UPSCPORTAL Magazine Vol.17 by IAS EXAM PORTAL

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com UPSC Portal Magazine Vol. - 17

New Symbol for

Indian Rupee

Sept., 2010

Sr. Honorary Advisor:

Sant Prasad Gupta

Honorary Editor:

Ram Kumar Pandey Executive Editor:

Dr. Divya Asistant Editor:

Avadhesh Kumar Pandey Honorary Advisors:

Dr. Nageshwar Nath Mishra Dr. Sachchidanand

Editorial Where there is a will ...

Shivalik Graphics Disclaimer: Editor and Publisher are not responsible for any views, data, figures etc. Expressed in the articles by the author(s). Maps are notational.

Published By:

WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM Mukherjee Nagar, New Delhi-110009

For Advertisement Contact at: 9899825962, 011-27650111

Join us at Face Book : http://www.facebook.com/upscportal.original

SECTION - 2 India-Mauritius Relation Public Distribution System SECTION - 3 India to provide USD 1 Bn to Bangladesh

Myanmar's Head of State Visit to India

CONTROVERSY

SECTION - 4 Current Affairs

SECTION - 5 World of Awards

Follow us at Twitter : http://twitter.com/upscportal Join UPSCPORTAL.COM’s Google Groups : http://groups.google.co.in/group/upscportal Contact us at: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/contact

SECTION - 6 CSE Main 2010 Special: » Study Package : (Science & Technology)

Sports World

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Editorial Where there is a will .... "Where there is a will, there is a way" is a familiar and well-known saying. But only few understand and act upon it. This saying underlines a very vital fact of life. Man is ambitious; he is full of desires, he needs force of will power to fulfil these dreams. Without determination and a strong will, nothing can be achieved. Determination is one of the secrets of success. Those who work hard are crowned with success, others are like cats that wish to eat fish but dare not wet their feet. God helps those who help themselves. Napoleon believed that the word "impossible" was to be found only in the dictionary of fools. There is nothing impossible in the world for a man of steel, will power and unyielding determination. Take the example of Maharana Pratap and Shivaji. They are well known in history for their iron will, strong determination, courage, heroism and patriotism. Rana Pratap fought bravely against such a powerful king as Akbar, despite successive defeats but never surrendered in slavery. Again, take the example of Mahatma Gandhi, a frail man but a man of iron will and strong convictions. He won us freedom through non-violence, Satyagraha and noncooperation. A determined person takes hurdles as a challenge and overcomes them with hard work and tireless efforts. History is full of many bright examples to show us how people turned seemingly impossible work into a possibility and success. If you have an unshakable, resolute will and carry on your efforts, as did these great men of history, you, too, are bound to have what you want. In this volume of UPSCPORTAL magazine you can find New Symbol for Indian Rupee as featured article and articles are Myanmar's Head of State Visit to India, India- Mauritius Relations and Public Distribution System. In section of hot topics you will find India to provide USD 1 bn to Bangladesh and BlackBerry Controversy. With regular columns also we have provided special study package for Civil Services Main Examination 2010 on Science & Technology. So we hope with these study materials you will make your efforts better for success in upcoming challenges. Wish You All the Best Ram Kumar Pandey and UPSC Portal Team

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Featured Article

its symbol printed on the notes. Unicode is an international standard that allows text data to be interchanged globally without conflict. After incorporation in the global and Indian codes, the symbol would be used by all individuals and entities within and outside the country. The symbol will be adopted in a span of six months in the country, and within 18 to 24 months globally and it will feature on computer keyboards and software for worldwide use. New Rupee symbol won't show soon on computers Vendors of computers, mobile phones, and software say they will support the symbol for the Indian rupee that was approved by the Indian cabinet. But it may be over two years before the rupee symbol starts showing on computers and mobile phones, analysts said. Many vendors are also undecided whether they will offer the new symbol on keyboards and keypads, or as additions in software to the character set supported by their devices. Nokia, for example, welcomed the move by the Indian government to have a symbol for the rupee, and said it would abide by the rules and regulations in this regard. However, a company spokeswoman said it's too early to comment on how the symbol will be implemented, whether on the phone keypad or on the character list. For computers, mobile phones and other computing devices to understand the symbol, it has to be 4

first encoded, said Pradeep Parappil, lead product manager for Windows and Windows Live, at Microsoft India. The new symbol has to be submitted by the Indian government to the Unicode Consortium to be encoded and allotted a code point in the Unicode Standard, he said. The Unicode Standard is a character coding system designed to support the worldwide interchange, processing, and display of written texts of diverse languages and technical disciplines, according to its website. The latest version of the Unicode Standard is Version 5.2.0. The time required to add the new rupee symbol to products does not depend on vendors at this point, but on the time it will take for the inclusion of the encoding in the Unicode Standard, Parappil said. Once a new version of the standard, which has the code point for the rupee symbol, is released by the Unicode Consortium, Microsoft will start work to include it in the Windows operating system and other products, Parappil said. He did not specify the time it would take to include the changes. Users will not have to buy new software, but will likely receive downloadable updates to their existing software, he added. The Indian government decided to select a symbol for the Indian rupee to reflect the country's economic growth and its integration with the global economy. The symbol will also distinguish the Indian currency from some other currencies in the region like those of Pakistan and Nepal that are also called rupee, the government said. The symbol will be used by all individuals and entities within and outside India after its incorporation in the Unicode Standard, the ISO/IEC 10646 standard for coding multilingual text, and the Indian IS 13194 standard, the government said in a statement on Thursday. Unicode Consortium and the ISO (International Organization for

Standardization) Group responsible for ISO/IEC 10646 decided in 1991 to create one universal standard for coding multilingual text. The Indian government does not appear to have any illusions that it will take some time before the rupee symbol gets added to computers, mobile phones, and other computing devices. The encoding of the symbol in accordance with Indian standards is estimated to take about six months while encoding in the Unicode and ISO/IEC 10646 standards will take about 18 months to two years, it said. Influence of Indian Economy. So far the Indian Rupees was abbreviated as Rs, Re, or INR. "The symbol should represent the historical and cultural ethos of India. The proposal to have a unique symbol for the Indian Rupee was the idea of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that he brought up in his Budget Speech for this fiscal. "In the ensuing year, we intend to formalise a symbol for the Indian rupee, which reflects and captures the Indian ethos and culture," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced in his Budget speech in Parliament. The introduction of a unique symbol for Indian Rupee reflects the importance of Indian economy in global economy. So far, US dollar, European Euro, British Pound, and Japanese Yen were the only members of the elite class of having unique symbols for their currencies.

A step towards globalisation Evoking national spirit and international attention the Indian rupee attained a new avatar in its new symbol. A distinct identity with a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R', the Indian currency will be joining the elite club of the U.S. dollar, the European euro, the British pound sterling and the Japanese yen. This would distinguish the Indian currency from its neighbouring countries' — Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia — similarly

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Featured Article known rupee or rupiah. While declaring the intention of the government to have a symbol for the Indian rupee, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had stated in his last budget presentation that: “We intend to formalise a symbol for the Indian rupee, which reflects and captures the Indian ethos and culture. “With this, Indian rupee will join the select club of currencies such as the U.S. dollar, British pound sterling, euro and the Japanese yen that have a clear distinguishing identity.”

Political dimension The growth story of India is intact and many would be interested in correlating the new symbol with its economic growth and ambition to become an economic super power. However, the introduction of the new symbol is having a political dimension. While Pranab Mukherjee spoke about ethos of the country in Parliament, it was definitely, on the largest democracy of the world. As compared to other Asian powers, especially China, India's strength lies in its democracy. This new symbol is also considered as a step towards internationalisation of Indian rupee. While the U.S. dollar, the British pound, the euro and the Japanese yen are widely traded currencies, Indian rupee is only partially convertible. Further, majority of world's currencies are also floating. Convertible currencies are defined as currencies that are readily bought, sold and converted without the permission from a central bank or government entity. The Indian rupee is only partially convertible as the central bank controls the international investments flowing in and out of the country. With a new symbol, the issue of full capital account convertibility would be revived again. However, the recent global financial crisis again Vol. - 17

proved that India would not be able to take such risks though one may say this as a weakness for the Indian currency in the global arena. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh in a speech at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on March 18, 2006, referred to the need to revisit the subject of capital account convertibility. He had said: “Given the changes that have taken place over the last two decades, there is merit in moving towards fuller capital account convertibility within a transparent framework…I will therefore request the Finance Minister and the Reserve Bank to revisit the subject and come out with a road map based on current realities”. Y. V. Reddy, the then Governor of RBI, in consultation with the government, appointed on March 20, 2006, a committee to set out the road map towards fuller capital account convertibility.

Capital Flows Volatile capital flows have been a central issue during the recent financial crisis, which surfaced around 2007-08, and continue to be so now as the crisis is ebbing. Emerging market economies (EMEs) saw a sudden stop and reversal of capital flows during the crisis as a consequence of global deleveraging. India has followed a consistent policy on capital account convertibility in general and on capital account management in particular. “Our position is that capital account convertibility is not a standalone objective but a means for higher and stable growth. We believe our economy should traverse towards capital convertibility along a gradual path — the path itself being recalibrated on a dynamic basis in response to domestic and global developments. Post-crisis, that continues to be our policy. We will continue to move towards liberalising our capital account, but we will revisit the road map to reflect

the lessons of the crisis,” D. Subbarao, Governor, RBI, stated recently.

Correlation The recent crisis has clearly been a turning point in the world view on capital controls. The Asian crisis of the mid-90s demonstrated the risk of instability inherent in a fully open capital account. Even so, the intellectual orthodoxy continued to denounce controls on capital flows as being inefficient and ineffective. The recent c r i s i s s a w, a c r o s s e m e r g i n g economies, a rough correlation between the extent of openness of the capital account and the extent of adverse impact of the crisis. Surely, said Dr. Subbarao “this should not be read as a denouncement of open capital account, but a powerful demonstration of the tenet that premature opening hurts more than it helps.” Notably, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a policy note in February this year that reversed its long held orthodoxy. The note has referred to certain 'circumstances in which capital controls can be a legitimate component of the policy response to surges in capital flows'. Now that there is agreement that controls can be 'desirable and effective' in managing capital flows in select circumstances. The Indian rupee is likely to remain a partially convertible currency, at least in the near future as Dr. Subbarao put it: How emerging market economies manage the impossible trinity — the impossibility of having an open capital account, a fixed exchange rate and independent monetary policy — is going to have an impact on their prospects for growth, price stability and financial stability. Historically under the British Raj Indian rupee was fully convertible. While many starved and famines hit the country, a small section was buying palaces and other assets in Europe.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article

Myanmar's Head of State Visit to India Bilateral agreements towards strong friendship yanmar's Head of State, Senior General Than Shwe visited India from 25 to 29 July 2010. This was a religious cum official visit. He came with a big entourage of ministers, officials and family members. This was his second visit to India – the first one was in October 2004. The visit was scantily covered by the local media and there was no press conference or press briefing on this visit, though a detailed joint statement was issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on 27 July, 2010, on the discussions between the two sides. On arrival in India in the state of Bihar on 25 July, 2010, Than Shwe visited Bodh Gaya and other places of Budhist interest near by. After visiting Sarnath temple (Varnasi), he arrived in Delhi on 26 July and was received by India's Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna. On 27 July, 2010, he was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan and a banquet was hosted by the President in his honour. On the same day Than Shwe had a meeting with the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh which was followed by delegation level talks. On 28 July 2010 Gen Than Shwe was in Hyderabad where he visited the L & T Infocity, Bharat Biotech, a leading biotechnology company and

the famous Salar Jang Museum. Before concluding his visit, on 29 July, he visited the Tata Motors Plant in Jamshedpur. Tata Motors is establishing a plant in Myanmar and is hopeful of starting production of 1000 heavy trucks from this plant from 2011. The highlights of the Joint Statement issued by the Ministry of External affairs on 27 July which summarises the issues discussed, agreements made and the concessions extended to Myanmar are : • The Indian side agreed to consider Myanmar's request for assistance in the three areas namely: IT development, Industrial development and Infrastructure development in Myanmar. • Construction and revamping of the Rhi-Tiddim road at a cost of more than US$ 60 million. • Grant of US$ 10 million for procurement of agricultural machinery from India. • The two leaders agreed to cooperate in the implementation of the Tamanthi and Shwezaye projects on the Chindwin River Basin in Myanmar. • The Myanmar side conveyed their

• By : Dr. Sachchidanand gratitude for India's line of credit of US$ 64 million in the transmission lines sector to be executed through M/s. PGCIL. • The two leaders agreed to upgrade the microwave link between Moreh to Mandalay under a line of credit of US$ 6 million from India. • The restoration of the historic Ananda temple in Bagan to be undertaken with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India, with the involvement of the Ministry of Culture of Myanmar. The following agreements signed between India and Myanmar by different ministers/officials of the two sides were also witnessed by Chairman, State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar, Senior General Than Shwe and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. • Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Article • Memorandum of Understanding regarding Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of Small Develop-ment Projects • Agreement on Cooperation in the fields of Science and Technology • Memorandum of understanding on Information Cooperation • Memorandum of understanding for the Conservation and Restoration of the Ananda Temple in Bagan. Media Reports give the impression that Than Shwe came to India to solicit India's support or the forthcoming elections. This is far from the truth as the present Myanmar Government will do what it wants to do, no matter what the international reactions would be. India has a large number of exiles from Myanmar, mostly settled in the North East and in Delhi (waiting to go over to Western nations as refugees). Members of the All Burma Monks Alliance and All Burma Students League protested against this visit by gathering at Juntar Mantar (a Delhi Park), shouted pro-democracy slogans and dispersed peacefully. India has also been under pressure from International Federation for Human Rights and some western nations including US, to use its good relations with Burma, to convey to the military junta for changing the course and implementing some democratic reforms. India has taken a neutral stand till date though it has expressed that it is looking forward to an early national reconciliation. What the Indian leaders told the visiting dignitary was not known, but the official stand was one of neutrality. An extract from the joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on 27 July 2010 given below summarises India's reactions on the forthcoming election in Myanmar. “The Myanmar side informed the Indian side about developments in Myanmar including the groundwork Vol. - 17

for elections scheduled towards the end of the year. The Indian side thanked the Myanmar side for the detailed briefing and emphasized the importance of comprehensively broad-basing the national reconciliation process and democratic changes being introduced in Myanmar.” News Analyses India is accused for its policy on Myanmar being based on realpolitik instead of its age old democratic principles. India's earlier stance of supporting the prodemocratic forces in Myanmar had proved to be detrimental to its national and security interests and hence had to adopt a more realistic and pragmatic policy of engaging the military junta. Most media reports indicate that Myanmar is playing the China card with India and the India card with China. All one can say at this point is that Myanmar needs India as much as India needs Myanmar. Media reports also harp on the point that the results achieved in the energy sector or on the insurgency front from Myanmar are not commensurate with the efforts taken from the Indian side. While this may be true to a certain extent, India (as a ga i n s t C h i n a ) h a d a l s o i t s shortcomings in implementing the projects in Myanmar or in convincing the military junta of its requirements. The western nations have nothing to lose by adopting a policy of sanctions and repeated censure of the military regime for its human rights abuses. This policy has only isolated Myanmar from the main stream, much to the benefit of China. In India's case, Myanmar is its immediate neighbour with a 1640 km land border and a long maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Because of the strategic, security and economic concerns, India has to be in an engagement mode with Myanmar. Just because India is the world's largest democracy, it is not incumbent on the part of India to

exert pressure on the military junta for democratic reforms and release of political prisoners. Even the other nations of ASEAN and its top dialogue partners US, EU and Japan failed to convey their strong feelings for more transparency and democracy in the recent summit meetings at Hanoi. It is incorrect to conclude, that by hosting the Senior General Than Shwe's visit on the eve of the general elections in Myanmar, India has endorsed the elections and the procedure to be adopted for that process. The election is an internal issue of that country. India can at best offer some assistance in the procedural aspects and express its desire for an early national reconciliation. The elections will no doubt to be a flawed one but yet it is better than not doing anything at all. Any change can only be for the better and it is almost certain that Indian engagement with the new regime will continue in the interest of both the countries. The visit has also shown India's potential as a 'soft power' that needs to be used more often and in a more focused manner.

Joint Statement This visit was a part of a series of highlevel contacts that India and Myanmar have had over the past few years. These include visits by Vice Senior General Maung Aye, ViceChairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar, in April 2008 and Shri M. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, in February 2009. In New Delhi, Senior General Than Shwe was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 27 July 2010. He was received by the President of India, who hosted a banquet in his honour. Senior General Than Shwe had a meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, which

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article was followed by delegation level talks. The meetings and exchanges were positive and marked by cordiality on both sides. India and Myanmar are close and friendly neighbours linked, inter alia, by civilizational bonds, geographical proximity, culture, history and religion. Apart from a boundary that stretches over more than 1640 kilometers and borders four NorthEastern states of India, there is a large population of persons of Indian origin in Myanmar. Bilateral relations are reflective of these multifarious and traditional linkages and the two countries live side by side as close neighbors based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Recalling these shared bonds of civilization, the Head of State of Myanmar and the Prime Minister of India expressed their commitment to further strengthen and broaden the multi-dimensional relationship which now encompasses a range of areas of cooperation. Enhancing economic, social and developmental engagement will help harness the considerable potential in IndiaMyanmar bilateral relations, which would, in turn, contribute to the socio-economic betterment of their respective peoples. Recognizing that peace and stability in the region is essential for development and for the well-being of the people of their respective countries, the two leaders agreed on close cooperation between the security forces of the two countries in tackling the pernicious problem of terrorism. They agreed that security cooperation should be given immediate attention since terrorists, insurgents and criminals respect no boundaries and undermine the social and political fabric of a nation. Both leaders reiterated the assurance that the territory of either would not be allowed for activities inimical to the other and resolved not to allow their respective territory to be used for training, sanctuary and other 8

operations by terrorist and insurgent organizations and their operatives. Understanding that continued cooperation will lead to success in fighting the insurgency issue, the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation and collective efforts of the two countries along the border. In this context, the two leaders welcomed the Home Secretary level talks held in Nay Pyi Taw in January 2010 and the important decisions taken in that meeting. Both leaders expressed their d es ire fo r greater eco n o mic engagement. In this context, the Prime Minister of India conveyed India's commitment to continue with d eve l o p m e nta l a s s i sta n c e to

lead to upliftment of the bilateral cooperation to a higher level. Senior General Than Shwe and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh welcomed the considerable enhancement of the connectivity between the two countries. In this context, they welcomed the progress made by M/s Inland Waterways Authority of India towards implementation of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project and reiterated their respective Governments' commitment to this project. In particular, they welcomed the finalization of the contract for port development and Inland waterway with M/s ESSAR. It was also agreed that the scope of the project with

Myanmar. The Myanmar side expressed deep appreciation for the generous and concessionary credit facilities given by India to finance significant infrastructure and other projects. Projects that are currently underway under such aid assistance include railways, road and waterway development, power and industrial training centres, tele-communication, etc. The Indian side agreed to consider Myanmar's request for assistance in the three areas namely: IT development, Industrial development and Infrastructure development in Myanmar which will

respect to the road component would be revised. The road component between Paletwa and Myeikwa on the India border would be executed by the Myanmar Ministry of Construction with M/s IRCON. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the construction, maintenance and repair work by Indian Border Roads Organization of the Tamu-Kalaywa-Kalemyo Road connecting Moreh in Manipur to Myanmar and the handing over of most of the segments of the TKK Road to the Government of Myanmar.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Article To enhance road connectivity, especially through the State of Mizoram, both leaders announced the construction and revamping of the Rhi-Tiddim road at a cost of more than US$ 60 million to be financed through grant assistance from India. The Myanmar side expressed its appreciation for this gesture. Both leaders emphasized the need to enhance cooperation in the area of agriculture. The Indian side announced a grant of US$ 10 million for procurement of agricultural machinery from India. The leaders expressed the hope that this machinery will help enhance productivity in Myanmar's agricultural sector, which is the mainstay of its economy. The Myanmar side also requested for technical assistance in manufacturing of agricultural machinery. The Indian side also announced a project to set up rice silos to facilitate disaster relief operations particularly in the cyclone prone delta areas, with grant in aid from India. The Myanmar side expressed appreciation for India's generous assistan ce in th e relief an d rehabilitation efforts that followed the devastating Cyclone Nargis which hit Myanmar in May 2008. He noted that the assistance from India, which included dispatch of a large medical contingent to work in cyclone affected areas as well as providing immediate medical and food supplies, supply of GI sheets, 16 electricity transformers, 20 biomass gasifiers and funds for restoration work on the holy Shwedagon pagoda, was timely and catered to Myanmar's urgent requirements. Both leaders identified the power sector as an area of growing cooperation. In this context, the two leaders agreed to cooperate in the implementation of the Tamanthi and Shwezaye projects on the Chindwin River Basin in Myanmar. They welcomed the involvement of M/s NHPC in carrying out the much Vol. - 17

required additional investigations after the signing of the MoU on C o o p e rat i o n i n H yd ro - p owe r Development projects in the Chindwin River Basin in September 2008. Subject to the findings of these additional investigations, the two leaders will endeavour to conclude the Memorandum of Agreement within a year. The Myanmar side conveyed their gratitude for India's line of credit of US$ 64 million in the transmission lines sector to be executed through M/s. PGCIL. Both leaders also noted the need to provide for inter-grid connectivity between the two countries. They agreed that the two countries shall cooperate in this area, including generation of electricity from renewable sources, and, where necessary, set up joint projects or corporate entities for that purpose. The Myanmar side welcomed the interest of Indian companies in the mining sector. They promised all necessary assistance to enable these companies to explore such opportunities. The Indian side agreed to explore possibilities for cooperation in the field of solar energy and wind energy in Myanmar. They also agreed to offer Myanmar, training in related fields. Cooperation in the energy sector is poised for greater growth, especially in the area of oil and natural gas. Both leaders emphasized the importance they attach to energy security which has a direct bearing on the welfare of the peoples of the two countries. They expressed satisfaction at the ongoing bilateral collaboration in exploration and production in Myanmar's petroleum sector and agreed to encourage further investment by Indian companies both public and private, in this sector. The Myanmar side welcomed the substantial additional investment by ONGC and GAIL for the development in the upstream and downstream projects of Myanmar offshore blocks

A-1 and A-3 including the natural gas pipeline under construction at Ramree in Myanmar. In the field of telecom, following the successful functioning of the official Fibre link between India and Myanmar via Moreh, the two leaders agreed to upgrade the microwave link between Moreh to Mandalay under a line of credit of US$ 6 million from India. Further, a new Optical Fibre Link between Monywa to RhiZawkhathar will also be undertaken with Indian assistance. The Myanmar side thanked India for its continued assistance through renewal of the agreement to provide IRS-P5 and Cartosat Data through Antrix. The two leaders agreed to encourage collaboration between Myanmar and India in the area of Information and Communication Technology. Recalling India's earlier assistance in supplying railway rolling stock, machineries and equipments to Myanmar, both leaders agreed to further cooperation in the railway sector. The Indian side extended a line of credit of US$ 60 million to procure railway equipment. The two leaders noted with satisfaction that the project being undertaken by TATA Motors to set up a heavy turbo truck plant at Magway is proceeding well and encouraged other Indian companies to enter into the industrial sectors in Myanmar. The Myanmar side assured that current investment proposals by private Indian companies in Myanmar would be actively facilitated. The two leaders welcomed the expansion of trade and commerce between the two countries manifest in the increase in the volume of trade to more than US$ 1 billion per annum. They agreed that trade at border trade points should be further enhanced to boost the immense potential that exists in bilateral trade. This would also directly benefit the North-East States of India.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article Referring to the existing border trading points at Moreh - Tamu (Manipur) and Zawkhathar-Rhi (Mizoram) as well as the additional point agreed to be operationalised at Avankhug-Somra (Nagaland), the two sides agreed to put in place the necessary infrastructure to make these points viable and business friendly. The two leaders welcomed the establishment of direct banking links between India and Myanmar following the signature of the correspondent banking relationship agreement between United Bank of India and Myanma Foreign Trade Bank, Myanma Economic Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank for providing banking arrangements relating to upgrading of border trade to normal trade. They encouraged the business community to make optimal use of this arrangement and thus enhance direct trade transactions. The two leaders encouraged to conduct business meetings to be held alternately in both countries for trade promotion. They noted that such measures can help build bridges at the business level and promote business and commercial opportunities. In recognition of the close and friendly tourism cooperation between India and Myanmar and

cooperation under the frameworks of ASEAN+India and BIMSTEC, the two sides agreed to further promote tourist contacts. The Myanmar side thanked India for the facilities and courtesies being extended to Myanmar pilgrims visiting India. Both leaders welcomed the proposal for the restoration of the historic Ananda temple in Bagan to be undertaken with the assistance of the Archaeological Survey of India, with the involvement of the Ministry of Culture of Myanmar. Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the ongoing implementation of the MoU for cooperation in Buddhist studies and the related work plan agreed to between the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Myanmar and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University. Several hundred Myanmar Buddhist scholars and monks are currently studying in this university in various disciplines. The Myanmar side expressed gratitude to India for its numerous HRD initiatives in Myanmar which included setting up of the following: • The Myanmar-India Centre for English language Training; • The Myanmar-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre; • The India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills; and • the Industrial Training Centre in Pakokku.

The Myanmar side also indicated that the training offered by India under the ITEC and TCS schemes have been valuable for scholars and Government officials in Myanmar. The Indian side agreed to offer more opportunities for higher studies and training in Universities and training institutions in India to scholars from Myanmar. The Myanmar side informed the Indian side about developments in Myanmar including the groundwork for elections scheduled towards the end of the year. The Indian side thanked the Myanmar side for the detailed briefing and emphasized the importance of comprehensively broad-basing the national reconciliation process and democratic changes being introduced in Myanmar. While discussing international developments, the two sides emphasized the importance of an effective multilateral system, centred on a strong United Nations, as a key factor in tackling global challenges. In this context, they stressed the urgent need to pursue the reform of the United Nations including the Security Council, to make it more representative, credible and effective. The leader of Myanmar reiterated Myanmar's support for India's bid for the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. He also conveyed its support to India's candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for the term 20112012. The two leaders also emphasized the importance of India and Myanmar to work together in the cause of regional cooperation. The Indian leadership offered its good wishes to Myanmar for a successful t e r m a s B I M S T E C C h a i r, a responsibility that it assumed in 2009. The Indian side welcomed participation of Myanmar at the 16th SAARC Summit as an Observer for the first time. The two sides expressed

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article satisfaction at the ongoing cooperation between India and Myanmar under the ASEAN-India Summit Relations and welcomed the implementation of the ASEAN-India FTA. The Myanmar side appreciated India's support for building an ASEAN Community in 2015, and to the Vientiane Action Programme including the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and other sub-regional growth initiatives such as MekongGanga Cooperation Initiative and EAS cooperation. Myanmar side recognized that ASEAN-India Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation which was signed in 2003 has played a significant role in strengthening the Dialogue Partnership. Myanmar being a natural bridge between ASEAN and India, the Indian side reiterated its intention of building upon the commonalities and synergies between the two countries to advance its Look East Policy. In the above context, both leaders reiterated their commitment to undertake the tri-lateral connectivity from Moreh in India to Moe Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. The Indian s i d e a g re e d to ta ke u p t h e preparation of DPRs for roads and causeways in Myanmar to realize this project. During the visit, the following documents were signed; (a) Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (b) MOU regarding Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of Small Developmental projects. (c) MOU on Information Cooperation (d) Agreement on Cooperation in the fields of Science & Technology (e) MoU on Conservation and Re sto rat i o n o f A n a n d a Temple in Bagan, Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe thanked the President of India and the Indian Government and people Vol. - 17

for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to him and the members of his delegation during their stay in India. Senior General Than Shwe also extended a warm invitation to the President and Prime Minister of India to visit Myanmar at a mutually convenient time. The President and Prime Minister of India thanked him and accepted the invitation with great pleasure. The dates for the visit would be decided by mutual consultations through diplomatic channels.

Indo-Myanmar Relations: An Overview Introduction The Indo-Myanmar relations since 1948 (when Myanmar became independent) can be considered as cordial and friendly (from 1948 to 1962), frozen or strained (from 1962 to 1988) and flourishing from 1988 till date. The reasons for these radical changes in the ties can be attributed to both Myanmar for its isolationist policy adopted by the military regime and to India for its shift from an idealist or moralistic to realistic or pragmatic policy adopted. India's Look-East policy has been the main driving force for improvement in the bilateral relations.

Strategic Importance The reasons for the strategic importance of Myanmar to India are: • Myanmar is located at the tri junction of East Asia, South Asia and South East Asia. • Myanmar is the second largest of India's neighbours and the largest on the eastern flank. • Myanmar provides the Eastern littoral of the Bay of Bengal. An unfriendly Myanmar hosting foreign naval presence would pose a threat to Indian security. • Myanmar has a big border with China in the north contiguous with the Sino-Indian disputed border which has many

implications. • India has both a land border (1640 km) and a maritime boundary with Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal. Four Indian states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram) border Myanmar (Kachin & Chin states and Sagaing Division) • China can gain access to Indian Ocean through Myanmar

Economic Importance Myanmar is India's gateway to ASEAN as it is the only country of this grouping which has a land and maritime boundary with India. With India becoming a summit level partner of ASEAN and a member of the East Asia Summit, improved relations with Myanmar will be beneficial in many respects. Besides Myanmar and India are members of some sub regional groupings such as the BIMST-EC and the Mekong Ganga Cooperation. China has raised its economic profile in SE Asia, particularly in Myanmar despite the sanctions imposed by the west. India should not be left behind especially in view of the large oil and gas resources available in Myanmar and much needed by India.

Security Considerations The major security considerations are: • Insurgency in the North Eastern States of India – Some of the insurgent groups have established camps in Myanmar and operating from Myanmarese territory • Smuggling of arms (by both land and sea) • Drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. • Illegal immigration from Yunnan into Northern Myanmar and association of Chinese workers in road construction activities

Bilateral Relations

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article !948-1962. Relations were friendly and cordial during the days of Prime Minister Nehru and Prime Minister U Nu. India provided economic and military assistance .Both were members of the Non Aligned Movement. 1962-1988 Relations virtually froze with the military rule under Ne win adopting an isolationist policy. Domestic policies including the expulsion of ethnic Indians soured the relations. Myanmar's anti Soviet stance strained relations with India being pro-Soviet at that time. Myanmar refused to become a member of the Commonwealth. Indian Consulate in Mandalay had to be closed. Myanmar withdrew from NAM in 1979. 1988-Till date. As a result of the sympathy of the Indian government to the pro democracy movement which started in 1988, the relations were strained. India had even accommodated a large number of pro democracy refugees in camps in NE India. All India Radio programmes were criticising the military regime. In 1993 India reversed its stance with a more realistic and pragmatic policy and started engaging the military regime. Since then the relations have been growing steadily save for a minor hiccup in 1995 when Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nehru Peace Price for International Understanding. The visit of Maung Aye, Vice Chairman SPDC, the second most powerful leader in the junta, in November 2000, helped the turn round in the relations. There has been all round progress in political, economic and military relations as well as cooperation in technology, HRD, infrastructure, education, space, health and other fields.

Bilateral Trade Bilateral Trade has expanded significantly from US $ 12.4 million in 1980-81 to US $ 425 million in 200405. India's imports from Myanmar are primarily agricultural and forest 12

based products (especially beans and pulses) and main exports to Myanmar are primary and semi finished steel and pharmaceuticals. The balance of trade is heavily in favour of Myanmar. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) constituted the India-Myanmar Joint Task Force during the “Made in India” show organized by the CII in Yangon in February 2004. It has met often both in India and Myanmar and has helped in giving a big fillip to the bilateral trade. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the Myanmar Computer Federation. Government of India has extended a number of general and project specific credit lines to Myanmar in the last few years for improvement of the trade relations.

The reasons for decline in the border trade are mainly due to a) rise of popularity of commodities imported from third countries by Myanmar (primarily China) which find their way into India and b) frequent intimidation and monetary demands by numerous insurgent groups operating in border areas. Trans border trade has failed to provide any benefit to local people and there are procedural hiccups for obtaining licenses as well.

Border Trade The first Border Trade Agreement was signed in Delhi in January 1994 and was implemented in April 1995 with the opening of a cross border point between Moreh (Manipur, India) and Tamu (Sagaing Division, Myanmar). Subsequently both governments had agreed to open four check posts which inclue Pangsau pass, Paletwa, LungwaYanyong and Pangsha-Pangnyo between the nations. Opening of border posts will help in checking the border trade and making it official, curb the illegal trade of goods and monitor the activities of the insurgent groups between India and Myanmar. The border trade which had a spurt in the beginning with export of Indian goods worth Rupees 31 crores and imports from Myanmar woth 15 crores in 1996-97 had declined to a level of Rupees 5 crores in export and import by 2004-05 according to official statistics.

Border Management India and Myanmar have regular border post meetings at MorehTamu. It has been agreed to have four more border posts to facilitate army meetings. They are at Lungwa (Mon district-Nagaland), Bihang (Churchandpur district-Manipur) and at Sapi and Zokawathar (Mizoram). A 400 km border with Myanmar is already fenced and is being improved by raising the height. A stretch of 14 km near the international boundary at Moreh has also been planned to be fenced. The fencing is important in view of the rampant narcotic trade

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article along the Indo-Myanmar border.

Infrastructure Projects in Myanmar T h e 1 6 0 Km I n d i a - M ya n m a r Friendship road on Burmese territory from Tamu to Kalemyo to Kalewa was built by the Border Roads Organisation and completed in 2001. It will also be maintained by India up to March 2008. India is involved in the IndiaM y a n m a r - T h a i l a n d Tr i l a t e ra l

Highway Project. India has extended project specific credit lines for up gradation of Yangon-Mandalay Trunk line, an optical fibre link between Moreh and Mandalay and ADSL systems in Yangon & Mandalay. Other projects at various stages of completion include construction/ upgradation of Rhi-Tidim and RhiFalam road sections in Myanmar, the Kaladan Multimodal Transport project and the Tamanthi Hydro Electric power project. India has also offered to help Myanmar in improving its rail links Vol. - 17

such as the Yangon-Mandalay sector as well as connecting them to rail links on the Indian side. A media report of June 2006 also indicates that the Indian Commerce Ministry has embarked upon an ambitious project to develop Sittwe port in Myanmar and to open up a sea route connecting it to Mizoram in North East India. For this purpose, the navigable river Kaladon in Mizoram is to be developed.

2001. In January 2000, the Chief of Army

Oil and Gas Myanmar has reportedly world's tenth biggest gas reserves estimated to be more than 90 trillion cubic feet. India has evinced keen interest to procure gas from Myanmar. ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) hold 30 % stakes in the exploration and production of gas in Myanmar's A1 and A3 off shore blocks located in Sittwe Area of Arakan State. The earlier proposal to bring the gas in Myanmar by a pipeline through Bangladesh to India had to be dropped because of unreasonable demands from Bangladesh. The latest proposal is to bring the gas through a 1575 Km pipeline (longer than the Bangladesh route) from Sittwe port in Myanmar through Aizwal â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Silchar-Guahawti-Siliguri to Gaya linking it to Haldia-Jagadishpur oil pipeline in Gaya (Bihar). India has even offered to buy Myanmar gas and import it through ship till the pipeline is laid.

Military to Military Contacts As early as in 1995 India and Myanmar armies had conducted a joint military operation (called Golden Bird) against some North Eastern insurgent groups (ULFA, NSCN, PLA, PLF& KNA) though this operation was abhorted after Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nehru Peace prize for International Understanding. Myanmar resumed its military operations against the insurgents from Feb 2000 to May Copyright ÂŠ 2010 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article

cooperation in Communications, IT a n d s er vic es ; Agreem ent o n extension of a credit line of US $ 2 5 m i l l i o n to G ove r n m e nt o f Myanmar; Agreement on Visa exemption for Official and Diplomatic passport holders and an Mou between HRD Ministry of India and Education Ministry of Myanmar. During 2004 eight agreements /MoUs were concluded between India and Myanmar. Of these the notable ones were the MoU on the cooperation of Non-traditional Security Issues and the MoU on the Tamanthi Hydro Electric Power Project. In 2005 a MoU on Energy Cooperation was signed. In 2006, MoUs on Cooperation in the Petroleum Sector, Cooperation in Buddhist Studies and a Framework Agreement for mutual Cooperation in the field of Remote Sensing were signed. Cooperation between India and Mynmar in Regional/Sub-Regional Context. ASEAN: Myanmar became a member of ASEAN in 1997. As the only ASEAN country which shares a land and maritime boundary with India, Myanmar is the gateway to ASEAN. The Ministry Of External Affairs has indicated that a few proposals for cooperation are under discussion with Myanmar within the framework of ASEAN's IAI Progamme. Of these the MyanmarIndia Entrepreneurship Development 14

Centre is expected to be launched soon. Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC): Myanmar became a member of BIMSTEC in 1997. BIMSTEC has identified six sectors of cooperation, for each of which a lead country has been designated. Myanmar is the lead country for the energy sector. Myanmar trades mostly with Thailand and India in the BIMSTEC region. Myanmar's major exports to India are agricultural products like beans, pulses, and maize and forest products such as teak and hardwoods. Its imports are chemical products, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances and transport equipment. Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC): Myanmar is a member of the MGC since its inception in 2000. MGC is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – for cooperation in the fields of tourism, education, culture, transport and communication. Forum on Regional Economic Cooperation among BangladeshChina-India-Myanmar (BCIM): The BCIM initiative has attracted much attention in India, as it has the potential to bring three of India's neighbours closer to a joint pursuit of common prosperity through the increasing use of mechanisms of regional integration. The sixth forum of the BCIM was held at Delhi in

March 2006.

The China Factor China and Myanmar have been close allies since the time PRC came into being. For Myanmar, China's substantial economic, military and political support is vital in view of the sanctions imposed by the west and the mounting pressure by the regional and international forum. China is the major supplier of military hardware to Myanmar. China's military sales to Myanmar include jet fighters, armoured vehicles and naval vessels valued at around $ 2 billion. China is helping Myanmar to modernize its naval bases in Hiangyyi, Coco, Akyab, Z a d e t k y i Ky u n , M e r g u i a n d Khankphyu. China has a maritime reconnaissance and electronic intelligence station in Coco islands and is building a base at this location. The ultimate aim is to secure a corridor to the Indian Ocean from South China via Myanmar. Thanks to China, the Myanmar army is the second largest in South East Asia (after Vietnam) and it has expanded from 180000 men to more than 450000. The Chinese have built an all weather road from Kunming in Southern China to Mandalay in Central Myanmar. In the year 2004, it gave Myanmar $ 200 million in aid. The trade between the two countries has more than doubled in five years to $ 1.1

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article billion in 2004 as per the Chinese Government statistics. China is officially Myanmar's third largest trading partner after Singapore and Thailand not taking into account the informal border trade. According to a report in Time (January 30, 2006), “more than $ 400 million in trade funnels through the Jiegao Border Trade Economic Zone each year. China exports household appliances, chemicals and medicines and Burma ships back jade, sea food and timber”. India is concerned with China's i n c re a s i n g e n ga g e m e n t w i t h Myanmar's military junta, especially in improving the naval facilities including the setting up of four electronic listening posts along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Indian Foreign Secretary (prior to the

since the visit of Senior General Than Shwe in October 2004, the relations have been on the upswing gaining from strength to strength every year. India's long term interests may be better served by a democratic regime in Myanmar but the present approach is to help Myanmar in building its democratic institutions without embarrassing or isolating the junta but through official and diplomatic channels. The strategic and security considerations outweigh India's concern for democracy in Myanmar. Despite India's impro-ving relations with China, the China factor does have an impact on India's relations with Myanmar. However it is also in Myanmar's interests to have an alternative source in India for its economic betterment.

recent visit of the Indian President) in reply to a question on India-China rivalry replied that “It is not appropriate to look for India-China rivalry at every nook and corner of Asia. The India-Myanmar relations stand on their own”. While India's concerns are understandable, Myanmar must have also realised that it is being stifled by China and must look for an alternative in India particularly in view of India's rising economic potential and mutual strategic and security interests.

It has been proved beyond doubt that economic sanctions have not deterred the military regime in p u rs u i n g i t s a g e n d a . H e n c e diplomatic persuasion and economic a i d l i n ke d w i t h p ro g re s s i n democratic reforms may be a viable solution. Hence India is perhaps on the right path in engaging the military junta in a constructive manner but should be watchful of the efforts of the other nations in the region to introduce a semblance of democracy in Myanmar.

Conclusion The relations between India and Myanmar have been chequered with numerous ups and downs. However Vol. - 17

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article

India- Mauritius Relations Visit of External Affairs Minister to Mauritius

• By : Avadhesh Kumar Pandey xternal Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna paid an official visit to the Republic of Mauritius from July 2 - 4, 2010. He was accompanied by Shri Vivek Katju, Secretary (West) and other senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs. The visit was a part of the regular ongoing high-level bilateral exchanges between India and Mauritius. This was also EAM's first visit to Africa. During his visit, EAM called on President Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam. He met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Public Utilities Dr. Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mr. Pravind Kumar

Jugnauth. EAM also met his counterpart Dr. Arvin Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade and discussed issues of mutual interest. EAM laid a wreath at the Samadhi of the Father of the Mauritian Nation Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. EAMs discussions with his interlocutors covered the entire canvass of bilateral cooperation between India and Mauritius and touched upon regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. The views of the two sides on all these subjects were identical. EAM and Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam recalled the nature of the “special relationship” which bound the two countries together.

EAM remarked that “the cooperation between India and Mauritius is c o m p re h e n s i v e a n d m u l t i d i mensional”. He thanked Mauritius for

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Article its consistent support to India's candidature to the UN Security Council as well as its support to India's candidature for the nonpermanent seat of the UNSC for 2011-12. EAM also noted that Mauritius had stood with India all along on issues relating to terrorism and had been unwavering and unequivocal in condemning the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Mauritian leaders expressed their gratitude for India's consistent support at all times of need and otherwise and noted India's continued assistance to Mauritius in various sectors. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and Foreign Minister Arvin Boolell expressed their satisfaction over the technical assistance received from India in anti-piracy patrolling and EEZ Surveillance of Mauritian waters to improve security in this region of the Indian Ocean. The following documents were signed during the visit: (i) Memorandum of Understanding on the supply of an Offshore Patrol Vessel; (ii) Agreement on Early Warning of Coastal Hazards between Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and The Meteorological Services, Mauritius; (iii) Programme of Cultural Cooperation between India and Mauritius for 2010-2013; (iv) Agreement between Standardisation, Testing and Quality Control Directorate (STQC), Department of Information Technology, Govt. of India and the National Computer Board, Government of Mauritius; (v) Agreement between Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI), Mauritius on the establishment of a Visiting Chair of Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at MGI. EAM invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration Vol. - 17

and International Trade of Mauritius Dr. Arvin Boolell to pay a visit to India. EAM also invited Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth to visit India for the 11th Session of the India-Mauritius Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation; EAM and Vice Prime Minister J u g n a u t h co - C h a i r t h e J o i nt Commission. Relations between India and Mauritius in the political, economic and cultural fields are comprehensive and extensive. EAM's visit provided yet another opportunity for further consolidation and development of the traditional, time-tested and historical relations between India and Mauritius. History of Bilateral Relations : Mauritius maintained contacts with India through successive Dutch, French and British occupation. The French colony of Pondicherry played an important role in the development of Mauritius during the French occupation by providing skilled workforce for various projects in Mauritius. From the 1820s, Indian workers started coming into Mauritius to work on sugar plantations. From 1834 when slavery was abolished by the British Parliament, large numbers of Indian workers began to be brought into Mauritius as indentured labourers. The ship 'Atlas', which carried the first batch of Indian indentured labourers, reached Mauritius on November 2, 1834. This day is now observed in Mauritius as 'Aapravasi Day', a national holiday. Over the following decades, the number of Indian immigrants grew to a level where they came to constitute a majority of the population. In all, about half a million Indian indentured labourers are estimated to have been brought into Mauritius between 1834 and the early decades of the 20th century, out of whom about two-thirds settled perman-

ently in Mauritius. Diplomatic relations between India and Mauritius were established in 1948.

Political Relations Mauritius has consistently extended its support for India's candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. It has stated this in public forum including the United Nations General Assembly. Mauritius supports initiatives, both at regional and international levels, against terrorism and highlighted the need for concerted international action to fight terrorism. Mauritius has enacted domestic legislation against terrorism. During the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Mauritius in March-April 2005, an Agreement for setting up of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Combating International Terrorism and Related Matters was signed between India and Mauritius. Pursuant to the Agreement, two meetings of the JWG have been held in New Delhi in August 2006 and Port Louis in February 2008. The third Meeting is expected to be held in New Delhi in the second half of 2009. In the JWG meetings, both sides have agreed for closer cooperation in the areas of combating terrorism, including financing of terrorism. India and Mauritius have agreed to share information on terrorism and Drug trafficking, enhance preparedness of the Mauritian Police Force to deal with terrorist attacks and strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime security.

Defence Cooperation Under the ITEC programme, about 30-45 personnel from the Mauritian Police Force are trained annually in Indian Defence Training Establishments. Visit of Indian Naval Ships to Mauritius forms part of the regular interaction between the defence forces of the two countries. Recent

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article List of Agreements/MoUs signed during the visit of Minister of External Affairs Shri S.M. Krishna to the Republic of Mauritius 03/07/2010 S.No.

Name of the MOU/Agreement

Signed by

MOU between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius for providing of one Offshore Patrol Vessel

The Government of India has decided to provide one time Grant of US$ 10 million and Line of Credit of US$ 48.5 million extended through the EXIM Bank of India to the Government of Mauritius for the supply of one Offshore Patrol Vessel, manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), Kolkata, India to assist the Government of Mauritius in strengthening its maritime capabilities.

India: H.E. Shri M. Ganapathi, High Commissioner of India Mauritius: Mrs. K.O. Fong Weng-Poorun, Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister's Office.

MOU on Cooperation for Early Warning Arrangement for Coastal Hazards Between The Indian National Centre for Ocean Services (INCOIS), Government of the Republic of India and The Meteorological Services, Government of the Republic of Mauritius

To establish cooperative linkages for Tsunami Early Warning arrangements, preparedness, and mitigation of tsunami hazards and facilitate real-time monitoring data from all sea-level and earthquake monitoring stations and other observation systems of the Meteorological Services

India: H.E. Shri M. Ganapathi, High Commissioner of India Mauritius : Mr. Dunputh Balraj Harikrishna, Acting Director of the Meteorological Services.

Programme for Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius for the years 2010 2013

To strengthen and reinforce cultural linkages and enhance people to people interactions by organizing exhibitions, holding film festivals and book fairs, exchanging cultural troupes, encouraging youth exchange programmes, providing scholarships, etc.

India: H.E. Shri M. Ganapathi, High Commissioner of India Mauritius: H.E. Mr. J.D. Phokeer, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Arts and Culture

MOU between Standardisation, Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), Department of Information Technology, Republic of India and National Computer Board (NCB) of the Republic of Mauritius

To promote closer co-operation and exchange of information pertaining to the Information Security and IT standards and collaborate on best practices in the field of Information Security Management Systems; disaster recovery planning and IT Service management.

India: H.E. Shri M. Ganapathi, High Commissioner of India Mauritius: Mr. S. Ramgolam, Chairman, National Computer Board of the Republic of Mauritius

MOU between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) in consideration of Visiting Chair of Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at MGI, Moka

To establish a Visiting Chair of Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at the School of Indological Studies, MGI. The Chair will be responsible to teach Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at B.A./M.A./M.Phil. levels at MGI.

India: H.E. Shri M. Ganapathi, High Commissioner of India Mauritius: Mrs. V.D. Koonjal, Director (MGI) & Officer-in- Charge (MGI & RTI)

visits of Indian Navy ships to Mauritius include INS 'Mumbai' and INS 'Karmuk' in April 2008. INS Ship 'Tir', INS 'Krishna' and ICGS 'Vivek' visited Mauritius in September 2008. A Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Hydrography between India and Mauritius was signed during the visit of the Mauritian Prime Minister to India in October 2005. Under the MOU, hydrographic surveys have been undertaken by Indian Naval Survey Ships in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Surveys undertaken include the waters 18

Synopsis of the MoU/Agreement

around Port Louis Harbour, Agalega Islands, Port Mathurin, St. Brandon, Saya de Malha Banks, Black River Bay, Tamarin Bay, Grand Bay and RiviĂ¨re des Galets. A Protocol on the Sale of Navigational Charts was signed in April 2009. Economic and Commercial relations The bilateral Joint Commission on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation between India and Mauritius has so far held ten meetings. The tenth JMC Meeting held in Port Louis on December 18, 2007 was co-chaired by the then

External Affairs Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development of Mauritius, Dr. Rama Krishna Sithanen. In his opening statement, the External Affairs Minister noted that the purpose of his visit was to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and build on the new beginnings that have been made in recent years. He also said that India wished to add substance to this partnership and provide the foundation for its

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article sustained and rapid development taking into account the numerous complementarities that the two countries shared. The agreed minutes of the meeting inter alia covered both the traditional areas of cooperation between the two countries including cooperation in the political and security field, economic, technical and commercial cooperation, and cultural cooperation, as well as new areas such as hydrography, cooperation in exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbon in the Mauritian EEZ, biotechnology, etc. During the visit of the then Prime Minister of Mauritius, Paul Raymond Bérenger from November 19-24, 2003, it was decided to set up a Joint Study Group (JSG) to chart out modalities for establishing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between the two countries. The JSG was launched at the ninth session of the India-Mauritius Joint Commission held on January 8, 2004 in New Delhi. The JSG report was formally presented to the two Prime Ministers during the State visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Mauritius in March-April 2005. During the visit, it was decided to set up an Empowered Committee to concretise the recommendations of the JSG within a 12-month time frame. On the Indian side, the Empowered Committee is led by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Ø India was the largest exporter of goods and services to Mauritius in 2007 and 2008 (Jan-Sept.). As per official Mauritius estimates, Indian exports to Mauritius during the period January - December 2008

were MRs. 31.7 billion. • Main items of exports were petroleum products, yarn, woven fabrics, made up textile, bovine meat, fish, rice, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastic, printed books & newspapers, footwear, ceramic products, glass & glassware, aluminium, toys, etc. • Main items of import into India were non-industrial Diamonds, Scrap metal, Multiple Yarn, Glycerin, PVC products. • An MOU for cooperation between State Trading Corporations of India and Mauritius was signed in July 2005. • A three-year Agreement was signed between the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius in July 2007 fo r s u p p l y o f a l l p et ro l e u m requirements of Mauritius. SBI Mauritius has extended a credit line to the STC of Mauritius for purchase of petroleum. • Air Mauritius operates flights to Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai/Bengaluru on a codesharing arrangement with Air India. The CMD of Air India is represented on the Board of Air Mauritius. Mauritius accorded 'fifth freedom' rights to Air India in 2004 on the South Africa - India route. • There are shipping links between India and Mauritius. The Delmas Shipping Company provides a direct shipping route between Mumbai and Port Louis. In addition, shipping routes are provided by major shipping companies, connecting Mumbai to Port Louis through Oman. • Several Indian public enterprises are functioning in Mauritius since the

early 1960s. Bank of Baroda, Life Insurance Corporation, and the New India Assurance were the first to establish operations followed by other PSUs including India Handloom H o u s e , Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Consultant India Ltd., Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited, Mahanagar Telephone (Mauritius) Ltd., State Bank of India Mauritius Limited. • Over the past decades, Indianassisted projects in Mauritius include the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, U p a d h y a y a Tr a i n i n g C e n t r e , Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, Subramania Bharati Eye Centre, etc. Projects established through assistance provided by the Government of India include the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, the Rabindranath Tagore Institute, the Cybertower at Ebene and the Swami Vivekananda International Conference Centre. • Information Technology has emerged as the most prominent area of technical cooperation for the future. An Agreement for cooperation between the two countries in the IT sector was signed in 2000. Prominent Indian IT

Bilateral trade between India and Mauritius over the last ten years is indicated below : India Exports and Imports From Mauritius 2005-06 2006-07

2007-08

Year

1998-99

Exports

161

171

200

163

164

203

258

199

737

1086

Imports

2.01

3.93

6.17

3.26

16.13

7.54

7.19

7.33

14.51

10.07

Vol. - 17

1999-00 2000-01

2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article as an important venue for cultural events. Doordarshan programmes are telecast over public TV channels of Mauritius.

Mauritius Factsheet

companies, such as INFOSYS, Hinduja TMT, etc., have established operations in Mauritius. Some other Indian IT companies also have their presence in Mauritius. • Indian tourist arrivals in Mauritius increased from 37,934 in 2006 to 43,624 in 2007 and 43,911 in 2008.

Educational, ITEC and Technical Cooperation • Annually, 98 scholarships are extended to Mauritian students for higher education in India. Approximately 200 Mauritian students enrol every year in Indian universities on a selffinancing basis. According to the Government of Mauritius, at the end of 2006, 1,302 Mauritian students were studying in Indian tertiary education institutions the fourth highest destination for Mauritian students studying overseas. • Under the Indian Technical and 20

Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, 30 to 40 civilian officials from the Government of Mauritius undergo training in Indian institutions every year. Following the India-Africa Summit, this number has been increased to 80 slots. • A bilateral agreement provides for deputation of up to 20 ITEC experts from India to Mauritius.

Cultural Relations Active cultural exchanges with Mauritius take place both under officially sponsored programmes and through a wide non-official network of Indo-Mauritian socio-cultural organisations. Within and outside the Cultural Exchange Programme, regular exchange of artists and cultural troupes are undertaken. Promotion of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Urdu is also taken up. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture inaugurated during the visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in March 2000 has emerged

• Mauritius was named after the Dutch Prince Maurice Van Nassau. • Capital : Port Louis • Location : Latitude 20º south of the equator, Longitude 57.5º east • Area : 2040 km sq • Population : 1.2 million including Rodrigues and outer islands • Geography: The white beaches are protected by coral reef almost all around except for the southern coast that offers wilder strands or dramatic cliffs. From the northern plains, the land rises to a central plateau dotted by lakes and extinct volcanic craters. A few uninhabited islets area scattered around the main island. • Annual Rainfall : 900 mm on the coast 1500 mm on the central plateau • Sea Temperature : 22ºc to 27ºc. • Languages: English is the official language. French and Creole are commonly used. Hindi & Bhojpuri are also spoken. Many hotel employees are fluent in German, Italian and Spanish. The Mauritian literacy rate hovers around 90%. • Government : Democratic state based on the Westminster model. 62 Members of Parliament elected every 5 years. The President is the head of the state but constitutional power is vested in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet • Eco n o my : T h e M a u r i t i a n Economy rests on four main pillars : Tourism, Sugar, Textile and the Services Sector. • Religion : In the multi-ethnic culture of Mauritius, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism co-exist peacefully. · Currency : The Mauritian Rupee (Rs)

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Article

• By : Dr. Divya Three major elements of the United Progressive Alliance government's commitment to provide food security to the people are reforming the public distribution system (PDS), raising foodgrain productivity and production, and creating a decentralised, modern warehousing system. Ideally, the reforms in the PDS should have come first for the availability and delivery of subsidised foodgrains to become meaningful and comprehensive. Be that as it may, the recommendation of the National Advisory Council (NAC) to launch universal PDS in one-fourth of all districts or blocks for a start should be seen as a paradigm shift towards universalisation. This move reveals that the all-powerful NAC headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has realised that the ability to deliver cheap foodgrains will be contingent on availability availability that is home-grown, not based on imports. In order to make a serious effort to meet the provisions of the proposed food security Bill, it is essential to enhance the production of wheat, rice, pulses, oilseeds and millets. This, in turn, needs a policy review in favour of land reforms, securing fertile agricultural land for foodgrain production rather than allowing the indiscriminate setting up of special economic zones (SEZs), mega-food parks and builders' colonies on farmers' fields.

Vol. - 17

By all indications, the 150 districts from where universal PDS would commence will be in the rural poverty-belt in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Assam, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Recent events have shown that there is a certain urgency about reaching out to the poor and the marginalised people in this belt. The rough calculation is that universalisation will begin in some 1,500 blocks (an average of 10 in each of the 150 districts) where more than 95 per cent of the population is poor. The criterion that is being worked out will exclude those who are in salaried or government jobs, are income tax payees, have a four-wheeler or own a plot or a house with a plinth area of over 500 square feet. Using these criteria, it is estimated that about five per cent of the population would be out of the scheme in these districts. This will be crucial because the identification of beneficiaries and implementation of the scheme will be done by the State governments. It has also been decided to subsume the “poorest of the poor” the Antyodaya Anna Yojna beneficiary families now numbering 2.5 crore of the 6.5 crore Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The AAY beneficiaries buy PDS foodgrains at Rs.2 a kg. They will have to pay Re.1 more for grain under the universal PDS, which will provide 35 kg wheat or rice at Rs.3 a kg per family to all the identified beneficiaries, including

those in the Above Poverty Line (APL) category, in the identified districts. For the rest of the 490-odd districts where targeted PDS will continue for now, the Tendulkar Committee's poverty estimate of 8.07 core families will hold. Hence, for the APL population that is brought in or kept out of the PDS depending on grain availability, it will be status quo for the time being. The APL families will gradually (possibly over five years) be assured of a minimum of 25 kg per family at prices that will be worked out by the govern-ment. The subsidy burden will depend on the estimated offtake and the cost will be worked out by the Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution. Welfare measures including midday meal programmes, the integrated child development scheme and calamity relief programmes will continue. The inclusion of the destitute, migrants, the old, the infirm and the urban poor will be worked out after the Hashim Committee report on urban poverty is received. For now, pulses and edible oils will not be included in the food basket under the proposed National Food Security Act as the acute shortfall in the production of these commodities is met by largescale imports. Broadly, there will be an enhanced outgo of about 20 million tonnes on account of providing 35 kg (up from the present 12 kg) to the APL

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Article population at Rs.3 a kg in the 150 districts in addition to the BPL outgo. In a bad year, this may come from cutting APL or Open Market Sale Scheme allocations. It is clear by now that the key to universalisation is the availability of foodgrains. For this reason, even the activists working under the banner of the Right to Food Campaign have accepted “phased” universalisation. The Food Ministry's cautious estimate is that the average annual availability for the PDS is about 43 million tonnes. The NAC seems to have gone by the Planning Commission estimate of availability of about 50 to 55 million tonnes to ensure the supply of cheap foodgrains in 150 districts besides fulfilling regular commitments of buffer and welfare schemes. It is obvious that the UPA's seeming benevolence on the food security front is not going to be entirely without strings. The underlying principle is that the subsidy accruing from providing foodgrains at cheap rates will come from withdrawal of subsidies on petrol, diesel and, gradually, kerosene, and other unforeseen measures. Besides ensuring minimum foodgrain entitlements at a discount, the draft of the National Food Security Act will indicate enabling clauses with regard to enhancing foodgrain production, public distribution reforms and improvement in drinking water, sanitation, health and hygiene for better intake and absorption of food by the poor. In other words, the proposed Bill will provide for food security but call for nutrition security. Salient features of the Food Security Bill are as follows: President Pratibha Patil on June 4, 2009 said that a National Food Security Act would be formulated whereby each BPL family would be entitled by law to get 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs 3 a kg, a 22

promise made by the Congress before general elections 2009. The draft Food Security Bill would provide 25 kg of wheat/ rice to BPL households at Rs. 3/- per kg. For some, it is just old wine in a new bottle and would rely excessively on existing infrastructure and logistical support of the public distribution system (PDS). If made into a law, the draft Food Security Bill would reduce the allocation for a below poverty line (BPL) household (e.g. in the case of Antodaya Anna Yojana) from 35 kg of rice/ wheat per month to 25 kg of rice/ wheat per month. This would appear contradictory to many who expected the Bill to be a benign effort of the UPA-II (2009-****) to ensure food security. There are possibilities o f i n c re a s e d fo o d s u b s i d i e s amounting to Rs. 70,000 crore per annum if the Bill becomes a law, which might be opposed by those who prefer to follow neo-liberal doctrine. Subsidies are usually opposed on the pretext of distortion in prices, inefficiency and leakages. The Interim Budget 2009-10 estimate of the food subsidy bill in 2009-10 was Rs. 42,490 crore. The exact number of BPL households may vary according to the definition of poverty line one selects. In that case, it would be difficult to target the original BPL households under the new Food Security law. There are four different estimates for the number of BPL households: one by Prof. Arjun Sengupta, another by Dr. NC Saxena, World Bank estimates and the Planning Commission estimates. According to Prof. Arjun Sengupta who chaired the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector, 77% of the population of India lives below the poverty line. Dr. NC Saxena, a retired civil servant acting as a Commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court, feels that half the country's population of 1.15 billion is

below the poverty line, which he apparently defines as a monthly per capita income of Rs 700 in rural areas and Rs 1,000 in urban areas. While a Planning Commission estimate puts the number of below poverty line (BPL) families at 62.5 million, state governments estimate that this number is closer to 107 million. Some experts feel that availing the public with more number of BPL ration cards help the state-level politicians to win elections through populist means. The World Bank's figure for the percentage of population below

the poverty line in India is 42 per cent, based on 2005 data. The Uniform Recall Period (URP) Consumption distribution data of National Sample Survey (NSS) 61st Round places the poverty ratio at 28.3 per cent in rural areas, 25.7 per cent in urban areas and 27.5 per cent for the country as a whole in 2004-05. The corresponding poverty ratios from the Mixed Recall Period (MRP) consumption distribution data are 21.8 per cent for rural areas, 21.7 per cent for urban areas and 21.8 per cent for India as a whole. While the former consumption data uses 30day recall/reference period for all items of consumption, the latter uses 365-day recall/reference period for five infrequently purchased non-food

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Article items, namely, clothing, footwear, durable goods, education and institutional medical expenses and 30-day recall/reference period for remaining items. The percentage of poor in 2004-05 estimated from URP consumption distribution of NSS 61st Round of consumer expenditure data are comparable with the poverty estimates of 1993-94 (50th Round) which was 36 per cent for the country as a whole. The percentage of poor in 2004-05 estimated from MRP consumption distribution of NSS 61st Round of consumer expenditure data

are roughly comparable with the poverty estimates of 1999-2000 (55th Round) which was 26.1 per cent for the country as a whole Instead of better implementation of the already existing schemes such as the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) etc., the Food Security law might make things unduly worse and unnecessarily complicated. A cynical question here would be: Is the Food Security Bill going to replace all such food related schemes that existed before its enactment? If the Bill is about ensuring food security, how can it leave those who Vol. - 17

may not fall below the poverty line but are already exposed to food insecurity? The Rome Declaration (1996) made during the World Food Summit states that 'food security is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active life'. Food security is about nutrition security too. If that is the case, the Food Security Bill has to rethink about the quality of foodgrains supplied and distributed. The Food Security Bill must also aim at providing fortified foodgrains along with edible oils, salt and essential spices. A balanced diet would ensure both food and nutrition security. The basket of commodities, which would be available to the consumers, should reflect local tastes and preferences and must include locally grown cereals and legumes. The alternative draft Food Security Bill that has been prepared by Prof. Jean Dreze and his team and which has been scrutinized by 10, Janpath, according to media resources, has clauses to make the various food related programmes running in the country more accountable and transparent. There is focus on public accountability and more coverage of BPL households under the yet to be enacted Food Security law. Prof. Dreze's draft points out that subsidy would not rise due to reduction in allocation for rice/ wheat per BPL household. If targeting of BPL households is done under the Food Security Bill, then it might lead to inclusion (including the non-poor) and exclusion (excluding the poor) errors. It would be wiser to go for universalization (rather than targeting) as was recommended by the Committee on Long Term Grain Policy under the chairmanship of Prof. Abhijit Sen (2000-02). There are apprehensions that sustainability of Food Security law

would be at peril if India faces lower agricultural production due to poor harvest, drought etc. in the future. Is India ready to rely upon food imports and food aid to ensure right to food? At present, the country has been facing shortage in south-west monsoon rainfall that might affect agricultural production and prices of commodities. Is India ready to rely exclusively upon biotechnology for increasing its agricultural production so as to ensure food security for all? Some analysts feel that India presently has adequate buffer stocks to enact and implement the Food Security law. The Food Security law is nothing but a gimmick so as to increase the popularity of the UPA II. This is a forward-looking step to ensure vote for the Congress so that Rahul Gandhi could lead UPA-III. Seeing the popularity of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which helped the Congress to win the 2009 parliamentary elections, the newly constituted Government has thought of bringing out the Food Security Act within the first 100 days of its stay in the office for the second time. The World Development Report 2008-Agriculture for Development, which has been brought out by the World Bank mentions that India presently faces the problem of depleting ground water level that makes agriculture unsustainable and poses risk to environment. If rice is one of the foodgrain that would be supplied when the Food Security Act comes into being, then more and m o re fa r m e rs wo u l d g o fo r cultivation of rice. In the Punjab region, overexploitation of groundwater takes place thanks to the huge subsidies given on electricity. Moreover, minimum support prices (MSP) for rice increase the financial attractiveness of rice relative to less water-intensive crops, which makes depletion of ground water table more obvious.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Hot Topic

India To Provide USD 1 Bn To Bangladesh India and Bangladesh signed an agreement in Dhaka on Aug 7 under which New Delhi will provide one billion dollar Line of Credit to finance implementation of projects in road, railway and river dredging and power sector. Indian Exim Bank chairman T C A Ranganathan and Bangladesh Economic Relations Division secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan signed the deal. Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Bangladesh Finance Minister A M A Muhith were present at the signing ceremony at State Guest House Jamuna late noon. According to the terms and conditions of the credit, interest is 1.75 per cent per annum, commitment fee 0.5 per cent on utilised credit after 12 months from the date of contract approval and repayment period is 20 years, including a grace period of five years. Both the Finance Ministers described the terms of the credit as favourable. Bangladesh's main opposition party BNP, however, said the rate of interest is very high compared with World Bank and ADB. Mr Mukherjee said the terms of the Line of Credit are ''extremely favourable'' and expressed his confidence that this Line of Credit will be a stepping stone for a shared destiny. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;'India will do whatever possible to assist Bangladesh to implement the various projects envisaged under the Line of Credit, including in the areas of railway infrastructure, supply of coaches, locomotives, buses and dredging,'' Mr Mukherjee told a post-signing brief press

conference. India agreed to provide the loan during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in January this year. Mr Mukherjee, who came here for a 4-hour visit, said India is committed to assisting Bangladesh in addressing its priority development and in its immediate requirements. He said India has agreed to export 3,00,000 tonnes of rice and 2,00,000 tonnes of wheat despite a ban on export of these essential commodities. Bangladesh and India have identified some 14 projects to be implemented under the one billion

dollar Line of Credit deal. Projects include procurement of six dredgers for the Water Resources and Shipping Ministry at an estimated cost of 71.69 million dollar, establishing internal container port at Ashuganj at a cost of 36.23 million dollar, procurement of 10 broadgauge locomotives for Bangladesh Railway at a cost of 31.55 million dollar, procurement of 125 broad gauge passengers coaches for Bangladesh Railway at a cost of 53.63 million dollar. Other projects include 400 KV grid interconnection between Bangladesh (Bheramera) and India (Baharampur) with 150.86 million dollar.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Hot Topic The Indian credit will also be spent on second Bhairab and second Titas Bridge construction with railway approach at a cost of 120 million dollar, procurement of 300 doubledecker AC, non AC buses for the BRTC at a cost of 29.65 million dollar. Mr Mukherjee called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and also met Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Finance Minister A M A Muhith before his departure for Kolkata.

Bangladesh-India Relations Bangladesh and India are part of the Indian Subcontinent and have had a long common cultural, economic and political history. The cultures of the two countries are similar; in particular Bangladesh and India's states West Bengal and Tripura are all Bengali-speaking. However, since the partition of India in 1947, Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal and East Pakistan) became a part of Pakistan.

Vol. - 17

Following the bloody Liberation War of 1971, Bangladesh gained its independence and established relations with India. The political relationship between India and Bangladesh has passed through cycles of hiccups. The relationship typically becomes favorable for Bangladesh during periods of Awami League government. Relations have improved significantly, after Bangladesh's clampdown on anti-Indian terrorist groups on its soil, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, Bangladesh's Prime Minister's Sheikh Hasina's state visit to India in January 2010, and continued dialogue over the controversial Farakka Barrage.

Historical Background During the Partition of India after independence in 1947, the Bengal region was divided into two: East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and

West Bengal. East Bengal was made a part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan due to the fact that both regions had an overwhelmingly large Muslim population, more than 86%. In 1955, the government of Pakistan changed its name from East Bengal to East Pakistan. There were some confrontations between the two regions though. Firstly, in 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that only Urdu would the sole official language of the entire nation, though more than 95% of the East Bengali population spoke Bengali. And when protests broke out in Bangladesh on February 21, 1952, Pakistani police fired on the p ro te ste rs , k i l l i n g h u n d re d s . Secondly, East Bengal/East Pakistan was allotted only a small amount of revenue for its development out of the Pakistani national budget. Therefore, a separatist movement started to grow in the estranged

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Hot Topic

province. When the main separatist party the Awami League, headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won 167 of 169 seats up for grabs in the 1970 elections and got the right to form the government, the Pakistan president under Yahya Khan refused to recognize the election results and arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This led to widespread protests in East Pakistan and in 1971, the Liberation War, followed by the declaration (by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 7 March 1971) of the independent state of Bangladesh. India under Indira Gandhi fully s u p p o rted th e cau s e o f th e Bangladeshis and its troops and equipment were used to fight the Pakistani forces. The Indian Army also gave full support to the main Bangladeshi guerrilla force, the Mukti Bahini. Finally, on 26 March 1971, Bangladesh emerged as an independent state. Since then, there have been several issues of agreement as well as of dispute.

Areas of agreement India played a central role in the independence of Bangladesh. About 26

250,000 Indian soldiers fought for, and 20,000 losing their lives for the cause of an independent Bangladesh. Before the war, India sheltered over 10 million refugees, Hindus and Muslims, who were fleeing the atrocities of the occupying West Pakistan Army. India and its ally Bhutan were the first countries to re c o g n i ze B a n g l a d e s h a s a n independent nation. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's first foreign visit as Prime Minister and the Founding Father of the newly born nation was to India and it was then decided Indo-Bangladesh relations would be guided by principles of democracy, socialism, nonalignment and opposition to colonialism and racism. Indira Gandhi too visited Bangladesh in 1972 and assured that India would never interfere in the internal affairs of the country. In 1972, both the countries signed a 'Treaty of Friendship and Peace'. An Indo-Bangladesh Trade Pact was also signed. The mainstream party Awami League is generally considered to be friendly towards India.

Areas of contention A major area of contention has been the construction and operation of the Farakka Barrage by India to increase water supply in the river Hoogly. Bangladesh insists that it does not receive a fair share of the Ganga waters during the drier seasons, and gets flooded during the monsoons when India releases excess waters. There have also been disputes regarding the transfer of Teen Bigha Corridor to Bangladesh. Part of Bangladesh is surrounded by the Indian state of West Bengal. On 26 June 1992, India leased three bigha land to Bangladesh to connect this enclave with mainland Bangladesh. There is dispute regarding the indefinite nature of the lease. Terrorist activities carried out by outfits based in both countries, like Banga Sena and Harkat-ul-Jihad-alIslami. Recently India and Bangladesh had agreed jointly to fight terrorism. The Sharing of Ganges Waters was also a matter of dispute. Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and their settlements on Indian side metro cities is causing major issues.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Hot Topic

CONTROVERSY T

he Union government seems to have made up its mind to bar the Canadabased Research In Motion (RIM), which makes BlackBerry smartphones, from offering data services unless it addresses the security concerns raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and intelligence agencies. The government hopes that RIM will come out with some kind of solution at the earliest, even as more nations joined India in raising similar concerns and threatened to suspend the BlackBerry services. Security agencies want access to RIM's unique BlackBerry data services such as messenger and email. But the firm says it is not possible because it does not have any key to the encrypted data stored in its servers in Canada. Furthermore, RIM is not willing to set up its servers in the country. India now has more than 10 lakh BlackBerry customers, mainly of RIM's data solutions that allow seamless, mobile access to timesensitive information through email, phone, text messages and Internet. Any action against RIM will not only hurt the company but also Indian operators.

Behind the Blackberry Ban It has not been a good week for Blackberry users in the Middle East. First came the news that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would ban the devices in October, then Saudi Arabia announced it would block the Blackberry instant Vol. - 17

messenger function. Days later, Lebanon said it would be conducting its own review into use of the devices, whose encrypted data transfer services have raised fears they could be used for crime, terrorism or even espionage. The governments in question want access to the data sent and received by Blackberry users, which is

curre-ntly stored beyond the reach of authorities on the servers of Research in Motion (RIM), Blackberry's opera-tor, in Canada. RIM have refused to hand over the data, and so authorities have decided to ban Blackberry services rather than continue to allow an uncontrolled and unmonitored flow of electronic information within their

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Hot Topic

borders. The UAE issued a statement explaining the decision, saying it had come because "certain Blackberry services" allow users to avoid "any legal accountability", raising " judicial, social and national security concerns". The impending bans have been met with understandable anger from Blackberry users, who have accused the authorities of censorship and seeking to spy on their private information. But is it really that surprising that governments in the region want access to their citizens' communications? Exception to the rule Many countries monitor communications within their borders; in fact the Blackberry 'loophole' is very much an exception to the rule. In some countries every text message, email and internet search made by a user can be accessed by government agencies if required. Experts point out that countries in the Middle East are not alone in seeking access to Blackberry's data, and say that other governments appear to have been allowed to 28

monitor Blackberry communications in a bid to secure access to lucrative markets. "It seems that the number of large countries, particularly China and India, have been able to persuade Research in Motion to give those countries the full ability to look at traffic flowing through their Blackberry networks, whereas smaller countries, like the UAE, it seems they are not willing to give that capability to. "There are certainly countries all round the world, including the US and the UK, where governments have

said that they want this sort of interception capability." So is this a simple case of corporate double standards driven by the size of market at stake? Maybe not, data security experts say, pointing out that the US and the UK have laws dictating exactly how communications data can be used by governments. In contrast, Middle Eastern countries do not have the same privacy protections, and experts say that this, not the fact that governments have access to it first place, is the real cause for concern.

Spyware Text Message Thomas Shambler, the Dubai-based editor of the Middle East edition of Stuff magazine, said that misgivings were not surprising given the history of statebacked telecommunications surveillance in the region. "Last year Etislat [a national mobile-service provider in the UAE] sent out a text message to lots of its users," he says."That text message led users to download spyware." Days after the text message, which promised to improve service but actually contained eaves-dropping software, was sent to UAE Blackberry users, RIM issued a patch to remove the spyware, effectively thwarting the first attempt to monitor Blackberry communications in the Emirates. But are Blackberry users really worried if their data is made available for scrutiny? Shambler says that Dubai's estimated 500,000 Blackberry customers are more concerned about losing access to their services than they are about being spied on by the government.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs

Hike in US visa fee to impact Indian IT firms : Nasscom The proposed sharp increase in the US visa fee to raise funds for its border security needs would significantly impact the Indian IT sector, National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) said on Aug 6. The proposed hike is expected to be about USD 4,500 per visa from USD 2,500 currently. "The Border Security Bill, passed by the US senate late Thursday, aims to raise about USD 600 million by increasing fee for H-1B and L-1 visas. This has significant impact on the Indian IT sector," Nasscom said in a statement. Several Indian software firms avail H-1B and L-1 visas in thousands every year to fly their employees to the US for working at their clients' locations as on-site engineers.

Vol. - 17

Echoing Nasscom's concern, IT bellwether Infosys Technologies Ltd termed the US Border Security Bill unfortunate and discriminatory at a time when companies have to be more competitive in an open market scenario.

India to spend Rs.275 crore to attract tourists

India will spend over Rs.275 crore to promote its destinations, art, culture and tradition to attract more tourists from abroad, Minister of State for Tourism Sultan Ahmed said on Aug 6. He said in the Lok Sabha that the plan was to spend Rs.275 crore this year, up from Rs.240 crore last year. India creates awareness about its various products, including various destinations through the much awarded Incredible India campaign. In 2008, the country spent Rs.220 crore on the campaign, while it was Rs.169 crore in 2007.

Ahmed said the ministry conducts various activities for the promotion of tourism like printing and distribution of literature, participation in travel fairs and roadshows, advertising , promotions with stakeholders in the markets abroad through its 14 offices overseas and through the Incredible India campaigns. The ministry also organises roadshows in important tourist generating markets overseas, arranges familiarisation tours for tour and travel operators and invites international travel writers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The impact of the 'Incredible India' campaign is seen in the increase in the number of international tourist arrivals from 2.38 million in the year 2002 to an estimated 5.11 million in the year 2009," the minister said.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs States reject GST draft bill over Centre's veto powers In a fresh setback to the proposed rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from the next fiscal, the States on Aug 04, 2010 rejected the draft Constitution amendment Bill in its present form. For, it seeks to provide the Centre veto powers over indirect taxation matters pertaining to the States. Even as Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee made a fervent appeal in the Lok Sabha for the wholehearted cooperation of all political parties in approving the Constitution amendments that are necessary for ushering in the new indirect tax regime from April 1, 2011, the State Finance Ministers, at an Empowered Committee meeting, felt that giving the Union Finance Minister veto powers would dilute their fiscal autonomy. Empowered Committee chairman Asim Dasgupta said: “The draft Constitution amendment Bill in its present form is not acceptable to the States...States in general have reservations about the Union Finance Minister having any veto power over State GST. The Union Finance Minister, of course, would have an exclusive authority with respect to Central GST.” As the GST regime was to replace the excise duty and service tax at the Central level and the Value Added Tax (VAT), cess, surcharges and other local levies at the level of States, the States were apprehensive of infringement on their financial autonomy and therefore had certain reservations about the Bill's provisions for a GST Council and a GST Disputes Authority, Dr. Dasgupta explained. In fact, the States are of the view that the GST Disputes Authority should not find a place in the Constitution amendment Bill, and it may be incorporated in GST legislation. 30

“So, how to handle a situation where the State GST and the Central GST would be there and will have to be appropriately and acceptably handled?” While they were opposed to certain clauses of the draft Bill, the States were ready to accept the provision empowering the Centre to levy tax in the Concurrent List, Dr. Dasgupta pointed out. “That part of the constitutional amendment suggested is acceptable to States, but not the Bill as a whole.” To work out consensus on these issues, the States require more time but are eager to have a meeting with Mr. Mukherjee as soon as possible.

LNG terminal to come up at Kattupalli

MoUs one for setting up a plant to manufacture electronic products in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCO) industrial park in Manamadurai and another for an automotive tyre facility project in Sriperumbudur. Both projects would entail an investment of Rs. 1,500 crore each. JK Tyre & Industries would establish the tyre facility and the Videocon group, the electronic goods plant. The LNG terminal [in Kattupalli] would handle five million tonnes per year and the re-gassified facility's capacity would be 20 million cubic metre per day of natural (vapourised) gas. The approval was expected by December 2010 or January 2011. Mr. Bansal said the Kattupalli terminal would be the first along the eastern coast. Already, there were two terminals. The third terminal was coming up in Kochi.

Compulsory public float rule issued

A Rs.10,000-crore liquefied natural gas terminal will come up at Kattupalli near the Ennore port, on the northern outskirts of Chennai. To be implemented by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the terminal project has other components the establishment of a re-gassified facility and a 1,000 megawatt (MW) power project. On august 4, B.M. Bansal, IOC Chairman and Rajeev Ranjan, TIDCO Chairman and Principal Secretary (Industries) of the State government, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Secretariat in the presence of Chief Minster M. Karunanidhi, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Chief Secretary K.S. Sripathi. Mr. Ranjan signed two other

On June 5, 2010, the Union government made it mandatory for all listed companies to have a minimum public float of 25 per cent. Those below this level will have to get there by an annual addition of at least 5 per cent to public holding. The move is expected to result in equity dilution of about Rs 1,60,000 crore by 179 listed companies. These include Reliance Power, Wipro, Indian Oil Corporation, DLF and Tata Communications. According to the notification, 'public' will not include the promoter, promoter group, subsidiaries and associates of a company. 'Public shareholding' will mean equity shares of the company held by the public and not the shares held by the custodian against depository receipts issued overseas. A company can increase its public shareholding by less than 5 per cent in a year if such increase brings its public shareholding to the level of 25

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs per cent in that year. If the public shareholding in a listed company falls below 25 per cent at any time, the company will have to bring the public shareholding to 25 per cent within 12 months from the date of such fall, compared with the two years allowed at present.

gas in rupees and has now decided to price it in US dollars. State-run ONGC and OIL produce 54.32 million cubic metres of gas per day about 40 per cent of the total amount originating from the country through fields given to them on a nomination basis.

ONGC, OIL get freedom to price natural gas

Petrol, Diesel prices freed from government control

In a significant development, the Union government has given national oil companies, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL), freedom to price any additional natural gas produced from blocks given to them on nomination basis at market rates. So far, all gascurrent and futureproduced from blocks given to ONGC and OIL was priced at government-controlled rates, called administered price mechanism (APM). Even the price of APM gas from June 1 has been more than doubled to $4.2 per million British thermal units, on a par with the rate at which Reliance Industries sells gas from its eastern offshore KG-D6 fields. The government has also made a significant departure from the previous practice of pricing natural

On June 25, 2010, the Union government announced that prices of petrol and diesel would become market-driven, in line with the recommendations of a panel headed by former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh. An empowered group of ministers led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee agreed to raise diesel prices by Rs 2 a litre for now. The fuel will eventually be freed from State control. Petrol has been freed fully. The panel also increased prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by Rs 35 a cylinder and of kerosene by Rs 3 a litre, though both will remain under government control. The decision will help to cut fuel subsidies and limit losses of State-run refiners. The market-driven mechanism

would mean users would have to pay more whenever international crude oil prices rise and less when they fall. The move would bring down the government's huge subsidy bill and relieve State-owned oil marketing companies of some of the burden they bear by selling fuels much below the market prices. This burden, also called under-recovery, is estimated at Rs 215 crore every day.

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs

BlackBerry: India may bar RIM if it fails to act The Union government seems to have made up its mind to bar the Canada-based Research In Motion (RIM), which makes BlackBerry smartphones, from offering data services unless it addresses the security concerns raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and intelligence agencies. The government hopes that RIM will come out with some kind of solution at the earliest, even as more nations joined India in raising similar concerns and threatened to suspend the BlackBerry services. Security agencies want access to RIM's unique BlackBerry data services such as messenger and email. But the firm says it is not possible because it does not have any key to the encrypted data stored in its servers in Canada. Furthermore, RIM

is not willing to set up its servers in the country. India now has more than 10 lakh BlackBerry customers, mainly of RIM's data solutions that allow seamless, mobile access to timesensitive information through email, phone, text messages and Internet. Any action against RIM will not only hurt the company but also Indian operators.

Separatists reject Kashmir talks

Moderate separatists in Indianadministered Kashmir have turned down an offer from the government to enter into fresh talks. The decision follows weeks of violent protests against the central government in the region, which have left 49 people dead. The majority of those killed were young men and teenagers who were

shot dead by the police. About 30 people have died in just over a week. Demonstrations were ignited when a teenager was killed by a police tear-gas shell in June. P Chidambaram, the home minister, said that the government was ready to hold talks with the separatists in the Muslim-majority state. The move was apparently made to ease tensions during the unrest.

'Basic right' However, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, one of the leaders of the separatists who oppose Indian-rule in Kashmir, rejected the offer. Farooq said that the current protests are in support of ending Indian rule of Kashmir. "Where is the scope for engagement, when a reign of terror has been let loose by them against a people for demanding their basic right?" Farooq said. He has previously entered into talks with the central government. During those negotiations Farooq has asked for the removal of troops in the region and the release of political prisoners. However, he now says that those demands have not been met, undermining any potential talks.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs India's first PG course in Golf Management

Golf, as a sport, is one of the fastest emerging sectors in India, with an estimated growth of 30 per cent in the next five years. However, there is a huge gap for good quality management professionals to join the golfing industry in India. To bridge this gap, International School of Corporate Management (ISCOM) has partnered with the prestigious Elmwood College, St. Andrews, Scotland, to introduce the first ever Postgraduate Programme in Golf Management. The course is India's first ever PG course in Golf Management and includes six months' intensive apprenticeship at a golf facility in Scotland, UK. Minimum degree required to be eligible for the course is graduation. Admission is through entrance test. Candidates who qualify in GMAT, CAT, MAT or equivalent with at least 60% marks will be exempt from the entrance test. You have to be a golf player with minimum 24 handicap.

subsidiary of the US-based company and gave them punishment under less stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code for causing death by negligence. The 89-year-old Warren Anderson, the then Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation of USA, who lives in the United States, appeares to have gone scot free for the present as he is still an absconder and did not subject himself to trial. There was no word about him in the judgement. The US based company reacted to the judgement saying neither it nor its officials were subject to the jurisdiction of the Indian court since they were not involved in the

operation of the plant, which was owned and operated by Union Carbide India Limited. In his 93-page verdict, Tiwari said the accused were not sentenced under section 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder that provides a maximum of life

Bhopal Gas Tragedy verdict On June 7, 2010, nearly 26 years after the world's worst industrial disaster left more than 15,000 dead in the Bhopal gas tragedy, former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshub Mahindra and seven others were convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohan P. Tiwari held the 85-year-old nonexecutive chairman of the Indian Vol. - 17

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs Krishna, flew the aircraft to an altitude of 11 kms and went supersonic, touching 1.1 Mach speed. A fighter plane flies in supersonic speed when it has already accomplished its mission and is being chased by enemy aircraft. For testing, there was a plane chasing the Tejas LSP-4 during its first test flight. The Tejas flew in the configuration that would be finally delivered to the Indian Air Force.

island near Goa while INS Kondul derives its name from an island near Nicobar. Kolkata-based Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers built these ships in two years.

Jharkhand again under President's rule

Navy gets two Warships

imprisonment) since they were old age and were suffering from serious ailments including heart disease. All the convicts applied for bail immediately after the sentencing and were granted relief on a surety of Rs 25,000 each. Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily described the verdict as an example of “justice buried” and said there was need for fast-tracking such cases and ensuring proper investigation. The BJP termed the order as “painful” and said the prosecution should appeal against the lower punishment. It also utilised the opportunity to reconsider the provisions of the nuclear liability Bill.

First flight of Tejas supersonic fighter plane The dream of having a supersonic fighter jet of indigenous built came one step closer to realisation on June 2, 2010, when the Limited Series Production Tejas aircraft (LSP-4) took off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport, Bangaluru, for its first flight. Test pilot, Group Captain Suneet

Giving a boost to the Navy's defence capabilities, two state-of-the-art high-speed warships, INS Cankarso and INS Kondul, were commissioned into the naval fleet on June 29, 2010. The indigenously-built ships use water jet propulsion technology and can achieve speeds in excess of 35 knots. Water jet technology has rapidly gained acceptance as the leading means of propulsion for all types of high-speed marine craft, including ferries, work boats, patrol crafts and pleasure boats.

The ships will be based in Goa and tasked with the role of detecting, locating and destroying small, fastmoving enemy surface craft engaged in covert operations. INS Cankarso and INS Kondul are fitted with 30-mm CRN-91 gun built by Ordnance Factory, Medak, and Igla missiles and set of machine guns ranging from light to heavy. These two ships are the first lot of the ten similar ships that the Navy proposes to induct in its fleet. They belong to the Car Nicobar class V and VI in the FAC series. INS Cankarso is named after an

On June 1, 2001, Jharkhand came under Central rule with President Pratibha Patil accepting a recommendation of the Union Cabinet after the Congress and the BJP gave up efforts to form an alternative government following resignation of Chief Minister Shibu Soren. The State Assembly will be kept in suspended animation during the President's rule, which has been imposed for a second time in two years. The Soren government was reduced to a minority on May 24 when the BJP, with 18 MLAs and the JD(U) with two, withdrew support to it. The JMM, with 18 MLAs and having t h e s u p p o r t o f s eve n o t h e r legislators, was short of the required 42 in the 82-member House. The BJP took the decision after Soren voted against the cut motions sponsored by the opposition in Lok Sabha on April 27. Jharkhand has seen seven CMs since its creation on November 15, 2000, came under President's rule for the first time on January 19, 2009.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs

Bangladesh gets USD 1 bn loan from India Bangladesh on Aug 7 inked a USD 1 billion loan agreement with India to finance several projects in the country. The line of credit will be utilised for implementation of projects to be identified and approved by the Bangladesh government, the Daily Star reported. Bangladesh's Economic Relations Department secretary M.Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and India's Exim Bank chairman and managing director T.C.A. Ranganathan signed the deal in presence of Bangladesh Finance Minister A.M A. Muhith and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee, who arrived in Dhaka on a brief visit. During the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January this year, New Delhi agreed to extend a line of credit of USD 1 billion to Dhaka through the bank.

Vol. - 17

uranium and waste management. The two countries can also promote cooperation in the development and use of applications related to health, industry, environment and agriculture.

India, Canada sign civil nuclear pact

Visit of South African President

On June 28, 2001, India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The pact was signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Canada. The deal, the ninth signed by New Delhi, significantly alters Canada's stance towards India. The North American nation had led the world in pushing for nuclear isolation after the 1974 tests in Pokhran. The US, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Namibia and Britain are the eight countries that have already signed similar pacts with India. Among other things, the IndiaCanada Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy provides for tie-ups in design, construction, maintenance, supply of

On his maiden visit to an Asian country as the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma was given a rousing reception by the Indian leadership on June 4, 2010, as the two countries signed three key pacts, including one on air services, and agreed to support each other's candidature for the non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for the 2011-2012 term. A wide range of bilateral issues as well as global developments, including reforms of the UN Security Council, closer cooperation between

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs the two countries at various international fora, particularly on climate change, and increasing the volume of bilateral trade, came for discussions during the talks. Apart from the pact on enhancing air connectivity, the two countries signed an MoU on agriculture cooperation and another for linkages between the Foreign Service Institute of India and the Diplomatic Academy of South Africa. Both India and South Africa are keen to increase the two-way trade, which currently stands at $7.5 billion annually. Zuma said he wanted that to grow to $10 billion by 2012.

Visit of Sri Lankan President Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited New Delhi on June 9, 2010. During his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he sought to cool down tempers in India over the plight of Tamils in his island nation by promising to quickly

resettle displaced Tamils and expedite a political solution to the ethnic issue. The two countries also signed seven agreements, including a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and an MOU on sentenced

prisoners, after wide-ranging talks. The two countries announced a major initiative to undertake a programme of construction of 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka with India's assistance. India would also be taking up several projects for the reconstruction of the North and the East, including rebuilding of railway infrastructure, rehabilitation of Kankesanthurai harbour and Palaly Airport, construction of a cultural centre in Jaffna and several vocational training centres, renovation of the Duraiappaj stadium and rehabilitation of war widows. The two countries also decided to resume the ferry services between Colombo and Tuticoran and between Thalaimannar and Rameswaram. India would also establish consulates general in Jaffna and Hambantota. India would also assist the island country in setting up a thermal power

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs plant at Trincomalee. At their one-on-one meeting which was followed by delegationlevel talks, the Indian PM and the Sri Lankan President also discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, including the proposed comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), as well as international issues. Sri Lanka supported India's case for inclusion in an expanded UN Security Council, as well as its candidature for a non-permanent seat for the 2011-2012 term. The five other agreements, signed after the talks between the two sides, were: renewal of MoU on SDP schemes, MoU on setting up of a women's trade facilitation centre and community learning centre, renewal of cultural exchange programme, MoU on interconnection of electricity grids and MoU on TalaimannarMadhu railway line.

Indo-US strategic dialogue The Strategic Dialogue between India and US is another “milestone” in bilateral relationship with the Obama Administration. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cochaired the first Cabinet-level IndoUS Strategic Dialogue, which helped to set the pace for the long-term strategic relationship between the

Vol. - 17

two countries.

Indo-US ties defining partnership of 21st century Noting that US President Barack Obama considers India-US relationship as "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," the US senate has resolved to foster and advance the strategic partnership between the two nations. A bipartisan resolution introduced by Republican John Cornyn and co-sponsored by Democrat Christopher Dodd, to mark the 63rd anniversary of India's independence, also celebrated "the contributions of Americans of Indian descent to society in the United States." Noting that the first state dinner hosted by Obama was held in honour of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009, the resolution recalled the two nations "have pursued a strategic partnership based on common interests and shared commitments to freedom, democracy, pluralism, human rights, and the rule of law" The US and India have undertaken a cooperative effort in the area of civilian nuclear power, which Congress approved through the enactment of the US-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and NonProliferation Enhancement Act, it

noted. The strong relationship between the US India is based on mutual trust and respect, enables close collaboration across a broad spectrum of strategic interests, i n c l u d i n g c o u n t e r - t e r ro r i s m , democracy promotion, regional economic development, human rights, and scientific research, the resolution said. The Senate resolution also acknowledged that since 2001, Indians have comprised the largest foreign student population on college campuses in the US, accounting for approximately 15 per cent of all foreign students in the country. Noting that there are more than two million Americans of Indian descent in the United States, it acknowledged the lasting contributions to the social and economic fabric of the US made by the Indian Americans. "Americans of Indian descent continue to enrich all sectors of public life in the United States, including as government, military, and law enforcement officials working to uphold the Constitution of the United States and to protect all people in the United States," it said.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs

Nepal fails to elect a Prime Minister again Nepal's Parliament failed to elect a Prime Minister for the fourth time on Aug 06, 2010. Both Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel could not obtain a simple majority of 301 votes in the House of 601 as required by the interim constitution. Mr. Prachanda got 213 votes in his favour. While 99 MPs voted against him, 156 MPs stayed neutral. During the vote, only 468 MPs participated in the proceedings since many parliamentarians came late.

slapped sanctions on its commander Mohammad Ilyas Kashmiri, 46, believed to have been in close contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley, for their terrorist activities in India and Pakistan. HuJI and Kashmiri have been involved in a series of terrorist activities in India, including the attack on a mosque in Hyderabad in 2007 that killed 16 people and the March 2007 Varanasi terrorist attacks that killed at least 25 people

Tibet railway to boost logistical support U.S., U.N. declare HuJI a terrorist group The U.S. on Aug 06, 2010 declared the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul Jihad (HuJI) a foreign terrorist organisation and 38

China's high-altitude railway line to Tibet, which opened four years ago, has begun to be used as a supply-line to enhance the mobilisation capabilities of China's Air Force in the region. The railway line, which runs from Qinghai province to Lhasa in Tibet, is

the world's highest railway, running at an altitude of 5000 metres. The line was opened in July 2006, with a view to boosting economic development in Tibet and enhancing the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) mobilisation capabilities. The railway has mainly been used to ferry tourists and businesspeople from other provinces to Tibet. In mid-summer, a train loaded with important combat readiness materials for the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAAF) got to the destination safely and it was the first time that the railway had been used to boost logistical support for the PLAAF. Given the high altitude, the PLAAF has begun training transport security personnel to help them combat altitude sickness, the PLA Daily said. To ensure the supply line's security, personnel would “examine the safety state of the train” at every stop along the rail route.

New Colombian president sworn in Juan Manuel Santos has been sworn in as the new president of Colombia, taking the helm of a nation facing soaring unemployment, a decadeslong insurgency and a diplomatic rift

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs

with neighbouring Venezuela. Speaking at his formal inauguration in the capital Bogota on august 7, Santos said he wanted unity and reconciliation to be two of the main goals of his administration. He said he was willing to hold talks with leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the country's left-wing rebel group. Santos also expressed a desire to smooth over strained relations with neighbouring countries. He said that One of his essential purposes as president will be to reconstruct their relations with Venezuela and Ecuador and to restore confidence and to make diplomacy and prudent actions a priority.

Strained ties Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, responded to the Colombian president's offer, saying on national television that he too wanted to "turn over the page" and re-start good relations with Colombia's new government. Chavez cut ties with Colombiaon July 22 after the government of Alvaro Uribe, Santos' predecessor,

released evidence that it said showed Venezuela gives haven to Colombian rebels. Although invited, Chavez decided not to attend the inauguration on Vol. - 17

Saturday, dispatching his foreign minister Nicolas Maduro instead. Santos' inauguration ceremony in Congress was attended by about 5,000 guests, including many foreign heads of state. He begins his term with a strong mandate after winning 69 per cent of the vote in the presidential runoff vote in June. He gained popularity during his 2006-2009 stint as defence m i n i s t e r, l e a d i n g s u c c e s s f u l operations against Farc fighters.

High unemployment On the domestic front, Santos will have to deal with an unemployment rate of 12 per cent and 46 percent poverty. He has vowed to create 2.5 million new jobs during his four-year term in office. He has also pledged to continue Uribe's crackdown on Farc and maintain his pro-business approach, which has seen foreign investment grow five-fold since 2002 as Colombia's conflict waned. Uribe leaves office with an 80 per cent approval rating. But his second term was marred by scandals over abuses by troops, illegal wiretapping of his critics, and probes into legislative allies over collaboration with paramilitary gangs.

Failed State Index 2010 United States-based 'Foreign Policy' magazine has released the Failed State Index for 2010 in June 2010. The list is topped by Somalia. While Pakistan has been ranked 10th, India has been ranked 87th in the list of 177 countries. Somalia tops the list of so-called failed states, based on factors including its economy, human rights record and security, a new survey says. The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine released their 2010 "Failed States Index", on Monday, ranking 177 countries to determine those most at risk of failure.

The annual reportuses 12 metrics including security threats, economic implosion, human rights violations and refugee flows. Since the index was published for the first time in 2005, the top 10 slots have rotated among just 15 countries, and Foreign Policy said it seems that state failure "is a chronic condition". Africa has seven of the top 10 spots, and half of the 60 weakest states. Somalia, which has held the worst position for three years in a row, has not had an effective government since 1991. It is wracked by bloody fighting between anti-government groups and the army in large parts of the country and pirates are operating off the coast. Also listed is Zimbabwe, which moved down two ratings from last year, to number four, after a power sharing agreement was reached between the party of Robert Mugabe, the president, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who was named prime minister.

Some increased stability Asia is home to 30 per cent of the top 60 weakest states and the Middle East has just over 10 per cent. Afghanistan and Iraq, both with tens of thousands of US-led deployed troops, come in places six and seven respectively. Ye m e n , m e a n w h i l e , s a w increased instability in the last year while Sri Lanka received a better ranking this year. Three Nordic nations - Norway, Finland and Sweden - are ranked as the most stable countries. The least and most stable countries in the world: 1. Somalia 2. Chad 3. Sudan 4. Zimbabwe 5. DR Congo 173. Ireland 174. Switzerland 175. Sweden

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs 176. Finland 177. Norway

Global Peace Index report The Global Peace Index Report 2010, in its annual publication has placed India amongst the lease peaceful of major countries in the world and has reported that the country is getting even less peaceful year-on-year. THE GLOBAL Peace Index Report 2010 released by 'Institute for Economics and Peace', an international organisation focused on re s e a rc h i n g t h e re l at i o n s h i p between economic, business and peace, has placed New Zealand as the most peaceful state.

It has placed India amongst the lease peaceful of major countries in the world and has reported that the country is getting even less peaceful year-on-year. India is placed at 128th rank, six ranks lower than its 2009 position. S o m e o f t h e I n d i a ' s ke y neighbours in South Asia ranked in the bottom along with India Sri Lanka placed at 133rd, Pakistan ranked at 145th, and Afghanistan at 147th. However, the Himalayan kingdom, Nepal has ranked much better as compared to its counterparts, it has been ranked at 82nd place while Bangladesh is at 87th. Bhutan, ranked at 37th, narrowly missed being in top 20 peaceful countries across the globe. The developed including those of Europe and Canada ranked in the top 20 per cent of the peaceful nations. 40

The United States was ranked at 85th, outranked by countries like Rwanda, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Bosnia. Iraq has been estimated as the lease peaceful, followed by Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan at the bottom of the table. The report's authors believe that world has become slightly less peaceful in the past year.

Hatoyama resigns as Japan's PM Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who ended five decades of single-party rule when he swept to power in August 2009, but stumbled when he confronted a long-time ally, the United States, resigned on June 2, 2010. Hatoyama quit at a meeting of leaders of the Democratic Party of Japan in Tokyo, becoming the fourth straight Japanese leader to leave after a year or less in office. “Since last year's elections, I tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main characters,” he said later at a nationally broadcast news conference. But he conceded that his efforts weren't understood. Hatoyama ran for the premiership on a campaign platform of maintaining a more equal relationship with the United States, which still enjoys enormous support among most Japanese. His decision to challenge Washington over the details of a massive military base relocation plan on the island of Okinawa befuddled Japanese and American analysts and government officials alike. Hatoyama also called for Japan to

become more of an “Asian nation,” which sparked concern in Washington that he wanted to move away from the country's pro-US stance and closer to China. Finance Minister Naoto Kan succeeded Hatoyama as the new Prime Minister.

Maoists force Nepal PM to resign

Nepal's Prime Minister announced his resignation on June 31, 2010, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who had been demanding his ouster in Parliament and on the streets. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said in a televised speech that he decided to resign to end political deadlock and shore up the peace process. Mr Madhav Kumar had taken over the post in May 2009 after the previous government led by the Maoists resigned following differences with the President over the firing of the army chief. He had the support of 22 political parties in Parliament and more than half of the 601 members in the Assembly. However, the Maoists, who have the largest number of seats in the Assembly, refused to support his government and instead staged protests to demand disbanding the government. In May 2010, the Maoists had shut down the nation for more than a week, imposing a general strike. The protests also delayed the writing of a new constitution, which was supposed to be complete by May 2010. The deadline has now been extended by one year.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs Landmark US Financial Reform Bill

On July 1, 2010, the US House of Representatives approved a landmark overhaul of financial regulations. The Bill would impose tighter regulations on financial firms and reduce their profits. It would boost consumer protections, force banks to reduce risky trading and investing activities and set up a new government process for liquidating troubled financial firms. However, the Republicans say the Bill would hurt the economy by burdening businesses with a thicket of new regulations. They also point out that it ducks the question of how to handle troubled mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which Democrats plan to tackle in 2011.

Ethic Riots in Kyrgyzstan Russia sent hundreds of paratroopers to Kyrgyzstan on June 13, 2010 to protect its military facilities as ethnic clashes spread in the Central Asian State, bringing the death toll from days of fighting to 97. Ethnic Uzbeks in a besieged neighbourhood of Kyrgyzstan's second city Osh said gangs, aided by the military, were carrying out genocide, burning residents out of their homes and shooting them as they fled. Witnesses saw bodies lying on the streets. The interim government in Kyrgyzstan, which took power in April 2010, after a popular revolt toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, appealed for Russian help to quell the riots in the south. Led by Roza Otunbayeva, the Vol. - 17

interim government sent a volunteer force to the south and granted shootto-kill powers to its security forces in response to the deadly riots, which began in Osh, before spreading to Jalalabad. Renewed turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has fuelled concern in Russia, the United States and neighbour China. Washington uses an air base at Manas in the north of the country, about 300 km from Osh, to supply its forces in Afghanistan.

G-20 Summit meeting A Summit meeting of Leaders from the Group of 20 economic powers was held in Toronto, Canada on June 28, 2010. The leaders have agreed to halve deficits by 2013 and stabilise or reduce the government debt-to-GDP ratio by 2016. At the same time, the bloc left it to individual countries to decide on levying taxes on banks or adopting other means to fund future bailouts. Along the way, the G-20 leaders who completed their fourth meeting since the global financial crisis of 2008, also diluted their position on a number of problems they had decided to fix earlier. For instance, while reinforcing their desire to move to a more stringent capital structure, the communiqué issued after two days of discussions said countries

would “aim” to put in place a new framework by the end of 2012, which was earlier the target date. Members will also get flexibility in phasing the new rules. The good news is that once these rules are implemented banks will have more capital to deal with crises as the ratio of core Tier-I capital of a bank to its risk-weighted assets is expected to double from the present level of 2 per cent. On trade, too, there was dilly dallying. The G-20 leaders, who had earlier said that the Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks should be concluded in 2010, have not mentioned any deadline now. All that has been said is that they will now deliberate on the ways to take forward the talks when they meet in Seoul in November 2010. G-20 members have also decided against erecting any new trade and investment barriers. The decision to increase the quotas for developing countries in the International Monetary Fund by the Seoul summit was touted as another gain. While many elements in the 19page statement were a reiteration of the earlier pledges, these were at least two new elements. One of them was a proposal to set up a working group on development. The other was the desire to focus on issues

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs related to corruption with members urging to ratify and implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption. However, the move by some developed countries to insert another new element a levy on bank transactions did not find a mention in the final text as the focus of the deliberations remained on reducing fiscal deficit levels. A key demand of European countries, was resisted by the US and developing countries such as India and Brazil. Along with deficit reduction, G-20 leaders also agreed on ushering in structural reforms by emerging surplus economies, such as China. These countries, which can tailor their reform moves to strengthen social safety nets, should increase infrastructure spending and enhance exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying economic fundamentals.

G-20 meeting of Finance Ministers Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G-20 countries met in Busan, South Korea on June 4, 2010. At the top of the agenda was Europe's debt crisis. The Ministers also discussed medium-term growth framework and how to solve economic imbalances which caused the global financial crisis. Canada, the current G-20 President, hopes to secure an agreement in Toronto on the broad suite of policies needed to reduce these imbalances. Individual countries would then commit themselves to specific policies at the next G-20 summit in Seoul. Building on progress to date, the leaders affirmed their commitment to intensify efforts and to accelerate financial repair and reform. They also agreed that further progress on financial repair is critical to global economic recovery and requires greater transparency and further strengthening of banks' balance sheets and better corporate governance of financial firms. 42

The leaders also committed to reach agreement expeditiously on stronger capital and liquidity standards as the core of our reform agenda and in that regard fully supported the work of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The leaders also emphasized the need to reduce moral hazard a s s o c i ate d w i t h syste m i ca l l y important financial institutions and reinforced their commitment to develop effective resolution tools and frameworks for all financial institutions on the basis of internationally agreed principles. The G-20 was established in 1999, in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, to bring together major advanced and emerging economies to stabilize the global financial market. Since its inception, the G-20 has held annual Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meetings and discussed measures to promote the financial stability of the world and to achieve a sustainable economic growth and development.

Market analysts said China's move would go a long way in lifting the global economic sentiment that was under the weather due to the Euro crisis. China's decision would result in a higher growth rate, especially for countries that have a significant trade relation with the Asian behemoth, as currency appreciation would make imports comparatively cheaper in China. According to Barclays Commodities, there is a thinking that a stronger yuan will “increase Chinese purchasing power” leading to an increase in its “purchases of base metals”. “This coincides with a strong set of Chinese trade data for May 2010, which showed that the country turned a net importer of aluminium and lead, while copper and zinc imports remained strong”.

UNSC slaps sanctions on Iran

China announces plans to make its currency more flexible Equity markets across the world made handsome gains on June 21, 2010, after China announced plans to make its currency, the yuan, more flexible against the dollar. India's benchmark equity index, the Sensex, and the broad-based Nifty today touched their highest levels in more than two months.

On June 9, 2010, the UN Security Council slapped sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, targeting the powerful Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles, and nuclear-related investments, despite opposition from Brazil and Turkey. In the 15-member Council, 12 countries, including the US and Britain, voted in favour of the resolution, with Lebanon abstaining and Brazil and Turkey voting against. The new resolution, which is fourth against Iran to be adopted by the UNSC, creates new categories of sanctions like banning Iran's investment in nuclear activity abroad, banning all ballistic missiles activities, blocking Iran's use of banks

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs aboard and asset freezes for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The resolution blacklists entities that includes 15 enterprises of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, three entities owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and 23 industrial companies. The international community accuses Iran of seeking to develop an atomic weapon. But, Tehran has been maintaining that its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful civilian purposes. India has been maintaining that it is opposed to such kinds of sanctions as it will affect the common people more than the establishment. Russia and China, which have previously raised objections against such sanctions, supported the resolution and said they were happy with the text of the resolution as long as it did not have any negative impact on the people. Iran voiced defiance, saying it would not halt uranium enrichment and suggesting it may reduce cooperation with the UN nuclear agency.

SAARC nations pledge coordinated action to tackle terror Members of SAARC have pledged to step up coordinated action against the common menace of terrorism,

Vol. - 17

including steps to apprehend or extradite persons connected with acts of terrorism and facilitate realtime intelligence sharing. The meeting of the Interior Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, held on June 27, 2010 in Islamabad, Pakistan, also resolved to step up cooperation in real time intelligence-sharing and to consider Pakistan's proposal for creation of SAARCPOL, an institution on the lines of Interpol. The ministerial statement on cooperation against terrorism adopted at the meeting said the SAARC member States had underscored their “commitment to apprehend and prosecute or extradite persons connected, directly or indirectly, with t h e co m m i s s i o n s o f a c t s o f terrorism”. They also reiterated their commitment to strengthen SAARC's regime against terrorism. The ministers resolved to ensure that “nationals and entities” of SAARC States who commit, facilitate or participate in commission of terror acts are “appropriately punished”. The SAARC membersAfghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lankaalso acknowledged that linkages between terrorism, illegal trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, smuggling of firearms and threats to maritime security remained a “serious

concern” and said these problems would be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

US-Russia ties improve On June 25, 2010, US President Barack Obama declared he had succeeded in “resetting” the USRussia relationship, which he said had reached its lowest point since the Cold War at the end of George W. Bush's term in office. Obama was speaking to reporters in the East Room of the White House following meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev, meanwhile, agreed to allow a resumption of US poultry exports to his country which Russia had banned earlier in 201, claiming that a chemical used in the US violated its food safety rules. But despite the bonhomie between the two leaders, who have met seven times since Obama took office, both Obama and Medvedev acknowledged that they had differences over certain issues, including Georgia. Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008. The US and Russian Presidents said they had resolved a majority of the obstacles in the path to Russia's entry into the WTO. They have instructed their negotiators to work as quickly as possible to wrap up what Obama said were “difficult issues” that will require “some significant work”, but Medvedev described as “minor problems”. The two sides released 11 joint statements at the end of their meeting. These covered promotion and implementation of open government; Kyrgyzstan; energy efficiency; strategic stability; counter-terrorism cooperation; inter-country adoption; Afghanistan; people-to-people connections; strategic partnership in innovation; Russia's accession to the WTO; USRussia Presidential Commission.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs Canada government blamed for Kanishka crash A long-awaited inquiry into the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing, which killed 329 persons, mostly of Indian origin, has blamed the Canadian government for its failure to prevent the tragedy and recommended the appointment of a powerful security czar to resolve disputes between conflicting interests among security agencies. “The government needs to take responsibility to avoid further failure and to prevent a return to a culture of complacency,” Justice John Major, the head of the Kanishka bombing inquiry commission, recommended on June 17, 2010, nearly 25 years after Canada's worst terrorist attack. In the much-awaited final report from the commission that investigated the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, he observed

that the national security continues to be badly organised between the RCMP and Canada's spy agency. He also recommended radical transformation in prose-cution. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured the family members of the victims of the 1984 Air India Kanishka bombing that the government would respond “positively” to the recommendations made by an inquiry committee and said compensation would be offered to all. Years of criminal investigation have yielded just one conviction, for manslaughter, against a British Columbia mechanic Inderjit Singh Reyat, who assembled bomb components.

G-8 leaders drop commitment to complete Doha round in 2010 On June 27, 2010, G-8 leaders met in

Totonto, Canada for their annual Summit meeting. The leaders decided to drop a commitment to complete the troubled Doha trade round in 2010 and vowed to push forward on bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done. In 2009, a G-8 summit in Italy and a Pittsburgh meeting of the Group of 20 both had committed to a 2010 end date that now looks impossible to meet. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who chaired the G-8 summit, said Doha was not dead. “I don't think we can afford to say that. We've got to find a path over time to get to a successful conclusion,” he told a closing news conference. Doha round has been dogged by differences among trade powers who want more access to one another's markets but have struggled to lower their own trade barriers.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs

Body cells can be regenerated into heart muscles

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have discovered how the cells in one's body can be used to regenerate heart muscles. GICD director Deepak Srivastava and colleagues were able to directly reprogram heart cells called fibroblasts to become beating heart cells called cardiomyocytes. The study was successful in mice hearts and so, could have therapeutic implications. Dr. Masaki Ieda said that Scientists have tried for 20 years to convert nonmuscle cells into heart muscle, but it turns out we just needed the right combination of genes at the right dose. "Introducing the defined factors, Vol. - 17

or factors that mimic their effect, directly into the heart to create new heart muscle would avoid the need to inject stem cells into the heart and all the obstacles that go along with such cell-based therapies," Ieda added. This method also eliminates the risk that some stem cells might develop inappropriately to form tumours. However, additional work will be necessary to refine the method and bring it closer to a practical therapeutic strategy. The study is published in the current issue of Cell.

every year. A tonne of emission saved fetches up to Rs 19,000 in the international carbon market. A poor Indian household can save up to Rs 1,000 per annum on kerosene costs, half the cost of a solar-powered LED lighting system. Once charged, LED bulb works for up to 42 hours, compared with eight to 10 hours that conventional solar lanterns do. LED lamps are about 90 per cent

Solar-powered LED lanterns to earn carbon credits The United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) aimed at slowing the warming of the planethas notified govern-ments and companies on how to calculate carbonemission saved by installing solar powered Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) instead of ubiquitous, anci-ent lanterns. This could give India an incentive to replace the lamps that are used in 30 per cent of households, meaning a saving of 50 million tonnes of carbon emissions Copyright ÂŠ 2010 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Current Affairs more energy efficient than traditional incandescent lamps and about 20 per cent more than Compact Fluorescent Lamps. The UN estimates its new initiative can change the lives of a quarter of humanity, which still gets light by directly burning fuels, emitting nearly 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of 60 million cars.

India's first integrated Waste Management Plant

Infra firm a2z Infrastructure will set up India's first integrated municipal solid waste management plant in Kanpur. The project, touted to be Asia's largest, would comprise management of the city's solid waste in an environment friendly manner and subsequent power generation for captive and merchant use. Majority of the fuel used in the plant will be RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) derived from solid waste, which is considered a better replacement for coal with lesser emissions. The power plant will have the capacity to produce 15 MW power.

IIT-Kanpur to set up experimental power plant The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) has planned to set up a 550 kilowatt (KW) Solar Energy Research Experimental Station (SERES) in its campus. The station would serve the purpose of solar energy development research, apart from being a pilot project for improving the commercial viability of solar energy generation. It would provide uninterrupted free power supply to six neighbouring villages, Nankari, Bara Sirohi, 46

Singhpur, Bakunthpur, Naramau and Kachchar. The villages are electrified, but the present power supply is highly erratic. The Rs 18-crore project has been taken up as a part of the ongoing golden jubilee celebrations at the institute. Currently, the solar power produced in India costs around Rs. 15 per KW hour, whereas conventional energy costs as little as Rs 3.5 per KW hour. The institute will bring in team from the biotechnology and electrical departments to work on reducing the production cost of solar power to make it more economical and commercially viable. The project will be modelled on the German mode of solar power generation after conducting the requisite studies on production and transmission.

“Printer” to create human organs It may sound a bit too much, but doctors could one day be able to “print” new organs for transplant, say scientists who claim to have designed a “bio-printer” to create made-tomeasure human organs. A prototype machine developed by the Californiabased regenerative medicine company Organovo is already capable of growing new arteries.

It is based on 3-D laser printing technology used to create new machine parts for industry. But, instead of combining layers of plastic and metal, the “bio-printer” puts living tissue together. Two laser-based printing heads are used to place living cells onto thin sheets of gel with microscopic precision. Multiple layers are then laid on top of each other in a specially designed mould, or 'scaffold' and the cells begin to fuse together.

Thirty Meter Telescope Project On June 25, 2010, India joined as an observer in the ambitious astronomical observatory, Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT), in Hawaii, which will help in unravelling mysteries of black hole, origin of galaxies and formation of planets among others.

The status of an observer is first step by India in becoming a full partner in TMT, which will be fully operational in 2018 and will be world's most advanced astronomical observatory. The telescope will have a 30-metre segmented mirror which uses diffraction of light and focuses in much sharper way than smaller telescopes. Such a large size of aperture will help it collecting more light, thus generating much clearer and sharper images of fainter objects, which may not be possible by present day scopes. The images generated by the telescope will be 12 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. A look at these images will help the scientists to understand several key aspects of universe, including the black hole formation, formation of galaxies, starting of the Universe and formation of first heavy elements in it.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Current Affairs

Priyanka Chopra As Brand Ambassador for UNICEF The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has chosen Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra as one of their brand ambassadors. So, the actress will be now seen supporting UNICEF in the promotion of child and adolescent rights. The ambassadors of UNICEF are bestowed with the responsibility of improving the lives of children.

Vol. - 17

National Business Register The sixth economic census, set to take off in 2011, will provide India with a National Business Register (NBR) for the first time, containing the details of every business establishment in the country. The creation and maintenance of a business register and directory are expected to be an economic data framework for various needed statistical surveys, including the Annual Survey of Industries and others of the National Sample Survey Organisation. Currently, a fairly reasonable

database exists for the agricultural sector, while much is lacking for the non-agricultural ones, particularly services. The move to create a directory will particularly benefit the latter. The services sector, contributing 62.5 per cent to the country's gross domestic product, does not have a comprehensive data bank. The national accounts significantly under-states the sector, even as it is the major contributor. The business register is to keep an account of all business establishments with a workforce of 10 or more people addresses, sectors, turnovers, number employed etc.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Amitabh Bachchan named brand ambassador of Champions League T20

women to bag a gold in any international sporting contest. Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and trap shooter Manavjit Singh are the only other shooters to have bagged golds in the same competition at Zagreb, Croatia in 2006.

Sawant, whose score equalled the world record in her event, was, however, given a tough fight by Poland's Ewa Nowakowska, with both of them finally tying at 597/600, but Sawant was declared winner on the basis of more 'inner 10s' (hitting the bulls eye more frequently).

Australia beat England to retain title

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was on Aug 6, 2010 named brand ambassador of the upcoming Airtel Champions League Twenty20 by the tournament's official broadcaster and commercial partner ESPN Star Sports.

Australia beat England 4-0 to win the Champions Trophy field hockey tournament for the third straight year. Australia have lost only once to England in a competitive match in 35 years and the Kookaburras were heavy favorites in game at Warsteiner HockeyPark. Australia also won a hat trick of trophy titles from 1983-85. Eight-time champion Netherlands beat Olympic champion Germany 4-1 in the third-place playoff. Olympic silver medalist Spain beat New Zealand 3-2 in the fifth-place playoff.

Shooter Tejaswini is now world Champion Rifle shooter Tejaswini Sawant won the gold in the 50 metre rifle prone event at the World Championships currently being held at Munich on August 09, 2010. The 30-year-old from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, thus became the first Indian woman to win a gold in a shooting event, and indeed one of the very few Indian 48

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Sports Wozniacki wins Danish Open Caroline Wozniacki has defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 7-6 (5) to win the Danish Open.

India-Sri Lanka Test Series VVS Laxman scored his 16th Test hundred and battled the pressure of a fourth-innings chase as well as a back injury to guide India to a fivewicket, series-levelling win over Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval on Aug 7, 2010. The stylish right-hander scored a graceful unbeaten 103 to seal a memorable win India's fourthhighest successful chase in Tests. Sachin Tendulkar made a vital 54 and young Suresh Raina hit an aggressive 41, besides finishing the match in style with a huge six over long-on, to help tie draw the three-match series 1-1.

Vol. - 17

India first toured Sri Lanka in 1986, and it wasn't until 1993, under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin that they actually managed to win a series here. That victory remains India's only series win on Sri Lankan soil. The last time India toured the Emerald Isle, in 2008, Ajantha Mendis had wreaked havoc to hand his side a 2-1 win in the three-match series. Keeping that loss in mind, India's show this time around, in the absence of Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth and after being 0-1 down, speaks volumes of their fighting spirit. The task wasn't easy for Laxman, though, as the wicket was turning square and the target of 257 was tougher than it looked on paper. India lost all their second innings wickets to two-Test rookie Suraj Randiv. Laxman rolled back the years and never got bogged down. He used his wrists, as supple as ever, to flick, glance and drive at will.

Stokes defeated former India captain Pargat Singh by a 41-21 margin while Batra beat Gunjam Haider of Hockey Arunachal. According to sources, 62 of the 66 voters were present. The elections were held in the shadow of a show cause notice by the Union Sports Ministry threatening de-recognition of HI on the issue of age and tenure of its office-bearers. Stokes's nomination had been objected to by the government. The elected members: Vidya Stokes (President), Narinder Batra (Secretary-General), Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad (Treasurer), T.P. Sinha (Sr. Vice-President), I.D. Nanavati, Pratap Satpathy, Mariamma Koshy and Rekha Bhide (VicePresidents), Shobha Singh, Sudarshan Pathak, Ramesh Nambiar and Tapan Das (Joint Secretaries), Anandeshwar Pandey, Firoz Ansari, Mohinder Kaur, Pushpa Srivastava and V.A. Shiyad (Executive board members) .

Vidya Stokes elected Hockey India President

Yonex-Sunrise India Open Grand Prix

Vidya Stokes and Narinder Batra w e re e l e c te d P re s i d e n t a n d Secretary-General of Hockey India (HI) at its maiden elections. In the poll, put off on four occasions earlier,

Saina Nehwal of India beat Malaysia's Mew Choo Wong to win the title. This was her second international title win at home. She had won the Lucknow Grand Prix in 2009.

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Sports

career by winning the Singapore Open with a straight-game triumph over Chinese Taipie's Tzu Ying Tai.

Asia Cup

Indonesia Open Saina Nehwal notched up an incredible hat-trick of titles by successfully defending her Indonesian Open Super Series title with s hard-fought win over Japan's Sayaka Sato. She had earlier won the Indian

India defeated Sri Lanka by 81 runs to win the Asia Cup. India had set the Lankans a stiff target of 299 runs. Dinesh Karthik was declared man of the match.

West Indies-South Africa One Day Series

Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series.

Singapore Open Indian ace Saina Nehwal clinched the second Super Series title of her 50

South Africa completed a 5-0 whitewash of the series with a thrilling one wicket win in the final match. Earlier, the South Africans had also won the Twenty20 two-match series. England-Australia One Day series England won the five-match series 30. This followed 2009's Ashes triumph and 2010's Twenty20 World Cup final win over their oldest rivals. I S S F S h o t g u n Wo r l d C u p Double-trap marksman Ronjan Sodhi clinched the gold in the tournament held at Lonato, Italy.

French Open, 2010 Men's Singles title: Rafael Nadal won the title by defeating Robin Soderling. This was his fifth French Open win. Women's Singles title: Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title when she defeated Australian Samantha Stosur to win the women's singles title. Men's Doubles title: Canada's Daniel Nestor and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic won by beating defending champions Leander Paes of India and Lukas Dlouhy of Czech Republic. Women's Doubles title: Serena and Venus Williams of USA. Serena Williams won her second French Open Women's Doubles title, and the twelfth title in that discipline, which this was the fourth win in a row in the women's doubles in the Slams. Venus Williams won her second French Open Women's Doubles title, and the twelfth title in that discipline, which this was the fourth win in a row in the women's doubles in the Slams. Mixed Doubles: Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonji? were the winners. Srebotnik won her third French Open Mixed Doubles title, and the fourth Slam title in that discipline. Zimonji? won his second French Open Mixed Doubles title, and the fourth Slam title in that discipline.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Featured Article

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence Social activist and head of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan Aruna Roy has been chosen for the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in public administration, academics and management for 2010. Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management chairperson and former union minister Anil Shastri announced her selection on Jul 29 and added that the award will be g i ve n b y P re s i d e nt P rat i b h a Devisingh Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 1. Ms Roy has been selected for her quality intervention in precipitating positive social change and triggering grassroot movement for a check against arbitrary governance. The award is being given to her in recognition of her contribution to rural development. Ms Roy, a former civil servant, was Vol. - 17

chosen by a 10-member jury comprising Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, former Chief Justices of India J S Verma and V N Khare, and Mr Anil Shastri among others.

IIFA Awards, 2010 Best Film : 3 Idiots. Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan, for his role as a progeria-afflicted child in “Paa”.

Best Actress : Shared jointly by Vidya Balan for “Paa” and Kareena Kapoor for “3 Idiots”. Best Director : Rajkumar Hirani for “3 Idiots Best Screenplay : 3 Idiots. Best Cinematography : 3 Idoits Best Supporting Actor (Male): Sharman Joshi for his role in “3 Idiots”. Best Supporting Actor (Female): Divya Dutta for her performance in “Delhi 6”. Best Actor in Negative Role : Boman Irani for his role in “3 Idiots”. Best performance in Comic Role: Sanjay Dutt for performance in “All the Best”.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Awards

Best Music Director : Pritam for “Love Aaj Kal”. Best Singer (Male): Shaan, for “Behti hawa sa tha woh” (3 Idiots). Best Singer (Female): Kavita Seth for “Iktara' in “ Wake Up, Sid!”. Best Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire for “3 Idiots”. Best Debut (Female): Jacqueline Fernandez and Mahie Gill share the award for their role in “Aladin” and “Dev D”, respectively.

producer of Indian origin Simon Lehna Singh has been selected by the International Mathematical Union for the Leelavathi Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics. Named after the immortal mathematical treatise of the great Indian mathematician Bhaskaracharya, the award carries a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh and a citation. It was presented at the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), which held in Hyderabad from August 19 to 27. As of now, the award is a one-time prize. Efforts are under way to make it a regular feature at the future sessions of the ICM. Dr. Singh was selected by a committee of five eminent mathematicians, led by M.S. Narasimhan of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Ratan Tata - Honorary Doctor of Law Best Debut (Male): Omi Vaidya for his role of Chatur in “3 Idiots” and ackky Bhagnani for “Kal Kissne Dekha”. Lifetime Achievement Award: Veteran filmmaker J. Om Prakash and yesteryear actress Zeenat Aman. Outstanding achievement by an Indian in International Cinema: Anil Kapoor.

The awards ceremony was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Leelavathi Award for Simon Lehna Singh Well-known physicist-turned author, journalist and television 52

Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group of Companies, has been made an Honorary Doctor of Law by the University of Cambridge in recognition of his business achievements and philanthropic work. Sachin Tendulkar - Honorary rank of Group Captain of the Indian Air Force Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will be conferred with the honorary rank of Group Captain of the Indian Air Force, in pursuance of a provision in the armed forces to grant such ranks to eminent personalities. Till date the Air Force has granted honorary ranks

to 21 persons, including noted industrialists and aviation enthusiasts such as J.R.D. Tata and Vijaipat Singhania. As per the IAF records, the former ruler of Jawhar, a princely state in Bombay presidency, Ya s h w a n t R a o P a t a n g s h a h Vikramshah Mukane, was the first person to be granted the honorary rank of Flight Lieutenant on September 30, 1944. The list includes rulers of a number of erstwhile princely states. J.R.D. Tata was first made an honorary Group Captain in 1948. He was later promoted as Air Commodore in October 1966 and finally made the honorary Air Vice Marshal in 1974. Singhania was the last to be granted the honorary rank in October 1990 after having flown solo in a micro-light aircraft from London to Ahmedabad for 22 days in 1988.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Awards

57th Idea Filmfare Awards (South) 2010 The 57th Filmfare awards South given to Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films for the year 2009 has been announced. The awards will be distributed in a function held on 8th Aug at Chennai in an event which is considered as the celebration of south Indian cinema. Malayalam film Pazhassiraja has won seven awards, Telugu film Magadheera six, and Tamil film Kancheevaram won three awarrds. Kannada actor Ambareesh and Malayalam actress KPAC Lalitha won the life time achievement awards. The full list of winners is as follows -

Tamil Films Best film: Nadodigal, Produced by Micheal Royappan

Best singer (Female): Chinmayi Best lyricist: Namuthukumar Best new comer: Abinaya Best choreographer: Dinesh Best cinematographer: Thiru

Telugu Films

Best director: Priyadarshan Best actor: Prakashraj Best actress: Pooja Best actor in a supporting role: Jayaprakash Best actor in a supporting role: Shammu Best music director: Harris Jayaraj Best singer (Male): Karthik Vol. - 17

Best film: Magadheera by Allu Arvind Best director: S S Rajamouli Best actor : Ram Charan Tej Best actress: Anushka Shetty Best actor in a supporting role : Sonu Sood Best actor in a supporting role: Ramya Krishna Best music director: M M Keeravani Best lyricist: Sirivenela Seetha Rama Sastry Best playback singer: Anuj Guruwara Best playback singer: Priya Himesh Best debut actor: Naga Chaitanya Best choreographer: Prem Rakshit Best cinematographer: Senthil Kumar Best jury award: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Malayalam Films Best film: Pazhassiraja, Produced by Gokulam Gopalan Best director: Hariharan Best actor: Mammootty Best actress : Swetha menon Best actor in a supporting role: Manoj K Jayan Best actor in a supporting role: Padmapriya Best music director : Vidyasagar Best lyricist : ONV Kurup Best singer (Male): KJ Yesudas Best singer (Female): Chithra Best jury award : Mohanlal

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special

Civil Services Main Examination 2010

Special Study Package for Science & Technology Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the primary body for space research under the control of

the Government of India, and one of the leading space research organizations in the world. It was established in its modern form in 1969 as a result of coordinated efforts initiated earlier. Taking into

consideration its budget, it is probably one of the most efficient space organizations on the globe. Under the guidance of a number of scientists, ISRO has conducted a variety of operations for both Indian and foreign clients. ISRO's satellite launch capability is provided by indigenous launch vehicles and l a u n c h s i te s . I n 2 0 0 8 , I S RO successfully launched its first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1, while future plans include manned space missions, further lunar exploration, and interplanetary probes. ISRO has several field installations as assets, and cooperates with the international community as a part of several bilateral and multilateral agreements.

Formative years Modern space research in India is most visibly traced to the activities of scientist S.K. Mitra who conducted a series of experiments leading to the sounding of the ionosphere by application of ground based radio methods in 1920's Calcutta. Later, Indian scientists like C.V. Raman and Meghnad Saha contributed to scientific principles applicable in space sciences. However, it was the period after 1945 which saw important developments being made in coordinated space research in India. Organized space research in India was spearheaded by two scientists: Vikram Sarabhaifounder of the Physical Research Laboratory at Ahmedabadand Homi Bhabha, who 54

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special had played a role in the establishment of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945. Initial experiments in space sciences included the study of cosmic radiation, high altitude and airborne testing of instruments, deep underground experimentation at the Kolar minesone of the deepest mining sites in the world and studies of the upper atmosphere. Studies were carried out at research laboratories, universities, and independent locations. Government support became visible by 1950 when the Department of Atomic Energy (India) was founded with Homi Bhabha as secretary. The Department of Atomic Energy provided funding for space research throughout India. Tests on the Earth's magnetic fieldstudied in India since the establishment of the observatory at Colaba in 1823and aspects of meteorology continued to yield valuable information and in 1954, Uttar Pradesh state observatory was established at the foothills of the Himalayas. The Rangpur Observatory was set up in 1957 at Osmania University, Hyderabad. Both these facilities enjoyed the technical support and scientific cooperation of the United States of America. Space research was further encouraged by the technically inclined prime minister of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru In 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the Sputnik and opened up possibilities for the rest of the world to conduct a space launch. The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was found in 1962 with Vikram Sarabhai as its chairman. Beginning in the 1960s, close ties with the Soviet Union enabled ISRO rapidly to develop the Indian space program and advance nuclear power in India even after the first nuclear test explosion by India on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran. The death of Homi Bhabha in an air crash on 24 January Vol. - 17

1966 came as a blow to the Indian space program. Following Bhabha's passing, Sarabhai was sent to assume Bhabha's place as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy. The 1960s also saw the founding of the Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), Experimental Satellite Communication Earth Station (ESCES, 1967), the Sriharikota base, and the Indian Satellite System Project (ISSP). The Indian Space Research Organization in its modern form was created by Vikram Sarabhai in 1969. This body was to take control of all space activities in the Republic of India.

Goals and objectives Launch vehicle fleet Geopolitical and economic considerations during the 1960s and 1970s compelled India to initiate its own launch vehicle program. During the first phase (1960s-1970s) the country successfully developed a sounding rockets program, and by the 1980s, research had yielded the Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 and the more

advanced Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), complete with operational supporting infrastructure. ISRO further applied its energies to the advancement of launch vehicle technology resulting in the creation of Polar Satellite L a u n c h Ve h i c l e ( P S LV ) a n d Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) technologies.

Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) The Satellite Launch Vehicle, usually known by its abbreviation SLV or SLV3 was a 4-stage solid-fuel light launcher. It was intended to reach a height of 500 km and carry a payload of 40 kg. Its first launch took place in 1979 with 2 more in each subsequent year, and the final launch in 1983. Only two of its four test flights were successful.

Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle, usually known by its abbreviation ASLV was a 5-stage solid propellant rocket with the capability of placing a 150 kg satellite into LEO. This project was started by the ISRO during the early 1980s to develop technologies needed for a payload to be placed into a geostationary orbit. Its design was based on Satellite Launch Vehicle. The first launch test was held in 1987, and after that 3 others followed in 1988, 1992 and 1994, out of which only 2 were successful, before it was decommissioned.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, usually known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV, commercially viable only from Russia. PSLV can also launch small Copyright ÂŠ 2010 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special vehicle currently under development by the Indian Space Research Organization. It is intended to launch heavy satellites into geostationary orbit, and will allow India to become less dependent on foreign rockets for heavy lifting. The rocket is the technological successor to the GSLV, however is not derived from its predecessor. The maiden flight is scheduled to take place in 2011.

Earth observation and communication satellites India's first satellite, the Aryabhata, was launched by the Soviets in 1975. This was followed by the Rohini series of experimental satellites which were built and launched indigenously. At present, ISRO operates a large number of earth observation satellites.

The INSAT series

satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The reliability and versatility of the PSLV is proven by the fact that it has launched 30 spacecraft (14 Indian and 16 from other countries) into a variety of orbits so far. In April 2008, it successfully launched 10 satellites at once, breaking a world record held by Russia.

abbreviation GSLV, is an expendable launch system developed to enable India to launch its INSAT-type satellites into geostationary orbit and to make India less dependent on foreign rockets. At present, it is ISRO's heaviest satellite launch vehicle and is capable of putting a total payload of up to 5 tons to Low Earth Orbit.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV III)

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, usually known by its

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III is a launch

INSAT (Indian National Satellite System) is a series of multipurpose geostationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology and search-and-rescue needs of India. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia-Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan. The overall coordination and management of INSAT system rests with the Secretary-level INSAT Coordination Committee.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special The IRS series Indian Remote Sensing satellites (IRS) are a series of earth observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by ISRO. The IRS series provides remote sensing services to the country. The Indian Remote Sensing Satellite system is the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites for civilian use in operation today in the world. All the satellites are placed in polar sun-synchronous orbit and provide data in a variety of spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions to enable several programs to be undertaken relevant to national development.

Oceansat series Oceansat are a series of satellites to primarily study ocean, part of IRS Series. IRS P4 is also known as Oceansat-1, was launched on 27 May 1999. On 23 September 2009 Oceansat-2 was launched.

spacecraft which successfully entered the lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. ISRO plans to follow up Chandrayaan-1 with Chandrayaan-2 and unmanned missions to Mars and Near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets.

Lunar exploration Chandrayaan-1 is India's first mission to the moon. The unmanned lunar exploration mission includes a lunar orbiter and an impactor called the Moon Impact Probe. India launched the spacecraft using a modified version of the PSLV is C11 on 22 October 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The vehicle was successfully inserted into lunar orbit on 8 November 2008. It carries high-resolution remote

sensing equipment for visible, near infrared, and soft and hard X-ray frequencies. Over its two-year operational period, it is intended to survey the lunar surface to produce a complete map of its chemical characteristics and 3-dimensional topography. The polar regions are of special interest, as they might contain ice. The lunar mission carries five ISRO payloads and six payloads from other international space agencies including NASA, ESA, and the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, which were carried free of cost. The Chandrayaan-1 along with NASA's LRO played a major role in discovering the existence of water on the moon.

Other satellites ISRO has also launched a set of experimental geostationary satellites known as the GSAT series. Kalpana-1, ISRO's first dedicated meteorological satellite, was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle on 12 September 2002. The satellite was originally known as MetSat-1. In February 2003 it was renamed to Kalpana-1 by the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in memory of Kalpana Chawla a NASA astronaut of Indian origin who perished in Space Shuttle Columbia.

Extraterrestrial exploration India's first mission beyond Earth's orbit was Chandrayaan-1, a lunar Vol. - 17

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special train the selected astronauts in rescue and recovery operations and survival in zero gravity, and will undertake studies of the radiation environment of space. ISRO will build centrifuges to prepare astronauts for the acceleration phase of the mission. It also plans to build a new Launch pad to meet the target of launching a manned space mission by 2015. This would be the third launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Planetary exploration The Indian Space Research Organisation had begun preparations for a mission to Mars and had received seed money of Rs10 crore from the government. The space agency was looking at launch opportunities between 2013 and 2015. The space agency would use its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to put the satellite in orbit and was considering using ion-thrusters, liquid engines or nuclear power to propel it further towards Mars. The Mars mission studies had already been completed and that space scientists were trying to collect scientific proposals and scientific objectives.

Human spaceflight program The Indian Space Research Organization has been sanctioned a budget of Rs. 12,400 crore for its human spaceflight program. According to the Space Commission which passed the budget, an unmanned flight will be launched in 2013and manned mission likely to launch by 20142015. If realized in the stated timeframe, India will become only the fourth nation, after the USSR, USA and China, to successfully carry out manned missions indigenously.

Technology demonstration The Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SCRE or more commonly SRE or SRE-1) is an experimental Indian spacecraft which was launched using the PSLV C7 rocket, along with three other satellites. It remained in orbit for 12 days before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and splashing down into the Bay of Bengal. The SRE-1 was designed to demonstrate the capability to recover an orbiting space capsule, and the technology for performing experiments in the microgravity conditions of an orbiting platform. It was also intended to test thermal 58

Development of crew vehicle

protection, navigation, guidance, control, deceleration and flotation systems, as well as study hypersonic aero-thermodynamics, management of communication blackouts, and recovery operations. ISRO also plans to launch SRE-2 and SRE-3 in the near future to test advanced re-entry technology for future manned missions.

Astronaut training and other facilities ISRO will set up an astronaut training centre in Bangalore by 2012 to prepare personnel for flights onboard the crewed vehicle. The centre will use water simulation to

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working towards a maiden manned Indian space mission vehicle that can carry three astronauts for seven days in a near earth orbit. The Indian manned spacecraft temporarily named as Orbital Vehicle intend to be the basis of indigenous Indian human spaceflight program. The capsule will be designed to carry three people, and a planned upgraded version will be equipped with a rendezvous and docking capability. In its maiden manned mission, ISRO's largely autonomous 3-ton capsule will orbit the Earth at 248 miles (400 km) in altitude for up to seven days with a two-person crew on board. The crew vehicle would launch atop of ISRO's GSLV Mk II, currently under development. The GSLV Mk II features an

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Special indigenously developed cryogenic upper-stage engine. The first test of the cryogenic engine, held on 15 April 2010, failed as the cryogenic phase did not perform as expected and rocket deviated from the planned trajectory. A future launch has been scheduled for 2011. If successful then ISRO will become the sixth entity, after United States, Russia, China, Japan and Europe, to develop this technology.

Planetary Sciences and Astronomy Indian space era dawned when the first two-stage sounding rocket was launched from Thumba in 1963. However even before this epoch making event, noteworthy contributions were made by the Indian scientists in the following areas of space science research: • Cosmic rays and high energy astronomy using both ground based as well as balloon borne experiments/studies such as neutron/meson monitors, Geiger Muller particle detectors/ counters etc. • Ionospheric research using ground based radio propagation techniques such as ionosonde, VLF/HF/VHF radio probing, a chain of magnetometer stations etc. • Upper atmospheric research using ground based optical techniques such as Dobson spectrometers for measurement of total ozone content, air glow photometers etc. • Indian astronomers have been carrying out major investigations using a number of ground based optical and radio telescopes with varying sophistication. With the advent of the Indian space program, emphasis was laid on indigenous, self-reliant and state-ofthe-art development of technology for immediate practical applications in the fields of space science research activities in the country. Vol. - 17

There is a national balloon launching facility at Hyderabad jointly supported by TIFR and ISRO. This facility has been extensively used for carrying out research in high energy (i.e., x- and gamma ray) astronomy, IR astronomy, middle atmospheric trace constituents including CFCs & aerosols, ionisation, electric conductivity and electric fields. The flux of secondary particles and X-ray and gamma-rays of atmospheric origin produced by the interaction of the cosmic rays is very low. This low background, in the presence of which one has to detect the feeble signal from cosmic sources is a major advantage in conducting hard X-ray observations from India. The second advantage is that many bright sources like Cyg X-1, Crab Nebula, Scorpius X-1 and Galactic Centre sources are observable from Hyderabad due to their favourable declination. With these considerations, an XRay astronomy group was formed at TIFR in 1967 and development of an instrument with an orientable X-Ray telescope for hard X-Ray obser-

vations was undertaken. The first balloon flight with the new instrument was made on 28, April 1968 in which observations of Scorpius X-1 were successfully carried out. In a succession of balloon flights made with this instrument between 1968 and 1974 a number of binary X-ray sources including Scorpious X-1, Cyg X-1, Her X-1 etc. and the diffuse cosmic X-ray background were studied. Many new and astrophysically important results were obtained from these observations. One of most important achievements of ISRO in this field was the discovery of three species of bacteria in the upper stratosphere at an altitude of between 2040 km. The bacteria, highly resistant to ultraviolet radiation, are not found elsewhere on Earth, leading to speculation on whether they are extraterrestrial in origin. These three bacteria can be considered to be extremophiles. Until then, the upper stratosphere was believed to be inhospitable because of the high doses of Ultra-violet radiation. The bacteria were named as Bacillus

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special isronensis in recognition of ISRO's contribution in the balloon experiments, which led to its discovery, Bacillus aryabhata after India's celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and Janibacter Hoylei after the disting-uished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle.

Vision for the future ISRO plans to launch a number of new-generation Earth Observation Satellites in the near future. It will also undertake the development of new launch vehicles and spacecraft. ISRO has stated that it will send unmanned missions to Mars and Near-Earth Objects.

Indian lunar exploration programme Following the success of Chandrayaan-1, the country's first moon mission, ISRO is planning a series of further lunar missions in the next decade, including a manned mission which is stated to take place in 2020 approximately the same time as the China National Space Administration (CNSA) manned lunar mission and NASA's Project Constellation plans to return to the moon with its OrionAltair project. Chandrayaan-2 is the second unmanned lunar exploration mission proposed by ISRO at a projected cost of Rs. 425 crore (US$ 90 million). The mission includes a lunar orbiter as well as a lander/rover. The wheeled rover will move on the lunar surface and pick up soil or rock samples for on-site chemical analysis. The data will be sent to Earth via the orbiter

ISRO is designing a solar probe named Aditya. This is a mini-satellite designed to study the coupling between the sun and the earth. It is planned to be launched in 2012.

IRNSS The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system being developed by Indian Space Research Organisation which would be under total control of Indian government. The requirement of such a navigation system is driven by the fact that access to Global Navigation Satellite Systems like GPS are not guaranteed in hostile situations. ISRO plans to launch the constellation of satellites between 2010 and 2012.

Development of new launch vehicles ISRO is currently developing two new-generation launch vehicles, the GSLV-Mk III and the AVATAR RLV. These launch vehicles will increase ISRO's present launch capability and provide India with a greater share of the global satellite launch market.

Space exploration

Applications

ISRO plans to carry out an unmanned mission to Mars in this decade. According to ISRO, the Mars mission remains at a conceptual stage but is expected to be finalised shortly. The current version of India's geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle will be used to loft the new craft into space.

India uses its satellites communication network one of the largest in the world for applications such as land management, water resources management, natural disaster forecasting, radio networking, weather forecasting, meteorological imaging and computer communication. Business, administrative

services, and schemes such as the National Informatics Centre (NICNET) are direct beneficiaries of applied satellite technology. Dinshaw Mistryon the subject of practical applications of the Indian space programwrites : The INSAT-2 satellites also provide telephone links to remote areas; data transmission for organizations such as the National Stock Exchange; mobile satellite service communications for private operators, railways, and road transport; and broadcast satellite services, used by India's state-owned television agency as well as commercial television channels. India's Edusat (Educational Satellite), launched aboard the GSLV in 2004, was intended for adult literacy and distance learning applications in rural areas. It augmented and would eventually replace such capabilities already provided by INSAT-3B. The IRS satellites have found applications with the Indian Natural Resource Management program, with regional Remote Sensing Service Centers in five Indian cities, and with Remote Sensing Application Centers in twenty Indian states that use IRS images for economic development applications. These include environmental monitoring, analyzing soil erosion and the impact of soil conservation measures, forestry management, determining land cover for wildlife sanctuaries, delineating groundwater potential zones, flood inundation mapping, drought monitoring, estimating crop acreage and deriving agricultural production estimates, fisheries monitoring, mining and geological applications such as surveying metal and mineral deposits, and urban planning. India's satellites and satellite launch vehicles have had military spin-offs. While India's 93124 mile (150250 km) range Prithvi missile is not derived from the Indian space program, the intermediate range

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Special Agni missile is drawn from the Indian space program's SLV-3. In its early years, when headed by Vikram Sarabhai and Satish Dhawan, ISRO opposed military applications for its dual-use projects such as the SLV-3. Eventually, however, the Defence Research and Development (DRDO)based missile program borrowed human resources and technology from ISRO. Missile scientist A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (elected president of India in 2002), who had headed the SLV-3 project at ISRO, moved to DRDO to direct India's missile program. About a dozen scientists accompanied Abdul Kalam from ISRO to DRDO, where Abdul Kalam designed the Agni missile using the SLV-3's solidfuel first stage and a liquid-fuel (Prithvi-missilederived) second stage. The IRS and INSAT satellites were primarily intended and used for civilian-

Vol. - 17

economic applications, but they also offered military spin-offs. In 1996 New Delhi's Ministry of Defence temporarily blocked the use of IRS-1C by India's environmental and agricultural ministries in order to monitor ballistic missiles near India's borders. In 1997 the Indian air force's “Airpower Doctrine” aspired to use space assets for surveillance and battle management. Institutions like the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Indian Institute of Technology use satellites for scholarly applications. Between 1975 and 1976, India conducted its largest sociological program using space technology, reaching 2400 villages through video programming in local languages aimed at educational development via ATS-6 technology developed by NASA. This experimentnamed Satellite Instructional

Te l ev i s i o n E x p e r i m e nt ( S I T E ) conducted large scale video broadcasts resulting in significant improvement in rural education. ISRO has applied its technology to "telemedicine", directly connecting patients in rural areas to medical professionals in urban locations via satellites. Sin ce h igh -q u ality healthcare is not universally available in some of the remote areas of India, the patients in remote areas are diagnosed and analyzed by doctors in urban centres in real time via video conferencing. The patient is then advised medicine and treatment. The patient is then treated by the staff at one of the 'super-specialty hospitals' under instructions from the doctor. Mobile telemedicine vans are also deployed to visit locations in far-flung areas and provide diagnosis and support to patients. ISRO has also helped implement

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special India's Biodiversity Information System, completed in October 2002. Nirupa Sen details the program: "Based on intensive field sampling and mapping using satellite remote sensing and geospatial modelling tools, maps have been made of vegetation cover on a 1 : 250,000 scale. This has been put together in a web-enabled database which links gene-level information of plant species with spatial information in a BIOSPEC database of the ecological hot spot regions, namely northeastern India, Western Ghats, Western Himalayas and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This has been made possible with collaboration b et ween t h e D ep a rt m ent o f Biotechnology and ISRO." The Indian IRS-P5 (CARTOSAT-1) was equipped with high-resolution panchromatic equipment to enable it for cartographic purposes. IRS-P5 (CARTOSAT-1) was followed by a more advanced model named IRS-P6 developed also for agricultural applications. The CARTOSAT-2 project, equipped with single p a n c h ro m a t i c c a m e ra w h i c h supported scene-specific on-spot images, succeed the CARTOSAT-1 project.

Indian National Satellite System INSAT or the Indian National Satellite System is a series of multipurpose Geo-stationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue needs of India. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia Pacific Region. It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and Doordarshan. The overall coordination and management of INSAT system rests with the Secretary-level INSAT Coordination Committee. INSAT satellites provide 199 62

transponders in various bands (C, S, Extended C and Ku) to serve the television and communication needs of India. Some of the satellites also have the Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR), CCD cameras for metrological imaging. The satellites also incorporate transponder(s) for receiving distress alert signals for search and rescue missions in the South Asian and Indian Ocean Region, as ISRO is a member of the Cospas-Sarsat programme.

INSAT-2E It is the last of the five satellites in INSAT-2 series. It carries seventeen Cband and lower extended C-band

INSAT system The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system was commissioned with the launch of INSAT-1B in August 1983 (INSAT-1A, the first satellite was launched in April 1982 but could not fulfill the mission). INSAT system ushered in a revolution in India's television and radio broadcasting, telecommunications and meteorological sectors. It enabled the rapid expansion of TV and modern telecommunication facilities to even the remote areas and offshore islands. Today, INSAT has become the largest domestic communication satellite system in the Asia-Pacific region with ten satellites in serviceINSAT-2E, INSAT-3A, INSAT3B, INSAT-3C, INSAT-3E, KALPANA-1, GSAT-2, EDUSAT, INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B. Together, the system provides 199 transponders in C, Extended C and Ku bands for a variety of communication services. Some of the INSATs also carry instruments for meteorological observation and data relay for providing meteorological services. KALPANA-1 is an exclusive meteorological satellite. The satellites are monitored and controlled by Master Control Facilities that exist in Hassan and Bhopal.

Satellites in service There are currently 11 satellites in service out of 21 which have ever been part of INSAT system.

transponders providing zonal and global coverage with an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of 36 dBW. It also carries a Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) with imaging capacity in the visible (0.550.75 µm), thermal infrared (10.5-12.5 µm) and water vapour (5.7-7.1 µm) channels and provides 2x2 km, 8x8 km and 8x8 km ground resolution respectively. In addition to the above two payloads it has with it a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera providing 1x1 km ground resolution in the Visible (0.63-0.69 µm), Near Infrared (0.77-0.86 µm) and Shortwave Infrared (1.55-1.70 µm) bands.

INSAT-3A The multipurpose satellite, INSAT-3A, was launched by Ariane in April 2003. It is located at 93.5 degree East longitude. The payloads on INSAT-3A are as follows: 12 Normal C-band transponders (9 channels provide expanded coverage from Middle East to South East Asia with an EIRP of 38 dBW, 3 channels provide India coverage with an EIRP of 36 dBW and 6 Extended Cband transponders provide India coverage with an EIRP of 36 dBW). 6 Ku-band transponders provide India coverage with EIRP of 48 dBW.

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special A Ve r y H i g h Re s o l u t i o n Radiometer (VHRR) with imaging capacity in the visible (0.55-0.75 µm), thermal infrared (10.5-12.5 µm) and Water Vapour (5.7-7.1 µm) channels, provide 2x2 km, 8x8 km and 8x8 km ground resolutions respectively. A CCD camera provides 1x1 km ground resolution, in the visible (0.63-0.69 µm), near infrared (0.770.86 µm) and shortwave infrared (1.55-1.70 µm) bands. A Data Relay Transponder (DRT) having global receive coverage with a 400 MHz uplink and 4500 MHz downlink for relay of meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic data from unattended land and ocean-based automatic data collection-cumtransmission platforms. A Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R) SARP payload having global receive coverage with 406 MHz uplink and 4500 MHz downlink with India coverage, for relay of signals from distress beacons in sea, air or land.

have coverage over the Indian region. INSAT-3B also incorporates a Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) payload with forward link between the hub and mobile station operating in CxS band and return link between the mobile station and the hub operating in SxC band.

INSAT-3C

INSAT-3E Launched in September 2003, INSAT3E is positioned at 55 degree East longitude and carries 24 Normal Cband transponders provide an edge of coverage EIRP of 37 dBW over India and 12 Extended C-band transponders provide an edge of coverage EIRP of 38 dBW over India.

Launched in January 2002, INSAT-3C is positioned at 74 degree East longitude. INSAT-3C payloads include 24 Normal C-band transponders providing an EIRP of 37 dBW, six Extended C-band transponders with EIRP of 37 dBW, two S-band transponders to provide BSS services with 42 dBW EIRP and an MSS payload similar to that on INSAT-3B. All the transponders provide coverage over India.

KALPANA-1 KALPANA-1 is an exclusive meteorological satellite launched by PSLV in September 2002. It carries VHRR and DRT payloads to provide meteorological services. It is located at 74 degree East longitude.

GSAT-2 INSAT-3B Launched in March 2000, INSAT-3B is collocated with INSAT-2E at 83 degree East longitude. It carries 12 Extended C-band transponders and three Ku-band transponders that Vol. - 17

Launched by the second flight of GSLV in May 2003, GSAT-2 is located at 48 degree East longitude and c a r r i e s fo u r N o r m a l C - b a n d transponders to provide 36 dBW EIRP with India coverage, two Ku-band transponders with 42 dBW EIRP over India and an MSS payload similar to Copyright © 2010 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special those on INSAT-3B and INSAT-3C.

EDUSAT Configured for audio-visual medium employing digital interactive classroom lessons and multimedia content, EDUSAT was launched by GSLV in September 2004. Its transponders and their ground coverage are specially configured to cater to the educational requirements. The satellite carries a Ku-band transponder covering the Indian mainland region with 50 dBW EIRP, five Ku-band spot beam transponders for South, West, Central, North and North East regional coverage with 55 dBW EIRP and six Extended Cband transponders with India coverage with 37 dBW EIRP. EDUSAT is positioned at 74 degree East longitude and is collocated with KALPANA-1 and INSAT-3

INSAT-4 Series INSAT-4A Launched in December 2005 by the European Ariane launch vehicle, INSAT-4A is positioned at 83 degree East longitude along with INSAT-2E and INSAT-3B. It carries 12 Ku-band 36 MHz bandwidth transponders

employing 140 W TWTAs to provide an EIRP of 52 dBW at the edge of coverage polygon with footprint covering Indian main land and 12 Cband 36 MHz bandwidth transponders provide an EIRP of 39 dBW at the edge of coverage with ex p a n d e d ra d i at i o n p atte r n s encompassing Indian geographical boundary, area beyond India in southeast and northwest regions. Tata Sky, a joint venture between the TATA Group and STAR uses INSAT-4A for distributing their Direct To Home Digital Television services across India.

On July 7 2010, ISRO has reported a glitch in the operation of INSAT 4B. Power was not flowing from one of the solar panels to the satellite bus from July 7 night, which led to switching off 50 per cent of the transponders on board the satellite.ISRO engineers said the glitch could have developed because a relay that transferred power from the solar panel to the satellite bus could have “misbehaved” or the wires connecting the panel to the satellite could have snapped.

INSAT-4B

INSAT-4C

It was launched in March 2007 by the European Ariane launch vehicle. Configured with payloads identical to that of INSAT-4A, INSAT-4B carries 12 Ku-band and 12 C-band transponders to provide EIRP of 52 dBW and 39 dBW respectively. Two Tx/Rx dual grid offset fed shaped beam reflectors of 2.2 m diameter for Kuband and 2 m diameter for C-band are used. INSAT-4B augments the high power transponder capacity over India in Ku-band and over a wider region in C-band. It is colocated with INSAT-3A at 93.5 degree E longitude. The national space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has allotted nearly seven Ku band transponders to Sun Direct; a DTH service provider from South India, and the other five to Doordarshan's DD Direct. 12 transponders in the C b a n d a re fo r T V, ra d i o a n d telecommunication purposes

Glitch in INSAT 4B

INSAT-4C was to be India's most advanced communications satellite, and was the second satellite in the INSAT 4 series. The heaviest satellite to be launched from the Indian soil, INSAT4C weighed 2168 kg, and was designed to last for 10 years. The satellite would have given a boost to Direct-to-Home television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering, and would have also provided space for connectivity.

India launched the INSAT 4C on 10 July 2006 from Sriharikota at 5:38pm. H o w e v e r, t h e l a u n c h w a s unsuccessful as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) carrying the satellite veered from its projected path 60 seconds after launch, and was selfdestructed over the Bay of Bengal. The failure is being attributed to pressure of one of the strap-on motors dropping to zero pressure in

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special the first stage of operation, Thus causing it to deviate it from its path by 10 degrees.

INSAT-4CR INSAT-4CR was launched on 2 September 2007 by GSLV-F04. It is a replacement satellite of INSAT-4C which was lost when GSLV-F02 failed and had to be destroyed on its course. It carries 12 Ku-band 36 MHz bandwidth transponders employing 140 W TWTAs to provide an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power of 51.5 dBW at Edge of Coverage with footprint covering Indian mainland. It also incorporates a Ku-band Beacon as an aid to tracking the satellite.

On 8 September 2007 ISRO reported the satellite had reached a near geosynchronous orbit, and would be stabilized in its intended orbital position of 74 degrees E longitude by 15 September. The satellite is designed for a mission life in of ten years. There were reports that the mission life of the satellite had decreased by five years as the thrusters had to burn this much fuel Vol. - 17

to restore the satellite to its correct orbit. However, the ISRO later refuted this claim dismissing it as false. This satellite is used by Airtel Digital TV and Sun Direct TV to broadcast their DTH services.

C A R TO S AT - 2 a n d t h e l a t e s t CARTOSAT-2A and IMS-1. All these are placed in polar sun-synchronous orbit and provide data in a variety of spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions.

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite

IRS data applications

Indian Remote Sensing satellites (IRS) are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation. The IRS series provides many remote sensing services to India.

IRS System Following the successful demonstration flights of Bhaskara-1 and Bhaskara-2 satellites launched in 1979 and 1981, respectively, India began to develop the indigenous Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite program to support the national economy in the areas of agriculture, water resources, forestry and ecology, geology, water sheds, marine fisheries and coastal management. To w a r d s t h i s e n d , I n d i a established the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) for which the Department of Space (DOS) is the nodal agency, providing operational remote sensing data services. Data from the IRS satellites is received and disseminated by several countries all over the world. With the advent of high-resolution satellites new applications in the areas of urban sprawl, infrastructure planning and other large scale applications for mapping have been initiated. The IRS system is the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites for civilian use in operation today in the world. With the launch of CARTOSAT-2A, the constellation now has eight satellites in operation IRS1D, OCEANSAT-1, Te chnology Experiment Satellite (TES), RESOURCESAT-1, CARTOSAT-1,

Data from Indian Remote Sensing satellites are used for various applications of resources survey and management under the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS). Following is the list of those applications: • P re h a r ve st c ro p a re a a n d production estimation of major crops. • Drought monitoring and assessment based on vegetation condition. • Flood risk zone mapping and flood damage assessment. • Hydro-geomorphological maps for locating underground water resources for drilling well. • Irrigation command area status monitoring • Snow-melt run-off estimates for planning water use in down stream projects • Land use and land cover mapping • Urban planning • Forest survey • Wetland mapping • Environmental impact analysis • Mineral Prospecting • Coastal studies Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (initiated in 1992) for generating locale-specific prescriptions for integrated land and water resources development in 174 districts.

IRS launch log The initial versions are composed of the 1 (A,B,C,D). The later versions are named based on their area of application including OceanSat, CartoSat, ResourceSat. Some of the satellites have alternate designations based on the launch number and vehicle (P series for PSLV).

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special Satellite

S.No.

Date of Launch

Launch Vehicle

Status

IRS 1A

17 Mar., 1988

Vostok, USSR

Mission Completed

IRS 1B

29 Aug., 1991

Vostok, USSR

Mission Completed

IRS P1

20 Sept., 1993

PSLV - D1

Crashed, due to launch failure

(Also IE)

of PSLV

IRS P2

15 Oct., 1994

PSLV - D2

Mission Completed

IRS 1C

28 Dec., 1994

Molniya, Russia

In Service

IRS P3

21 Mar., 1996

PSLV - D3

In Service

IRS 1D

29 Sept., 1997

PSLV - C1

In Service

IRS P4 (Oceansat-1)

27 May, 1999

PSLV - C2

In Service

Technology Experiment

22 Oct., 2001

PSLV - C3

In Service

10. Satellite (TES)

17 Oct., 2003

PSLV - C5

In Service

11. IRS P6 (Resourcesat 1)

05 May, 2005

PSLV - C6

In Service

12. IRS P5 (Cartosat 1)

10 Jan., 2007

PSLV - C7

In Service

13. IRS P7 (Cartosat 2)

28 Apr., 2008

PSLV - C9

In Service

14. IRS P? (Cartosat 2A)

28 Apr., 2008

PSLV - C9

In Service

15. Oceansat - 2

23 Sept., 2009

PSLV - C14

In Service

16. Cartosat - 2B

12 July, 2010

PSLV - C15

In Service

Future IRS launches Following are the remote sensing satellites planned by ISRO to be launched next strengthening the fleet of IRS satellites and widening their applications: RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite): A microwave remote sensing mission with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operating in C-band and having a 6 x 2 meter planar active array antenna based on trans-receiver module architecture. SAR is an all weatherimaging sensor capable of taking images in cloudy and snow covered regions and also both during day and night. RISAT weighs 1,750 kg. RESOURCESAT-2 : It will have imaging sensors similar to RESOURCESAT-1. Payload electronics have been miniaturised to reduce the overall weight. RESOURCESAT-2 is planned for launch by PSLV in 2010. RESEOURCESAT-3: A follow on to Resourcesat-2, it will carry more advanced LISS-III-WS (Wide Swath) 66

Sensor having similar swath and revisit capability as Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS), thus overcoming any spatial resolution limitation of AWiFS. Satellite would also carry Atmospheric Correction Sensor (ACS) for quantitative interpretation and geophysical parameter retrieval. It slated to be launched during 201112. CARTOSAT-3: A continuation of Cartosat series , it will have a resolution 30 cm and 6 km swath suitable for cadastre and infrastructure mapping and analysis. It would also enhance disaster monitoring and damage assessment. It is slated to be launched during 20112012. OCEANSAT-3: Oceasat-3 would carry Thermal IR Sensor, 12 channel Ocean Color Monitor, Scatterometer and Passive Microwave Radiometer. IR Sensor and Ocean Color Monitor would be used in the analysis for operational Potential Fishing Zones. Satellite is mainly for Ocean biology and sea state applications. It is slated

to the launched aboard PSLV in 201213.

Satellite data acquisition and processing The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) at Hyderabad is the nodal agency for reception, archival, processing and dissemination of remote sensing data in the country. NRSC acquires and processes data from all Indian remote sensing s a t e l l i t e s l i k e C A R T O S AT - 1 , CARTOSAT-2, RESOURCESAT-1, IRS1D, OCEANSAT-1 and TES as well as foreign satellites like Terra, NOAA and ERS.

Satellite Launch Vehicle The Indian Satellite Launch Vehicle or SLV was a project started in the early 1970s by Indian Space Research Organisation to develop the technology needed to launch satellites. The project leader was Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. SLV was intended to reach a height of 400 km and carry a

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special Version Date of Launch

Launch Location Launch Pad

Payload

Mission Status

3 E1

10 August, 1979

SDHC, Sriharikota

Rohini-1A Experimental Technology Mission, 30 Kg.

3 E2

18 July, 1981

SDHC, Sriharikota

Rohini-1B, RS-1 Success, Developmental Experimental Technology Flight mission, 35 kg.

3 D3

31 May, 1981

SDHC, Sriharikota

Rohini-D-1, RS-1 Partial Success, did not reach inteExperimental Technology nded height. Satellite only orbits mission, 38 kg. for 9 days, Developmental Flight.

3 D4

17 Apr., 1983

SDHC, Sriharikota

Rohini-D-2, RS-1 Success Developmental Flight. Experimental Technology mission, 41.5 kg.

payload of 40 kg. SLV was a four stage rocket with all solid-propellant motors. The first launch of the SLV took place in Sriharikota on 10 August 1979. The last launch of the SLV took place on 17 April 1983. SLV-3 formed the basis of the next-generation ASLV.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV, commercially viable only from

Vol. - 17

Failure; Faulty valve and wrong assessment causes vehicle to crash into the Bay of Bengal after take off), Developmental Flight.

Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). The PSLV has launched 41 satellites (19 Indian and 22 from other countries) into a variety of orbits till date. PSLV costs 17 million USD flyaway cost for each launch.

Vehicle description The PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage is one of the largest solid-fuel rocket boosters in the world and carries 138 tonnes of Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) bound propellant with a diameter of 2.8 m. The motor case is made of maraging steel. The booster develops a maximum thrust of about 4,430 kN. Six strap-on motors, four of which are ignited on the ground, augment the first stage thrust. Each of these solid propellant strap-on motors carries nine tonnes of HTPB propellant and produces 677 kN thrust. Pitch and yaw control of the PSLV during the thrust phase of the solid motor is achieved by injection of an aqueous solution of strontium perchlorate in the nozzle to constitute Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control System (SITVC). The injection is stored in two

cylindrical aluminum tanks strapped to the solid rocket motor and pressurized with nitrogen. There are two additional small liquid engine control power plants in the first stage, the Roll Control Thrusters (RCT), fixed radially opposite one on each side, between the triplet set of strap-on boosters. RCT is used for roll control during the first stage and the SITVC in two strap-on motors is for roll control augmentation. The second stage employs the Vikas engine and carries 41.5 tonnes (40 tonnes till C-5 mission) of liquid propellant Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidizer. It generates a maximum thrust of 800 kN (724 till C-5 mission). Pitch & yaw control is obtained by hydraulically gimbaled engine (±4°) and two hot gas reaction control for roll. The third stage uses 7 tonnes of HTPB-based solid propellant and produces a maximum thrust of 324 kN. It has a Kevlar-polyamide fiber case and a submerged nozzle equipped with a flex-bearing-seal gimbaled nozzle (±2°) thrust-vector engine for pitch & yaw control. For roll control it uses the RCS (Reaction Control System) of fourth stage. The fourth and the terminal stage of

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special PSLV has a twin engine configuration using liquid propellant. With a propellant loading of 2 tonnes (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine as fuel + Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as oxidiser), each of these engines generates a maximum thrust of 7.4 kN. Engine is gimbaled (±3°) for pitch, yaw & roll control and for control during the coast phase uses on-off RCS. PSLV-C4 used a new lightweight carbon composite payload adapter to enable a greater GTO payload capability.

variants of PSLV to cater to different mission requirements. These c o n f i g u ra t i o n s p ro v i d e w i d e variations in payload capabilities ranging from 600 kg in LEO to 1900 kg in sun synchronous orbit.

PSLV (Operational) The standard version of the PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately and six strap-on boosters. It currently has capability to launch 1,678 kg to 622 km into sun synchronous orbit.

Development PSLV is designed and developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The inertial systems are developed by ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram. The liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as the reaction control systems are developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), also at Thiruvananthapuram. The solid propellant motors are processed by Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, which also carries out launch operations. After some delays, the PSLV had its first launch on 20 September 1993. Although all main engines performed as expected, an altitude control problem was reported in the second and third stages. After this initial setback, ISRO met complete success with the third developmental launch in 1996. Further successful launches followed in 1997, 1999, and 2001. PSLV continues to be the work horse of Indian satellite launches, especially for LEO satellites and the Chandrayaan Projects. It has undergone several improvements with each subsequent version, especially those involving thrust, efficiency and weight.

PSLV-CA (Operational) The PSLV-CA, CA meaning "Core Alone", model premiered on April 23, 2007. The CA model does not include the six strap-on boosters used by the PSLV standard variant. Two small roll control modules and two first stage motor control injection tanks were still attached to the side of the first stage. The fourth stage of the CA variant has 400 kg less propellant when compared to its standard version. It currently has capability to launch 1,100 kg to 622 km sun synchronous orbit.

PSLV-XL (Operational) PSLV-XL is the uprated version of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its standard configuration boosted

Variants ISRO has envisaged a number of 68

by more powerful, stretched strap-on boosters. Weighing 320 tonnes at liftoff, the vehicle uses larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL) to achieve higher payload capability. PSOM-XL uses larger 13.5m, 12 tonnes of solid propellants instead of 9 tonnes used in the earlier configuration of PSLV. On 29 December 2005, ISRO successfully tested the improved version of strap-on booster for the PSLV. The first version of PSLV-XL was the launch of Chandrayaan-1 by PSLV-C11. The payload capability for this variant is 1800 kg compared to 1600 kg for the other variants. Future launches include the RISAT Radar Imaging Satellite.

PSLV-HP (Under development / Proposed) As reported on the website of The New Indian Express newspaper PSLV project director N Narayanamoorthy spoke of another version being planned called the PSLV-HP, standing for 'high performance.' It will have improved strap-ons motors, and the payload capability will be raised to 2000 kg. The HP version will be used to launch a constellation of seven navigation satellites between 2010 and 2012. Among other things, the efficiency of the stage 4 engine will be improved in this version.

PSLV-3S (Under development / Proposed) ISRO is also considering the development of a three-stage version of the rocket without six strap-on boosters (with the second stage of the four-stage version removed) which will be capable of placing 500 kg to LEO.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (usually known by its abbreviation, GSLV) is an expendable launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to enable India to

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Special launch its INSAT-type satellites into geostationary orbit and to make India less dependent on foreign rockets.

History The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) project was initiated in 1990 with the objective of acquiring launch capability for Geosynchronous satellites. Until then, India depended on the former Soviet Union for the launch of heavy satellites. GSLV uses major components that are already proven in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launchers in the form of the S125/S139 solid booster and the Vikas L40/L35.5 liquid fuel motors. The first development flight of GSLV Mk.I (GSLV-D1) was launched on 18 April 2001.

Vehicle description T h e G S LV i m p r o v e d o n t h e performance of the PSLV with the addition of liquid strap-on boosters and a cryogenic upper stage. It is a three-stage launch vehicle with the first stage being solid-propelled, the second liquid-propelled (with hypergolic fuels) and the final stage being liquid propelled as well (with cryogenic fuels). The solid first and liquid second stages are carried over from the PSLV. Early GSLV launches used cryogenic upper stages supplied by Russia. India originally tried to buy the technology to build a cryogenic upper stage from Russia, but under pressure from the United States, that technology was not provided. Therefore, ISRO developed the cryogenic engine used in the GSLV indigenously. The GSLV can place approximately 5000 kg (11,000 lbm) into an easterly low Earth orbit. Using the Russian 12KRB upper stage, with KVD-1 cryogenic rocket engine, GSLV can place 2200 kg (4,850 lbm) into an 18 degree geostationary transfer orbit.

Launches Vol. - 17

The first two flights of the GSLV were developmental. The first flight was on 18 April 2001 which launched GSAT1. The second, which was fully successful, was on 8 May 2003 launching the experimental communication satellite GSAT-2. The first operational flight (GSLV-F01) was t h e l a u n c h o f t h e E D U S AT communications satellite on 20 September 2004. The fourth flight (GSLV-F02) on 10 July 2006 was unsuccessful in launching the 2,168 kg (4,780 lb) communications satellite INSAT-4C as both rocket and satellite were remotely destroyed over the Bay of Bengal after the rocket's trajectory veered outside of permitted limits. A defective propellant regulator of the fourth strap-on motor caused asymmetric thrust on the vehicle, steering it off course and consequently the self destruct feature was deployed as a safety measure. The fifth flight of GSLV (GSLV-F04), carrying a replacement for INSAT-4C was successfully completed on 2 September 2007, carrying the INSAT4CR satellite ( a payload of roughly 2160 kg carrying 12 KU band transponders capable of reaching across India) into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. On November 15, 2007 the indigenously developed Mk.II - GSLV D3's "Cryogenic Upper Stage" was successfully tested for 720 seconds, its full flight duration, at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO's rocket engine test facility in Kerala. Also, the cryogenic stage, including its engine, has been built by the ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendragiri near Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu. The GSLV MK II was launched on April 15, 2010, but the launch failed. Initial reports suggested that the third stage vernier engine failed to ignite, when the fuel supply to the cryogenic engine stopped. The Failure Analysis Committee constituted by ISRO, in its findings reported the ignition of the

Cryogenic Upper Stage Main Engine and two Steering Engines as confirmed to be normal and the failure is attributed to the anomalous stopping of Fuel Booster Turbo Pump (FBTP) which stopped after 0.9 seconds of its start. The rocket carried the GSAT-4 communication satellite. T h e I s ra e l i TAU V E X s p a c e telescope was initially scheduled for launch on board GSLV-D3 along with GSAT-4. But ISRO decided against launching TAUVEX as their review found issues with signal transmission and sensitivity from geo stationary orbit. An official working on the TAUVEX programme refuted these claims, saying that if there were any problems, they would not have affected the quality of the data returned and suggested insufficient power of GSLV boosters.

Cryogenics In physics, cryogenics is the study of t h e p ro d u c t i o n o f ve r y l o w temperature (below - 150 °C, - 238 °F or 123 K) and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. A person who studies elements under extremely cold temperature is called a cryogenicist. Rather than the relative temperature scales of Celsius and Fahrenheit, cryogenicists use the

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special absolute temperature scales. These are Kelvin (SI units) or Rankine scale (English/US units).

on Nano Science and Technology (Nano Mission) with an allocation of Rs. 1000 crore for 5 years.

India successfully tests cryogenic rocket engine

Nodal Agency

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on October 28, 2006 that the first test of the indigenously built cryogenic rocket engine had been a success. Currently, only the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency, China and Japan have successfully developed cryogenic engines, which use rocket fuel and oxidiser stored in a liquified form at very low temperatures. The test was carried out at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair said that the trial had lasted 50 seconds and had been "very successful". He termed it "a major milestone in the development of rocket systems in the country", adding that India has now "qualified" to a stage which only developed countries have managed to reach. Nair, who is also the secretary of the Space Commission and the chairman of the Department of Space, said that a longer test would have to be carried out within a month, to ensure that the rocket is ready for flight. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, where the trial was conducted, is working to develop liquid and cryogenic propulsion engines for rockets and auxiliary propulsion systems for both rockets and satellites.

The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal agency for implementing the Nano Mission. Capacity-building in this upcoming area of research will be of utmost

importance for the Nano Mission so that India emerges as a global knowledge-hub in this field. For this, research on fundamental aspects of Nano Science and training of large number of manpower will receive prime attention. Equally importantly, the Nano Mission will strive for development of products and processes for national development,

Nano Mission Nano Technology is a knowledgeintensive and “enabling technology” which is expected to influence a wide range of products and processes with far-reaching implications for national economy and development. The Government of India, in May 2007, has approved the launch of a Mission 70

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Special especially in areas of national relevance like safe drinking water, materials development, sensors development, drug delivery, etc. For this, it will forge linkages between educational and research institutions and industry and promote Public Private Partnerships. The Nano Mission has been structured in a fashion so as to

Vol. - 17

achieve synergy between the national research efforts of various agencies in Nano Science and Te c h n o l o g y a n d l a u n c h n e w programmes in a concerted fashion. International collaborative research efforts will also be made wherever required. The Nano Mission is an umbrella programme for capacity building

w h i c h e nv i s a ge s t h e o ve ra l l development of this field of research in the country and to tap some of its applied potential for nation's development. In brief, the objectives of the Nano-Mission are:

Objectives Basic Research Promotion: Funding of basic research by individual scientists and/or groups of scientists and creation of centres of excellence for pursuing studies leading to fundamental understanding of matter that enables control and manipulation at the nanoscale. Infrastructure Development for N a n o S c i e n c e & Te c h n o l o g y Research: Investigations on the nano scale require expensive equipments like Optical Tweezer, Nano Indentor, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Atomic Force Microscope ( A F M ) , S c a n n i n g Tu n n e l i n g Microscope (STM), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (MALDI TOF MS), Microarray Spotter & Scanner etc. For optimal use of expensive and sophisticated facilities, it is proposed to establish a chain of shared facilities across the country. Nano Applications and Technology Development Programmes: To catalyze Applications and Technology Development Programmes leading to products and devices, the Mission proposes to promote applicationoriented R&D Projects, estabsish Nano Applications and Technology Development Centres, NanoTechnology Business Incubators etc. Special effort will be made to involve the industrial sector into nanotechnology R&D directly or through Public Private Partnership (PPP) ventures. Human Resource Development: The Mission shall focus on providing effective education and training to researchers and professionals in diversified fields so that a genuine interdisciplinary culture for nanoscale science, engineering and

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special technology can emerge. It is planned to launch M.Sc./M.Tech. programmes, create national and overseas post-doctoral fellowships, chairs in universities, etc. International Collaborations: Apart from exploratory visits of scientists, organization of joint workshops and conferences and joint research projects, it is also planned to facilitate access to sophisticated research facilities abroad, establish joint centres of excellence and forge academia-industry partnerships at the international level wherever required and desirable.

Nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the engineering of tiny machines, the projected ability

to build things from the bottom up inside personal nanofactories (PNs), using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, highly advanced products. Ultimately, nanotechnology will enable control of matter at the nanometer scale, using mechanochemistry. Shortly after this envisioned molecular machinery is created, it will result in a manufacturing revolution, probably causing severe disruption. It also has serious economic, social, environmental, and military implications. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, roughly the width of three or four atoms. The average human hair is about 25,000 nanometers wide.

Integrated Guided Missile Development Program The Integrated Guided Missile 72

Development Program (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defence program for the development of a comprehensive range of missiles, including the intermediate range Agni missile (Surface to Surface), and short range missiles such as the Prithvi ballistic missile (Surface to Surface), Akash missile (Surface to Air), Trishul missile (Surface to Air) and Nag Missile (Anti Tank). The program was headed by Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), with former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam, being one of the chief engineers involved in the project. The project was started in early 1980s and resulted in the development of several key strategic missiles. The last major missile developed under the program was Agni 3 intermediate-range ballistic missile which was successfully tested on 9 July 2007. On 8 January 2008, and the third test on 7 May 2008, the DRDO announced that it will be closing the missile program formally since most of the missiles in the program are developed and inducted into Indian armed forces. According to statement by Dr. S Pralhada, head controller of DRDO, new missile and weapons systems will be developed within a five-year time frame at low costs, with foreign partners and private industries. DRDO has independently carried out further development work on Nag and Surya missile. In 2008, India noted that the strategic integrated guided missile program was completed with its design objectives achieved. Follow on strategic projects are being either pursued singly (e.g. Agni project) whereas tactical systems could involve joint ventures with even foreign partners. In September 2008 Indian scientists developed a path-breaking technology that has the potential to increase the range of missiles and satellite launch vehicles by at least

40%.The enhanced range is made possible by adding a special-purpose coating of chromium metal to the blunt nose cone of missiles and launch vehicles. This would add-up on the stated range. India's top missile scientist (Dr VK Saraswat), revealed for the first time that the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was likely to close down on 31 December 2008.

Development In the twentieth century, the government of independent India embarked on a number of plans to develop missiles which would strengthen India's defences. In 1958, the government constituted the Special Weapons Development Team which would later become the Defence Research and Development Laboratories (DRDL), to undertake the development of first-generation anti-tank missiles. In the 1970s, the Indian government decided to manufacture anti-tank missiles under license from France. At the same time, DRDL was entrusted with two other projects: Project Valiant, which involved the development of a longrange ballistic missile; and Project devil, which was aimed at reverse engineering the Soviet SA-2 surfaceto-air missile. Both projects were terminated prematurely; Project Valiant was terminated in 1974 and Project Devil met the same fate in 1980. However, by this time, DRDL had developed some infrastructure and facilities to undertake the design and development of missiles. In 1983, under the experience and leadership of Dr. Abdul Kalam, who had previously been the project director for the SLV-3 programme at ISRO, the Indian government revived the missile program as an Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). As part of this program, the Interim Test Range at Balasore in Orissa was developed for

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special missile testing. India on Tuesday 07, 2008 announced the scrapping of the strategic integrated guided missile programme, and said the development and production of most of futuristic weapons systems would henceforth be taken up with foreign help. The main aim of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program was to develop, a missile in five different categories simultaneously, namely: a short-range surface-to-air missile (codenamed Trishul), a medium-range surface-toair missile (codenamed Akash), a third-generation anti-tank guided missile (codenamed Nag), a shortrange surface-to-surface missile (codenamed Prithvi), and an intermediate-range surface-tosurface missile (codenamed Agni). There were a number of failures and successes, which led to an expansion of the program in the 1990s, to develop the long range Agni missile, a ballistic missile (codenamed Sagarika), which would be the naval version of the Prithvi, and an inter-continental-ballisticmissile (codenamed Surya) with a range of 8,000-12,000 km. In 1998, the Government of India, signed an agreement with Russia to design, develop, manufacture and market a Supersonic Cruise Missile System which has been successfully accomplished by 2006. BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. At speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, it is the world's fastest cruise missile and is about three and a half times faster than the American subsonic Harpoon cruise missile. BAPL is contemplating a hypersonic Mach 8 version of the missile, named as the BrahMos II. BrahMos II will be the first hypersonic cruise missile and is expected to be ready by 2012-13. The laboratory testing of the missile has started.(codenamed BrahMos). Vol. - 17

AWACS aircraft AWACS aircraft was inducted into Indian Air Force on May 28, 2009. Earlier the AWACS aircraft landed at Jamnagar air base in Gujarat. The aircraft will operate from the Agra air base under the Central Air Command as part of the extended fleet of the IL76s family. India became the first country in South Asia to own an AWACS, popularly called 'an eye in the sky'. The aircraft being looked as a replacement for the IL-76 include Embraer and Gulfstream 550, which can carry out flying missions of over nine hours at a stretch.

Biotechnology Biotechnology is technology based on biology, agriculture, food science, and medicine. Modern use of the term usually refers to genetic engineering as well as cell- and tissue culture technologies. However, the concept encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying living things according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. By comparison to biotechnology, bioengineering is generally thought of as a related field with its emphasis more on mechanical and higher systems approaches to interfacing with and exploiting living things. Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, microbiology, animal cell culture, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances is also dependent on knowledge and methods from

outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, biorobotics). Conversely, modern biological sciences (including even concepts such as molecular ecology) are intimately entwined and dependent on the methods developed through biotechnology and what is commonly thought of as the life sciences industry.

Applications Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including h e a l t h c a r e ( m e d i c a l ) , c ro p production and agriculture, non food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e. g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels), and environmental uses. For example, one application of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and milk products). Another example is using naturally present bacteria by the mining industry in bioleaching. Biotechnology is also used to recycle, treat waste, clean up sites contaminated by industrial activities (bioremediation), and also to produce biological weapons. A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of biotechnology, for example:-bioinformatics â&#x20AC;˘ Bioinformatics is an intedisciplinary field which addresses b i o l o g i ca l p ro b l e m s u s i n g computational techniques, and makes the rapid organization and analysis of biological data possible. The field may also be referred to as computational biology, and can be defined as, "conceptualizing biology in terms of molecules and then applying i nfo r m at i c s te c h n i q u e s to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large scale." Bioinformatics plays a key role in various areas, such as functional

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special

•

genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics, and forms a key component in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector. Blue biotechnology is a term that has been used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, but its use is relatively rare. Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environmental in the p re s e n c e ( o r a b s e n c e ) o f chemicals. One hope is that green biotechnology might produce more environmentally friendly s o l u t i o n s t h a n t ra d i t i o n a l industrial agriculture. An example of this is the engineering of a plant to express a pesticide, thereby ending the need of external application of pesticides. An example of this would be Bt corn. Whether or not green biotechnology products such as this are ultimately more environmentally friendly is a topic of considerable debate. Red biotechnology is applied to medical processes. Some examples are the designing of organisms to produce antibiotics, and the engineering of genetic cures through genomic manipulation. White biotechnology, also known as industrial biotechnology, is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. An example is the designing of an organism to produce a useful chemical. Another example is the using of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals. White biotechnology tends to consume less in resources than traditional processes used to produce

industrial goods. The investments and economic output of all of these types of applied biotechnologies form what has been described as the bioeconomy.

Medicine In medicine, modern biotechnology finds promising applications in such areas as • drug production; • pharmacogenomics; • gene therapy; and • genetic testing;

Pharmacogenomics Pharmacogenomics is the study of how the genetic inheritance of an individual affects his/her body's response to drugs. It is a coined word derived from the words “pharmacology” and “genomics”. It is hence the study of the relationship between pharmaceuticals and genetics. The vision of pharma-cogenomics is to be able to design and produce drugs that are adapted to each person's genetic makeup. Pharmacogenomics results in the following benefits: • Development of tailor-made medicines. Using pharmacogenomics, pharmaceutical companies can create drugs based on the proteins, enzymes and RNA molecules that are associated with specific genes and diseases. These tailor-made drugs promise not only to

maximize therapeutic effects but also to decrease damage to nearby healthy cells. • More accurate methods of determining appropriate drug dosages. Knowing a patient's genetics will enable doctors to determine how well his/ her body can process and metabolize a medicine. This will maximize the value of the medicine and decrease the likelihood of overdose. • Improvements in the drug discovery and approval process. The discovery of potential therapies will be made easier using genome targets. Genes have been associated with numerous diseases and disorders. With modern biotechnology, these genes can be used as targets for the development of effective new therapies, which could significantly shorten the drug discovery process. • Better vaccines. Safer vaccines can be designed and produced by organisms transformed by means of genetic engineering. These vaccines will elicit the immune response without the attendant risks of infection. They will be inexpensive, stable, easy to store, and capable of being engineered to carry several strains of pathogen at once.

Pharmaceutical products Most traditional pharmaceutical drugs are relatively simple molecules that have been found primarily through trial and error to treat the symptoms of a disease or illness. Biopharmaceuticals are large biological molecules known as proteins and these usually target the underlying mechanisms and pathways of a malady (but not always, as is the case with using insulin to treat type 1 diabetes mellitus, as that treatment merely addresses the symptoms of the disease, not the underlying cause

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special which is autoimmunity); it is a relatively young industry. They can deal with targets in humans that may not be accessible with traditional medicines. A patient typically is dosed with a small molecule via a tablet while a large molecule is typically injected.

estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers; Presymptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders.

Gene therapy

Genetic testing Genetic testing involves the direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. A scientist scans a patient's DNA sample for mutated sequences. There are two major types of gene tests. In the first type, a researcher may design short pieces of DNA (“probes”) whose sequences are complementary to the mutated sequences. These probes will seek their complement among the base pairs of an individual's genome. If the mutated sequence is present in the patient's genome, the probe will bind to it and flag the mutation. In the second type, a researcher may conduct the gene test by comparing the sequence of DNA bases in a patient's gene to disease in healthy individuals or their progeny.

Cloning

Gene therapy may be used for treating, or even curing, genetic and acquired diseases like cancer and AIDS by using normal genes to supplement or replace defective genes or to bolster a normal function such as immunity. It can be used to target somatic (i.e., body) or gametes (i.e., egg and sperm) cells. In somatic gene therapy, the genome of the recipient is changed, but this change is not passed along to the next generation. In contrast, in germline gene therapy, the egg and sperm cells of the parents are changed for the purpose of passing on the changes to their offspring.

Human Genome Project

Genetic testing is now used for: • C a r r i e r s c re e n i n g , o r t h e identification of unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a gene for a disease that requires two copies for the disease to manifest; • Confirmational diagnosis of symptomatic individuals; - Determining sex; - Forensic/identity testing; - Newborn screening; - Prenatal diagnostic screening; • Presymptomatic testing for Vol. - 17

for a joint Human Genome Project (“HGP”), which officially began in 1990. The HGP was originally planned to last 15 years. However, rapid technological advances and worldwide participation accelerated the completion date to 2003 (making it a 13 year project). Already it has enabled gene hunters to pinpoint genes associated with more than 30 disorders.

The Human Genome Project is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) that aims to generate a high-quality reference sequence for the entire human genome and identify all the human genes. The DOE and its predecessor agencies were assigned by the U.S. Congress to develop new energy resources and technologies and to pursue a deeper understanding of potential health and environmental risks posed by their production and use. In 1986, the DOE announced its Human Genome Initiative. Shortly thereafter, the DOE and National Institutes of Health developed a plan

Cloning involves the removal of the nucleus from one cell and its placement in an unfertilized egg cell whose nucleus has either been deactivated or removed. There are two types of cloning: 1. Reproductive cloning. After a few divisions, the egg cell is placed into a uterus where it is allowed to develop into a fetus that is genetically identical to the donor of the original nucleus. 2. Therapeutic cloning. The egg is placed into a Petri dish where it develops into embryonic stem cells, which have shown potentials for treating several ailments. In February 1997, cloning became the focus of media attention when Ian Wilmut and his colleagues at the Roslin Institute announced the successful cloning of a sheep, named Dolly, from the mammary glands of an adult female. The cloning of Dolly made it apparent to many that the techniques used to produce her could someday be used to clone human beings. This stirred a lot of

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special controversy because of its ethical implications.

Agriculture However biotechnology has little to do with preventing starvation or malnutrition. The main purpose of biotechnology is to increase profits for a small group of companies by privatizing natural resources. Starvation is not caused by inadequate food supplies or crop varieties, but rather the economic and power inequalities which biotechnology reinforces.

Crop yield Using the techniques of modern biotechnology, one or two genes (Smartstax from Monsanto will use 8, starting in 2010) may be transferred to a highly developed crop variety to impart a new character that would increase its yield. However, while increases in crop yield are the most obvious applications of modern biotechnology in agriculture, it is also the most difficult one. Current genetic engineering techniques work best for effects that are controlled by a single gene. Many of the genetic characteristics associated with yield (e. g., enhanced grow th) are controlled by a large number of genes, each of which has a minimal effect on the overall yield. There is, therefore, much scientific work to be done in this area.

For example, drought and excessively salty soil are two important limiting factors in crop productivity. Biotechnologists are studying plants that can cope with these extreme conditions in the hope of finding the genes that enable them to do so and eventually transferring these genes to the more desirable crops. One of the latest developments is the identification of a plant gene, AtDBF2, from thale cress, a tiny weed that is often used for plant research because it is very easy to grow and its genetic code is well mapped out. When this gene was inserted into tomato and tobacco cells (see RNA interference), the cells were able to withstand environmental stresses like salt, drought, cold and heat, far more than ordinary cells. If these preliminary results prove successful in larger trials, then At-DBF2 genes can help in engineering crops that can better withstand harsh environments. Researchers have also created transgenic rice plants that are resistant to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV). In Africa, this virus destroys majority of the rice crops and makes the surviving plants more susceptible to fungal infections. Increased nutritional qualities &quantity of food crops Proteins in foods may be modified to increase their nutritional qualities. Proteins in legumes and cereals may be transformed to provide the amino acids needed by human beings for a balanced diet. A good example is the work of Professors Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer on the so-called Golden rice.

Improved taste, texture or appearance of food Reduced vulnerability of crops to environmental stresses Crops containing genes that will enable them to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses may be developed. 76

Modern biotechnology can be used to slow down the process of spoilage so that fruit can ripen longer on the plant and then be transported to the consumer with a still reasonable shelf life. This alters the taste, texture and appearance of the fruit. More importantly, it could expand the

market for farmers in developing countries due to the reduction in s p o i l a g e . H o w e v e r, t h e r e i s sometimes a lack of understanding by researchers in developed countries about the actual needs of p ro s p e c t i v e b e n e f i c i a r i e s i n developing countries. For example, engineering soybeans to resist spoilage makes them less suitable for producing tempe which is a significant source of protein that depends on fermentation. The use of modified soybeans results in a lumpy texture that is less palatable and less convenient when cooking. The first genetically modified food product was a tomato which was transformed to delay its ripening. Researchers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam are currently working on delayedripening papaya in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Zeneca. Biotechnology in cheese production: enzymes produced by microorganisms provide an alternative to animal rennet a cheese coagulant and an alternative supply for cheese makers. This also eliminates possible public concerns with animal-derived material, although there are currently no plans to develop synthetic milk, thus making this argument less compelling. Enzymes offer an animal-friendly alternative to animal rennet. While providing comparable quality, they are theoretically also less expensive. About 85 million tons of wheat flour is used every year to bake bread. By adding an enzyme called maltogenic amylase to the flour, bread stays fresher longer. Assuming

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Special that 1015% of bread is thrown away as stale, if it could be made to stay fresh another 57 days then perhaps 2 million tons of flour per year would be saved. Other enzymes can cause bread to expand to make a lighter loaf, or alter the loaf in a range of ways.

Reduced dependence on fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals Most of the current commercial applications of modern biotechnology in agriculture are on reducing the dependence of farmers on agrochemicals. For example, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a soil bacterium that produces a protein with insecticidal qualities. Traditionally, a fermentation process has been used to produce an insecticidal spray from these bacteria. In this form, the Bt toxin occurs as an inactive protoxin, which requires digestion by an insect to be effective. There are several Bt toxins and each one is specific to certain target insects. Crop plants have now been engineered to contain and express the genes for Bt toxin, which they produce in its active form. When a susceptible insect ingests the transgenic crop cultivar expressing

Vol. - 17

the Bt protein, it stops feeding and soon thereafter dies as a result of the Bt toxin binding to its gut wall. Bt corn is now commercially available in a number of countries to control corn borer (a lepidopteran insect), which is otherwise controlled by spraying (a more difficult process). Crops have also been genetically engineered to acquire tolerance to broad-spectrum herbicide. The lack of cost-effective herbicides with broad-spectrum activity and no crop injury was a consistent limitation in crop weed management. Multiple applications of numerous herbicides were routinely used to control a wide range of weed species detrimental to agronomic crops. Weed management tended to rely on preemergence that is, herbicide applications were sprayed in response to expected weed infestations rather than in response to actual weeds present. Mechanical cultivation and hand weeding were often necessary to control weeds not controlled by herbicide applications. The introduction of herbicide-tolerant crops has the potential of reducing the number of herbicide active ingredients used for weed management, reducing the number of herbicide applications made

during a season, and increasing yield due to improved weed management and less crop injury. Transgenic crops that express tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and bromoxynil have been developed. These herbicides can now be sprayed on transgenic crops without inflicting damage on the crops while killing nearby weeds. From 1996 to 2001, herbicide tolerance was the most dominant trait introduced to commercially available transgenic crops, followed by insect resistance. In 2001, herbicide tolerance deployed in soybean, corn and cotton accounted for 77% of the 626,000 square kilometres planted to transgenic crops; Bt crops accounted for 15%; and "stacked genes" for herbicide tolerance and insect resistance used in both cotton and corn accounted for 8%.

Production of novel substances in crop plants Biotechnology is being applied for novel uses other than food. For example, oilseed can be modified to produce fatty acids for detergents, substitute fuels and petrochemicals. Potatoes, tomatoes, ricererere tobacco, lettuce, safflowers, and other plants have been genetically-

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

Downloaded From: http://www.upscportal.com

Special engineered to produce insulin and certain vaccines. If future clinical trials prove successful, the advantages of edible vaccines would be enormous, especially for developing countries. The transgenic plants may be grown locally and cheaply. Homegrown vaccines would also avoid logistical and economic problems posed by having to transport traditional preparations over long distances and keeping them cold while in transit. And since they are edible, they will not need syringes, which are not only an additional expense in the traditional vaccine preparations but also a source of infections if contaminated. In the case of insulin grown in transgenic plants, it is wellestablished that the gastrointestinal system breaks the protein down therefore this could not currently be administered as an edible protein. However, it might be produced at significantly lower cost than insulin produced in costly, bioreactors. For example, Calgary, Canada-based SemBioSys Genetics, Inc. reports that its safflower-produced insulin will reduce unit costs by over 25% or more and approximates a reduction in the capital costs associated with building a commercial-scale insulin manufacturing facility of over $100 million, compared to traditional biomanufacturing facilities.

Criticism There is another side to the agricultural biotechnology issue. It includes increased herbicide usage and resultant herbicide resistance, "super weeds," residues on and in food crops, genetic contamination of non-GM crops which hurt organic and conventional farmers, damage to wildlife from glyphosate, etc.

Biological engineering Biotechnological engineering or biological engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on biotechnologies and biological 78

science. It includes different disciplines such as biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, bio-process engineering, biosystem engineering and so on. Because of the novelty of the field, the definition of a bioengineer is still undefined. However, in general it is an integrated approach of fundamental biological sciences and traditional engineering principles. Bioengineers are often employed to scale up bio processes from the laboratory scale to the manufacturing scale. Moreover, as with most engineers, they often deal with management, economic and legal issues. Since patents and regulation (e.g., U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation in the U.S.) are very important issues for biotech enterprises, bioengineers are often required to have knowledge related to these issues. The increasing number of biotech enterprises is likely to create a need for bioengineers in the years to come. Many universities throughout the world are now providing programs in bioengineering and biotechnology (as independent programs or specialty programs within more established engineering fields).

Bioremediation and Biodegradation Biotechnology is being used to engineer and adapt organisms especially microorganisms in an effort to find sustainable ways to clean up contaminated environ-

ments. The elimination of a wide range of pollutants and wastes from the environment is an absolute requirement to promote a sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. Biological processes play a major role in the removal of contaminants and biotechnology is taking advantage of the astonishing catabolic versatility of microorganisms to degrade/convert such compounds. New methodological breakthroughs in sequencing, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and imaging are producing vast amounts of information. In the field of Environmental Microbiology, genome-based global studies open a new era providing unprecedented in silico views of metabolic and regulatory networks, as well as clues to the evolution of degradation pathways and to the molecular adaptation strategies to changing environmental conditions. Functional genomic and metagenomic approaches are increasing our understanding of the relative importance of different pathways and regulatory networks to carbon flux in particular environments and for particular compounds and they will certainly accelerate the development of bioremediation technologies and biotransformation processes. Marine environments are especially vulnerable since oil spills of coastal regions and the open sea are poorly containable and mitigation is difficult. In addition to pollution through human activities, millions of tons of petroleum enter the marine environment every year from natural seepages. Despite its toxicity, a considerable fraction of petroleum oil entering marine systems is eliminated by the hydrocarbondegrading activities of microbial communities, in particular by a remarkable recently discovered group of specialists, the so-called hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (HCCB).

ORDER Free HARD COPY of This Magazine. ORDER LINK: http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy

Vol. - 17

Specially designed for UPSCPORTAL.COM Members.

ORDER Hard Copy of UPSCPORTAL Magazine CLICK BELOW LINK TO ORDER http://upscportal.com/store/magazine/vol17-hard-copy