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Major news stories

Simplifying knowledge dissemination
q Assembly polls ’09.................................................................. 11
Editor-in-Chief : Sandeep Manudhane q Climate change ..................................................................... 14

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Manish Saraf - 97555-99509 Cover story
Volume 8. Edition 05. November 2009 q The seven vistas of the mobile world .................................. 05
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q Business and economy ......................................................... 68
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Regulars
q Logo Quiz .............................................................................. 34
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 Take Quote
Dear friends / PTzens,
“The greatest part of our happiness
“Mobile is here, now, and only going to dwarf the first Internet wave due depends on our dispositions, not
to its ubiquity, essentialness, convenience, and proximity to nearly all we our circumstances.”
do.” – Martha Washington
- Andrew Dod
“There are no eternal facts as there
The ubiquitous cell phone has permeated cultures round the globe and has are no absolute myths.”
become the favourite addiction of millions. The extraordinary potential of this device – Friedrich Nietzsche
cannot be undermined as the number of features and functions it can bring together
is constantly increasing. Our cover story showcases the multifarious applications of “God brings men into deep waters,
this engineering marvel and provides insights into a mobile world that has so much not to drown them, but to cleanse
to offer. them.”
– John Aughey
“There is a big shift from holding a phone to your ear to holding it in your hand,”
says David Edelstein of the Grameen Foundation. “It opens the door to information
“If you love somebody, let them go,
services. It's not the web, but it's a web of services that can be offered on mobile
devices.” The mobile phone is getting more advanced every day in terms of for if they return, they were always
functionality and offers; in addition to telephony, valuable services like messaging, yours. And if they don't, they never
contact, calendar, mobile commerce, gaming, etc. are available. It is becoming more were.”
visible to the user and offering greater user experience with higher resolution screen, – Kahlil Gibran
better sound quality, easier navigation facility, etc.
“Knowledge is power, if you know it
In places with bad roads, unreliable postal services, few trains and parlous about the right person.”
landlines, mobile phones can substitute for travel, allow quicker and easier access to – Ethel Mumford
information , enable traders to reach wider markets, boost entrepreneurship and
generally make it easier to do business. Today business is next to impossible without “Get the facts, or the facts will get
a mobile phone. you. And when you get them, get
them right, or they will get you
Then we have Mobile Education (M-Education) which will bring a paradigm wrong.”
shift from the paper format to mobile format and impact both people and education. – Dr. Thomas Fuller
It will help to develop and disseminate mobile education, an additional vehicle in
distance learning, to reach the masses for remote teaching and learning in rural
“Literature is an occupation in
communities and physically challenged.
which you have to keep proving your
talent to people who have none.”
Mobile technology has also been piloted in a range of health-related areas,
including improving dissemination of public health information (e.g. disease – Jules Renard
outbreak and prevention messages); facilitating remote consultation, diagnosis, and
treatment. “A good novel tells us the truth
about its hero; but a bad novel tells
However, though the advantages mobile technology has brought out is us the truth about its author.”
indisputable, yet one cannot turn a blind eye to the harmful effects it can entail. I – G. K. Chesterton
sincerely wish that you make a judicious use of this technology.
“I believe in equality for everyone,
“God meant us to be wireless. The last chord we were connected to was except reporters and
cut at birth.” photographers.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Manish Saraf
COO, PT education
 Letters to the editor
‘Time to slay the CAT’
The article provided deep insights
into the preparation of the most
dreaded examination CAT. The tips
were handy and useful. This issue had
everything regarding CAT that one
could ask for .I read the articles many
times over. It enabled me to take the
exam with a positive frame of mind. I
think I have done justice to the long
hours of study I put in for this exam.
The exhaustive study material given
by PT education covered everything. I
think many students will vouch with
me if I say that this issue of PrepTalk
was like a mini encyclopedia for the
CAT takers. The valuable nuggets of
wisdom helped me to sharpen my
intellect. The articles also helped me
to ward off all apprehensions I had for
CAT. The article set the right pace to
ace the CAT. I look forward to more
such enriching articles from the
PrepTalk throughout the year.
– Ramesh Sahu, Indore
‘CAT 2009: Common Queries’
This article really helped me to
satisfy all the queries I had regarding
CAT. Prior to reading this I was quite
intimidated by the idea of CAT going
online as it had undergone a
transition from the paper pencil
format to being a computer based
one. But all my fears were laid to rest
after going through the article. I think
it has helped me keep my fears at bay. I
feel destressed now and am sure that I
will not mess up with exam.
– Brajesh Sharma, Raipur
‘Vinod Khosla’
I really appreciate PrepTalk for
coming out with articles regarding
entrepreneurs. These articles about the
famous personalities always inspire the
budding entrepreneurs to carve a niche
in the challenging corporate world. The
article on Vinod Khosla exhorted me to
become a Venture Capitalist. Reading
such awe inspiring stories helps one to
draw strength and energizes one to
tread the untrodden path. There have
been many trailblazers and I would like
to follow suit.
– Vivek Patidar, Jaipur
‘Power of concentration’
The article 'Power on concentration'
taught me how to remain focused and
maintain my composure while taking
the CAT. While answering the
questions a lot of concentration is
required and one cannot undermine
its importance. All students who had
this in ample measure will surely
c r a c k a n d s l a y t h e C A T.
Concentration is imperative for
academically oriented subjects. This
article gave me valuable tips on how to
remain focused and free myself from
the tangles of stress.
I would like to thank PrepTalk for
taking into account this important
aspect. It would be in the deep
interest of many test takers like me to
develop the power of concentration.
By doing so they will be able to grasp
the questions easily and answer in a
better manner. They will cut down the
chances of committing errors.
– Ravi Verma, Bhopal
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 Covery story

The seven vistas of the

mobile world

F rom the invention of fire to the digital

world, man has forced his scientific
advance. In this fast moving generation
computers are considered to be the greatest gift of
science. Cell phones are modified forms of
computers which are utilized mainly for
communication that have rapidly spread through
out the world in less than 20 years. Today more and
more people in the world are going mobile.

With changing lifestyles and easy availability of

mobile phone aided with good connectivity,
mobile is no more a luxury, it’s a necessity. With
this change of attitude, people have now realized
that mobile is not just a means to talk to each other,
it’s also a great companion. It serves as your
personal assistant, your gaming console, your
camera, your mobile office, and a lot more.

For business professionals it offers great deal of productivity

and usability, for basic users it offers games, fun applications
and more such engaging activities. It’s all been possible due to
numerous applications available today which can also be named
as the “The seven Vistas of Mobile world” which can be broadly
m-computing, m-education, m-
classified into:
entertainment, m-business, m-advertising, m-tracer and
thewidelyusedm-multimedia.
One definition of mobile learning is: Any sort of learning that
happens when the learner is not at a fixed, predetermined
location, or learning that happens when the learner takes
advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile
technologies. In other words, mobile learning decreases
limitation of learning location with the mobility of general
portable devices.

MOBILE EDUCATION AND LEARNING

“mLearning is learning that can take place anytime,
The term m- education, or anywhere with the help of a mobile computer device. The
"mobile learning", has different
device must be capable of presenting learning content
meanings for different
communities. Although related
and providing wireless two-way communication between
to e-learning and distance teacher(s) and student(s). Typically, an educational
education, it is distinct in its organization administrates both the course content and
focus on learning across the communication services.”
contexts and learning with
mobile devices.

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 05


The term covers: learning with portable technologies,
where the focus is on the technology (which could be in a fixed
location, such as a classroom); learning across contexts, where
the focus is on the mobility of the learner, interacting with
portable or fixed technology; and learning in a mobile society,
with a focus on how society and its institutions can
accommodate and support the learning of an increasingly
mobile population that is not satisfied with existing learning
methodologies.
Value
Tutors commented on the value of mobile learning as
follows:
It is important to bring new technology into the classroom.
Mobile learning could be utilised as part of a learning approach
which uses different types of activities (or a blended learning
approach). Mobile learning supports the learning process rather
than being integral to it. Mobile learning needs to be used
appropriately, according to the groups of students involved.
Mobile learning can be a useful add-on tool for students with
special needs.
Challenges
The challenges can be broadly classified into: Technical,
social and educational
Technicalchallengesinclude:
r
Connectivity and battery life
r Screen size and key size
r Ability for authors to visualize mobile phones for
delivery
r Multiple standards, multiple screen sizes, multiple
operating systems
r Repurposing existing e-Learning materials for mobile
platforms
06 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
Socialandeducationalchallengesinclude:
r Accessibility and cost barriers for end users: Digital
divide.
r How to assess learning outside the classroom
r How to support learning across many contexts
r Developing an appropriate theory of learning for the
mobile age
r Conceptual differences between e- and m-learning
r Design of technology to support a lifetime of learning
r Tracking of results and proper use of this information
r No restriction on learning timetable
r Personal and private information and content
r No demographic boundary
r Disruption of students' personal and academic lives
r Access to and use of the technology in developing
countries
Growth
Over the past ten years mobile learning has grown from a
minor research interest to a set of significant projects in schools,
workplaces, museums, cities and rural areas around the world.
The mLearning community is still fragmented, with different
national perspectives, differences between academia and
industry, and between the school, higher education and lifelong
learning sectors.Current areas of growth include:Testing,
surveys, job aids and just in time learning ,location-based and
contextual learning .
Delivery
Smart phones are one of the platforms used for mobile
learning. Today, any number of portable devices can quickly and
easily deliver and support these functions. Cell or smart phones,
multi-game devices, personal media players (PMPs), personal
digital assistants (PDAs), or wireless single-purpose devices
can help deliver coaching and mentoring, conduct assessments
and evaluations (e.g., quizzes; tests; surveys/polls; and
certifications), provide on-the-job support and access to
information, education and references, and deliver podcasts,
update alerts, forms and checklists. In these ways, mobile
learning can enhance and support more traditional learning
modes, making it more portable and accessible. Mobile devices
can also serve as powerful data collection tools and facilitate the
capture of user created content.
The International Association for Mobile Learning
(IamLearn) has been formed as a membership organization to
promote excellence in research, development and application of
mobile and contextual learning. It organizes the annual mLearn
international conference series. Iam Learn manages a website to
collate and disseminate information about new projects,
emerging technologies, and teaching resources.
 The increasing ubiquity of mobile phones has helped
enabled pilots looking at mobile gaming to support literacy in
India. Even the World Bank has got into the act, through
Development Marketplace funding for a small pilot in
Bangladesh. Perhaps the most well known, and biggest, of these
pilot programs is the text2teach project in the Philippines,
which provides a way for teachers to request educational videos
via text message, with the videos delivered to a television at the
school via satellite.
MOBILE BANKING/BUSINESS
You have probably seen the commercial. A woman, hanging
from the side of the mountain, receives a text message on her
cell phone from the bank. The message is about informing her
that the amount from her account is about to be withdrawn. She
transfers funds from her savings account to her checking
account with just a few
clicks on her phone.
Problem resolved! She
finishes her climb and
remains confident about
her financial security.
According to Juniper
Research, the number of
people who would prefer to
do their banking transactions via their mobile phones would
exceed 150 million around the world by 2011. Around 70% of
total number of users would be from developed nations of
Western Europe, Far East and North America. Users will be able
to check account transactions, payments as well as check their
account balance via mobile banking application. The wave of
technological and cultural change extends to banking and
finance as well, where customers have adjusted from bank
tellers to ATMs to online banking.
It’s mobile banking, or m-banking, which enables mobile
phone users to access basic financial services even when they are
miles away from their nearest branch or home computer. Several
trends will drive this growth. First, more banks are rolling out
mobile banking solutions, paralleling a move by major cellular
carriers to upgrade their networks to deliver faster data speeds.
A specific sequence of SMS messages will enable the system
to verify if the client has sufficient funds in his or her wallet and
authorize a deposit or withdrawal transaction at the agent. When
depositing money, the merchant receives cash and the system
credits the client's bank account or mobile wallet. In the same
way the client can also withdraw money at the merchant:
through exchanging SMS to provide authorization, the
merchant hands the client cash and debits the merchant's
account.
Although, mobile banking looks fascinating but, it has got
some limitations as well. Some of the prominent challenges are –
r Handset operability
r Security
r Scalability and Reliability
r Application distribution
r Personalization
MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT AND MULTIMEDIA
Mobile software development companies today are making
amazing applications which help you a lot. As many as 90% of
smart phone users want to have computer like functionalities in
their devices, and in practice already close to 40% of aggregate
face time is based on Internet browsing, multimedia features
and other new applications instead of talking on the phone,
writing or reading text messages, or using the phonebook.
Potential usage of new applications could be even higher.
During recent years, mobile devices have become tools for
versatile activities related to multimedia content. Special mobile
phones have emerged in this field, integrating the features of
music players and digital and video cameras into mobile
communication technologies. Gaming has revolutionized the
mobile technology.
Mobile gamers frequently play games as a distraction from
daily life issues, to relax, to relieve stress and improve their
mood–even if it’s during the middle of their work day. The
research says that, approximately 120 million urban Indians
used their mobile phones to play games during quarter ending
July 2009, a reach of 41%.
In terms of time spent in playing games, 37% of the
population spends less than an hour in a week playing games
while on the other end of the spectrum 9% spend over 5 hours on
an average. Also, 30% of mobile gamers play for 1 to 2 hours in a
week and 15% play for 3 to 5 hours in a week.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 07

Games like Cricket, Soccer, bowling etc is the most popular
genre of games played on mobile phones. Gaming on mobile
phones has a large upside potential with 40% of phone owners
playing games, the sheer numbers speak to the opportunity for
providers in this space.
The prominent entertainment modes of mobile are-
Digital camera: Point-and-click! Phones capture pictures
and let us save them for posterity or transfer them to others and
to computers.
Audio recorder: Mobile phones can be used to record
conversations or even brief notes to one.
Videorecorder: Phones are becoming video cameras also –
some of the newest cell phones can record an hour or more of
video.
Multimedia messaging: Everything recorded can be
shared with others by using MMS
Bar-code readers:Phones will also be able to read bar
codes and that can have very interesting applications in
commerce.
LinkingtoyourComputer
One very important phone feature is the ability to easily
connect to your computer. Some mobile phones come with a
data cable but others don't and data cables specific to each phone
can be a bit difficult to find. If you are using an external memory
card in your mobile, this can be removed and placed in a memory
card reader (some computers have in-built ones or you can buy
an external USB one) to transfer the files.
08 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
Otherwise it is best if your computer can support data
transfer via bluetooth or infrared. Consider your existing
operating system and version (e.g. Mac/Windows/Linux) to
ensure that your mobile will be compatible with your computer.
MOBILE PHONE TRACKING
Mobile phone tracking tracks the current position of a
mobile phone even on the move. To locate the phone, it must
emit at least the roaming signal to contact the next nearby
antenna tower, but the process does not require an active call.
GSM localization is then done by multilateration based on the
signal strength to nearby antenna masts.
Mobile positioning, i.e. location based service that
discloses the actual coordinates of a mobile phone bearer, is a
technology used by telecommunication companies to
approximate where a mobile phone, and thereby also its user
(bearer), temporarily resides. The more properly applied term
locating refers to the purpose rather than a positioning process.
Such service is offered as an option of the class of location-based
services.
Technology
The technology of locating is based
on measuring power levels and antenna
patterns and uses the concept that a
mobile phone always communicates
wirelessly with one of the closest base
stations, so if you know which base
station the phone communicates with,
you know that the phone is close to the
respective base station.
Advanced systems determine the sector in which the mobile
phone resides and roughly estimate also the distance to the base
station. Further approximation can be done by interpolating
signals between adjacent antenna towers. Qualified services
may achieve a precision of down to 50 meters in urban areas
where mobile traffic and density of antenna towers (base
stations) is sufficiently high. Rural and desolate areas may see
miles between base stations and therefore determine locations
less precisely.
GSM localization is the use of multilateration to
determine the location of GSM mobile phones, usually with the
intent to locate the user.
Localization-Based Systems can be broadly divided into:
r Network based
r Handset based
r Hybrid
r Network Base

Operationalpurpose
In order to route calls to a phone the cell towers listen for a
signal sent from the phone and negotiate which tower is best
able to communicate with the phone. As the phone changes
location, the antenna towers monitor the signal and the phone is
roamed to an adjacent tower as appropriate.
By comparing the relative signal strength from multiple
antenna towers a general location of a phone can be roughly
determined. Other means is the antenna pattern that supports
angular determination and phase discrimination. Newer phones
may also allow the tracking of the phone even when turned on
and not active in a telephone call. This results from the roaming
procedures that perform hand over of the phone from one base
station to another.
Bearerinterest
A phone's location can be uploaded to a common web site
where one's "friends and family" can view one's last reported
position. Newer phones may have built-in GPS receivers which
could be used in a similar fashion, but with much higher
accuracy.
Privacy
Locating or positioning touches upon delicate privacy
issues, since it enables someone to check where a person is
without the person's consent. Strict ethics and security
measures are strongly recommended for services that employ
positioning, and the user must give an informed, explicit
consent to a service provider before the service provider can
compute positioning data from the user's mobile phone.
In Europe, where most countries have a constitutional
guarantee on the secrecy of correspondence, location data
obtained from mobile phone networks is usually given the same
protection as the communication itself. The United States
however has no explicit constitutional guarantee on the privacy
of telecommunications, so use of location data is not limited by
law.
With tolling systems, as in Germany, the locating of vehicles
is equally sensitive to the constitutional guarantee on the secrecy
of correspondence and thus any further use of tolling
information beyond deducting the road fee is prohibited. That
leads to the strange situation that even obviously criminal intent
may not be interfered by such yet available technical means.
Officially, the authorities (like the police) can obtain
permission to position phones in emergency cases where people
(including criminals) are missing.
FreeServices
It is possible in user agreements on the site offering "Free"
service that one is, in fact, allowing the cellular telephone
number being tracked to be added to telemarketers' lists.
MOBILE COMPUTING
As the internet becomes an integral part or our daily lives, the
future of computing rests in devices that are truly mobile,
provide all-day use, are always connected and deliver rich
internet experiences.
Mobile computing is a generic term describing one's ability
to use technology while moving, as opposed to portable
computers, which are only practical for use while deployed in a
stationary configuration. Many types of mobile computers have
been introduced since the 1990s, including the, Smartphone.
A smart phone is a mobile phone offering advanced
capabilities, often with PC-like functionality (PC-mobile
handset convergence). There is no industry standard definition
of a smartphone. For some, a smart phone is a phone that runs
complete operating system software providing a standardized
interface and platform for
application developers.
For others, a smartphone
is simply a phone with
advanced features like e-
mail, Internet and e-book
reader capabilities, and/or
a built-in full keyboard or
external USB keyboard
and VGA connector. In
other words, it is a
miniature computer that
has phone capability.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 09
 Like every coin has two sides there are certain limitations of
mobile computing. Technical and other limitations of mobile
computing are as follows:
r Insufficient bandwidth
r Power consumption
r Potential health hazards
r Human interface with device
Certainbenefitsofmobilecomputingareasfollows:
Mobile computing technology can improve management
effectiveness by improving information quality, information
flow, and ability to control a mobile workforce. It makes the most
current and accurate information available to both the mobile
worker and the users of the fixed information system with which
the mobile worker communicates. These benefits can be seen in
all areas of the information system, from the fixed reports
generated by a management information system all the way to ad
hoc systems such as decision support and executive information
systems.
Mobile computing is versatile. It extends the reach of an
organizational information system and enables interaction with
employees who
otherwise would not
have access. The true
versatility of mobile
computing can be seen
by recalling examples
of how it is currently
being utilized to
enhance business and
other operations.
It delivers critical
medical information
from mobile emergency medical technicians to emergency
rooms, so the doctors can be ready to treat the patient
immediately upon arrival. It enables a salesperson to
demonstrate product options, calculate delivery fees, check
availability, verify customer credit, and accept payment all
during one short visit.
Mobile computing is an important, evolving technology. It
enables mobile personnel to effectively communicate and
interact with the fixed organizational information system while
remaining unconstrained by physical location.
Mobile computing may be implemented using many
combinations of hardware, software, and communications
technologies. The technologies must be carefully selected and
the applications designed to achieve the business needs
10 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
required from the overall organizational information system.
The mobile framework can assist information technology
professionals in determining the applicability of mobile
technology to an organizational problem, opportunity, or
directive.
MOBILE ADVERTISING
Mobile media has
begun to draw more
significant attention
from media giants and
advertising industry
since the mid-2000s,
based on a view that
mobile media was to
change the way
advertisements were
made, and that mobile
devices can form a new
media sector. In other
words, mobile
technology will come up with a strong push for identifying newer
and unheard-of mobile multimedia, with the result that
subsequent media migration will greatly stimulate a consumer
behavioral shift and establish a paradigm shift in mobile
advertising.
Almost 63 million urban Indians accessed Internet using
their phone in February, 2009. Checking emails and searching
information using search engines are the two most popular
reason cited by almost 3 in 4 urban Indians. 16 million urban
Indians access Internet on their phone almost on a daily basis.
Another report discussed here is ‘SMS voting for TV
contests’. Voting in reality TV shows is the most popular contest
type urban Indians participate in by sending SMS to preserved
short code. 45 million urban Indians mentioned voting in reality
TV shows, the most popular SMS contest/vote type followed by
voting in news polls (31.64 million).
In the final month leading up to the election in US, the
Obama campaign used mobile advertising to target the youth
demographic and voters.
Another technology that has been around for a long time is
bluecasting technology. For instance, Blue Casting technology
in any office would be used to survey the lobby and to keep a track
on visitors. These visitors will soon receive the SMS informing
about the services. Therefore, a relationship would be
established with the customer, which otherwise would not have
been possible.
 Major news stories

Assembly polls '09:

Congress victory stuns BJP
'Sonia is the architect of victory'

C ongress 3, Rest 0. With this stunning result in the latest

political superbowl, the Congress fortified its "top dog"
status, while pushing the main opposition party, BJP,
into its gravest political crisis in over two decades. Raj Thackeray
and Om Prakash Chautala are likely to be important in their
areas of influence but bit players nonetheless in the bigger
political canvas.

India’s ruling Congress Party and its

allies have swept all three of state
(Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal
Pradesh) elections in a vote that was seen
as a referendum on party’s performance
since returning to power for a second
term in June. Congress had already
controlled all these three states -
Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal
Pradesh – but its repeat hat trick has dealt
another blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), the Hindu nationalist force that had
been Congress’s main opposition. The
BJP has been reeling since Congress won
an overwhelming mandate in the May
general elections. The party has been
riven with internal divisions and has seen a
number of high-ranking members purged
as a result.
Overall, the party bosses would be very pleased with the
outcome because it marks not just the shrinking of BJP, but also
puts other sources of trouble for Congress, like the BSP and
Sharad Pawar's NCP, on the back foot. In fact, some political
pundits felt Congress could well be on the way to regaining its
pre-1996 status when as the key player in most states, it could be
fought only by a united opposition.
Despite the hat-trick in Maharashtra, face-saving in
Haryana and the sweep in Arunachal Pradesh, Sonia doesn't
rhyme with surge or soar, but she continues to shine in a polity
littered with carbonised reputations of certain opposition
grandees. It is the victory of a master strategist and a leader who
understands the limits of her spheres of influence and the value
of political partnership. She has retained the momentum. Sonia
has rebuilt the Congress as the natural ruling party of India on
the wreckage of the Indian Right.
Sonia has made best use of her worst opposition. She is fast
turning out to be a fine practitioner of coalition dharma, that too
despite Rahul Gandhi's go-alone experiments in the heartland.
Mrs Gandhi encourages strong regional leadership-an Ashok
Chavan in Maharashtra and a Bhupinder Singh Hooda in
Haryana, leaders who are winners as well as good
administrators. And she has consistently succeeded in keeping
the traditional anti-Congress vote divided or exploiting it to her
advantage in the name of secularism. That is why she is not
particularly scared of either Mayawati or Mulayam, both of
whom may have no love for the Congress president but care for
her definition of secularism. And in an India where dissent
rhymes with shrillness, Sonia appeals to what one of her young
MPs calls the constituency of sobriety.
Some riders are in order. The win in Maharashtra has been
facilitated by Raj Thackeray playing spoiler again – on a bigger
scale. In Haryana, the party failed to get a majority despite a
three-way split of anti-Congress votes. The resurrection of
Chautala shows the resilience of old-fashioned politics and
should be sobering for those who feel traditional political tools –
caste/community – have lost salience.

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 11

 Still, Congress' pre-eminence seems obvious when
contrasted with the BJP's continued decline. This is the second
time since 2004 that the party and its partner, Shiv Sena, have
failed to capitalise on the unremarkable performance of the
Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra.
ASHOK CHAVAN REWARDED WITH REPEAT TENURE AS
CHIEF MINISTER
The Congress leadership rewarded Ashok Chavan with a
second term as Maharashtra Chief Minister for his good
performance and record of winning two elections for the party
within a gap of five months during his short tenure as CM.
Ashok Chavan - son of the late S.B. Chavan - took over as
Chief Minister Dec 4, 2008, creating history as the first father-
son duo to become chief ministers in the state.
Chavan was considered as the front-runner for the CM's
post, though there was stiff competition from former Shiv Sena
leader and Chief Minister Narayan Rane.
In the new assembly, the Cong-NCP alliance in the state
named Democratic Front bagged a total 144 seats of which the
Congress bagged 82 seats and the NCP secured 62 seats in the
288-member house.
Even during last year,
when Chavan replaced the
c u r re n t U n i o n H e a v y
Industries Minister Vilasrao
Deshmukh, Rane had raised a
banner of revolt but eventually
chosetoremainintheparty.
TALLY Total: 288/288 Later, Chavan managed
to mollify him and even
inducted him into the
cabinet, giving him the
plum revenue portfolio.
Another ambitious
person eyeing the post was
Deshmukh. He apparently
opted out of the race after a
m e e t i n g w i t h Pa r t y
President Sonia Gandhi.
Chavan had secured the
unexpected backing of
former Chief Minister and
Union Power Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde.
12 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
The sources said that Chavan has already created a lot of
goodwill in the party by overseeing two crucial elections during
his short tenure as the Chief Minister.
First, it was the May 2009 Lok Sabha polls followed by the
Oct 2009 assembly elections. In both, the Congress not only
performed handsomely but improved its tally vis-a-vis its ally
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In the outgoing house (2004), the NCP held 71 seats against
the 69 seats held by the Congress - the alliance total coming to 140.
Maharashtra gets a new govt:
Ashok Chavan along with 37 other cabinet ministers were
administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor S C
Jamir here at the Raj Bhawan, as the Congress-NCP alliance
formed government after a wait of 16 days since poll results of
the State Assembly were announced.
NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who will be the Deputy Chief
Minister, was also sworn in.
HOODA SWORN IN AS HARYANA CM
Bhupinder Singh Hooda, chosen by Congress Chief Sonia
Gandhi for the top job in
Haryana despite decline in
the party's strength in the
Assembly, was sworn-in as
Chief Minister for the
second consecutive term.
The Congress emerged
as the single largest party
bagging 40 seats in the 90- TALLY Total: 90/90
member House, but cobbled
a majority after securing PARTIES RESULTS
"unconditional" support of
seven independents.
The party had romped
home in 67 constituencies in
the last Assembly election,
but this time its tally came
down by 27 seats.
The INLD, led by Om
Prakash Chautala, finished
second garnering 31 seats as
the October 13 Assembly
election threw up a hung
House.
 The Haryana Janhit Congress-BL won six seats, the BJP
four and the BSP and the SAD one each.
Hooda first became the Chief Minister on March 5, 2005.
DORJEE KHANDU SWORN IN FOR SECOND TERM
Dorjee Khandu, who led the Congress to a two-thirds
majority in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections, was
sworn in the fifth Chief Minister of the border State.
Mr. Khandu, who started his career in the Army Intelligence
Corps before graduating to politics, was administered the oath
of office and secrecy by the Governor, Gen. (retd) J.J. Singh.
Mr. Khandu (54), who returns as Chief Minister for a second
consecutive term, had
revolted against and
dislodged the powerful
Gegong Apang, who ruled
the State for 23 years, in
2007.
Mr. Khandu turned
social activist before joining
TALLY Total: 60/60
politics in 1980. He was
elected unopposed in March
1990 from the Mukto
constituency.
He was re-elected in
March 1995 from the same
constituency and was given
the portfolio of Minister of
State for Cooperation.
In 1996, Mr. Khandu was
elevated to the Cabinet rank
and given the Animal
Husbandry & Veterinary,
and Dairy Development
department.
SKEPTICISM
The political messages that have come up are
multidimensional. They have emerged essentially from the
calibrated nature of the verdict, particularly in Maharashtra and
Haryana.
In Maharashtra, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) combine just about managed to reach the halfway mark
of 144 in the 288-member Assembly.
In Haryana, the party was reduced to 40 seats from the
formidable 67 it had before in the 90-member Assembly. The
party was compelled to seek the support of independents to
secure a bare majority.
Even in Arunachal Pradesh, where the Congress was given a
clear mandate, some of these nuanced messages have found
expression, albeit on a smaller scale.
Broadly, these messages can be categorised as follows: One,
an expression of strong reservations about the functioning of the
State governments in Maharashtra and Haryana, particularly
their economic policy priorities and performance in the rural
areas. Two, the electoral preference shown to regional forces
such as the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in many pockets of the
two States while giving expression to these reservations. Three,
the overriding goodwill for the UPA government at the Centre
and its leadership, which neutralised much of the opposition to
the State governments and their leaderships.
The Congress meanwhile will be cheered by the election
results, which will be read as an endorsement of its policies so
far. But in India it is always dangerous to draw insights into
national politics from state elections, which are usually decided
on local issues. So Congress ought not to become complacent.
Just twelve months ago, the conventional wisdom was that the
Congress was a moribund party that would have to be lucky to
win another term.
The mandate for the Congress in the recent Assembly
round comes with a stern warning from the electorate.
“We would take steps to correct the
development imbalance in the State. Our
aim is to make Maharashtra a global State
with Mumbai as our focus,” After taking
oath, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok
Chavan said.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 13
Major news stories
Climate change:
The harsh reality of our times!
“Lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives
sublime. And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the
sands of time.”
The above lines by Henry Longfellow inspire us to do
something worthwhile, useful and memorable of our seemingly
insignificant existence so that we are remembered long after we
are no more on this earth. But this inspiring quotation needs to
be altered to keep in sync with the current times that we
are living in, as ‘and departing leave behind us
less carbon footprints on the sands of time.’
Today every civilized, environment
conscious person worth his/her salt
religiously calculates his/her carbon
footprints on everyday basis. Die
hard environmentalists live life
frugally which many times seems
weird to ordinary mortals!
A recent news report
suggested that in Sweden soon the
food packets will be carrying details
regarding the carbon emissions
associated with the production of
foods, so that buyers are aware of the
Green House Gas(GHG) emissions they
are contributing to while buying the packet. So
you cannot even eat sumptuously without feeling
guilty of contributing to global warming! There are even
suggestions that meat eating people would soon become socially
unacceptable as farmed ruminant animals, including cattle and
sheep are thought of to be responsible for up to a quarter of man-
made methane emissions worldwide. People’s notion of eating
will change, as they will ask about the carbon content of their
food.
However all this frenzy over climate change, its
repercussions, the reasons which contributed towards it and
how we all can do our bit in culling and controlling the speed is
not without reason.
The harsh realities of climate change are compelling people
to adapt themselves to the new, unpredictable and unendurable
14 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
environment. In fact earning carbon credits has become a means
of earning bucks for the developing countries, as they get dollars
from the developed countries for every reduction in carbon
emission they effect. States such as Jammu and Kashmir in the
North to Sikkim in the North East are fighting with the Centre to
provide funds for conserving forests which act as carbon sinks.
The Government is spending crores of rupees on research to
develop drought resistant, submergence tolerant and heat
resistant varieties of crops, limiting use of nitrogen
fertilizers, developing new building materials
which can be used instead of cement, taking
green farming to remote villages.
The above steps point out to the fact
that man is the only species on this
planet which has the power of
understanding, intellect and
reflection through which he can alter
and adapt to the nature’s course. The
only thing which poses a threat to
man’s existence on this planet is his
greed. As Mahatma Gandhi had truly
said, “Earth provides enough to
satisfy every man's need, but not
every man's greed”
Meanwhile, let us do a quick revision of these
terms, which have started to bring chill down the spines
of even the most powerful nations.
1. What is climate change?
Climate change is the effect of global warming on weather.
As wind and water get warmer, the earth’s climate cycles will
change dramatically, leading to shifts in agricultural production
and water supply. As the earth’s temperature rises, evaporation
goes up, leading to more pronounced dry spells. At the same
time, all the moisture in the air collects over the oceans, and
when these clouds finally roll over land, they release torrential
and sudden rains.
2. Global warming:
Over the last 100 years, the average temperature of the air
near the earth’s surface has risen a little less than 10°C and

although it doesn’t seem to be more, scientists are certain that a
temperature rise as fast as the one we have seen over the last 30
years has never happened before..
Global warming is defined as the increase of the average
temperature on Earth. There have always been natural climate
changes – Ice Ages and the warm intermediate times between
them – but those evolved over periods of 50,000 to 100,000 years.
For the next few years a temperature rise of about 1-20°C has
been predicted by 2020. As the earth is getting hotter, disasters
like hurricanes, raging forest fires, droughts and floods are
getting more frequent. Out of the 20 warmest years during the
last thousand years, 19 have occurred since 1980. The three
hottest years ever observed have all occurred in the last eight
years. Thus it is not only about how much the earth is warming,
it is also about how fast it is warming.
3. Greenhouse Effect :
The green house effect got its name from the artificial green
house created by man to foster the growth of certain plants that
need high temperature. Sunrays enter the glass roof and walls of
a greenhouse. But once they heat up the ground, which in turn,
heats up the air inside the greenhouse the glass panels trap that
warm air and temperatures increase. The atmosphere acts as
the glass walls and traps the solar heat which makes the
temperature of the earth conducive to life.
Trouble starts when the gases in the atmosphere
accumulate, and do not allow reflection of the radiation of this
solar energy back into space. Thicker the GHG cover, higher the
trapping of solar energy, causing green house effect.
Nitrogen, oxygen, and argon make up 98 percent of the
Earth’s atmosphere. But they do not absorb significant amounts
of infrared radiation, and thus do not contribute to the
greenhouse effect. It is the more exotic components like water
vapour, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, and
chlorofluorocarbons that absorb heat and thus increase
atmospheric temperatures. These are known as the greenhouse
gases. These gases in the atmosphere prevent reflection of
radiation back into space.
4. Greenhouse gases :
In what seems like nature’s brutal irony, the gases that make
life on Earth possible now threaten our very existence. Natural
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous
oxide have always been in the atmosphere. Throughout Earth’s
history, temperatures have varied greatly, mostly depending on
the concentration of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere. All
signs now suggest that a major temperature change is
happening again, but this time humanity is the cause.
1. Nitrous Oxide – Nothing to Laugh About
Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide seems less funny
since scientists branded it as the third most important
greenhouse gas emitted through human activities.
r Contribution to Human-Induced Climate Change: 7%
r Global Warming Potential (100 years): 298 times
stronger than CO
Like most other greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide is neither
toxic nor destructive but a fundamental part of the mechanisms
that keep our planet healthy and green. Produced by digesting
bacteria, nitrous oxides are part of the nitrogen cycle, one of the
most important chemical reactions on Earth.
The indiscriminate use of nitrogen fertilizers by chemists
and farmers to increase crop yields increased the amount of
nitrous oxide thrown back in the atmosphere to more than twice.
Mankind’s binge on fertilizers and fossil fuels, another
source of the gas, has increased nitrous oxide levels in the
atmosphere by about 18 percent since 1750. Fortunately, nitrous
oxide appears only in scarce quantities; it is about a thousand
times rarer than carbon dioxide. But its long atmospheric
lifetime of about 150 years and its strong warming potential,
more than 300 times stronger than CO , make it an effective
agent of global warming.
But the picture is not all bleak. Emissions from
transportation, once a major source of nitrous oxide, have
decreased recently due to the use of catalytic converters in
modern cars. Reducing nitrous oxide emissions is also cheaper
than reducing CO or methane emissions, according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. A study published by British
farming associations calculates that more efficient use of
nitrogen fertilizers could reduce nitrous oxide emissions by up
to 20 percent.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 15
 2. Methane – A Ticking Bomb
Methane is number two among the man-made climate
warmers worldwide. Its concentration in the atmosphere has
increased threefold since the industrial revolution. But with
more warming, the worst could still be to come.
r Contribution to Human-Induced Climate Change:
23%
r Global Warming Potential (100 years): 25 times
stronger than CO
Methane, the second most important greenhouse gas after
carbon dioxide and the primary component of natural gas, is
virtually omnipresent. The odorless, colorless gas leaks from the
Earth’s mantle through volcanoes, vents from the stomachs of
millions of livestock, rises from wetlands, marshes, and coal
mines, and bubbles up from all things decaying.
Since 1750 methane levels have increased by about 150
percent, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change. This has been responsible for about a fifth of
the enhanced greenhouse effect over the past 200 years.
Scientists fear that a lot of methane is trapped in permafrost
soils and under the world’s oceans could be freed by further
global warming.
More methane could come from melting methane deposits
in ocean seabeds if water temperatures rise sufficiently.
One of the most
convenient strategies
to reduce methane
emissions is burning
the excess gas that
rises from landfills,
natural gas production
sites, or other natural
sources. However, this
releases CO into the
atmosphere, also a greenhouse gas but with a lower global
warming potential.
Even better is using the methane to power gas turbines or
fuel cars. A number of farmers now use their animals’ manure to
produce methane for heating or electricity, while landfills and
gas producers switch from simply flaring the gas to actually
using it as a source of energy.
3. Carbon Dioxide - Endless Warming
r Carbon dioxide the number-one reason for man-made
climate change!
r Contribution to Human-Induced Climate Change:
70%
r Global Warming Potential (100 years): 1
16 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
Protestors dressed in CO molecule costumes,
demonstrate in Essen June 1, 2007, as part of the initiative
'ByeBye CO ' against carbon dioxide pollution
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been
in flux throughout the Earth’s history, but the United Nations
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that in
pre-industrial times CO made up around 280 ppmv (parts per
million volume) of the Earth’s atmosphere which increased by
nearly 40 % to more than 380ppmv post industrial revolution.
This increase in CO ’s share of the atmosphere is mostly
due to anthropogenic (man-induced) factors, such as burning
fossil fuels, deforestation and industrial production.
In total, humans emit around 32 gigatons of carbon dioxide
each year. Half of this stays in the atmosphere; the rest is
absorbed by oceans and vegetation. With sharp increases in
man-made CO emissions, the natural CO cycle gets thrown
out of balance: vegetation can no longer transform the increased
amount of CO into oxygen, and oceans are steadily reaching
saturation level. The result of the increasing amount of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere is an enhanced greenhouse effect
and, subsequently, climate change. While CO is only
responsible for 20 percent of the natural greenhouse effect, it
accounts for about 60 percent of the anthropogenic greenhouse
effect that is causing the latest wave of global warming.
The above details help us to gain an insight into the
reasons and effects of climate change but at the same time
provide hope that although the effects are irreversible, further
damage can be halted if timely steps are taken.
Let’s take a look at some harsh realities of climate
change!
The tsunami of Andaman Nicobar -2005, the super cylone
striking the eastern coast of India in Orissa -1999, Katrina
hurricane -2005 which shook America, the floods in Philippines
during September end this year which displaced more than
3,30,000 people. In our own country, just when the newspapers
were reporting a drought like situation in the State, the monsoon
delivered a deadly lash with its tail killing more than 160 people
in three days torrential rains across Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh. The world has never seen so many natural disasters
occurring in such quick succession i.e within the last three
decades.
According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
change about 7 per cent of the ice of the
Himalayan glaciers is melting away each
year. The report predicts that these
glaciers may disappear entirely as early as
2030. Rising sea levels, brought about by
glacier melt, could submerge islands and
coastal towns. This is also likely to turn
the perennial rivers into seasonal ones.
The Intergovernmental Panel for
Climate Change projects an increase of
1.80°C to 40°Cin temperature by the end
of the century. Farmers in India are losing more than 50% of
their annual income due to climate change. A rise in
temperature by 1- 20°C is predicted by 2020, which besides
affecting agriculture, will throw the ecological biodiversity out of
balance, and add to new emergence of pests and pathogens,
which will make disease management difficult for farmers.
More heat waves, erratic rainfalls, higher incidence of droughts
and floods, frequent hurricanes are predicted by scientists in the
near future.
Climate change is no longer the threat of tomorrow. It is
here, changing the lives of all of us, as we feel the effects of a
warming climate. The world leaders will meet in Copenhagen in
December, to chart out a policy for all the countries to cull the
effects of climate change!
The Kyoto protocol and the Copenhagen summit
Environment ministers from about 190 nations will gather in
Copenhagen to build on the existing Kyoto Protocol which will
expire by 2012, by ensuring rich nations sign up to deeper
emission cuts while offering greater
assistance to developing
countries to help them curb
greenhouse gas pollution.
While the rich
countries are
responsible for 72
per cent of total GHG
emissions between 1950 and
2000, they are of the view that
developing nations like China
and India too have become
major contributors of carbon
emissions.
And the debate between the haves and have-nots
continues
This year the world leaders have the opportunity to set the
course for a new international climate treaty in the Copenhagen
conference in December-09. However there is a snag – the
developed nations do not want to pay for the carbon reduction
projects in the developing nations and wants them to commit to
emission cuts, whereas developing countries like India which
has become the world’s fourth largest emitter of GHG insists
that it won’t accept binding cuts on its GHG emissions because
the cuts might limit economic growth.
Let’s do our bit in reducing the GHG emissions
While the bigwigs of the
international arena draw up a policy for
all the nations to cope with climate
change, we as individuals can do our
own bit in reducing the GHG
emissions. Small steps like using less
fossil fuel by making use of car pools
and bicycles, creating awareness of the
ill effects of blatant consumerism,
conserving energy, minimizing use of
paper, wood, encouraging use of natural source of energy like
solar, wind, etc, water reharvesting can go a long way in saving
our planet from dying, before it is too late!
The effects of climate change, bare and naked are staring at
our face. And although we cannot stop the process, we can surely
put a limit on the amount of GHG emissions and adapting to the
effects. It is high time, that joint efforts are put in by all the
parties at stake to check further deterioration of the global
environment and think of measures to cope effectively with the
climate change. If no such concrete steps are taken, the scene
from the film, Age of Stupid, where an old man living in the
devastated world of 2055, watching archival footage from 2008
asks, ‘why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the
chance?’ might come true!
Did you know?
Green Drinks: An Eco-friendly social networking joint
Green Drinks is an event that was born in England in 1989;
its creators were taking something in a
pub in London with fellow designers and
noted that at the next table there were
other people talking about issues related
to the environment. Soon the tables are
joined and the movement was born.
What is it?
A group of people interested in the environment and
sustainable development meet in a bar for drinks and share
contacts, make synergies or simply having a good time.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 17
Current events
India
FIVE-PHASE JHARKHAND ASSEMBLY POLLS FROM
NOV 27
Election Commission
announced five-phase assembly
polls in Jharkhand spread over
November-December.
Faced with a serious threat of
Maoist violence, five-phase
election for 81 assembly
constituencies will take place on
November 27, December 2, 8, 12 and 18. Results will be
announced on December 23. Jharkhand assembly has been
under suspended animation since January and President's rule
ends on January 18.
Thirty constituencies will go to polls in the first phase, 15 in
the second, seven in the third, 14 in the fourth and 15 in the last
phase. Going by the schedule, most areas under Maoist
influence will go to polls in the last two phases.
Jharkhand has 1.8 crore voters and 23,944 polling stations.
While photo electoral rolls have been prepared in the case of
74.19% voters, 77.63% voters have electoral photo identity cards.
Admitting that conducting election in Jharkhand could be a
problem due to the Maoist menace, chief election commissioner
Navin Chawla said home ministry has agreed to provide
sufficient central paramilitary forces. However, he refused to
give details of the security arrangement. The last assembly
election in Jharkhand was conducted in three phases.
Unlike his predecessor N Gopalaswami, Chawla has done
away with vulnerability mapping of areas. However, the standard
operating procedure of randomisation of EVMs twice,
deployment of observers and micro-observers has been
followed as in the past.
Adequate number of observers would be deployed to ensure
smooth conduct of elections, micro-observers would oversee
proceedings in the polling stations on Election Day in selected
critical polling stations, Chawla said.
18 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
The state government has also been asked to transfer all
officers against whom EC has recommended disciplinary action
or who have been charged with any lapse during previous
elections or for any election related work from positions
entailing any election work, Chawla said.Elections to the
Jharkhand assembly would be held in five phases from Nov 27 to
Dec 18, the Election Commission announced.
Votes would be counted on Dec 23, Chief Election
Commissioner Navin Chawla told reporters.
With the approval of union cabinet, the 81-member
Jharkhand assembly, which was kept in suspended animation
since January this year, was dissolved. The cabinet acted on the
recommendation of state Governor K. Sankaranarayanan.
The president's rule was imposed in the state on Jan 19, 2009
after then chief minister Shibhu Soren lost a by-poll and had to
resign.
tututu
MUMBAI TO HOST 2011 WORLD CUP FINAL
Mumbai will host the final and Mohali one of the semi-finals,
according to the allocation of India's
share of matches in the 2011 cricket
World Cup announced.
India, which co-hosts the
showpiece event with Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh in February-March
2011, will organise 29 matches at
eight venues, the Indian cricket
board said in a statement.
The Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, being renovated for the
World Cup, will host three matches, including the final, while
Mohali will stage one semi-final and two other games.
The one quarter-final allotted to India will be held in the
western city of Ahmedabad, which will also host two more
matches.
 New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore,
Nagpur and Kolkata will each stage
four matches, including one featuring
the home team.
Sri Lanka will host 12 and
Bangladesh eight of the remaining 20
games in the 49-match tournament
after Pakistan was removed as co-hosts
by the International Cricket Council
due to security concerns.
Sri Lanka will stage the other
semi-final and one quarter-final, while
Bangladesh will host the opening
ceremony on February 18, 2011 and
two quarter-finals.
The 14 teams have been divided into two groups with the top
four from each qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Group A features defending champions Australia, Pakistan,
New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Group B comprises India, South Africa, England, West
Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands.
DistributionofIndia'smatches:
Mumbai - Final plus two matches
Mohali - Semi-final plus two matches.
Ahmedabad - Quarter-final plus two matches.
New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Kolkata will host
four matches each.
tututu
N-POWER INEVITABLE FOR INDIA’S GROWTH: PWC
“Despite several hurdles still to be crossed over for the
ambitious expansion of nuclear power production in India, N-
power is inevitable for the country's growth as well as to save
future generation from inflation,” a top executive of
Pricewaterhouse, Coopers said.
"India should focus on manufacturing of equipment for the
nuclear industry, aim for becoming part of global supply chain
and export of cost effective small reactors which many of the
small countries are looking for," Kameshwara Rao, executive
director, Industry Leader for Electricity and mining, PWC, told
reporters on the sidelines of Second Indo-French Nuclear
Industry Business Meet.
PWC released a study on
'Opportunities and challenges for
Indo-French cooperation in
Nuclear Power' interviewing 35
companies of various sizes from
both India and France.
The study was released by the
ambassador of France to India, Jerome Bonnafont.
Rao pointed out that India is carrying out several parallel
processes at various levels –from local, company and
government levels to make the bilateral agreement with France a
reality but even after six years it may not be possible to get a
megawatt of power as there are several scientifically and
otherwise complex issues involved.
Indian nuclear power plants are cost effective compared to
the global players, and since so many countries whose grids are
small are showing interest in India's 220 MW, 540 MW nuclear
reactors Indian industry should get ready for the export of such
small reactors, he said.
Manufacturing is a good strength for India and Indian
companies have huge potential, he said adding although there
are some restrictions on dual use equipment, there is a lot of
learning curve to be undertaken.
tututu
INDIA AND CHINA SIGN THEIR FIRST BILATERAL
AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE
India and China signed a major agreement on cooperation in
addressing climate change issues on October 21, 2009.
The five-year agreement was signed by Environment and
Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh and China’s Minister for
National Development and Reforms Xie Zhehua. It calls for
cooperation on various issues related to climate change at
various levels.
Speaking on the occasion Zhehua said China considers India
a sincere and devoted friend and expressed confidence that both
countries would make a positive contribution at the
Copenhagen Summit.
“Both India and China are collaborating to ensure a fair and
equitable outcome at Copenhagen. An outcome that is in
keeping with the principles of the Rio Convention of 1992, the
Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and the Bali Action Plan of 2007. There is
to my mind virtually no difference between the Indian and the
Chinese negotiating position,” Ramesh said.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 19
 “We will be discussing further
what India and China should be
doing to ensuring a successful
outcome at Copenhagen that fully
protects and promotes, not only
protects but also promotes the
interest of developing countries like
China and like India,” he added.
According to the new agreement both India and China will
hold regular ministerial consultations aimed at deepening their
cooperation in combating climate change.
An India -China Working Group will be established for an
exchange of views on an annual basis on matters related to
international negotiations on climate change.
The two sides agreed to increase their cooperation in
technology development relating to reduction of green house
gas emission in the fields of energy conservation, clean coal,
afforestation, sustainable habitat and transportation among
other issues.
Both India and China will also enhance their cooperation
mitigating the impact of climate change. Joint research, capacity
building, public private partnership are some of other aspects of
climate change in which the two sides will cooperate.
tututu
IIT-JEE CRITERIA TO BE TOUGH FROM NEXT YEAR
The eligibility criteria of 60 percent marks in class-XII for
appearing in IIT Joint Entrance Examination will be raised
from next year to make students pay more attention to the
board exam.
In a significant move to check
the growth of coaching centres,
which are thriving on imparting
coaching to students for IIT-JEE,
the government decided to change
the criteria, so that students'
attention will be more focused on
the board exam at Class-XII.
“The present criteria are that
students need to secure 60 percent
at class-XII for appearing in IIT-JEE. This is not acceptable.
The minimum marks required for IIT-JEE could be raised up to
80 to 85 percent,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told after the
meeting of the IIT Council, the apex decision making body for
the elite institutes, at New Delhi.
20 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
He said the three-member committee has been set up to
look into the curriculum and the IIT-JEE system and submit its
report within three months, suggesting required changes.
The committee comprises Science and Technology
Secretary T Ramasamy, Secretary Department of Biotechnology
M K Bhan and Director General CSIR Sameer Brahmachari.
“The coaching centres are giving training for the IIT
entrance. As a result, the students are not studying seriously for
Class-XII exam and giving more attention to entrance. We want
to get rid of the coaching centres by giving more weightage to the
board exam,” Sibal said.
The three-member committee will also review the
curriculum of the IIT’s and suggest the modification required to
help these institutes move forward.
“The committee will decide what should be the curriculum
of the IIT's so that the institutes will be able to compete with the
global brands,” Sibal said.
Besides, the government has decided to change the
eligibility of students for availing the merit-cum-means
scholarship being given at the end of class-XII.
The income criteria, which was Rs two lakh per annum as
family income, has been changed to Rs 4.5 lakh.
The IIT Council also discussed about the impact foreign
universities and their entry into India after the government
passes the Foreign Education Providers Bill.
Some of the IITs are interested to collaborate with the
foreign universities, he said.
To attract more foreign students, the government will
reduce the fee structure for students from SAARC and African
countries, Sibal said.
tututu
INDIA ANNOUNCES $20,000 TO ANTI-DOPING FUNDS
AHEAD OF CWG
Gearing up to host the Commonwealth Games next year,
India has reinforced its commitment to check doping in the
event and has contributed $20,000 to the International Fund for
the Elimination of Doping in Sports.
India, in 2007, ratified the International Convention against
Doping in Sport, which has been developed by UNESCO. There
are 105 other countries signatory to the convention.
 The Human Resource Development Ministry coordinates
with UNESCO on international cooperation on the issue.
“Given India's commitment to the international campaign
against doping in Sports, it has announced a contribution of
$20,000 to the International Fund for the Elimination of Doping
in Sports,” a ministry source said.
The convention helps formalise global anti-doping rules,
policies and guidelines in order to provide an equitable playing
environment for all athletes.
The convention also aims to ensure the effectiveness of the
World Anti-Doping Code in international law, creating
obligations on nations to take steps in accordance with its
principles.
Under the convention, the government will need to take
specific action to restrict the availability of prohibited
substances to athletes, including measures against trafficking
and withhold financial support to athletes and support to
personnel who commit any anti-doping code violation.
tututu
AMITABH BACHCHAN LAUNCHES MOBILE DIABETES
TESTING UNIT IN GOA
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan launched a mobile
testing unit for diabetes in Goa on 25 October 2009.
The bus, known as a Mobile
Diabetes Assessment Unit,
capable of testing diabetes within
minutes, was donated by the
British-based Silver Star charity,
with whom Bachchan works as
international patron.
Talking to reporters, Bachchan
said that his endorsement of
healthcare related initiative was a
fall out of his brush with the health care system.
“I must admit that a lot of it came into my mind after my
own several escapades with the medical profession in India
because of my various accidents and my own visits to ICUs of
several hospitals and I felt that if I can contribute in any
manner towards the healthcare I will be very happy to do that,”
he added.
Vaz, a British MP said India was on course to becoming the
diabetes capital of the world.
“We have approximately 14 million people in India who have
been diagnosed with diabetes and there are many millions more
who have not been diagnosed and it is supposed that unless we
do something about this. By the year 2025, we will be here in
India,” Said Keith Vaz, Member of British Parliament.
The charity has launched India's first Mobile Diabetes
Assessment Unit in Goa and plans to launch more in cities like
Mumbai and Delhi in near future.
tututu
INDIA SLIPS TO 114TH PLACE IN GLOBAL GENDER GAP
RANKING: WEF
India has been ranked in the bottom half among 134
countries in terms of gender equality, in WEF's latest ranking
that assessed the distribution of resources and opportunities
among males and females.
Slipping one place from last
year, India has cornered the 114th
position in the World Economic
Forum's 'The Global Gender
Gap Index 2009 rankings' which
is topped by Iceland.
Apart from Iceland, the list features three more Nordic
nations at the top – Finland (2), Norway (3) and Sweden (4)
while New Zealand is at the fifth spot.
Though placed way ahead of India, neighbouring China has
dropped to the 60th position. The country had cornered the 57th
spot last year.
India (114), Korea (115), Iran (128) and Pakistan (132)
continue to hold some of the lowest positions in the Asian
rankings.
“While India, Iran and Pakistan perform very poorly on the
economic, education and health subindexes, their overall scores
are partially bolstered by relatively good performances on
political empowerment,” the WEF said.
In 2007 too, India was ranked 114th while the country had
cornered the 98th place in 2006.
Other countries in the top ten are South Africa (6), Denmark
(7), Ireland (8), Philippines (9) and Lesotho (10).
The UK is ranked 15th while the US is at the 31st place.
Among other BRIC nations, Brazil is at the 82nd spot while
Russia is ranked 51st.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 21
 NCERT LAUNCHES ALL-INDIA SURVEY ON QUALITY OF
SCHOOL EDUCATION
In an exercise that will help the government plan out proper
policy for inclusion of physically challenged children in
education, the NCERT has embarked upon a nationwide survey
to find out degree of disability of such students and also the
quality of elementary education.
The NCERT has started the 8th All India
School Education Survey under which it will find
out the age-specific data of students in a
particular class, the degree of disability of
physically challenged students, enrollment,
drop-out rates and the quality of elementary
education in the country.
“For the first of time, we have included provision for
collecting data on degree of disability of physically challenged
students. This will show what kind of disability the students are
having. It will help to plan out policy on how to provide education
to them in a comprehensive manner,” NCERT Director Prof
Krishna Kumar said.
The NCERT conducts the all-India survey on the quality of
elementary education every five years. The survey intends to
create a database on status of school education system with
respect to access, class-wise enrolment, achievement and
availability of basis facility in schools.
The age-wise data of students in a particular class will show
whether any over-aged or under-aged students are studying in
the class.
tututu
RADHAKRISHNAN NEW ISRO CHIEF
K Radhakrishnan, director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
in Thiruvananthapuram, was named the next chairman of the
Indian Space Research Organisation.
Armed with a fax copy of his
appointment, Radhakrishnan, who takes
over from G Madhavan Nair, visited the
famed Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple
in Thrissur.
One of the key persons behind the
Chandrayaan-1 mission, the senior Isro
scientist says his immediate priority will
be the successful flight of GSLV-D3 in December 2009 with an
Indian cryogenic stage.
22 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
INDIA TO LAUNCH NATIONAL MISSION FOR WOMEN
The Government of India will soon launch a national
programme, called the National Mission for Women, to combat
social evils against women. This will be chaired by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh.
Proposed by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development,
the 'umbrella mission' will cover
all existing programmes for
women's welfare and evaluate
and monitor their efficacy.
”The idea of the National
M i s s i o n f o r Wo m e n w a s
proposed initially by President
Pratibha Patil. There are many
women-centric programmes in
different ministries and this
mission will converge them all
and monitor them," Women and Child Development Minister
Krishna Tirath said.
The mission, which will be on till 2018, will compare figures of
maternal mortality, child sex ratio, age of a girl getting married and
other such social development indicators – at the beginning and at
the end – and then suggest policy changes and new schemes to
improve the status of women.
The Planning Commission has allocated Rs 8,670 crore for a
period of nine years for the mission.
Women and Child Development Ministry also proposed
"Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent
Girls" to improve the nutritional status of girls, who are out
of school.
"This programme will be implemented in anganwadi
centres," Tirath said.
The Minister, who chaired a national meeting of State
Ministers and State Secretaries in-Charge of Women and Child
Development, said that from just seven states which had agreed
to implement the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS),
now all others have expressed their interest in it.
ICPS is a scheme that was launched this year to increase
awareness and work on issues of child rights like setting up of
foster care homes. Seven states had signed a MoU till now with
the centre to jointly handle this scheme financially, but all the
other states have said that they will sign it in the next two
months.
 NO PRE-PAID MOBILES IN J-K FROM NOV. 1
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided that no
pre-paid mobile connections should be issued and existing pre-
paid SIM cards should not be renewed in Jammu and Kashmir
after November 1, 2009.
The Ministry has asked the
Dept. of Telecommunications
to take appropriate action in the
matter for implementation of
the decision.
The step comes in the wake
of the reports that proper
verification is not being done
while providing such pre-paid
mobile connections by the service providers/vendors.
In some cases, a single person had been issued with multiple
number of connections.
The fake documents/identity numbers are also reportedly
being used by the vendors particularly, in the case of pre-paid
connections. This situation had given rise to serious security
concerns.
tututu
MASSIVE FIRE AT INDIAN OIL DEPOT IN JAIPUR
A massive fire due to an explosion at the 100,000 kilolitre
capacity Indian Oil Depot at Sitapura industrial area in Jaipur, on
October 29, 2009 killing at least five people and injuring 150
others.
The fire, which could be seen miles away as well as the thick
black smoke, has reduced to cinder nearby dwellings and a
factory.
As the depot went up in flames, the administration quickly
evacuated residential colonies and shut down colleges and
industrial units in a 3-km radius. Roads up to 5 km radius have
been blocked by the administration.
The army was also pressed into action to help in the rescue
efforts.
A local industry association member said nearly 1,100
industrial units in the vicinity of the site have been shut down.
Hundreds of units suffered damage to their building due the
blasts at the depot. The damages suffered are reportedly to the
tune of nearly Rs 500 crore.
“We can't do much
firefighting in such
kind of fires. We just
have to wait for the fuel
to burn out,” said an
Indian Oil official.
Indian Oil
announced an ex-
gratia payment of Rs
10 lakh to the next of
kin of each employee killed, Rs 2 lakh for each of those seriously
injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
An addition, the state government has already announced Rs
2 lakh for the families of each of those killed and Rs 1 lakh each
for the seriously injured.
Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora also announced that
a high-level enquiry committee has been set up, to be headed by
former chairman and managing director of Hindustan
Petroleum Corp Ltd M.B. Lal.
The committee has been given six weeks to submit a report
to the petroleum ministry.
Hindustan Petroleum, which has recently commissioned a
petroleum product terminal at Bagru, near Jaipur on its Mudra-
Delhi product pipeline, will take care of the requirements of the
products in the area along with other nearby oil depots.
Asfirediesdown,environmentalcrisisloomslarge
The fire raging has led to an environmental crisis in the
capital city. The thick black plumes of smoke have spread to
dozens of villages and residential colonies, hampering visibility
and creating panic.
Hundreds of people are visiting hospitals with the
complaints of breathing problem, sore throat, irritation in the
eye, allergy and itching. In addition to the mobile medical teams
that are making rounds in the villages, all primary health centres
in the rural terrain have been asked to remain open round-the-
clock.
Environmental experts here fear that the smoke, apart from
affecting the health of the people in and around the city, would
also hit agriculture in the surrounding villages which supply
vegetables and food grain to Jaipur.
With the onset of winter, the smoke billowing from the huge
vertical tanks at the IOC terminal is likely to settle over the city as
a haze in the days to come.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 23
Current events
World
OBAMA SIGNS MILITARY BUDGET BILL;
PAK TO GET USD 2.3 BILLION
US President Barack
Obama signed a USD
680-billion defence
budget bill that provides
USD 2.3 billion military
assistance to Pakistan
with tough condition to
make sure that the funds
are not squandered or
diverted to affect the
"balance of power in the
region".
Obama said the Defence Authorisation Bill for 2010
eliminates some of the waste and inefficiency in the defence
process that will better protect the nation, troops and save
taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
"The bill includes a commitment to the stability of
Afghanistan and Pakistan, expanded programmes to keep
nuclear weapons out of the hands of rogue states and terrorists,
and a reformed system of defence acquisition to save taxpayer
money," said House Majority Leader Steny H Hoyer.
The military aid money to Pakistan for the fiscal 2010 as
mentioned in the bill has two major components USD 1.6 billion
for the Coalition Support Fund and USD 700 million for the
Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund.
For the USD 1.6 billion Coalition Support Fund, the bill
would require that, before any more such money is spent, the
Obama administration must certify that doing so is in the US
national interest will not adversely affect the region's balance of
power.
India feels that the American assistance to Pakistan should
be more focused on building counter-insurgency capabilities
rather than conventional defence equipment which can be
diverted for other purposes.
24 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
INDIA RECEIVES CW GAMES BATON FROM THE QUEEN
English Queen Elizabeth II
passed the Queen's baton for the
2010 Commonwealth Games to
President Pratibha Devisingh
Patil, starting the countdown to
the sporting event to be held in
New Delhi next year.
The baton was handed over to President Patil at London's
Buckingham Palace in the presence of Union Sports Minister
M.S. Gill, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike
Fennell and Suresh Kalmadi, Chief of the 2010 Games
Organising Committee.
The Baton Relay is one of the great traditions of the
Commonwealth Games.
Indian Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra began the
baton relay amid loud cheers from the crowd, some of whom
were seen waving the Indian flag.
Bindra was joined in the run one by
one by Indian and international sporting
greats. Among them were Kapil Dev,
Sania Mirza, Milkha Singh, Monty
Panesar, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar
and Karnam Malleswari.
The baton handover was preceded by
the national anthems of India and Britain.
The baton will go on a journey across the
wold, visiting all the 70 Commonwealth
nations.
After a journey of 240 days, it will reach the Indian shores and
go to all the state capitals and some other cities.
The journey will finally end on 3rd October next year in
Delhi, signalling the beginning of the 2010 Games. This will be
one of the longest baton relays in the history of the sporting
event.
 The relay ceremony proceedings began with school
children, dressed in blue uniforms, singing verses from the Rig
Veda. The verses symbolised unity and oneness in the spirit of
the Commonwealth. The choir singing was followed by several
Indian dance performances.
"The baton journey is symbolic in many ways but it's more
than just that. It enables so many more people to feel a part of the
game," Fennell said.
tututu
JAPAN TO HOST PREPARATION MEETING FOR US-LED
NUKE SUMMIT
A preparation meeting
for the nuclear security
summit, which US
President Barack Obama
plans to convene in
Washington next spring,
will be held in Japan in
December, a visiting
executive of the US
nuclear security agency
has said.
Referring to Japan's technical expertise and long history of
work on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Thomas D'Agostino,
administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration,
said, "I expect the world will have a greater opportunity to see
this in December during the nuclear security summit
preparation meeting that will be happening at Tokyo in Japan."
D'Agostino also said he hopes to continue good cooperation
with the International Atomic Energy Agency under the tenure
of director general-elect Yukiya Amano of Japan.
Obama called for the summit in Prague this April laying out
his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.
At the summit, world leaders are expected to discuss
concrete measures to safely manage and guard nuclear fissile
materials, which will be derived in the process of reducing more
than 20,000 nuclear warheads in the world, as well as other
substances convertible to nuclear weapons scattered across the
globe.
A Japanese diplomatic source said participants in the
preparation meeting are expected to discuss possible agenda
items for the summit and the Japanese Foreign Ministry is
currently studying candidate sites for the meeting.
IRAN WOULD WELCOME URANIUM EXCHANGE DEAL:
AHMADINEJAD
Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said that Iran
would welcome a uranium
exchange deal proposed with
Russia, the US and France.
“We welcome the uranium
exchange deal and are ready for
cooperation, but the countries involved in the deal should also
fulfil their commitments,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech in
Mashad in northeastern Iran that was broadcast on television.
Ahmadinejad did not say whether Iran would definitely
accept the deal as it was agreed in Vienna or demand
amendments.
According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, Iran is to present its
reply to the proposed uranium exchange deal to the
International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
The US, Russia and France have agreed to a plan to reduce
Iran’s enriched uranium stock by processing it abroad. The deal
would build some confidence that Iran would not use its
uranium to make bombs but rather as fuel for a medical-use
reactor.
tututu
WORLD’S FIRST UNDERWATER CABINET MEET HELD IN
MALDIVES
World’s first ever underwater cabinet meeting was held in
Maldives on October 17. The
underwater meeting is a part of world
wide campaign by international
environmental NGO 350.org. to bring
atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide
to the safe threshold of 350 parts per
million (ppm) from the present level
of 387 ppm.
Some interesting features of the underwater cabinet
meeting in Maldives are:
r Meeting to draw global attention to the pressing issue
of climate change.
r Meeting held about four metres below sea level at
Kaafu atoll, Girifushi.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 25
 r President Mohamed Nasheed signed a declaration
calling for global action on climate change. The
statement will be presented at the landmark UN
climate change talks in Copenhagen this December.
r Prior to the meeting, ministers took scuba diving
lessons from Divers Association Maldives (DAM).
President Nasheed is already a PADI Advanced Open
Water diver.
r President Mohamed Nasheed and his ministers
dressed in scuba suits used hand signals and slates to
communicate underwater during the meeting.
The signed wet suits of the ministers are being auctioned to
raise money for coral reef protection in the Maldives.
tututu
PESHAWAR CAR BOMBING: TOLL CLIMBS TO 107
A car bomb packed with
150 kg of explosives ripped
through a bustling
commercial hub, including
a market meant exclusively
for women, in Pakistan’s
Peshawar city, killing at least
107 people and injuring 213
others, hours after US
secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived to discuss fight against
terror.
The toll could be higher as many people are still believed to
be trapped in the rubble of six buildings that collapsed due to the
powerful blast. Many of the dead and injured in the explosion
were women and children.
The blast, heard across Peshawar, occurred in the congested
‘Peepal Mandi’ area of NWFP capital Peshawar shortly after 1
pm local time. Meena Bazar, a market exclusively for women,
bore the brunt of the blast. Many bodies were charred and limbs
missing, witnesses said.
The blast sparked a major fire and white smoke billowed
over the city. Dozens of shops and several cars were gutted by the
fire while the blast damaged a mosque. The fire spread rapidly as
most buildings in the area were made of wood.
Mr Shafqat Malik, chief of the city’s bomb disposal squad,
said the blast, the 13th terror attack in Peshawar in recent weeks,
was caused by a car bomb packed with 150 kg of explosives.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack that destroyed
shops selling bangles, dresses and toys.
26 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
NWFP Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain told
reporters that many of the dead and injured were women and
children. “We will not lose our courage and we will continue our
‘jihad’ to eliminate these terrorists. We will not forgive these
killers. We may lose our lives but we will continue this ‘jihad’,”
Mr Hussain said.
Ms Clinton, who arrived in Islamabad on her maiden official
visit a few hours before the blast, said Pakistan had “endured a
barrage of attacks” for its role in the war on terror.
TerrorstrikesRawalpindiagain,24dead:
A suicide bomber struck a busy commercial area near the
Pakistan Army's headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi
on 2 November 2009, killing at least 24 people, including
military personnel.
tututu
US HAS NO PLANS TO QUIT AFPAK OPERATIONS:
WHITE HOUSE
The White House has said that it has no plans to quit its
operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan inspite of Wednesday's
(28 October) blast in a Peshawar bazaar.
Recent reports had suggested that a
rapid increase in attacks on US and
NATO forces in Afghanistan might force
the Obama administration to leave the
country, but the White House said that
US troops would stay put.
“The President began the meetings
on the assessment with saying we were not leaving Afghanistan.
We understand that we have a role to play in ensuring stability in
the region, which is why the President is taking his time to get
this policy right,” The Dawn quoted Robert Gibbs, (White
House Press Secretary) as saying. “This is a meeting requested
by the President to see the Joint Chiefs and to have a chance to
talk to them and to other service branches about the ongoing
assessment in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he added.
Earlier, Obama had held a meeting with his top advisers on
the region to have a new policy to confront Taliban and Al Qaeda
militants threatening the Governments of both countries. It was
also attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is
currently in Pakistan on a three-day official visit.
Media reports had speculated that the consultations might
lead to the announcement of a timeline for withdrawing US
troops from the region.
 TUNISIAN PRESIDENT WINS FIFTH TERM IN OFFICE
President Zine al-Abidine Ben
Ali has won a fifth term with 89.62
percent of the votes in Tunisia’s
Presidential election.
One opposition party called
vote a missed opportunity to move
the North African countr y
towards democracy, echoing
accusations by international
human rights groups that the
campaign took place in an
atmosphere of repression.
Ben Ali, who is 73 and has been in power for 22 years, has
rejected those allegations and warned that anyone spreading lies
to damage the country’s image will be prosecuted.
Many voters credit him with turning Tunisia, which attracts
millions of foreign tourists each summer, into a stable and
relatively prosperous country in a region that suffers from
poverty and political turmoil.
His winning margin was down slightly compared with the
94.4 percent he received in the last election five years ago, a dip
that may help deflect foreign criticism that the latest race was
tilted in his favour.
Ben Ali has established Tunisia as a moderate voice in the
Arab world and Western governments view it as a bulwark
against Islamist extremism.
Tunisia’s most prominent opposition figures did not take
part in the election. Two of Ben Ali’s challengers on the ballot
rarely criticise the President and the third acknowledged during
the campaign that he could not win.
“The regime has missed another opportunity to carry out a
democratic transition in Tunisia,” said Rachid Kechana, deputy
Secretary-General of the opposition PDP party, which boycotted
the election.
“The election was meaningless and the results confirm
that,” he told Reuters.
Ben Ali’s RCD ruling party won 75 percent of the seats in a
parliamentary vote held simultaneously, the official news agency
TAP reported, quoting official results.
The Interior Ministry, which oversaw the voting, is expected
to formally announce the outcome of booths elections later.
Tunisia is especially sensitive to criticism of its democracy
record because it is expected to apply to the European Union
next year for “advanced status” - which could give it preferential
trade terms and boost its international standing.
The Tunisian President came to power in 1987 when doctors
declared his predecessor, Habib Bourguiba, unfit to rule after
more than 30 years in power.
tututu
MERKEL RE-ELECTED, SWORN IN AS GERMAN
CHANCELLOR
Angela Merkel was sworn in
for a second term as German
Chancellor and her new center-
right government took up the
task of tackling the country’s
tough economic situation a
month after national elections.
Merkel, 55, will serve as
Chancellor of a ruling coalition
made up of her Christian Democratic Party, its Bavaria-only
sister party the Christian Social Union, and the pro-business
Free Democrats.
She was elected through a vote of 323 in favor out of a
possible 612. But nine members of coalition parties voted
against her, leading some to question the government’s solidity
hours after she and her 15 ministers were sworn in.
In its sweeping agenda, the new coalition has promised an
overhaul of the health care system, more help for families and
annual tax cuts of up to €24 billion ($36 billion).
But Merkel called into question whether the government
would be able to come good on its pledges.
“I cannot guarantee it down to the letter, as there are others
involved who are not part of the coalition agreement,” Merkel
said. Germany’s upper house of parliament, made up of
representatives of its 16 states, must also sign off on any tax
cuts.
In 2005, Merkel became the first woman to be elected as
Germany’s head of government. During her first term she led a
grand coalition of Germany’s two main parties – her
Conservatives and the Social Democrats.
She is the only German head of government to switch
coalition partners between terms in office.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 27
 IAEA EXPERTS END IRAN INSPECTION, ARRIVE IN
VIENNA
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors
arrived in Vienna from Tehran after visiting a new nuclear site.
The quartet of experts spent four days at the new uranium
enrichment plant near Fordu, 100 km south of Tehran, as well as
in the capital itself, to verify that the installation is not being built
for military purposes.
Inspection team leader
Herman Nackaerts said at Vienna
airport that his team had had a good
visit and that the IAEA would now
analyse the data, according to the
spokesman.
IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei is set to issue his next
report on Iran in time for the organisation’s board meeting.
The revelation about Fordu again raised suspicions that Iran
was trying to enrich uranium not to fuel civilian reactors, but for
nuclear weapons.
Experts and diplomats said before the inspectors’ trip that
no nuclear technical equipment has likely been installed yet at
Fordu.
The inspection was one of the agreed outcomes between
Iran and world powers at talks in Geneva on Oct 1.
Iran’s negotiating partners, Britain, China, France,
Germany, Russia and the US, are waiting for Tehran to deliver its
answer to a proposal to process Iran’s nuclear fuel abroad as a
confidence-building measure.
tututu
NUCLEAR DEAL IS INDIA'S PASSPORT TO THE WORLD:
BUSH
Former US President, George W. Bush, who played an
instrumental role in the signing of the India-
US nuclear deal, said the pact was New
Delhi's "passport to the world".
Calling the accord "historic", Bush said
at the Hindustan Times Leadership
Summit, New Delhi that it would provide
India an opportunity to get energy without
making pollution.
28 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
"(By signing the deal) the US recognised India's nuclear
weapon's programme. It is India's passport to the world," said
Bush.
"In 2006 we signed a historic accord.... India has now the
opportunity to get energy without making pollution," said Bush.
The framework of the India-US civilian nuclear agreement
was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and then US president Bush. Under it, India
agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and
place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. In exchange, the US agreed
to work towards full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
tututu
15TH ASEAN SUMMIT TURNS TO WIDENING FREE
TRADE
Representatives from 16 countries wrapped up three days of
meetings in Hua Hin (Thailand)
on regional cooperation in which
they agreed East Asia needs a new
economic structure that is less
dependent on exports to the
United States. There were also
some hopeful signs of political
change in military-run Burma.
The Association of Southeast Nations has 10 members -
Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - which met with
dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand,
and South Korea for an East Asia Summit.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the 16 nations
discussed establishing an East Asia free-trade agreement. He
said they also heard proposals by Japan and Australia for building
a wider Asian bloc.
Japan has indicated it wants the United States to play a
strong role in the region, perhaps as a member of the pan-Asian
bloc.But, Mr. Abhisit said Japan was merely stressing the need
for a continuing evolution in East Asian ties.
Addressing in the 7th India-ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin
town of Thailand, the PM Manmohan Singh said: “We look
forward to working closely with the ASEAN and other countries
of the East Asia Summit process to establish the Nalanda
University as an international institution of excellence in
education with a continual focus.” Contd. on page 45
 Indian Bank's Trivia
r Bank of Baroda: In 1908, Maharaja
Sayajirao III Gaekwad set up Bank of
Baroda (BOB). BOB established its
first branch in Ahmedabad. In 1954:
BOB opened a branch in Nairobi.
r Uco Bank: formerly United Commercial Bank,
established in 1943 in Kolkata, is one of the oldest and
major commercial bank of India. Ghanshyam Das Birla, an
eminent Indian industrialist, during the
Quit India movement of 1942, had
conceived the idea of organizing a
commercial bank with Indian capital and
management, and the United
Commercial Bank Limited was
incorporated to give shape to that idea.
r Syndicate Bank: established in 1925 in
Udupi (Karnataka state, India) by Upendra
Ananth Pai, Vaman Kudva and Dr, T. M. A.
Pai, is one of the oldest and major
commercial bank of India. At the time of its
establishment, the bank was known as Canara Industrial
and Banking Syndicate Limited.
r Vijaya Bank: founded on 23rd October 1931 by late Shri
A.B.Shetty and other enterprising farmers in Mangalore,
Karnataka. The objective of the founders was essentially to
promote banking habit, thrift and
enterpreneurship among the
farming community of Dakshina
Kannada district in Karnataka
State. The bank became a scheduled bank in 1958.
Contd. on page 31
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 29
Profile
Dr. Pratap Reddy
A t times, calamity becomes the source of motivation for
some people and compels them to eradicate it from its
core. Those who are hardnosed, they become the mere
spectator of that catastrophe. But those who preach humanity as
their religion cannot stop themselves to help the needy. They are
ready to take the responsibility on their shoulders.
Dr. Pratap Reddy, the
founder of the Apollo
Hospital Group, India's first
corporate hospital group.
The inspiration for this
project came to him when
he lost a patient two decades
ago when the patient could
not go to Texas for an open
heart surgery. This inspired
Dr. Pratap Reddy to create
world-class medical infrastructure in India and make it more
accessible and affordable to common people. He gave up his
practice in the US in the early eighties to set up the Apollo
Hospitals Group in Chennai in 1983. He revolutionized the
whole health care scenario of India and inspired others to follow
the suit. Today, India has over 750 corporate hospitals all over the
country.
Dr. Pratap Reddy came to India after serving as the Chief
Resident of the Worcenter City Hospital in the US to start his
practice in Madras with a modest earning of Rs 100/- per day.
Dr, Pratap Reddy soon followed this with India 's first hospital
consultancy body - the Indian Hospitals Corporation - and
commissioned two more Tertiary Care Centers in India. Since
its inception, Apollo has demonstrated that Indian skills are
equivalent to the best centers in the world and has produced
world-class results in the most complicated Cadaver
Transplant. Today, the Apollo Hospitals Group has over 22
centers in major cities in India and a combined turnover of over
US $ 100 million.
Dr Reddy is now spreading Apollo Hospitals Group to other
parts of Asia. The group opened its first clinic in Dubai in March
1999 and is coming up with projects in Sri Lanka, Africa,
Bangladesh and Oman.
30 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
The telemedicine technology that
has been successfully introduced by Dr.
Reddy in India will be a key enabler in
transforming the healthcare delivery in
India. His blueprint for the nation
includes setting up of many rural
hospitals. Dr. Reddy is currently
looking at secondary health centers in
semi urban and smaller cities and has
already identified 23 sites for the purpose. The maiden effort in
this venture has been at Aragonda, his native village and Dr.
Reddy envisages that this center will serve as a model for all such
projects of the Apollo Group in rural India.
His newest initiative is to integrate into healthcare, the
digital nervous system that will eventually create a virtual Apollo
Center anywhere any time. Apollo's major Web initiative, Med
Varsity -a virtual medical university provides total access to
experts in the field of medicine anywhere in the world and
“MEDNET” - Hospital Systems Management package are
slated to transform the way medicine is practiced in the country.
Recognizing his pioneering role in transforming the Indian
healthcare industry, the Government of India awarded him the
prestigious Padma Bhushan in February 1991. He was also
presented with the Sir Neel Ratan Sarkar Award for medical
excellence in June 1998. Nominated by Business India as one of
the Top Fifty personalities, who have made a difference to the
country in the fifty years since Independence, the country has
certainly recognized his contributions. The Royal college of
Surgeons of Edinburgh has conferred upon him the Award of
fellowship Ad hominem.
Dr. Reddy has been a keen promoter of active research and
exchange programmes for Doctors at Apollo with leading medical
institutions for providing excellent opportunities for clinical
interaction with their counterparts abroad and also for constant
update of their knowledge for the optimum benefit of the mankind.
Dr. Reddy firmly believes that the Indian doctors have not got their
true entitlement. He is convinced that India is not only well poised to
meet the healthcare challenges of the millennium, but also
equipped with the talent and strength to contribute in further
developingthehealthandeconomyoftheworld.
Profile
Naina Lal Kidwai
A prominent personality of the corporate world, she is the
first woman to guide the functioning of a foreign bank in
India. At present, she is working as the Group General
Manager and Country Head of HSBC India. Well, she is the
corporate diva Naina Lal Kidwai. She
was born in the year 1957. Raised in
Mumbai and Delhi, she did her
schooling from Simla. Alumna of Delhi
University, Naina Lal is a Chartered
Accountant and pursued an MBA at
Harvard Business School. She is the
first Indian woman to have graduated
from Harvard Business School. She is
among the top business women of
India, who have made it to the top with
their constant hard work and sincerity.
She began her career in the year
1982, when she joined the ANZ
Grindlays Bank, which is now known as
the Standard Chartered Bank. She took
up a variety of banking assignments
before moving to Morgan Stanley's
India operation. She kept climbing the
ladders of success. She played an
important role in NYSE listing of
Wipro. She was instrumental in
facilitating the cellular phone services
nationwide through a deal involving the
Tatas and Birlas. Last November, she
became the Managing Director of the
HSBC bank.
She started learning leadership lessons early in life. It was
while representing her school as the captain of the first
Himachal Pradesh state basket ball team that Kidwai learnt the
value of team spirit & realized that it was not individual
performance that mattered so much as the teams' co-ordinated
performance, which made all the difference between winning &
losing a match. She today leads the entire team of the HSBC
group companies in India, at a time that is the most challenging
time for all the bankers across the globe.
32 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
At a time when banks were falling like nine pins & few global
banks were able to withstand the turbulence in the global
markets, the HSBC group was amongst the survivors. Not only
did it survive the turbulence, but it also emerged stronger from
the crisis. And recently, it was adjudged
the Best Global bank by Euromoney.
Kidwai's vision is to see HSBC India
become a significant player in the
financial sphere, as also a dominant
figure in global group. She also says
“Among other things, we would like to
be known as the laboratory to the world,
where the group can adopt the best
practices from India & vice-versa. We
would like to foster the team spirit
within the group.” In the year 2000,
the Fortune magazine declared her as
the third most powerful
businesswoman in Asia.
She is the mother of two children,
who is maintaining a great balance
between work and home. Her mother is
the sister of industrialist Lalit Mohan
Thapar. Her cousin, Gautam Thapar
heads the Avantha Group, one of India's
fastest growing conglomerates. Naina
is married to Rashid Kidwai who runs
the NGO, Digital Partners.
She is very fond of Indian classical as well as western music.
She loves to go on trekking tours to the Himalayas. She is a
nature lover, who has a keen interest in observing the wildlife.
For her praiseworthy work, Naina Lal Kidwai has received many
accolades.
She has been honoured with the Padmashri award, one of the
highest civilian honours bestowed by the Government of India.
The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhawan on 26 Jan
2007. Naina has got the honor for her exemplary work in the
promotion of Trade and Industry.
 Logo Quiz
Identify the brands/companies/mascots from the following logos

1. Aircraft company 2. Chinese Petroleum co 3. French food MNC 4. Australian airline

5. Venezuela’s most 6. US footwear brand 7. Real estate company 8. Australian food brand
powerful TV stations

9. Entertainment co 10. Photo copiers- 11. Hotel brand 12. American oil retail brand
printers brand

13. US electricity company 14. Pioneer of the digital 15. Indian petroleum co 16. Ford car brand
video recorder
Answer key on page 71

17. MNC Hotel brand 18. Airport company 19. Telecom service provider 20. Financial services provider

34 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

Brand icon
Gucci
T he name Gucci conjures a vibe of exclusivity and
prestige, an Italian brand of quality. As one of the
world's leading purveyors of personal luxury goods,
Gucci stands for more than just fine quality shoes or suits. The
Gucci Group is now a multi-brand conglomerate, with a
collection of high fashion brands like Balenciaga, Stella
McCartney, Boucheron, YSL, YSL Beauté, Bottega Veneta,
Bédat & Co., and Sergio Rossi under its finely crafted umbrella.
The beginnings of the Gucci empire can be traced back to
Florence, Italy, in 1921, when a man
mellifluously named Guccio Gucci
opened an exclusive leather and
luggage shop to cater to a highbrow
clientele. Early on, Gucci understood
the importance of building a
reputation for his brand and did so by
stamping an identifier on many of his
special edition creations, such as the
brand's trademark striped webbing.
His products were a hit and quickly
became status symbols synonymous with luxury. During the
1950s, Gucci also developed the trademark striped webbing,
which was derived from the saddle girth, and the suede
moccasin with a metal horsebit. His wife Aida Calvelli had a large
family, though only the sons–Vasco, Aldo, Ugo, and
Rodolfo–would play a role in leading the company.
After Gucci died in the early fifties, his sons Aldo and Rodolfo
took the reins and lead the Gucci brand to iconic status.
Fashionable celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn
were counted among avid collectors. The Guccis took note of this
popularity and expanded aggressively, opening stores in
glamorous locations such as London, Paris and Palm Beach.
Scandal surrounded the Guccis in the mid-1990s.
Apparently Maurizio, the only son of Rodolfo, inherited the
largest stake in the firm and used this to edge his cousins out of
the business. He joined forces with a London-based investment
firm called Investcorp to buy the other family members out and
share fifty-fifty control with the investment firm. However
mirroring history, his cousins informed the Italian police that
Maurizio had shady tax issues – he forged his father's signature
36 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
to avoid inheritance tax. Maurizio fled to Switzerland to avoid
arrest. Maurizio returned to take control of the company after
solving his legal problems, but eventually Investcorp decided to
buy him out, and the Guccis lost complete control while
Investcorp made billions.
While the internal melee was bad enough, equally damaging
were careless decisions made about product distribution, which
negatively reflected on the brand's reputation. An ineffective
distribution strategy expanded the reach to thousands of
retailers, detracting from the brand's essence of exclusivity.
Eventually, retailers were selected more judiciously and the
brand's cachet returned. But all this back and forth took its toll;
the brand went from headlines to sidelines, perceived as an old
standard in the fashion world.
However, smart leadership in recent years has driven the
Gucci brand to more visibility and success than ever before. The
two men responsible for this resurrection are Creative Director
Tom Ford and President/CEO Domenico De Sole.
In 1995, Gucci Group became a publicly traded company,
listed in the Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges. They
issued further shares up until 1999, when a group called Pinault-
Printemps-Redoute (PPR) bought up 68% of the company.
Under Ford's leadership, the brand continued to make
fashion headlines. The look was high-octane luxury and
Hollywood glam, which made Gucci the most desirable brand in
the last decade of the 20th century.There was a lot of bling and
glitter, and revolutionary ad campaigns like the one in 1995,
styled by Carine Roitfeld and photographed by Mario Testino.
Gucci became a hot brand.
Although the business end of things seems shaky at times,
Gucci has continued to be a strong force in the world of fashion.
They own boutiques in major cities across the world, and sell
their lines through department and specialty stores everywhere.
Gucci has always been at the forefront of fashion, and with the
talented Giannini, the brand can only go from strength to
strength. Today, the Gucci label is going strong. Its brand
identity is clear and consistent even as its current creative
director.
 opinion
“I will never rush the solemn decision of
sending you into harm's way (Afghanistan). I
won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely
necessary.”
– Barack Obama, U.S. President, said during
a visit to Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
“There is an evil spirit that is separating me
from you (Marathi people) and not allowing a
meeting of minds.”
– Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena's Chief, striking a
cynical note in his first editorial in party
mouthpiece 'Saamna' after the Maharashtra
assembly election results.
“'In my view, our current education is totally
hostile to sports. I had also pointed out this fact
during my meeting with Kapil Sibal (union
human resource development minister) and
also suggested him some ways to overhaul it.”
– M S Gill, Union Sports Minister, addressing
a gathering at Panjab University.
“I think that the Marxists and the Maoists are
both sides of the same coin. They are working
together.”
– Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress
Chief, countering the CPM's allegation of her
party's truck with the Maoists, told
newspersons.
“It is absurd and totally baseless. India cannot
support Taliban, which is the greatest threat to
world peace.”
– A K Antony, Defence Minister told reporters
on the sidelines of a defence function in New
Delhi.
“Maoists have to abjure violence and then we
can work out the process (of talks).”
– P Chidambaram, Union Home Minister
38 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
“I will send Mayawati all details of my share-
holdings in various companies whether it is
Mukesh Ambani's company, or Infosys, NTPC
or ONGC. She can lodge criminal FIRs against
all of them in Babupurwa police station
(Kanpur).”
– Amar Singh (politician), told reporters in
Lucknow.
“Pakistan is not only the headquarters of Al
Qaeda today, but it could easily become the
epicentre of extremism in the world.”
– John F Kerry, Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, US said in a
speech at the Council on Foreign Relations
“As far as BJP is concerned, whatever surgery,
medicine, chemotherapy is essential for them,
it has to be diagnosed by them (BJP).”
– Mohan Bhagwat, Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh chief, told media persons in Jaipur.
“I find it hard to believe that nobody in your
government knows where they (Al Qaeda) are
and couldn't get them if they really wanted to.”
–Hillary Clinton, US Secretary, told a group
of newspaper editors during a meeting in
Lahore.
“In every political party, there are good and bad
phases. This is a passing phase. We will come
out of it soon. You can take this as a prophecy.”
– Sushma Swaraj, Deputy Leader of the
opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha said in reply
to a question on the internal squabbles in the
BJP and its defeats in assembly elections.
“Reliance gas is dispute like a war between two
nations.”
– Supreme Court observed as it commenced
hearing the high-profile legal battle.
 Arjun and Eklavya!
Lt. Col. P. Deogirikar (Retd.)

Arjun and Eklavya! What are the thoughts that crossed your mind when you read these two together? And I am not
talking about Amitabh movie ‘Eklavya’ and the ‘fire initiator’ Arjun Rampal of ‘Om Shanti Om’. I am discussing the two
historical characters. Now what are the similarities? Both were renowned archers? Both were contemporary.? Yes, but I
want you to concentrate on the differences. Did you say, “Arjun was more focussed, as we heard in the ‘bird and the tree’
story?” Yes and no! May be Eklavya was as focussed too, only no one wrote a story on him! Remember, stories were
generally written on Gods and kings then? Well, here is the major difference I want to emphasize on.

“Environment nahin mila”, this justification has been
usually heard by me while interviewing a girl for reception job
who was poor in ‘spoken English’. Or an extremely shy boy in a
personality development class. It could even be a house wife
trying for the ‘second innings’ in private industry after marrying
and ‘settling down’ in the family.
Both, Arjun and Eklavya, were real achievers in their own
rights. But Arjun had the ‘atmosphere’ while Eklavya did not.
Like Arjun getting education in Doon school while Eklavya in a
government school in a tribal area. But did it really matter to
him? Some say he was a better archer than the great Arjun. When
it did not matter to him, why should it matter to you?
Not everyone gets the resources needed to make it big; in
fact, most don’t! But those who are later called ‘achievers’ do not
croak about what they do not have, they do not waste their time
and energy in complaining. Instead, they get on with their tasks
diligently. Why can’t your name figure out in such achievers?
Okay, you might feel that these centuries old examples are
outdated now. May be these gentlemen never even existed!
However, we can identify a number of contemporary Arjuns and
Eklavyas even today! Here we go.
Politics - Pt. Nehru and L B Shashtri. Nehru was born with a
‘silver spoon’, as it is said. Lal Bahadur Shashtri had to swim 4-5
kilometers everyday to reach his school! He would have achieved
almost as much as JLN, had his life not been tragically cut short.
Sports - Rohan Gavaskar and M S Dhoni. Rohan had the
best of cricketing, ‘Gavaskar’ atmosphere to achieve. Did he?
Dhoni came from a state not known for Cricket. He had no
godfathers but today he has made a name in the cricketing
Films - Kumar Gaurav and Shahrukh Khan. Kumar Gaurav
was a decent actor. And he was born to the ‘silver jubilee star’
Rajendra Kumar. He started quite well too but did he achieve
great heights? Sadly, this Arjun could not. On the other hand
SRK, who had no ‘connections’ to lean on, is going from strength
to strength! Could anyone imagine that a short-structured not-
so-good-looking Om Puri would make his mark in the tinsel
town? But he did. Another Eklavya.
Music - Mukesh and Reshmia. Nitin Mukesh was the son of
legendary singer Mukesh. And he had his father’s voice too
(ironically, may be that was the disadvantage!). But he was
phased out from the scene after the initial success. And look at
Himesh Reshmia. People might comment negatively about his
nasal voice but he has been an achiever.
Let me digress a shade. A typical question is asked during
the personal interviews at times. “What is the difference
between effectiveness and efficiency? Explain with an example.”
What would you say? I would say the following.
Both you and me are given identical vehicles, say brand new
Maruti 800s and are asked to reach Bhopal from Indore. Both
take exactly 3 and a half hours to reach. Both have been equally
effective in this task. But if I consume 12 litres of petrol and you
consume 10 litres, you have been more efficient. It is the
consumption of resources that differentiates the two.
So, while Arjun and Eklavya were
equally effective, Eklavya was more
efficient.
For every Arjun there would be an From Arjun
vya
Eklavya. And you could be that one. Fro m Ekla

history of India. And look at the present day cricket team; there
are many Eklavyas. Pathan brothers, Bhajji, Zafar, the list can go Do you think I will not get that
on. I learnt that the father of Joginder Sharma, who bowled that stereotype ‘environment’ answer
historical over in 20-20 World Cup final, owns a pan shop! next time? Not from you, at least?
Result matters but with resource!

40 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

 Money Trivia
r The word millionaire was first used by Benjamin
Disraeli in his 1826 novel Vivian Grey.
r In gambling language, for a gambling house a "sure-
thing" is a wager that a player has little chance of winning;
"easy money" is their profit from an inexperienced
bettor, an unlucky player is called a "stiff ”.
r The term "smart money" refers to gamblers who have
inside information or have arranged a fix, the gambling
term for insuring the outcome of an event by illegal
methods.
r Small-time gamblers who place small bet in order to
prolong the excitement of a game are called "dead fish" by
game operators because the longer the playing time, the
greater the chances of losing.
r The term "Blue Chip" comes from the colour of the
poker chip with the highest value, blue.
r Nessie, the Loch Ness monster is protected by the 1912
Protection of Animals Acts of Scotland. With good reason -
Nessie is worth $40 million annually to Scottish tourism.
r US and European expenditure on pet food is $17 billion
per year.
r The global expenditure on healthcare and nutrition is
$2.1 trillion.
r Money notes are not made from paper, it is made mostly
from a special blend of cotton and linen.
r In 1932, when a shortage of cash occurred in Tenino,
Washington, USA, notes were made out of wood for a brief
period. The wood notes came in $1, $5 and $10 values.
r The world's largest coins, in size and standard value,
were copper plates used in Alaska around 1850. They
were about a metre (3 ft) long, half-a-metre (about 2 ft)
wide, weighed 40 kg (90 lb), and were worth $2,500.
42 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r The first credit card was issued by American Express in
1951.
r The average age of Forbes's 400 wealthiest individuals is
over 60.
r In 1955 the richest woman in the world was Mrs Hetty
Green Wilks, who left an estate of $95 million in a will
that was found in a tin box with four pieces of soap.
r In 2001 the richest woman was Liliane Bettencourt,
the daughter of L'Oreal's founder. She has a net worth of
$14 billion.
r Queen Elizabeth II is one of the 10th wealthiest
women in the world.
r The $ sign was designed in 1788 by Oliver Pollock.
r Australians are the heaviest gamblers in the world; an
estimated 82% of Australians bet. That is twice as much
per capita as Europeans or Americans. Yet, Australia, with
less than 1% of the world population, has 20% of the
world's poker machines.
r There are more than 9 million millionaires and about 800
billionaires in the world - depending on how the stock
market did today.
r The NASDAQ stock exchange was totally disabled in on
day in December 1987 when a squirrel burrowed through
a telephone line.
r By the time of the American Civil War (1861 - 1865)
there were 1600 banks in the US, issuing about 7,000
different kinds of bank notes.
r If Los Angeles County was a country, it would be the 19th
largest economy in the world.
r If California was a country, it would be the 5th largest
economy in the world.
r Tobacco is a $200 billion industry, producing six trillion
cigarettes a year - about 1,000 cigarettes for each person on
earth.
r In the 17th century, wool fabrics accounted for about two-
thirds of England's foreign trade. Today, the leading wool
producers are Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and
China.
r In 1990, the word "recession" appeared in 1,583 articles in
The Wall Street Journal.
r Tourism is the world's biggest industry, affecting 240
million jobs.
r The Japanese Government issued bank notes, known as
Japanese Invasion Money (JIM), during WWII in the
following five occupied territories: Burma, Malaya,
Netherlands Indies, Oceania and Philippines.
r In 1865, Frederik Idestam founded a wood-pulp mill in
southern Finland, naming it Nokia. It rapidly gained
worldwide recognition, attracting a large number of
workforce and the town Nokia was born. In 1898, the
Finnish Rubber Works company opened in Nokia, taking
on the town name in the 1920s. After WWII, the rubber
company took a majority shareholding in the Finnish
Cable Work. In 1967, the companies consolidated to
become the Nokia Group. The recession of the 1990s led
the group to focus on the mobile phone market.
r In 1900, the price of gold was less than $40 per ounce. It
reached $600 in 1930.
r China was the first country to use paper money. Ancient
paper money can be traced back to the Pai-Lu P'i-pi (white
deer-skin money) of Han Dynasty (140 BC) and the Fei-
Chien (flying money) of Tang Dynasty.
r To commemorate the Centennial of Independence from
more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule in 1998, the
government of the Philippines wanted to do something
very special. It issued the world's largest banknote,
beating the previous record of China Ming Dynasty 1 Kuan.
r In times of war, coins are often in short supply. Gold and
silver coins are hoarded for their intrinsic values. Other
metals are appropriated for war efforts. Many
governments resort to printing small denomination
banknotes as temporary substitutes. In 1944, Morocco
released into circulation a 50 Centimes emergency issue.
Measuring only 41mm x 32mm, it's the world's smallest
banknote.
r The note with the most zeros is Zimbabwe 100 trillion
(100,000,000,000,000) dollars 2009. The note has 14 zeros
printed on both the front and the back.
r Queen Elizabeth II is the second longest reigning head
of state after King Rama IX of Thailand. She has been
Queen since 1952. Her pictures appear on banknotes of 34
countries.
r The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was declared the
national motto of the United States by the 84th U. S.
Congress and was first used on paper money in 1957, when
it appeared on the One Dollar Silver Certificates.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 43
Brand icon
CANON
I n 1933, a small laboratory dedicated to making
high-quality cameras was set up in a simple
apartment room in the Roppongi area of
Tokyo. At the time, all high-quality cameras were
European with the majority coming from
Germany. It was in this small room that young
people with a big dream earnestly began their work
on producing a high-quality Japanese camera, marking the
beginning of Canon. Through hard work and with an
enterprising spirit, they eventually succeeded in building a
prototype, which was named Kwanon after Buddhist goddess of
mercy. The following year, in 1935, Japan's first-ever 35 mm
focal-plane-shutter camera, the Hanza Canon was born, along
with the origin of the Canon brand.
In 1950, Canon's first President, Takeshi Mitarai, went to
America for the first time to attend an international trade fair.
Having seen modern factories and a high standard of living first
hand, upon his return, he built a fireproof factory of steel re-
inforced concrete in the Shimomaruko area of Tokyo, which he
saw as essential for Canon to succeed in doing business with the
world at large. Mitarai also made clear his respect for humanity
by stressing the importance of the Sanji, or “three selfs” spirit,
the guiding principle for Canon employees. In 1955, Canon
made its first step into the global market with the opening of a
U.S. office in New York City. In 1957, Canon set up its sole
European distributor, Canon Europa, in Geneva, Switzerland.
By 1967, exports already topped 50% of the company's total sales.
Today, Mr. Fujjo Mitarai is the Chairman and CEO of Canon
Inc. The company achieved the profit of 359,086 million yen in
the year 2008. According to 2008 brand value ranking based on
future earnings potential, Canon ranked '36' in the world.
Canon, a registered trademark in over 180 countries and
regions, offers a diverse variety of products globally. Canon
U.S.A. is in charge of America and Canon Europe oversees
Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East; Asia (excluding
Japan and Korea) is handled by Canon China; Oceania by Canon
Australia; and Japan by Canon Marketing Japan. By
communicating closely with its customers, Canon works daily to
deliver solutions and services that fulfill real needs and provide
deeper customer satisfaction.
In order to earn respect and admiration of the world through
technological innovation, Canon created The Excellent Global
44 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
Corporation Plan, a mid – to long-term
management strategy. Through the plan, Canon
strives to become a global top 100 company in
terms of all major management indicators.
Phase I (1996-2000) targeted a new corporate
mindset, with a focus on total optimization and
profits, a strong financial structure through cash flow
management and the selection and concentration of business
areas. Aiming to become No.1 in all major business areas, Canon
implemented Phase II(2001-2005) to keep the company in step
with technological trends and strengthen product
competitiveness through such measures as a shift to digital
products.
Besides cultivating next-generation business and
establishing new production systems, Phase III (2006-2010)
aims to further strengthen Canon's business constitution
through such efforts as total supply chain management.
To continue growing beyond 2010 Canon is targeting new
business domains in the fields of medical imaging, intelligent
robots for automated production, and safety. Canon is
promoting “cross-media imaging,” a concept that enables
advanced synergies among Canon imaging products. Canon's
ideas are giving way to new technologies with a high degree of
integration that enable people to realistically communicate and
reproduce at will their ideas and vision, as well as a variety of
images and information anytime, anywhere.
Diversification and globalization have enhanced Canon's
corporate value. Having diversified by moving into new business
areas such as large-format inkjet printers, digital production
systems, and business solutions, Canon is also working to
establish organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, SEDs,
and other display technologies. Group companies are also
independently diversifying their businesses by exploiting their
own unique technical specialities and regional advantages.
Hence, Canon production reforms never stop, integrating
information technology is the ongoing evolution towards the
ultimate production system. Canon has advanced production
innovations as cell production, in-house production, and
automation to deliver high-quality products to customers when
and where they need them.
 Contd. from page 28
The Prime Minister said the 15th ASEAN summit has been
a landmark for India, as it has signed the trade in goods
agreement.
Dr. Singh also raised the issue of terrorism in India as well
eastern countries in the ASEAN Summit.
Also, ASEAN signed a series of agreements with China on
standards, regulations and protection of intellectual property
rights.
ASEAN signed more than 40 agreements, including some on
expanding trade, fighting climate change, improving food
security and emergency response to natural disasters.
Thailand will officially turn over the hosting of ASEAN
meetings to Vietnam at the end of this year.
tututu
NASA'S NEXT GENERATION ROCKET MAKES BOOMING
DEBUT
NASA's Ares I-X test rocket has successfully completed its
flight test, by lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida on October 28th.
The test flight lasted about six minutes from its launch from
the newly-modified Launch Complex 39B until splash down of
the rocket's booster stage nearly 150 miles down range.
“This is a huge step forward for
NASA's exploration goals,” said Doug
Cooke, associate administrator for the
Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate at NASA Headquarters in
Washington.
Ares I-X provides NASA with an enormous amount of data
that will be used to improve the design and safety of the next
generation of American spaceflight vehicles - vehicles that could
again take humans beyond low Earth orbit.
The 327-foot tall Ares I-X test vehicle produced 2.6 million
pounds of thrust to accelerate the rocket to nearly 3 g's and Mach
4.76, just shy of hypersonic speed.
It capped its easterly flight at a sub-orbital altitude of 150,000
feet after the separation of its first stage, a four-segment solid
rocket booster. Parachutes deployed for recovery of the booster
and the solid rocket motor will be recovered at sea for later
inspection. The simulated upper stage, Orion crew module, and
launch abort system will not be recovered.
“The most valuable learning is through experience and
observation,” said Bob Ess, Ares I-X Mission Manager.
The test flight offered an early opportunity to test and prove
hardware, facilities, and ground operations - important data for
future space vehicles. During the flight, a range of performance
data was relayed to the ground and also stored in the onboard
flight data recorder.
The 700 sensors mounted on the vehicle provide flight test
engineering data to correlate with computer models and
analysis.
The rocket's sensors gathered information in several areas,
including assembly and launch operations, separation of the
vehicle's first and second stages, controllability and
aerodynamics, the re-entry and recovery of the first stage and
new vehicle design techniques.
tututu
MUSHARRAF BOOKED FOR MURDER IN BUGTI
ASSASSINATION CASE
Following the Balochistan High Court's
order, the Dera Bugti police has registered
a case against former Pakistan President
General Pervez Musharraf in connection
with Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti's
assassination.
Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Interior
Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao and former Balochistan Chief
Minister, Jam Yousuf have also been booked in the case.
It may be noted that slain Baloch leader's son, Jamil Akbar
Bugti had filed a petition in the Sibbi District and Sessions
Court seeking a court order to register a case against Musharraf
and other senior officials in connection with his father's death.
Jamil Bugti, in his petition, accused Musharraf and his
associates of murdering Awami Jamhori Party (AJP) leader,
Akbar Bugti.
Musharraf has already denied allegations of being involved in
the Baloch leader's murder. Musharraf said Bugti's death was an
accident and he was not killed by the security forces.
“During the operation, our three army officers and other
jawans found Bugti in a cave and they had requested him to lay
down arms and at the same time the cave collapsed and he was
killed along with our officers,” Musharraf had said.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 45
Current events
Business and economy
MICROSOFT LAUNCHES WINDOWS 7 IN INDIA
Microsoft India has announced the availability of Windows 7
for its customers in India.
In line with the company’s commitment to releasing a new
OS at periodic schedules, Windows 7 is designed to be more
reliable and responsive, delivering a simplified PC experience
for consumers.
Over 600 new feature ideas for Windows 7 were tested
through global quantitative research early in the engineering
process, helping Microsoft
determine the features that best
address consumers' top needs.
Further, Windows 7 saw the
largest beta testing program in
the history of the industry, with
8 million testers worldwide.
With features such as Aero,
Shake, Peek, Snap, Jump Lists
and a redesigned Windows Taskbar, Windows 7 is designed to
become the control center for all the media and make it easy to
do more with photos, music, movies and videos. New features
like HomeGroup, Play To, Windows Live Movie Maker and
Remote Media Streaming in Windows 7 will help consumers
discover easy and exciting new ways to have fun and get new
things done with the PC.
Windows 7 is available in six editions. The two primary
editions are: Windows 7 Home Premium for home consumers
and Windows 7 Professional for small and medium sized
businesses. Also available in the line-up are Windows 7 Starter,
Windows 7 Home Basic (in Emerging Markets only), Windows 7
Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate. The FPP pricing for
Windows 7 has reduced in the range of 25-35 percent over
Windows Vista, for most SKUs.
Windows 7 is available at more than 45,000 retailers around
the world and in India, all 16 OEMs will bring in more than 100
different Windows 7 PCs within month.
46 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
Globally, more than 17,000 software and hardware
companies are building solutions on Windows 7 and over 50,000
developers are enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness
Program. Together, these partners are developing hardware,
software and services capable of reaching more than a billion
PCs around the world.
tututu
MICROSOFT, GOOGLE WIN SEARCH DEALS WITH
TWITTER
Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc.
said they have each signed deals that
will make content from Twitter Inc.
available on their search services, as
they strive to fill them with more up-
to-date information.
Microsoft's senior vice president
for its online audience business, Yusuf
Mehdi, said during a technology conference in San Francisco
that under the terms of the deal Microsoft will include posts, or
so-called tweets made on Twitter in its Bing search engine.
Mehdi described the Twitter partnership as “a big deal that
we've been working on for a long time.”
Mehdi added that Microsoft has reached a separate, but
similar deal with social networking service Facebook Inc. that
involves “public information data posts.” Microsoft invested
$240 million in Facebook in 2007, in exchange for a 1.6% stake.
Google has also reached its own deal “with Twitter to include
their updates in our search results,” Vice President of search
products and user experience Marissa Mayer wrote in a post on a
company Website.
The deals with Twitter are seen as a potential boon for
Microsoft and Google, the Mountain View-Calif.-based search
giant, as they seek to gain larger audiences for their search
services.
 The deals aim to provide “real time” information being
posted on the microblogging service, including references to
current news stories and other information. Both Microsoft and
Google have sought to increase the real-time capability of their
search engines.
Microsoft online services group President Qi Lu, also
speaking at the San Francisco conference, declined to disclose
terms of the partnership with Twitter. Google's Mayer also did
not mention any specific terms.
Microsoft unveiled Bing, a revamped search engine, in May.
Since then, it has helped the company to slowly gain some
ground in the U.S. Internet search market.
However, Microsoft's market share remains below 10%,
while Google has retained a more than 60% share and Yahoo Inc.
have struggled to maintain a 20% share.
Microsoft earlier this year agreed to an Internet search and
advertising partnership with Yahoo. Under the terms of the deal,
Microsoft's technology will be used to power the search service
on both Microsoft and Yahoo sites, and the companies will split
the resulting advertising revenue. The partnership is currently
being reviewed by antitrust regulators.
Yahoo aims to use the partnership to cut costs related to its
search business, while Microsoft sees the deal as a means to
create a more viable competitor to Google.
tututu
GDP MAY GROW BY 6.5-6.75%
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he would rather go
with the economic growth projection of
the Prime Minister's economic panel,
saying the six per cent forecast by RBI
was way too conservative.
“RBI always makes very hard and
conservative assessment... The GDP
growth I am inclined to accept (is) the
figure of Prime Minister's Economic
Advisory Council, headed by C Ranagarajan that means from 6.5
to 6.75 per cent” he told reporters.
In its monetary policy review, the central bank retained its
earlier forecast of six per cent growth for FY'10.
Asked whether stimulus measures will continue, he said, “As
I mentioned that until the economy is on a firm recovery path, it
will continue.”
The Finance Minister said figures for second quarter
economic growth are yet to come, but industry has started
picking up. The Indian economy grew by 6.1 per cent in the first
quarter.
On inflation, Mukherjee said the government has taken
steps to ensure that the adverse impact of inflationary pressures
is reduced by strengthening supply management.
The Reserve Bank has projected wholesale price inflation to
reach 6.5 per cent by this fiscal-end, higher than its earlier
estimate of five per cent.
tututu
BAJAJ UNVEILS KAWASAKI NINJA
Bajaj Auto launched the much-awaited high-end bike
Kawasaki Ninja 250 cc motorcycle in Pune. Kawasaki Ninja 250
R will be assembled at the company's Chakan plant and will be
sold through the Bajaj Probiking network in the country.
Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto said that the company is planning
to work with Japanese two wheeler maker
Kawasaki to tap markets in the ASEAN
region. “Bajaj Auto has been selling the
Bajaj brand of bikes through the
Kawasaki network in Philippines. We are
looking at other major ASEAN markets
and markets in Latin America including
Brazil at a later stage,” he said. Of the total exports, 15 per cent
would go to the Philippines market.
“We will be exporting 80,000 two wheelers to Philippines this
year. We are also planning to export bikes to Malaysia, Thailand
and Indonesia,” he said. The bike will carry a price tag of Rs 2,
69,670 ex-showroom delhi and Rs 2,69,580 ex-showroom
Chennai. It has been postioned between the Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10
lakh range.
tututu
MORE SCHEMES INCLUDED IN 15-POINT PROGRAMME
The Union Cabinet decided to include three more schemes
in the Prime Minister’s New 15- Point Programme for the
welfare of minorities.
The additional schemes are the National Rural Drinking
Water Programme, the Urban Infrastructure Development
Scheme for Small and Medium Towns and the Urban
Infrastructure and Governance Scheme.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 47
 Chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a meeting of
the Cabinet also approved inclusion of Mewat district in place of
Gurgaon in Haryana as one of the minority concentration
districts under the programme.
It also decided to include Members of Parliament and the
Legislative Assemblies in the State and district-level
committees for monitoring its implementation and that of the
multi-sectoral development programme.
Union Minister and Cabinet spokesperson Ambika Soni said
there was a steady improvement in the recruitment of minorities
in Central government and public sector undertakings since the
Department of Personnel and Training issued guidelines in
January 2007 for giving the minorities special consideration in
recruitment.
The percentage of minorities in recruitment, which stood at
6.95 per cent in 2006-07, went up to 8.22 per cent in 2007-08 and
9.18 per cent in 2008-09.
The Union Cabinet’s Committee on Economic Affairs gave
its nod for the continuation of the National Biogas and Manure
Management Programme during the 11th Plan on an outlay of
Rs.562.89 crore.
It also approved introduction of some features, including
competitive bidding, on a pilot basis, for setting up biogas plants
with the recommended Central financial assistance as the upper
limit.
tututu
US BANK FAILURE REACHES 100; MOST SINCE ‘92
The cascade of bank failures
this year surpassed 100, the most
in nearly two decades. And the
trouble in the banking system
from bad loans and the recession
goes even deeper than the
number suggests.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other banks remain open even
though they are as weak as many that have been shuttered.
Regulators are seizing banks slowly and selectively – partly to
avoid inciting panic and partly because buyers for bad banks are
hard to find.
Going slow buys time. An economic recovery could save
some banks that would otherwise go under. But if the recovery is
slow and smaller banks' finances get even worse, it could wind up
costing even more.
48 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
The bank failures, 106 in all, are the most in any year since
181 collapsed in 1992, at the end of the savings-and-loan crisis.
Regulators took over three small Florida banks – Partners Bank
and Hillcrest Bank Florida, both of Naples, and Flagship
National Bank in Bradenton – along with American United Bank
of Lawrenceville, Ga, Bank of Elmwood in Racine, Wis,
Riverview Community Bank in Otsego, Minn, and First Dupage
Bank in Westmont, Ill.
Bank failures have cost the FDIC's fund that insures
deposits an estimated USD 25 billion this year and are expected
to cost USD 100 billion through 2013. To replenish the fund, the
agency wants banks to pay in advance USD 45 billion in
premiums that would have been due over the next three years.
The FDIC won't say how deep a hole its deposit insurance
fund is in. It can tap a credit line from the Treasury of up to a
half-trillion dollars to cover the gap.
The list of banks in trouble is getting longer. At the end of
June, the FDIC had flagged 416 as being at risk of failure, up
from 305 at the end of March and 252 at the beginning of the
year.
Yet the pace of actual bank failures appears to be slowing.
The FDIC seized 24 banks in July, 11 in September and 11 in
October.
If any bank poses an immediate danger to customers or the
broader financial system, regulators close it immediately, bank
supervisors said. The issue is murkier for troubled banks that
might qualify to close but whose closings might still be
postponed or even prevented.
tututu
NOKIA SUING APPLE OVER THE IPHONE
Nokia, the world's biggest mobile
phone maker, has said that it is suing its
US rival Apple for infringing patents on
mobile phone technology for the iPhone.
Nokia said it had not been
compensated for its technology, and
accused Apple of “trying to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's
innovation”.
The 10 alleged patent infringements involve wireless data,
speech coding, security and encryption. Apple, which did not
comment on the news, saw its shares dip slightly. The breaches
applied to all models of the iPhone since its launch in 2007,
Nokia added.
 Finland's Nokia said that it had agreements with about 40 MONTEK PITCHES FOR MONTHLY RELEASE OF
firms - including most mobile phone handset makers - allowing
them to use the firm's technology, but that Apple had not signed
INFLATION DATA
an agreement.
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia pitched for monthly release of inflation data as it is
“The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those
more sensible than the current practice of coming out with
companies who contribute in technology development to
weekly figures.
establish standards create intellectual property, which others
then need to compensate for,” said Ilkka Rahnasto, vice
president of Legal & Intellectual Property at Nokia.

“Apple is also expected to follow this principle.” He added

that during the last two decades, Nokia had invested
approximately 40bn euros on research and development.

Analysts said that the poor results had come partly as

customers turned from Nokia models to the iPhone and RIM's
Blackberry.

tututu

GOOGLE SEES RECORD $1.6BN PROFIT

Google has reported its highest quarterly profit, suggesting
that the internet advertising market is bouncing back from the
recession.
Google reported net profit of $1.64bn (£1bn) for the third
quarter, a 27% increase
on the same period a year
ago.
Revenue for the
three-month period came
in at $4.38bn, which was
well ahead of analysts'
expectations of $1.29bn.
“The worst of the recession is clearly behind us,” said
Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.
“We have been arguing for the past one year to get rate of
monthly inflation. You know weekly is just not sensible,”
Ahluwalia told.
No where in the world there is weekly release of inflation
data, he added.
Earlier, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said,
information on weekly prices of manufactured products is highly
meagre.
“In the absence of legal backing for a dedicated data
collection system, the data is received on a voluntary basis from
Government Ministries and attached offices, commodity
boards, oil companies, individual industrial units, leading
manufacturers, business houses, chambers of commerce and
trade associations,” Mukherjee had said.

“Because of what we have seen, we now have the confidence
to be optimistic about our future.”
The internet search engine has weathered the recession
better than other advertising-dependent companies, and it was
widely expected to be one of the first beneficiaries of an
economic recovery.
“Google has no competition. Yahoo is withering on the vine
and [Microsoft's] Bing is too tiny now,” said Coin Gillis, senior
analyst at Brigantine Advisors.
Asked when one could expect the monthly release, he said,
“They (government) have been working on it. May be it will
come out actually I mean from the professional point of view this
will be done, and obviously timing of it is always a matter of some
concern because people always think that you are making the
change for motivated reason.”
The government is planning to introduce the new base year
for calculation of wholesale price index series. The WPI series is
being upgraded with base year 2004-05 in lieu of the existing one
with base year 1993-94.

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 49


INDIA LOOKS EAST TO BUILD ASIAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY
Keen to tap the booming services market in Southeast Asia,
India has pressed for an
early conclusion of talks
with the 10-member
A SEAN on trade in
services and investments
t o c re a t e a n A s i a n
economic community.
“ We a t t a c h h i g h
importance to the early
conclusion of negotiations on the trade in services and
investment agreement and we should direct our officials
accordingly,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at the 7th
India-ASEAN summit .
“Our engagement with the ASEAN countries is a key
element of India's vision of an Asian economic community...
India wishes to partner ASEAN in realising this vision on the
basis of mutual benefit, mutual prosperity and mutual respect,”
Singh said.
After India signed the Free Trade Agreement with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in August, the
two sides have started negotiations to broadbase the pact to
include investment and services.
The FTA is now limited to trade in goods. With services
contributing 55 per cent of its economy, India is quite keen on
tapping the growing services market in Southeast Asia.
Singh expressed confidence that the two-way trade between
India and ASEAN would touch USD 50 billion by 2010
tututu
EYE ON WORLD, SEBI ADDS HOURS TO BOURSE
TRADING
The market regulator allowed
stock exchanges to extend their
trading time by 2 hours 25 minutes.
However, the trading community is
indifferent about the permission as
they say that additional hours might
not mean more number of trades
(volumes, in trading parlance).
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has
50 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
informed the stock exchanges that they can set their trading
hours (in the cash and derivatives segments) between 9 am and
5 pm. The stock markets currently trade between 9:55 am and
3:30 pm.
Both of the bigger stock exchanges in the country – National
Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange – have
welcomed the move by the regulator. The reason for extending
the timing is being seen as aligning Indian markets as far as
possible with international markets, as it would attract
international trading. Other Asian markets – especially Japan,
Korea and Taiwan – open for trading much ahead of the Indian
time.
European markets, on the other hand, open late 3-5.30 hours
behind the Indian time. As Wall Street starts trading after 6.30
pm Indian time, well after the BSE and the NSE close for the day,
there’s no way Indian investors can get the US market’s latest
trading trends.
The Secondary Market Advisory Committee had advised
Sebi, after consulting brokers and stock exchanges, to extend
trading timings. The spokesperson of one stock exchange said
that the decision has been taken by Sebi to align trade timings in
cash and derivatives segment with that of the currency market.
However, traders feel that long trading hours will not make
any difference. The managing director of a leading broking
house said, requesting anonymity, that the present time period is
sufficient and there is no need to increase the duration as there
might be logistical problems and settlement issues. “If Sebi
wants to align the market timings to international markets then
our bourses will have to be open for trading 24 hours a day,” he
said.
Anand Rathi Financial Services senior vice president D D
Sharma said that market timings, if extended till 5 pm, would
match with the normal office timings of corporate houses so any
news coming in from any company after 3:30 pm will be factored
in on the same day of trade.
tututu
INDIAN AVIATION BIZ TO SUFFER $1.5 BN LOSSES
Painting a gloomy picture, the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) said the Indian aviation industry is
estimated to suffer a collective loss of USD 1.5 billion in 2009,
with Air India accounting for most of it.
Indian airlines together would suffer “a loss of USD 1.5
billion in 2009, mostly from Air India. ... The major markets of
India and China will have substantial increase in losses,” IATA
 Director General and CEO
Giovanni Bisignani said at a
press conference. He, however,
did not elaborate on the Air
India's losses.
Asked what steps he would
prescribe for the national carrier,
he merely said “they have a great
management team. So, they do
not need our suggestions.”
Replying to questions, he said: “We now expect losses from
commercial airline operations worldwide in 2009 to each USD
11 billion,” making it clears that the losses of the Indian industry
would account for 11 per cent of the global losses.
He said though the “beginning of an economic upturn is now
visible, particularly in Asia, to the benefit of travel and freight
volumes, yields are much weaker than anticipated and oil prices
higher.”
Bisignani maintained that “the worst is over, but recovery
will be a long story” and estimated that about USD 80 billion of
losses were to be recovered by the global aviation industry which
would take at least three to four years.
tututu
AIRTEL LAUNCHES MOBILE COMIC PORTAL
Leading telecom company Bharti Airtel announced the
launch of its comic portal, where subscribers can access comic
strips from mobile phones.
The company said the service
would be available on its mobile
entertainment portal, Airtel Live.
“Airtel comics portal provides
subscribers with access via Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) to more
than 300 Indian and international
comic characters, including Akbar,
Birbal, Popeye as well as comics
supplied by Amar Chitra Katha,”
the company said in a statement.
Commenting on the launch, Bharti Airtel Head M-
Entertainment Saleem Mobhani said, “With mobile becoming
the one-stop device for all entertainment needs, comics would
be a much sought after addition to our existing services on Airtel
Live.” Airtel customers may access the comics portal service by
texting COMICS or COMIC to 54321, the company added.
CREDIT POLICY: RBI RAISES SLR
The Reserve Bank on India (RBI) on Oct 27 raised the
statutory liquidity ratio (SLR), the portion of deposits that
banks are required to keep in government securities, by 100
basis points to 25 percent.
However, the RBI, kept other
key rates and ratios like repo,
reverse repo and cash reserve ratio
unchanged.
The decision to raise SLR, in
the second quarterly review of the
credit policy, is aimed at reducing
liquidity and fighting inflationary
expectations, which have started
building up, especially in the case of
food items. Dr. Subbarao
“The RBI is mindful of its fundamental commitment to
price stability,” said RBI Governor Dr. Subbarao, adding that,
“the precise challenge for the RBI is to support the recovery
(economy) process without compromising price stability.”
The projection for inflation at end-March 2010 is placed at
6.5 per cent with an upward bias. This is higher than that of 5 per
cent inflation projected in July. However, the growth projection
for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been retained at 6 per
cent with an upward bias, unaltered from that made in the July
review
According to the new credit policy both reverse repo rates
and repo rate are unchanged at 3.25 per cent and at 4.75 per cent
respectively.
According to the RBI, the hike in the SLR will not impact
liquidity.
The SLR is the minimum percentage of deposits that banks
have to park in assets like government bonds.
The banking sector feels that a hike in SLR signals some
degree of monetary tightening in the future. But for now, the
RBI would focus on supporting the growth process.
IDBI Bank Executive Director Sushil Munot said the signal
is quite clear that RBI does not want to hurt growth, but wants to
check inflation. It is nevertheless a signal of reversal of easy
monetary policy.
The SLR has historically been at 25 percent and banks are
currently holding bonds beyond this limit.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 51
 Business Trivia
r “The man in the Hathaway shirt”
was one of the ads created by David
Ogilvy for a then 116 year old shirt
brand.
r Advertising slogan The Citi Never
Sleeps was formulated by the agency
Rich, Wells, Greene in 1977. The slogan
was inspired by a common statement about the frantic
activity-levels of New York City.
r Bernard Mannes Baruch was an American financier,
stock market speculator, statesman, and presidential
advisor. After his success in business, he devoted his time
toward advising Democratic Presidents Woodrow Wilson
and Franklin D. Roosevelt on economic matters. He is well
known for having coined the term “Cold War” in 1947 to
describe relations between the United States and the Soviet
Union from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s.
r Swarovski is the luxury brand name for
the range of precision-cut lead crystal
glass and related products produced by
Swarovski AG of Austria. Born to a glass-
cutter in North Bohemia, today a part of
the Czech Republic, Daniel Swarovski invented a
machine that revolutionised crystal cutting in 1892. The
original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, but was
replaced with the current swan logo in 1988.
r In 1935, Wilhelm Swarovski, son of the original founder,
was a mere 17 years of age. With access to the specialised
glass production and finishing technologies already used to
manufacture jewellery stones in his father's factory,
Wilhelm managed to develop a novel prism fabrication and
grinding process that he applied in constructing his first
6x30 binocular. Wilhelm went on to found Swarovski
Optik KG, in 1949 thus laying the foundation stone for a
sports optics company with a global reputation.
r Intel is pushing low-cost Atom chips designed to work on
almost any operating system and has also unveiled its own
Linux-based operating system called Moblin.
52 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r The Beetle was Adolf Hitler's idea. He was the one who
actually sketched it out and laid down the parameters based
on which Dr Ferdinand Porsche engineered the vehicle.
Among other things, Hitler specified that the car should be
able to accommodate four, be powered by an air-cooled
engine, cruise at 100 kph and cost 1,000 Reichsmarks.
Hitler's KdF-wagen (Strength through Joy) went on to
become world famous as the Beetle, and its appeal
transcended boundaries, generations and class divides.
r Saint 100 per cent juice was launched by Parle Agro.
r The Penny Black, the world's first
adhesive postage stamp of a public
postal system, was issued in the United
Kingdom on 1 May 1840. To this day, all
British stamps bear a profile of the
reigning monarch somewhere on the
design, and are the only stamps that do
not name their country of origin.
r The Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that
was introduced by Associated Equipment Company
(AEC) in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-
engined, rear open platform buses, a small number of
variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances.
Introduced in 1956, the Routemaster saw continuous
service in London until 2005, and currently remains on two
heritage routes in central London.
r News Corp takeover of social
networking site MySpace was
code-named Project Ivory.
Murdoch saw MySpace as the
next great distribution outlet
for content from his Fox TV
and movie studios.
r The Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis for the British
Motor Corporation as a fuel-conserving little runabout,
was an iconic car design almost from the moment the first
car left the assembly-line in 1959. The car is currently
made by BMW.
r A start-stop system automatically shuts down and restarts
an automobile's internal combustion engine to reduce the
amount of time the engine spends idling, thereby
improving fuel economy. This is advantageous for vehicles
which spend significant amounts of time waiting at stop
lights or frequently come to a stop in traffic jams. Earliest
vehicles to use this technology –Volkswagen Polo and Fiat
Regata models of the 1980s.
r From his first job as a $1.20 per week bobbin boy in a
Pittsburgh cotton mill, Andrew Carnegie came to be
regarded as a ruthless tyrant and the greatest American
capitalist whose business deals with Rockefeller and
Morgan in the 1890s netted him millions.
r The first commercial microwave oven
was called the '1161 Radarange' and
was the size of a refrigerator.
r The world's first motel opened in
San Luis Obispo, California in 1925. It
was initially called “Milestone Motel,” and later changed
to “Motel Inn.”
r The largest hotel in the world is the The Venetian/
Palazzo Megacenter, which has 8,108 rooms and is
located in Las Vegas.
r Kohinoor Foods Ltd. started as a small rice trading
business by three Amritsar based brothers, Jugal Kishore
Arora, Satnam Arora & Gurnam
Arora. This enterprise got its first
name–“Satnam Overseas Limited”
(As the company grew, this enterprise
was later renamed as “Kohinoor Foods
Limited”). In 2008, Kohinoor brand
created a Guinness Record by making
“World's Largest Biryani” in Delhi.
r On 8 June 1948, a Lockheed Constellation L-749A
named Malabar Princess flew from Bombay to London.
This was the first long-haul international flight for Air
India.
r Cell is a microprocessor jointly developed by Sony,
Toshiba, and IBM. The first major commercial application
of Cell was in Sony's PlayStation 3 game console.
r The Chrysler brand Plymouth Barracuda gets its name
from the ray-finned fish covered with small, smooth scales,
and known for its large size.
r “Where Do You Want to Go Today”– Microsoft
r “When life feels perfect” is the punch line of Four
Seasons.
r “We bring good things to life” is the punch line of
General Electric.
r Masthead is a term originally referred to the top of a tall
vertical pole of a sailing ship which supports the sails. A
brass plate would be affixed to the main mast of a
commercial sailing vessel, which contained the name of the
owners of the ship. Due to this reason, the term was
borrowed in journalism to denote something that had a
roughly similar purpose.
r Gazette was the name of a small copper coin in Venice.
A monthly government newspaper published in Venice
in the mid-1500s was also known by the same name,
because its price was one such copper coin. It is now a
generic term for a newspaper/journal. The word was loaned
into English to describe a newspaper. “Gazette” came to be
used for an official government paper with the creation of
the London Gazette, first published in 1665 under the
title of The Oxford Gazette.
r The elements of the logo of Cafe
Coffee Day signify the following –
the red square connotes leadership
and passion, the white swirl purity of
purpose and the invigorating
properties of coffee, the green stroke
refers to 125 years of coffee growing
heritage.
r Cybernetics comes from the Greek word for 'steersman'.
This term is also the root of the term for 'governing',
because of the connotation of steering an administrative
entity.
r Modem comes from an abbreviation of 'modulator and
demodulator'.
r Bombay Store was founded on December 17, 1906 as the
Bombay Swadeshi Store to augment its founder Bal
Gangadhar Tilak's efforts in the Swadeshi movement.
r Harshad Mehta's first job was with
the New India Assurance Company
in 1965. In the early 80s, he sought a job
with stockbroker P Ambalal, before
becoming a jobber on the BSE for PD
Mehta. In 1981 he became a sub-broker
for stock brokers J.L. Shah and
Nandalal Sheth.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 53
 General knowledge
1. Who is the author of the book” Sahibs Who Loved India”? 9. “FehmidaMizza”isawomanspeakerofNationalAssemblyof
(1) Jagdish (1) Indonesia
(2) Khushwant Singh (2) Iran
(3) Chetan Bhagat (3) Pakistan
(4) Nadeem Aslam (4) Afghanistan

2. Who received the 2008 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, 10. Who is called the “Grand Old Man of India”?
Disarmament and Development? (1) Mahatma Gandhi
(1) Mohamed ElBradei (2) Dadabhai Naoroji
(2) Wen Jiabo (3) Gokhale
(3) Taro Aso (4) Tilak
(4) Nicholas Sarkhosay
11. Cabinet Mission came to India in which year?
3. Which country will be setting up the world’s biggest (1) 1942
Telescope? (2) 1932
(1) Japan (2) France (3) 1916
(3) China (4) India (4) 1946

4. Recently, at which place was G-20 Summit held? 12. Which five year plan has the objective” Garibi Hatao”?
(1) Washington (1) First (2) Fifth
(2) New York (3) Seventh (4) Eighth
(3) Chicago
(4) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 13. Which river is declared as “National River”?
(1) Ganga
5. “Lisbon Treaty” is the treaty accepted / adopted by the (2) Yamuna
members of which of the following organizations recently? (3) Cauveri
(1) NATO (4) Krishna
(2) SAARC
(3) European Union 14. “No country for old men” is a
(4) NSG (1) Book (2) Film
(3) Drama (4) Poem
6. Beri-Beri is a disease caused by the deficiency of vitamin
(1) B1 (2) B5 15. Hathigumbha inscription belongs to
(3) A (4) C (1) Ashoka
(2) Kharavela
7. Who has been appointed as President of Zambia? (3) Harsha
(1) Dawada Kairaba (2) Isatov Njle (4) Sasaka
(3) Levy (4) Rupia Banda
16. Who among the following has been appointed the National
8. Who is the CEO of Pepsico? Security Adviser by the UPA Government?
(1) Indira Nooyi (1) Brajesh Mishra
(2) Indira Mukerjee (2) J. N. Dixit
(3) Kiran Mazumdar (3) Soli J. Sorabjee
(4) Deepa Mirza (4) T. K. A. Nair

54 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

17. Who among the following is the new Chief Minister of 25. Which of the following countries was readmitted to the
Karnataka? Commonwealth recently?
(1) S. M. Krishna (1) Nepal
(2) Uma Bharti (2) Myanmar
(3) Dharam Singh (3) Pakistan
(4) Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (4) None of these

18. Who among the following has won the Miss Universe 2004 26. The world governing body of which of the following sports
crown? celebrated its 100 years in existence recently?
(1) Jennifer Hawkins (1) Football
(2) Shandi Finnessey (2) Hockey
(3) Alba Reyes (3) Badminton
(4) None of these (4) Cricket

19. A solemn ceremony to mark the 60th Anniversary of D-Day 27. Who among the following won the men's singles title of the
landings of the Allies troops during the Second World War, French Open 2004?
was held in (1) Guillermo Coria
(1) Pearl Harbour (2) Normandy (2) Roger Federer
(3) New York (4) Lisbon (3) Andy Roddick
(4) Gaston Gaudio
20. Which of the following cricketers hold the world record of
maximum number of sixes in Tests? 28. Who is India's first Woman Grand Master in Chess?
(1) Chris Carins (New Zealand) (1) Aarthie Ramaswamy
(2) Viv Richards (West Indies) (2) Koneru Humpy
(3) Sachin Tendulkar (India) (3) S. Meenakshi
(4) Wasim Akram (Pakistan) (4) S. Vijayalakshmi

21. Who among the following has been appointed the new 29. The age of a tree can be determined by
Chief Justice of India? (1) Measuring its height
(1) Justice Rajendra Babu (2) Measuring its diameter
(2) Justice V. N. Khare (3) Analyzing its sap
(3) Justice R. C. Lahoti (4) Counting the annual growth rings of its stem
(4) None of these
30. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?
22. Who among the following sports persons got the honour of Mountains Continents
lighting the Olympic flame at the Major Dhyan Chand (1) The Rocky: North America
Stadium in New Delhi recently? (2) The Andes: South America
(1) Anjali Bhagwat (3) The Alps: Europe
(2) Abhinav Bindra (4) The Ural: Africa
(3) Viswanathan Anand
(4) K. M. Beenamol 31. Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?
(1) Purna Swaraj Resolution: 1929
23. Who among the following has been appointed new (2) Martyrdom of Sardar Bhagat Singh: 1931
chairman of the National Commission for Farmers? (3) Formation of the Congress Socialist Party: 1939
(1) Ajit Singh (4) Simla Conference: 1940
(2) K. C. Pant
(3) Dr. M. S. Swaminathan 32. The Lingaraja Temple built during the medieval period is at
(4) Sharad Pawar (1) Bhubaneswar (2) Khajuraho
(3) Madurai (4) Mount Abu
24. Which of the following planets crossed the face of the sun
(in transit) after 122 years recently? 33. Which one of the following is essentially a solo dance?
(1) Mars (2) Venus (1) Kuchipudi (2) Kathak
(3) Jupiter (4) Saturn (3) Manipuri (4) Mohiniattam

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 55

34. The deepest oceanic 'trench Mariana' is located in 42. How many legs do butterflies have?
(1) Atlantic Ocean (1) Six
(2) Arctic Ocean (2) Four
(3) Pacific Ocean (3) Eight
(4) Indian Ocean (4) Four

35. Although fog consists of fine drops of water, we cannot see 43. Which state is the biggest in the US?
clearly through it because (1) Alabama
(1) The light rays undergo total internal reflection in the (2) Arizona
drops (3) California
(2) Fine drops of water in fog polarize the light (4) Alaska
(3) The fine drops are opaque to the light
(4) The drops scatter most of the light 44. Which country hosted the 2008 Olympic Games?
(1) UK
36. During the Mughal period, which one of the following were (2) Australia
the first to come to India as traders? (3) China
(1) Portuguese (4) Brazil
(2) Dutch
(3) Danish 45. Which indoor sport is the most popular in the US?
(4) English (1) Basketball
(2) Baseball
37. Who among the following Delhi Sultans is known for (3) Lawn Tennis
introducing market control mechanism? (4) Billiards
(1) Iltutmish
(2) Balban 46. What is Aurora Borealis commonly known as?
(3) Alauddin Khalji (1) Northern Lights
(4) Firoze Tughlaq (2) Western Lights
(3) Eastern Lights
38. Which one of the following mountain peaks of the (4) Fluorescent Lights
Himalayas is NOT in India?
(1) Annapurna 47. Which non-contagious disease that is the most common in
(2) Nanda Devi the world?
(3) Mt. Kamet (1) Obesity
(4) Kanchenjunga (2) Tooth Decay
(3) Cancer
39. A rift valley is formed mainly due to (4) Heart disease
(1) The forces of tension in the earth's crust
(2) The subsidence of the floor of a river valley 48. Which instrument did Miles Davis, the jazz musician, play?
(3) The valley formed after the formation of Fold (1) Guitar
Mountains (2) Trumpet
(4) The deepening of a valley by ice action (3) Violin
(4) Piano
40. Who is the author of the book, The Man Who Divided
India? 49. In which sport could you get into a headlock?
(1) Arun Shourie (1) Cricket
(2) Dominique Lapierre (2) Rugby
(3) Rafiq Zakaria (3) Wrestling
(4) Salman Rushdie (4) Soft Ball

41. Which metal is heavier? 50. In which country was golf first played?
(1) Copper (1) Ireland
(2) Silver (2) Finland
(3) Gold (3) Scotland
(4) Aluminum (4) Poland

56 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

51. When did baseball originate in the US? 60. Write the full form of HSBC
(1) 17th Century (1) Hong Kong Shanghai Business Corporation
(2) 18th Century (2) Hong Kong Shanghai Bank China
(3) 19th Century (3) Housing Society Banking Corporation
(4) 6th Century (4) Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation

52. Which is the sport wherein you would use a 'sand iron'? 61. Name the Five Permanent members of UNO
(1) Golf (1) America, Britain, China, France and Russia
(2) Swimming (2) America, Britain, Japan, France and Russia
(3) Wrestling (3) America, Britain, China, Germany and Russia
(4) Football (4) America, Britain, Italy, Germany and Russia

53. Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? 62. Which country won the Euro 2008 Football cup?
(1) Pablo Picasso (1) Russia
(2) Michel Angelo (2) Spain
(3) Vincent Van Gogh (3) Germany
(4) Leonardo da Vinci (4) Sweden

54. Who was the writer of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? 63. Kuno zoo (Palpur) is in
(1) Charles Dickens (1) Assam
(2) Stephen King (2) Rajasthan
(3) William Shakespeare (3) Madhya Pradesh
(4) Lewis Carroll (4) Karnataka
55. After which famous person was the teddy bear named?
64. How many runs did Saurav Ganguly score in the last
(1) Theodore Roosevelt
innings of his test career?
(2) Richard Nixon
(1) 0 (2) 100
(3) Woodrow Wilson
(3) 27 (4) 9
(4) James A. Garfield

56. When was Chandrayaan-1 launched? 65. What was the first avatar of lord Vishnu?
(1) 22nd October 2008 (1) Vamana
(2) 22nd November 2008 (2) Varaha
(3) 14th December 2008 (3) Narasimha
(4) 14th March 2009 (4) Matsya avatar

57. Who built the Red Fort in Delhi? 66. What is the height of Khali?
(1) Akbar (1) 7 feet 4 inches
(2) Shahjahan (2) 7 feet 3 inches
(3) Jahangir (3) 7 feet 6 inches
(4) Babar (4) 7 feet 9 inches

58. Satyam has been taken over by 67. Who has the credit of scoring highest runs in a single ODI?
(1) L & T (1) Sachin Tendulkar
(2) HCL (2) Saeed Anwar
(3) Tech Mahindra (3) Ricky Ponting
(4) TCS (4) Herschelle Gibbs

59. Who got the NASSCOM global leadership award for 2008? 68. In which year was Charlie Chaplin born?
(1) Nandan M Nilekani (1) 1879
(2) N.R. Narayana Murthy (2) 1869
(3) Ratan Tata (3) 1889
(4) Mukesh Ambani (4) 1886

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 57

69. What was the name given to the atom bomb which was 78. Where is ISRO head office situated?
dropped on Hiroshima? (1) Tiruanantpuram
(1) Little Boy (2) Balasore
(2) Little Rock (3) Bangalore
(3) Little Master (4) Ahmedabad
(4) Fat Man
79. How many teeth does a dog have?
70. Who was the first governor general of independent India? (1) 26 (2) 32
(1) Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (3) 36 (4) 33
(2) Lord Louis Mountbatten
(3) Rajendra Prasad 80. Who are the writers (scriptwriters) of movie "Slumdog
(4) Warren Hastings Millionaire?"
(1) Simon Beaufoy & Vikas Swarup
71. Who is the famous musician who played his instrument in a (2) Danny Boyle & Loveleen Tandan
concert at red fort on 15th Aug 1947 and on 15 Aug 1997? (3) Samuel Paul & Harsh Trivedi
(1) Pandit Ravi Shankar (4) Leighroy Marsh & Bhaskar Naidu
(2) Ustad Allah Rakha
(3) Ustad Bismillah Khan 81. Who got the Bharat Ratna award for 2008?
(4) Ustad Vilayat Khan (1) Lata Mangeshkar
(2) Bismillah Khan
72. Who invented the first successful machine (cartridge) gun (3) Bhimsen Joshi
(1) Samuel Coleridge (4) Amartya Sen
(2) Hiram S. Maxim
(3) James Puckle 82. Which is the first Indian national park?
(4) Richard Gatling (1) Corbett National Park Uttaranchal
(2) Bandipur National Park, Karnataka
73. Who is the father of English poetry? (3) Kaziranga National Park, Assam
(1) Geoffery Chaucer (4) Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
(2) Jane Austen
(3) William Shakespeare 83. Who is the first Indian Musician to bag the Golden Globe
(4) Charles Dickens award 2009?
(1) Bappi Lahiri
74. Which gland produces tears? (2) Sumitra Guha
(1) Pituitary gland (3) Annu Malik
(2) Pineal gland (4) A R Rehman
(3) lacrimal
(4) Thyroid gland 84. Who among of the following persons has been selected for
the Crystal Award for 2009 by World Economic Forum?
75. Where is the famous Rock Garden Situated? (1) Mallika Sarabhai & Amitabh Bachchan
(1) New Delhi (2) Chhandigarh (2) Azim Premji
(3) Ahmedabad (4) Bhubaneswar (3) Elattuvalapil Sreedharan
(4) Narayana Murthy
76. Where is the international Olympic committee
headquarters situated? 85. Who among of following persons is the author of the book
(1) Los Angeles, USA “Creating a World without Poverty”?
(2) Paris, France (1) M S Swaminathan
(3) Lausanne, Switzerland (2) Muhammad Yunus
(4) Geneva, Switzerland (3) C K Prahalad
(4) Vijay Narayanmurthy
77. What is the name of Mumbai Blast operation?
(1) Black Tornado 86. As per the Global Gender Gap 2008 Report, what is the
(2) Black Typhoon rank of India among 130 countries?
(3) Black Thunder (1) 73 (2) 9
(4) Black Cobra (3) 113 (4) 123

58 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

87. The country's first poly silicon solar project, which also 95. Which is the longest national highway in India?
happens to be the largest integrated solar Power complex of (1) NH-7 Kanyakumari-Varanasi
the world, will be started at: (2) NH-3 Agra-Mumbai
(1) Haldia (3) NH-8 Delhi-Mumbai
(2) Mumbai (4) NH-6 Hajira-Kolkata
(3) Chennai
(4) Dhanbad 96. Name the youngest president of USA
(1) Theodore Roosevelt
88. Which among of the following states became India's 1st (2) William McKinley
carbon Free State? (3) Barack Obama
(1) Himanchal Pradesh (4) Richard M. Nixon
(2) Uttaranchal
(3) Pondicherry 97. Name the only other country to have got independence on
(4) Andaman Nicobar Aug 15th?
(1) Mauritius
89. Who among the following persons is given Janapith award (2) South Korea
2008 for his literary work in the Kashmiri Language? (3) France
(1) Rahman Rahi (4) Indonesia
(2) Indira Goswami
(3) D. Jayakanthan 98. In which state is Krishna Raja Sagar dam situated?
(4) Vinda Karandikar (1) Karnataka
(2) Gujarat
90. Who among of following players is the runner up of 2009 (3) Andhra Pradesh
Australian Open –Men's Doubles titles? (4) Tamil Nadu
(1) Bob Brayan and Mike Brayan
(2) Mahesh Bhupati and Mark Knowles 99. Who got the Forbes life time Achievement Awards 2008?
(3) Mahesh Bhupati and Laender Paes (1) N.R. Narayana Murthy
(4) Laender Paes and Mark Knowles (2) Sunil Mittal
(3) Ratan Tata
91. What was the name of the Judicial Commission set up for (4) Lakshmi Mittal
inquiry of Kandhmal violence?
(1) Justice S C Mahapatra Commission 100. Who is the present Attorney General of India?
(2) Justice B N Renake Commission (1) Mr.Milon Kumar Bannerjee
(3) Justice A R Lakshmanan (2) Goolam E. Vahanvati
(4) Justice N Krishnan Commission (3) Soli J Sorabjee
(4) Ashok Desai
92. Who among the following scientists is the Chief Executive
Officer and Managing Director, BrahMos Aerospace? 101. Who is the winner of Miss World 2008 title?
(1) Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai (1) Ksenya Sukhinova from Russia
(2) Dr. P S Krishnan (2) Parvathy Omanakuttan from India
(3) Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai (3) Gabrielle Walcott from Trinidad & Tobago
(4) Dr. S. Sundaresh (4) Tansey Coetzee from South Africa

93. Which was the first country to approve a law to allow voting 102. Which is the largest mountain range in the world?
in 2011 by mobile Phone? (1) Alpas
(1) Switzerland (2) Rocky Mountains
(2) Sweden (3) Himalayas / Karakoram
(3) Finland (4) Andes
(4) Estonia
103. Which state possesses the maximum percentage of SC
94. Sun Microsystems was taken over by population?
(1) Oracle (2) IBM (1) U.P. (2) M.P.
(3) HP (4) Microsoft Corp. (3) Kerala (4) Punjab

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 59

104. Who among them was the first governor of reserve bank of 112. During which Five Year Plan was the Emergency
India? clamped, new elections took place and the Janata Party
(1) L.K. Jha was elected?
(2) P. R. Brahmananda (1) Third
(3) Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh (2) Fourth
(4) Jawaharlal Nehru (3) Fifth
(4) Sixth
105. Who is the biggest employer in India?
(1) State Bank of India 113. Give the full form of B.O.T.
(2) Indian Railways (1) Board of Telecommunications
(3) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (2) Balance of Trade
(4) Civil aviation industry (3) Build Operate Transfer
(4) None of these
106. Which was the first blind news paper published?
(1) Times of India 114. In which type of credit to the industries do the commercial
(2) Hindustan Times banks play an important role?
(3) Samarth Chetna (1) Long-term (Your selection was wrong)
(4) Jan kalyan (2) Medium-term
(3) Short-term
107. Under what name is MTNL marketing its GSM based (4) All the above types
mobile telephony?
(1) Swarna 115. Tarapore committee was associated with which one of the
(2) Dolphin following?
(3) Speed (1) Special Economic Zones
(4) Vayu (2) Fuller capital account convertibility
(3) Foreign exchange reserves
108. Deepak Parekh is related to which of the following (4) Effect of oil-prices on the Indian economy
companies?
(1) Hero Honda 116. For which of the following items, is Tirupur well-known as
(2) TVS Motor huge exporter to many parts of the world?
(3) Tata Steel (1) Gems and Jewellery
(4) ICICI Bank (2) Knitted garments
(3) Leather goods
109. Venu Srinivasan is related to which of the following (4) Handicrafts
companies?
(1) Hero Honda 117. The National Housing Bank was set up in India as a wholly-
(2) TVS Motor owned subsidiary of which one of the following?
(3) Tata Steel (1) State Bank of India
(4) ICICI Bank (2) Reserve Bank of India
(3) ICICI Bank
110. According to the UNICEF flagship report State of the (4) Life Insurance Corporation of India
World's Children (2009) the number of women dying every
year in India in Child Birth is 118. In which one of the following cities is the Global
(1) 700000 Automotive research Centre being set up?
(2) 750000 (1) Chennai
(3) 770000 (2) Hyderabad
(4) 780000 (3) Pune
(4) Gurgaon
111. In which year SMERA (small & medium enterprises rating
agency) was established? 119. The function of a Public Service Commission in India is:
(1) 2002 (1) Mandatory
(2) 2005 (2) Advisory
(3) 2008 (3) Neither
(4) 2006 (4) Both

60 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009

120. The Mandal Commission report was with reference to: 128. How many types of writs can be issued by the Supreme
(1) Higher education Court?
(2) Electronics (1) 2 (2) 3
(3) Reservations (3) 5 (4) 6
(4) Panchayath Raj
129. Which part of the Indian Constitution deals with the
121. Kerala was declared 100 % literate state in the year: Directive Principles of State Policy?
(1) 1995 (1) Part I
(2) 1998 (2) Part III
(3) 2000 (3) Part IV
(4) 1991 (4) Part V

122. Which of the following fundamental rights known as the 130. The chapter on Fundamental Duties includes
Heart and Soul of the Indian constitution? (1) Duty to cherish and follow the noble ideals which
(1) Right to freedom inspired our freedom movement
(2) Right to expression (2) Duty to vote in General Election
(3) Right to constitutional remedy (3) Duty to promote the sense of fraternity among the
(4) Right to equality people
(4) Duty to stick to the political party on whose ticket one
123. Who is the signatory on the Indian currency notes in contested election
denomination of two rupees and above?
(1) Secretary, Reserve Bank of India 131. Right to property was removed from the list of
(2) Finance Secretary, Minister of Finance Fundamental Rights during the rule of
(1) Indira Gandhi Government
(3) Governor, Reserve Bank of India
(2) Morarji Desai Government
(4) Finance Minister, Ministry of Finance
(3) Vajpayee Government
(4) Narasimha Rao Government
124. Which of the following is not a source of revenue to the
village panchayat?
132. Sarvodaya stands for
(1) Property Tax
(1) Total revolution
(2) House Tax
(2) Non-cooperation
(3) Land Tax
(3) Upliftment of all
(4) Vehicle Tax
(4) Non-violence
125. Who summons the joint sitting of the Rajya Sabha and Lok 133. The process of curing inflation by reducing money supply
Sabha? is called
(1) President (1) Cost-push inflation
(2) Speaker of the Lok Sabha (2) Demand-pull inflation
(3) Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (3) Disinflation
(4) Prime Minister (4) Reflation

126. The Supreme Court of India enjoys 134. Which of the following items is a major item of Indian
(1) Original jurisdictions export?
(2) Advisory jurisdictions (1) Computer chips
(3) Appellate and advisory jurisdictions (2) Potato chips
(4) Original, appellate and advisory jurisdictions (3) Textile garments
(4) Car engines
127. The Indian Parliament is competent to enact law on a State
subject if 135. According to Indian calendar what was Vikram Samvat in
(1) Emergency under Article 352 is in operation 1958 A.D.?
(2) All the State Assemblies of the country make such a (1) 1900
request (2) 2016
(3) The President sends such a message to Parliament (3) 2036
(4) None of the above (4) 2058

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 61

136. Who among the following Mughal Emperors put a ban on 144. Who is the Deputy Speaker of Lok Saba?
killing of animals in certain days? (1) Meera Kumar
(1) Shah Jahan (2) Karia Munda
(2) Akbar (3) Suraj Bhan
(3) Darashikoh (4) Sushma Swaraj
(4) Bahadur Shah Zafar
145. Ram Pradhan Committee is related to:
137. Ustad Isa is related to the design and architecture of which (1) 26/11 Mumbai attack
of which of the following Buildings in Mughal Era? (2) Ahmedabad bombings
(1) Taj Mahal (3) 2008 Delhi blasts
(2) Buland Darwaja (4) Godhra incident
(3) Red Fort (Agra)
(4) Jama Masjid, Delhi 146. Who has recently been appointed as Defence Secretary of
India?
138. Who among the following Mughal emperors of India (1) Vijay Singh
prohibited smoking? (2) Pradeep Kumar
(1) Akbar (3) Raj Kumar Singh
(2) Jahangir (4) Milon Banerjee
(3) Aurangzeb
(4) Darashikoh 147. Rameshwar Thakur has been recently appointed as
Governor of ……….?
139. Who was honored with the Life time achievement award in (1) Karnataka
the recently held IIFA Awards 2009? (2) Andhra Pradesh
(1) Amitabh Bachchan (3) Madhya Pradesh
(2) Rajesh Khanna (4) Bihar
(3) Shatrughan Sinha
(4) Shahrukh Khan 148. Tim Morse has been appointed as chief financial officer by
which of the IT giants?
140. Which among the following is not a part of National Food (1) Yahoo (2) Microsoft
Security Mission? (3) Google (4) HP
(1) Wheat
(2) Pulses 149. At present what fraction of India's population is below
(3) Sugar poverty line?
(4) Rice (1) 18.5% (2) 27.5%
(3) 23% (4) 32%
141. National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL)
operates……….? 150. Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami is parliament of which country?
(1) Air India (1) Iraq (2) Iran
(2) Indian Airlines (3) Saudi Arab (4) Libya
(3) Both of them
(4) None of them 151. During the Indian freedom struggle, ‘The Deccan
Educational Society’ was founded by
142. Geeta Mukherjee Committee is related to which of the (1) B.G. Tilak
following? (2) Dadabhai Naoroji
(1) Women Reservation in parliament (3) G.K. Gokhale
(2) Ragging in colleges & universities (4) M.G. Ranade
(3) Rural Infrastructure
(4) Reform election 152. A ‘black hole’ is a body in space which does not allow any
radiation to come out. This property is due to its
143. Who has recently won Laureus World Sportsman Award? (1) Very small size
(1) Rafael Nadal (2) Very large size
(2) Michael Phelps (3) Very high density
(3) Usain Bolt (4) Very low density
(4) Schin Tendulkar Answer key on page 71
62 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
 Everyday mysteries
Why camels are called “ships of the desert”?
Camels are called "ships of the
desert" because of the way they move,
not because of their transport
capabilities. Camels sway from side to
side because they move both legs on
onesideatthesametime,elevatingthat
side. This is called pacing, a ship-like
motion which can make the rider feel
sick.
Why do onions make you cry?
Onions, like other plants, are made of cells. The cells are
divided into two sections separated
by a membrane. One side of the
membrane contains an enzyme
which helps chemical processes
occur in your body. The other side of
the membrane contains molecules
that contain sulfur. When you cut an
onion, the contents on each side of
the membrane mix and cause a
chemical reaction. This reaction produces molecules such as
ethylsufinewhichmakeyoureyeswater.
To prevent crying when you cut an onion, cut it under a
running tap of cold water. The sulfur compounds dissolve in
water and are rinsed down the sink before they reach your eyes.
You can also put the onion in the freezer for ten minutes before
you cut it. Cold temperatures slow down the reaction between
the enzyme and the sulfur compounds so fewer of the burning
moleculeswillreachyoureyes.
If blood is red, why are veins blue?
Blood is bright red in its oxygenated form and a dark red in
deoxygenated form. In simpler terms, it is bright red when it
leavesthelungsfullof oxygenanddarkred whenit returnsto the
lungsfor a refill. Veins appearblue becauselight penetratingthe
skin is absorbed and reflected in high energy wavelengths back
totheeye.Higherenergywavelengthsareblue.
Why does water not calm the tongue after eating hot
spicy food?
The spices in most of the
hot foods that we eat are oily,
and, like your elementary
school science teacher taught
you,oilandwaterdon't mix.In
this case, the water just rolls
overtheoilyspices.
What can you do to calm
your aching tongue? Eat bread. The bread will absorb the oily
spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk contains a
substance called "casein" which will bind to the spices and carry
themaway.Alcoholalsodissolvesoilyspices.
Why is the sky blue?
When sunlight travels through the atmosphere, it collides
with gas molecules. These molecules scatter the light. The
shorter the wavelength of light, the more it is scattered by the
atmosphere. Because it has a shorter wavelength than the other
colours, blue light is scattered more, ten times more than red
light,forinstance.Thatiswhytheskyisblue.
Why does the setting sun look reddish orange?
When the sun is on the horizon,its light
takes a longerpath through the atmosphere
to reach your eyes than when the sun is
directly overhead. By the time the light of
the setting sun reaches your eyes, most of
the blue light has been scattered out. The
light you finally see is reddish orange, the
colourofwhitelightminusblue.
Why does wet fabric appear darker?
When fabric gets wet, light coming towards it refracts within
the water, dispersing the light. In addition, the surface of the
water causes incoherent light scattering. The combination of
these two effects causes less light to reflect to your eyes and
makesthewetfabricappeardarker.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 63
News in brief
India
r The Enforcement Directorate
registered a case against the former
Jharkhand Chief Minister, Madhu
Koda for alleged money laundering,
diversion of State funds and making
huge illegal investments abroad.
r After an aerial survey of the flood-hit
areas of Andhra Pradesh, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh announced Rs. 1000 crore as
advance Central assistance for relief and rehabilitation
measures.
r A group of 10 parliamentarians of the
ruling combine from Tamil Nadu
arrived Colombo on a four-day visit. It
met representatives of the Tamil and
Muslim political parties and exchanged
views on the plight of the 2.5-lakh war
displaced and the need for a permanent
solution to the ethnic conflict with
meaningful devolution.
r Kerala Chief Minister, V. S. Achuthanandan
announced that the State Government is targeting creation
of two lakh jobs in the information technology sector
within two years. Capital investment of Rs. 10,000 crore has
been initiated in the IT sector involving expansion of
existing parks and creation of new ones.
r Maoists unleashed a wave of attacks in which a
Jharkhand Party member was killed in West Bengal. They
blew up rail tracks and set trucks ablaze in Jharkhand and
blasted a telecommunications tower in Bihar.
r Two nuclear-capable, medium range
sur face-to -sur face Prithvi-II
missiles were successfully test-fired
within a few minutes of each other by
the armed forces from the Integrated
Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, off the
Orissa coast.
64 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r India called upon China to stop
developmental activities in
areas illegally occupied by
Pa k i s t a n . T h e I n d i a n
observation came a day after
B e i j i n g e x p re s s e d i t s
“strong disappointment” over
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal
Pradesh, and New Delhi, in its reaction, noted that such
comments would not help in resolving the border issue.
r Counterfeit currency with a face value of around Rs.1
lakh was recovered from the Reserve Bank of India
office.
r Two Indian NGOs – Mumbai-based “Prerana” and
“Sense International India,” Ahmedabad – are to get
$100,000 each for their work among disabled and poor
children. They are among the six grassroots organisations
from South Asia and Africa selected by Stars Foundation,
a London-based charity, for this year's “Stars Impact”
awards given every year to groups which have made a
“demonstrable difference” to the lives of disadvantaged
children.
r The government decided to appoint the Director and
Board members of the Indian
Institutes of Management (IIM)
through an independent collegium.
Union Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal
mooted this proposal during his first
meeting with the IIM Directors. This
proposed system of appointment will
make the system broad-based and
ensure autonomy of these institutions.
r New data from Chandrayaan-1 revealed how the moon
“produces its own water.” Much like a big sponge, it
absorbs charged particles emitted by the sun, which
then interact with oxygen on the lunar surface to
produce water.
r The variety entertainment reality show, 'Entertainment
Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega' got Sony TV into trouble with
the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Friday
issuing a show-cause notice to the
channel for showing a participant
putting a snake into one of his
nostrils and bringing it out from his
mouth, and then repeating the drill
in the reverse order.
r The Indian government would give another Rs.500
crore to the Sri Lankan government towards rehabilitating
Tamils displaced by the civil war, after the country
submitted the project report.
r The eligibility for appearing in the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) entrance test could be raised from 60
per cent marks secured in the Class XII Board examination.
It will be applicable from 2011.
r The Central Bureau of Investigation raided the
headquarters of the Dept. of Telecommunications to
probe alleged irregularities in the awarding of telecom
licences last year, which may have caused the public
exchequer a loss of thousands of crores.
r An 11-week drama in the BJP ended with party President
Rajnath Singh's announcement that he was accepting the
resignation of Vasundhara Raje as Leader of the
Opposition in Rajasthan.
r The Department of Telecom announced
3G spectrum will be auctioned in four
stages: invitation stage, pre-qualification,
auction and grant of spectrum. It will hold a
pre-bid conference on November 16.
r India declared itself free from the notifiable
Avian Influenza (H5N1). The notification was issued to
the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) on
October 22. A country can declare itself free from birdflu, if
there is no outbreak for three months. With the declaration,
the country can hope to revive its poultry trade.
r India ruled out any possibility of sending troops to fight
along with the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, asserting
that it was there for extending humanitarian assistance for
reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country.
r Defence Minister A K Antony said it would be difficult to
improve ties with Pakistan unless it made "serious" and
"sincere" efforts to dismantle terror camps operating from
its soil.
r Booker Prize winners Aravind
Adiga and Salman Rushdie have
been named in the longlist for the
2010 International IMPAC Dublin
Literary Award, a top recognition for
a single work of fiction published in
English. US-based Indian writer
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ("The
Palace of Illusions"), Anuradha Roy
and Canada-based Jaspreet Singh
("Chef") also figure in the list. 156
titles are in the list for the 100,000 euro award.
r Army Chief Deepak Kapoor warned that 26/11-type
Mumbai terror attacks were a possibility and that India has
to take all steps to counter such strikes.
r Pakistan raised the Kashmir issue at a meeting of the UN
panel on humanitarian issues, prompting a strong
response from the Indian side which said Islamabad has no
right to raise the issue as Jammu and Kashmir is an integral
part of India.
r After months of controversy over
transparency and accountability, a
heated public debate in Parliament and
outside, and even a battle in court, Chief
Justice of India, Justice K G
Balakrishnan and all other judges of the
Supreme Court “voluntarily” declared
their assets on the court's website
(www.supremecourtofindia.nic.in).
r As the government plans to approach the Supreme Court
for speedy disposal of all cases against him, renowned
painter M F Husain said he is ready to return to India at
the earliest.
r No end seems to be in sight in the
protracted price negotiation for
Admiral Gorshkov aircraft
carrier, which is likely to extend
beyond Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's visit to Moscow next month,
increasing uncertainty over its
timely delivery in 2012.
r A rare collection of Mahatma Gandhi's memorabilia,
including a bunch of letters written by him, was
presented by two prominent NRIs to President
Pratibha Patil in London, who said the ideology of the
apostle of peace can be a "powerful instrument" for
building a tolerant world.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 65
News in brief
World
r The Chinese government said it would not undertake dam
projects on the Brahmaputra river that would damage
India’s interests, amid reports that China was starting
construction of a hydropower project on the river.
r Russia and China looked to steady their close but
increasingly imbalanced relationship when visiting
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ushered through
trade deals said to be worth $3.5 billion (2.2 billion
pounds).
r U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton called on Russia to uphold
human rights, voicing concern at
recent attacks on activists and
reporters willing to challenge the
Kremlin.
r China reported surprisingly strong trade figures,
providing fresh evidence that the world's third-largest
economy is firmly on the path to recovery and that global
demand is improving too. Exports in September fell 15.2
percent from a year earlier, beating forecasts of a 21
percent fall, while imports fell just 3.5 percent -- well short
of expectations of a 15.3 percent decline.
r Britain announced to provide $100 million (61 million
pounds) in aid to Zimbabwe this year, its largest ever
donation to the country, to help the new unity government
and ease a grim humanitarian crisis.
r French President, Nicolas Sarkozy
criticised Czech President, Vaclav
Klaus for failing to sign the European
Union's Lisbon Treaty and said there
would be repercussions unless he fell into
line quickly.
r The U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow
foreign terrorism suspects from the Guantanamo Bay
prison into the United States to face trial. The 307 to 114
vote removes one of many roadblocks the Obama
administration faces as it tries to empty the internationally
condemned prison by January.
66 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r Honduras' de facto leader Roberto
Micheletti is resisting international
pressure to reinstate his rival President
Manuel Zelaya, but envoys for the
leftist ousted in a coup hope for a deal.
r Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu
promised a lengthy diplomatic battle to "delegitimise"
United Nations charges that Israel committed war crimes
in the Gaza Strip.
r The U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505
billion (308.3 billion pounds) and $850 billion every year,
the report from Robert Kelley, vice president of
healthcare analytics found. The U. S. healthcare system is
just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and
proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the
most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and
fighting fraud.
r A powerful typhoon has made landfall in Japan for the
first time in two years, causing
widespread damage and disruption.
Typhoon Melor hit south-west of
Tokyo on the main island of Honshu,
f l o o d i n g ro a d s a n d h o m e s ,
uprooting trees, toppling power
lines, and ripping roofs from houses.
r NASA crashed two spacecrafts into the Moon as scientists
try to work out if there is water-ice under its surface. The
first rocket was slammed into a dark crater at the lunar
south pole at 5,600 mph at 12.31 BST. A second spacecraft
with scientific instruments on board followed it down to
analyse the contents of the dust cloud, before it also
crashed at 12.35 BST.
r Washington is settling on a new-look Afghan strategy to
secure 10 major population centers, as President Barack
Obama neared a decision on whether to hurl thousands
more troops into the fray. There will be four brigades of
about 4,500 troops each that might form part of the new
strategy. Cities meriting protection would include Kabul,
Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, Herat and Jalalabad.
r The internet is 40 years old now. Its exact date of birth is
not quite certain but the general consensus is that October
29, 1969 was when it really started.
r Honduras' post-coup rulers invited ousted President
Manuel Zelaya to fresh talks after a high-level U.S.
delegation pressured both sides to resume negotiations to
resolve the crisis.
r President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
declared that Iran will not retreat "one
iota" on its nuclear rights, but it is
ready to cooperate on issues regarding
atomic fuel, power plants and nuclear
technology.
r Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives
released a healthcare reform bill that includes a
government-run insurance plan and imposes a tax on the
wealthiest Americans to help pay for it. The bill would cost
$894 billion (540 billion pounds) over 10 years – below
President Barack Obama's target of $900 billion – and
reduce the deficit by $30 billion over the same period.
r EU leaders reached a compromise deal on how to help
developing nations tackle climate change, but without
putting a figure to Europe's contribution. The EU leaders
agreed that developing nations would need 100 billion
euros worth of help annually by 2020 to tackle climate
change and to deal with its consequences.
r The Obama administration is set to slash the pay of
top earners at banks and carmakers bailed out by the US
government. The plan calls for halving overall
compensation, and cutting cash salary payouts by an
average of 90 percent to try and address public outrage over
the excessive amounts.
r The torch relay for the Vancouver 2010
Winter Olympics has begun, with the
sun's rays igniting the silver torch at the
ancient Olympic stadium. The ceremony
kicked off an eight-day torch relay
throughout Greece , including the
country's ski resorts, before the torch is handed over to
Games organisers in the Panathenian stadium in Athens,
site of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
r German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives
sealed a coalition deal with the Free Democrats (FDP)
after marathon talks and said they will press ahead with 24
billion euros (22 billion pounds) in tax cuts despite a
yawning deficit.
r Twelve political parties in Sri Lanka, led by the main
opposition party United National Party (UNP), floated a
new front with the explicit objective of combating the
“corrupt and despotic Rajapaksa family regime” and
switch over to Indian-style parliamentary democracy.
r Czech President Vaclav Klaus
signed the revised Lisbon Treaty
paving the way for its enforcement
within the 27 member European
Union in the days to come. Mr. Klaus, a
known Euro-skeptic, signed the treaty
just hours after his countr y's
constitutional court rejected a legal
challenge to the Treaty.
r Afghanistan's Election Commission proclaimed
President Hamid Karzai the victor of the country's
tumultuous ballot, cancelling a planned runoff and ending
a political crisis that began with a fraud-marred first round
two-and-a-half months ago.
r China's Air Force will begin to develop “offensive
operations” in space, a high-ranking military official has
said in a seeming departure from Beijing's recent
opposition to space militarisation.
r People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Commander
Xu Qiliang said that space militarisation, or the
development of weapons and defensive technology in outer
space, was a “historic inevitability” and that “competition
between military forces is moving towards outer space”.
r China has dispatched two new naval warships to the
piracy-hit Gulf of Aden to protect its merchant ships
sailing in these waters. These two ships will replace two
other warships which were deployed in this area earlier.
r The National University of Defence
Technology (NUDT) unveiled
China's fastest supercomputer,
which could rival the world's most
powerful computing devices. The
supercomputer named Tianhe,
meaning Milky Way, will in theory do
more than 1 quadrillion calculations per second (one
petaflop) at peak speed. A single-day task for Tianhe might
take a mainstream dual-core personal computer 160 years
to complete, working non-stop – if it can last that long.
r President of Cyprus Demetris Christofias reiterated his
country's support for India's claim for a permanent seat
in the United Nations Security Council.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 67
News in brief
Business and economy
r IT bellwether Infosys Technologies
posted better-than expected results
for the second quarter, with the net
profit increasing by 7.5 per cent
Rs. 1,540 crore from Rs. 1,432 crore in
the same quarter in the previous year.
r Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the
government had identified seven critical areas in the Direct
Taxes Code (DTC) for further scrutiny before finalising
the draft. The areas identified after interactions with all
stakeholders are: the concept of Minimum Alternate Tax
based on gross assets; capital gains taxation in the case of
non-residents; the Income-tax Act and the double taxation
avoidance agreement (DTAA); general anti-avoidance rule
(GAAR); issues relating to effective management control
and taxation of foreign companies in India; taxation of
charitable organisations; and shift from EEE (Exempt
Exempt Exempt) to the EET (Exempt Exempt Tax)
taxation system.
r Tata Motors issued 29.9 million new equity shares in
the form of Global Depository Shares (GDS) at a price of
$12.54 per GDS aggregating $375 million and 3,750 coupon
convertible notes at 4 per cent which are due in 2014 at a
price of $100,000 per note aggregating $375 million. The
GDS and Notes aggregating $750 million will be listed on
the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
r General Motors India launched its premium sedan
Chevrolet Cruze and announced plans to come out with a
new small car early next year,
alternative fuel variants of its
existing models and an electric
car by end of 2010. Chevrolet
Cruze comes in two diesel
variants and with introductory
price of Rs. 10.99 lakh and Rs. 12.45 lakh.
r HDFC reported a higher net profit of Rs. 663.94 crore for
the quarter ended September 30, against Rs. 534.23 crore
in the corresponding quarter in 2008-09. Total income has
risen to Rs. 2,850.23 crore from Rs. 2,620.59 crore.
68 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r India inked three agreements with the
World Bank for a total loan of $4.2
billion (about Rs. 20,000 crore) for
recapitalising some of the public sector
banks (PSBs) and supporting
development of infrastructure and power
transmission projects. Out of the total
credit quantum, while the Centre signed a $2-billion loan
agreement for capital infusion in a few of the PSBs during
2009-11, representatives of Power Grid Corporation of
India Ltd. (PowerGrid) and India Infrastructure Finance
Company Ltd. (IIFCL) signed similar loan pacts with the
World Bank for $1 billion and $1.195 billion, respectively.
r Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in to India rose
by an impressive 40.51 per cent in August. The country
received FDI of $3.26 billion in August against $2.32 billion
a year ago even as the global economy is yet to show
concrete recovery.
r HCL Infosystems bagged a contract worth Rs. 500 crore
from the Rajasthan Government to implement a State-
wide solution involving integration of IT, GIS (geospatial
information systems), AMR (automated meter reading)
and the associated technologies in Rajasthan. The project
will implement a state-wide differential GPS to map all the
electrical assets of the three distribution companies of the
State.
r Rising prices of food articles and certain manufactured
items pushed up inflation past the one per cent mark to
1.21 per cent for the week ended October 10 from 0.92 %.
r Infosys Chief Mentor, N. R. Narayana
Murthy sold 0.13 per cent of his stake in
the company for Rs. 174.30 crore, which
will be utilised for setting up a venture
capital fund.
r Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and
Wipro have announced a 10-year total outsourcing
agreement to provide IT infrastructure and services for
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi.
r Terming India as one of the most dynamic exporters of IT
and ICT-enabled ser vices (information and
communication technology), a UN report has said India's
exports of the entire sector have risen to an estimated $69
billion from $10 billion.
r Wipro reported a 6 per cent growth in
revenues at Rs. 6,917 crore against Rs.
6,507 crore in the corresponding quarter
in the previous year.
r To support the Centre's ambitious Bharat Nirman project
for rural development, state-owned telecom firm Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) joined hands with leading
chip-maker Intel and computer manufacturer HCL to
launch a series of initiatives for ensuring access to wireless
broadband Internet and affordable computers in villages.
r Global rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P) Asia-
Pacific Chief Economist Subir Gokarn will be the new
Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
r Cisco Systems plans to buy wireless telecommunications
equipment maker Starent Networks for $2.9 billion (1.8
billion pounds), betting that demand for advanced wireless
equipment will grow as more consumers download videos
and access the Web from mobile phones.
r Bloomberg, the financial news and data provider has
reached an agreement to purchase Business Week
magazine from McGraw-Hill Companies for an
undisclosed sum.
r The Bank of Japan may decide to start withdrawing
support for corporate finance, despite government
criticism, at a policy meeting that may set the tone for its
relationship with the new government.
r Bruce Wasserstein, the legendary Wall
Street deal maker identified with an era
of no-holds-barred takeover battles, has
died at the age of 61. His death leaves
major questions about the future
direction and leadership of Lazard, the
investment bank he headed.
r The world's top cellphone maker Nokia reported a
surprise loss for the July-September quarter, hit by a major
writedown at its networks unit, but said demand for
handsets had improved. Nokia booked a 908-million euros
(833 million pounds) hit from its networks unit, citing
challenging market conditions.
r Citigroup posted a quarterly
per-share loss as it suffered $8
billion (4 billion pounds) of
credit losses, raising questions
about when the bank can return
to sustained profitability.
r The U.S. budget deficit hit a record $1.4 trillion (855.9
billion pounds) in the just-ended fiscal year, as the deep
recession and a series of bank rescues cut a gaping hole in
public finances. The tally was $162 billion smaller than the
White House had forecast in August, but still amounted to
nearly 11 percent of real U.S. economic output, the most
for any budget shortfall since World War Two.
r Billionaire hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and
executives from some of the most prestigious U.S.
companies were charged with the largest hedge fund
insider-trading scheme ever.
r Apple reported better-than-expected results as iPhone
and Mac sales hit quarterly records, sending its shares up
5.5 percent. The company posted a net profit of $1.67
billion, or $1.82 a share, in its fiscal fourth quarter ended
September 26, up from $1.14 billion, or $1.26 a share, in the
year-ago period.
r Yahoo Inc's third-quarter profit more than tripled from a
year ago, beating Wall Street estimates and sending its
shares climbing 3 percent. Yahoo said that revenue in the
three months ended September 30 was $1.575 billion (962
million pounds), compared with $1.78 billion in the year-
ago period and $1.57 billion in the second quarter.
r McDonald's will shut its
business in Iceland because it
is too expensive for the
franchise to operate after the
country's financial crisis. The
world's largest fast-food
company said that all three of
its restaurants in Iceland,
operated by franchisee Jon
Ogmundsson, would stop operating at midnight.
r India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki reported that its
quarterly net profit had soared 93 percent year-on-year,
amid signs pointing to a reviving domestic economy.
Maruti, majority owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp,
reported net profit of 5.7 billion rupees (123 million
dollars) in the second financial quarter to September 30,
broadly in line with market expectations.
PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 69
News in brief
Sports
r Germany football captain Michael
Ballack has joined the list of players
backing England's bid to host the 2018
World Cup . Ballack's clubmate
Michael Essien of Ghana and
Manchester City's Brazil forward
Robinho have also been added to the
list of more than 70 current and
former players, led by England captain
John Terry, who are backing the FA's
bid to stage the finals.
r David Beckham will definitely return to AC Milan on
loan in January, Chief Executive Adriano Galliani said. The
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder, who wants to play in
Europe to try to secure his place in England's World Cup
squad, had previously said the deal was 95 percent done.
r Dinara Safina's dream of becoming the first Russian to
end the year as world number one
was left in tatters when her aching
body finally gave out at the WTA
Championships. The 23-year-
old, who arrived in Doha ahead of
11-times grand slam champion
Serena Williams in the rankings,
managed just two games in her opening round-robin
match against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic before a lower back
injury flared up and she was forced to quit in tears.
r Holder Venus Williams completed her circuitous route to
the WTA Championships final, beating Jelena Jankovic
5-7 6-3 6-4 to set up yet another showdown with sister
Serena. Serena, who will end the
year as world number one for the
first time since 2002, moved past
Caroline Wozniacki after the Dane
pulled out with a stomach injury
when trailing 6-4 0-1.
r Germany's Sebastian Vettel won Formula One's season-
ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the first race to start in
daylight and end at night, in a Red Bull one-two finish.
70 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
r Ross Fisher won the battle of the
World Matchplay Championship
debutants when the Briton eased to
victory over American Anthony
Kim . The 28-year-old finished
fourth in this year's Accenture World
Golf Championship, another elite
matchplay tournament, as well as
taking fifth place in the U.S. Open, and runner-up in
Europe's flagship event, the PGA Championship.
r Ethiopian Derartu Tulu won her first New York City
marathon pulling away from Russia's Ludmila Petrova in the
last mile to finish in two hours 28 minutes 52 seconds.
France's Christelle Daunay was third while race favourite and
world record holder Paula Radcliffe of Britain finished
fourth.
r Serena Williams underlined her dominance at the top of
women's tennis, completing her year in style with a 6-2 7-6
defeat of sister Venus in the final of the WTA
Championships. Serena, who came to Doha ranked second
in the world behind Dinara Safina but will return home as
the rightful number one after winning both the Australian
Open and Wimbledon titles, broke serve twice in a one-
sided first set.
r Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky
recovered from a slow start to edge out
eighth-seeded Argentine Horacio Zeballos
2-6 7-6 7-6 in a see-saw St Petersburg Open
final and clinch his second ATP title.
r McLaren's outgoing world champion Lewis Hamilton
was forced to retire for safety reasons from season-ending
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the Briton had led from pole
position. Hamilton was told of a brake problem after his
first scheduled pitstop and then instructed by the team to
return to the garages after 20 of the 55 laps.
r Toyota, the world's largest carmaker, said it was pulling out
of F1. Toyota was the last Japanese team left in the sport
following Honda's withdrawal.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA
Logo Quiz: Answer key
r The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system,
employing over a million people. 1. Airbus
2. China National Petroleum Corp(cnpc)
r The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. 3. Danone
More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 4. Qantas
60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was 5. RCTV
one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of 6. Crocs
education. 7. Gammon India
8. Cookie Man
r The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician 9. Pyramid Saimira
Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the 10. Xerox
Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which 11. Ramada
was long before the European mathematicians. 12. Texaco
13. Dynegy
r The World's First Granite Temple is the 14. TiVo
Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in 15. Oil India Ltd.
Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a 16. Mustang
single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, 17. Quick Time
this magnificent temple was built in just 18: Fraport
five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) 19. AT&T US
during the reign of Rajaraja Chola. 20. Zurich

Answers to General knowledge

1. Ans.(2) 26. Ans.(1) 51. Ans.(3) 76. Ans.(3) 101. Ans.(1) 127. Ans.(1)
2. Ans.(1) 27. Ans.(4) 52. Ans.(1) 77. Ans.(1) 102. Ans.(4) 128. Ans.(3)
3. Ans.(4) 28. Ans.(2) 53. Ans.(2) 78. Ans.(3) 103. Ans.(4) 129. Ans.(3)
4. Ans.(4) 29. Ans.(4) 54. Ans.(4) 79. Ans.(3) 104. Ans.(3) 130. Ans.(1)
5. Ans.(3) 30. Ans.(4) 55. Ans.(1) 80. Ans.(1) 105. Ans.(2) 131. Ans.(2)
6. Ans.(1) 31. Ans.(2) 56. Ans.(1) 81. Ans.(3) 106. Ans.(3) 132. Ans.(3)
7. Ans.(4) 32. Ans.(1) 57. Ans.(2) 82. Ans.(1) 107. Ans.(2) 133. Ans.(3)
8. Ans.(1) 33. Ans.(4) 58. Ans.(3) 83. Ans.(4) 108. Ans.(3) 134. Ans.(3)
9. Ans.(3) 34. Ans.(3) 59. Ans.(3) 84. Ans.(1) 109. Ans.(2) 135. Ans.(2)
10. Ans.(2) 35. Ans.(4) 60. Ans.(4) 85. Ans.(2) 110. Ans.(4) 136. Ans.(2)
11. Ans.(4) 36. Ans.(1) 61. Ans.(1) 86. Ans.(3) 111. Ans.(2) 137. Ans.(1)
12. Ans.(2) 37. Ans.(3) 62. Ans.(2) 87. Ans.(1) 112. Ans.(3) 138. Ans.(2)
13. Ans.(1) 38. Ans.(1) 63. Ans.(3) 88. Ans.(1) 113. Ans.(3) 139. Ans.(2)
14. Ans.(2) 39. Ans.(1) 64. Ans.(1) 89. Ans.(1) 114. Ans.(3) 140. Ans.(3)
115. Ans.(2) 141. Ans.(3)
15. Ans.(2) 40. Ans.(3) 65. Ans.(4) 90. Ans.(2)
116. Ans.(2) 142. Ans.(1)
16. Ans.(2) 41. Ans.(3) 66. Ans.(2) 91. Ans.(1)
117. Ans.(2) 143. Ans.(3)
17. Ans.(3) 42. Ans.(1) 67. Ans.(2) 92. Ans.(1)
118. Ans.(1) 144. Ans.(2)
18. Ans.(1) 43. Ans.(4) 68. Ans.(3) 93. Ans.(4)
119. Ans.(1) 145. Ans.(1)
19. Ans.(2) 44. Ans.(3) 69. Ans.(1) 94. Ans.(1)
120. Ans.(3) 146. Ans.(2)
20. Ans.(1) 45. Ans.(1) 70. Ans.(2) 95. Ans.(1) 121. Ans.(4) 147. Ans.(3)
21. Ans.(3) 46. Ans.(1) 71. Ans.(3) 96. Ans.(1) 122. Ans.(3) 148. Ans.(1)
22. Ans.(1) 47. Ans.(2) 72. Ans.(4) 97. Ans.(2) 123. Ans.(3) 149. Ans.(2)
23. Ans.(3) 48. Ans.(2) 73. Ans.(1) 98. Ans.(1) 124. Ans.(3) 150. Ans.(2)
24. Ans.(2) 49. Ans.(3) 74. Ans.(3) 99. Ans.(4) 125. Ans.(1) 151. Ans.(4)
25. Ans.(3) 50. Ans.(3) 75. Ans.(2) 100. Ans.(2) 126. Ans.(4) 152. Ans.(3)

PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009 71

Book review
THE DA VINCI CODE
by Dan Brown
T he concept of this stor y is
fascinating. There is no doubt The
Da Vinci Code challenges the
traditional dogma of Christianity based on
Roman Catholic theology, as Protestant
theology is also based on the Catholic concept
of the holy trinity–a celibate Christ, a virgin
mother and the Holy Ghost. Again, in the
resulting controversy his plot raises, people
and scholars are fighting over literal words
and interpretations as they did when the
theory of evolution challenged the biblical
representation of the earth's origins. Even his
editor has written a book defending the
authenticity of his research. If Dan Brown
were writing nonfiction, then of course his
research would have to present airtight facts,
and I would understand the debate.
But Dan Brown's novel is a work of fiction,
and fiction is based on make-believe. When
writing a novel, we look to history to give us gaps in records that
we can fill with “what if ” possibilities to create a plot in the same
way as a lawyer looks for loopholes in the law to win a case. As a
result, I don't see why he has to defend his research. To create a
mysterious plot, all he has to do is unearth sufficient historic
questions, which could be based on myth or folklore as well, to
play with possibilities. And that's what he has done in The Da
Vinci Code. He has achieved a masterful suspension of disbelief,
which makes him the supreme artist.
Dan Brown's ideas wake us up to different perspectives. He
stimulates our curiosity, and curiosity drives new investigations
based on new premises. That's good, not bad. If anything,
challenge strengthens faith because the search for truth widens
knowledge and brings us closer to the miracle of life in our vast
universe and to our spiritual connection.
Brown's challenge begins with the selection of books in the
New Testament. Of the over two hundred writings collected,
how did Roman Church representatives decide on the ones we
know in the Bible today? As Dan Brown points out, many pagan
rituals and symbols were used to establish new Christian
customs. This is fact, not his conjecture. His tale goes into the
72 PT’s PrepTalk – November 2009
search for the chalice, which represents the
original scrolls recording Jesus' life. In the
tenth century, Templar knights were
charged with finding the “chalice” and when
they found these scrolls in Jerusalem, they
established a secret group to keep them safe.
His main character is a professor who
unlocks the symbols that lead to the chalice.
When DaVinci's painting was restored back
to its original layer, it was found that the
picture Da Vinci originally painted was not
the picture we've seen for centuries. Instead,
one of the disciples is a woman, and Jesus is
gesturing to her that he is leaving the church
in her care at the protest of Peter. The
woman's hair is long and dark red. According
to research Dan Brown dug up, Mary
Magdalene was not a prostitute but his wife,
because Jesus was born a Jew, and Jews, in
Brown's view, do not believe in a monastic
life– it is abnormal and prevents the procreation of the chosen
people.
According to Brown's story in The Da Vinci Code, after Jesus
died on the cross, Mary Magdalene had his child, a daughter, and
Joseph of Arithamea is supposed to have removed her from
Jerusalem to save her life and the child's. He took her to Spain
where nomadic Jews protected her and her resulting
descendants. This direct line back to Jesus still exists today, and
a secret organization continues to protect them. That's the
premise of the story.
The mystery plot is the search for the original “chalice”, and
people are killed in the battle between the Church (which wants
to destroy the challenging scrolls contained in the chalice –
hiding place) and the secret society, which is working to preserve
the “truth.” That's it in a nutshell. Dan Brown is a master plotter
who doesn't take his foot off the gas pedal. He uses ideas to
create an amazing puzzle the reader races to find the answer,
and yet you can't skip anything to get to the answer or you will
lose the thread. This is a book that defines new frontiers for the
mystery thriller genre: the ultimate risk when embracing
unconventional ideas.