Vol 101 7th November 2015 To 14th November 2015

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National News
PM says India and Africa are similar and has big
potential
Calling India and Africa the two bright spots of hope and opportunities in the global
economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the leaders of African nations here
on Thursday that India and Africa must speak in one voice for U.N. reforms. He
was addressing representatives of African nations at the third India-Africa Forum
Summit.
PM Modi held bilateral meetings with all 40 leaders present in Delhi, the largest
such representation at an African summit outside the continent, also spoke to them
about the need to coordinate their positions at the U.N. during its 70th year, when
India hopes the reform process will be taken forward.
India announced credit at a concessional rate of $10 billion over five years, in addition
to about $7.4 billion that India has already pledged since 2008, and the first summit.
Israels balloon for spying is in demand

Indian security agencies such as the National Security Guard, the Border Security
Force and the Karnataka police have shown interest in acquiring balloon-based aerial
surveillance systems from Israels RT, according to the Israeli companys Bengalurubased partner Mistral Solutions.
The aerostat system, widely used by the Israel Defence Forces and recently purchased
by the U.S. army, includes a helium balloon that is tethered to a mobile ground
platform and provides surveillance images from its airborne perch.
India is expected to emerge as one of the largest players in homeland security systems
by 2020, according to a report by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry
of India and KPMG.
The report projects that India, along with Britain, Germany and France, will outgrow
the United States, which enjoys about 35 percent of global procurement in this field.
The helium-inflatable device is equipped with imaging equipment having longrange day and night-time thermal capabilities.
India might get into NSG

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will begin consultations on Indias membership
to the elite group of nuclear export in December, says NSG Chairperson Rafael Grossi.
However, he ruled out an India-specific rule, which means countries such as Israel
and Pakistan, who too havent signed the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), could
also apply.
Gujrat HC wants NOTA in local elections as well

The Gujarat High Court once again criticised the State Election Commission (SEC)
for its reluctance to implement the NOTA (none of the above) option in the coming
municipal and panchayat elections in the State.
The court said the SEC must provide the option as directed by the Supreme Court,
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rejecting the SECs contention that it was not possible to include the NOTA button in
the electronic voting machines in 20 days because the polls are scheduled for
November 22 and 29.
Earlier, the court pulled up the SEC for putting off the local bodies polls by three
months, citing the law and order situation, and asked it to hold the elections for six
municipal corporations, 30 district panchayats, 230 block panchayats and 55
municipalities immediately.
Indian soldiers in African peace mission

At present, almost 6,000 Indian soldiers are deployed under the U.N. peacekeeping
force across Africa and 159 have died over the years.
A bulk of the soldiers are in Congo (about 3,000) and South Sudan (about 2,200),
while the remaining are in Sudan, Ivory Coast and West Sahara
India has one of the highest numbers of soldiers in Africa under the U.N. flag and
has also lost most soldiers in this continent on peacekeeping missions.
Over the years, a large number of military officers from Africa have been trained in
Indian military academies and the practices eventually make way into the military
traditions back home.
Centre readies blueprint to check IS influence

The National Democratic Alliance government is ready with a blueprint to tackle
the influence of the Islamic State (IS) in India, and newly created Telangana.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will circulate among all States a model
framework for de-radicalisation and counter-radicalisation.
Of the 19 Indians who had planned to travel to Syria to join the IS in the past one
year, 16 were identified and stopped by the Telangana police.
Telangana suggested a surrender and rehabilitation policy similar to the one
offered to Maoists for young men and women prevented from joining extremist
groups.
The State also suggested that India follow the U.K. model and set up a separate unit
to tackle violent extremism.
The Research Information and Communication Unit (RICU) of the U.K., created after
the 2005 London train bombings, draws officials from the Home, Foreign
&Commonwealth Office.
It works under the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism, coordinating
government-wide communication activities to counter violent extremism and
promote stronger inter-community relations at the grassroots.
Telangana said waging an ideological battle was important and government agencies
should have a wide presence on the Internet, both overt and covert.
Indology meet to project soft power'

The Ministry of External Affairs is getting ready to promote the global discipline of
Indology as a soft diplomatic platform.
The Ministry, under the umbrella of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, will
organise the first World Indology Conference from November 21 to 23.

Indology, which includes the study of the Vedas, Vedanta, Upanishads and the
Sanskrit classics, has a global pool of scholars who can project India's core
civilisational values effectively on the global stage.
The three-day conference would be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee
who is widely known for his interest in the Sanskrit classics.
Govt. forms committee to review drug pricing policy

The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee to review the Drug Price
Control Order (DPCO) 2013, following the Supreme Court verdict this year that
termed the drug pricing policy as irrational and unreasonable.
The committee will look into the drug pricing mechanism as there have been
complaints that the companies are making significant profits which go up to few
thousand per cent.
One of the five issues to be considered by the government relates to NGO's plea that
MBP (Market Based Pricing) was never used for any price regulatory purposes and
under the new policy, simple average ceiling prices were, in many cases, higher
than the market leader price.
At present, the government caps prices of essential drugs based on the simple average
of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 per
cent. In case of non-scheduled formulations companies are allowed to hike prices of
medicines by only up to 10 per cent in a year.
Chhota Rajan came to India

Mumbai underworld don ChhotaRajan, now in police custody in Bali, Indonesia, is
likely to be deported back to India as early as Tuesday.
He will be flown from Bali first to New Delhi, and then to Mumbai.The Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the nodal agency in India for Interpol coordination,
will likely question him in a passport forgery case first, and then hand him over to
the Mumbai Police.
The gangster is wanted in 70 criminal cases in Mumbai, including those relating to
the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), the Prevention of
Terrorism Act (POTA) and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
(MCOCA). The 55-year-old gangster has been on the run for over two decades since
the Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against him in 1995.
1500 firms get security clearance

As part of its Ease of Business program, the National Democratic Alliance
government has given security clearance to at least 1500 foreign and domestic firms
since January this year.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which is the nodal authority for granting
security clearance to any foreign or domestic company before it starts business in
India, said they were in the process of expediting the pending applications.
The government is also revisiting its policy to grant security clearance to companies
in sensitive as well as non-sensitive sectors. The meeting was attended by secretaries
of Home, Defence and Shipping.


Suggestions to improve collegium system pour in

With the Supreme Court collegium system here to stay, a Constitution Bench will on
Tuesday kick-start a brainstorming to better and make transparent the mechanism
to appoint judges to the higher judiciary.
Though delivering the NDA governments first legislative victory the National
Judicial Appointments Commission law a crushing blow in a majority verdict on
October 16, a five-judge Bench led by Justice J.S. Khehar held that all is not well with
the two-decade old Collegium manner of appointing judges.
As a result of the misgivings commonly felt among all the judges Justices Khehar,
J. Chelameswar, Madan B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Adarsh Kumar Goel about
the opaqueness of the collegium system, the Bench had fixed November 3 to invite
suggestions from the government, petitioners in NJAC challenge and senior advocate
on how to improve the mechanism.
Legal and judicial circles are keeping their fingers crossed on whether the November
3 hearing would hear objections to a five-judge Bench hearing on ways to change the
constitution or functioning of the collegium system.
It can be argued that since it was a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court with
Justice J.S. Verma at the head which established the Collegium system in 1993, any
tinkering with the Collegium should also be done by a Bench of a similar or higher
denomination of judges and not a five judge Bench.
NGT says no to age-old practice

Even as the winter has set in, the pollution-ravaged Capital is now battling thick
smog due to stubble burning, forcing the National Green Tribunal to direct Delhi
and its neighbouring States to stop the age-old practice.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Delhi
government and the four northern States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajas-than and Uttar
Pradesh to check the bi-annual menace, which the farmers engage in to save time
between sowing of wheat and rice.
The tribunal also announced a fine of Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 15,000 on farmers found
indulging in straw burning.
The practice is followed by farmers not only to save time under the rice-wheat crop
rotation to clear the land of residue of one harvest and sow the next, it is also believed
that it makes the land more fertile and kill pests.
The burning of agriculture waste is a serious issue contributing towards global
warming and the environmental pollution. You all are putting the life of people and
children at danger, and they are getting sick. You cannot allow them to suffer.
The tribunal also directed the District Magistrates to form a committee to organise
aware-ness programmes for farmers and villagers so as to educate them about the
ill-effects of straw burning.
President to launch IIT -IISc initiative

President Pranab Mukherjee will, on Thursday, launch an initiative to develop a
road map for research and pave the way for solutions to major engineering and
technology challenges, at the on-going Visitor's Conference in RashtrapatiBhavan.

The initiative, IMPRINT India', is a pan-IIT and IISc joint collaboration to develop a
blueprint for research of immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, direct
scientific research into identified areas, ensure higher fund-ing support for research
into these areas and measure out-comes of the research efforts with reference to the
impact on the standard of living in rural/urban areas.
IMPRINT India will focus on 10 themes and each theme will be coordinated by one
IIT/IISc. For instance, IIT -Kharagpur will work on the themes of health care, computer
science and information and communication technology, while IIT -Kanpur will work
on advance material, water re-sources and river systems.
Rape victim's child can claim inheritance right

Allahabad High Court has ruled that a child born after a rape has inheritance rights
over the property of the assaulter, the bio-logical father, and suggested that an
appropriate law be enacted to deal with this complex social issue.
We may observe here that in the matter relating to inheritance, the manner of birth of
a person is irrelevant; the rights of inheritance are governed by the Personal Law to
which the person is subject, irrespective of the manner of birth.
The Bench noted that the right of inheritance to the property of a biological parent
was a complex Personal Law right which was guided by either legislation or custom.
NITI Aayog for improvement in Higher education

through cooperation
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Arvind Panagaria on Tuesday pitched for Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's idea of cooperative, competitive federalism to be
implemented in the field of higher education; where the best practices of one State
can be replicated in the others, instead of borrowing ideas from other cultures and
countries.
Mr. Panagaria, who wants the sector to be more inward-looking, said the NITI
Aayog, following the Prime Minister's cue had been advocating learning from the
States. States are where most stu-dents are; that is where the action ought to be
and there is scope for the largest value addition, he said.
He credited the proliferation of engineering and management colleges both in the
public and private sector for the growth that India saw in the past few decades.
The government's recent decision to open more IITs, IIMs and AIIMS-like institutions
has been criticised for compromising the quality of education being offered by these
premier bodies.
Mr. Panagaria said the perception of their brand dilution was erroneous.
To support his claims he cited the restricted entry to medical colleges vis--vis
engineering and management colleges. In 1965 there were five medical colleges in
Rajasthan; in 1995 there were still five medical colleges that is how restrictive the
entry has been made by the Medical Council of India.
Impose AFSPA in Garo Hills, says High Court

At a time when there is a growing demand to revoke the draconian Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act, 1958, from several States, the Ministry of Home Afairs (MHA)
is finding itself in the soup after the Meghalaya High Court asked the Centre to

consider enforcing AFSPA in the militancy-hit Garo Hills region in the State.
The order, issued in a bid to check the threat posed by militants, also said, The
Chief Justice and judges of the High Court are also get-ting veiled threats that they
would have to face the consequence after their retirement.
We have no option but to direct the Central government to the use of AFSPA, 1958,
in the Garo Hills area and deployment of armed and para-military forces to control
the situation in the aid of civil and police authorities, till life be-comes normal and
the incidents of rampant kidnap-ping and killing stopped, the order stated.
Collegium systems improvement suggestions from

Public
Braving uncharted territories to fulfil its promise of transparency in judicial
appointments, the Supreme Court threw open the collegium system to public scrutiny
and invited the common man from every part of the country to give his opinion on
what kind of per-sons should be appointed as judges of the highest courts.
Judicial appointments to the Supreme Court and the High Courts were based entirely
on the Memoranda of Procedure framed after a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme
Court established the collegium system.
The public had never been consulted in these matters.
The public can post their suggestions on the Ministry website till 5 p.m. November
13.
Meanwhile in a report to improve the collegium prepared by senior advocate Arvind
Dattar and Additional Solicitor-General Pinky Anand, lot of suggestions have come.
Improve transparency, formulate eligibility criteria, establish a Secretariat for the
collegium and frame a mechanism to deal with complaints against judicial candidates.
Some of the suggestions to ensure transparency within the collegium include
subjecting the minutes of its meetings to Right to information Act.
The report records a proposal to have candidates dis-close whether they are related
to any sitting judge.
While the OBC Advocates Association made an oral representation to include 50
per cent quota in judicial appointments to highest courts, the report has incorporated
a special suggestion for representations for minority, backward classes, and SCs/
STs.
India wants China to share counter-terror plan

At the first counter terrorism dialogue with China under the NDA government, India
reportedly asked one of its most powerful neighbours to share its strategy for dealing
with jihadi activities' in Xinjiang province.
Uighur militants, affiliated to al-Qaeda operating in Xinjiang province, want to
establish an independent state called East Turkestan.
The official said India also discussed the probable involvement of certain Chinese
individuals in supply-ing of arms and ammunition to the North-east-based terrorist
outfits.
The dialogue has been an annual affair since 2002 and the last meeting took place in
2013 when the UPA was in power.

According to a report by central intelligence agencies, China has become a transit
hub for circulation of fake Indian currency notes.
India is said to have raised the issue with China and re-quested it to share the details
of recovery of fake currency notes and the persons involved in its circulation in the
past couple of years.
Microsoft picks Varanasi for experimental Internet pilot

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's plans for the ambitious Digital India pro-gramme
include an experimental technology pilot in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
constituency of Varanasi.
The software giant has chosen the pilgrim town in Uttar Pradesh as the venue for a
project to fund local entrepreneurs aiming to build devices that can overcome India's
bandwidth crunch, according to Mr. Nadella.
Varanasi is among Microsoft's two pilot projects in India to provide low-cost Internet to villages, the first being a government school in Srikakulam district of Andhra
Pradesh.
Microsoft is not the only global technology major to venture into building a lowcost Internet infrastructure. Google received permission from the Indian government
earlier this month to provide Internet using large balloons that float 20 km above the
earth's surface. Facebook announced in October that it would launch a satellite next
year in collaboration with the French company Eutelsat to provide low-cost Internet
to 14 sub-Saharan African countries.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis announced that
his government was working with Microsoft to build smart villages in the State.
We plan to start work on building 50 smart villages by the end of 2016, he said.
Arinsal will be the first smart village. It was infamously known as the State's
malnutrition capital. We are changing that.
Surrogate mothers appeal to ICMR

Surprising policy makers and women's rights activist, surrogate mothers have
appealed to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) asking them to al-low
foreign surrogacy and respecting the right to life and dignity of surrogate mothers.
Contrary to the change proposed by the Assisted Reproductive Technology
(Regulation) Bill, 72 surrogate mothers signed a letter that was sent to the ICMR,
requesting the council to not term surrogacy a bad practice.
The proposed change bars single persons and foreign nationals from becoming
parents through Indian surrogate mothers.
It has been proposed that the facility be offered only to infertile Indian married
couples. Non-resident Indians, persons of Indian origin and overseas citizens of India
would also be eligible, but foreigners unless they are married to Indian citizens
will not.
Inclusive reforms will make life better, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India's performance on all economic
parameters, including inflation and foreign investments, was now better than when
his government assumed office 17 months ago.

The question is reforms for whatis the aim just to achieve higher GDP growth
rates or to bring about transformation of societythen the question is reforms for
whomto impress groups of experts or achieve higher ranks in inter-national league
tablesthe answer is reforms which will help all citizens especially the poorit
should be sabkasath, sabkavikasreform to transform.
Mr. Modi was the first Prime Minister to attend the Delhi Economics Conclave in its
six-year history.
He also said the government had brought back as much as Rs. 10,500 crore of the
black money stashed away abroad and that the JAM (Jandhan, Aadhar and Mudra)
initiatives were all about achieving maximum values for every rupee spent,
maximum empowerment and maximum technology penetration among the masses.
What we have done in the last 17 months is to bring one hundred and ninety million
people into the banking system, Now these millions are part of our banking system,
and words like interest rate' have a meaning for them.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, he said, banks provided more than six
mil-lion loans to small businesses for a total value of nearly Rs. 38,000 crore or six
billion dollars. If one conservatively estimated that each loan created two jobs, he
said, his government had already laid the foundation for 12 million new jobs.
Even Rs. 2,00,000 crore invested in the corporate sector would not produce this
many jobs.
Now , 0.5% cess on services to support Swachh Bharat

The government on Friday imposed two new levies a 0.5 per cent Swachh Bharat
Cess on all services, now liable to service tax and a 2 per cent regional connectivity
cess on international air travel and flights between metros and big cities.
The Swachh Bharat cess will be effective from November 15, said an official re-lease.
The proceeds from this cess will be exclusively used for Swachh Bharat initiatives.
The decision will in-crease the service tax outgo on insurance premiums, air fares
and cell phone bills.
This is not another tax but a step towards involving each and every citizen in making
contribution to Swachh Bharat, the government said.
The scheme provides for viability gap funding (VGF) from the government for
operating small aircraft to small towns with a fare cap of Rs. 2,500 per hour of flying.
The government estimates that with the increased allocation for Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan con-sequent to the collections from the cess, it will be able to prevent
diseases. At present, an estimated Rs.6,700 crore or about Rs.60 per capita is spent
annually on health.
Control room for daily review of air pollution

The Union Environment and Forests Ministry has announced that it will set up a
control room in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) immediately to
undertake daily review of air pollution levels and monitor the air quality in DelhiNCR.
The move, announced on Friday, comes in the wake of the thick smog that has
engulfed the city in the past few days. The level of PM 2.5 minute, toxic particles
in Delhi's air has been several notches higher than the safe permissible limits.

The Ministry has directed all State governments to submit three-month reports to
the Centre on the steps taken to reduce air pollution and improve the ambient air
quality.
Rail ticket cancellation charges hiked

The Indian Railways has again revised the re-fund rules, doubling the cancellation
charges and reducing the window time for cancellation of tickets with effect from
November 12.
As per the new rules, no re-fund would be granted for confirmed tickets if they are
cancelled after four hours be-fore the scheduled departure of the train, as against the
existing rule (June 25) of 50 per cent refund if the tickets were cancelled before two
hours after the actual departure of the train, as per the Commercial Circular 64 issued
by the Railway Board on Friday.
The minimum cancellation charges have been fixed at Rs. 240 for AC I/ Executive
class (Rs. 120), Rs. 200 for AC II/First class (Rs. 100), Rs. 180 for AC III/ AC chair car
(Rs. 90), Rs. 120 for sleeper class (Rs. 60) and Rs. 60 for second class (Rs. 30).
If reserved tickets are cancelled after 48 hours and up to 12 hours of the scheduled
departure, 25 per cent of the fare is deducted while giving the refund while 50 per
cent of the fare is deducted if tickets are cancelled within 12 hours and up to four
hours of the scheduled departure, both subject to minimum cancellation charges.
Greenpeace's registration cancelled

The Registrar has further accused the Executive Director of the society of making
completely irrelevant and in-valid statements, aimed at procrastination.
It further stated that the decision had come at a time when several international
leaders, including the United Nations Secretary General, upheld the importance of
civil society in healthy democracies.
Greenpeace India, on its part, termed the notice as the latest assault on free speech in
India.
Modi gives a big package to J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an economic package of Rs. 80,000 crore
for Jammu and Kashmir here on Saturday, but the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) was upset by his silence on a political package it had been expect-ing. Even
so, the PDP, which is in an alliance with the BJP in the State, will take a holistic view
of the situation.
Addressing a packed Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium, Mr. Modi said not only Delhi's treasures but Delhi's Dil' [heart] is also always for the people of Kashmir.
There can't be a bigger message than Mr. Vajpayee's Jamhooriyat, Insaaniyat and
Kashmiriyat [democracy, humanity and the essence of be-ing a Kashmiri].
The State's development has to stand on these three pillars... People participated in
recent polls and came out in huge numbers even for the panchayat polls.
Centre notifies OROP , veterans reject it

The Union government notified the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme on
Saturday, but ex-service-men were quick to reject it.

The Government Order by the Ministry of Defence, which could not be issued
[earlier] because of the model code of conduct [for Bihar elections], has been issued
to-day, said a government statement.
The government seems to have stuck to the conditions announced by Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar in September. The veterans had rejected them then, and last
weekend, announced plans to step up protests.
Personnel who henceforth get discharged on their own request under Rule 13(3)1(i)(b)
,13(3)1(iv) or Rule 16B of the Army Rule 1954 or the equivalent Navy or Air Force
Rules will not be entitled to OROP benefits, the government said. The ex-servicemen,
however, want no distinction between retirees, and exclusion of such personnel will
become a major point of friction.
The two sides had not reached a consensus on the concept of premature retirement.
Earlier, the government stated that those opting for it would not be eligible for the
OROP.
After protests by ex-service-men, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said everyone was
eligible. However, the notification said those opting for it in future would be out of
the scheme.
The notification says in future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years. The
ex-servicemen have been demanding more frequent revisions. They have argued
that revision after every five years, which means five different pensions for the same
rank, will not be in the spirit of the OROP.
The government announced that the pension of past retirees would be revised on
the basis of the pension of retirees of calendar year 2013 and the benefit will be
effective from July 1, 2014. This is not acceptable to the veterans, sources said. The
notification said arrears would be paid in four equal half-yearly instalments.
However, family pensioners and gallantry award winners would be made the
payment in a single instalment, it said.
Border youth may get martial arts training

The new Border Area Development Plan drawn up by the Union government lays
emphasis on providing martial arts training to the young population living close
to the Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China borders, say new
Union Home Ministry guidelines.
The Border Security Force, posted along the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders; the
Sashastra Seema Bal, along the Ne-pal and Bhutan borders; and the Indo- Tibetan
Border Police Force, along the China border, will be asked to encourage martial
arts among the youth and train them in shooting, archery and boxing.
The paramilitary forces have been asked to provide training platforms and coaches,
the guidelines say. There is no compulsory military training in India, but nations
such as China, Singapore, Israel and South Korea have conscription.
After the India-China war in 1962, the Special Service Bureau had been providing
some sort of armed training to the border population till 2001. In Jammu and Kashmir,
a similar practice exists in the form of village defence committees, which work under
the State police and are provided with li-censed weapons to fight militants.
The Border Area Development Plan was started in 1986-87 for the balanced
development of areas bordering Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat

and Rajasthan. The plan was later extended to all land borders. After it came to
power, the National Democratic Alliance government modified the plan, which was
allotted Rs.990 crore this fiscal.
The Ministry, which will be implementing the scheme, has decided to include the
Swacch Bharat Abhiyan' in it. The government has decided to extend the plan to
cover all villages within 10 km of the International Border.
These villages in 381 blocks are located in 106 border districts in Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Naga-land, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
and West Bengal. They will be referred to as strategic villages.
Red signals from meat

A recent recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared
red meat a carcinogen. Processed meats are the major culprit, and are a Class-1
carcinogen, which means that the evidence linking consumption to cancer is strong.
Red meats are in a lower category, 2A, which means consumption is probably linked
to cancer, specifically colorectal cancer. The link between processed meat and
colorectal cancer is hardly new.
A 2009 study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that eating red
and processed meats was linked to a higher risk of dying of heart disease and cancer.
In the U.K., it is estimated that 19 per cent of all cancers are linked to tobacco use
whereas 3 per cent of all cancers are linked to red meat. The relative danger from
processed meat consumption (relative to tobacco) is likely to be far lower in India
where tobacco use rates are higher than in the U.K. and consumption of both red
meat and processed meat is far lower.
Although meat consumption in India is on the rise, it is nowhere close to what the
West consumes. Even compared to China, Indias intake is much lesser. Every Chinese
citizen consumes 10 kg of poultry each year. This is roughly 10 times what every
Indian does. The consumption of beef by the average Chinese citizen compared
relative to India is even greater.
Moreover, the proportion of processed meat in India is small compared to most
countries. However, consumption of meat as a whole and of processed meat is on
the rise, although mostly of poultry rather than red meat.
The biggest health threat to the average Indian is likely to come from meat production
rather than consumption of processed or red meat. Countries like Australia, New
Zealand and the U.S. used to lead the world in beef exports. Thats no longer the
case. India is the worlds largest beef exporter and, as it happens, is now also the
worlds largest milk producer, although this latter improvement has not necessarily
resulted in greater milk consumption for many of our children, who remain proteindeprived.
For a country with one of the lowest availabilities of fresh water supply per person,
and where hundreds of thousands of children die of diarrheal diseases every year,
the potential for disease and poor sanitation because of meat production has a far
greater health consequence than any direct consumption of meat.
The second impact is in terms of climate change. Globally, livestock accounts for 18
per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Beef production emits five times more
greenhouse gas emissions than other livestock. Also, a global transition to a lowClick Here to Buy 1 Year Subscription - "Only PDF"

meat diet would halve the mitigation costs to achieve a 450 ppm CO2-eq. stabilisation
target in 2050, needed to head off the worst effects of climate change.
Third, meat impacts land availability. Beef production requires 28 times more land
than other livestock. A global food transition to less meat and a complete switch to
plant-based protein food is likely to have a dramatic effect on land use. Up to 2,700
million hectares of pasture and 100 million hectares of crop land could be abandoned.
The extra land could be used for fruits, vegetables and other foods.
Finally, meat production in India is increasingly using more antibiotics, placing
selection pressure for drug resistant bacteria. Global consumption of antimicrobials
in food animal production was estimated at 63,151 tonnes in 2010 and is projected to
rise by 67 per cent in 2030. According to our estimates, roughly 58,000 newborn
deaths are due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria produced each year in India. With
greater antibiotic resistance, the impact on newborn deaths is likely to increase.
Over 100 community radios operating illegally' in India

As many as 100 community radio operators in the country, out of 187 radio stations
currently on air, are in effect operating illegally while transmitting pro-grammes.
A majority of them do not have the licence to operate, and as for the rest, they don't
have valid agreements with the Information and Broad-casting Ministry. The licences
and the agreements have expired and the fault lies with the Ministry, which is yet to
give finishing touches to the Grant of Permission Agreement (GOPA), an essential
prerequisite to obtain licences.
For a government for which communication is the key, the operators are surprised
why the ministry has not demonstrated any urgency to draft the agreement guidelines
for community radio. By keeping it a work in progress, the operators lose out in
several ways. Says ArtiJaiman, station director of Gurgaon Ki Awaaz, a community
radio station that broadcasts in Hindi, Till we get a valid GOPA, we cannot get a
wireless operating licence from the Department of Telecommunications.
This creates a whole lot of problems because, at the State lev-el, when we seek
advertisements, they ask us for the broadcasting licences first. The GOPA is valid
for five years while licences are re-is-sued annually.

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International
Boost for Erdogan as AKP wins critical Turkey vote
Turkey's long dominant Justice and Development Party (AKP) scored a stunning
electoral comeback on Sunday, regaining its parliamentary majority in a poll seen
as crucial for the future of the troubled country.
The party founded by President RecepTayyip Erdogan won over 49 per cent of the
vote to secure 315 seats in the 550-member parliament with nearly all votes counted,
easily enough to form a government on its own.
And underscoring one of the key challenges ahead for a new AKP administration,
police fired tear gas and water cannon on protesting Kurdish militants who set fire
to tyres and pallets in the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir.
13 killed in al-Shabaab attack on Somali hotel

Security forces in the Somali capital fought for several hours on Sunday be-fore
clearing a hotel of Islamist al-Shabaab gunmen who had stormed the building after
two bombs ripped into it, police and witnesses said. At least 13 people were killed.
Al-Shabaab, which has frequently launched attacks in Mogadishu in its bid to topple
the Western-backed government, said it was behind the assault on the Sahafi hotel,
where government officials and lawmakers stay.
The government is battling to rebuild the Horn of Africa nation after more than two
decades of conflict. Al-Shabaab ruled much of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven
out of Mogadishu by African and Somali troops. It remains a potent force.
U.S. to keep operating in South China Sea

U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday told his Chinese counterpart Chang
Wanquan that the American military would continue to operate in the South China
Sea.
With tensions still simmer-ing following a U.S. naval vessels cruise near Chinaclaimed islets last week, the pair met for about 40 minutes on the sidelines of a
regional defence meeting.
The ship had sailed within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the land formations
China claims in the disputed Spratly Islands.
Key Bangladesh Opposition leader jailed

A Bangladeshi court on Tuesday sent a key BNP lead-er to jail on several charges of
violence and sabotage during the main opposition party's violent campaign against
the government earlier this year.
Alamgir was earlier arrested in January when his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
launched a violent nationwide anti-government campaign coinciding with the first
anniversary of the 2014 general elections which it had boycotted.
JagritiProkashony publisher Faisal ArefinDipan was killed in his office on October
31, while an attack at the office of Suddhaswar publishing house left publisher
Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury Tutul seriously injured along with writer

RandipamBasu and blogger Tarek Rahim the same day.
The United Nations has called upon Bangladesh authorities to fully investigate
the killing of a publisher.
Sakharov Prize for Saudi blogger

Saudi blogger RaifBadawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison
for insulting Islam, was awarded the European Parliaments prestigious Sakharov
human rights prize.
He was initially charged in 2013, and last year a Saudi court sentenced him to 1,000
lashes and 10 years in jail.
His wife EnsafHaidar, who fled to Canada with his children, hailed the award as a
message of hope and courage which came just two days after she warned that her
husbands flogging was expected to resume.
Pakistan loses UNHRC seat

Pakistan failed to win a re-election to the top UN human rights body, garnering just
105 votes in the 193-member General Assembly.
A total of 18 members were elected to the UN Human Rights Council through a
secret ballot. Pakistans current term is set to expire on December 31 and it was
seeking re-election to the 47-member Council.
The new members, who will start their three-year terms from January 1 next year,
are Belgium, Burundi, CdIvoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Kenya,
Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Togo, Slovenia,
Switzerland, UAE and Venezuela.
Crisis deepens in the Maldives

The state of Emergency declared in the Maldives on Wednesday, as of now for 30
days, by President Abdulla Yammen Abdul Gayoom is the latest in a host of crises
that shook the Indian Ocean nation's young democracy.
The Emergency was declared after the Maldives National De-fence Force (MNDF)
and the Maldives Police discovered a large cache of arms in different locations in
the archipelago nation.
The government recently arrested the Vice-President, Ahmed Adeeb, and conducted
a series of raids to recover arms and explosives from several locations after the
September 28 blast on the Presidential boat.
Historic China- Taiwan meet prompts hope and

suspicion
The Presidents of China and Taiwan will dine together in Singapore on Saturday in
what will be the first meeting of its kind since Chairman Mao's Communist troops
forced out their nationalist enemies from the Chinese mainland in 1949.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart Ma Yingjeou will meet
to exchange views on cross-Strait issues.
The announcement of the milestone meeting comes as Taiwan gears up for a
presidential election on January 16.

Ma, who has overseen an unprecedented and controversial warming of ties with
Beijing since taking office in 2008, will step down next year, and his ruling Nationalist
party (KMT) is currently badly trailing its rivals in the polls.
I believe people across the country, like me, felt very surprised, Tsai said. A
meeting of the leaders of the two sides across the strait is a great event, involving the
dignity and national interests of Taiwan. But to let the people know in such a hasty
and chaotic manner is damaging to Taiwan's democracy.
S. China Sea row cancels ASEAN joint statement

Differences over the South China Sea forced countries from Southeast Asia, along
with China and the United States, to cancel a joint statement at a meeting of de-fence
ministers in Malaysia.
The meeting was split between countries that agreed with China and those that
strongly disagreed, including Australia, Japan and the United States.
China maintains that its territorial claims in the South China Sea must be discussed
with individual countries that also have claims. It has consistently opposed eforts to
have conflicting claims discussed in a regional setting like ASEAN.
Maldives impeaches Vice-President Adeeb

The Maldives Parliament on Thursday approved a state of Emergency imposed by
President Abdulla Yameen and used extraordinary powers to sack his estranged
deputy despite mounting international concern.
Lawmakers loyal to President Yameen voted to remove Ahmed Adeeb, who was
arrested last month in connection with a September blast aboard the Presidential
speedboat that the government says was an assassination attempt.
The impeachment was rushed through in line with the state of Emergency, which
suspended several rights en-shrined in the Constitution, including freedom of
assembly and freedom of movement. U.S. and U.K. have expressed concern over the
imposition of the Emergency.
China, Taiwan hold historic talks

Taiwan and China have identified a broad agenda of engagement, including talks to
narrow down differences over a one-China formulation, easing security tensions
and collaboration in Beijing-led connectivity projects, following historic talks after a
gap of 66 years, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Tai-wanese counterpart
Ma Ying-jeou.
As they assembled for talks in Singapore, President Xi called his meeting with
President Ma as historic. This is a very special day, and a new chapter in history,
he added. Mr. Xi pointed out that a seven-year effort by both sides had culminated
in Saturday's meeting. This is a very special day, and a new chapter in history, he
ob-served.
Mr. Ma reciprocated, with matching enthusiasm, by point-ing out Saturday's meeting
was not for his personal benefit but for that of the next generation. History, he added,
has left a series of complex and perplexing is-sues that needed to be resolved.
On sensitive issues, the two sides should confront reality and deal with any problems
using wisdom, patience, sincerity and pragmatism, he observed.

A lengthy handshake that lasted 80 seconds, in full media glare, before they went
into talks, underscored the special importance that the two leaders attached to the
occasion.
Consolidating consensus Analysts point out that both leaders have a tough task
ahead of bridging their gap on their perception of a one-China concept that the
two neighbours had flagged in 1992 when they had agreed that that there was only
one China, but acknowledged their differences on its interpretation. In his remarks,
President Ma noted that China and Taiwan needed to make progress in consolidating
the consensus reached in 1992.
WHO declares Sierra Leone Ebola-free

The World Health Organisation on Saturday declared that Sierra Leone's deadly
Ebola outbreak is over, prompting jubilant celebrations as thousands massed in the
capital Freetown.
Crowds poured onto the streets, waving banners, dancing and banging drums as
the steep hills surround-ing the city reverberated with the crackle of fire-works.
It was the first public party tolerated in the impoverished west African nation since
the epidemic hit 18 months ago. Ebola killed almost 4,000 citizens and plunged the
economy into severe recession.

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Business and Economy

India trying to understand TPP: Nirmala Sitharaman
U.S. officials briefed Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the 12-nation Trans
Pacific Partnership (TPP), a recent free trade pact that will cover about 40 per cent of
global commerce and could lead to trade diversion from India.
After the 9th round of U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting, which she cochaired with U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman, the Minister said the attempt
was to understand the contours of TPP, and deflected a question on whether India
would like to join it.
The discussions focused on agriculture, trade and goods and services, investment
in manufacturing and intellectual property and both sides welcomed the substantive
progress in promoting bilateral trade and investment since the last TPF meeting in
November 2014.
The Minister said Indias willingness to engage on the contentious issue of
intellectual property has led to higher U.S. appreciation of its position. Indian IPR
regime TRIPS compliant, the Minister said, adding that there were issues that needed
to fixed and the government was doing it with the involvement of all stakeholders.
Centre provides duty benefits to boost exports

In light of the major challenges being faced by Indian exporters in the backdrop of
the global economic slowdown, Department of Commerce today announced increased
support for export of various products and included some additional items under
the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS).
The current revision introduces 110 new tariff lines (products) and increases rates or
country coverage or both for 2,228 existing tariff lines, it said. Under the MEIS, the
government provides duty benefits at 2 per cent, 3 per cent and 5 per cent depending
upon the product and country.
Global support has been extended to products including textile items,
pharmaceuticals, project goods, auto components, telecom, computer, electrical,
electronics and railway transport equipments.
Earlier, benefits to these items were provided to a few countries. The move is expected
to help in improving competitiveness of a large number of exporters and help them
tide over the difficult global economic scenario.
5-member panel mooted for deciding on monetary

policy
After four months of debate and discussion, the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance
Ministry has overcome the stalemate over the most significant reform in the central
banks 80-year history.
The Ministrys note for the Cabinets approval proposes a five-member Monetary
Policy Committee.
The government will nominate two members and the RBI one expert, besides two of
its officials: the Deputy Governor and the executive director dealing with monetary

policy.
Each of the five members would have one vote and the RBI Governor, chair of the
committee, will have a casting vote in the event of a tie in situations such as the
absence of a member.
The inflation target for the RBI in each financial year will be determined by the
Government in consultation with the RBI itself.
At present, the Governor is advised by a technical committee but can veto decisions,
being singularly responsible for monetary policy.
A draft of the Indian Financial Code that the Ministry had posted on its website in
July proposed to strip the Governor of veto vote on the monetary policy.
The draft proposed a six-member monetary policy committee, besides powers for
the government to appoint four of the six members.
Relations between the Centre and the RBI had already been uneasy over amendments
to the RBI Act that Finance Minister ArunJaitley had announced in his Budget speech,
leading to a breakdown of talks between the two sides.
India to emerge as largest cotton producer

With domestic trade estimating cotton production at around 400 lakh bales, India is
expected to emerge as the largest cotton producer in the world in 2015-16.
Cotton output in all major producing countries in the year, barring India, has been
anticipated to be lower than the previous season. As a result, China has had to vacate
its place as the largest producer of cotton to India, according to sources in Southern
India Mills' Association (SIMA), the apex body of spinners in the Southern Region.
Though USDA anticipated a marginal reduction in India's production, trade estimates
suggested that the production would be around 400 lakh bales of 170 kg each, taking
India to the first position, the sources said.
USDA report on India has estimated cotton area in the country in 2015-16 (August to
July) at 11.26 million hectares and cotton production at 370 lakh bales.
Pulses buffer stock

The Agriculture Ministry has moved a proposal to create a buffer stock of 3.5 lakh
tonnes of lentils during the current 2015-16 crop year through domestic purchase or
imports to prevent a further price rise in pulses.
Out of the proposed 3.5 lakh tonnes, about 1.5 lakh tonnes of tur and urad will be
procured in the ongoing kharif marketing season and the rest 2 lakh tonnes of chana
and masoor will be bought in the rabi marketing season.
These pulses will be purchased locally or through imports using the Rs.500-crore
Price Stabilisation Fund and a scheme that supports MSP operations. Pulses will be
procured both at the minimum support price as well as market rates.
The State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI), Small Farmers' AgricultureBusiness Consortium (SFAC) and Nafed will be engaged in the pulses procurement.
Pulses production fell to 17.20 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year due to poor rains,
against 19.25 million tonnes in the previous year. The country imported more than 4
million tonnes during the last fiscal and traders expect imports to cross 5 million
tonnes this fiscal.

Despite a higher MSP, the pulses cultivation has not scaled up to meet the growing
demand because of inadequate supply of pulses seeds in the country. Worse, pulses
are more prone to pest at-tacks unlike other crops and are mostly grown in rain-fed
areas.
RCom acquires Sistemas India unit

Indian telecoms operator Reliance Communications (RCom) has agreed to
buyRussian conglomerate Sistemas Indian mobile phone business with a share swap
that marks the first major deal in seven years in a crowded and indebted sector.
The agreement will see Sistema take a 10 per cent stake in billionaire Anil
AmbanisRCom, worth about $290 million at current prices, in exchange for its
operations.
Mondays announcement comes at a critical time for a fast-growing but hugely
competitive industry.
Indias mobile phone market is the worlds second-biggest after China by number of
customers, but its phone carriers operate on wafer-thin margins and cut-throat
competition that have dented their balance sheets.
Steel, cement output weigh on infrastructure sector

The Modi Governments big infrastructure push is yet to translate into pick-up on
the ground.
Growth of the eight core infrastructure industries slowed to 2.3 per cent in the first
six months compared with 5.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
The performance does not reflect the more than 60 percent jump to Rs.82,818 Crore
in the Governments capital expenditure during April-September this year.
Led by fertilizers and electricity sectors, output of the eight core infrastructure
industries improved in September to 3.2 per cent from 2.6 percent in August.
The tepid performance could be a drag on Indias overall industrial growth in the
first half of the current year as the core industries comprise almost 38 percent of the
index for industrial production.
The data released on Mon-day showed that the production of fertilizers grew 18.1
percent in September, ahead of the rabi sowing, which is to have started from Octoberend and will go on till December.
That followed the sector's robust growth of 12.59per cent in August.Almost 11 per
cent more electricity was generated inSeptember than in the comparable period in
2014. The growth in the sector was 5.6per cent in August 2015.
Small tea growers seek international agency

An international agency has been proposed to help represent the small tea growers'
sector, which currently contributes about 70 per cent of the world tea crop. Efforts
are also on to find ways to directly market small tea growers' produce.
The 11-member Indian delegation was led by Santosh Kumar Sarengi, chairman,
Tea Board India. It also included a member represent-ing the interests of India's
small tea growers. The need for an international body for small tea growers was
brought to the fore by quite a few tea-growing countries including India, Sri Lanka,

Kenya and Indonesia.
These countries have among them a small tea holders' group with representatives of
the respective governments and the industry. The contribution from this segment of
the tea indus-try is highest in Sri Lanka and Kenya.
World Bank not too optimistic on Indias growth

prospect
World Bank projected that Indias GDP growth will remain below 8 per cent till
2018, the penultimate year of the Modi Governments tenure.
The projection contrasts sharply with the Governments projection that the growth
rate will cross 8 per cent this year and will be in double digits before the end of its
term.
GDP growth is expected to accelerate gradually to 7.5 per cent in 2015-16 and to 7.8
and 7.9 per cent in the subsequent two fiscal years, the Update projected.
However, this acceleration in growth is conditional on the growth rate of investment
picking up to 8.8 per cent during the period 2015-16 to 2017-18.
Although India may be able to achieve fast GDP growth without export growth for a
short period, sustaining high rates of GDP growth over a longer period will require
a recovery of export growth.
All govt. financial transactions to be made digital

The Centre is planning an e-route for all government transactions, including receipts
and payments, as part of Digital India programme. However, a senior official said
the government is not particular on the mode of electronic transaction.
With the increasing internet and computer penetration through the broadband
network, citizens can transact with all the departments digitally using e-payment
gateways and banks.
As mobile devices and smart phones are used for public interface, all central
departments will soon offer citizen services on mobile.
To make it an inclusive programme and accessible to all, we are planning to bring
100 government websites in three languages. This is being done with industry
participation.
GST only a matter of time: FM

Obstruction against the GST has been due to political reasons. Within months from
now, the numbers (in the Rajya Sabha) are going to tilt even more. So it will become
easier to pass. GST is only a matter of time. As and when it is put to a vote, it will be
passed, the Finance Minister said.
Mr. Jaitley also added that he is looking to table the government's proposed
Bankruptcy Bill in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.
Also regarding corporates, the Union Finance Minister said that he will soon be
announcing the first tranche of exemptions from corporate tax that are to be done
away with. The first round of corporate rate cuts part of the governments longer
term agenda of cutting corporate tax rates from 30 per cent to 25 per cent will be
announced in the next Budget.

Talking about infrastructure, Mr. Jaitley lauded the performance of the road sector,
but said that the power sector was still a problem. The big problem in infrastructure
is the power sector.
We are generating more power than India needs. However, state discoms, the last
mile, are not in a position to lift that power because of their poor financial health,
he said, adding that re-forms regarding the power sector will be announced soon.
There are some crises that impact more than others, he added. If the U.S. Fed hikes
rates, there will be some turmoil here but it will settle down. Like what happened
after China's currency devaluation, Mr. Jaitley said.
PM unveils 3 gold schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled three gold-re-lated schemes, namely the
Gold Monetisation Scheme, Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme and Gold Coin and Bullion
Scheme.
India has no reason to be de-scribed as a poor country, as it has 20,000 tonnes of
gold. The gold available with the country should be put to productive use, and
these schemes show us the way to achieve this goal, the Prime Minister said while
introducing the schemes.
The Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) will replace the existing Gold Deposit Scheme,
1999. However, the government has made clear that deposits outstanding under the
Gold Deposit Scheme will be allowed to run till maturity unless the depositors prematurely withdraw them.
Under the GMS, resident Indians (classified as individuals, Hindu Undivided
Families, Trusts including Seri-registered Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded
Funds) can deposit gold at collection and purity testing centres certified by the Bureau
of Indian Standards.
The deposit certificates will be issued by banks in equivalence of 995 fineness of
gold and the principal and interest of the deposit under the scheme will be
denominated in gold. The terms of deposit range from short-term deposits (1-3 years),
medium-term deposits (5-7 years) and long-term deposits (12-15 years).
Depositors will be allowed to prematurely withdraw their deposits subject to a
minimum lock-in period and a penalty that is to be determined by each authorised
bank. The minimum deposit atany one time shall be raw gold (bars, coins, jewellery
excluding stones and other metals) equivalent to 30 grams of gold of 995 fine-ness.
There is no maximum limit for deposit under the scheme, the government said in a
notification.
Under the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme, the Reserve Bank of India will issue Gold
Bonds on behalf of the Government of India. The applications for the bonds will be
accepted between November 5-20 and the bonds will be issued on November 26.
The Bonds will be sold through banks and designated post offices as may be notified.
As with the GMS, the Gold Bonds will be sold only to Indian entities including
individuals, HUFs, trusts, Universities, charitable institutions. They will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of one gram.
The Bonds will be for a tenor of eight years, with an exit option from the 5th year.
Those buying the bonds will not be allowed to purchase less than two grams-worth
of bonds and not more than 500grams-worth per person per financial year.

Under the Gold Coin and Bullion Scheme, the government will issue gold coins, the
first ever national gold coins, which will have the Ashok Chakra engraved on them.
Initially, coins of five grams and 10 grams will be available, soon to be followed by
a 20 gram bar.
The government will make avail-able 15,000 coins of five grams, 20,000 coins of 10
grams and 3,750 gold bars. The Indian Gold coin is unique in many aspects and
will carry advanced anti-counterfeit features and tamper proof packaging that will
aid easy re-cycling, the government said.
These schemes are aimed at bringing the gold lying with citizens into the economy,
and at reducing India's dependence on gold imports.
India imported Rs.2.1 lakh crore worth of gold in the financial year 2014-15, according
to CMIE, not counting jewellery. So far, Rs.1.12 lakh crore worth of gold has been
imported between April-September 2016.
Centre hikes support price of Rabi pulses to boost

production
To give a boost to production of pulses, the Centre on Thursday hiked the minimum
support price (MSP) of Rabi pulses by Rs.250 a quintal and in addition sanctioned a
bonus of Rs.75 per quintal for gram and masoor dals.
The MSP of wheat was hiked by Rs.75 to Rs.1,525 per quintal from Rs.1,450 per
quintal last season, while the support price for oilseeds were also raised by an
average of Rs.250 per quintal.
Announcing these deci-sions taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Union Power Piyush Goyal later said that the Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs had approved an increase in the MSP for the Rabi season of 2015-16 to be
marketed in 2016-17. The hike of Rs.325 per quintal (including bonus) in the support
price of pulses is significant as the prices of tur, urad and moong have sky-rocketed
in the retail market due to huge gap between demand and supply leading to heavy
imports.
The support price for masoor is now Rs.3, 325 and for gram (chana) Rs.3, 425 per
quintal.Centre hikes support price of Rabi pulses to boost production.
UDAY scheme for discoms

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a re-form' package for loss-making
electricity utilities, allowing for the transfer of 75 per cent of the about Rs 4.3 lakh
crore outstanding debt incurred by stressed discoms to States' debt.
The scheme, named UjwalDiscom Assurance Yojana(UDAY), will be optional for
States. The electricity distribution firms in the states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Haryana are among the most stressed and have run up the maximum
losses. Announcing the Cabinet decision, Union Power Minster Piyush Goyal told
re-porters that the Centre aims to help states in wiping out the discoms' losses by
2019.
States shall take over 75 per cent of discom debt as on September 30, 2015 over two
years 50 per cent of discom debt shall be taken over in 2015-16 and 25 per cent in
2016-17, an official release said. The decision is also expected to help the banks
inmanaging their bad loans.

The future losses of Dis-coms States will take over in a graded manner all the way
up to 2020-21. The balance discom debt outstanding with banks not taken over by
States will be converted into loans or bonds. The bonds will carry interest rate of not
more than the bank's base rate plus 0.1 per cent.
States accepting UDAY and performing as per operational milestones will be given
additional / priority funding through DeendayalUpadhyaya Gram JyotiYojana,
Integrated Power Development Scheme, Power Sector Development Fund (PSDF)
or other such schemes of Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy.
States not meeting the operational milestones will be liable to forfeit their claim on
IPDS and DDUGJY grants.
States which want to take up the rescue package will sign agreements with the power
ministry.
Facebook joins $300-billion club, beats GE in market

cap
Facebook, the 11-year-old social media company founded by Mark Zuckerberg in
his Harvard dorm room, surpassed the $300-billion mark in market capitalisation,
overtaking General Electric (GE) along the way.
Facebook became the seventh most valuable firm in the U.S. on Friday, with market
capitalisation touching $303 billion and joined Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft and
Amazon among the top 10 ranks.
$896-million profit The surge in market value came on the back of Face-book posting
$896 million in third quarter profit on a revenue of $4.5 billion. In comparison, GE
reported a profit of $2.51 billion on a revenue of $41.7 billion for the third quarter.
Facebook shares touched a high of $108 after the results valuing the tech giant at a
whopping $306 billion, surpassing the about $300-billion market cap of GE. We
had a good quarter and got a lot done,.
The stark contrast in revenue and profits of Facebook and GE notwithstanding,
investors are bullish about Facebook's prospects, especially given its reach and ability
to monetise the people's connections through advertisements.
The social media company, which counts more than 1.45 billion active monthly users,
got 78 per cent of its advertising revenue from mobile advertising in the third quarter,
a 66 per cent jump over the year earlier period.
Robust U.S. jobs report bolsters case for December

rate hike
U.S. job growth surged in October and the un-employment rate hit a 7-1/2-year low
of 5 per cent in a show of economic strength that makes it much more likely the
Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in December.
Nonfarm payrolls in-creased 2,71,000 last month, the largest rise since December
2014, the Labor Department said on Friday.
In addition, average hourly earnings rose a respectable 9 cents. The payrolls jump
followed modest gains in August and September.
The unemployment rate now stands at its lowest level since April 2008 and is in a

range many Fed officials see as consistent with full employment. The employment
report had everything you could have asked for.
The reaction in financial markets was swift and sharp. The dollar rallied to a near
seven-month high against a basket of currencies as investors braced for higher
borrowing costs. U.S. Treasury debt prices fell, with yields on the two-year note
hitting a 5-1/2-year high.
Cost of sending remittances likely to come down

With remittance to India is expected to increase by 2.5 per cent in this calendar year,
the cost of sending remittances likely to come down further with many initiatives of
the Government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), like payment banks.
However, remittances to developing countries are expected to rise by about 4 per
cent in 2016 and 2017, buoyed by the continuing recovery in the U.S. and a modest
acceleration of economic activity in Europe.
It is hoped that India's new payments banks will expand penetration of the banking
sector in rural areas, thus in-creasing competition in the remittances market, says
the recent World Bank's report on Migration & Development Outlook, which indicates
remittances to India continue to grow steadily.
The report says that the decision by RBI to grant in principle' approval for 11 entities
to set up payments banks, which would be directed at small savers in underserved
(largely rural) markets, could help transform the rural remittances market.
The entry of new players is likely to increase competition, lower remittance costs,
and extend the formal market for remittances.
Unlike earlier, emigration from Northern parts of the country is on the increase
compared to Southern India as per the State-wise figures of workers granted
Emigration Clearance / ECNR Endorsement during the last five years 2010-2014. In
2014, U.P. is the highest 229,444, followed by Bihar 98,721, Tamil Nadu (83,202),
Andhra Pradesh (53,104), Kerala (55,058), and West Bengal (51,561).

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India and World

Ageing Japan goes all out to woo Indian students
Japan's declining young population is proving to be a blessing for Indian students,
who are being wooed by Japanese universities for taking up research in science and
technology with scholar-ships covering tuition and living expenses.
On radar are the students of IITs and other prestigious institutions who have strong
math and science background.
Japan's population is declining and only around 25 per cent of its young generation
is showing interest in sciences. The country wants to pro-mote research in sciences
and technology inviting the best brains from across the world, and India is definitely
a choice given the huge talent pool.
Indian students got an opportunity to work in the best of Japanese science and research laboratories and they had a greater chance of being hired by Japanese
companies that were known for cutting-edge research and technology.
India pushes for NSG membership

With the visit of the Nuclear Suppliers Group chairperson last week, India is fastpacing its pitch for membership to the 48-member nuclear club.
The push for the nuclear clubs, whose members can trade in and export nuclear
technology, comes despite a setback to Indias efforts in early October this year,
when the MTCR group met in Oslo, but failed to take up the membership application.
As the 48-member NSG works by consensus, not majority, India is reaching out to
every possible country, much like the push at the UNGA for reforms.
In the past few months, President PranabMukherjees visit to Sweden, Prime Minister
Narendra Modis visit to Ireland and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankars visit to
Switzerland all saw intense discussions over the NSG question. The support of all
these countries, including Norway is critical, as previously they had all been seen as
non-proliferation hardliners, insisting that India sign the NPT before it could be
admitted.
However, in the past few years, they have softened their position, calling instead for
India to align its civil nuclear safeguards with NSG guidelines. Equally, India has
given in on its earlier stand that it must be recognised as a nuclear weapons state,
as that is unlikely in the current scenario.
Indias biggest worry remains possible opposition from China, but hopes to smooth
this over as the two sides engage on climate change and nuclear energy ahead of the
Paris summit, officials confirmed. Vice-President Li Yuanchao will be in Delhi on
November 6 for discussions on a range of issues. China noted Indias aspirations
to the NSG for the first time in May 2015, but also recognised Pakistans aspirations
for the same in June 2015, leading to speculation that when the NSG decideson Indias
membership it would open the way for other non-NPT states like Pakistan and Israel
as well.
Indonesia is our key ally , says Vice-President

Vice-President Hamid Ansari said in Jakarta on Sunday that key agreements in

maritime security cooperation, bilateral trade and cultural exchange would be soon
signed with Indonesia.
He also said that Indonesia is the single-most important and biggest country in
ASEAN, and a key strategic partner.
Mr. Ansari underlined the three crucial MoUs under consideration in Jakarta. One
was collaboration between the AYUSH Ministry and Bali's Uddiyana University in
the field of Ayurveda. Another pertained to a cultural ex-change programme. Notes
would be exchanged on the Extradition Treaty signed in 2011.
The last visit by an Indian dignitary was in October 2013, when then Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh visited Bandar Seri Begawan to attend the 11th ASEAN-India
Summit.
Indias APEC membership not on the agenda, says U.S.

Indias desire for membership is not on the agenda of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting in Manila in Philippines.
U.S. President Barack Obama had supported Indias desire for membership of the
forum during his 2015 visit to India on Republic Day.
U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region released
during Mr. Obamas New Delhi visit had said: the United States welcomes Indias
interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as the Indian
economy is a dynamic part of the Asian economy.
The 21-member APEC, established in 1989, has nearly half of the world trade among
the members and India has been lobbying for its membership for the last two decades.
India has been an observer at the forum since 2011 and a membership would have
been in tune with the Modi governments Act East Policy, the purported
improvement it claims to have brought about in the earlier Look East Policy.
In India, Li will ink pacts on river and culture

Li Yuanchao, the Vice-President of China will conclude his India visit by sealing
agreements marking cooperation on better river water management and cultural
exchanges.
Mr. Li who visited Aurangabad and Kolkata before landing in Delhi, will preside
over the renewal of the 2013 memorandum of under-standing on joint water
management which helps India and China share data on multiple Himalayan rivers
for better water management.
The second agreement tobe signed during Mr. Li's visit will be on the cultural
exhibition on the Gupta period in the Indian history to be held in 2016 in China.
However, the focus of Mr. Li's visit is expected to be onthe renewal of the MoU on
smooth sharing of hydrological data related to the com-mon Himalayan rivers.
While a prominent part of the 2013 agreement focused on joint study of Sutlej which
originates in the western Ti-bet region, the other and more important aspect of that
agreement was on the hydrological study of the Brahmaputra.
Water scarcity is a big is-sue in China whereas the north-eastern States of India have
abundant river water. So hydrological exchanges be-tween India and China are
mainly aimed at emergency planning to help India.

Countries met only half of emissions target: UN report

The message from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions
Gap report launched on Friday in Geneva is clear. Only a dynamic Paris climate
agreement in December can help keep global warming under the 2C threshold, as
the current levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to be cut by 2030 11
gigatonnes is only about half of the total required.
This is even if all conditional and unconditional In-tended Nationally Deter-mined
Contributions (INDCs) of countries submitted by October 1 are fully implemented,
as emissions will still be 12 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) beyond
the level that gives a likely chance of limiting global temperature rise to 2C this
century.
Ahead of the U.N. climate meeting to commence in December, the UNEP report
provides a sense of the scale of the task lying ahead of countries to curb global
warming. It shows that the 119 INDCs submitted so far represent GHG emission
reductions in 2030 of 4 to 6 GtCO2e compared to what the emissions would be under
the current policy trajectory.
The report notes that 2030 projections based on current policies are them-selves 5
GtCO2e lower than the estimate of 65 GtCO2e by the Inter-governmental Pan-el for
Climate Change (IPCC) fifth assessment re-port, which assumed no additional climate
policies, put in place after 2010.
The report has a special chapter on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation (REDD+), a U.N. programmefocussing on opportunity for climate
change mitigation through forest-related actions in developing countries, and finds
the theoretical potential of reducing forest loss and restoring forests could be as
high as 9 GtCO2e/yr in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the
Caribbean combined.


Science & Technology

IISc: cleaning rivers using a nano-composite
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have developed a novel
reusable' nano-composite material, with Cerium being the crucial compound in it,
which can degrade microbes and chemical dyes that are among common effluents in
rivers.
It is this notion, that the compound can speed up the degradation of chemical dyes
and the bacterium Escherichia coli (which forms a large chunk of organic waste in
sewage) led the re-searchers to develop ceria nanoflakes, which com-bines ceria with
silver salts.
The superior photo catalytic activity of this nano-composite for the degradation
chemical dyes is attributed to its extended absorption in visible region and enhanced
stability of the catalyst owing to the firm adherence of silver bromide and phosphate
to ceria nanoflakes.
The compound was to re-main stable even after seven cycles of its usage with polluted
fluids.
Scientists developing battery-free pacemakers

Scientists are developing next-generation battery-free implantable pacemakers that
may be powered by an unlikely source the heart itself.
The advancement is based upon a piezoelectric system that converts vibrational
energy created inside the chest by each heartbeat into electricity to power the
pacemaker.
The technology may eliminate the medical risks, costs and inconvenience of having
a battery replacement every five to 12 years for millions of people worldwide.
The new wireless option does not require leads because it rests inside the heart.
This removes a potential point of failure, but the device still relies on a battery that
must be replaced as often as the batteries that conventional pacemakers use.
GSA T -15 set to replace INSA T -3A, 4B

GSAT -15, the mainly communications satellite being put in space next week, will
replace two older space-craft that will likely expire in the coming months.
Its 24 transponders are solely in the Ku band and will cater to DTH (direct-to-home)
television first, besides supporting the thousands of VSAT operators who provide
broadband services; and DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) for TV news
channels.
GSAT -15 will not add new transponder capacity to the country; it will ensure
sustainability of service for the capacity-hungry DTH sector.
It will also carry the third GAGAN satellite navigation transponder as a back-up for
airlines and other users of augmented GPS-based systems.
GSAT -15, weighing 3,164 kg, will be launched in the wee hours of November 11
(IST) from Kourou in French Guiana (in South America) on the European
Arianespace's Ar-iane-5 launcher.

GSAT -15 will be flown along with Saudi Arabia's Arabsat-6B/Badr-7.
Vanishing African lions

Africa's lions are fast 'disappearing from vast swathes of the continent, including
from the savannah grasslands, where they are the indisputable flagship species, finds
a new scientific paper.
Threatened by habitat loss, a depleting prey base, poorly regulated sport hunting
and a demand for traditional African and Chinese medicines, several lion populations
have either entirely disappeared or are expected to go within the next few decades.
Their populations are declining every-where, except in four southern countries
Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The reintroduction of lions in fenced and intensively managed reserves has been the
key to their growth in Southern Africa.
While the animal is currently graded as vulnerable on the World Conservation
Union (IUCN) Red List, it will be considered endangered if numbers declined by
50 per cent over three lion generations.
Pelicans face disappointment

Nearly 5,000 pelicans have come to Atapaka the core birding area of the Kolleru
Wildlife Sanctuary and other nesting sites around the Kollerulake, Indias largest
freshwater lake, for the annual breeding season this winter.
Breeding has just begun with pelicans making nests after finding suitable partner.
Several more thousands of pelicans and painted storks are expected to arrive in the
season.
But the birds will find the sanctuary less welcome than last year with the poor
monsoon this year failing to replenish the pond, over an aggregate area of 50 acres
that had dried up last summer.

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Sports
Sania-Hingis domination is complete
Swiss veteran Martina Hingis and India's Sania Mirza crowned a stunning year for
their partnership on Sunday by winning their ninth title at the WTA Finals here on
Sunday.
The top seeds, who joined forces only in March, beat Spain's eighth seeds Garbine
Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-3 in 66 minutes, much of which looked
more like an exhibition match than a season finale.
Hingis, 35, and Sania, 28, have also won Wimbledon, the US Open and Indian Wells
on their way to Singapore, where they also swept all their matches. Their only finals
loss was in Rome.
The pair had bagged the 2015 WTA year-end top ranking.
Federer goes past Murray

Federer overtook AndyMurray as he climbed to second in the ATP world rankings
after seeing of Rafael Nadal for his seventh Swiss Indoors title at the weekend.
The rankings1. Novak Djokovic (Srb)15,785; 2. Roger Federer (Sui) 8,250(+1); 3. Andy
Murray (GBr) 8,070 (-1);4. Stan Wawrinka (Sui) 6,585.
Yogeshwar the highest-paid marquee player

London Games bronze medallist Yogesh-war Dutt pipped double Olympic medallist
and World champion, Sushil Kumar, to become the highest-paid marquee player at
Rs. 39.7 lakh in the Pro Wrestling League auction.
The league, with a total cash prize of Rs. 3 crore and a Rs. 20 crore budget for the
players, will be staged in six cities Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Gurgaon
and Noida from December 10 to 27.
In all, over 150 Indian and international wrestlers went under the hammer in the
auction conducted by Bob Hayton.
Tom Graveney passes away

Tom Graveney, the former England captain and president of Marylebone Cricket
Club, died at the age of 88.
Graveney made 11 centuries in 79 Test matches be-tween 1951 and 1969, scoring
4,882 runs at an average of 44.38. Appointed MCC president in 2005 he was an
honorary life member of the Lord's Club.
India was a lucky hunting ground for Graveney. He scored his first Test century
(175) against India at the BraBourne Stadium before the 1951 Christmas.
Indian juniors strike it rich

India finished with a rich haul at the World youth chess championship in Halkidiki,
Greece, on Thursday. It won 11 medals five gold, three silver and three bronze.
It was indeed quite an impressive show by the Indians who won five out of the 12
gold medals on ofer.

India was by far the best-per-forming country. The other top teams, Russia and the
United States, won just four medals each but neither of them could win a gold.
Heena Sidhu wins thriller against Gundegmaa Otryad

Heena Sidhu pipped Olympic silver medallist GundegmaaOtryad of Mongolia by
0.2 point for the women's air pistol gold in the Asian shooting championship in
Kuwait City.
Heena captured the gold in a thrilling fashion despite shooting eight 9s on the last
10 shots of the final. It was the second successive gold for Heena following the Asian
Air Gun championship last month. She also managed to push the London Olympics
gold medallist Kim Jangmi of Korea to the bronze.
There were more gold medals for India through Angadvir Singh Bajwa in junior
men's skeet.
Angad along with the bronze medallist AnantJeet Singh Naruka and fourth-placed
Arjun Mann won the team gold, 27 points ahead of Kuwait.


Ministry of External Affairs

Third India-Africa Forum Summit 2015
The Heads of State and Government and Heads of Delegation representing the continent of Africa, the African Union (AU) and its Institutions, and the Prime Minister of the
Republic of India, met in New Delhi, India on 29 October 2015 for the Third India-Africa
Forum Summit. For Reviewing the strategic partnership and the implementation of the
Framework of Enhanced Cooperation adopted at the Second Africa-India Forum Summit
held in Addis Ababa in May 2011 and the associated Plan of Action agreed upon thereafter. Noting the synergies of their shared core priorities of working together towards an
inclusive economic growth to eradicate poverty and allocate adequate resources for sustainable development, as defined in Africas Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan as well as the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, and the priorities of the Government of India.
Building on prior positive cooperation in various areas of common interest, agree
to enhance their partnership with more substance, based on the aspirations of the African
and Indian people to achieve development, integration and prosperity as indicated in
the African Union Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan as well as the
Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
and the priorities of the Government of India. Noting the importance of urgently fulfilling the unmet challenges of providing access to quality education, skill development
and capacity building, affordable healthcare, clean modern energy sources, infrastructure, suitable employment opportunities through development of all sectors of economy
including agriculture, manufacturing and services, value addition and connectivity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, blue and ocean economy, and disaster management and disaster risk reduction among others;
Africa and India have adopted this Framework for Strategic Cooperation between
them which will comprise the following broad areas:
GENERAL AREAS OF COOPERATION

The common characteristics of the African and Indian societies insofar as being multiethnic and multi-religious as well as the similar societal values have quite naturally
cemented the bonds of friendship between the African and Indian peoples over the
centuries;
Africa and India recognize the crucial need for gender equality for progress and
sustainable development and are committed to promote empowerment of women,
which will greatly support efforts towards poverty eradication, protect and promote
human rights and build more non-violent and environmentally sustainable societies;
The Africa-India Strategic Partnership represents a multi-dimensional South-South
cooperation and needs to be strengthened to render it more effective;
In this regard, Africa and India resolve to:

Facilitate greater mutual understanding of cultures, traditions and heritage and bringing our people closer through exchanges at various levels;
Promote gender equality and empowerment of women, which will greatly support

efforts towards poverty eradication, protect and promote human rights and build more
non-violent and environmentally sustainable societies;
Encourage use of modern social networks to build communities of mutual interest.
Linkages between academia, journalists, media entities and civil society will be further
encouraged inter-alia through the Forum for Indian Development Cooperation (FIDC) to
document successful development interventions by civil society among communities in
developing countries;
Promote good governance through the efficient use of emerging e-governance technologies. The empowering of peoples through enhancement of digital connectivity and
access to these technologies that permeate all sectors of economy will help targeting of
benefits to the needy, make delivery of services more efficient, catalyse development and
increase citizen participation in governance, and promote financial inclusion and empowerment through access to banks, credit and social insurance against diseases and
accidents;
Reaffirm our strong commitment to work together for a comprehensive Reform of
the United Nations system, including its Security Council, to make it more regionally
representative, democratic, accountable and effective;
Deepen ongoing cooperation and sharing of experiences in ensuring free, fair and
transparent parliamentary and electoral processes, such as training and capacity building in tandem with current international best practices;
Facilitate air and maritime connectivity and more liberal visa procedures and visa
concessions to enhance tourism, trade and other people to people contacts;
Support African Small Island States tackling the impact of climate change as well as
their connectivity with mainland Africa.
ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Africa-India trade has multiplied in the last 15 years and doubled in the last five
years to reach nearly US$ 72 billion in 2014-2015. There is growing investment by Indian
companies, both multinational and SMEs, in Africa in a range of sectors. These include
telecommunication, hydrocarbon exploration, agriculture, light manufacturing, IT and
IT- enabled services, IT education, water treatment and supply management, petroleum
refining and retail, chemicals, drugs & pharmaceuticals, coal, automobiles, floriculture,
engineering consultancy and management, paper, textiles, among others. Such investment brings in capital and technology, assists value addition and industrialization, diversification of economic activity and most importantly generates employment and promotes skill development for local populations. Both sides recognize that India was among
the first emerging economies to propose a duty-free market access scheme for LDCs following the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration of 2005. In 2014 India expanded its Duty
Free Trade Preference Scheme (DFTP) for LDCs, launched in 2008 and which became
fully operational in 2012, to now include 98% of tariff lines. The benefits of this unilateral
scheme extend to 34 African countries to increase their exports to India. India took note of
the African request to provide technical assistance to the beneficiary countries of the DFTP
Scheme in order to further enhance market access of their exports to India. Both sides
recognize that the Indian experience in Small, Medium and Micro enterprises offers significant avenues for further cooperation in industrialization, job creation and enhancement of local capacities of Africa, particularly in the field of managing and organizing
industrial clusters, and attaching them to the feeding industries;

One of the most significant forms of Africa-India partnership has been the offer of
concessional credit under the Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme
(IDEAS) for implementing a range of projects as per the economic and social priorities of
African countries in areas where Indian companies have relevant expertise. In the last
decade, a total of almost US$ 9 billion in concessional credit has been approved for nearly
140 projects in more than 40 African countries. So far nearly 60 projects have been completed across a range of sectors.
Energy and Infrastructure form substantial part of the ongoing cooperation between
Africa and India. The forms of our ongoing cooperation include training, capacity building, consultancy and project implementation through concessional credit in areas including water supply management, power generation and transmission, road and railway
construction and upgradation, hydrocarbon exploration among others.
While underlying the importance of private investment in achieving sustainable
and inclusive economic growth, the two sides decide to share experience and knowledge
in this regard, and to:
Embark on sensitization efforts to create greater awareness of India's DFTP scheme
among businesses in Africa and appeal for the extension of this duty free preference
scheme to all African states;
Accelerate trade between Africa and India through a coordination mechanism
composed of representatives of the Government of India and the African diplomatic
Missions represented in India to promote investment from Africa into India and
facilitate the setting up of African-owned businesses in India;
Enhance collaboration in technology transfer and demonstration, training and joint
research and development for specific applications;
Explore possibilities of collaboration and training in utilising space technology for
remote sensing and natural resource mapping including for water, agriculture, forest
cover, mineral and marine resources, weather forecasting and disaster management
and disaster risk reduction including early warning of natural disasters; and of
nuclear technology for areas such as medicine, agriculture and hydrology in large
installations that will have direct benefit for our peoples.
Africa and India take note of the importance of the capacity building institutions,
which India is in the process of establishing in Africas diverse sectors, and recognize that
such efforts would greatly assist African industries and service sectors, and in the long
run contribute to the growth of the continent. In this regard Africa and India agreed to:
Support establishment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Medium and
Small Industries (MSIs) in order to promote employment creation and income generation
for people of both sides;
Promote Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by encouraging Indian businesses to set
up skills development units in African industrial zones with the aim to train African
engineers, technicians, managers and workers as well as by encouraging other experts in
areas such as food security and solar energy;
Review the functional mechanisms of the already established institutions with a
view to ensuring that the processes for their establishment, provision of material, human
and financial resources and management are clearly understood and supported;
Create a mechanism to enable women groups to access credit for productive activities and markets for their products;

Enhance cooperation through training and collective negotiations on global trade
issues, including at the WTO to protect and promote the legitimate interests of developing countries, especially the LDCs.
COOPERATION IN BLUE /OCEAN ECONOMY

Livelihoods of large sections of our peoples are dependent on Oceans which have
emerged as the new frontier for the development of the peoples of Africa and India. The
significance of Oceans for global or regional trade and its marine resources as a contributor to the economic prosperity of our people is evident.
In this regard the two sides decide to:
Put special emphasis on exploring closer collaboration through training, capacity
building and joint projects in developing sustainable fisheries, maritime connectivity,
managing marine resources, exploring non-marine resources, promoting eco-tourism,
developing renewable energy, and disaster risk reduction through modern early warning tools, pollution control and other coastal and ocean studies;
Pursue cooperation in port operations and marine transport, addressing illegal and
unregulated fishing and hydrography surveys.
Pan-African E-Network Project

Acknowledge the importance of successful implementation of the Pan-African ENetwork Project aimed at providing an efficient tool to bridge the digital divide and also
offer affordable and easy access to quality education and healthcare to the peoples of
Africa;
In this regard Africa and India agree to:
Continue cooperation in the areas of scientific and technological development as
well as in Information and Communication Technology;
Explore possible joint investments to establish a robust, reliable and accessible fibre
optic infrastructure in Africa, with a view to setting an enabled African information society, and integrated digital economy whereby all actors have access to reliable and affordable ICT networks and services;
Promote greater interaction, exchange and partnership between the tertiary institutions of Africa and India;
Renew, expand and upgrade the existing Pan African E-Network Project infrastructure so as to permit an innovative utilization of the E-Network Project with the view to
cover newer areas of mutual interest;
Intensify cooperation through sharing of experiences, gender-specific training courses
and capacity building measures including through skill development;
Provide and facilitate the access and enrolment of African students and academicians to Indias premiere institutions of higher learning in an effort to boost Africas capacity in areas such as engineering, medical, technology, agriculture as well as emerging
areas;
Fast-track the implementation of those capacity building institutions that have been
found to be feasible for continuation under IAFS-III;
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NITI Aayog
Cooperative federalism
Any big change requires big ideas, decisive leadership and happy coincidence of
circumstances. Nothing illustrates this better than the unfolding story of cooperative federalism in India.
As chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi had often argued that the central government implemented schemes were at odds with the states needs and priorities. For
example, schemes that provided funds for electrification were at best of limited value to
Gujarat since it had already achieved near 100% electrification. This state could have
spent the money provided for such a scheme more productively if allowed to use it for
other purposes.
In advancing this view, Modi was joined by other chief ministers such as
VasundharaRaje of Rajasthan who argued that the vast numbers of central schemes further restricted their fiscal space because many of them required matching contributions
by them from their otherwise untied funds. Once these matching funds were committed
to access central schemes, states were left with very limited funds for even the most important expenditure items such as enforcement of law and order.
Nevertheless, this system has remained entrenched in one form or another in the last
several decades on account of coincidence of three factors. First, outside of state leaders
and a few economists and policy analysts, advocates of the view that true federalism
means giving greater fiscal space to states and trusting them in setting their own priorities have been few and far between.
Second, the Finance Commission appointed once every five years plays a key
role in the division of tax revenues between Centre and states. Consistent with the first
point, successive Finance Commissions held untied funds to the states at or below 30% of
the divisible tax pool. Only the 13th Finance Commission exceeded this mark, setting the
states share at 32%.
Finally, successive central governments have chosen to transfer the bulk of the remaining funds to the states via central and centrally sponsored schemes. With nearly 8%
growth over an entire decade, tax revenues have significantly expanded. Alongside, central and centrally sponsored schemes and the revenue resources they absorb have expanded dramatically as well.
Two key factors have come together to dramatically alter this equilibrium. One,
India now has a prime minister who was once a chief minister and strongly feels that
cooperative federalism means greater fiscal and legislative space for states. And two, by
a happy coincidence, the chairman and members of the 14th Finance Commission believe
in genuine federalism themselves.
Moreover, they have recognised the opportunity offered by a prime minister at the
helm who truly believes in the power of the states and their leaders. Accordingly, they
have recommended that starting 2015-16, states be awarded 42% of the divisible pool of
tax revenues to the states. This is a gigantic and unprecedented 10% jump in devolution.
Predictably, the prime minister and his Cabinet have accepted this bold recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission.

What implications does this change have? For starters, with larger transfers coming
as untied funds, states also have greater responsibility in discharging their duties. It is
likely that they will now have to take greater responsibility in areas that have been hitherto covered by the Centre, especially those falling on the state list. States will also have
to do this in ways that are more consistent with their priorities and not according to one
size fits all schemes. By the same token, with a lower share in the divisible pool the
Centres fiscal space will shrink, requiring a rethink of central and centrally sponsored
schemes.
One might ask where does NitiAayog fit into this story? I am tempted to say that in
replacing the Planning Commission by NitiAayog, Prime Minister Modi may have anticipated the 14th Finance Commission. Under the previous regime, the Centre was often
seen as giver and states as recipients thereby making the latter feel that they were
less than equal partners. In replacing the Planning Commission by NitiAayog, the prime
minister sought to change that equation and forge an equal relationship between the two
sides. As such the change represents a step towards cooperative federalism.
We will have a more complete picture of the emerging Centre-state relations this
Saturday when the finance minister presents the budget. But even with what we now
know, one thing is clear: in the years to come, NitiAayog will have to play a much greater
role in the knowledge space. Greater fiscal freedom combined with greater legislative
freedom in areas covered by the concurrent list of the Constitution means that states will
need to play a more active role in designing their own programmes and policies.
As they do so, they will need to reach out to data, analysis and expert advice. The
design of NitiAayog as per the Cabinet Note of 1 January 2015 positions it well to provide
these services. By the same token, those of us at NitiAayog have to work hard in the
months to come to build new strengths so that we do not disappoint the states that reach
out to us for advice and assistance. We shall see.
Decline in Rural Female Labour Force Participation in

India: A Relook into the Causes
As an economy transforms from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy,
a decline in participation of female labour force is observed. This is attributed to the shift
from family-based production to large-scale production in industrial units. The womenfolk being mostly illiterate or with low levels of education face shortage of work in the
home turf and have inhibitions in working as manual labour in the non-agricultural sector. But with an increase in family income and improvement in the education level of
females, more and more females start entering the labour force, especially into non-manual
or service oriented jobs. That is why the participation of females in the labour force in
comparison with the economic growth is supposed to be U-shaped (Goldin, 1994).
This article examines how the experience has been in India especially among rural
females who account for the major share of the rural population. For developing countries, average patterns of womens labour force participation are more mixed, ranging
from as low as 21 per cent in the Middle East and North African region to as high as 71 per
cent in the East Asian and Pacific region in 2010. The gender gaps in labour force participation are also highest in the Middle East and North African and South Asian regions,
where mens participation rates exceed womens rates by over 50 percentage points. The
labour force participation rate (LFPR) in India is around 40 per cent, but gender-wise, for
females it is only 22.5 per cent. The gap in malefemale labour force participation is such
that the LFPR for rural females of the age group over 15 years is only 35.8 per cent, while

for rural males it is more than double at 81.3 per cent. This is quite baffling in a country
with a huge demographic dividend of the working population. Studies undertaken to
analyse this trend of low and declining female LFPR (FLFPR) has attributed it to education and income effect (Rangarajan, Kaul, & Seema, 2011; Vinoj, 2013). In a culturally
diverse country like India, socio-cultural aspects also have a say in the economic participation of the women. Indias policies on liberalization, privatization and globalization
initiated in the early nineties and more than two decades of reform-induced economic
growth have driven the economy to a double-digit growth. This article examines how the
participation of the female labour force has fared, during this period of positive growth,
especially in rural areas, wherein almost 70 per cent of the female population lives (Census 2011).
The trend analysis in the paper covers five quinquennial National Sample Survey
(NSS) Rounds on the Employment and Unemployment Survey (EUS) (19931994, 1999
2000, 20042005, 20092010 and 20112012). The pursuit of neoliberal economic policies5
has led to a discussion of both defeminization and feminization of labour force in the
economic literature. But, according to the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)
EUS, the rural female LFPR (RFLFPR) has been almosthalf of the rural male LFPR, while
in the urban areas, the FLFPR is even less than half of the male LFPR. While the FLFPR
marginally revived in urban areas in 20112012, in the rural areas, the declining trend
continues except for the year 20042005.With nearly 80 per cent (NSSO 20112012, 68th
round) of the female labour force being concentrated in rural areas, the focus of this paper
is on addressing the issue from the rural angle. Table 2 captures the age cohort-wise
distribution of rural female labour force across the Rounds. It emerges that there has been
a steady decline in the LFPR from 19931994 to 2011 2012 in the age group of 59 years
and 1014 years indicating that the rural females of this age group are in the education
space. Similarly, in the 1519 and 2024 age-cohort, a decline in the LFPR is seen in 2009
2010 and 20112012. More than 70 per cent of the rural female workforce (Table 6) is
engaged in agriculture, and the proportion of workforce engaged in agriculture in principal and subsidiary capacity is around 75 per cent across different NSSO rounds. In 2004
2005, when there was a spurt in RFLFPR, the proportion of rural females engaged in
agriculture in principal or subsidiary capacity was found to be lower than that in 1999
2000. But the proportion of females engaged in the non-farm sector saw a rise in 2004
2005. The declining trend in the share of employment in agriculture both in principal and
subsidiary capacity is evident from 20092010 onwards. Rural females engaged in manufacturing as a principal activity declined from 12.7 per cent in 19931994 to 9.4 per cent in
20112012, while the proportion of rural females engaged in manufacturing as a subsidiary activity decreased from 32 per cent in 19931994 to 7.1 per cent in 20092010 and
marginally increased to 10.2 per cent in 20112012. This implies that there was the loss of
jobs for women who were engaged in manufacturing. This may be due to the decrease in
demand for the products from traditional industries which led to the loss of jobs for women.
In the non-manufacturing sector that consists of the construction sector apart from public
utilities, there has been a decline in the share of rural females since 19931994, which sees
a reversal from 20092010 onwards. In the services sector, the share of rural females in the
principal status has steadily increased from 19931994 to 20112012, while as a subsidiary activity, there has been a fluctuation in their participation. Thus, in the past two
decades, while the services sector has shown a rise in jobs for the rural females, agriculture shows a declining trend and in the industry sector a reversal is noticed only in the
last two rounds. But only if the decline in agriculture jobs is commensurate with the
increase in jobs in the non-farm sector, can the situation of loss of jobs be arrested.

With the introduction of the SarvaShiksha Abhiyan8 and the Right to Education Act,
2009, there has been an improvement in the basic education level up to 14 years of age.
But for better employability, the enhancement of skills after 14 years is a prerequisite. A
look at the mean years of education after 14 years shows an increasing trend since 1993
1994, though still low at around two years for rural females and three-plus years for urban females in the last two NSSO rounds.
Furthermore, the mean age of marriage in rural India being 20.8 years (Statistical
Report, 2012), for the majority of rural females in the prime age, entry into the labour
force may perhaps be hindered by social factors such as marriage and domestic duties.
Hence, the argument that fall in the rural LFPR of the females in the 1524 bracket is due
to an increase in their attending education institutions (education effect) is not fully substantiated by available data. However, with schemes like the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha
Abhiyan (RMSA) focusing on improving accessibility, quality and outreach of secondary
education with special focus on more female teachers in schools, separate toilet blocks
for girls, incentives to girls students, and hostel facilities, etc., an increase in the mean
years of education of rural females would be evident in the years to come. Another factor
that can facilitate entry of female youth is the declining fertility rate. The total fertility rate
(TFR) in rural India has declined from 3.7 in 19931994 to 2.6 in 20112012.10 But even
with the decline in the TFR, the rural females are seen withdrawing from the labour force
and engaging in domestic duties. Therefore, the natural question that arises is: Could the
withdrawal from labour force be due to the absence of distress employment (income
effect)?
Among all the arguments, income effect, education effect and the problem of underestimation, what is left unnoticed is the structural transformation of the economy and its
resultant impact on the female labour market in the whole process. With an increase in
income levels of the households, a woman no longer prefers working as an unpaid worker
or a helper or as a casual worker unless the work is remunerative (as in MGNREGA).
However, such opportunities are limited in rural India and as a result women are not
finding jobs matching their preference (regular part-time jobs close to their households).
Furthermore, with low skill levels, jobs in the non-farm sector are also limited. These
factors perhaps have led to the withdrawal of women from the labour force.


National Portal of India

Kailash ManasarovarYatra
Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is known for its religious value, cultural significance,
physical beauty and thrilling nature. It is undertaken by hundreds of people every year.
Holding significance for the Hindus as the abode of Lord Shiva, it holds religious importance also for the Jains and the Buddhists. The Yatra is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs every year between June and September. It is open to eligible Indian citizens,
holding valid Indian passports, who wish to proceed to Kailash-Manasarovar for religious purposes.
Applications to participate in the Yatra can be filed online only at http://
kmy.gov.inExternal website that opens in a new window. The last date to apply online
was 10 April, 2015.
The Yatra-2015 was conducted between 08 June and 09 September through two different routes Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and Nathu La in Sikkim. Yatris need to
spend 3-4 days in Delhi for preparations before the Yatra. The Delhi Government provides free meals and accommodation for the stay in Delhi. Yatrisare, however, free to
make their own arrangements. The Yatra involves trekking at high altitudes of up to
19,500 feet, under inhospitable conditions, including extreme cold and rugged terrain,
and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically and medically fit.
Now, there are two routes to undertake the Yatra:
Route 1: Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand) 18 batches of 60 members each with total duration of about 25 days per batch. Estimated cost per person: Rs.1.5 Lakh.
Route 2: Nathu La (Sikkim) 5 batches of 50 members each with total duration of
about 23 days per batch. Estimated cost per person: Rs.1.7 Lakh.
The Government of India is not responsible in any manner for any loss of life or
injury to a Yatri, or any loss or damage to property of a Yatri due to any natural calamity
or due to any other reason. Pilgrims undertake the Yatra purely at their own volition,
cost, risk and consequences. The Government shall not have any obligation to bring the
mortal remains of any pilgrim across the border for cremation in the Indian side, in case
of death on the Chinese side. All Yatris are, therefore, required to sign a Consent Form for
cremation of mortal remains on the Chinese side in case of death.


Selected articles from various Newspaper

For a truer decentralisation
The history of decentralisation in India is somewhat chequered. Although the village panchayats as institutions of governance and justice existed for a long time, the founding fathers of the Constitution were not keen to empower them. Dr. Ambedkar was apprehensive that in the hierarchical society with highly skewed nature of asset and power
distribution, vesting more powers at the village level would only perpetuate exploitation of the dispossessed. Not surprisingly, the Constitution placed local governance in
the State List (Entry 5).
Rajiv Gandhi wanted to energise the local bodies in rural and urban areas to make
them the institutions of self-government by effecting 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. Part IX was inserted into the Constitution with Article 243(A to O) specifying matters such as the constitution, elections and the functions to be devolved for panchayats
and for urban local bodies under Article 243P to Z. Article 243I and Y mandated the
appointment of the State Finance Commission by the Governor every five years to balance their functions with funds. Article 280 was seeded with an additional term of reference (TOR) to the Union Finance Commission to take cognisance of the resource requirements of local bodies. However, the role envisaged in this seeding is only tangential or
supplemental.
There are five important issues for understanding the legal framework for the
decentralisation process in the country. First, the Constitution assigns decentralisation
including funding entirely to the discretion of State governments. While this may be to
evolve the system of decentralisation appropriate to a State considering the strength of its
history, economy and capacity, it also hinders the process. It is entirely left to the States to
decide, what and how much powers and functions should be devolved to the local bodies.
Secondly, the constitutional framework does not (and perhaps should not) prescribe
any pattern, standard or model of decentralisation which again is left to the discretion of
State governments. Third, there are no easy mechanisms to ensure compliance of even
the prescribed provisions of the Constitution by the States. Most States have not complied with the requirement of having to appoint gram sabhas (243A), ward committees,
district planning committees and metropolitan planning committees.
Unfortunately, the States record shows complete violations of Article 243I and Y.
Fourth, on the financial side, local bodies do not have any independent revenues. There
is no separate list of tax bases assigned to them in the Constitution and they have to
depend on the State governments to levy the taxes . There is also the problem of administrative capacity and interest groups resisting payment of taxes and user charges.
In this context, the criticism that the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) did not
continue the decentralisation reform initiated by the Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC)
needs explanation. Specifically, while the TFC initiated a package of conditionalities for
availing the performance grants which was not continued by the FFC. The important features of the TFC recommendations included linking the grants to local governments to
previous years divisible pool of taxes and linking a significant proportion of the grants
for performance.

In contrast, the FFC while recommending a much higher level of transfers, did not
see Constitutional validity in linking the transfers to the divisible pool. It continued the
performance grants, but linked them directly to the actions by the panchayats and municipalities rather than the State governments. Thus, the FFC in its report explained that it
did not carry on the scheme of rewards and punishment because truthful adherence to
the Constitutional framework did not permit it to do so. It is another issue that only a
fraction of the performance grants recommended by the TFC were actually utilised and
the Union government was the beneficiary in the process!
Indeed, the framework needs to be evolved to accommodate the demand for
decentralisation. Even within the existing framework, it is important for intellectuals and
the press to pressurise the States to comply with the Constitutional provisions like creation of planning authorities and appointment SFCs, if necessary through public interest
litigations. The SFCs have an important role to play which can be fulfilled only when
State governments take them seriously.
(The Hindu)
Downstream concerns on the Brahmaputra

As Chinas largest hydroelectric dam on the Brahmaputra, or YarlungTsangpo, became fully operational this month, it has once again evoked concerns in India. The $1.5
billion Zangmu hydroelectric dam has stoked a virtual paranoia over Chinas resource
choices and their likely downstream impact. But the debate has generated more heat than
light. It has also unwittingly ended up being a single-issue debate, fixated on water diversion and its likely impact. But is that all there is to it?
An overwhelming focus on diversion has moved attention away from other critical
issues such as water quality that India needs to raise with China. There are growing concerns over worsening environmental degradation facing Tibets Three Rivers area comprising the YarlungTsangpo, Lhasa river and Nyangchu basins in central Tibet. One of
the most intensely exploited areas in this region is the Gyama valley, situated south of
the Lhasa river, with large polymetallic deposits of copper, molybdenum, gold, silver,
lead and zinc. Studies by Chinese scientists are pointing to the possibility of a high content of heavy metals in the stream sediments and tailings that could pose a potential
threat to downstream water users. Global warming could further accelerate the movement of these heavy metals besides projected spatial and temporal variations in water
availability. By 2050, the annual runoff in the Brahmaputra is projected to decline by 14
per cent. This will have significant implications for food security and social stability,
given the impact on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture.
The cumulative impact of run-of-the-river dams also remains ill-defined and little
understood. In this regard, the Ninth Report of the Inter-Ministerial Expert Group on the
Brahmaputra (IMEG) in 2013 called for a close monitoring of the 39 run-of-the-river projects
on the YarlungTsangpo and its tributaries. Despite being projected as run-of-the-river
projects, the fact that the Jiexu, Jiacha and Zangmu dams are within 25 km of each other
and at a distance of 550 km from the Indian border has further stoked downstream concerns.
What sort of normative bargains should we be mindful of while designing datasharing protocols between India and China? Are these to be seen merely as commercial
transactions or do these raise larger questions regarding contested market-based mechanisms such as Payment for Ecosystem Services? While India provides flood-forecasting

data to Pakistan and Bangladesh free of cost, it pays to receive the data from China. India
pays China Rs. 82 lakh annually to receive advance flood data as per MOUs reached in
2008, 2010 and 2013. These provide flow data from May to October on the water level,
discharge and rainfall from three measuring stations on the Brahmaputra, namely Nugesha,
Yangcun and Nuxia.
The justification for payments is being advanced on the premise that downstream
users are disproportionate beneficiaries of data flows. But then it can also be argued that
location bestows a disproportionate advantage on the upper riparian and consequently a
primary responsibility to build cultures of trust and confidence within the region. An
upper riparians willingness to bear the costs involved in the maintenance and operation
of upstream measuring stations could be read as an indicator of its willingness to invest
in such riparian trust-building practices. These could further strengthen the larger philosophical argument of an inherently intrinsic as against instrumental value of nature and
have beneficial ripple effects on the discourse on water as a human right within the region.
(The Hindu)
Fast forwarding to thorium

What is the single greatest factor that prevents the large-scale deployment of thorium-fuelled reactors in India? Most people would assume that it is a limitation of technology, still just out of grasp. After all, the construction of the advanced heavy-water
reactor (AHWR) a 300 MWe, indigenously designed, thorium-fuelled, commercial technology demonstrator has been put off several times since it was first announced in
2004. However, scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have successfully tested
all relevant thorium-related technologies in the laboratory, achieving even industrial scale
capability in some of them. In fact, if pressed, India could probably begin full-scale deployment of thorium reactors in ten years. The single greatest hurdle, to answer the original question, is the critical shortage of fissile material.
A fissile material is one that can sustain a chain reaction upon bombardment by
neutrons. Thorium is by itself fertile, meaning that it can transmute into a fissile radioisotope but cannot itself keep a chain reaction going. In a thorium reactor, a fissile material
like uranium or plutonium is blanketed by thorium. The fissile material, also called a
driver in this case, drives the chain reaction to produce energy while simultaneously
transmuting the fertile material into fissile material. India has very modest deposits of
uranium and some of the worlds largest sources of thorium. It was keeping this in mind
that in 1954, Homi Bhabha envisioned Indias nuclear power programme in three stages
to suit the countrys resource profile. In the first stage, heavy water reactors fuelled by
natural uranium would produce plutonium; the second stage would initially be fuelled
by a mix of the plutonium from the first stage and natural uranium. This uranium would
transmute into more plutonium and once sufficient stocks have been built up, thorium
would be introduced into the fuel cycle to convert it into uranium 233 for the third stage.
In the final stage, a mix of thorium and uranium fuels the reactors. The thorium transmutes to U-233 as in the second stage, which powers the reactor. Fresh thorium can replace the depleted thorium in the reactor core, making it essentially a thorium-fuelled
reactor even though it is the U-233 that is undergoing fission to produce electricity.
After decades of operating pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWR), India is finally ready to start the second stage. A 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at
Kalpakkam is set to achieve criticality any day now and four more fast breeder reactors

have been sanctioned, two at the same site and two elsewhere. However, experts estimate that it would take India many more FBRs and at least another four decades before it
has built up a sufficient fissile material inventory to launch the third stage. The earliest
projections place major thorium reactor construction in the late 2040s, some past 2070.
India cannot wait that long.Procuring fissile material
The mainstreaming of thorium reactors worldwide thus offers an enormous advantage to proliferation-resistance as well as the environment. Admittedly, there still remains
a proliferation risk, but these can be addressed by already existing safeguards. For India,
it offers the added benefit that it can act as a guarantor for the lifetime supply of nuclear
fuel for reactors if it chooses to enter the export market, something it is unable to do for
uranium-fuelled reactors.
It is clear that India stands to profit greatly from plutonium trading but what compelling reason does the world have to accommodate India? The most significant carrot
would be that all of Indias FBRs that are tasked for civilian purposes can come under
international safeguards in a system similar to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. There is little
doubt that India will one day have a fleet of FBRs and large quantities of fissile material
that can easily be redirected towards its weapons programme. This will limit how quickly
India can grow its nuclear arsenal to match that of, say, China. Delhi has shown no inclination to do so until now, but the world community would surely prefer that as much as
possible of Indias plutonium was locked under safeguards.
The U.S. could perhaps emerge as the greatest obstacle to plutonium commerce.
Washington has been resolutely opposed to reprocessing since the Carter administration, preferring instead the wasteful once-through, open fuel cycle. Although the U.S.
cannot prevent countries from trading in plutonium, it has the power to make it uncomfortable for them via sanctions, reduced scientific cooperation, and other mechanisms.
The strong non-proliferation lobby in the U.S. is also likely to be nettled that a non-signatory of the NPT would now move to open and regulate trade in plutonium. The challenge for Delhi is to convince Washington to sponsor rather than oppose such a venture.
In this, a sizeable portion of the nuclear industry could be Delhis allies.
(The Hindu)
Towards an honourable exit for all

Everyone agrees that a ceasefire and a political settlement are necessary for Syria.
Too many people have been displaced; too much destruction has been wrought on this
country. Syria is, in many ways, broken. War has led nowhere and none of the actors can
credibly claim victory now, or hope for a final victory later. Everyone has been defeated
in Syria.The 2011 uprising easily morphed, therefore, into a battleground for regional
interests with Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. rushing in to form their own
proxies, as Iran and Russia joined in to help the government. Russias military intervention a few weeks ago was designed less to hit Islamic State targets and more to pressure
Qatari, Turkish, Saudi and al-Qaeda proxies along the western axis of Syria. Cooperation
with the U.S. to prevent any mid-air accidents and coordination with Iraq and Jordan over
air strikes suggest acquiescence with the Russian project. Russian aircraft and ground
forces closed off the possibility of Western-backed regime change in Syria. It, therefore,
forced the regional powers to reconsider their commitment to regime change.
The Vienna meetings of the regional powers with the U.S. and Russia on October 23
and October 30 opened up a new diplomatic page. In 2012, these regional powers had

created a Syria Contact Group, which met in Cairo. That Group was not permitted to
make an impact because of the Wests insistence on regime change. Now with regime
change off the table diplomacy has been allowed to proceed. Though the communiqu
from the Vienna meeting was anodyne, far more was established. Saudi Arabia was the
least invested in any dialogue but did not leave the table. The Saudis are already overstretched in Yemen and unable to move a more robust agenda for their proxies in Syria.
They require a way to walk away from this war. Turkey too is not capable of honouring
its pledge to remove Mr. Assad. Ten days ago, a Turkish diplomat told me that his government was now willing to consider a political process because the Russians have guaranteed Mr. Assads departure after six months. This guarantee is the basis for the political
process. The re-election of the AKP or the Justice and Development Party in Turkey does
not suggest that it would snub the Russian offer. Too much is at stake for the Turks to
remain outside this process.
Mr. Assad is no longer the issue. Western capitals now acknowledge he is personally weak. What they fear is the collapse of Syrian state institutions. To push harder against
Mr. Assad might risk the destruction of these institutions. The process of a political settlement will have to come with him because insistence on his departure has lengthened the
process and threatened the state institutions. The political transition will have to come
with Mr. Assad in place, but with guarantees of his departure within a specified but
secret timeframe. This is the view of the Russians and the Iranians.When Mr. Assad
returned from Moscow, he announced early elections as a way to signal this six-month
timetable. The second Vienna meeting echoed this statement. The idea of elections is,
of course, merely symbolic. Half of Syrias population is displaced, a major population
center (Aleppo) is a battlefield and IS holds another city (Raqqa). The last election in 2014
was held in areas controlled by Damascus and amongst refugees who were willing to
vote in Syrian embassies abroad. United Nations General-Secretary Ban ki-Moon warned
that the election of 2014 would damage the political process. At the time, the political
process was already in abeyance. People whom I met on the streets who had voted in the
election said that they voted not for Mr. Assad but for stability. They wanted the war to
end then. It did not. It would be difficult to see the current call for elections as anything
other than an indication of the new balance of forces, with the President gesturing for an
opening to the opposition.
But what is left of the stalwart opposition? This April one of the oppositional figures
Louay Hussein, who heads Building the Syrian State fled to Spain. In al-Hayat , Mr.
Hussein had argued that vast areas of the country and many communities would probably find it hard to rejoin a central state, even with al-Assad absent. This is a prescient
assessment. The opposition is as fragmented as the country. Deep divides prevent the
Damascus Opposition (those who remained in the capital) from building unity with
the external opposition, notably the Syrian National Council, which has lost its following
inside Syria.
The gap between what this meeting called for and what Mr. Assad believes is now
very narrow. Among this team would be the well-regarded academic Haytham Manna,
who was once deputy to Hassan Abdul Azim. Over this summer, Mr. Manna said, For
four years we have assassinated every political initiative in Syria. We need to go back to
a normal political life. We need to stop this dirty war. It is likely that these figures and
some who have been keeping a low profile over this past year (such as the aristocratic
defector, ManafTlass) will take advantage of this new opportunity.
Between the Vienna meetings, Omans Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi visited

Damascus. Oman was the secret post-office for the U.S.-Iran backchannel negotiations. In
August, Syrias Foreign Minister, Walid Muallem, visited Muscat. This is the return trip.
Omans diplomats are likely carrying messages to Damascus from the U.S.and, perhaps,
Saudi Arabia. Often, in these matters, the real work gets done with a wink and a nod. For
Syrias sake, with IS at the doorstep of Homs, one hopes that these are not empty gestures.
(The Hindu)
Uneasy neighbours
Less than a year ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modis Neighbourhood First policy
was being hailed as a radical new breakthrough. It is clear now, to even the most incorrigible optimists, that the product hasnt delivered on its billing. Nepals relations with
India have sunk to a historic low, with what is perceived as an informal but state-backed
blockade incensing large swathes of the country. India has watched from the sidelines as
the Maldives prepares to jump into the abyss. Facing a serious threat from jihadist terrorism, the government has instead expended its energies on imprisoning much of the opposition leadership, prosecuting one vice president on charges of trying to assassinate
the president, impeaching another, removing two defence ministers, and throwing out
two Supreme Court judges.
The Modi government has dismantled what it sees as PM Manmohan Singhs flawed
policies on Pakistan, but the contours of what it intends to put in its place are still unknown. Bangladesh continues to complain of the lack of counter-terrorism cooperation
from West Bengal, among other things. Ties with Sri Lanka, though cordial, havent shown
any exceptional energy or direction. Myanmar, outraged by Indias decision to go public
with a cross-border raid earlier this year, has been assuaged but theres no great push
on economic ties or strategic cooperation.
The lesson in this is a simple one. For all of Modis high-energy performances on the
international stage, his foreign policy still lacks a script. For the most part, the PM has
been content to allow foreign policy bureaucrats to continue down the path of their predecessors. In other cases, he has demanded change but is yet to articulate what alternate course he wishes to take. In some cases, like Nepal, policy seems to have become
hostage to special interests, like Hindutva politicians with interests in Bihar.
Put simply, the Neighbourhood First policy hasnt shaken India out of the torpor
that characterised the last years of the UPA government. Manmohan Singhs diminished
political authority meant his Sri Lanka policy was hostage to parochial politics in Tamil
Nadu, and that he was unable to block West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees
successful campaign to sabotage relations with Bangladesh. Manmohan Singh was unable, moreover, to reframe Indias policy after the collapse of General Pervez Musharrafs
regime, with whom he had made real progress. Theres no disputing that Modi brought
new energy to these problems. Energy, though, isnt policy.


MCQ
National
1. With respect to straw burning which among the following is correct?
a) Straw burning is a practice used for burning agricultural residue after cutting the
crop.
b) Recently NGT announced a fine of Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 15,000 on farmers found
indulging in straw burning.
A) a only
B) b only
C) Both
D) None
Ans: C
2. Consider the following statements and mark the correct one?
a) GSAT-15 is a communication satellite which will replace INSAT-3A, 4B.
b) GSAT -15 will be flown along with Saudi Arabia's Arabsat-6B/Badr-7.
c) It will not help in navigation system of GAGAN.
A) a, b
B) b, c
C) c,a
D) All
Ans: A
3. What is IMPRINT- India project?
A) It is a pan-IIT and IISc joint collaboration to develop a blueprint for research of
immediate relevance to society requiring innovation, direct scientific research
into identified areas.
B) It is an initiative for the protection of IPR in India.
C) It is an initiative to increase the accountability of press in India.
D) None of the above
Ans: A
International
1. Spartly islands are part of which ocean/ sea?
A) East China sea
B) South China Sea
C) Indian ocean
D) None of the above
Ans: B
India and World

1. Which among the following is correct with respect to nuclear suppliers group?
a) It is a 48 member countries body body concerned with reducing nuclear
proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials.
b) India is a member to NSG.
A) a only
B) b only


C) Both
D) None
Ans: A
Economy
1. Consider the following statements and find out which among them are correct?
a) Ease of doing business index is published by World Bank.
b) Indias ranking in this year report is 130.
A) b only
B) a only
C) both
D) none
Ans: C
1. As proposed by cabinet monetary policy in India will be determined by a committee
in the future. Which among the following statements is correct regarding the
committee?
a) Committee will have five members in which the government will nominate two
members and the RBI one expert, besides two of its officials: the Deputy Governor
and the executive director;
b) RBI Governor will have veto power in the committee.
A) a only
B) b only
C) Both
D) None
Ans: A

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