respectively through their MPLAD funds in a Public function. In addition, a Certificate of appreciation will be given to the next 5 best innovations. The above scheme shall inspire people to find innovative solutions to social and developmental problems.
2 Weekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012
Centre seeks to limit food security to BPL category In a major shift in policy, the Centre now plans to confine food entitlement only to below poverty Line (BPL) households and completely exclude the existing category of the above poverty line families. This is one of the significant changes proposed in the National Food Security Bill which is currently being considered by the Parliamentary Standing Committee. The government plans to supply rice at Rs. 3 per kg, wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and millets at Re. 1 kg only to the BPL. Each family will get 25 kg per month. The Bill provides for legal entitlement of subsidized foodgrains to 46 per cent 'priority' (BPL) families of the 75 per cent rural population and 28 per cent `priority' households of the 50 per cent urban population. Significantly, the government has decided to protect the provision of cheap foodgrains to Antyodaya Anna Yojna families, as well as to backward blocks and to the northeastern States. In NE region, eligible families are provided 35 kg foodgrains per month under Targeted PDS. As a consequence, the food subsidy component at 2011 price will go up to Rs. 1. 20 lakh crore and the foodgrains requirement would go up to over 60 million tonnes from the current average 55 million tonnes. Under the plan envisaged by the Centre, the task of identifying the BPL families will be left to the State governments. The Centre attempted to identify beneficiaries through the Social Economic and Caste Census and also to link the PDS to the Unique Identification Authority of India. Thus government is planning to provide food subsidies to BPL only recognized by the State Government. Government launches austerity drive Faced with the worst economic performance in nine years, the government has
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launched an austerity drive banning creation of new posts and holding of its meetings in five-star hotels besides restricting foreign travel by officials. On foreign travel, the size of the delegation and the duration of the visit will be kept to "absolute minimum. There will also be a ban on purchase of new vehicles. The holding of exhibitions, seminars and conferences abroad is "strongly discouraged". These directives, aimed at cutting nonPlan expenditure by 10 per cent during the current fiscal. The Centre will also observe discipline in fiscal transfers to state, public sector units and autonomous bodies. No amount shall be released to any entity (including state governments) which has defaulted in furnishing utilisation certificates for grants-in-aid released by the central government without prior approval of the Ministry of of Finance. However, directive to cut non-Plan expenditure by 10 per cent will exclude interest payment, defence purchases, salaries, pension and the grants to states. The secretary in each department would be responsible for ensuring compliance of the austerity measures. The measures on "fiscal prudence and economy" have come into force with immediate effect. Jarawa region to have buffer zone Five months after two British newspapers released a controversial video film showing scantily clad Jarawa tribal women dancing for tourists in return for food and money, the Union Cabinet has approved the promulgation of a law that brings into effect a buffer zone in the 5 km radius around the Jarawa tribal settlements in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and provides for imprisonment up to seven years for those violating government norms for this area. The law provides for tough penal provisions to deter unauthorised entry, photography, videography, hunting, use of alcohol, inflammable material or biological germs, or even advertisements to attract tourists in the buffer zone. Any violation can attract a prison sentence of three to seven years and a fine up to Rs. 10,000.
Four-member committee constituted to examine AI's route profitability Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh formed a four-member committee to examine the profitability of routes of cash-strapped Air India and suggest ways to rationalize them in order to make it profitable for the national carrier. The decision came after Singh in his review found that the national carrier was operating domestic and international flights on some of the non-profitable routes or on which the airline was either not even meeting its fuel cost, operational cost or the total cost. The committee consists of G Asok Kumar, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), as the chairman and Syed Nasir Ali, Director in MoCA, S C Sharma, Executive Director (Operations of Airports Authority of India) and Lalit Gupta, Deputy Director in Directorate General in Civil Aviation, as members. The terms of reference of the Committee shall be as follows:a) Analysis of criteria for withdrawal/inclusion of routes in the Summer & Winter schedule during last year. b) Analysis of economics of various routes: domestic as well as international during last summer & winter schedule and current summer schedule. c) Identification of routes not able to meet out various costs and reasons for not meeting out those costs.
d) Route wise recommendations in terms of withdrawal/ continuance of flights during current summer schedule and making them profitable. e) Identification of parameters for new route allocation and their weightage for arriving at a decision. Food Ministry sets up Grain Analysis Laboratory Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has set up Central Grain Analysis Laboratory (CGAL) in Krishi Bhawan to ensure quality food grains under PDS system. Random periodical check-up will be carried out by the lab to ensure that food-grains
Weekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012 3
being procured and distributed under PDS are of good quality. The lab will have facilities for physical and chemical analysis of samples wheat and rice collected from procurement centers, FCI stores and Fair Price Shops. The quality monitoring cells have also been set up at Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Pune to inspect food storage depots of FCI, CWC, State Government and other procurement storage agencies and fare-price shops. These cells take up the samples of food-grains for analysis to CGAL, New Delhi. Ministry has directed officers to take up immediate investigations of the complaints relating to quality of food grains during procurement, storage and distribution received from NGOs, local representatives, State Governments and Consumers. The upgraded website of Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry has also been launched. The new website has been made more informative and users friendly. It provides many useful in formations to the common persons like: - latest allocation of foodgrains under various schemes, off take by the States, movements and storage etc. It also provides daily prices of 22 selected consumer commodities collected from 39 centres across the country and other consumer friendly information. Draft of National Youth Policy 2012 unveiled Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ajay Maken has unveiled the exposure draft of the National Youth Policy, 2012. Key Features of Draft NYP 2012:a) The Draft NYP 2012 recognizes that youth is not a homogenous group and there are numerous differentials based on their habitat, environment in which they live, socio-economic status of the families they belong to and their own life style. b) The target groups identified are (i) Student Youth (ii) Migrant Youth (iii) Rural Youth (iv) Tribal Youth (v) Youth At Risk (vi) Youth in violent conflicts (vii) out of school/dropouts (viii) groups with social /moral stigma (ix) Youth in Institutional Care. Young women, Youth belonging to
socially and economically disadvantaged communities /groups, and differentlyabled youth form the three priority groups among the target age group. c) The Draft NYP 2012 proposes to change the target age group from the existing 1335 years to 16-30 years. This change is proposed mainly to realign the definition of Youth with the prevailing international definitions. The definition of Youth as per UN is 15-24 years and as per Commonwealth, it is 15- 29 years.
d) The concerns of target groups and the priority groups therein, shall be addressed through a subsequent action plan based on policy interventions mentioned in the thrust areas of this policy. e) Draft NYP 2012 plans to divide broad age bracket of 16-30 years into three groupsthe first sub-group will be 16-20 years covering mostly youth who require educational facilities. The second sub-group is 20-25 years who require access to employable skills. The third sub-group 25-30 who require access to self employment and enterprenuerial skills. f) The draft NYP 2012 aims at empowering youth through skill development for enhancing employability and providing entrepreneurship opportunities through convergence with other Ministries/Departments.
g) The thrust areas are promotion of National values, social harmony, national unity, and empowering youth through employable skills, education, health, sports and recreation, gender justice, participation in community service, environment and local governance. h) The Draft NYP 2012 has monitorable indicators under five domains. Accordingly, Youth Development Index will include the indices viz. Youth Health Index, Youth Education Index, Youth Work Index, Youth Amenities Index, Youth Participation Index. i) The Draft NYP 2012 advocates establishment of strong coordination mechanism at the Centre and State Levels. The NYP 2012 proposes that Youth Policy be reviewed after every National Census.
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The Draft Youth policy, for the first time, has also been under pinned by the guiding principle of providing targeted employable skills to different youth segments in line with Prime Minister's Skill Development Mission, apart from identifying varied segments based on socio-economic, gender and geographical parameters as specific targets. National Telecom Policy-2012 and Unified Licensing Regime approved by Cabinet The Union Cabinet has approved the National Telecom Policy -2012 (NTP - 2012). The Cabinet also approved introduction of Unified Licence and authorized the Department of Telecommunications to finalize the new Unified Licensing regime with the approval of Minister of Communications & IT. The policy envisions providing secure, reliable, affordable and high quality converged telecommunication services anytime, anywhere for an accelerated inclusive socio-economic development. The salient points of NTP - 2012 are; a) Increase rural tele-density from the current level of around 39 to 70 by the year 2017 and 100 by the year 2020. b) Repositioning of Mobile phone- as an instrument of empowerment. c) Broadband -"`Broadband For All" at a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps. i)
the new policy in place, consumers who use national roaming can now expect to pay local call charges though it is unclear when 'free roaming' will be initiated. At present, consumers pay local call charges and a premium when travelling outside their service area. The policy also allows national number portability. Resale of Services. Services resale is universally recognized as a way to increase competition without duplicating infrastructure or fragmenting the spectrum. Voice over Internet Protocol
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k) Cloud Computing, Next Generation Network including IPV6. The policy seeks to provide a predictable and stable policy regime for a period of about ten years. The policy will further enable taking suitable facilitatory measures to encourage existing service providers to rapidly migrate to the new regime in a uniformly liberalized environment with a level playing field. Biotechnology Ignition Grant (Big) Scheme The Secretary,Department of Biotechnology Shri M K Bhan launched a new scheme to extend its support to entrepreneurs who have an exciting idea which may be in the nascent and planning stage in the form of Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG). The scheme is designed to stimulate commercialization of research discoveries by providing very early stage grants for the development and maturation of those discoveries into marketable product or intellectual property (IP), in particular to help bridge the gap between discovery and invention. The main aim of BIG Scheme is: a) To establish and validate proof of concept b) To enable creation of spin-offs. Scope & Support: a. BIG provides for high level of discovery and innovation in the Biotechnology sector
d) Domestic Manufacturing- Making India a global hub. e) Convergence of Network, Services and Devices. f) Liberalization of Spectrum- any Service in any Technology.
g) Simplification of licensing regime- Unified Licensing, delinking of Spectrum from License, Online real time submission and processing. It will allow companies to provide ISP, fixed line, international long distance, national long distance, and a few other services through a single licence, whose cost has been proposed by the DoT at Rs. 10 crore. h) Consumer Focus - Achieve One Nation Full Mobile Number Portability and work towards One Nation - Free Roaming. With
b. Funding will be in the form of grant-inaid limited up-to Rs 50 lakhs c. The period for the study would generally not exceed 18 months
d. Funding may also be used for conducting limited market research, patenting costs, working capital during the period, travel, salary etc. Air India Implements Crew Management System The Air India has introduced a new Crew Management System which will replace the old manual system ruling out the scope of any subjectivity and favouritism in the deployment and management of Crew and other staff. The new System will ensure high levels of safety of operation, meet regulatory requirements, optimized crew utilization and achieve crew satisfaction. The first phase of this system is operative for the Cockpit Crew while in the second phase the Cabin Crew along with support staff will be covered from the second half of this month. The Crew Management System is an integrated tool for crew planning (long, medium & short term) depending on the network plan and commercial schedule of the airline. This system will provide real-time visibility of operation and flexibility to manage disruptions by providing real-time crew availability. It will also manage and control
crew duty time, leave & sicknesses and provide a firm plan of operation to Management and Crew. After implementation of this system Air India will be able to: Enhance Safety of operation by meeting all regulatory requirements related to duty and rest. Establish accurate crew requirement for its current and future plan of operation Harmonize and enhance crew utilization and productivity across fleet. Provide a stable duty roster and online portal for crew communication. Real-time monitoring and tracking of crew from a single, central location Recover from disruption quickly through total visibility and control of crew information. Efectively monitor crew attributes such as licencing, medicals, refreshers, route checks etc. Presently the crew management is done by legacy manual systems from various geographical locations for cockpit crew and cabin crew independently.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nepal's Constituent Assembly fails to write Constitution Nepal sank into political turmoil after lawmakers failed to agree on a new constitution, leaving the country with no legal government. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai's Cabinet, despite opposition from a major ruling partner, decided to hold fresh elections on November 22 for a new CA. The day was marked by protests on the streets. Protesters of all orientations - hill upper castes, Janjati (ethnic communities), Madhesis - surrounded the CA building in the capital, pressing their demands; lawmakers, too, chanted slogans inside the building, urging the political leadership to deliver a statute. A key sticking point was whether the country's states should be drawn to give regional power bases to ethnic minorities. The Constituent Assembly, created in 2008 after the abolition of Nepal's centuries-old Hindu monarchy, was tasked with drafting the constitution. The lawmakers' tenure was extended four times, but the Supreme Court rejected any further extensions. The President has urged all political parties to work for "political consensus and cooperation" in accordance with the "spirit of the interim Constitution". Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia The Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia, under the theme "Preparing Somalia's Future: Goals for 2015," took place on 31st May and 1st June 2012. It was attended by high level representatives from 57 countries and 11 international and regional organizations, as well as by the TFG leadership, the regional administrations, and representatives from wide-ranging segments of Somali society, including youth, women, business community, elders, religious leaders and the Diaspora.
The Conference emphasized the importance of encouraging inclusive and equitable growth to reduce poverty in Somalia, including through the promotion of inclusive business practices. It was acknowledged that without stability, security, capable authorities and the rule of law, economic growth and large scale investment would be significantly constrained. Participants agreed on the importance of planned and prioritized public sector institutional capacity development at all levels to provide institutional oversight as well as to establish and implement a regulatory framework, including appropriate standards for civil works. Alongside this, the Conference recommended the establishment of privateprivate partnerships to strengthen the capacity of the local contracting industry to participate in tenders and deliver on contracts. It was reiterated that large scale, multiyear, predictable financing was urgently needed, both for infrastructure projects and to enhance the resilience of Somali communities. It was agreed to explore the role and design of an investment guarantee fund in Somalia without any delay. The Conference agreed on the importance of determining a number of priority infrastructure projects for which in-depth feasibility assessments should be undertaken. Further recognizing the urgent need to enhance resilience of Somali households and communities, the Conference agreed on the need for sequenced, multi-year and sectoral investments that are specific to each geographic reality within Somalia. Such investments will create productive opportunities and expand basic social services. Job opportunities for men, women and youth represent essential employment instruments in this regard. The Conference acknowledged that good governance supports the resilience outcomes, and highlighted the need for Somali commuWeekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012 7
nities to be at the centre of this process, in order to create stability. Several partners are aligning their current engagement in Somalia and others are encouraged to do so. The Conference recognized the importance of a household and community approach towards resilience and strongly encouraged the international community and Somalis to support it. Success will depend on international assistance evolving to medium - longer term strategic investments in Somalia, with less reliance on short term ad hoc response. The partners on community resilience support the realignment of their respective programmes and the monitoring on a regular basis of the implementation of the resilience strategy. The Conference agreed that access to reliable sources of energy is critical for improving social indicators and triggering economic development in Somalia. The Government of Turkey in collaboration with Somali government institutions and the United Nations agreed to support the development of institutional structures in the field of energy and natural resources. The Conference also took note of the need to initiate vocational trainings and university level studies in order to develop a trained work force that is able to respond to the changes in the energy sector and is well positioned to set up related businesses. Decades-old Egypt emergency ends Egypt's decades-old state of emergency came to an end as its last renewal expired. Egypt has been under a state of emergency continuously since President Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981, allowing authorities to detain people without charge and try them in emergency security courts. The army generals now in power have long promised to do away with the law, but instead made wide use of it when cracking down on protests against their rule and bouts of sectarian violence. Thousands of civilians have been tried by military courts behind closed doors using the emergency powers. Parliament renewed the emergency law for two years in May 2010 when now ousted President Hosni Mubarak was still in power,
but limited its application to terrorism and drug crimes. The military, which took charge after Mubarak's overthrow in February 2011, extended the law to include "thuggery." Pakistan tests nuclear capable Hatf IX missile Pakistan has successfully carried out a test of its quick reaction tactical nuclear-capable Hatf-IX missile aimed at "deterring evolving threats at shorter range." The Hatf IX is a solid fuelled battlefield range ballistic missile has a range of only 60 kilometres (37 miles) and can carry conventional warheads. It has been developed by Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC). The Hatf-IX will be deployed with a mobile multi-barrel launch system that has "shoot and scoot attributes", or the ability to fire at a target and immediately re-locates to another position to avoid enemy counter-fire. The first test of the Hatf-IX was conducted in April last year. Pakistan has conducted several missile tests in recent weeks. On April 25, it tested an improved version of the nuclear-capable HatfIV with a range of 1,000 km while the nuclearcapable Hatf-III, with a range of 290 km, was tested on May 10. Pakistan to learn from India's polio success A nine-member Pakistani delegation led by Shahnaz Wazir Ali, social activist and special assistant to Pakistani prime Minister, will visit India to learn from the country's experience in eradicating polio. The delegation will hold talks with health ministry officials and witness a pulse polio camp in Ghaziabad. Altaf Bosan, National Coordinator of the Prime Minister on Polio, will accompany the team. Pakistan saw a manifold rise in polio cases this year, and is one of the three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where the infectious viral disease is still prevalent. Pakistan's polio figures rose from 144 in 2010 to 198 in 2011, while already 16 cases have been reported thus far this year. It is believed
that the Sindh region in Karachi has the highest cases every year due to migration from neighbouring areas. Whereas with not a single case of polio reported from India for more than a year now, the country was taken off the list of polio-endemic countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently. The World Health Organisation, in a resolution, has impressed on member-states with polio virus transmission to declare it a "national public health emergency," making polio virus eradication a national priority programme, requiring the development and full implementation of emergency action plans, to be updated every six months, till such time the virus transmission has been interrupted. The members have been asked to eliminate unimmunized areas and maintain very high population immunity against polio viruses through routine immunization. Where necessary, they should supplement immunization activities, maintain vigil for polio virus importation and emergence of circulating vaccinederived polio viruses, and to make available urgently the financial resources required for the full and continued implementation, till 2013, of the strategic approaches to interrupt polio virus transmission globally, and to initiate planning for financing to the end of 2018 the polio endgame strategy. More importantly, the resolution asks the WH Director-General to undertake the development, scientific vetting and rapid finalization of a comprehensive eradication and endgame strategy, and inform the memberstates of the potential timing of a switch from the trivalent to bivalent oral polio virus vaccine for all routine immunization programmes, and to coordinate with all partners including manufacturers to promote research, production and supply of vaccines to enhance their affordability, effectiveness and accessibility. As a preventive measure, India has set up polio booths at Attari and Wagah border touching Pakistan where small children are immunized before entering India. Death sentence on the decline: Amnesty Report A report "Death Sentences and Executions
2011" released by Amnesty International revealed that capital punishment has decreased by a third over the past decade worldwide, but spiked last year in the Middle East and North Africa. It revealed that only 20 of the world's 198 countries carried out executions in 2011. Some 18,750 people remained under sentence of death at the end of 2011 and at least 676 people were executed worldwide. The executions over the years were carried out by beheading, electrocution, public hanging, administering lethal injection and shooting by firing squad. China, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, and the United States lead the world in carrying out the most death sentences. The US is the only member of the Group of Eight leading economies to execute prisoners. According to the report during 2011, 360 prisoners lost their lives due to death sentence in Iran, followed by Saudi Arabia 82, Iraq 68, US 43, Yemen 41, North Korea 30, Somalia 10, Sudan 7, Bangladesh, Vietnam, South Sudan and Taiwan each 5, Singapore 4, Palestine Authority 3, Afghanistan and Belarus 2, and Egypt and UAE one each. A number of nations - including South Korea, India, Laos, Pakistan, Thailand, Algeria, Kuwait, Tunisia, Cameroon, and the Maldives - issue death sentences but do not conduct executions, making it a "de-facto 'death penalty state'." In South Korea it appears that government officials are "at the crossroads" in their decision whether to keep or abolish the death penalty. Regional Summaries Americas In the USA, the only country in the Americas to carry out executions, at least 110 death sentences were imposed during 2010 but this represents only about a third of the number handed down in the mid-1990s. And in March 2011, Illinois became the 16th state to abolish the death penalty. Asia-Pacific In 2010 Amnesty International was not able to confirm comprehensive figures on the
use of the death penalty for China, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and Viet Nam although executions were known to have been carried out in all these countries. Available information from five other countries in the region confirmed at least 82 executions were carried out in Asia. Eleven countries imposed death sentences but continued not to carry out executions in 2010: Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Pacific Islands remained free from death sentences and executions. In January 2010 the President of Mongolia announced a moratorium on executions with a view to abolition of the death penalty.
China remains the world's number one executioner. Thousands of people were executed in China in 2011, more than the rest of the world put together. Figures on the death penalty are a state secret. Amnesty International has stopped publishing numbers it collects from public sources in China as these are likely to grossly underestimate the true number. India has not carried out any death sentence since 2004 after a young man was hanged in Kolkata for rape and murder of a school girl. Europe and Central Asia After a year's hiatus in 2009 when for the first time no executions were recorded in Euro
INDIA AND WORLD

At India-Pakistan border, a visa-free 400 metres In a significant move that could show the way for putting in place a liberal visa regime between them, India and Pakistan have agreed to do away with requirement of a visa to cross the border on both sides within a radius of 400 metres at the Attari-Wagah point in Punjab for Customs and other related border officials. It was agreed that officials monitoring and administrating trade would be issued "special permits'' to work within the 400-metre radius. At present, such permits are issued to drivers and workers to drive in and out of the border carrying goods and unloading them. Now this special facility will be extended to certain officials, including Customs, on both sides to enable proper scrutiny, inspection and early clearance of goods coming through trucks. However, this limited access is unlikely to be available to the BSF or Pakistan Rangers. Earlier, any person wishing to even take one step into each other's territory was requirement to get a visa for the same. This has been primarily done to facilitate more coordination at the border for carrying out various activities related to trade. Now officials, especially Customs, will be able to inspect trucks on both sides of the border. For this purpose, they will be issued special permits. Further Pakistan had enhanced the list of goods that could be traded through the Wagah border from 63 to 137 items. Both sides also decided to set up a special working group that would go into the issue of allowing all items that are not part of the negative list to be traded through the Wagah border in view of the demand from the trading communities on both sides and opening of a Integrated Check Post on the India side.
India-Myanmar Meet Embarking on a "new journey" of bilateral cooperation the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, visited to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The Prime Minister of India and the President of Myanmar comprehensively reviewed the multifaceted bilateral relationship and took stock of developments since the very successful State visit of President U Thein Sein to India in October 2011. The two leaders agreed on a vision for the future in the pursuit of the common good bilaterally, regionally and globally. They agreed to cooperate in the areas such as border area development, transportation, connectivity, agriculture, trade and investment, promotion of friendly exchanges and human resource development. They recognized that peace and stability in the region is necessary for development and well-being of the people of their respective countries. In this context, they emphasized the importance of close cooperation between India and Myanmar and the need to effectively harness their respective resources for the good of the peoples of the two countries. The following instruments for enhancing bilateral cooperation were signed during the visit: a) Memorandum of Understanding regarding US$ 500 million Line of Credit. The Line of Credit will be utilised in the infrastructure development projects, including in the fields of Agriculture and Irrigation, Rail Transportation, and Electric Power in Myanmar. b) Air Services Agreement between India and Myanmar c) Memorandum of Understanding on the India-Myanmar Border Area Development
d) Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Joint Trade and Investment Forum

e) Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Advance Centre for Agriculture Research and Education (ACARE) f) Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Rice Bio Park at the Department of Agricultural Research in Nay Pyi Taw
festations. Both of them emphasized the need for enhanced cooperation between security forces and border guarding agencies forsecuring peace, security and stability in the border areas, which was crucial for overall development. Further the Prime Minister of India announced that India would undertake the task of repair/ upgradation of 71 bridges on the Tamu- Kalewa friendship Road. The two leaders decided that India would undertake the upgradation of the Kalewa-Yargyi road segment to highway standard while Myanmar would undertake that of upgradation of the Yargyi-Monywa stretch to highway standard by 2016. This project would help inestablishing trilateral connectivity from Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. The two leaders welcomed the revival of the Joint Task Force on the Trilateral Highway between IndiaMyanmar -Thailand. It was agreed that efforts would be made to establish seamless trilateral connectivity by 2016. The two countries will sign of the new Air Service agreement which would enhance direct air connectivity and facilitate easy business interaction, tourism and people-to people exchanges. One of the big themes of the talks between the two leaders was "connectivity," towards not just at improving trade and increasing people-to- people contact, but also as an instrument to mainstream the insurgencywracked regions in India's north-eastern States as well as on the Myanmar side. India proposes draft on Extradition treaty to Pakistan Aiming to strengthen cooperation on terrorism, India has provided Pakistan with the draft of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and extradition pact. MLAT will help the investigating agencies in both the countries to "collect and transfer evidence" to be used for prosecution in criminal court. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations in criminal matters. India has
g) Memorandum of Understanding towards setting up of Myanmar Institute of Information Technology h) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Dagon University and Calcutta University i) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies and Indian Council of World Affairs. Agreement on Cooperation between Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies and Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis.
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k) Cultural Exchange Programme ( 20122015) l) Memorandum of Understanding on establishing of Border Haats across the border between Myanmar and India.
According to a joint statement, the two leaders also agreed that Myanmar would encourage investment by Indian companies in its oil and gas sectors. One of the Indian companies represented in the business delegation, Jubilant Energy, has won a drilling contract for an onshore block. A representative office of the Union Bank of India will open in Yangon towards the agreed goal of doubling the $1.2-billion bilateral trade. The Central Bank of Myanmar and the Reserve Bank of India are also expected to finalise currency agreements for ease of trade. The two sides will also open border markets, or haats, to improve trade between communities on both sides in the regions of the Northeast that lie along the Myanmar border. Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to fight the scourge of terrorism and insurgent activity in all its forms and mani12 Weekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012
been demanding Pakistan to hand over terrorists, allegedly involved in various cases, including the Mumbai blasts. Extradition may be briefly described as the surrender of an alleged or convicted criminal by one State to another. More precisely, extradition may be defined as the process by which one State upon the request of another surrenders to the latter a person found within its jurisdiction for trial and punishment or, if he has been already convicted, only for punishment, on account of a crime punishable by the laws of the requesting State and committed outside the territory of the requested State. Extradition plays an important role in the international battle against crime. It owes its existence to the so-called principle of territoriality of criminal law, according to which a State will not apply its penal statutes to acts committed outside its own boundaries except where the protection of special national interests is at stake. In India the Extradition Act, 1962 regulates the surrender of a person to another country or the request for arrest of a person in a foreign land. The act specifies that any conduct of a person in India or in a foreign state that is mentioned in the list of extradition offence and is punishable with minimum one year of imprisonment qualifies for extradition request. The process has to be initiated by the central government. Congress, United Russia Party sign agreement Congress has signed a bilateral exchange agreement with All Russia Political Party called United Russia, as part of its move to establish relationships with the largest spectrum of democratic political establishments. The seven-point agreement focuses on both parties agreeing to consult each other and exchange information on evolving developments in India and Russia, to familiarize themselves and acquire experiences in the field of party development, organizational work, supervising and auditing activities. The two sides also agreed to facilitate training and re-training of party personnel, promote editorial activities, participate in the work of legislative and executive branches,
encourage participation of youth in politics, share information and knowledge of international relations, and engage actively in fields of mutual interest. The intra-party agreement, hoped to cement the equal, strategic partnership and cooperation between India and Russia. India's resolution on mental health adopted at World Health Assembly India`s leadership role in promoting the global debate on the need for urgent national action for the promotion of mental health was acknowledged by the World Health Organization at the ongoing 65th World Health Assembly. India asked the member-states to acknowledge the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response to addressing mental disorders from health and social sectors at the country level in the resolution related to mental health. The resolution urged the member-states to develop and strengthen comprehensive policies and strategies that address the promotion of mental health, prevention of mental disorders, and early identification, care, support, treatment and recovery of persons with mental disorders, according to national priorities and within their specific context. It further calls for developing, as appropriate, surveillance frameworks that include risk factors as well as social determinants of health to analyze and evaluate trends regarding mental disorders; and to give appropriate priority and to streamline mental health, including the promotion of mental health, the prevention of mental disorders, and care, support and treatment in programmes addressing health and development, and to allocate appropriate resources in this regard and to collaborate with the WHO Secretariat in the development of a comprehensive mental health action plan. The delegates recognized these measures which include programmes to reduce stigma and discrimination, reintegration of patients into workplace and society, support for care providers and families, and investment in mental health from the health budget to reduce problems of mental health. Mental disorders account for 13 per cent of the global burden of the diseases and, in
keeping with latest thinking, the resolution recognizes the importance of early identification, care and recovery, the problems of stigma, poverty and homelessness and the need for community based intervention including de-institutionalized care. It is clearly recognized that all countries must take steps to promote mental health and empower persons with mental disorders to lead a full and productive life in the community. The Government of India has been separately working on strengthening interventions in the 12th Plan for the care of persons with mental illness, including emphasis on family and community care and training of health and community workers, and short and long stay homes. Government has begun a major exercise to develop a mental health policy for the country and also expects to shortly introduce new legislation to replace the Mental Health Act, 1987, to bring India into conformity with international commitments to protect the rights of persons with mental illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) was created in 1948 by member states of the United Nations (UN) as a specialized agency with a broad mandate for health. The WHO is the world's leading health organization. Its policies and programs have a far-reaching impact on the status of international public health. WHO's responsibilities and functions include assisting governments in strengthening health services; establishing and maintaining administrative and technical services, such as epidemiological and statistical services; stimulating the eradication of diseases; improving nutrition, housing, sanitation, working conditions and other aspects of environmental hygiene; promoting cooperation among scientific and professional groups; proposing international conventions and agreements on health matters; conducting research; developing international standards for food, and biological and pharmaceutical products; and developing an informed public opinion among all peoples on matters of health. India, Bahrain sign pact to boost ties India and Bahrain has signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement to promote eco14 Weekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012
nomic cooperation and joint investment between the two countries, aimed at boosting bilateral trade that stands at $1.7 billion. The agreements were signed during a twoday state visit by a senior Bahrain delegation, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Economic Development Board (EDB) chairman. It included representatives from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and members of the private sector. Another memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the governments of Bahrain and India is to "undertake a sustained effort" to boost joint ventures and initiatives in ICT (Information and Communication Technology), including measures on e-commerce, e-government and information security. The scope for cooperation, which comes into force with immediate effect, includes regular exchange of market information, business opportunities and economic delegations for promoting trade, investment and commercial exchange. The formation of the India-Bahrain Business Council, with the objective of developing economic, trade and technical relations between India and Bahrain, was also announced. India's finance ministry has already allowed qualified foreign investors (QFIs) from six member-countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and 27 countries of the European Commission (EC) to invest in India to enhance foreign capital inflows. The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Qatar. Bilateral trade has been steadily growing and touched $1.5 billion during 2010-11. Around 120 Indian firms have set up operations in Bahrain, which has positioned itself as a gateway to over $1 trillion Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market. Against the backdrop of the global economic slowdown and the eurozone recession, Bahrainn is looking East and specially to India for more investment. What is North South Transport Corridor? The North-South Transport Corridor is a
term used to describe the ship, rail, and road route for moving freight from South Asia to Europe through Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia. The route primarily involves moving goods from India via ship to Iran. From Iran, the freight moves by ship across the Caspian Sea or by truck or rail to Southern Russia. From there, the goods are transported by truck or rail along the Volga River through Moscow to Northern Europe. In 2001, Russia, Iran, and India signed an agreement to further develop the route. This "International North-South Transport Corridor" will have its starting point from JNPT Port in Mumbai, and via transhipment the goods will reach Bandar Abbas Port (near Straits of Hormuz) in Iran, then a railway link will be established between Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and it will finally reach Russia. If the proposed Railway line is transformed into reality than trade with Afghanistan may also be possible, since there is well established surface route from Chah Bahar port to Zarang Lake (Border of Afghanistan).
SAIEVAC Regional Meet on Ending Vio lence Against Children The Technical Consultations on the Follow-Up of the UN Study on Violence against Children held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Government representatives, children, civil society groups, experts and UN and other international agencies met to review progress towards implementing the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children in South Asia. The representatives drew attention to the alarming statistics facing the SAARC countries in matters of violence against children, who face abuse, discrimination and violence in their homes, schools, work places and various other forms. The aim is to devise policy measures to eliminate violence in all forms against children such as corporal violence, child marriage, child trafficking, child labour, child sexual and physical abuse.
An inter-governmental campaign against The linking of India with Russia via Iran Corporal Punishment in South Asia also and Central Asia will not benefit the countries launched at the Regional Consultation. involved in the north-south corridor project The South Asia Initiative to End Viobut it will also facilitate trade in Eurasian re- lence Against Children is an inter-governgion by opening up vast markets while reduc- mental body with a vision that all children, ing the costs of transport and travel. The new girls and boys, throughout South Asia enroute will reduce transport cost and travel time joy their right to an environment free from to a significant extent. While the Suez Canal all forms of violence, abuse, exploitation, route takes about 45-60 days, the Iran route neglect and discrimination. will take about 25-30 days. Currently the project includes countries Objectives such Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazhakstan, a) Better protection of children through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, functioning comprehensive child proBelarus and Oman, besides the countries mentection systems set up at the regional tioned above. and national level One of the major partners in this project, Iran has been embroiled in hot politics with b) Governments, civil society and children formalize linkages to better cooperate, Israel and the US, but that seems not to deshare experiences and learning for inter India and interested partners including creased impact on ending violence Russia and Central Asia to move ahead with against children. the project.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A new device that injects drugs pain lessly at speed of sound MIT scientist has devised a new device which shoots drugs through the skin at nearly the speed of sound without using needles. It uses a small, powerful magnet and electric current to inject medicine at nearly the speed of sound. Changes in the electric current allow the injector to work in two phases - a high speed phase to enter the skin and reach a certain depth, and a lower-pressure phase to deliver the drug in a slow stream that allows for absorption. The jet injector delivers its drugs through an opening as wide as a mosquito's proboscis. Several "jet injectors" already exist, but MIT's device has the ability to control drug injection speeds The Web moving up to new protocol IPv6 A number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), hardware makers and websites, including a few from India, will start running IPv6, a new generation Internet protocol, permanently from June 6. It is part of a global effort to move away from the IPv4 regime that now rules the cyberspace. With the rapid expansion of Internet, the sets of numbers that could be used as digital addresses started getting exhausted. This necessitated a new version that offers an almost inexhaustible address pool. The handful of organisations and companies from India taking part in the initiative at the time when was written included ISP Sify, Bangalore International Airport (website), ERNET (Education and Research Network) and Bharat Heavy Electricals. World IPv6 Launch acts as a focal point to bring the existing transition efforts and industry players together, to work towards
the common goal of permanently deploying IPv6 on the global Internet. By acting together on the World IPv6 Launch, ISPs, web companies, and equipment vendors are able to cooperatively address common challenges. IPv6 is an Internet Layer protocol for packet-switched internetworking and provides an unreliable end-to-end datagram delivery service. The main driving force for the redesign of Internet Protocol was the foreseeable IPv4 address exhaustion. IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and is described in Internet standard document RFC 2460, published in December 1998. IPv6 uses a 128-bit address, whereas IPv4 uses only 32 bits. The new address space supports 2128 (about 3.41038) addresses. This expansion provides considerable flexibility in allocating addresses and routing traffic. It also eliminates the primary need for network address translation (NAT), which gained widespread deployment as an effort to alleviate IPv4 address exhaustion. IPv6 also implements many other new features. It simplifies aspects of address assignment (stateless address auto configuration) and network renumbering (prefix and router announcements) when changing Internet connectivity providers. The IPv6 subnet size has been standardized by fixing the size of the host identifier portion of an address to 64 bits to facilitate an automatic mechanism for forming the host identifier from Link Layer media addressing information (MAC address). Network security is also integrated into the design of the IPv6 architecture, and the IPv6 specification mandates support for IPSec as a fundamental interoperability requirement. Who controls the World Wide Web? At the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, held
in Geneva, India reiterated its proposal to create a Committee on Internet-related Policies (CIRP). This proposal aims at democratizing the Internet and critical resources that are currently controlled by the U.S., big businesses and powerful nations in various other governance forums. The proposed CIRP will be a multilateral institution, where governments will sit together and take decisions on internet policies, treaties and standards. The U.S. and corporate lobbies (most big Internet firms being U.S.-based or operating out of other developed countries) have argued for retaining the current structure, where ICANN (which already has a governing council with government representatives) retains control over Internet technologies. They argue that though jurisdictionally under the U.S., the ICANN is more likely to retain the democratic and free structure of the Internet. The DNS is a large database used by Internet applications to map or translate Web URLs (for instance, www.thehindu.com) to a unique IP address. This is presently controlled by ICANN. All the generic names and the IP addresses for all top level domains (for the purpose of mapping) are stored in what is called a root zone file. So when URL address is typed in browser's address bar, a query is sent to the DNS which translates it into the numeric IP address. While, as users, this saves us the trouble of remembering numbers and codes, the larger benefits of course have to do with the fact that you can access any site from anywhere. ICANN continues to be a non-profit registered in the U.S., one that is subject to decisions and laws made by the U.S. government. Recently under the pretext of enforcing an IP regime, the U.S. can enforce alterations to the DNS system, as was proposed in the SOPA legislation. So India has proposed for pure democratic control. Stock evaluation of Indian mackerel planned Marine fisheries experts will soon cast their nets in different parts of the Bay of
Bengal to assess the genetic stock of Indian mackerel. The assessment forms part of the eightnation Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BoBLME) project, in which India is a participant. The other nations are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The Indian Mackerel Working Group will work for establishing a robust genetic sampling and analysis scheme for assessing the stock structure of Indian mackerel in the Bay of Bengal region. Attempts will also be made to develop a sampling plan for tissue collection along the Bay of Bengal, including the Andaman Islands. This would enable scientists to understand how stocks vary across the regions and whether there is one stock or sub-stock structure in the region that will influence how a management plan will be developed for the region. The project is funded by the Global Environmental Facility in Norway, the Swedish Internal Development Agency, the Food and Agricultural Organisation, participating governments and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. Cyber 'superweapon' FLAME A Russian computer firm has discovered a new computer virus with unprecedented destructive potential that chiefly targets Iran and could be used as a "cyber-weapon" by the West and Israel. Kaspersky Lab, one of the world's biggest producers of anti-virus software, has discovered the virus -known as FLAME - during an investigation prompted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Kaspersky said the virus was several times larger than the Stuxnet worm that was discovered in 2010 and targeted the Iranian nuclear programme, reportedly at the behest of Western or Israeli security agencies. It said the main task of Flame is cyber espionage, meaning it steals information from
infected machines including documents, screenshots and even audio recordings. It then sends the data to servers all over the world. Flame is "one of the most advanced and complete attack-toolkits ever discovered". Indian scientists in team that se quenced tomato genome A group of 300 scientists from across the world, including India, have sequenced the genome of tomato. The achievement is expected to lower the costs and speed up efforts to improve tomato production, making it better equipped to combat pests and pathogens, and to tolerate droughts. Tomato belongs to a family of vegetables called 'Solan-
aceae,' which have a lot of global importance as they serve as sources of food, spices, medicines and ornamentals. The other members include potato, pepper and brinjal. From India, scientists from the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology under the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Delhi University's South Campus participated in the programme. The 'Tomato Genome Consortium' was established in 2003 in the U.S. Its members were drawn from the U.S., the U.K., China, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Israel, Spain, Argentina, and Be
ECONOMY NEWS
CAG begins audit of RIL, Cairn & PMT blocks The Comptroller and Auditor-General has begun an "extensive" audit of the four oil and gas blocks being operated by Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Anil Aggarwal-owned Cairn India Limited and the Panna-Mukta Tapi (PMT) assets, a joint venture of RIL, ONGC and British Gas, following an order issued by the government. The scrutiny will cover the activities of the Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons and the Petroleum Ministry to verify whether the government's revenue interests were properly protected and the system/procedures of the Ministry and the DGH to monitor and ensure compliance with Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) were adequately followed. For the Panna-Mukta Tapi fields, the audit would cover the period from 2006-07 to 2008-09 and for KG-DWN-98/3 and RJ-ON90/ block it would be for 2008-09. The audit comes after the CAG, in its draft report last year, charged the Ministry with granting undue concessions in allowing extensions and area granted to RIL in the KG basin, and Cairn India's Rajasthan block, and drew attention to discrepancies in the Panna-Mukta-Tapti JV. The audit of 12 other blocks would be carried out by Chartered Accountant (CA) firms appointed by the Ministry which have experience in audit of E&P activities and are empanelled with the CAG office. The government decided to appoint nodal officers at the Ministry and the DGH to facilitate the audit process. The audit includes looking at whether capital expenditure, operating expenditure, and net cash income and individual items thereof are accurately and reliably reflected and whether these amounts are supported by adequate documentation; whether the figures for individual items of capex/opex are reasonable and commensurate with the original and revised budgets, plans, feasibility reports or similar documents and
whether there exists collateral evidence which would provide assurance of the authenticity of goods and services procured and provided. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India under Chapter V, who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government. The CAG is also the external auditor of government-owned companies. The reports of the CAG are taken into consideration by the Public Accounts Committees, which are special committees in the Parliament of India and the state legislatures. Foreign investment norms for stock market eased In a conscious bid to shore up the inflow of foreign funds and, thereby, stem the steady depreciation of the rupee against the dollar, the government has open the stock markets to direct investment by all residents of the Gulf and EU nations. The government had earlier in January allowed QFIs from 34 FATF (Financial Action Task Force) member countries to invest in the equity market. Alongside, it also opened the doors to individual overseas investors - better known as QFIs (qualified foreign investors) - to bring up to $1 billion in the country's debt and corporate bond market. QUALIFIED FOREIGN INVESTORS have been characterized as an individuals, groups or associations, resident in a foreign country who has complied with the Financial Action Task Force standards and a signatory to International Organization of Securities Commission's multilateral memorandum of understanding. The RBI and SEBI will issue necessary instructions to this effect within seven days The government will also clear apprehensions over taxation policies. The Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT) will soon be issuing clarifications on matters pertaining to taxation of investments by QFIs; the government will also have to clear the air over its tax policies on international fund flows. In particular, the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules), which were proposed in the budget and has since been deferred for implementation till next fiscal, unnerved foreign investors and was mainly instrumental in the initial exodus by FIIs from the stock market. The decision to relax the investment norms comes at a time when the government and the Reserve Bank are making efforts to arrest the slide in rupee which touched life time low of 56.38 to a dollar on May 24, mainly on account of withdrawal of funds to the tune of Rs 1,500 crores since April by FIIs. This also led to sharp fluctuations in stock market. PM appoints committee to look into the design of future Production Sharing Contracts in hydrocarbon exploration The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, has appointed a Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan to look into the design of future Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) in hydrocarbon exploration. The Committee is to look into all modifications necessary for future Production Sharing Contracts so as to enhance production of oil and gas and the Government`s share of this while minimizing procedures for monitoring the expenditure of producers. The Terms of Reference of the Committee are: a) Review of the existing PSCs, including in respect of the current profit-sharing mechanism with the Pre-Tax Investment Multiple (PTIM) as the base parameter; b) Exploring various contract models with a view to minimize the monitoring of expenditure of the contractor without compromising, firstly, on the hydrocarbons output across time and, secondly, on the Government`s take; c) A suitable mechanism for managing the contract implementation of PSCs which is being handled at present by the representation of Regulator/Government nominee appointed to the Managing Committee;
d) Suitable governmental mechanisms to monitor and to audit GOI share of profit petroleum; e) Structure and elements of the Guidelines for determining the basis or formula for the price of domestically produced gas, and for monitoring actual price fixation; f) Any other issues relating to PSCs. Government Notifies Guidelines for Short Term Procurement of Electricity by Discoms The Government has notified guidelines for short-term (i.e. for a period of less than or equal to one year) procurement of electricity by Distribution Licensees under section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003. The new guidelines will promote competitive procurement of short-term power requirement by the Distribution Licensees and are also expected to reduce the overall cost of procurement of power leading to significant benefits for consumers. The specific objectives of these Guidelines are as follows: a) Promote competitive procurement of electricity by Distribution Licensees for their short term demand (less than or equal to one year); b) Reduce the Power Purchase Bill of Discoms through a process of planned procurement based on transparent guidelines; c) Provide benefit to consumers; d) Facilitate transparency and fairness in procurement processes. Procurement of Power for less than 15 days shall be excluded from the scope of these Guidelines to allow for contingencies. Power procured under Banking Mechanism and from Power Exchanges shall also be excluded from the scope of these Guidelines. The need for guidelines for short term procurement of electricity was felt as Distribution Companies (DISCOMs) engage in purchase or sale of electricity in the short-term market to meet their demand for electricity for shorter duration not exceeding one year. Power purchase cost constitutes the largest cost component for Distribution Licensees reflecting in the retail consumer tariff. Since short-term procurement of electricity was being done by
the DISCOMs in large scale to meet the urgent short term requirement it was decided to issue the guidelines for short term procurement of power by Distribution Licensees through competitive bidding process. PM sets up investment tracking system for mega projects In order to address the issue of major investment projects being delayed for a variety of reasons, the Prime Minister has approved the setting up of an Investment Tracking System to ensure speedy implementation of such projects. The Investment Tracking System would submit quarterly reports so that corrective measures could be taken to ensure speedy implementation. National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council shall track all Public Sector projects with an investment of ` 1000 crore and above. The National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council shall submit a quarterly statement of
all projects monitored and any issues identified that need resolution, either systemically or individually. The Department of Financial Services shall monitor projects with an investment of ` 1000 crore and above in the private sector. The Department would use data available with the banking sector for this purpose. The Department shall submit a quarterly statement of all projects monitored and issues identified that need resolution, either systemically or individually. Several mega projects, including Posco's proposed $12-billion steel plant in Odisha, have been hanging fire because of regulatory clearances and land acquisition issues. The other projects facing delays include $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, Jaitapur Nuclear Power plant and ultra mega power projects. The investment rate during 2011-12 declined to 29.5 per cent, from over 30 per cent a year ago.
EDITORIALS
The politics of food for the hungry The 28th of May, marked as "World Hunger Day," has come and gone but for Pannu Bai Bhil, every day is hunger day. How does someone dealing with chronic hunger view a day marking her plight? Let those of us who overeat at least take stock of a hungry India pitted against bumper crops, number crunching, technologies for profit, markets, and growth rates. The solution for hunger lies in proper distribution of grain, and not in bringing technology as the Prime Minster avers when talking of GM crops. If this government cannot prevent the huge stocks from rotting by distributing food grain adequately and equitably, other questions remain mere rhetoric. Whenever issues of deprivation, hunger and social security are raised, the government deliberately talks of the declining Sensex, the rupee exchange, growth rates, and balanced budgets. Most innocent readers and viewers of news blame the demands of the marginalised for pulling down a rising India. Nationalist India will have to make a choice. Can we shift from fighting the 'foreign hand' to fight the biggest enemy within - the hunger of millions? India has not addressed the unpardonable sin of letting bumper crops and huge dumps of grain rot, when millions of Indians battle with endemic hunger and lack of access to food. Since it is a global event, a quick overview of international standards would be useful. The World Food Summit (1996) defined food security as "access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life." The Global Hunger Index released by the International Food Policy Research Institute ranks India 66th among 88 vulnerable countries. Ironically farmers are amongst the millions who go hungry. A principal reason is that the economy has neglected agriculture, continuously discriminated against and exploited to subsidise the manufacturing and service sectors. How to lie with statistics : The first method to downplay the issue is to crunch numbers,
and reduce the statistics of hungry people. There are many contradictory reports and studies commissioned by the government. Conclusive figures vary. For example, according to the Planning Commission's contentious Tendulkar Committee Report, calorie consumption is calculated at 1776 calories per person per day for urban areas, 1999 for rural areas. This is much below the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) norms for the average person in India which is 2400 calories in rural areas and 2100 calories in urban areas. Having already restricted the supply of subsidised food grains to BPL families, the government brought down the BPL figures from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 29.8 per cent in 200910. In one stroke, the government absolved itself of the responsibility of providing affordable food grain to those who, by medical standards, needed them. Yet while releasing the 'Hungama' report (2012), the Prime Minister was shocked to find 42 per cent of children malnourished, calling it a "national shame". The technology fix : "The country cannot feed its hungry millions, unless there is high tech Corporate agriculture!" According to the figures of the Ministry of Agriculture, in the last three years of 2009-10, 2010-2011 and 201112 food grain production broke records. The country produced approximately 240 million tonnes of cereals and 17 million tonnes of pulses last year. If this is procured and distributed efficiently, it should be enough to provide the stipulated calories for the entire population of the country. Instead, there is poor procurement, and potential wastage of millions of tonnes of food grain that will rot in railway yards, mandies , FCI godowns across the country. The population that will and has benefited most from this stark inability to deal with distribution are rats! Exporting food now, far from being a solution, will only aggravate hunger further. Technology or political will : Facts and figures proclaim surplus despite accusations that the agriculture sector pulls down growth. But, the government has been making hunger and
low production the reason to push a series of techno-fix solutions. It is part of a mindset that sees the solution in Northern style Agro-Business Corporations. The balance sheet of a technological solution can now be better measured in the cradles of the Green revolution - Punjab and Haryana - where the costs to the land and water table, and dependent relationship on the financiers and agro companies were never factored in. This model, propagated across the country, spelt rapid depletion of the natural capital for farming - soil, water and biodiversity. It also resulted in indebted farmers. It is inexplicable that a set of market economy policymakers, with a commitment to cost benefit analysis, should ignore depletion of basic capital - land that produces, and the (in)security of farmers in the market. There is also the wider national impact of these agrochemicals on health. The latest addition to this treadmill of technologies being sold to farmers is Genetically Modified (GM) crops. It represents a paradigm shift in agriculture, with the potential to affect the consumers (food safety) and farmers (livelihood) security. GM crops are controversial all over the world. Questions have been repeatedly raised against this technology being introduced in food and farming. When Bt Brinjal was introduced, it was the first GM food crop proposed for commercial cultivation. There was public opposition from all sections of society, including the fact that the bio-safety assessment on Bt Brinjal was not satisfactory. Jairam Ramesh, then Union Minister for Environment and Forests, concluded a series of public consultations on this contested policy, with a decision to enforce an indefinite moratorium on the proposal. Alarm bells In fact, the assessment of Bt cotton, the only commercially approved GM crop in the country, should ring alarm bells for policymakers obsessed with the idea of increased food production through GM technology. While the area under Bt cotton cultivation has certainly gone up over the last decade, data analysis shows productivity has not significantly increased, nor has pesticide use markedly decreased. In fact, cotton productivity has been on the decline in the last five years - a period
when Bt cotton covered the majority of the cotton cultivated area in the country. Far from being a technological solution to rural poverty, Bt cotton has only increased the distress of those dependent on farming, and acutely so in the semi-arid cotton belt. Costs have increased due to the appearance of new pests and others developing Bt resistance, higher water and fertilizer requirements, and no major benefit in the output. The main beneficiaries of this transfer to Bt Cotton seem to be multinational seed companies like Monsanto which have profited through patents and royalty. Attempts to flood agriculture with GM crops - around 71 at different stages of development in the pipeline - in fact pose a threat to long-term food security. The government seems unconcerned that this technology will further shift the control of agriculture to seed companies and corporate intermediaries. There is a growing body of science that points to the risk that GM food might pose to human health and environment. What insures us against the potential disaster to life and environment when sideeffects emerge a few decades later? While hasty techno-fixes to deal with the crisis in the farming community are afoot, malnutrition and genuine problems in the agricultural sector in the country fail to be seriously addressed. Farmers committing suicide are linked to the commercial pressures of tech dependent agriculture, along with the controls of companies, the market, and credit agencies. Increasing production is not the only solution to hunger in an unequal society. The debates around the National Food Security Bill reveal the lack of political intent to use food stocks to help remove malnutrition and address inequity. While talking of food security (a much larger right than just PDS), policymakers are reluctant to grant universal entitlements of even food grain to eradicate hunger. India is, and will be, an agricultural economy. Communities dependent on farming have tremendously difficult jobs and very low incomes. In shifting to intensive mono cropping during the Green Revolution, farmers stopped cultivating diverse and subsistence crops, undermining their own basic food security. We need to ensure that people in agriculture lead economically secure lives. A
rationally calculated Minimum Support Price is non-negotiable. Agricultural workers and farmers must have the purchasing power, for their own food security needs. If we take "hunger day" seriously, every Indian who feeds more than twice a day, wasting food, and critiquing food entitlements, should feel contrite and join the campaign for a universal entitlement through the PDS. We should take a serious look at the politics of food, and not be taken in by potentially dangerous technological solutions like GM foods. The Indian government must move from platitudes to action. Undistributed grains must be moved immediately to people through the PDS and increased universal allocations under the proposed Right to Food Bill. Can we afford to wait for Parliament debates in the monsoon session as rains soak and rot open food stocks, and farmers struggle to find the money for inputs to sow their next crop? Source: The Hindu A Mexican warning on retail FDI Wal-Mart has taken over nearly half of Mexico's retail business with just over 200,000 employees. In contrast, the Indian retail sector employs 40 million. Several months have elapsed since the Centre kept in abeyance the decision of the Cabinet to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. Thanks to opposition from its own allies in the UPA and to avert a crisis on this issue, the Government has postponed it and is working on "building a consensus among political parties." Even as we keep hearing murmurs in the media that the decision will be revived, a remarkable expose about Wal-Mart's (the world's largest retailer) fraudulent practices has appeared in The New York Times. The story broke on April 22 in the print version with the headline, "Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart" (http://nyti.ms/ JLqDiL) The bribery relates to the period prior to 2006. The development in Mexico has important lessons for India. The article reported the web of corruption woven by Wal-Mart de Mexico to dominate the market. The New York Times examination "found credible evidence that bribery played a persistent and significant role in Wal-Mart's
rapid growth in Mexico." The information came out in the open when a Wal-Mart de Mexico employee (Mr Sergio Cicero Zapata, a lawyer who served the company for 10 years) who was in charge of obtaining permits became disgruntled and disclosed the facts to the US headquarters. Rapid Rise in Mexico Wal-Mart entered Mexico in 1991. In two decades, the company has grown to a position of domination with nearly 50 per cent market share of the retail sector. Wal-Mart de Mexico has 2,765 stores and restaurants in that country, nearly four times as many stores as its nearest rival, Soriana. The company has opened new outlets at the average rate of nearly 11 a month, every month over the past 21 years. Wal-Mart has emerged as the largest private sector employer in Mexico with 209,000 employees. Two observations are noteworthy. Those who have argued that Indian small retail will coexist with big foreign retail should note that Wal-Mart de Mexico has displaced and swept aside the local retailers with ease in just two decades. For those who argued that FDI in multi-brand retail will increase employment, it is pertinent to note that Wal-Mart has taken over nearly half of Mexico's retail business with just over 200,000 employees (the country's population is 112 million). In contrast, the Indian retail sector provides employment to 40 million people. Wal-Marts Findings Wal-Mart despatched investigators from the US to Mexico who unearthed evidence of widespread bribery. They found a paper trail of suspect payments totalling more than $24 million (Rs 120 crore). They found documents showing that Wal-Mart de Mexico's top executives not only knew about the payments, but had taken steps to conceal them from the headquarters. In addition, investigators found that an amount of $16 million (Rs 80 crore) was directly paid by the company as "contributions" and "donations" to governments in 2003-05. The bribes were paid through outside lawyers, fixers known as "gestores" (pronounced hes-tore-ehs). Wal-Mart's investigators found 441 gestor payments just in 2003-05 (around
three a week). The bribes bought zoning approvals and permits, reductions in environmental impact fees and the allegiance of local leaders. The bribes were paid "in order to build hundreds of new stores so fast that competitors would not have time to react." Wal-Mart violated both the US and Mexico laws. In the US, the company violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal law that makes it a crime for American companies and their subsidiaries to bribe foreign officials. The then Mexico CEO, Mr Eduardo CastroWright, was identified as the driving force behind years of bribery. He was promoted to a bigger role in the US and became Vice-Chairman of Wal-Mart in 2008. Matters came to the knowledge of Mr H. Lee Scott Jr, Wal-Mart global CEO, in 2005. He transferred the bribery investigation back to Mexico, where the General Counsel (who himself was implicated) closed it down. None of Wal-Mart de Mexico's leaders were disciplined. Irreversible Damage Upon hearing about The New York Times story, Wal-Mart finally reported this matter to the US Justice Department in December, and to the Securities & Exchange Commission. As overseas bribery is a criminal violation of the US laws, the US authorities will pursue action against Wal-Mart. This could result in the arrest of senior executives and/ or payment of substantial penalties. The case will then be closed. What this will never be able to reverse is the damage caused to tens of thousands of small retailers, farmers and suppliers in Mexico who have been forced to shut down in the wake of Wal-Mart's expansion, and their families. Given that Wal-Mart now overwhelmingly dominates the Mexican market, it has made the entire country is dependent on itself for supply of essentials, presumably limiting the action that the Mexican authorities can take. Wal-Mart has become too big to fail in Mexico, and the country has become reliant on a foreign company that is governed from beyond its borders.
Protecting Indias Interests A simple regulatory framework can protect India's interests against such developments. It is accepted practice that an individual with an unacceptable criminal or litigation record is denied a visa to enter countries such as the US. Similarly, companies that have been convicted of fraud or been the subject of investigation for monopolistic and restrictive practices or other serious wrongdoing (such as damage to the environment) should be denied permission to enter India. When a company makes an application to the Government for opening shop in India, they should be required to make a full disclosure of their litigation record, and cases of criminal misconduct from their operations across the world. Companies with a poor record should be disqualified automatically. When new information comes to light, it is perfectly in order to review decisions previously taken. The Government should study the Mexican example and formulate its policies suitably to protect the masses from the onslaught of big foreign retail. Source: Business Line IPL auction is bad economics An artificially imposed wage ceiling for uncapped Indian players unfairly penalises them. This season, the IPL is facing challenges that require it to restructure some of its core components. First and foremost, there is a need to replace the auction system with a comprehensive draft system. Drafts are a mechanism used by professional sports leagues to ensure parity among teams in a systematic manner. Through drafts, salary structures are decided through a 'minimum-wage' agreement, which is arrived at after discussions between the league and player associations. The associations use the power of collective bargaining to arrive at an agreement that benefits players at every professional level on the basis of seniority and experience. The players' earnings will increase over the minimum wage, depending on unique skillsrelated escalation clauses/bonuses, clearly
stipulated within their contracts and subject to the salary caps mandated by the league. This is important for the IPL, given the unwanted attention drawn towards spot-fixing and facilitation fees for uncapped players. By mandating a dynamic salary structure where a meritorious uncapped player can consistently earn a premium retainer for his ability, while earning performance bonuses for outperforming contractual expectations, the league can essentially reduce corruption and enhance the veracity of the matches. This is also in line with the basic laws of economics, as it does not place an artificial wage floor or ceiling, unlike the current IPL auction. It would be fair to say that most leagues' player drafts are sophisticated processes that have evolved over decades. They are determined on the basis of the players' representatives/associations negotiating salary floors (for each player) and caps (for each team) with the commissioner's office, and also with individual teams. The outcome of these negotiations determines, among other things, the range and strictly mandated league-specific regulations governing drafts, team selection, salary caps, player loans and trades, salary arbitration and free agency. This process is known as collective bargaining. For the IPL's image, an authorised IPL players' association is a must, in order to prevent any future mishaps, such as the ones featuring Ravindra Jadeja, Manish Pandey, and now, the spot-fixing allegations. There is a lack of understanding and knowledge of protocol that numerous uncapped players face. Which is why there must be a players' association that guides, advises and protects young players who are not allowed any form of representation, and who may end up making ill-advised decisions that can cost them their careers and their reputations. A players' association can be the official communication body that interacts directly on behalf of the players with the IPL governing council and the teams. American-European Model The IPL draft should be a hybrid model, borrowing from the North American and the
European Leagues, and could be implemented in IPL-VI or IPL-VII. The draft should be for all the players who have made themselves available for the IPL, and the players can be placed in the draft on the basis of seniority and international stature ("marquee players"). The draft could then be divided into sessions and rounds within those sessions, and the teams will be allotted draft picks on the basis of performance. A lottery system to determine the selection order for the teams can be used. There should be a standardised allocation of time between picks and between sessions. The salary floors will be allocated for each session and round and will be stipulated by the governing council or the commissioner's office, to ensure parity and a level playing field. Salary Cap Players will be selected on the basis of draft picks, and there shall be no mention of the amount each player shall make during the draft itself. Market forces will determine the value of a player, therefore, ensuring that the meritorious players are selected in the earliest rounds and sessions of the draft. Ideally, the draft should take place every three years. A soft salary cap should be implemented. A soft cap has a fixed ceiling for each team's payroll, and exceptions on the basis of standardised bonus clauses or other exemptions that can be triggered as the IPL draft becomes more sophisticated. If, for example, $10 million is the salary cap, then with the exclusion of said exceptions, each franchisee must adhere to this salary cap for the team's retainer payroll. However, the floors and ceilings of the retainer component will depend on which round the player is picked in the draft. It will not apply to performance and other threshold bonuses that each team can factor into its contracts with the players. Uncapped Componet Crucially, there should also be an uncapped component in the salary cap. At least
15 per cent of the salary cap must be spent on Indian players with or without IPL experience, but who have not yet been selected to represent India. Failure to use this component will result in penalties such as a team foregoing the subsequent draft picks. At present, an artificially imposed wage ceiling for uncapped Indian players defies the laws of economics and also unfairly penalises them merely because India has a strong national team. For Indians, it merely limits earning capability and serves as a negative pecuniary externality - a penalty for having a strong national squad with barriers to becoming a capped player. The placement and positioning of players in the draft will be in terms of seniority and overall marquee status. One important change from the system now is to determine seniority by experience in IPL seasons, not by age or first-class cricket seniority. Player loans could be effective in the IPL, as teams that are no longer competitive in the playoffs can loan their players to contending teams, subject to the parties concerned agreeing to the terms and conditions that govern loans. It can be explored. The proposed draft isn't perfect, and nor will each aspect of it likely pass muster. But in a fast-evolving variant of a cherished sport that clearly needs an overhaul, the draft along with the proposed player association could be the first steps towards an enduring and sustainable system where market forces merge with passion in a hybridised league. Source: Business Line A problem called Iran After the failure of the Baghdad talks, live telecasts and an impartial mediator could break the current impasse The latest round of Iranian nuclear negotiations held in Baghdad on May 23 and 24 between Iran and the P5+1 has ended with only one agreement - that the parties to the talks will meet again in Moscow on June 18. The latest talks witnessed both parties persisting with their rigid stands. While the world powers demanded that Iran first stop its uranium enrichment process before sanctions are lifted, Iran proposed its own fiveStrictly for Internal Circulation
point agenda. While the agreement to continue the talks leaves some hope, the continued denial of any concession by all parties is a cause for concern. Despite hope that the negotiating parties have bought time to work on facilitating a breakthrough, the history of the current stalemate reveals that they might give in to their not-so-noble agendas. Although Iran has been bitten by sanctions, it may use the time to further enrich uranium at a faster pace. On the other hand, Israel has made no secret of its intention to act militarily to neutralise Iran's nuclear capabilities. An attack by Israel is likely to involve the US, Britain and other European countries in the ensuing conflict. Since the economies of these countries are in a shambles, they may be delaying military action against Iran as that could further destabilise the world economy. The substance of these talks appear nonnegotiable. Thus, change in their procedure may promise the desirable result. Two inputs worth considering include live telecasts of the proceedings of the negotiations, and the involvement of a neutral mediating country to moderate them. Due to the closed-door nature of the negotiation process, failures in the past have generated a blame-game where each party holds the other responsible for the failure. Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in particular, has effectively used the opaqueness of such negotiations to his advantage in the past. On the other hand, the US has to avoid the mistakes it made before invading Iraq to regain some legitimacy in its actions vis--vis Iran. Such problems could be solved by ensuring total transparency in these negotiations, which could be ensured by the decision to telecast the proceedings live. One may argue that it is against the norm to telecast diplomatic discussions on sensitive issues. However, most of the information related to Iran's nuclear programme that is available to diplomats outside Iran is also available to the wider world through the IAEA documents posted on its website. The live telecast would only make public the stated positions of the conflicting parties for the world to see.
Iran should not have any objection to this proposition since it has always lamented that the West has been unfair to it. The live telecast would enable it to substantiate its claims. Similarly, the US should also agree to the proposition since, in its quest to isolate Iran, it has needed the support of the world community. The governments of the respective countries could help the US in the matter only if they have the mandate to do so, which could be successfully obtained only if the masses of these countries are convinced that it is right to do so. The absence of an impartial mediator is also a major factor in these talks getting stalled midway, just like in Istanbul a year ago. It is worth noting here that the current negotiations are being held between several conflicting parties without a mediator. Among the constituents of P5+1, the US has imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. The other constituents - Britain, France and Germany - are party to the conflict due to their membership of the EU, which has also imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. While the rest of the P5+1 - Russia and China - have not imposed unilateral sanctions, they are seen as aiding Iran and therefore cannot be considered neutral. Iran, of course, is a conflicting party. This leaves us to find yet another country that can be accepted as neutral by all conflicting parties. This neutral country could then play the role of a mediator. While it is wise to be concerned about the problem of nuclear proliferation, it is equally pertinent to find its solution with due sincerity. At a time when the world is facing severe economic crisis and the West Asian region is facing political turmoil, another military conflict in the oil rich Gulf would send the already burgeoning price of oil skyrocketing, further hurting the global economy. The major powers are thus obligated to resolve the current impasse. Source: Indian Express The third gender's right to dignity By recognising the rights of the transgender community, the state is not doling out largesse; it is only performing its duty under the Constitution They came beautifully dressed, some a tad
brightly, but all beautifully and proudly, there was much chatter, and a lot of sisterhood. It was the public hearing of transgenders at Delhi. An excluded group must definitely feel cheered in a gathering, where the members of that group form the majority. True, the transgender experience is full of pain. It is a story of gross human rights violation, but today they had a voice, they had visibility. The Pakistan Supreme Court recently ruled that those who do not consider themselves to be either male or female should be allowed to choose an alternative sex in their national identity cards. I thought of the times when I fill up forms, mindlessly marking (F), and what it must be like to have the pen faltering then, not knowing if I should mark the one or the other. I thought of the times when I enter the public restrooms for women, and if at all something hits me it is the sensory assault of those pit-places, and what it must be like to feel a sense of achievement that finally I gained my right to enter the restroom of my choice. A body which is built in one way, houses a mind which is crying to be something else. It is difficult to walk in those shoes, but that does not mean those shoes are not there. Heart-rending The stories are heart-rending. Every citizen has a right to life, the right to self-expression, under the Constitution. The right of gender expression is inherent in it, as much as the right of expression of sexuality. This is a facet of the right to life. The space of the third gender is not a space that is easy to inhabit for the ones who are there, and not easy to imagine for the ones who are not there. Parents and siblings do not understand why this child cannot be like the others. Nor does the child know why, when he looks like his brothers, he wants to be like his sisters or the other way round. Acceptance is denied and the child faces exclusion even at home. In Sunil Babu Pant vs Nepal Govt and others, the Supreme Court of Nepal used the Yogyakarta Principles and held that sexual orientation is not "mental perversion" or "emotional and psychological disorder" and that the people of different gender identities are entitled to enjoy their rights without discrimination. The discrimination against the third gender is embedded in our consciousness and is aggravated by ignorance and insensitivity.
Even well-meaning persons are uncomfortable if they face someone who does not fit in the Procrustean beds of "the normal". One might well ask, why a person who has a man's body, can't mark (M) in application forms, or queue up in the men's restroom and be done with it. I will give you two answers. The first comes from a member of the community, "In public places, we are treated differently. If I am out and visit the women's washroom they won't like it and if I go to men's washroom you know it would be a different story. Where should I go?" The next answer is from Justice Albie Sachs's The Strange Alchemy of Law and Life: "There was an abysmal decision by our top court, the appeal Court, in the 1930s, when people of Indian origin objected to being excluded from post office counters where white people would queue. Three out of four judges could not see the problem; the applicants could be served just as well in the one queue as in the other. Only one judge, Gardiner said, 'It touches on the dignity of people to be excluded, it's not simply a question of functionality'." The brown man will get the same postcards in the other counter. So why complain? No, it is about dignity, real dignity to all barring none. Justice Sachs speaks of the equality of the vineyard (grading up) or the equality of the graveyard (levelling down). The choice is entirely our people's and of their representatives. 'Invisible' That day at the public hearing for "Access to Justice and Social Inclusion" Aradhana Johri (Additional Secretary, National AIDS Control Organization) narrated an incident at a parliamentary consultation. She said: "Avina [a transgender] got up to speak and asked the audience, "Do you see me?" and when they said yes, she said that though you 'see' me you don't 'see' me. I am invisible, I am nowhere, we are the third gender." Our country must be having the highest percentage of "invisible" people, people who do not matter, the disabled, the third gender, the old, the oppressed, the pavement dwellers, the list goes on. Perhaps that is why the forgotten ones vote in large numbers while for the others, it is a matter of option. For the invisible groups, it is important that they vote, because an election is the only time they count. That is why this community fought for the right to indicate their gender as "O" for 'others' in the electoral rolls, and got it in 2009.
Recently, the fight for equality of transgenders scored a remarkable victory. The Argentine Senate unanimously passed the Gender Identity Act, which has been described as the most progressive and liberal in the world. It recognises that a person's subjectively felt and self-defined gender may or may not correspond with the gender assigned at birth. This is the right that the participants at the public hearing claimed, which is acknowledgment of their "human-ness". If their gender identity is not accepted then even if they are elected, their election may be nullified. This has happened in our country. The State of Tamil Nadu has a fair record of recognising the rights of the transgender community. But let us remember that this is not state largesse, this is the state performing its duty under the Constitution. One participant said in poignantly poetic words that we have day and night and the beauty of dusk and dawn too, the in-betweens, and asked why their worth cannot be recognised. Transgender persons walking alone are subjected to harassment, and so, in defence, they adopt a loud and aggressive behaviour. There are highly qualified, educated and articulate persons who cannot secure employment because of the difference. They pleaded, "Please do not drive us to sex-work. If we have no other option, what do we do?" They argue that if there can be reservation for the differentlyabled, there must be for the differentlygendered too. One speaker said, "I too want to nurture my child." There are no answers in a climate of non-acceptance. The experience of the transgender community with the police is dignity-destroying. The case of Jayalakshmi v State of Tamil Nadu is an example. A young transgender named Pandian was interrogated by the police regarding a theft case. He was so abused and sexually harassed by the police personnel that he poured kerosene and set fire to himself. The Madras High Court ordered compensation. If the face of law which should protect the citizen turns brutal, to whom will the weak and vulnerable turn? Hear this voice from the community, "When [the police] saw my body they said that there is no hair on your body anywhere so you get yourself waxed or what do you do. First they began asking nicely then they told me that night time is the time for the police. After that I never went to the poWeekly Current Affairs 28 May-3 June, 2012 29
lice." How far can one go in reducing the dignity of another? The young transgender drops out of school because of exclusion and one participant argued, "Provisions should be made that in whatever attire a child comes to school the right to education cannot be denied." A safe childhood and access to education is their right. When state and society have no space for the different ones, they are doomed to be excluded. So wherever there is a form to be filled or there is a definition of "person" as male or female, this group goes invisible. The community wanted to know how the domestic violence against them can be addressed if the law recognises protection of women alone. They wanted an Indian protocol put in place for the sex change process. All they want is to be recognised as persons and treated with dignity. I will end with their own words: "Today we want to earn a decent livelihood, live with dignity." In short, they assert their right under Article 21 of the Constitution. Source: The Hindu Patents: A prize for inventors will help A potentially game-changing idea is that if an inventor is rewarded with a huge cash award upfront in exchange for his invention becoming available immediately for public use, unseemly patent battles waged across continents will be a thing of past. Patents are country-specific, so much so that a person registering one in his home country has no choice but to also register it in all the countries where the product or process is likely to be used. Under WTO norms, dictated by the powerful Western world, the patentholder enjoys monopoly rights over his invention for 20 years. However, patents have never conferred on a patent-holder the complete sense of security expected of them. And this is the case even in the US, what with its law permitting the relentless challenging of a patent throughout its life; that includes allowing one to use the Orange book for a facet of invention on which a patent has not been granted. Hence, a limited patent becomes a possibility. The Orange book has, indeed, been the delight of wannabe patent-holders - wanting to cash in substantially on others' efforts - and,
correspondingly, the nightmare of the patentholders. While the US dispensation encourages the creativity of challengers and opportunists from all countries, there are allegations of brazen forms of lifting. Apple constantly feels threatened by Samsung which, the former alleges, routinely comes out with cheaper versions of the former's products within a short span of time after their launch. Small wonder the two are embroiled in a lot of litigation. Not long ago, Indian pharma companies were at the receiving end of the ire of American and European companies when the process patent regime ruled the roost in India, allowing the free play of reverse engineering. The 'inventor versus public' debate is as old as the hills, with persuasive arguments being marshalled for both. That inventions would dry up but for a strong patent regime is the refrain of the scientific community, backed by corporations that often own patents. The counter to this assertion is that a patent virtually becomes a permanent monopoly, thanks to ever-greening or incremental patenting by the wily patent-holders, thus affecting public interest adversely. Indeed it was a chastening experience for Bayer, a German company, when the Indian authorities, for the first time, awarded compulsory patenting to a Hyderabad firm, NATCO, resulting in a huge benefit for kidney cancer patients - the cost of the drug came down dramatically from Rs 2.8 lakh a year to just Rs 8,800. The via media between the two diametrically opposing interests has hitherto proved elusive. Prize For The Inventor It is against this backdrop that the ongoing initiative in the US on ushering in an alternative regime of prizes for the inventor warrants serious examination by all concerned. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, doing commendable charity work the world over, especially in the Third World, is rooting for a regime where public-spirited NGOs and others would reward inventors upfront for their efforts and contribution to the humankind, instead of their having to sweat it out in the cloak- and-dagger world of patents.
A Bill has reportedly been introduced in the Senate as well, initiating this pioneering and potentially game-changing equation. The idea is, if the inventor is rewarded with a huge cash award upfront in exchange for his invention becoming available immediately for public use by anyone, the unseemly patent battles waged across continents would become a thing of past. This fresh thinking has got a great deal of implications for the world of medicines. But the devil could be in the detail. The nuts and bolts of examining the claims of invention efforts are no small matter. Will the patent offices be given the remit of examining these claims, as they have hitherto, but with the purpose of becoming the basis for someone else awarding a hefty prize? Would the quantum of the prize be negotiable? Would the inventor have to wangle his prize in each country or would there be an international dispensation to ensure all countries contribute?
Guarding Apatent Inventors hitherto have had just two choices - going for patent or keeping their inventions under wraps, as trade secrets. CocaCola long ago decided to seek its salvation for its concentrate by keeping it a trade secret but was somehow upstaged by Pepsi. Many have, however, thought of patents as an admirable compromise between a trade secret and a labour of love. But guarding a patent has proved as hard as inventing itself. So much so that the inventors may well settle for the here-and-now of a cash reward with consumers obviously having no objection to it. The prize initiative thus must be carried forward and the nuts and bolts issues can be addressed satisfactorily though, not at the very outset. Piecemeal changes may have to be introduced based on experience. The billion-dollar question, however, is how MNC drug companies would react to this development. Will they remain silent when one of the implications may be the end of the era of monopoly profits, and the concomitant predatory pricing? Source: Business Line
2 - MARKERS
First Naga to scale Everest Maj. Neikhrietuonuo Linyu, an Army doctor posted in Agra, has become the first Naga to scale Mount Everest. International Gandhi Awards-2011 The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari presented "International Gandhi Award-2011" to Dr. Caire Velut and Dr. J.D.Samant. Dr. Caire Vellut, a woman doctor from Belgium determined to serve leprosy affected persons, has rendered more than five decades of selfless service to alleviate the sufferings of leprosy patients and opted for Indian nationality in 1979 as she wished to continue to live in the country she had adopted. Dr. Jagdish Devrao Samant, founder of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Leprosy Eradication Trust in Maharashtra, has to his credit about 50 years of dedicated service to leprosy patients. Raj Kapoor's 'Awaara' added to Time's 100 greatest films Time magazine has included Raj Kapoor's 1951 classic 'Awaara' among 20 new entries added to its All-Time 100 list of the greatest films made since 1923, the beginning of the prestigious US periodical. The original All-Time 100 list published in 2005 included Satyajit Ray's 'The Apu Trilogy', Mani Ratnam's 'Nayakan' and Guru Dutt's 'Pyaasa'. Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman's score for Mani Ratnam's "Roja" (The Rose), the tale of a woman whose lover is kidnapped by terrorists, was also among 10 Best Soundtracks. Last week, Time magazine ranked
Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2002 film 'Devdas' eighth among the ten greatest movies of the millennium (thus far). Prof. David R. Syiemlieh Rajiv Gandhi University Vice-Chancellor Prof. David R. Syiemlieh has been appointed a member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Charles Taylor A U.N.-backed war crimes court sentenced the former President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, to 50 years in jail for arming rebels in Sierra Leone in return for "blood diamonds." Mr. Taylor, 64, was convicted for 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding and abetting Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front during the country's brutal 1991-2001 civil war. Viswanathan Anand World chess champion Viswanathan Anand, 42, retains title beating Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in a rapid tiebreaker round of four games. Anand had won the WCC title in 2000 (Tehran), 2007 (Mexico City), Bonn (2008) and Sofia (2010). In 2008 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, for his World Championship Title and No.1 World Ranking. Chagas Disease Chagas disease, caused by parasites transmitted to humans by bloodsucking insects, has been named "the new AIDS of the Americas". Like HIV, it is also difficult to detect and can take years for symptoms to emerge. Chagas is also known as American trypaStrictly for Internal Circulation
nosomiasis, because the bugs carry singlecelled parasites called trypanosomes. The disease can be transmitted from mother to child or by blood transfusion. Treatment involves harsh drugs taken for up to three months and works only if the disease is caught early. Bikram Singh assumes charge as new Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh, a veteran infantry officer took over as the 25th Chief of the Indian Army succeeding Gen V K Singh. Prior to his appointment as Army Chief, Gen Bikram was commanding the Kolkata-
based Eastern Army Command. He was awarded the 'Commando Dagger' and the 'Best in Tactics' trophy during his young officers' course at Infantry School. He also served as an instructor at the Commando Wing of the Infantry School in Belgaum. India, Pakistan plan homes for prisoners India and Pakistan are planning to set up homes for prisoners on either side of the international borders to house those who have completed their jail term but were yet to be repatriated. They will be run by non-governmental organisations.

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Strictly for Internal Circulation

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Strictly for Internal Circulation

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Strictly for Internal Circulation

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