All subordinate courts will be made fast track courts

• Union Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily said that all subordinate courts in the country would be converted into fast track courts (FTC) within three months.
• Henceforth there would be no selective fast track courts. The Law Minister's answer was to a query on 235 fast tracks courts in U.P., the validity of which expires on February 28. He said the idea behind the exercise was to ensure that justice was not delayed and no case was pending for more than three years.

bequeath

be·queath
tr.v. be·queathed, be·queath·ing, be·queaths
1. Law To leave or give (personal property) by will.
2. To pass (something) on to another; hand down: bequeathed to their children a respect for hard work.

Bhimsen Joshi grew to become a world-famous artist who was able to bequeath to his own children a life of comfort and well-being.

India's engineering exports up 50% in December

• India's engineering exports grew by about 50 per cent year-on-year to $5.5 billion in December, 2010, on the back of increased demand from US and Middle East markets, according to leading trade body. However, the recovery in the European economy is still fragile and demand is yet to pick up.
• Out of India's total engineering exports worth $32.5 billion in FY2009-10, the US and EU accounted for about 65 per cent of the shipments.
• During April-December, 2010-11, the exports jumped about 50 per cent to $37 billion, compared to the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
• To reduce dependence on traditional markets like the US and Europe, exporters are exploring new destinations in regions like South-East Asia and Latin America.
• Engineering exports include heavy engineering goods, transport equipment, capital goods, other machinery/equipment and light engineering products like castings, forgings and fasteners.

'Year of India in Canada' launched in Ottawa

• India has launched year-long activities and programmes for its  'Year of India in Canada' to showcase the country's rich art and culture, as well as its rise as an economic power. 
• Gavai said that the yearlong festivities would include exhibitions of Indian art and culture, seminars on promoting trade and business, conferences on enhanced co-operation, food and film festivals and more in different parts of the country. 
• The celebratory year was designated for 2011 by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper during the latter's visit to India in November 2009.
• A sustained engagement of Canada with India is evident from the number of agreements and MOUs already signed between two countries such as Civilian nuclear cooperation agreement; higher education; earth sciences and mining and cultural cooperation
• Social security agreement, the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement, and mou on transportation are under negotiation and are expected to be concluded soon.

Agreements signed during the State Visit of President of Indonesia

1. Extradition Treaty 
2. Mutual Legal 
3. MoU for cooperation in the field of  Education
4. MoU on the Establishment of Biennial Trade Ministers' Forum 
5. Protocol for extension of the MoU on Cooperation in Marine & Fisheries 
6. MoU for the Development of Urea Manufacture Plant in Indonesia 
7. Air Services Agreement 
8. Mou on Cooperation in Oil and Gas 
9. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises 
10. MoU on Cooperation in Science & Technology
11. MoU between Press Council of India and Press Council of Indonesia

Highlights of RBI's third quarterly review of 2010-11 monetary policy review

DRDO plans another K-15 missile launch

• DRDO plans another test-firing of the K-15 missile from a pontoon off the coast of Visakhapatnam.
• Developed under the Sagarika project, the K-15 has been test-fired several times from submerged pontoons off Visakhapatnam.
• The missile, which is under production, can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. It will form part of the lethal arsenal of the country's first nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant, which is undergoing sea trials. India is building two more such submarines.
• The DRDO is developing a K-4 underwater-launched missile, which will have a range of 3,000 km. Developmental tests of the missile's gas-booster have taken place from a pontoon.
• The sixth launch of the interceptor missile, developed by the DRDO, is scheduled for the first fortnight of February. A modified Prithvi missile, taking off from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur on the Orissa coast, will act as an "enemy" missile.

arduous

ar·du·ous  (ärj-s)

adj.

1. Demanding great effort or labor; difficult: "the arduous work of preparing a Dictionary of the English Language" (Thomas Macaulay).

2. Testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous: a long, arduous, and exhausting war.

3. Hard to traverse, climb, or surmount. See Synonyms at burdensome, hard.

Unfortunately, walking the path of 'insaniyat' in the Kashmir valley is arduous; it's so much easier of course to prove ones patriotism by waving a flag.

rapacious

ra·pa·cious  (r-pshs)

adj.

1. Taking by force; plundering.

2. Greedy; ravenous. See Synonyms at voracious.

3. Subsisting on live prey.

Documentary evidence suggests that a small percentage of the subsidy on kerosene reaches the poor, exploited as it is by rapacious middlemen. 

contentious

con·ten·tious  (kn-tnshs)

adj.

1. Given to contention; quarrelsome. See Synonyms at argumentative, belligerent.

2. Involving or likely to cause contention; controversial: "a central and contentious element of the book" (Tim W. Ferguson).

Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh always remains in controversies over his controversial remarks. This time Singh made another contentious statement which once again raised questions nation wide.

Lokpal Bill, a toothless watchdog?

• The Lokpal cannot, under the proposed Bill, investigate any case against the Prime Minister in the arena of external affairs and defence. This means corruption in defence deals, a la Bofors for instance, will be completely outside its jurisdiction. 
• It will have jurisdiction only over members of Parliament and ministers, besides truncated jurisdiction over the Prime Minister. Bureaucrats will continue to be dealt with under the existing mechanism. 
• The Lokpal will not have powers to inquire into complaints, suo motu. Complaints against MPs can only be made to the Speaker, who will then decide whether to forward them to the Lokpal for investigation. 
• Since the Speaker is invariably from the ruling party, this will lead to a surfeit of investigations against Opposition MPs and none against members of the party in power. That is not all. After completing its inquiry, the Lokpal will have no power to take action. The best it can do is forward the report to the Speaker and the Prime Minister for such action as the latter may deem fit. 
• The composition of the Lokpal - three retired judges - is equally unsatisfactory. By limiting the choice to retired judges, the Bill creates a vested interest within the judiciary to give decisions in favour of the government. A strong and independent judiciary is, perhaps, the only safeguard against excesses of the executive.

Defence Ministry asked for a “final view'' on FDI

• The Commerce and Industry Ministry is preparing to move a Cabinet note on allowing 49 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence sector.
• The Ministry of Commerce and Industry had allowed private industry into defence production in 2001, subject to government licensing and a 26 per cent FDI cap.
• In the Defence Procurement Procedure of 2008, the Defence Ministry had permitted a 49 per cent FDI on a case-by-case basis.

Supreme Court says Haj subsidy not discriminatory

• The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the Constitutional validity of the Haj Committee Act, which provides for grant of a government subsidy for pilgrimage every year.
• A Bench of judges rejected the contention by Prafull Goradia, former BJP Rajya Sabha member, who said such a grant violated Articles 14 and 15 and in particular Article 27 (freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion).
• The petitioner said he was a Hindu but he had to pay direct and indirect taxes, part of whose proceeds went for the Haj pilgrimage, which was done only by Muslims. For the Haj, "the Indian government grants a subsidy in air fare," which it could not do. An estimated Rs. 280 crore annually incurred by the government for the pilgrimage was not only unconstitutional but also a severe drain on the taxpayers' money.

• Rejecting this argument, the Bench said India was a country of great diversity and "if we wish to keep our country united, we need to have tolerance and equal respect for all communities and sects. It is due to the wisdom of our founding fathers that we have a Constitution, which is secular in character and which caters for the tremendous diversity in our country."
• The Bench said: "When India became independent in 1947 there were partition riots in many parts of the subcontinent, and a large number of people were killed, injured and displaced. Religious passions were inflamed at that time, and when passions are inflamed it is difficult to keep a cool head. It is the greatness of our founding fathers that under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru they kept a cool head and decided to declare India a secular country instead of a Hindu country. In this subcontinent, with all its tremendous diversity (because 92 per cent of the people living in the subcontinent are descendants of immigrants), the only policy which can work and provide for stability and progress is secularism and giving equal respect to all communities, sects, denominations, etc."

Article 27

On the petitioner's contention that Article 27 was violated, the court said: "If only a relatively small part of any tax collected is utilised for providing some conveniences or facilities or concessions to any religious denomination, that would not be violative of Article 27. It is only when a substantial part of the tax is utilised for any particular religion would Article 27 be violated."

The Bench pointed out that the State government incurred some expenditure for the Kumbh Mela and the Centre, for facilitating Indian citizens to go on pilgrimage to Mansarover, etc.

Similarly some State governments provided facilities to Hindus and Sikhs to visit temples and gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Massive protests rock Egypt

• A string of draconian measures enforced by authorities has fuelled the Egyptian uprising, which began to seriously question the future of the 30-year-old dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak.
• By nightfall, the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) in downtown Cairo was on fire, and protesters had stormed the Foreign Ministry building. As Egypt's revolt flared uncontrollably, the Army was called out to reinforce a curfew that was imposed
• Several waves of protesters have overwhelmed police in Suez city, on the edge of the Suez canal, a key international waterway.
• A Reuters report from Cairo said at least five protesters were killed during the clashes. It was not immediately clear how they died.
• Mohammad ElBaradei, a future reformist presidential hopeful was put under house arrest following afternoon prayers at the Giza mosque.

hegemonic and preponderance

he·gem·o·ny

n. pl. he·gem·o·nies

The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.

pre·pon·der·ance 

n.

Superiority in weight, force, importance, or influence.

Despite China's repeated assurances that it does not have any hegemonic ambitions, most recently demonstrated during Hu Jin Tao's State Visit to Obama's Washington as opposed to low key visit hosted by George W Bush, there is a persistent refrain in the world political arena that reconfiguration of global political structure with Chinese preponderance as a given factor may not be as peaceful as the last century's Cold War standoff between the two super powers.

prairie

prai·rie  (prâr)

n.

An extensive area of flat or rolling, predominantly treeless grassland, especially the large tract or plain of central North America.

The prairie fire of mass protests in Tunisia continues to burn and shows signs of spreading to Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen

exacerbate

ex·ac·er·bate  (g-zsr-bt)

tr.v. ex·ac·er·bat·ed, ex·ac·er·bat·ing, ex·ac·er·bates

To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate: a speech that exacerbated racial tensions; a heavy rainfall that exacerbated the flood problems.

China has already built three dams on the Longjiang River that have substantially depleted the water levels of the river in Myanmar. The new dam will inevitably exacerbate this crisis further which will pinch the Myanmarese traders even harder as they depend on water transport for carrying merchandise.

Infant mortality rate shows decline

• The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India has come down to 50 (deaths per 1,000 live births) from 53, showing a reduction of three points as compared to 2008, and eight points since 2005, when the national average was 58.
• The IMR is the lowest in Goa at 11, though it was 10 in 2008, followed by Kerala at 12.
• The worst performers are Madhya Pradesh at 67, Orissa at 65, Uttar Pradesh at 63, and Assam at 61. In Tamil Nadu, the IMR has come down from 31 in 2008 to 28 in 2009.
• The States and Union Territories that have recorded a four-point decline in the IMR in 2009 compared to 2008 are Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Orissa, Rajasthan, U.P., the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep.
• The States that recorded a three-point decline in 2009 compared to 2008 are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Puducherry.

Home-based deliveries

Importantly, the NRHM will also encourage home-based deliveries instead of focussing only on institutional deliveries, as it has been realised that several areas are still inaccessible and lack infrastructure.
To make the deliveries and post and pre-natal care better, the government is training the Accredited Social Health Activities (ASHAs) in reproductive and child health care

Kaveri engine to power fifth generation fighter aircraft

• Being developed by DRDO's Gas Turbine research Establishment (GTRE), the Kaveri was initially being developed for the LCA Tejas programme but now it will be used on the AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft ), which is expected to be ready by 2016-17
• The indigenous fighter aircraft engine programme was first started in 1986 and has suffered delays and cost over-runs. It was also marred by the technology denial regimes in the 90s.
• After not being able to get the desired thrust for powering fighter aircraft, the DRDO entered into a Joint Venture with the French engine manufacturers Snecma to further enhance its capabilities.
• In recent times, the engine has been able to produce thrust of 70-75 Kilo Newton but what the IAF and other stake-holders desire is power between 90—95 KN.
• Due to the absence of an indigenous engine, GE engines from the United States were procured to power the LCAs and recently, another tender was awarded to the American company for supplying 99 engines for the advanced version of the Tejas.

‘Anti-Iran virus Stuxnet may be replicated’

• Hackers have been trying to replicate Stuxnet, a computer virus tailor-made to knock out Iranian uranium processing machines, according to a German Minister.
• German hacking enthusiasts drew world attention last year to Stuxnet, a sabotage program targeting industrial plants managed by Siemens software.
• Last week, the New York Times reported that Stuxnet had been fine-tuned in an Israeli nuclear plant before it was unleashed against Iran's centrifuge plants, adding to suspicions that Western intelligence services may have devised the virus as a cyber-warfare weapon.

primordial and happenstance

pri·mor·di·al1. Being or happening first in sequence of time; original.
2. Primary or fundamental: play a primordial role.
3. Biology Belonging to or characteristic of the earliest stage of development of an organism or a part: primordial cells.

hap·pen·stance
A chance circumstance:

Considering the line was created not by primordial happenstance (hence a parallel cannot be drawn to the latitudinal centreline, the Equator) but by an international agreement inked in 1884, it behoves Britain to think twice before abandoning it for a time synchronised with Europe.

debilitating

de·bil·i·tate
tr.v. de·bil·i·tat·ed, de·bil·i·tat·ing, de·bil·i·tates

Establishing such standards of scrutiny would go a long way in enshrining the probity needed to tackle the debilitating menace of corruption

Yemenis take to the streets calling for President Saleh to step down

• Thousands of people took to the streets of Sana'a today, calling for an end to the reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in some of the biggest anti-government rallies Yemen has seen for a decade.
• Spurred on by events in Tunisia and Egypt, students and opposition activists assembled across the capital chanting for Saleh to quit after 32 years in power.
• Protesters are demanding improvements in living conditions as well as political reform. One banner read simply: "Look at the gap between the rich and poor."
• Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, is struggling with rising unemployment and dwindling oil and water reserves. Almost half its 23 million people live on $2 or less a day, while one-third suffer from chronic hunger.
• Earlier this month, Yemen's parliament gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment ending limits to the president's term of office, a measure that would allow Saleh to stay in power past his mandate, which ends in 2013.
• Saleh's ruling General People's Congress staged counter marches across the capital today, attended by hundreds of government supporters.
• In a bid to defuse tensions Saleh has raised army and civil servant salaries, and denied claims he plans to install his son, Ahmed, as his successor. Saleh has also ordered income taxes to be halved, and has told ministers to control prices.
• Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and is rocked by regional divisions and active al-Qaeda elements throughout the country.

Full-scale uprising in Egypt

• The anti-government protests in Egypt which began on Tuesday have now snow-balled into a full-scale uprising, as ordinary Egyptians prepare for the long-haul to bring down the 30-year old dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak.
• Major protests are now planned, following the afternoon Muslim prayers on Friday.
• Observers say that Friday's demonstrations are likely to be large because the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, which has so far stated away, has decided to join the proposed protests. 
• Besides, Mohamed ElBaradei, former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, turned political reformist, is joining these demonstrations

Tunisia issues international warrant for ousted president

• Tunisia's government issued an international arrest warrant on Wednesday for ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and six relatives, accusing him of taking money out of the North African nation illegally.
• Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia after being driven from power this month by violent protests, was also being charged with illegally acquiring real estate and other assets abroad
• Tunisia's so-called "Jasmine Revolution" has sparked scattered protests and civil disobedience in the Middle East and North Africa.
• In Cairo, anti-government activists pelted police with firebombs and rocks in a second day of clashes Wednesday to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30 years in power. Police responded with tear gas, beatings and live ammunition

India-China trade surpasses target

• Bilateral trade between India and China exceeded the two countries' $60 billion target last year, driven largely by rising Indian imports of Chinese machinery that have left a record trade imbalance of $20 billion in China's favour.
• Figures released for last year showed that bilateral trade in 2010 reached $61.7 billion, with Chinese exports to India touching $40.8 billion.
• This marked a 43 per cent jump in trade volume from last year, when the recession reduced two-way trade to $43 billion. In 2008, China became India's largest trade partner with $51.8 billion in bilateral trade.
• Despite the growth, the figures underscore rising Indian concerns over the fast-widening trade deficit, with Indian exports, largely made up of iron ore, other raw materials and cotton, contributing a little over $20 billion — equalling the size of the deficit.
• Indian officials have pressed China, most recently during Premier Wen Jiabao's December visit to New Delhi, to address the growing deficit by providing better market access for Indian pharmaceutical and Information Technology companies here which have struggled to penetrate the Chinese market.

• Officials say the deficit is otherwise likely to widen even further in the coming year, with iron ore sales, which have driven Indian exports, expected to fall with the recent ban in Karnataka. India is China's third biggest supplier of iron ore, behind Brazil and Australia. But following the ban, Chinese importers have increasingly diversified their imports, seeking out new markets such as South Africa and Ukraine.
• China, in contrast, exports finished goods to India, mainly machinery. Growing demand for Chinese telecom and power equipment has fuelled the growth in trade.
• Indian officials say the one bright spot in the coming year could come from Indian pharmaceutical companies, with China set to accelerate a $2-billion reform in its healthcare sector in coming months.

Taj staff heroism defies Harvard study

• Even though the employees "knew all the back exits" and could have easily fled the building, some stayed back to help the guests
• The study is on "why the Taj employees stayed at their posts, jeopardising their safety in order to save hotel guests" and how that level of loyalty and dedication can be replicated elsewhere.
• A documentary-style account of the events, the case includes video interviews with hotel staff and footage of the attack. It shows how leadership displayed by people from the bottom rank to the top levels in the organisational hierarchy helped in saving lives. It also focusses on the hotel's history, its approach to recruiting and training employees, the Indian philosophy of "guest is God," and how the hotel would recover after the attacks.
• Another key concept of the study is that in India and the rest of the developing world, "there is a much more paternalistic equation between employer and employee that creates a kinship."

Rahman bags WEF Crystal Award

• Internationally renowned music composer A.R. Rahman was on Wednesday honoured with the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the opening ceremony of its annual meet here being attended by 2,500 global leaders from the fields of business, government, art, culture and religion.
• Mr. Rahman, 44, received the award, given to outstanding artists who use their talent for social and charitable work.
• The WEF took note of his work for the welfare of children. He said he got motivation from social work.

Current account deficit at 3.5% of GDP, not sustainable: RBI

• The Reserve Bank today warned that a high current account deficit (CAD) of 3.5 per cent of the GDP in the 2010-11 fiscal is not sustainable and may widen further with the recovery of the global economy.
• However, in the July-September quarter this fiscal, the CAD surged by 72 per cent to $15.8 billion, compared to $9.2 billion in the same period last year due to higher imports.
• India's exports witnessed 36.4 per cent annual growth in December to $22.5 billion, the highest in 33 months, while imports contracted by 11.1 per cent to $25.1 billion, resulting in narrowing of the trade deficit to $2.6 billion, the lowest in three years.
• However, the central bank pointed out that although recent trade data shows an improvement in exports vis-a-vis imports, the  sharp increase in global commodity prices, particularly oil, could have an adverse impact on the trade balance going forward.
• "Faster-than-expected global recovery may enhance the attractiveness of investment opportunities in advanced economies, which may impact capital flows to India. This may increase the vulnerability of our external sector. Hence, the composition of capital inflows needs to shift toward longer-term commitments, such as FDI," the apex bank said.
• During the July-September quarter, FIIs pumped $18.8 billion into the Indian economy, but FDI fell to $2.5 billion year-on-year.

Committee to monitor neutrino project

• The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have formed a national level apex committee to monitor the progress of Rs.1,200-crore India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) being established in Theni district.

U.S. removes Indian companies from ‘Entity List’

• USA removed from its 'Entity List' as many as nine Indian space and defence related companies including those from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• The entities being removed are: Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), the four remaining subordinates of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO): Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Defence Research and Development Lab (DRDL), Missile Research and Development Complex; Solid State Physics Laboratory; and the four remaining subordinates of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO): Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB), Sriharikota Space Centre (SHAR), and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• Removal from the 'Entity List' eliminates a license requirement specific to the companies, and results in the removed companies being treated the same way as any other destination in India for export licensing purposes, the Commerce Department said in a statement.
• The notification removes India from several country groups in the Export Administration Regulations resulting in the removal of export license requirements that were tied to India's placement in those country groups.
• It further adds India to a country group in the EAR that consists of members of the Missile Technology Control Regime, to recognize and communicate India's adherence to the regime, the U.S.—India strategic partnership, and India's global non-proliferation standing.
• Mr. Obama during his India visit had assured India that he would remove these companies from the 'Entity List'.

Russian Parliament Duma ratifies New Start

• The Russian Parliament on Tuesday ratified a historic nuclear arms pact with the United States that was approved by the U.S. Senate last month.
• The New Start would limit each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, as well as re-establish a system for monitoring that lapsed when a previous arms control pact expired a year ago.
• The Russian ratification law said Russia could withdraw from the pact if the U.S. builds a global missile shield or deploys new non-nuclear strategic weapons.

India, Indonesia sign 18 pacts

• India and Indonesia on Tuesday signed 18 agreements worth $15.1 billion in sectors such as mining, infrastructure and manufacturing.
• GVK Power and Infrastructure signed two MoUs with the Indonesian government to develop green field international airports in Bali and Java. Both countries have also set a target for bilateral trade to touch $25 billion in the next five years.
• Bilateral trade between India and Indonasia tripled in the last five years from $4 billion in 2005 and is expected to reach $12 billion in 2010. Next target is to double this in the next five years to $25 billion

Bhimsen Joshi passes away

• The 88-year-old Bharat Ratna awardee was in hospital since December 31. He was on ventilator support, battling multiple organ failure. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.

Opaqueness and translucent

o·paque
adj.
1.

a. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
b. Not reflecting light; having no luster: an opaque finish.
2. Impenetrable by a form of radiant energy other than visible light: a chemical solution opaque to x-rays.
3.a. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings" (John Simon).
b. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.

trans·lu·cent
adj.
1. Transmitting light but causing sufficient diffusion to prevent perception of distinct images.
2. Clear; lucid.

As diplomacy requires confidentiality, there will, of course, have to be some opaqueness in the talks; at the same time, we cannot afford to swing the other way and bring in total transparency; so, what I would suggest is a translucent process where spokespersons of the two sides regularly brief the media but without getting into public spats with each other. Dignity and good will must be preserved to bridge the trust deficit.

Planning Commission to delink tribal welfare from security

• The Planning Commission has decided to disown the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Selected Tribal and Backward Districts that it authored and was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) — in a vastly amended form — in November last.
• Currently being implemented in 60 Left wing extremist (LWE)-affected districts, the plan was watered down by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before it received the CCEA nod. 
• The Commission-designed IAP architecture was also intended to simultaneously exert pressure on the State governments to perform, while involving panchayats to increase the participation of the local population. So, a certain amount of money was to be given to the panchayats through the Backward Regions Grant Fund. The larger chunk was to be routed through a Chief Secretary-headed administrative committee at the State level, which would consider requests from the districts and disburse monies on the basis of needs and performance.
• The scheme now being implemented has snipped off the panchayats altogether, while replacing the State-level committee with a district-level panel headed by the District Collector and including the Superintendent of Police and District Forest Officer as members. When the Commission raised objections to the changes, the MHA said the plan was "too complicated" and wanted to know why it did not trust the district officials. The Commission's view was that the pressure should be on the States: "Clearly, it is the failure of district officials that has led to the current crisis," the Commission sources said.
• The CCEA-approved scheme has also done away with the Commission's desire to impose conditionalities — to make continued flow of funds dependent on performance. For instance, the Commission wanted that in the first year, the IAP funds should be utilised to make the existing systems work, to put the non-functioning Public Distribution System, schools, public health centres, Integrated Child Development Services back on stream, and subsequently to ensure the implementation of the Forest Rights Act and the Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.

strident

stri·dent  (strdnt)

adj.

Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant. See Synonyms at loud, vociferous.

The Global Times, an official tabloid known for its strident views, spoke of the visit shaping "a new political civilisation".

grapple

grap·ple  (grpl)
n.
1.
a. An iron shaft with claws at one end, usually thrown by a rope and used for grasping and holding, especially one for drawing and holding an enemy ship alongside. Also called grapnel, grappling, grappling hook, grappling iron.
b. Nautical See grapnel.
2. The act of grappling.
3.
a. A struggle or contest in which the participants attempt to clutch or grip each other.
b. A struggle for superiority or dominance.

Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States last week may not have yielded major political outcomes, or even concrete progress, on many of the long-pending disputes over trade, Taiwan or human rights that the two countries have grappled with recently.

National Urban Sanitation Policy

• The Government has adopted the National Urban Sanitation Policy.
• The vision of the policy is that All Indian cities and towns become totally sanitised, healthy and liveable and ensure and sustain good public health and environmental outcomes for all their citizens with a special focus on hygienic and affordable sanitation facilities for the urban poor and women.

Initiatives  under the NUSP

Rating of Cities                                                                    

The rating of Cities covers all Class I cities of the country which account for 72% of the urban population. The rating was carried out using a methodology which focussed on output, process and outcome indicators and was conducted in consultation with the cities. The purpose of the rating was to create awareness regarding the critical state of sanitation in the country with a view to mobilising action. Cities were classified under four colour categories i.e. Red, Black, Blue and Green.

State Sanitation Strategies and City Sanitation Plans                    

• The NUSP requires each state to formulate its own State Urban Sanitation Strategy to achieve the policy goals set out in the NUSP taking into account its local urban context. 
• So far, 24 States are engaged in the preparation of State Sanitation Strategies. 
• Cities will operationalize the state strategy by preparing and implementing City Sanitation Plans. The City Sanitation Plan's main purpose is to support local bodies, NGOs, CBOs, Citizens to take concrete steps to achieve 100% sanitation in their cities. The preparatory actions include mobilization of a  City Sanitation Task Force.

Awareness Generation                    

An awareness generation campaign was launched with the broadcast of audio spots and jingles on Radio/ FM channels with a view to sensitizing citizens regarding the importance of sanitation, negative impacts on health and the environment due to lack of sanitation and most importantly the need to eliminate open defecation. The jingles have been developed in twelve languages.

National School Sanitation Initiative                      

Our vision of totally sanitized cities can not be achieved without the involvement of all stakeholders including our children who are our future. Keeping this in our view, a one day event on launch of National School Initiative was organized on April 27, 2010 by the Ministry of Urban Development & Ministry of Human Resource Development to sensitize younger children on the issue of sanitation, ecologically important issues such as energy efficiency, conservation of natural resources, segregation of waste etc. Mr. Aamir Khan, noted Film star participated in the event as Brand Ambassador for School Sanitation to spearhead the efforts towards awareness generation for better sanitation.

Project VIGEYE

• Project Vigeye (Vigilance Eye) is a citizen-centric initiative, wherein citizens join hands with the Central Vigilance Commission in fighting corruption in India.
• Project Vigeye is the platform through which vigilance information flows freely through common public, the government agencies and the vigilance commission, making it possible to achieve a step jump in improving the corruption index of the nation.

The important features of Project Vigeye are:

Citizens have multiple channels to air their grievances and complaints to CVC

    a) Through their mobile phones: by downloading the mobile application from the CVC website. The complaints can be better articulated with additional data like audio/ video/ photo evidence from their mobiles directly.

    b) Through the internet: by filling up the complaint form online they can attach audio/video/photo evidence.

    c) Through telephone: help line have been setup

The entire complaint processing is done online, in digital form, enabling fast and accurate processing of complaints.
The concerned CVO will interact with the complainant directly over phone/email or in person, as the case may be, to take it forward
Status of the complaint is communicated back to the complainant - the communication loop becomes complete

BCIM forum to focus on regional connectivity

• The Forum of Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) on Wednesday agreed on the need to improve the cooperation mechanism, which would feature a multi-track initiative with track I coordination, to promote regional prosperity and harmony.
• Launched in 1999, the Kunming initiative, which later evolved into the BCIM Forum, has so far been a track II initiative.
• In a joint statement signed by the heads of delegations, the Forum agreed to focus on improved regional connectivity and establishing the Kunming-Mandalay-Dhaka-Kolkata economic corridor. However, the Myanmar delegate emphasised the need to submit the matter to the new government in Yangon.

Nation-wide mobile number portability launched

• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday announced the pan-India rollout of mobile number portability (MNP), which will allow mobile subscribers, both GSM and CDMA, to change their service providers, within a telecom circle, while retaining their numbers.

Congo virus hits Gujarat

• 3 people died of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus in Gujarat, the National Institute of Virology said there was no need to panic as the transmission of the high risk category virus was slow and it could be arrested with isolation of patients.

Declaration of 25th January as the National Voters’ Day Every Year

• The Union Cabinet approved declaration of 25lh January every year as the "National Voters' Day" beginning from this year and to provide voters a badge with its logo and the slogan "Proud to be a voter – Ready to vote". 
• The Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988 was enacted to amend article 326 of the Constitution lowering the voting age from 21 years to 18 years so as to provide the unrepresented youth of the country an opportunity to give vent to their feelings and help them become a part of the political process. 
• It has been noticed that the new voters (18+ age) are not getting enrolled in the electoral roll in a big way year after year. In certain cases, the level of their enrollment is as low as 20 to 25%. In order to effectively deal with this problem, the Election Commission has decided to take up a vigorous exercise to identify all eligible voters attaining the age of 18 years as on 1sl of January every year, in each of the 8.5 lakh polling station areas of the country. Such eligible voters shall be enrolled on time and handed over their Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on the 25lh January every year at a brief felicitation to be organised in each polling station area. This initiation is expected to give the youth a sense of responsible citizenship, empowerment, pride and participation and inspire them to exercise their newly acquired franchise, when occasion arises. 

Malegam panel recommendations for MFIs

• Suggested that micro finance institutions (MFIs) be allowed to charge a maximum interest of 24 per cent on small loans which cannot exceed Rs.25,000.
• Also pitched for creation of a separate category of non-banking financial companies (NBFC-MFI) for the micro finance sector.
• It further said at least 75 per cent of loans extended by MFIs should be for income generation purposes. It further recommended that a borrower cannot take loans from more than two MFIs.
• These recommendations, the committee said, should be implemented from April 1, 2011.
• The RBI constituted the committee in October last in the wake of allegations of overcharging and using coercive recovery practices by MFIs that led to a spate of suicides in Andhra Pradesh.
• Suggested NABARD should regulate MFIs  in close coordination with the RBI.
• The sub-committee has recommended that bank lending to NBFCs, which qualify as NBFC-MFIs, will be entitled to the 'priority lending' status. With regard to the interest chargeable to the borrower, the sub-committee has recommended an average 'margin cap' of 10 per cent for MFIs having a loan portfolio of Rs.100 crore and of 12 per cent for smaller MFIs and a cap of 24 per cent for interest on individual loans.
• The sub-committee has made a number of recommendations to mitigate the problems of multiple-lending, over borrowing, ghost borrowers and coercive methods of recovery. These include: a borrower can be a member of only one self-help group or a joint liability group; not more than two MFIs can lend to a single borrower; there should be a minimum period of moratorium between the disbursement of loan and the commencement of recovery; the tenure of the loan must vary with its amount; a credit information bureau has to be established; the primary responsibility for avoidance of coercive methods of recovery must lie with the MFI and its management; and the RBI must prepare a draft customer protection code to be adopted by all MFIs.

India’s 20th nuclear reactor connected to power grid

• The fourth unit of 220 MW Kaiga Generating Station (KGS-4) located in Uttar Kanada district of Karnataka was connected to the southern power grid after the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted clearance to it.
• With the synchronisation of KGS-4 with the grid, India's nuclear power capacity has gone up to 4780 MW, with 20 reactors in operation. The installed capacity of Kaiga station is now 880 MW, making it the third largest after Tarapur (1400 MW) and Rawatbhata (1180 MW), he said.
• The unit, fuelled by indigenous uranium, will supply electricity to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
• NPCIL has also achieved new landmarks of generating over 4000 MW and over 95 Million Units of power a day. This is a 100 per cent increase over what was being generated same time last year, Mr. Kakde said.

Cool roofs to conserve energy

• In order to conserve energy used for cooling buildings, the Delhi Government plans to promote the concept of "cool roofs."
• The Government would encourage the creation of cool roofs which are prepared with materials that have both high reflection and emission levels. The concept would be tried in Delhi Secretariat and various hospitals and schools first.
• The research has shown that cool roofs also help increase the life expectancy of roofing systems because extreme cycles of heating and cooling tend to wear out materials as they expand and contract with the temperatures. Cool roofs, on the other hand, keep the roof at a more constant temperature and the structures therefore tend to last longer.
• Cool roofing can be implemented in three ways. These involve use of paint, glazed tiles and lime coating. While lime coating is the cheapest, it requires repetition after every six months whereas laying of glazed tiles though costlier is more long lasting. As for application of paint, it was stated that it will cost in between the two and will have life of around two years.

ISRO to launch three satellites by April

• Three major satellite launches are planned during the first quarter of this year by ISRO, whose recent mission to launch the GSAT-5P communication satellite onboard home grown GSLV-F06 rocket failed.
• 'Resourcesat-2', an advanced remote sensing satellite, 'Youthsat', a participatory scientific mission with payloads from Russia and India and X-sat, Singapore's first indigenous satellite, would be launched on board PSLV C-16 in February, March and April, ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said here.
• Another communication satellite GSAT-8 is getting ready for launch onboard Ariane-5 in April-May 2011

Cabinet to consider 51 p.c. FDI in multi-brand retail

• Government is all set to give its approval to 51 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector.
• The Government is proposing some safeguards to ensure that non-serious players and fly-by-night operators are not entertained. To this end, any player who seeks entry into the Indian market will be required to invest a minimum of Rs. 500 crore. The Government is also seeking certain other investment commitments, including establishing backend cold chain outlets.
• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution initially suggested a cap of 49 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, while the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry's recommendation is for 18 per cent FDI. But the recent skyrocketing of food prices — especially those of onions — and the declining inflow of FDI have opened a door for the Government to take a more ambitious decision on the prickly issue.

Swiss panel gives nod for new tax treaty with India

• A Swiss Parliamentary Committee has given the go-ahead to the revised tax treaty between India and Switzerland that would eventually allow Indian government access to secret Swiss bank accounts of Indian tax evaders.The amendments to the treaty will now be placed before the Swiss Parliament for final approval.
• Once the revised treaty gets the approval, Switzerland would provide administrative assistance to India to track cases of tax evasion and tax fraud.
• Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Swiss Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey signed a "protocol" to amend the double taxation agreement (DTA) in the area of taxes on income on August 30, 2010.
• As per an agreement between the two countries, the information exchange was to have taken effect on January 1, 2011.

191 Projects Sanctioned as Part of Women Scientists Scheme

Under the Women Scientists Scheme (WOS), a total of 191 projects were sanctioned during the last one year by the Department of Science & Technology. The Societal Women Programme also resulted in sanctioning of 34 new projects and 2 Women Technology Parks.

 The WOS has been evolved by the Department of Science & Technology for providing opportunities to women scientists and technologists between the age group of 30-50 years who desire to return to mainstream science and work as bench-level scientists. Through this endeavour, a concerted effort is made to give women a strong foothold into the scientific profession, help them re-enter into the mainstream and provide a launch pad for further forays into the S&T field bothfrom the point of view of pure science and its application to societal development. 

Revised Series of Wholesale Price Index (Base 2004-05=100) to Reflect Better Price Trends

Importance of WPI

Headline inflation in India is measured in terms of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and the Office of the Economic Adviser, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion is entrusted with the task of releasing this index.  WPI is an important statistical indicator, as various policy decisions of the Government, like inflation management, monitoring of prices of essential commodities etc., are based on it. It is one of the key variables for monetary policy changes by the Reserve Bank of India. In addition to its role as a policy variable, WPI is also used by various departments for arriving at the escalation costs of various contracts.

Considering the importance of WPI as a tool for various policy decisions, it is necessary to disseminate the most comprehensive, credible and accurate information, reflecting the realities of the present economic situation of the country. In order to capture the structural changes happening in the economy, the base year of WPI needs to be updated. The Office of the Economic Adviser undertook the work relating to revision of the existing series of WPI (base 1993-94=100), which not only addressed the issue of change in base year, but also revised the entire commodity basket and the weighting diagram so as to better reflect the price trends in economy. The revised series of WPI was officially launched on 14 September, 2010 by the Hon'ble Minister for Commerce & Industry.



Features of the Revised Series of WPI

A representative commodity basket comprising 676 items has been selected in the new series (base 2004-05=100) as against 435 in the old series (base 1993-94=100) and weighting diagram has been derived for the new series consistent with the structure of the economy. There has been a substantial increase in the number of quotations selected for collecting price data for the above items. The number of price quotations for the new series is 5482 whereas in the old series, it was 1918.

The selection of the base year and the commodity basket was made on the basis of the recommendations of the Working Group set up specifically for this purpose.  The Working Group was headed by Professor Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission and included as its Members all stake-holders covering the users of the price data and the providers of the prices.  The working group in its Technical Reports gave detailed recommendations with regard to the choice of the base year, the method of selection of items, preparation of weighting diagram and the collection of prices.  The new index along with the base year and the commodity basket was also examined by Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Prices and Cost of Living based in Central Statistical Organisation.  Before the launch of the new index, inter-departmental consultations were held and opinions obtained from Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister.

Revised Series: New Initiatives

There has been a substantial increase, both in terms of the number of commodities and its geographical coverage, in the revised series of WPI (base 2004-05=100), as compared to the earlier revisions undertaken so far. This would, undoubtedly, disseminate the more realistic and reliable data, facilitating better decision making and policy intervention.

The revised series of WPI (base 2004-05=100) has also addressed the issue of flow of regular data. The NIC unit of the Office of the Economic Adviser has developed an online data transmission mechanism, whereby, the manufacturing units can supply price data through internet. Also, an arrangement has been made with National Sample Survey Office (Field Operations Division) to get price data on regular basis. These measures have improved the flow of price data.

Vaidyanathan committee report

Agriculture plays a very pivotal role in the Indian economy providing employment to half of the population and contributing one-fifth to the GDP. The volatility in this sector has been one of the prime concern of the policy makers. To arrest this volatility and raise the livelihood security of the nation various commissions had been set up in the past. For instance, National Commission On Farmers. Recently the government has set up an expert committee under eminent economist Prof. A Vaidyanathan to look into the issues of raising crop yield through better estimation. The recommendations of the committee are given below.

Vaidyanathan Committee Recommends Remote Sensing, National Centre for Improving Agricultural Statistics
The expert committee set up under the chairmanship of Prof A Vaidyanathan to suggest ways to improve agricultural statistics has called for using remote sensing and restructuring the data collection machinery. In its interim report, the Expert Committee has also recommended setting up of National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) to deal with all aspects of crop area and yield estimation.

Details about the Expert Committee and its recommendations are as follows:

In pursuance of recommendations of Steering Committee on Agriculture & Allied Sector for formulation of 11th Five Year Plan set up by Planning Commission for thorough review of Schemes for collection of Agricultural Statistics for bringing about lasting improvements in basic system of agricultural statistics and as per decisions taken in the meeting with National Statistical Commission (NSC), the Government constituted a Committee of Experts to
(a) look into the problems relating to the methodology and procedures followed for the collection/ estimation of data on land use, cropping and yields and suggest measures for improvement and
(b) assess the potential of remote sensing techniques to collect these data and to indicate how to utilize this potential and
(c) suggest institutional framework for improvement of agricultural statistics.

The Committee submitted its interim report to the Department in July, 2010 on the deficiencies in the existing system alongwith recommendations to ensure reliable, unbiased and timely estimates of area and yield for crops at the National and State level.

The Report has brought out that the deficiencies in the current system of both area and yield estimation arises from serious lacuna in institutional arrangements to collect, supervise and validate basic data on large scale on diverse crops. The Committee recommended the need for reducing the sample size by improving the design and bringing organizational changes to ensure tighter management and maintenance of high professional standards. The Report has recommended a two-pronged strategy (a) expanding the use of remote sensing as an independent source of land use, crop area and, to the extent possible, yield estimates, (b) restructuring the scope, organization and management of existing system of collecting primary data.

The Committee has recommended the creation of (a) National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) as an autonomous professionally run organization fully funded by the Centre to design, organise and supervise the generation of crop area and yield estimates at the State and National level. Fieldwork would be done by the trained staff in the state bureaus appointed and dedicated exclusively to carry out the programme decided by NCSC and their cost being borne entirely out of the Central Budget. 

Congress mulls privilege motion against CAG

• Congress is considering filing a breach of privilege petition against CAG's advice to members of parliament to not speak on the 2G spectrum allocation issue when the matter is being considered by a parliamentary committee. 
• According to UPA sources, the party is examining the contents of the January 12 press release issued by CAG in which it had cited Rule 1.12 of the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure saying that making comments on the matter which are being considered by a committee is highly improper. The statement said, "When any matter is under consideration of a parliamentary committee and the committee is holding its sittings for that purpose, no persons, including a Member of Parliament should make or publish a statement or comment about that matter". 
• Sources said the rules are being studied carefully to check whether a press release could be used as a basis of a breach of privilege petition against CAG. A Member of Parliament on condition of anonymity said, "A press release is considered a written public statement. No constitutional authority has a right to issue a gag order on Members of Parliament. This is infringement on the right of a member. So it is a breach of privilege. We are examining the rules and planning to file the petition." Amongst other aspects, the party is also considering where to file the breach of privilege petition.

Scientists find a possible cause of schizophrenia

• The Scientists of University of New South Wales claim to have found a possible cause of schizophrenia. 
• They have found a link between the Schizophrenic condition and trapped brain cells which do not reach the cortex, the outer part of the brain. T
• he scientists have found that in schizophrenia, brain cells destined for the cortex associated with thinking and other cognitive abilities could get trapped in the layer below. 
• The lead scientist, Professor Cyndi Shannon Weickert said that this process of neuronal migration to the cortex doesn't stop at birth. It robust in infants and may continue in teenage years and beyond. The scientists hope that they can develop a therapy that encourages the neurons to keep moving to the finish line which would reduce the symptoms or even prevent schizophrenia from developing.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness.It most commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. The onset of symptoms typically occurs in young adulthood, with a global lifetime prevalence of about 0.3–0.7%

Some details about JNNURM

• JNNURM encompasses implementation of the 23 reforms, worked out in consultation with the states and committed to by states and cities through memoranda of agreement to be implemented as per periodic milestones agreed. The reform agenda, covering four broad areas like governance, citizen-responsive and process-oriented, land and property-related and financial, was widely welcomed because before the mission, the cities were not in a position to take up these much-needed reforms even if they wanted and it was high time that a push for these came from somewhere. There may not be any other flagship programme that walks on the two legs of reforms and funds for projects. And this stands out as a unique feature of the urban programme.
• Governance reforms cover implementation of the 74th Constitution Amendment, transfer of city planning function to the local bodies, administrative as well as structural reforms and encouraging PPP, all to be undertaken by state governments, and revision of municipal bylaws and provision of basic services, to the urban poor to be implemented by the city bodies.
• The second category of reforms is process-oriented and citizen-responsive such as adoption of double entry system of accounting, introduction of the system of e-governance, both to be taken up by the local bodies, whereas rationalisation of stamp duty to a uniform 5% across the country, enactment of public disclosure and community participation laws are the state mandate.
• Land- and property-related reforms cover reform of property tax and earmarking at least 20% to 25% of developed land for weaker sections, both to be done at the city level, whereas the state has to take steps to introduce computerised process of registration, repeal of urban land ceiling, amendment of rent control and introduction of property title certification.
• The fourth category of reforms aim at financial sustainability such as levy of reasonable user charges and city-wide property tax coverage and collection.

India-Qatar High Level Monitoring Mechanism

• The India-Qatar High Level Monitoring Mechanism (HLMM) was set up pursuant to a decision taken by the Prime Ministers of India and Qatar during the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Qatar in November 2008. 
• The HLMM is mandated to monitor the progress in the implementation of the areas of cooperation agreed to by the leaders of the two countries in order to enhance bilateral cooperation. The first two meetings of the HLMM were held in February 2009 and November 2009 respectively. 
• The Third Meeting of the HLMM was held in New Delhi from 13-14 January 2011. The two sides reviewed the progress made in agreed areas of cooperation and agreed on specific steps to further intensify cooperation in areas such as petrochemicals, fertilizers, power, banking and finance sector, civil aviation and HRD. 

• In the hydrocarbon sector, the Qatari side conveyed their readiness to increase supply of LNG to meet India's requirements and to facilitate the participation of Indian companies in the oil and gas sector in Qatar. The Joint Working Group on Fertilizer is to meet in Doha shortly in order to discuss long term cooperation in the fertilizer sector. The Qatari side highlighted its interest in getting access to the PSU disinvestments via the Anchor investor route. The investment opportunities in the Kayamkulam expansion project of NTPC would be evaluated by the Qatar Investment Authority as also in renewable energy projects. The Indian side welcomed the proposal of the Qatari side for wide-ranging cooperation in the area of banking supervision and exchange of information to combat money laundering and terror financing. The Joint committee for promoting investment into India will be meeting shortly to discuss investment opportunities. 
• The two sides agreed that the Fourth Meeting of the HLMM would be held in Doha in the first quarter of 2012. 

India, World Bank to Deepen Cooperation on India’s Green Agenda

• The Bank will now support to strengthen Indian capacity of Central Pollution Controls Board, State Pollution Control Boards and biodiversity conservation in addition to other various projects for which financial support have already been given. 
• The partnership between the World Bank and the Government of India will support programmes that help India maintain high growth as a primary objective. This will include projects with fuel-efficient transport infrastructure, clean energy hydropower plants, efficient water supply and wastewater systems, programs that help farmers, fishing communities and people in other vulnerable communities safeguard their livelihoods against the vagaries of changing.
• The proposed project to strengthen the capacity of the Pollution Control Boards will help build their skills and infrastructure, ensure their financial sustainability and set up new monitoring and data management mechanisms where as the biodiversity project will seek to demonstrate conservation measures in various ecosystems, catalogue India's rich biodiversity in hotspots, and support livelihoods of communities living within biodiversity-rich areas and enable them to benefit from investments in these areas. 
• The Bank has already given its financial support for three environment management and protection projects which include Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, Industrial Pollution Management Project and the National Ganga Project with 220 million, $65 million and $ 20 million help respectively. Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project will help to establish an institutional structure to coordinate coastal zone management nationally and is piloting integrated approaches to coastal zone management in Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal. Under Industrial pollution Management Project, select industrially polluted sites will be rehabilitated, a national framework for the remediation of polluted and orphaned contaminated sites will be developed and ozone-depleting substances will be phased out. Under the National Ganga Project, pollution in the river will be reduced by sewage collection and treatment and municipal solid waste management.

Government mulls troop reduction in J&K

• The Government is considering reducing the strength of security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir by 25 per cent as a confidence building measure.
• India was planning to unilaterally issue six-month multiple entry permits for people of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) wanting to visit Jammu and Kashmir through the Line of Control (LoC).

Campaign to clone the woolly mammoth restarted

• The long extinct woolly mammoth could be resurrected in under four years, thanks to cloning technology breakthrough.
• A technique pioneered in 2008 by Teruhiko Wakayama of the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, Japan, was successful in cloning a mouse from the cells of another mouse frozen for 16 years.
• According to scientists, woolly mammoths became extinct about 10,000 BC when a comet exploded in the earth's atmosphere and caused fires.
• Iritani intends to use Wakayama's technique to identify the nuclei of viable mammoth cells before extracting the healthy ones.
• The nuclei will then be inserted into the egg cells of an African elephant, which will act as the surrogate mother for the mammoth.
• Iritani said he estimates that another two years will be needed before the elephant can be impregnated, followed by the approximately 600-day gestation period.
• He has announced plans to travel to Siberia in the summer to search for mammoths in the permafrost and to recover a sample of skin or tissue that can be as small as 3cm square.

Nikki Haley sworn in Governor

Indian Origin Nicky Haley is the first non-white and the first woman to serve as Governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American governor in the country, after Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. At the age of 38, she also displaced Jindal as the youngest current governor in the U.S.

Policy ready for self-reliance in defence

• Declaring overdependence on imports in defence "unacceptable," the Centre on Thursday unveiled India's first-ever policy aimed at achieving self-reliance in design, development and production of defence equipment, weapons systems and platforms.
• The policy also aims at creating for private industries, particularly small and medium enterprises, conditions conducive to play an active role in the endeavor while seeking to broaden the defence research and development base.
• For the armed forces, India procures nearly 70 per cent of the requirements through imports, and according to industry estimates, it will spend up to $50 billion on defence procurement over the next five years.

Main features of DPP

• As for the DPP, preference will be given to indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment. Only if the Indian industry is unable to make and deliver the equipment as per specifications within the specified time frame will procurement be made from foreign sources.
• The time taken for procurement and delivery from foreign sources vis-à-vis the time required for making the equipment in the country, along with the urgency and criticality of the requirement, will be examined as per the DPP before deciding to proceed with procurement from foreign sources.
• Sub-systems that are not economically viable or practical to be made within India may be imported, ensuring their availability at all times. However, as far as possible, the design and integration of the platforms and systems will be undertaken within the country.
• The government will endeavor to build a robust indigenous defence industrial base encouraging greater involvement of the private sector.

Rangarajan panel rejects NAC recommendation

• The C. Rangarajan Committee on the proposed food security bill favours legal entitlement of subsidised foodgrains to the poor (below the poverty line), but has rejected the National Advisory Council's recommendation that above the poverty line (APL) households be partially covered, saying it is not feasible at the current levels of grain production and procurement.
• The NAC, headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had recommended 75 per cent coverage of the population in two phases, with 90 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population included.
• The Rangarajan Committee, however, suggested that 46 per cent of the rural population and 28 per cent of the urban population be entitled to 35 kg of rice at Rs. 3 a kg or wheat at Rs. 2 a kg per household a month. The figures were arrived at by adding 10 per cent beneficiaries (to cover those on the margins) to the Tendulkar Committee's poverty estimates of 41.8 per cent of the rural poor and 25.7 per cent of the urban poor. The poverty figures matched the ones provided by the NAC.

Nod for video calls on 3G networks

• The Union government permitted carriage of video calls on 3G mobile networks subject to an undertaking by the operators that they would provide interception capability by July 31.
• Those offering the service were asked to stop the service as security agencies were not able to intercept the video calls on real-time basis.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, solution to Malaria/Dengue?

• Field testing of genetically modified mosquitoes to fight malaria and dengue are being debated
• Oxitec, a British company founded and part-owned by the University of Oxford, carried out the world's first open field trial last year. 
• The trials to test the efficacy of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that cause dengue were conducted without much publicity in the Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean Sea. 
• A bigger trial was conducted this year in 16 hectares in the town of East End. Oxitec had worked with the Mosquito Research and Control Unit of the Cayman Islands for the trial. The results presented recently at a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta show that the technology holds great promise. 
• The release of altered and naturally occurring males in a 10:1 ratio resulted in 80 per cent reduction in adult dengue-causing mosquitoes in the study area.
• The technology is based on the premise that any offspring from the mating of genetically altered male A. aegypti mosquitoes with female mosquitoes would be killed in the larval or pupal stage. 
• As male mosquitoes do not bite humans, the release of GM males will not increase the risk of dengue. Reducing the insect population using sterile male insects is not a new practice and many agricultural pests are controlled by this approach.

Concerns

• The possibility of female transgenic mosquitoes also being released when the sex-selection procedure based on pupal size is not strictly and consistently adhered to. 
• According to Malaysia's Genetic Modifications Advisory Committee, laboratory tests showed that three per cent of offspring produced by mating of transgenic male mosquitoes with normal females actually survived into adulthood. This warrants more laboratory studies before undertaking further field trials as the chances of larvae growing into adult mosquitoes are greater in the field as tetracycline, a widely used antibiotic, is common in the environment. 
• Though the mosquitoes would be recaptured and the area fogged once the trials are completed, further evaluation through caged field studies would be needed before open field trials are taken up, given particularly that the areas involved are densely populated.

Overall inflation surges to 8.43% in Dec

• Overall inflation surged to 8.43 per cent in December from 7.48 per cent in the previous month, mainly driven by the runaway increase in food prices.
• The headline WPI (Wholesale Price Index) data for December released here on Friday reveal that while fuel and power inflation inched up to 11.19 per cent during the month from 10.32 per cent in October, the manufacturing sector inflation actually eased to 4.46 per cent from 4.56 per cent.
• In the event, even as it is almost certain that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to hike its key rates by at least 25 basis points during its policy review on January 25, doubts have been raised as to whether monetary measures would be effective in taming the current bout of inflation led by high food prices stemming from supply constraints

SEBI bars RNRL, R-Infra

• SEBI has  barred Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infra and RNRL from investing in the secondary market till 2012, besides imposing a charge of Rs.50 crore for settling a probe into alleged unfair market dealings by the two firms. However, debarment of companies and officials does not apply to investments in mutual funds, primary market issues, buybacks and open offers.
• In a consent order passed on Friday, SEBI said it had agreed to settle the case after the two companies agreed to its certain terms and conditions, including the payment of settlement charges — a record high such amount charged by SEBI so far.

What is Consent order?

Consent Order means an order settling administrative or civil proceedings between the regulator and a person (Party) who may prima facie be found to have violatedsecurities laws. It may settle all issues or reserve an issue or claim, but it must precisely state what issues or claims are being reserved. A Consent Order may or may not include a determination that a violation has occurred.

Tunisia's government dismissed

• Caving under sweeping protests against spiralling food prices, Tunisia's government has been dismissed and Parliament has been dissolved.
• Rioting has been rife in Tunisia for nearly a month after an unemployed educated youth driven to selling vegetables set himself ablaze after officials prevented him from pursuing his trade.
• Apart from surging food prices, the denial of civil liberties and tainted elections has left a deep seated reservoir of discontent among various sections of the people
• Sixty-six people have died since the protests began, the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights has tallied. Of these seven committed suicide in the wake of heavy unemployment and economic difficulties.
• In his address Mr. Ben Ali, who has been in power for 23 years, said he would not seek re-election in 2014.

China, Tajikistan sign border agreement

• China confirmed Thursday it has signed a border treaty with Tajikistan settling a long-running land dispute between the neighbors.
• Tajikistan's parliament voted on Wednesday to turn over 386 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) of territory in the Central Asian nation's sparsely populated Pamir Mountains region to China. There was no immediate information on how many people live in the territory to be ceded.
• The dispute dates to the 19th century, when Tajikistan was part of czarist Russia.

Sri Lanka promises probe into Indian fisherman's killing

• Sri Lanka has assured a serious investigation into the killing of an Indian fisherman allegedly by its navy.

2010 warmest year since 1901

• 2010 was the warmest year since 1901, the India Meteorology Department (IMD) announced
• The annual mean temperature for the country as a whole was 25.8023 degrees Celsius during 2010 — 0.93 degrees higher than the average for the 30-year period from 1961.
• The pre-monsoon season between March and May last year was the hottest time with mean temperatures remaining 1.8 degrees Celsius above normal

Japan, S. Korea for defence tie-up

Japan and South Korea are set to "enhance cooperation in the military domain," signalling the possibility of a new political dynamic in East Asia. 

South Korean Defence Ministry said the two sides began talks to finalise an "acquisition and cross-servicing agreement". Designed to encourage the two sides to provide supplies and services to each other in a limited way, the proposed pact would be the first-ever defence accord between the two countries. Guidelines for the exchange of military intelligence were also under discussion now.

Japanese sources said defence cooperation with Seoul, as "good neighbours," would be "important" in view of the "sensitive situation on the Korean peninsula". Japanese spokesman Hidenobu Sobashima said the initiative was an "independent move" unrelated to the rise of China as such. Last month, Japan had pledged to bolster its "defence" in view of "concerns over the military modernisation by China".

The communal violence (prevention, control and rehabilitation of victims) Bill

• The communal violence Bill has been debated since 2005, and seen formulations and reformulations
• The Bill's current version seems to have addressed some of the previous lacunae in addressing sins of omission or commission by a state's political, bureaucratic and security machinery by clearly detailing what constitutes dereliction of duty by government officials and increasing the prison term for anyone found guilty. 
• A national council will be appointed that will act as an ombudsman in case of communal disturbances. There will also be state councils to be notified by the states. They are meant to monitor investigations and prosecution of cases, make sure FIRs are filed, and oversee rehabilitation of victims. 

• There has been opposition to the Bill, on the ground that it allows the Centre to encroach on the state subject of law and order. But given today's security environment and the necessity for states to coordinate on law and order issues, some of this is inevitable. Besides, such oversight should have a salutary effect in compelling state action to contain communal violence. Having an ombudsman in place, after all, is better than declaring President's rule in a state that allows communal violence to go unchecked. It goes without saying that such a law shouldn't be politically misused by the Centre to harass states where the opposition is in power, as that would defeat its very purpose. But given administrative laxity that's often the cause of communal disturbances getting magnified, and the grave risk to national integration that this poses, it's time for the pendulum to swing in the other direction.