Current Affairs December 2013

Vol.No: 6

English Monthly

30

December 2013

IAS PRELIMS & MAINS EXAMINATION &TNPSC - BANK P.O - SBI/ IBPS - UGC - NET - IFS - RRB -NDA - CDS - NABARD

SHAN & TEAM

Mercury Poisoning

M

ercury is poisonous in any form. Neurological and behavioural disorders may be observed after inhalation, ingestion

or

dermal

exposure

of

different

mercury

compounds.

Mercury is poisonous in any form. Apart from occurring naturally in the earth’s crust, it is released due to volcanic activity and weathering of rocks. It is also released in the atmosphere due to human processes like coal-fired power plants, residential coal burning for heating and cooking, waste incinerators and as a result of mining for mercury, gold and

other metals.

According to an October 2012 report India ranked second in the top countries for mercury emissions but at 8.93 per cent of the global total, is significantly behind China at 42.85 per cent. The Report states that 87 per cent (140t/year) of the emissions come from stationary combustion (all fuels).

In the decreasing order, the remaining mercury emissions come from cement, non-ferrous metal,

caustic soda, pig iron and crude steel production and large-scale gold production.

A common home appliance containing mercury is the fluorescent lamp. The mercury in the lamp presents no danger when the lamp is intact and undamaged. The same applies to other mercurycontaining products like thermometers, LCD monitors, button cell batteries.

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fine motor and visual spatial skills may be affected in children who were exposed to methylmercury as foetuses.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foetuses are most susceptible to developmental defects due to exposure to mercury. It can adversely affect a baby’s growing brain and nervous system. The primary health effect of methyl-mercury is impaired neurological development. Therefore, cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, and

The second group, says WHO, are people who are regularly exposed (chronic exposure) to high levels of mercury (such as populations that rely on subsistence fishing or people who are occupationally exposed).

Among selected subsistence fishing populations, between 1.5/1000 and 17/1000 children showed cognitive

impairment (mild mental retardation) caused by the consumption of fish containing mercury. These included populations in Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia and Greenland.

WHO states that elemental and methyl-mercury are toxic to the central and

peripheral nervous systems.

The Minamata Incident: From 1932 to 1968 Chisso Corporation, a petrochemical company and maker of plastics, discharged industrial wastewater containing high concentrations of methyl-mercury into the Minamata Bay in Japan. The fish and shellfish from the Bay, an important part of the livelihood and diet for the locals, were contaminated with mercury. It was in May 1956 that the disease was first officially ‘discovered’ in Minamata city. Thousands were crippled and hundreds died agonising deaths due to exposure to methyl-mercury.

The Minamata Convention: The Minamata Convention on Mercury – a global treaty by the Unition Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, was envisaged. The convention was agreed at the fifth and final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in Geneva, Switzerland on 19 January 2013, and was opened for signature on 10th of October. The treaty will take effect 90 days after it is ratified by 50 countries; so far it has been ratified only by USA. As of November 14, 2013, 93 countries have signed this UN treaty. After 2020 each party in the Convention will phase out products that use mercury. The participants of the convention have agreed to reduce emissions of mercury and mercury compounds ‘where feasible.’

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According to the Minimata Convention, CFLs with more than 5 mg mercury cannot be manufactured, imported or exported after the phase-out date of 2020.

CFL USAGE IN INDIA

T

hough CFLs consume a fifth of the energy required by incandescent lamps, they contain highly toxic mercury. The absence of fixed

standards for mercury content and the lack of disposal norms, even a decade after CFLs were introduced in India, mean there are huge quantities of mercury lying in our waste, seeping into our atmosphere and entering our food chain.

CFLs are actively promoted in India. The Bachat Lamp Yojana (BLY) launched in 2008 by BEE with a view to reduce the cost of CFLs and enhance their usage, was executed from April 2010 to October 2013. Under this scheme, 29.37 million CFLs were distributed for Rs 15 each through electricity distribution companies in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab. As envisaged by UNFCCC’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), this scheme would lead to a reduction by 21,297 metric tonnes of CO2 emission and enable four hundred mega watt of energy saving. The scheme was however, discontinued due to ‘an unviable functioning model’ as opined by BEE officials.

For disposal, the implementers are directed to collect the fused lamps and dispose them according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The guidelines, however, have not come into effect, and recycling units have not been set up.

Curiously, the Bureau of Indian Standards does not have any criteria for determining mercury content in CFLs. The Minamata convention was adopted and opened for signature on 10 Oct 2013 at a conference in kumamoto, Japan. The European union and 86 countries signed the convention on the first day it was open. India is not signed the convention.

Angola Argentina Armenia Australia

33. Germany 34. Greece 35. Guatemala 36. Guinea

65.Nicaragua 66. Niger 67. Nigeria 68. Norway

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List of Countries Signed the Minamata Convention

5. Austria 6. Bangladesh 7. Belgium 8. Benin 9. Bolivia 10. Brazil 11. Bulgaria 12. Burkina Faso 13. Cambodia 14. Canada 15. Central African Republic 16. Chile 17. China 18. Colombia 19. Comoros 20. Costa Rica 21. Cote devoir 22. Czech Republic 23. Denmark 24. Djibouti 25. Dominican Republic 26. Ecuador 27. Ethiopia 28. European Union 29. Finland 30. France 31. Gambia 32. Georgia

37. Guyana 38. Hungary 39. Indonesia 40. Iran 41. Iraq 42. Ireland 43. Israel 44. Italy 45. Jamaica 46. Japan 47. Jordan 48. Kenya 49. Kuwait 50. Libya 51. Lithuania 52. Luxembourg 53. Madagascar 54. Malawi 55. Mali 56. Mauritania 57. Mauritius 58. Mexico 59. Moldova 60. Mongolia 61. Mozambique 62. Nepal 63. Netherland 64. New Zealand

69. Pakistan 70. Panama 71. Peru 72. Philippines 73. Romania 74. Samoa 75. Senegal 76. Singapore 77. Slovakia 78. Slovenia 79. South Africa 80. Spain 81. Sweden 82. Switzerland 83. Tanzania 84. Togo 85. Tunisia 86. Uganda 87. UAE 88.United Kingdom 89. United States 90. Uruguay 91. Venezuela 92. Vietnam 93. Zambia 94. Zimbabwe

Minimata Convention has been ratified only By U.S.A

Written by

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Shunmugam Director - Vetrii IAS Study Circle

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

Big Brother is watching you The Gujarat telephone tapping controversy is just one of many kinds of abuse that surveillance systems enable. If a relatively primitive surveillance system can be misused so flagrantly despite safeguards that the government claims are adequate, imagine what is to come with the Central Monitoring System (CMS) and Netra in place.

News reports indicate Netra — a “NEtwork TRaffic Analysis system” — will intercept and examine communication over the Internet for keywords like “attack,” “bomb,” “blast” or “kill.” While phone tapping and the CMS monitor specific targets, Netra is vast and indiscriminate.

It appears to be the Indian government’s first attempt at mass surveillance rather than surveillance of predetermined targets.

It will scan tweets, status updates, emails, chat transcripts and even voice traffic over the Internet (including from platforms like Skype and Google Talk) in addition to scanning blogs and more public parts of the Internet.

Whistle-blower Edward Snowden said of mass-surveillance dragnets that “they were never about terrorism: they’re about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They’re about power.”

This efficient initiative discusses the slow evolution of the right to privacy in India, highlighting the context and manner in which it is protected. It then discusses international jurisprudence to demonstrate how the right to privacy might be protected more effectively.

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A proposal to include the right to privacy in the Constitution was rejected by the Constituent Assembly with very little debate. Separately, a proposal to give citizens an explicit fundamental right against unreasonable governmental search and seizure was also put before the Constituent Assembly. This proposal was supported by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. However finally the constituent assembly rejected it.

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Privacy and the Constitution

Landmark Judgements - Right to Privacy L The Supreme Court has gradually been reading the right to privacy into the fundamental rights explicitly listed in the Constitution.

L After its initial reluctance to affirm the right to privacy in the 1954 case of M.P. Sharma vs. Satish Chandra, the court came around to the view that other rights and liberties guaranteed in the Constitution would be seriously affected if the right to privacy was not protected.

L In Kharak Singh vs. The State of U.P., the court recognised “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects” and declared that their right against unreasonable searches and seizures was not to be violated. The right to privacy here was conceived around the home, and unauthorised intrusions into homes were seen as interference with the right to personal liberty. If the Kharak Singh judgment was progressive in its recognition of the right to privacy, it was conservative about the circumstances in which the right applies.

L Justice Subba Rao maintained that broad surveillance powers put innocent citizens at risk, and that the right to privacy is an integral part of personal liberty.

L “The right to privacy as defined by the Supreme Court now extends beyond government intrusion into private homes”.

L After Govind vs. State of M.P., and Dist. Registrar and Collector of Hyderabad vs. Canara Bank, this right is seen to protect persons and not places. Any inroads into this right for surveillance of communication must be for permissible reasons and according to just, fair and reasonable procedure. State action in violation of this procedure is open to a constitutional challenge.

L Our meagre procedural safeguards against phone tapping were introduced in PUCL vs. Union of India (1997) after the Supreme Court was confronted with extensive, undocumented phone tapping by the government.

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C There is a difference between targeted surveillance in which reasons have to be given for surveillance of particular people, and the mass-surveillance which Netra sets up.

C The question of mass surveillance and its attendant safeguards has been considered by the European Court of Human Rights in Liberty and Others vs. the United Kingdom.

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Right and safeguards

C Drawing upon its own past jurisprudence, the European Court insisted on reasonable procedural safeguards. It stated quite clearly that there are significant risks of arbitrariness when executive power is exercised in secret and that the law should be sufficiently clear to give citizens an adequate indication of the circumstances in which interception might take place.

C Additionally, the extent of discretion conferred and the manner of its exercise must be clear enough to protect individuals from arbitrary interference.

Opaque and ineffective Our safeguards apply only to targeted surveillance, and require written requests to be provided and reviewed before telephone tapping or Internet interception is carried out.

CMS makes the process of tapping more prone to misuse by the state, by making it even more opaque: if the state can intercept communication directly, without making requests to a private telecommunication service provider, then it is one less layer of scrutiny through which the abuse of power can reach the public.

There is no one to ask whether the requisite paperwork is in place or to notice a dramatic increase in interception requests.

“India has no requirements of transparency whether in the form of disclosing the quantum of interception or in the form of notification to people whose communication was intercepted”

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‚ The year 2013 was unequivocally the year of bitcoins, more than it will be the year of the commercialisation of 3D printers or the advent of private space flight. ‚ Unfortunately for it, there’s a bigger problem: people have been having the wrong debate, all the way from those who want to get on the bandwagon because they know a bitcoin is worth $825.43 (1616 IST), to regulators arguing over whether or not crypto currencies can replace American dollars, to political economists asking if this is a libertarian agenda plotting to subvert the federal reserve.

Needless to say, they’re all wrong. ‚ There are two aspects to bitcoins: one as the digital currency that uses complex mathematical functions to be acquired, moved around and secured; the other as the transaction verification system. The former is

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Bitcoins: missing the real revolution

the honey that attracts the bees, the occupant of mainstream imagination; the latter is the hive of the future, the real revolution. ‚ The strength of cryptocurrencies like bitcoins has little to do with its monetary potential and more to do with its technical potential. What Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic Japanese programmer(s) who conceived the bitcoins system, created is pertinent to the notion of a transaction cost: the price of mobilising your resources, irrespective of the nature of these resources.

In microfinance Therefore, adopting bitcoins would help small businesses to grow unburdened by disproportionate transaction costs incurred to mobilise relatively small amounts. Even broadly, bitcoins hold the potential to reform microfinance in rural India.Instead, using bitcoins means pure value transfer.

Scope for innovation Innovations are proliferating on diverse fronts, almost all of them building on the answer to the question why bitcoins are actually disruptive: they’re not erected on existing platforms but one all its own that’s strong on privacy and security.

Bitmessage, for instance, is bitcoins all over again but with emails being sent around instead of coins.

Gliph is Bitmessage for push-messaging. Coinbase, BTC-E and BitPay are PayPal with bitcoins. Even Visa and Mastercard are starting to see their counterparts in Canada, where the first bitcoin ATMs were installed for Christmas.

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The strength of cryptocurrencies like bitcoins has little to do with its monetary potential and more to do with its technical potential

POLITICAL WATCH

Andhra Pradesh High Court directs 2 Telugu actors to return Padma Shri why?

They both used the title ‗Padma Shri‘ before their names for promoting a Telugu feature film.

As per the Article 18(1) of the Constitution, the national awards does not amount to a title and cannot be used as suffixes or prefixes.

About Padma Awards 1. Padma Awards, the country‘s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three Categories viz. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

  ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and  ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

e-Pramaan would make SMSs a valid documentary proof The Department of electronics and information technologY (DeitY), a part of the ministry of Communication and Information Technology, will ensure SMSs will be acceptable as ―documentary proof‖ for a variety of citizen-services ranging from making payments to registrations as a part of mobile governance.

First Ministerial Level Talk held for BCIM Trade Corridor

The Bangladesh-China-IndiaMyanmar (BCIM) economic corridor is a test case for cooperation between India and China in regional development as well as addressing common challenges.

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About BCIM Trade Corridor

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2. The Awards are given in all disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, Public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature And education, sports, civil service, etc.  ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; 

Note: The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation (CECA) between India and ASEAN was signed in 2003. The Cabinet approved the Agreement on Trade Goods under the CECA with the ASEAN in July 2009.

It aims to connect Kolkata with China‘s Kunming city with a highway running through Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The economic advantages of the BCIM trade corridor are:1. Approach to numerous markets in Southeast Asia, 2. Improvement of transportation infrastructure and 3. Creation of industrial zones Currently, the four nations raised an ambitious proposal that included developing multi-modal transport, such as road, rail, waterways and airways, joint power projects, telecommunication networks, etc.

West Bengal adopts Bill to tackle illegal activities of Chit Funds Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Bill, 2013′.

The bill has arrived close on the heels of Sardha Chit Fund Scam which swindled the investors of their money.

As a first step, they will identify realistic and achievable infrastructure projects to boost physical connectivity.

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Objective: To promote the movement of Indian professionals in the 10-nation ASEAN. The Agreement on Investment would protect, promote and increase foreign investment flows into the country and also removes and barriers.

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Cabinet approved FTA in trade and services with ASEAN

Under the provisions of the new Bill personal properties of a person, who has borrowed money from defaulting Chit Fund Company will be attached besides, the properties of the owner, partners, directors and employees of the Financial Institutions will also be impounded.  Historic Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill passed 

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 Highlights 

The Supreme Court held that no approval from the Central Government is required by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute senior bureaucrats in court-monitored corruption cases. The court cleared that the sanction is not necessary under section 6A of the Delhi

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Supreme Court: No sanction required for prosecution in courtmonitored cases

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 The bill provides for the setting up of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at the States.  The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight members of which 50% shall be judicial members.  The Chairperson may be either a serving or retired Chief Justice of India, or a Judge of the Supreme Court or an eminent person. Fifty per cent of the total members shall be from the higher judiciary.  The Chairperson and the members of the Lokpal shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Selection Committee consists of the Prime

Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by him. One eminent person recommended by the Selection committee and nominated by the President will be its fifth member.

Lokpal will have the power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them by Lokpal.

A high powered Committee chaired by the Prime Minister will recommend selection of the Director, CBI. Directorate of Prosecution headed by a Director of Prosecution under the overall control of Director.

The appointment of the Director of Prosecution, CBI will be made on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission.

Transfer of officers of CBI investigating cases referred by Lokpal with the approval of Lokpal.

The Bill also mandates setting up of Lokayuktas through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within 365 days from the date of commencement of the Act.

Mobile makers should install “SoS” button for women safety: Finance Minister What is Nirbhaya Fund?

Nirbhaya Fund is a Rs. 1000 crore fund was announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in Budget 2013-14.

The fund is aimed at enhancing the safety and for empowerment of women. It was named after Nirbhayathe pseudonym given to the victim of the incident to hide her identity.

What is SoS? SOS is the widely used description for the International Morse Code distress signal (• • • – – – • • •).

What is the composition of SOS? 1. The SOS distress signal is a continuous sequence of three dits, three dahs, and three dits, all run together without letter spacing.

2. The three dits form the letter S, and three dahs make the letter O, so ―SOS‖ became an easy way to remember the order of the dits and dahs.

3. SOS is the only 9-element signal in Morse code, making it more easily identifiable, as no other symbol uses more than 8 elements.

Union Cabinet Okays fresh amendments to Code of Conduct for ministers In a bid to curb the misuse of bureaucrats by ministers for political motives, both at the Centre and in the states, the government approved fresh amendments to a 50-year-old Code of Conduct for Ministers.

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The court gave this ruling over the petition filed in coal blocks allocation scam to seek its direction to do away with the provisions of prior sanction of the Centre in cases monitored by court.

Earlier, SOS was used as the maritime radio distress signal but from 1999 it was replaced by the Global Maritime Distress Safety System. SOS is still recognized as a visual distress signal.

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Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act when the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act is monitored by court.

The new Paragraph 2 (f) will now read as: ―After taking office, and so long as he remains in office, the minister shall:uphold the political impartiality of the civil services and not ask the civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the duties and responsibilities of the civil servants.‖ Such a code although do not have any legal backing it must be adopted immediately at the centre and it shall be communicated to states for its adoption.

Retired Justice DP Buch: Gujarat’s fourth Lokayukta Retired High Court Judge DP Buch was sworn as the fourth Lokayukta of the Gujarat by Governor Kamla Beniwal, on the post that was lying vacant for a decade and over which Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Kamla Beniwal were on a collision course for three years.

What was the dispute between CM Narendra Modi and Governor, over the issue of appointment of Lokayukta?

The issue triggered a major controversy when the Governor appointed Justice (retd) R.A. Mehta as Lokayukta on

About Lokayukta 1. Lokayukta is an anti-corruption investigator in the Indian states.

2. The institution of Lokayukta has been set up to inquire into the allegations against Public Functionaries in the State and for matters connected therewith.

Supreme Court restricts the use of red beacon light on vehicles The Supreme Court has banned the use of red beacon light with flashers on all vehicles except those used by high dignitaries holding constitutional post; also banned pressure horns, multiple sound emitting horns and musical horns in vehicles.

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As a fresh amendment to the Code of Conduct for Ministers (CCM), a new clause aimed at checking the political executive from misusing bureaucrats for political purposes will be added to the CCM. As per Cabinet‘s proposal, it will also help check civil servants from cultivating political backing.

August 25, 2011, without consulting the state government. This led to a long-drawn legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, which later on preserved the Governor‘s decision. But after wining the legal battle over the appointment, Mr. Justice Mehta rejected to take charge of Lokayukta in August, 2013 because the government didn‘t accept his objectivity and credibility.

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What are the approved amendments to the Code of Conduct for Ministers?

VIPs who can use Red beacons while on duty: LIST A: (With Flasher) President; Vice President; Prime Minister; ex-Presidents; ex-PMs; deputy PM; CJI and SC Judges; LS Speaker; Union Cabinet Ministers; plan panel deputy chairperson; leaders of opposition in LS and RS. LIST B: (Without Flasher) CEC; CAG; Union Mos & dy ministers; LS deputy speaker; RS dy chairman; plan panel members; AG; Cabinet secy; services chiefs & officiating chiefs of staff; heads of CAT, UPSC, minorities commission, SC & ST commission.

Mizoram Assembly polls 2013 Mizoram Assembly poll results are out and Congress has defeated its main rival Mizo National Front (MNF) by a huge margin. Although Congress faced debacle in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, it has managed to save face in Mizoram by registering a second consecutive win in the small Christian-dominated state that MNF

It is Congress‘ fourth electoral win after Mizoram attained statehood in 1987, following the signing of the historic 1986 Mizo Accord between the Centre and MNF led by the legendary Laldenga.

EC declares AAP a state party How does EC recognizes a ‘state party and National Party’?

As per the criteria of election commission, a party can be called as a state party if all its candidates get minimum of 8 percent votes or secure minimum of 6% of the total votes polled and one assembly seat for every 25 seats in the state.

After the announcement, the party will have the option of retaining its original symbol or it may design an alternative symbol for its party.If a political party is recognized as a ―State Party‖ in four or more States then it will automatically become a national party.

Tejas test-fires missile successfully India‘s first indigenously designed and developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully launched an infrared seeking air-to-air missile that hit its target with precision.

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Even criminals were getting away using red lights because the police were too ―scared‖ to stop a car with a beacon. So, to avoid such practices, the court decided to restrict them.

once wanted to take out of the Indian Union.

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The apex court stated that the red lights represent power and create an arrant difference among those who are allowed to use it and the ones who are not. But a large number of those using vehicles with red lights have neither respect for the laws of the country, nor they treat the ordinary citizens with respect.

The aircraft is designed to meet the requirements of Indian Air Force as its frontline multi-mission single-seat tactical aircraft to replace the MiG-21 series of aircraft.

Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013.

The act comes into force all across india except J&K.

Union Government denies introduction of ILP in Meghalaya The Government clarified that it was bound by Article 19 (D) of the Constitution which allows any Indian citizen to move freely throughout the territory of the country.

What is Inner Line Permit (ILP)?

Key points : 1. Prohibition of Insanitary and Employment or engagement as Manual Scavengers

Why Inner Line Permit (ILP) is issued?

1. The ILP system empowers the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international borders. It is issued under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. At present, ILP is active in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.

2. In context of Meghalaya, various organizations in the state have been demanding ILP system claiming the demography of the State is changing due to the intense inflow of people.

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 Construct or maintain an insanitary latrine  Engage or employ a person to work as the Manual Scavenger Prohibition of person from engagement or employment for hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank Under this Act, offences are cognizable and non-bail able Time bound survey of Manual Scavengers in Urban and rural areas Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Manual Scavengers within a time bound framework Manual Scavengers will be issued Photo Identity card Government will provide initial cash aid

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It will be an offence to:

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ILP is an official travel document issued by an empowered State government to permit inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected or restricted area for a limited period. It is mandatory for Indian citizens from outside those specific States to get permit for entering the protected State.

 Children of the Manual Scavengers will be provided scholarship  Residential plot with financial aid will be allocated for the construction of the house or a ready built house  Imparting Manual Scavengers livelihood skill  Providing concessional loan with subsidy for assuming alternative occupation  Extending any other legal or programmatic help 6. Vigilance/ Monitoring Mechanism The implementation of the Act will be under the following Vigilance/Monitoring panels at various levels of State and Centre.

Vigilance Committees  District level committees will be headed by District Magistrate  Sub-Division level committees will be headed by Sub Divisional Magistrate Monitoring Committees  State level committees will be headed by Chief Minister  Centre level committees will be headed by Minister of Social Justice and Employment

 Governor of Telangana will have to bear a special responsibility for security of life, liberty and property of all those who reside in the common capital area. The Governor may be assisted by two advisors to be appointed by the Government of India (GoI).  Financial and other assistance to the creation of a new capital for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh will be provided by the Government of India. The capital will be recommended by an expert panel.  For proper management of water resources and projects on Krishna and Godavari rivers, institutional mechanism with full involvement and participation of government of India will be set up.  Polavaram will be declared as a national project and will be executed by the union government following all environmental and R&R norms.  There are detailed provisions in the bill on matters relating to coal, power, oil and gas, division of assets and liabilities and allocation of government employees.  Article 371 D will continue for the both states to ensure equitable opportunities for education and public employment.

Bill for creation of Telangana gets assent of Union Cabinet

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 Telangana will have 10 districts and the rest of Andhra Pradesh 13 districts.  Both the states will have Hyderabad as their capital for a period not exceeding 10 years.

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Highlights of the Telangana Bill:

Current admission quotas in higher technical and medical institutions will remain for a period not exceeding 5 years.

Ms Sushma Singh will be the next Chief Information Commissioner of India Central Information Commission The RTI act 2005 provides for establishment of Central and State information commissioner as a designated authority to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person.

Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

10. According to the RTI Act 2005, Chief Information Commissioner / Information Commissioner shall hold office for a term of 5 years or till he attains the age of 65 years.

11. The Chief Information Commissioner shall not be eligible forreappointment.

12. The general superintendence, direction and management of the affairs of the Commission are vested in the Chief Information Commissioner, who is assisted by the Information Commissioners.

Karnataka Assembly passes rigorous ESMA Bill

It aims to restrain employees working in water, power, health, transport and service sectors from going on strikes, inconveniencing people.

It empowers the government to declare even those services that the State has powers to make laws for under List II of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution, as essential services.

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The bill defines ‗Essential Services‘as any service connected with the production, generation, storage, transmission, supply or distribution of water or electricity and any transportation service for the carriage of passengers or goods by motor vehicles.

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7. 26 October 2005: Mr. Wajahat Habibullah became India‘s first Chief Information Commissioner.

8. Under the CIC, the Chief Information Commissioner enjoys complete financial and administrative powers of a Department of the Government of India except in matters relating to the creation of posts, reappropriation and writing-off losses for which it needs the specific concurrence of the Ministry of Finance.

9. The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee comprising — Prime Minister as

Essential Services Maintenance Bill (ESMA), 2013:

India successfully test-fired nukecapable Prithvi II missile Prithvi-II First missile developed by DRDO under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP).

Medium: Surface-to-surface Fuel Type: Single-stage liquid fuelled Payload capacity: 500 to 1000 kg Range: 350km Variants: Prithvi I for Army, Prithvi II for Air Force and; Dhanush for the Navy

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Inducted into the SFC in 2003

ECONOMY WATCH

 Bitcoin is a virtual currency.  It is not regulated by any any government or a financial regulator agency.

 It is generated by a complex computer algorithm.  The currency is “created” when computers solve complex mathematical problems.  People owning this digital currency can use it for some types of online transactions.  Bitcoins are traded at a platform provided by a private company called Coinbase.  Lately, Bitcoin has been attracting a lot of interest and its value surpassed $1,000 recently.  Confidence in Bitcoins has grown after a US Senate committee described it as a legitimate financial service at a meeting in October 2013.  Bitcoins are now starting to be accepted for some real-world goods and services.

Bitcoin, which has been gaining popularity globally this year, is catching the attention of India‟s youth too.

Many college students and young professionals are seeking to buy bitcoins because they see the currency as the future, and they hope to make big money off of it.

In their opinion, it is a good investment option compared to a traditional currency because it has a limited supply.

More and more Indians have been downloading the software needed to “mine” this currency.

Position of the RBI The Reserve Bank of India is closely watching the growth of bitcoins but is not currently regulating the currency.

Future of Bitcoins  The Bitcoins has attracted a great deal of acceptance lately. It also arose a considerable degree of

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What are Bitcoins?

Popularity in India

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Bitcoins: A revolution in the offing or a roadmap to financial chaos

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What are issues associated with the Bitcoins? (Analysis) First of all, the currency is not controlled by regulators. Therefore, chances of fraud, mismanagement and adverse impact on formally regulated currencies will be serious issues. It is not clear as to how these issues would be addressed in the absence of any government backed mechanism.

Persistence of these issues would definitely be a serious obstacle in mainstream acceptance of the currency.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has already warned about the potential risks of using Bitcoins.

The bank has said that in particular, consumers should be aware that exchange

China, the world‟s second largest economy, has also banned its banks from handling Bitcoin transactions, saying they have no legal status and should not be used as a currency.

At the same time, there have been concerns that the rise in Bitcoin‟s value has been triggered by speculators looking to cash in on its popularity.

Despite these concerns, some establishments across the globe have started to accept Bitcoins as a form of payment, just like cash or credit cards.

E-Inclusion Project Launched  The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, launched the ‘E-Inclusion: IT Training for Rural SC/ ST/ Women Beneficiaries’ Project.

 The Project launched by releasing the Handbook titled ‘E-Literacy: Towards Empowering Rural India’ containing profiles of 50 beneficiaries who have successfully

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platforms tend to be unregulated and are not banks that hold their currency as a deposit. Currently, no specific regulatory protections exist in the European Union that would protect consumers from financial losses if a platform that exchanges or holds virtual currencies fails or goes out of business.

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interest recently after being valued at par with $ 1000.

The number of people who use its Bitcoin wallet has doubled to more than 600,000 in the past two months and almost 10,000 new people are signing up every day.

The promoters have also been pushing aggressively for its increased usage.

Coinbase has said that it intends to educate the market, and promote the mainstream adoption of Bitcoins.

According to experts, a broad adoption of Bitcoin will be one of the most important shifts in the global economy.

The potential applications of Bitcoins include machine-tomachine payments to reduce spam and offering low-cost financial services to people who, because of financial or political constraints, do not have them today.

 To achieve this mission, DeitY has setup over 100,000 Common Services Centers (CSCs) on a PublicPrivate-Partnership (PPP) model.  CSCs are the front-end delivery points for government, private and social sector services to the citizens of India.  Ministry also mentioned that Digital Literacy is an enabler for empowering communities and providing them real freedom.  The Government initiative for making one person in every family eLiterate is a step in that direction.

This is in fact a revolution for enabling citizen‟s participation in nation building.  By making the girls and boys in rural India to become digitally literate, the Government is achieving the objective of empowering and enabling them to acquire information, knowledge and skills.  This would also help in enhancing the employability of these young

 He suggested that in this task we should also involve States, industry associations such as NASSCOM, NGOs and other stakeholders.  He also mentioned various government projects that are in the pipeline like the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), Aakash 4.0, etc.  He was hopeful that NOFN will enable delivery of health, education, agriculture and other services in a seamless manner at the doorsteps of the citizens.

Support Kosh

under

Rashtriya

Mahila

The Rashtriya Mahila Kosh was set up as a society in 1993 under the Ministry of Women and Child Development extends collateral free microcredit for livelihood support and asset creation to women in the unorganized sector.

It channelizes microfinance through Intermediary Micro-finance Organisations (IMOs) working in different parts of the country.

The details of the loans schemes operating under Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) are as mentioned below.

Various Loan Schemes of RMK are: Loan Promotion Scheme: RMK provides smaller loan, maximum up to Rs. 10 lakhs, to promote

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 The Project is part of the Government of India‟s initiative under the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP) for creating a transparent and accountable governance model for enabling service delivery at the doorstep of citizens.

men and women. Besides this, this will go a long way in bridging the digital divide.

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undertaken the basic IT training programme under the E-Inclusion project.  Around 100 beneficiaries, which included young boys, girls and women, including the Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) attended the event from the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

IMOs having minimum 3 years‟ experience in thrift and credit activities are considered under the scheme for loan up to Rs. 200 lakhs per state and a maximum of Rs. 600 lakhs for multistate operations. ] Gold Credit Scheme: This Scheme of providing hassle free finance has been designed for medium and large NGOs so as to provide extended moratorium and credit on easier terms by RMK, for 3 years period. Maximum credit limit under this scheme is Rs. 500 lakhs.

Housing Loan Scheme: Through it partner organizations, RMK provides loans up to a maximum Rs. 1,00,000/- per beneficiary to SHG members for construction of low cost house and repairs.

Working Capital Term Loan (WCTL): WCTL is provided to the organisations for backward and forward marketing linkages of products of women SHGs/individuals and group of entrepreneurs, including technology transfer, education for skill up- gradation and infrastructure development. The maximum loan that can be sanctioned under this scheme is Rs. 3 crores for multistate operations and Rs. 1 crore per State per IMO. Loan limit per beneficiary, is (a) first loan – up to Rs. 35,000/-, (b) Repeat loan (s)- Rs. 50,000/- including existing loan plus new loan.

Smaller NGOs of the State can avail loan directly from franchisee appointed by RMK for that particular State. RMK gives the Credit Limit up to Rs. 500 lakhs to the Franchisee who in turn extend loan to smaller & potential NGOs in the State.

Refinance Scheme: RMK provides 100% refinance assistance to Mahila Cooperative Banks & Urban Co-operative Bank on finances provided by them to poor women either directly or through SHGs within the norms of the RMK Main Loan Scheme.

Nodal Agency Scheme; The Nodal Agency (NOA) Scheme was introduced in the year 1996-97 with the objective of taking help of reputed and experienced organizations, which may not necessarily be borrowing partners of RMK, for identifying and assisting new NGOs to eventually link-up with RMK for extending credit facilities to women for their income generating activities.

The common eligibility features of all loan schemes, besides above, are as follows:  The organization should be registered for not less than 3 years as on the date of application to RMK as a Society, Co-operative Society, Voluntary Organisation, as Sec. 25 (Not for profit) Company. Women Development Corporation/ Cooperatives/Suitable State Government Agencies such as DRDA, Federation, Municipal Corp are also eligible.  The organization should have minimum three years‟ experience in

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Main Loan Scheme:

Franchisee Scheme:

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the activity of thrift and credit among new and smaller but potentially capable organisations having at-least six months experience in formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs), thrift, credit and recovery management.

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World Intellectual Property Indicators 2013 Edition Released  World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in its latest report informed that Intellectual Property patent filings worldwide grew at their fastest pace in almost two decades in 2012.

 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) deal with protecting inventions, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright.  WIPO in its annual report released recently said that the patent filings grew by 9.2 per cent last year, the fastest growth recorded in the past 18 years, reaching an estimated 2.35 million applications filed.  Filings have “sharply rebounded” since a 2009 decline, at the height of

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application, should be rated by any reputed credit-rating agency. In case of State Govt. organization, the organization/ department has to arrange State Govt. guarantee if their balance sheet shows deficit/loss.  The organization applying for loan to RMK has to contribute 10% of the loan amount sanctioned.

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the field of micro-credit management, SHG formation, SHG promotion & development.

It should have excellent recovery management (i.e at least 90% recovery rate in case of loan availed from other funding agencies/internal loan of SHG).

There should be proper & specific clause/provision in the By-laws Memorandum of Association of the organization having power to borrow or to raise loan from any outside agencies.

The office bearer of the organization should not be elected members of any political party.

The organization should have a proper system of maintaining accounts, which should have been audited & published every year and there should not have been any serious irregularities.

The organization has to submit a detail project proposal, which should be economically and technically viable and fulfil the social objectives/responsibilities of the organizations.

The borrowing organization should have availed a minimum loan of Rs.25 lakhs or above under microcredit scheme of RMK/SIDBI/NABARD/Commercial Banks/Other Financial Institutions.

RMK does not take any collateral security for sanctioning loan up to Rs 1 crore. However if the loan amount of the borrowing organization exceeds Rs1 crore, it has to provide 10% of the sanction amount as security in shape of Fixed Deposit.

NGOs seeking loan assistance of Rs 1 crore and above, at the time of

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Continuation of Rashtriya Vikas Yojana Approved

Krishi

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved continuation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), in the 12th Plan with a combined outlay of over Rs 80,000 crore.

About RKVY  The RKVY is a State plan scheme that provides „considerable flexibility‟ and autonomy to states in planning and executing programmes for incentivising investment in agriculture and allied sectors.

 RKVY was launched in August 2007 as a part of the 11th Five Year Plan by the Government of India.  Launched under the aegis of the National Development Council, it seeks to achieve 4% annual growth in agriculture through development of Agriculture and its allied sectors under the 11th Five Year Plan (2007–11).  The scheme is essentially a State Plan Scheme that seeks to provide the States and Territories of India with the autonomy to draw up plans for increased public investment in Agriculture by incorporating

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 The European Union‟s Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) received the highest number of applications (2,868), followed by offices in China (1,583) and Ukraine (1,281).

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the financial crisis, of 3.9 per cent, according to 2013 edition of the „World Intellectual Property Indicators.‟ “Following the 2009 financial crisis, global intellectual property (IP) filings and global economic output have followed diverging paths,” WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said.

While economic recovery since the 2009 crisis has been uneven and has failed to bring down unacceptably high levels of unemployment, IP filings have increased at a faster rate than before the crisis.

The report also shows that for the first time, China tops the ranking for the largest number of patents filed at 560,681 – many of these in material metallurgy technologies.

In addition, China‟s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) last year accounted for the largest number of applications received by any single office with 652,777 filings, a position it first assumed in 2011.

In trademarks, the total number of applications filed grew by 6 per cent to 6.58 million with the fastest growth reported in Turkey, at 24.1 per cent, and China, at 16.5 per cent.

The numbers of industrial designs contained in applications also strongly rebounded, with the 17 per cent growth being the highest since records became available in 2004.

Russia recorded its fastest growth in design counts for 2012, hitting 29.5 per cent.

The total number of plant variety applications reached a new record at 14,319, but the growth rate of 1.8 per cent in 2012 was modest compared to 7.5 per cent the previous year.

information on local requirements, geographical/climatic conditions, available natural resources/ technology and cropping patterns in their districts so as to significantly increase the productivity of Agriculture and its allied sectors and eventually maximize the returns of farmers in agriculture and its allied sectors.

Russian Currency Gets Symbol  Russia‟s Central Bank has adopted an official symbol for the national currency, the rouble, which has been approved in a public vote.

During the 11th Plan, states have taken up 5,768 projects across the entire spectrum, such as crop development, horticulture, agricultural mechanisation, marketing and post-harvest management.

The mission has been approved for achieving the growth rate of 7.2 percent in the horticulture sector during the 12th Plan, the statement added.

The CCEA also approved the integrated Scheme on Agriculture Census, Economics and Statistics” with some modifications. The total plan outlay will be Rs 1091 crore during 12th Plan.

 The central bank said it had been inspired by the European Union’s introduction of the euro. But after Russia defaulted in 1998, talk of creating a symbol waned while the country focused on straightening out its financial affairs.  The rouble has seen dramatic plunges amid the post-Soviet economic decline, but it has stabilized in recent years thanks to the flow of petrodollars.  Some critics have warned that the new symbol could confuse those who

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Along with these two schemes, the CCEA also approved Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for implementation during the 12th Plan with an outlay of Rs 16,840 crore.

 The Cyrillic “P’‘ with a horizontal stroke has won 61 percent of votes on the Central Bank‟s web site.  The letter is pronounced as “R.”  According to Russian Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina, the new sign was designed to symbolize the ruble‟s stability.  The idea of creating a symbol for the ruble to rival the $, € and £ signs emerged in the 1990s.

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The CCEA has also approved the implementation of the central sector integrated scheme on agricultural cooperation with an outlay of Rs 920.088 crore during the 12th plan period (2012-13 to 2016-17).

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 In a move to promote educational content through satellite, an MoU was signed between Ministry of Human Resources Development and Prasar Bharati.  In the first phase 50 DTH channels will be launched for which the content shall originate from institutions of higher learning, that include IITs, IGNOU, State Open Universities, Central Universities, NITs, etc.  The content, mostly live, shall reach a Teleport / Earth Station (being hired presently) through optical fibre connectivity.  The Government has decided to use ICT to make deep inroads in the education system.  For this DTH is the first choice, since TV, being the most widely available ICT delivery tool has the potential to reach out to approximately 16 crore Indian homes out of 24 crore households as its delivery is the most

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 Later 1000 channels will be launched under a 4600 crore rupee programme under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT).  These educational channels will handle structured lecture series and all the lectures will be made available on portal.  Special Purpose Vehicle with the representative of Prasar Bharati and MHRD will be established to implement the project.

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HRD Ministry & Prasar Bharti to Launch Educational DTH Channels

cost effective way to reach the masses.

Each channel shall deliver mostly live telecasts, 9 hours a day, to be repeated in the next 15 hours.

The content generation and delivery through 50 DTH channels, shall amount to 1,64,250 hours of educational material a year, equivalent to 4106 Courses (each course of 40 hour duration) in UG & PG subjects.

The DTH channels of MHRD shall carry curriculum based content in almost all subjects being taught in universities and colleges.

The programme is designed in such a way that educational content besides being viewed on TV sets shall also be made available to viewers on IP devices such as PCs, Tablets (including Aakash), smart phones and on other personal devices.

The entire budget for the next one and half year for 50 DTH channels will be around Rs. 250 crore to Rs. 300 crore.

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use the Latin alphabet, but Nabiullina rejected such concerns.  The Central Bank said it would issue a new one rouble coin this year carrying the new symbol.  The approval by Bank of Russia of a graphic symbol for the Russian national currency symbolizes the sustainability of rouble which is becoming increasingly popular in international markets, and is getting closer to other world currencies.

The new system provides for a financial management platform for all plan schemes, a database of all recipient agencies, and integration with core banking solution of banks handling plan funds, integration with State Treasuries and efficient and effective tracking of fund flow to the lowest level of implementation for Plan schemes of the Government.

It will provide information across all plan schemes/implementation agencies in the country on fund utilization leading to better monitoring, review and decision support would enhance public accountability in the implementation of plan schemes.

It will result in effectiveness and economy in public financial management through better cash management for Government transparency in public expenditure and real-time information on resource availability and utilisation across schemes.

The roll-out will also result in improved programme administration and management, reduction of float in the system, direct payment to beneficiaries and greater transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

The proposed system will be an important tool for improving governance.

The Central Project Management Unit (CPMU) at the centre and State Project Management Unit (SPMU) and District Project Management Units (DPMU) at the state and district levels respectively.

The scheme will be named as the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

Background:

ò The

Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) is a Central Sector plan scheme of the Planning Commission being implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Ministry of Finance, and Department of Expenditure.

ò Its objective is to establish an on-line financial management information and decision support system for tracking of funds released under all plan schemes of Government of India and real time reporting of expenditure at all levels of programme implementation through treasury and bank interface.

ò The Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) to Plan of the Centre is Rs.5, 55,322 crore in 2013-14 BE. ò Apart from utilisation of Plan funds by the Central Ministries/Departments directly, Plan funds are also released under several Centrally Sponsored, Central Sector and State plan schemes from different Ministries of the Government of India to States, the

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The Union Cabinet approved the national rollout of the Plan Accounting and Public Finance Management System (PA&PFMS) also known as Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) over a period of four years till 2017 with a total outlay of Rs.1080 crore.

The project organization structure will comprise the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) at the apex level.

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Plan Accounting & Public Finance Management System Approved

ò

ò ò

Cuba to End Double Money System  Cuba has decided to scrap a currency pegged to the dollar.

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ò

 It is being done with a objective to end the Cuba‟s double-money system which had become a symbol of economic inequality.  Tourists currently use a convertible peso roughly equal to a U.S. dollar while most Cubans are paid in ordinary pesos worth about four cents.  Many goods are easier to find in government stores that exclusively accept convertible pesos, a mechanism designed to keep the flow of the special currency under government control.  The dual system has created special privileges for Cubans who work in tourism, and resentment among those who don‟t.  The government of President Raul Castro pledged in October to gradually unify the two currencies in order to prevent shocks like spikes in inflation.  Many Cuban economists said the process would take years.  On Friday, Vice President Marino Murillo told parliament that the peso pegged to the dollar, known as the CUC, would eventually disappear, the first time the government has explicitly said that.  He promised that savings in the convertible pesos would retain their value until the change took place.  People who have the convertible Cuban peso (CUC), whether in the banks or kept at home, will not lose any financial capacity when the dual monetary system is eliminated,” according to Murillo.  The double monetary system was established in 1994 amid an economic crisis sparked by the fall of

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ò

State Agencies by way of direct transfer and -to-Central Agencies.

However, given the diversity in the implementation hierarchy, number of implementing entities and the geographical reach of these schemes, there is no common platform available for financial monitoring of these schemes.

The CPSMS was started as a Plan Scheme to address this problem, following the Budget Speech of 2008-09 by the Finance Minister.

After the initial phase of establishing a network across Ministries/ Departments, it has been decided to undertake National rollout of the CPSMS to link the financial networks of Central, State Governments and the agencies of the State Governments.

The scheme is included as 12th Plan initiative of Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by the Programme Implementation Committee (PIC) of the CPSMS and later Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

the Soviet Union, which heavily subsidized Cuba for decades.  It was designed to allow Cuba to receive hard currency needed for international trade from the outside world while insulating the rest of the communist economy from market influences.  In October, government informed that the government‟s first step would be to allow several businesses that currently accept only convertible pesos, or CUCs, to do business in ordinary Cuban pesos, or CUPs.  The official exchange rate will remain in effect, meaning the goods themselves will remain out of reach for Cubans without access to the foreigner exchange-driven economy, which includes millions of dollars a year in remittances from relatives in the United States and other countries.

completely eliminate the confusion for tourists: since goods bought in national pesos have controlled prices, tourists are sometimes confused by prices perceived as “too cheap.”

Local citizens are paid most of their wages in CUP and pay everyday expenses in CUP. Tourists use the CUP only for staple and non-luxury products.

For accounting purposes, the public sector uses an exchange rate 1 CUP to 1 CUC. However, for the rest of the population, the exchange rate is that applied by the Cuban banks and Cadecas (exchange bureaux).

From 18 March 2005, the rate is 1:25 when exchanging CUC for CUP and 24:1 when going from CUP to CUC.

What is the Controversy?

The peso (CUP) is one of two official currencies in use in Cuba, the other being the convertible peso (CUC) (occasionally referred to as “dollar” in spoken language).

It is subdivided into 100 centavos.

Cuban state workers receive a portion of their wages in convertible pesos, the rest in national pesos.

Cuban convertible pesos are 25 times more valuable, but this does not

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The word “pesos” may refer to both non-convertible and convertible money.

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Shops selling basics, like fruit and vegetables, generally accept only the normal peso, while “dollar shops” sell the rest.

TECHNO WATCH

India‘s indigenously developed Pinaka rockets have been successfully test-fired from a multi-barrel rocket launcher from a base at Chandipur-onsea near in Balasore, Odisha .

Six rounds of Pinaka rockets were successfully tested from the proof and experimental establishment at Chandipur.

About Pinaka  Pinaka, which has undergone several tough tests since 1995, has been inducted into the armed forces and the present trials were conducted with some improvements in the system.  The tests were conducted by personnel from Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune unit.  The unguided rocket system was meant to neutralise large areas with rapid salvos.  The rockets with a range of 40 km, capable of acting as a forcemultiplier, was developed to supplement artillery guns.

 The quick reaction time and high rate of fire of the system gave an edge to the Army during a lowintensity conflict situation.  The system‘s capability to incorporate several types of warheads made it deadly for the enemy as it could even destroy solid structures and bunkers.  The Pinaka system with a battery of six launchers could fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds and could neutralise a target area of 3.9 sq km.  Pinaka is a complete MBRL system, each Pinaka battery consists of: ò Six launcher vehicles, each with 12 rockets; ò Six loader-cumreplenishment vehicles; ò Three replenishment vehicles; ò Two Command Post vehicle (one stand by) with a Fire Control computer, and the DIGICORA MET radar.

Salient features  Use of state-of-the-art technologies for improved combat performance  Total operational time optimised for shoot & scoot capability,  Cabin pressurisation for crew protection in addition to blast shields  Microprocessor-based fully automatic positioning and fire control console  Night vision devices for driver and crew

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System

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Pinaka Multi-Rocket Successfully Tested

 Neutralisation/destruction of the exposed troop concentrations, ‗B‘ vehicles and other such soft targets  Neutralisation of enemy guns/rocket locations  Laying of antipersonnel and antitank mines at a short notice.

First indigenous Thalassaemia testing kit unveiled by ICMR in association with NIIH The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) unveiled the first indigenously developed thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia testing kit.

The testing kit would be of immense help for premarital and post-pregnancy counselling.

This is because two carriers of a defective gene have a 25 per cent chance of having a baby born with thalassaemia.

The testing kit was developed by the National Institute of Immuno Haematology (NIIH) in Mumbai.

Scientists who developed the kit, meanwhile, rued the fact that a PCR machine — which costs about Rs 1 lakh — was available in only 10 per cent of medical colleges.

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The kit would bring down the cost of screening for both the genetic diseases to a tenth of the 15000 rupees to 20000 rupees in the private sector. The test costs 4000 rupees in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The prevalence is between 5 and 15 per cent among Sindhis, Kutchis, Punjabis, Bhanushalis, Jains and Muslims.

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The testing kit is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based test that screens for eight genetic mutations, six of which can cause thalassaemia and two sickle cell anaemia.

There are 3-4% (30-40 million) beta thalassaemia carriers in India and 1000012000 thalassaemic babies are born every year and 5000 with sickle cell anaemia.

About Thalassaemia States  Thalassaemia is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect the body‘s ability to create red blood cells.  In case of thalassaemia bone marrow does not produce the haemoglobin causing anaemia and reducing the oxygen carrying capacity.

Andhra Pradesh Tamilnadu Kerala Odisha West Bengal Maharashtra Gujarat Bihar Total

Total Rare Earth elements (In million tonnes) 327.25 284.06 231.10 209.18 5.50 3.75 2.83 1.12 1064.79

About Rare Earth Elements  A rare earth element is one of a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table,  In that the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium were present.  Despite their name, rare earth elements (with the exception of the radioactive promethium) are relatively plentiful in the Earth‘s crust, with cerium being the 25th most abundant element at 68 parts per million (similar to copper).  There are two types of thalassaemia that is alpha thalassaemia and beta thalassaemia.

 However, because of their geochemical properties, rare earth elements are typically dispersed and not often found concentrated as rare earth minerals in economically exploitable ore deposits.

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The State-wise and mineral-wise details of the rare earth deposits established by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent Unit of the Department of Atomic Energy, is as indicated below:

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Rare Earth Material Deposits in India

Scandium and yttrium are considered rare earth elements since they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties

Bangalore, Gorakhpur and Allappuzzha. ò National Centre for Diseases Control, Delhi under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  Besides, the following four ICMR Institutes are also working on viruses:  Enterovirus Research Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra;  National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, West Bengal;  National AIDS Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra  Virus Unit, Kolkata.

It was the very scarcity of these minerals (previously called ―earths‖) that led to the term ―rare earth‖.

Virology Institutes in India  There are two existing apex institutes of Viral investigations and research in the country as below:

ò ICMR‘s National Institute of Virology at Pune, Maharashtra and its three field stations at

 ICMR has also funded establishment of 15 viral diagnostic laboratories in the project mode.  However, a scheme has been recently approved by the Government, namely, “Establishment of a Network of Laboratories for Managing Epidemics and Natural Calamities” under which it is proposed to establish 10 Regional Labs, 30 State Level Labs and 120 Medical College Level Labs in the

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This mineral was extracted from a mine in the village of Ytterby in Sweden; several of the rare earth elements bear names derived from this location.

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The first such mineral discovered was gadolinite, a compound of cerium, yttrium, iron, silicon and other elements.

 According to NASA release, scientists made the discovery about coldest place on earth with its remote sensing satellites including the new Landsat 8, a joint project of NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  Researchers analyzed 32 years‘ worth of data from several satellite instruments.  They found temperatures plummeted to record lows dozens of times in clusters of pockets near a high ridge between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, two summits on the ice sheet known as the East Antarctic Plateau.

 The new record of minus 136 F (minus 93.2 C) was set Aug. 10, 2010.  That is several degrees colder than the previous low of minus 128.6 F (minus 89.2 C), set in 1983 at the Russian Vostok Research Station in East Antarctica.

 The quest to find out just how cold it can get on Earth — and why — started when the researchers were studying large snow dunes, sculpted and polished by the wind, on the East Antarctic Plateau.  When the scientists looked closer, they noticed cracks in the snow surface between the dunes, possibly created when wintertime temperatures got so low the top snow layer shrunk.  This led scientists to wonder what the temperature range was, and prompted them to hunt for the coldest places using data from two types of satellite sensors.  They turned to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites.  These sensitive instruments can pick up thermal radiation emitted from Earth‘s surface, even in areas lacking much heat.  Using these sensors to scan the East Antarctic Plateau, Scambos detected extremely cold temperatures on a 620-mile stretch of the ridge at high elevations

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NASA Discovers Coldest Place on Earth

 The coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth is north-eastern Siberia, where temperatures in the towns of Verkhoyansk and Oimekon dropped to a bone-chilling 90 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 67.8 C) in 1892 and 1933, respectively.

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country during the 12th Plan period, in a phased manner.

between Argus and Fuji, and even colder temperatures lower elevations in pockets off the ridge. Then, with the higher resolution of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) aboard Landsat 8, the research team pinpointed the record-setting pockets.  The team compared the sites to topographic maps to explore how it gets so cold.

China successfully sent an unmanned lunar probe with a robotic rover to soft land on the Moon, and to explore moon’s surface.

The probe Chang'e-3 was launched into orbit aboard an enhanced Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.

The mission was the 25th launch of the Long March-3B, which is the most powerful launch vehicle in the Long March fleet. Chang'e-3 comprises a lander and a Moon rover called "Yutu" (Jade Rabbit).

The Chang'e-3 mission is the second phase of China's lunar program, which includes orbiting, landing and returning to Earth. It follows the success of the Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 missions in 2007 and 2010.

The lunar probe will land on the Moon in mid-December 2013 according to the plan. So far, only the United States and the former Soviet Union have soft-landed on the Moon.

India's Chandrayaan-1, which was credited to have discovered water in the lunar surface made a hard landing on the Moon.

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China successfully launched unmanned Lunar Probe- Chang'e-3

About Chang'e-3

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 Already cold temperatures fall rapidly when the sky clears. If clear skies persist for a few days, the ground chills as it radiates its remaining heat into space. This creates a layer of super-chilled air above the surface of the snow and ice.  This layer of air is denser than the relatively warmer air above it, which causes it to slide down the shallow slope of domes on the Antarctic plateau. As it flows into the pockets, it can be trapped, and the cooling continues.

Kimberlite diamonds Antarctica

rocks discovered

containing in East

A new type of Kimberlite rocks that are believed to be containing diamonds was discovered by the researchers in Antarctica.

Kimberlite deposits were discovered around Mount Meredith in the Prince Charles Mountains in East Antarctica.

least 50 years so as to achieve the objective of Antarctica Treaty.

The Antarctica Treaty signed by 50 nations serves to protect its wildlife, from its native seals.

The kimberlite deposit was also the confirmation of how continents drift.

The region of East Antarctica was once part of a continent known as Gondwana connected to what is now Africa and India, which also have kimberlite.

About Kimberlite Rocks

Despite the possibility of Antarctic diamonds, the search for Antarctica diamonds would have to be put off due to the existence of an environment accord signed in 1991 under the Antarctica Treaty of 1963.

The environment accord of 1991 bans mining in Antarctica region for at

 Diamonds are nature's hardest material. However, two other rare natural substances are harder — wurtzite boron nitride, which is formed during intense volcanic eruptions, and lonsdaleite, which is sometimes created when meteorites hit Earth.

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Researchers, however, believe that the commercialization of such find would not be possible. The reason cited by the geologists among others includes Antarctica‘s remoteness, cold and winter darkness. Further, less than 10 percent of deposits of similar kimberlite were economically viable.

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The kimberlite deposits discovered lie near the margins of the Lambert rift, an enormous, transcontinental rift that crosses much of Antarctica.

 The blue-tinged Kimberlite rocks are a rare type of rock named after the South African town of Kimberley.  These rocks are supposed to be rich in diamond deposits.  Diamonds are formed under immense heat and pressure around 160-km below the Earth‘s surface in the mantle layer. Mantle layer of the planet is sandwiched between the outer crust and the core.

About Telecommunications satellite Satellite telecommunication is the most mature of space applications. Starting 50 years ago with the launch of Telstar in 1962 and Syncom in 1963, satcom has continued to grow ever since.

At first, satellite performance was very limited. The use of satellites was limited to long distance telephony and to

Use of Telecommunication satellites  While listening to the radio and watching T.V. the signals, we receive is distributed from the satellite.  Most news agencies use satellites to distribute text, audio and video to their affiliates

 Access to the Internet is possible only by satellite communication  Satellites are being used for teleeducation, telemedicine or videoconference systems  Internet service providers often link their servers to the core of the Internet network by satellite  With the emergence of very powerful broadband satellites, users – equipped with their own broadband interactive satellite terminals – get access to the Internet regardless of their distance from the nearest terrestrial node  In most remote and some not-soremote parts of the world, satellite communications continue to play a fundamental role in the infrastructure of telephone and other services.

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 Bolivia launched the country‘s first telecommunication satellite Tupak Katari.  The satellite has been named upon an indigenous national hero, who fought the 18th century Spanish colonial rule.  The rocket carrying the satellite blast off from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China. Bolivia is one of the last countries in South America to have its own satellite.  Ivan Zambrana is the Director of the Bolivian Space Agency. He said that the satellite should be fully operational by March 2014 and help to bring down communication cost and improve television and Internet services for people living in rural areas.

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Tupak Katari

the transport of television signals between studios.

ENVIRO WATCH

by

the

 Promotion of Ecotourism; economically empower the local population, Incentives green growth in the Western Ghats, etc.  Ban on mining, quarrying, sand mining, thermal power plants, building and construction projects on areas that are 20,000 sq m or more, township and area development projects with an area of 50ha and above and red category of industries in ESA.  Defined 37% of the Western Ghats landscape as ecologically sensitive.  NGT banned burning of plastic, rubber across the country.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned “unregulated open burning” of plastic, rubber or such other articles across the country. NGT directed all the municipal authorities to „set up, operationalize and coordinate the waste management systems within their limits All the plastic waste/scrap dealers and/or recyclers including the members of the PVC and Plastic Waste Dealers Association, respondent herein, shall be bounded from carrying on their business of separatism of plastic waste and its eventual transfer to recyclers or disposal contrary to and without registration under the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011.

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The Environment Ministry, following the ‘in principle’ acceptance of the Kasturirangan panel report, issued a fresh order on easing norms on activities related to plantations and agriculture in Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA).

Recommendations made Kasturirangan panel

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Western Ghats: Nod for farming activities by Ministry of Environment & Forests

About National Green Tribunal National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 (NGT) is a federal legislation enacted by the Parliament of India, under Indiaâ€&#x;s constitutional provision of Article 21, which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.

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The tribunal itself is a special fasttrack court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues.

WORLD WATCH

“Deterrence Stability and Escalation Control in South Asia” – A study cautions nuclear instability in South Asia The study has warned that in the fifteen years since India and Pakistan tested nuclear devices in 1998, both have introduced 17 new nuclear weapon-capable delivery systems and this has produced “conditions that could lead to uncontrolled escalation.”

 Pakistan‟s introduction of shortrange, tactical delivery vehicles, or “theatre nukes” whose utility depends on their propinquity to battlefields.  India‟s “Cold Start” conventional military strategy as a risk factor that could prompt a nuclear response and may have already driven Pakistan‟s interest in battlefield nuclear arms.

What is Cold Start Doctrine?

Cold Start is a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces.

It involves the various branches of India‟s military conducting offensive operations as part of unified battle groups.

High levels of preparedness and rapid mobilization are the main aims of this doctrine.

“LOB” Clause agreed between India and Mauritius Mauritius and India agreed on the principle of including a Limitation Of Benefit (LOB) or anti-treaty shopping law clause in the revised tax treaty to ring-fence its jurisdiction from any attempts of round-tripping and money laundering activities.

The LOB clause limits treaty benefits to those who meet certain conditions including those related to business, residency and investment commitments of the entity seeking benefit of a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

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Key developments contributing to nuclear risk:

The Cold Start doctrine is intended to allow India‟s conventional forces to perform holding attacks in order to prevent a nuclear retaliation from Pakistan in case of a conflict.

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According to the experts contributing to the study, although India and Pakistan were of the view after the 1998 tests that acquisition of nuclear capabilities would be stabilizing and that it would facilitate more normal relations, it has not worked out that way.

What is LOB provision ?  An anti-abuse provision that sets out where residents of the Contracting States are entitled to the treaty‟s benefits  Purpose : Aimed at preventing „treaty shopping‟ or inappropriate use of tax pacts by third-country investors.  To limit the ability of third country residents to obtain benefits under the said treaty.  India‟s desire is to discourage „Treaty shopping‟ by the „LOB‟ policy.

About UN Women UN Women is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women and girls.

What is „Treaty shopping‟ ?

India contributes $1 million to UN women’s body To help global efforts to ensure gender equality and empowerment of women, India contributed $1 million to the UN as the fourth instalment of India‟s multi-year pledge to provide USD 5 Mn to UN Women (United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women).

 It stands behind women‟s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on many priority areas such as Ending violence against women, Promoting Leadership and Participation, Economic Empowerment, national planning and budgeting for women, etc.

Bali Ministerial of the World Trade Organisation 2013 The conference discussed Trade facilitation, Agriculture negotiations, Cotton Least-developed countries

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A business that resides in a home country and not having a tax treaty with the source country (from which it receives income), can establish an operation in a second source country having a favourable tax treaty, in order to minimize its tax liability with the home country.

 Became operational in January 2011  Member of the United Nations Development Group  Headquarters at New York, USA  The organization strengthen women‟s rights by working with women, men, feminists, women‟s networks, governments, local authorities and civil society.

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The practice of structuring a multinational business in order to take advantage of more favourable tax treaties available in certain jurisdictions.

Monitoring mechanism, Small and vulnerable economies, Yemen‟s accession, E-commerce “Non-violation” in intellectual property, etc.

prohibited subsidies to farmers without inviting any dispute under the Agreement on Agriculture, developed countries will have the right to drag these countries to the WTO Disputes Settlement Body, under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. This would render the peace clause null-and-void.

India to be hub of oil demand growth after 2020: IEA

Here, India stands to seek safeguards for subsidies given to the farmers for food security purposes by poor countries.

Commerce and Industry Ministry said that for India, food security is non-negotiable, it is an integral part of the millennium development goals and the need for public stockholding of food grains to ensure food security must be respected, and for this WTO rules must be update.

What is the Peace Clause under current context and why an issue over this Peace Clause?

Under this „Peace Clause‟, developing countries can provide WTO-

 India‟s energy demand are estimated to double by 2035 on back of economic growth and population increase.  By 2035, India is likely to be the largest importer of coal and will be second largest importer of oil next to China and will be number four in importing gas after European Union, China and Japan.  Although the energy demand will be two-fold, the consumption per capita in India will still be 1/4th of the OECD average.  China is predicted to become the largest oil-importing country by replacing US and India will become the largest importer of coal by the early 2020s.  India‟s coal imports will surge primarily because India uses the fossil fuel for generation of

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India decided not to agree to the „Peace Clause‟ for agriculture subsidies that the World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedohas proposed for Bali talks.

Currently, within Asia, China dominates the region, before India replaces it from 2020 as the principal engine of oil demand growth.

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What was India‟s stand at the Bali Ministerial of the World Trade Organisation 2013 ?

As per Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA), India will become the largest single source of global oil demand growth after 2020.

electricity and 68% of electricity in India is generated from coal.

About International Energy Agency (IEA) The International Energy Agency was established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as a response to the oil shock of 1973-74. IEA advises its 24 member countries on issues related to energy security.

Cyber Coalition 2013: NATO’s largestever cyber-security exercise held in Estonia

About Cyber Defence Exercises  Objective: Cyber defence exercises allow its participants to learn and test the skills needed to fend off a real attack.  First exercise: 2008, a joint between Swedish and Estonian universities.  Second Exercise: Baltic Cyber Shield (2010), organised by Swedish National Defence College (SNDC), various Swedish institutions and the Estonian Cyber Defence League.  Since 2012, the exercise series is called Locked Shields.

NATO held Cyber Coalition 2013: Largest-ever cyber-exercises to practise averting large-scale, simultaneous cyber attacks on member states and their allies.

The drill was hosted by National Defence College training center in Tartu, Estonia.

Objective:

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It also aims to better the capability, cooperation and information sharing between NATO and NATO nations and partners in cyber defence via mode of education, research and development, lessons learnt.

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Cyber Coalition an exercise with technical components to give its participants a good learning about NATO‟s Cyber Defence capabilities, to identifiy areas for improvement within the NATO-wide Cyber Defence community.