GK IRMA 2009 AGRICULTURE AND FOOD MANAGEMENT IN INDIA The performance of the agricultural sector influences the growth

of the Indian economy. Agriculture (including allied activities) accounted for 17.8 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP-at constant prices) in 2007-08, as compared to 21.7 per cent in 2003-04. Notwithstanding the fact that the share of this sector in GDP has been declining over the years, its role remains critical as it accounts for about 52 per cent of the employment in the country. Apart from being the provider of food and fodder, its importance also stems from the raw materials that it provides to industry. The prosperity of the rural economy is also closely linked to agriculture and allied activities. The rural sector (including agriculture) is being increasingly seen as a potential source of domestic demand; a recognition, that is shaping the marketing strategies of entrepreneurs wishing to widen the demand for goods and services. In terms of composition, out of the total share of 17.8 per cent in GDP in 2007-08 for the agriculture and allied activities sector, agriculture alone accounted for 16.3 per cent of GDP, followed by fishing at 0.8 per cent and forestry and logging at 0.7 per cent of GDP. Area, Production and Yield Growth in the production of agricultural crops depends on acreage and yield. Limitations in the expansion of agricultural land suggest that increase in gross cropped area can come from multiple cropping. In view of this, the main source of long-term output growth is improvement in yield. Compound growth rates of index of area under rice showed a negative growth of (-)

0.1 per cent per annum during 2001-08, compared to the 1990s. Area under rice cultivation has remained more or less stagnant in the recent years while growth in yield has shown an increase. Area under wheat, that was around 25 million hectares in 2002-03, increased to 26.4 million hectares in 2005-06 and further to 28 million hectares in 2007-08. The coverage under irrigation has been about 87 to 89 per cent of area for wheat. The compound growth rates of indices of area, production and yield of wheat during 1991-2000 and 2001-08 show a perceptible decline. Cotton occupies an important place among the cash crops in India. Cotton is grown in nine major States namely, Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Area under cotton increased from 7.60 million hectares in 2003-04 to 9.43 million hectares in 2007-08. The yield of cotton went up from 307 kgs per hectare in 2003-04 to 466 kgs per hectare in 2007-08. The compound growth in index of yield has shown an increase from (-) 0.4 per cent during the 1990s to 15.8 per cent during 2001-08. However, the growth in index of area moderated, but remained positive. The combined effect on index of production was an increase in growth from 2.3 per cent during the 1990s to 17.5 per cent during 2001-08. During 2008-09 the area sown at all-India level under kharif was 2.3 per cent less than the area sown in 2007-08 of 1,039.23 lakh hectares. As on March 27, 2009, area sown under all rabi crops taken together has been reported to be higher at 638.33 lakh hectares, as compared to 619.68 lakh hectares in the corresponding period of 2007-08. Agricultural Inputs Improvement in yield, which is a key to long-

term growth, depends on a host of factors that include technology, use of quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides and micro-nutrients, and, not the least, irrigation. Each of these plays a role in determining the yield level and in turn the augmentation in the level of production. The first decisive step that a farmer takes relates to sowing. The availability of quality seeds (among other factors) makes a critical difference to output growth. In India, more than four-fifths of the farmers rely on farmsaved seeds, leading to a low seed replacement rate. The Indian Seed Programme includes the participation of Central and State governments, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), State agricultural universities and the cooperatives and private players. There are 15 State seed corporations besides two national level corporations, viz. the National Seeds Corporation and the State Farms Corporation of India. Indian seeds programme recognizes three kinds of seed generation, viz. breeder, foundation and certified seeds. Production of breeder and foundation seeds during 2008-09 is anticipated at 1.00 lakh quintals and 9.69 lakh quintals, respectively, and the distribution of certified/quality seeds at about 190.0 lakh quintals. The Ministry of Agriculture is implementing a Central sector scheme, Development and Strengthening of Infrastructure Facilities for Production and Distribution of Quality Seeds, on all-India basis since 2005-06. The scheme is aimed at making available quality seeds of various crops to the farmers at affordable price, and in time, so as to enhance seed replacement rate, boost seed production in private sector and help the public sector seed companies to contribute in enhancing seed production.

A major thrust under the scheme is on improving quality of farm-saved seeds through Seed Village Programme, under which more than 25,000 seed villages have been organized during 2008-09 across the country. Certified/quality seed production has increased from 194.31 lakh quintals during 200607 to 250.35 lakh quintals during 200809. The seed component of the Prime Ministers Relief Package for distressed farmers is being implemented in 31 suicide-affected districts in four States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Under the scheme, certified seeds are supplied at 50 per cent of the seed cost to the farmers in such affected districts. During the year 2008-09, an amount of Rs. 445.81 crore was released under the PMs Relief Package. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights (PPV&FR) Authority was established in November 2005. The Authority has the mandate to implement provisions of the PPV&FR Act, 2001. Fourteen crops, namely, rice, bread wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeon pea, green gram, black gram, lentil, field pea, kidney bean, cotton and jute were notified for the purpose of registration under the Act. The Authority has plans to extend its coverage to forestry, aromatic agriculture and food management and medicinal plants. In response to the changes that have taken place in the seed sector, the existing Seeds Act, 1966 is proposed to be replaced by a suitable legislation to, inter alia, (i) create a facilitative climate for growth of the seed industry so as to enhance seed replacement rates, boost the export of seeds and encourage import of useful germplasm, create a conducive atmosphere for application of frontier sciences in varietal development and for enhanced investment in related R&D.

Irrigation The government of India has taken up irrigation potential creation through public funding and assisting farmers to create potential on their own farms. Substantial irrigation potential has been created through major and medium irrigation schemes. The total irrigation potential in the country has increased from 81.1 million hectares in 1991-92 to 102.08 million hectares up to the end of the Tenth Five Year Plan (2006-07). Of the total potential created, however, only 87.2 million hectares is actually utilized. The Working Group on Water Resources for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) has proposed creation of irrigation potential of 16 million hectares (9 million hectares from MMI sector and 7 million hectares from MI sector) during the Eleventh Five Year Plan period. The Central government has also initiated the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) from 1996-97 for extending assistance for the completion of irrigation schemes remaining incomplete. Under the programme the project approved by the Planning Commission are eligible for assistance. In 2008-09, Rs. 2,791 crore was released to AIBP for major and medium irrigation schemes up to December 2008. Fertilizers Chemical fertilizers have played a significant role in the development of the agricultural sector. The per hectare consumption of fertilizers in nutrient terms stood at 117.07 kg in 2007-08. However, recent trends in agricultural productivity show a decline in marginal productivity of soil in relation to the application of fertilizers and in some cases has also become negative. Some of the evident factors contributing to the decline in marginal productivity are: skewed NPK application ratio in the country, comparatively higher application of straight fertilizers like urea, DAP and MOP as against the complex

fertilizers (NPKs) which are considered to be ergonomically better and more balanced fertilizer products. Lack of application of proper nutrients based on soil analysis has also contributed to slowdown in growth of productivity. The domestic production of urea in the year 2008-09 was 199.22 lakh tonnes, as compared to 187.27 lakh tonnes in 2002-03, whereas that of DAP declined in 2008-09 to 29.33 lakh tonnes, after reaching a peak of 52.36 lakh tonnes in 2002-03, mainly because of shift from DAP production to complex fertilizer production. Availability of raw material/intermediates has also been a major bottleneck towards increase in production. There is no domestic production of MOP and its requirement is met fully by import. The government has taken various policy initiatives for the fertilizer sector. These cover pricing policy for indigenous urea, new investments in urea sector, nutrient-based pricing, production and availability of fortified and coated fertilizers, uniform freight subsidy on all fertilizers under the fertilizer subsidy regime, concession scheme for decontrolled phosphatic and potassic fertilizers, inclusion of Mono Ammonium Phosphate (MAP), Tri Super Phosphate (TSP) and Ammonium Sulphate (AS) in the concession scheme, revised scheme for concession for Single Super Phosphate (SSP) based on inputs cost and a uniform all-India maximum retail price of Rs. 3,400 per tonne for SSP, policy for conversion of FO/LSHS urea units to natural gas. National Food Security Mission The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is being implemented in 312 identified districts of 17 States of the country. The NFSM-Rice is being implemented in 136 districts of 14 States i.e.

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The interventions covered under NFSM-Rice include demonstrations on improved practices; system of rice intensification; promotion of hybrid rice-production and distribution; distribution of HYV seeds; seed mini-kits; micro-nutrients; liming; conoweeders; zero till seed drills; multi-crop planters; seed drills; rotavators, diesel pump sets, power weeders, knap sack sprayers; plant protection chemicals and bio-pesticides; farmers field schools; local initiatives; award for best performing districts; mass media campaign; international exposures for technical knowledge enrichment and project management team. NFSM-Wheat is being implemented in 141 districts of 9 State Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana Under the Scheme of RKVY, the following indicative broad activities have been identified for focused attentionIntegrated Development of Food Crops, including coarse cereals, minor millets and pulses; agriculture mechanization; soil health and productivity; development of rain-fed farming systems; integrated pest management; market infrastructure; horticulture; animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries; Concept to completion projects that have definite timelines; support to institutions that promote agriculture and horticulture, etc.; organic and bio-fertilizers; and innovative schemes. During 2007-08, an outlay of Rs. 1,500 crore was approved of which an amount of Rs. 1,246.89 crore, including Rs. 48 crore at Rs. 10 lakh per district for preparation of District Agriculture Plan (DAP), was released to the States. For the year 2008-09, an outlay of Rs. 2,891.70 crore has been provided at revised estimate (RE) stage and an amount of Rs. 2,886.80

crore has been released to the eligible States as on March 31, 2009. Information Availability Timely availability of reliable information on agricultural output is of great significance for planning and policy making. The existing system of agricultural statistics, in spite of established procedures and wide coverage, has inherent limitations in the matter of providing an objective assessment of crops at the pre-harvesting stages, with the desired spatial details which are essential to identify problem areas and the nature of required interventions in terms of spatial, temporal and qualitative inferences. Capabilities of the existing system of crop forecasts and crop estimation can be enhanced with the introduction of technological advancements and the adoption of emerging methodologies. In turn, an efficient and sound information mechanism can assist considerably in the management of concerns in areas such as food security, price stability, international trade, etc. Remote Sensing (RS), Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Geographic Information System (GIS) can be used towards this end. Schemes/projects like Forecasting Agricultural Output using Space, Agro-meteorology and Land-based Observations (FASAL) and Extended Range Forecasting System (ERFS) have been initiated to establish a more scientific and reliable basis for forecasting. In 1987, the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) sponsored a project called Crop Acreage and Production Estimates (CAPE) with the objective of developing methodologies using the RS techniques for crop area and production forecasting. The project was implemented through the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad and provided a platform for development and standardization of basic procedures, models and software packages for crop area and

production forecasting, using remote sensing and weather data. The concept of FASAL seeks to strengthen the current capabilities of early and in-season crop estimation capabilities from econometric and weatherbased techniques with remote sensing applications. Keeping in view the expertise needed, some of the functions under the scheme have been outsourced. For example, forecasting of area and production of major crops using Remote Sensing technology is being handled by SAC, and forecast of production based on econometric modelling is being done by the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), New Delhi. The activities relating to forecast of production based on crop growth and yield modelling by making use of the agro-met data has been assigned to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). All other functions, including coordination with various groups are being performed by the National Crop Forecasting Centre (NCFC) in the Ministry of Agriculture. Experimental forecasts based on econometric models and forecast based on RS technology for specific crops have commenced. Agriculture Insurance The frequency and severity of droughts, floods and cyclones and rising temperatures, agro-climatic variations and erratic rainfall accentuates uncertainty and risk in the agricultural sector leading to huge losses in agricultural production and the livestock population in India. The National Insurance Scheme (NAIS) for crops has been implemented from rabi 19992000 season. Under the scheme and until rabi 2007-08, an area of 184 million hectares of about 1,155 lakh farmers have been covered and a sum of Rs. 1,21,606 crore insured. Claims to the tune of about Rs. 11,607 crore have been reported against premium income of about Rs. 3,626 crore, benefitting 302 lakh

families. Under the Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) being implemented by the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Ltd. (AIC), 10 States have been covered on pilot basis during the kharif 2008 season. About 1.4 lakh farmers with 1.87 lakh hectares of cropped area were insured for a sum of Rs. 309 crore generating a premium of Rs. 31.5 crore (including subsidy, farmers share of premium is Rs. 11.82 crore). This pilot is being continued in rabi 2008-09. In addition to AIC, private insurers like ICICILOMBARD General Insurance Company and IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Company have also been included for implementation of the scheme in selected areas. National Policy for Farmers, 2007 Major policy provisions of the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, include provisions for asset reforms, water use efficiency, use of technology, inputs and services like soil health: good quality seeds, disease free planting material, support services for women, credit, insurance etc. Provisions have also been made for National Agricultural Biosecurity System, setting up of farm schools in the fields of outstanding farmers to promote farmer to farmer learning and to strengthen extension services and expanding food security basket to include nutritious crops like bajra, jowar, ragi and millets, which are mostly grown in dry land areas. A comprehensive National Social Security Scheme for the farmers for ensuring livelihood security, by taking care of insurance needs on account of illness, old age, is included. Food Management Food management in India has three basic objectives viz. procurement of food-grains from farmers at remunerative prices, distribution of food-grains to the consumers

particularly the vulnerable sections of the society at affordable prices and maintenance of food buffers for food security and price stability. The instruments for food management are the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Central Issue Price (CIP). The focus is on incentivizing farmers by ensuring fair value for their produce through the Minimum Support Price mechanism, distribution of food-grains at subsidized rates to 6.52 crore BPL families, covering all households at the risk of hunger under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), establishing grain banks in chronically food-scarce areas and strengthening the Public Distribution System (PDS). The nodal agency which undertakes procurement, distribution and storage of food-grains is the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Procurement at MSP is openended, while distribution is governed by the scale of allocation and its off-take by the beneficiaries. Challenges and Outlook The agriculture sector faces challenges on various fronts. On the supply side, the yield of most crops has not improved significantly and in some cases fluctuated downwards. The scope for increase in the net sown area is limited and farm size has been shrinking. In the case of certain crops like sugarcane, extreme variability in the acreage and production over the years has been a matter of concern. On the other hand, in the case of pulses, production has just not kept pace with the requirement leading to a rise in prices given that its availability in the international markets is limited. Therefore, there is clearly a need for a renewed focus on improving productivity, and at the same time, to step up the growth of allied activities and non-farm activities that can help improve value addition. The current focus on developing rural infrastructure, particularly rural roads, needs to be maintained as it would go a long way in

providing connectivity that is essential for movement of agricultural produce. The irrigation sector requires a renewed thrust, both in terms of investment as also modern management. There is considerable scope for development of micro-irrigation systems and watersheds and in the use of a participatory approach for achieving the same. There is also a need to narrow the gap between producer prices and consumer prices through proper marketing support. The development of marketing infrastructure and storage and warehousing and cold chains and spot markets that are driven by modern technology will go a long way in addressing this need. As per the Report of the Committee on Financial Inclusion (January 2008), more than 73 per cent of farmer households have no access to formal sources of credit. Innovative institutional mechanisms that provide credit and financial products (including insurance products) specifically designed to meet the needs of the farm sector, keeping their riskbearing ability in view, is the need of the hour. The rural economy needs to be viewed as comprising of a continuum of interrelated economic activities. Farming needs to be dovetailed with viable off-farm and non-farm activities. Farmers need to be facilitated to take up value addition such as processing of agricultural produce, horticulture, pisciculture, poultry, and development of non-farm rural enterprises. On the distribution side, there is need to ensure that benefits accrue to the targeted population. A mission approach for promotion of smart cards and its cross reference with ration cards and voter ID cards would help better targeting, lesser leakages and easier administration.

An area that requires focused attention is the issue of sustainability of agriculture with due emphasis on environmental concerns. Soil erosion, water logging, reduction in groundwater table and the decline in the surface irrigation are the problems faced by agriculture. The consequences of climate change on Indian agriculture also need to be factored in the strategy for the development of this sector. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) What is NREGA? v NREGA is designed as a safety net to reduce migration by rural poor households in the lean period through A hundred days of guaranteed unskilled manual labour provided when demanded at minimum wage on works focused on water conservation, land development & drought proofing. v Notification of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act came in September 2005. It was launched on February 2, 2006. v NREGA is the flagship programme of the UPA Government that directly touches lives of the poor and promotes inclusive growth. v The Act aims at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. v The ongoing programmes of Sampoorn Grameen Rozgar Yojna & National Food for Work Programme were subsumed within this programme in the 200 of the most backward districts of the country, in which it was introduced in phase 1. In phase2 it was introduced in 130 additional districts. The scheme was extended to 274 rural districts from April 1, 2008 in phase3. v NREGA is the first ever law internationally, that guarantees wage employment at an unprecedented scale. Dr. Jean Drze, a Belgian born economist, at the Delhi School of Economics, has been a major influence on this project. What are Objectives of NREGA? Augmenting wage employment. Strengthening natural resource management through works that address causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation and soil erosion and so encourage sustainable development. Strengthening grassroots processes of democracy Infusing transparency and accountability in governance.

Strengthening decentralization and deepening processes of democracy by giving a pivotal role to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in planning, monitoring and implementation. What are the Unique Features of NREGA? Time bound employment guarantee and wage payment within 15 days. Incentivedisincentive structure to the State Governments for providing employment as 90 per cent of the cost for employment provided is borne by the Centre or payment of unemployment allowance at their own cost and emphasis on labour intensive works prohibiting the use of contractors and machinery. The Act mandates 33 percent participation for women. How NREGA is implemented? The following image shows the key processes in the implementation of NREGA. Cost sharing: Central Government 3/4th, State Government 1/4th Adult members of rural households submit their name, age and address with photo to the Gram Panchayat. v The Gram panchayat registers households after making enquiry and issues a job card. The job card contains the details of adult member enrolled and his /her photo. v Registered person can submit an application for work in writing (for at least fourteen days of continuous work) either to panchayat or to Programme Officer. v The panchayat/programme officer will accept the valid application and issue dated receipt of application, letter providing work will be sent to the applicant and also displayed at panchayat office. v The employment will be provided within a radius of 5 km: if it is above 5 km extra wage will be paid. v If employment under the scheme is not provided within fifteen days of receipt of the application daily unemployment allowance will be paid to the applicant. NREGA & Union Budget 200910: v During 200809, NREGA provided employment opportunities for more than 4.47 crore households as against 3.39 crore households covered in 200708. v Govt. is committed to providing a real wage of Rs.100 a day as an entitlement under the NREGA. v To increase the productivity of assets and resources under NREGA, convergence with other schemes relating to agriculture, forests, water resources, land resources and rural roads is being initiated. In the first stage, a total of 115 pilot districts have been selected for such convergence. v Govt of India has proposed an allocation of Rs.39,100 crore

for the year 200910 for NREGA which marks an increase of 144% over 200809 Budget Estimates. How Monitoring & Evaluation is done in NREGA? . The Ministry has set up a comprehensive monitoring system. For effective monitoring of the projects 100% verification of the works at the Block level, 10% at the District level and 2% at the State level inspections need to be ensured. . In order to optimize the multiplier effects of NREGA, the Ministry has set up a Task Force to look at the possibility of convergence of programmes like National Horticulture Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Bharat Nirman, and Watershed Development with NREGA. . These convergence efforts will add value to NREGA, works and aid in creating durable efforts and also enable planned and coordinated public investments in rural areas. Critical Issues of NREGA, how they are addressed? Issues Related to Job Cards: To ensure that rural families likely to seek unskilled manual labour are identified & verify against reasonably reliable local data base so that nondomiciled contractors workers are not used on NREGA works. What is done for this problem? Job card verification is done on the spot against an existing data base and reducing the time lag between application and issue of job cards to eliminate the possibility of rent seeking, and creating greater transparency etc. Besides ensuring that Job Cards are issued prior to employment demand and work allocation rather than being issued on work sites which could subvert the aims of NREGA. Issues related to Applications: To ascertain choices and perceptions of households regarding lean season employment to ensure exercise of the right to employment within the time specified of fifteen days to ensure that works are started where and when there is demand for labour, not demand for works the process of issuing a dated acknowledgement for the application for employment needs to be scrupulously observed. In its absence, the guarantee cannot be exercised in its true spirit. Issues Related to Selection of Works: Selection of works by gram sabha in villages and display after approval of shelf of projects, to ensure public choice, transparency and accountability and prevent material intensive, contractor based works and concocted works records. Issues related to Execution of Works: At least half the works should be run by gram panchayats. Maintenance of

muster roll by executing agency numbered muster rolls which only show job card holders must be found at each workto prevent contractor led works. Issues related to measurement of work done: Regular measurement of work done according to a schedule of rural rate sensitive Supervision of Works by qualified technical personnel on time. Reading out muster rolls on work site during regular measurement to prevent bogus records and payment of wages below prescribed levels. Issues related to Payments: Payment of wages through banks and post offices to close avenues for use of contractors, short payment and corruption. Audit: Provision of adequate quality of work site facilities for women and men labourers Creation and maintenance of durable assets adequate audit and evaluation mechanisms widespread institution of social audit and use of findings. Some Points: Rozgar Jagrookta Puruskar award has been introduced to recognize outstanding Contributions by Civil society Organizations at State, District, Block and Gram Panchayat levels to generate awareness about provisions and entitlements and ensuring compliance with implementing processes. . The government has engaged professional institutions like IIMs, IITs and agricultural universities to assess the implementation of NREGA across the country. Criticism of NREGA: Here are some points raised regarding the implementation and success of NREGA in various news papers and magazines: In last 3 years on average only 50% of the households that registered under the scheme actually got employment. . There is a wide variation of performance across states. In terms of the percentage of registered households provided work, Maharashtra has averaged an abysmal 13% over the three years while Rajasthan at the other end of the spectrum has averaged 73%. . The rural poverty line, which is now in the region of Rs 400 per capita per day, means that an average household that is below the poverty line (BPL) will have an income of something in the range of Rs 24,000 per annum or less, assuming a fivemember household. In other words, if a BPL family were to get the full promised benefit of NREGA they could earn the equivalent of more than 40% of their

annual income from this one scheme alone. That should be enough to see why NREGA should not be seen as just another of the plethora of poverty alleviation schemes that India has had since Independence. . If this scheme is implemented the right way, there will be no need for MP and MLAs funds. Look at the figures: At Rs 2 crore per 543 MP, the allocation comes to Rs 1086 crore (most times this remains underutilized). In his budget, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has increased the NREGA allocation by 144% and it's now Rs 39,100 crore. . The Planning Commission has sought the Reserve Bank of Indias intervention in streamlining the mechanism of paying wages under the NREGA. In a letter to the central bank, the Commission said that the RBI should give directions to banks to ensure that payments to the beneficiaries of the NREGA are made only through banks or postoffices. The Commission has pointed out that disbursing funds under the NREGA, which has an annual allocation of Rs30,000 crore, needs to be strengthened to ensure that no leakages happen as the canvas of the programme is bound to expand in the near future. . Despite the political and economic importance NREGA has generated, there is lack of studies on the working of public employment programmes. 1. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was elected as (a) 13th President of India (b) 12th President of India (c) 11th President of India (d) 10th President of India. 2. Who among the following administers the oath of the office to Chief Justice of Supreme Court (a) Constitutional Bench of Supreme Court (b) Preceding Chief Justice of Supreme Court (c) President of India (d) President with two sitting judges of Supreme Court. 3. The first-ever conviction of death sentence under section 3, sub-section (2) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) and under section 302 of IPC were awarded for offence of (a) attack on Parliament of India (b) terrorists attack in State of Gujarat (c) terrorists attack in State of Assam (d) terrorists attack on Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. 4. East Timor gains independence in 2002 from (a) Indonesia

(b) Brazil (c) Nyzeria (d) Malaysia. 5. World Earth Summit was held in September 2002 at (a) Johannesburg (b) London (c) New York (d) Hague. 6. The second most popular song of the world as voted in a poll by BBC world service is: (a) Vande Mataram (b) Irish Republican anthem (c) John Lenvovis Imagine (d) Queens Bohemian Rhapsody. 7. Dhirubhai Ambani was the founder of: (a) Reliance Industries (b) Tata Industries (c) Birla Group of Industries (d) Mafatlal Group of Industries. 8. Mr. Narendra Modi led BJP secured 126 seats in (a) 182 member Assembly in Gujarat (b) 172 member Assembly in Gujarat (c) 192 member Assembly in Gujarat (d) 162 member Assembly in Gujarat. 9. NDC in relation to 10th Five Year plan 2002-2007 abbreviates for (a) National Defence Council (b) National Development Council (c) National Drugs Commission (d) National Dis-investment Commission. 10. Lt. Gen. N.C. Vij took over as (a) Chief of Navy (b) Chief of Air Force (c) Chief of Army (d) Chief of both Army and Navy. 11. European Union Emerges as the Largest Market of the World on 13th December 2002 because: (a) ten new countries joined (b) twenty new countries joined (c) fifteen new countries joined (d) twelve new countries joined. 12. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) which proved the Stock Market Scam was headed by Mr. Prakash Mani Tripathi. The report was (a) constituted in April 2001 presented in December 2002

(b) constituted in April 2002 presented in December 2002 (c) constituted in August 2002 presented in December 2002 (d) constituted in October 2002 presented in December 2002. 13. First human clone was born on (a) 26th December 2002 (b) 27th November 2002 (c) 22nd November 2002 (d) 21st December 2002. 14. The present Solicitor General of India (a) Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee (b) Mr. Kirit N. Raval (c) Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi (d) Mr. G.B. Pattnaik. 15. Justice V.N. Khare who became the 33rd Chief Justice of Supreme Court succeeded (a) Justice G.B. Pattnaik (b) Justice B.N. Kirpal (c) Justice S.P. Barucha (d) Justice J.S. Verma. Answers 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (a) 4 (a) 5 (a) 6 (a) 7 (a) 8 (a) 9 (b) 10 (c) 11 (a) 12 (a) 13 (a) 14 (b) 15( a) GK Questions - IRMA 1. What is project Swashakti? Ans: Swashakti is a project for rural womens development and empowerment. 2. What is the meaning of the Blue Box term related with WTO? Ans: In WTO terminology, subsidies in general are identified by boxes. Any support that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box 3. Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was associated with Ans: Total Revolution

4. What is project Gyandoot? Ans: The goal of this project is to establish community-owned, technologically innovative and sustainable information kiosks in a poverty-stricken, tribal dominated rural area. 5. What do you understand Bhoomi? Ans: This was the name of the project meant for the computerization of land records of Karnataka. 6. What is the aim of the Public Distribution System (PDS)? Ans: Ensuring availability of food grains to the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the poor. 7. Co-operative movement in which sector of the Indian Economy has been highly successful? Ans: Milk production 8. Inflationary Pressure on the Economy means Ans: It means inflation is high in the economy. 9. What will be the effect of introduction of Kullahars, Khadi and Sampark Kranti Express etc. on the rural economy? Ans: It will promote the rural domestic industries thereby increasing the employment generation in the rural sector and hence leading to the growth of the Indian economy in general. 10. What is the contribution of the agriculture sector in the GDP of the Indian Economy? Ans: 10: 21% 11. What is rain fed farming? Ans: Rainfed farming, is defined as growing crops under conditions of natural rainfall. 12. Inflation is measured in terms of Ans: Wholesale Price Index (WPI) 13. What are the uses of the interlinking of the rivers? Ans: 13: It addressed the twin problems of monsoon floods and water scarcity. 14. What is National Bamboo Mission? Ans: The National Mission has been structured to address critical areas of bamboo development covering - research, development, post-harvest management, product development and marketing by adopting a mission mode approach. 15. What is the chemical used for the cloud seeding? Ans: Silver Iodide 16. What is the name of the first Genetically Modified crop that was given permission to be grown in India? Ans: Bt Cotton

17. The National Commission of Women was constituted in Ans: 1992 18. What is micro finance? Ans: Small loans that help poor people to start or expand their small businesses. 19. What is NPA? Ans: NPA is defined as Non Performing Assets 20. What is the purpose of launching the Indira Awas Yojana? Ans: The project was started to help construction of dwelling units for members of Scheduled Castes and also Non-Scheduled Castes rural poor living below the poverty line. Test your GK - 2 1. PIN code started in India in the year. a. 1962 b. 1964 c. 1968 d. 1972 2. You would associate the establishment of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with. a. Subramaniam Bharti b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya c. Jawaharlal Nehru d. Gobind Vallabh Pant 3. Who presides the Lok Sabha? a. Prime Minister b. President c. Vice President d. Speaker 4. Who discovered Aspirin? a. Alexander Fleming b. Felix Hoffmann c. Robert Koch d. Joseph Lister 5. Which of the following is NOT one of the sacred texts of Buddhism called Tripitakas? a. Suttapitaka b. Vinayapitaka c. Dharmapitaka d. Gyanapitaka 6. Which of the following Indian states has the lowest sex ratio {number of females per thousand males}? a. West Bengal b. Haryana

c. Punjab d. Uttar Pradesh 7. Which of the following is the oldest printed book of the world? a. The Gutenberg Bible b. Hiraka Sutra c. Les Hommes de bonne Volante d. Old King Cole 8. This personality was the first Indian to receive the Magsaysay Award in the year 1958. Can you name him from the given options? a. CD Deshmukh b. Mother Teresa c. Acharya Binoba Bhave d. Jaya Prakash Narayan 9. Who is known as the father of Geometry? a. Pythagoras b. Euclid c. Euler d. None of these 10. Rovers cup is associated with a. Hockey b. Football c. Cricket d. Golf 11. This Indian state is the least densely populated state. Name it from the given options. a. Sikkim b. Arunachal Pradesh c. Assam d. Manipur 12. What is the approximate age of the earth? a. 3.8 billion years b. 4.2 billion years c. 4.6 billion years d. 4.8 billion years 13. Which Indian state was the first one to implement the Panchayati Raj in the whole state? a. Uttar Pradesh b. Bihar c. Rajasthan d. Gujarat 14. This personality is NOT the winner of Nobel Prize. a. Kofi Annanb b. Mother Teresac

c. VS Naipaul d. Richard Nixon 15. The largest state of India (in terms of area) is a. Uttar Pradesh b. Rajasthan c. Madhya Pradesh d. Maharashtra 16. The line of equator does no pass through a. Kenya b. Somalia c. Uganda d. Egypt 17. National Institute of Oceanography is based in a. Mumbai b. Chennai c. Panaji d. Kochi 18. Poverty and Un-British Rule in India is a famous work of a. Dada Bhai Naoroji b. Mahatma Gandhi c. AO Hume d. BG Tilak 19. The first ancient Olympic games took place in the year a. 476 BC b. 576 BC c. 676 BC d. 776 BC 20. When one crosses the International Date Line from west to east, then the date is said to be set back by a. one hour b. twelve hours c. one day d. None of these 21. Equinoxes occur when a. the days are longer than the nights b. the nights are longer than the days c. the nights and days are equal in length d. the difference between the length of nights and days is the highest 22. Which of the following is NOT a permanent member of United Nations Security Council? a. Russia b. China

c. France d. Germany 23. You would associate the theory of Laissez Faire with a. JK Galbraith b. JM Keynes c. Adam Smith d. David Ricardo 24. Wealth of Nations is authored by. a. Adam Smith b. JK Galbraith c. JM Keynes d. None of these 25. This personality is considered, as the political guru of Mahatma Gandhi. Can you identify him from the given options? a. Bal Gangadhar Tilak b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale c. Dadabhai Naoroji d. Mahadev Gobind Ranande ANSWERS: 1. d. 1972 2. b. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya 3. d. Speaker 4. b. Felix Hoffman 5. d. Gyanapitaka 6. b. Haryana 7. b. Hiraka Sutra 8. c. Acharya Binoba Bhave 9. b. Euclid 10. b. Football 11. b. Arunachal Pradesh 12. c. 4.6 billion years 13. c. Rajasthan 14. d. Richard Nixon 15. b. Rajasthan 16. d. Egypt 17. c. Panaji 18. a. Dada Bhai Naoroji 19. d. 776 BC 20. c. one day 21. c. the nights and days are equal in length 22. d. Germany 23. c. Adam Smith 24. a. Adam Smith 25. b. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

GO RURAL: THE NEW MANTRA As per the latest estimates of the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the growth rate of the Indian economy during 2008-09 is expected to be around 7.1 per cent, as against the earlier expectations of 8 per cent. Not only this, it has now been estimated that Indias growth rate during the financial year ending March 2010 would moderate further to 5.5 per cent, which would be lowest during the past several years.

As direct fallout of the ongoing global recession, rapidly increasing unemployment rate has been a major cause of concern. In USA, the unemployment rate has gone up to 8.7 per cent and the same in Japan has also been the highest in the recent times. China has reported 20 million job losses. In India this figure is officially estimated to be about 5 lakh during the quarter ending December 2008. Loss of jobs in the unorganized sector due to reduced economic activity is going to be much higher and beyond estimation.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) maintains that the employment rate in India and other South Asian nations may by lower than the world average, due to their lesser exposure to the Ameri-can economy and the financial markets. Further, relatively larger rural base in India is a positive and strong factor in combating the ill effects of global recession. It is perhaps for the first time after the onset of the process of reforms that the Indian government has realized the importance of the rural economy to tide over the difficult econo-mic situation.

Rural Orientation Indian economy is peculiar to the extent that it has a lot more rural orientation than most economies of the world. Majority of the countries in the world are dependent on their industrial centres and rapidly growing cities for maintaining their growth rate. In India, though industries and the services sectors are centred around the industrial and urban areas, yet over 60 per cent of the work force is directly or indirectly dependent on the primary sector. This sector contributes about one fourth of the total GDP and offers tremendous potential for growth in the near future. Being a low income segment, this also does not get influenced easily by extraordinary econo-mic situations.

As per the views of the Rural Marketing Association of India, there has been no impact of economic slowdown on the rural economy of India. A nation-wide study carried out in the rural markets of the country found out that the rural markets in the country actually offer an opportunity to the marketers to come out of current economic crisis.

Main reasons for such immunity are stated to be higher percentage of total expenditure on food items and the fact that majority of the population is involved in self-employment occupations, having no fear of loss of jobs. The telecom sector has witnessed a rapid growth in the villages and small towns. The total telecom subscriber base for India grew from 70.83 million in the first quarter of 2008 to 90.98 million in the second quarter. Out of this growth 71 per cent rise in this sector came from the rural India, while the urban areas accounted for the remaining 29 per cent growth.

The study also brings out that more than 72 million Kisan Credit Cards are in use in the rural areas of the country, which number almost matches the number of Credit Cards under use in the urban areas. During 2008, larger part of growth of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) came from rural and sub-urban markets.

Majority of the people in the rural areas do not invest in stock markets and park their savings in low risk portfolios like post office/bank savings or fixed deposits. The government of India was quick to realize this and immediately after the recession began to show its impact began to direct its economic policies towards the rural sector. Fortunately for the country, at the critical juncture when the great recession knocked at the doors of Indian economy, several government sponsored programmes involving huge public expenditure in the rural areas were already being implemented.

The Interim Budget for the year 2009-10, presented by Mr Pranab Mukherjee on February 16, 2009, also had its focus on the rural eco-nomy. Under the NREGS during the year 2008-09, about 3.51 crore rural households were benefited, generating 138.76 crore mandays. For the year 2009-10, a massive allocation of Rs 30,100 crore has been made for the said scheme. In other words, this huge sum would be distributed as wages to the rural households during the said year.

Another gigantic rural development programme is Bharat Nirman, which aims at huge public expenditure in the rural infrastructure. It has six components, including rural roads, rural telecommunication, irrigation, drinking water supply, rural housing and rural electrification. As per the Finance Minister, the allocation to this programme was increased by 261 per cent during the period between 2005-09. A provision of Rs 40,900 crore has been kept in the interim budget, 2009 for this programme.

In addition to stiff doses of funds proposed through the above two flagship programmes, the Finance Minister also made significant allocations to various other programmes and schemes having rural focus. A sum of Rs 13,100 crore has been allocated for Sarv Siksha Abhiyan, most of which is to be spent in the rural areas.

Mid-day meal programme, which is also termed as the largest school feeding programme of the world, has been allocated a sum of Rs 8,000 crore. To further supplement the efforts of nutrition to the rural students, another provision of Rs 6,705 crore has been made under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), under which the pre-school children and the lactating mothers are provided nutrition and healthcare under Anganwaris.

Another important scheme with rural focus is Rajiv Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Mission, which aims at providing drinking water supply to the villages not covered by tap water supply. A sum of Rs 7,400 crore has been provided for this scheme for the financial year 2009-10. Rural sanitation is also an ongoing programme for which Rs 1,200 crore provision has been kept. NRHM, which is a healthcare programme for the rural areas, has been provided with a hefty provision of Rs 12,070 crore.

It is apparent from the above that the direction of the Interim Budget 2009-10 has been towards the rural areas.

Whether it is the growth of FMCG or consumer durables, or the telecommunication growth, rural areas of the country hold the key for future development. Enormous amounts of funds being pumped into the rural economy by the government would greatly supplement the natural growth of these areas. The trickle down effect, though delayed, has begun to actually show. If the trend continues, the so-called digital divide may start experiencing imminent and rapid bridging.

Rural markets in the country have arrived in a big way. The hereto ignored rural areas have now revealed their true potential. The policy makers have realized that as soon as the cities and the industrial centres start becoming saturated with growth potential, it is the rural market of the country which holds the key for future. Even at the pre-sent times of crisis, it is the rural economy and its hidden capabilities that may ultimately bail the eco-nomy out. It is for sure that the rural emphasis in the Indias economic policy is going to stay for quite some time in future.

The rural areas had remained, by and large, neglected after independence. But now, with improved focus on rural wage employment, rural infrastructure, rural healthcare, telecommunications, irrigation, rural housing, drinking water supply, nutrition and rural electrification in a big way by the government, the purchasing power of the people in these areas is on the rise and, if the current trends continue, the day is not far when the history of rapid growth of the economy for the next two decades would be scripted by the smart growth of rural economy in the country.

Key issues

This years GK section of the IRMA paper had the heading Issues of Social Concern. Questions were mainly asked from Indian agriculture, Indian economy, various schemes of social development etc. This section was quite difficult to solve with many of the questions being based on comprehensive understanding of the economic and social development. Some of the questions that came in GK (based on memory) were as follows: 1. Which of the following countries is NOT a member of BRIC? 2. What is the misconception due to which farmers use more of chemical fertilizers in their fields? 3. Nari Adalats are run by which of the following states in India? 4. The name of the scheme that deals with woman empowerment (Swa Shakti) 5. The topmost milk producing country of the world? (India) 6. What is the social indicator of a prosperous village? 7. The name of the scheme that dealt with the development of children (ICDS) 8. 5 schemes were given and the health schemes out of the abbreviated options had to be identified. 9. The full form of SEZ was asked. ( Special Economic Zone) 10. Focus Africa is the part of which policy of India? 11. Mohammed Yunus is associated with which bank? (Grameen Bank) 12. The outcomes of Pratham Study. 13. The total area as per GOI that falls under the Special Economic Zones. 14. Pragati Farmers is the name of the club that operates in which state of India? 15. The two most populous countries of the world? (India and China) 16. The duration of the present National Population Policy (2000 to 2010) 17. Which type of connectivity is involved in PURA scheme? (Social, Physical, Electronic)? 18. Agriculture subsidies are given on what commodities? 19. What is Quality Employment?

REFORMS IN GOVERNANCE AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION Governance is the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a countrys affairs at all levels. It consists of the whole set of processes, mechanisms and institutions through which the citizens express their interests, exercise their rights, meet their obligations and sink their differences. No amount of developmental effort can bring in improvements in the quality of life of the citizens without improving the governance standards. Conversely, if the power of the State is misused the poorer sections of the society are most likely to suffer. Poor governance, thus, perpetuates poverty and severely hinders the efforts to reduce it. It is understood all over the world that strengthening of governance is an essential precondition to improve the lives of the poor.

Initial years after independence were marked by the euphoria of emancipation from the foreign rulers. The entire politico-economic system was in the process of witnessing a host of changes, based on the experience gained. Various new statutes were brought in and the Constitution was also amended several times as per the changing and felt needs of the society, notwithstanding the political angles and desired populism by the ruling political parties.

Successive governments also strived to ensure upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden. While several schemes and programmes were framed for the betterment of the socially and educationally weaker sections, the women and the children, the government also introduced several schemes aimed at alleviation of poverty, as it was clearly understood that the country may not be able to achieve the goal of rapid develop- ment unless the poorer sections of the society also experienced increase in their incomes and became part of the mainstream bandwagon of economic development.

It has been experienced by the country over the past six decades that despite billions of rupees pumped in the rural sector since independence, through various schemes and programmes, the desired outcomes have not been achieved. The number of people below poverty line has declined but at a very slow pace and the results have not been commensurate with the quantum of funds invested by the government. Even from social point of view, it has been proved through many studies that there have been significant leakages in the expenditure made for the welfare of the weaker sections of society.

All this is strong pointer to the fact that the governance in the country needs improvement to achieve an improved delivery system. Over the last few decades, successive Five-Year Plans have tried to introduce certain reforms through their broad-based objectives. Democratic decentralisation achieved through the strengthened Panchayati Raj System and the resultant social empowerment has been one major initiative in this direction.

The focus of other initiatives has been on transparency, peoples participation, civil service reforms, rationalisation of government schemes, improving access to formal justice, improvements in land administration and introduction of information technology as a key to good governance. Enactment of the Right to Information Act has been a major breakthrough in bringing transparency in the government functioning and empowerment of the citizens of the country. Several economic reforms have also been taken up in the recent years.

Though the policy makers may be taking a lot of credit for all these actions, yet the above governance initiatives are not sufficient and a lot more remains to be done. Maintenance of law and order of the desired level remains a pipe dream in many

States. The general perception is that the law and order machinery is generally inefficient, tardy and unresponsive. Corruption is rampant, undermining economic growth, distorting competition, and disproportionately hurting the poor and marginalised citizens. Crimina-lisation of politics continues unchecked, with money and muscle power playing a major role in elections. In general, there is high degree of volatility in the society on account of unfulfilled expectations and poor service delivery.

Future Goals Any attempt towards reforms in governance in the future must focus on two things the fulfilment of human potential and rapid economic growth. The broad objective of realising human potential includes the prevention of human sufferings, ensuring human dignity, providing access to justice and making available equal opportunity to all so that every citizen becomes a fulfilled and productive human being. Rapid economic growth, on the other hand, would result in realising the countrys real potential and provide India with an opportunity to play rightful role in the world to protect the interests of the people of the country, while ensuring that the people living below poverty line also get their due share in the growing prosperity of the country.

The role of the State in basic services needs to be clearly defined and emphasized. Ensuring access to speedy and efficient justice, protecting rights of the citizens, enforcing rule of law and maintaining public order are all inseparable and form the basic foundation of a civilised society, as well as that of the democracy. The deficiencies in this vital area need to be plugged through judicial and police reforms, better participation of citizens in governance.

Based on the past experience and best practices, we need to redesign our delivery mechanisms in the education sector in an innovative manner and deploy the nations finest talent to man these sectors. Inadequate and poor quality of school education is the bane of Indian society today. Except in case of some better institutions of higher and technical/professional education, higher education too is not very successful in promoting excellence and producing quality service providers, dynamic leaders, result-oriented managers and long-term wealth creators.

Urban management involves much more than resource allocation for infrastructure and poses formidable challenges of governance, considering high rate of urbanisation and future projections for the same in the country. Management of power distribution through active involvement of people in a consumer-friendly way is more of a governance issue than a tariff problem.

Social security is a relatively new and emerging area of State activity to which the administrative system must respond with sensitivity. This would directly improve the

lives of the poor. The recent enforcement of the employment guarantee law in the entire country and the efforts in the pipeline to provide a measure of social security to the unorganised sector workers can address the special challenges posed in social security, particularly for the economically weaker sections. But a lot more is required to be done.

In any system, the quality of public servants is critical in determining the outcomes of governance inputs. We have well-established procedures for initial recruitment of civil servants in India. But there is a growing concern that our administration in general has become unresponsive, rigid and inward-looking. While the bureaucracy responds to crisis situations with efficacy, complacency results in failure to deal with normal situations, which is evident in most cases. The complex challenges of modern administration in critical sectors like police administration, justice delivery, education, healthcare, transportation, land management, infrastructure, skill promotion, employment generation and urban management need special attention. These areas impact the lives of all sections of the society, particularly the lives of the poorer sections.

There are no two views that the governance has been a weak link in our quest for rapid development with equity. The country has an impressive governance structure and several important successes to credit. But we need to consolidate the gains already made and venture into the virgin but vital areas of reforms in governance.

Current affairs ABBREVIATIONS IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards. AERA: Airport Economic Regulatory Authority AWARDS Magsaysay Awards, 2009 The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) has selected six individuals from Burma, China, India, the Philippines, and Thailand to receive Asias premier prize. The Awardees are: Krisana Kraisintu, from Thailand. She is being recognized for her placing pharmaceutical rigor at the service of patients, through her untiring and fearless dedication to producing much-needed generic drugs in Thailand and elsewhere in the developing world. Deep Joshi, from India. He is being recognized for his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India, by

effectively combining head and heart in the transformative development of rural communities. Yu Xiaogang, from China. He is being recognized for his fusing the knowledge and tools of social science with a deep sense of social justice, in assisting dam-affected communities in China to shape the development projects that impact their natural environment and their lives. Antonio Oposa, Jr., from the Philippines. He is being recognized for his path-breaking and passionate crusade to engage Filipinos in acts of enlightened citizenship that maximize the power of law to protect and nurture the environment for themselves, their children, and generations still to come. Ma Jun, from China. He is being recognized for his harnessing the technology and power of information to address China's water crisis, and mobilizing pragmatic, multi-sectoral, and collaborative efforts to ensure sustainable benefits for China's environment and society. Ka Hsaw Wa, from Burma. He is being recognized for his dauntlessly pursuing non violent yet effective channels of redress, exposure, and education for the defence of human rights, the environment, and democracy in Burma. The RMAF confers the award annually for those in Asia, who have achieved excellence in six categories, viz government service; public service; community leadership; journalism, literature and creative communication, arts; peace and international understanding; and emergent leadership. Actually, there were only the first five categories in the beginning and only from 2000 the category of emergent leadership was added using a grant received from the Ford Foundation. Ashok Chakra, 2009 Major Mohit Sharma, who laid down his life fighting militants infiltrating from Pakistan into J&K in March 2009, has been awarded with Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award of the country, along with Major D. Sreeram Kumar. Major Sharma of Ghaziabad belonged to the Elite 1 Para special forces of the Army. He was deputed to Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir. He along with four others was killed while fighting terrorists in the Hafruda forest of Kupwara district. This was one of the biggest attempts to infiltrate by militants even before the snow in the high mountain passes had melted. The militants were heavily armed and it led to a fierce gun-battle. Four terrorists were killed, two of them by Major Sharma despite being fatally injured.

Major D. Sreeram Kumar of Artillery regiment is presently serving in Assam Rifles. He was awarded in recognition of his service in the Operation Hifazat in Manipur. He eliminated 12 and apprehended 23 terrorists and recovered 12 weapons. He has also created a vibrant intelligence network. Kirti Chakra, 2009 Major Amit Oscar Fernandes of Maratha Light Infantry, Major Deepak Tewari of Electronic and Mechanical Engineers, Naik Rishikesh Gurjar of Rajput Regiment have been awarded Kirti Chakra for exceptional gallantry shown during anti-insurgency operations in J&K, along with paratrooper Shabir Ahmad Malik of 1 Para Regiment, who laid down his life in gunbattle in Kupwara. Jnanpith Award, 42nd Eminent Sanskrit poet Satya Vrat Shastri has been presented the prestigious 42nd Jnanpith Award. The award was conferred to him by the Princess of Thailand, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, for his outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Indian literature. He is the first Sanskrit poet to be conferred the award since its inception. The award recognises Dr. Shastri for introducing a number of new genres in Sanskrit writing such as autobiography, diary and collections of letters in verse. His magnum opus, The Ramayana: A Linguistic Study, is the first ever linguistic appraisal of the Valmiki Ramayana and also of any existing Sanskrit work. Stockholm Water Prize, 2009 Indian sanitation expert Bindeshwar Pathak has been awarded the Prize, the most prestigious award for outstanding achievement in water-related activities. The founder of Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India, Pathak is known around the world for his wide-ranging work in the sanitation field. He has worked to improve public health, has advanced social progress, and has improved human rights in his home nation and other countries. The Stockholm Water Prize, which was first presented in 1991, includes a $150,000 award and a crystal sculpture. It honours individuals, institutions or organisations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and improves the health of the planet's inhabitants and ecosystems. The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence Business Leader of the Year: Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and MD, Mahindra Group of Companies. Businesswoman of the Year: Vinita Bali, MD, Britannia Industries.

Entrepreneur of the Year: G.V.K. Reddy, Chariman, GVK Group. Emerging Company of the Year: Idea Cellular. Global Indian of the Year: Ram Charan, Management Guru and Thinker. Corporate Citizen of the Year: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Company of the Year: Hero Honda. Business Reformer of the Year: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Policy Change Agent of the Year: Jean Dreze, Instrumental in conceptualising NREGS. Lifetime Achievement Award: Keshub Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra. BOOKS JinnahIndia, Partition, Independence Written by former Union Minister Jaswant Singh, the book looks into the history of Indias partition and mentions that Jinnah was a great man but he had been demonised in India. And that Nehru and Sardar Patel were equally responsible for Indias partition. Mr Jaswant Singh was expelled from BJP for showering praises on Jinnah in his book. CYBER SPACE Addicted to networking? Beware of Koobface If you have been getting tempting messages with video links in your accounts in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Bebo, Friendster and Hi5, beware. Any attempt to download the promised video will make you another victim of Koobface, a worm that could steal critical and personal information from your computer. The India Computer Emergency Response Team has warned that Koobface, a play on the name of social networking site Facebook, comes with an enticing tagline and spreads by spamming the contacts of the victim on networking sites. With more than 3 million members of Facebook in India alone, Koobfaces potential for wreaking havoc on the countrys computer systems is immensea fact that has prompted the government to issue the warning alert. Typically, Koobface victims get a message from one of their contacts inviting them to click on a video link. The link leads you to a site mimicking the video-sharing site, Youtube. Once there, you are asked whether you want to download a software needed to watch the video. If you click yes, the worm gets activated. It not only disrupts your internet

experience by sending your searches on engines like Google elsewhere and returning garbled replies, it also steals data that may have been left in your computers memory. If you have already been Koobfaced the only way to protect your machine is to delete all files and registry keys that have been added by the worm. DEFENCE BhishmaFirst Indian built T-90 tank The first batch of Indias indigenously built state-of-the-art T-90 main battle tanks, named Bhishma, with features like protection from nuclear attack, were handed over to the army on August 24, 2009 at a function in Avadi, Tamil Nadu. The tanks are being manufactured at the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF). HVF plans to produce 100 tanks per year. Indian army has already around 700 of these frontline tanks in service and contract has been signed for purchase of another 400 off the shelf. The tanks have features like capability to fire guided missile, in addition to the conventional ammunition, using the same main gun barrel and guided weapon system and ballistic computer facilities to ensure accurate firing of both conventional ammunition and guided missiles. It is equipped with 125 mm smooth bore gun, 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun and 7.62 mm co-axial Machine gun supported with high accuracy sighting systems, and automatic loader for higher firing rate. The induction of the tanks is an important milestone for the Indian army and a step towards attaining self-sufficiency in its preparedness. EXPEDITION Lady Army officers scale Siachen peak A team comprising only lady officers of the Indian Army scaled the Siachen glacier on August 15, 2009, making it the first ladies team to have reached the highest battlefield in the world. Located in north-eastern J&K, Saichen glacier is totally snow- bound throughout the year and is one of the treacherous stretches of land with deep crevices and steep walls of ice. The lady officers, led by Major Meghna Aktadikar, are from the corps of engineers. The expedition comprised the following officers: Major Neha Bhatnagar, Major Pradiya Kulkarni, Major Meghna R, Capt Shalini Datta, Capt Pushpa Kumari, Capt RP Parashar, Lt Namrata Rathore, Lt Girija Mohalkar, Lt Vijay Laxmi Thakur, Lt Garima Pal and Lt Neelam Rathore. PERSONS Joshi, Deep

Sixty- three-year-old social activist Deep Joshi has been decorated with the 2009 Ramon Magsaysay Award, known as Asias Nobel Prize. He has been recognised for his vision and leadership in bringing professionalism in the NGO movement in India. He has been working to transform the lives of over a lakh families covering as many as 3,000 villages, many of them in Naxalite-affected areas. His activities aree spread over the Naxalite-affected belt of Jharkhand, Bankura and Purulia regions of West Bengal and the Maoistdominated Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Joshi founded in 1983 the Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), an NGO, along with one Vijay Mahajan. The NGO recruited university-educated youth from campuses across the country and groomed them for grass-root work through a rigorous year-long apprenticeship which combined formal training and guided practice in the field. Living and working directly with Indias poorest communities, PRADAN staff empowered village groups with technical, project implementation, and networking skills that increased both their income-generating capabilities and their actual family earnings. A Masters in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Masters in Management from the Sloan School, MIT, Joshi worked with the Systems Research Institute, the Ford Foundation and has nearly 30 years of experience in the field of rural development and livelihood promotion. He also advises the government on poverty alleviation strategies. Hatoyama, Yukio He has been elected as the Prime Minister of Japan. He is a fourthgeneration politician and grandson of a former Prime Minister and belongs to a rich family that founded tyre giant Bridgestone. He has a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University in the US and is married to a former musical actress who has also published several cook books. He was elected to the lower house for the first time in 1986 on a LDP ticket. In 1993 he walked away from LDP and floated New Party Sakigake, which ousted LDP in elections later that year. The pro-reform coalition, however, fell after eight months over a funding scandal. In 1996-99, he helped found the Democratic Party of Japan and became its leader. In 200 he stepped down as DPJ leader over criticism of his plan for a merger with some opposition groups. In 2009 he again tookover the helm of DPJ and led it to victory.

Mr Hatoyama wants to improve peoples lives through increased welfare spending. He is known less for economic policies than for his stance on security and diplomacy. He has advocated revising the pacifist constitution to acknowledge Japans right to defend itself and maintain a military for that purpose. PLACES Berlin The World Athletics championship, 2009 was held in Berlin, Germany. Mangala Oil fields The Mangala oil fields of Cairn India in Barmer, Rajasthan were inaugurated by Prime minister Manmohan Singh on August 29, 2009. The fields will help India curtail its oil import bill, which is to the tune of $20 billion, to a large extent. Mangalas peak production of 1.25 lakh barrels per day (bpd) will be reached in the first half of 2010. Along with two other fieldsBhagyam and Aishwaryathe aggregate peak production of Cairn India will be 1.75 lakh bpd, which is 20 per cent of Indias domestic production. The three fields are expected to save the country $1.5 billion annually as import bill over the next 10 years. It would also earn the government $30 billion through taxes, royalties and profit petroleum. PROJECTS India to set-up third base at Antarctica Twenty-five years after it established Dakshin Gangotri, the first permanent research station in the South Polar Region, India is all set to build the third such centre in Antarctica to take up cutting-edge research in various fields. The new station, tentatively named Bharti, is scheduled to be operational by 2012, making India a member of an elite group of nine nations that have multiple stations in the region. Argentina, Australia, Chile, China, France, Russia, the UK and US have multiple stations in Antarctica. Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1984, was buried in ice and had to be abandoned in 1990, a year after India set up Maitri, the second station. The National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, will set up the new station on Larsmann Hill, 3,000 km from Schirmacher Oasis, where Maitri stands. While Maitri was more than 100 km from the Antarctic Sea, Bharti will be on a promontory by the sea. Bharti, like Maitri, will also conduct research on seismic activity, climate change and medicine. The station will be a compact structure of 30x50 metres, accommodating 25 scientists. While living in Antarctica, where temperatures range from -89 degrees Celsius in winter to -25 degrees Celsius in summer, can be tough, constructing a permanent structure is a huge challenge.

Experiments in extreme cold climates, as in the polar region, have contributed immensely to scientific developments. India was admitted to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), an international body that coordinates scientific activities in the region, on October 1, 1984. India holds the vice-chairmans post in the panel. Bhuvan: Indian version of Google Earth On August 12, 2009, ISRO took a leap into satellite imagery of geographical regions with the launch of Bhuvan, a mapping application website like Google Earth. The day marked the 90th birth anniversary of the father of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai. Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), a part of ISRO, had a lead role in designing and developing Bhuvan. NRSA scientists developed the content using data provided by Indian satellites like Resourcesat-1. Bhuvan, which in Sanskrit means the earth, also focus on rural and thematic applications like wasteland mapping and terrain profile. It contains weather details like humidity levels. The new portal shows data which has been approved by the government of India. Viewers can zoom into Bhuvan maps up to 10 metres compared to Google Earths 200 metres and Wikemapias 50 metres. The website can be accessed on www.bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in. SPACE RESEARCH Cabinet nod to GSAT-10 satellite The government today gave its clearance for the development of a communications satellite that would have a GPS-based navigation system. The approval came at the meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The design and development of GSAT-10 spacecraft would cost Rs 735 crore with a foreign exchange component of Rs 634 crore, the government said. The 3.3-tonne satellite, one of the heavier spacecrafts to be developed by space agency ISRO, will replace INSAT 2E and INSAT 3B, an official release said. The GSAT-10 satellite will have 12 high power Ku-band transponders, 12 C-band and 12 extended C-band India coverage transponders that would create additional capacity for direct-to-home like operations. Design of next phase of moon mission finalised India has completed the design of Chandrayaan-2, its next mission to the moonthis time in collaboration with Russiathat would have a Lander and Rover which can collect samples of the lunar soil and analyse them and send back the data.

The Chandrayaan-2 mission would have an orbital flight vehicle, constituting an Orbital Craft (OC) and a Lunar Craft (LC), which would carry a soft landing system up to Lunar Transfer Trajectory (LTT). The target location for the Lander-rover would be identified using data from instruments of Chandrayaan-1.While ISRO will be developing the orbiter, it will be Russia's job to make the Lander and Rover. Additional scientific payloads would be acquired from international scientific community. ISRO-NAS jointly look for water on moon Five minutes before midnight on August 20, Indias Moon mission, Chandrayaan-1 crossed an important milestone when it teamed up with NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in search of water ice. Both the spacecraft moved simultaneously picking up data. It was a brief flight leading to an exchange of information and there was a combined analysis of both the data. Both the spacecraft flew at a velocity of about 1.6km per second and surveyed an area on the Moons north pole which is 18 km across. The historic combined flight was tracked by ISROs deep space network at Byalalu, Bangalore and NASAs deep space network and Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, US. Both spacecraft were equipped with radar instrumentsMini-Sar (Synthetic Aperture Radar) on Chandrayaan-1 and Mini-Rf on LRO. The two instruments targeted the same spot on the Moon from different angles, with Chandrayaan-1s radar transmitting a signal which was reflected off interior of Erlanger Crater. This was picked up by LRO. Chandrayan-1 mission aborted The abrupt end of the moon mission Chandrayaan-I on August 29, 2009, has temporarily buried Indias dream of bettering China in the field of moon exploration. While the Indian mission was called off 10 months after it was launched and 14 months before its scheduled termination, the Chinese mission Change 1 (launched on October 24, 2007), after having completed its original tenure of one year, was given a four months extension and was finally terminated on March 1, 2009. Importantly, Japan, the other Asian space faring nation, has also done well in the field of moon exploration. Kaguya, the Japanese probe launched on September 14, 2007, successfully orbited the moon for 20 months before it was made to crash on the lunar surface on June 10, 2009. Chandrayaan-I was launched on October 22, 2008. It had to be called off

due to snapping of radio link. SUMMIT World Tiger Summit India will host World Tiger Summit in 2010 where wildlife experts from various countries are expected to congregate to deliberate on conservation of diminishing striped cats in the wild. "Rajasthan will be hosting the World Tiger Summit at Ranthambore in October or November. About 200 experts from across the countries are to participate in the summit, including those from the world renowned organisation, Global Tiger Initiative. With over 44 royal big cats, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve will be showcased as a role model to delegates attending the summit being held for the first time in the country which is home to around 1,400 endangered species.

CURRENT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: JULY 2009 ABBREVIATIONS DMO: Debt Management Office. GST: Goods and Services Tax. NUIAI: National Unique Identification Authority of India. AWARDS Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, 2008 Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, has become the first business leader in the world to receive the coveted award. Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation, 2008 The pro-democracy Myanmar leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been felicitated with Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation. The award was bestowed by the South African-based Mahatma Gandhi Foundation. Burmese PM-in-exile Thien Win received the award on her behalf. The award was being given on July 20 because it representeds the 20th anniversary of Suu Kyis house arrest by the military junta in her country. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, 2009 M.C. Marykom. Inspired by Dingko Singhs gold medal feat in the 1998 Bangkok Asiad, the Manipuri girl took up boxing a decade back and hasnt looked back. She took up the sport to support her family, but soon she emerged as one of the most feared boxers in the ring. Her best came in the world championships, where she has won four gold.

Vijender Singh. The boxer from Kaluwas in Haryana struggled to make ends meet in his early days. His talent got recognition after he started doing well in the junior nationals and subsequently was sent abroad for training and competition programmes. Kept the entire nation glued to the TV set during his bouts in the Beijing Olympics. Unlucky to have missed the final, the tall and handsome boxer did enough to create a record by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic boxing medal. Sushil Kumar. The Delhi wrestler has battled the odds since childhood, but kept on working hard to excel. Things began to change after he bagged the world cadet gold in 1998 and he followed it up with another gold in the Asian junior championship. Though he was successful at the highest level, the Beijing medal made him a household name. Arjuna Award, 2009 Mangal Singh Champia (Archery), Sinimole Paulose (Athletics), Saina Nehwal (Badminton), L. Sarita Devi (Boxing), Tania Sachdev (Chess), Gautam Gambhir (Cricket), Ignace Tirkey (Hockey), Surinder Kaur (Hockey), Pankaj Navanath Shirsat (Kabaddi), Satish Joshi (Rowing), Ronjan Sodhi (Shooting), Poulomi Ghatak (Table Tennis), Yogeshwar Dutt (Wrestling), Girdhari Lal Yadav (Yachting), Parul Parmar (Badminton, disabled). Dhyan Chand Award, 2009 Ishar S Deol (Athletics), Satbir Singh Dahya (Wrestling). Dronacharya Award, 2009 P. Gopichand (Badminton), Jaydev Bisht (Boxing), S. Baldev Singh (Hockey), Satpal (Wrestling). Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, 2009 Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent: TATA Steel Ltd. Financial Support for Sports Excellence, 2009: TATA Steel Ltd. Employment of Sportspersons and sports welfare measures, 2009: Railways Sports Promotion Board. BOOKS Future of CricketThe Rise of Twenty20, The Written by John Buchanan, the former coach of the Australian national team and the Knight Riders IPL squad the book takes swipes at Sunil Gavaskar, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Shoaib Akhtar, Vijay Mallya and Mark Ramprakash. The book deals with IPL and T20. Yet, attention remained focused on its criticism of some of crickets

biggest stars. DEFENCE Nuclear Submarine INS Arihant is launched Mrs Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, launched the first indigenously built nuclear submarine INS Arihant and sent it out to water on July 26, 2009. The 110-metre-long submarine is expected to generate a wave of strategic signals as India entered the exclusive club of nations that have the capability to build nuclear submarines. The 5,500 tonne vessel, with a range of 750 km, will become operational within two years after sea trials. With this, India has become the only country in the Indian Ocean region to have nuclear submarine. Two more indigenous nuclear submarines are under construction and are slated to be inducted by 2015. The three will cost about Rs 30,000 crore. Another nuclear submarine, the Akula class Nerpa, is to arrive on 10year lease from Russia in December 2009. So far, only USA, Russia, France, UK and China have nuclear-submarine capabilities. India operated a nuclear submarine on lease from Russia between 1988 and 1991. It took more than 25 years for it to come into existence since the submarine was planned. In between, India faced sanctions and was even denied technology but it carried on. The actual project commenced in January 1998 when the first steel was cut at a secret ceremony. The project was code-named the advanced technology vessel and the government had been denying its existence altogether. The submarine has a diameter of 11 meters and displacement of 6,000 tonnes. It has the latest sensors, anti-ship missiles besides strategic (nuclear-tipped) missiles. INS Arihant can fire missiles from under the sea and can lurk in ocean depths of half a km and more. It is powered by an 85-MW capacity nuclear reactor and can acquire surface speeds of 22 to 28 kmph and submerged speed up to 44 kmph. It will be carrying a crew of 95 and will be armed with torpedoes and missiles, including 12 ballistic missiles. The K-15 nuclear missile, Shaurya, that can fire some 700 km, has already been tested by the DRDO using a canister to mimic an under-sea launch. With this, India will complete its nuclear triad. India already has land-based and air-borne nuclear capabilities. Unlike diesel-electric powered submarines that have to surface every 48 hours or so to breathe, a nuclear- powered submarine can remain submerged for longer periods, enabling it to hide. The vessel is critical for India's nuclear doctrine that calls for high survivability against surprise attacks and for rapid punitive response. A nuclear submarine can be

counter in case an enemy launched a crippling strike on land-based or airbased nuclear weapons. PEOPLE Hangal, Gangubai Legendary Hindustani vocalist, she died on July 21, 2009. She was 97. Gangubai, who enthralled millions with her deep understanding of Hindustani music and her powerful androgynous voice, lived a full life. Her career spanned over seven decades. She loved life and remained humble despite her unparalleled achievements. Her early life was tough. She battled hunger and caste and gender prejudices. Though this battle continued for most part of her life, she found a reason to always smile. Born in 1913 in Dharwar (Karnataka) in a family of Gangamats (boatmen), Gangubai, like her mother Amlabai and grandmother Kamlabai, was naturally drawn to singing since childhood. Women belonging to the caste were supposed to entertain upper caste people by singing. Gangubais late husband Gururao Kaulgi and her father Nadgir were both Brahmins. But, neither Gangubai nor her mother assumed their husbands name or lived with them. In adherence to the matrilineal tradition, her children also call themselves Hangal. Gangubai, who belonged to the Kirana Gharana, first sang in front of a large audience in the Congress session held in Belgaum in 1924. In her long life as a classical singer, Gangubai went on to bag prestigious awards, including the Padma Bhushan, Tansen Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the Karnataka University (KU). Naidu, Leela Hindi film actress, who mesmerised audiences with her classic beauty in films like "Anuradha" and "Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke died in Mumbai after prolonged illness. She was 69. The actress, who came into the spotlight after winning the Miss India title in 1955, was later featured in the Vogue magazine along with Maharani Gayatri Devi in the list of 'World's 10 Most Beautiful Women'. Born to renowned scientist Ramaiah Naidu and an Irish mother, Leela began her career with Hrishikesh Mukherjee's National Award winning film "Anuradha" in 1960 opposite Balraj Sahni. PLACES L'Aquila The heads of G-8 met in L'Aquila, a mountainous town of Italy, situated 120 km from Rome in July 2009. Almost 40 countries were present there.

Many other international organisations were invited as well. G-5 that consists of India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa had a buzz around them. G-5 plus Egypt were invited for a special session. Sharm El-Sheikh This Red Sea resort city of Egypt hosted the Non-Aligned (NAM) summit in July 2009. Staples Centre Located in Los Angeles, the public memorial of pop star Michael Jackson was held here on July 7, 2009. A staggering 1.6 million people applied to win free tickets for the event, which were allocated via an online lottery. Over 1,400 police officers were deployed to provide security. In the US alone, at least 16 major TV networks covered the service live, and 88 cinemas screened it, making it one of the biggest televised events of the year after the January 20, 2009 inauguration of President Obama. Taregna A mindboggling two lakh star gazers, including researchers, astronomers and scientists from across the globe descended on July 22, 2009, on this sleepy Bihar village which was catapulted to world fame because of NASA declaring it as the best spot to view the total solar eclipse. The duration of the eclipse at Taregna, 35 km from Patna, was three minutes 48 seconds. Taregna village, it is said, was the observatory of legendary astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata. The word Taregna perhaps comes from the Sanskrit taraka-gnana (calculating stars). Aryabhata was born in Pataliputra (then Kusumpura), in 476 AD (according to some experts on April 13) and at age 23 wrote his monumental work Aryabhatiyam. At the same age, Isaac Newton proposed his theory of gravitation in 1665 AD. Almost 1,000 years before Copernicus (1473-1543 AD) and Galileo (1564-1642), Aryabhata discovered that the earth is round and rotates on its axis. He proposed a theory of his own to explain various planetary motions and accurately predicted the duration of an eclipse and total obscuration of the sun and the moon. PROJECTS Gail to lay Indias longest gas pipeline Gail India, countrys largest gas transportation company, will invest Rs 7,600 crore in building Indias longest gas pipeline from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal. Besides the 2,050-km pipeline, the company will invest an additional Rs 400 crore to lay two spur pipelines that will link Baurani and Chappra in Bihar with Gails pipeline

networks. Gail currently operates 7,100 km of gas pipelines and plans to double its the network by March 2012 with an investment of around Rs 28,000 crore. The Jagdishpur-Haldia project will be executed in phases. First 1,410 km of pipeline will be laid from Haldia to Phulpur, along with spur-lines to various consumers like Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation at Durgapur and Barauni, Fertiliser Corporation of India at Sindri and Barauni, power plant at Barh and Bettiah and in the cities of Patna, Chapra, Siwan, Gopalganj and Bettiah. In the next phase, spur-lines and feeder lines will be laid for a length of 450 km to the cities of Kolkata, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Varanasi and Allahabad and Sagardighi. In the last phase, gas pipeline infrastructure will connect SAILs plants at Durgapur and Bokaro and petrochemical plant at Barauni with Gails network. RESEARCH Superior face recognition software Florida Atlantic University engineers in Boca Raton are working on a superior new face recognition technique that can see through disguises. Lin Huang, from the University's department of engineering, says that every face has special features that define people, yet faces can also be very similar. This is what makes computerised face recognition for security and other applications an interesting, but difficult task. Face recognition software has been in development for many years, but the main technical limitation is that, although the systems are accurate, they require a lot of computer power. Early face recognition systems simply marked major facial featureseyes, nose mouthon a photograph, and computed the distances from these features to a common reference point. In the new study, researchers have applied a one-dimensional filter to the two-dimensional data from conventional analyses, such as the Gabor method (which is based on neural networks). This allows them to reduce significantly the amount of computer power required without compromising accuracy. The team found that their technique was not only faster and worked with low resolution images, such as those produced by standard CCTV cameras, but it also solved the variation problems caused by different light levels and shadows, viewing direction, pose, and facial expressions. It could even see through certain types of disguises, such as facial hair and glasses.

The findings have been published in International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications. SPACE RESEARCH A hole as big as Earth in Jupiter In a startling discovery, an amateur Australian astronomer has spotted a giant hole, the size of the Earth, on planet Jupitera finding corroborated by US space agency NASA. Anthony Wesley said he spotted the dark scar which had suddenly appeared on Jupiter through a homemade telescope, from the yard of his rural home near Canberra. MISCELANEOUS GM fish set to tickle Indian palates Scientists at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, have developed a genetically modified (GM) fish that are superior in yield and quality. The popular fish variety rohu will reach the Indian plates once the mandatory clearances come. After obtaining the approvals the CCMB will go for a tie up with Andhra Pradesh fisheries department for mass production of GM rohu. This GM fish can multiply manifold within a short time. Not only that, they will be much bigger than the natural variety without any change in nutritional value and taste. Consequently, fish breeders will not need to wait for a long time for the fish to reach their optimum size and number, thereby reducing feed costs and other expenses of fish hatcheries. Allaying apprehensions over the safety of GM rohu, scientists said: There is no introduction of foreign gene. The gene inserted into the fishs genome is part of its own genome. Rohu is the most farmed and among the most widely consumed fish in India. Googles new system to take on Microsoft Google is working on a new operating system for inexpensive computers in a daring attempt to wrest away Microsoft's long-running control over people's computing experience. The new operating system will be based on the company's nine month-old web browser, Chrome. Google intends to rely on help from the community of open-source programmers to develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to begin running computers in the second half of 2010. Google is designing the operating system primarily for "netbooks," a lower-cost, less powerful breed of laptop computers that is becoming increasingly popular among budget-conscious consumers primarily interested in surfing the web. The operating system represents Google's boldest challenge yet to its

biggest nemesis Microsoft. A high-stakes duel between the two technology powerhouses has been steadily escalating in recent years as Google's dominance of the Internet's lucrative search market has given it the means to threaten Microsoft in ways that few other companies can. The Chrome operating system will run in a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel computer coding that has been the foundation for the open-source software movement for nearly two decades. Google has already introduced an operating system for mobile devices, called Android, which vies against various other systems, including ones made by Microsoft and Apple. Goods and Services Tax (GST) GST is a comprehensive tax levy on manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services at a national level. Through a tax credit mechanism, this tax is collected on value-added goods and services at each stage of sale or purchase in the supply chain. The system allows the set-off of GST paid on the procurement of goods and services against the GST which is payable on the supply of goods or services. However, the end consumer bears this tax as he is the last person in the supply chain. The Goods and Service Tax (GST) will integrate State economies and boost overall growth. GST will create a single, unified Indian market to make the economy stronger. The implementation of GST will lead to the abolition of other taxes such as octroi, Central Sales Tax, State-level sales tax, entry tax, stamp duty, telecom licence fees, turnover tax, tax on consumption or sale of electricity, taxes on transportation of goods and services, etc., thus avoiding multiple layers of taxation that currently exist in India. It is estimated that India will gain $15 billion a year by implementing the Goods and Services Tax as it would promote exports, raise employment and boost growth. It will divide the tax burden equitably between manufacturing and services. In the GST system, both Central and State taxes will be collected at the point of sale. Both components (the Central and State GST) will be charged on the manufacturing cost. This will benefit individuals as prices are likely to come down. Lower prices will lead to more consumption, thereby helping companies. Almost 140 countries have already implemented the GST. Most of the countries have a unified GST system. Brazil and Canada follow a dual system where GST is levied by both the Union and the State governments. France was the first country to introduce GST system in 1954.

CGST will include central excise duty, service tax, and additional duties of customs at the central level; and value-added tax, central sales tax, entertainment tax, luxury tax, octroi, lottery taxes, electricity duty, state surcharges related to supply of goods and services and purchase tax at the State level. India to be third largest Internet user base by 2013 The number of Internet users worldwide is expected to touch 2.2 billion by 2013 and India is projected to have the third largest online population during the same time, technology and market research firm Forrester Research said in a report. Globally, there were about 1.5 billion Internet users in the year 2008. Titled Global Online Population Forecast, 2008 to 2013, the report noted that emerging markets like India would see a growth of 10 to 20 per cent by 2013. In the next four years, about 43 per cent of the Internet users globally are anticipated to reside in Asia and China would account for about half of that population. The percentage of Internet users in Asia would increase to 43 per cent in 2013 from 38 per cent in 2008. The percentage of the global online population located in North America will drop from 17 per cent to 13 per cent between 2008 and 2013, while Europes share will shrink from 26 per cent to 22 per cent. Current General Knowledge: June 2009 ABBREVIATIONS QIB: Qualified Institutional Buyer. QIP: Qualified Institutional Placement. UIDAI: Unique Identification Authority of India. AWARDS IIFA Awards 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award: Rajesh Khanna. Best Director: Ashutosh Gowariker for Jodhaa Akbar, Best Actor: Hrithik Roshan, for Jodhaa Akbar, Best Actress: Priyanka Chopra, for her role in Fashion. Best Supporting Actor: Arjun Rampal, for his role of a rock-star in Rock On. Best Supporting Actress: Kangana Ranaut, for her role of a supermodel in Fashion. Best Actor in Negative Role: Akshay Khanna, for his role in the sleek thriller Race. Best Newcomer (Male): Farhan Akhtar Best Newcomer (Female): Asin Thottumkal. Best Costume Design: Neeta Lulla, for Jodhaa Akbar. Best editing: Ballu Saluja. Best art direction: Nitin Chandrakant Desai for Jodha Akbar.

Best Editing: Resul Pokkutty, for Ghajini. Best cinematography: Jason West for Rock On. Best choreography: Farah Khan for hit the song desi girl in Dostana. Renewable Energy Award of the United Nations Bindeshwar Pathak, Sulabh International founder, has been given the prestigious award for developing low cost toilet technology to produce energy out of human waste. Modelled on the Nobel Prize, this annual awards ceremony draws attention to future energy issues that constitute some of the most urgent challenges facing the worlds leaders today. These awards recognise the achievements of individuals and institutions in response to the crisis of climate change and sustainable global energy resources. Man Booker International Prize, 2009 Acclaimed Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has received the trophy, along with the award worth 60,000. The 77-year-old author is the third person to win the prestigious award, which is given every two years. The award recognises a living author for his/her contribution to literature and to highlight the author's creativity and development on a global scale. DEFENCE Indigenous N-sub ready for trial Over 25 years after India started building an indigenous nuclearpowered submarine, subtly named Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), the warship is now ready for testing. Notably, the project is running at least a decade behind schedule. Having a fleet of nuclear subs is a critical aspect of controlling the Indian Ocean region where China is also flexing its muscles. A nuclear submarine can remain submerged for up to two weeks and is noiseless. On the other hand, diesel powered submarines that India already has in its fleethave to re-surface every 48 hours. If India is successful, it would join a league of select nations like the US, UK, France, Russia and China that have their own nuclearpowered submarine. Many components of the reactor, like the steam generator and the control rod mechanism, have been fabricated in the country even though some Russian help had been taken. The biggest challenge was miniaturising a nuclear reactor to fit it into the submarine, which is said to be of 5,000 tonne displacement. The submarine is also to have a ballistic missile

firing capability. The reactor for the ATV was developed indigenously by Indian scientists. The only nuclear submarine India ever operated was the former Soviet Unions Charlie-I class sub that the Indian Navy leased to gain operational experience with nuclear powered submarines. Separately, the Indian Navy is hopeful that Russia's Akula class nuclear-powered submarine Nerpa will be handed over to India before the end of 2009. DISCOVERY Scientists discover superatom Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University, along with collaborators at the Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, and Naval Research Laboratory in the US, have discovered a 'magnetic superatom' which could shrink the size of many electronic devices like computers, make them faster and pack more storage space. The magnetic superatoma stable cluster of atoms that can mimic different elements of the periodic tablemay also have potential biomedical applications such as sensing, imaging and drug delivery. The newly discovered cluster, consisting of one vanadium and eight cesium atoms, acts like a tiny magnet that can mimic a single manganese atom in magnetic strength, while preferentially allowing electrons of specific spin orientation to flow through the surrounding shell of cesium atoms. The researchers believe that the superatom can have significant impact in the area of molecular electronics and spintronics in which attempts are made to use conducting properties of small molecules to design electronic devices. The researchers have proposed that by combining gold and manganese, one can make other superatoms that have magnetic moment but will not conduct electricity. These superatoms may have potential application in healthcare. ENVIRONMENT Lahaul-Spiti to get cold desert biosphere reserve The Lahaul-Spiti and Leh-Ladakh areas are set to be on the worlds network of biosphere reserves based on the UNESCOs Man and Biosphere Programme. The cold desert biosphere will extend from the Pin Valley National Park in Lahaul-Spiti to the Hemis National Park in Ladakh. The Man and Biosphere Committee

(MBC) of the Ministry of Environment of Forests (MOEF) is giving final touches to the project. The Ramser site of Tsomoriri, wetlands of Tsokar and Pangong Tso in Ladakh and Chandertal wetland in Lahaul attract thousands of tourists and migratory birds every year. The Ramser site is the countrys only breeding ground for the rare bar-headed geese and the black-necked crane. The idea behind the cold desert biosphere project is to protect wildlife, plants and local communities from the onslaught of mass tourism and environmental degradation. This biosphere is source to Spiti and Pin, tributaries of the Sutlej, Chandrabhaga, Chenab, and Indus rivers. It will be first cold desert biosphere in the Indian Himalayan region spanning over 97, 665 sq km area. The two national parks, wetlands and the protected areas would form the core zone while other areas would form the buffer zones of the cold desert biosphere. OIL ONGC scores a hat-trick of oil and gas discoveries Indias biggest oil explorer ONGC has struck oil and gas in three new blocks. One of the finds is most significant in decades and holding the promise of significantly narrowing the energy-starved Indias demand-supply gap in the natural gas sector. The gas find at Krishna Godavari (KG) basin off the Andhra coast could prove similar to the Reliance Industries D-6 block, which, at its peak, is expected to double Indias current natural gas output. The other two discoveries included an oil find at the Charada-3 offshore block in Cambay basin and an oil and gas find at Matar in Vadodara district, both in Gujarat. PERSONS Kumar, Meira She has become the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha. An interesting coincidence is that both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha now have presiding officers formerly belonging to Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Meira Kumar is the second Bihari to occupy the Speakers post. The first to become Speaker from Bihar was Baliram Bhagat, who occupied the chair for a brief period of 14 months, from January 1976 to March 1977. Born in 1945, Ms Kumar is second of the two children of former Defence Minister of India Jagjivan Ram. The soft-spoken five time

MP could well be said to have grown up in the corridors of power. Her father became the youngest minister in the Jawaharlal Nehrus provisional government in 1946. From then on till 1978, Mr Ram served virtually uninterrupted in one capacity or another in successive governments. Ms Kumars formal politics came in 1985, barely a year before her father passed away. She became yet another successful professional, who had the added advantage of family involvement, to join politics after Rajiv Gandhi assumed the office of Prime Minister. Her first venture electoral venture was in Bijnore in Uttar Pradesh, from where she was elected to the eighth Lok Sabha. However, it proved to be beginners luck, Ms Kumar lost the next two elections. In 1996, she contested from the Karol Bagh Parliamentary Constituency in Delhi, which she won. Ms Kumar retained the seat in the twelfth Lok Sabha. Once again, in 1999, she was voted out. For her next electoral venture in 2004, Ms Kumar chose to return to Sasaram, a seat her father had held for nearly three decades. She won the elections and was made Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. Tanvir, Habib World-renowned theatre personality, he died on June 8, 2009. Born in Raipur (now in Chhattisgarh), Tanvir was educated in the Aligarh and Nagpur Universities. Along with Sahir Ludhianavi, Kaifi Azmi, Ali Sardar Jafri, Balraj Sahni and Sadat Hasan Manto he was a part of a galaxy of extremely talented and equally committed artistes. He helped found Indian Peoples Theatre (IPTA). He produced outstanding dramas in Chhattisgarhi dialect and his Naya Theatre tapped the talent of ordinary peoplerickshawpullers, panwallahs and small shopkeepers. Whether it be Mitti ki gadi, Charandas Chor or Agra bazaarhis theatre productions almost always carried a message. Michael Jackson The King of pop, who first enraptured audiences as a child star and eventually moon-walked his way into hearts of millions around the world, died on June 26, 2009. He was 50. Born in 1958, Jackson made his musical debut with four of his older brothers in the Jackson Five before embarking on a solo career. His 1982 album Thrillerwhich included the hits Beat It, Billie Jean and Thrilleris still the best-selling album of all time, with more than 26 million copies sold. In 1994, Jackson married Lisa Marie-Presley, daughter of another

music icon Elvis Presley. The marriage lasted less than two years. Jackson later married Debbie Rowe, a 37-year-old nurse he met while undergoing plastic surgery in 1997. They had two children Prince Michael and Paris Michael Katherinebefore divorcing in 1999. Jackson had a third child, Prince Michael II, whose mothers name has never been made public. Jackson leaves behind a complex legacy. A multimillion-dollar grossing star, he donated a significant portion of his fortune to charities and noble causes. But in recent years, the megastar found himself down on his luckfirst plagued by child molestation lawsuits and then financial trouble. Even as his appearance altered dramatically over the years, Jackson consistently denied undergoing plastic surgery. Rev Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, described Jackson as a historic figure, saying: Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of colour way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama. PLACES Hyderabad Hyderabad is all set to host countrys first-ever helicopter manufacturing unit. The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tata group for manufacturing helicopters at the aerospace special economic zone near the international airport at Shamshabad. US-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is shifting its Japan unit to Hyderabad, through a tie up with Tata Motors. The project involves an investment of Rs 1,000 crore and the operations will commence by 2010. Lalgarh Located 180 km from Kolkata, since last one year Lalgarh had been simmering as the red lava of Maoist rage flowing out of this West Midnapore town. The ruling Left Fronts oppression and dispossession left this tribal area as the most undeveloped area of West Bengal, leading to the Maoists exploiting the situation and virtually converting the area into a powder keg. In June 2009, Maoists went on a bloody rampage, bodies piled up, CPM leaders were massacred in their homes, and even Kolkata was held hostage for a day by armed Maoist-backed tribals before the alarming situation forced the West Bengal government to wake-up and take concrete steps to counter the naxalite violence and take virtual control over the area. Macau

IIFA 2009 Film awards ceremony was held here. Palampur The World Council for Corporate Governance organised the Global Convention on Climate Security at Palampur, near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, in June 2009. Experts from around the world pondered on why the climate crunch is more catastrophic than credit crunch. Another major topic was: how climate change can prove as an opportunity for creating employment. Tezpur The Air Force station at Tezpur in north Assam now host Sukhoi30 elite combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). This is the third Sukhoi-30 aircraft hub in the country and the first one in the North East. The airfield in Tezpur was constructed by the British Royal Indian Air Force during the Second World War in 1942 and subsequently developed into a full-fledged air force base in 1959. It was upgraded recently to make it suitable to host new generation combat aircraft. Tezpur air base is very important from the strategic point of view as it lies surrounded by China, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar and Bangladesh on different directions. It is about 150 km away (aerial distance) from the frontier with China in Arunachal Pradesh. Trieste This town in Italy hosted an international meet on Afghanistan and Pakistan in last week of June 2009. India, along with other key global powers and regional players were invited to discuss the terrorism problem affecting the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G-8 Foreign Ministers meeting. Yekaterinburg Formerly Sverdlovsk, it is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District. The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the first meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) leaders were held here in June 2009. PROJECTS Project SaraswatiONGC digs water in Thar After successfully having drilled black gold in several locations around the world, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has now dug out water in the parched desert area of Rajasthan. ONGC has achieved the rare feat in Thar desert by using its expertise in

geological studies and drilling capabilities under its ONGC Project Saraswati. Initiated in 2007 as part of its corporate social responsibility, the pilot project led the ONGC drillers and geologists to find underground water aquifer that has now started providing 76,000 litres of water per hour. The site, Saraswati-1, is located around seven km away from Jaisalmer (on the Dabla road) and the bore had to be dug 554 metres deep. ONGC took a cue from the Libyan experience where during deep oil drilling in the 1950s, water was found under a desert. Notably, four major underground basins have been located during exploratory drilling for oil in Libya, which contain fresh water at a depth ranging between 800-2,500 metres. This has led to a gigantic irrigation project there, which is now known as Libyas Great Man-Made River Project. In the second phase, the ONGC has plans to extend the project to other areas of Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat. Unique Identification Card Project The Rs 150,000 crore biometric Unique Identification Card project is now on track with the Union government appointing the cofounder of Infosys, Nanadan Nilekani as the head of the project. The project will put India in the club of about 56 countries around the world, which have some form of national identity cards. These include most of continental Europe (not UK), China, Brazil, Japan, Iran, Israel and Indonesia. The card has been designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, which captured the essence of India, drawing inspiration from various motifs and rangoli patterns. It also has the colours of Indian textiles and essence of Indian ethos. The Smart Card will have details like name, date of birth, sex, finger print and a chip which will contain all necessary personal data of the card-holder. The process of issuing this card has begun in coastal areas of the country in accordance with the National Population Register. The first step in issuing ID cards is building a complete computerized record of all citizens above the age of 18. It needs to be computerized so that it is accessible and it can be updated constantly. The task is being done by the Registrar General of India (RGI) under the Home Ministry, because they have the requisite experience. The RGI carries out the census every

decade. In fact, this database is going to be generated along with the next Census, slated for 2011. It will be called the National Population Register. The technical challenge is to create a tamper-proof smart card, which can function in Indian conditions. Sophisticated software called SCOSTA will be used for creating the cards. The cards would contain as many as 16 pieces of personal information. This information will be stored in microchips embedded in the card and it will be accessible only to authorized users, like police officials. Apart from carrying personal details like photo, age, address and fingerprints, the MNIC will contain a National Identity Number, which will be unique to the individual. The other challenge is to computerize the civil registration system across the country so that all births and deaths are entered into the population register. SPACE RESEARCH Traces of ancient lake on Mars US researchers have uncovered traces of an ancient lake on Mars boosting hopes of discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life. The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 207 sq kilometres and was up to 500 metres deep. The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence has allowed researchers to calculate the size and volume of the lake. Analysis of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon in which it was found, which then opened out into a valley, depositing sediment which formed a delta. Current General Knowledge: March-April 2009 ABBREVIATIONS GOCE: Gravity field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer. IW: Information Warfare. AWARDS Hoover Medal, 2008: Former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2008 Hoover Medal for outstanding public service. He has been recognized for making state-of-the-art healthcare available to the common man at affordable prices, bringing quality medical care to rural areas by establishing a link between doctors and technocrats, using spinoffs of defence technology to create state-of-the-art medical equipment, and launching telemedicine projects connecting remote hospitals to super-speciality hospitals.

Stockholm Water Prize, 2009: Bindeshwar Pathak, an Indian doctor who developed cheap toilets to improve sanitation in poor communities has been honoured with the award. He will receive the $ 150,000 cash award and a symbolic glass sculpture. The Stockholm International Water Institute said Pathaks achievements constitute one of the most amazing examples of how one person can impact the well-being of millions. Pathak founded the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation in India in 1970 and recently started operations in Bhutan and Afghanistan. Mother Teresa Award, 2009: Tamil Nadu Governor and former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala has been selected for the Mother Teresa Lifetime achievement award 2009 for his contribution in the field of social work and admi-nistration. Hillary Clinton, Sheikh Hasina, Girija Prasad Koirala, late Rajiv Gandhi, Jyothi Basu, Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna are among the earlier recipients of the award. COMMITTEES Raghavan panel report on ragging: States have been ignoring the Raghavan committee recommendations that were accepted by the Supreme Court in 2007. The major recommendation of the committee was that Central regulatory bodies should take ragging situation as an important factor in accreditation of education institutions. The committee had also recommended anti-ragging cells should have been established at Central, State and college level and tollfree helpline should be provided for ragging victims. Strong law against ragging with responsibility to prove not guilty lying on the perpetrator was also recommended. The committee had also suggested that NCERT and SCERT school books should include chapter on ragging, and psychological counselling on anti-ragging and human rights should be conducted at higher secondary level. DEFENCE Interceptor Missile tested: On March 6, 2009, Indias Missile Defence Programme took a leap forward as scientists demonstrated the capacity to intercept an enemy missiles in midair and destroy it. The third test in the continuing programme was conducted off the wheeler island in Orissa. As part of the test, an enemy missile was destroyed at a height of 75 km above the earth. With this India joins a select band of nations, such as the USA, Russia and Israel, who have similar capabilities. The latest test was against a moving missile. This provides a

credible defence against long-range missiles owned by Pakistan having range between 400 and 2,000 km and the Chinese arsenal that varies from a range of 300 km to 2,800 km. Countering an incoming missile is one of the biggest challenges in modern-day warfare. To mimic the incoming enemys ballistic missile trajectory, a Dhanush missile was launched from a ship about 100 km off the coast of Orissa. This missile achieved a height of 120 km. The interceptor missile sensed the enemy missile and was fired from a mobile launcher located on Wheeler island. Phalcons to give IAF early bird advantage: After several technical and other hiccups, IAF will finally get its most potent forcemultiplier, the desperately awaited Phalcon AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems), from Israel in May 2009. The Phalcon AWACS will bolster IAFs capabilities to detect troop buildup or aircraft movements deep inside Pakistan, much further than ground-based radars, while flying well within Indian air-space. An AWACS flying over Amritsar, for instance, will be able to detect and track a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet as soon as it takes off from its Sargodha airbase. AWACS are primarily used for detection of incoming hostile cruise missiles and aircraft from hundreds of km away in all-weather conditions, as well as directing air defence fighters during combat operations against enemy jets. DISCOVERY Indian scientists find UV-resistant bacteria: Indian scientists have discovered three new bacteria, about 40 km above the surface of the earth, which can resist ultra-violet radiation, a finding that could throw light on the origin of life on the planet. These three types of bacteria that do not match any species on earth were found in samples collected through a balloon sent up to the stratosphere in April 2005. This layer of earths atmosphere receives heavy ultraviolet radiation that is harmful to almost all life on earth and typically kills bacteria. The balloon sent up to the stra-tosphere was the second effort by India after a maiden venture in 2001. It contained probes that collected air samples at different heights ranging from 20 km to 41 km above the earths surface. The experiment was conducted by a team led by Jayant Narlikar, founder director of the InterUniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bangalore. The current belief is that ultra-violet radiation inhibits growth of any living system. Based on the origin of life theory, some of these organisms may be coming from an extraterrestrial source, or it could be mutants that have emanated from the various earthly

processes. Though the experiment does not conclusively establish the extraterrestrial origin of microorganisms, it does provide positive encouragement to continue the work in a quest to explore the origin of life. The three bacteria have been named Janibacter hoylei after astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, who promoted the theory that life evolved in space; Bacillus isronensis that recognizes the contribution of Indias space agency in the balloon experiments that led to its discovery; and Bacillus aryabhata after Indias ancient astronomer who postulated that the earth revolves around the sun. ENVIRONMENT New greenhouse gases: Scientists have identified two new greenhouse gases, one emitted by the electronic industry and the other used in pest control, which are rapidly accumulating in the atmosphere. Climate scientist Dr Paul Fraser of CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research has reported the measurements of nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2), the two new gases. They say countries should consider including these gases for control in the revision of the Kyoto Protocol. OIL RILs KG basin commences production: Reliance Industries Ltd has announced the commencement of gas production from one of the worlds largest gas discoveries that took place in 2002 in the Krishna- Godavari (KG) basin in the Bay of Bengal. With this, India is expected to save $ 9 billion in annual energy import expenditure. Gas production from Reliances $ 8.8 billion KG-D6 deepwater gas project, of which $ 5.4 billion has already been invested, is expected to transform Indias energy landscape by doubling the current level of indigenous gas production by 2010. At $ 4.2 per million British thermal unit, the KG-D6 gas is 25 per cent cheaper than the fuel produced by UKs BG-operated Panna/Mukta and Tapti fields in the Western Offshore and 20 per cent cheaper than Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imported on longterm contracts. The KG-D6 gas is also expected to substantially reduce Indias dependence on energy imports and bring down subsidy levels in the fertilizer, transportation and other sectors. Besides doubling the nations domestic gas production, the KG-D6 gas would substitute costly naphtha or imported LNG as fuel at power and fertilizer plants. The gas would also boost power supply from idle power plants starved of fuel and produce cheaper urea for agriculture. By 2010, output from D6 will be increased to 80 mmscmd, doubling Indias gas production capability.

Gas from the KG D6 deepwater block will be piped to an onshore facility at Gadimoga, a small village in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, before it is deli-vered to the consumers. Reliance operates D6 with a 90% stake, with Canadas Niko Resources holding the remaining 10%. PERSONS Chawla, Navin: He has been appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of India. An Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1969 batch, he will hold charge till July 29, 2010. He was appointed Election Commissioner on May 13, 2005. Navin Chawla has had a controversial past. The Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami, on January 31, 2009, had sent his recommendation regarding removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to the President of India. The CEC had alleged that Chawla had discharged his duties as Election Commissioner in a partisan manner, seeking to further the interests of one party. The CEC recommendation was, however, rejected by the Union government. Naik, Pradeep Vasant: Air Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik has been appointed as the next chief of Indian Air Force. Born on July 22, 1949, he was commissioned into the IAF in 1969 and has 3,085 hours of fighter flying under his belt. A veteran of the 1971 IndoPak war, he has also served as the Air Officer Commanding-inChief of the Allahabad-based Central Air Command. He is a fellow of the National Defence College, New Delhi, College of Defence Management, Secundrabad and Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. The courses attended by him include flying instructor course, jungle and snow survival and junior commanders course. PLACES Istanbul: Government ministers from 120 countries, scientists and campaigners met in Istanbul from March 16-22, 2009, to discuss how to avert a global water crisis and ease tensions between States fighting over rivers, lakes and glaciers. LAquila: More than 250 persons were killed in a devastating earthquake that rocked central Italy in first week of April 2009, around the ancient town of LAquila. An estimated 50,000 people were left homeless. The US geological survey reported the strength of the quake at 6.3 saying it was centred 95 km northeast of Rome, at a depth of 10 km. London: World leaders gather-ed here on April 2, 2009 for the G20 Summit to discuss the ongoing economic crisis and to find

solution to the economic woes of developing countries. Rome: Labour Ministers from the G-8 nations and six other major economies gathered here in March 2009 for talks on the human dimension of the financial crisis sweeping the planet. The threeday Group of 14 meeting brought together the G8 leading industrial powers with the emerging giants China, India and Brazil, as well as Mexico, South Africa and Egypt. South Africa: Indian Premier League (IPL) has chosen South Africa for hosting the second edition of the highly popular Twenty20 cricket tournament from April 18, 2009. The tournament had to be shifted from India due to clash of dates with General Elections being held in India at the same time. PROJECTS Krishnapatnam Port: The developer and operator of an allweather, deep-water port in Andhra Pradesh, Krishnapatnam Port Co Ltd (KPCL) is constructing the port in three phases at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. The first phase, built at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore, had commenced operations in July 2008. The first phase of KPCLs port project has a cargo handling capacity of 25 million tonnes a year. The second phase of expansion will take up total berths in the port to 12 from four now, where the company plans to reserve at least six berths for handling coal, leaving the rest for general bulk and container cargo. Mughal road project: The prestigious Mughal road project, which will connect Kashmir valley with the rest of India, is expected to be completed by March 2011. The estimated cost of the project, undertaken under the Prime Ministers Reconstruction Programme (PMRP), was Rs 225 crores in 2006. This has been revised to Rs 639.85 crore now. So far, at least 6 culverts are ready, while work on 43 culverts and two bridges is going on. RESEARCH Polypill passes first major test: A single pill that contains five life saving drugs to combat bad cholesterol, high blood pressure and clotting at one go, has come closer to reality after passing its first big test. Scientists have announced that polypill, a once-a-day pill that combines cholesterol-lowering statin, aspirin and three BPlowering drugs was as effective as drugs taken separately, with no greater side effects. The study tested polypill on 2,053 Indians aged 48-80 years who did not have heart disease but had a single risk factor like raised BP, diabetes, obesity or smoking. It concluded that if the pill was given to this population, it would

reduce risk of heart disease by 62% and stroke by 48%. Green chewing gum launched: The worlds first biodegradable chewing gum, which is completely environment-friendly, has been introduced in supermarkets all over Britain. Chicza Rainforest Gum, as it is called, is manufactured in Mexico by Consorcio Chiclero, which is a consortium of 56 co-operatives employing some 2,000 chicleros (gum farmers) and their families. The workers extract natural gum from the sap of the chicle tree, which is then used to make the pro-duct. Unlike conventional chewing gum, which contains petrochemicals, the organic chewing gum does not stick to clothing or pavements. Once disposed of, it will crumble to dust in about six weeks, dissolving harmlessly in water or being absorbed into the soil. Big step for creating artificial life: US scientists said they have taken an important step toward making an artificial life form by making a ribosome that makes the proteins that carry out key business for all form of life. Messenger RNA carries DNAs genetic instructions to a cells ribosome, which then cooks up the desired protein. Every living organism from bacteria to humans uses a ribosome, and they are all strikingly similar. It is not quite artificial life, but an important step in that direction, said George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, who directed the research with a single graduate student. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others cant be made at all. However, a man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules. SPACE RESEARCH GOCEEye in space to disclose earths secrets: A European satellite, GOCE (Gravity field and steady state Ocean Circulation Explorer), launched in March 2009, is to show scientists the inner workings of earth, from the movements of ocean currents to the location of oil deposits. Its data will enable scientists to detect the flows of molten rock that underlie the movements of tectonic plates and cause earthquakes. The GOCE probe will measure tiny anomalies in earths gravity, caused by anything from mountain ranges to subterranean lava flows or ocean trenches. Scientists have long known that the earths gravity varies all over its surface and that measuring those changes could give insights into the planets inner workings. However, designing an instrument capable of measuring them, which would also survive the rigours of blast-off, has until now proved impossible. GOCE will yield details of the Earths gravity field to an accuracy and resolution that is simply unobtainable by existing terrestrial and

space techniques. For geologists, perhaps the most exciting prospect is of being able to peer deep below the earths crust. MISCELLANEOUS Images from moon to go online: US space agency NASA has entered into a collaboration with software giant Microsoft Corp to develop a new technology that will make planetary images and data accessible worldwide through Internet. The joint venture will work to develop a new technology to make NASAs content, including high-resolution images and data from Mars and the moon, available on worldwide telescope, Microsofts online virtual telescope. Under the agreement, NASAs Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California, will process and host more than 100 terabytes of data, enough to fill 20,000 DVDs. Worldwide Telescope will also incorporate the data and feature images sent from NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The tool will also have images from a camera aboard NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, scheduled to be launched in May 2009. NSE free float-based indices to change market-cap weightage: When the National Stock Exchange (NSE) calculates its bench mark indices using the free float metho-dology from June 2009, the market capitalisation (M-cap) weightage of key companies and sectors would undergo major changes. Sectors with high institutional holding and companies having a large number of shares available for trading would gain from the move. The NSE currently uses full m-cap weightage methodology for computing its key indices. Free float m-cap takes into consideration only those shares which are readily available for trading in the market. It usually excludes promoters holding, government holding, strategic holding and locked in shares that normally do not come to the market for trading. G-20: G-20 or the Group of Twenty is a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the biggest industrialised and deve-loping economies to discuss key issues in the global economy. The G-20 countries account for 90% of global GDP, 80% of world trade and two-thirds of the worlds population. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 raised fears of a global economic meltdown and world leaders became acutely aware of the lack of a platform where key emerging market countries and the G-7 industrialised nations could discuss the status of the global economy and measures for its improvement. The G-20 was born in 1999 as a result of this recognition. Although the group has 19 of the worlds largest economies as its

members, it has no formal criteria for membership. Apart from the G-7 industrialised nations, it includes emerging economies like India, China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, South Korea, Argentina, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Australia. The 20th member is the European Union, which is represented by whichever country holds the EU Presidency. The IMF and the World Bank also attend G-20 meetings. The chairmanship rotates every year. Britain is in the chair for 2009. Current General Knowledge: February-March 2009 ABBREVIATIONS MSME: Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. CAMPA: Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Agency. API: Application Programming Interface.

AWARDS Saraswati Samman, 2008: Lakshmi Nandan Bora, Assamese writer, has been honoured with the award for his masterpiece novel, Kayakalpa. The novel covers a wide range of canvas, ranging from modern technology and science to ancient thoughts and philosophy of great saints of India. A scientist by education and profession, Bora has turned out to be one of the foremost literary figures in Assam. He has as many as 56 books to his credit.

BCCI Cricket Awards: C.K. Nayudu lifetime achievement award: G.R. Viswanath. Polly Umrigar award for Best Cricketer on International Stage: Virender Sehwag. Madhavrao Scindia award: Cheteshwar Pujara (batsman); Sudeep Tyagi (bowler). M.A. Chidambaram Trophy: Ankit Bawane, Maharashtra (Under-15); Mandeep Singh, Punjab (Under-17); Bhuv-neshwar Kumar, UP (Under 19); Rahul Dewan, Delhi(Under11). Best woman cricketer: Mithali Raj. Best Junior Woman Cricketer: M.D. Thirushkamini. Special awards: Maharashtra, for best overall performance in the 2007-08 season. Grammy Awards, 2009: Album of the Year: Raising Sand. Record of the Year: Please Read the Letter. Best new artist: Adele. Best female pop vocal performance: Chasing Pavements, Adele. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Say, John Mayer. Best R and B Album: Jennifer Hudson, Best Pop vocal album: Rockferry Duffy.

Best Contemporary World Music Album: Global Drum Project, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussein, Sikiru Adepoju and Gio-vanni Hidalgo.

This was not the first Grammy for the 57-year-old tabla maestro Zakir Hussein. He had pocketed in 1992, Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced with Mickey Hart, that was awarded the first-ever Grammy for the best world music album.

Filmfare Awards, 54th: Best Actor: Hrithik Roshan, Jodha Akbar. Best Actress: Priyanka Chopra, Fashion. Best Actor in Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal, Rock On!. Best Actor in Supporting Role (Female): Kangana Ranaut, Fashion. Best Dialogue: Mano Rishi, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. Best Screenplay: Yogendra Joshi and Bhupendra, Mumbai Meri Jaan. Best Story: Abhishek Kapoor, Rock On!. Best Music Director: A.R. Rahman, Jaane tu. Best Lyrics: Javed Akhtar for Jashn-e-Bahara (Jodha Akbar). Best Playback Singer (Male): Sukhwinder Singh for Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi). Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal for Teri ore (Singh is King). Best Sensational Debut (Male): Farhan Akhtar and Imraan Khan. Best Sensational Debut (Female): Asin Thottumkal, Ghajini. R.D. Burman Upcoming Talent: Benny Dayal, Ghajini. Lifetime Achievement award: Bhanu Athaiya and Om Puri.

Pinki wakes up a village: When American filmmaker Megan Mylan profusely thanked her heroine Pinki Kumari after winning the best documentary award at the star-studded Oscar award ceremony at Los Angles, a non-descriptive Rampur Dabohi village in the Naxalaffected Mirzapur district of the State suddenly came into the limelight.

Smile Pinki is a 39-minute poignant documentary based on the life of a nine-year-old resident of this village cleft lipped Pinki whose life undergoes a change for the better after she undergoes corrective surgery.

The village, about 300 km from the State capital, has none of the frills associated with glamour. Having a population of just 2,343 lacks in even basic facilities like electricity and water.

Oscar awards, 2009: Best Actor: Sean Penn for Milk. Best actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader. Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. Best Supporting Actress; Penlope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Best picture: Slumdog Millionaire. Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire). Best Original Song: A.R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire). Best screenplay based on material previously produced or published: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire). Best Editing: Chris Dickens (Slumdog Millionaire). Best Sound: Resul Pookutty, Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke (Slumdog Millionaire). Best foreign film: Departures, Japan. Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk. Best documentary feature: Man or Wire. Best Animated Feature Film: Wall-E. Best short documentary: Smile Pinki by Megan Mylan.

Tyler award, 2009: US Indian scientist, Veerbhadran (Ram) Ramanathan, professor of atmospheric and climate sciences in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the university of California, San Diego, shares the award for environmental achievement with Prof Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Penn State University, for finding warning signs of climate change in the upper atmosphere and in the deepest ice sheets.

BOOKS Kayakalp: This novel has been written by Lakshmi Nandan Bora, winner of the Saraswati Samman, 2008. Published in 2002, the novel covers a wide range of canvas, ranging from modern technology and science to ancient thoughts and philo-sophy of great saints of India. CONFERENCE Indian Labour Conference: The 42nd session of the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) was held in New Delhi in February 2009 and focused on unemployment as the country gets pummeled by an economic slowdown in an election year. DISCOVERY Oldest human footprints found in Kenya: Anthropologists have uncovered ancient fossil footprints in Kenya dating back 1.5

million years, the oldest evidence yet that our ancestors walked like present day humans. The footprints were discovered in two sedimentary layers near Ileret in northern Kenya and revealed an essentially modern human-like foot anatomy.

The impressions came from the Homo ergaster, or early Homo erectus, the first hominid whose longer legs and shorter arms corresponded to the body proportions of the modern homo sapiens, the studys authors said. The footprints provided information on the soft tissue form and structure that are not usually available in fossilized bones.

In all specimens the big toe was parallel to the other toes unlike apes, whose big toes are separated to help grasping tree branches. The Ileret footprints also show a pronounced arch and short toes that are human-like and are usually associated with the ability to walk on two feet.

2000-year-old Shiva shrine found: Believed to be among the oldest brick shrines in India, Lucknow Universitys department of ancient Indian history and archaeology has unearthed a 2000year-old Shiva temple as part of its excavation project in Uttar Pradeshs Unnao district.

Its actually a complex comprising five temples. While four temples belong to the Kushana period (1st-3rd century AD or 2,000 years ago), it appears that the primary temple was constructed during the Sunga period (2nd century BC to 1st century AD or 2,200 years ago). The temple site is a mound in Sanchankot in Unnao.

EXPEDITION Around the world in nine months: Come August, 2009, and India will have its first solo navigator, cruising across the world aboard an indigenously-built yacht Forty one-year-old Commodore Dilip Donde of the Indian Navy, will soon be the first Indian attempting to sail alone across the world in a span of nine months.

The sleek blue and white Yacht, Mhadei, is named after the

ancient name of Goas famed river Mondovi, where it was built. At 17 m in length with a 21 m long mast and six sails, Mhadei is made of Redfeder wood core fibre glass.

Cmdr. Dilip has already given three years to preparing for this expedition, training under Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the first person to complete a solo circumnavigation in 1968-69.

To complete the world tour, Mhadei will have to pass continents of Australia, Africa and America while at the same time avoiding any canals. Enroute, the expedition will make four stops at Fremantle in Australia, Christchurch in New Zealand, Cape Town, Africa and Port Stanley in Canada.

Aptly titled Project Sagar Parikrama, the entire assignment has cost Indian Navy nearly rupees seven crore and has taken nearly three years for the project to take shape, right from conceptualization to allocating and now the final execution.

For the navy, apart from putting Indian on the world map, this expedition is about attracting more youth to join the uniform. OIL Oil India makes deepest hydrocarbon discovery: State-run Oil India Ltd (OIL) has made a significant oil discovery in upper Assam, the deepest commercial hydrocarbon strike in the country. The discovery was made at the depth of at least 5,610 m.

A number of prospective oil and gas bearing sands, with a total net hydrocarbon pay of about 50 m, were encountered in the discovery well Mechaki-2. The well was tested to have a production potential of at least 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. This significant discovery has opened up adjoining neighbourhood for further exploration of deep- seated by hydrocarbon prospects by Oil. PERSONS Rahman, Allah Rakha: He has become the first Indian music director to win an Oscar award. He won the award for his music in

the film Slumdog Millionaire.

He was born on January 6, 1967, and was named Dilip Kumar. His father R.K. Sekhar was a music director and mother Kasturi (later Kareema Begum), a homemaker. His father died when he was nine and family had to hire out his instruments to make ends meet. Later, the entire family converted to Islam.

Drawn to music from an early age, Rahman could play many instruments and had many gurus. He started composing advertisement jingles in 1986, the memorable ones being for Titan and Leo Coffee. A tune he composed for a leading telecom company has become the worlds most downloaded piece of music, clocking 60 million hits.

Rojas release in 1992 made him a star. Mani Ratnam gave him this break, and Rahman became famous overnight. Soon enough, the rest of the world took note. Ram Gopal Varma invited him to score for Rangeela, Subhash Ghai for Taal, Ashutosh Gowarikar for Lagaan, Shekhar Kapur for Elizabeth II and Andrew Lloyd Webber for Bombay Dreams.

Whether its the album Vande Mataram or the musical Bombay Dreams or his work with the stage adaptation of Lord of the Rings, his brand of world music has reached out across cultures. PLACES Rupnagar: The prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is being set-up in this town of Punjab. Another IIT in north India is being set up in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Swat Valley: Swat is a valley and an administrative district in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, located 160 km from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora. It was a princely State in the NWFP until it was dissolved in 1969. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty that used to be popular with tourists as the Switzerland of Pakistan. In December 2008 most of the area was captured by the Taliban insurgency. Islamist militant leader Maulana Fazlullah and his group Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-

Shariat-e-Mohammadi have banned education for girls and have bombed or torched more than 170 schools along with other government-owned buildings. In February 2009, Pakistani government went into an agreement with the Taliban to agree on imposing Sharia law in the area in return for militants agreeing to maintain peace in the area.

The takeover of Pakistans Swat Valley is a reminder to India and the rest of the world of the strength of the jihadis. It also demonstrates to India that Pakistan is unwilling or unable to deal with the Taliban operating in Swat and many parts of the northwest frontier.

Phuket: South East Asian leaders will meet with their counterparts from six other Asian nations in this city of Thailand, on April 1012, 2009, to battle fallout from the global financial crisis. PROJECTS Rajpura Thermal Plant: The Punjab government has cleared the setting up of the 1,320 mw Rajpura thermal power project. The project will be built by Lanco Infratech. At present, the total power generation capacity in the State is 6,609 MW, against the peak demand of 7,428 MW. The project is expected to meet the shortfall in three years time.

Tata JV, JSPL bag coal-to-liquid projects: The Union government is understood to have awarded a coal block each to Tata Sons-Sasol joint venture, and another one to Jindal Steel and Power for converting coal to liquid petroleum, entailing an investment of $18 billion. The two projects would result in production of 1,60,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

JSPL said the project will need 30 million tones of washed coal to produce 80,000 barrels of crude a day and the wastes produce from the project would be used for generating 1,350 MW of electricity. SPACE RESEARCH Satellites collide over Siberia: In February 209, two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.

The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be non-functioning. The Russian satellite had gone out of control.

There have been four other cases in which space objects have collided accidentally in orbit, NASA said. But those were considered minor and involved parts of spent rockets or small satellites.

Before the accident there were 9,831 pieces of manmade debris orbiting Earth. The items, at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) in size, are being tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network, which is operated by the military. Litter in orbit has increased in recent years, in part because of the deliberate breakups of old satellites. Its gotten so bad that orbital debris is now the biggest threat to a space shuttle in flight, surpassing the dangers of liftoff and return to earth.

Chinas lunar probe lands on moon: On March 1, 2009, Chinas lunar mission, Change-1, landed its first satellite on the moon. It represented the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the moon before 2020. With the landing, the satellite ended its 16-month mission. Change-1 was launched into space on October 24, 2007, and sent the first full map of the moons surface back to China one month later. MISCELLANEOUS BhuvanISROs answer to Google earth: There will soon be a local variant of Google Earth, the iconic and controversial service from internet search company Google Inc., that allows ordinary people to take a close look at most parts of the world on their computer screens, using satellite images and maps.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a similar Web-based service that will allow users to check everything from the exact location of the new restaurant where they have booked a table for the evening to the state of floodravaged villages in Bihar. The new mapping service will be called Bhuvan, which is the Sanskrit word for earth.

The Indian space agency will use images taken at least a year ago by its seven remote-sensing satellites in orbit around the earth, including Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2. These satellites shoot images as small as a car on the street, to build a three-dimensional map of the world. Details such as roads and soil patterns on the maps would be available only for the Indian region, however.

Bhuvan, which uses high-resolution images, will comply with Indias remote sensing data policy, which does not allow online mapping services to show sensitive locations such as military and nuclear installations. Unlike Google Earth, the Bhuvan application will not be downloadable and will not allow users to host content.

Salaries to rise slowest in six year: Salaries in India will see the lowest increase in six years as slowdown impacts business and demand for people, according to a survey released by Hewitt Associates, part of Illinois-based human resource consultant Hewitt Associates LIc.

Pay packets grew by 13.3% and 15.1% in 2008 and 2007, respectively. Hewitt said it surveyed 480 companies in India between December 2008 and January 2009. The downturn has hit all economies across the globe and those that had dependent economic ties with the US are the ones most affected.

Interestingly, staff at the junior manager, professional and supervisor levels are expected to receive the highest increase for the ninth year in a row, the report said. Junior employees are expected to see their pay increase by 8.8%, while top management executives can expect to take home a raise of 7.4%.

Consumer goods, telecom and consumer durables firms are projecting higher raises. Sectors witnessing lowest pay hikes include entertainment, communications and publishing industries, which are dependent upon other industries for advertising revenues.

Many Indian languages endangered: With 196 of its languages

listed as endangered, India a nation with great linguistic diversity, tops the UNESCOs list of countries having maximum number of dialects on the verge of extinction. India is closely followed by the US, which stands to lose 192 language and Indonesia where 147 are in peril.

The facts were revealed in the latest Atlas of Worlds language in danger of disappearing, on the eve of International Mother Language Day on February 22.

The Atlas classifies 2500 of the 6000 languages spoken worldwide as endangered. It adds that nearly 200 languages have fewer than 10 speakers and 178 others have between 10 and 50 speakers. Fiscal Deficit: The difference between total revenue and total expenditure of the government is termed as fiscal deficit. It is an indication of the total borrowings needed by the government. While calculating the total revenue, borrowings are not included. Generally, fiscal deficit takes place due to either revenue deficit or a major hike in capital expenditure. A deficit is usually financed through borrowing from either the Central Bank of the country or raising money from capital markets by issuing different instruments like treasury bills and bonds.

A mismatch in the expected revenue and expenditure can result in revenue deficit. Revenue deficit arises when the governments actual net receipts is lower than the projected receipts. A revenue deficit does not mean actual loss of revenue. CURRENT GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009 AWARDS Ashok Chakra, 2009: Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havaldar Gajender Singh Bisht (NSG): Immortalised NSG during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Colonel Jojan Thomas (Jat Regiment): Killed in an encounter with terrorists in J&K. Havaldar Bahadur Singh Bohra (Special Forces): Killed in an encounter with terrorists in J&K. ATS Chief Hemant Karkare: Seniormost Police officer was killed during 26/11. Police Officer Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar: Both were killed along with Karkare during 26/11. Assistant Sub-inspector Tukaram Omble: Took five bullets to ensure Ajmal Kasab was taken alive. Delhi Police Inspector M.C. Sharma: Died in Batla House encounter with Indian Mujahideen terrorists. Meghalaya police officer R.P. Diengdoh: Killed in operations against militants.

Assistant Commandant Pramod Kumar Satapathy: Laid down his life fighting Naxals in Orissa.

The Mumbai anti-terrorist operation got six Ashok Chakra winners, probably for the first time after Independence for a single operation. Ashok Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or selfsacrifice other than in the face of the enemy.

Republic Day Awards, 2009: Padma Vibhushan: Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar, environmentalist Sunderlal Bahugna, Missionaries of Charitys sister Nirmala, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief G. Madhvan Nair are among 10 people awarded.

Padma Bhushan: has been awarded to 30 people, including Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, technocrat Sam Pitroda, journalist Shekhar Gupta and Lt Gen Satish Nambiar.

Actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, cricketers M.S. Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, world billiards champion Pankaj Advani and former Hockey player Balbir Singh Khullar are among the 93 who have been given the Padma Shri awards.

Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence, 2009: Business leader of the year: A.M. Naik, Chairman, L&T. Company of the Year: Tata Steel. Businesswoman of the year: Shikha Sharma, MD, ICICI PRU Life Insurance. Entrepreneur of the Year: Dilip Shanghvi, Chairman, Sun Pharma. Emerging Company of the Year: Welspun Gujarat Stahl Rohren. Global Indian: Arun Sarin, Former CEO, Vodafone. Business Reformer: Kamal Nath, Union Commerce Minister. Policy Change Agent: E. Shreedharan, MD Delhi Metro. Corporate Citizen of the Year: Anil Reddy, Chairman, Dr Reddys Lab. Lifetime Achievement Award: Ashok Ganguly, former Chairman, HLL (Now HUL). Corporate Citizen Special Award: The Oberoi Employees and the Taj Employees.

Golden Globe awards, 2009: Best Actor: Colin Farrell won the Best Actor award for his performance in the film In Bruges. Best Supporting Actor: Australian actor Heath Ledger. He was honoured posthumously for

his portrayal of the villainous Joker in Batman sequel The Dark Knight. He became the second actor to win the award posthumous after Peter Finch, who had won the Best Actor award for his film Network in 1976. Best Actress: Kate Winslet, for her performances in Revolutionary Road. Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet for her performance in The Reader. Best Animated Film: Wall-E. Best Foreign film: Israeli film Waltz With Bashir. Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement: Director Steven Spielberg. Best film drama: Slumdog Millionaire. Best Director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire. Best screenwriter: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire. Best Musical Score: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire.

Golden Peacock Award, 2009: Telecom operator Idea Cellular has bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock Award for its product My Gang at the 19th World Congress on Total Quality held in Mumbai. My Gang is the first community user group on prepaid, targeted at youth for creating and sharing identities in the cyber and mobile space and was declared the most innovative product.

DEFENCE INS Shikra: First Chopper base for Navy: The Indian Navy has formally commissioned its first helicopter base INS Shikra at Mumbai. The Indian Navys existing helicopter base, Kunjali II has been commissioned as the INS Shikra. While everything remains the same operationally, the change in status provides greater administrative flexibility as well as the creation of the Air Stations own identity.

The base has been home to the Indian Navys rotary wing assets for 40+ years and every helicopter pilot has served here at one point or another. Air operations from this base commenced in 1964 with the setting up of a small Helicopter Maintenance Unit, as a base support facility at INS Kunjali. On April 3, 1972, INAS 321 Angels was established at Kunjali and regular Chetak Operations commenced. The station continued to operate newer helicopters which were being inducted with the growth of the Indian Navy.

The copter base will be able to provide security services to important defence and civilian installations on the Western Coast.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

India, French firm sign pact for six N-reactors: In the first commercial deal after acquiring a clean waiver from NSG in 2008, to carry out nuclear commerce, India, in January 2009, signed an MoU with French company Areva for supply of as many as six new-generation Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs).

As per the deal signed by Areva and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), Areva will supply two EPRs of 1,650 mw each for nuclear plants the French company will build at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. The order can be updated to six later. The EPRs, which are designed to phase out old reactors all over the world, are currently under construction only in France, Finland and China. Four independent cooling systems for safety and lead-proof design are some of the features which separate the EPRs from the older reactors.

PERSONS Raju, Radha Vinod Raju: The Union government has named Radha Vinod Raju, an officer of the Indian Police Service, or IPS, as head of the newly set up National Investigation Agency, or NIA, an omnibus agency to fight terror, on the lines of US Federal Bureau of Investigation. Raju, who belongs to the 1975 batch of IPS, was a key member of the police team that investigated the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

PLACES Gyotue monastery:The 17th Karmapa, Oxygen Trinley Dorje, next only to the Dalai Lama as a Tibetan Buddhist leader, has finally found a permanent home in India. The Gyotue monastery has offered to build a residence for the 24-year-old Karmapa at Sidhbari village, 7 km from Dharamsala. Known as the Black hat Lama, he was recognized as the reincarnate of 16th Karmapa, Rangzun Rigpe Dorje, by the Dalai Lama. He defected from China with five men and his elder sister in January 5, 2000, and reached Dharamsala. Jaipur: As many as 116 world famous authors, 20 interviewers and 30 performing artistes participated in the Literature Festival, the largest of its kind in Asia, that was held in Jaipur in January 2009. Rai Bareily: The third rail coach factory has started operations here. Coaches of Indias own bullet train would be manufactured at this Rs 1,685 crore facility. PROJECTS

Tilaiya project for RPower: Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Power has bagged its third 4,000 mw Ultra Mega Power Project, at Tilaiya, in Jharkhand. The project entails an investment of Rs 16,000-18,000 crore and will have a debt-equity ratio of 70 : 30. Tilaiya is the fourth UMPP to be awarded to a developer. Earlier, two UMPPs bagged by Reliance Power are those of Sasan and Krishnapatnam. Tata Power got the Mundra UMPP. SPACE RESEARCH Iran launches first home- built satellite: On February 3, 2009, Iran, engaged in a standoff with the West over its controversial nuclear programme, launched its first indigenous satellite, named Omid, using its own Safir-2 rocket, a move that could cause concern in the international community. The launch of the satellite coincided with 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The satellite is aimed at determining orbital measurements and will calculate Earth 15 times in every 24 hours.

Iran has pursued a space programme for several years. In October 2005, a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-I was put into orbit with help of a Russian rocket.

HOME Current General Knowledge: Dec 2008-Jan 2009 ABBREVIATIONS EIR: Equipment Identity Register (EIR). IMEI: International Mobile Equipment Identity. NIA: National Investigation Agency.

AWARDS International Jurists Award, 2008: Veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani, a former Law Minister, has been bestowed with the International Honour for Jurisprudence along with Canadian Chief Justice Beverley Mclachlin (Administration of justice), Law Society of England and Wales (Bar affairs), United Nations office on drugs and crime (Law enforcement), Dr Peter Mutha-rika (Legal education), and Rohit Kochhar (Corporate laws and Legal entrepreneurship).

PURSE Award, 2008: Panjab University has been awarded the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) award based on its performance in research. The award includes a grant of Rs 10 crore

per annum for the next three years.

BOOKS Respected Memsahibs: A unique anthology of 19 women who lived and worked in India between World War-I and independence in 1947 has been produced at the University of Cambridge. Compiled by Mary Thatcher, the anthology draws on the letters, memoirs and narratives of the 19 women.

DEFENCE India signs plane deal with Boeing: India has signed a $ 2.1 billion (Rs 10,164 crore) deal with US aerospace giant Boeing Co. to buy maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy. The agreement to buy eight P-81 long range reconnaissance aircraft marks Indias biggest military aircraft deal with the US. The largest buyer of armaments among emerging nations, India plans to spend $ 30 billion until 2012 to modernize its 1.23 million strong military, the worlds fourth largest.

DRDO develops stealth parachutes: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new stealthparachute, capable of para-dropping soldiers at three times the normal height at which they are presently being dropped. The parachute will help the troopers to jump from a height of 30,000 feet as compared to the current jump height of 10,000 feet and will also help to avoid detection from the enemy as the sound of aircraft at this height would be inaudible.

The new system comes equipped with lightweight oxygen cylinders to avoid suffocation, as at these heights oxygen becomes scarce. The new parachutes also sport directional gadgets that will keep the para-jumper abreast of his landing directions.

DISCOVERY The earths magnetic field has got a big hole: Recent satellite observations have found the largest breach yet seen in the magnetic field that protects earth from most of the suns violent blasts. The discovery was made by Themis, a fleet of five small satellites from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Scientists have long known that the earths magnetic field, which guards against severe space weather, is similar to a drafty old house that lets in

violent eruptions of charged particles from the sun. Such a breach can cause brilliant auroras or disrupt satellite and ground communications.

Observations from Themis show the earths magnetic field occasionally deve-lops two cracks, allowing solar wind, a stream of charged particles spewing from the sun at 1.6 million kph, to penetrate the earths upper atmosphere.

Scientists initially believed the greatest solar breach occurred when the earths and suns magnetic fields are pointed in opposite directions. But data from Themis found that 20 times more solar wind passed into the earths protective shield when the magnetic fields were aligned.

The Themis results could have bearing on how scientists predict the severity of solar storms and their effects on power grids, airline and military communications and satellite signals.

ENVIRONMENT Worlds first energy market in India: India will have the worlds first market for trading in energy savings. Under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the power ministry has prepared the blueprint for trading in energy by industrial plants that save energy beyond the target set for them.

Under the plan, formulated by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, the government will set mandatory targets to be achieved by each large industrial unit and plant in energy intensive sectors, which include cement, aluminium, steel, power, textiles, fertilizers, railways, paper and pulp industries.

Named the Perform, Achieve and Trade or PAT scheme, energy reduction targets would be set in terms of the specific energy consumption for each plant individually, to ensure that there are no blanket benchmarks that create an uneven turf for different sizes and type of players.

While the methodology for ascertaining the energy consumption in each identified sector has been finalized, it will take a year to ascertain the

target for each large unit.

Once the targets are set by end of 2009, the industry will be given three years to achieve them. Those units that surpass their targets will be tradable on the existing power exchanges in the country. Companies that fail to meet the targets set for them will have to buy these certificates under an open market mechanism.

If the failed units do not meet their target either by achieving energy savings or by buying the energy certificates, they would be penalized by the government under the energy conservation act.

Under the plan, BEE will accredit private agencies to audit the actual energy consumed by the industrial units and retain the powers to carry out random checks. 2008 is tenth warmest year, ever: A report released on behalf of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says that 2008 is the tenth warmest year ever, with the average global temperature at 14.3 degree C. The 10 warmest years on records since 1850 have occurred since 1997. Global temperatures between 2000 and 2008 have been almost 0.2 degree C warmer than the average for the decade 1990 to 1999. In 2008 global average was 0.31 degree C above the 1961-90 average. In the northern hemisphere in 2008, the mean temperature was 0.51 degree C above average (eighth warmest) and in the southern hemisphere it was 0.11 degree C above average (twentieth warmest). N-ENERGY First Uranium imports in three decades: India will receive its first uranium imports in three decades from countries such as France and Canada by April 2009, ending the isolation from nuclear commerce that ensued from its first atomic test.

The imports are expected to boost power capacity at the 17 reactors of India by at least 17%, or 700MW. The reactors are now operating at 46% of their capacity because of a shortage of uranium, the fuel that powers them.

The uranium imports are meant for the Rajasthan units of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, or NPCIL, whos Rajasthan Atomic

Power Station (RAPS) located at Rawatbhata in Kota district has a total capacity of 740 MW.

India, which has an installed nuclear power capacity of 4,120 MW, plans to boost it by almost five times by 2020 as it tries to close the gap between galloping energy demand and deficient supply. The countrys installed power generation capacity is around 145,000 MW. But a significant portion of this capacity is idling because of scarcity of fuels such as coal, gas and uranium.

Coal-based generation accounts for 76,000 MW, while the countrys gasbased capacity is 14,600 MW, which is operating at 52% efficiency.

Indias estimated uranium reserves are sufficient to generate only 10,000 MW. The quality of the domestic uranium ore is also low (0.1% uranium content against global standards of 12-14%). Uranium mining in India is insignificant and in most parts of the country is resisted by local people on health grounds, leaving little scope for stepping up production.

PERSONS Hasina, Sheikh: She has been elected as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in the countrys first election since 2001. Born in 1947, Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshs independence leader and first head of State.

She and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, were in Europe when Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was assassinated and survived, later taking political asylum in India. She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 and inherited the leadership of her fathers Awami League party, returning the party to power after 21 years. Since then she has traded power with Khaleda Zia in a rivalry that has been blamed for much of the corruption and mismanagement that have plagued Bangladesh.

PLACES Burj Dubai: Iconic skyscraper Burj Dubai has become the worlds tallest structure after reaching a record height of 780 metres and crossing 160 stories in the process. The tower achieved the distinction of being the worlds tallest structure surpassing the KVLY-TV mast (628.8 metres) in

North Dakota, US.

The high-rise is already taller than Taipei 101 in Taiwan, which at 508 metres and has held the tallest building in the world title since it opened in 2004.

Burj Dubai has also surpassed the 31-year-old record of CN Tower, which at 553.33 metres and has been the worlds tallest free-standing structure on land since 1976. Gaza: The Gaza Strip is a silver of towns, villages and farmland at the southeast end of the Mediterranean, 45 km long and 10 km wide. It is wedged between Israel to the north and east, and Egypts Sinai Peninsula to the south. Gaza city has been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000 years and was a crossroads of ancient civilizations. It is believed to be the burial place of the Prophet Mohammads great grandfather.

Israel captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt in the 1967 war and started settling Israelis there. It, however, pulled Jewish settlers and soldiers out of the territory in September 2005.

In June 2006 Israel conducted large-scale ground operations after militants tunnelled across the Gaza border and captured an Israeli soldier, who is still being held. A year later, Hamas Islamists took control of the Gaza Strip after routing President Mahmoud Abbass Fatah forces. Subsequently, Israel tightened the closure of its borders with Gaza, curbing fuel supplies and limiting movement of people. Under an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, Hamas agreed to halt rocket fire in return for Israel easing the blockade. Hamas, however, declared the end of the truce on December 18, 2008 and in retaliation of rocket fire on Israeli positions by militants in Gaza, Israel again invaded Gaza on December 27, 2008. The war resulted in more than 800 people getting killed in first week itself.

PROJECTS Worlds longest causeway: The worlds longest marine causeway, a $ 3 billion project which will link Bahrain and Qatar, will come up by 2013. The over 40 km twin carriageway, running across 22 km of viaducts over the sea and 18 km of embankments, will reduce travel time by car between the Gulf countries by about four hours. Travel time from Qatar to Bahrain by car is expected to be reduced from four-and-a-half hour to

around 30 minutes. The causeway will also provide a connection for future high-speed freight and passenger rail lines between the countries.

SPACE RESEARCH NASA robots mark five years on Mars: NASAs Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity marked their fifth anniversary on the red planet in January 2009, where they have endured harsh conditions and revealed a deluge of information.

The twin robots, which landed on Mars, three weeks apart in January 2004, were initially expected to have just 90-day missions, but have since sent back a quarter-million images, toured mountains and craters and survived violent storms.

The rovers have sent back to earth some 36 gigabytes of data, have greatly advanced NASAs understanding Mars geology, including peeks into its wet and habitable past. Analysts say the wealth of information will keep scientists busy for years as they further unravel the vast banks of data.

Since 2004 the machines have covered 21 km of Mars red rock desert, driving inch by inch to avoid chasms and rocky obstacles, picking up samples and snapping images to beam back to earth.

After moon odyssey, its mission sun for ISRO: Scientists at ISRO are in an advance stage of designing a spacecraft, named Aditya, to study the outermost region of the Sun, called corona. Aditya is the first space-based Solar Coronagraph intended to study corona and would be the first attempt by the Indian scientific community to unravel the mysteries associated with coronal heating, coronal mass ejections and the associated space weather processes and study of these would provide important information on the solar activity conditions.

MISCELLANEOUS Indias first electronic waste recycling company: Ecoreco is Indias first fully compliant electronic waste recycling company. You can now dispose all your electrical and electronic waste with the help of Ecoreco. The company also offers Indias first mobile shredding facility for data

destruction.

Ecoreco provides: Nationwide collection of e-waste; Safe and secure destruction of confidential data; Equipment refurbishment and resale; Disassembly and de-manufacturing; Hazardous substance disposal by designated facility.

Current General Knowledge: Nov-Dec 2008 ABBREVIATIONS NATRIP: National Automotive Testing and R & D Infrastructure Project. AWARDS Social Entrepreneur Award, 2008: Arbind Singh, Executive Director, Nidan, is the winner. In India, the Social Entrepreneur Year of the Award is an initiative of The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation and The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the UNDP.

Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, 2008: Mohammad El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been chosen for the 2008 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, for his impassioned opposition to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes and his steadfast espousal of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, sustained over many years. He has led the IAEA in carving out an independent approach free from bias and reflective of a wider balanced perspective in tune with todays world, it said.

IAAF Awards, 2008: Sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Pole Vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia have won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards. Bolt is the first man to win the three Olympic events in a single Games, since Carl Lewis in 1984. Yelena Isinbayeva successfully defended her Olympic title and remained undefeated in outdoor competitions in 2008.

UN Human Rights Award, 2008: Slain former Pakistani Premier Benazir Bhutto has been posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights award.

Chandrayaan-1 wins global award: Chandrayaan-1, the unmanned

mission sent by India for exploration of moon, has won a prestigious international cooperation award given by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG). The ILEWG is a public forum sponsored by the worlds space agencies to support international cooperation towards formulating a world strategy for the exploration and utilization of the moon.

BOOKS Imagining IndiaIdeas for the new century: This book is written by Nandan Nilekani, co-chairman of Infosys. He has received for the book the biggest advance ever paid to a non-fiction writer in India. Penguin has bought the publication rights of the book.

Secret Life of Words, The: British writer Henry Hitchings book is on how the English language came to be. It has won for its author the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, given for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama) by a UK or Commonwealth writer aged 35 or under.

DEFENCE Shaurya missile test-fired successfully: India successfully test-fired a medium-range, surface to surface missile on November 12, 2008. The new Shourya (Valour) missile has a range of 600 km and the high manoeuvrability of the missile makes it less vulnerable to available antimissile defence systems.

Ezhimala Naval Academy: The prestigious Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kannur district in Kerala will be commissioned in January 2009. All the training and academic programmes of the Indian Navy will be shifted to the new academy, perhaps the biggest in Asia, once it becomes fully operational. The academy can at a time train 750 cadets.

OIL OVL makes second strike in Egypt: In marked contrast to the performance of its parent Oil and Natural Gas Corporation at home, the flagship explorers overseas arm ONGC Videsh has struck oil for the second time in an offshore block in Egypt. This is the latest in a string of success the company has scored on foreign soil.

The latest discovery was made off the North Ramadan concession in the Gulf of Suez in partnership with Cairo-based explorer IPR Red Sea Inc. The find in well North Ramadan-2 (NR-2), the second oil discovery in the block, is located on a separate block north of the first oil discovery NR-IA, which produced about 3,000 barrels of oil per day and 15 million cubic feet per day of gas during the testing phase. OVL holds 70% in the North Ramadan concession, while IPR has the remaining 30%. The North Ramadan concession is 290 sq km in size and is surrounded by some of Egypts most prolific producing oil fields in the Gulf of Suez.

PERSONS Singh, Vishwanath Pratap: Former Indian Prime Minister who dethroned Rajiv Gandhi to form, in 1989, Indias second non-Congress coalition government and later tried social engineering through reservations that changed the countrys political course irreversibly, died on November 27, 2008. He was 77.

He had shot to fame in the mid- 1980s when he was Finance Minister in the government headed by Rajiv Gandhi. His major achievement, however, was the implementation of the Mandal Commissions recommendations that ensured reservation to students from backward communities in education and public sector jobs. An erudite man with a fondness for poetry and painting, he wasnt the same force after he quit as Prime Minister.

PLACES Hosur: Located near Bangalore this place will host the first aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India.

Gulf of Aden, The: Located off the Somalian coast, it has become a hotbed of sea piracy. The Gulf is an important waterway as it is the only gateway to the Suez Canal that, in turn, is the only waterway for ships travelling between Asian and European countries. The 950 km stretch, straddled by Yemen on the north and Somalia on the south, is now being patrolled by a multinational and anti-terror naval task force, comprising warships from the US, Britain, Germany and other countries.

PROJECTS NATRIP plan: National Automotive Testing and R & D Infrastructure

Project (NATRIP) would invest Rs 1,718 crore for setting up auto testing facilities at seven locations across the country by 2011. NATRIP, a joint venture between the central government and the countrys auto industry to create a state of the art testing, validation and R&D infrastructure, would set up its centres at Manesar, Chennai, Indore, Silchar, Rae Bareilly, Pune and Ahmednagar.

RESEARCH Rains can help predict cholera: Maybe the India Meteorological Departments (IMD) brief will be enlarged beyond forecasting the weather to predicting cholera outbreaks. Thats because a team of scientists from India, Bangladesh and the US has found a strong link between the outbreak of the disease, rainfall anomalies and sea surface temperatures.

The study has been conducted jointly by Kolkata-based National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), the University of Maryland and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal disease research, Dhaka.

It has linked the outbreak of the disease to the level of chlorophyll-a, a pigment found mainly in plants that influences the population growth of a class of fresh water and sea water-dwelling organisms called copepods, which host vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera.

Cholera is transmitted to humans through food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium. The result is severe diarrhea that may lead to dehydration, even death, if not treated promptly.

In their report, the scientists have also formulated an equation that relates the number of cholera cases, sea surface temperatures, rainfall and chlorophyll-a levels in water sources in a region.

ISRO develops hydrogen fuel to power buses: Indias space scientists have developed hydrogen fuel cells to power an automobile bus by leveraging their know-how of the home-grown cryogenic technology for rockets. The two-year effort has yielded positive results and the scientists are now readying for the fuel cells to be fitted into a bus.

ISRO and Tata Motors had signed an MoU in 2006, to design and develop

an automobile bus using hydrogen as a fuel through fuel cell route.

103 years later, Einstein proven right: Its taken more than a century, but Einsteins celebrated formula e = mc2 has finally been corroborated, thanks to a heroic computational effort by French, German and Hungarian physicists.

A brainpower consortium led by Laurent Lellouch of Frances Centre for Theoretical Physics, using some of the worlds mightiest supercomputers, have set down the calculations for estimating the mass of protons and neutrons, the particles at the nucleus of atoms.

According to the conventional model of particle physics, protons and neutrons comprise smaller particles known as quarks, which in turn are bound by gluons. The odd thing is that the mass of gluons is zero and the mass of quarks is only 5%. Where therefore is the missing 95%?

The answer, according to the study, comes from the energy from the movements and interactions of quarks and gluons. In other words, energy and mass are equivalent, as Einstein proposed in his special theory of relativity in 1905.

The e=mc2 formula shows that mass can be converted into energy, and energy can be converted into mass.

By showing how much energy would be released if a certain amount of mass were to be converted into energy, the equation has been used many times, most famously as the inspirational basis for building atomic weapons.

Spare 10,000 hours to be a genius: Researchers in Germany have found that genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration, and one has to practice just 10,000 hours to reach the top in their chosen discipline. And, according to them, talent and luck are important, but its practice that makes the difference between being good and being brilliant.

The researchers at the Berlins Academy of Music came to the conclusion after looking at a group of violin students who started playing at around the age of five, practicing for two or three hours a week. As they grew older, the amount of practice increased. And, by the age of 20, the elite performers had each totalled 10,000 hours of practice, while the merely good students had accrued 8,000.

SPACE RESEARCH India hits the moon: The unmanned Chandrayaan-1, Indias first-ever mission for scientific exploration of the moon, achieved a significant milestone on November 14, 2008, when the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) ejected by the spacecraft successfully hit the lunar surface at 8.31 pm, after a 25 minutes descent.

The MIP was dropped on the polar region of the moon by the Chandrayaan 1 from a height of 100 km.

About 30 kg, the box shaped MIP spun during the fall and hit the lunar surface with a thud. The lunar debris, thrown up as a result of the impact made by the MIP on the surface of the moon, would be analysed for the possible traces of water.

The video camera aboard the MIP worked without giving any hitch and filmed the descent of the probe on the lunar surface. The C-band radar altimeter inside the MIP measured the altitude and provided vital information for future landing missions. The MIP also carried a mass spectrometer for giving inputs about the constituents of the extremely thin lunar atmosphere.

MIP had been named Aditya and had the Indian flag painted on all four sides.

Hubble captures first photos of planet outside solar system: The US space agencys 18-year-old Hubble telescope has captured for the first time visible light snapshot of a planet circling another star outside our solar system. Estimated to be about three times Jupiters mass, the planet orbits the bright southern star Formalhaut, located 25 light years away in the constellation Piscis Australis or the Southern Fish.

In 2004, the coronagraph in the high resolution camera on Hubbles advanced camera for surveys produced the first-ever resolved visible light image of the region around Formalhaut. It clearly showed a ring of protoplanetary debris, approximately 21.5 billion miles across and having a sharp inner edge. This large debris disk is similar to the Kuiper Belt, which encircles the solar system and contains a range of icy bodies from dust grains to objects the size of dwarf planets, such as Pluto.

Endeavour docks with space station: Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven astronauts successfully docked with the International Space Station on November 17, 2008, beginning a home improvement mission to double the living space on the orbiting complex. Endeavour was launched on a 15-day mission to expand the living quarters of the orbiting space station and equip it with a new oven, a refrigerator and a new toilet.

NASA tests first deep space internet: US space agency NASA has successfully tested the first deep space communications network modelled on the Internet. NASA engineers used a special software called Disruption-tolerant Networking or DTN to transmit images to and from a NASA science spacecraft located about 30 million km from earth.

MISCELLANEOUS The mouse has just turned 40: One computer device could be called as being most in touch with humans, the mouse, which celebrated its 40th birthday on December 1, 2008. The first computer mouse was a little wooden box with a single red button on top and a wire hanging from the back, because of which it was likened to a rodent. And while computers have transformed from big white boxes to cool flat screens and laptops, the mouse has stayed the same. Its designer, Douglas Engelbart, is not a rich man as he never got any royalties because the patent expired before the mouse became a must have. 1. Macro-economics ........................................................................................................ 3 1.1. Tenth plan............................................................................................................. 4 1.2. Eleventh plan ........................................................................................................ 6 1.3. Vision 2020 .......................................................................................................... 7 2. Land............................................................................................................................ 9 2.1. Soil type................................................................................................................ 9 2.2. Waste land .......................................................................................................... 10 3. Agriculture ................................................................................................................ 11 3.1. Food grains ......................................................................................................... 13

3.2. Commercial crops............................................................................................... 14 3.3. Cropping season ................................................................................................. 15 3.4. Agriculture exports ............................................................................................. 15 3.5. Irrigation ............................................................................................................. 16 3.6. Revolutions......................................................................................................... 17 A brief description of the major revolutions: ................................................................ 18 3.7. Agriculture: At A Glance ................................................................................... 18 3.8. India and world: comparison in agriculture........................................................ 20 4. Agri Business ............................................................................................................ 21 4.1. Fertilizer and pesticides ...................................................................................... 21 4.2. Food processing.................................................................................................. 24 4.3. Agriculture machinery........................................................................................ 25 4.4. Agriculture markets ............................................................................................ 27 4.6. Agriculture finance ............................................................................................. 28 5. Forest ......................................................................................................................... 30 6. Agriculture Allied Activities..................................................................................... 31 6.1. Horticulture......................................................................................................... 31 6.2. Poultry ................................................................................................................ 31 6.3. Dairy ................................................................................................................... 32 6.4. Sericulture........................................................................................................... 32 Page | 2 6.5. Fish ..................................................................................................................... 33 6.6. Animal Husbandry.............................................................................................. 33 7. Land reforms ............................................................................................................. 35 8. NGOs......................................................................................................................... 37 9. Development schemes and indicators ....................................................................... 41 9.1. HDI index............................................................................................................... 42 9.2. IRDP....................................................................................................................... 43 9.3. Self Employment programs.................................................................................... 43 9.4. Wage Employment programs................................................................................. 44 9.5. Education................................................................................................................ 44 9.6. Health ..................................................................................................................... 46 10. Micro finance ......................................................................................................... 47 11. Cooperatives........................................................................................................... 48 12. Retail revolution and farmer .................................................................................. 50 13. ITC e-Choupal........................................................................................................ 52 14. WTO and Indian agriculture .................................................................................. 56 15. Important Institutions ............................................................................................. 58 Page | 3 1. Macro-economics India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.4% for the fiscal year 20062007. The average for last three years is close to 9%. Beating Japan, the economy of India is expected to be the third largest in the world as estimated by purchasing power parity by the end of this fiscal year. When measured in Dollar terms, India is the twelfth largest in the world. Currently its GDP has more than US $1.0 trillion. But per capita income of the country is low at $3,800 at PPP and $735 at nominal1 due to countrys huge population. In the World Bank classified India as a low-income economy in 2006, but India will probably move into the lower middleincome country classification of per capita income by 2008. Indian foreign exchange reserves are increasing at rapid rate. During August, 2007, it was $230 billion. With the

recent surge in inflows, no wonder by the time you will read this document it would be more than $250 billion. _____ 1.1. Tenth plan During tenth plan (2002-07) period India has seen the growth like never before. The table below is showing the sectoral growth rates and ICOR under Different Sectors of the economy 3 *Estimates by IMF: World economic outlook , September 2006 Page | 5 Tenth Five year Plan in a nutshell (2002-07) Macro-economics parameters of the tenth plan are given below. The most noticeable is the increase in the savings and investment rate. If an economy wants to grow with the rate of 9% or more its investments rate must be more than 35%. Investment comes from savings so higher savings rate is prerequisite of higher growth. Can you guess which country has highest savings rate. Obviously China! Page | 6 Parameter 10th plan Post Plan Domestic Savings Rate (% of GDPmp) 26.8% 33% Current Account Deficit (% of GDPmp) 1.6% 3.1% Investment Rate(% of GDPmp) 28% 36% GDP Growth Rate (% per annum) 7.9% 9.4% Export Growth Rate(% per annum) 12% NA Gujarat, Karnataka and Delhi were grown fastest with the growth rate in state GDP was more than 10%. Bihar and Kerala were among the slowest with growth rate in state GDP was 6.5%. Insurgency hit north eastern (NE) states were worst performers with growth rate hovering at the lower 5%. 1.2. Eleventh plan Eleventh plan (2007-11) is under the finalization process. Most of the policies and targets are already finalize and reports on it are available on the planning commission website. Targets growth rate for agriculture sector4 is 4 %. Growth rate for agriculture sector achieved during 10th plan: 1.8% Parameter Target for 11th plan GDP growth rate 9% Domestic Savings Rate (% of GDPmp) 33% Current Account Deficit (% of GDPmp) 2.8% Investment Rate(% of

GDPmp) 35% 4Montek Singh Ahluwalia, planning commission, http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/53rdndc/dchndc53.pdf Page | 7 In the table below, the projections for sectoral growth and Import-Export growth rates are given. 1.3. Vision 2020 Inspired with president Kalam, country has prepared a vision for 2020. Committee headed by K C Pant has prepared the vision document in 2002. Few high lights are given below. Vision 2020 at glance5 5 Report of the committee on vision 2020 planning commission, http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/pl_vsn2020.pdf Page | 8 Page | 9 2. Land Following tables shows some facts about the Indian land. India which is 7th largest country has 2nd largest cultivable land and largest irrigated land in the world. Parameter Indian value World Rank Total Area 329 million hectares 7th Land Area 297 million hectares 7th Percentage of World Area 2.42 per cent 7th Forest Area6 63 million hectares (19.4 % of the total area) Areable land 162 million hectare (43% of Total) 2nd (USA 1st) Irrigated Area 55 million hectares (40% of total Arable land) 1st Rain irrigated Area 60% Cereals production 231 in year 2001 3rd behind China, USA 2.1. Soil type India- Land Soils Soil States Useful in production of Alluvial soils cover about 24% of the total land. Found in Indo-Gangetic Plains (Punjab, Haryana, UP), in the valleys of Narmada and Tapti in Madhya Pradesh and the Cauvery in Tamil Nadu. These soils are considered very good for the production of wheat, rice other cereals, pulses, oil seeds, potato, sugarcane,

etc. Black soils Found in the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. These are also considered good for cultivation of cotton, cereals, pulses, oil seeds, citrus fruits, vegetables, etc. 6 Source: Data as of year 1999, planning commission website. The data on forest cover varies as different agencies have different definition of what constitute a forest Page | 10 Red soils Found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. These are most suited for rice, ragi (millet), tobacco and vegetable cultivation. 2.2. Waste land Wasteland is a degraded land which does not fulfill their life sustaining potential. Wasteland can result from inherent / imposed disabilities such as by location, environment, chemical and physical properties of the soil or financial or management constraints. Wastelands statistics indicate that about 63.85 million hectares, which account for 20.17% of the total geographical area (328.72 million hectares) exist as wastelands in India7. __________________ 7 Source: 1:50,000 scale wasteland maps prepared from Landsat Thematic Mapper/IRS LISS II/III Data Page | 11 3. Agriculture The Indian Agricultural sector provides employment to about 65% of the labour force, accounts for 18.5% of GDP in 2005, contributes 20-21% of total exports, 14.7% of the total export earnings, and raw materials to several industries. Area, Production and Yield of Food grains Along with Percentage Coverage under Irrigation in India Year Area (Million Hectare) Production (Million Tonne) Yield (Kg./Hectare) % Coverage under Irrigation

1950-51 97.32 50.82 522 18.1 1990-91 127.84 176.39 1380 35.1 2000-01 121.05 196.81 1626 43.4 2006-07* 124.07 211.78 1707 NA Growth in Agriculture Annual average Growth Rate (Percent) Five Year Plan and Years Growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors Overall GDP Growth Rate Eight five year Plan 4.7 6.7 Ninth five year Plan 2.1 5.5 2003-04 10 8.5 2004-05 .07 6.9 2005-06 2.3 7.5-8 Growth Rates Growth rates 2004-05 2005-06 GDP 7.5% 8.2% Agriculture .7% 2.3% Industrial Sector 8.6% 9.0% Service sector 9.9% 9.8% Page | 12 Food Crops Crop Area Rice West Bengal, U.P., Andhra Pradesh and Haryana. Wheat Punjab, Haryana and U.P and Madhya Pradesh Millets Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, U.P. and Haryana. Barley U.P., Punjab and Haryana. Maize Bihar, U.P., Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Pulses Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bengal and Gujarat Sugarcane U.P., Bihar, Maharashtra. Non-Food crops or Cash crops Tea Assam, West Bengal, Kerala. Coffee Karnataka, Kerala and tamil nadu. Oilseeds Orissa, U.P., Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh. Tobacco U.P., bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnartaka and Gujarat. Cotton Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and tamil Nadu Jut West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Orissa Rubber Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala Silk Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam and Kashmir. Page | 13 __

3.3. Cropping season The Indian crops can be divided into three groups in which two are major namely Kharif & RabiKharif crop- The Kharif season is during the southwest monsoon (July-October). During this season, agricultural activities take place both in rain-fed areas and irrigated areas. Kharif crop includes Rice (Paddy), Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Cotton, Sugarcane, Seasamum, Soyabean, and Groundnut. Rabi crops- The Rabi season is during the winter months, when agricultural activities take place only in the irrigated areas. This crop is sown in October last and harvested in March/April every year. These crops include Wheat, Jowar, Barley, Gram, Tur, Rapeseed, and Mustard. Zayad Crop- In some parts of the country a crop is sown during March to June every year. Zayad crops include Melon, watermelon, Vegetables, Cucumber, Moong, Urad etc. Kharif and Rabi season comparison: Comparison of major food grains and total production of rice and wheat. The comparison can also be seen in the table shown in the sections of food grains and commercial crops. Grains 2004-05 in million tonnes Rice 87.8 Wheat 73.03 Rabi (all food grains) 103.4 Kharif (all food grains) 102.9 Total (all food grains) 206.3 3.4. Agriculture exports The Agri-export and EXIM policy 2004-09 emphasized the importance of agricultural exports and announced the following measures to boost the agri-ecports: Page | 16 A new scheme called the Vishesh Krishi Upaj Yojana ( Special Agricultural Produce Scheme ) for promoting the export of fruits, vegetables, flowers minor forest produce, and their value added products have been introduced. Funds shall be earmarked under ASIDE ( Assistance to states for Infrastructure Development of Export) for the development nof Agri-Export zones. Capital goods imported under EPCG shall be permitted to be installed anywhere in the APZ. Following tables shows the agriculture exports from india and its comparison with the total exports of the country. The figures of the year 1991 are given to highlight the fact that what is the impact of LPG (liberalization, privatization and globalization) on the agri-exports from the country.10 ([SRUWV_RI_$JULFXOWXUH_&RPPRGLWLHV_YLV_D_YLV_ 7RWDO_1DWLRQDO_([SRUWV_IURP_,QGLD_ ___________WR____________ _5V__LQ_&URUH__ <HDU_ $JULFXOWXUH_ ([SRUWV_ 7RWDO_1DWLRQDO_ ([SRUWV_ __$JULFXOWXUH_([SRUWV_WR_7RWDO_1DWLRQDO_ ([SRUWV_ _____ ___

________ _________ ______ _____ ___ _________ __________ ______ _ 3.5. Irrigation India is a monsoon dependent country for its water resources. Irrigation sector has been fundamental to Indias economic development and poverty alleviation since 25% of Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 65% of employment is based on agriculture. During the post independence period, the country has invested a huge amount of capital in the major and the medium irrigation projects. Among the states, three have already achieved 70% or more of the ultimate irrigation potential with Tamilnadu recording 100% achievement, followed by Punjab and Rajasthan at 84% and 74% respectively. Six states, i.e., Haryana, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal are in the range of 63% to 71%, whereas in U.P. and Maharashtra, the achievement would be 56% each. The states of Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, M.P. and Assam have achieved less than 50% of the ultimate potential. The ultimate potential under major & medium irrigation in the eastern states (except West Bengal), i.e. Bihar, U.P., M.P. and Orissa put together works out to 10 Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. Page | 17 bout 50% of the total ultimate potential of the country. Irrigation potential which stood at 22.6 mha in 1950-1951, has now reached about 100 mha, and as a result food production has increased from 50 m tonnes (1951) to about 208 m tonnes (2005). The projections for future population and food requirement of the country indicate that the population of India may stabilize around 1.6 to 1.7 billion by 2050 AD and that would require about 450 m tons of food grain annually at the required level of food consumption. Area wise it is necessary to provide irrigation to at least 130 mha for food crops alone and in an area of 160 mha for all crops to be able to meet the demands of the country in 2050 AD and ensure food security. Following table give the data about the shown and irrigated land in the country. It also depicts the trend in the increase of net shown area and irrigated area. Sown and Irrigated Area in India (Million Hectare) Year Net Sown Area Gross Sown Area Area Sown more than once * Net Irrigated Area Gross Irrigated Area Area Irrigated more than once ** 1950-

51 118.75 131.89 13.14 20.85 22.56 1.71 199192 141.63 182.24 40.61 49.87 65.68 15.81 200304* 140.88 190.64 49.76 55.1 76.82 21.71 3.6. Revolutions Revolutions in Indian Economy Revolutions Area Key Person Green Agriculture Dr. Norman Borlaug and Dr. M.S.Swaminathan. Yellow Oil Seeds Sam Pitroda White Milk Varghese Kurien Page | 18 Blue Fish Pink Shrimp Brown Masaaley Grey Wool & Poultry Black Crude Oil A brief description of the major revolutions: Operation Flood (white Revolution) has helped dairy farmers direct their own development, placing control of the resources they create in their own hands. A National Milk Grid links milk producers throughout India with consumers in over 700 towns and cities, reducing seasonal and regional price variations while ensuring that the producer gets a major share of the price consumers pay. The bedrock of Operation Flood has been village milk producers' cooperatives, which procure milk and provide inputs and services, making modern management and technology available to members. Operation Flood's objectives included : * Increase milk production ("a flood of milk") * Augment rural incomes * Fair prices for consumers The Green Revolution is a term used to describe the worldwide transformation of agriculture that led to significant increases in agricultural production between the 1940s and 1960s. This transformation occurred as the result of programs of agricultural research, extension, and infrastructural development, instigated and largely funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, along with the Ford Foundation and other major agencies.[1] The Green Revolution in agriculture helped food production to keep pace with worldwide population growth. It has had major social and ecological impacts. The Office of Special Studies in Mexico became an informal international research institution in 1959, and in 1963 it formally became CIMMYT (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center). The second nation to which the Green Revolution spread was India. The Ford Foundation had a presence in the nation, and their social scientists had decided that the technological development of agriculture was important to the future of India . At the same time C.Subramaniam, the former Indian Minister. The Foundation and Indian government collaborated to import a huge amount of wheat seed from CIMMYT 3.7. Agriculture: At A Glance Agriculture growth rate target for Tenth Plan (2002-2007) is 4%,but achived was merely 1.8%. target for 11th plan is again 4%. Page | 19 Agriculture sector provides employment to 58.4% of countrys workforce and is

the single largest private sector occupation. India holds first position in the world in the production of sugarcane and sugar, Brazil closely follow us and many times its production is more than ours. Brazil is also largest producer of Ethanol. Cashew nuts assume an important place in the Indian Economy. India produces 45% of the global production of cashew. India is the largest producer, processor, consumer & exporter of cashew in the world. India contributes about 13% to the world vegetable production and occupies first rank in the production of Cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. Indias share in the world production of mango is about 54%. India occupies the first rank in banana production of 1.16 Million tones. Animal husbandry output constitutes about 30% of the countrys agriculture output. U.P. is the highest wheat producing state, Punjab and Haryana hold 2nd & 3rd positions respectively. Rice is the main food crop in India. The highest rice producing State is West Bengal, U.P & Punjab are 2nd& 3rd respectively. The highest pulses & Soyabean producing state is Madhya Pradesh. The highest cereals producing state is Maharashtra. India is the largest producer & consumer of tea in the world and accounts for around 27% of world production and 13% of world trade. Karnataka, which is the largest producer of coffee in the country, accounts for 56.5% of total coffee production in India. India ranks sixth in the world coffee production. Kerela is the main rubber producing state, which produces 90% of the rubber in the country and accounts for over 85% of the area under cultivation. India is the largest Milk producing country in the world. India is the third highest tobacco producing country in the world. India ranked first in production of vegetable in the world. Besides India is the second largest producer of fruits in the world. The Horticulture sector contributed 28% of GDP in agriculture. Crop Rotation- The practice of growing more than one crop simultaneously in a single field in a single season gives additional harvest. Thus, this practice increases the over all yield and ensures maximum use of the soil and nutrients. If there is danger of loss to any crop due to adverse weather conditions or diseases, there are some better chances for the other crop in the field if the system of Page | 20 multiple cropping is adopted. The two and three years rotation is also adopted in the country and is as follows: First Year Second Year Third Year Bajra & Pea Green manuring & Wheat Jowar & Arhar Cotton& Peas Kharif Sugar-cane Green manuring Cotton Rabi Sugar-cane Wheat Preparation for Sugar-cane Sugar cane is generally sown in three years rotation. The areas, near the help of organic manures and fertilizer. In such areas three to four crops in a year are taken such as maize, early potato, late potato and pumpkin. In these areas the fertility of the fields is maintained by adding manure with the soil. 3.8. India and world: comparison in agriculture

Leading production countries and Indias rank in the world11 Crop Leader Indias Rank Paddy China 2nd Wheat China 2nd Maize USA 7th Sugarcane Brazil 2nd Tobacco China 2nd Milk India 1st Fruits and vegetable China 2nd Live stock India 1st India is leading producer of Banana and Mango also. 11 FAO estimates Page | 21 4. Agri Business Definition12: Agribusiness is sum total of all the opereations involved in a) manufacturing and distribution of farm supplies, b) production activities on the farm, c) and the storage processing and distribution of the farm commodities and the items made from them. Agribusiness Brief: As per recent studies the turnover of the total food market is approximately Rs.250000 crores (US $ 69.4 billion) out of which value-added food products comprise Rs.80000 crores (US $ 22.2 billion). The Government of India has also approved proposals for joint ventures, foreign collaborations, industrial licenses and 100% export oriented units envisaging an investment of Rs.19100 crores (US $ 4.80 billion) out of which foreign investment is over Rs. 9100 crores (US $ 18.2 Billion). The agricultural food industry also assumes significance owing to India's sizable agrarian economy, which accounts for over 35% of GDP13 and employs around 65 per cent of the population. Both in terms of foreign investment and number of joint- ventures / foreign collaborations, the consumer food segment has the top priority. The other attractive features of the Indian agro industry that have the capacity to lure foreigners with promising benefits are the deep sea fishing, aqua culture, milk and milk products, meat and poultry segments14. 4.1. Fertilizer and pesticides A fertilizer is a Organic or inorganic plant foods, which may be either liquid or granular, used to amend the soil in order to improve the quality or quantity of plant growth Our farm needs 18 different elements to survive but most of them are already provided to the farm from the soil and natural surroundings. However, three primary elementsNitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium(K) need to be added to farm in the form of fertilizer to increase productivity in total. The idea ratio of N: P: K fertilizer is 4:2:1. India is the 3rd largest producer and consumer after China and States with 17.7 million tonnes of installed capacity. Annual consumption increased from 70,000 mt in 1951-52 to 203.4 lakh mt in 05-06. Per hectare consumption increased from less than 1 kg in 1951-52 to 106 kg in 05-06. Achieved self sufficiency in Nitrogenous fertilizers production, adequacy in Phosphates but for Potash depended on imports. 12 Davis and Goldberg, Harvard Business School 13 Only agriculture and allied activities account for 18.3 % in 2006. But agriculture and related agro industry which inculedes food processing, warehousing and export accounts for close to 35% of the GDP. 14 Source: http://www.agriculture-industry-india.com/agro-industry-overview/

Page | 22 Punjab tops with 184 kg per hectare and Orissa at bottom with 41.4 kg per hectare consumption. Still we are behind even from country like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Fertilizer Use: Large and medium farmers use fertilizer mostly, small farmers use less. The landholding above 5 acres or 2-5 acres farmer use it more almost 70% of total consumption. The use of fertilizer is varying from state to state. Punjab is highest user of fertilizer less then one percent farmers do not use it regularly. At National level 30 % farmers do not use it regularly Distribution: Availability of fertilizer is the most important in its sell, Nutrients determine the purchasing decision. Brands have got lesser important in fertilizer market Fertilizers are distributed through three main channels institutional channel, company outlets and private dealers. Share of private dealers is 65 % of total fertilizer distribution Types of Fertilizers & their composition Nitrogenous Fertilizers Urea 46%N Ammoniam Sulphate (As) 21%N Ammoniam Chloride (ACl) 26%N Calcium Ammoniam Nitrate (CAN) 25%N Phosphatic & Potassic Fertilisers Single Super Phosphate (SSP) 16% P2O5 Muriate of Potash (MOP) 60%K2O Sulphate of Potash (SOP) 48%K2O Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) 18% N 46%P2O5 Rock Phosphate (RP) 16 - 20% P2O5 Page | 23 Bio-fertilizers are environment friendly (free of inorganic chemicals) and cheaper source of plant nutrients. Decision about setting up of National Bio-fertilizer Development Cost (NBDC) and six regional bio-fertilizers centers is taken in ninth five year plan. Government Policy: It has been highly Government regulated production and marketing sector. It has been regulated under Essential Commodities Act. After August 1992, except Urea all P and K fertilizers were decontrolled. New Fertilizer Policy came in April 2003, now manufacturers of Urea can market up to 50% of production. Installed manufacturing capacity and share is given in the next table Joint Ventures: due to the high cost of raw materials Indian fertilizer producers are eyes the countries where natural gas, a main raw material and fuel, is cheap. It has created a need for countries to create joint ventures outside India, especially in Middle East and North Africa. Following is the list of such ventures. Joint Ventures Abroad Under Implementation 1. IFFCO and Southern Petroche. Ind. Ltd. 2. JV in Jordan 3. JV with Morocco

4. JV with Oman 1. JV in UAE 2. JV in Egypt 3. JV in Tunisia Capacity Capacity Percent share Present share Sector N P N P Public sector 34.98 4.33 29.0 7.65 Cooperatives sector 31.69 17.13 26.27 30.27 Private sector 53.94 35.13 44.73 62.08 Total 120.61 56.59 100 100 Page | 24 4.2. Food processing India is the world's second largest producer of food next to China, and has the potential of being the biggest with the food and agricultural sector. The total food production in India is likely to double in the next ten years and there is an opportunity for large investments in food and food processing. India's food processing sector covers fruit and vegetables; meat and poultry; milk and milk products, alcoholic beverages, fisheries, plantation, grain processing and other consumer product groups like confectionery, chocolates and cocoa products, Soya-based products, mineral water, high protein foods etc. A strong and dynamic food processing sector plays a significant role in diversification of agricultural activities, improving value addition opportunities and creating surplus for export of agro-food products. This would, however, require policies and plans for improvement of food processing infrastructure including up gradation of technology & enforcement of quality standards, promoting investment in food processing, activating domestic market with focus on exports. The food processing was thought to be one of the most promosing sector to attract FDI. It was one of the earliest sector to be privatized. The figures for FDI during the last few years are given below. Inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Food Processing Industries (FPI) Sector in India15 (1999-2000 to 2006-2007) (Rs. in Crore) Year FDI Inflow Received in FPI Sector 1999-00 444.06 2000-01 198.13 2001-02 1036.12 2002-03 176.53 2003-04 510.85 2004-05 174.08 2005-06 182.94 2006-07 (Apr-Dec.) 222 15 Source : Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India Page | 25 The export of the processed food items are given in the next table.

Items 1996-97 2001- 2002-03 02 (Targets) Processed Fruits and Vegetables 473.77 1100.6 1400 Animal Products 803.59 1500.9 1750 Other Processed Food (Guar Gum, Ground nut, Alcohol, Beverages, milled Products, etc.) 1835.92 1780.1 1600 Rice 3172.35 3173 3750 Walnuts 78.93 117.98 100 Marine Products 4121.36 5957.1 6000 Total 10485.92 13630 14600 4.3. Agriculture machinery Mechanization refers to injection of machinery between man and materials handled by them. There is scope of mechanization in every aspect of production agriculture, post harvest and agro processing. It is not a surprise that Indian rural transport and tractor industry is one of the largest in the world. In the year 2006, with the sale of 3.52 lakh tractors India is already the largest market by volume and second largest by value. Today industry comprises of 14 players, including 3 MNCs. The opportunities still are huge considering the low farm mechanization levels in the country, when compared to other developed economies across the world. After a downturn during last 3-4 years, the industry is back on a growth path, which we believe would sustain in coming years as well. Key concern for the industry is its dependence on agricultural income in hands of farmers and the state of monsoon. The overcapacity, increasingly good quality and lower price provides a good export opportunity UP, Punjab, MP, Bihar, AP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are the biggest market for the tractors. State wise sales figures are provided in the annexure. It clearly shows that north and central India has the highest number of tractor sales. Page | 26 Various market segments for tractors and dominant players the respective segments Segments Horse Power (HP) Market Share (%) Suitability Dominant Player(s) Small Tractors 21-30 23-25 Tractors suited for soft soil conditions and preferred in well irrigated northern states. Eicher, M&M Medium Tractors 31-40 53-56 Used in southern and western region due to hard soil conditions. M&M, Farmtrac

Large Tractors 41-50 17 Rich farmers with larger land holdings, especially in Punjab and Haryana. M&M, Farmtrac Large Tractors >50 Hp 04-Jun Used in Turnkey project sites such as building sites for canals, dams and civil construction projects. John Deere, HMT Export potential on Indian farm equipment is immense. With overcapacity in country, good quality, lower price India is poised to become a big exporter of farm equipment. One prime example is Mahindra. Mahindra has already emerged as the fourth-largest tractor brand in the US, with a 5% share of the 15-90 horse power (HP) segment, that is also known as the hobby or consumer segment. Following tables shows the production and sales of tractors and power tillers. Production and Sale of Tractors and Power Tillers in India16 (1990-91 to 2006-2007) Production Year (No.) Sale (No.) Tractors Power Tillers Tractors Power Tillers 1990-91 139233 6228 139831 6316 2005-06 - - 292908 22303 2006-07 (Upto 31 Dec., 06) - - 263146* 13375* 16 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. Page | 27 4.4. Agriculture markets Agricultural Marketing is a process which starts with a decision to produce a saleable farm product and involves all aspects of market structure or system, both functional and institutional, based on technical and economic consideration. Agricultural marketing is a State subject. One of the main problems that have been encountered by the Indian farmers is that of marketing their agricultural produce at the right place and time and for the right compensation. The middlemen, who buy their produce at low rates, exploit the poor and uneducated farmers. An efficient system of marketing needs to be evolved so that the agricultural productivity can be improved. The following measures can be considered for improving the agricultural marketing mechanism in India: Establishment of regulated markets. Provision of storage and warehousing facilities. Introduction of Co-operative marketing structure.

Agricultural Price Policy- In an agrarian economy like India, the prices of agricultural commodities have a major influence on the overall price structure. Sudden and unwarned fluctuations in the prices of the agricultural products lead to a corresponding destabilizing effect on the prices of other commodities as well. A decline in the agricultural prices will result in a great fall in the income of the farmers. After the Agricultural Price Commission was set up in 1965, the sector witnessed a more stable and meaningful price and distribution policy. The main thrust areas of the Agricultural Price Policy were: Announcement of minimum support prices of major food grains. Fixation of procurement prices for purchasing a part of the marketable surplus at below market prices. Running a Public Distriburtion System(PDS) for the benefit of the low income consumers. Building up of buffer stocks to meet the emergency situations and to safeguard against the price fluctuations. Price stability is of utmost importance for agriculture. In order to stabilize the agricultural prices, the government adopts three measures: 1. Minimum Support Price 2. Buffer stock 3. Import of the commodity Page | 28 Agricultural markets: The agricultural markets in India can be broadly classified into the following categories: 1. Wholesale markets. 2. Retail markets. 3. Daily and weekly mandis in the rural areas. 4. Annual and occassional fairs and Haat. Today India has 7000-plus APMC (agriculture produce and marketing committee) mandi for farm commodities. Mandi works through a series of middleman or commission agents which have a vice like grip on the trade of every farm commodity. From an example from Delhi mandi, 60-75% of the paid by the customers is cornered by these middlemen. It means that farmer gets only 25-40% of the retail price. Hundreds of crore collected in mandi taxes rarely be reinvested in the distribution infrastructure back. Agricultural taxation: Agricultural tax is being collected as a federal tax, but it is being levied only on income from plantations. All other agricultural income is fully exempt from tax. Agricultural property was subject to stamp duties and registration fees. All property transactions have to be made on official, stamped forms, and registration fees have to be paid to register transactions. Countrys main terminal market is set up in Chandigarh and 6 other are in pipe line. Safal market created by NDDB at the outskirts of the Bangalore is state of the art facility. Terminal markets provide all facilities like grading and sorting, electronic accounting, quality testing labs, cold storage and important banking facilities. 4.6. Agriculture finance Agricultural production in this country depends upon millions of small farmers. It is the intensity of their effort and the efficiency of their technique that will help in raising yields per acre. Because of inadequate financial resources and absence of timely credit facilities at reasonable rates, many of the farmers, even though otherwise willing, are unable to go in for improved seeds and manures or to introduce better methods or techniques. Works of minor irrigation like wells owned by the cultivators either get into disuse or are not fully utilized for want of capital.

Types of Financing: Finance required for production can be divided broadly into : (a) short-term (for periods up to 15 months) ; (&) medium-term (from 15 months up to 5 years) and (c) long-term (above 5 years). Short-term loans are required for purchasing seeds, manures and fertilizers or for meeting labour charges, etc. These are expected to be repaid after the harvest. Medium-term loans are granted for purposes such as sinking of wells, purchase of bullocks, pumping plants and other improved implements, etc. Loans repayable over a longer period (i.e. above 5 years) are classified as long-term loans. Page | 29 These are utilised for payment of old debts, purchase of the heavier machines, making permanent improvements and increasing the size of the holding17. Primary sources of agricultural credit are: The following agencies provide finance to the cultivators : 1. Private agencies: (a) Money lenders and landlords ; (b) Commercial banks. 2. Public or semi-public agencies: (a) The State (b) Co-operative societies (c) Regional Rural banks Co-operatives: Commercial and regional rural banks are institutional lenders whereas moneylenders which operate in the villages and talukas are non-institutional lenders. Moneylenders have exploited the farmers and small landowners. With increased institutional intervention in the rural finance sector, this exploitation has reduced considerably and the farmers are no longer at the mercy of the whimsical moneylenders for the satisfaction of their financial requirements. NABARD: NABARD, which is considered to be the leading institution in the agricultural sector, was set up on July1, 1982. Since its inception, NABARD has taken over the functions of the Agricultural finance department of RBI and the Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC). NABARD is responsible for the development, planning, operational matters, coordination, monitoring, research, training and consultancy in relation to rural credit. NABARD maintains two funds, viz National Rural Credit (Long term operations) and the National Rural Credit (Stabilization) Fund. Both the Central and the State governments contribute to these funds. It operates throughout the country through its 16 regional offices and 3 Sub-offices. Crop Insurance Scheme: the United Front government on an experimental basis in selected districts during the Rabi 1997-98 season introduced The Crop Insurance scheme. The limit of insurance cover was fixed at Rs. 10000 irrespective of the losses incurred by them. Under the new scheme, the farmers will themselves deal with the insurance provider directly and the government will not provide any subsidiary directly to the farmers. Both premium and claims were shared between the central and the state governments in the ratio of 4:1. 17 Planning commission of India: http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/1st/1planch16.html Page | 30 National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS): The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was introduced in the country from the1999-2000 Rabi season, replacing the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme (CCIS), which was in operation in the country since1985. The General Insurance Corporation (GIC) on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture implements this scheme.

The main objective of the scheme is to protect the farmers against losses suffered by them due to crop failure on account of natural calamities, such as, drought, flood, hailstorm, cyclone, fire, pest/diseases etc. 5. Forest The overall forest cover in India is around 19.3% in the year 1999. The estimate is done by the planning commission of India. One would find different figure from different sources precisely because different agencies have different definition of what constitute a forest. The latest assessment on forest cover (FSI 1999) indicates that 11.48 per cent of the total geographical area is dense forest (over 40 per cent crown density) and 7.76 per cent is the open forest (10-40per cent crown density). Dense forest 37.73 m ha 11.48% Open forest 25.51 m ha 7.76 % Mangroves 0.49 m ha 0.15% Page | 31 6. Agriculture Allied Activities Following are the major agriculture allied activities. 6.1. Horticulture Horticulture refers to the practice of growing and cultivating garden plants. Horticulture involves working in the field of plan, crop production, plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, plant physiology, and the storage, processing, and transportation of fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs, and turf. It helps in the improvement of crop yield, quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses. Horticulture has 5 primary areas of study. These are: Floriculture: production and marketing of floral crops Landscape Horticulture: production, marketing and maintenance of landscape plants Olericulture: production and marketing of vegetables Pomology: production and marketing of fruits Post harvest Physiology: maintenance of quality and preventing spoilage of horticulture crops. 6.2. Poultry Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India today. While the production of agricultural crops has been rising at a rate of 1.5 to 2 percent per annum, that of eggs and broilers has been rising at a rate of 8 to 10 percent per annum. As a result, India is now the world's fifth largest egg producer and the eighteenth largest producer of broilers. Country produced 46 billion eggs in 2005-06. Production of Egg, Broiler & Poultry, Meat in India18 (2002) Egg Broiler Poultry, Meat Year (Million) (Million) (Thousand Tons) 2002 35000 800 975 18 Source : Annual Report 2002-03, Ministry of Food Processing Industries Page | 32 6.3. Dairy Milk and Dairy Products in India Production/Per Capita Availability of Milk in India Year Milk Production (Million Tonne) Per Capita Availability

(gm./day) 1950-51 17 124 1991-92 55.7 178 2001-02 84.4 225 2006-07** 100 245 Procurement of Milk by Co-operative Sector in India during the year 2005-06 was 214 lakh Kg. which is close to 20% of total mil produced in the country. To know more about the operation flood please refer to the information given in the section of revolutions in India. The details about the cattle are given in animal husbandry section. Recent important news about the ban in the export of SMP and other milk product to cool the domestic prices must be kept in mind. Negotiations are on and ban may be lift by the end of Oct, 2007. 6.4. Sericulture It is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. Although there are several commercial species olf silkworms, Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied. According to Chinese records, the discovery of silk production from B. mori occurred about 2,700 B.C. Today, China and Japan are the two main producers, together manufacturing more than 50% of the world production each year. The high cost of production in Japan presents bug opportunity for Indian silk. Indian silk is yet to achieve the reputation of high quality silk. Page | 33 6.5. Fish Fish Production of Marine and Inland in India: Country produced 28 lakh tonnes marine and 37.5 lakh tonnes inland fishes (total 65.7 lakh tonnes) in 2005-06 Pisciculture: It involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species' natural numbers is generally referred to as a fish hatchery. Fish species raised by fish farms include salmon, catfish, tilapia, cod and others. Fish Production of Marine and Inland in India20 (1991-1992 to 2005-2006) (in lakh Tones) Year Marine Inland Total 1991-92 24.47 17.1 41.57 2005-06 28.16 37.55 65.71 6.6. Animal Husbandry Animal Husbandry: Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. Animal husbandry constitutes about 30% of the total agricultural output of the country. India has the largest livestock population of the world. It accounts for 60% of the worlds buffalo population and 15% of the cattle population. India has 27 indigenous breeds of cattle and 7 breeds of buffaloes. As a result of these efforts, India has become the largest 19 6RXUFH___0LQLVWU\_RI_7H[WLOH__*RYW__RI_,QGLD_ 20 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. Page | 34 producer of milk in the world. Following table gives the details of Indian livestock as per the animal census conducted in 2003.

Results of Livestock Census in India21 -2003 (Number in ' 000) Category Rural Urban Total Total cattle 175651 9530 185181 Total buffaloes 91930 5993 97922 Total yaks 60 4 65 Total Bovine 267888 15557.4 283446 Total Sheep 57992 3478 61469 Total Goats 117479 6878 124358 Total horses & ponies 680 71 751 Total camels 618 14 632 Total Livestock1 456768 28233.5 485002 Total Poultry 449139 39873 489012 You know: Rural India buys -------------------46% of soft drinks sold 49% of motor cycles 59% of cigarettes 18 million TV sets are in rural India Of 2 million BSNL mobile connections, 50 % are in small towns/villages 11% of rural women use lipstick Source: MART 21 Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. Page | 35 7. Land reforms Historical perspectiveUnder the British rule, there were three types of land tenure systems in India. i. Zamindari- This system was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal in 1973. Under this system, there used to be number of intermediaries between the Zamindars and the actual tillers of the soil. The system took were various forms such as Zamindari, Jagirdari, Inamdari, etc. In many cases revenue collectors were raised to the status of landowners. In this system, tillers of the soil were exploited by way of exorbitant rents. There were no incentives for them to improve the land or to use better cultivation practices. There were many other social evils of the system. It is said that the British introduced Zamindari system to achieve two objectives. First, it helped in regular collection of land revenue from a few persons i.e. Zamindars. Secondly, it created a class of people who would remain loyal to the British ruler in the country. ii. Mahalwari: under this system, the village communities held the village lands jointly, the members of which were jointly and severally responsible for the payment of land revenue. Land revenue was fixed for the whole village and the village headman (Lumberdar) collected it for which he received Panchatra i.e. 5 per cent as commission. iii. Rayatwari: Sir Thomas Munro first in Madras state and then in Bombay State introduced it. In this system, there was a direct relationship between Government and the tenant or Rayat i.e. individual landholder. Every registered holder was recognized as its proprietor and he could sell or transfer the land. He was assured of permanent tenure as long as he paid the land revenue. The landholder was also

allowed to sublet his land. It was a better system as compared to Zamindari or Mahalwari and similar other forms of tenure. Of these three systems, the Zamindari system was the most widely prevalent and had an influence on the other two systems also. There was no proper revenue record under the British rule and the situation was like that even at the time of independence. Page | 36 Agricultural legislation: During the post independence period, the agricultural legislation was of four types: 1. Abolition of intermediaries: The intermediary system included various types of interests between the owner and the cultivator. These intermediary interests lacked enthusiasm in the development of agriculture through sustained investment. This resulted in the stagnation of agriculture. Due to this reason, the state formulated legislation for the abolition of such tenures by 1955. The implementation of these measures has been completed all over India. 2. Tenancy reforms: The major part of the tenurial system in India was Rayatwari, with no intermediary between the state and the actual holder. However, in this system also some tenancy prevailed and the lands were leased out to the actual cultivators. This situation also called for legislation for the protection of the interests of the tenants. These measures were: Security of tenure. Eviction of the tenant cannot take place Fixation of rent, which was one fifth to one sixth of the gross produce. Right to purchase land 3. Ceiling on land holdings: The redistribution of agricultural land in rural areas was accepted as a measure for securing social justice. To enable surplus land to be distributed, legislative measures were passed in almost all the states to restrict the size of agricultural holdings. It was decided that on the completion of implementation of this legislation, the surplus land would be distributed among the landless farmers. 4. Bhoodan and Gramdan Act: The Bhoodan movement started in early 1950s and spread all over the country. The purpose of the act was to collect donations of land for the distribution among the landless. In all 18 lakh hectares of land were collected under this act in various states. Page | 37 8. NGOs22 India has Long tradition of voluntarism and people with some beliefs and notions have started their own initiative to contribute to the society and thus formed Non Government Organizations. Presently we see the growing influence of NGOs in development. They are recognized by the State and global agencies of the role of Civil Society. Definition of an NGO is difficult due to diverse and changing forms and purposes not a very well structured. It is an organization in civil society which is purposeful and role bound. It works for public cause with altruism and voluntary basis. For example, Philanthropic Organizations and Public Trusts and Societies. Now there is a need to dwell further into the cause of these NGOs. The three Actors (Sectors) of Development: State: This is mandated by Social Contract (Constitution) and social welfare and benevolency are the driving force. The state works through Govt. and bureaucracy for development initiatives. Market: The market consists of Corporates / Business entities who contribute financially and with their influence. They work on demand driven basis for profit they are likely to earn.

Civil Society: The civil society consist of individuals, households, communities, organisations (formal and informal), social movements who work on the principles of altruism, reciprocation & voluntarism. Civil Society is called Third /Voluntary sector for the same reason. The role of Civil Society for development emerges in the context of failure of State and market for development. Goals / Objectives of an NGO Their objective is to take care of poor and destitute and attain sustainable and equitable development. The NGOs mobilize people and create awareness. The poor feel empowered when they get choices and an NGO helps in the same strengthen the civil society. The NGOs like MYRADA, Bangalore influence developmental agenda and approach (locally and globally). To achieve the desired goals an NGO does the following activities: Relief/ Rehabilitation Provide Services (Education, health etc) Livelihood development(IGP,Training, etc) Mobilise and organise poor Build peoples institutions 22 Source: NGO expert Shikha Thaman, IRMAN Page | 38 Create Awareness/ Public advocacy Build models of development for replication Support other NGOs thru training/networkin What exactly makes an NGO or sail through opposition and fund scarcity? The answer lies in the strength of an NGO which is dedicated to the cause of development. The people of this organization exhibit high levels of commitment / motivation towards their mission. Moreover an NGO has flexible /informal methods which give the members full freedom to work in the way they are comfortable and also the way they are convinced to achieve the goal. The organization encourages Innovative ideas and is also cost efficient. They have the ability to reachout to poor & needy and hence are very effective. They promote participatory approach which makes the beneficiaries experience ownership for the programme being carried out. They also address the problem of state and market failure for the poor due to which they are always in demand. NGOs in World Name of NGO Establishment year Important Persons Area of Operations CRY Child Rights and You America (formerly Child Relief and You) Established in the US in

2002. Shefali Sunderlal (President) Srivatsan Rajan (Honorary Director & Treasurer) &5<_ZRUNV_ WRZDUGV_ UHVWRULQJ_EDVLF_ ULJKWV_WR_ XQGHUSULYLOHJHG_ FKLOGUHQ__ HVSHFLDOO\_ ,QGLDQ_ The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Founded in 1863 in Geneva, Switzerland. Keypersons Henry Dunantand Henry Davison Its mission is to protect human life and health Action aid Established in 1972 To alleviate poverty and improve quality of life. Amnesty International Established in 1961, headquarterProtection of human rights. Page | 39 london. CARE International Established in 1946, headqurter Brussel, Belgium.

Aiming to relieve human suffering, to provide economic opportunity, and and to build sustained capacity for self-help. NGOs In India Name of NGO Establishment year Important Persons Area of Operations Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) 1969, Founder Chairman, Mr. Y.K. Sapru, Siloo Jasdanwalla Cancer Self Employed women association (SEWA) SEWA is a trade union registered in 1972 Founders- Ela Bhatt, Arvind Buch Poor womens growth. Child Aid Foundation (CAF) July 1st, 1993. The founder and director Dr. A. Goswami (adopted Indian name) Children's aid and care. VARHAD Founded in the year 2001 in Amravati, Maharashtra (India). Founder-Mr. Ravindra Bhaurao Vaidya. Development of Women & Child Prisoners Prayas Founded in September 1999. Founders-Tarun Talwar and Sandeep Tandon A non-profit organization in USA to promote and support educational and developmental efforts in India. Page | 40 HelpAge India Formed in 1978 Founder- Mr. Cecil

Jackson Cole, founder member of Help the Aged in United Kingdom Organization working for Elder Care in India Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA) Formed in 1980 Chairpersons-Dr. Sharada Jain, Director Dr.Dileep Mavlankar Nutrition, health, education and development of society. Deepalaya Started in July 16, 1979. - This orgn is for Economically and socially deprived, the physically and mentally challenged children. Navjyoti Established in 1987 Founder- Kiran Bedi This orgn deals with drug addicts. Page | 41 9. Development schemes and indicators Some Important Indicators of Social Development Page | 42 Table 8: India and Comparator Countries Poverty projections for 2006-07 Urban: 5 crore (15% of urban population) Rural: 17 crore (21% of rural population) Total: 22 crore (19% of rural population) 9.1. HDI index Population (m) 1,071 Per-capita GDP (PPP US$) 2,892 HDI ranking (/177) 127 Life expectancy (years) 63.3 Combined gross enrolment (%) 60 % Population under $2 per day 79.9 Internet users (per 1000) 17 Cellular subscribers (per 1000) 25 Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2005 Page | 43

9.2. IRDP y Launched in 1980 y A Credit-linked-self employment program y Assists the identified Rural poor households to augment their income & help them cross poverty line y For Income generating activities in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of rural economy. y Assistance through y Subsidy by government y Term credit advanced by financial institutions commercial banks, RRBs, Cooperative banks y Implemented through DRDA (A Broad based representative body for guidance & directions for program implementation) 9.3. Self Employment programs Providing and Generating Employment is a Major Approach to Poverty Alleviation Lack of sustained employment is a major cause of Poverty, both Chronic as well as Transient Chronic Poverty: Household suffering poverty on a long-term basis due to continued deprivation (asset/skill/income/ employment) and failure of policies especially based on trickle down approach Transitory Poverty: Household momentarily falling into poverty or poverty worsening due to sudden fall in income and employment for reasons like natural calamities, sickness, etc. It is essential that both types of poverty are taken care of, as they can be mutually reinforcing. Provision of Employment can be useful in tackling poverty for certain categories of poor (those capable of taking up employment) Employment Programmes are designed under the Direct Attack strategy to provide employment to the poor Two categories of Employment Programmes meant broadly to take care of two types of poverty: - Self-employment programmes for Chronic Poverty - Wage-employment programmes for Transient Poverty Page | 44 9.4. Wage Employment programs Large number of wage-employment program implemented, FWP, RLGEP, NREP, JRY, JGSY, SGRY, EGS, NFWP, NREGA. Rationale behind using wage employment for poverty elevation is that Need for direct employment generation for tackling poverty chronic and transient Inability of self-employment program to tackle transient poverty Very poor cannot take advantage of self employment program Limited impact of self-employment program Need for multi-pronged strategy for poverty alleviation. 9.5. Education Our country has compulsory and free education for all children up to the age of 14 (Art. 45, Directive Principle). The Compulsory Education Acts has been passed by many states to make primary education compulsory. The policy has also been enforcing education is the National Policy on Education (1986/92) and now the Universal Elementary Education (6-14 years)has been made compulsory. The government has targeted to spend

6% of GDP on education. Advantages of Self-Employment Helpful to overcome failure of trickle-down Occupational mobility for poor Make poor entrepreneurs Help poor to be self-reliant Promote Diversification in rural areas Disadvantages of Self-Employment Poor may lack skill and entrepreneurial abilities Not suited for tackling transient poverty Risk to be borne by poor Problems in selecting poor / target group Requires organized/sustained efforts to develop micro-entrepreneurial activities on a large scale Failure to provide integrated services may lead to failure of activities Requires sustained growth in demand for non-farm activities of the Self-employed people Competition from organised sector for the poor Page | 45 After the constitutional amendment Education has become a Fundamental Right (2002). The state will endeavor to provide education. The Right to Education Bill 2005 in Parliament will give effect to the Constitutional Amendment. There have been many interventions like Operation Black Board (1987): To provide infrastructure , additional teachers and teaching materials, District Primary Education Program (DPEP): (1994): Universalization of Education in low female literacy districts, National Literacy Mission (1988):To attain literacy level of 75% , Adult literacy (15-35 group),Mahila Samakya ( Focus on Women through group approach).Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (2001) is currently running all over the country where the target to put all Children in schools by 2005. The Mid Day Meal Scheme (2004) is universalised in all public schools in the country which has drawn a lot of children to schools. Following table shows the census data about the literacy in India. Recent data is based on the sample survey conducted by the nation. They are estimates not the exact values. The last sample survey reports that literacy rate in india during 2007 was close to 75%. Expenditure: (Centre and States) Year Male Female Total Rural 19.02 4.87 12.10 Urban 45.60 22.33 34.59 1951 Total 27.16 8.86 18.33 Rural 71.40 46.70 59.40 Urban 86.70 73.20 80.30 2001 Total 75.85 54.16 65.38

Page | 46 % to GDP (Norm 6%) 1950-51 1.2% 1989-90 3.8% 1997-98 3.8% 2004-05 3.5% The target was to raise expenditure in education to 6% of total budgetary expenditure, but it was still to be achieved. When comparing the literacy rate with other countries we find that, states, 19.8% of men and 41.1% of women were not literate as of 2006. As per the 2001 India census, India's national literacy is only 65.2 percent. Literacy drive is spreading slowly to other states. India's youth (age 15 to 24) literacy rate was 76.4% between 2000 and 2004. At current rates India will take no less than 20 years for a literacy of 95%. Literacy in India is not homogeneous; some states in India have more impressive literacy rates than others. Kerala, a south-Indian state widely recognized as the well-educated state in India, recorded an impressive 90.92% literacy rate in 2001. On the other hand the north-Indian state of Bihar lags behind with 47.53%. India's adult literacy rates (61.3% in 2002), is just a little better compared to other nations in South Asia except Sri Lanka's 92%, with Nepal next at 44%, Pakistan at 50-54% and Bangladesh the lowest at 43.1% Many Indians have argued that illiteracy, especially in the rural areas, gives undue advantage to contemporary politicians, who can keep on neglecting real issues of socio-economic development, and continue with corruption. 9.6. Health As defined by WHO Health is a state of not mere absence of diseases but a state of complete physical mental and social well-being. Indias Health Policy asks for Health for all by 2000 AD which is made possible by making primary health care universally accessible and affordable. The expected value of IMR (Infant mortality rate) is less than 60 & Life expectancy is 64 Years. The National Health Policy- 2002 has the objectives to eradicate/Control Major Diseases by 2015 and make IMR to <30 by 2010. Rural Health Service mainly constitutes of PHCs which have been there since 1952. One PHC / 27,364 & One SC / 4579 is the main idea behind the service of PHCs. The Role of PHCs is to give primary medical care and control of communicable diseases along with focusing on maternal & Child Care and family planning/ Health education. Page | 47 Health Status / Progress 1951 2003/04 Life expectancy 32.1 65 Death rate(per 1000) 27 8.0 IMR (1000 Births) 146 60 Doctors (Modern) (Lakh) 0.62 6.25 Beds (lakh) 1.18 9.14 Dispensaries/Hospitals 9209 38,031 Government has introduced National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)( 2005)to improve the availability and access to health delivery and care by increased allocation in 18 less developed states and increase Public Health Spending to 2-3 % of GDP. They aim to strengthen Rural Hospitals; (one CHC with 30-50 beds / lakh for curative purpose) and create accredited Social Health Activist in the villages (ASHA) along with formation of Village health and sanitation committee. Despite the entire rosy picture there are

problems of Health Sector like the health Standards below norm and there has been a rise of non-communicable and other diseases. This is due to poor state of PHC System and low Public Health Expenditure which is (1.3 % of GDP) only. 10.Micro finance Page | 48 is a term for the practice of providing financial services, such as microcredit, microsavings or micro-insurance to poor people. By helping them to accumulate usably large sums of money, this expands their choices and reduces the risks they face. As suggested by the name, most transactions involve small amounts of money, frequently less than Rs 10000. Microfinance is the latest buzzword in the world of banking and finance. Operating at the bottom of pyramid, it has challenged and changed the way banking and financial services have been delivered since the onset of capitalism. I would call it the banking of east. It has spread fast during the last decade. The number of customer world wide reached to 100 million23 in 2006. In India this numbers reached to 20 million24. The potential is immense as the number of poor who wanted and needed the microfinance services are estimated to be over 600 million. Microfinance came into international limelight when last years Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to Mohammad Younus of Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. The Grameen model of micro credit is a proven model. It has been successfully replicated in India and around the world. In India, Share Micro-Finance limited, Spandana, Bandhan, Cashpor, SKS, SKRDP, BASIX are major microfinance institutions operating mainly in rural areas. The un-served market is vast and a huge opportunity for growth is present in both the rural & urban segments. The reach of microfinance was marginal in the rural areas but virtually non-existent in the urban. The microfinance in Asia was the brain child of Mohammad Younus the founder of Grameen Bank. It started as small scale experiment in the villages adjacent to Chittagong University where he was teaching economics. Continuous experiment and refinement resulted into a model which in microfinance parlance called Grameen Model. 11.Cooperatives 23 http://www.unitus.com/sections/poverty/poverty_mf_main.asp 24 (http://www.uncdf.org/english/microfinance/pubs/newsletter/pages/2005_06/news_india.php) One study shows that more than 80,000 customer can make a rural microfinance institution viable. How many needed to make an urban one? Page | 49 Cooperatives work on the basis of user owner principle. The user-owner principle means the people who use the cooperative own and finance the business. Cooperatives are financed by members purchasing stock, paying membership fees, or accepting selfimposed assessment on products purchased and/or sold or fees for services. In some cooperatives, members reinvest their earnings (profits) to capitalize the business. Cooperative movement is very strong in India. Since independence the cooperative movement has enable Indian farmers and other small producer to cooperate and achieve a size that would help them to compete in the market place. Following are the list of major cooperatives in India. AMUL the well know Indian company is a brand owned cooperative only. a. AMUL Amul (Anand Milk-producers Union Limited), formed in 1946, is a dairy cooperative movement in India. It is a brand name managed by an apex cooperative organization, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today is jointly

owned by some 2.41 million milk producers in Gujarat, India. It is based in Anand town of Gujarat and has been a sterling example of a co-operative organization's success in the long term. The Amul Pattern has established itself as a uniquely appropriate model for rural development. Amul has spurred the White Revolution of India, which has made India the largest producer of milk and milk products in the world. It is also the world's biggest vegetarian cheese brand. b. IFFCO It is Indias largest cooperative. It produces fertilizers. To overcome this lacuna and to bridge the demand supply gap in the country, IFFCO was formed as a unique venture in which the farmers of the country through their own Cooperative Societies created this new institution to safeguard their interests. The numbers of co-operative societies associated with IFFCO are 155 at present. The mission of the organization is, "to enable Indian farmers to prosper through timely supply of reliable, high quality agricultural inputs and services in an environmentally sustainable manner and to undertake other activities to improve their welfare" c. Sugar Cooperatives Sugar cooperatives are another group of cooperatives which are very effective, especially in the state of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Sugar cooperatives in North (like UP and Bihar) are plagued with politics and are not performing as well as cooperatives of other states. d. PACS Page | 50 PACS are producers agriculture cooperative societies. These are lowest level cooperative societies operating in almost all the states. There purpose is to distribute the agriculture input like fertilizers and seeds to the farmers. In many states they are largely defunct and highly politicized. e. National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI) Industries have apex body like CII or ASOCHAM; similarly NCUI is the Apex Cooperative Organization in India which represents all the segments of Indian Cooperatives. Its objectives are to promote and develop the cooperative movement in India. It was established in 1929 as All India Cooperative Institutes and renamed to National Cooperative Union of India in 1961 12.Retail revolution and farmer Page | 51 Industry Evolution . Traditionally retailing in India can be traced to the emergence of the neighborhood Kirana stores catering to the convenience of the consumers. The era of government support for rural retail: Indigenous franchise model of store chains run by Khadi & Village Industries Commission The decade of 1980s experienced slow change as India began to open up economy. Textiles sector with companies like Bombay Dyeing, Raymond's, S Kumar's and Grasim first saw the emergence of retail chains Later Titan successfully created an organized retailing concept and established a series of showrooms for its premium watches The latter half of the 1990s saw a fresh wave of entrants with a shift from Manufactures to Pure Retailers. For e.g. Food World, Subhiksha and Nilgiris in food and FMCG; Planet M and Music World in music; Crossword and Fountainhead in books. o Post 1995 onwards saw an emergence of shopping centers, mainly in urban areas, with facilities like car parking, it targeted to provide a complete destination experience for

all segments of society Emergence of hyper and super markets trying to provide customer with 3 Vs - Value, Variety and Volume Expanding target consumer segment: The Sachet revolution - example of reaching to the bottom of the pyramid. Retailing formats in India a. Malls: The largest form of organized retailing today. Located mainly in metro cities, in proximity to urban outskirts. Ranges from 60,000 sq ft to 7,00,000 sq ft and above. They lend an ideal shopping experience with an amalgamation of product, service and entertainment; all under a common roof. Examples include Shoppers Stop, Piramyd, Pantaloon. b. Department Stores: Departmental Stores are expected to take over the apparel business from exclusive brand showrooms. Among these, the biggest success is K Raheja's Shoppers Stop, which started in Mumbai and now has more than seven large stores (over 30,000 sq. ft) across India and even has its own in store brand for clothes called Stop!. c. Specialty Stores: Chains such as the Bangalore based Kids Kemp, the Mumbai books retailer Crossword, RPG's Music World and the Times Group's music chain Planet M, are focusing on specific market segments and have established themselves strongly in their sectors. d. Hypermarts/Supermarkets: Large self service outlets, catering to varied shopper needs are termed as Supermarkets. These are located in or near Page | 52 residential high streets. These stores today contribute to 30% of all food & grocery organized retail sales. Super Markets can further be classified in to mini supermarkets typically 1,000 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft and large supermarkets ranging from of 3,500 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft. having a strong focus on food & grocery and personal sales. e. Discount Stores: As the name suggests, discount stores or factory outlets, offer discounts on the MRP through selling in bulk reaching economies of scale or excess stock left over at the season. The product category can range from a variety of perishable/ non perishable goods In this rapidly evolving industry, every day new formats are coming like Dollar store, Convenient store etc. Major retailers with their market share are given below. 13. ITC e-Choupal Page | 53 With over US$ 2 billion sales, ITC Limited is one of India's leading companies. Traditionally a tobacco and cigarette producer, it has grown into a conglomerate dealing in hotels, packaging, agribusiness, information technology, and fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs). Its diversification into consumer goods includes recent entry into the garment, prepared food, greeting card, gift and matchbox industries. The US$ 155 million International Business Division (IBD) of ITC's Agri Business segment was created to market India's agricultural produce internationally. This division also sources agricultural raw material for its domestic FMCG business (e.g. branded wheat flour, rice etc). Aiming to integrate more closely with its rural suppliers, while also developing new markets for its own and third-party goods, ITC began deploying its eChoupal network in early 2000 through its International Business Division. Business model Its business model centers around the deployment of a network of Internet-connected kiosks, known as e-Choupals, throughout agricultural areas in India. An e-Choupal is a

high-tech version of the traditional "choupal," or "village gathering place" in Hindi, where farmers are provided with the latest weather reports, local and international produce prices, and farming best practices. Costing rupee 1-2.5 lakh each to set up, they also serve as procurement and purchase points, allowing farmers not only to sell their produce to ITC, but also to buy agricultural inputs and consumer goods for daily household use. Each e-Choupal is managed by an ITC-appointed "Sanchalak", a respected farmer of the community who takes a public oath of office upon accepting the position. While ITC covers equipment, the day-to-day operating costs, which consist primarily of electricity and Internet connection charges, are covered by the e-Choupal Sanchalak. . Marketing channel prior to e-choupal The figures in the bracket are the margins at different stages. Page | 54 Mandi operations pre- e-Choupal operations Page | 55 The mandi was inefficient and both for the farmers as well as the ITC. The middlemen were the people who were cornering most of the profit. Inefficiencies were in all the operations right from the inbound logistics to final payment of the farmer and outbound supply to the ITC. To create the win-win solution for both the following value chain was developed. Page | 56 Following were the benefits for both the parties: There are many positive social Impact of e-Choupals: it has provided an inaccessible village with a window to the world .Socio impact can be categorized as under: Improved agriculture Better lifestyle Brighter future It has Improved Agriculture by Bridging the Information gap: Weather Better practices Customized solutions Cheaper and smarter Inputs Low costs Aggregation Intelligent deployment of products Farmers as a source of innovation 14.WTO and Indian agriculture ITC Long term suppliers relationship with farmers Decreased cost Quality control Disintermediation savings Farmers Better information center Better information timing better price of produce due to Decreased transaction time

 Weighing accuracy Transportation cost Professionalism and dignity Page | 57 WTO Fact File Location: Geneva, Switzerland Established: 1 January 1995 Created by: Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-94) Membership: 149 countries (on 11 December 2005) (Saudi Arabia is the last member) Budget: 175 million Swiss francs for 2006 Secretariat staff: 635 Head: Pascal Lamy (Director-General) Functions: Administering WTO trade agreements Forum for trade negotiations Handling trade disputes Monitoring national trade policies Technical assistance and training for developing countries Cooperation with other international organizations WTO & Agriculture: The WTO Agriculture Agreement was negotiated in the 198694 Uruguay Round and is a significant first step towards fairer competition and a less distorted sector. It includes specific commitments by WTO member governments to improve market access and reduce trade-distorting subsidies in agriculture. These commitments are being implemented over a six-year period (10 years for developing countries) that began in 1995. Participants have agreed to initiate negotiations for continuing the reform process one year before the end of the implementation period, i.e. by the end of 1999. These talks have now been incorporated into the broader negotiating agenda set at the 2001 Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar. The original GATT did apply to agricultural trade, but it contained loopholes. For example, it allowed countries to use some non-tariff measures such as import quotas, and to subsidize. Agricultural trade became highly distorted, especially with the use of export subsidies, which would not normally have been allowed for industrial products. The Uruguay Round produced the first multilateral agreement dedicated to the sector. It was a significant first step towards order, fair competition and a less distorted sector. It was implemented over a six-year period (and is still being implemented by developing countries under their 10-year period) that began in 1995. The Uruguay Round agreement included a commitment to continue the reform through new negotiations. These were launched in 2000, as required by the Agriculture Agreement. Page | 58 15.Important Institutions Important Institutions NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. NABARD is formed through the Act 61 of 1981and came into existence on 12 July 1982. Dr. Y S P Thorat is present Chairman of NABARD NAFED National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) was established on the auspicious day of Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd

October 1958. Ajit Kumar Singh is chairman of NAFED ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research Dr. Mangala Rai-Director General. GCMMF Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation. Chairman of GCMMF is Mrs. Parthi Bhatol, MD is Mr. Vyas TRIFED Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. For interested readers following documents are freely available on internet. This is most authenticated data and updated as per the end of tenth plan, that is, year 2006-07. 1. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/10th/volume2/v2_ch 5_1.pdf (for detailed agriculture data and analysis) 2. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/welcome.html (for every parameter of Indian Economy) 3. http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/planrel/fiveyr/10th/volume1/v1_ch 2.pdf (for macro economic indicators of the economy

WEDNESDAY, 15 JULY 2009 Indias Cotton & Textile Industry: Main Points v Indias textile and clothing industry contributes 4% per cent to Gross Domestic Product, 14 per cent in industrial production and 12 per cent in export earnings. v It is the second largest industry providing employment after agriculture. It provides employment to around 35 million people. v First Cotton Mills: The first Indian cotton cloth mill was established in 1818 at Fort Gloaster near Kolkata, albeit this mill was a failure. The second mill which was established by KGN Daber in 1854 is called the true foundation of modern cotton industry in India. Its name was Bombay Spinning and weaving Company, Bombay. v Bad Effects of Partition: Partition of India in 1947 affected Indian cotton industry badly. Most of the weavers who were Muslims migrated to Pakistan. There were 394 cotton mills in India before partition, out of this 14 mills went to Pakistan. Remaining 380 mills which were left in India. However 40 % cotton producing area became area of Pakistan. Thus India was forced to import raw cotton to keep the mills alive. v Development Starts: Till the year 1985, development of textile sector in India took place in terms of general policies. In 1985, for the first time the importance of textile sector was recognized and a separate policy statement was announced with regard to development of textile sector. In 1993, Govt. of India made this industry license free by its Textile Development and regulation Order 1993. v Cotton Association of India: Cotton Association of India was established in the year 1921 with a view to facilitate cotton trade and regulate cotton futures in Mumbai. Since then, CAI has been playing a pivotal role in development and promotion of cotton across India. In 1952, CAI was granted permanent recognition for conducting futures trading in cotton throughout India. Formerly known as East India Cotton

Association, it was redesignated as Cotton Association of India in August 2007. v Cotton Price Index: Cotton Price Index was launched by Cotton Association of India on the lines of ICE futures in US and Cotlook in UK. It will be an independent index of cotton prices in India. v Leading States: In India the cotton and man made fibre industry is concentrated mainly in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. v Main Competitors of India: The main competitors of India in the textile exports are China, Pakistan & Bangladesh. v Meera Seth Committee was related to development of Handloom sector which submitted its report in 1997. This committee recommended the establishment of national handloom fund of Rs. 500 crore. v TUFS: The Government of India (GOI), Ministry of Textiles (MOT), introduced Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) for Textile and Jute Industries on April 1, 1999, for a period of 5 years, subsequently extended by 3 years to cover sanctions up to March 31, 2007. The Budget for FY 200708 has announced further extension of the Scheme by five years i.e to last till, FY 201112. Postextension, the Scheme is under revision and sanctions w.e.f April 1, 2007, has been kept in abeyance under TUFS. Rs. 3140 crore have been allotted in Union Budget 200910 for this scheme. The Scheme is intended to facilitate induction of stateoftheart or near stateoftheart technology. Existing units with or without expansion and new units are eligible under TUFS. v Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP): To provide the industry with worldclass infrastructure facilities for setting up their textile units, the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP) was approved in July 2005 to create new textile parks of international standards at potential growth centres. As per the target for the 10th Five Year Plan, 30 Textiles projects have been approved. There has been overwhelming response to the scheme. Taking into consideration the response to the scheme and the opportunities for the growth of textile industry in the quota free regime, the Government of India have decided to continue the SITP in the 11th Five Year Plan. This will facilitate additional investment, employment generation and increase in textiles production. In the Union Budget 200910, Rs. 397 crore were provided for this scheme. v National Textile Policy: In the year 2000, National Textile Policy was announced. Its main objective was: to provide cloth of acceptable quality

at reasonable prices for the vast majority of the population of the country, to increasingly contribute to the provision of sustainable employment and the economic growth of the nation and to compete with confidence for an increasing share of the global market. The policy also aimed at achieving the target of textile and apparel exports of US $ 50 billion by 2010 of which the share of garments will be US $ 25 billion. v Strengths of Indian textile Industry: India has rich resources of raw materials of textile industry. v Technology Mission on Cotton: In order to consolidate the strength in raw material especially the cotton sector and to remove contamination, the Government had set up the Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) on 20th February 2000. The Mission, consisting of four MiniMissions, was intended to run for a 5year term, commencing from 19992000. It has since been extended by 3 years to cover the entire Tenth Plan period, ending with 200607. v Some important Schemes for Handloom Development: Deen Dayal Hathkargha Protsahan Yojna, Workshed cum housing scheme , Weavers welfare Scheme , Health Insurance Scheme for handloom weavers , The Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojna , The integrated Handloom Cluster development Scheme. v Apparel Export Promotion Council: AEPC was incorporated 1978 and is the official body of apparel exporters in India that provides invaluable assistance to Indian exporters as well as importers/international buyers who choose India as their preferred sourcing destination for garments. Sponsored by the Ministry of Textiles to monitor garment exports and quotas APEC also provides online trading, news, quota circulars, EXIM. Over the last 25 years, the council has been continuously involved in the task of promoting exports by organising buyerseller meets, leading trade delegations to potential markets globally, participating in specialized international fairs, organising the India International Garment Fair biannually, and organizing seminars on fashion and workshops on technical aspects of the industry Twice a year, AEPC showcases the best of Indias garment export capabilities through the prestigious India International Garment Fair, playing host to over 350 exhibitors displaying the exotic, the haute, the prt, the contemporary and much more. v Decade of manufacturing: The decade 20062015 is the decade of manufacturing for India. The National Manufacturing Competitive Council (NMCC) has emphasized on the need for focused attention to the specified sectors of the manufacturing which are labor intensive and also enjoy competitive advantage. The textile and clothing industry is identified as one such sector. The Working Group has suggested a plan of

action including higher plan outlay to enable this industry to realize its full potential during this Plan period. Objectives of the Eleventh Plan for Textile Industry: v Build up world class stateoftheart manufacturing capacities to attain and sustain predominant global standing in manufacture and export of textiles and clothing. v Facilitate Indian textile industry to grow at the rate of 16 percent in value terms to reach level of US$ 115 billion (comprising of US$ 55 billion of exports and US$ 60 billion of domestic market). v Attain the 7 percent share in global textile trade by the terminal year of the Plan period.