UID programme "Aadhar" Launched

• The ambitious Unique Identification programme was launched jointly by the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson today by handing over the Aadhar Identity Numbers to ten adivasis from the tribal hamlet of Tembhli in Maharashtra.
• Launching the programme both Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi said that Unique Identification will enable the poor and weaker sections of society to get the benefit of various government schemes. 
• The Prime Minister said the poor did not have any identity proof. Due to this shortcoming, they could not open bank accounts or get ration cards. Now the scheme will help them avail the benefits of government welfare programmes which many a times are pocketed by others.
• Sonia Gandhi said identification numbers will help plug the loopholes in the Public Distribution System and make the delivery of various schemes more transparent.
  

ADB hikes GDP forecast to 8.5% but warns about inflation

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 8.5 per cent from 8.2 per cent but expressed concern over persistent high inflation and rising value of rupee which could undermine future economic expansion.
• The multilateral lending agency had projected a growth rate of 8.2 per cent for 2010-11 in April. For the next financial year (2011-12), ADB has retained its earlier projection of 8.7 per cent.
• ADB's growth projection for current fiscal is the same as had been forecast by the Finance Ministry, the Reserve Bank of India and the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.
• Expects the average inflation to be 7.5 per cent during the current fiscal as against its earlier projection of 5.5 per cent. 
• ADB also warned that the raising value of rupee does not augur well for the Indian economy in the coming years. Rupee appreciated more than 11 per cent in real terms between August 2009 and August 2010, it added, stating that this "poses an additional challenge for policy makers as they seek to maintain high growth while winding back the monetary and fiscal stimulus measures used to help the economy recover from the global economic crisis".
• High inflation and rupee's sharp appreciation, it added, could erode India's export competitiveness and its plans to further expand economic growth to 9-10 per cent in coming years.

Budget-making process now in public domain

• Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday put the entire process in the public domain to enable a better understanding of the financial exercise for the benefit of not only his Ministry officials but also all other interested stakeholders.
• Prepared by the Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), is an attempt to incorporate all the budget related issues in the Manual so as to make it a self-contained and one-stop guidance document.

India invites Pakistan minister for Games, talks

• India's foreign minister has invited his Pakistani counterpart to watch the Commonwealth Games
  
• he hoped it could also give them a chance to carry forward their peace dialogue.

US Senate bars anti outsourcing bill

• United States' Republican senates on Sep 28 blocked the anti outsourcing bill, which would have restricted jobs within the boundary of the country.
• Minimum 60 votes were needed to overcome the opposition's obstruction but Republicans in a 53-45 vote prevented the bill from overcoming a filibuster.
• Terming the bill as an  election trick, Republican senator slammed the Democrats for their "height of irresponsibility" that would put the US economy at "greater risk."

Ayodhya verdict on 30 September

The Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for the Allahabad High Court to pronounce its verdict on four title suits relating to the Ayodhya dispute pending for about 60 years.

China-Russia energy deal

• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday signed a series of political and commercial deals on his second state visit to China, a sign of closer strategic ties between the two world powers.
• The two countries also signed 15 deals on cooperation covering coal, gas supply, energy efficiency, renewable energy, nuclear power, power grids and banking.
  

Gas pipeline

• Celebrated the completion of a long-awaited China-Russia oil pipeline, the largest bilateral project.
• The 999-km pipeline runs from Angarsk in Russia to Daqing in northeast China. It is part of a bilateral loan-for-oil deal reached in 2009.
• Under it, China makes a $25-billion long-term loan to Russia while Russia supplies China with 300 million tonnes of oil through pipelines from 2011 until 2030.

Pakistan to chair IAEA Board

• Pakistan was elected Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unanimously for the post for 2011-12
• Pakistan is holding this office for the third time. It held this office in 1962-63 and 1986-87.

2nd Administrative Reforms main Issues

1. Organizational Structure of the Government of India 

1.1  Reorganization of Ministries and Departments

        1.1.1 Revisiting and redefining the role of the Ministries and Departments in the context of evolving role of governance and need for greater collaboration. 

1.2 Manpower planning and Process re-engineering.

1.3 Suggest ways to position the administrative services in the modern context of global integration, emergence of markets and liberalisation.

1.4 To examine if the present system of governance is optimally suited to the environment of the times

        1.4.1 To suggest a framework for possible areas where there is need for governmental regulation (regulators) and those where it should be reduced.

        1.4.2 To strengthen the framework for efficient, economical, sensitive, clean, objective and agile administrative machinery.

2. Ethics in Governance

2.1 Vigilance and Corruption:

        2.1.1 Strengthening pro-active vigilance to eliminate corruption and harassment to honest civil servants including, wherever necessary, limiting executive discretion.
        2.1.2 Addressing systemic deficiencies manifesting in reluctance to punish the corrupt.
       2.1.3(a) Identify procedures, rules and regulations and factors which lead to corruption (b) suggest measures to combat corruption and arbitrary decision making, and (c) suggest a framework for their periodical review in consultation with the stakeholders.

2.2 Relationship between Political Executive and Permanent 
Civil Service:
        2.2.1 To suggest improvements in the institutional arrangements for smooth, efficient and harmonious relationship between civil service and the political executive.

2.3 Code of Conduct for different organs of Government. 
        2.3.1 Political Executive, Civil Services, etc.

3. Refurbishing of Personnel Administration

3.1 Review the policy relating to, and all methods of recruitment, training and placement and suggest changes, if required.

3.2. Provide guidelines for enhancing performance of civil servants and its appraisal.

3.3. Improved methods of cadre management focussing on 
career progression, motivation and productivity 
enhancement.

3.4 Strategies for up-gradation of skills and competencies of civil servants and administrative cadres and appropriate interventions for capacity building.

3.5 Linking of performance of Civil Servants and Government personnel to social and economic objectives and outcomes.

4. Strengthening Financial Management Systems

4.1 Capacity building in financial management systems at all levels of Governance, to ensure smooth flow of funds for programmes/ projects, proper maintenance of accounts and timely furnishing of necessary information/ documents for this purpose.

4.2 Strengthening of internal audit systems, to ensure proper utilisation of funds for the purposes/outcomes for which they have been provided, and checking that unit cost of delivery/outcome is as per benchmark developed for this purpose.

4.3 An institutionalised method of external audit and assessment of the delivery and impact of programmes.

5. Steps to ensure effective administration at the State level

5.1 To encourage and promote appropriate changes in State Administration in the governance of the States to achieve envisaged outcomes.

5.1.1 Changes required in the State administration to achieve the objectives.

6. Steps to ensure effective District Administration

6.1 Progressive modernization and transformation of district administration in form and content keeping in mind the centrality thereof in regulating, facilitating and delivering services at the grass-root level.

6.2 Bringing about systemic changes to infuse and sustain vibrancy and responsiveness.

6.3 Streamlining and fine-tuning a comprehensive and accessible public grievance handling and redress mechanism.

6.4 Greater devolution and delegation of functions and resources to the local levels.

6.5 Examine the coordinating and leadership role of the District Officer in developmental activities and enlisting peoples' participation therein.

7. Local Self Government/ Panchayati Raj Institutions

7.1 Improving delivery mechanism of public utilities and civic services with greater citizens' and stakeholders' involvement in such processes

7.1.1 Utilities like water, power, health and sanitation, education etc.

7.2 Empowerment of local self-government institutions for encouraging participative governance and networking.

7.3 To encourage capacity building and training interventions for better performance of local bodies.

8. Social Capital, Trust and Participative public service delivery

8.1 Ways of investing and promoting social capital at all levels of government as an instrument of enhancing governmental effectiveness.

8.2 Improve and strengthen the capability of the administration to proactively partner with local community, particularly in remote areas. 

8.3 Better synergy between the government and the Civil Society Institutions

8.3.1 Increase the people-centric ness of the administrative approaches.

8.4 Ensuring greater involvement of people's representatives and community at large in the conceptualization and execution of programmes.

9. Citizen Centric Administration

9.1 Accountable and Transparent Government

9.1.1 Issues of delegation, accountability and transparency

9.1.2 Move from Processes Accountability to Productivity Accountability and from Transactional to Transformative Governance.

9.1.3 Reduce delays and ensure promptness in delivery of services

9.2 Progressive Interventions to make administration more result oriented.
These interventions, inter-alia, include:

9.2.1 Process Simplification

9.2.2 Target Group Consultations

9.2.3 Flexibility to implementing agencies customised to local needs.

9.3 Strengthening Citizen Centric decision making.
9.3.1 To further empower the citizen through Citizens' Charter etc.

9.4 To facilitate accessibility of user groups to decision-making processes. The operational details, inter alia, may include:

9.4.1 Setting up of Information Facilitation and Solution Centres. 

9.4.2 Augmenting facilities for submission and redress of grievances and providing replies thereto. 

9.4.3 Setting up consultative mechanism for receiving suggestions 

9.5 Freedom of Information

9.5.1 To review the confidentiality classification of government documents specially with reference to the Officials Secrets Act.

9.5.2 To encourage transparency and access to non-classified data.

9.5.3 Disclosure of information and transparency as a supplement to the Right to Information of the citizens.

10. Promoting e-governance

10.1 To reduce red-tape, delay and inconveniences through technology interventions including the use of modern tools, techniques and instruments of e-governance.

10.2 Promote knowledge sharing to realise continuous improvement in the quality of governance.

11. Issues of Federal Polity

11.1 Review the operation of the federal relationship to better the civil service performance

11.1.1 Framework for continuing interaction between Centre and the States.

11.1.2 Harmonise differential conditions of service prevalent across different States for All India Services

12. Crisis Management

12.1 Suggest ways to quicken the Emergency Responses of administration

12.2 Suggest ways to increase the effectiveness of the machinery to meet the crisis situation and enhance crisis preparedness.

13. Public order 

13.1 Suggest a framework to strengthen administrative machinery to 
maintain public order conducive to social harmony and economic development.

13.2 Capacity building for conflict resolution.

Chennai Container Terminal becomes first e-terminal in India

• The Chennai Container Terminal Ltd (CCTL), operated by DP World Chennai, has become the first e-terminal in the country.
• The simplified and convenient online services offered by CCTL to its valued customers include Electronic form 13, Electronic SSR, web access, web-based CRM, invoice & account statements on the web, customer relationship management and web/SMS based container tracking system.
• These cranes have been procured at a cost of Rs.90 crore have a lifting capacity of 65 Metric Tonnes in twin mode is installed at Bharti Dock and will reduce turn around time of ships.
•  The other salient features of the crane include programmable logic control — fully customisable & high speed of operations with an out reach of 56 meters capable of handling large size vessels (22 rows across).
  
• With the induction of these new cranes, more service windows will be available with improved productivity of more than 35 moves that would benefit the EXIM trade at large with global best service levels

Kuwait to scrap sponsorship system

• Kuwait will scrap its controversial sponsorship system in February, which very much favored employers.
• Under the system, foreigners cannot enter, work in, switch jobs in or leave a Gulf country without the approval of a sponsor who has full control over their movements.
• Bahrain in 2009 became the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member to allow foreigners to switch jobs without the approval of their sponsors.
• Foreigners make up around two thirds of Kuwait's total population of 3.3 million people.

PoK Premier appeals to Obama to resolve Kashmir issue

• Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Attique Ahmed Khan on Monday appealed to U.S. President Barack Obama to keep his election commitment and help resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
  

Pension scheme for Unorganised sector workers (SWAWLAMBAN) launched

• Subscribers would get Rs.1,000 from the government each year for a subscription amount of Rs.12,000 per year. The scheme will remain valid for this financial year and for the next three consecutive fiscals.
• Rs. 100 crore Allocated for the scheme in the budget for 2010-11. Will be managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India.
• A subscriber can enter the scheme at the age of 18 years and will be eligible for pension after turning 60.
• 87 per cent of the country's workforce would benefit from the 'Swavalamban' scheme.

Centre unveils 8-point formula for Kashmir

• The Centre will appoint a group of interlocutors to begin the process of sustained dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir with political parties, groups, students, civil society and other stakeholders.
• The decision to begin the process of sustained dialogue was part of an eight-point initiative taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) here on Saturday. Few other points are as below
  

1. The Centre would advise the Jammu and Kashmir government to release all students detained for stone-pelting and similar violations of law, and to withdraw all charges.
2. The Centre would request the State government to immediately convene a meeting of the Unified Command to review deployment of security forces in the Kashmir Valley, especially in Srinagar, with particular reference to descaling those at bunkers and checkpoints in the city and other towns.
3. Withdrawal or dilution of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) was not discussed.
4. The government would grant an ex gratia of Rs. five lakh to the family of each of those killed in civil disturbances in Kashmir since June 11.
   
5. He said the Centre would also advise the State government to review cases of all Public Safety Act (PSA) detenus and withdraw detention orders in appropriate cases.There were 84 persons under judicial custody, 110 under police custody and 51 had been detained under the Public Safety Act since civil disturbances began in the Kashmir Valley in June and 108 persons had lost their lives in civil disturbances.
6. The Centre would request the State government to take steps to immediately reopen all schools, colleges, and universities, hold special classes and ensure that examinations are conducted on schedule for the current academic year.

China asks Japan for apology on fishing boat capture, Japan denies

• Japan on Saturday described as "unacceptable" the reported "request" by China for an apology and compensation for the detention of a fishing boat captain and 14 fishermen, all Chinese nationals.
• Few Chinese national had in custody of Japan when their fishing boat collided with Japanese Coast Guard vessels off the Diaoyu Islands (known as Senkaku in Japan) in the East China Sea on September 7.
• Japan reaffirmed its control over the islands and the adjacent territorial waters.
• Both China and Japan claim historic rights on the island

Ed Miliband elected Labour leader

• Ed Miliband defeated his elder brother, Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband a closely contested election.
• Mr Miliband, 40, was secretary of state for energy and climate change in Mr Brown's cabinet

India, Argentina ink agreement on peaceful uses of N-energy

• India and Argentina have signed an agreement for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, according to Department of Atomic Energy.
• The agreement was signed on the on the sidelines of the 54th general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Myanmar junta to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to vote

• Myanmar's junta on Friday allowed democracy—icon Aung San Suu Kyi to vote in the upcoming general election on November 7, although it has barred her and her party from running.
• Ms. Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won the 1990 general election by a landslide, have called on their supporters to boycott this year's polls after being effectively blocked from contesting them.
• Only the military—supported parties, such as the USDP and NUP, have been able to field enough candidates to win a majority in the upcoming polls for the lower, upper and regional houses of parliament.
• Parties have complained the registration fee of 500 dollars per candidate is too high.
• A new constitution ensures that even if a pro—democracy party wins the November 7 polls, the military will be able to block legislation through the Senate, a quarter of which is appointed by the junta.

7 elephants die after train hits herd

• Seven elephants of a herd died after being hit by a goods train in the Banarhat area of Jalpaiguri district
• The incident has once again raised questions over the movement of trains along the elephant corridor in the region.
• The State's wildlife and forest officials have blamed the railway authorities for failing to ensure that the trains passing through the region do not exceed the speed limit of 25 km per hour.

Germany backs India against protectionism

• Against the backdrop of growing voices in the U.S. opposing outsourcing, Germany on Thursday lent support to India in its effort to fight protectionism.
• The state of Ohio is the U.S. had last month banned offshore outsourcing by government departments. Earlier, the U.S. increased professional visa fees significantly to fund a $600 million programme to secure its border with Mexico.
• Germany would take the lead to help formulate a Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union.
• Indian equity investment in Germany is currently of only around Euro 33 million annually.
• During the 2007 visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to New Delhi, the two countries had decided to increase their bilateral trade to euro 20 billion by 2012. The annual trade between India and Germany in 2009 was euro 13 billion.
• Germany is the eighth largest investor in India. Their investment in India is currently around euro 600 million annually.

FII investment cap raised by $10 b in debt markets

• GOI raised the cap on investment by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in the country's debt and bond markets by $10 billion to $30 billion.
• FIIs will now be allowed to invest up to $5 billion more in both government bonds and corporate papers after they reach the existing cap of $5 billion and $15 billion in the two instruments, respectively.
  
• Besides, FIIs are permitted to invest $5 billion in bonds of infrastructure companies and government bonds with a residual maturity of over five years.
• The government is of the view that enhancement of the FII investment cap would provide avenues for increased investments in debt securities, help investment in the infrastructure sector and the development of government securities and corporate bond markets in the country.

Investment destination

Having emerged as one of the top investment destinations in the course of the fast-paced recovery from the impact of the global financial crisis, India has already attracted over $17 billion in investment in various bonds and securities. A hike in the ceiling was, therefore, deemed necessary as FIIs are already close to touching the existing cap of $20 billion in investment. Commenting on the relaxation in the investment limit.

India switches fully to Euro III and IV petrol and diesel

• India on Thursday announced that it had completely switched over to the cleaner Euro-III and Euro-IV petrol and diesel, well ahead of the October 1 deadline fixed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry.
• The ultra-low sulphur and benzene BS III and BS IV petrol and diesel not only reduce exhaust emission from vehicles but also improve the power and efficiency of vehicle engines.

Manmohan Singh gets World Statesman Award

• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been honoured with the 2010 World Statesman Award by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith coalition which promotes mutual understanding, tolerance and peace.
• India's ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, accepted the award on behalf of the prime minister an a glittering ceremony here Tuesday from the Foundation espousing fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human rights for peace, security and shared prosperity.
  

Manmohan to launch UID scheme on Sept. 29

• The ambitious scheme,Aadhaar of providing unique identity number to the citizens of the country will get off on September 29
• It is planned that the number will be given to 100 million people by the end of the current financial year and cover around 600 million Indians by 2014.
• The number is aimed at ensuring that the citizens get more efficient access to national schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the public distribution system and a range of other services including banking for the poor.
• Being Overseen by the Unique Identity Development Authority of India (UIDAI), set up in June 2009 and is headed by Infosys Technologies Ltd co—founder Nandan Nilekani.

UNSC support central to global cooperation, India tells China

• India this week reiterated its calls for "greater understanding" from China of its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), underscoring that the issue was central to any future cooperation between the two countries on the global stage.
• China has, in the past, been reluctant to support India's bid for a permanent seat.

ULFA cadres in Bangladesh surrender in India

• 20 cadres of The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) received another big jolt with about 20-odd cadres, including four close aides of the outfit's self styled Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua surrendered before Indian authorities.

Centre clears Rs 1,100-crore coastal security plan

• Aiming to strengthen country's security along its coastline, the government on Friday approved a Rs 1,100-crore coastal security scheme to be implemented from April 1, 2011
• Under the scheme, the Centre, with the help of States having coastline, proposes to set up more coastal police stations, purchase high-speed boats, recruit security personnel and procure high-tech gadgets.
• In  the earlier first phase of the coastal security scheme, 73 coastal police stations, 97 check posts, 58 outposts and 30 operational barracks, equipped with 204 vessels and vehicles in the nine coastal States, four coastal Union Territories were setup
• After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, which was carried out by terrorists who came from Pakistan taking the sea route, the government has been emphasising on securing the country's 7,517-km coastline.

Romania urges Sarkozy to stop Gypsy expulsions

• Romania's president says he has asked French President Nicolas Sarkozy himself to stop his country's expulsions of Romanian Gypsies.
• France's deportations of more than 1,000 Gypsies, or Roma, and its destruction of hundreds of their camps in recent weeks has been criticized by the European Union, the United Nations and the Vatican.

Russia stops Iran missile sales

• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has banned all sales of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran.
• Russia signed a 2007 contract to sell the sophisticated systems that could boost Iran's ability to defend against air strikes.
•  Israel and the United States have objected to the deal, and no such missiles have been delivered yet.
• Mr. Medvedev's decree on Wednesday also prohibited exports of tanks, aircraft and sea vessels to Iran.

The S-300 is capable of shooting down aircraft and missiles at ranges of over 144 km and at altitudes of about 27,432 metres.

Oxford fellowship for P.J. Cherian

• P.J. Cherian, Director of the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), has been awarded a visiting fellowship by Oxford University in recognition of his leadership of the multi-disciplinary archaeological research at Pattanam.
• The fellowship, would deepen Dr. Cherian's understanding of new theoretical and methodological developments in archaeology, and contribute to ensuring that Pattanam continued to be excavated and interpreted to the highest standards.
• The university and the KCHR signed a memorandum of understanding in April facilitating academic exchanges and joint training programmes.

U.N. award for IBSA

• The United Nations has acknowledged the contribution of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) grouping in using innovative approaches while setting up development experiences for combating poverty and hunger in other parts of the world through the IBSA Trust Fund.
• The India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund) received the 2010 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Award for South-South Cooperation.
• The three countries contribute $ 1 million annually to the IBSA Fund, which is managed by the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation. Projects are executed by U.N. agencies and its partners with a strong emphasis on national ownership.
• Current IBSA initiatives include projects in Haiti, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde, Burundi, Palestine, Cambodia and Lao PDR.

Ozone layer 'no longer disappearing’

• UN scientists have confirmed that the ozone layer is no longer disappearing and could be back to full strength by the middle of this century.
• The phasing out of nearly 100 substances once used in products like refrigerators and aerosols has stopped the ozone layer being depleted further, although it is not yet increasing.
• And it claimed that efforts to protect the ozone layer have averted millions of cases of skin cancer worldwide.
• Ozone in the stratosphere is important because it absorbs some of the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation

India is 3rd most powerful nation in world: US

•  Using the insights of experts from Bazil, Russia, India and China, India is listed the third most powerful country in the world after the US and China.
• In 2010, the US tops the list of powerful countries, accounting for nearly 22 percent of the global power.
• But according to  international futures models, by 2025 the power of the US, EU, Japan and Russia will decline while India, China and Brazil will increase in global power.

United Stock Exchange begins operations

• New bourse for currency derivatives, the United Stock Exchange of India (USE), began operations on Monday.
• After the NSE and MCX, the USE is the third bourse offering currency trading in the country.
• The exchange commenced operations in the all four currency pairs allowed by SEBI — dollar-rupee, euro-rupee, yen-rupee and pound-rupee.
• Worldwide, the currency derivatives market was bigger than equities with volumes of $3-billion-a-day while India's contribution is only one per cent. Hence, there was a greater prospect for growth.
• The RBI and SEBI came out strongly in support of having a diversified ownership in exchanges for ensuring good governance of the "systemically important institutions."

Public-private partnership

USE is a unique public-private partnership with 21 public sector banks, five top private banks, the BSE, trading companies like the state-owned trading entity MMTC, Jaypee Capital, gold importer Riddhi Siddhi and a leading garment exporter as stakeholders.

TAPI pipeline: India signs important pacts

• India on Monday signed two important agreements for the ambitious Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.
  
• The project, assisted by Asian Development Bank, envisages the building of 1,680 km of pipeline with a total gas capacity of 90 million cubic metres per day (mmscmd).
  
• With the completion of the TAPI gas pipeline, India would get 38 mmscmd of gas

• India, which joined this project in April 2008, signed two important documents — one initialising the gas pipeline framework agreement (GPFA), the other being the Heads of Agreement for the proposed gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA) — along with three other partner countries.

Ties with Laos, Cambodia will expand: President

• President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said that the engagement between India, Camodia and Laos is set to substantially expand, and will be taken forward bilaterally and through the platform of ASEAN.
• Ms. Patil returned to India after a 10-day visit to both countries, she was accompanied by a 45-member business delegation with representatives from the CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI.
• In Laos, a Cultural Exchange Agreement for 2011-13 was signed during Ms. Patil's visit, as also an agreement for a new Government of India credit line of $72.55 million to finance two power projects.
• The National Assembly of Laos has already approved the India-ASEAN Agreement on Trade in Goods.
• In Cambodia, two agreements signed, the first between the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and the National Audit Authority of Cambodia, and the second for a $15-million credit line between EXIM Bank and the Cambodian government for Phase II of the Stung Tassal Water Development Project.
• Cambodia is currently the country coordinator for India on ASEAN and will hold the ASEAN chair in 2012, when India will host the Commemorative India-ASEAN summit in Delhi.

National Board for Wild Life

• Aims to promote conservation and development of wildlife and forest and also for framing policies and advising the Centre and state governments on the ways and mean of promoting wildlife conservation.
• The NBWL has a term of three years and is chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh as the Vice-chairperson.
• It is now mandatory for state governments, seeking to alter the boundaries of sanctuaries or national parks in their jurisdiction, to approach the Board for prior permission.

Interpol to provide database during Delhi CommonWealth Games

• A team of experts from the Interpol is all set to establish its centre in Delhi to make its database available to India's law enforcement agencies for the duration of the Commonwealth Games, to be held in the New Delhi from October 3.
• The security set-up is envisaged to be roughly like the one established at South Africa's International Police Co-ordination Centre (IPCC) in Pretoria during the FIFA World Cup 2010. Police officers from the participating countries in the Commonwealth Games will be able to liaise with their national administrations as well as with the five-member team from Interpol, the international police organisation, which will be in the Capital this week.
• The aim is to help secure the mega event by making critical data on wanted criminals and stolen travel documents accessible to the key security agencies in India, government sources said.

IAEA expresses concern over N. Korea’s nuclear programme

• North Korea has not permitted the Vienna-based watchdog to implement safeguards in the country since December 2002 and no inspectors have been allowed in since April, making it impossible to report to the international community about its atomic activities.

Suu Kyi officially barred from Myanmar election

Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is officially barred from voting in November elections, according to electoral rolls posted on Monday that left her name off the list of eligible voters.

Indigenous cryogenic stage in 18 months: VSSC official

• John P. Zachariah, Associate Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has said that India will be able to develop an indigenous cryogenic stage for launching satellites weighing over four tonnes in a year and a half.

• Dr. Zachariah said the research related to the launch of the Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III was nearing the final stages. The launch vehicle, designed in three stages with a height of 42.4 m and a lift-off weight of 630 tonnes, would be ready for operation by July 2011.

India emerging as a major outsourcing hub for engineering services

• The automotive industry will start outsourcing 40 per cent of its engineering activities to the engineering service providers by 2015.
• India with its natural competitive advantage is likely to play a big role in various segments of the engineering services industry. The Indian engineering industry is rapidly growing as a major outsourcing hub with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 30 per cent. Automotive, telecom and aerospace are the major verticals that spend heavily on outsourcing engineering services.
• The growth in engineering services signifies the need for global companies to expand their R&D centres beyond their home countries

Global recovery weaker than expected, OECD says

• The global economy is off to a weaker than expected start in the second half of the year, a senior international official said today.
• Earlier this month, the Paris-based organisation predicted the Group of Seven industrialised countries will grow by around 1.5 per cent on an annualised basis in the second half of 2010 - down from its previous forecast of 1.75 per cent in May. The G-7 comprises the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Child mortality rate Drops: UNICEF

• The number of children dying under the age of five has fallen by one third over the past two decades, the UNICEF has said.
• Between 1990 and 2009, the number of children below the age of five who died annually fell from 12.4 million to 8.1 million.
• The global under-five mortality rate dipped from 89 deaths per 1,000 live births to 60 during that period.
• Some 22,000 children under the age of five continue to die every day, with 70 per cent of these deaths occurring within their first year of life.
• Under-five mortality increasingly becoming concentrated in a few countries, with half of all deaths of children below five occurring in just five countries in 2009: India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan and China.
• Sub-Saharan Africa - where one in eight children do not live to see their fifth birthday - continues to be home to the highest rates of child mortality
• UNICEF cautioned that although the pace of decline of child mortality has picked up in the past decade, it is still not enough to meet the MDG target of a two-thirds decline between 1990 and 2015.

The new figures were published in this year's Levels & Trends in Child Mortality, issued by the U.N. Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, bringing together several U.N. entities.

Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline

• The Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFA) for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline will be signed in Ashkhabad
• After signing the GPFA, the four countries are planning to enter into another round of negotiations to finalise the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement during a proposed TAPI summit in the Turkmenistan capital itself.
• The TAPI pipeline project envisages transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India. India is a late entrant as the other three countries had signed the Inter Governmental Agreement in 2002. For the induction of India, a revised GPFA was initialled in 2008, the Ministry statement said.
• The 1,680 km-long-pipeline is expected to carry 3.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) gas from Turkmenistan. It will deliver 0.5 bcfd to Afghanistan and 1.35 bcfd each to Pakistan and India.

Mirwaiz invited to attend OIC meet

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has invited chairman of the Hurriyat Conference (moderate), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, to attend two meetings in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's 65th session.

Mobile number portability from November 1

• Mobile Number Portability (MNP) — which allows mobile subscribers to retain their existing number while changing operators — is on schedule to be rolled out across the country on November 1, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said.

Rao meets Clinton, Jones; conveys India’s concerns on H1B issue

• India has conveyed its concerns to the U.S. over the H1B visa fee hike and exchanged views on issues like UNSC expansion and nuclear liability bill during Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao's talks with top American officials focussing on President Barack Obama's November visit to the country.

• The Indian delegation is also understood to have brought to the notice of the U.S. officials the recent Pakistani statements on Kashmir as it was an internal matter of India, continued infiltration into Kashmir, the issue of cross-border terrorism and painfully slow progress in bringing to book those responsible for the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

• During the meetings, U.S. officials are believed to have praised constructive Indian role in Afghanistan and urged New Delhi to "step-up" its cooperation in the war-torn country.

• India, on the other hand, expressed concern that any "U.S. exit" from Afghanistan at this point of time or even in the near future would strengthen the terrorist organisations and extremist elements in the region, which it feels would not be good for the security of the United States, European countries and India as well.The issue of increased
  

• assertiveness of China in the Indian Ocean and Asia was also discussed during these meetings.

India, Canada to sign agreement on short term visits

• India and Canada will soon sign a bilateral social security agreement (SSA) under which their workers in either country need not contribute to social security schemes of the host nation on short term work visits.
• 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to be held in New Delhi from January 7-9 next year, 2011