Civil Services Mentor September 2015

Page No.
Index
Digital India
Page No.
4
Socio Economic Caste Census
SEPTEMBER, 2015
Page No.
Designed by:
Chandan Kumar Raja
Greece Crisis
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Digital India
DIGITAL INDIA
India has seen good growth in
last two decades. This growth has
largely been good for the country but
it has also formed a digital divide in
the country. There are people who
connected with the digital world, this
group mostly covers urban India, and
thenthereisstillverylargepopulation
which is unconnected with the
digitalworld.IfIndiasgrowthoflast
few decades is to be sustained this
digital divide should be bridged
soon. The Global Information
Technology report for the World
Economic Forum places India 68th
in its networked readiness index that
ranks140countries.Digitalisationalso
has an important role in governance,
it helps in reducing the leakages,
involves citizen more in governance
process and it is also helpful in making
the government accountable.
In order to obtain all the
benefits given above Government of
India has started Digital India
programme. Digital India has been
envisioned as an ambitious umbrella
programme to transform India into a
digitally empowered society and
knowledge economy. This
2
programme has been envisaged and

coordinated by the Department of
Electronics and Information
Technology (DeitY). There is also a
collaboration with various Central
Ministries and State Governments.
The Prime Minister of India is the
chairman of the monitoring
committee of Digital India
programme. All the existing and
ongoing e-Governance initiatives
have been revamped to align them
withtheprinciplesofDigitalIndia.It
takes together a large number of
ideas into a single comprehensive
plan so that each of them remain a
partoflargergoal.
The vision of Digital India is
centred on three key areas DigitalInfrastructureasaUtility
to Every Citizen:- This vision
will include several intiatives
like High speed internet,
Mobile banking enabling
participation in financial
sphere, safe and secure cyber
space, easy access to common
services etc.
Governance & Services on
Demand- This vision includes
government services available

in real time from online and
mobile ptalform, services
digitally transformed for ease
of doing business, integration
between different
departments, financial
transactions should be made
electronic and cashless etc.
Digital Empowerment of
Citizens- This vision includes
initiatives such as Digital
literacy, Universally accessible
digital resources, All
documents available in Indian
languages,portability of all
entitlements through cloud
etc.
In order to fulfill the above
visions nine pillars of Digital India
programme has been designed.
These pillars include;
Broadband Highways;
Universal Access to Mobile
Connectivity;
Public Internet Access
Programme;
E-Governance: Reforming
Government through
Technology;
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Digital India
eKranti - Electronic Delivery of
Services;
InformationforAll;
Electronics Manufacturing:
Target Net Zero Imports;
IT for Jobs and
Early Harvest Programmes.
Each pillar has individual
targets. In universal access to mobile
conectivity target is to cover 42,300
uncovered villages by 2018. Under
public internet access programme
post offices to be made multi-service
centreswithin2years.Similarlyunder
e-krantipillartargetistoprovidefree
wifi in all schools, provide mobile
banking, e-courts, e-jails and online
medical consultation etc. Under
Information for all citizens will have
open and easy access to information
as well as government will proactively engage through social media.
IT for jobs will target training 1 crore
students in smaller towns and villages
for IT sector jobs also telecom service
providers will try to train rural
workforce to cater their own needs.

Several projects/products
related to digital India have already
launched or ready to be launched as
indicated below:
Digital Locker System aims to
minimize the usage of physical
documents and enable
sharing of e-documents across
agencies. The sharing of the edocuments will be done
through registered repositories
thereby ensuring the
authenticity of the documents
online.
MyGov.in has been
implemented as a platform for
citizen engagement in
governance, through a
Discuss, Do and
Disseminate approach.
eSign framework would allow
citizens to digitally sign a
document online using
Aadhaar authentication.
BSNL has undertaken large
scale deployment of Wi-Fi

hotspots throughout the
country. The user can latch on
the BSNL Wi-Fi network
through their mobile devices.
BPO Policy has been approved
to create BPO centres in
different North Eastern states
and also in smaller / mofussil
towns of other states.
This programme will have an
estimated cost of 1 lakh 13 thousand
crores,outofthis1lakhcrorewillgoin
existing schemes while new schemes
will need around 13000 crores. By
2019 programme will provide
broadband in 2.5 lakh villages and
universal phone connectivity.
Programme will creat 1.7 lakh crore
direct jobs and around 8 lakh crore
indirectjobs.Itwillalsoprovidewi-fi
in 2.5 lakh schools and colleges. Most
importantly it will reduce leakages
corruption and make citigen digitally
empowered.

SOCIO ECONOMIC CASTE CENSUS

The Ministry of Rural
Development Government of India,
commenced the Socio Economic
and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, in
June 2011 through a comprehensive
door to door enumeration across the
country. This survey was started to
look into the poverty situation and
also large number of other social and
political indicators. This is the first
comprehensive exercise has been
carried out for both rural and urban
India after independence. Last such
excersice was conducted in 1934.
This data will help the government in
better targeting the beneficaries for
various social schemes.
The SECC, 2011 has the
following three objectives:
To enable households to be
ranked based on their SocioEconomic status. State
Governments can then
prepare a list of families living
below the poverty line.
To make available authentic
information that will enable
caste-wise population
enumeration of the country.
To make available authentic
4
information regarding the

socio economic condition,
and education status of various
castes and sections of the
population
Various ministries and
government offices were involved in
this massive excercise. The Ministry
of Rural Development, Ministry of
Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation, The Office of the
Registrar General and Census
Commissioner, India and the State
Governments were all involved in the
process. The actual process in brief
was as follows: Each Collector/
District Magistrate will formulate a
District/Town Plan and a
Communication Plan. 24 lakh
Enumeration Blocks (EB) were used
for the SECC, 2011- each
Enumeration Block had roughly 125
households. The enumerators were
provided copies of the layout maps
and Abridged House List prepared
during Census 2011. This will ensure
complete coverage of the area.
Enumerators will be trained to
conduct the SECC, 2011.
Enumerators will visit every
household identified in the

Enumeration Block and canvas the
questionnaire. They will also reach out
to homeless populations (eg. people
living in railway stations, roadsides
etc. The data was captured directly
on an electronic handheld device (a
tablet PC). The hand held device
scanned images of the forms filled up
for National Population Register
(NPR). Collected data was verified in
the Panchayat. Within a week of
publication of the draft list, the list
was read out at the Gram Sabha in all
rural areas. Any person can file
claims/objections and information
furnished before designated officers
for this purpose. A total of 1.24 crore
claims and objections were received
of which almost all have been
resolved.
This census categorizes data
into different groups. If a household
has any of the following fourteen
things it is automatically excluded
from the survey;
motorized wheeler/fishing
boat;
Mechanized 3 4 wheeler
agricultural equipment;


Kisan credit card with credit
limit of over Rs. 50,000;
Household member
government employee;
households with nonagricultural enterprises
registered with government;
Any member of household
earning more than Rs. 10,000
per month;
Paying income tax; viii. Paying
professional tax;
3 or more rooms with pucca
walls and roof;
owns a refrigerator;
Owns landline phone;
Owns more than 2.5 acres of
irrigated land with 1 irrigation
equipment;
5 acres or more of irrigated land
for two or more crop season;
Owning at least 7.5 acres of
land or more with at least one
irrigation equipment.
Similar to automatically
excluded various parameters are
provided for automatically included
category. This category has five
parameters;
Households without shelter;
Destitute, living on alms;

Manual scavenger families;
Primitivetribalgroups;
legally released bonded
labour.
Socio economic caste census
data provides some key information
about the social and economic
situation of people of the country.
Data like tax payers, people with
pucca house and landless labourers
etc. has been calculated. After
assimilationofallthedatacertainkey
findings have come out. These
findings include:
Out of the countrys total
243.95 million households,
179.16millionareinruralareas;
only 30.1 per cent of rural
households depend on
cultivation as their primary
source of income.
51.14 per cent of the
population derive sustenance
from manual casual labour
(MCL).
56.25% of rural households
own no agricultural land. Bihar,
West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu have
landlessness ratios between 65

and 73 per cent.
only 9.68 per cent of rural
households have members
with salaried jobs;
main earner in 74.49 per cent
of all rural households drawing
a monthly income below Rs
5,000;
only five percent of Indian
households pay income tax;
Thirty-five per cent of urban
Indian households qualify as
poor.
This data will help government
in forming its policies. Government
can also move away from poverty line
basis of giving subsidies. Like people
who do not have the houses are in
need for subsidy for housing whether
they are in poverty line or above the
line. Similarly SECC data would have
meaningful use in Education and Skills
thrust, MGNREGA, National Food
Security Act, interventions for
differently abled, etc. SECC provides
an opportunity to simultaneously
address the multi-dimensionality of
poverty.
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Greece Crisis
GREECE CRISIS
Greekcrisishasitsgenesisinthe
year 1999 when euro currency was
adopted. Adoption of Euro as
common currency reduced trade
costs among the Eurozone countries,
increasing overall trade volume. In
relative terms labour cost in countries
such as Germany remained lesser as
compared to Greece. This made
Greece as less favoured destination
for trade. This led to increse in Greece
trade deficit from the levels of
1999.Both the Greek trade deficit
and budget deficit rose from below
5% of GDP in 1999 to peak around
15% of GDP in the 20082009
periods.
Then after the global slowdown
of 2008 trade volume declined.
Greece cannot devalue its currency
to make its trade competitive as it was
controlled by the European central
bank. In the year 2009 Greece
announced that country has
understated its fiscal burden earlier.
After this announcements investors
and foreign countries became
skeptical about the prospects of
Greece economy. This increased
Greeces debt to GDP ratio from 109
6
percent in 2008 to 146 percent in

2010. To make the matter worse
countries bond ratings were also
downgraded to junk status. This led
to panic among the investors and they
invested in safer investment options.
In order to prevent the crisis from
escalating to other parts of Europe,
Troika of IMF, European commission,
European Central Bank designed a
bail out plan. There were two bail out
plans:
First plan provided a loan of
110billion euro;
Second plan of 130 billion
euro;
However troika imposed certain
reform conditions on the Greece for
the improvement of its financial
situation. These reform conditions
mainly include:
severe austerity measures to
cut down government debt;
privatisation of government
assets;
and structural reforms to
improve the growth prospects;
But these severe austerity
measures were highly unpopular in
the Greece. After the Greek election
2014 new government refused the

terms of the agreement between the
troika and the earlier Greek
government. This led to suspension
of the remaining tranches of aid. After
this Greece became the first
developed country to default. A
referendum was carried out across
the nation to check whether people
accepttheearlierbailouttermsornot.
People rejected the bailout package
given by the trioka. However the
Greek PM reconsidered its original
positions and given the willingness
to negotiate the new terms given by
the trioka. Some of the terms given in
new bailout package for Greece are
given below:
the streamlining of the VAT
system [i.e. making it more
regressive, through rate rises
that encourage more VAT
evasion]and the broadening of
the tax base to increase
revenue;
upfront measures to improve
long-term sustainability of the
pension system as part of a
comprehensive pension
reform programme;

Greece Crisis
The troika demands complete
control of the way Greeces
budget balance is computed,
with a view to controlling fully
the magnitude of austerity it
imposes on the government.
adopt more ambitious product
market reforms with a clear
timetable for implementation
of all OECD toolkit I
recommendations, including
Sunday trade, sales periods,
pharmacy ownership, milk and
bakeries, except over-the-
counter pharmaceutical
products, which will be
implemented in a next step, as
well as for the opening of
macro-critical closed
professions;
labour market policies should
be aligned with international
and European best practices,
and should not involve a return
to past policy settings which
are not compatible with the
goals of promoting sustainable
and inclusive growth;
develop a significantly scaled

up privatization programme
with improved governance;
valuable Greek assets will be
transferred to an independent
fund that will monetize the
assets through privatizations
and other means.
If these terms are accepted it
will put huge burden on the people
of Greece in near future. However it
may finally remove the Greece from
the vicious cycle of debt payment.

National Issues
NATIONAL ISSUES
Modis Ambitious Skill India
Mission
Prime Minister Narendra Modis

ambitious Skill India mission is
expected to be a mass
campaign involving the youth to
encourage them to take up
skilling and vocational training
to improve their employability.
The mission, which will be
launched on Wednesday by the
Prime Minister, is likely to see a
large turnout of Union ministers
including the finance minister,
railway minister as well as chief
ministers.
Nearly 18 ministers including
Union ministers as well as chief
ministers would be attending
the event, said a senior
government official, adding that
a large number of private skill
trainers would also attend.
Invitees from the private sector
include Tata Group chairman
Cyrus Mistry, Mahindra Group
chairman Anand Mahindra,
chiefsofindustryassociationsas
well as Teamlease Services
chairman Manish Sabharwal and
Romesh Wadhwani of the
Wadhwani Foundation.
8
The Skill India mission, which is

being launched on the World
Youth Skills Day, will also be
simultaneously launched by
state governments.
While a number of chief
ministers will be in New Delhi,
each of the states too will launch
the Mission to create awareness
amongst youth about the need
forskilling,saidtheofficial.
Data from the Census 2011 and
68th round of the National
Sample Survey revealed than an
estimated 10.4 crore fresh
workers would enter the labour
market and require skill training
by 2022, and 29.8 crore of the
existing workforce will require
additionalskilltrainingoverthe
same time period.
Accordingly, the government
now plans to skill 40.2 crore
workers by 2022 and a number
of schemes including the new
National Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship 2015,
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana and the skill loan scheme
will be launched.
The Prime Minister will also
unveil a new logo and slogan for
the Skill India mission and give
out letters of employment to
some of the students who have
successfully undergone skill
training.
Antrix site was outsourced
More than a day after the
website re-routing went public,
the home page of ISROs Antrix
Corporation was not yet up.
There was no official update or

information on what action was
being taken.
For those looking for
information on antrix.gov.in, the
message until 9 p.m. on Monday
was, This site is under
construction. Come back soon
.
The redirecting of Antrixs
homepage to jdcentwine.org or American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee, a large
Jewish humanitarian aid body
went public on Sunday
afternoon.
According to a couple of
sources who spoke about the
incident, the Antrix site shows
the latest date as 13 July 2015.
Before that, it does not appear
to have been updated after
January 20, 2015 almost
seven months back. One source
said he had visited it over five
weeks back.
Although ISRO does not call it a
hacking act, any unauthorised
web entry and changing of its
content amounts to it said Mirza
Faizan, Co-Founder of the
Global Cyber Security Response
Team.
Sites related to sensitive
agencies of the Departments of
Space, Defence R&D and
Atomic Energy are obvious
targets.
The Antrix site was being
hosted by an external
contractor based in Bengaluru.
Interestingly,thishostssitealso
showed that it was under
construction, Mr. Faizan said.

National Issues
Did the compromise happen
there?
The obvious question is: Should
the hosting of the website of a
strategic agency be
outsourced?
India stands second on trust in
national government, says
survey
India has secured second
position amongst 40 countries
in a survey of trust in national
governments for 2014
conducted by the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD).
Switzerland has emerged at the
top with Norway coming in
third.
An impressive 73 per cent of
Indians polled in the survey
answered yes to the question
Do you have confidence in the
national government?
For the purpose of the survey,
trust represents the confidence
of citizens and businesses in
government to do what is right
and perceived as fair,
according to the OECD
Government at a Glance 2015
report.
However, the survey findings
could also be an indicator of the
popularity of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi as also
reflected in his decisive
electoral victory during 2014
relative to the leaders in other
countries as the report
mentions that there is
preliminary evidence to suggest
that citizens trust in
government reflects primarily
their approval of their countrys
leadership.
The report goes on to say that
evidence also shows that trust
in government is negatively
correlated with the perceived

levels of corruption in
Government.
This is the only survey that
collects data on the issue of
trust in governments. It is a
sampling survey of 1,000
citizens in each country
conducted by World Poll,
which has been doing it since
2005.
Between the two selected
survey years of 2007 the year
before the financial and
economic crisis started and
2014, trust levels in India
dropped by 9 percentage
points.
The average confidence in
national governments across
OECD countries between the
two years declined by 3.3
percentage points. It was 41.8
per cent in 2014 compared

with 45.2 per cent in 2007.
The steepest declines took
place in Slovenia (30
percentage points), Finland (29
percentage points) and Spain
(27 percentage points).
Changes in trust levels could be
affected by many factors,
including the economic
outlook, political changes such
as elections or other major
events such as disasters or major
scandals including corruption
cases. Moreover, expectations
of citizens could grow at a faster
pace than government
responses.
However, India scored less than
the OECD average and came
24th out of 35 countries in the
comparison on protection of
fundamental rights.
Indias population crosses

127-crore mark
On the World Population Day on

Saturday, India recorded a
population of 127,42,39,769,
which is growing at a rate of 1.6
per cent a year, and could make
the country the most populous
in the world by 2050.
At 5 p.m. on Saturday, the

number of Indians hit
127,42,39,769, and is 17.25 per
cent of the global population,
as per Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh
or National Population
Stabilisation Fund (NPSF), an
autonomous body under the

National Issues
Union Health Ministry which has
raised concerns about overpopulation related problems, if
theratepersists.
Noting that Indias population
was growing at a faster rate than
China, which is now the worlds
most populous country at
around 1.39 billion, an official
of the Fund said that the
country could become the most
populated one by 2050.
At a function on Saturday,
Health Minister J.P. Nadda
stressed on the involvement of
development partners and
NGOs in assisting government
to achieve population
stabilisationgoals.
Indian womens team for Volvo
International
the total fertility rate (TFR) in

India has seen a decline and
stood at 2.3 in 2013 although
the decline is not consistent.
The data suggests that a high
percentage of female (21-26
per cent) are married below 18
years of age in States like
Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar.
The population of India, at 1.21
billion as per the 2011 Census,
is almost equal to the combined
population of the U.S.,
Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Japan put
together.
The population of several States
match, and in some cases,
exceed that of several large
countries. For example, the
population of U.P. is almost that
of Brazil, the fifth most populous
country in the world.
Vyapam under CBI investigation
After an impressive outing with

the senior side during the
recent Hockey World League
semifinals, prolific striker Rani
Rampal will lead the Indian
junior womens team at the
Volvo International six-nation
tournament at Breda, the
Netherlands.
The squad for the under-21
tournament, to be played from
July 18 to 26, was named by
Hockey India on Saturday.
Besides Rani, six other players
in the 18-member squad were
also part of the senior side that
finished fifth at Antwerp.
Decline in fertility rate
According to data from NPSF,
10
Noting that it will not allow even

one more death, the Supreme
Court on Thursday transferred
all criminal and death cases
linked to the Vyapam scam to
the Central Bureau of
Investigation for a fair and
impartial probe.
The CBI will effectively be in
charge of the investigations
from Monday.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India
H.L. Dattu, Justices Arun Mishra
and Amitava Roy said the
question whether the probe
should be monitored by the
apex court can be decided later

in consultation with the premier
investigation agency.
Slamming the Madhya Pradesh
High Court for deferring an
application made by the State
government for a CBI probe,
Chief Justice Dattu said it
seemed the High Court merely
wanted to wash its hands of the
responsibility and lobbed the
ball into the Supreme Court.
The apex court made it clear
that with the CBI on the case
now, the High Court will not
touch the Vyapam cases.
The Special Task Force,
supervised by the High Courtmonitored Special Investigation
Team, has lodged a number of
FIRs relating to illegal
admissions/recruitment totalling
55 cases, of which 45 related to
admissions in professional
courses and 10 to recruitment
in government services on the
recommendation of high-profile
persons.
The court scheduled the next
hearing for July 24 even as
senior advocate Kapil Sibal
sought an early date, saying
every day, people related to the
scam were being found dead.
PSLV ready to launch tomorrow
Indias workhorse satellite

launcher, the PSLV, will make its
fifth fully commercial launch on
Friday. The customer is from the
U.K., and the rocket will carry
noIndiansatellite.

National Issues
The PSLV-28 will be lifting five
satellites totally weighing 1,440
kg into orbit, making them its
heaviest commercial payloads
to date.
In its 29 flights since 1993, the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
has had a lone partial failure.
The rocket launched the
Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission of
2008 and the Mars Orbiter
Mission of 2013 and has been
putting into orbit the regular
national remote sensing
satellites(IRS).
However, a consistently good
space ride and a price tag 30
per cent lower than
competition do not seem to
have fetched it matching
business, especially as a single
big spacecraft.
The PSLV made its last
commercial launch almost a year
ago with Frances SPOT-7 and
before that, in 2013. Going
commercial in its fifth flight in
1999, the rocket has so far
launched mostly small,
experimental university
spacecraft or Earth observation
spacecraft weighing from 1 kg
to 712 kg (SPOT 6 & 7). But it
has double that capacity, as it
showed by lifting the 1,400-kg
communication satellite GSAT12 in 2011.
Nagaland as a disturbed area

as it finds that a dangerous
condition prevails in the State
and armed forces should assist
the civil administration in
maintaining law and order.
In a gazette notification, the
Home Ministry said it was of the
opinion that the whole of
Nagaland is in such a disturbed
or dangerous condition that the
use of armed forces in aid of
civil power is necessary.
Now, therefore, in exercise of
the powers conferred by
Section 3 of the Armed Forces
(Special Powers) Act 1958, the
Central government hereby
declares that whole of the said
State to be a disturbed area for
a period of one year with effect
from June 30, 2015 for the
purpose of the Act,.
The decision came almost a
month after NSCN-K, the
dominant Naga rebel group,
attacked an army convoy in
Manipurs Chandel district and
killed18soldiers.
Caste Census for 2011 : Five key
takeaways
Entire Nagaland declared as

disturbed area
The Centre has declared entire
Last week, the government

released the results of the Socio
Economic and Caste Census for
2011 (SECC). This exercise,
based on a comprehensive
door-to-door enumeration
across the country, throws up
valuable insights into the socioeconomic status and living
conditions of rural households.

We identify five major ones.
While India is overwhelmingly
rural, rural isnt as much
agricultural.Outofthecountrys
total 243.95 million households,
179.16 million or nearly threefourths are in rural areas.
However, only 30.1 per cent of
rural households depend on
cultivationastheirmainsource
of income. A majority 51.14
per cent derive sustenance
from manual casual labour
(MCL). While that may also
include working in farms, it
helps dispel a common
perception that agriculture
supports around two-thirds of
Indias population and
contributes barely 15 per cent
to its GDP.
2. 56.25% of rural households
own no agricultural land, which
is consistent with the earlier
51.14 per cent figure relating to
MCL-dependency. The two,
indeed, virtually go together.
Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have
landlessness ratios between 65
and 73 per cent..
There is evidence that such nonfarm job generation did happen
over the past decade. National
Sample Survey reports show
Indias total agricultural
workforce to have registered a
decline from 259 to 228 million
between 2004-05 and 2011-12
the first time in history
even as the size of those
engaged in non-farming sectors
rose from 198 to 239 million.
Among other things, it helped
raise rural wages and living
standards, which is captured in
the SECC data
Consumer durable ownership,
while symbolising rising
11

National Issues
aspirations, may represent only
superficial progress. According
to the SECC data, only 17.34
million or 9.68 per cent of rural
households have members with
salaried jobs and mostly in
the government and public
sector undertakings (10.95
million).
Last but not the least is the fact
that deprivation levels in rural
India are still far too high. The
SECC data points to the main
earner in 74.49 per cent of all
rural households drawing a
monthly income below Rs
5,000. This ratio is even more for
the likes of West Bengal (82.47
per cent), Madhya Pradesh
(83.52 per cent), Odisha (87.88
per cent) and Chhattisgarh
(90.79 per cent), not to speak
of Dalits (83.56 per cent) and
Adivasis (86.57 per cent). True,
the numbers are for 2011.
Besides, there may be a
tendency for survey
respondents to under-report
incomes for fear of losing
entitlement benefits. But even
after adjusting for these, one can
safely assume that the earnings
ofthree-fourthsofruralIndiaare
nowhere close to what can
guarantee existence beyond
basicsurvival.
MNREGA,ranked worlds
largest public works
programme
Indias rural employment

12
guarantee programme
MNREGA has been ranked as
the worlds largest public works
programme, providing social
security net to almost 15
percent of the countrys
population, the World Bank has
said.
India is among the five middleincome countries running the
worlds largest social safety net
programmes, said a World Bank
Groups report The State of
Social Safety Nets 2015.
The worlds five largest social
safety net programmes are all in
middle-income countries
(China, India, South Africa and
Ethiopia) and reach over 526
million people, it added.
The combined spending on
social safety nets in 120
developing countries
amounted to about USD 329
billion between 2010 and 2014,
itsaid.
But, the report said, three
quarters of the poorest people
in low-and lower-middle
income countries, and more
than one-third of the poorest
people in middle-income
countries, lack safety net
coverage and remain at risk.
Indias Mid-day meal scheme
has been classified as biggest
school feeding programme
benefiting 105 million
beneficiaries.
The top honours for public
works programme went to
MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment
Gurantee Act) with 182 million
beneficiaries or 15 percent of
Indias population.
The World Bank ranked the
Janani Suraksha Yojna with 78
million beneficiaries as the topmost social security programme
with conditional cash transfers.

Also, it ranked the Indira Gandhi
National Old Age Pension
Scheme as the second-largest
unconditional cash transfer
social security progamme in the
world.
The report follows the recent
joint statement by the heads of
the World Bank Group and the
International Labour
Organisation (ILO), endorsing
the goal of universal access to
social protection including
safety nets by 2030.
Well-designed programs are
cost-effective, costing
countries only between 1.5
percent and 1.9 percent of GDP
? far less than most government
spending on fuel subsidies.
The Third Financing for
Development Conference in
Addis Ababa next week is an
opportunity to ensure that the
international community has the
means to make the goal of
universal access to social
protection - including safety
nets- by 2030
Digital India costly for gram
panchayats?
The Union governments much

publicised Digital India
programme, under which gram
panchayat offices are provided
with high-speed internet facility
through fibre cable, has
attracted objections regarding
tariff.

National Issues
Several gram panchayats and
officers of the Rural
Development and Panchayat
Raj Department have pointed
out that the monthly charges
fixedforthefacilityaretoohigh
for gram panchayats to bear.
Under the Fibre to The Home
(FTTH) programme, gram
panchayats are provided high
speed (ranging from 10 Mbps
to 100 Mbps) internet facility.
The minimum cost under this
scheme is Rs. 3,999 per month
(10 Mbps with up to 50 GB
data).
BSNL has announced high-end
packages minimum with 10
mbps speed, and up to 50 GB
data. Our officers are working
out how much data we require.
Some GPs lack funds to meet
their expenses related to basic
amenities like water and
cleaning.
Indias positive approach on
poverty: MDG report
India has halved its incidence
of extreme poverty, from 49.4%
in 1994 to 24.7% in 2011 ahead
of the deadline of 2015 set by
the United Nations, shows the
Millennium Development Goals
(MDG) Report 2015 it released
on Tuesday.
The report set the limit for
extreme poverty as those living
on $1.25 or less a day.
However, this reduction in
poverty is still less than that
achieved by several of Indias
poorer neighbours.
Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh
have each outstripped India in
poverty reduction over
comparable time periods.
While the report says India is ontrack to achieving the hunger
targets, it still remains home to
one quarter of the worlds

undernourished population,
over a third of the worlds
underweight children, and
nearly a third of the worlds
food-insecure people
The report is especially
important because it marks the
deadline by which the MDG
should have been achieved.
India has already achieved 11
out of 22 parameters in the
reportspanning issues like
education, poverty, health, and
education and is on track to
achieve one more by the end
of 2015.
Demand grows for release of
caste census data
The unreleased caste count
data in the Socio Economic and
Caste Census 2011 is set to
become a hot political issue,
with the Congress, the CPI(M),
the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagham (DMK), the Pattali
Makkal Katchi (PMK), the
Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya

Janata Dal (RJD) and the Janata
Dal (United) all demanding that
it be made public.
With the monsoon session slated
to start on July 21, this is yet
another issue on which a united
Opposition could put the
government on the mat.
Kalpakkam breeder reactor to
go on stream
The 500-MWe Prototype Fast
Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at
Kalpakkam, near here, is getting
ready to be commissioned in
September.
When the reactor goes critical,
it will signal Indias triumphant
entry into the second stage of
its three-stage nuclear power
programme.
The PFBR will use plutoniumuranium oxide as fuel and 1,750
tonnes of liquid sodium as
coolant. It is called a breeder
reactor because it breeds more
fuel than it consumes.
Intel interested in Digital India initiative
Global computer chip-maker

Intel is looking to leverage on
Indias digital initiatives. The
company is partnering several
Indian states in their

digitalisationeffortswithafocus
on about 10 States.
13

National Issues
Intels blue print for Digital
India is based on the three
pillarsofdigitalinfrastructure,
which includes data centre and
InternetofThings(IoT),clients,
devices services and
importantly capacity building,
which will come out with digital
education. We will work with
large system integrators to
implement it.
The challenges for Digital India
were that all-India household
PC penetration was at 17 per
cent and Internet penetration
was at 15 per cent.
Further, smartphone
penetration was around 10 per
cent, tablet penetration at
around 1 per cent and
broadband penetration at
around 5 per cent, Mr.
Tadigadapa said.
Intel is targeting the creation of
5milliondigitallyliterateIndians
by December 2015. For that, it
has created activity charts to
make learning more relevant to
rural areas and to provide appbased learning.
seniorMinistersandofficialslast
Tuesday, which discussed if the
subsidy could be provided
directly to farmers through the
direct benefit transfer scheme
instead of the current policy of
giving it to the producers.
The de-canalisation or freeing
up of imports and other ways in
which urea prices could be decontrolled were also discussed
at the meeting.
However, the meeting ended
without a decision on the way
forward on urea reforms. Urea
istheonlyfertilizeryettobedecontrolled.
A decision on the option of
direct benefit transfer could
not be taken at the meeting as
there was no agreement on
what criteria ought to be used
for identifying the eligible
farmers.
At present, the subsidy is paid
to urea producers and
importers, not farmers.
14
Venugopal pulls out of 2G

spectrum case
Historical dicision of SC on
marital status
Consensus eludes meet on urea

subsidy
Consensus continues to elude

the Centre on the politically
sensitive reform of the urea
sector, where it has
accumulated an unpaid subsidy
bill of Rs. 40,000 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
presided over a meeting of
The young mother, whom the

apex court described as welleducated, gainfully employed
and financially secure, had
refused to divulge the name of
the biological father of her child
to the courts.
She reasoned that the man, who
was married and had a family,
never showed any interest in
her child, whom she raised on
her own. She wanted
guardianship rights so that her
son would inherit her financial
assets.
The judgment, authored by
Justice Sen, observed that a
man who has chosen to forsake
hisdutiesandresponsibilitiesis
not a necessary constituent for
the well-being of the child.
Upholding the right of an

unwed mother to apply for sole
guardianship over her minor son
without prior consent of the
childs absentee biological
father, the Supreme Court on
Monday said women are
increasingly choosing to raise
their children alone, and there
was no need to thrust an
uncaring father on a child.
Senior advocate K.K.

Venugopal on Monday
informed the Supreme Court
that he will not appear in future
for the Enforcement
Directorate as the agencys
special counsel for the 2G
spectrum case.
He told a Bench led by Chief
Justice of India H.L. Dattu that
his decision follows a media
report that on June 22 an undersecretary in the Revenue
Department had written to the
ED Director seeking Mr.
Venugopals immediate
replacement citing conflict of
interest.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/test-series/online-ias-pre

National Issues
The controversy dates back to
a Supreme Court order, passed
on the basis of Mr. Venugopals
note to the court against the
repatriation of Rajeshwar Singh,
who was on the team probing
money laundering offences
related to the scam, to his parent
cadre.
PM Modis new initiative
Digital India With Laado
campaign
After its Beti Bachao-Selfie
Banao initiative caught Prime
Minister Narendra Modis
attention prompting him to
announce Selfie with
Daughter, the Bibipur
Panchayat on Sunday launched
Digital India with Laado, a
campaign to replace names of
family-heads in the nameplates
with their daughters moniker.
Under the new campaign,
representatives of village
panchayat are visiting every
household and putting up
nameplates bearing the name
and email id of the daughter of
the house along with the tagline
Digital India With Laado.
The representatives would visit
every home in Jind and
convince people to replace
names of the head of the house
withthatoftheirdaughters,said
panchayat sarpanch Sunil
Jaglan, who started the
campaign by replacing his name
with his daughters.
Pong Dam home to 12,314 bird
species, reveals summer survey
Science
A new survey conducted at
Pong Dam has revealed that as
many as 12,314 different
species of bird find home within
the Pong Dam Lake Wildlife
Sanctuary. The summer avian

count was held on 23 June.
Principal Chief Conservator of

Forests (Wildlife-cum-Chief
Wild life warden), J.S. Walia,
explained that for the survey
entire region was divided into
15 blocks with exercise and 40
persons participated in the
exercise. People worked in
groups consisting of 2-4
members and they traversed
every area region of the
Sanctuary including land and
shores to identify the species
livingthere.
Dominant species observed
and counted were the Cattle
Egret (3,348), Little Cormorant
(2,003), Small Pratincole
(1,377), Little Egret (1,305),
Red Wattle Lapwing (1,024).
Other important species found
breeding in the area and
recorded in the lake were the
Little Tern (194), Purple Heron
(173), Yellow Wattle Lapwing
(55), Gull billed Tern (46) and
the Great Thick knee (43).
The Pong Dam Lake Wildlife
Sanctuary is located in Kangra
district and is among 25 wetland
sitesinIndia.
Recently it has become the
favorite spots for migrant birds
coming from Siberia and Central
Asia. People also call Pong Dam
as Bird Paradise.
Mobile cross landlines in rural
India
Nearly 28 per cent of rural
households in India still do not

have access to a phone,
whether landline or mobile,
finds the Socio Economic and
Caste Census, 2011. Only 11 per
cent of these households have
arefrigerator.
The census, released by Union

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
and Rural Development
Minister Chaudhary Birendra
Singh here on Friday, finds that
the number of mobile-phone
connections far exceeds that of
landlinesinruralIndia.
Sixty-eight per cent of
households own only a mobile
phone, one per cent own only
a landline phone, and 2.7 per
cent own both.
The census provides an insight
into transport facilities in
villages, showing that only 20.6
per cent of households own
motorised two/three/fourwheelers or motorised fishing
boats requiring registration.
A whopping 71 per cent of
Chhattisgarhs rural population,
for example, does not have a
phone. This number is 65.3 per
cent for Odisha and 51.9 per
cent for Madhya Pradesh.
The proportion of these States
rural populations with a
refrigerator is very low only
around a third of the national
average.
UPSC result shows women
empowerment
Ira Singhal topped the
15

National Issues
prestigious civil services

examination to select IAS and
IPS officers, with four of the top
five positions going to women,
according to results announced
by the Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC) on
Saturday.
A total of 1,236 candidates
cleared the test and were
recommended for appointment
to the Indian Administrative
Service (IAS), Indian Foreign
Service (IFS), Indian Police
Service (IPS) and various
Central services.
The first four positions went to
Ira Singhal, Renu Raj, Nidhi
Gupta and Vandana Rao, with
Suharsha Bhagat the sole male
in the top five.
Besides 590 candidates from
the general category, the test
was cleared by 354 candidates
from Other Backward Classes,
194 from Scheduled Castes and
98 from Scheduled Tribes.
The result of one candidate was
withheld, according to the
official announcement from the
UPSC.
This was the first time that the
UPSC declared the final results
within four days of the closing
date for the personality tests or
interviews.
The annual civil services
examination is conducted by
the UPSC in three stages
preliminary, mains and
interviews to select
candidatesfortheeliteservices.
Direct Benefit Transfer has

helped to remove ghost
beneficiaries: CEA
Chief Economic Adviser (CEA)
Arvind Subramanian shared
data on Thursday that suggests
that before the introduction of
16
the Direct Benefit Transfer

scheme (DBT) one in four
subsidised LPG cylinders were
going to ghost beneficiaries.
The elimination of ghost

beneficiaries is estimated to
have saved the government Rs.
12,700 crore on its subsidy bill
in 2014-15, he said.
The savings during the current
year are estimated at Rs. 6,500
crore. He said contrary to the
governments expectations the
sales of commercial LPG rose
after the shift only marginally
by 6 per cent.
Savings from the shift to the
DBT would be even greater if
the tax policy could be
rationalised, the CEA said.
This is because a huge chunk of
the difference between the
subsidised and the market
prices of LPG is accounted for
the various central and State
taxes.
Socio economic survey: some
facts
The government today release

socio-economic and caste
census, 2011, for rural India.
According to the government
press release, the data will be
of use in evidence-based
planning for rural development
and
poverty
eradication.presentational i
The survey done across 17.91
crore rural families has various
data sets on households
regarding various aspects of
their socio-economic status
housing, land-holding/
landlessness, educational
status, status of women, SC/ST
households, incomes, etc.
Here are 10 highlights from the
data:
1. Land is key: Of the 17.91
crore rural households
surveyed, 51.14 percent of
families have manual casual
labour as main source of
income. Agriculture is main
source of income for 30.10
percent. As much as 2.5
percent of families have parttime or full-time domestic
service, 0.23 percent have rag
picking, 1.61 percent nonagricultural own enterprise and
0.37 percent beg.
2. Too few salaried job: Only
9.68 percent have salaried job.
As many as 5.02 percent work
in government sector, 1.12 in
public sector and 3.58 percent
in private sector. Only 4.6
percent of the households
surveyed paid income tax or
professional tax.
3. Low income: A high 74.5
percent of the households said
the monthly income of their
highest earning member is less
than Rs 5,000. A total of 17.18
percent said their highest
earning member gets between
Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. those
earning more than Rs 10,000 is
8.29 percent.
4. SCs worse off: Of the 3.31
crore SC households surveyed,

National Issues
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
about 83 percent said their

highest earning members
income was less than Rs 5,000.
The percentage of SC families
with the highest earning
member getting an income
above Rs 10,000 stood at just
4.6 percent.
STs too: Of the 1.96 crore ST
households surveyed, 87
percent said their highest
earning members income was
less than Rs 5,000 and only 4.48
percent have a member earning
more than Rs 10,000.
Manual scavenging
continues: Overall 0.1
percent of rural households
surveyed were engaged in
manual scavenging. Of all the
states and Union Territories,
seven - namely Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Goa, Andhra
Pradesh,Telengana, Gujarat,
Assam and Manipur - had 0
percent, while Tripura had the
maximum - 17,332 or 2.5
percent of the total households
surveyed in the state.
Illiteracy rules: Of the total
population of 88.38 crore
surveyed, 35.73 percent were
illiterates. Percentage of people
who had done graduation or
higher studies stood at lowly
3.45 percent.
Land ownership not
bad: As many as 44 percent
families own land and 56
percent have no land. The
survey found that 40 percent of
the total rural land is
unirrigated.
Female-headed households too few: On an
average, the size of a rural
household is 4.93. A whopping
87.15 percent of the families
surveyed were headed by
males and just 12.83 percent
were headed by a female.
10. Transgenders become

visible: The survey also has
done a gender-wise analysis of
households and transgenders
have become visible. Of the
total 88.38 crore population
surveyed, as many as 74,286
have identified themselves as
transgenders - that is a
minuscule 0.0084 percent.
More interestingly, three Union
Territories, namely Chandigarh,
Daman & Diu and Dadra &
Nagar Haveli, have no
transgenders at all. Uttar
Pradesh has the maximum 12,916. This could be because
of the size of the state/Union
Territories and sample size.
With AFSPA, India has failed
statute: Amnesty
Amnesty International released
a detailed report here on
Wednesday on the implications
of the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Jammu
& Kashmir, asserting that the
Union government has often
refused to prosecute the Army
or paramilitary personal accused
of human rights abuses.
By not addressing human rights
violations committed by
security force personnel in the
name of national security, India
has not only failed to uphold its
international obligations but has
alsofaileditsownConstitution,
said Minar Pimple, senior
director of global operations at
Amnesty International.
Impunity only breeds further
violence and alienation, making
it more difficult to combat
abuses by armed groups.
World Bank approves $650 m
loan for eastern freight corridor
The World Bank has approved
an additional loan of $650

million for the Eastern
Dedicated Freight Corridor
(DFC), which is aimed at the
faster delivery of goods
between the northern and
eastern parts of the country.
This round of loans to the

Eastern DFC follows two other
loans by the World Bank. The
Cabinet last week approved the
revised cost estimate of
Rs.81,459 crore for the Eastern
and Western Dedicated Freight
Corridor (DFC) Project.
The third round of World Bank
funding, announced on
Wednesday, will build the 401
km Ludhiana-Khurja section in
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and
Punjab.
The project will help increase
the capacity of these freightonly lines by raising the axleload limit from 22.9 to 25 tonnes
and enable speeds of up to 100
km/hr. It will also help develop
the institutional capacity of the
Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India Ltd
(DFCCIL) to build and maintain
the DFC infrastructure
network, according to the
World Bank.
An analysis of the projected
greenhouse gases that are
expected to be generated by
the Eastern freight corridor
project found that it would be
55 per cent lower than the levels
17

National Issues
of gases released without the
project.
The Eastern DFC project is
expected to release 10.5 million
tonnes of greenhouse gas
emissions up to 2041-42,
compared to a whopping 23.3
million tonnes in the absence of
the freight corridor.
Amnesty report on AFSPA
Amnesty International released
a detailed report here on
Wednesday on the implications
of the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Jammu
& Kashmir, asserting that the
Union government has often
refused to prosecute the Army
or paramilitary personal accused
of human rights abuses.

By not addressing human rights
violations committed by
security force personnel in the
name of national security, India
has not only failed to uphold its
international obligations but has
alsofaileditsownConstitution,
said Minar Pimple, senior
director of global operations at
Amnesty International.
Impunity only breeds further
violence and alienation, making
it more difficult to combat
abuses by armed groups.
The report is titled Denied:
Failures in accountability for
human rights violations by
security force personnel in
Jammu & Kashmir.
Green Climate Fund to become operational soon
The $100-billion Green Climate

Fund will soon become
operational in India and the
process of accrediting
organisations which can access
the funds is going on, Dipak
Dasgupta, Alternate Director
(India), Green Climate Fund
Board and Chair, Investment
Committee, says.
The world GDP is close to 88
18
trillion dollars as of 2013, the

100 billion dollars committed to
fight climate change was only a
speck as of now, he said.
Rajasree Ray, Additional
Economic Adviser in the Union
Finance Ministry, said that
during the United Nations
Climate Change Conference in
Bonn in May, the government
had sought clarity with regards
to the guiding principles,

resources and institutional
arrangements in place to
operationalise the fund.
Digital India
Week starts fom today
The Department of Electronics
and IT (DeitY), which is
implementing
the
governments ambitious Digital
India programme, is expecting
commitments of investments to
the tune of Rs. 2 lakh crore from
domestic and foreign firms at
the launch of Digital India
Week by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Initial indications are that we
will get commitments for Rs. 2
lakh crore of investments, a
source in the Department said.
While Taiwanese firm Delta
Electronics is likely to announce
the setting up of an electronics
manufacturing facility at an
investment of half-a-billion
dollars, the home-grown mobile
phone maker Lava will commit
Rs.1,200 crore for opening a
factory.
Top industrialists such as Tata
Group chairman Cyrus Mistry,
RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani,
Bharti Enterprises chairman
Sunil Mittal and Reliance Group
chairman Anil Ambani are also
likely to make similar
announcements.
The Prime Minister, while
sharing the road map for Digital
India, will unveil e-governance
schemes such as Digital Locker,
e-education and e-health.
Foreign law firms will soon
operate in India
The Centre will in a phased
manner soon open up Indias
non-litigious services and

National Issues
international arbitration legal
services to foreign law firms.
The proposal for the reform will

be put up for approval in early
July to a Committee of
Secretaries after which it will be
taken up by the Cabinet chaired
by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
The government was keen to
announce the liberalised policy
inJanuaryduringthevisitofU.S.
President Barack Obama.
However, the move was
postponed after resistance from
the domestic legal services
industry.
After two years, India and the
European Union will resume
negotiations in August on the
proposed Free Trade
Agreement.
Both sides have agreed that
negotiators must meet The
EU chief negotiator will be
available for negotiations
sometime in August.

could give a push to increasing
pulses production by raising the
minimum support price (MSP)
for procurement.
An analysis by The Hindu of
food grains production data to
understand why farmers prefer
to grow cereals rather than
pulses found that pulses are
among the least productive of
all crops the yields are on
average 760 kg per hectare,
compared to 2,400 kg per
hectare for cereals, and 1,100
kg per hectare for oilseeds.
Low yields on the one hand and
relatively more lucrative MSP for
other food grains makes pulses
an unattractive crop for farmers.
For example, one hectares
yield of jowar with a minimum
support price of Rs. 15.90 per
kg (as of June 17, 2015) gets
the farmer Rs. 38,160.
The same land used to grow
urad dal or tur dal with an MSP
of Rs. 44.25 per kg earns the
farmer Rs. 33,630 thats Rs
4,500 less for every hectare the
farmer devotes to pulses instead
ofcereals.
Imphal to open museum to
present horrors of WW II
Minimum Support Price hike

can boost pulses production
Former Member of the Planning

Commission and economist
Abhijit Sen said on Tuesday that
A gory chapter of World Ward

II played out here in the summer
of 1944, and to remind posterity
of the horrors of war, a museum
will soon open here.
The toll the war took on Manipur
was beyond measure an
unknown number of civilian

victims, apart from 53,000
Japanese soldiers and 16,000
Allied Forces personnel slain
during four months.
Just 10 nonagenarian war
veteransnowlivetotellthetale.
Hence, the Manipur
government, in association with
the Manipur Tourism Forum and
the World War II Imphal
Campaign, have decided to
open the war museum.
On April 14, 1944, Indian
National Army soldiers hoisted
the flag of an independent
India at Moirang in Manipur. But
it was a pyrrhic victory for the
INA and Japanese forces as the
casualties were enormous. The
Allies eventually won the Battle
of Imphal.
PM Modi called for a second
Green Revolution

on Sunday called for a second
Green Revolution, saying it
should start immediately from
eastern India.
He said the agriculture sector
had been lagging in several
areas including inputs,
irrigation, value addition and
market linkages, and his
government was committed to
modernising the sector and
making it more productive..
He said urea plants in this area
had been closed, and a
decision had been taken to
19

National Issues
reopen them as farmers would
needfertilizers.
Emphasising the need for
scientific methods for farming
to increase productivity, Mr.
Modi said, Unless we prepare
a balanced and a
comprehensive integrated plan,
we will not be able to change
thelivesoffarmers.
New ITR forms notified
The Income Tax Department on

Monday notified a new set of
income tax return forms for the
assessment year 2015-16, and
has extended the deadline for
the filing of returns to August
31.
With the publication of the
Gazette order by the Finance
Ministry, taxpayers can now file
their returns till August 31. The
changes to the forms were made
public on May 31, but they were
notified only on Monday.
The previous deadline for the
filing of returns was July 31, but
this was extended because of
various changes the
government made to the return
forms.
In the new and simplified forms,
filers no longer have to provide
the details of their foreign
travels. In addition, they need
furnish only details about total
number of savings and current
bank accounts held by them
at any time during the previous
year [excluding dormant
accounts].
20
The most simplified form, ITR2A, to be filled by those

individuals and HUFs who do
not have income from business,
profession or by way of capital
gains and do not hold foreign
assets, only asks for the passport
number of the tax-filer, if
available.
With regard to bank accounts,
filers only need to provide the
IFSC code of their bank and the
account numbers of all the
current/savings accounts held
at any point of time during the
previous year. This does not
include dormant accounts. In an
additionalfeature,taxfilershave
been given the option of
indicating to which account
they would like their refund
credited.
Former BJP ideologue oppose
land Bill
Away from the public eye, it is
the governments own which is
now tearing apart the Land
Acquisition Bill in the Joint
Parliamentary Committee set to
scrutinise the contentious piece
oflegislation.
After three RSS affiliates spoke
out against the Right to Fair
Compensation
and
Transparency in Land
Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement Bill at a hearing on
Monday, political activist and
former leading spokesman of
the Sangh Parivar K.N.
Govindacharya on Tuesday said
the proposed law went against
the BJPs manifesto, and would
pauperise small and medium
farmers.
He was so critical of the
government that committee
chairman S.S. Ahluwalia had to
ask him to stick to airing his
views on the Bill.
Committee members quoted

Mr. Govindacharya as pointing
out that the U.S. or even the
Brazil model could not be
applied here as the land-man
ratio in those countries was very
different from that in India.
Bt Cotton leading to suicides in
rain-fed areas
The cultivation of Bt Cotton, a

genetically modified, insectresistantcottonvariety,isarisky
affair for Indian farmers
practising rain-fed agriculture,
says a latest study published by
California-based agricultural
scientists in the journal
Environmental Sciences
Europe .
Annual suicide rates of farmers
in rain-fed areas are directly
related to increase in Bt Cotton
adoption, say the scientists
Andrew Paul Gutierrez, Luigi
Ponti, Hans R. Herren, Johann
Baumgartner and Peter E.
Kenmore, who are associated
withtheUniversityofCalifornia,
Berkeley, and the Centre for the
Analysis of Sustainable
Agricultural Systems, California.
Revisiting the raw annual suicide
data for Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Karnataka and
Maharashtra during 2001-2010,
the authors found 86,607 of
549,414 suicides were by
farmers, and 87 per cent were
men with the numbers peaking
in the 30-44 age group.

National Issues
Total suicides per year per State
were regressed singly on the
averages of proportion of area
seeded to rain-fed cotton,
average farm size, cottongrowing area, area under Bt
Cotton, proportion of area
under Bt Cotton, and simulated
average yield a hectare that
includes the effects of weather.
Excluding the proportion of
area seeded to rain-fed cotton,
linear multiple regression shows
suicides dec
The study is significant for two
reasons. First, most cotton
cultivationinIndiaisrain-fed.
Second, between 2002 and
2010, the adoption of Bt Cotton
hybrid went up significantly to
86 per cent of the total
cultivated area of cotton in
India, says the International
Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications.
Though cultivating the Bt
Cotton variety may be economic
in irrigated areas, the costs of
the seed and insecticide
increase the risk of farmer
bankruptcy in low-yield rain-fed
settings.
Modi leads Indias effort at
setting Guinness record in Yoga

led Indias attempt to set a
Guinness Book of World Record
in the maximum number of
people doing Yoga at one
venue.
Barring the vrikshasana, he

followed the entire Common
Yoga Protocol that had been put
together for the record
attempting event on Rajpath to
mark the worldwide celebration
of the first International Yoga
Day.
Making a brief statement before
joining Yoga practitioners, Mr.
Modi said this was not just a
daylong celebration but the
beginning of an era of peace
and harmony.
Yoga, Mr. Modi said, is not just
an exercise. Had that been the
case, even children doing circus
stunts would be called yogis.
Yoga offers an opportunity to
balance the mind and body,
and helps harness an
individuals inner strength, he
said; wrapping up his speech
and surprising the gathering by
leaving the stage rather
He then walked across the Rafi
Marg Rajpath intersection to
take his position at the head of
the thousands lined up to do
yoga.
After doing the warmup
exercises, he took a break at the
vrikshasana stage where
people balanced themselves
on one leg with the other folded
at the knee to walk down the
rows of people doing yoga.
Vrikshasana over, he was back
doing the rest of the protocol
for the next halfhour.
Other prominent personalities
who joined Mr. Modi in
attempting the record included
the warring duo of Delhi politics
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung
besides some members of
Parliament from Delhi.
With four members of the Union
Council of Ministers leading
similar yoga demonstrations in

the U.S. and others instructed
to do the same in their
respective constituencies,
Minister of State for Finance
Jayant Sinha was one of the few
Union Ministers who put in a
presence at Rajpath.
Till the moment Mr. Modi joined
the Yoga practitioners, he kept
everyone guessing on whether
he would do yoga in full view of
the media. Though initially
organisers had said that the
Prime Minister would lead the
yoga demonstration at Rajpath,
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj had over a fortnight ago
ruled it out during a formal
briefing on International Yoga
Day celebrations.
However, the arrangements
made for camerapersons
opposite the dias let the cat out
of the bag. Even as the footage
of Mr. Modi doing yoga was
beamed live, the big screens
placed all along Rajpath
continued to beam footage of
the four experts leading the
35minute demonstration of
Yoga for the rest to follow with
a running commentary on how
to do the selected exercises
properly.
UPSC allows blind candidates to
use scribes
Candidates suffering from

blindness, locomotor disability
and cerebral palsy can use
scribes to write civil services
21

National Issues
22
preliminary and main

examination, the Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC) has
said.
Such candidates will also get
compensatory time of twenty
minutes per hour for the exam.
Candidates must write the
papers in their own hand. In no
circumstances, will they be
allowed the help of a scribe to
write the answers for them.
However, blind candidates
and candidates with locomotor
disability and cerebral palsy
where dominant (writing)
extremity is affected to the
extent of slowing the
performance of function
(minimum of 40 per cent
impairment) will be allowed to
write the examination with the
help of a scribe in both the civil
services (preliminary) as well as
in the civil services (main)
examination, the UPSC said.
However, those appearing in
Indian Forest Service (IFS)
examination will get additional
60 minutes for each paper.
Low vision candidates
(minimum 40 per cent
impairment) will be allowed to
write the examination with the
help of a scribe.
Low vision candidates will also
be allowed an extra time of sixty
minutes for each paper at the
rate of twenty minutes per hour.
Each paper will be of three
hours duration, said the
commission in a corrigendum
issued for IFS examination,
2015.
Since there may be common
candidates for civil services
examination and the Indian
Forest Service examination,
after the common screening
test done through civil services
preliminary examination,
separate lists will be prepared
for the candidates eligible to
appear in the civil service
(Main) examination and Indian
Forest Service (Main)
examination, it said.
World gears up for Yoga Day
The heart of Indias capital will

transform into a sea of colourful
mats as thousands perform the
camel, cobra and other
postures for the first
International Yoga Day
championed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Shortly after dawn on a New
Delhi boulevard, some 35,000
bureaucrats, students, soldiers
and others are to take part in the
35-minute mass outdoor yoga
session,hopefulofqualifyingfor
the Guinness Book of Records.
Yoga enthusiasts in other
countries are also expected to
stretch and bend for Sundays
celebration of the ancient
Indian practice, including in
Britain where mats will be rolled
out along the banks of the River
Thames.
Modi who practises yoga daily,
has made Yoga Day a key
initiativeofhisgovernmentsince
he took office 13 months ago.
Preparations in India have been
gathering pace since the UN
agreed to the day, with schools,
military barracks and even jails
encouraged to participate in
their own sessions on Sunday.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh

Bachchan and others have been
roped in for promotion. Posters
and other advertisements have
also been published throughout
the country encouraging
residents to descend on their
local park for yoga for harmony
and peace.
Modi calls yoga the anchor of
my life, helping him work long
hoursonlittlesleep.
But the premier will make only
a speech on Sunday and not
take to the mat himself at the
mass session along Rajpath
boulevard.
Startingat7a.m.,instructorswill
teach the session, to be beamed
on giant screens along the
historic avenue.
Modi wants to reclaim yoga as
an historical part of Indian
culture which has been lost to
the West because of its
enormous popularity.
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj
will be at the UNs headquarters
in New York for the days launch
when scores are expected to
strike a pose in Times Square.
Govt. cant be out of NJAC, says
SC
The Supreme Court dismissed
the idea of totally removing
government participation in the
appointment process under the
National Judicial Appointments
Commission, reasoning that
there was no way other than
banking on the government
machinery to gather credible
intelligence inputs on persons
considered for judicial
appointments.
The debate was triggered by
counsel Anil Divan, who said
the NJAC Act was flawed as the
commission would be totally

National Issues
dependent on inputs from
government departments.
Mr. Divan argued that for an
agency to be independent, it
should have an independent
secretariat.
Mr. Divan went on to point out
that the NJAC Act did not spell
out the criteria to select
eminent persons. He
wondered if eminence in the
NJAC Act was the same quality
the government had found in a
person chosen to head the Film
andTelevisionInstituteofIndia.
Meanwhile, the track record of
a former Supreme Court judge
came up during the hearing for
the second consecutive day.
This time, Attorney-General
Mukul Rohatgi produced
copies of judgments passed by
the former judge to prove his
point that the latter had a dismal
record.
The Bench had confronted Mr.
Rohatgis claims about the
judge. It had even produced a
file to prove that the judge did
not have a poor performance
graph. Confronted by this, Mr.
Rohatgi said he would again
verify and return to the court.
My information is correct, Mr.
Rohatgi said.
V.K. Singh for Kanishka blast
memorial
Every year on June 23, at 8 a.m.
sharp, a village in Ireland pays
homage to those who died in a
blast on board Air Indias
Boeing 747 Kanishka in 1985.
This year too, a solemn
ceremony is being organised at
a memorial in Ahakista to mark
the 30th year of the tragedy in
which 329 people were killed.
Among those who lost their lives
were 268 Canadians, 27 British
and 24 Indians; a majority of the

Canadian citizens were of
Indian descent.
Representing India at the
special memorial service will be
Minister of State for External
Affairs General (retd.) V.K.
Singh, and a delegation of Air
India and the Ministry of Civil
Aviation.
The memorial service for those
who died on the MontralLondon-New Delhi flight has
been organised by the Irish
authorities over the years.
Memorial services are also held
in Canada.
An Irish government official told
that every year since the attack,
the Irish government had sent a
representative to the service.
India, which is yet to have a
memorial of its own despite
several requests from the
families of the victims, has
acknowledged the Irish
gesture. Those visiting the
memorial do not fail to
acknowledge
the
commendable job done by the
Cork County Council in
maintaining and developing the
site over the years, an Indian
officialsaid.
At the memorial, the names of
all the victims have been
inscribed on a wall opposite the
Sundial Memorial. A memorial
stone was erected on the coast
where many of the bodies were
brought ashore. The monument
was inaugurated on June 23,
1986, the first anniversary of the
disaster, in the presence of the
former Foreign Minister, P.
Shivshankar,theofficialsaid.
MEA wants ED to come on
board
The Ministry of External Affairs
claimed that the Enforcement

Directorate should have
approached the Supreme Court
against the Delhi High Court
order restoring former IPL
Commissioner Lalit Modis
passport, as the case was being
handled and investigated by the
probe agency, while the MEA
only got involved, technically,
since the passport division
comes under it.
The ED on the other hand

asserted that the MEA was the
actual respondent in the case
and it should have been its
responsibility to file an appeal.
The matter was cleared up by
when he said that the decision
to appeal against the HC order
laywiththepassportauthorities.
However, while an official
confirmed that the MEA was
now ready to take the matter to
the Supreme Court, the Ministry
still wants the ED to come on
board to provide stronger
evidence in order to challenge
the High Court verdict.
The High Court had observed
that an investigation under the
Foreign
Exchange
Management Act (FEMA) did
not entail custodial
interrogation and observed that
the ED should have pushed for
an alternative method of
questioning such as videoconferencing rather than
revoking his passport.
23

National Issues
Mr. Modi was issued a fresh
passport from the Indian High
Commission in London in
September last year following
the court order. Opposition
parties have criticised the
government for its failure to file
an appeal in the case.
Draft HRD Bill tests IIMs
autonomy
For one of Indias best known
global brands, the Indian
Institutes of Management, a Bill
framed by the Union Human
Resource Development Ministry
has brought in worries over
autonomy.
The oldest of these 13 institutes,
the IIM-Ahmedabad, has
expressed concern over some
of the provisions of the Indian
Institutes of Management Bill,
2015, which, it feels, will spell
the end of autonomy.
After the treatment meted out
to the directors and chairmen
of the Indian Institutes of
Technology, it appears that the
IIMs are next on the block.
The recommendations in the
Bill, drafted by the Ministry
headed by Smriti Irani, on
display on mygov.in, are at
variance with the
recommendations submitted
by them last year.
The Bill, they fear, carries the
trademark signature of
overreach as is evident in some
of the clauses. For one, they say
the government seeks to
appropriate for itself the power
to decide on academic posts
other than the one of director,
whereas the draft submitted by
the IIM-Ahmedabad wants the
institutes to take the decision.
Pankaj Chandra, former IIMBangalore Director, who was
24
involved in recommending
changes to the structure of the
IIMs earlier, says the Bill should
grant more autonomy to the
institutes in deciding how they
wish to structure themselves, as
they are governed by societies.
MEA to recruit experts from
private sector
Academicians and experts from

various sectors can now look
forwardtoalateralentryintothe
Indian Foreign Services.
Based on the suggestion made
by the Standing Committee on
External Affairs, the Ministry is
working on the proposal to
allow experts from outside the
government cadre to join the
service.
At a meeting of the
Parliamentary Standing
Committee on External Affairs
to discuss recruitment structure
and capacity building of IFS
cadre, it was mentioned the
Ministry has begun work on the
proposal that will ease the
challenges posed by having few
officials.
Chairman of the Committee,
Shashi Tharoor, tweeted:
Foreign Secretary informed us
that Government was finally
implementing one of our
recommendations for lateral
entry into MEA.
He followed this with another
tweet: MEA will advertise
posts for academics&pvt sector
candidates to apply for jobs in

Policy Planning & Research.
Good2let new thinking into
MEA.
Speaking to, he said though
lateral entry will for now be
allowed only in the policy
planning and research divisions,
the move will bring in fresh
thinking and different
expertise and could be
emulated by other departments
of the government.
Dr. Tharoor said the lateral
entries can help fill in the
gaps, as the Ministry is
understaffed.
A member of the Committee not
wishing to be named said there
was agreement to increase the
staff, but process of increasing
the cadre strength from the
current 900 will be a long
drawn process, involving several
departments of the
government.
Govt. pushes yogas universal
appeal, Ministry releases book
As part of its effort to package
yoga as a religion-neutral
exercise and ensure maximum
participation nationwide in the
first International Day of Yoga
programmes, the Union AYUSH
Ministry released a book, Yoga
and Islam , on its universal
appeal and acceptance.
However, the Ministrys
decision to drop Om and Surya
Namaskar (sun salutation) from
the Common Yoga Protocol for
Yoga Day has not gone down
well with some sections of the
Sangh Parivar.
Union Minister of State for
AYUSH Sripad Naiks
suggestion that Muslims who do
not want to chant Shlokas can
take the name of Allah instead

National Issues
came in for sharp criticism from
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader
Praveen Togadia, who said this
would not be acceptable to
Hindus.
Published by the Muslim
Rashtriya Manch, an RSS
initiative, Yoga and Islam has as
its main thrust the idea that yoga
does not have anything to do
with religion. The book seeks to
address apprehensions that
minority communities have
expressed over participating in
the programmes.
It draws parallels between some
yoga exercises and namaaz,
stating that namaaz is one sort
of yoga asana.
Earlier, the RSS weekly
Organisersaidinaneditorialthat
yoga had nothing to do with
religion
Govt. says transgender category
in UPSC exam after SC order
The Union government said it

could frame rules for including
transgenders as a third gender
category in the civil services
examination only after the
Supreme Court decides on its
plea for clarification on the
definition of transgender.
In an affidavit filed in the Delhi
High Court, the Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT)
said no decision or order had
been passed by the Centre for
declaring transgender persons
as the third gender.
As the issue in question is sub
judice before the Supreme

Court and the application for
modification of the apex courts
April 15, 2014 judgment on
transgendersisstillpending,the
inclusion of transgender as a
category in the application
formsforthisyearscivilservices
preliminary examination has not
been carried out.
The DoPT was responding to an
HC notice on a public interest
writ petition moved by lawyer
Jamshed Ansari, challenging the
absence of transgender
category in the UPSCs notice
for the exam scheduled on
August 23. The lack of third
gender option would result in
transgenders not being able to
apply for the test, the petition
said.
The High Courts Vacation
Bench comprising Justice
Mukta Gupta and Justice P.S.
Teji refused to stay the process
of the UPSC examination after
taking on record the DoPTs
affidavit.ThecourtlistedthePIL
for hearing on July 27.
The affidavit said the Union
government could frame rules
for the benefit of transgenders,
including reservation for them,
only after the Supreme Court
clarified the issue. As the
Centre has moved the apex
court, any interim order passed
by the High Court would result
in a situation where the
consequential effects would
remain unaddressed for want of
clarity.
Referring to the Supreme
Courts judgment, the affidavit
pointed out that it had
observed that even gay, lesbian
and bisexual were included in
the transgender category.
However, our stand is that this
concept is based on sexual

orientation of the person, while
the term transgender has to do
with the persons own deep
sense of gender identity, it
said.
Archana Ramasundaram to
head NCRB
Archana Ramasundaram, a
1980-batch IPS officer of Tamil
Nadu cadre, has been posted
as Director, National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB), New
Delhi. The Appointments
Committee of the Union
Cabinet approved her posting
to the NCRB by curtailing her
tenure as Additional Director of
the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI), New Delhi.
In its order, the Department of
Personnel and Training said the
post of Director, NCRB, was
being temporarily upgraded to
that of Director-General of
Police for a period of two years.
However, the appointment
would be subject to the
outcome of the writ petition
pending in the Supreme Court.
Acting on instructions from the
Centre, Ms. Ramasundaram
joined the CBI as its Additional
Director in May 2014. However,
contending that she was not
formally relieved from her
duties, the Government of Tamil
Nadu placed the officer under
suspension on charges that she
deserted office.
While Ms. Ramasundaram, in her
25

National Issues
capacity as the DGP and
Chairperson of Tamil Nadu
Uniformed Services
Recruitment Board, had sent a
letter to the Chief Secretary
saying that she was proceeding
to New Delhi to take charge of
her new post, the State
government maintained that her
action lacked legal or
procedural propriety.
Acting on a writ petition filed
by a journalist who submitted
that the appointment of Ms.
Ramasundaram was not in
accordance with the procedure
contemplated under the Delhi
Special Police Establishment
Act, the Supreme Court had
restrained her from discharging
her functions.
Even as the Centre defended
the appointment of the IPS
officer as the Additional
Director of the CBI in the
Supreme Court and pleaded for
allowing her to discharge
duties, the Tamil Nadu
government opposed the plea
saying that she continued to be
an officer in the State.
Govt. plans 20 million houses
for urban poor
The Union Cabinet approved
the launch of the Housing for
All by 2022 programme for the
rehabilitation of slum-dwellers
and promotion of affordable
housing for the urban poor. The
target is to provide nearly 20
million houses over seven years.
The programme is a key promise
in the Bharatiya Janata Partys
manifesto for the Lok Sabha
election in 2014 a pucca
house for every family by the
75th year of Independence.
An official statement said a
Central grant of an average Rs. 1
26
lakh would be available for a

house under the slum
rehabilitation programme. But
the State governments could
exercise flexibility in using the
grant for any slum rehabilitation
project using land as a resource
for providing houses to slumdwellers.
Under the credit-linked
interest subsidy component, an
interest subsidy of 6.5 per cent
on housing loans availed up to a
tenure of 15 years will be
provided to EWS/LIG
categoriesitsaid.
Congress demands SIT probe
The Congress sought an

independent investigation into
the Lalit Modi controversy by a
Supreme Court appointed and
monitored Special Investigation
Team.
The party said the Modi
government was complicit in
protecting the former IPL chief,
wanted by Indian law, and did
not expect it to conduct a fair
probe.
The party also sought to know
who in the government had
decided not to appeal against
the courts decision to release
Mr. Modis passport.
The Government of India did
not oppose the case before the
Division Bench of the High
Court. The court ordered reissuance of the passport and
even then they did not appeal
against it, Congress leader
Anand Sharma said. He said the

sequence of events
established that there are
friends of Lalit Modi trying to
help him.
He asserted that Ms. Swaraj in
helping Lalit get a travel
document to Portugal had
subverted due process. He
should have appealed to the
Indian embassy in the U.K.
instead of Ms. Swaraj
extending suo motu help and
an unacceptable concession to
a person who should have been
extradited, Mr. Sharma said.
Sushma keeps reporters off at
yatra launch

Swaraj appeared her usual
poised self as she flagged off
thefirstbatchofpilgrimsforthe
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from
the new and less arduous route
of Nathu La, but restrictions
imposed on presspersons in
covering the event were
perceived as an indication of
her unease.
The flagging off ceremony was
Ms. Swarajs first public
appearance following the
controversy over her
recommendation to the U.K. for
travel documents for ex-IPL
chief Lalit Modi. The Minister,
who posted tweets to defend
her decision on Sunday, has
maintained silence since, even
as the Congress has mounted a

National Issues
campaign seeking her
resignation.
Ms. Swaraj spoke with
satisfactionathavingfulfilleda
promise made a year ago to find
a way for the aged and the
infirm to undertake the
pilgrimage.
Only photographers were
allowed to capture the Minister
speak as there were clear
instructions not to let reporters
intotheMinistry.
The opening of the new,
motorable route through Nathu
La in the Himalayas will enable
those who cannot go on foot to
Kailash was confirmed during
visittoChina.
The new route, she stressed is
an important milestone in IndiaChina relations as it builds on an
important aspect of diplomacy,
people-to-people contact.
Ms. Swaraj also assured the
pilgrims that the government
would monitor their safe
passage to Kailash.
While two officials will
accompany
them,
arrangements have also been
made to ensure they face no
difficultiesenroute.
A total of 18 batches, each
comprising60pilgrims,willvisit
Kailash Mansoravar through the
existing route of Lupulekh Pass
and five batches of 50 members
each will travel through the
Nathu La route, beginning
Wednesday, she said.
Scribe murder: HC seeks status
report from U.P.
The Allahabad High Court
directed the Uttar Pradesh
government to file a status
report within one week in the
murder of journalist Jagendra
Singh in Shahjahanpur, in which

a SP Minister and five others
have been booked.
The court asked government
counsel to inform it about the
stage of investigation by June
24 along with their objections
raised during course of hearing
the matter.
The order was passed by a
vacation Division Bench of
Justices Shri Narain Shukla and
Pratyush Kumar on a Public
Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking
directions for a CBI probe into
thekilling.
A direction has also been
sought in the petition for
providing adequate
compensation to the deceased
scribes family. On behalf of the
government, Additional
Advocate General Bulbul
Godiyal raised preliminary
objections regarding
maintainability of the petition.
The AAG also submitted that
the investigation was going on
and no one has come forward
to question it except the
petitioner, hence the PIL was
not maintainable and liable to
be dismissed.
An FIR was registered against
Minister of State for Backward
Welfare Minister Ram Murti
Singh Verma and five others,
including the policemen, at
Puwayan police station of
Shahjahanpur by victims son
Raghvendra.
Mishra replaces Jitendra Singh

Tomar who had resigned from
the post last week following his
arrest on charge of possessing
fake degrees.
The 34-year-old MLA from

Karawal Nagar was administered
oath of office and secrecy by Lt
Governor Najeeb Jung at a
simple ceremony at the Raj
Bhavan.
Mr. Mishra has been associated
with the Chief Minister since the
India Against Corruption (IAC)
days.
When Yogendra Yadav and
Prashant Bhushan upped their
ante against the party
leadership, he took a lead in
starting a signature campaign
urging all MLAs to back Mr.
Kejriwal.
Mr. Mishra won from Karawal
Nagar by a margin of over 44,000
votes and took oath in Sanskrit
in the Delhi Assembly.
Goa withdraws circular on yoga
event
Kapil Mishra sworn in as Delhi

Law Minister
First-time MLA Kapil Mishra was
sworn in as a Cabinet minister in
the Delhi government and given
charge of the Law Department.
Known as a loyalist of Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mr.
In an attempt to assuage the

feelings of the minority
community, the Goa Education
Department on Monday
27

National Issues
28
withdrew its controversial

circular asking all schools in the
State to send their students for
a yoga drill, including Surya
Namaskar, at the Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee Stadium near here
on June 21 morning.
The department had issued a
related circular to all schools in
the State, informing them that
their students could perform
yoga-related asanas at the said
stadium at Bambolim in north
Goa, to commemorate the first
International Day of Yoga.
The circular, however, had not
made it compulsory for the
students to attend the event.
Seeking to downplay the
controversy, Chief Minister
Laxmikant Parsekar said the
decision was been taken to
avoid duplication of the event.
Moreover, for the children from
different parts of the State to
gather at the stadium in the early
morning would have caused
them inconvenience, he said.
The Chief Minister said a
number of like-minded NGOs
are organising a yoga-related
programme, in which 8,000 to
10,000 individuals are
expected to participate.
The government, however, has
said that the schools desiring to
hold such an event on June 21,
could do so on their premises.
Sources in Education
Department said that the
concept of the event was
suggested by Arogya Bharati
and the government had
approved it.
The sources said that the State
government was earlier also
considering inclusion of yoga
and Surya Namaskar in the
curriculum of physical training
in schools.
However, fearing negative

reaction from minority schools,
the government has not
pursued the proposal.
There are six minority
community MLAs in the BJP
which has a strength of 21 and
their number in the coalition
stands at 10 in the 40-member
House.
The Church-affiliated Diocesan
Educational Society is already
upset with the State
government over denial of
permissions for new schools in
some areas.
Stir against new FTII chief
intensifies
The indefinite strike by students

of the Film and Television
Institute of India over the
appointment of television actorturned BJP politician Gajendra
Chauhan as chairman
intensified.
At a press conference, the
Students Council said it was
opposed to the ad hoc nature
of Mr. Chauhans appointment
and had written to the
Information and Broadcast

Ministry urging the appointment
of another person as chairman.
The protests continued despite
earnest appeals by Mr. Chauhan
that he be allowed to prove his
credibility.
We have informed the [I & B
Ministry] that we cannot accept
a person whose competence
andartisticcredibilityisinstrong
doubt. We are awaiting a
response from the Ministry, said
Harishankar Nachimuthu,
president, FTII Students
Association.
Progressive film-makers and
leftist organisations and student
bodies have spoken in support
ofthestudentsstrike.
Documentary film-maker Anand
Patwardhan, who visited the
campus on Sunday with Swaraj
Abhiyan leader Yogendra
Yadav, said: It is a blatant
attempt by the BJP to saffronise
the institution. Flagging the
pattern of appointments across
film bodies and institutes, Mr.
Patwardhan criticised the
selection of Pahlaj Nihlani as
Censor Board chief and of actor
Mukesh Khanna as Chairman of
the Childrens Films Society of
India.
Mr. Yadav said: I sincerely
believe that the students
objection to Gajendra
Chauhans appointment is
just.
What you will Get (?)
General Studies (Paper I, II, III & IV) Online 100 % Reading Material of the
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Categorized Unit and Sub-Unit Wise Question Papers of General Studies
Current General Studies Magazine (Indispensable Magazine for General Studies)
Daily Answer Writing Challenge for IAS Mains Contemporary Issues
It is full of tips on areas of emphasis, caution while reading and writing , how to
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Online and Telephonic interaction with the course director, and continuous
evaluation through a regular online writing session in every chapter and topic.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses/ias-mains-gs-combo

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
European stocks pause before
Greek vote on bailout terms
sought in times of uncertainty,

dipped 2 basis points to 0.82
percent. The euro, which has
lost 1.5 percent this week, was
little changed at $1.1001.
But 10-year yields on Spanish,
Italian and Portuguese bonds,

seen as vulnerable to spillovers
from the Greek crisis, fell 2-3
basis points to 2.06 percent,
2.08 percent and 2.75 percent
respectively.
Ecoside of south china sea
Yields on peripheral bonds

dipped, while European stocks
and the euro held their breath
on Wednesday as fractious
parties in the Greek parliament
prepared to vote on EUprescribed austerity measures
needed to unlock a third
bailout.
Lawmakers from Prime Minister
Alexis Tsipras Syriza party and
their allies argued behind
closed doors about whether to
back the reforms. Tsipras
defended the deal, saying it was
better than the alternative of
being forced out of the euro
zone.
The parliamentary vote is seen
as the key hurdle to a final
agreement for the bailout,
which could end at least
temporarily months of
increased uncertainty, volatility
and frequent risk aversion in
financial markets.
The pan-European FTS
Eurofirst 300 index fell 0.1
percent to 1,578.71, having
risen for five days in a row until
Wednesday. Yields on German
Bunds, top-rated assets often
The escalating territorial

dispute in the South China Sea
is as much an ecological crisis
as it is a geopolitical one.
Dredging, land reclamation and
the construction of artificial
islands could be swamping
centuries old reefs in sediment,
endangering ecosystems that
playakeyroleinmaintainingfish
stocks throughout the region.
According to leading marine
biologist Professor John
McManus, a proper
understanding of the marine
ecosystem and its role in food
security is key to finding a
solution to both the
environmental and political

issues.
McManus discovered that
periodic pulses of larval fish
were being carried on shifting
currents throughout the South
China Sea, replenishing coastal
fish stocks and that they were
being spawned in the offshore
reef ecosystems at the heart of
the current geopolitical fracas.
Conflict over territory in the
South China Sea is not new, with
China, the Philippines, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei all
staking contrary claims. It has
been making headlines again
since China began building
29

artificial islands in the Spratly
Islands something of a
misnomer since the archipelago
covers an area the size of
Tunisia, only 4 sq km of which is
above sea level. Or was.
According to McManus, as of
June, satellite images appeared
to indicate China had reclaimed
a total of 12.82 sq km of land. In
2013, The Philippines filed an
ongoing lawsuit at the UN
International Court of
Arbitration, questioning the
legality of Chinas territorial
claims and its development of
tidal reefs that are only
periodically above water, which
it alleges violates the United
Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea (Unclos). China has
refused to participate in the
arbitration, questioning its
validity.
China also claims its island
building activities have caused
only minimal, recoverable
damage, but McManus, an
expert in reef ecology, doubts
this is the case. The reef crest
is a tiny thing about the same
height as the tide range, he
explains. Thats what is
protecting everything waves
lose more than 90% of their
energy when they hit the reef
crest, reef flat and reef slope.
Whats more, this is an area that
is prone to typhoons. And you
cant build anything on an atoll
without a wave-breaking crest
in a big storm region.
Nuclear deal between Iran and
six world powers
A landmark Iran nuclear
agreement was reached on
Tuesday after clearing final
obstacles, and a senior diplomat
said it included a compromise
30
between Washington and

Tehran that would allow UN
inspectors to press for visits to
Iranian military sites as part of
their monitoring duties.
he was not authorized to

comment on the confidential
talks.
The wholesale food index rose
2.88 percent year-on-year,
while fuel prices fell 10.03
percent from a year ago.
Athens about to reach bailout
worth 86 billion
But access at will to any site

would not necessarily be
granted and even if so, could
be delayed, a condition that
critics of the deal are sure to
seize on as possibly giving
Tehran time to cover any sign of
non-compliance with its
commitments.
IUnder the deal, Tehran would
have the right to challenge the
UN request and an arbitration
board composed of Iran and the
six world powers that
negotiated with it would have
to decide on the issue.
Still, such an arrangement
would be a notable departure
from assertions by top Iranian
officials that their country
would never allow the UNs
International Atomic Energy
Agency into such sites.
Iran has argued that such visits
by the IAEA would be a cover
forspyingonitsmilitarysecrets.
On Tuesday morning, the
European Union announced
that the final plenary of Iran and
the six countries negotiating
with it will take place at 10:30
Vienna time, followed by a news
conference.
A Western diplomat said they
will endorse the deal, reached
in the early morning hours. He
demanded anonymity because
Greece reached a desperately

needed bailout deal with the
Euro zone on Monday after
marathon overnight talks, in a
historic agreement to prevent
the country crashing out of the
European single currency.
Leftist Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras agreed to tough reforms
after 17 hours of gruelling
negotiations in return for a
three-year bailout worth up to
86 billion ($96 billion),
Greeces third rescue
programme in five years.
The new rescue is the countrys
third since 2010 and came after
a bitter six-month struggle
following Mr. Tsiprass election
in January that put Greeces
membership of the Euro zone
in the balance.
Greek banks have been closed
for nearly two weeks, and there
were fears they were about to
run dry owing to lack of extra
funding by the European
Central Bank, meaning Athens
would have had to print its own
currency and effectively leave
the single currency. Grexit has
gone, European Commission

president Jean-Claude Juncker
told AFP.
Europes first step will be to
push the deal through several
national parliaments, many in
countries that are loath to afford
Greece more help.
Athens will now have to rush
through tough reform laws by
Wednesday, according to the
document agreed on by Mr.
Tsipras and his Eurozone
counterparts. Greece has to
introduce harsh conditions on
labour reform and pensions,
VAT and taxes, and measures
onprivatisation.
Under the agreement, it will
park assets for privatisation
worth up to 50 billion in a
special fund. The money will
then be used to recapitalise
Greeces cash-starved banks.
Warming worst case must be
considered say experts
For too long the world has seen

rising temperatures as a problem
of predicting long range
weather forecasts.
The authors says that that
leaders must focus on the worst
case scenarios and how likely
they are to occur.
The report has been compiled
by an international group of
scientists and experts in risk.
In a foreword to the new study,
UK foreign minister Baroness
Anelay says that previous
responses to the threat of
climate change have been far
too narrow.
When we think about keeping

our country safe, we always
consider the worst case
scenarios. That is what guides
our policies on nuclear nonproliferation,counter-terrorism,
and conflict prevention. We
have to think about climate
change the same way, she said.
Systemic risks
The report underlines, once
again, the direct risks that
warming poses. It says that at
current rates of carbon
emissions, a temperature rise of
4 degrees C is as likely as not
by 2050.
This would lead to significant
impacts with lethal levels of
heat stress, drought and crop
failures among a host of other
negatives.
The report also warns that the
security implications of high
levels of warming are
considerable. Growing
populations competing for
resources could threaten the
stability of countries that are
currently considered
developed.
Migration, the authors warn,
could become more of a
necessity than a choice.
Politicians needed to consider
the bigger picture, said Fiona
Morrison, from the Institute and
Faculty of Actuaries, a cosponsor of the report.
Commissioned by the UK
Foreign Office the authors
include Sir David King, the UK
Foreign Secretarys Special
Representative for Climate
Change and leading members
of US and Chinese scientific
committees along with experts
in risk in energy, finance and
militaryissues.
Campaigners
and
environmentalists welcomed
the report as a useful
contribution, saying they
believed it would help put
pressure on politicians to
deliver a new global deal by the
end of this year, that would limit
warming to 2 degrees C above
pre-industriallevels.
Greece exit will be
extremely costly
There should be no doubt that

exit from the Euro would be
extremely costly for Greece
and its creditors, said the
International Monetary Funds
(IMF) Chief Economist Olivier
Blanchard, writing in his blog on
imfdirect , the Funds global
economy forum.
Underlining the Funds
commitment to providing
assistance, Mr. Blanchard ruled
out further IMF funding for
Greece until old arrears are
cleared.
Greece defaulted on a loan
repayment of 1.55 billion due
to the IMF on June 30. Greece
owes a total of 6.95 billion to
its creditors in July alone, of
which 452 million is owed to
the IMF.
Taking on the main critiques of
the 2010 bail-out programme
for Greece, Mr. Blanchard said
he wanted to clarify points of
contention and support a way
forward.
31

Refuting the claim that the 2010
programme only raised debt
levels and demanded excessive
fiscal adjustment, Mr. Blanchard
argued that without assistance,
Greece would have had to make
fiscal cuts of between 20-25 per
cent of GDP, leading to more
severe adjustments and higher
social costs than under the fiveyear bail-out programme.
Mr. Blanchard also countered
the criticism that finance
provided to Greece was simply
used to pay back foreign banks,
saying that while it was correct
to say that Greeces debt was
not restructured for two years,
it was due to fears of contagion
risk the risk that macroeconomic shocks in once
country are transmitted through
price-level changes, for
example, to other countries.
Mr. Blanchard ruled out further
IMF funding for Greece until old
arrears are cleared. Greece
defaulted on a loan repayment
of 1.55 billion due to the IMF
on June 30. Greece owes a total
of 6.95 billion to its creditors
in July alone, of which 452
million is owed to the IMF.
Airbus flew its electric plane
Airbus flew its electric plane
across the English Channel for
the first time on Friday, hours
after an independent French
pilot made a similar voyage,
beating the aeronautics giant in
this symbolically important step
toward making electronic flight
viable in the long term.
European planemaker Airbus
flew its E-fan plane from Lydd,
England, to the French port of
Calais on Friday morning. The
plane operates on batteries. The
20-foot long, 1300-pound jet
releases zero emissions.
32
About 12 hours before Airbus

Channel flight, French pilot
Hugues Duval took his twoengine, one-seat Cricri plane
from Calais to Dover and back.
Because he lacked authorisation
to take off from Calais, another
fuel-driven plane towed his
100-kilogram (220-pound)
Cricriforthestartofthetrip,he
said. Then he flew
autonomously back to Calais and
landed safely.
Greece needs debt relief: Tusk
EU President Donald Tusk said

on Thursday that Greeces
creditors must make a realistic
proposal for managing the
countrys huge debt, as Athens
faced a midnight deadline to
submit reform plans for an
internationalbailout.
Greeces calls for its debt to be
tackled have been backed by
the International Monetary Fund
and U.S. Treasury Secretary, but
Germany leads a hard-line
group of Eurozone nations that
are strongly opposed.
If Greece were to submit its
proposals on time on Thursday,
they will then be examined by
the troika of creditor
institutions the European
Commission, the European
Central Bank and IMF before
going on to political leaders. Mr.
Tusk has set a special EU summit
on Sunday as the final deadline
for a deal to bail out Greece.
Premier Tsipras has called for a
reduction of Greeces massive

320-billion debt mountain to
be part of any deal for its third
international bailout since 2010.
But Germany and many other
Eurozone nations reject any
move to write off Greek debts,
especially after Greeks in a
referendum last weekend
backed Mr. Tsiprass decision to
reject the creditors demands
forfurtherausterity.
Greece gets new timeline
Frustrated and angered
eurozone leaders gave Greek
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a
last-minute chance Tuesday to
finally come up with a viable
proposal on how to save his
country from financial ruin.
Overcoming their surprise when
Tsipras failed to present them
with a detailed plan, the leaders
reluctantly agreed to a final
summit Sunday, saying that
could give both sides an
opportunity to stave off collapse
of the struggling but defiant
member nation.
European Union President
Donald Tusk says the protracted
negotiations to keep Greece
from financial collapse and in
the eurozone is maybe the
most critical moment in our
history.
After calling for the emergency
summit in the wake of Sundays
Greek No vote to proposals from
its eurozone partners, Tusk said
the 19 leaders agreed to give
Tsipras one final shot to keep
his nation afloat with the aid of
his allies sharing the euro
currency.
We have a Grexit scenario
And highlighting the rising
anger with Tsipras over months
of foot-dragging and surprising

negotiating twists, European
Commission President JeanClaude Juncker had a stark
warning for Greece.
With Greeces banks just days
away from a potential collapse
that could drag the country out
of the euro, Tsipras arrived with
only vague proposals and a
commitment to back it up with
real figures and a more detailed
plan by Thursday.
According to a joint statement
of the leaders, Tsipras must set
out Greeces proposals in detail
for a reform agenda. The
countrys international creditors
will then assess the plan to
prepare for another meeting of
eurogroup finance ministers
and ultimately Sundays summit
of the full EU.
Tibet wants to become part of
Belt and Road initiative
Chinas efforts to forge a new

social contract with people of
the Tibet Autonomous Region
(TAR), based on generous
subsidies, jobs and education,
appear to be paying off, with
the booming Tibetan capital
showing little signs of
remembering the Dalai Lama on
the eve of his eightieth birthday.
Atthetastefullylitsquareatthe
base of the famed Potala Palace
the seat of the Dalai Lama
crowds of tourists armed with
selfie-sticks routinely pictured
themselves against a cluster of
fountains, without a overhang of

heavy-handed security.
Self-immolations
Ahead of the 2008 Beijing
Olympics, there was serious
rioting in the Tibetan capital at
the popular Barkhor Street,
adjoining the nearby Jokhang
temple. Four years later, the
same area became the scene of
the first self-immolation in
Lhasa.
The Jokhang temple is an iconic
structure, which is regularly
jammed with Buddhist pilgrims.
Amid wafts of smoke emitted by
clusters of butter lamps, they
weave their way through dimly
lit corridors, stopping most
reverentially at an enclosure
where Songstan Gampo, the
founder of the temple is flanked
by his two brides princess
Wenchang of the Chinese Tang
dynasty and Princess Bhrikuti of
Nepal.
A world heritage site, the
Jokhang temple remains one of
the vibrant symbols of the
shared Buddhist heritage of
China and South Asia.
In a White Paper on Tibet
released in April, the Chinese
have slammed blamed the Dalai
Lamagroupofforinstigatingselfimmolations.
The website of The
International Campaign for
Tibet (ICT) a pro-Dalai Lama
organisation claims that 141
Tibetans, including 116 men
and 25 women have selfimmolated since February 27,
2009.
Construction boom
Tibet is now poised to become
an important component of
President Xi Jinpings panEurasianBeltandRoadinitiative.
Its position on the Eurasian

railway map has been
reinforced by the construction
of the Qinghai-Tibet railway,
which has reached Shigaste,
close to the borders of Nepal
and Bhutan.
Lhasa, the capital, is
experiencing a jaw-dropping
construction boom, as new
housing complexes, factories
and education complexes
mushroom.
Nevertheless, a Xinhua news
agency report acknowledges
that Tibet faces the problem of
an aging society, as nearly 10 per
cent of the population is above
60. At least 2,340 senior
citizens in cities and 13,000 in
rural areas have neither a
pension nor a family for
support, it observed.
Greece FinMin resigns to
smoothen talks with creditors
Greeces outspoken Finance

Minister Yanis Varoufakis
resigned on Monday, removing
one major obstacle to any deal
to keep Athens in the euro zone
after Greeks voted resoundingly
to back the government in
rejecting the austerity terms of
abailout.
Leftist Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras promised German
Chancellor Angela Merkel that
Greece would bring a proposal
for a cash-for-reforms deal to an
emergency summit of euro
zone leaders on Tuesday.
33

Mr. Tsipras said on Sunday that
the No victory in the countrys
bailout referendum did not
mean Athens was headed for a
so-called Grexit.
This is not a mandate of rupture
with Europe, but a mandate that
bolsters our negotiating strength
to achieve a viable deal, he said
in a televised address.
However, officials in Brussels

and Berlin said a Greek exit from
euro zone now looked ever
more likely. But they also said
talks to avert it would be easier
without Yanis Varoufakis, an
erratic Marxist economist who
infuriated his euro zone finance
ministers with an informal style
and hectoring lectures.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras

insisted the result does not
mean a rupture with Europe
despite fears it will end in a
Grexit from the eurozone.
NASA Unveils First Plane to Fly on Mars
NASA has unveiled a

boomerang-shaped aircraft that
could be the first to take flight
on Mars to look for potential
landing sites for future manned
mission to the red planet.
A prototype of the Preliminary
Research Aerodynamic Design
to Land on Mars, or Prandtl-m,
which is a flying wing aircraft
with a twist, is planned to be
ready for launch from a high
altitude balloon later this year,
NASA said.
The Prandtl-m will be released
at about at 100,000 feet altitude,
which will simulate the flight
conditions of the Martian
atmosphere, said Al Bowers,
NASA Armstrong chief scientist
and Prandtl-m programme
manager.
34
The tests could validate how

the aircraft works, leading to
modifications that will allow it
to fold and deploy from a 3U
CubeSat in the aeroshell of a
future Mars rover.
A CubeSat is a miniature satellite
used for space research that is
usually about four inches in
each dimension, a 3U is three
of those stacked together..
Once in the Martian
atmosphere, the Prandtl-m
would emerge from its host,
deploy and begin its mission.
Greece says No to bailout
referendum
Voters in cash-strapped Greece
overwhelmingly rejected
international creditors tough
bailout terms on Sunday, but
With the final tally showing the

No vote winning by more than
61%, the historic referendum
represented a victory for the
radical left prime, who said his
negotiating position to secure a
new debt deal was now greatly
bolstered.
As eurozone leaders scrambled
to work out their response,
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and French President
Francois Hollande called a
European summit for Tuesday
and declared that the Greeks
decision mustbe respected.
Thousands of pro-government
supporters cheered and
hugged each other in central
Athens in celebration, although
some other Greeks expressed
pessimism that Tsipras would
be able to deliver on his
promises.
Figures released by the interior
ministry showed the final tally
at 61.31% voting No and
38.69% voting Yes.
Participation stood at 62.5%.
Now, Europe faces a near
impossible choice between
giving debt-laden Greece a
chance or pushing it out of the
euro and risking global turmoil,
analystssaid.
European leaders reacted with
a mix of dismay and caution to

the resounding election results,
which also sent the battered
single currency plummeting.
In Asian trade, the euro help up
against the dollar after dropping
in the immediate wake of the
vote, changing hands at
$1.1024 to claw back some of
the losses it suffered in New
York electronic trade where it
fell at one point to $1.0987.
Tsipras said the creditors the
ECB, the European Commission
and the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) would now finally
have to talk about restructuring
the massive, 240-billion-euro
($267 billion) debt Greece
owes them.
Japan joins US-Australia war
games amid China tensions
The United States and Australia

kicked off a massive joint
biennial military exercise on
Sunday, with Japan taking part
forthefirsttimeastensionswith
China over territorial rows loom
overthedrills.
The two-week Talisman Sabre
exercise in the Northern
Territory and Queensland state
involves 30,000 personnel from
the US and Australia practising
operations at sea, in the air and
on land.
Some 40 personnel from Japans
army - the Ground Self-Defense
Force (JGSDF) - will join the
American contingent, while
more than 500 troops from New
Zealand are also involved in the
exercise, which concludes on

July21.
The war games, being held for
the sixth time, come as China
flexes its strategic and
economic muscle in the region.
Beijing has been building
artificialislandsandfacilitiesin
disputed waters in the South
China Sea, and has a separate
territorial dispute with Japan
over the Tokyo-controlled
Senkaku islands - which it calls
the Diaoyus - in the East China
Sea.
There is no place for Assange,
France
The French government has
rejected an asylum request from
Julian Assange, saying he is not
in immediate danger while
holed up in the Ecuadorian
embassy in west London.
The WikiLeaks founder wrote an
open letter to President Francois
Hollande urging the French
government to grant him
refugee status, even though
such a move would offer him no
realistic chance of freedom.
Swedish prosecutors have been
trying since 2010 to question Mr.
Assange about allegations of
rape and sexual molestation. Mr.
Assange denies the claims.
Prominent French figures,
including footballer Eric
Cantona, and the bestselling
economist Thomas Piketty,
appealed for France to grant Mr.
Assange haven.
UN body adopts resolution on
Myanmars Rohingya Muslims
The UN rights body adopted
without a vote a resolution on
addressing the human rights
situation of Rohingya Muslims
and other minorities in
Myanmar, nearly a month after a

regional crisis erupted with
hundreds of migrants from the
nation found adrift in the Bay of
Bengal.
The resolution, which was to be

considered yesterday but could
not proceed due to the
absence of the delegation of the
country concerned - Myanmar in a rare occurrence, was
subsequently adopted in the
UNHRC without a vote.
India yesterday disassociated
itselffromtheresolution,saying
it is highly prescriptive and not
consistent with the broad ethos
of the work of the Council.
In recent years, tens of
thousands of persecuted
Rohingya Muslims besides
Bangladeshi economic migrants
have fled on boats across the
Bay of Bengal in search of
better prospects.
End of rivalry U.S. to set up
embassy in Cuba
The United States and Cuba
have agreed to open embassies
in each others capitals, the
biggest tangible step in the
countrieshistoricbidtorestore
ties after more than a halfcenturyofhostilities.
The U.S. and Cuba have been
negotiating the reestablishment of embassies
following a surprise December
announcement that secret talks
had led to an agreement to
restartties.
35

Ending the U.S. freeze with
Cuba is central to Mr. Obamas
foreign policy legacy as he nears
the end of his presidency. He
has long promoted the value of
direct engagement with global
foes and has argued that the U.S.
embargo on the communist
island just 145 km south of
Florida was ineffective.
The U.S. cut off diplomatic
relations with Cuba in 1961 after
Fidel Castros revolution.
It spent decades trying to
overthrow Cubas communist
government or isolate the island,
including toughening the
economic embargo first
imposed by President Dwight
D. Eisenhower.
Since the late 1970s, the
countries have operated
diplomatic missions, called
interests sections, in each
otherscapitals.Themissionsare
technically under the
protection of Switzerland and
do not enjoy the same status as
embassies.
U.N,s allegations on South
Sudan
The United Nations accused

South Sudans government
forces and its allies on Tuesday
of sexually abusing women and
girls and reportedly burning
some alive in their homes during
recent fighting in the conflicttornnation.
The U.N. Mission in South
36
Sudan, or UNMISS, said the

findings came from a report
based on interviews with 115
victimsfromdistrictsinoil-rich
Unity State, where the
governments SPLA forces
launched an offensive against
rebelsinlateApril.
South Sudan, the worlds
newest nation and one of its
poorest, has been mired in a
conflict since December 2013
that pits President Salva Kiirs
SPLA against those loyal to rebel
leader Riek Machar, a former
deputy president.
Deadly Ebola return to Liberia
Liberian authorities on Tuesday
quarantined the Nedowein area
where the corpse of a 17-yearold boy was found with Ebola,
sparking fears this West African
country could face another
outbreak of the disease nearly
two months after being
declared Ebola-free.
The World Health Organization
declared Liberia Ebola-free on
May 9, after it went 42 days
without a new case. Liberia had
been hardest hit before by the
outbreak with a death toll of
more than 4,800 people.
The World Health Organization
and the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control have been meeting with
health officials about the new
case.
Why Greeces debt crisis
happened
The country has been in a long
standoff with its European
creditors on the terms of a
multibillion-dollarbailout.Ifthe
country goes bankrupt or
decides to leave the 19-nation
eurozone, the situation could
create instability in the region
and reverberate around the
globe.
The country missed a Tuesday

deadline to repay roughly 1.6
billion euros, or $1.8 billion, to
the International Monetary
Fund.
Hours before the deadline for
the payment, Prime Minister
Alexis Tsipras asked the other
nations that use the euro to
provide another bailout, which
would buy time for Athens to
renegotiate its crippling debt
load.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of
Germany said earlier in the day
that no deal with Tsiprass
government could be
negotiated until after a Greek
referendum scheduled for
Sunday.
Greek voters will be asked to
accept or reject an offer made
last week by the countrys
creditors.
The International Monetary
Fund did not use the term
default after Greece missed its
payment deadline. The fund
instead placed the country in
so-calledarrears.
Credit-rating agencies will not
consider Greece to be in default
based on missing the IMF
payment, for the technical
reason that the IMF is not
considered a commercial
borrower.
But the ratings agency Standard
& Poors did say Tuesday that it
would designate Greece as
being in default if the country
cannot make payments to
private creditors, like 2 billion
in Greek Treasury bills that are
due on July 10.
Regardless of the countrys
technical status, missing the
payment will most likely prove
to be a warning that Greece will
probably be unable to meet its

other obligations in coming
weeks to its bond holders and
to the European Central Bank.
That might make the central
bank less willing to continue
emergency loans that have
been propping up the Greek
banking system for the past
several weeks.
What happens next?
Sundays referendum will test
whether Greek citizens want to
stay in the eurozone.
New elections could also be
held if Greeces financial
situation worsens.
Or Greece could test the
willingness of Russia or China to
help should talks with Europe
falter.
Some people are now saying
thattherealdeadlineislateJuly,
after all the warnings that
Tuesday was the make-or-break
day.
July is when Greece owes the
European Central Bank a 3.5
billion euro payment. If there is
no international bailout program
in place by that time, and little
chance of such a program being
in the works, the central bank at
that point would probably have
to finally take Greek banks off
lifesupport.
Euro is
Nothing but a shaky idea
The world is going bonkers over
whether Greece will default on
the 1.6 billion euros that it
needs to pay the International
Monetary Fund(IMF) today. All
together the country owes 240
billion euros to the troika of
European Commission,
European Central Bank(ECB)
and IMF.With the default,
chances are Greece will have
to exit from the Eurozone and

stop using euro as its currency.
Irrespective of whatever
happens to Greece, euro
continues to remain a shaky
idea. In order to understand this
point, we need to go back a
littleinhistory.
The European Union (EU) was
established by the Maastricht
Treaty signed on December 9
and 10, 1991. After the
formation of the EU, the
members became bound to
start a monetary union, which
would share the same currency,
by January 1, 1999.
The EU introduced the euro first
in non-physical form (travellers
cheques, electronic transfers,
banking, etc.) on January 1,
1999. On this day, 11 member
countries of the EU started
using euro as their currency.
Meanwhile, Greece joined the
Eurozone, as countries which
decided to use the euro as their
currency came to be referred
to as, on June 19, 2000 and gave
up its currency, the drachma.
The Eurozone was essentially a
monetary union without being
a political one. Hence, while
the monetary policy of the
entire zone was managed by
the European Central Bank
based out of Frankfurt, every
government ran its own fiscal
policy and had its own budget.
East and West Germany merged
together as Germany in 1990.
Massive investments were made
to modernise the Eastern part
and to integrate it with
Germanys industrial heartland.
Between 1990 and 2010, nearly
1.6 trillion euros have gone from
west to east to pay for all kind of
things from pensions and
salaries of government
employees, to build roads and

cities,andfactories.
One of the impacts of this
transfer of money was that
wages in the Eastern part
started to go up and converge
towards the Western part.
This led to unit labour costs in
Germany going up by 17.6%
from 1990 to 1995. During the
same period the labour cost in
what would become the
Eurozone rose at the rate of
11.5% on an average.
Higher labour costs made
German exports uncompetitive
and the share of the exports as
a portion of the GDP fell from
1991 to 1993. This led to an
increase in unemployment from
4.2% to 8.2%.
Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank takes shape
India and 49 other founding

members of the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) on Monday signed
articles that determine each
countrys share and the lenders
initial capital. The remaining
seven founding members can
sign the agreement before
December 2015.
The signing ceremony took
place in Beijing at the Great Hall
of the People. The AIIB is
expected to focus on
infrastructure development in
Asia, and unlike the existing
International Monetary Fund
and World Bank, is unlikely to
37

restrict lending on political
considerations.
Following the ceremony,
Chinas President Xi Jinping
welcomed the heads of
delegations from the Banks 57
prospective founding
members. A special ministerial
meeting was also held in the
afternoon chaired by Chinese
Finance Minister Lou Jiwei.
According to an AIIB press
statement, the Bank will be
headquartered in Beijing, and
will have an initial authorised
capital stock of $100 billion.
Reflecting regional character of
the Bank, its regional members
will be the majority
shareholders, holding around
75 percent of shares.
The AIIB is expected to
become operational by the end
of the year.
India had signed the
Memorandum of Understanding
for Establishment of AIIB in
October 2014 along with 21
regional founding members.
Some new outcomes about
leap second 2015
Awful people, scientists. If only
they had a little more history.
Perhaps then theyd know
better than to try to fix things
that arent broken. Things like
time.
2015 will be longer than you
think, and not just because of a
general election campaign that
willfeellikeitslastingforever.
Thanks to the International
Earth Rotation Service in Paris,
this year and June 30
specifically will be a second
longer than the last.
In 1750, Parliament adopted the
Calendar (New Style Act),
shiftingthestartofthelegalyear
from March to January (but not
38
the tax year, incidentally which

runs from April to April) as well
as moving England on to the
Gregorian calendar.
The transition eliminated 11
whole days for a year:
September 1752 had only 20
days. The change, made in the
name of efficiency and
modernity, did not, as some
historieshaveit,sparkriots.But
it did make a lot of people
unhappy, and not just landlords
with rents due on one of the lost
days.
Call for active collaboration to

sanitise BCIM corridor
Chinese experts in Yunnan say
that except for a 200-km stretch
between Silchar in Assam and
Manipur, and a similar length
between Kalewa and Monywah
in Myanmar, the central artery
of the BCIM route is nearly
functional.
Fighting between the Myanmar
Army and the ethnic Kokang
rebels, known as the Myanmar
National Democratic Alliance
Army, based near the Chinese
border, pose a threat to the
network.
The United Wa State Army, that
hasvirtuallyafreereigninnortheastern Myanmar, and is known
foranarcoticstrafficking,poses
a big security problem to the
corridor.
Communal violence involving
Buddhists and Rohingya
Muslims has also flared in
Rakhine State.
Greece badly trapped in debt

crisis
Greece announced early on
Monday it will shut banks for a
week and impose capital
controls, pleading for calm after
anxious citizens emptied cash

machines in a dramatic
escalation of the countrys debt
crisis.
Banks will be closed until July 6
- the day after a referendum on
bailout proposals - with a 60euro ($65) limit on ATM
withdrawals, but foreign
tourists, a vital engine of the
Greek economy, will be exempt
from the restrictions, a decree
published in the official
government gazette said.
Inthefirstmarketreactiontothe
growing risk of a Greek euro
exit, the single currency
tumbled in Asia on Monday
morning.
Stock markets also fell sharply,
with Tokyo, Sydney, Shanghai
and Hong Kong each sinking
more than 2 percent by Monday
afternoon.
In India, the benchmark BSE
sensex tanked over 535 points
and the NSE nifty slid below the
8,300 mark in opening trade
today on across-the-board
selling by participants, PTI
reported.
Brokers said widespread selling
by investors as well as funds, in
linewithaglobalsell-offonfears
that Greece may default on a
debt repayment and crash out
of the euro zone, soured the
mood.
The drastic measures to protect
Greeces banking system
against the threat of mass panic
came after the European Central
Bank said it would not increase
its financial support to Greek
lenders, despite early signs of a
chaotic bank run.
In response, angry EU and IMF
creditors rejected a request to
extend the nations bailout
beyond its June 30 expiry date,

sparking fears Greece could
default on a key debt payment
to the IMF due the same day and
possibly crash out of the
eurozone.
Uncertainty over how events
will unfold in coming days
prompted crowds to form long
queues outside some ATMs in
Greece, leaving many cash
machines dry.
BRICS bank,wait till next year
The emerging market BRICS

nations will have their own
development bank by the end
of the year, South Africa said on
Saturday.
The BRICS nations Brazil,
Russia, India,China and South
Africa which represent 40%
of the worlds population and a
quarter of its economic output,
decided in 2013 to create their
own development bank to step
up lending for the infrastructure
projects needed to close the
gap with the industrialised
world.
The bank, which will be
headquartered in Shanghai, is
expected to have up to USD
100billionincapital.
The inaugural meeting of the
board of governors of the New
Development Bank will be held
in the Russian city of Ufa on July
7 to confirm the appointment
of the management of the
lender.
Maasdorp, who heads up
southern African operations for
Bank of America Merrill Lynch,

was formerly an advisor to the
current head of South Africas
central bank, Tito Mboweni, and
supervised the governments
privatisation programme from
1999 to 2002.
UK Warn over EU migrant crisis
deal
An EU deal to relocate 40,000
migrants from Italy and Greece
could be counter-productive
by encouraging more people to
make the perilous journey across
the Mediterranean in smugglers
boats, David Cameron has
warned.
The deal was agreed in the early
hours of yesterday morning after
a fractious meeting during
which Italian prime minister
Matteo Renzi accused some
counterparts of lacking
solidarity because of their
unwillingness to accept
mandatory quotas of migrants.
The EU also agreed to resettle
20,000 refugees from Syria and
Iraq.
It emerged that the expansion
of the UKs contribution to these
schemes will see more than
1,000 people resettled in the
country annually expected
to include around 800 Syrians
over a three-year period.
Mr Cameron said Europes focus
should not be on dispersing the
migrants who cross the
Mediterranean illegally, but
discouraging them from making
the journey in the first place.
Britain was able to avoid
involvement because of a
robust opt-out on EU home
affairsissues.
India ideal for investment
A ranking of destinations for
attractiveness to foreign
investors has placed India at the
top among 110 countries. China
has secured the 65th position
and the U.S. is at the 50th. In
the 2014 index, India was at the
sixth position and Hong Kong
was number one.
The ranking is based on an
index for baseline profitability
that assumes that three factors
affect the ultimate success of a
foreign investment: how much
the value of an asset grows; the
preservation of that value while
the asset is owned; and the
ease of repatriation of proceeds
from selling the asset.
A high ranking indicates high
returns and improving
economic institutions. The
index, thus, compares how local
policies and conditions affect
the same investment in different
countries. Or how the value of
the principal and the return will
change depending only on
where the investment is made.
Local factors can erode profits.
These include payment of
bribes and kickbacks, the risk
of which is compared across
countries using the
Transparency Internationals
Corruption Perceptions Index,
a measure for the perceived
levels of public-sector
corruption worldwide. In 2014,
the country was at the 85th
position out of 175 countries as
compared to its ranking of 94
out of 177 in 2013.
World Bank index
BPI calculation also uses an
index of investor protection
compiled by the World Bank. In
2014, the average BPI score
acrossallcountrieswas0.99;this
year it is 1.03 meaning the
39

expected returns over the next
five years are about threequarters of a per cent higher a
year.
Britishers dream of making a
open-air pool on River Thames
sewage pouring directly into

the river created what was
known as the Great Stink.
Middle east Respiratory Syndrome
outbreak: head bowed, Samsung
heir apologises
Work to build an open-air pool

on the River Thames in central
London could start this year as
more Britons dip their toes into
the waters of outdoor
swimming.
An online campaign to raise
125,000 to build a pool in the
Thames fed by filtered river
water, downriver from the
Houses of Parliament and the
London Eye, has already
exceeded its target on funding
platform Kickstarter.
Chris Romer-Lee, one of the
brains behind the campaign,
hopes this will be enough to
submit the planning application
on the heated pool, which will
cost an estimated 11 million
overall, by the end of the year.
Mr. Romer-Lee added that the
scheme, which has drawn
support from over 1,200
people, comes at the right time
because theres been a
resurgence in outdoor
swimming.
Outdoor swimming has long
been a niche hobby for some in
the capital, who frequent cold,
The Thames was declared
biologically dead in 1957, while
in 1858, the amount of raw
40
Samsungs heir apparent on

Tuesday bowed in apology for
one of the groups flagship
hospitals epicentre of the MERS
outbreak as South Korea
reported three new cases, but
no additional deaths.
There are now 175 confirmed
cases in what is the largest
outbreak outside Saudi Arabia.
Samsung Medical Centre in
Seoul has accounted for about
half of all confirmed cases in
South Korea. Samsung Medical
Centre has failed [to control] the
infection and spread of the
virus, causing great pain and
concern to the people, said Jay
Y. Lee, vice chairman of
Samsung Electronics. I
apologise, with my head
bowed, he said before he
bowed deeply in front of TV
cameras in a live public apology.
He promised to thoroughly
overhaul the medical centre. Its
position as one of the countrys
most prestigious hospitals has
been seriously tainted by the
outbreak.
Eurozone finance chiefs look
for Greek deal later this week
Eurozone Finance Ministers
broke off talks on Monday

without an agreement on
Greeces bailout, saying they
aim to reach a deal later this
week that might keep the
country from defaulting and
falling out of the currency union.
The lack of a result leaves a
summit of government leaders
later in the day with few
prospects of making any
concrete decisions on the
countryscrisis.
Greece needs more loans from
its creditors, which include its
fellow eurozone states and the
International Monetary Fund, in
time for June 30, when it faces
a debt repayment it cannot
afford. The country has been
negotiating for four months
what economic reforms it should
make to get the money.
Earlier on Monday, the Greek
government submitted
proposals to its creditors aimed
at breaking the deadlock over
thecrisis.
Buying Greece critical time on
Monday, the European Central
Bank for a third time in less than
a week increased its emergency
funding to Greek lenders to
stanch heavy deposit
withdrawals, according to a
Greek banking official with
knowledge of the decision who
spoke on the condition of
anonymity.
World takes to mat, bend, twist

to mark Yoga Day
Thousands of yoga enthusiasts
across the world took to mats
and stretched, bent and
twisted their bodies in multiple
complex postures as they
marked the inaugural
International Day of Yoga,
celebrating the ancient Indian
spiritualpractice.

More than a thousand people

took part in several events
across Australia to mark the day,
with Prime Minister Tony Abott
appreciating Yogas universal
appeal.
For thousands of years, yoga has
provided its followers with a
guide to bringing their mind,
body and spirit into balance,
Mr. Abott said.
Melbourne saw over 500
people gathered at the
Springers Leisure Centre to kick
off the day with Surya
Namaskar and bending and
twisting their bodies in complex
postures.
Several MPs including Victorias
speaker Telmo Languiller, Inga
Peulich, Anthony Byrne
attended the ceremony by
lighting the lamp in the
presence of Indian consulgeneral in Melbourne Manika
Jain.
Yoga events were also held at
Sydneys popular Bondi beach
and in the Australian capital
Canberra.
In the U.K., hundreds gathered
across cities to celebrate the
day with the main event on the
bank of the river Thames in
London. It was held at BernieSpain Garden, on the South
Bank of Thames.
British Prime Minister David
Cameron said in his message:
The UK is pleased to support
International Yoga Day. We
were one of 177 countries to
vote in favour of Prime Minister

Modis proposal and we are
pleased to see the enthusiasm
with which it is being
embraced, both in UK and
around the world.
In China, events were organised
at the prestigious Peking
University and Geely University.
People from different walks of
life took part in the exercise.
About a week ahead of the
International Yoga Day, the
India-China Yoga college was
inaugurated at Yunnan Minzu
University in Kunming, the first
such college in the country.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Kimoon expressed his excitement
at the first International Day of
Yoga during his meeting with
Swaraj in New York, saying the
day has garnered
unprecedented enthusiasm
around the world.
More than 4,000 people
participated in a two-hour
programme held at 50 centres
across Singapore. The event was
led by High Commissioner Vijay
Thakur Singh and Singapores
Minister in The Prime Ministers
Office, Grace Fu.
We have an overwhelming
response to the first
International Yoga day in
Singapore people from
diplomatic corps, business
executives and Singaporeans
from all walks of life
participated, Mr. Singh said.
In Thailand, an open field at a
Bangkok university was turned
into a yoga studio as
thousands of Thais, Indians and
other expatriates gathered to
celebrate the day.
More than 7,400 people were
on the grounds at Chulalongkorn
University to participate in the

event organised by the Indian
Embassy.
Yoga experts from India gave a
demonstration followed by
common Yoga Protocol to all
participants for 33 minutes.
Similar events were also held at
Chiangmai, Phuket and Pattaya.
The whole event was superb,
the participation was
extraordinary from schools and
universitiesinThailand,Indias
Ambassador to Thailand Harsh
Vardan Shringla said.
Thailands minister of tourism
and sports Kobkarn
Wattanavrangkul was the chief
guest at the event attended by
ambassadors, representatives
from the UN and Indian
associations.
In Vietnam, hundreds took part
in the celebrations at Hanois
Quan Ngua Sports Palace, and
in Ho Chi Minh city and seven
other provinces.
The response was amazing, way
beyond our expectations,
Preeti Saran, Indias ambassador
to Vietnam said.
In Hanoi, at least 4,000
spectators watched 800 people
perform yoga asanas. In Ho Chi
Minh, there was a turnout of
3,000 people who watched
500 people do yoga.
The International Day for Yoga
was also held across Japan.
Indias Ambassador to Japan
Deepa Wadhwa said Tokyo
itself had several events on the
Yoga Day.
Wadhwa flagged off at the
premises of a Japanese school
where around 500 yoga
enthusiasts were attending.
A similar event was held in Paris,
where people dressed in white
sat on mats under the Eiffel
41

Tower and practiced yoga.
Other ASEAN nations such as
Malaysia, Vietnam, and the
Philippines, also joined the
world in celebrating the ancient
Indian spiritual practice.
June 21 was declared as the
International Day of Yoga by the
UN General Assembly in
December, 2014.
177 nations, out of 193 member
states of the UN joined as cosponsors, creating a new record
for the highest number of cosponsoring countries ever for an
UNGA Resolution of such
nature.
Worlds largest book on display
in Australian library
The worlds largest book, a giant

atlas - Earth Platinum - weighing
150 kg, has been put on display
at the State Library here, media
reported.
Over 100 international
cartographers, geographers and
photographers were involved in
the production of the atlas
which contains 128 pages 61
pages of maps and 27 images
of famous locations including
VaticanCitysSt.PetersBasilica
and Perus ancient ctadel,
Machu Picchu.
We have cure for Ebola, AIDS:
N. Korea
North Korea says it has
succeeded where the greatest
minds in science have failed.
It announced it has a drug can
prevent and cure MERS, Ebola,
42
SARS and AIDS.

The secretive state did not
provide proof, and the claim is
likely to provoke widespread
scepticism.
The official Korean Central
News Agency said scientists
developed Kumdang-2 from
ginseng grown from fertilizer
mixed with rare-earth elements.
According to the pro-North
Korea website Minjok Tongshin,
the drug was originally
produced in 1996.
LeT operates freely in
Pakistan: report
The U.S. performed a careful
balancing act by calling
Pakistan,anallyinitsfightagainst
terror, both a target of numerous
terrorist attacks and also as a
country that had failed to act
effectively against groups that
threatened India, such as
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Even though the U.S.
considered Pakistan a critical
counterterrorism partner
plagued with numerous violent
extremist groups, it described
counterterrorism cooperation
with Islamabad during 2014 as
mixed, particularly given
Pakistans continued denial of
visas for U.S. trainers focused on
law enforcement and civilian
counterterrorism assistance.
The report also remarked upon
the region-wide effects of
Pakistan allowing LeT to operate
freely on its soil, citing the May
26, 2014 attack by the terror
outfit against the Indian
consulate in Herat, Afghanistan.
No grace period for Greece: IMF
International Monetary Fund
chief Christine Lagarde warned
Athens it cannot delay a huge
payment due at the end of the
month, piling on the pressure as

eurozone Ministers sought a
deal on the Greek debt crisis.
Ms. Lagarde laid down the law

as German Chancellor Angela
Merkel said she was still
convinced an agreement was
possible to save Greece from
defaulting and crashing out of
the euro if Athens made
concessions.
There will be no period of
grace, Ms. Lagarde told
reporters in Luxembourg. I
have a term of June 30 if its
notpaidbyJuly1,itsnotpaid.
The crisis is nearing a climax
with Greeces international
bailout due to end on June 30
before Athens gets the last 7.2billion ($8.1 billion) tranche,
and without a deal it will be
unable to pay the IMF.
Pak.-Russia deal on Mi-35
copters
Pakistanisclosetofinaliseadeal
with Russia to buy Mi-35 (Hind
E) attack helicopters, a sign of
increasing defence ties
between the Cold War-era
adversaries.
The deal is believed to be
signed after the conclusion of
Army chief General Raheel
Sharifs three-day visit to
Moscow.
An agreement would be signed
very soon, the Dawn quoted a
defence official as saying.

Colombo notifies 20th
Amendment
Even as certain sections of
political parties in Sri Lanka
continue to have reservations
over the latest version of the
proposed 20th Amendment,
the government has gone
ahead with the notification of
the draft legislation in the
gazette.
As per the decision taken by the
Cabinet last week, the overall
size of Parliament will be 237, a
rise of 12 compared to the
existinglegislature.Ofthis,145
members will be elected
directly, through the system of
first past the post (FPTP).
Though the notification does
not talk of proportional
representation (PR) numbers,
this can be taken as 55, after
taking into account the number
of directly-elected members
(145) and the nomination of 37
persons to the national list,
which has also been mentioned
inthenotification.
The notification provides the
scope for the Delimitation
Commission for creating multimember polling divisions and,
in any event, the number of
members to be elected through
such a division should not
exceed three.
The Tamil Progressive Alliance
(TPA), Tamil National Alliance
(TNA), Sri Lanka Muslim
Congress and the All Ceylon
Makkal Congress are among
those which have expressed
objections to the proposed
Amendment in the present
form. Even the ruling United
National Party is not happy with
the move to increase the size of
Parliament.
Campaign for Free and Fair

Elections (CaFFE) executive
director Rajith Keerthi
Tennakoon feels that the
demand of double ballot
system can be accommodated.
He also wants the government
to establish independent
Election Commission and Police
Commission, as envisaged in the
19th Amendment, before the
parliamentary elections are
held.
Five-time Turkish President
dead
Turkeys former President and
Prime Minister Suleyman
Demirel,apoliticalgiantforover
half a century who survived two
military coups and a ban on
holding office, died. He was 90.
Mr. Demirel served as Prime
Minister on repeated occasions
in the 1960s and 1970s and
then again one final time in the
1990s before serving as head of
state from 1993 to 2000.
In all, he was Prime Minister of
seven different governments,
servingfiveseparatestintsinthe
post.
Russia to get 40 new ICBMs this
year
Russias military this year alone

will receive over 40 new
intercontinental ballistic
missiles capable of piercing any
missile defences, President
Vladimir Putin said in a blunt
reminder of the nations nuclear

might amid tensions with the
West over Ukraine.
Mr. Putin made the statement at
the opening of an arms show at
a shooting range in Alabino just
west of Moscow, a huge display
intended to showcase the
nationsresurgentmilitarymight.
Speaking at the arms show, He
vowed to continue a big arms
modernisation programme
despite the nations economic
downturn.
He also noted that the military
was to start testing its new longrange early warning radar
intended to monitor the
western direction and later will
deploy another one in the east.
U.N. envoy hails 19th
amendment
The 19th Constitutional
Amendment, envisaging the
dilution of powers of the
Executive Presidency and other
constitutional reforms in Sri
Lanka, has come in for
appreciation of the United
Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Zeid Raad Al
Hussein.
In his opening statement to the
29th session of the Human
Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Al
Hussein of Jordan, who assumed
charge in September last year,
said the Amendment, if
implemented appropriately,
brought a renewed hope for
democracy and the rule of law.
He called upon the Sri Lankan
government to consult
broadly with all political
parties,civilsociety,andvictims
and their families to ensure full
national support and ownership
of the processes.
Addressing a seminar organised
43

by the Presidential Secretariat,
Jayantha Dhanapala, former
U.N. Under Secretary-General,
said the passage of the
amendment was a milestone
towards the process of
establishing a new atmosphere
of candour and confidence.
Sirisena appoints
Defence chief
Two senior slots in the armed
forces of Sri Lanka were filled
with President Maithripala
Sirisena appointing Air Chief
Marshal Kolitha Gunathilaka as
the new Chief of Defence Staff
and Air Marshal Gagan
Bulathsinhala as the new Air
Force Commander.
Mr. Sirisena, who also holds the
portfolio of Defence, handed
over the letters of appointment
to the two officers at his office.
CIA may have conducted

human experiments
A secret internal document of

the U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) contains
guidance on human
experimentation for Agency
officers, it has emerged, and
experts have challenged the
Agencys claim that it abided by
limitations set for such
experimentation even as it
engaged in brutal
psychologist-designed torture
programmes.
The document, titled Law and
Policy Governing the Conduct
44
of Intelligence Activities, was

obtained under the Freedom of
Information Act by the
American Civil Liberties Union .
It still is an active set of
procedural guidelines, covering
the enhanced interrogation
techniques regime that was
promulgated after the 9/11
terrorattacks.
Under a section outlining
limitations on human
experimentation, the
document requires that the CIA
shall not sponsor, contract for,
or conduct research on human
subjects outside of instructions
on responsible and humane
medical practices set for the
entire U.S. government by the
Department of Health and
Human Services.
However the document goes
on to provide a measure of
discretion to the CIA Director,
a post held by George Tenet
during the Bush years, to
approve, modify, or
disapprove all proposals
pertaining to human subject
research.
Experts such as Harvard
Universitys Nathaniel Raymond
were quoted in The Guardian
saying that in the case of
interrogation of some detainees
such as terror suspect Abu
Zubaydah the presence of
medical personnelwas
difficult to reconcile with both
the CIAs internal requirement
of informed consent on human
experimentation subjects and
responsible medical practices.
The Agency came under
immense pressure last year
when a Senate Intelligence
Committee report laid bare the
extent of its torture programme
and found that it were
ineffective in locating major

terrorists despite the CIAs
repeated claims to the contrary.
Some internal e-mails from the
CIA were published in the
media, including one on
Zubaydahs interrogation, in
which an attending medical
officer said the inmate seems
very resistant to the water
board No useful information
so far. When the Senate report
came out it was evident that a
wide range of brutal techniques
was used including keeping
detainees in complete darkness
and depriving them of sleep for
up to 180 hours.
Indian-origin teen is youngest
IS suicide bomber
A 17-year old has become the

United Kingdoms youngest
suicide bomber, according to
yet-to-be officially
corroborated news on jihadi
websites. Teenager Talha
Asmal, who was recruited online
by the Islamic State, blew
himself up in the Iraqi town of
Baiji.
His distraught and devastated
family,ofGujaratiorigin,sayshe
was a caring and affable
teenager who the IS groomed
over the internet in the space
of a few months. They are
outraged that the IS preyed on
his innocence and vulnerability
before sending him on the
suicide mission.
He had slipped out of the house

in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire,
this April, with his friend Hassan
Munshi, after telling the family
that he was going on a school
trip. Hassan Munshi is the
brother of Britains youngest
convicted terrorist, Hammaad
Munshi.
The executive principal of
Asmals sixth form educational
institution, Lorraine Barker,
described him to The Times as
quiet and conscientious, and
said his case was yet another
warning to parents and teachers
who, she urged, must increase
theirvigilanceovertheinsidious
role of online indoctrination.
Reports of his death have been
carriedonjihadi-linkedinternet
sites but have not yet been
corroborated by the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office.

His parents, Ibrahim and
Noorjahan, who confirmed that
the photograph is that of their
son, said in a statement issued
through the police: If the press
reports are accurate, he was
ordered to his death by socalled Isis handlers and leaders
too cowardly to do their own
dirty work.
The number of foreign fighters
in Iraq and Syria now exceeds
20,000 more than the
number in the Afghan conflict
of the 1980s, said Paul
Neumann, Director of the
International Centre for the
Study of Radicalisation and
Political Violence at Kings
College London.
In a survey of foreign fighters in

Iraq and Syria published this
January, Professor Neumann
gave 500-600 as the figure of
fighters from the U.K. He said
France, Germany and the U.K.
have th largest contingents from
Europe.
He estimated that between 5
and 10 per cent of the
foreigners have died, and that a
further 10-30 per cent of them
have left the conflict zone and
have either come back home or
arelivingintransitcountries.As
a consequence, the number of
foreigners that are currently on
the ground in Syria and Iraq is
likely to be significantly less
than the figures provided, his
study stated.
45
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India & The World
INDIA & THE WORLD

India, Kyrgyzstan plan antiterror pact
Voicing grave concern over the

rising trend of extremism and
terrorism the world over, India
and Kyrgyzstan on Sunday
signed four agreements
including one to boost defence
cooperation and hold annual
jointmilitaryexercises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
who arrived here on Saturday
nightaspartofhiseight-daysixnation tour of Central Asia,
emphasised the need to
combat terrorism and
extremism which he described
as a threat without borders.
The agreements include those
on defence cooperation and
culture. An MoU each was
signed for cooperation
between the Election
Commissions of the two
countries and on cooperation in
the sphere of Standards, a move
that will help economic
relations.
A joint statement released later
said both sides expressed
grave concern at the rising
trend of extremism, radicalism
and terrorism in the region and
whole world.
46
Secularism lauded
It said the Indian side highly
appreciated the steps taken by
the Kyrgyz government in
combating terrorism and in
retaining the secular character
of Kyrgyz society.
The Prime Minister underlined
thathisvisittoallfivecountries
in the region demonstrates the
importance that we attach to a
new level of relationship with
Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a key
partofthatvision.
Noting that the bilateral
defence ties are strong, he said
a joint exercise Khanjar 2015
has just been completed.
Support for U.N. seat
Thanking Kyrgyzstans strong

support to Indias candidature
for permanent membership in
an expanded United Nations
Security Council, Mr. Modi
sought Mr. Atambaevs support
for early completion of the
reforms in the world body.
China troubles are not good
news for India: Assocham
Economic troubles for China will
not be great news for India,
which cannot be in sweet spot
as there would be more
negatives than positives from
the ripples of a Dragon

dragging the shaky world
economy, Assocham has
warned.
While it is true that fall in
commodity prices, linked to
Chinas slow demand, is a
positive for India, the
development is not all that
positive for a host of metal and
iron ore producers such as SAIL,
Tata Steel, NMDC and upstream
oil producers.
Asharpfallinironore,steeland
copper prices has equally hit
the Indian manufacturers as any
other company in the world,
said an Assocham paper, which
analysed the impact of the
problems in China on Indian
economy.
If a bubble-like situation erupts
from China, the impact will be
seen all around the world to
which the Indian economy is
too well entrenched into, the
Assocham paper has pointed
out. China is number one
merchandise trader in the world
with over $4.16 trillion worth of
trade, followed by the U.S. with
$3.9trillion.Ifthereisashakeout, a slew of sectors in the
global markets, which get their
sizeable chunk of revenue from
China - tourism, hotels,
education, health, and others will feel the immediate impact.
With $94 billion imports and
barely $12 billion exports, India
runs a huge trade imbalance
with China, the paper has
added.

India & The World

SCO can help ease India-Pak.
tensions
Eurasia through the

establishment of physical and
cyber connectivity, energy
pipelines, industrial parks and
smart cities along a contiguous
corridor.
Gwadar Corridor
China and Russia are aspiring to

play a major role in resolving
differences between India and
Pakistan within the framework
of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) a move
that both see as necessary to
integrate the economies of
Eurasia along the New Silk Road.
A commentary in Chinas staterun Xinhua news agency
observes that the inclusion of
India and Pakistan in the SCO
a decision that was taken last
Friday during the groupings
summit in Ufa will enhance
the organisations influence
and appeal at the international
stage.
It then stresses that the
inclusion of New Delhi and
Islamabad in the grouping will
help improve bilateral relations
by ironing out differences
within the SCO framework.
Welcoming the two nations into
the group, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said: We know
the background of the
relationship. We hope the SCO
will be able to facilitate a
compromise between India and
Pakistan.
Analysts say any appreciable
reduction in India-Pakistan
tensions can boost the
prospects of realising the Chinadriven Belt and Road project.
The initiative is meant to
integrate the economies of
China and Pakistan have

decided to establish a GwadarKashgar economic corridor
under the Belt and Road
project, but India objects to it
as it passes through Pakistanoccupied Kashmir.
India has rejected the assertion,
but Pakistan has accused New
Delhi of aiding insurgency and
imposing impediments in
Baluchistan, through which the
proposed corridor would pass.
China is aware that an IndiaPakistan rapprochement, by
lowering suspicions, can
contributetothestabilisationof
Afghanistan, benefiting the
regional stakeholders including
New Delhi and Islamabad.
On India and Pakistan, the
Xinhua commentary says that
apart from mending fences
between traditional rivals, the
SCO expansion also bodes well
for countering terrorism and
extremism in the region, a key
task for the SCO since its
establishment.
Since India and Pakistan face
the challenges of terrorism,
separatism and extremism, their
future entry into the SCO will
be a positive step for their
domestic security, and will
extend the anti-terrorism
network.
Modi pushes for TAPI project
pitched for early
implementation of the $10-
billion TAPI gas pipeline

project during his talks with
Turkmenistan President
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov
as the two countries inked seven
pacts to ramp up engagement
in key areas such as defence.
During their comprehensive

talks, both leaders resolved to
step up efforts against the crossborder threats of terrorism,
organised crime and illegal
drug-trafficking as they
reaffirmed their commitment for
a stable Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister identified
terrorism as a major threat facing
the region, and said, We have
shared interest in a peaceful
and stable Afghanistan and
Central Asia. We have also
common purpose in combating
terrorism and extremism in our
region.
Terming the TAPI
(Turkmenistan-AfghanistanPakistan-India) project a
significant initiative in the
relationship between the two
countries, Mr. Modi said he
conveyed
to
Mr.
Berdimukhamedov that
multiple options such as the
possibility of a land-sea route
through Iran for the pipeline
should be explored.
The TAPI gas project is an over
1,800-km pipeline with a design
capacity to supply 3.2 billion
cubic feet of natural gas a year
from Turkmenistan to
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
47

India & The World

The pipeline is expected to be
operational by 2018 and will
carry gas from the Galkynysh
field of Turkmenistan that holds
gas reserves of 16 trillion cubic
feet.
would visit Islamabad in 2016

for the SAARC summit, but
made no commitment on
restarting dialogue.
India to become full member by

2016
India was on Friday accepted

as a full member of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation
(SCO), a six-member regional
grouping, to which Prime
Minister Narendra Modi offered
to work in combating terror and
boosting trade by easing
barriers.
India, which has had an
observer status for the past 10
years, will technically become
a member by next year after
completion of certain
procedures.
The Beijing-based SCO
currently has China, Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as
members. Along with India, the
process to include Pakistan as a
member was initiated here on
Friday.
Modi optimistic about Pakistan
tour
meeting with his Pakistani
counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, on
the sidelines of the Shanghai
summit in Ufa, Russia, ended
with an announcement that he
48
In a joint statement after the

meeting that lasted more than
an hour at the Congress Hall of
Ufa, the Prime Ministers tasked
Foreign Secretaries S.
Jaishankar and Aizaz
Chowdhury with announcing a
five-pronged statement of
progress in their discussions,
including meetings between
National Security Advisers Ajit
Doval and Sartaj Aziz and
between military and border
security force chiefs of the two
nations, and discussing ways
and means to expedite the
Mumbai 26/11 trial and
providing voice samples as
evidence.
WikiLeaks new disclosure
Top Indian security agencies
were secretly negotiating with
Italian cyber-surveillance firm
Hacking Team to procure
software for intercepting
communications through
remote bugging of devices,
reveals the purported internal
Hacking Team e-mail
exchanges released by
WikiLeaks on Thursday.
The emails are part of the 440gigabyteinternaldatastolenthis
week through a major cyber
attack on the firm, a major
portion of which has been made
public.
Of the one million e-mails, 3,000

pertain to the firms Indiancentric activities beginning
August 2011. The
communication chain reveals
details of the companys
dealings with the Research &
Analysis Wing, Intelligence
Bureau and various State
intelligenceunits.
E-mails reveal that the Hacking
Team reaches out to the
government allegedly via third
party vendors that suggest
requirement-based solution.
The two prominent vendors in
India as per the email
archives are Israel-based
NICE Systems and SEMCO, an
industrial house in India.
Customers being addressed by
SEMCO India in the e-mails
include the Cabinet Secretariat
and intelligence units in Delhi,
Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Gujarat. In the
past, Hacking Team
representatives have been in
touch with the police in
Chennai, Hyderabad and
Kolkata.
New pathway for Cruise liners
to link Queen of Arabian Sea
Luxury cruise liners will

commence operations from Sri
Lanka to Kerala on October 2,
Gandhi Jayanthi Day, giving a
fillip to the burgeoning tourism
industry.
The launch of cruise ships
between the island nation and

India & The World

Kerala follows the efforts of
Kerala Tourism and Minister for
Tourism A.P. Anil Kumar to
increase the footfalls to the
State during the Visit Kerala
Year.
The services are being
launched by the Colombobased Herbilan Cruises Lanka
Pvt Ltd (HCLPL) and will go on
till March 2017.
The seven day-six night
services using a cruise ship
bearing Panama flag will be on
the Colombo-Kochi-MaldivesColombo sector.
Modis new proposal for BRICS
nations
Pitching for closer cooperation
and coordination among BRICS
nations, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Thursday
proposed a 10-point initiative
that includes India hosting the
first trade fair for the grouping
and establishing research
centres for railways and
agriculture.
Accent on consensus
At the plenary session, the
Prime Minister said that the
challenges that the world is
faced with are for every country.
Its important to have consensus,
collaboration and cooperation
between all major nations.
The proposed initiatives for the
BRICS include a trade fair, a
Railway Research Centre,
cooperation among supreme
audit institutions, a Digital
Initiative and an Agricultural
Research Centre.
U.S.-India FATCA scheduled to
kick in on September 30
Under the Foreign Account Tax
Compliance Act (FATCA)
signed by India and the U.S.

here on Thursday, foreign
financialinstitutionsintheU.S.
will have to provide information
about Indian account holders to
the U.S. governments Internal
Revenue Service (IRS), which
will forward the information to
the Indian government.
The Indian government will

provide similar information to
the IRS. This automatic
exchange of information is
scheduled to begin on
September 30.
For example, the State Bank of
India will have to provide
information regarding the
investments by any U.S. citizen,
even NRIs, to the Indian revenue
authorities in a prescribed
format regularly. The Indian
government will then forward
that information to the IRS.
The government in December
got the go-ahead of the Special
Investigation Team on black
money to sign international
treaties that included
confidentiality clauses, an issue
that had until then prevented
India from agreeing to FATCA.
Last month, India joined 59
countries in the Multilateral
Competent Authority
Agreement on the Automatic
Exchange of Financial Account
Information.
This agreement obliges
signatories to exchange a wide
range of financial information
among themselves periodically
and automatically.
U.S. in talks with other nations

The U.S. government enacted
FATCA in 2010 to obtain
information on accounts held
by US taxpayers in other
countries.
As of now, the U.S. has such
agreements with more than 110
jurisdictions and is engaged in
related discussions with many
otherjurisdictions.
Financial institutions such as
banks, brokerages or mutual
funds that do not comply with
this agreement will face a 30 per
cent withholding tax on all
payments from the U.S.
Modi, Putin discuss Indias
accession to Shanghai block

and Russian President Vladimir
Putin on Wednesday resolved
to take strategic bilateral ties
forward and discussed Indias
accession to the Shanghai
(SCO).
Mr. Modi, who is here primarily
for BRICS and Shanghai
summits, thanked Mr. Putin for
the welcome he got on his
arrivalearlierintheday.
He also thanked the Russian
President with regard to India
getting the membership of SCO
with the process set to be
complete by next year. Mr.
Modi mentioned that Mr. Putin
himself called him to inform
49

India & The World

about the decision of the sixnation grouping.
The Prime Minister, while
talking about the close
relationship between India and
Russia, said he would be visiting
this country again later this year
for the annual bilateral summit
meeting.
the two countries inked three

pacts to boost cooperation
between their foreign offices
and in the field of culture and
tourism.
Israel appreciate Indias stand

at Gaza vote
Israel on Wednesday hailed
Indias abstention at the UNHRC
vote on Gaza war as a
qualitativeleapinbilateralties
that made it a normal relation
without hangups, even as India
maintained that the vote does
not mark any shift in its policy
on the Palestinian cause.
The remarks came as India and
Israel held Foreign Office
Consultations (FOC), days after
the highly publicised vote.
The consultations were led by
Secretary (East) at Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA), Anil
Wadhwa, and his Israeli
counterpart, Director General
Dore Gold.
Israel is said to have expressed
itsappreciationforIndiasstand
during the vote at the United
Nations Human Rights Council
(UNHRC).
The FOC is a routine dialogue
between the two sides to
review bilateral relations and
not related to the vote.
India, Uzbekistan ink pacts to
boost cooperation
OnhisfirstvisittoCentralAsian
countries, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Monday held
talks with Uzbekistan President
Islam Karimov on key bilateral
and regional issues including
the situation in Afghanistan as
50
Mr. Modi, who arrived here in

the Uzbek capital on the first leg
of his eight-day visit to Central
Asia and Russia, was received
at the airport by his counterpart
Shavkat Miromonovich
Mirziyoyev and was accorded a
ceremonial welcome.
Mr. Modi and Mr. Karimov
discussed ways to enhance
strategic, economic and energy
ties apart from reviewing key
regional issues including the
situation in Afghanistan.
India mulling proposal to join
Eurasian Economic Union

ongoing visit to Russia and five
Central Asian nations could
expedite the feasibility studies
under way to assess whether
India should sign a free trade
agreement (FTA) with the
Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU).
Even as it is yet to firm up its
agreements with the European
Union, India is considering the
option of signing a pact with the

EEU, which has Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Armenia as members, and will
see the inclusion of Tajikistan
laterthisyear.
Joint study group
According to government
officials, a joint study group,
headed by a Joint Secretary in
the Ministry of Commerce, has
been mandated to study the
benefits of joining the trade
bloc, but with the emphasis on
enhancing trade and
investment ties with the Central
Asian countries, there is a
possibility that an agreement
could be on the cards soon.
An invitation to join the bloc was
extended by Russia, and a joint
statement for establishment of
a joint study group between
India and the EEU was signed
when Commerce and Industry
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
visited Russia recently.
A senior official on condition of
anonymity said though India is
keen to secure its position vis-vis tariff lines, it is also
considering signing up with
different trade blocs like the
Latin American Integration
Association (ALADI) which
now has 13 members, the North
American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) and the
ASEAN Free Trade Area
(AFTA).
India is keen to enhance its ties
with the Central Asian countries,
which have huge oil and gas
reserves and are an important
link to Afghanistan.
Free trade pacts
While officials are weighing up
the consequences of joining
the EEU and the EU, there are
also reports of Iran, Egypt and

India & The World

Israelconsideringthepossibility
of signing free trade agreements
with the EEU. Vietnam too has
signed a free trade agreement
with the EEU.
Palestine disappoint with indias
stand
The Ministry of External Affairs
has denied emphatically that
there was any change in Indias
long-standing position on
support to the Palestinian
cause while explaining Indias
decision to abstain from voting
at the UN Human Rights Council
resolution on Israels attacks on
Gaza in 2014.
In an interview Palestinian
Ambassador to India, Adnan
Abu Alhaija termed Indias
explanation of vote (EOV)
unconvincing, pointing out
that other non-signatories to the
International Criminal Court
(ICC) like Russia and China had
supported the resolution.
India was among five countries
which abstained, while 41
countries voted in favour of the
resolution, and the United
States remained the only
country to vote against it.
According to one source, the
Palestine government was told
about the Indian reservations
on the ICC in Geneva.
India looking to import LNG
from Canada
Energy-hungry India is looking

to import liquefied natural gas
(LNG) from Canada to meet its
requirements.
Oil Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan met Canadian Minister
for Natural Resources Greg
Rickford at the second IndiaCanada Ministerial Energy
Dialogue in Calgary to discuss
enhancing energy cooperation
between the two countries.
The areas of cooperation
discussed at the meeting
included oil, natural gas, clean
energy, power transmission and
skill development, an official
statement said here today.
Canada could potentially
supply a significant amount of
the 44 billion cubic metres of
natural gas that India is forecast
to import annually by 2025, the
statement said.
State-owned Indian Oil Corp
(IOC) has already taken a 10 per
cent stake in the Pacific
NorthWest LNG, while real
estate firm Hiranandani Group
has announced plans to
develop a 4.5 million tonnes per
annum LNG export terminal in
Melford, Nova Scotia at an
estimated cost of $3.3 billion by
2020.
While India is fourth-largest
energy consumer, Canada is a
secure, reliable and responsible
producer and supplier of
energy to the world and has the
resources and expertise
needed to support Indias
growing energy needs, the
statement said.
India, in 2009, had for the first
time imported Canadian oil. In
2014, India imported 1,500
barrels of Canadian oil per day.
In March 2014, IOC acquired 10
per cent stake in an integrated
LNG project Pacific
Northwest LNG proposed at
Lelu Island, British Columbia.
India trying to come closer with

Israel in U.N.
The government denied what

appeared to be a major shift in
Indias policy on Israel,
particularly on UN votes related
to the Palestinian cause, after it
abstained from a vote against
Israel at the UN Human Rights
Council in Geneva on Friday.
The resolution (A/HRC/29/L.35)
had welcomed the UN Human
Rights Council report, which
found evidence of alleged war
crimes committed by both
Israel and Hamas during the
Gaza conflict in 2014,
particularly calling for
accountabilityofIsraeliofficials.
Significantly, India had voted
againstIsraelandinfavourofthe
UNHRC resolution in July 2014
that had instituted this very
inquiry report into the Gaza
violence in which more than
2,300 had been killed in Israeli
airstrikes on Gaza.
No policy shift: Govt.
However the government
denied any policy shift,
indicating that India abstained
because the UNHRC resolution
had included a reference to
takingIsraeltotheInternational
Criminal Court, which India
considers intrusive.
Forty one countries voted in
favour of the resolution against
Israel, while only the U.S. voted
against.
51

India & The World

Islamic State terror & Modis
Central Asia visit
2016 campaign announcement

on Twitter on Wednesday
afternoon.
Hospitals at age 24, has also

been elected twice to Congress
before he entered the
Governors office in 2008.
Chinese u-turn on Lakhvi
Countering the spread of Islamic

State(IS)terrorwillbeakeypart
of Prime Minister Narendra
Modis eight-day visit to five
Central Asian states
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan next week
(July 6-13), as those states gear
up to battle the Islamic States
risinginfluence.
Mr Modi will also travel to the
Russian city of Ufa to attend the
BRICS and SCO summits
affording him two opportunities
to meet the Central Asian
leaders and discuss counterterrorism cooperation, sources
told The Hindu .
In particular the announcement
this week of Colonel Gulmurod
Khalimov, commander of
Tajikistans Interior Ministry
Special Forces, joining the IS
forces in Syria has sent
shockwaves through these
states that are known for
practising a moderate, multiethnic version of Islam.
Bobby Jindal enters race for
White House
The U.S. appeared to move one
step closer towards the
possibility, however remote, of
having its first ever IndianAmerican president when
Louisiana Governor Piyush
Bobby Jindal (44) made his
52
On the micro-blogging site he

said, Im running for President
of the U.S. Join me, and There
were three people I think you
would agree my wife Supriya
and I had to tell first with a
link to his campaign website
showing video clips of the
Jindal family talking about his
entry in their back garden.
Mr. Jindal, who is the son of
immigrants from Punjab state in
India, is considered a strong
social conservative whose
hopes for the Republican
presidential nomination will rest
upon his appeal amongst
evangelical voters and his
reputation as a man of ideas.
He will have to squeeze every
last drop of faith in his
leadership from these groups
because even as the two-term
Governor embarks on his
campaign without the national
renown of rivals such as Mr.
Bush, the son and brother of
former presidents, and Florida
Senator Marco Rubio, a favourite
of the Latino community, he is
likely to face stiff competition
from a dozen contenders
already in the race, and more
who may join.
Mr. Jindal, who was a Rhodes
scholar at Oxford University and
rose rapidly through Louisianas
state government to become
the states Secretary of the
Department of Health and
India has taken up the issue of

China blocking its move at the
United Nations to seek action
againstPakistanforreleasingthe
26/11 mastermind Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi at the highest
levelwithBeijing.
It is not clear how Indias
reaction to Beijing was
conveyed, but highest level
points to the Prime Minister.
Indias bid to seek action against
Pakistan was blocked by China
on the grounds that New Delhi
had not given sufficient
information.
This move comes a little over a
month after New Delhi and
Beijing agreed to deepen their
commitment to fight terror,
during Prime Minister Narendra
Modis visit to the country.
A spokesperson for the Ministry
of External Affairs said: The
government had taken up the
issue of violation of the 1267
sanctions regime in respect of
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Our concerns in this matter
were conveyed to the Chair of
the 1267 committee. We also
raised this bilaterally with the
other members of the
committee.
In the case of China, this matter
has been taken up at the highest
level.

India & The World

India wants to come closer with
Iran
India has begun to reset its ties
with Iran, notwithstanding the
uncertainty surrounding the
negotiations between the
Persian Gulf nation and the
P5+1 (the U.K., China, France,
Russia and the U.S.; and
Germany) as the June 30
deadline for clinching a nuclear
agreement draws near.
After cutting down oil imports
from Tehran in the recent past
following sanctions, India is
now keen on pushing for
connectivity with Iran, which
will pave the way for its entry
into Afghanistan and the Central
Asian region.
An inter-government
memorandum of understanding
signed in May for the
development of the Chabahar
Port in Iran, a recent visit by
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar
for Foreign Office discussions,
and the impetus being given to
the North-South Transport
Corridor are perceived as
attempts to mend ties.
New Delhi has also ignored
cautionary voices from the U.S.
not to rush into doing business
with Iran till it firms up the
nuclear deal with it.
After its meeting on June 12,
members of the International
North-South Transport Corridor
(INSTC) reviewed the status of
the dry run study between
India, Iran and Russia via the
Caspian Sea, a follow-up
meeting to further streamline
work related to the corridor has
been scheduled for July.
The international transport
corridor across Nhava Sheva
(Mumbai) through Bandar
Abbas (Iran) to Astrakhan
(Russia) and Baku (Azerbaijan)

is expected to substantially
reduce cargo transport time
between India and Central Asia
and Russia.
Indian nurses in U.K. may face
expulsion
Changes to British immigration

rules will force thousands of
non-European Union foreign
nurses recruited by the National
Health Service (NHS) to leave
the country in the next two
years, threatening to throw the
healthcare system into disarray
and imposing high financial
costs on the NHS.
Of those who will be forced to
leave, a significant number are
likely to be from India.
The Royal College of Nursing
(RCN) has released new
research findings at its annual
conference now under way at
Bournemouth.
Minimum earning
Under the new rules that will
take effect in 2017, nonEuropean foreign workers must
earn a minimum of 35,000 a
year to be allowed to stay in the
country after six years. Most
nurses would not meet the
criterion.
Chengdu is Indias gateway to
western China
Since the western region of
China is developing very rapidly,
our presence in this region will
be helpful to develop relations

between India and China in
different areas, especially in
trade and economy, culture and
tourism, says Ashok Kantha,
Indias Ambassador to China.
Mr. Kantha made the

observation in response to
questions at the inaugural of a
Yoga festival in the city, which
signalled Indias intent to
leverage culture and soft power
to engage with the people of
China. The event was held to
coincide with the International
Day of Yoga on Sunday.
The Ambassador pointed out
that given Chengdus location
as a link with western, central,
north-western and southwestern China, India has
decided to open a consulate in
thecity.
It will be our endeavour to
operationalise this consulate
within the year 2015, he said.
The Chinese are opening a
consulate in Chennai, in order
to deepen engagement along
the Bay of Bengal coastline.
The city is a first rate financial
centre and a globally
connected logistical hub.
Chengdus Shuangliu
International Airport is the
fourth busiest in China.
An intricate rail network not only
links the landlocked city to
Chinas coastal pivots of
Shanghai and Guangzhou but
also to Central Asia and parts of
53

India & The World

Europe. The first ChengduEurope international direct rail
freighttrainstarteditsEurasian
journey three years ago, routed
through Poland.
Chengdu has also become the
engine of Chinas Western
Development Programme a
strategic plan to develop inland
China, following the dramatic
success in building coastal
China.
Sushma to lead Yoga Day at
U.N.
Swaraj, under fire in the Lalit
Modi travel document affair, is
in New York to attend a Yoga
54
Day function at the United

Nations, which will be graced
by Secretary General Ban-ki
Moon.
Other Modi government

ministers have been tasked with
attending functions in different
states.
Other than inviting diplomats for
the Rajpath event, Indian
missions and posts abroad have

been in overdrive to ensure the
success of the Yoga Day, which
is seen as part of the projection
of Indias soft power.
(Ayurveda, Yoga and
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy) has reduced
the yoga budget from Rs 1,069
crore in 2013-14 to a meagre Rs
318 crore this year.
Interestingly, while some
Muslim organisations within the
country had raised objections
to saying the word Om, 47
members of the Organisation of
Islamic Conference (OIC) will
be part of the global Yoga Day
event.
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Economy
ECONOMY
Indias big Defence Deals Worth
$4.7 Billion, Boeing Spy Planes
The Indian Army will be

replacingitsvintageanti-aircraft
guns, decided the Defence
Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by the Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar that
met late this evening. The
committee has cleared
purchase of defence
equipment worth Rs. 30,000
crore, sources said.
The new guns will have to be
bought from Indian companies.
But no Indian firm has yet
demonstrated the capacity to
manufacture these weapons.
The army is likely to get 428
guns and it is likely to cost the
exchequer Rs. 16,900 crore.
Currently, the Indian army uses
L-70 and Zu- 23 mm guns of
1950s vintage, acquired from
Swedish manufacturer Bofors
and from the erstwhile Soviet
Unions
Podolsky
Electromechanical Plant.
In 2013, then UPA Government
had issued global tenders for
anti-aircraft guns and invited
Israeli, British, French, Russian
and Polish firms to compete.
None, however, responded as
they did not find the proposal
lucrative enough and the

tender was later cancelled.
Besides, the DAC has allowed
the Indian Navy to buy four
more P8i maritime surveillance
aircraft from the US.
The Indian Navy has eight such
long-range maritime
surveillance and anti-submarine
aircraft made by Boeing. The
purchase of four more is likely
to cost the exchequer Rs. 4,380
crore.
Centre,s new initiative for trade
facilitation
Concerned over declining
exports, the government will
soon set up a trade facilitation
council comprising members of
the Centre and states to
promote Indias overseas
shipments.
The council will be chaired by
Commerce and Industry
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and
secretaries of key ministries and
state ministers will be the
members.
The main objective of the
councilwillbefacilitatingtrade
from states in a bid to boost the
countrys exports.
The Union Commerce Ministry
is also working on other
measures including dissegregation of exports data
state-wise. We will give access
to DGCI&S window for their
(states) own data to see where
they are going, the official
added.
The Directorate General of
Commercial Intelligence and
Statistics (DGCI&S), under the

Ministry of Commerce, is an
official organisation for
collection, compilation and
dissemination of Indias trade
statistics and commercial
information.
The Commerce Ministry will
encourage every state to set up
a State Trade Policy in order to
streamline procedures and
increase exports.
Seeking to involve states for
promoting exports, the
Commerce Ministry had asked
them to appoint commissioners
and prepare export strategy.
As many as 21 states have
appointed
export
commissioners, while 14 states,
including Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat, have worked out
strategies for outward
shipments.
The move is aimed at achieving
the $900 billion exports target
by 2019-20.
The Ministry is also working with
the states to prepare a list of
infrastructure projects which
would ensure full potential of
growth in exports.
Contracting for the sixth month
in a row, Indias exports dipped
by 20.19 per cent in May to
$22.34billion.
Wholesale prices fall 2.4 pct y/y
in June
Indias wholesale prices fell at a
faster-than-expected annual
rate of 2.4 percent in June, their
eighth straight decline, mainly
on the back of weak fuel prices,
55

Economy
government data showed on
Tuesday.
A major issue is that people

dont want any problem, when
it comes to commercial
properties, from the exiting
owner, which he can very easily
do by going to a court. So, we
have to find a solution to it and
we are very close to that.
EPFO considering a scheme

The data compared with a 2.2
percent year-on-year fall
forecast by economists in a
Reuters poll and a provisional
2.36 percent annual decline in
May.
SBI to provide all info of
distressed asset under auction
State Bank of India, which has

received muted response for
online auction of distressed
commercial assets in the past, is
compiling all legal and basic
infrastructure related
information of such properties
to help bidders take an
informed decision.
At the past two online auctions
conducted in March and June,
which was an industry first, the
bank was successful in selling
distressed residential
properties, but failed to sell
commercial properties in sizable
numbers.
At both the online auctions the
bank had sold around 280
properties which were largely
residential properties.
56
Retirement fund body the

Employees Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO) is
considering a scheme for its
subscribers so that they are able
to own a house by retirement,
Labour Minister Bandaru
Dattatreya said here on Friday.
While he did not provide details

of the scheme, sources said the
Ministry intends to collaborate
with PSU banks, housing
finance companies, stateowned construction firms like
NBCC and authorities like DDA,
PUDA, HUDA to build houses
at prices to be fixed by the
government.
NHAI, six other PSUs to raise
Rs.40,000 cr through tax-free
bonds
Union Government on
Wednesday allowed seven
state-owned entities, including
NHAI, IRFC and NTPC, to raise
Rs.40,000 crore in the current
fiscal through tax-free bonds.
The National Highways
Authority of India has been
permitted to raise Rs.24,000
crore and Indian Railways

Finance Corporation Rs.6,000
crore, said a notification issued
by the Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT).
Housing and Urban
Development Corporation has
been allowed to raise Rs.5,000
crore and Indian Renewable
Energy Development Agency
Rs.2,000 crore. NTPC, Power
Finance Corporation and Rural
Electrification Corporation can
issue tax-free bonds of Rs.1,000
crore each.
Retail investors, which include
HUFs and NRIs investing on
repatriation basis, can invest up
to Rs.10 lakh in such bonds.
Those investing higher amount
would be classified as HNIs. The
bonds will have a tenure of 10,
15 or 20 years and the interest
rates is to be decided with
reference to the rates of
Government Securities.
The coupon rate for below
AAA rated bonds could go up
to 20 basis points above the
rates offered for the bonds with
highestrating.
Besides, retail individual
investors (RIIs), qualified
institutional buyers, corporates,
trusts,partnershipfirms,limited
liability partnerships, cooperative banks, regional rural
banks and other legal entities
and high networth individuals
(HNIs) would be eligible to
subscribe the bonds.
The circular said that companies
will have to raise 70 per cent of
the issue size through public
offer, of which 40 per cent has
to be reserved for retail
investors.
The remaining portion of the
issue size can be offered
through private placement

Economy
route. Interest earned through
tax-free bonds, which are
usually issued by PSUs to raise
long-term funds, do not attract
tax.
Centre is looking at raising
15,000 crore via gold bond
scheme
The Centre is looking at raising

Rs.15,000 crore in the current
fiscal through the gold bond
scheme, for which a Cabinet
note is likely to be moved for
consideration later in the month.
The interest rate for the scheme,
which was announced by the
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
his budget speech, would be
close to the rates on
government securities,
The Finance Ministry last month
came out with a discussion
paper on the sovereign gold
bond scheme. It had suggested
that the scheme be linked to the
government borrowing
programme.
We are targeting to raise
Rs.15,000 crore, and the
issuance would be for retail
investors in tranches, the
official added.
The proposed scheme, which
aims to shift part of the
estimated 300 tonnes of
physical gold bar purchased
every year to demat gold bond,
will be marketed through post
offices and brokers on
commission basis.
The final contours and timing

will be decided by the Public
Debt Management Agency
(PDMA), which is the RBI. The
Finance Ministry will get a
Cabinet nod for it, the official
said.
The government plans to
borrow Rs.6 lakh crore in
current fiscal, of which Rs.3.6
lakh crore would be done in the
first-half.
The bonds would be issued in
2, 5, 10 gram of gold or other
denominations, it said adding
that the tenor of the bond could
be for a minimum of 5 to 7 years
so that it would protect investors
from medium-term volatility in
gold prices.
Sriram Kalyanaraman new MD
and CEO of NHB
In a first, the government has

appointed a private sector
executive Sriram Kalyanaraman
as Managing Director and CEO
of National Housing Bank.
The appointment of
Kalyanraman to the housing
finance sector regulator is
unique as he is the first person
form the private sector to head
a public sector financial
institution, aFinance Ministry
official statement said. At
present, Kalyanaraman is
Director-Business
Development, Equifax Credit
Information Services.
Uber planning to set up largest

office outside US in Hyderabad,
to invest $50 mn
Uber, an international
transportation network
company, on Monday
announced a $50 million
investment in Hyderabad to set
up a facility which will be the
biggest outside its headquarters
in the US.
The state-of-the-art facility to
be established over the next
five years will house hundreds
of new employees.AP
The investment will be into
Ubers core business a new
green field project which we
are going to set up here.
It will make Hyderabad the
largest Uber office in the world
outside the US, Sidharth
Shanker, general manager of
Uber Hyderabad operations,
told reporters after signing a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU)
with
the
Telanganagovernment.
This will be Ubers biggest
investment in India. This is also
its first of its kind agreement
with any state government.
IDBI Signs Refinancing
Agreement With Mudra Bank
State-run IDBI Bank on Tuesday

said it has signed an agreement
with Mudra Bank for refinancing
of loans given to small
enterprises.
57

Economy
The refinance scheme will be
implemented through all the
branches of the lender.
The agreement was signed on
July 1 by IDBI Bank Executive
Director S K V Srinivasan and
Mudra Bank CEO Jiji Mammen.
Last week, Bank of Maharashtra
had also signed an agreement
with Mudra Bank for refinancing
of loans given to new
entrepreneurs and small
businesses.
Norms evolved for coal linkage
to power companies without
PPAs
Power companies without a

PPA (Power Purchase
Agreement) will have to bid at
prices, which are 40 per cent
above the CIL notified price
and they would be free to sell
the power.
Those companies with PPAs but
without a letter of assurance
(for coal supply) will bid at 20
per cent above the CIL price,
the minister said that each of
these category of companies
would get an initial amount of
five million tonne of coal as the
Ministry finalises its new
auction-based coal linkage
policy.
Solar plane lands in Hawaii
after 5-day flight from Japan
The government has evolved a

mechanism for supplying coal
to stressed power companies
without blocks through an
auction route, under which two
e-auction windows would be
created, Union Minster for Coal,
Power and Renewable Energy,
Piyush Goyal said.
He also said that the Centre was
coming out with a tariff policy
and a policy for bidding for
Ultra Mega Power Plants
(UMPP).
Addressing members of the
Bharat Chamber of Commerce
here on Friday, he said that the
Ministry has decided to create
two separate e-auction
windows for coal, under which
the floor price of coal would be
linked with the status of the
power purchase agreements
that the companies hold.
58
A plane powered by the suns

rays has landed in Hawaii after a
record-breaking five-day
journey across the Pacific
Ocean from Japan.
Pilot Andre Borschberg and his
single-seatsolaraircraftarrived
on Friday at Kalaeloa, a small
airport outside Honolulu after
taking off from Nagoya about
120 hours ago.
But the Solar Impulse 2 is flying
withoutfuel.Instead,its17,000
solar cells charge batteries. The
plane runs on stored energy at
night
World voyage
Mr. Borschberg and co-pilot
Bertrand Piccard have been
taking turns flying the plane on
an around-the-world voyage
since taking off from Abu Dhabi
in March. After Hawaii, it will
head to Phoenix.
Yes Bank decided to infuse USD
1-bn capital through ADR
Yes Bank on Monday preferred

to raise money through an ADR
issue under its USD 1-billion
capitalinfusionplannextfiscal.
The Mid-sized private sector
lender stressed that the court
order in a case involving its
promoters will not impact these
plans.
The bank has its shareholders
nod to raise up to USD 1 billion
either through an ADR or a
qualified institutional
placement (QIP) issue.
Yes Banks larger rival HDFC
Bank was the last lender to have
done an ADR, when it
successfully raised Rs 10,000
croreearlierthisyear.
NPCI & JCB to partner on
payment cards
National Payments Corporation

of India (NPCI) and JCB

Economy
International Co. Ltd, a
subsidiary of Japans JCB Co.
Ltd., are entering into a
partnership for payment cards
issuance and acceptance.
Under the pact, JCB cards will
be accepted at all NPCI
locations in the country. The
partnership will also include the
issuance of RuPay/JCB
international cards by NPCI
member banks that will be
globally accepted through the
JCB network, the two
companies said in a joint
statement on Monday.
The two sides target to launch
JCB acceptance business
around the middle of next year
and RuPay/JCB International
card issuing business later in
2016.
NPCI also has another
partnership with US-based
Discover Financial Services
card network for international
acceptance of RuPay cards.
Think tank report hints at
diversion of cheap farm loans
Pointing to a possible diversion
of subsidised funds meant for
farmers to non-agricultural uses,
a research paper by the Indian
Council for Research on
International Economic
Relations (ICRIER) has found
that the crop loans extended in
India are in fact close to
exceeding the total
expenditure on farm sector
inputs.
In 2012-13, the aggregate shortterm credit provided
primarily to finance the
purchase of inputs was as
much as 99.97 per cent of the
input cost, including
compensation for hired labour.
During the 1970s, 1980s and
even till the 1990s, the

aggregate short-term credit as
a proportion of input costs in
agriculture was in the range of
13-20 per cent.
Only a few thousand pre-2005
notes left in circulation: RBI
With less than 10 days to go
before the deadline for removal
from circulation of all currency
notes issued before 2005, the
Reserve Bank of India says there
are only a small number of notes
leftincirculation.
The previous deadline for the
exchange of the old currency
notes was January 1, but was
later extended to June 30, 2015.
More than a year ago, in a
February 2014 answer to a
Parliament question, the then
Finance Minister P.
Chidambaram had said that In
RBIs view, the volume of the
bank notes printed prior to 2005
today,stillincirculation,isnot
significant enough to impact the
general public in a large way.
Year of issue
According to the RBI, it is easy
to distinguish the old notes from
the new. The notes issued
before 2005 do not have the
year of issue printed on them
while those printed after 2005
have the year on the reverse
side of the note, at the bottom.
In addition, the newer notes
have a security thread that runs
alternately through the
currency note with Bharat (in
Hindi) and RBI visible on the
thread.
As of January, the RBI said it had
shredded over 164 crore pre2005 currency notes 86.9
crore Rs. 100 notes, 56.2 crore
Rs. 500 notes and 21.7 crore Rs.
1,000 notes which amounted
to around Rs. 21,750 crore.
Jaitley discusses Bilateral

Investment Treaty with top US
officials

met top US officials here and
raised Indias concerns over key
bilateral issues, including
totalisation agreement and the
proposed Bilateral Investment
Treaty.
In a series of meetings with US
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew,
Commerce Secretary Penny
Pritzker and US Trade
Representative Mike Froman,
Jaitleydiscussedbilateralissues
of mutual interests and
concerns.
Mr. Jaitley who is on a nine-day
US tour and is currently is in
Washington also flagged off
some of the important issues for
India, including the totalisation
agreement.
The totalisation agreement aims
to protect interests of
professionals of Indian-origin
who contribute more than $ 1
billion each year to the US social
security. We had our own
concerns with regard to the
totalisation agreement so that
our professionals could get the
benefit which are otherwise
being denied to them, Mr.
Jaitley said. India has signed
BIPPAs with over 80 countries.
However, it has put a freeze on
these agreements following a
spate of suits from telecom
companies.
59

Economy
U.K. Unions decision
recognises shortfall in pension
fund: Tata
The U.K. trade unions decision

to suspend strike at Tata Steel
plants in the country
recognised the substantial
shortfall in the pension fund
and the need to jointly address
it, the steel maker said.
Unions Community, Unite,
Ucatt and GMB suspended
the strike scheduled for June 22
after a new pension offer from
Tata Steel U.K., which keeps
British Steel Pension Scheme
open. Earlier this week, they
had temporarily suspended the
industrial action at Tata Steel.
We are pleased that a meeting
of trade union delegates from
Tata Steel sites across the U.K.
agreed to recommend to
members a proposal which
would enable UK employees to
retain a modified final salary
pension scheme, a Tata Steel
U.K. spokesperson said.
Trade unions representing
workers of Tata Steel U.K. had
announced strike action on
June 22 the biggest industrial
action in the U.K. in nearly three
decades over the proposed
changes in the firms pension
scheme. Over 17,000 people
work at Tata Steel across sites in
Wales and around England.
Chengdu is Indias gateway to
western China
India is discovering Chengdu
60
a globally integrated economic

hub as a gateway to western
China and cyber-connected
parts of the Asia-Pacific.
Since the western region of

China is developing very rapidly,
our presence in this region will
be helpful to develop relations
between India and China in
different areas, especially in
trade and economy, culture and
tourism, says Ashok Kantha,
Indias Ambassador to China.
Mr. Kantha made the
observation in response to
questions at the inaugural of a
Yoga festival in the city, which
signalled Indias intent to
leverage culture and soft power
to engage with the people of
China. The event was held to
coincide with the International
Day of Yoga on Sunday.
The Ambassador pointed out
that given Chengdus location
as a link with western, central,
north-western and southwestern China, India has
decided to open a consulate in
thecity.
It will be our endeavour to
operationalise this consulate
within the year 2015, he said.
The Chinese are opening a
consulate in Chennai, in order
to deepen engagement along
the Bay of Bengal coastline.
There were other factors that
drove the decision to open a
diplomatic outpost in Chengdu.
The city is a first rate financial
centre and a globally
connected logistical hub.

Chengdus Shuangliu
International Airport is the
fourth busiest in China.
An intricate rail network not only
links the landlocked city to
Chinas coastal pivots of
Shanghai and Guangzhou but
also to Central Asia and parts of
Europe. The first ChengduEurope international direct rail
freighttrainstarteditsEurasian
journey three years ago, routed
through Poland.
Chengdu has also become the
engine of Chinas Western
Development Programme a
strategic plan to develop inland
China, following the dramatic
success in building coastal
China.
In tune with the initiative by the
two governments to link people
and businesses at the level of
the States, provinces and cities,
Mr. Kantha is optimistic that
ordinary Chinese from Chengdu
and its hinterland will take
advantage of the e-visa facility
for Chinese tourists that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had
announced during his May visit
to China.
Pay Rs.5,000 cr and get bail, SC
tells Sahara chief
The group has to pay a total

Rs.10,000crore,halfofitincash
and half in bank guarantees, for
the release of Subrata Roy on
bail. The Supreme Court, held
that he cannot be released on

Economy
bail until he pays the remaining
Rs.5,000 crore in bank
guarantee.
The group has to pay a total
Rs.10,000crore,halfofitincash
and half in bank guarantees, for
the release of Mr. Roy on bail
from the confines of Tihar jail,
where he has been lodged for
over a year.
However, things touched
ground zero for Mr. Roy when
his counsel and senior
advocate Kapil Sibal informed
the court that the bank had
backed out from giving the
guarantee and that there was
no money currently for his
release.
The three-judge bench, led by
Justice T.S. Thakur, said this
judgment making his release
conditional on payment of
guarantee was drafted on the
assurance given by Sahara that
they had the bank guarantees
ready.
Yes, but the bank backed out
after media reports came out
on the proceedings, Mr. Sibal
replied. The lawyer added that
it would be difficult for Mr. Roy
to pay up without first getting
releasedfromjail.
Justice A.K. Sikri, who authored
the verdict, said the judgment
had already been passed,
indicating to Mr. Sibal that
nothing could be done now
until Sahara paid up the money.
The judgment said once Mr. Roy
is released on bail, whenever
that is, he has 18 months to
repay his depositors his total
liabilityofRs.36,000crore.
The court said this payment
should be made in instalments
of Rs.3,000 crore every two
months. Default of two months
will land Mr. Roy back in jail.
The court further refused Mr.
Roys application for parole, but

agreed to extend conference
room facilities for him inside
Tihar jail for a period of eight
weeks so that he can negotiate
with prospective buyers and
find money to pay for his bail.
Mr. Roy is in jail since March
2014, unable to pay Rs.10,000
croreforhisbail.
The bench while reserving the
case for judgment in mid-May
had sought details on how the
group proposes to proceed with
the sale of its assets and
payment to the Securities and
Exchange Board of India
(SEBI).
The apex court, on August 31,
2012, had said the group was
required to refund Rs.24,000
crore with 15 per cent interest
in three months to the
depositors. It had, on March 26,
2014, asked 65-year-old Roy to
pay Rs.10,000 crore to get bail,
out of which Rs.5,000 crore
should be paid in cash and rest
in bank guarantees.
During the last hearing, a battery
of senior lawyers led by Mr. Sibal
had sought the release of Mr.
Roy from jail saying that he
would be submitting a scheme
on repayment in July and that
he could be sent back if he
defaulted.
As a goodwill gesture, please
release him. Please give six
weeks time to him and he be sent
back to jail if he does not do the
needful, Mr. Sibal had said,
adding keeping him in jail does
not serve anybodys purpose.
Please do not feel that we are
insensitive and for last 16
months, we had been asking
your client about the payment
of money. This is not an ordinary
case and it is a case of its own
kind. This man is in jail for the
last 16 monthshow do you

ensure that money is
recovered, the Bench had
responded during the hearing.
The court had also earlier
permitted Mr. Roy to use
facilities like the conference
room in Tihar jail complex to
hold negotiations with potential
buyers to sell his three luxury
hotels Dream Downtown
and The Plaza in New York and
Grosvenor House in London
to raise Rs.10,000 crore to get
regularbail.
House panel moots commercial
courts
Parliamentary Standing
Committee on public
grievances, law and justice, has
put forward the need for the
setting up of commercial courts
in the country as soon as
possible.
Tough there were
disagreement among the
committee members, Mr.
Natchiappan said constitution
of commercial courts was being
considered by the Committee
for the quick redressal of
commercial disputes.
About 22 categories of
commercial disputes have been
identified. Public and private
sector enterprises have
welcomed the initiative, he
added.
However, Commercial Courts
Bill 2015 states that:
notwithstanding anything
61

Economy
contained in this Act, a
Commercial Court or a
Commercial Division shall not
entertain or decide any suit,
application or proceedings
relating to any commercial
dispute in respect of which the
jurisdiction of the civil court is
either expressly or impliedly
barred under any other law for
the time being in force.
Currently, Negotiable
Instruments Act disputes are
dragged for years together for
one reason or other, the
defaulters are the ultimate
gainers.
Healthify Me gets angel funding

Tech entrepreneurs and
investors Sashi Reddi, Amit
Gupta, Pallav Nadhani and
Roopa Nath have teamed up
with TVS group scion Gopal
Srinivasan to invest money in
fitness start-up HealthifyMe.
The Bengaluru-based start-up
allows users to track their food,
exercise and weight using their
smartphone and computer. It
will use the money to establish
their global headquarter in
Singapore and expand globally.
It will also use the money to hire
over 1,000 nutritionists and
fitnesstrainers.
Being a third generation TVS
family member, Mr. Srinivasan is
also the founder and Chairman
of TVS Electronics and a
Director in TVS & Sons.
This is the second round of
funding for HealthifyMe. It
raised an undisclosed amount
in May from Indian handset
maker Micromax. The firm plans
to offer applications that would
allow consumers a real-time
access to nutritionists, trainers
and yoga instructors. The users
62
will get diet plans, workout

plans and access to an online
support community.
An alumnus of University of
Pennsylvania Vashisht founded
the start-up in 2012 along with
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology graduate Mathew
Cherian and former Google
engineer Sachin Shenoy.
Vashisht and Cherian bonded
over mutual fitness concerns,
while working at the Unique
IdentificationAuthorityofIndia.
Mr. Cherian, a fitness enthusiast
helped Vashisht lose 15 kg in
about nine months. The learning
triggered them to launch
HealthifyMe, that later got
incubated at Microsoft
Accelerator.
Till now, HealthifyMe has
attracted over 1,00,000 users.
The company said that it
provided access to the worlds
first and largest Indian food
database.
It has developed a calorie
counter for regional foods and
an exercise tracker for logging
inphysicalactivities.
LG India launches high-end

smartphone G4
Intensifying competition in the

top-end of the mobile phone
market, LG Electronics India has
launched its topmost model LG
G4 smartphone in India with an
aim to double its mobile phone

market share in the country.
LG G4 priced at Rs.51,000
comes with stylish design and
leather back to provide the user
a distinct ownership
experience as this phone looks
different from other
smartphones.
This is LGs first leather and
Digital Single Lens Reflex
(DSLR) camera feature
smartphone, which was
unveiled by LG Indias brand
ambassador Bollywood
superstar Amitabh Bachchan on
Friday in Mumbai.
Speaking to Mr. Kwon said the
company was expecting to sell
over one lakh LG G4 phones in
India as the initial response from
consumers has been
encouraging.
One of the major strengths of
LG G4 is the superior picture
quality delivered by its 16MP
camera.
LG India has tied up with HDFC
Bank its enable its customers to
buy this phone through
equated monthly instalments
(EMI).
Co-op banks told to set up

management boards
The co-operative banking

sector in India is facing three
major issues and the sector is not
abletoutiliseitsfullpotential,
said the Reserve Bank of India
Deputy Governor R. Gandhi.
Mr. Gandhi, who was

Economy
addressing a gathering at the
Silver Jubilee Celebrations of
National Institute for Rural
Banking, said lack of corporate
governance
and
professionalism, reluctance to
adapt to technology, decline in
co-operative character were
the major issues faced by the
co-operative institutions in the
country.
Even with a large number of
co-operative banks in the
country, the total asset size and
their share in the Indian banking
sector is not more than 5 per
cent. This means the true
potential of these co-operative
institutions has not been fully
achieved, added Mr. Gandhi.
He also said to improve
professionalism in urban cooperative banks, Y.H. Malegam
committee had given certain
recommendations including
establishing a Board of
Management, consisting of
persons with professional skills.
The RBI has started insisting it
and now Urban Co-Operative
Banks have started appointing
them. However, there are more
than 100 banks which have not
appointed any professionals.
When asked whether the RBI
was looking into the Yes Bank
boardroom tussle, the RBI
Deputy Governor said, The
matter is in the court and the
bank will have to follow courts
decision.
Eicher Polaris JV launches
personal utility vehicle
Three years after it was formed,
Eicher Polaris, the equal joint
venture (JV) between
commercial vehicle maker
Eicher Motors and the U.S.based Polaris Industries,
launched its first product

Multix,a4-wheelpersonalutility
vehicle targeted at small
independent businessmen.
Powered by a 511-cc diesel

engine, Multix is priced
between Rs.2.32 lakh and
Rs.2.72 lakh (ex-showroom
Delhi).
The product, billed as Indias
first personal utility vehicle by
the company, can seat a family
of five with luggage, and can
also be adapted to create a large
luggage space.
It is also equipped with a power
take-off point, which can
generate power of up to 3 KW
that can be used for lighting
homes and powering
equipment such as drilling
machines and water pumps.
The vehicle is available in two
variants, and claims to offer a
fuel efficiency of 28.45 kmpl on
diesel.
Initially, it will be launched in
30 cities, most of which are TierII cities. The company aims to
have a pan-India presence in
the next 24 months. The
delivery for the Multix will start
in August.
The manufacturing facility at
Jaipur has a capacity to produce
60,000 units, which can be
increased to 1.20 lakh units.
On export plans, Mike
Dougherty, Vice-President, Asia
Pacific & Latin America, Polaris
Industries,said:notcurrently.
These products are made for

Indian conditions and the
opportunity here is huge.
Micromax unveils worlds
slimmest, lightest 4G phone
Homegrown handset firm

Micromax launched its latest
flagship smartphone, which it
claims to be the worlds
slimmest and lightest 4G device.
With a thickness of 5.1 mm
(end-to-end) and weighing 97
gm, the phone is priced at
Rs.17,999 and will be available
from June-end across the
country.
Micromax Informatics CEO
Vineet Taneja said they try to
align the devices with the
evolving needs of new-age
users and the latest smartphone
istestimonytothisvision.
The phone comes with a free
4G SIM and double data offer
from Airtel, which doubles the
4G data amount for any
consumer activating the 4G
SIM.
Ad Council launches mobile app
for consumer complaints
Advertising Standards Council
63

Economy
of India (ASCI), the self
regulatory body for content in
Indian advertising, has
launched the countrys first
consumer complaint mobile
app ASCIonline. The app is
part of ASCIs effort to address
the issue of misleading
advertisements.
The mobile app is currently
available on android and iOS
and is free. The app is easy to
use and a consumer can lodge
a complaint by providing
advertisement details and the
objection. Users can also attach
files like image or video or
YouTube link of the
advertisement. In the case of
multiple complaints, the user
can check the history of all
previously registered
complaints with the latest status
andallotherdetails.
The role of ASCI and its
Consumer Complaints Council
(CCC) was to deal with
complaints received from
consumers and industry against
advertisements which are
reported to be false, misleading,
indecent and illegal, leading to
unfair practices.
Government clears 16 FDI
proposals worth Rs.6,751 cr.
The Union Government has

cleared 16 foreign direct
investment proposals worth Rs.
6,750.86 crore, including that of
Beacons unit Syngene, Torrent
64
Pharma, Star India.

The approvals were based on
the recommendations of
Foreign Investment Promotion
Board, a statement from the
Finance Ministry said.
The top proposals include
Torrent Pharmaceuticals plan to
increase foreign institutional
investment limit to 35 per cent
from 13.09 per cent amounting
to Rs. 3,000 crore and Star India
Private Ltd proposal for further
issuance and transfer of shares
to its foreign collaborator and
acquisition of another Indian
company on a slump sale basis,
for a value of Rs.2,500 crore.
Another notable clearance was
for pharma major Biocons unit
Syngene Internationals plan to
increase the foreign investment
limit to 44 per cent from 10 per
cent through offer of shares to
foreign institutional investors,
foreign portfolio investors and
non-resident Indians, worth
about Rs.930 crore.
Proposals from BASF Chemicals
India Private Ltd, Ordain Health
Care Global, TRIF Kochi
Projects, TRIF Real Estate and
Development, Berggruen Real
Estates and Today Magazines
Lifestyle also got the nod.
Approvals to about 21
proposals were deferred,
including those of Kotak
Mahindra Banks proposal to
increase foreign investment
limit to 55 per cent in light of
merger with ING Vysya Bank.
The government has rejected
Strides Arcolab plan to issue
shares to non-resident and
resident shareholders of Shasun
Pharmaceuticals under a
merger plan, along with five
other proposals.
Bandhan Financial Services to

start bank
Microfinance company,
Bandhan Financial Services Ltd,
saidthatitgotthefinalnodfrom
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
to set up a universal bank.
The bank is planned for launch
in Kolkata the city where
Bandhan is headquartered on
August 23. Bandhan had
received the RBIs in- principle
licence in April 2014.
Bandhan recently completed
raising Rs.1,020 crore equity
from International Finance
Corporation, Singapores
sovereign wealth fund GIC, and
the state-run Small Industries
Development Bank of India
(SIDBI).
Followingtheequityinfusion,its
net worth has gone up to
Rs.2,700 crore, well above the
RBIs stipulation of a minimum
capital base of Rs.500 crore for
new banks.
TBandhan has appointed 850
experienced banking
professionals at senior and
middle-level positions to run its
operations, in addition to the
17,000 employees that the
microfinance entity already has
onitspayroll.
The new Bank would start
operations in 27 States with
around 500 to 600 bank
branches and 10 million
customers at its launch. Further
all the existing microfinance

Economy
businesses of the NBFC and the
clients would be transferred to
the new bank.
I-T dept to defend Rs.20,495crore tax claim on Cairn India
ADB to increase India lending

by 50 % to $12 b by 2018
Asian Development Bank
proposes to increase lending to
India by almost 50 per cent to
$12 billion by 2018, ADB
President Takehiko Nakao said.
ADB aims at increasing its
sovereign and non-sovereign
lending from the present $7-9
billion in three years from 2015
to 2017 to $10-12 billion
between 2016 and 2018 using
ADBs expanded lending
capacity, he said.
He was talking to reporters here
after meeting Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley and Urban
Development Minister Venkaiah
Naidu.
We are now targeting higher
numbers... We will increase the
numbers by about 50 per cent
or little bit less but roughly we
will try to increase lending to
India by about 50 per cent, said
the ADB chief.
ADBs annual lending capacity,
he added, was expected to
increase to as much as $20
billion a year from the current
level of $13 billion based on the
merger of its Asian
Development Fund lending
operations with its Ordinary
Capital Resources balance
sheet.
Answering question on Indias
growth prospects, Mr. Nakao
said the countrys growth rate
was expected to exceed that
of China in this year. Indias
projected growth rate of 7.8 per
cent for the 2015-16 fiscal was
higher than Chinas estimated
7.2 per cent in 2015 calendar
year, he said.
The Income Tax Department

will defend the Rs.20,495-crore
tax claim it has made on Cairn
India even after the company is
merged with its parent Vedanta
Ltd.
Cairn India has challenged the
March I-T notice seeking
Rs.20,495 crore in tax for its
alleged failure to deduct
withholding tax on alleged
capital gains made by its
erstwhile promoter, Cairn
Energy Plc.
This has gone to Court process.
We have a provisional
attachment order. We will
ensure that we remain secure,
whatever position changes we
will ensure our security. We are
certainly keeping watch on it,
CBDT Chairperson Anita Kapur
toldreporters.
The Income Tax Department
had separately slapped a
Rs.10,247-crore tax demand on
Cairn Energy Plc for an alleged
Rs.24,500 crore worth capital
gains it made in 2006 while
transferring all of its Indian
assets to a new company, Cairn
India,andgettingitlistedonthe
stock exchanges.
After the notice, it restrained
Cairn Energy from selling its
residual 9.8 per cent stake in
Cairn India. The shares have
been frozen since then.
Vedanta Chief Executive Tom
Albanese had earlier stated that

the group was frustrated by
the tax demand raised using
retrospective legislation. My
own view is that these types of
cases dont help Indias
reputation in the international
market.
I was in Beijing last week and
met some of the biggest fund
houses from around the world
and they were all asking what is
going on in India, he had said
on June 14.
Cairn India, which is 60 per cent
owned by Vedanta and is being
merged with the metal and
mining firm, has stated that it
does not agree with the tax
demand and challenged it in the
Delhi High Court.
Cairn Energy too has
challenged the tax demand and
has initiated arbitration under
the India-U.K. Bilateral
Investment Protection Treaty.
Petrol prices up, but diesel is
cheaper
The price of petrol was hiked

by 64 paise a litre, but that of
diesel was cut by Rs. 1.35 per
litre in line with the trend in
globaloilrates.
This is the third increase in
petrol prices since May.
PetrolinDelhiwillcostRs.66.93
per litre while in Chennai the
price will be Rs. 70.12, up from
Rs. 69.45. A litre of diesel will
cost Rs 50.93 per litre in the
national capital and Rs. 54.29 in
65

Economy
Chennai, Indian Oil Corp (IOC)
said.
On May 16, petrol price was
hiked by Rs 3.13 a litre and
diesel by Rs 2.71 per litre.
However, on June 1, companies
skipped raising rates by 30-40
paise that had become
necessary due to rise in
internationalrates.
Farquhar, ED, Human

Resources, Tata Steel Europe,
said in a statement. We have
requested ACAS to
immediately approach the
National Trade Union Steel
Coordinating Committee to ask
them to attend talks.
Tata Steel approaches British

agency
Tata Steel UK has approached
ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation
and Arbitration Service) of the
U.K. to resolve the ongoing
pension dispute with its U.K.
trade unions.
We have contacted ACAS to
bring in independent expertise
in mediating a resolution to the
U.K. pension dispute, Tor
66
A week ago, four unions, which

are representing Tata Steel UK
employees Unite,
Community, Union of
Construction, Allied Trades &
Technicians and GMB had
announced industrial action
from June 16. The company has
been talking to the trade unions
since November 2014 to
develop a fair and sustainable
pension scheme for its U.K.
employees.
The company and unions
agree that changes need to be
made to tackle the schemes
projected shortfall of 2 billion
pounds, Mr. Farquhar said
adding, it remains the
companys intention to provide
a high quality and competitive
pension scheme for our
employees while continuing
TataSteelssignificantrecordof
investinginitsU.K.assets.
Study Kit for Preliminary Examinations:

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Science & Technology
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Peppermint oil, cinnamon could help treat chronic wounds
Scientists have found that

peppermint oil and cinnamon
could help treat chronic
wounds.
The researchers have found a
way to package antimicrobial
compounds from peppermint
and cinnamon in tiny capsules
that can both kill biofilms and
actively promote healing. The
new material could be used as
a topical antibacterial treatment
and disinfectant.
Many bacteria clump together
in sticky plaques in a way that
makes them difficult to
eliminate with traditional
antibiotics.
Doctors sometimes recommend
cutting out infected tissues.
This approach is costly,
however, and because its
invasive, many patients opt out
of treatment altogether.
Essential oils and other natural
compounds have emerged
recently as alternative
substances that can get rid of

pathogenic bacteria, but
researchers have had a hard
time translating their
antibacterial activity into
treatments. Vincent M Rotello
and colleagues wanted to
address this challenge.
The researchers packaged
peppermint oil and
cinnamaldehyde, the
compound in cinnamon
responsible for its flavour and
aroma, into silica nanoparticles.
The microcapsule treatment
was effective against four
different types of bacteria,
including one antibioticresistantstrain.Italsopromoted
the growth of fibroblasts, a cell
type that is important in wound
healing.
Kalpakkam breeder reactor to
go on stream
The 500-MWe Prototype Fast
Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at
Kalpakkam, near here, is getting

ready to be commissioned in
September. When the reactor
goescritical,itwillsignalIndias
triumphant entry into the
second stage of its three-stage
nuclear power programme.
The PFBR will use plutoniumuranium oxide as fuel and 1,750

tonnes of liquid sodium as
coolant. It is called a breeder
reactor because it breeds more
fuel than it consumes.
The PFBR construction had
been completed and
equipment energised. We are
awaiting clearance from the
Atomic Energy Regulatory
Board (AERB) for sodium
charging, fuel loading, reactor
criticality and then stepping up
power generation, Dr.
Chellapandi said.
The AERB had sent several
safety committees to the PFBR
for inspection of design
compliance and component
specifications.
All heat transport systems,
comprising the pipelines, the
heat exchang er components
and tanks, have been filled with
pure argon to avoid any
chemical reaction with sodium
and oxygen. We have to melt
the sodium and pump it into the
67


reactorcircuits. After the
sodium charging, engineers will
perform thermal hydraulics
experiments to check the
functioning of the pumps and
the heat exchanger.
Later, the AERB will give
clearance for loading the fuel.
In the first stage of the nuclear
Vitamin C cuts the risk of early death
A diet rich in fruits and

vegetables packed with vitamin
C will substantially cut the rick
of heart attacks and early death,
says a study.
Researchers examined 100,000
Danish peoples intake of fruit
and vegetables as well as their
DNA.
Vitamin C helps build
connective tissue and is also a
potent antioxidant that protects
cells and biological molecules
from the damage which causes
many diseases, including
cardiovascular disease. The
human body is not able to
produce vitamin C, which
means that we must get the
vitamin from our diet, said the
study that appeared in the
American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.
68
power programme, a fleet of

Pressurised Heavy Water
Reactors, running on natural
uranium, had been built. In the
second stage, a series of
breeder reactors will come up.
Reactors running on thorium will
form the third stage.
Supersymmetry may show up

at the new run of LHC
Edward Witten is an American

physicist who specialises in
String Theory, Quantum Gravity
and Supersymmetric Field
Theories. He is the only physicist
who has so far received the
Fields Medal, one of the highest
honours given to
mathematicians. In this
interview, Prof. Witten, who was
in Bengaluru to attend the
conference Strings 2015
organised by the International

Centre for Theoretical Sciences.
Twentieth century physics
consisted of two great theories
quantum mechanics, which
describes atoms, molecules,
and subatomic particles, and
Einsteins theory of gravity
(which he called General
Relativity), which we use to
understand stars, galaxies, and
the universe as a whole.
These two theories are in
conflict with each other. If one
applies to Einsteins theory the
textbook recipes of
quantisation, one runs into
contradictions.
Since stars (for example) are
ultimately made of atoms and
subatomic particles, it does not
make sense to have one theory
for the stars and one theory for
the subatomic particles. String
theory is the framework in
which physicists have
succeeded in reconciling
Einsteins theory of gravity with
quantum mechanics.
Insight into how the brain
forms memories
Researchers have finally found

a specific region in the brain
medial temporal lobe that
plays a key role in rapidly
forming memories about
everyday events.
The medial temporal lobe is
associated with episodic
memory the brains ability to
recall situations like meeting a


friend in, say, a mall. Episodic
memory logs such happenings
and very rapidly forms new
associations in the brain.
People suffering from
Alzheimers and other
neurological disorders have this
type of memory affected.
Hence, the results of a study
published today (July 2) in the
journal Neuron has great clinical
significance.
The study also found that firing
of a single neuron led to new
memories being formed in the
human brain. Till date, the role
of a single neuron in memory
formation has been studied only
in animals. And only limited
information of episodic memory
formation in animals has come
out owing to the nature of such
studies. As a result, it has
remained unclear how
individual neurons enable the
rapid encoding of new episodic
memories in natural settings.
To study the single-neuron
underpinnings of episodic
memory formation, Matias J. Ison,
the lead author from the
University of Leicester, U.S.,
studied the activity of more than
600 neurons in the medial
temporal lobe of 14 epileptic
patients who had electrodes
implanted in the brain region of
interest.
NASA to beam International
Space Station astronauts view
NASA is sending Microsofts
virtual reality headset to the
International Space Station
(ISS) to beam back to the Earth
what astronauts see in space.
NASA and Microsoft are
teaming up to develop Sidekick,
a new project using commercial
technology to empower
astronauts aboard the ISS.
A pair of the tech giants

devices called HoloLens is
scheduled to launch on
SpaceXs seventh commercial
resupply mission to the station
on June 28.
HoloLens and other virtual and
mixed reality devices are
cutting-edge technologies that
could help drive future
exploration and provide new
capabilities to the men and
women conducting critical
science on the International
Space Station, said Sam
Scimemi, director of the ISS
programme at the NASA
Headquarters in Washington.
The goal of Sidekick is to enable
station crews with assistance
when and where they need it.
Sidekick has two modes of
operation. The first is Remote
Expert Mode, which uses
Skype to allow a ground
operator to see what a crew
member sees, provide real-time
guidance and draw annotations
into the crew members
environment to coach him or her
through a task.
Multi Drug Resistant -TB less
dangerous
Unlike people with drugsusceptible TB, those with multi
drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are
less likely to transmit disease to
others living in the same
household (also known as
household contacts), a study
published on June 23 in the
journal PLOS Medicine found.
Although it may not be right to

extrapolate the findings to the
community level, within
households, MDR-TB surely has
relatively low fitness [be less
capable of spreading]
compared with drugsusceptible TB.
The study results agree with
those of previous animal and
laboratory studies, as well as
molecular epidemiology
studies that had estimated that
the fitness level of drugsusceptible TB bacteria to
spread within populations was
higher than MDR-TB bacteria.
But animal and lab studies do
not take into account the
clinical, environmental and
socio-economic factors that
influence infection. Hence, the
latest study has great
significance.
The study carried out in South
Lima and Callao, Peru followed
up people living in the same
household as the index patient
for three long years (20102013).
The study tracked 213 MDR-TB
index patients and 1,055 of their
household contacts. In the case
of drug-susceptible TB patients,
the study followed 487 index
patients and their 2,362
household contacts.
While only 35 of 213 of MDR-TB
contacts developed MDR-TB
disease, 114 of 2,362 drugsusceptible TB contacts
developed disease.
69


The hazard ratio for TB disease
for household contacts of MDRTB index cases was half that
of the household contacts of
those with drug-susceptible TB.
This is reason why the WHO and
the Indian TB control
programme (RNTCP) insist that
all household contacts of a TB
index patient should be
screened for TB disease when
the index patient is diagnosed.
Such active case finding greatly
reduces the time lag between
developing TB disease and
testing. The time lag between
developing disease and being
correctly diagnosed is
anywhere between three and
four months in India.
Quick result
According to a Yale School of
Medicine press release, within
two months of treatment, the
patient experienced partial
repigmentation on her face,
arms, and hands. And after five
months of treatment, the white
spots on her face and hands had
completely disappeared. The
drug caused no adverse side
effects in the patient.
Robot controlled by thoughts
and brain signals developed
New invention for treating

leucoderma
In a first, a medication for
treating rheumatoid arthritis has
restored skin colour in a patient
sufferingfromvitiligo.
The results of the study were
published on June 24 in the
journal JAMA Dermatology .
Leucoderma is a condition that
causes skin to lose its
pigmentation or colour.
As a result, people with vitiligo
have white patches on the skin.
In an advanced stage, most of
the body skin can lose its
pigmentation.
Current treatments, such as
steroid creams and light
therapy, fall short as they are
not reliably effective in
reversing the disease.
Researchers from Yale
University used an existing FDAapproved medication for
rheumatoid arthritis called
tofacitinib citrate to
successfully treat a patient
sufferingfromvitiligo.
70
A robot that can be controlled

with your thoughts and brain
signals has been developed,
says new research. The robot is
developed by researchers at
the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (EPFL),
Switzerland.
The robot can be controlled
remotely through brain signals
and can perform various tasks.
The team of researchers,
headed by Professor Jose del
R. Millain, particularly had
disabled people in mind while
working on the concept to
restore a sense of
independence to the disabled.
Nine disabled people and 10
healthy people in Italy, Germany
and Switzerland took part in the
taskofpilotingarobotwiththeir
thoughts.
For several weeks, each of the
subjects put on an electrode-
studded hat capable of

analysing their brain signals.
They then instructed the robot
to move, transmitting their
instructions in real time via
internet from their home
country.
By virtue of its video camera,
screen and wheels, the robot,
located in an EPFL laboratory in
Switzerland, was able to film as
it moved while displaying the
face of the remote pilot via
Skype.
Why are some of us lefthanded?
Why are some of us left-handed
while others use the right hand
formostactivities?Thisquestion
is yet to be answered in a
convincing way. Estimates are
that anywhere between 9-20
per cent of us humans are
lefties.
Since this is a minority, lefties
face a variety of inconveniences
in daily life, be it in opening
doors by turning knobs or
opening locks, using can
openers, or in many other minor
but necessary matters and tasks.
And more often than not,
children who are naturally lefthanded are weaned away from
it and encouraged (read
forced) to use their right hand.
This occasionally leads to
awkwardness, and hence
derision by the righties the
majority. Recall the words
likegaucherie (clumsiness,
derived from the
Frenchgauche for left) and
sinister, as opposed to
dexterous (from the Latin
dexter meaning right and
sinisterforleft).
An eminently readable review
on why some people are lefthanded has appeared six years


ago, written by Llaurens,
Raymond and Faurie ( Phil.
Trans. Royal Soc. B , 2009, 364,
881-894, freely downloadable,
highly recommended). They
analyze several factors that
appear involved. Anthropology
shows that this asymmetry is an
age-old feature. Neanderthals
(35,000 years ago) and even
earlier homo (a million years
ago) were predominantly
righties and some lefties.
We thus have a historical (even
prehistoric) legacy, or what
evolutionary biologists call as
selection pressure with a
preponderance of righthanders.
It varies based on geography
and social factors. Analysis of
writing habits in people across
17 countries in Europe, Africa,
Asia and Australia revealed
lefties to be anywhere between
2.5 to 12.8 per cent.
And in most populations, the
proportion of left-handers
among women was lower than
in men. Whether this is because
of genetics (x-chromosome
which women bear) or
discrimination is not clear.
blind, specifically due to
cataract. We want newborns,
because they have not been
weaned away from their
inherent, natural, handedness,
and cataract because their
vision can be successfully
restored after surgery soon
enough.
Mars Orbiter Mission completes
100th orbit around Mars
The Indian Mars Orbiter Mission
(MOM) completed its 100th
orbit around Mars on Monday.
It is also gradually coming out
of the blackout it had entered
earlier this month, Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)

hassaid.
The payloads on the spacecraft

are to be re-started in a few
weeks. They were last operated
on May 27 to put the spacecraft
in an autonomous mode.
MOM remains healthy and all its
payloads are performing
satisfactorily, ISRO said. The
Mars Colour Camera has taken
405 frames so far.
Health data
The spacecrafts health data is
now being received, ISRO
said, and added that the orbiter
now had an elliptical orbit of
474 km and 71,132 km from the
red planet.
Since early June, the Mars
Orbiter Mission and Mars were
moving behind the sun as
viewed from the earth. Two-way
signals were disrupted by solar
activities.
Launched from Indian
spaceport of Sriharikota on
November 5, 2013, MOM
reached the red planet in
September last year and has
outlived its planned mission life
of six months in a Martian orbit.
Online sale of medicine need a
dose of regulation
The advent and proliferation of
on-line sale of medicines on ecommerce platforms no doubt
buttress the governments case
of access to all but the recent
case of prescription drugs being
sold online has alerted
authorities to extent and

dangers of this unregulated
practice.
As such, selling medicines

online is prevalent in
developed markets and its
mushrooming in India is a
consequence of the booming ecommerce segment in India.
But, clearly selling over-thecounter (OTC) medicines
online, which is permissible, is
quite different from selling
prescription drugs online where
the attendant dangers of abuse
are high.
A prescription issued by a
doctor cannot be re-used
randomly. There is a danger that
scheduled drugs can be reordered and misused by the
consumer, Jayesh Lele,
President, Indian Medical
Association (IMA), a body
representing over 2.50 lakh
medical practitioners across the
country,said.Besides,thereare
several `dos and donts with
regard to storage and
dispensing of prescription
medications that need to be
adhered to, he added.
According to Mr. Lele, selfmedication is a rampant
practice in India, and online
sale of drugs would only
encourage it. Indiscriminate
use leads to patient resistance
which is very dangerous as has
been the case with tuberculosis
drugs.
71


After a brief lull, the Rs.85,000crore pharmaceutical industry
in India is back to growth in
2014, notching up 12 per cent
growth, S.V. Veeramani,
President, Indian Drug
Manufacturers Association
(IDMA), said. With doubledigit growth back, the fledgling
on-line medicine segment is
also booming and there is a
much needed regulation of this
new practice.
There has been a call for
regulation because the existing
Drugs and Cosmetics Act does
not have any guidelines in place
for e-commerce players in the
pharmaceutical industry.
However, it is very clear that
scheduled drugs should be
sold only by licensed
pharmacies against a doctors
prescription.
The authorities have responded
withalacritytothesituation,and
last week, the Drugs Controller
General of India (DCGI)
pointed out the need to have in
place a regulatory framework to
bring online medicine sale
under its ambit. Industry body
FICCI has been appointed as
the nodal agency by the DCGI
to consolidate the guidelines,
and it will seek the views of
representative bodies such as
AIOCD, IMA, Organisation of
Pharmaceutical Producers of
India (OPPI) and others.
The interest of small retailers
would be protected and
existing supply chains would
not be adversely impacted by
e-pharmacies, the DCGI said
adding that the aim was to
integrate e-pharmacy into the
existing system.
While supporting the need for
an unambiguous regulatory
72
framework, Mr. Shinde felt

existing brick-and-mortar
pharmaceutical retailers were
prepared as retailers were
embracing new technology and
even deliver drugs home in the
case of aged patients. But this
is all only within the law and
prescriptions for scheduled
drugs are non-negotiable, he
said. We want a level playing
field.
Social media use doubles in
rural India
The use of social media in rural

India has grown 100 per cent in
the past year with 25 million
people using the Internet to
access Twitter and Facebook,
according to a report.
Accessing social media is one
of the key reasons why people
access the Internet. In fact for
many people accessing the
Internetforthefirsttime,social
media was the reason why they
embraced Internet, said the
IAMAI-IMRB report on social
media.
Across India, there are 143
million users of social media.
Urban areas witnessed a growth
of 35 per cent with 118 million
users as of April 2015. On the
other hand, the number for rural
India stood at 25 million, up
fromcloseto12millionlastyear,
showing a growth of 100 per
cent.
Facebook emerged the leading
social media website with 96

per cent of urban users
accessing it, followed by
Google Plus (61 per cent),
Twitter (43 per cent) and
LinkedIn (24 per cent). The
largest segment of users consists
of college-going students (34
per cent), followed by young
men (27 per cent), the report
said. School children constitute
12 per cent.
The IAMAI-IMRB report on
social media in India said
almost half the urban social
media users hail from the top
four metros.
College students and young
men still form 60 per cent of
social media users in urban
India, the report said.
The trend, the report said, is
moving towards accessing
social media on the go through
phones (smartphones as well as
feature phones) and tablets.
Environmental study on
Colombo port project
The Chinese-funded Colombo

Port City Development Project,
which has been mired in
controversy, will hereafter be
handled by the Urban
Development Authority (UDA).
This was decided by the
Cabinet on Wednesday
evening, considering various
aspects of the project such as
requirements of water, transport
and other infrastructure.
The decision follows


submission of a report by a
committee of secretaries, which
was formed in May. Till now, the
Ministry of Ports and Shipping
was in charge of the project
execution.
The project, which became an
issue during the presidential
election in January this year, was
suspended by the present
government, a week ahead of
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modis visit in March.
In September last year, an
agreement was signed
between the Secretary in the
Ministry and the executing
agency, CHEC Port City
Colombo (Private) Limited. The
UDA would now seek legal
opinion whether it could sign a
fresh agreement.
The Cabinet also decided that
the Central Environmental
Authority would commence
immediately a complete
environmental impact
assessment of the project with
regard to sand mining, rock
blasting and other related
activities. The expected
duration of the study was four
months.
When the project was
suspended three months ago,
the China Communications
Construction Company Limited
(CCCC), the investor in the
project, had stated in a release
that the foreign direct
investment by the Company for
the project would be $ 1.4
billion and an estimated 83,000
jobs would be generated
locally.
Another decision of the
Cabinet was to hold the 2016
national sports festival in the
Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts
of the Northern Province.
Worlds thinnest light bulb

created
Researchers have created the
worlds thinnest light bulb using
grapheme (an atomically thin
and perfectly crystalline form of
carbon) instead of tungsten as
afilament.
India: ocean warming weakens
monsoon
The summer monsoon has been
showing a weakening trend
over the past century with
decreasing rainfall over large
regions of the Indian
subcontinent. The monsoon
occurs because the land heats
up much more than the ocean
and the warm air over the land
rises and results in low pressure.
This causes the rain-bearing
winds from the relatively cooler
ocean to blow on to the land
and cause rainfall. That is, it is
the strong thermal contrast
between land and ocean that
results in a strong monsoon.
However, a recent study by Dr.
Roxy Mathew Koll of the Centre
for Climate Change Research,
Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology, Pune and others,
and published recently in the
journal Nature Communications
contends that this thermal
contrast has been decreasing in
the past decades, i.e., the land
has been cooling and the ocean
warming and the monsoon has
shown a decreasing trend
during the past century.
Ideally, under a global warming
scenario the land temperature
should increase greatly in the
hot summers and serve as a
strong monsoon driver. But, in
the case of the Indian
subcontinent, over the past
century, that has not been the

case. Observed data dating
from the 1870s are available for
the summer monsoon rainfall,
from the Indian Meteorological
Department and other sources.
Using the data from 1901-2012,
it was found that the rainfall has
been decreasing over central
South Asia from south of
Pakistan through central India to
Bangladesh.
The decrease is highly
significant over central India
where agriculture is still mostly
rain-fed, with a reduction of up
to 10-20 per cent in the mean
rainfall.
Quite a few other studies
indicate that the monsoon
rainfall is weakening over the
South Asian region during the
past half century (since 1950s).
Some of these studies suggest
that though the extreme rainfall
events have increased over
some regions, the frequency of
moderate-to-heavy rainfall
events has decreased over the
subcontinent.
The reduction in land-sea
temperature contrast is
attributed mostly to a strong
warming in the Indian Ocean on
a multi-decadal scale with the
latest reason being climate
change under a global warming
scenario.
The surface warming in the
Indian Ocean, especially in the
western regions has reached
values of up to 1.2 degrees C
during the past century, much
larger than the warming trends
in other tropical oceans. The
decrease in the land-sea thermal
contrast surface temperature
trends (1901-2012) is also
visible in the upper atmosphere,
as the warming trends in the
73


ocean surface are transferred to
the atmosphere above through
convective processes.
Apart from the ocean warming,
a part of the decrease in landsea temperature difference is
also due to suppressed warming
over the Indian land mass,
possibly due to increased
aerosol levels. Aerosols in the
atmosphere reflect the suns
heat back into space and cause
a cooling effect.
The warming Indian Ocean also
plays a role in weakening the
monsoon circulation. Increased
warming in the ocean enhances
the large-scale upward motion
of warm moist air over the
equatorial ocean. This enhanced
upward motion over the ocean
is compensated by subsidence
of dry air over the subcontinent,
inhibiting convection and
rainfallovertheIndianlandmass.
This means that a warming Indian
Ocean has resulted in surplus
rains over the ocean at the cost
of the monsoon rains over land,
simultaneously drying the
Indian subcontinent.
BSNL to set up 40,000 Wi-Fi
hotspots
The plan is part of efforts to

revive the company, Telecom
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
said on the sidelines of the
launch of Wi-Fi at Taj Mahal.
Anupam Srivastava, Chairman
and Managing Director, BSNL,
said the tender for the project
was likely to be floated by July.
The company will set up
another 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots in
250 tourist and religious
locations at a cost of Rs. 500
crore by next March. At Taj
Mahal, the companys Wi-Fi
service will be free for 30
minutes during a 24-hour block
three times a month, which
visitors can utilise in multiple
sessions.
India signs motor vehicle pact

with three nations
India signed a motor vehicles

agreement with three SAARC
nations Bhutan, Bangladesh
and Nepal that envisages
seamless transit of passenger
and cargo vehicles among these
countries.
Though a seamless cargo
movement between the South
Asian neighbours is expected
to take much longer, Mondays
agreement at Bhutans capital

Thimphu is expected to remove
bottlenecks by allowing people
easy access.
The agreement signed on
Indias behalf by Road Transport
and Highways Minister Nitin
Gadkari will not only reduce
transport costs, but also
enhance multi-modal transport
and transit facilities, enabling
increased connectivity and
promotion of greater trade
among the four countries.
The Motor Vehicles Agreement
is the overarching framework
to fulfil our commitment to
enhance regional connectivity.
This will need to be followed
through with formulation of the
required protocols and
procedures in the shortest time
possible to realise the ultimate
objective of free movement of
people and goods in the
region, Mr. Gadkari said.
Bangladesh Minister for Road
Transport and Bridges Obaidul
Quader said there would be a
trial run of vehicles on all the
possible routes in October.
Bhutanese Prime Minister
Tshering Tobgay will flag off a
vehicle that will run through
Bhutan-Guwahati-ShillongSylhet-Benapole-Kolkata route
to survey the road.
Bangladesh Finance Minister
A.M.A. Muhith said the
infrastructure of the route would
be improved in a year. He said
the transit would start in a very
limited scale in the beginning.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. plans

to set up 40,000 Wi-Fi hotspots
across the country in three years
at a cost of Rs. 6,000 crore to
provide seamless Internet
connectivity.
74
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SPORTS
IPL verdict effect, Champions League T20 discontinued
276 for five and then eventually

win the match by 83 runs.
Rayudu was awarded the Manof-the-Series award for his 124
not out and 41 runs in the first
and second ODIs, respectively.
Man-of-the-Match Jadhav said it
was a great feeling to get his
maiden century.
Lodha committee & IPL verdict
The Champions League

Twenty20 tournament, run since
2009 by the BCCI, Cricket
Australia and Cricket South
Africa, has been discontinued
with immediate effect because
oflackofinterest.
The 2015 edition, which would
have been the seventh and was
scheduled for September and
October, has been cancelled
because of the tournaments
limited public following,
organisers said in a news release
on Wednesday.
Launched by the three cricket
boards in 2008, the competition
offered a highly lucrative prize
pool of $6 million with $2.5
million going to the winners.
It brought together teams from
the India Premier League,
Australias Big Bash League,
South Africas Ram Slam T20
Challenge and Caribbean
Premier League along with other
qualifiers.
The inaugural event was

cancelled after the death of 164
people in coordinated attacks
on Mumbai in November 2008,
however, and the tournament
failed to gain any real traction
thereafter.
The Mumbai Indians and
Chennai Super Kings were the
most successful teams in the
competition after they both won
it twice with the Super Kings
securing what will be the final
titleinBangalorelastyear.
India Whitewash Zimbabwe
India skipper Ajinkya Rahane on
Tuesday applauded his team for
playing as a unit, saying that
every member of the side
contributed in the 3-0
whitewash against Zimbabwe in
the ODI series.
Despite a sloppy start, Kedar
Jadhav (105 not out) and Manish
Pandey (71) put on a crucial
144-run stand to help India post
The Chennai Super Kings are

undoubtedly the most
successful and popular team in
the Indian Premier League.
They win titles, have a fanatical
fan following and some of the
leaguesfinestplayers.Theyalso
have Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Rajasthan Royals, on the
other hand, are the smallbudget team that inspired many
dreams. They belied their
underdog status year after year.
They would start well and then
they would struggle. But they
gave us a Sanju Samson; a Pravin
Tambe; a Swapnil Asnodkar.
Shane Warne steered them in
the early years and of course, at
the heart of this all, is Rahul
Dravid
But after the Lodha commission
suspended their owners (and in
essence, the teams themselves
until a new owner is found) for
two years, their future and
75

Sports
perhaps that of the IPL itself is

mired in a haze of uncertainty
andfrustration.
The BCCI, however, still saw the
money rolling in as did the
Chennai Super Kings and the
Rajasthan Royals and that was
enough for them to ignore the
gathering dark clouds.
Srinivasan the then BCCI
president had a simple
parameter for success: money.
Justice Lodhas verdict is
damning not just for the owners
of the franchises but also for the
BCCI.
The Lodha panel spoke to
journalists, editors, and anyone
else who had a stake in the
matter and arrived at a decision
that really was the BCCIs to
take; a decision they should
have taken instead of giving
Gurunath Meiyappan the clean
chitorallowingtheinvestigation
against Raj Kundra to stop once
it transferred to Rajasthan.
All great achievements require
time but in its rush to attain
greatness, the BCCI and the
owners ignored the rules that
they themselves had put in
place. And truth to be told, in
their refusal to act, they cheated
not just the fans but the game
itself.
IPL verdict: csk,royals

suspended
A Supreme Court-appointed
committee suspended former
champions Chennai Super
76
Kings and Rajasthan Royals from

the Indian Premier League for
two years on Tuesday as it
presented its verdict on the
spot-fixing and betting scandal
that hit the T20 tournament in
2013.
ICC chief N Srinivasans son-inlaw Gurunath Meiyappan and
Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj
Kundra were suspended from
any type of cricketing activity
for life after they were found
guilty of betting in the
tournament. Srinivasan was
earlier restricted by the court
from running for another term
as president of the Board of
Control for Cricket in India
owing to a conflict of interest.
His company India Cements
held a stake in the Chennai
franchise.
Lodha was appointed head of
the sentencing panel in January
after the Supreme Court had
found Royals co-owner Kundra
and CSKs Meiyappan guilty of
betting on the outcome of
matches in 2013.
The committee also proposed
to impose sanctions on India
Cements franchise by
suspending it from the league
for two years. No action was
taken by India Cements against
Mr Meiyappan, he said.
The apex court had held that
the allegation of betting against
Meiyappan and Kundra stood
proved and set up the threemember committee of its
retired judges to determine the
punishment for Meiyappan,
who was the CSK team Principal
and Kundra.
The 2013 IPL season was mired
in controversy after police
launched legal proceedings
against several officials and
cricketers, including former
Test fast bowler S Sreesanth, for

illegal betting and spot-fixing.
The hugely popular Chennai
Super Kings are the most
successful team in the IPL,
having won the tournament in
2010 and 2011, and finished
runners-up in 2008, 2012, 2013
and 2015.
Rajasthan Royals won the
inaugural event in 2008 under
the captaincy of Australian spin
legend Shane Warne, but have
failed to make the final since
then.
Sanias another achievement
This is where it all began for me

12 years ago. In 2003, I won the
girls doubles title (with Alisa
Alisa Kleybanova of Russia).
Saturdays win was, in many
ways, a fulfilment of my
evolution as a tennis player.
Prior to this victory, I had won
the French Open, the Australian
Open and the US Open (at the
senior level). The only trophy
missing was Wimbledon.
Besides, until last (Saturday)
night, I had not won a Grand
Slam title in womens doubles.
Despite being down, Martina
and I were very positive and
were thoroughly enjoying the
experience of performing on
Centre Court. We kept
reminding each other that it was
just a question of one break and
we did manage to break back.
That shifted the momentum in

Sports
our favour. It is moments like
these that make all the pain and
hard work seem worthwhile.
Sanias Slams Year Event
Championship Partner
7-6(1) 6-7(10) 6-4 6-3.

After swiping away a forehand
winner to end a two hour 56
minute contest that crackled
into life midway through but
then fizzled out, top seed
Djokovic roared to the grey
London sky before kneeling
down and nibbling some of the
cherished turf.
For the second year running in
the All England Clubs
showpiece final Federer

played majestically but could
not break down the defences
of the games ultimate warrior.
World number one Djokovic
now has three Wimbledon
titles, the same as his coach
Boris Becker, and moves above
the likes of Andre Agassi, Jimmy
Connors, Ivan Lendl and Ken
Rosewall in the all-time list of
grand slam collectors.
India beat zimbabve,take series

2015 Womens Doubles
Wimbledon Martina Hingis
2014 Mixed Doubles US Open
Bruno Soares
2012 Mixed Doubles French
Open Mahesh Bhupathi
2009 Mixed Doubles Australian
Open Mahesh Bhupathi
DID YOU KNOW?
Sania had won the womens
doubles junior Wimbledon
championship with Russian partner
Alisa Kleybanova in 2003.
Djokovic wins Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic again revealed

the true depth of his steely core
to grind Wimbledon idol Roger
Federers hopes of a record
eighth title into Centre Courts
baseline dust on Sunday.
With a sell-out crowd urging
Federer to scale the same dizzy
heights he reached in eclipsing
Britains Andy Murray in Fridays
semi-final, Djokovic shrugged
off losing a stomach-churning
second-set tiebreak to prevail
An attempted slog through the

covers went awry and the
batsman, Murali Vijay, sighed.
Had that mishit off Brian Vitori
in the 17th over found any of
the three fielders inside the
circle on the off side, Vijay
wouldve been dismissed for
25. Or, his eighth departure in
the twenties in 15 innings.
And India, going by what
occurred after his eventual
dismissal, wouldve got a whole
lot less than 271.
Half a decade has passed since
Vijay first represented India in
colour clothing. Never had he
surpassed 33 runs in an ODI
innings. Yes, he hadnt played
too many games; just 15
matches and 14 innings before

today. But still. He did get past
20 runs, the definition of a start
in any form of the game, on
seven occasions. And each
time, his start was stopped on
or before 33.
Lodha panel verdict on July 14
The Supreme Court-appointed
committee headed by former
Chief Justice of India R.M.
Lodha will deliver on July 14 its
verdict on the quantum of
punishment against Gurunath
Meiyappan and Raj Kundra and
their franchisees in the IPL
betting and match-fixing
controversy.
77

Sports
In an e-mail communication sent
by Gopal Sankaranarayanan,
Supreme Court advocate and
secretary, Justice Lodha
Committee, on Saturday,
informed that the verdict of the
Justice Lodha Committee is to
be rendered on July 14 at Silver
Oak-II in the India Habitat
Centre, Lodhi Road, here at 1
p.m.
The panel set up by the
Supreme Court on January 22,
2015, also comprises former SC

judges Justice Ashok Bhan and
Justice R.V. Raveendran.
The SC had on January 22 held
that the allegation of betting
against Meiyappan and Kundra
stands proved and formed the
committee of its retired judges
to determine the punishment
for Meiyappan, who was the
Chennai Super Kings team
Principal and Kundra, co-owner
of Rajasthan Royals.
Sania-Hingis in Wimbledon final
Twenty-eight-year-old Sania
Mirza scripted another piece of
glory when she and her partner
Martina Hingis reached the
womens doubles final of the
prestigious Wimbledon in
London on Friday.
In the process, she achieved
another incredible first the
only Indian woman tennis player
ever to reach a Wimbledon final
in any event. Sania and her
partner defeated R. Kops-Jones
and A. Spears 6-1, 6-2 in the
semis, keeping aside the
disappointment of losing in the
mixed doubles.
78
Serena Williams beats Maria

Sharapova to book place in
Wimbledon 2015 final
Saddled with history and a balltoss that rebelled, Maria
Sharapova suffered for an hour
and 19 minutes in the glare and
heat of Centre Court before
watching Serena Williams ease
past her for the 17th time in a
row and into the final of the
2015 Wimbledon. And then she
suffered some more.
As feisty afterwards as she had
been in enduring another
public hammering against a rival
with whom she shares mutual
respect but little warmth, she
rejected suggestions daft

ones during an uncomfortable
press conference that she
either change her baseline
strategy or even look for a new
coach.
She seethed when asked to
respond to David Camerons
remarks that women players
should wear earplugs to block
out the screeching that plagues
the womens game, with
Sharapova among the chief
culprits. Next question,
please, she said through
pursed lips. She would
probably give Cameron a run for
his money at prime ministers
questions.
But it is harder than she makes it
sound, and she does not lack
for motivation especially
against Sharapova, who beat her
to win the title when a teenager
in 2004 and has won only five
sets in 18 matches against her
since. Williams gives the
impression she would happily
play her morning, noon and
night.
Inderjeet Singh make history
Star athlete Inderjeet Singh

scripted history as he became
the first Indian to clinch a gold
in athletics in the World
University Games by winning
the mens shot put event in
Gwangju, Korea on Wednesday.
Indian mens 25m Rapid Fire
Pistol team also bagged a

Sports
bronze to take Indias medal
count to four (one gold, one
silver, two bronze) on the fifth
day of competition. ph
It was not an easy outing for the
Asian champion Inderjeet as he
won the event with his final
throw of 20.27m at the Gwangju
Universiade Main Stadium to
open Indias gold medal
account in the Games.
The 27-year-old Inderjeet was
at second spot after the fifth and
penultimate throw as he had a
19.80m best throw till then
before he came up with 20.27m
in his final attempt to run away
with the gold and better the
colour of the medal from silver
he won in the last edition in
2013 in Russia to yellow this
time.
He had won Asian
Championships in China with
20.41m before bagging a gold
in each of the three legs of the
Asian Grand Prix in Thailand last
month. He won a bronze in the
Asian Games last year with
19.63m.
And why not? With a win over

Japan to finish fifth at the
Hockey
World
LeagueSemifinals, the eves
stand a chance of qualifying for
the 2016 Rio Olympics for the
first time since 1980.
Rani, who has been captain of
the side since 2011 and has
more than 200 caps under her
belt since her debut in the 2006
Asian Games in Doha.
HOW INDIA CAN MAKE IT
By beating Japan and finishing
fifth, India have a shot at the
reserve spot that can open up if
the same team that has qualified
through the Hockey World
League Semifinals also wins the
continentaltitle.Thus,forIndia
toqualify:
Yogeshwar Dutt & Narsingh
book world championship
berths
Yogeshwars bout and

thousands turned up at the K.D.
Jadhav wrestling arena at the
Indira Gandhi Stadium.
In the 74kg category Narsingh
Yadav made the cut with a 6-5
closely-fought win over Praveen
Rana. Sushil Kumar, who
recently sustained an injury to
his right shoulder and opted out
of the World Championship, was
on hand to witness the
proceedings.
The 16-member team will first
compete in a preparatory event
in Kazakhstan. Sonu of Services
has been selected only for the
Kazakhstan event in freestyle,
andwillhaveafinaltrialagainst
Commonwealth Games and
world championship medallist
Bajrang Kumar, who could not
attend the trial owing to an
injury.
The world championship will
offerthefirstsetofqualification
berths for the Rio Olympics.
Pro boxing body to be launched
in India on Wednesday
Ritu Rani hockey sensation
Antwerp on Saturday, New

Delhi on Monday and back
home in Shahbad, Haryana, the
same day.
The cities may be different, but
whats stayed the same for Ritu
Rani, captain of the Indian
womenshockey team, has
been the celebrations.
London Olympic bronze

medallist Yogeshwar Dutt and
Narsingh Yadav on Tuesday
qualified for the world wrestling
championships.
While Yogeshwar Dutt
overcame a fighting Amit Kumar
Dhankar of Haryana 6-3,
Narsingh Yadav put it past
Praveen Rana.
In the background of Amit
Kumar going to court about the
selection of the national team
for the Commonwealth Games
lastyearwithoutthetrials,there
was tremendous interest in
Amateur boxing in India could

have never been at such a
vulnerable stage. At a time,
when the sport in India doesnt
have a proper federation and is
being run by an international
body-appointed ad hoc
committee, Tuesday came a
news that the a new
professional governing body
will be launched in India on
79

Sports
Wednesday. The new
professional body is a brainchild
of former Indian Amateur
Boxing Federation (IABF)
secretary general P.K.
Muralidharan Raja, and is said to
have the backing of promoters
from around the world. The pro
body will work as a bridge
between its affiliated boxers
and promoters to strike deals.
The new body will also have on
its board Indian pro boxers Gurcharan Singh, US-based
who finished fourth at the 2000
Sydney Olympics, and Pradeep
Sihag, Australia-based World
Boxing Councils Asia
middleweight champion.
There are five major
International sanctioning
bodies of pro boxing, but there
isastrongpossibilitythatRajas
body will be affiliated to the
World Boxing Council as Sihag
and Nagra are associated with
it.
Indian skipper Mithali Raj
creates history
Indian Skipper Mithali Raj

became the first woman to cross
the 5000 runs milestone in OneDay Internationals.
Playing against New Zealand in
Bengaluru, Mithali Rajs
unbeaten knock of 81 runs took
her run tally to 5029 runs
comprising of 5 centuries and
37 half centuries at an average
of 48.82 in 157 matches.
80
Her innings helped India chase

down the target of 221, set by
New Zealand, only in 44.2 overs.
This chase was the highest by
womens team on Indian
grounds and second highest
overall.
Chasing down the target of 221,
the hosts got home with 34 balls
to spare. Mithali shared a 124run stand with opener Smriti
Mandhana (66) for the second
wicket.
Mithali also became the second
highest scorer of all time in
womens cricket. Before her,
English player Charlotte
Edwards had completed 5000
runs in ODIs.
Double delight for Jamaican
sprinters
Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell
and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
made up for the absence of
injured Usain Bolt by storming
to double 100m glory in the
Diamond League meet in Paris
on Saturday.
But there was heartbreak for
Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba
who narrowly missed out on
breaking her older sister
Tiruneshs world record in the
womens 5,000m.
Powell held his nerve to power
through the line in 9.81
seconds, Frenchman Jimmy
Vicaut equalling the European
record of 9.86sec in second
ahead of American Michael
Rodgers (9.99).
American Evan Jager led a
strong field of Kenyans into the
final bend of the mens 3,000m
steeplechase, only to come a
cropper on the final hurdle to
allow Jairus Kipchoge Birech in
a world leading 7:58.83.
Chile crushes Argentina in copa

America final
It took an Argentine, Jorge

Sampaoli, to plot Chiles triumph
in the Copa America final
against his own country.
Lionel Messi and Argentinas
otherFantasticoslosttheirnerve
in Santiagos Estadio Nacional
as they sought their first major
internationaltitlefor22years.
Chiles coach Sampaoli stayed
true to his live wire reputation,
jumping up and down on the
touchline urging stars Alexis
Sanchez and Arturo Vidal to
attack so they could win their
first South American
championship.
Since taking over, Sampaoli, 55,
has transformed Chiles national
side into true global
competitors. As well as
Saturdays South American title,
Chile also reached the last 16 at
last years World Cup.
But when he arrived in
December 2012, Chile had lost
three World Cup qualifiers in a
row and despite the presence
of stars such as Sanchez seemed
like a disorganised rabble.
Sampaoli said that Chile is
capable of even better.
Though born near Argentinas
second city of Rosida, Sampaoli
made his name mainly as a
coach of teams in Peru and
Ecuador.

Sports
Sania Mirza got Numero uno
ranking in a Grand Slam
Ace Indian tennis star Sania

Mirza has become the first
woman tennis player from the
country to be top-seeded in this
years ongoing Wimbledon
championships.
Sania and her partner at
Wimbledon, veteran Martina
Hingis, beat Diyas and Zheng 62, 6-2 to progress.
The 28-year-old Sania, who is
playing in her 15th year at the
Wimbledon, is in fact the first
Indian woman to achieve the
feat in any Grand Slam
competition.
The only other Indians getting
the top draw in a Grand Slam
earlier were Leander Paes and
Mahesh Bhupathi in the 1999
French Open mens doubles
competition.
Sania, who is married to Pakistan
cricketer Shoaib Malik, won her
first major title here - the 2003
Wimbledon Championships
Girls Doubles, partnering Alisa
Kleybanova.
Getting the No. 1 seeding means
that Sania is now a member of
the elite Last-four Club in
Wimbledon that makes her
entitled to certain lifetime
privileges, including use of a
special locker, etc.
Serbia stuns Brazil to win U-20
WC
Nemanja Maksimovic scored a
118th minute goal on the
counter attack to give Serbia a

2-1 victory over Brazil in extra
time in the under-20 World Cup
final at North Harbour Stadium.
The game had been locked at
1-1 at regulation time after
Stanisa Mandic had given the
Serbshopesoftheirfirsttitleas
an independent nation with 20
minutes remaining but Andreas
Pereira equalised three minutes
later.
openers complemented by
some fine batting from the
middle-order propelled
Bangladesh to its highest total
against India in the first match
of the ODI series at the Sher-eBangla National Cricket
Stadium.
Pakistan wins first test against

Sri Lanka
Pakistan won the first test

against Sri Lanka by ten wickets
inGalle.
Set a target of 90, Pakistan
knocked off the runs in 11.2
overs.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for
206 runs in their second innings
just before tea on day five.
Pakistan require 90 runs to go
one up in the series.
India outplays Great Britain
After defeating USA in the
previous match, the Indian
mens team posted a 3-1 win
over Great Britain in their fourth
practice match ahead of the
Fintro Hockey World League
Semifinal.
Gurbaj Singh, Devindar Sunil
Walmiki, Akashdeep Singh were
the scorers for India.
Openers set Bangladesh up
A blazing century stand by its
Strongly backed by the home

crowd, the Tigers roared early
in their innings after their
captain Mashrafe Mortaza chose
to set the hs all over the park
with disdain to give the host a
flying start as Bangladesh went
on to post 307 losing all its
wickets in 49.4 overs.
With a rain interruption looming
large over the match, it was an
excellent strategy to score as
much as possible when field
restrictions were in force during
the PowerPlay.
Despite a 95-run partnership
between its openers Rohit
Sharma (63) and Shikhar
Dhawan (30), India was bowled
out for 228 runs to suffer its
fourth ODI loss to Bangladesh.
India claims two team golds
India won gold medals in the

team event in junior girls and
cadet boys with expected
ease in the South Asian junior
81

Sports
table tennis championship at

the Talkatora Indoor Stadium.
The Indian junior girls won all
their matches without dropping
a set against Nepal, Pakistan and
SriLanka.
The cadet boys lost only one
set, that too in doubles, before
ensuring the gold medal.
In this round-robin contest,
India is expected to add the
junior boys and cadet girls
teamtitles,too.
Sri Lanka took two silver medals
on this day ahead of Nepal and
Pakistan.
AIBA forms ad-hoc panel for

India
The International Boxing

Association (AIBA) has
constituted an ad-hoc
committee to run boxing in
India.
The AIBA has appointed Kishan
Narsi, as chairman of the
committee in which the other
members are Jay Kowli ,
Manisha Malhotra and Injeti
Srinivas.
The AIBA has asked the ad-hoc
committee to appoint a national
coach with its approval. Narsi is
an international referee and he
has officiated in four Olympics.
He was also a former vicechairman of the Executive
Committee of the AIBA.
The AIBA has also appointed
senior IOC member and former
IOA Secretary General, Randhir
Singh as advisor.
82
The ad-hoc committee is likely

to recommend the name of G.
S. Sandhu, former national
coach as the fifth member of the
committee.
Bengaluru to host ATP
Challenger
A $50,000 ATP Challenger

mens tennis tournament is set
to be held, the first for the city
in 12 years. Matches will be held
at the KSLTA stadium courts
from October 19 to 25, with
Indias top singles players
expected to compete.
The tournament is likely to see a
few world top-100 players in
action, the Karnataka State Lawn
Tennis Association (KSLTA)
announced.
The ranking points gained in a
Challenger event the winner
and finalist stand to earn 80 and
48 points respectively will
prove to be a valuable draw for
risingtalent.
We feel that this is the time to
have more Challenger events in
India. This will help our players
with the required
competition to move up
higher in the world rankings.
Smith tops ICC rankings
Australian batsman Steven
Smith has topped the ICC

player rankings following his
stellar display in the Kingston
Test, becoming the second
youngest No.1 batsman after
Sachin Tendulkar.
He gained 49 points from his

efforts in Jamaica, which means
he has also broken the 900pointbarrierforthefirsttimein
his career. He now sits on 913
points, which has given him the
24th spot on the list of best Test
ratingsever.
Smith has leapfrogged Kumar
Sangakkara of Sri Lanka and
South African duo of AB de
Villiers and Hashim Amla in the
latest rankings. However,
Sangakkara will have a chance
to reclaim his No.1 ranking in the
seriesagainstPakistan.
Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay
achieved career-best positions
but skipper Virat Kohli dropped
out of the top-10 after the
drawn one-off Test against
Bangladesh in Fatullah.
Vijay has moved up three places
to 20th, while Dhawan has
vaulted 15 places to 45th.
Ajinkya Rahanehas climbed up
four places to a career-high
22nd. However, Kohli has
slipped a rung to 11th.
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In The News
IN THE NEWS
BMW launches new X3 variant
R.K. Dutta
Rupak Kumar Dutta, an IPS
Officer of 1981 Batch
(Karnataka Cadre), took over as
Special Director in the CBI,
New Delhi.
German luxury car maker BMW

launched a new variant of its
popular SUV model X3 priced
at Rs 59.9 lakh.
The new BMW X3 xDrive 30d
M Sport is powered by a 3-litre
six-cylinder diesel engine and
is locally assembled at the
companys Chennai plant.
Venugopal
Senior advocate K.K.

Venugopal informed the
Supreme Court that he will not
appear in future for the
Enforcement Directorate as the
agencys special counsel for
the 2G spectrum case.
He told a Bench led by Chief
Justice of India H.L. Dattu that
his decision follows a media
report that on June 22 an
under-secretary in the Revenue
Department had written to the
ED Director seeking Mr.
Venugopals immediate
replacement citing conflict of
interest.
Prior to his appointment as a

Special Director, he was
holding the post of Additional
Director in the CBI and looking
after the Anti Corruption (HQ)
Zone, Patna Zone, Hyderabad
Zone, Chennai Zone, Economic
Offences Zone-I, Bank
Securities and Frauds Zone and
Delhi Zone.
Mitsubishi
Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi
Motors premium utility
vehicles, Montero and
Outlander, will hit the Indian
roads again probably by early
next year.
We are in dialogue [with
Mitsubishi] for new models to
come into Indian market,
announced P. Vijayan, CEO,
Hindustan Motor Finance
Corporation Ltd.
The company, in technical
collaboration with the
Japanese auto major,
manufactures Pajero Sport, an

SUV, at its Chennai plant.
Katharine Viner
Katharine Viner has been
appointed the editor-in-chief
of the Guardian. She became
the first woman to run the
newspaper in its 194-year
history. Viner will become only
the 12th editor since the paper
was founded in May 1821.
Viner, currently deputy editor

of the Guardian and editor-inchief of Guardian US, will take
up the role in the summer from
incumbent Alan Rusbridger,
who is to stand down after 20
years.
Viner joined the Guardian in
1997 and has been a deputy
editor of the title as well as
editing the Saturday edition of
the newspaper from 2008 until
2012. She has held a wide
range of roles including editor
of G2, deputy womens editor,
and editor of Weekend
magazine.
Sohail Aman
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has
appointed Air Marshal Sohail
Aman as new air chief, after
83

In the News
promoting him to the rank of air
chief marshal. Earlier, outgoing
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief
Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt
called on PM Nawaz in
Islamabad. The premier lauded
the services of the outgoing
chief of air staff for national
defense and the role of PAF in
the ongoing war against
terrorism.
medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom

as the brand ambassador for
north-east India to promote the
region in the rest of the country
and abroad.
kavinder Gupta, an MLA from

Gandhinagar constituency in
Jammu district, was elected
with voice vote with no one
vote against the motion. Mr.
Gupta replaces the Protem
Speaker Muhammad Shafi of
the regional National
Conference.
Narayan Desai
Air Marshal Sohail Aman, who

is an accomplished fighter
pilot, was commissioned in the
GD (P) Branch of Pakistan Air
Force in November,1980.
During his remarkable career in
PAF, he has flown various
fighter and training aircrafts in
PAFs inventory.
Aman remained on various
important staff appointments
including director operations,
director plans and assistant
chief of the air staff
(operations) at Air
Headquarters, in addition to air
officer commanding, central air
command and deputy chief of
theairstaff(training).
Kavinder Gupta
Jammu & Kashmir Lagislative
Assembly has unanimously
elected BJP MLA Kavinder
Gupta Speaker of the 12th
Assembly. Basharat Bukhari,
Minister of Law and
Parliamentry Affairs moved the
motion in the Assembly seeking
his election to the post.
84
Vetrent Gandhian of our

country Narayan Desai, who
known for his rendition of
Gandhi Katha stories on the
Mahatmas life passed away
at a private hospital in Surat.
He is son of Mahatma Gandhis
personal secretary and
biographer Mahadev Desai.
In 2004, Desai started a lecture
series on Gandhi called
Gandhi Katha, which he took
across the world and received
much acclaim for it.
Desai served as the Chancellor
of Gujarat Vidyapith from July
23, 2007 to November 2014 .
Desai has won several award for
his work which include the
Sahitya Akademi Award for
Gujarati in 1993 and the
Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 1999
and the UNESCO-Madanjeet
Singh Prize for the Promotion
of Tolerance and NonViolence in 1998. He was also
associated with anti-nuclear
activism.
Marry Kom
Union Government has
selected five time worlds
Boxing Champion and Olympic
It was announced by Union

Minister of Development of
North Eastern Region (DoNER)
Jitendra Singh while adressing
the 10th North East Business
Summit in New Delhi. MC Mary
Kom was selected to showcase
the potential of the North East
region which can offer Rs. 2.4
trillion business opportunities
across various sectors.
Mary, 32, who hails from
Manipur is only woman boxer
to have won a medal in each of
the six world championships.
She recently announced in
Imphal that she would quit the
sport after the Rio de Janeiro
Olympics next year.
The cultural tradition of
Manipur is sports-oriented and
the state, as a result, has
produced many athletes. Mary
Kom cemented the northeastern states position as a
powerhouse of talent with her
2012 Olympic bronze. Winning
medals in many international
and national meets, the Hindi
film industry made a movie
based on her life, starring actor
Priyanka Chopra.

In The News
Sir Terry Pratchett
million books worldwide was

the UKs best-selling author of
the 1990s and later surpassed
by Harry Potter author J K
Rowling.
He has won several award for
his distinguish work which
includes Knighted by the
Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 for
his services to literature and in
year 2010, he was awarded the
World Fantasy Award for Life
Achievement.
In the year 1998 he was
appointed as officer of Order
of the British Empire (OBE).
Vinod Mehta
Sir Terry Pratchett creator of

the Discovered series and
author of more thatn 70 novels
has recently passed away in
London.
In his 44 years long career,
Pratchett had written more
than 70 books which were
translated in 37 languages. His
debut novel, The Carpet
People was published in 1971
and his first Discworld novel,
The Colour of Magic was
published in 1983.
Pratchett has sold more than 85
Senior journalist and Outlook

Groups editorial chairman
Vinod Mehta passed away at
the AIIMS in New Delhi on
Sunday.
He had worked with several

publications including
Debonair, Sunday Observer,
Pioneer and Indian Post.
Born in Rawalpindi, Mehta has
authored a biography of Meena
Kumari and Sanjay Gandhi. His
much-talked-about memoir,
Lucknow Boy, was published
in 2011.
He was conferred with Yash
Bharti Samman (2015) by Uttar
Pradesh government.
Ram Sunder Das
Former Bihar Chief Minister and
senior JD(U) leader Ram
Sundar Das has died, he was
95. He was chief minister of
Bihar as the head of the Janata
Party government in 1979.
Earlier in the Lok Sabha election
of 2009, he has defeated Ram
Vilas Oaswan in the Hajipur, but
in the parliamentary polls last
year,hadlosttothelatter.
Present Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar, announced two days of
state mourning as a mark of
respect for the senior JD(U)
leader.
85

Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals
SELECTED ARTICLES FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS & JOURNALS
The OROP struggle

Thousands of ex-servicemen
converged on the national capital
over the past weekend to protest
against the delay on the part of the
government in announcing a firm
timeline for the implementation of the
One Rank One Pension (OROP)
scheme. Others have gone on a relayhunger strike across the country,
saying they would do so till their
demand is met. In the run-up to the
2014 elections and after, the
Bharatiya Janata Party held out
several assurances on OROP, raising
expectations among the community
of veterans. OROP is meant to bring
parity among retired military
personnel based only on rank and
tenure and irrespective of the date
of retirement. As Prime Minister
Narendra Modi accepted in his
Mann Ki Baat broadcast, the
government had underestimated the
complexity of the process. One of the
major concerns of the government as
it works out the details relates to
similar demands that could
potentially come from the Central
police and paramilitary forces. The
logic of OROP stems from the fact that
unlike in other government services
where the retirement age is 55, 58 or
60, in the military services a soldier
retires around 35. So extending the
scheme to non-military cadres will
nullify its very rationale. In order to
pre-empt any legal issues in the
future, the government is working to
call it military pension, making it a
provision that applies only to the
armed forces. Another issue relates
to allocating finances for the
immediate rollout phase and making
the necessary provision for
enhancements in future. Wary of any
bid by the government to redefine
OROP, veterans are demanding that
86
it stick to the accepted definition.

The scheme, once
implemented, is expected to benefit
two and a half million ex-servicemen
and women immediately. While the
veterans anguish over the delay is
understandable, they should
appreciate the complexity of the
process. Also, with OROP being one
of the BJPs top election promises,
commitment for its implementation
had been reiterated at the highest
level by Mr. Modi. The issue,
pending for four decades, has seen
more progress in the last one year
than over the last few decades. So
while keeping up pressure on the
government, it would be wise to
give it room to work out the details.
The government, on its part, should
realise that these veterans fought for
this country while in service, and it is
indeed their legitimate right. In
addition, they represent a strong
voter base, as the last Lok Sabha
elections proved. This is pertinent as
protesting organisations have
announced they would agitate in
Bihar, where Assembly elections are
due this year. The government
should come out with a clear road
map in the interests of the nation as
well as its own. The existing
mismatch between expectations
and delivery could prove
problematic in more ways than one.
The makings of a gamechanger
The final report of the Bibek
Debroy Committee on restructuring
the Indian Railways has suggested a
process of gradual reforms, involving
the introduction of commercial
accounting practices and greater
decentralisation of powers, allowing
the entry of the private sector, and

the setting up of an independent
regulator. The committee has
indicated a five-year time frame to
implement the measures. One of the
most transformative suggestions
made is allowing private sector
players to run trains. It has suggested
exposing railway production units to
competition, and the creation of an
environment conducive to private
investment by giving confidence to
private players through transparent
accounting processes. This has to be
seen in the context of the failure of
the public-private partnership route
so far in both the road and railway
sectors. There have been different
reports in the past that have pointed
to what ails the Indian Railways. For
instance, in 2012 a committee
headed by Sam Pitroda, then Adviser
to the Prime Minister, submitted plans
for the modernisation of the Railways
at a cost of Rs.5.6 lakh crore over a
10-year period. The Debroy
Committee report stands out in
having identified definitive measures
to effect a transformation, and setting
atimeline.
But it will be a challenging task,
especially the recommendations
relating to opening up to the private
sector and setting up an independent
regulator. The committee has
acknowledged that restructuring
would be a humongous task, and
quite cautiously used the term
liberalisationfortheentryofprivate
players rather than privatisation or
deregulation. The railway employee
unions are already up in arms over the
references to the private sector. This
would be a difficult equation to
manage. The suggestion to set up an
independent regulator will equally
pose a challenge. This will essentially
mean setting up a body outside of


the powerful and centralised Railway
Board, which might resist such a
move. The setting up of an
independent super-regulator has
been spoken about in the financial
services space, but not much has
happened on that front. However, all
these suggestions merit immediate
consideration. The Railways has
suffered huge under-investment in
capacities and today its very viability
is a question mark. Now the onus is
on Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
who initiated the setting up of this
Committee, and Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu, known for his dynamic
approach, to take the railway unions
into confidence and implement the
measures. Both have declared the
Railways is not going to be privatised,
but the unions do not appear
pleased. Winning their trust would be
key to the implementation of the
measures. That would determine if
this will remain just another report or
a game-changer.
The tortuous road to Naga
peace
Since the leaders of the National
Socialist Council of Nagalim (IsaacMuivah) (NSCN), Thuingaleng
Muivah and Issac Chisi Swu, signed
the ceasefire with the H.D. Deve
Gowda government in 1997 and
started negotiations, the peace talks
have gone on and on, with round after
round of inconclusive negotiations.
There were suggestions recently that
a final solution might be in sight and
that may have provoked those left out
of the process into striking back. But
the secrecy shrouding the Naga
peace process only complicates it
further and makes it difficult to
speculate on when there will be an
end to Indias longest running ethnic
insurrection. The sheer duration of
these negotiations does point to the
complexities involved in trying to
settle the Naga insurgency, but many
critics of the Indian decision-making
process have also suggested that

New Delhi is trying to wear down the
rebel leaders in a battle of attrition
since the limited tactical advantages
of keeping the Naga rebels off the
battlefield have been achieved by
the ceasefire. Some have also said
that the ceasefire and the political
dialogue have helped India further
divide the Naga rebels, pointing to
the talks with the Muivah faction and
the refusal to talk with the Khaplang
faction despite a ceasefire with his
group. That, many would say, is what
finally provoked Khaplang, a warlord,
to renege on the ceasefire and form
the rebel coalition, the United
National Liberation Front of West
South East Asia (UNLFWSEA), with
motley rebel factions like the United
Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)
(Independent), the National
Democratic Front of Bodoland
(NDFB) (Songjibit) and the KLA
(Jibon).
Like Khaplangs faction, these
other groups are splinters of the
original movements. Their factional
rivals are already talking to India and
New Delhi treats them as principals.
These rebel chieftains who are holed
up in the remote jungles of
Myanmars Sagaing division are
treated as marginals. Khaplang was
under pressure for the last few years
from New Delhi for providing shelter
to these other Northeast Indian rebel
groups. Home Ministry mandarins
insist that this was a breach of trust
on the part of Khaplang. But in the
1990s, former Home Minister L.K.
Advani had clearly said that
Khaplang is a Myanmarese national
and that India cannot negotiate with
him. Khaplang on the warpath again
is partly dictated by his urge to end
his isolation in the jungles of
Myanmar, if only to remind New
Delhi that he cannot be ignored a
point he seeks to make by getting
together all those in the Northeast

who still intend to fight India. His
one-time comrades, Wangting and
Thikhak, blame Paresh Barua, an
activist with ULFA, for
manipulating Khaplang into
reneging on the ceasefire. Barua has
steadfastly remained on a separatist
course even after the ULFA was
decimated in Bangladesh after a
crackdown by the Sheikh Hasina
government and by periodic
desertions. So, though the ULFA of
today is not much of a fighting force,
its leader emerges as the glue for a
rebel coalition in Myanmars jungles
because of his track record of
leading an armed struggle through
unending adversity. The other
factions which have joined up with
Khaplang in UNLFWSEA are also
motley groups capable of occasional
hits here and there.
So, the real failure of Indian
intelligence was not in predicting the
possible spot of the ambush but in
anticipating the emergence of a
rebel coalition in the jungles of
Myanmar. The first step in that
direction was taken by Khaplang
when he signed a truce with
Myanmars Thein Sein government,
one of the 14 rebel groups in
Myanmar to strike a ceasefire deal
with it. Having secured that ceasefire,
Khaplang has ensured that his bases
in Sagaing will be protected from the
occasional raids by the Tatmadaw
(Myanmar Army). Even after the
attacks on Indian forces by Khaplangs
fighters in the last two months, the
Myanmar government has not broken
off the truce with his faction. For the
Myanmarese Army which has to battle
half-a-dozen powerful home-grown
insurgencies at any given point of
time, tackling the Kachin or the
Kokang guerrillas is a bigger priority,
not Khaplang. The Indian reply after
the rebel violence has also been
87


hasty and ill-conceived. The Indian
Army was under pressure from top
decision makers to hit back
immediately, to make a political point
of a strong India which will not
tolerate terrorism. The Indian Army
chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag,
was keen on striking back, but after
careful planning. Under pressure, all
that he could do was to plan two hits
on rebel bases on the border or
slightlyinsideit.Theselocationswere
chosen not because they had a lot of
rebel fighters but because these
were rebel bases and could be hit
with smaller forces to make a political
point that India will go after its
enemies. The raids have made much
less of an actual impact than was
initially suggested by an gung-ho
media, joined by a battery of retired
soldiers and security officials baying
for rebel blood.
A looming refugee crisis
A new report by Amnesty
International on the global refugee
crisis should prove a wake-up call for
the international community. The
Global Refugee Crisis: A Conspiracy
of Neglect says the world is facing
the worst situation on this front since
the Second World War, with the
number of people forcibly displaced
from their homes exceeding 50
million.Itsnotreallyasurprisegiven
the serial collapse of states in West
Asia and Africa, and reports of
persecution of vulnerable
communities in several countries.
What is more appalling is the apathy
of the worlds powerful leaders
towards this humanitarian problem.
The Amnesty report rightly says that
the international communitys
response to the refugee crisis has
been a shameful failure. Syria is a
case in point. More than half of its
population has been displaced by a
civil war, and some four million people
have fled the country. The burden is
88
almost entirely on Syrias neighbours

such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan,
while richer nations across the
Mediterranean have turned a blind
eye to it. The European Unions
decision to limit rescue operations in
the Mediterranean has led to a
dramatic rise this year in the number
of people who have drowned during
boat journeys. The U.S., a country
proud of its tradition of welcoming
people from foreign lands, has
accepted fewer than 1,000 Syrian
refugees in the past four years. The
schemes of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
that is meant to address the problem
remain under-funded.
People flee their homes to
escape desperate situations. If
Syrians and Libyans are fleeing
deadly wars, those from Myanmar and
Eritrea are trying to escape longstanding persecution. Resettling such
vulnerable people is a global
humanitarian obligation. But sadly, in
the current world order this
responsibility is not evenly
distributed. Powerful nations, which
often send bombers to poorer
countries to solve their domestic
problems, as the North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation did in Libya in
2011, are not as forthcoming when
they face refugee crises and poverty.
At present, almost 86 per cent of all
refugees are in the developing
countries, which lack the
infrastructure and resources to tackle
the challenge. A more coordinated
approach is needed to address the
problem. Richer countries in the West
and the Asia Pacific should find more
room for refugees from stricken lands,
in order to share the burden more
equitably. And, agencies such as the
UNHCR that deal with millions of
refugees should be sufficiently
funded to fulfil their missions. More
important, there have to be more
meaningful efforts, driven not merely
by geopolitical calculations but by
moral, humanitarian conviction, to

solve the worlds crises. That could
be the first step towards addressing
the causes of the problem.
Living on the citys sidelines
The Street Vendors (Protection
of Livelihood and Regulation of Street
Vending) Act, 2014 came into force
on May 1, 2014. It was one of the last
pieces of legislation passed by the
United Progressive Alliance-II
government.Initsintent,itissimilar
to the other pro-people laws passed
in the UPA years, such as the Right to
Education, Right to Information and
the Food Security Acts. In the spirit
of these progressive pieces of
legislation, this law (henceforth the
Street Vendors Act) seeks to bring in
greater transparency and functional
democracy in urban governance. But
as is often the case in India, passing a
law is one thing, and enforcing it is
another. With this particular law, the
biggest hurdle to implementation, it
appears, is the implementers
themselves.
Street vendors, or hawkers as
theyre more widely known, have
been around for as long as
civilisation. There has never been a
city ancient or modern that did
not have traders vending their wares
informally in public spaces. Indian
cities are no exception, as the
tradition of natural markets or mandis
testifies. With the onset of colonial
modernity, however, India acquired
a set of municipal laws that overnight
criminalised the vast majority of
street vendors. They instituted a
system of licensing. But the licences
issued were few and far between.
Even the Supreme Court, while
pointing out that street vendors have
a fundamental right to their
occupation as per Article 19 (1) (g)
of the Constitution, has
acknowledged the exploitation of
hawkers by state authorities. In its


landmark judgement of September
9, 2013 in the Maharashtra Ekta
Hawkers Union vs. Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai case,
the apex court stated, street
vendors are a harassed lot and
constantly victimised by the officials
of the local authorities, the police,
etc, who regularly target them for
extra income and treat them with
extreme contempt. The Streets
Vendors Act, largely drawn from the
2009 policy, was finally passed in
2014.
The Street Vendors Act, 2014
is a truly innovative solution to the
problem of balancing the livelihood
rights of hawkers and the right to free
movement of pedestrians and traffic.
The legislation lays down four
fundamental provisions: one, there
will be a survey of all existing
hawkers; two, instead of licences,
certificates of vending will be issued
to all existing hawkers identified in
the survey; three, vending and nonvending zones will be demarcated
and all hawkers accommodated in
the vending zones; and four, no
hawker will be evicted from his/her
spot unless and until the survey has
been done and certificates of
vending issued. The centrepiece of
the Act is the Town Vending
Committee (TVC), which will have
representation from street vendors,
traffic police, police, Resident
Welfare Associations (RWAs), market
associations, and the planning
authority, among others, and be
headed by the municipal
commissioner. It is the TVC which is
mandated to organise the survey,
decide on vending/non-vending
zones, issue certificates, decide on
vending fees that the hawkers should
pay the municipality, publish the
street vendors charter, and so on.
Additionally, in what ought to give
major relief to the hawkers, Section
27 of the Act, titled Prevention of
harassment of street vendors, states

explicitly that this law must override
any other law that has a bearing on
hawking rights, and that no street
vendor shall be harassed under any
other law for the time being in force.
The Street Vendors Act is not a
model law the State governments
dont have to pass similar laws in order
for it to come into effect. It is a
national law and it is already in force.
And yet, the harassment of hawkers
by the cops and local bodies
continues. In Delhi, it continues
despite explicit orders issued by the
Delhi government to both the police
commissioner and the heads of all the
municipal bodies. The design of the
Street Vendors Act is such that it
requires municipalities to come up
with schemes for the
implementation of the law. Most
municipalities are yet to frame these
schemes. But those that have a draft
scheme ready seem determined to
dilute the Act back to status quo.
Also, whereas the Act specifies
that a survey of existing vendors
should be carried out, the schemes
mandate issuing of public
advertisements about the survey. A
more fundamental problem with the
schemes is that many of the issues
which, as per the Act, are to be
decided by the TVC, are being
usurped by the municipality. For
instance, it is the TVC which is
supposed to make recommendations
on matters such as the vending fees,
conduct of the survey, issue of
certificates, and charter of selfregulation for vendors. The
municipality is only supposed to ratify
them the TVC, after all, is headed
by the municipal commissioner. But
in the NDMC scheme, the
municipality becomes the key
decision-maker, and the TVC, a
glorifiedconsultant.
The street vendors enormous
contribution to the economy rarely
gets acknowledged. On the one
hand, they subsidise the urban poor,

who cannot afford to shop from malls
or supermarkets for their necessities.
On the other, they are a cheap
distribution network for small and
micro-enterprises in the informal
sector that make toys, clothes,
utensils, and other household goods
from moulded plastic at a low cost.
These small industries cannot afford
to sell their goods via conventional
retail outlets. But they employ a large
number of workers. If we take the
number of people employed in
these micro-industries, and add
them to the total number of street
vendors, it becomes clear that
hawking sustains a great deal of
employment.
And in a country with a
decade of jobless growth behind it,
hawkers are asking for neither jobs
nor handouts only to be left alone.
Only economic stupidity or epic
callousness would want to keep
destroying the livelihoods of street
vendors, who are, at the end of the
day, a valuable class of
entrepreneurs. Yet, the mindset of
sections of the middle class, not to
mention the municipal bureaucracy
and the police who have their own
reasons, remains largely hostile to
hawkers. In its very name, this
legislation speaks of protection of
livelihood of street vendors. The
abiding irony is that the entities from
whom protection is sought, are the
ones mandated to provide the
protection. The future of this law may
ultimately be determined by our
civic imagination how we
envisage our cities, and our public
spaces.
Time for an
indigenous arms industry
Union Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Defence
89


Secretary Ashton Carter signed the
10-year Defence Trade and
Technology Initiative in early June, to
extend defence cooperation
between the two countries. The
move has been hailed as pathbreaking, but in reality the
agreements on joint technology
development are far below
expectations. In fact, to expect any
country to share cutting-edge
defence technology would be gross
naivety. As the Narendra Modi
government enters its second year,
its time to map the challenges facing
it in the defence sector. There is no
choice for India but to go Indian.
Results will only flow if cogent
policies drive decision-making, even
as field work continues. With 250
million people on either side of the
poverty line, the defence budget has
rarely crossed 2 per cent of the GDP,
and it is doubtful if it ever will. To
make optimal use of the scarce
money, the Ministry of Defences
(MoD) task is cut out along two
avenues: operational and
administrative.
Operationally, two basic issues
require immediate consideration.
First, the Defence Procurement
Procedure (DPP) has to be urgently
revamped, to address the
hollowness of the forces (as one
Chief put it). Second, the Defence
Offsets Management Wing (DOMW)
must be strengthened immediately.
Even as the security environment has
palpably deteriorated, the defence
acquisition process has failed to get
India out of the arms import trap. The
Defence Research and Development
Organisations efforts have been
embarrassinglypoor.Therealityisthat
India will continue to import for the
next two decades. These frightfully
expensive acquisitions need
leveraging through the DPP and
DOMW to ramp up Research and
Development and manufacturing
capabilities.
90
Indias acquisition process

must enable an indigenous defence
manufacturing base that delivers on
quality, timeliness of supply, and
capacity. India has the third-largest
armed force in the world. India is
one of the largest importers of
conventional defence equipment
and spends about 40 per cent of its
defence budget on capital
acquisitions. About 60 per cent of its
defence requirements are met
through imports. The allocation for
defence in the last budge was
approximately Rs. 2.4 lakh crore. In
2015, the budgetary allocation for
defence was Rs. 2.6 lakh crore, an
increase of over 7 per cent. Our
defence procurements need to
address these complexities, and if a
confrontation drags on, the nation
must have the strategic depth of a
continuous supply chain, which only
an indigenous arms industry can
ensure. So, Indias acquisition
process must become the enabler of
an indigenous defence
manufacturing base that delivers on
quality, timeliness and capacity.
Indias acquisition hierarchy,
however, has an Achilles heel in the
absence of a structure that owns
theacquisitionprocess.Thus,targets,
responsibility and accountability
cannot be fixed. The Department of
Defence Production, DirectorGeneral (Acquisition), and the MoD
are amorphous behemoths; no
responsibility can be pinned on any
one of them.
Any reform of the DPP has to
startwiththecreationofanentitythat
owns the acquisition process. This
entity should have officers of all
departments influencing defence
indigenisation and must work under
one head, who will oversee the
process of drafting policy and
implementation. The careers of
personnel in this organisation should

swim or sink with the progress of
defence indigenisation. Naysayers
just need to look at the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India to
understand that creating such an
entityispossible.
The immediate reform of the
DOMW is the second major
requirement. With offsets still a norm,
the nation has paid at least 10 to 15
per cent more in each contract as a
cost of offsets. The 36 Rafales that
are coming from France have a $4
billionoffsetestimate,whilethetotal
estimate in the next decade could
reach $100 billion! To manage such
massive amounts, there are only 10
people manning the DOMW today.
The staff needs to be immediately
expanded and must be given a fixed
tenure of at least five years. In
parallel, training in defence
acquisition needs to be
institutionalised through the
upcoming National Defence
University. Pride in uniform is the
mantra that gives the armed forces
josh. Its time this lost sheen was
restored to them. In its second year
in office, the government must work
on the administrative aspects of
defence building. The nation
expects the armed forces to deliver
everywhere. Surely, the government
can respond with correct pay,
housing and one rank one pension
policies?
Give the IIMs their freedom
There is an irony here that is
hard to miss. The three oldest Indian
Institutes of Management IIM
Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM
Bangalore were established many
years before India embraced the
market economy model. With
recommendations that came from
the Planning Commission and


working in a socialist framework, they
have functioned autonomously to
evolve best management practices
and, with some help from America,
today figure among Indias bestknown global brands. Over the years
they have benefited from the
autonomy granted to them, which
has enabled them to work
independently in deciding what is
best for them. In the true sense of the
term, the IIMs have essentially been
market-oriented institutions. The
government that is now at the helm
has an avowedly pro-market
disposition too, and has in the recent
past cut budgetary support for many
welfare measures. The real objective
of seeking to impose controls on the
management institutes of which
there are 13 today has therefore
perplexed observers. To be fair, the
NDA government is not to be
blamed entirely. The Congress-led
UPA, under Minister Kapil Sibal, set
the process going. A committee that
he appointed was accused of
pursuing the objective of out-andout privatisation of the IIMs. The
Ministry of Human Resource
Development under Smriti Irani is
now seeking to regulate them by
means of the Indian Institutes of
Management Bill, 2015, in the text of
which the word regulate recurs
with regularity. The Bill is now in the
public realm for comments and will
of course pass through Parliament.
There is reason to believe that the
special status enjoyed by the
institutes is being sought to be
diluted by bringing in other business
schools also within the ambit of the
Bill. That is not to say the Bill is
without any positive aspects. It
promises to meet a long-pending
demand to convert diplomas
awarded by the IIMs into degrees.
But the real question is whether
government control would help make

these institutes centres of
excellence. Public-funded institutes
in India figure nowhere in the top 100
global ranking index. The Indian
Institutes of Technology have
functioned autonomously in
deciding their own curriculum, yet
evidently the government is seeking
tointerfereintheirfunctioning.Inthe
caseoftheIIMsBill,itisnotclearto
what extent the government intends
to meddle with the academic
structure.Whatisevidentisthatmajor
decisions can be taken only with
prior government approval. Also,
determining the fee structure, a
contentious issue in the past, will be
subject to governmental nod. The
government ought to tread carefully
here. It would be appropriate to take
the IIMs along while giving final shape
to the Bill, which has the potential to
altertheirstructure.
Building affordable homes
For Indians, the most important
form of social security is to own a
house. It is a proxy for their social
standing and prestige. But housing is
expensive: realty in New Delhi and
Mumbai is generally priced out of
reach and remains mostly unsold. In
India, there is a housing shortage,
along with rising inventory and mostly
bankrupt developers. Land,
especiallywithbasicinfrastructurein
place, remains a limited commodity.
There is now significant social stress
on the economy with rising
urbanisation and an expanding
middle class, along with a housing
shortage estimated at 62.5 million
units. Over 65 million people live in
slums. The demand for houses is
expected to increase to 88.8 million
affordable units, according to the
Pronab Sen Committee on Slum
Statistics, within the next two to four
years, with the deficit in urban areas
touching 18.9 million units. An
estimated investment of $1.7 trillion
is required to meet the housing

shortage.
Unfavourable land
management policies such as the
Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation
Act), 1976, remain prevalent in
certain States, along with low Floor
Space Index (FSI) ceilings in
differentcities.Asaresult,smalllowrise residences and commercial
complexes are being developed on
each plot, leading to lower incomes
for developers and, hence, higher
prices to cover land costs. The issue
of titling and the lack of property
rights information add to the
problem. Under Indian law,
registration of sale of land is
compulsory, but the registration
authority is not required to verify
from the seller either the history or
ownership of the land. This weakens
buyer protection and acts more as a
fiscal instrument for the state instead
of being a statutory support of
certainty to title. Urban India
recognises presumed ownership to
land, a questionable claim which can
be challenged. Floor Area Ratio/FSI
ratios have led to horizontal
expansion and need to be doubled
to bring about a vertical expansion.
Andhra Pradesh, in particular, has
removed the FAR concept, creating
adequate supply and stabilised
prices. A land pooling policy would
aid in semi-urban areas, with
beneficiaries being exempted from
tax on capital gains and stamp
duties. If there is successful
implementation of the National Land
Records Management Programme
(NLRMP) by 2018, it will make it
easier for developers to focus on
suitable land parcels with reduced
litigationrisks.
Project launches and
completion delays are becoming
commonplace, alongwith
91


bottlenecks in the supply of raw
materials and labour. Regulatory
approvals remain a complex process,
with a minimum of 34 of them to be
followed by a developer to obtain
construction permits. This takes 1836 months. Globally, many countries
offer streamlined online processes
andincentivestofacilitateaffordable
housing these can include tax
deductions, density bonuses, direct
subsidies, land grants, land use
changes, and so on. The use of fee
waivers and fast-track methods are
tools adopted by some countries
such as Malaysia to set administrative
requirements. Hong Kongs smart
regulator programme merged eight
procedures involving six different
agencies and two private utilities into
a one stop centre.
Grantinginfrastructurestatusto
real estate, especially to affordable
housing, will open up additional
financing avenues insurance firms,
tax-free infrastructure bonds or up to
50 per cent funding through external
commercial borrowing. A publicprivate partnership mode with
government backing, as Rajasthan has
done, will also secure institutional
lending at lower costs. Out of the
Rs.22,407 crore budgeted for the
housing sector, a separate allocation
is required for affordable housing.
Rationalisationoftax,constituting3037 per cent of deal value, will
incentivise housing development.
This can be ushered in by reviewing
its various constituents including
stamp duty, service tax, value added
tax, land conversion charges and
external development charges.
Unification of stamp duty and other
charges across all States along with
exemption on excise duty for prefabricated housing components is a
medium-term measure. Introducing
the Benami Transactions
(Prohibition) Bill, 2015 and the
Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015
92
(popularly known as the black money

bill) will curb the flow of black money
into real estate, improving the overall
affordabilityofthesector.Indiasreal
estate sector needs large funding,
transformative infrastructure
development, along with supportive
regulatory and policy mechanisms to
achieve social and economic
objectives. Careful nurturing through
policy action could catalyse Indias
affordable housing boom.
A question of credentials
While the Bharatiya Janata Party
government has, on the one hand,
been striving to pursue a growth- and
development-oriented agenda with
a firm emphasis on the economic and
foreign policy fronts, on the other
hand the question has come up too
often whether it is meanwhile
systematically seeking to use the
Ministries related to culture,
information, education and human
resources to push itself away from
values promoting excellence and
expertise when it comes to certain
key appointments. This is the only
possible explanation for the choice
of those with uncertain credentials
for some important institutional
appointments. In the latest instance,
the choice of Gajendra Chauhan for
the post of chairman of the governing
council of the Film and Television
Institute of India, and other members
of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
to be members of the FTII Society,
has raised the hackles of students of
the institute and members of the
larger cinema fraternity. Mr. Chauhan
is better known for his portrayal of
the character of Yudhisthira in the
popular television serial Mahabharata
in the 1980s. His filmography includes
a string of films of a certain kind, and
there is little in his repertoire that
qualifies him to chair a premier
institutionimpartingqualitycinematic
training. It is clear that the choice
made by the Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting is based on his

leanings. He is a BJP member, and
wearshisaffiliationonhissleeve.
Of course, the BJP is not alone
when it comes to injecting political
bias into the process of selecting
persons for such posts, but the
present government seems rather
brazen compared to its
predecessors in ignoring
qualifications or merit in making
appointments. The Ministry recently
appointed a number of Sangh
Parivar and BJP affiliates to the
Central Board of Film Certification
panel, seemingly with hardly a
thought for credentials, eminence or
qualifications. The new chairperson
of the CBFC, for example, is
someone who had directed run-ofthe-mill films in the past. The Human
Resource Development Ministry
recently appointed a historian with
barely any peer-reviewed work in
the field, to the post of chairperson
of the Indian Council of Historical
Research, Y. Sudershan Rao. To boot,
he holds controversial views that
conflate mythological elements with
history. The BJPs victory in 2014 was
predicated on its promise of
overhauling governance to achieve
economic growth and development.
It is impossible to imagine that the
mandate was for the fulfilment of any
kind of self-serving agenda or sharing
of the spoils. The government
should not allow itself to veer away
from the pursuit of excellence and
put in peril the integrity of its
institutions.
Old debate on lead rekindled
The wordwide annual
production of lead today amounts to
50 lakh tonnes; it is used in solder,
paint and even food colouring. By
now, lead has accumulated in
significant quantities in human bodies
and the environment. But the major


culprit in the spread of lead is the
anti-knock additive to the automobile
fuel,tetraethyllead(TEL).Thehistory
of how TEL was unnecessarily thrust
on humanity and the biosphere
makes a riveting story. TEL was first
synthesised in Germany in the mid19th century, but never put to use,
being highly toxic. It was resurrected
by the American automobile, oil and
chemical industry as an anti-knock
agent in the early 1920s. By 1920, a
U.S. Naval Committee had concluded
that alcohol-gasoline blends
withstand high compression without
producing knock. But alcohol
cannot be patented and cannot
bring large profits to companies. So,
all discussion of its potential was
deliberately suppressed, and TEL
pushed with vigour.
This push met with much
opposition because there were
many deaths and serious injuries in
plants manufacturing TEL. As a result,
several U.S. states banned its use.
Many distinguished medical
scientists opposed it. In response,
the U.S. Surgeon-General convened
a meeting in 1925 that, in turn,
appointed a committee. This
committee reported that there was
no existing evidence of the illeffects of long-term exposure to
lead in the atmosphere on human
health, but also pointed out that this
was because there had been no
research on the topic, and such
research needed to be initiated
urgently. Industry happily funded a
pliant medical scientist, Robert
Kehoe. For the next 40 years, the
Surgeon-General and Kehoe
undertook forceful advocacy of TEL.
Notably, toxic effects of lead appear
at just slightly higher blood levels of
0.5-0.8 ppm. Since Kehoe
monopolised the research, it was
impossible for the many doubters to
produce counter-evidence.
The logjam was broken in the

1960s when a brilliant young
geochemist, Clair Patterson, entered
the scene. Patterson was working on
iron meteorites to determine the age
of our earth, for which it was essential
to determine the levels of lead in the
meteorites accurately. But this proved
incredibly difficult, for Patterson
discovered that the whole
environment was so polluted by lead
that it was well-nigh impossible to set
up a lead-free laboratory. Patterson
thensystematicallyinvestigatedlevels
of lead in rocks, rivers and sea water,
ocean sediments, the atmosphere
and the biosphere. He demonstrated
that over the last few centuries, the
levels of lead in the remains of marine
organisms incorporated in sediments
had gone up a hundredfold. He took
ice cores from the Arctic and
Antarctic and demonstrated a similar
increase. The obvious conclusion
was that the prevailing levels of lead
in the human body were a result of
pollution, and were not natural levels
at all, as Kehoe had been claiming so
far. Patterson provided clinching
evidence of this when human teeth
and bones from ancient burials
turned out to have just onethousandth the amount of lead as
teeth and bones of modern-day
humans.
Summarising his work,
Patterson published a groundbreaking paper in 1965 that
destroyed all of Kehoes
unsustainable claims. The scientific,
especially the medical research,
community that had been mutely
witnessing the unacknowledged illeffects of lead pollution was
immediately convinced. After
sidelining his work and oil
companies cutting off his funding,
the U.S. government was finally
forced to ban TEL a full 20 years after
the publication of his paper. But this
chemical, thrust upon the world
only because it is patentable,

continues to bring in profits to its
manufacturers from across the
world, including Indias neighbours,
Afghanistan and Myanmar, who still
use it as an automobile fuel additive.
Indeed, as Larry Summers, then a
vice-president of the World Bank,
and later Secretary of Treasury
under Bill Clinton, had written in his
notorious memo of 1991: The
measurements of the costs of health
impairing pollution depends on the
foregone earnings from increased
morbidity and mortality. From this
point of view, a given amount of
health impairing pollution should be
done in the country with the lowest
cost, which will be the country with
the lowest wages. I think the
economic logic behind dumping a
load of toxic waste in the lowest
wage country is impeccable and we
should face up to that. Perhaps
India, too, is acting today on this
impeccable logic, to the evident
detriment of its environment and the
qualityoflifeofitspeople.
Going the e-payment way
The governments proposal
to incentivise electronic
transactions in preference to cash
dealings so as to curb black money is
one of the most complete attempts
made till now to achieve that end
although it is not entirely a new idea.
Earlier attempts, such as the UPA
governments Banking Cash
Transaction Tax, sought to address
the issue only at the bank level,
ignoring the actual users of cash
the merchants and the public. That
tax, introduced in 2005 by then
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram,
stipulated a charge of 0.1 per cent
on cash withdrawals above Rs.
10,000. However, it was messy: the
somewhat arbitrary move that was
93


also poorly implemented, was
repealed in 2009. This governments
new proposal takes a more holistic
approach to the cash economy, and
as such is more likely to work. In a
draft proposal now open for public
comments, the government suggests
income tax benefits for individuals
who incur a certain proportion of
their expenditure through electronic
means, while proposing a nominal
handling charge on cash
transactions above a specified level.
The removal of the additional
charge often levied on electronic
transactions should come with this.
As for merchants, the government
proposes a tax rebate to those
among them who handle, say, 50 per
cent of their transactions
electronically, and a small reduction
in value added tax on the items
involved. At the moment the system
discriminates against electronic
transactions.
Banks and service providers
levy extra charges on them, while
cash transactions are implicitly
subsidised by banks, which do not
factor in the cost of teller services.
Paper money comes with hidden
overheads: the cost of printing and
providing additional security
features, and the price of counterfeit
money.
Cash transactions and black
money are directly linked, since a
cashtrailisnearlyimpossibletotrack.
As such, electronic transactions and
the ease of audit they afford should
make the governments job much
easier in terms of curbing illegal
transactions. India is a massively
cash-dependent economy, with its
cash-to-GDP ratio being around 13
per cent as compared to a global
average of 2.5 to 8 per cent. Little
wonder, then, that some experts
estimate the size of Indias black
94
economy to be at least half the size

of the white economy.
Commendably, this government
seems to be taking a systematic view
in working towards minimising cashbased transactions. At the heart of it,
even the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan
Yojana is aimed at providing direct,
cashless subsidies to those who
need them. There are still more steps
that could be taken, such as
encouraging major cash-users,
traders with large public dealings for
example, to move on to electronic
payment modes. But this proposal is
undoubtedly a good beginning.
The Taliban challenge
Mondays attack on the Afghan
Parliament building demonstrated
the Talibans unshaken capability to
strike at even the most fortified of
complexes in Kabul. This fits into its
strategy of staging high-profile
assaults aimed at gaining asymmetric
superiority in the Afghan war. In the
past they had attacked the
Presidential Palace, the U.S. and
Indian embassies and the
Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. The
Parliament attack coincided with a
vote in the House to endorse a new
Defence Minister. The Taliban have
been on the offensive since most of
the foreign troops, some 14,000 of
them from 40 countries at the peak
of war, withdrew late last year. The
Talibans actions have often been
exposing the vulnerabilities of
Afghanistans fledgling army. If the
Taliban are allowed to return to
power, it would be catastrophic for
the Afghan people, particularly for
millions of its women who were
deprived of even basic human rights
under its erstwhile regime. Given the
tribal politics and lawlessness in
Afghanistans rural areas, and the
Talibans geopolitical relevance in
the extremely complex South and
Central Asian theatre, it will prove
difficultforanyanti-Talibanstrategy
to gain immediate traction. If the past
14 years of war in Afghanistan offers
any definite lessons to the actors
involved, it is that insurgency cannot
be defeated only by military means.
One of the grave mistakes the
American-led troops committed was
their excessive emphasis on a military
solution, while reconstruction and
creation of infrastructure, and
building of institutions, were pushed
to the back seat.
President Ashraf Ghani, who
took power in September 2014, had
promised to fix the vital issues. But
his performance has not been
impressive either. That Afghanistan,
which has been at war for years,
does not have a Defence Minister for
the last nine months, itself speaks
volumes about the state of its
political affairs. What Afghanistan
needs is a multi-pronged strategy,
supported by the international
community, focussing on nationbuilding and security challenges as
well as regional diplomacy. First, the
government has to establish itself as
a credible, service-delivering and
security-providing institution to gain
the trust of its people. It should
focus on taking the social ground
away from the Taliban, at the same
time bolstering its own security
resources.
The international community
has an obligation to help this
strategy, both economically and
diplomatically. It is worth noting that
after the Soviets retreated from
Afghanistan in 1989, it took just
three years for the Mohammad
Najibullah regime to fall, plunging the
country into a deadly civil war from
which the Taliban rose to power. It is
the responsibility of both Kabul and
its backers abroad to make sure
history doesnt repeat here.


Looking to the Supreme
Court
The Special Leave Petition
filed by the Karnataka government in
the Supreme Court against the
acquittal of Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa is not just the
appeal of an aggrieved party on
merits. It is also a commentary on the
quality of the High Court verdict in
the disproportionate assets case.
Apart from the undoubted public
interest in the outcome of a case that
will decide the fortunes of a
prominent political leader, the
appeal has brought the focus on
how exactly courts deal with
politically sensitive cases. The crux
of the Karnataka governments
contentionisthis:ifthetrialverdict
of Special Judge John Michael
DCunha was noted for its elaborate
evaluation of the evidence and the
reasoning behind his conclusions,
the appellate judge, Justice C.R.
Kumaraswamys order overturning it
iscryptic,lackinginreasoningand
illogical. Especially requiring a
second look are the High Courts
reliance on the less-than-10-percent theory that allows a public
servant to hold unexplained assets
up to 10 per cent in excess of what
she can account for. The points of
divergence between the trial court
verdict and the High Courts
judgment are now well-known. The
divergence is of such magnitude
that every reasonable person would
favour an authoritative
pronouncement from the highest
court on these aspects of the case.
Karnataka has sought to focus on
what many see as flaws in the High
Court order, not least in importance
being some glaring mathematical
errors.
It cannot be forgotten that
when a public servant is charged
with possessing assets

disproportionate to her known
sources of income and which she is
unable to explain satisfactorily, the
court must strictly go by the
established quantum of wealth
possessed, the expenditure incurred
during a given period in office and
the income known to have been
received in the same period. This
basically requires flawless
computation and, where precise
figures are unavailable, an objective
means to evaluate the value of the
assets. Any failure in making a
precise computation will naturally
result in a miscarriage of justice. By
using different means, the
prosecution, the defence and the
two courts have so far arrived at
different figures on income,
expenditure and the consequent
quantum of disproportionate assets.
This fact also contributes to the
need for a full re-examination. As for
the political context, the appeal has
been filed at a time when Ms.
Jayalalithaa is contesting a byelection that will send her back to
the Legislative Assembly. Karnataka
has sought interim relief by way of a
stay of the High Court judgment; if
granted, this may have the effect of
restoring Ms. Jayalalithaas
disqualification from being a
legislator.Thestageissetforthelast
round of this 18-year-long legal
battle. Ordinary citizens look to the
Supreme Court for an authoritative
pronouncement on this crucial
matter of defining the dos and donts
for persons in high public office.
Foreign Service
must remain elitist
Whether at the time of
uncertainty over foreign policy
before the Lok Sabha elections, or
after Prime Minister Narendra Modis
reinvigoration of foreign policy,

foreign service reforms have
focussed on expansion, lateral entry
of officers and general dilution of
the services elitist character. But no
attention is given to the fact that the
Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is
already a shadow of its former self,
and does not appeal to civil service
aspirants. Most of those who join the
IFS are those who did not qualify for
the Indian Administrative Service
(IAS). If IFS has to perform
effectively, its elitism should be
preserved, its attractiveness
enhanced, and it should be brought
to the centre of international
relations as it was originally intended
to be. Nobody disputes the
academic Amitabh Mattoos
argument that Indias foreign policy
must be seen as a shared partnership
across departments within the
government of India, and academia
and think tanks outside the
traditional corridors of power
Foreign policy is framed by
various departments of the
government, academia, think tanks
and the media. They should all have
their own defined roles in drafting
foreign policy and must remain
independent of each other. The
MEA should not absorb them into a
monolithic institution that has no
diversity. Think tanks and the media
should shape foreign policy from
outside rather than from within the
government. Is the right remedy to
recruit media experts into the IFS in
order to get their inputs on foreign
policy? Would they fit into the
bureaucratic milieu with its
hierarchical and political
constraints? The usual lament is that
the IFS is smaller (900 officers) than
Chinese (4,000) and American
(20,000) diplomatic services. This
number is insufficient to meet the
95


requirements of our 120 missions
and 49 consulates. It is a fact that
India started off with more missions
than it could manage. It is not easy or
politically correct to close down
missions once they have begun;
India, therefore, maintains them with
a skeletal staff in marginal posts. Its
larger missions are well-endowed
and it does not need to be envious
of bigger missions maintained by the
U.S. or China. The right mix of need
and affordability must determine the
numbers. The information revolution
should lead to a reduction, rather
than an increase, in the number of
missions abroad. The size of the
service should not by itself detract
from the efficiency of diplomacy.
Those who argue for
expansion and lateral entry seem
unaware of the fact that in most of
Indias important missions, the IFS is
in a minority, as it is staffed by
officers of other Ministries. Many
Ministries have preserved positions in
the name of specialisation, but most
of them are IAS officers, who may
have been recruited specifically for
assignments abroad. They may not
even have gained experience in the
concerned Ministries before being
posted abroad. When there is such a
practice, there should be no need
to induct them into the foreign
service itself. Moreover, Ministries
such as Commerce, Finance,
Industry, Environment, Science and
Technology, Atomic Energy, Space
and the Cabinet Secretariat have
officers who specialise in various
international negotiations. The
missions are merely asked to service
these delegations; even the heads of
mission receive only a courtesy call
and a cursory report. These officers
function, in effect, as diplomats, and
they should be added to the
strength of the IFS when functional
96
requirements are taken into account.

In other words, we have more
diplomats in action internationally
than the strength of the IFS indicates.
The MEA has already begun
to recruit more officers every year,
and that is the only way that such a
specialised service should be
expanded. If necessary, there are
retiredofficerswithprovenability,to
fill the gaps without claiming high
positions and salaries. The
suggestion here is not that reform of
the diplomatic service is
unnecessary. First, it should be made
more attractive so that the best
candidates are chosen. Like
Jawaharlal Nehru did, the aptitude
and readiness of the selected
candidates should be ascertained
before they are chosen. It is patently
wrong to take in officers who qualify
without English proficiency. No
amount of language training after
entry into the service would equip
them for the rigours of the work
abroad. The recruitment of a large
number of doctors and engineers is
by no means negative, particularly in
the context of the growth of
technology. Some of Indias best
diplomats have come from the
medical profession.
The present practice of posting
on an ad hoc basis should cease.
Officers should develop expertise in
countries and regions. Multilateral
postings should not be meant for
rotational blessings, but for those who
have the talent and experience.
Instead of rotating officers so that
they retire comfortably, we should
give them other incentives to stay in
tough assignments. Those in difficult
places must be compensated
financially.Postings,anartatpresent,
should be made a science, with a
clear criteria. There should be no
vagaries of political influence or
acceptability. The real shortage of
officers is not in missions abroad, but

at the headquarters. Many heads of
divisions cover whole continents with
very little support. Temporary
deputation of officers from various
disciplines can strengthen the
headquarters till we have a sufficient
number of IFS officers to return. The
role and relevance of the policy
planning and historical divisions are
often exaggerated. Policy planning
cannot be done in a vacuum; it is the
territorial divisions which can help
formulate policy.
Many youngsters who aspire to
the IFS have begun to believe that it
really does not call the shots in
foreign policymaking, as decisionmaking has passed on to the
technical Ministries. They believe
that the MEA has been reduced to a
post office. Unless this impression is
removed by concrete action, real
talent cannot be attracted to the
Videsh Bhawan. Foreign services are
elitist in most countries, and India
should not fritter away its strengths
by diluting its specialised and
professional character.
A carriage of injustice
The Justice J.S. Verma
Committee report that came out in
light of the Delhi rape case in late
2012 took us a few steps ahead in
the conversation on rape. It gave us
the tools to locate the crime of rape
in the context of gender justice.
However, the recent judgment of the
Madras High Court raises serious
concerns on how the crime of rape is
perceived by the judiciary. A single
judge Bench of the High Court has
granted interim bail to a person
convicted by the lower court for rape
of a minor, and has referred the case
to mediation. Mediation is a form of
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
where a neutral mediator assists the
parties concerned in arriving at a
mutually agreeable settlement. It is a


mechanism that seeks to reduce the
burden on the courts. It also provides
for an alternative where parties can
have an active role in the final
outcome as opposed to a decision
handed down from the judiciary.
Though mediation has been used
with some degree of success in civil
and matrimonial disputes concerning
adjudication between private parties,
its applicability to criminal law is
questionable.
A civil dispute, or disputes
with a predominantly civil flavour, are
those cases where private rights of
parties are in dispute. Contrary to
civil disputes which affect
individuals, criminal offences are
looked at as impacting society at
large. Thus, a criminal offence is
considered to be not just against the
rights of the victim, but also against
society. This is because it is
understood that the whole of society
has an interest in preventing crimes.
A direct result of this conception is
that in a criminal case, the state,
through appointed public
prosecutors, steps in to prosecute,
convict and punish the accused.
The individual victim does not have
any major role in this process.
The single judge of the High
Court makes a passing reference to
how women are soft targets of male
lust. This statement looks at rape as a
crime driven primarily by lust. Such
an understanding obliterates the fact
that rape is not merely a crime of
passion but an expression of power
and the same has been observed in
the Justice Verma Committee report.
The offence of rape is committed to
show power over someone, to put
them in their place and to ensure
supremacy and control. Thus, it is
clear that there is a power imbalance
between the accused and the victim.
To ensure that mediation happens on
an equal footing in a crime that is
primarily to do with the assertion of
power is highly problematic. This

leaves a lot of scope for implicit and
explicit coercion towards the
survivor. One of the implicit ways of
coercion meted out in this case is that
a big question mark looms large
before the survivor and her childs
future. This implies that a survivor of
rape has no future other than to settle
the issue with the convict. Efforts
ought to be made to provide
adequate support for the victim
during and after the prosecution so
that she is able to overcome the
trauma, than to urge her for a
settlementthatisillegalandunethical.
Itisunlikelythattheintention
of the court to refer the case for
mediation was to ensure that the
survivor has a say in the process.
However, even if this were so,
sending the case for mediation is not
the way to go. Amendments to the
Code of Criminal Procedure and
judgments of the higher courts,
including the judgment in
Sathyavani Ponrani v Samuel Raj by
the Madurai bench of the Madras
High Court, have ensured that
survivors of rape have an opportunity
to be heard, and have more
participation in the process,
otherwise primarily between the
state and the accused. Thus, judicial
time and energy should be
concentrated in ensuring that there
is active participation of the survivor
in dispensing criminal justice. This
can be done by ensuring that a
special public prosecutor is
appointed if the case warrants so; by
allowing applications to assist the
prosecution; to ensure that the
survivor is represented through a
counsel at all stages of the process
and to ensure that there is witness
protection. Instead of strengthening
such measures, referring a case to
mediation seems to be the wrong
way out.
Needed, a new urban vision

launched his flagship Smart Cities
Mission proclaiming that
governmental intervention in
planning the cities would be
minimal. He referred to a bottomup approach, but did not
emphasise who exactly would
benefit from the cities. The
approach suggests that India is
breaking away from its AngloEuropean architectural tradition,
promoted by Jawaharlal Nehru in the
1960s with the projection of
Chandigarh as a template for urban
planners. Nehrus aim was to create
mixed-income cities with easy
access to community infrastructure
and to institutions such as the
judiciary, the legislature and the
executive. But Mr. Modis urbanplanning approach contradicts that
view and largely resonates with
American-style urbanism. The
government is putting the spotlight
on smart cities and allowing the
business community to lead the
development. Let us take an
example in the U.S. to figure out
who could benefit from the new
urban plans in India. In New York
City, most of the commercial and
residential buildings from uptown to
downtown Manhattan are inhabited
by the rich who can afford the huge
rents. They have installed biometric
security systems to keep the
unwanted people that is, the
poor at bay. The city government
has largely outsourced the public
services to private companies, which
are replacing the labour force with
mechanised technology. As a result,
the job market has become
saturated. The unskilled workforce is
caught up in a low-wage job cycle.
Before pushing India on to a
similar American path, Prime Minister
97


Modi must step back and re-think
whether his government should
invest in smart cities, or rather
empower the existing urban centres
by means of policies that cater to poor
and middle class Indians. For
instance, at present almost every
Indian city faces sanitation issues due
to the absence or inadequacy of
drainage networks. The migration of
people from rural areas to the urban
peripheries continues at a rapid pace,
resulting in the mushrooming of slums
and unauthorised colonies.
According to Census 2011, some 65
million people live in slums. The
governments response to the issue
in terms of planning to build
affordable housing for them is shortsighted. Smart cities would simply
institutionalisethedisparitywithinthe
cities instead of filling the lacunae.
The last decade of urbanisation did
change the academic and policy
consensus toward urban centres, but
ignored the fringes of these centres
where those from the poor and the
lower-middle class who came in a
large influx ended up. In Delhi, the
government passed on powers to
residents welfare associations, which
now decide on the choice of basic
civic matters and they always give
preference to their own gated
communities. Mr. Modi must take a
forward-looking stance when it
comes to developing urban India.
Otherwise, the glossy vision of
building smart cities could end up
triggering a process of social
apartheid.
The promise of freight
corridors
The much-delayed project to
build the ambitious eastern and
western dedicated freight corridors
has received a boost with the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs
approving a revised cost estimate for
it. At Rs.81,459 crore, the figure is
more than double the originally
98
estimated Rs.28,181 crore. The 1,839km-long eastern corridor will connect

Ludhiana in Punjab with Dankuni in
West Bengal. It will have two
components, a double-track section
and a single-track segment, both
electrified.ItwillcutacrosssixStates.
The eastern corridor will cater to
trafficstreamsincludingcoal,finished
steel, cement and fertilizer. The
western corridor will cover nearly
1,500 km, connecting the Jawaharlal
Nehru Port near Mumbai with Dadri,
and passing through States such as
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and
Maharashtra. A substantial portion of
the revised cost will be met by way
of debt from multilateral institutions
such as the Japan International
Cooperation Agency and the World
Bank. The equity requirement of the
Railways will be around Rs.23,796
crore. Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India Ltd., the special
purpose vehicle set up by the
Railways to implement the project, is
keen to complete it by 2017-18.
Once the twin-corridor system is in
place,itwilltransformtheveryprofile
of the Railways. A host of positive
outcomes, such as reduction in
transportation costs and stepped-up
commercial activity, benefiting a
range of core industries, could flow
from it. This could in turn have a
multiplier effect on the economy.
Poor infrastructure has been a
principal worry for Indian industry.
More often than not, this has affected
itsabilitytobeefficientprovidersof
goods and services. End-consumers
have been forced to pay for the
collective inefficiency. The twincorridor project was conceived in
2005 and was approved by the
Congress-led United Progressive
Alliance government in 2008. The
huge cost overruns owing to the time
lapse tell their own tale, and reflect
the massive challenge facing policyplanners in pushing through a
project of this size and magnitude

that has inter-State implications.
From a slow decision-making
process to roadblocks to land
acquisition, there are problems
aplenty in the way ahead for the
project. No doubt, land acquisition is
turning out to be a touchy political
issue. Prevarication on the decisionmaking front will hurt the viability of
even soundly conceived projects.
The Narendra Modi-led government
would do well to ensure that the
twin-corridor project goes through
without any further delay. The key to
doing so will lie also in taking along
the States concerned.
No reason for IIMs to be
alarmed
The Indian Institutes of
Management Bill, placed for
comments in the public domain until
recently, intends to bring the IIMs
under an Act of Parliament. An IIM
Act would enable the IIMs to confer
degrees, instead of diplomas and
fellowships. The leading IIMs are up
in arms against the Bill. One wonders
what the fuss is all about. The
framework that the Bill intends for
the IIMs is more liberal than the IITs
Act. For instance, the Bill intends
only a Coordination Forum for the
IIMs, unlike the IIT Council which
has powers of policy-making and
oversight. The IITs have a higher
standing globally than the IIMs.
Admissions, curricula and faculty
recruitment at the IITs have all
remained free from government
interference. If the IIT Act has not
cramped the IITs, why should we
believe that the proposed IIM Act
would erode the autonomy of IIMs?
The expression operational
autonomy, as used by the IIMs, is
rather misleading. Its not just the
freedom to implement policies, as


the expression would seem to
connote. It includes the framing of
policies, including those related to
matters of governance. The leading
IIMs have long contended that all
appointments and decisions related
totheinstitutesshouldbelefttotheir
boards of governors. They would
like the chairperson, board members
(other than the government
nominees) and the director to be all
selected by the board. Faculty
compensation too should be set by
the board. The government should
have no say on the fee structure.
Defining the powers and
responsibilities of the director
should be left to the board. And so
on. The governments role, these
IIMs believe, should be confined to
setting broad objectives and
ensuring that these objectives are
met.
The IITs do not have these
privileges. Nor were these privileges
intended for the IIMs in the
memorandum of association under
which they are governed. In 2004,
V.K. Shunglu, a former Comptroller
and Auditor General, submitted a
report on the finances of the IIMs. In
his report, he remarks caustically,
IIM (Ahmedabad) continues to
implicitlyassumeauthorityitarguably
does not possess and explicitly
seeks autonomy and ownership
which does not emerge from the
Articles of Association. Leaving
aside the legal position, how
appropriate are the IIMs demands?
The question is best answered by
addressing three issues. What are the
conditions, in general, for boards to
be effective? How are public
universities in the U.S. and elsewhere
governed? What has been the track
record of the leading IIMs on
matters of governance?
Boards do not become
effective because they are

composed of wise men and women
who will offer sage counsel. They are
effective when they are held to
account. In the corporate world,
three conditions must be met for
boards to be effective. There must
be competition in the market, and
large or dominant investors who
monitor performance closely. The
financial markets must be efficient.
Even where these conditions are met
in large measure, boards are seen to
be not effective enough. Universities
in the U.S. may not be subject to the
discipline of financial markets but
they certainly face fierce
competition. Theres very little
difference amongst the top 20
universities or, for that matter,
amongst the top B-schools. Rankings
and research output are closely
monitored by the various
stakeholders. Alumni are big donors
and often sit on the boards of
universities. As a result, boards are
under pressure to deliver. Nonperforming presidents and deans are
shown the door. The IIMs lack serious
competition. The pecking order
amongst the IIMs themselves has
hardly changed over a very long
period.
The government has had to
step in to fix serious shortcomings in
governance in the IIM system. For
decades, some of the IIMs had
outsized boards with some 25
members. The government had to
persuade the IIMs to prune their
boards to a more compact number
of around 15 (and even this was
construed as a threat to autonomy!).
IIMA has not thought it necessary to
change its statutory auditors for 50
years; the IIM Bill now has a sensible
provision for rotating the statutory
auditor every four years. The IIMs
have not had fixed tenures for board
members, something that one would
regard as a basic axiom of good
governance; the IIM Bill limits the

terms of board members to a
maximum of six years. In 2012, the
five-person committee constituted
by the IIMA board to select a
director did not have a single
academic on it; it was composed
entirely of people from the
corporate world. The IIM Bill wisely
mandates a desirable composition of
the selection committee. There has
never been any threat to the
autonomy of the IIMs. Its the
attempts of successive governments
to inject a modicum of
accountability that have been
construed as threats to autonomy.
There are provisions in the IIM Bill
that, perhaps, require discussion
for instance, the provision that states
that all regulations made by the IIM
boards require the prior approval of
the government. However, the IIMs
can hardly contest the basic thrust of
the Bill, namely, to put in place
transparent processes and clear
norms for accountability in the
system.
Picking up the pieces in
Nepal
On April 25, a devastating
earthquake measuring 7.8 (on the
moment magnitude) struck Nepal. Its
epicentre was Barpak, in the historic
Gorkha district, about 76 kilometres
northwest of Kathmandu. Though an
earthquake prone country, Nepal
had not suffered an earthquake of
similar magnitude for 80 years. Since
then, there have been more than
300 aftershocks including one of 7.3
magnitude on May 12, with its
epicentre near Mt. Everest 3,000
landslides were also reported. The
tragedy has claimed 9,000 lives with
hundreds still missing, making it
difficult to gauge the extent of
damage in some of the remote areas.
99


Yet, the Nepal Planning Commission
was able to present a credible Post
Disaster Needs Assessment
document in the run-up to the June
25 conference, by analysing the
damage and estimating the
resources needed to get the
economy back on track.
Fourteen out of Nepals 75
districts have been declared crisis
hit with another neighbouring 17
categorised as partially affected.
The widespread destruction covers
private and public buildings (nearly
5,00,000 buildings destroyed and
3,00,000 damaged), heritage sites
(Kathmandu valley has seven
UNESCO World Heritage sites), rural
roads and bridges, trekking routes
which form the backbone of the
tourist industry, hydel plants and
agricultural land. The total damage is
estimated at $7 billion with nearly
$5.4 billion as the losses of the
private sector and households; the
balance $1.6 billion is public
buildings and infrastructure. GDP
growth estimate has been curtailed
from 4.6 per cent to 3 per cent for
the current financial year. While the
loss to physical assets is estimated at
$5 billion, the income loss is $2
billion, accounting for a third of the
annual GDP. Rehabilitation and
reconstruction efforts are further
complicated by the fact that the
worst affected 14 districts are also
among the relatively poorer districts
where a large part of the male
population traditionally migrates for
employment.
The document pegs the total
financial needs at $6.7 billion, made
up of the social sector ($4 billion),
the productive sector ($1.1 billion),
infrastructure ($750 million), with
governance, environment, gender
and social protection needs making
up the balance. The conference has
100
been deemed a success with

pledges of $4.4 billion made by the
countries and multilateral agencies
represented in Kathmandu. India
took the lead with a pledge of $1
billion followed by China
announcing $483 million. The World
Bank has indicated $200 million for
housing reconstruction, $100 million
for budgetary support and another
$200 million to be redirected from
other projects. The Asian
Development Bank has committed
$600 million, Japan $260 million, the
United States $130 million, the
United Kingdom $110 million, and
the European Union $110 million.
What is now needed is speedy
planning and effective
implementation on the ground. The
Indian pledge is 40 per cent grant
and the balance in the form of soft
loans. Further, it is in addition to the
$1 billion assistance package
announced last August during Prime
Minister Narendra Modis maiden visit
to Nepal, bringing Indias total
commitment to $2 billion, over the
next five year period. The focus will
be on housing reconstruction
including public buildings, heritage
restoration given our shared religious
and cultural history, rebuilding
infrastructure like roads, bridges and
power transmission systems,
agriculture, education and health,
and structures for long-term disaster
mitigation. It is an ambitious
programme and will need to be
managed carefully with the various
Indian agencies and the newly set
up Nepal Reconstruction Authority.
Traditionally, the problem with a
number of Indian funded projects
has been significant time delays and
consequently, budget overruns. The
integrated check posts, terai roads,
railway linkages and the RaxaulAmlekhgunj oil pipeline are prime
examples of such projects. While

the Indian Embassy can ensure local
follow up, what is needed is
effective coordination at the Delhi
end.
There has been one positive
development in Nepali politics
though in the aftermath of the
earthquake. The all round criticism of
Nepals political leadership and its
visible absence during the rescue
and relief operations has forced at
least the four major parties to reach
an agreement on the vexed issue of
federalism which has held up
progress on Constitution drafting for
years. On June 8, the Nepali
Congress, the Communist Party of
Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist),
Maoists and one Madhesi group led
by Bijay Gachchadar, together
accounting for well over two-thirds
of the Constituent Assembly (CA)
strength, announced a 16-point
agreement. The Maoists accepted a
parliamentary system with a
ceremonial presidency and it was
agreed to have a federal Nepal with
eight provinces. The boundary
delineation has been left to an
expert committee though
guidelines of identity based on
ethnicity, language, culture and
viability based on economics,
natural resources and infrastructure
potential have been provided. The
names of the provinces, an emotive
issue, will be determined by the
provincial assemblies. A bicameral
legislature will consist of a lower
house of 275 members of whom 165
will be directly elected and the
balance through proportional
representation; the upper house will
have a strength of 45, five members
from each of the eight provinces
and another five to be nominated.
This would create a far more
manageable number than the current


CA which numbers 601. This
understanding has faced opposition
from a number of Madhesi parties as
also from the hard line Maoist faction.
Legal challenges have also been
posed that need to be overcome.
Some opponents of the federal
system perceive an Indian hand in
the legal challenge on the rationale
that the present regime in India
would like to see a Hindu rashtra
restored in Nepal and would also be
more assertive in supporting the
Madhesis. Notwithstanding such
conspiracy theories, the four party
agreement is a step forward in
Nepals political transition. The CA
elected in 2008 was to conclude the
Constitution drafting exercise in two
years but finally lapsed in 2012
without completing the task. A new
CA elected in 2013 has been
struggling with the same issues.
Meanwhile, no government has
lasted more than two years and all
kinds of coalitions have been tried.
Crime and compromise
It is a matter of considerable
satisfaction that within days of the
Madras High Court passing an
indefensible order asking the
perpetrator and the victim in a rape
case to opt for mediation, the
Supreme Court has restated strongly
that rape is an offence that does not
brook any compromise. The latest
ruling is a rebuke to appellate court
judges who casually overturn
convictions or reduce the prison
terms of those found guilty of rape,
often by citing claims that a
compromise has been arrived at. With
this ruling, the Supreme Court makes
it amply clear that offers of marriage
or forms of financial compromise
cannot be applied in a rape case. It
also denies the parents of a minor girl
the right to arrive at a compromise
with the rapist. By reiterating sharply
that any thought of mediation in a
rape case is completely sans legal

permissibility, the court has gone a
long way towards ensuring that the
lower ranks of the judiciary have
absolutely no reason to take recourse
to such a subterfuge. The Supreme
Court ruling was made in an appeal
where the Madhya Pradesh High
Court had converted a case of
attempted rape on a seven-year-old
girl into one of attempt to outrage
the modesty of a woman, and had
reduced the sentence from five years
to the period spent by the convict in
prison. A recent judgment from the
Madras High Court that had allowed
a convicted rapist to be freed on bail
to work towards a mediated solution
with the survivor had shocked civil
societyandattractedseverecriticism.
The Supreme Court judgment is, thus,
timely and essential.
A matter of graver concern,
however, is the fact that the
Supreme Court is so often being
required to restate the basic
principles of justice. It was only in
2013 that it categorically ruled that
there can be no compromise in a
rape case. In several cases in the
past, the apex court has deprecated
the tendency of some judicial
officers to take into account
purported compromises and award
lenient sentences on that basis. Also,
when it comes to sentencing policy,
it should be remembered that as
part of the amendments to criminal
law made in 2013, a proviso in
Section 376 of IPC (punishment for
rape) that allowed judges to award
lesser prison terms than what are set
down, on special grounds, has
been omitted. Judges are not
allowed to consider offers of
marriage, the passage of time, or the
state of a woman being happily
married as factors justifying a soft
approach towards perpetrators of
rape. That despite the Supreme
Courts repeated directions not all

lower courts see the irreparable
harm done to rape survivors by
subjecting them to mediated
solutions is disquieting. It is also an
indication of how deeply patriarchy
is embedded in our judicial system.
Tribal alienation
in an unequal India
One view of Indias inequality is
that this is nothing to be worried
about. This is the normal progression
of economic development. A set of
expanding industries located in an
urban area induces further
development of economic activity
throughout its zone of influence. For
some years, this generates
increasingly large differentials in
income and development, but after
reaching a maximum level, inequality
begins to decline, in the manner of
an inverted U, what economists call
the Kuznets Curve. In U.S President
John F. Kennedys memorable phrase,
arisingtideliftsallboats.Now,there
is no doubt that poverty has declined
significantly in recent times in India.
But can we say the same about
inequality? The Credit Suisse report
gives an unequivocal answer: No.
Even nearly three decades after
economic reforms and high growth,
inequality continues to rise and
wealth has become even more
concentrated at the top. The share
of Indias richest 10 per cent families
has grown from 66 per cent in the
year 2000 to 74 per cent today. Indias
super-rich (top 1 per cent) who
owned 37 per cent of Indias personal
wealth in 2000, have even more
rapidly increased their share to 49 per
cent. This kind of regressive change
surely has a link with the crony
capitalism of the last three decades.
Official data on all indicators
of development reveal that Indias
tribal people are the worst off in
terms of income, health, education,
101


nutrition, infrastructure and
governance. They have also been
unfortunately at the receiving end of
the injustices of the development
process itself. Around 40 per cent of
the 60 million people displaced
following development projects in
India are tribals, which is not a
surprise given that 90 per cent of our
coal and more than 50 per cent of
most minerals and dam sites are
mainly in tribal regions. Indeed,
contrary to what economic theory
teaches, we find that many
developed districts paradoxically
include pockets of intense
backwardness. Bakshi et al show
that many districts include the most
backward and most developed
subdistrictsofIndia;92districtshave
subdistricts that figure in the list of
both the top 20 per cent and bottom
20 per cent of Indias subdistricts.
To give a few examples,
developed districts like Thane,
Vadodara, Ranchi, Visakhapatnam
and Raipur have some of the most
backward subdistricts. In Korba and
Raigarh districts of Chhattisgarh,
Valsad of Gujarat, Pashchimi
Singhbhum and Purbi Singhbhum of
Jharkhand, Kendujhar, Koraput and
Mayurbhanj of Odisha, the most
industrialisedsubdistrictsareflanked
by the most underdeveloped
subdistricts. And invariably these
backward subdistricts are
overwhelmingly tribal. Clearly, the
tribal people have not been
included in or given the opportunity
to benefit from development.
What then are the elements of
a vision of development much more
inclusive and empowering of those
leftout?First,theoveralldirectionof
growth needs to change. We cannot
continue with a pattern of jobless
growth. It is clear that some models
of growth are inherently more
102
inclusive than others, which is why

our focus should be not just on GDP
growth itself, but on achieving a
growth process that is as inclusive as
possible. For example, faster growth
for the Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises segment will generate a
much broader spread of
employment and income earning
opportunities and is, therefore, more
inclusive than growth largely driven
by extractive industries or the
service sector. It is also clear that
sustainability has to be at the core of
our development strategy. This is
because the poorest regions of India
are also the most eco-fragile. If we
truly want to build tribal incomes, we
need to offer them a range of
sustainable livelihoods, including
non-pesticide managed agriculture,
an imperative also for the health of
Indian consumers, as well as for
reducing the escalating financial and
ecological costs of farming. Huge
income-generation and biodiversity
conservationpossibilitiesalsoexistif
we can imaginatively utilise the vast
unutilised potential of the NonTimber Forest Products market,
which is estimated to run into several
thousands of crores, of which only a
minuscule fraction accrues to the
tribal communities. Of course, this
requires careful attention being paid
to the rights of the tribal people, as
enshrined in the Forest Rights Act
and a complete restructuring of their
relationship with the Forest
Department, historically seen by the
tribal communities as standing in an
adversarial relationship with them.
Much better state capacities in
regions of high poverty are also an
urgent requirement. For these
regions suffer not just from rampant
market failure but also widespread
government failure. A crucial reason
why the poor are unable to take
advantage of the possibilities

opened up by growth even within
their districts is the absence of
requisite health and education
facilities. Globally, India spends
among the lowest share of its
national income on public provision
of health and education. These are
the sectors in most urgent need of
government reform. We need to
equip our most disadvantaged
people with the skills demanded by
a rapidly changing economy.
Programmes meant for poverty
elimination such as the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act do not work as they
are meant to because the requisite
human resources do not exist
precisely where these programmes
are most desperately required. There
is nothing automatic about a decline
in inequality under capitalism. The
Kuznets Curve remains a mere
fantasy if the right programmes and
policies are not in place. Inequality
did decline when the appropriate
policy framework was adopted in
Europe and America during the socalled golden age of capitalism in
the mid-20th century. These were
the decades that saw the
emergence of what economist,
public official and diplomat John
Kenneth Galbraith termed
countervailing power. And it is the
unravelling of this balancing power
and a shift towards free-market
fundamentalism that led to the rise in
inequality after 1980.
A question of justice
The record settlement of $18.7
billion that the oil company BP has
arrived at in the Deepwater Horizon
environmental disaster case in the
United States has naturally revived
the debate on the denial of justice to
the victims of a far bigger


catastrophe the Bhopal gas leak.
As industrial accidents go, the
blowout in BPs well in the Gulf of
Mexico in 2010 was staggering,
killing 11 people and spectacularly
devastating an already stressed
marine ecosystem with millions of
barrels of oil. Five State governments
and the federal government of the
U.S. have been vigorously pursuing
penalties and compensation claims
with the company, resulting in the
settlement. Yet, the impact of the oil
spill pales in comparison with the
magnitude of what happened at the
Union Carbide plant in Bhopal in
1984. The Narendra Modi
government blandly told Parliament
recently that the Office of the
Welfare Commissioner had recorded
22,151 casualties in the gas leak
under the death category, but after
scrutiny of documents, medical
records, affidavits and so on, only
5,474 deaths were acknowledged,
while 6,809 claims were rejected
and the rest were treated as cases of
disability or injury. Independent
accounts, however, have maintained
that there are medical professionals
on record who certified 10,000
deaths soon after the gas leak. What
contrasts the BP settlement with the
Bhopal case is the role of the state
and its readiness to pursue justice for
citizens and remediation for the
environment, with demonstrably
errant commercial entities.
The egregious neglect in
securing compensation for the
victims of Bhopal, who continue to
suffer, is evident from the fact that
the original settlement of $470
million for tens of thousands of
people absolved the Union Carbide
Corporation of all future liabilities.
The Centre, which adopted a
paternalistic position on the issue
and assumed responsibility for all
victims, now says Rs.1,548 crore

(about $258 million) has been
awarded as original compensation in
about half a million cases, a similar
sum as pro rata compensation, and
ex-gratia payments of about $100
million for medical treatment. On the
ground, some victims say they have
received as little as Rs.35,000.
Medical facilities are grossly
inadequate, and the Centre has
brazenly neglected a festering
problem: the site of the leak with
some 350 tonnes of chemical around
has not been cleaned up. Under the
U.S. settlement, individual claims can
still be pursued. Regardless of
whether it represents the best model
to address industrial accidents
often caused by short-sighted costcutting steps to boost profits the
Deepwater Horizon outcome has
some pointers to advance the cause
of Bhopals long-suffering victims.
Dow Chemical, which assumed
Union Carbide Corporation assets,
reported rising earnings last year and
cannot evade its liabilities. The
Centre and the Supreme Court
should ensure that justice is done for
the hapless families of Bhopal.
Ufa could be the yuan
moment
The idea of establishing a
multi-currency financial order, which
reduces the authority of the U.S.
dollar and euro in global transactions,
has been unfolding within BRICS for
some time. Taking this idea forward,
the Ufa summit in Russia, on 8 and 9
July, 2015, will create a currency
pool under the Contingent Reserve
Arrangement (CRA) and officially
launch BRICSs New Development
Bank (NDB). The critical idea behind
the NDB and CRA is to emerge from
the shadow of Western financial
clout and have direct transactions in
local currencies. This also allows

emerging economies to search for
other avenues for financial loans and
aids beyond the old troika of
International Monetary Fund, Asian
Development Bank, and the World
Bank; besides generating a currency
order that will be friendly to the
developing world. A broader
balance of power will hopefully
emerge amongst China, Russia and
the U.S. Although the new order will
originate in BRICS, the main gainer
will be China, which will be the
central driver and may finally see the
yuan (basic unit of the Renminbi/
RMB) emerge stronger. This is
because Beijing is the biggest
economy in the BRICS forum, and
second, Chinas bilateral
understanding with Moscow has
grown following Western sanctions
aftertheUkraineaffair.
The NDB has an authorised
opening capital of U.S.$100 billion,
with the founding members sharing
the subscribed opening capital of
$50 billion equally. The proposed
CRA has an opening capacity of
$100 billion, which will be based on
currency swap among member
countries. The CRA is primarily
intended as a buffer to overcome
short-term liquidity pressure and
meet unexpected risks or balance of
payment burdens. With the NDB
headquartered in Shanghai, the yuan
will have considerable influence on
the banks daily transactions. Since
the yuan is not a convertible
currency, it is not in the IMFs special
drawing rights or SDR basket, as are
the dollar, euro, yen and pound. To
accelerate the process of
convertibility, China has become
flexible in its domestic approach and
is giving emphasis to cross-border
capital and orderly financial
dealings. The yuan has considerably
103


improved its standing as an
international trading currency,
reducing the influence of the U.S.
dollar significantly in the last few
years. Internationalising the yuan is
part of the foreign policy priorities
under President Xi Jinpings
leadership. Chinas currency swap
agreement with about 21 countries
helps it push the yuans image
globally.
BRICS can help the yuan
emerge as this alternative in a few
different ways. First, promoting the
yuan for direct conversion among
emerging markets weakens the
supremacy of the U.S. dollar.
Second, BRICS geographical spread
can facilitate the promotion of the
yuan as an inter-continental currency.
Third, if China brings other BRICS
members on board, it can counter
Western dominance of the IMF and
other financial bodies. And finally,
BRICS helps China in countering
Western allegations that the yuan is
undervalued. In this context, the Ufa
summit assumes special significance.
It comes two months after President
Xis visit to Russia in May, where the
two countries signed 32 bilateral
agreements. Russia is hosting the
BRICS leadership summit for a
second time. But, markedly, Moscow
is simultaneously hosting a BRICS/
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) summit along with a
coordinated meeting of leaders with
the Russian-backed Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU). Xi Jinpings
visit had already focussed on greater
economic cooperation between
Chinas Silk Road Economic Belt and
EEU. Meanwhile, talks of an SCO
Development Bank are reviving
between China and Russia, and there
may be an announcement regarding
this as well in Ufa. As with the NDB,
direct conversion in local currencies
could be the medium here too,
further strengthening the yuan.
104
Finally, there is the Asian

Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) where China is the largest
shareholder with a 30.34 per cent
stake. India has 8.45 per cent and
Russia 6.5 per cent. To reduce
transactions in the U.S. dollar, China
and Russia have been managing
local currency transactions since
2000. Bilaterally, the two countries
began avoiding conversion of mutual
payments into dollars and euro,
testingtheinitiativefirstintheChinaRussian border areas. As Western
sanctions have made it difficult for
Russian banks to operate with the
U.S. dollar, and as the yuan-ruble
trade platform has simultaneously
become more stable and
established, it has paved the way for
the yuan to gain a foothold as an
alternative currency for Russia.
Beijing has permitted Russian
commercial lenders and companies
to invest in Chinese financial boards
andorganisationswiththefirstlineof
credit in yuan. Sberbank, Russias
biggest commercial lender, has
teamed up with Export Import Bank
of China with the first such credit
product. The new currency order
that is likely to be born in Ufa,
emerging from the China-Russia-U.S.
triangular complexity, is certain to be
averse to American interests. Given,
however, the existing supremacy of
the U.S. dollar, any new order may
not necessarily be a full alternative
but just a beginning in that direction.
Rural realities
New data for rural households
revealed by the Socio Economic and
Caste Census (SECC) represent a
grim reminder of the state of rural
India. In over 90 per cent of
households, the main earning
member makes less than Rs. 10,000 a
month. Over half the households are
landless and a similar share of them
rely on casual manual labour for the

larger part of their income. Just 20
per cent of households own any kind
of a motor vehicle. These numbers
should come as a reality check for
those who talk of Indias unbridled
growth, and arrival on the global stage
as a superpower. The countryside
remains unable to find jobs that can
pull families out of poverty.
Agriculture remains at subsistence
levels, with low mechanisation,
limitedirrigationfacilitiesandlittle
access to credit. Just over 3 per cent
of rural households have a family
member who is a graduate, so skilled
jobs are going to be hard to get.
Female-headed households, and
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe households are the worst off.
The eastern and central States of
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and
Odisha have the poorest indicators.
Even in the developed southern
States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu,
family incomes are low and
dependence on casual manual labour
is high. Meanwhile, early results from
the urban SECC suggest that levels
of deprivation, while lower in cities,
arestillshockinglyhigh.
What the government chooses
to do with the data is as yet unclear.
While commissioning the SECC, the
UPA government had spoken of
creatingflexibilitytoenableStatesto
draw up their own combinations of
indicators to create tailor-made
definitions of poverty. The Narendra
Modi government is yet to make its
intentions clear on the SECC,
especially with regard to the thorny
issue of where to draw the line.
Instead of a fresh round of unseemly
wrangling over precisely where to
set Indias poverty line, the
government would be well-advised
to expand and universalise its social
protection schemes, and leave some
space for States to innovate. It
would also be wise for the


government to release caste-wise
information on socio-economic
indicators collected by the SECC
but not yet put in the public
domain. Those numbers would
allow,forthefirsttimesince1931,for
the relative socio-economic status of
various caste groups to be
compared while framing policies of
affirmative action. This government
stands accused of suppressing vital
new information on the status of
malnutrition among children,
contained in a survey commissioned
by the previous government through
UNICEF. It should not make a habit
of suppressing inconvenient data.
The Indian public might hotly
contest some of these numbers,
particularly those relating to caste,
but even angry debates represent a
democratic right that must not be
curtailed.
Putting out the West Asian
fire
Prime Minister Narendra
Modis eight-day visit to the five
Central Asian States Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Turkmenistan is taking place
at the most opportune juncture, for
Mr. Modi has indicated that he
proposes to focus on the radical
Islamist threat to the region. Given
the kind of extremist winds
sweeping across the region, the
Muslim populations of these states
face uncertain times. States such as
Tajikistan are especially vulnerable,
as many from the ranks of their
security agencies are beginning to
join the Islamic State (IS). The
threats that these states face from
radical Islamist elements are, indeed,
real. At the same time, it is also
significant that the leadership of
these Central Asian States should
look to India to provide them with
answers on how to insulate their

Muslim populations from these kinds
ofthreats.Indiassuccess,todate,in
insulating its own Muslim population
from such radicalism has gained
wide acceptance, even as the socalled counter radicalisation
programmes followed in the West
are proving to be a failure. Pakistan
already poses many problems for
India. The latest danger, however, is
that it demonstrates an intrinsic
inability to withstand the forces of
radical Islam. Coming on top of a
pronounced state weakness to take
appropriate decisions even where it
confronts problems of a grave
magnitude, Pakistan cannot be
expected to act as a buffer when it
comes to checking an irredentist
challenge from West Asia.
Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to
engage in perilous risk taking, and a
Don Quixotic type tilt at imaginary
windmills (India), instead of taking
precautions not to be consumed by
the ever-widening sectarian fire.
As Mr. Modi travels through
Central Asia, he also needs to think
about what is taking place further to
the West. West Asia is passing
through one of the most turbulent
phases in its history, and it needs to
figure far more prominently in Indias
foreign policy priorities. Reflection
would reveal that there is a grave
challenge to India of a new and
specific kind from this region. India
is, however, clearly out of the loop as
far as developments there are
concerned. This is a region with
which India has always had the
closest of relations. Today, however,
India is increasingly seen as a
bystander, or worse, an outsider. If
Mr. Modi is serious in playing a
messianic role, then he should
immediately take steps to try and
resurrect our relations with West
Asia. The current turmoil in West Asia

impacts India in various ways. First,
the post-Arab Spring fracturing of
West Asian States into ethnic and
sectarian fiefs has geo-political and
geo-strategic implications. Second,
India is marginalised from a region
from which it obtains 70 per cent of
its oil this has economic
implications. Third, the region is
home to around 7 million Indians,
and the regions Foreign Exchange
remittances add substantially to
Indias Foreign Exchange Reserves.
Also, less apparent, but possibly
more critical, is that as a country with
one of the largest Muslim population
in the world, India cannot be
oblivious to the fact that it could be
infected by the same virus sweeping
across West Asia, if radical extremist
fires are not doused soon.
As religious wars destroy Syria
and Iraq, Libya gets increasingly
drawn into the vortex of the IS, chaos
takes place in Yemen, and epic
struggles take place between Shiite
Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, India
must not remain on the sidelines, as
it has been a factor in the politics
and history of countries in West Asia
for a long time. With many states
currently having to deal with a new
uber-Wahhabi model of Islam, and
with the IS and the latest al-Qaeda
offshoots seeking to redraw the
contours of West Asia by replacing
history with sectarian geography,
India must act for its own security
and stability. The international
community must conceive of new
paradigms of thought and action,
and India should play its appointed
role in this endeavour. The persistent
bombing by the U.S. and allied
forces on IS hideouts has proved to
be of little avail. The world may be a
better place with the killing of AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
105


leader Nasser-al-Wuhayshi, and
militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, but
their replacements have already
been announced and the struggle
goes on unchecked. The number of
recruits to terrorist outfits has only
increased. Not only is the IS growing
rapidly, but its success has also
spawned many new al-Qaeda
proxies who flaunt different labels.
Across West Asia, wars are being
fought not only between state
armies and non-state outfits like the
IS, but increasingly between nonstate militias, each backed by various
countries such as Saudi Arabia,
Turkey, and the Gulf states.
Instability in West Asia adversely
affects India. With the number of
militant outfits growing rapidly and a
steady increase in the number of
recruitstotheirranks,allinspiredby
a belief in reviving Islams pristine
glory, India must not live in the hope
that Muslims in the country will not
fall a victim to such inducements.
The West has failed to put out the
religious fires burning in West Asia.
India previously had an image in
West Asia, which was unrivalled by
any other power. An attempt should
be made to revive this spirit. Mr. Modi
must use all the levers available to
nurture peace in West Asia using
Indias moral strength, spiritual
influence and its current position in
the comity of world nations.
A new bank for a new era
At their annual summit in Russia
thisweek,BRICS(Brazil,Russia,India,
China, South Africa) leaders will
announce the worlds newest
multilateral development bank the
New Development Bank (NDB),
which will have U.S.$100 billion as
initial capital to fund infrastructure
and sustainable development
projects both in their own countries
as well as elsewhere. Obviously, the
106
NDB should not become another

World Bank which finances the same
types of projects in the same
countries, using the same tools and
mindset. At the same time, its purpose
should not simply be to symbolise
emerging countries desire to show
offtheirfinancialandpoliticalpower.
The reason for its creation must be
very substantive. The NDB should be
based on entirely new objectives, to
be carried out with new strategies. It
would be easy for the NDB to fall into
the same track as the World Bank
since it is in the same business. But
the NDB must resist this from day one.
I propose three core
objectives for the NDB which I feel
are globally relevant. The primary
objectives of the NDB should be to
achieve three zeros by 2050: zero
poverty, zero unemployment, and
zero net carbon emissions. Every
year the NDB could publish a report
on the BRICS progress against these
objectives. The NDB could achieve
these goals using four basic
strategies. The first strategy would
be to unleash the creative power
and commitment of the new
generation of youth. If the BRICS can
mobilise the power of the youth, it
will become easier to achieve the
goals. The second strategy would be
to focus on technological
innovations to solve human
problems. Technology today is
under the command of moneymakers and war-makers. Socially
committed drivers must take charge
of technology. They are invisible
today. Combining the power of the
youth with that of technology will
create an unshakeable force. This
brings us to the third strategy:
building social businesses to
mobilise their creative power to
solve long-standing and complex
social, economic, and environmental
problems.
Social business is a new variety

of business which delinks itself from
a profit motive. This business is
mission-driven, with non-dividend
companies being exclusively
devoted to solving human problems.
After the company makes profit, the
investor recoups his or her
investment money but does not take
any profit after that. Additional
profits made are ploughed back into
the business to expand and improve
it. Conventional businesses cannot
solve social problems. Other actors
such as the state and private charities
may be unsustainable and
inefficient. Social businesses are
sustainable,efficient,replicable,and
transferable. This type of business
has been created and promoted
around the world with great results.
I believe that the social business
model should be the centrepiece of
the NDBs institutional structure and
policy package. It is a model that
can easily be replicated across a
number of contexts.
Unemployment can be
brought down to zero through social
business initiatives. Unemployment is
the product of a flawed and
theoretical interpretation of human
beings. Human beings are not jobseekers; they are entrepreneurs by
birth. Entrepreneurship is in the
DNA of human beings. They are gogetters and problem solvers. Social
businesses can turn the unemployed
into entrepreneurs. We are doing
that in Bangladesh. NDB can adopt
this as its prime programme. Once
the NDB creates a new window for
financing and promoting social
businesses, it will attract the young,
old, men, women, individuals and
organisations, with social business
ideas. It can encourage each
conventional business to undertake
social businesses alongside their


main business activities The NDB
could create country-level social
business funds as joint ventures with
local partners. It could create
provincial-level social business
funds in which it holds a minor
equity with majority equity coming
from local investors. Ensuring
financial services and healthcare to
the poor can be done through
creating social businesses. While the
NDB will undertake many types of
infrastructureprojects,itshouldgive
serious consideration to the
ownership and maintenance of the
same. We have now examples of
major infrastructure being owned by
money-makers. In the old days, this
was the exclusive preserve of
governments. Apart from
government and commercial
ownership, there is also ownership
by social businesses. From the
perspective of its users, ownership
by social businesses will be much
more satisfying than other two
alternatives.
The Ufa takeaways
and reason for hope
He meeting on Friday
between Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his Pakistan counterpart
Nawaz Sharif who met for nearly
an hour in Ufa in Russia on the
sidelines of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation Summit to
discuss an entire gamut of issues
between the two countries has
kicked off a new season of
engagement between India and
Pakistan. There is now a clear road
map of events in the next few
months to take the dialogue process
forward. Foreign Secretaries of India
and Pakistan, S. Jaishankar and Aizaz
Ahmad Chaudhry, held a joint press
meet where they read out a joint
statement on the outcome of the
meeting and listed out five points.

These are: a meeting in New Delhi
between the two National Security
Adviser (NSA) to discuss all issues
linked to terrorism; early meetings of
the Directors General of the Border
Security Force and the Pakistan
Rangers followed by that of the
Directors General Military Operations
(DGMO); the decision to release
fishermen in each others custody,
along with their boats, within a
period of 15 days; a mechanism for
facilitating religious tourism, and
both sides agreeing to discuss ways
and means to expedite the Mumbai
case trial, including additional
information like providing voice
samples. The sixth point is that all
actions would lead up to Mr. Modis
visit to Pakistan, to attend the South
Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) summit in
Islamabad in 2016. As a result, the
process would most closely mirror
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees
reach-out to Pakistan on April 18,
2003, when the National Democratic
Alliance government announced a
hand of friendship to Pakistan after
years of bitterness over the Kargil
war, the Parliament attack and the
Agra summit. The announcement
was followed by several rounds of
official meetings, and then by the
unilateral Ramzaan ceasefire
announced by Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf in November 2003,
so that by the time Mr. Vajpayee
travelled to Pakistan in January 2004,
he and Pakistan Prime Minister Mir
Zafarullah Khan Jamali were able to
announce a number of major
agreements and the Islamabad
declaration that restarted the
composite bilateral dialogue.
However, history has proven that it
isnt delivering an agreement or a
declaration between the two
countries that is the biggest

challenge, but delivering on its
promises after that, given that the
process can be firebombed by
violence at the Line of Control (LoC),
a terror attack , or even an outbreak
of words. In that sense, it is important
to look closer at each of the promises
made in the joint statement at Ufa to
see how firmly they will hold in the
face of those risks. To begin with,
the NSAs meeting to discuss all
issues connected with terrorism is
important, given that both Mr. Ajit
Doval of India and Mr. Sartaj Aziz
have the full confidence of their
respective Prime Ministers, which is
crucial to hammer out any peace
deal, away from the limitations of
bureaucracies, militaries and the
constant glare of the media. Second,
even within their establishments,
both men are seen as hawks.
Therefore, if they do come to an
agreement, it will take into account
the most extreme views on either
side.
This is not the first time that
such an engagement has been
proposed, however. In 2006, the
Joint Terror Mechanism announced
in Havana by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Gen.
Musharraf also envisaged a dialogue
away from the Foreign Ministries with
NSAs and intelligence chiefs
meetings. But that came a cropper
over inherent distrust between both
sides. Interestingly, part of the
Havana declaration was Dr. Singhs
acceptance of an invitation to
Pakistan, which never materialised.
Mr. Doval is himself a figure viewed
with deep suspicion in Pakistan, not
the least because of past statements
he has made on Balochistan and
covert operations, which are aired on
Pakistani TV channels quite regularly.
However, given his years posted in
107


Islamabad, and decades in the
intelligence bureau, he will bring in
a unique perspective to the talks.
The meetings between military
commanders at the LoC are already a
part of an ongoing process, and even
before the Prime Ministers met in Ufa,
one such meeting had been
scheduled for September 2015
between the DGs of the BSF and the
Pakistani Rangers. There is an annual
mechanism for high-level talks
between the Pakistani Rangers and
BSF chiefs that last took place in
March 2015 at the Wagah-Attari
border. DGMO (Army-to-Army)
meetings have also taken place in the
past, albeit more rarely as when the
DGMOs met in December 2013 as an
outcome of the Singh-Sharif meeting
in New York it was after a period
of 14 years. It remains to be seen what
structure the newly announced
DGMO talks will take. Finally, there is
the very significant reference to the
provision of voice samples and to
expedite the Mumbai trial. Despite
theBharatiyaJanataPartysclaimsthat
these have been given for the first
time, both assurances were given by
Pakistan in May 2010 after the
Thimphu SAARC summit meeting
between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani and Dr. Singh. A month later,
when Home Minister P. Chidambaram
travelled to Islamabad armed with the
Indian dossiers, Pakistan Interior
Minister Rehman Mallik had declared
that Pakistan would provide India all
support in probing the 26/11 attacks.
This was to include expediting the
trial with day-to-day hearings in a
special court; giving India the voicesamples of terror element Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi, alleged to be the
operational mastermind in the 2008
Mumbai attacks, and the other
accused in Adiala jail, and of hunting
down the masterminds of the attack
including reinvestigating the case of
Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz
Saeed. The promise of voice samples
108
was critical as they could be matched

with telephone recordings that India
already has produced, of Lashkar-eTaiba commanders in the so-called
Karachi control room
coldbloodedly guiding gunman
Ajmal Kasab and his colleagues to kill
innocents at the Taj hotel and Chabad
House in Mumbai. If any of those
samples matched with the men
accused, then that would clinch the
26/11 trial. However, in June 2011,
Mr. Mallik announced that he couldnt
hand over the voice samples without
the permission of the accused, who
had appealed to the courts on the
issue. If I give the samples by any
other means by recording their voice
and send it to India, that will be
challenged in [a] Pakistani court and
there will be contempt of court on
the investigators and prosecutors,
Mr. Mallik had said in an interview at
the time. Eventually the Ufa
engagement proves the strength of
the fundamentals of the IndiaPakistanrelationship,thatdespiteall
that happens to derail the
relationship, the two have always
returned to the table, and that every
Prime Minister and President, across
politicalpartiesinIndiaandPakistan,
has tried to make a contribution to
that process. Another fundamental,
the need for one-upmanship, to
decide who came away the victor
from the talks is always the cause for
the unravelling of the process. In that
respect it is a mistake for some in the
government to claim success at the
non-inclusion of a reference to
Jammu and Kashmir at Ufa; the 2009
Sharm el-Sheikh document also made
no reference to the Kashmir dispute.
Making parties accountable
Political parties seek to
represent the people and to take
decisions on their behalf. But in
India they have so far resisted
attempts to be listed as public
authorities under the Right to
Information Act and thus be made

liable to publicly disclose financial
assets. With the Supreme Court now
asking six national parties why they
should not be brought under the
RTI, India is a step closer to making
its political organisations
accountable in their financial
transactions. In conducting their
financial affairs in an opaque manner,
some parties have been able to hide
their sources of funding, and the
extent of their assets and financial
holdings. When the Central
Information Commission tried to
bring them under the ambit of the
RTI, the previous United Progressive
Alliance government actually
considered amending the Act to
nullify the order. Indeed, political
parties have neither challenged the
CICs order nor complied with it. But
in March this year, the CIC reiterated
its order as final and binding, even
as it admitted it was unable to act
against the parties that had not
replied to its notices and had
ignored its order. Similarly, the
Election Commission, which is a
party to the case before the
Supreme Court, has been unable to
check financial irregularities among
political parties; it does not have
either the ability or the mandate to
verify the claims of donations made
to political parties. Although parties
have to declare to the Election
Commission all donations in excess of
Rs.20,000 they receive, they resort
to under-reporting to evade this
clause. Most of the donations are
shown as having come in smaller
sums. Donations to political parties
are not always voluntary, and in any
case the donors big businesses
and corporate houses get favours
in return when the parties they fund
come to power. Most of the
donations are made illegally, through


off-the-books transactions, and the
parties repay their benefactors in
terms of policy concessions or
amendments to rules. Business
houses often strike deals with
political parties, which result in acts
of corruption when they get into
government. Indeed, many business
houses support more than one party,
extending donations both legally
and illegally as black money.
Thus,requiringpoliticalparties
to open up their financial
transactions, the donations they
receive and the expenses they
incur, to public scrutiny is
imperative to bring down levels of
corruption and make them more
accountable. What the CIC was
unable to achieve since the
implementation of the RTI, the
Supreme Court should be able to
do. As was argued in the petition
before the court, the right to
information has been held to be a
part of the freedom of speech and
expression under Article 19(1)(a) of
the Constitution. That freedom
cannot be undermined.
A win-win deal
The diplomatic breakthrough
that has been made in U.S.-Cuba
relations is a vindication of President
Barack Obamas policy of engaging
with nations with which Washington
has hostile relations. It shows that
patience and creative diplomacy can
work in solving even complex
situations rooted deep in historical
and ideological hostility. It took
nearly two years of hidden
negotiations, aided by the Vatican
and Canada, before the U.S. and
Cuba formally announced their
decisiontorestorediplomatictieslast
December. Now, President Barack
Obama has formally revealed his
administrations plan to open a U.S.
embassy in Havana, nearly 54 years
after President Dwight Eisenhower

broke off diplomatic relations.
Successive U.S. governments tried to
overthrow and isolate the communist
regime through various means, such
as a proxy war, attempts to assassinate
leaders, and sanctions aimed at its
economy. But this approach failed
miserably: President Obama candidly
admitted on Wednesday the U.S. had
been clinging to a policy that was
not working. Since 1992, the U.N.
General Assembly has condemned
the U.S. embargo every year. In Latin
America, it is the U.S. that stands
isolated, while the rise of new
progressive forces to power has
strengthened Cubas standing in the
region. So the question Mr. Obama
faced vis--vis Cuba was why his
administration should follow a failed
policy. Changes in the domestic
constituencies, such as the blunted
opposition of the Cuban American
community towards the two Castro
brothers and the demand from
American capitalist sections,
especially big farming, for new
markets, may also have prompted this
change of course. The U.S. outreach
comes at a crucial time for Cuba as
well. The Communist Party of Cuba
knows the country can no longer
count on others for economic
support. The Soviet Union, its Cold
War-era benefactor, has become
history. Hugo Chvez, the
Venezuelan President who started
the sale of cheap oil to Cuba, is no
more, and the socialist regime in
Caracas is battling its own challenges.
To recover from its economic
troubles, Cuba has moved to ease
state controls over the economy and
allow private capital greater play.
Against this backdrop, better
cooperation with the U.S. and the
eventual removal of the blockade
would prove boons for a changing
Cuban economy. However, the
bigger question relates to the impact
of this rapprochement on Cubas
domestic politics. While postrevolutionary Cuba has made

tremendous achievements in terms of
ensuring the welfare of its people, its
record in respecting their political
freedom is relatively poor. The
defenders of the regimes highhandedness have pointed to the
military-politicalthreatsfromtheU.S.
as one of the primary reasons for such
policies. With the U.S. and Cuba
deciding not to be imprisoned by
their past, it is also an opportunity to
deepen democracy in the islandnation.
Going all out for neutrino
research
Just a few years ago, we
witnessed how a national project, the
India-based Neutrino Observatory
(INO), which is to study fundamental
particles called neutrinos, was
subject to a barrage of questions from
environmentalists, politicians and
others ever since it was cleared. The
project, which involves the
construction of an underground
laboratory, was initially to be located
in the Nilgiris but later, on grounds
that it was too close to tiger habitat,
was moved to a cavern under a rocky
mountain in the Bodi West Hills region
of Theni district, about 110 kilometres
west of Madurai in Tamil Nadu. India
has been among the pioneers in
neutrino research, the first of such
laboratories having been established
in the 1960s. We led neutrino
research when our physicists used a
gold mine at Kolar in Karnataka to set
up what was then the worlds
deepest underground laboratory.
This was called the Kolar Gold Field
Lab. In 1965, it enabled researchers
to detect atmospheric neutrinos. In
1992, when the mine became
uneconomical, the laboratory was
shut down. With that, we lost our
advantage in understanding the most
mysterious particle in the universe.
INO may reclaim this advantage and
109


our global leadership. Most of the
advanced countries are already
working vigorously in neutrino
science with dedicated labs. These
include the United States, Russia,
France, Italy, China, Japan and South
Korea.Indiaissettonotonlyjointhis
league, but also become a key player
in global efforts in neutrino science.
The Magnetized Iron Calorimeter
(ICAL) being set up at INO will be
among the largest ever in the world,
weighing over 50,000 tonnes.
Neutrinos, first proposed by
Swiss scientist Wolfgang Pauli in 1930,
are the second most widely
occurring particle in the universe,
only second to photons, the particle
which makes up light. In fact,
neutrinos are so abundant among us
that every second, there are more than
100 trillion of them passing right
through each of us we never even
notice them. This is the reason why
INO needs to be built deep into the
earth 1,300 metres into the earth.
At this depth, it would be able to
keep itself away from all the trillions
of neutrinos produced in the
atmosphere and which would
otherwise choke an over-the-ground
neutrino detector. Neutrinos have
been in the universe literally since
forever, being almost 14 billion years
old as much as the universe itself.
Neutrinos occur in three different
types, or flavours ve, v and v.
These are separated in terms of
different masses. From experiments
so far, we know that neutrinos have a
tiny mass, but the ordering of the
neutrino mass states is not known and
is one of the key questions that remain
unanswered till today. This is a major
challenge INO will set to resolve, thus
completing our picture of the
neutrino. Neutrinos are very
important for our scientific progress
and technological growth for three
reasons. First, they are abundant.
Second, they have very feeble mass
and no charge and hence can travel
110
through planets, stars, rocks and

human bodies without any
interaction.Infact,abeamoftrillions
of neutrinos can travel thousands of
kilometres through a rock before an
interaction with a single atom of the
rock and the neutrino occurs. Third,
they hide within them a vast pool of
knowledge and could open up new
vistas in the fields of astronomy and
astrophysics, communication and
even in medical imaging, through the
detector spin-offs.
Key role in science: First,
neutrinos may have a role to play in
nuclear non-proliferation through the
remote monitoring of nuclear
reactors. The plutonium-239 which
is made via nuclear transmutation in
the reactor from uranium-238 can
potentially be used in nuclear devices
by terrorist groups. Using appropriate
neutrino detectors, the plutonium
content can be monitored remotely
and used to detect any pilferage.
Neutrino research can be our answer
to ensure that no terror group ever
acquires nuclear weapons.
Second, understanding
neutrinos can help us detect mineral
and oil deposits deep in the earth.
Neutrinos tend to change their
flavour depending on how far they
have travelled and how much matter
they have passed through in the way.
Far more importantly, we believe that
this same property might help us
detect early geological defects deep
within the earth, and thereby might
be our answer to an early warning
system against earthquakes. This is
where an area of Geoneutrinos is
applicable. First found in 2005, they
are produced by the radioactive
decay of uranium, thorium and
potassium in the Earths crust and just
below it. Rapid analysis of these
Geoneutrinos by neutrino monitoring
stations a process called Neutrino
Tomography could provide us vital
seismological data which can detect
early disturbances and vibrations
produced by earthquakes.
Third, as we now know,
neutrinos can pass right through the
earth. They may open up a faster way
to send data than the current around
the earth model, using towers, cables
or satellites. Such a communication
system using neutrinos will be free of
transmissionlossesasneutrinosrarely
react with the atoms in their path. This
can open up new vistas for telecom
and Internet services. Some scientists
further believe that if there is any
extraterrestrialformoflife,neutrinos
will also be the fastest and most
trusted way to communicate with
them.
Fourth, neutrinos are the
information bearers of the universe
which are almost never lost in their
path. Indias effort in studying
neutrinos at INO may help us unravel
the deepest mystery of the universe
why there is more matter than
antimatter in the universe. Some
scientists believe that formidable
neutrino research can help us
understand dark matter. Dark matter
and dark energy make up 95 per cent
of the universe, far more predominant
than ordinary matter in the universe
but we hardly understand it.
Neutrinos are the only way to detect
this great mystery which may
completely alter our understanding
of the universe and physics. Searches
for this dark matter can only be
carried out in INO. We believe that
the neutrino is our mode of access to
some of the most unimaginable
technologies, and therefore, with
INO,Indiaispoisedtotakeitsrightful
place at the helm of neutrino
research. For example, the particle
detectors developed for the
neutrino experiment at INO can also
be used to detect the photons in
positron emission tomography (PET)
which is used to identify cancerous
tumours.
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Iran Nuclear Deal
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

Negotiations between Iran and
the five permanent members of
United Nations security council and
Germany, famously referred as P5+1,
began in 2006. These negotiations
were done to make sure that Iran do
not enrich uranium in large scale and
make nuclear weapons. On the other
hand Iran wanted to enrich the
uranium for the civil energy purpose.
During the period when negotiations
reached an impasse the United
States, the European Union imposed
some sanctions on Iran. However
change in government in Iran made
the deal between the two groups a
possibility. After several rounds of
negotiations, on 24 November 2013,
the Joint Plan of Action, an interim
agreement on the Iranian nuclear
program, was signed between Iran
and the P5+1 countries in Geneva,
Switzerland. This plan of action
included short term freezing of Irans
nuclear program and in exchange
economic sanctions on Iran would be
reduced.
In July 2015 a historic
agreement between Iran and a group
of six nations led by US has been
reached. This agreement has
potentialtotransformthegeopolitical
dynamics. This deal would remove
the isolation of Iran from world
community. This deal will have major
impact on the US relations with
countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel.
International negotiators assembled
in Austria have announced the final
terms of the Iranian nuclear deal.
Major points in the deal are as given
below:
Iran will reduce its stockpile of
low-enriched uranium by 98
percent to 300 kg for 15 years;
Iran can only use firstgeneration IR-1 centrifuges,
and has to give up other
models;
Iran will also reduce number of
centrifuges operating at its
primary processing center in
Natanz. Centrifuges number
would be reduced by two
third to 5060;
another 1,000 centrifuges at
Fordow are been allowed;
Iran will be allowed to enrich
uranium to only to 3.67 percent;
Iran must fulfill its initial
commitments by mid-October,
after which the International
Atomic Energy Agency will

verify Irans compliance by midDecember. Once it has
verifiably fulfilled its
commitments, the United
States, European Union, and
United Nations Security
Council will begin to remove
their nuclear-related sanctions
onIran;
If one of the parties to the deal
believes Iran is violating the
deal, they can submit a
complaint to an eight-member
panel (consisting of the US, UK,
France, Germany, Russia, China,
and Iran itself, as well as the
EU) for review;
If Iran is judged not to be living
up to accord sanctions could
snap back;
This deal has benefits for both
the parties to the deal as well as for
other countries like India. Once
sanctions are removed Iran would be
allowed to trade the oil and India
being an oil importer country will get
huge benefit. This deal will help Iran
come out of economic isolation and
deal is great for countries economy.
Major benefits of deal are:
111

Iran Nuclear Deal

Itwillunlock100billiondollars
in frozen funds;
end of arms embargo for Iran;
Iran will be allowed to trade
the oil again. Bar on exporting
the oil has shrunk the economy
of Iran by about 20 percent;
analyst believe deal will lead to
reduction in oil prices;
India will be allowed to freely
trade with Iran in oil. Refinery
company will get benefit from
this;
OIl companies can get
exploration rights in Iran oil
fields.
Apart from that India will get
112
strategic benefits by engaging

withIran;
Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani has asked India to
investininfrastructureprojects
worth $8 billion, including an
expanded role in developing
a strategic chahbar port that
will open up access to Central
Asia.
India and Iran have an annual
bilateral trade of about $14 billion,
with an extremely high balance of
trade problem, as India has been
unable to pay Iran about $8.8 billion
for oil due to sanctions. The
government has also had to bow to
U.S. and international pressure on

cuttingitsoilimportsfromIran.
This deal has some negative
impacts for India as well. During
sanctions India paid to Iran in rupees.
Now the payment would be in
dollars, that will lead to pressure on
forex. This deal also threatens the US
relationship with Israel and Saudi
Arabia. Both countries have
expressed their reservations about
thedeal.Criticsalsosaythatthisdeal
will spark arms race with countries
fighting to increase their arms. Some
also say that this deal gives Iran
enough time and provide enough
space to build a nuclear bomb
before sanctions come into force.

UFA 2015
UFA 2015
Two important international
conferences were organised in Ufa
(Russia) in july. One is Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation, which is an
intergovernmental international
organization founded in Shanghai on
June 15, 2001 by six countries
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Analyst
believe that SCO can transform the
ideaofEurasiaintoreality.Itsmember
states cover an area of over 30 million
sq.km,oraboutthreefifthsofEurasia,
with a population of 1.455 billion,
about a quarter of the worlds total.
Its working languages are Chinese
and Russian. First meeting of
Shanghai Five countries, which
include China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, happened in
1996 in shanghai and the next in
moscow. Thereafter, this annual
meeting became a regular practice
and had been held alternately in the
fivestates.Onthefifthanniversaryof
the Shanghai Five in June 2001, the
heads of state of its members and the
President of Uzbekistan met in
Shanghai, the birthplace of the
mechanism. First they signed a joint
declaration admitting Uzbekistan as
member of the Shanghai Five

mechanism and then jointly issued
the Declaration on the Establishment
of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization. According to the SCO
Charter and the Declaration on the
Establishment of the SCO, the main
purposes of SCO are: strengthening
mutual trust and good-neighborliness
and friendship among member
states; developing their effective
cooperation in political affairs, the
economy and trade, energy, working
together to maintain regional peace.
The SCO has not accepted any
new members since its initial
formation in 2001. Nonetheless, the
organization has managed to expand
rapidly by granting states observer
and dialogue partner status to
countries. Before this summit there
were five observer states, namely,
Afghanistan, Mongolia, Iran, India,
and Pakistan. India and Pakistan has
been given full membership in Ufa
summit. The process for formal
inclusion into SCO will take place in
2016. Various benefits will come to
India from this summit:
This will open up economic
opportunities as well as highly
important energy sector from

central Asia to India;
SCO will provide a platform to
fight the terrorism and curb the
menace of ISIS;
SCO will also provide the
opportunity to engage in
solving the problem of security
in Afghanistan;
SCO will be helpful in finalising
the long held projects like TAPI
pipeline;
India and Pakistan also engaged
on the sidelines of Ufa summit. The
Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India
agreed on the following steps:
A meeting in New Delhi
between the two NSAs to
discuss all issues connected to
terrorism;
Early meetings of DG BSF and
DG Pakistan Rangers followed
by that of DGMOs;
Decision for release of
fishermen in each others
custody, along with their boats,
within a period of 15 days;
Mechanism for facilitating
religioustourism;
Both sides agreed to discuss
ways and means to expedite
113

UFA 2015
the Mumbai case trial, including
additional information like
providing voice samples.
Another summit which
happened at the Ufa was BRICS. The
BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India and China]
idea was first conceived in 2001 by
Goldman Sachs as part of an
economic modeling exercise to
forecast global economic trends over
the next half century. BRIC Foreign
Ministers at their meeting in 2010
agreed that South Africa may be
invited to join BRIC. Accordingly,
South Africa was invited to attend the
3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya in 2011.
Five Summits have been held so far;
the first in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in
2009; second in Brasilia in 2010, the
third in Sanya, China in 2011, the
fourth in New Delhi, India in 2012,
and the fifth in Durban, South Africa
in 2013.
While the concept BRICS was
firstcreatedtorefertotheinvestment
opportunities of the rising emerging
economies, the leaders meetings
transcend the financial context to
embrace a wide range of summitlevel issues relating to global
114
governance, such as development,

peace and security, energy and
climate change, and social issues. The
BRICS mechanism also aims at
contributing significantly to the
development of humanity and
establishing a more equitable and fair
world. In 2011, the BRICS share of
GDP, based on PPP amounted to
about 20 % and 25% (estimated at
US$13,7 trillion). BRICS countries
occupy 30% of the global territory.
They are home to 45% of the worlds
population.
VIIth summit of BRICS made
following announcements:
Group welcomed the
substantive progress that was
made since the Fortaleza
Summit, especially the
establishment of BRICS
financial institutions: the New
Development Bank (NDB) and
the Contingent Reserves
Arrangement (CRA);
year 2015 marks the 70th
Anniversary of the Founding of
the United Nations. Group
reaffirmed their strong
commitment to the United
Nations as a universal
multilateral organization
entrusted with the mandate of
helping the international
community maintain
international peace and
security, advance global
development and promote
and protect human rights;
Group expressed their support
for international efforts to
address international security
challenges in a way that
provides equal and indivisible
security for all states, through
respect for international law
and principles of the UN
Charter;
condemned unilateral military
interventions and economic
sanctions in violation of
internationallawanduniversally
recognized norms of
internationalrelations;
the participating nations
decided to lend in their own
local currencies to the New
Development Bank starting
April 2016.

Mock Paper For GS Paper-II Preliminary Examination 2015
MOCK PAPER
For GS Paper-II
Preliminary Examination 2015
Direction: Instruction for questionread the following passage and

answer the questions that follow.
Your answers to the questions should
be based on the passage only.
Passage 1
As soon as I saw the elephant I knew
with perfect certainty that I ought not
to shoot him. It is serious matter to
shoot a working elephant- it is
comparable to destroying a huge and
costly price of machinery- and
obviously one ought not to do it if it
can possibly be avoided. And at the
distance , peacefully eating, the
elephant looked no more dangerous
that a cow.
1. The elephant looked no more
dangerous than a cow
because.
(a) Cows can be dangerous
at times
(b) It was quietly doing its
work
(c) It tusks resemble the cows
horns
(d) Unlike lions, it is a
vegetarian animal
2. The writer was against
shooting the elephant

because.
(a) He was certain that the
elephant was innocent
(b) He suspected it to be a
wild one and was afraid
of it
(c) His heart was full of
compassion for animals
(d) It would amount to
avoidable waste of useful
property.
3. The author compares the
elephant to a costly machine
because;
(a) Ivory is very expensive
(b) It can do as much work as
an expensive machine
(c) Elephants look like big
machines
(d) Elephants and machines
have similar prices
Passage 2
Shaken by the resolve shown buy the
hazara Shia community of Quetta
who have been picketing out in subzero temperature and rain for justicePakistan broke out in protest against
the states silence on unrelenting
terrorism .
Besides the end of the genocide,

the Hazara shias want military
operation against banned outfits like
the Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-ejangvi. Accusing the state of a policy
of apartheid aginst the hazara shias who have been victims of relentless
sectarian attacks for several years
now- some in the community are
demanding Army takeover of the
province while others are openly
critical of the security establishment
for allowing its pro refers is to carry
out such a genocide
4. In the above passage
sectarian attacks
(a) Discrimination or hatred
arising due to dispute in
different families
(b) Discrimination or bared
arising due to difference
in counties
(c) Discrimination or hatred
arising from attaching
importance to perceived
differences between
subdivisions within a
group
(d) All of the above
5. End of the genocide infers
to
115


(a) Ending the deliberate
killing of a group of
people, except those of a
particular ethnic group or
nation
(b) Ending the disputes of
countries
(c) Ending the casteism
(d) None of the above
6. In the passage, sipah-e-sahab
lashkar-e-jangvi are:
(a) Paki stans
Sunni
organization
(b) Paki stans
shias
organization
(c) Afghanistans sunnis
organization
(d) Afghanistans
shias
organization
Passage 3
For achieving inclusive growth there
is a critical need to rethink the role
of the state. The early debate among
economist about the size of the
government can be misleading. The
need of the hour is to have an
enabling government. India is too
large and complier and nation for
the state to be able to deliver all that
is need. Asking the government to
produce all the essential goods, create
all the necessary jobs, and keep a curb
on the prices of all goods is to lead to
a large cumbersome bureaucracy and
widespread computation, the aim
must be to stay with the objective of
inclusive growth hat was laid down
by the founding fathers of the nations
and also to take a more modern view
of what the state can realistically
deliver.
This is what leads to the idea of
an enabling sate, that is a government
that does not try to directly deliver to
the citizen everything that they need.
Instead it
116
1. Creates an enabling ethos for

the market so that individual
enterprise can flourish and
citizens can, for the most part,
provide for the needs of one
another and
2. Steps in to help those who do
not manage to do well for
themselves, for there will
always be individuals no
matter what the system, who
need support and help
Hence we need a government
that, when it come to the market, sets
effective, incentive compatible rules
and remains on the sidelines with
minimal interference, and at the
same time plays an important role in
directly helping the poor by ensuring
that they get basic education and
health services and receive adequate
nutrition and food.
7. According to passage:
1. The objective of inclusive
growth was laid down by
the founding fighters of
the nation
2. Need of the house is to
have an enabling
Government
3. The government should
engage with maximum
interference in market
process.
4. There is a need to change
the
size
of
the
government
Which of the statements
given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
8. According to the passage, the
strategy of inclusion growth
can be effected by focusing on
(a) Meeting all the needs of

every citizen in the
country
(b) Increasing
the
regulations over the
manufacturing sector
(c) Controlling
the
distribution
of
manufacturing goods
(d) Delivery of the basic
services to the deprived
sections of the society
9. What constitutes and
enabling government?
1. A large bureaucracy
2. Implementation
of
welfare programmes
though representative
3. Creating an ethos that
helps
individual
enterprise
4. Providing resources to
those
who
are
underprivileged
5. Offering direct help to the
poor regarding basic
services.
Select the correct answer form
the codes given below:
(a) 1,2 and 3 only
(b) 4 and 5 only
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1,2,3,4 and 5
10. Why is the state unable to
deliver all that is need?
1. It does not have sufficient
bureaucracy
2. It does not promote
inclusive growth
Select the correct answer form
the codes given below;
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
11. What is essential message
being converged by the


author of the passage?
(a) The objectives of
inclusive growth laid
down by the founding
fathers of the nations
should be remembered
(b) The government need to
make available more
school and health services.
(c) The government needs
establish markets and
industries to meet the
needs of the poor strata of
the society.
(d) There is a need to rethink
the role of the state in
achieving
inclusive
growth
Passage 4
The concept of creative society
refers to a phase of development of a
society in which a large number of
potential contradiction become
articulate and active. This is most
evident which oppressed social
groups get politically mobilized and
demand their rights. The upsurge of
the peasants and tribal, the
movement for regional autonomy
and self-determination, the
environmental movement, and the
womens movement in th e
developing countries are signs of
emergence of creative society in
contemporary times.
The forms of social movement
and their intensity may vary from
country to country and place to place
within to country and place to place
within a countr y. But they very
presence of movement for social
transformation in various shapes of
a society indicates the emergence of
a creative society in a country.
12. What does the author imply
by creative society?
1. A society where diverse
art and forms and literary

writing seek incentive
2. A society where social
inequalities are accepted
as the norm.
3. A society where a large
number of contradiction
are recognized
4. A society where the
exploited and the
oppressed groups grow
conscious of their human
rights and upliftment
Select the correct answer
using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 4 only
(c) 3 and 4
(d) 2 and 4
13. What according to the passage
are the manifestations of
social movements.?
1. Aggressiveness and
being incendensy
2. Instigation by external
forces
3. Quest for social equality
and individual freedom
4. Urg e for gran ting
privileges and self respect
to disparaged section of
the society
Select the correct answer
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4.
14. With reference to the passage,
consider the following
statements.
1. To be a creative society ,
it is essential to have a
variety
of
social
movements
2. To be a creative society, it
is imperative to have
potential contradictions
and conflicts
given above is the correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 not 2
Passage 5
Third World is not a term much
us ed today. Most developing
countries, as they were once
euphemistically know, really are now
developing- and doing so fast, so it
is not surprising their disease
patterns are changing too, just as
happened in the rich world. Deaths
from infections disease are down .
Rates of non-transmissible
illness often chrome and frequently
the result of obesity are rising the
panjandrums of global health are
struggling to keep up.
15. In the passage above the word
panjandrums refers too
(a) Importance of global
health
(b) Weakness of global
health
(c) None of these
(d) A & B
16. The author used the term
third world for
(a) Developing countries of
Asia, Africa and Latin
America.
(b) All developing countries
(c) Can not be determined
(d) None of these
Passage 6
Bribery is voluntary. The bribe grew
chooses to give money or favors to
influence a choice, steal a march over
rival, or hasten ( sometimes delay) a
decision. Bribery harms the economy
and society cumulatively over a
period of time. But it has limited
117


political impact because it is a
voluntary transaction between
consenting adults and the injustice
it does is confined to a small circle of
rivals.
17. What would be the
appropriate title for the
passage
(a) Bribery
(b) Effects of bribe on society
(c) Economic injustice
through brave
(d) None
18. bribery is voluntary, by this
statements the author infers
(a) Bribery is self-willed
(b) To give bribe by others
will
(c) Both a & b(d)None
Passage 7
Religion and culture play an
important role in social cohesion.
The religious attitude of tolerance
and peace and culture values of
pluralism and conducive to good
governance. And yet there is no
casual relationship between religion
and democracy. For democracy does
not belong to any faith, equally, no
particular faith is synonymous with
democracy. Indian democracy is a
product of freedom movement which
gave primary to values of pluralism
and equal treatment to people of
different faiths and ethnic
backgrounds. The constitution
guarantees, the judiciary upholds it
and the leader ship believes in this
values system.
19. What does the term social
cohesion refers to
(a) Brining people together
in a specific society
(b) Separating people into
groups in a specfic society
(c) None of these
(d) a & b
118
20. Good Governance stand for

governance which serves the
citizens by
A Safe guarding territorial
integrity of the state
B Securing individual
security
C Applying rule of law
D Delivering
services
ranging from education,
health to livelihood and
food security
(a) A, B
(b) B ,C, D
(c) B, C
(d) All
21. In the passage the religious
attitude of tolerance infers to
A Acceptance of the concept
that two or more religions
with mutually exclusive
truth claims are equally
valid
B Acceptance of the concept
that two or more religions
with mutually exclusive
truth claims are invalid
C Synonym for ecumenism
D As term for the condition
of harmonious coexistence
between
adherents of different
religions or religious
denominations
(a) A, B , C
(b) B, C, D
(c) A, C, D
(d) A , B, D
Passage 8
Democracy is at the heart of
governance in India. However, in its
working, democracy has revealed
several inadequacies. The chain of
accountability from the civil service
to legislature and political authority
is weak; follow-through at higher
levels of administration is poor sand
limited oversight by Parliamentary

committees is part of the problem.
Criminalization of politics and
increasing role of caste and religion
in elector politics are major concern.
22. Criminalization of politics
can be prevented by
(a) Debarring criminals
from contesting elections
(b) Preventing criminals
facing
prosecution
getting out on bail
(c) Amending the Acts.
(d) All of them
23. governance refers to
A Safeguarding territorial
integrity of the state
B Securing individual
security
C Applying rule of law
D Delivering
services
ranging from education
health to livelihood and
food security
(a) A, B
(b) B, C, D
(c) B, C
(d) All
24. What could be the appropriate
title of the passage
(a) Good Governance
(b) Democracy
(c) Democracy
and
governance
(d) None
Passage 9
Mycorrhizal fungi infect more plants
that do any other fungi and are
necessary for many plant to thrive,
but they have escaped widespread
investigation until recently for two
reasons. First, the symbiotic
association is so well-balanced that
the roots of host plants show no
damage even when densely infected,
second, the fungi cannot as yet be


cultivated in the absence of a living
root, despite their difficulties, there
has been important new work that
suggests that this symbiotic
association can be harnessed to
achieve more economical use of
costly superphosphate fertilizer of
cheaper, less soluble rock phosphate
.
25. Which of the following most
accurately describes the
passage
(a) Report
(b) Summary
(c) Regulation of earlier
hypotheses
(d) A recommendation
Passage 10
In older times, the pleasures demand
intelligence and personal initiative,
now a days, we have vast companies
that provide as with readymade
distractions, which demands from
audience, no personal participation
and no intellectual effort of any sort.
To the interminable democracies of
the world, a million enemas bring
the same state balderdash. There are
always been fourth-rate writers and
drama writers; whose work are not
been appreciated. Tod ay, th e
inventions of the scenario-writer go
out from Los Angles across the whole
would countless audiences soak
passively in the tepid bath of
nonsense. No mental effort is
demanded of them.
26. According to the passage, the
modern audience
(a) Is cosmopolitan in its
outlook
(b) Is very discriminating
(c) Looks
individual
initiative and refuses to
exercise the mind
(d) None
27. To indulge in their favorite

pastime our ancestors
(a) Exercised
some
intelligence
and
individual initiative
(b) Enjoyed nonsensical
work
(c) Never moved out of their
familiar environment
(d) Formed recreational
clubs
28. The author thinks that the
bane of modern times is that
(a) Physical exercise has been
given a go-by
(b) The trash travels very fast
(c) People are taking active
interest in mindless
pleasures
(d) The cheap ready made
distractions have become
more and more pervasive
29. According to this passage,
most cinemas
(a) Deal with the familiar
uninteresting family
dramas
(b) Tend to be didactic and
moralistic
(c) Bring the images of the
same old adventure
activities
(d) Bring nothing but some
dull, nonsensical talk
Passage 11
Employees therein decide their own
working hours set quotas for their
production, improve products and
process, are responsible for their own
quality and for approval of a
leadership appointment. Everyone
has the right to vote on major
companys decision and split the
profit. As Vimal gains confidence in
this approach, it happily abolished a
lot more of the conventions by which
business are usually run.
No secretaries, receptionist or
spaces and dining room , dress codes
and almost all rules have gone,
including those for travel and
expenses.
30. The term leadership
appointments signify
(a) App ointing company
directors
(b) Appoint meting political
leaders
(c) Selecting trade union
leaders
(d) Appoint officers in
charge of various sections
31. In the given passage, Vimal
is the name of ;
(a) A brand of the product
(b) A novel approach to
things and affairs
(c) A business establishment
(d) The leader of secretaries,
receptionists
and
personal assistants
32. From the passage it is clear
that the novel approach
referred to is
(a) Democratize
(b) Bureaucratic
(c) Aristocratic
(d) Autocratic
33. The employees referred to are:
(a) Employee of essential
services
(b) Government employees
(c) Employees of a public
sector undertaking
(d) Employees of a private
company
Passage 12
Ecosystem provide people with a
variety of goods and services; food,
clean water, clean air, Flood control,
Soil stabilization, Pollutions,
Climate regulation, spiritual
fulfillment and aesthetic enjoyment,
119


to name just a few. Most of these
benefits either are irreplaceable or
the technology necessary to replace
them is prohibitively expensive. For
example, potable fresh water can be
provided by desalinating sea-water,
but only at a great cost. The rapidly
expanding human population has
g reatly modifies the ear ths
ecosystems to meet their increased
requirements of some of the goods
and services, particularly food, fresh
water, timber, fiber and fuel. These
modifications have contributed
substantially to human well being
and economic development., the
benefits have not been equally
distributed some people have
actually been harmed by these
chang es. More ov er, shor t-term
increases in some ecosystem goods
and services have come at the cost of
the long term degradation of other.
For example, efforts to increase the
production of food and fiber have
decreased the ability of some
ecosystems to provide clean water,
regulate flooding and support
biodiversity
34. With reference to the passage,
considered the following
statements:
expanding
human population has as
adverse effect on:
1. Spiritual fulfillment
2. Aesthetic enjoyment
3. Potable fresh water
4. Production of food and
fiber
5. Biodiversity
given above are correct
(a) 1, 2 and 3only
(b) 2, 4 and 5 only
(c) 3 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
35. The passage mentions that
120
some people have actually

been harmed by these
changes. What does it imply?
1. The rapid expansion of
population has adversely
affected some people
2. Sufficient efforts, have not
been made to increase the
production of food and
fiber
3. In the short term some
people may be harmed,
but in the long term
everyone will benefit
from modifications in the
earths ecosystems
Which of the statements give
above is /are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2
(c) 1 and 3
(d) None of the above
36. A team is performing
extremely good and is a
paramount example of team
work. When of the following
may be the primary force in
the success of the team?
(a) Cohesiveness among
members.
(b) Collective responsibility
(c) The team leader
(d) Both (a) and (b).
37. An officer has decided to
survey his district identify the
problems in the area and
important a few policies to
benefit the people. But the
policies did not succeed the
Reason for this failure could
be.
(a) He was unexperienced
and hence could not
identify the problems
correctly
(b) He had no knowledge
about the district.
(c) He had sufficient

resources for the
implementation of his
policies.
(d) His implementation way
was good.
38. You are a supervisor in an
organization which of the
following do you think
correct
for
effective
supervision
(a) Concern for employees
and mutual trust.
(b) Supremacy
over
employees.
(c) Comments on other
employees.
(d) No informal interaction
39. To ensure effective formal
communication one must rely
on.
(a) Ruler and policies of the
organization
(b) Deep relation between
the employees.
(c) Organization structure.
(d) Positive attitude.
40. During the peak time too
much work load exists. How
do you tackle with it?
(a) You will make your
subordinates work and
give them overtime.
(b) You will appreciate the
subordinates,
who
performed will and use
are willing to work hard.
(c) You will demand
additional work force.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
41. If R means X, S means , T
means +, and U means , than
what is the value of
13
4
4 10
>
4
T5 S
R1
U1 ?
7
9
7
11
7
(a) 12


(b) 13
(c) 14
(d) 11
42. Rajesh is facing west. He
turns 45 in the clockwise
direction, and in the same
direction he turns again 180
and then 270 in the
anticlockwise direction. Now
he is facing in
(a) South
(b) North-west
(c) West
(d) South-west
43. Six friends- K, L, M, N, O and
P are sitting in such a circular
way that they face towards the
centre. K, and L makes an
angle of 180 at the centre of
the circle by the straight line;
from L and M makes 120,
again 180 from M and N. O
does not sit on the immediate
left of M while M is not on
the immediate right of K.
Which statement is definitely
true accordingly?
(a) M is sitting between K
and N.
(b) O is sitting between K and
P.
(c) L is sitting between N and
P.
(d) O and M sit opposite to
each other.
Direcion: Study the information
given below and answer the
questions:(i) There are two couples in
a family. There are 6
members.
(ii) Mrs. Kavita and her
mother-in-law both are
Lawyers.
(iii)The lawyer is the head of
the family and has only
two sons- Suresh and
Naresh both are Teachers.

(iv) Sureshs wife is a doctor
and have a son named
Vijay.
44. What is the profession of
Nareshswife.
(a) Teacher (b) Doctor
(c) Lawyer
(d) None
45. How many male members are
there in the family?
(a) Two
(b) Three
(c) Four
(d) One
46. What is Vijays occupation?
(a) Teacher (b) Lawyer
(c) Doctor (d) cant be
determined
47. Which of the following is
definitely a couple?
(a) Lawyer- Teacher
(b) Doctor- Lawyer
(c) Teacher-Teacher
(d)cant be determined
48. What is Vijays Grandfathers
occupation?
(a) Teacher (b) Lawyer
(c) Doctor
(d) cant be determined
49. In a certain code BLEAR is
written as MCVSB and
BLARE is written as
MCZFS. How is REBEL
written in that code?
(a) FSRYF (b) FSMYF
(c) FSYMF (d) BSYMF
50. If accident is related to
Precautions, in the same waySanitation is related to :(a) Medicine(b) Diseases
(c) Doctor (d) Diet
51. Four of the following five
pairs are alike in a certain way
and so form a group, which
One is not alike?
(a) SMART : RTSMA
(b) BRAKE : AKRFB
(c) WINGS : SGNIW

(d) COUSIN : SINCOU
52. Find the unlike pair from the
four pairs which forms a
group(a) illyngophobia : Vertigo
(b) Kakorrhaphiophobia :
Defeat
(c) Insectophohia : Termite
(d) Kainolophobia : Novelty
53. If in a code language
FORTNIGHT is written as
C P N O S X U Q G ,
TOMMORROW is written as
EVXWSPQU, then how is
YESTERDAY written in that
language?
(a) OPDKSTMNR
(b) HIKXJXVGZ
(c) QGQSONPCQ
(d) HKXJIVGZX
Direction: Eight friends STUVWXY
and Z, are sitting in two opposite
rows facing each other. There are
four persons in each row. S is
between X and Y, and faces north.
Z is opposite to W, who is on the
immediate left of T. U is between V
and T. Z is to the immediate right
of Y. Answer the question as per the
instructions given54. Who is sitting opposite to U ?
(a) W
(b) S
(c) Y
(d) V
55. Who lies immediate right of
U?
(a) V
(b) S
(c) Y
(d) Z
56. Find the height of the lift if
the angle of elevation of the
top of a lift is 30 and it is 450
m from ground level?
(a) 158.8m (b) 230 m
(c) 259.8 m (d) 265.08 m
57. Find the number of way in
which 8 different pearls can
121


be arranged to form a
bracelet?
(a)
(c)
8!
2
(b)
(d)
58. From 6 boys and 10 girls, in

how many ways can 5 be
chosen to include exactly one
monitor?
(a) 1160
(b) 1260
(c) 1290
(d) 1250
59. Find the value-
60.
61.
62.
63.
122
(a) 56
(b) 54
(c) 58
(d) 59
A person covers a distance in
42 minutes, if he runs at a
speed of 25km/hr on an
average, find the speed at
which he must run to reduce
the time of the journey to 35
minutes?
(a) 50 km/hr(b) 40 km/hr
(c) 30 km/hr(d) 35 km/hr
Ram and Radha together can
do a piece of work in 7 days.
If Ram does twice as much
work as Radha in given time,
how long will Ram take alone
to complete the work?
(a) 21 days (b) 20days
(c) 10 days (d) 10/2 days
A bag contains an equal
number of 1 rupee, fifty paisa
and twenty-five paisa coin
respectively. If the total value
is Rs 56, how many coins of
each type are there?
(a) 52
(b) 22
(c) 32
(d) 62
Find the value of:-
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
64. Find the value of x:(a) 12

(b) 24
(c) 36
(d) 7
65. Which fraction is the greatest
?
12 9 6 3
,
,
,
3 1 23 15 7
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
66. You were passing through a

jungle it was getting dark and
you heard some noise in the
bus her behind you
(a) Walk back an d star t
running
(b) Keep silence for some
time and then carry on.
(c) Walk back find nothing
suspicious and so carryon
(d) Hide for sometime in a
near by place and wait till
the noise ceases.
67. While playing a cricket
match. You husited your ankle
very badly you
(a) Stop playing and walk
back.
(b) Take first aid and
continue playing
(c) Leave the match and go
Home
(d) Keep on playing without
giving any concentration
on your pain
68. Jast before reaching the
mountain peak you found
your feet were slipping due to
sand kept underneath your

feet you
(a) Balance your body and
change steps to move up
to the top.
(b) Start screaming for help.
(c) Start praying to god to
keep you safe.
(d) Start abusing your trainer
69. During a train journey you
found some passengers
arguing
unnecessarily
disturbing other people .
you
(a) Do not play any heed to
them
(b) Start doing you work
(c) Persuade them factually
not to do so
(d) Fell them to leave that
place.
70. while going to a place on an
urgent mission you found that
the only bus left was full and
no other public transport was
available you
(a) Us e your power to get
seats.
(b) Take your ticket by
persuading conductor by
giving him extra money.
(c) Use your money illegally
and get a seat
(d) Somehow manage your
entry into the bus and
travel the distance
standing.
71. Being the eldest of the family
you found your family was
uprooted due to undone
you
(a) Tell your other brothers to
contribute
for
rehabilitation
(b) Rehatriectate your family
by arranging necessary
things


(c) Wait for the government
to help your family
(d) Wait for th e god to
smoothen the situation
72. You found a few members
were going back out from
joining a government
policyyou.
(a) Persuade them to join the
police by highlighting the
importance of the police
(b) Try to persuade them and
if they do not agree then
you start threatening
them.
(c) Do not pay any attention
to this
(d) Keep on doing your duty
without taking any
interest in those who were
going to back out.
73. You saw people crowding
outside ticket counter, tr ying
to buy tickets, resulting into
quarrel you
(a) Do not pay any attention
to it and keep on doing
your work.
(b) Persuade them to form a
queue.
(c) Like money other, you too
become a spectator and
keep on waiting for the
quarrel to stop.
(d) Go from behind the queue
and arrange your tickets
74. While Traveling is a crowded
bus, you saw a person picking
the pocket of a passenger you.
(a) Do nothing; just keep on
doing your work.
(b) Start giving attention to
other things
(c) Beat the man blue with the
help of other passengers.
(d) Caught the man red
handed and handed him
over to the police.
75. Although you were a first

division you failed to get first
division in English exam.
You
(a) Start blaming the
situations and cursing
your luck
(b) Feel jealousy with the
students, who got first
division and start
behaving badly with
them.
(c) Work hard to get first
division in the next exam.
(d) Stop doing anything and
start to lighten your
mood.
76. You with your friends, while
in the morning walk, find that
an old man is laying
unconscious on the road.
You
(a) Will not do anythings as
you have other important
work to do
(b) Will inform the police.
(c) Will gi ve first aid and
take to hospital at the
earliest.
(d) Will gi ve first aid and
then complete your
morning walk.
77. There is a flood noticed in the
morning when you woke up
the whole locality is about to
sink. Lot many things are
seen as spoiled you
(a) Call
the
disaster
management people.
(b) Try to save the vulnerable
people.
(c) Wil l create for ce to
evacuate
essentials
immediately.
(d) Pray to the almighty.
78. While sitting in examination

hall, you noticed that your best
friend had expired. You
(a) Will leave the exam and
become much tensed.
(b) Will complete the exam
and then rush to your
friends house.
(c) Wil l star t informing
others about it
(d) Will inform the police
first before completing
the papers.
79. You re ceiv ed an urg ent
message from your superior.
But you feel that the massage
is wrong you
(a) Will show the massage to
your best friend and then
after seeing his reaction
will decide to follow it or
not
(b) Will obey first
(c) Ask the superior for
classification
(d) Will not do anything and
wait for the response of
superior.
80. Some terrorists kidnapped a
g irl. You, while pas sing
through that area, were
approached by a person to
help to rescue the girl you
(a) Wil l not listen to th e
person as it may
endanger your own life
(b) Will inform the police by
calling on helpline
number.
(c) Will involve yourself to
make the Terr oris t
surrender.
(d) Ask help of some more
people and then involve
yourself.
123

Answers with
Explanations
efficient formal communication rest things come later]
students. So the information

was given 7.05 am.
1. (b)
2. (d)
3. (b)
4. (c)
40. (d)
[work
will
be
accomplished with minimal
expenditure]
5. (a)
6. (a)
41. (b)
42. (b)
7. (a)
8. (d)
wed = Independences Day
43. (a)
44. (a)
9. (c)
10. (d)
45. (c)
46. (b)
Required
Answer=
Wednesday +1 = Thursday
11. (d)
12. (c)
13. (c)
14. (c)
55. (a) the pattern is +20, +40,

+80.
15. (a)
16. (a)
47. (b) Difference of 6 digits from

42, as 15+6 = 21, 27 + 6 = 33,
42 + 6 = 48.
56. (c)
57. (b)
17. (b)
18. (a)
58. (a)
59. (b)
19. (a)
20. (d)
48. (a) 6 +11 = 17, 17 6 = 11 in

same way 11 +11 = 22, 22
6 =16
60. (c)
61. (d)
21. (c)
22. (d)
62. (c)
63. (b)
23. (d)
24. (c)
49. (b) 3 - 1, 4 - 2, 5-3
64. (b)
65. (d)
25. (b)
26. (c)
50. (c) 2 + 2, 2 + 2 .
66. (d)
67. (b)
27. (a)
28. (d)
51. (a) + 1, +3, +5, +7
68. (a)
69. (c)
29. (d)
30. (d)
70. (d)
71. (c)
31. (c)
32. (a)
72. (a)
73. (b)
33. (d)
34. (c)
52. (d) we do not have

information about the
number of persons between
Ramesh and Krishna.
74. (d)
75. (c)
35. (a)
36. (d)
53.
76. (c)
77. (b)
37. (a)
38. (a)
78. (b)
79. (b)
39. (c) [the structure of an

arganisation plays the
foremost role in ensuring
124
(b) As the last rang 45

minutes before 7:45 am, at
7.00, but it happened five
minutes before the teacher
gave the information to the
54. (c) Todays date Monday

Abhis birthday = Monday +
2 = Wednesday
80. (d)
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COMPREHENSION & ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

INTERPERSONAL & COMMUNICATION SKILLS & DECISION MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING
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