1.weekly 24 to 30 december 2012

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24TH DECEMBER – 30TH DECEMBER, 2012

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[ 2 ] Week l y Cu r r en t A f f a i r s 24 t h D ecembe r –30th Decembe r , 2012

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Week l y Cu r r en t A f f a i r s 24 t h D ecembe r –30th Decembe r , 2012 [3]


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Production and productivity, Microirrigation,Urbanization, Government Initiatives......

6th January: Indian Economy Basics, Planning & Trade1. Industry Services, Agriculture, Energy.....2. Balance of Payments. Foreign Direct Investment.......3. Growth, Development and Other Issues.........4. Poverty Estimates, Impact of Poverty........5. Exchange rate. Role of RBI.....6. Nature of Planning - Five Year Plan, Planning after

1991 (LPG), Inflation.....

13th January: Governance and Contemporary PoliticalDevelopments : Development Politics, Political andAdministrative Institutions, Good Governance, InternalSecurity....

SCHEDULE FOR SECTIONAL TESTS(PAPER I & II)

20th January ... Ecology and environment27th January ... Comprehension3rd February ... Polity and Governance10th February . English Language Comprehension

+ Logical Reasoning17th February . Geography24th February . Decision Making and Problem

Solving3rd March ....... Mental Ability, Basic Numeracy,

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10th March ..... General Science and Science andTechnology

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2nd December: Infrastructure & Resources

1. Transportation infrastructure: Road and HighwayNetworks, Mass Transit Systems, Railways,Waterways, Ports....

2. Energy infrastructure:- Thermal Power Generation,Natural Gas Pipelines & Petroleum Pipelines, NuclearEnergy, Renewable Energy......

3. Water management infrastructure:- Drinking water

supply, Sewage Collection and Disposal of Wastewater, Flood Control, Water Harwesting.....

4. Communications infrastructure:- Television and RadioTransmission, Internet, Social Network, SearchEngines, Communications Satellites......

5. Solid Waste Management

6. Economic Infrastructure: Manufacturing Infrastructure,including Industrial Parks and Special Economic zones,Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Infrastructure....

7. Resources: Water Resources, Forest Resources, LandResources, Energy Resources, Minerals, ResourceManagement.....

9th December: Demography : Population Composition,Density, Literacy, Sex Ratio...

16th December: Environmental Problems & GlobalEnvironmental Governance : Deforestation, Pollution: Air,Water, Land, Noise, Desertification, Biodiversity Depletion,Global Warming, SD.......

23rd December: Human Development, Social SectorInitiatives and Programmes & Policies

1. Concept of Human Development, Developmentvs. Growth, Human Development Index, MPI,Innovation.....

2. Social Inclusion, Child Welfare, Women Welfare....

30th December: Agriculture, Urbanisation, Health :Agriculture and GDP, Agricultural Regionalization,

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NATIONAL

••••• Committee constituted for suggestingamendments in criminal laws related toaggravated sexual assault

The recent incident of rape and brutal assaulton a young woman in Delhi has shaken theconscience of the nation and has triggered a seriousdebate amongst jurists, civil society members andwomen's groups about inadequacy of the presentlaws to protect the safety and dignity of women.

The Government has given anxious consideration

to the need for reviewing the present laws so as toprovide for speedier justice and enhancedpunishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault.For that purpose, a Committee has been constituted

by the Union Government under the Chairmanshipof Justice (Retd.) Shri J.S. Verma; former Chief

Justice of India. The other two Members are - (i) Justice Smt. Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court (ii) Shri GopalSubramanian, former Solicitor General of India,former Chairman of Bar Council of India and

eminent Jurist.

The Committee has to submit its Report within30 days. The public in general and particularlythe eminent jurists, legal professionals, NGOs,Women's Groups and civil Society members arerequested to share with this Committee their views,knowledge and experience suggesting possibleamendments in the criminal laws and otherrelevant laws to provide for quicker investigation,prosecution and trial as also enhanced punishmentfor criminals accused of committing sexual assaultof extreme nature against women.

••••• Cabinet approves licensing of Land forDevelopment of Projects in PPP mode atvarious Major Ports

In a bid to augment the capacity of major ports,the Government has approved a proposal forlicensing of land for development of projects underthe PPP mode in these ports.

This will facilitate the Ministry of Shipping in

augmenting the capacity of ports expeditiouslythrough public private partnership. It will also bringabout efficiency in operations at major ports, which

will benefit trade and the economy as a whole.

India has 12 major ports-Kandla, Mumbai,

Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Marmagao, New Mangalore,

Kochi, Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore, Vishakhapatnam,

Paradip and Kolkata-Haldia.

••••• Government plans new scheme to provide

financial aid, support to rape victims

With Delhi gang-rape issue heating up, the

Government intends to implement a new Centrally-

sponsored scheme (CSS) to provide financialassistance and support to rape victims.

The apex court, in its judgement in a case (Delhi

Domestic Working Women vs Union of India),

indicated the broad parameters in assisting the victim

of rape. This includes legal assistance and other

measures at the police station to the victims, setting

up of a Criminal Injuries Compensation Board,

investigate and examine all matters relating to

safeguards provided to women, investigation into

specific problems or situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women and

farming of scheme for compensation and

rehabilitation to ensure justice to victims of rape.

Based on these parameters, the Ministry of

Women and Child Development proposed a scheme

on restorative justice to rape victims.

Under the scheme the facility for counselling and

legal aid will be provided for all affected women in

collaboration with the National Legal ServicesAuthority (NALSA). This authority has been

constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act,

1987, to provide free legal services to the weaker

sections of society and to organise Lok Adalats for

amicable settlement of disputes. Normally, the Chief

Justice of the Supreme Court is the Patron-in-Chief

of such a body.

The scheme will also provide financial assistance

to the affected women and support services, such as

shelter, counselling, medical aid, legal assistance,education and vocation training depending upon

the needs of the victim.





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••••• Government to prepare database of

rape convicts

In an attempt to name and shame rapists, the

government has decided to prepare a data base

of all rape convicts across the country and

their photographs, names and addresses would be

made public.The national database of rapists will be shared on

the website of the National Crime Records Bureau

in a few months.

Firstly it will be launched in Delhi. Photographs,

names and addresses of the rapists will be uploaded

on Delhi Police website also. Subsequently the plan

will cover all states and Union Territories and

websites of state police forces will carry photographs,

names and addresses of the rape convicts.

The action comes as part of the government's

slew of measures aimed at preventing crime

against women in the wake of surge of protests

after the gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl in Delhi

on December 16.

Government has already set up a Commission of

Inquiry to identify lapses and fix responsibility for

the December 16 gang-rape case and also constituted

a committee of jurists for reviewing the existing laws

to provide speedier justice and enhancedpunishment in cases of sexual assault.

••••• Cabinet gives nod to new science policy

India is set to unveil its new science policy which

lays greater thrust on innovation, establishing

research institutes and participation in mega science

projects with an aim to positioning itself among the

top five scientific powers in the world by 2020.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Science,

Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy-2013.

The proposed STI policy seeks to focus on both

STI for people and people for STI.

The document is a revision of the 2003 policy

which sought to bring science and technology

together and emphasised on the need for higher

investment into Research and Development (R&D)

to address national problems.

The aim of the policy is to accelerate the pace of

discovery, diffusion and delivery of science-ledsolutions for serving the aspirational goals of India

for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The key features of the STI Policy, 2013 includemaking careers in science, research andinnovation attractive and establishing world-classinfrastructure for R&D for gaining globalleadership in some select frontier areas of science.The policy also includes linking contributions of science, research and innovation system with the

inclusive economic growth agenda and combiningpriorities of excellence and relevance. It stresseson creating an environment for enhanced privatesector participation in R&D, enabling conversionof R&D outputs into societal and commercialapplications by replicating successful models aswell as establishing of new public-privatepartnership structures.

The policy would strengthen the R&D base of the country through proper funding, developmentand utilisation of technologies, building

entrepreneurship, mounting mission modeinitiatives and rejuvenating research in universities.

••••• National Water Resources Council AdoptsNational Water Policy (2012)

The National Water Resource Council hasadopted the National Water Policy (2012) duringthe 6th meeting of the council held in New Delhiunder the chairmanship of Prime MinisterDr. Manmohan Singh, who warned that waterunavailability could affect India's economic and

social growth in the future.

Sa l i en t fea tu res o f the Nat i ona l Wate r

Pol i cy 2012 are:

a) NWP, 2012 lays emphasis on the need for anational water framework law, comprehensivelegislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, public trustdoctrine, amendment of the Indian EasementsAct, 1882, etc.

b) The NWP, 2012 presents a holistic picture of

ecological need of the river rather thanrestricting it to only minimum flowrequirement. It states that the ecological needsof the river should be determined recognizingthat river flows are characterized by low or noflows, small floods (freshets), large floods andflow variability and should accommodatedevelopment needs. A portion of river flowsshould be kept aside to meet ecological needsensuring that the proportional low and highflow releases correspond in time closely to the

natural flow regime.c) The NWP, 2012 recognizes the need to adapt to

climate change scenario in planning and





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implementation of water resources projects.

Coping strategies for designing and management

of water resources structures and review of

acceptability criteria has been emphasized.

d) Water use efficiency has been emphasized. A

system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for

different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water

auditing should be developed to ensure efficientuse of water. Project financing has been suggested

as a tool to incentivize efficient & economic use

of water.

e) Provision of setting up of Water Regulatory

Authority and adequate water pricing to

incentivize recycle and re-use has been specified.

f) Water Users Associations should be given

statutory powers to collect and retain a portion of

water charges, manage the volumetric quantum

of water allotted to them and maintain thedistribution system in their jurisdiction.

g) The NWP, 2012 proposes reversal of heavy under-

pricing of electricity, which leads to wasteful use

of both electricity and water.

h) The draft NWP, 2012 proposes setting aside a

suitable percentage of the costs of infrastructure

development, which along with collected water

charges, may be utilized for repair and

maintenance. Contract for construction of projects

should have inbuilt provision for longer periodsof proper maintenance and handing over back

the infrastructure in good condition.

i) Pari-passu planning and execution of all

components of water resources projects have been

proposed so that intended benefits start accruing

immediately after completion and there is no gap

between potential created and potential utilized.

j) The NWP, 2012 lays emphasis on preparedness

for flood / drought with coping up mechanisms

as an option. Frequency based flood inundationmaps should be prepared to evolve coping

strategies.

••••• No North Indian river fit for bathing: Study

The famed rivers of India's Gangetic plains areturning into "sewage", threatening the life andhealth of millions of people dependent on them,warned a team of environmental activists whocycled through the region covering around 1,800kmin 27 days. The team members have crossed 24

rivers while cycling through north Bengal, Biharand Uttar Pradesh.

The growing pollution of rivers is a stark sign of wider ecological imbalance in the region.

The yatra aims to raise awareness about the needfor keeping an account of India's natural resources.

The group is demanding that the governmentintroduce an annual green measure called the 'grossenvironmental product'. Like the GDP for theeconomy, the GEP would monitor the health of India's natural assets, showing whether these were

being overexploited or not.

••••• Government chalks out plan to revamp

cyber security

In its bid to meet the challenge of cyber attacksand security in the virtual world, the government

has set in motion a five-year project to revamp theentire cyber security apparatus of critical sectors inthe country. In the past one year, India has suffered13,000 cyber incidents.

The responsibility for the job has been vested inNational Critical Information InfrastructureProtection Centre (NCIIPC), the nodal agency tocoordinate cyber security operations for criticalinfrastructures across the country. NCIIPC hasprepared a five-year plan to completely revamp and

integrate the cyber security apparatus of all criticalinfrastructure such as power, transportation, water,telecommunication and defence.

The agency further plans to set up sectoralComputer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) thatwill be connected to it. It will install sensors oncritical systems to give real-time information to itscommand and control centre about any cyberattack to formulate quick response.

The government has also defined clear mandates

for NCIIPC and CERT-IN, which is also engagedin cyber security of national infrastructure. NCIIPCwill only look after absolutely critical sectors thathave high threat perception coupled with greaterdependence on computer and informationtechnology (CIT), while other sectors will be withCERTIN. These sectors (with NCIIPC) have beenidentified as energy (power, coal, oil and naturalgas), transportation (railways and civil aviation),

banking and finance, telecom, defence, space, lawenforcement and security.





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••••• China to tighten rules on internet

China has tightened its control of the internet,enshrining in law a requirement for internetcompanies and telecom operators to confirm theidentity of their users to make it easier for theauthorities to trace the source of "illegal" onlineinformation or behaviour.

A new set of rules will make it mandatory forusers to register for subscribing to mobile or fixedline internet connections with their real names and

government identity cards. The new rules onceenforced will enable the government to monitorpeople visiting different websites and determine whycertain sites, particularly foreign ones, are popular.

The real name registration was introduced lastyear for microblogging sites to curb whatofficials described as "rumours and vulgarity''.Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site, had

become an extremely popular social networkingsite after Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were

banned in China.The latest rules also require service providers to

remove posts with illegal information, to save themand to forward them to authorities. The rules weren'texplicit on what constitutes illegal information orwhich authorities offenses should be reported to.

••••• Myanmar to allow private newspapers

from April

Myanmar will allow private daily newspapers

starting in April for the first time since 1964, in thelatest step toward allowing freedom of expressionin the long-repressed nation. The move follows theabolition of direct government censorship of themedia in April 2012.

New papers will be allowed to begin printing onApril 1, 2013 in any language.

In August, the government abolished directcensorship of the media and informed journaliststhey would no longer have to submit their work to

state censors before publication.Myanmar has state-run dailies which serve as

government mouthpieces and over 180 weeklies,

INTERNATIONAL

about half of which cover news while the rest featuresports, entertainment, health and other subjects.Private dailies in Burmese, English, Indian andChinese languages were once vibrant in the country.But all were forced to close when late dictator NeWin nationalized private businesses in 1964.

••••• China opens longest high-speed rail line

China launched services on the world's longesthigh-speed rail route. The 2,298-km line betweenBeijing and Guangzhou means passengers will be

whisked from the capital to the southerncommercial hub in just eight hours, compared with

the 22 hours previously.

China's high-speed rail network was onlyestablished in 2007 but has fast become the world'slargest. China now operates 9,300 km of high-speedrailways. The high-speed rail network is set to jumpto 50,000 km by 2020, with four main lines runningNorth and South and another four East and West.

••••• Egypt gets first people-approved

constitution

Over a year after overthrowing an entrencheddictator, Egypt has adopted a new constitution aftertwo referendums with a two-thirds 'yes' vote.

The new constitution will led to the formation of Shura Council, or upper house of Parliament. Thecouncil currently includes 270 members, 90 of whomwere appointed by Mr. Morsy, and will havelegislative authority until a new lower house of

parliament is elected.

Sali ent feat ures of new const it ut ion:

a) The constitution ends Egypt's all-powerfulpresidency, institutes a stronger parliament, and

contains provisions against torture or detentionwithout trial.

b) It would give Egypt's generals much of thepower and privilege they had during the HosniMubarak era.

c) Article 2, defining the relationship between Islam

and Egyptian law, remains essentially unchangedfrom Egypt's old constitution. The new chartersays that the legal code stems from "the principles





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of Islamic law", wording that is broad enough toallow for individual rights and freedoms.

d) Article 50 preserves the right to assembly butrequires "notification" of such gatherings.

e) According to new provisions no person may be"arrested, searched, incarcerated, deprived of freedom in any way and/or confined"unless it is

ordered by a "competent judge". Anyone jailedmust be told why in writing within 12 hours, andthe case must go to investigators within 24 hours.Detainees cannot be interrogated without theirattorney or one appointed to them being present.Phone conversations, electronic correspondenceand other communication cannot be listened towithout a warrant.

f) The new constitution limits the President to twofour-year terms.

g) Article 45 protects freedom of expression.

h) Believers in any of the three Abrahamic religions- Islam, Christianity and Judaism - are guaranteedthe freedom of worship.

i) According to the draft the military would retainthe ability to try civilians in military courts if theyare accused of damaging the armed forces.

j) Citizens are equal before the law and are equalin general rights and duties without discrimination

between them based on gender, origin, language,religion, belief, opinion, social status or disability.

••••• Vladimir Putin Signs Bill BanningAmericans from Adopting RussianChildren

President Vladimir Putin signed a law that bansAmericans from adopting Russian children andimposes other sanctions in retaliation for a new U.S.human rights law that is poisoning relations. Thenew law, which has also ignited outrage amongRussian liberals and child rights' advocates, takeseffect on January 1.

The legislation will also outlaw some non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. fundingand impose a visa ban and asset freeze on Americans

accused of violating the rights of Russians abroad.

Pro-Kremlin lawmakers initially drafted the billto mirror the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which bars entryto Russians accused of involvement in the death incustody of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitskyand other alleged rights abuses. The restrictions onadoptions and non-profit groups were added to the

legislation later, going beyond a tit-for-tat move andescalating a dispute with Washington at a timewhen ties are already strained by issues such as theSyrian crisis.

The adoption ban may further tarnish Putin'sinternational standing at a time when the formerKGB officer is under scrutiny over what critics sayis a crackdown on dissent since he returned to theKremlin for a third term in May.

The deaths of 19 Russian-born children adopted

by American parents in the past decade motivatedthe law, as well as what they perceive as the overlylenient treatment of those parents by U.S. courts andlaw enforcement. Russia's investigative committeeopened nine criminal cases against American families"threatening lives and health" of 12 Russian childrenand issued summonses for four American citizensas defendants in abstentia. The U.S. government hasso far refused to provide documentation in any of the cases.

Critics of the bill states that Russian orphanagesare woefully overcrowded and that adoptions byRussian families remain modest, with some 7,400adoptions in 2011 compared with 3,400 adoptions of Russian children by families abroad. More than650,000 children are considered orphans in Russia -though some were rejected by their parents or takenfrom dysfunctional homes. Of those, 110,000 livedin state institutions in 2011, according to governmentfigures. Americans have adopted more than 45,000Russian children since 1999, including 962 last year.

Putin also signed a decree ordering animprovement in care for orphans.





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[ 1 0 ] Week l y Cu r r en t A f f a i r s 24 t h D ecembe r –30th Decembe r , 2012


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••••• Cash transfer plan can create condition forscam

UPA II's flagship direct cash transfer scheme hasrun into rough weather following warnings of apotential scam in the making, and evoking concernsof serious delays. Government functionaries haveraised the red flag about how cash would be finallydisbursed to beneficiaries and whether the NationalPopulation Register (NPR) would come into play insome states instead of the Unique Identification

(UID) number to identify the end users.The proposal is to divide the country into 20

clusters and have one firm each that acts as a conduitfor the final handing over of the cash from banks to

beneficiaries. But advisors have been cautioned thatthis could lead to monopoly control over the UPA's'game-changer' scheme by certain companies,triggering scams.

They have warned that the initial rollout of thismodel, where companies bid for much less than a 2%

fee for the delivery of funds to beneficiaries, hasalready lent the whiff of a potential scam. For instance,the bids have been ridiculously low in some cases.

The rural development ministry and the UIDAuthority of India (UIDAI) have advocated againstthis approach but different government functionarieshave made conflicting statements about a resolutionto the persisitng row.

Another concern that is plaguing the initiative iswhether to trust the NPR as a platform for timely

electronic registration of the population in somestates instead of UID. Government functionaries havewarned that progress of the NPR's work is rathertardy in some states like UP, Bihar and Odisha. Thevolatile issue, which earlier too had attractedhighvoltage sparks between UIDAI chairmanNandan Nilekani and then home minister PChidambaram, has now been left to the PrimeMinister's Office to resolve.

••••• SEBI to allow FIIs to fully reinvest debt

papersTo expand the presence of foreign investors in

the corporate debt market, capital market regulator

ECONOMY

SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) willallow full reinvestment of their debt papers soon.The finance ministry has proposed SEBI to restartthe facility which was discontinued from Januarythis year.

The move is expected to increase the liquidity inthe debt market. The government and financialmarket regulators-SEBI, Reserve Bank of India andInsurance Regulatory and Development Authority-have been working on expanding the corporate bond

market. The initiative is taken to deepen the corporate bond market, which is essential for the financing of

large infrastructure sector projects.

SEBI on November 7 allowed foreign investors tore-invest half of their investments in debt holdingsto the next calendar year, starting from January 2014.

At present, FIIs along with mutual funds andqualified foreign investors are allowed to invest upto $75 billion in debt every year in several categoriesincluding government securities, corporate bonds

and infrastructure bonds with each having a separatecap as well as tenor and also lock-in restrictions. Of this, a $ 25 billion dollar window is kept exclusivelyfor infrastructure bonds.

This would be applicable for both old-and long-term infrastructure limits. Further, Sebi has relaxedthe investment limits for FIIs regarding corporatedebt in the long-term infrastructure category.

••••• Finance Ministry asks public sector banksto extend coverage

In a rush to maximize the scope of the direct cashtransfers, the finance ministry has directed all publicsector banks to extend the banking coveragethroughout the country.

The finance ministry has asked them to ensure atleast one bank branch or banking correspondent ispresent in every gram panchayat. Taking forwardits concept of a service area, the finance ministry hasnow also introduced the concept of a sub-servicearea, which would consist of 1,000 to 1,500households. This would be a marked shift from thegovernment's current Financial InclusionProgramme, where banks had provided banking





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services in over 74,000 habitations with populationof over of 2,000.

This is being extended to habitations of 1,000 andabove population in the north east and hilly statesand 1,600 and above population in the rest of thecountry in 2012.

With the direct cash transfer set to roll out in 43districts from January 1, 2013, the finance ministryhas called for a 'comprehensive plan' to extend

banking services and asked for the infrastructure to be in place and has asked for consolidated state wiseinformation by December 31.

In the rest of the country, where direct cashtransfers will be started in a phased manner, bankshave been given a deadline of 25 January.

But in the long run, banks have been advised to

migrate from the correspondent to the kiosk bankingmodel in each of the service areas, where mobilevans fitted with ATMs provide biometrically enabledservices in unbanked areas.

••••• Government Announces new Measures toBoost Exports

The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry andTextiles Shri Anand Sharma announced additionalincentives to boost exports. These incentives camein the backdrop of the Annual Supplement of the

Foreign Trade Policy announced on June 5, 2012.According to the new guidelines the 2% InterestSubvention Scheme on rupee export credit which isavailable to certain specific sectors includinghandicrafts, carpets, handloom, readymade garments,processed agriculture products, sports goods andtoys, has been given an extension up to March 31,2014. At present, the Scheme is scheduled to end on31st March 2013. Along with this, Small and MediumEnterprises (SMEs) for all sectors will now be ableto avail the benefits of the Scheme.

The scheme has been extended to certain specificsub-sectors of the engineering sector.

Government has also announced the introductionof a "pilot scheme" of 2% Interest Subvention forProject Exports through EXIM Bank for countriesof SAARC region, Africa and Myanmar. The interestsubvention would be linked to the Buyer's CreditScheme which was introduced in the last financialyear being implemented through EXIM Bank, ECGCand the National Export Insurance Account. The

"objective of the scheme is to boost India's exportsin these countries by providing long termconcessional credit through EXIM Bank, as co-

financing in infrastructure sectors such as drinkingwater, housing, irrigation, road projects, renewableenergy, etc.

Apart from these, five new countries have been

added under the Focus Market Scheme while Eritreahas been added under the Special Focus Market

Scheme. The five countries being added under FMS

are New Zealand, Cayman Islands, Latvia, Lithuaniaand Bulgaria. Under FMS Duty Credit of 3 per cent

is given on the FoB value of exports. Sixty new

products which include Engineering, Rubber,

Textiles, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals products among

others, and three countries (Taiwan, Thailand and

Czech Republic) have been incorporated under theMarket Linked Focus Product Scheme.

••••• NDC approves 12th Five Year Plan

Country's apex policy making body NDC hasapproved the strategy to achieve average growth rate

of 8 pc during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17),

generate 50 million new jobs and increase

investments in infrastructure sector.

The document has pegged the aggregate Planresources at Rs 37.16 lakh crore during the five year

period starting 2012-13.

Moving away from previous practice of presenting

single growth projection, the Planning Commission

has come out with three different economic scenariosfor 12th Five-Year Plan. As per the "aspirational"

scenario one -- of strong inclusive growth -- India's

economic growth will be average 8 percent in thefive years. The document also cautions that in

scenario of policy logjam, the GDP growth could

slow down to 5-5.5 percent.

The document proposes to bring down poverty

by 10 percentage points by the end of the 12th Plan.

As regard the infrastructure sector, efforts would

be made to increase investment in this sector to 9percent of the GDP by the end of the Plan period.

The other targets include increasing green cover

by one million hectare every year and adding 30,000

MW of renewable energy generation capacity in the

Plan period.

It also seeks to reduce emission intensity of the

GDP in line with the target of 20-25 reduction by

2020 over 2005 levels.

Although the document envisages 6.7 percentgrowth rate in the current fiscal, it has been projected

at 5.7-5.9 percent in 2012-13 by the Finance Ministry.





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The strategy for the full Plan would aim at raisingagriculture output to 4 percent and manufacturingsector growth to 10 percent. It also wants all thestates to set higher targets of growth than what wasachieved in the 11th Five Year Plan.

••••• TRAI against government entering businessof broadcast, distribution

India's telecom regulator has recommended thatthe Union and state governments and thedepartments and companies they control be barredfrom the business of broadcasting and distributingtelevision channels, seeking to prevent politicalinfluence in TV programming.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)also recommended that the Centre must maintainan arm's length relationship with Prasar Bharati, thestate-owned public broadcaster, and ensure its

functional independence and autonomy. Theregulator further states that in case some government

bodies have been al lowed to enter the TV broadcasting and distribution business, they should be provided an appropriate exit route.

If accepted by the government, the recomme-

ndations may push TV channels and cable

distribution companies owned by governments or

government arms out of business.

They include Arasu Cable TV Corp. Ltd, owned

by the Tamil Nadu government, which has been

waiting for a DAS (digital addressable system) licence

to operate its cable business for several months. The

company needs a new licence to run its cable

business under the digital regime mandated by the

government. The recommendation could trigger a

political showdown as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

J. Jayalalithaa has been attacking the Centre for not

granting Digitial Addressable System licence to state-

owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation.

The Ministry had sought TRAI's guidance against

the backdrop of pleas by several state governments,

including West Bengal and Punjab, seeking

permission to set up uplinking facilities to start a

satellite TV channel. The HRD Ministry also wanted

to start TV channels.





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INDIA AND THE WORLD

••••• 13th India-Russia Annual Summit

The President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr.Vladmir V.Putin, paid an official visit to India forthe Annual Summit between two countries.

During the meet the Prime Minister of India andthe President of the Russian Federation stressed theimportance of further enhancing the special andprivileged strategic partnership between the twocountries. The two leaders reviewed the progressmade in all important areas of cooperation, including

in sectors such as energy, trade, high technology andmilitary-technical cooperation.

India and Russia moved to strengthen theireconomic ties by inking a pact on a Kremlin-backed$2 billion investment fund and agreeing to open talkson a Comprehensive Economic PartnershipAgreement that will also involve Belarus andKazakhstan.

Foll ow ing documents were signed duri ng the meet :

a) Protocol on Foreign Office Consultations2013-14: The Protocol is an instrument to continue

the tradition of close political consultations

between the two Foreign Offices. The current

Protocol outlines seventeen different broad themes

for such exchanges. The bi-annual Protocol

mechanism enables frequent contacts and

promotes broad-based understanding between

the various wings of the two Foreign Offices.

b) Memorandum on Cooperation in Science &

Technology: The Memorandum shall facilitate

deepening cooperation in the field of innovationand S&T, through implementation of joint

programs or projects involving educational, R&D

and industrial institutions. It also stipulates

formation of a Working Group to implement the

provisions of this MoC.

c) Cultural Exchange Programme for the Years

2013 - 15: The document envisages enhancing

bilateral cultural contacts through exchanges in

performing arts, films, archives, museums and

conservation, literature and language and throughorganization of reciprocal Festivals. It is in

continuation to the previous CEP 2009-12. It also

aims to preserve and promote the legacy of theRoerich Estate in Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), an

important icon of cultural cooperation between

the two countries.

d) Memorandum of Understanding to Promote

Direct Investment between Russia and India:

MoU envisages investments upto US$ 2 billion in

important bilateral projects or companies,

privatization and other opportunities. RDIF is a

US$ 10 billion sovereign-backed Russian private

equity fund established by the RussianGovernment to co-invest alongside global

institutional investors. Since its inception in 2011,

it has led investments totaling US$ 1.5 billion in

Russian companies together with some of the

largest asset managers in the world.

e) Memorandum of Understanding for Satellite

based navigation services: The MoU envisages a

pilot project to assess the usage of the Russian

Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS -

the Russian equivalent of GPS) using the

capabilities of BSNL/MTNL ground

infrastructure. Success of the pilot project may

provide insights for wider applicability of

GLONASS signals in the future in areas such as

disaster management, telephony and long-

distance communications.

f) Contract for Delivery of 71 Mi-17V-5 helicopters:

An order for procurement of 59 Mi-17 v5 MLH

was agreed to in Feb 2010, which was subsequently

increased to 71. The current contract is in context

of the order.

g) Contract for Delivery of 42 technological kits for

SU-30MKI aircraft licensed production: The

Protocol-II on licensed manufacturing of

additional 42 SU-30MKI aircraft units was signed

during Annual Summit 2011. The current contract

is a follow up to this Protocol.

However, there was no substantial progress onissues of discord - delay in commissioning aircraftcarrier Gorshkov, stalemate on clinical trials in

Russia, applicability of the Nuclear Limited LiabilityAct to six new reactors to be put up by Russia atKudankulam, inability of Russian companies Sistema





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and Severstal to move ahead with their investmentplans in India and the tax imposed on ImperialEnergy, an Indian company operating in Russia.

••••• India-Pakistan Expert level Dialogue on

Conventional and Nuclear Confidence

Building Measures

The 6th round of Expert level meetings onConventional and Nuclear Confidence Building

Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan held

in New Delhi.

India and Pakistan reviewed the implementation

of existing bilateral confidence building measures,

including the ceasefire along the LoC during their

expert-level meeting on conventional CBMs. The

two sides also exchanged ideas to further advance

the CBM process and reaffirmed their commitment

to continue discussions with the aim of strengtheningconventional CBMs, a joint statement issued after

the meeting said. The two sides also agreed to report

the progress made during the current round of talks

to their respective Foreign Secretaries.

The Indian side also took up the recent incidents

of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The Indian

delegation during the talks was led by Y K Sinha,Additional Secretary (PAI), Ministry of External

Affairs, while Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Additional

Secretary (UN&EC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ledthe Pakistan team.

••••• Haj panel to ink pact with Saudi Arabia

The Haj Committee of India (HCOI) will sign

an agreement with the Government of Saudi

Arabia for setting up a long-term accommodation

in the holy city of Makkah for Indians undertakingHaj pilgrimage.

Till now, the HCOI accommodated the Indianpilgrims in the buildings temporarily hired for aperiod of 40 days during every Haj season. Theagreement will enable HCOI take up spaciouspremises on 99-year-long lease for the benefit of theIndian pilgrims.

Thus would enable the HCOI to provide assured

accommodation with better facilities for the pilgrims.

HCOI has also proposed to the Saudi Arabianauthorities for increasing the quota of Haj pilgrimsfrom India for the 2013 season. Over 1.25 lakhMuslims performed pilgrimage in 2012 through theHCOI organised programmes.

••••• India to contribute more to U.N. budget

The UN General Assembly approved an increaseof about 5 percent to cover the United Nations'

regular operations in 2012-2013, raising the two-year budget to about $5.4 billion.

More than half the increase is due to additionalcosts for some of the 33 special UN political missionswhich include UN envoys for Syria, Yemen, Libyaand Sudan-South Sudan and large operations inAfghanistan and Iraq.

The assembly also approved new rates that allUN members pay for the regular budget.India, Brazil,China and other emerging nations will pay more to

the U.N. after the General Assembly approved a fiveper cent increase to the budget for 2012-13 to $5.4

billion. Contributions of European nations, such asBritain, Germany and France and Japan have beencut in the revised U.N. budget. The U.S.' share forthe regular budget will remain unchanged at 22 percent.

The budget includes a first-ever pay freeze forNew York-based staff for six months





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•••••

Nasa plan: Seize asteroid, make it refuellingstation

Nasa scientists are planning to capture a 500,000kg

asteroid, relocate it and transform it into a space

station for astronauts to refuel at on their way to

Mars. It would be the first time a celestial object has

ever been moved by humans.

The White House's Office of Science and

technology will consider the $2.6 billion plan in the

coming weeks as it prepares to set its spaceexploration agenda for the next decade. A feasibility

report prepared by Nasa and California Institute of

Technology scientists outlined how they would go

about capturing the asteroid.

An 'asteroid capture capsule' would be attached

to an old Atlas V rocket and directed the asteroid

between the Earth and the Moon. Once close, the

asteroid capsule would release a 50 ft diameter bag

that wrap around the spinning rock using

drawstrings. The craft would then turn on itsthrusters, using an estimated 300 kg of propellant,

to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a

gravitationally neutral spot.

From here space explorers would have a

stationary base from which to launch trips deeper

into space.

The feasibility is enabled by three key

developments: the ability to discover and

characterize an adequate number of sufficiently small

near-Earth asteroids for capture and return; theability to implement sufficiently powerful solar

electric propulsion systems to enable transportation

of the captured asteroid; and the proposed human

presence in cislunar space in the 2020s enabling

exploration and exploitation of the returned asteroid.

••••• Asia's First BIO-Safety Level -IV Laboratory

established in India

Asia's First Bio-Safety Level-IV Laboratory

established by ICMR with support fromDepartment of Science & Technology has been

established in Pune.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

It is the country's first laboratory with such highgrading and with unique capacity of testing highly

infectious and dangerous viruses that can harm

humans in form of severe fatal diseases.

The National Institute of Virology campus already

has a BSL-3 laboratory. "The BSL-4 facility is based

on full suit concept. All necessary features are

provided for security and safety. All labs inside are

hermetically sealed. It is safe for researchers as the

persons working in the laboratory will not get

infection. It will also ensure that the viruses will notget released into the environment

The fol l ow ing schemes wi l l be roll ed out in the

area of heal t h research duri ng the 12t h Pl an period:-

a) Establishment of multidisciplinary research

units in 150 government medical colleges

b) Setting up of 50 rural health research units at

block level

c) Establishment of a network of 250 laboratories

at regional, state and district level for managing

epidemics

d) Grant in aid to researchers on projects involving

development of affordable technologies,

reagents and methods for public use

e) Strengthen the existing ICMR Institutes and

set-up new centres in deficit areas

f) Suggest & regularly update Standard Treatment

Guidelines

g) Bench mark and Accredit Health Research

Institutionsh) Support Human Resource development for

producing qualified researchers

••••• K-15 all set to join Arihant

The Defence Research and Development

Organisation (DRDO) has successfully launched the

underwater missile K-15 off the Visakhapatnam

coast. The missile darted 20 km into the air, after a

gas generator ejected it from the pontoon that lay

submerged a few scores of metres in the Bay of Bengal, and sped 650 km before splashing into the

sea in its 11th flight trial.





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India is the fifth country to have an underwater

launch system. The other countries are the U.S.,

Russia, France and China.

K-15 missiles, 10 metres long and weighing sixtonnes and capable of carrying nuclear warheads,will form part of the deadly arsenal of Arihant,which is powered by an 80-MWt reactor that uses

enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolantand moderator.

India has been developing the K-4 missile, to belaunched from submarines. It will be more powerfulthan K-15, with a range of 3,000 km.

••••• Study Shows Rapid Warming On the West

Antarctic Ice Sheet

In a discovery that raises further concerns aboutthe future contribution of Antarctica to sea level rise,

a new study finds that the western part of the icesheet is experiencing nearly twice as much warmingas previously thought.

The temperature record from Byrd Station, a

scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic

Ice Sheet (WAIS), demonstrates a marked increase of

4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in

average annual temperature since 1958 -- that is, three

times faster than the average temperature rise around

the globe. This temperature increase is nearly double

what previous, and reveals -- for the first time --warming trends during the summer months of the

Southern Hemisphere (December through February

Even without generating significant mass loss

directly, surface melting on the WAIS could

contribute to sea level indirectly, by weakening the

West Antarctic ice shelves that restrain the region's

natural ice flow into the ocean.

Aside from offering a more complete picture of

warming in West Antarctica, the study suggests that

if this warming trend continues, melting will become

more extensive in the region in the future.

The research was funded by the National ScienceFoundation.

••••• China launches global navigation system

in Asia-Pacific

China launched global positioning services in

the Asia-Pacific from its Beidou satellite. The state-

run Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)

would initially provide positioning, navigation,

timing and short-message services in China and

the Asia-Pacific region.

The system could provide positioning accuracy

of 10 metres, velocity accuracy of 0.2 metres per

second and one-way timing accuracy of 50

nanoseconds.

The Beidou network is designed to provide

both open and authorized global navigation

services worldwide by 2020 and will eventually use

35 satellites.

China launched the first satellite for the system

in 2000, assembling an initial network of four

satellites in trial use for traffic control, weather

forecasting and disaster relief since 2003. It started

launching new satellites for the system in 2007, and

now has 16 in operation.





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2 - MARKERS

•••••

Commissioning of ICGS MayabunderIndian Coast Guard Station Mayabunder, the first

Coast Guard Station in the North Andaman Islandshas been commissioned by the Defence Secretary,Shri Shashi Kant Sharma. The station is a part of ongoing efforts by the Coast Guard to strengthenMaritime and Coastal Security. The station based atMayabunder will help augment patrolling along theNorthern Group of Islands for safeguarding Indianmaritime interests.

The Indian Coast Guard in maintaining a highstate of vigil in the Andaman and Nicobar Islandsresulting in apprehension of a large number of poachers and saving of precious human lives duringsearch and rescue operations. The implementationof the Coastal Surveillance Network project would

be a major milestone in ensuring near gap-free radarsurveillance of these Islands.

••••• Second stealth frigate from Russia arrives

Krivak-II class stealth frigate INS Tarkash arrivedat the Western Naval Command headquarters inMumbai. This is the second of the three frigatesconstructed at the Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad inRussia. The first was being INS Teg.

The frigate is armed with advanced combat suite.Its arsenal includes BrahMos supersonic cruisemissiles, a surface-to-air missile system, an upgraded100 mm medium range gun, an optically-controlled30 mm close-in weapon system, torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets.

The vessel, manned by 23 officers, has 228 sailors.

••••• Indian Jews from 'lost tribe' move to Israel

The Lost Tribes of Israel refers to those tribes of ancient Israel that formed the Kingdom of Israel,and which disappeared from biblical and all othertexts after the kingdom was destroyed in about 720BCE by Assyria.

An Israeli chief rabbi recognised Bnei Menasheas a lost tribe in 2005 and about 1,700 moved to

Israel before the government stopped giving themvisas. Israel recently reversed that policy, agreeingto let the remaining 7,200 Bnei Menashe immigrate.

•••••

Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatant er Ku mar has taken over

as chairperson of the National Green Tribunal(NGT); to decide on cases relating to environmentalprotection, and conservation of forests andnatural resources.

He is the first Supreme Court judge to presideover the Tribunal which was, till now, functioning

without a full-time chairperson. National Green

Tribunal Act (NGT) was established in 2010, under

India's constitutional provision of Article 21, whichassures the citizens of India, the right to a healthy

environment.

••••• Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe has been selected as the current Prime

Minister of Japan, in office since 2012. He served as

prime minister for less than a year, resigning on 12

September 2007.[3] He was replaced by YasuoFukuda, beginning a string of Prime Ministers who

did not maintain the position for more than one year.On 26 September 2012, Abe defeated former Minister

of Defense Shigeru Ishiba in a run-off vote to win

the LDP presidential election. Abe became the Prime

Minister again following the LDP's landslide victory

in the 2012 general election with a government on26 December 2012.

••••• Jnanpith Award

Pratibha Ray who has been known for her fight

against caste and religious discrimination has been

named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2011.she received recognition as a writer with her first

novel "Barsa Basanta Baishakha" in 1974 followed

by "Aranya" , 1977, "Nishidha Prithivi", 1978,

"Parichya", 1979, "Aparichita", 1979 (a film was made

and won Best Film-Story award from the stategovernment), Punyatoya, 1979, Meghamedura, 1980,

Ashabari, 1980, Ayamarambha, 1981, Nilatrishna,

1981, Samudrara Swara, 1982.

Ray's Shilapadma in 1983 won her the Orissa

Sahitya Academy Award, 1985, while Yajnaseni(1984) got her the Moorti Devi Award in 1991 and

Sarala Award in 1990.





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She is the first Odia woman and fourth Odia

writer to get the coveted award. Earlier Gopinath

Mohanty (1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986)

and Sitakant Mohapatra (1993) were conferredthe honour.

••••• Tagore Peace Prize

The Asiatic society will award the Tagore PeacePrize to renowned Arab poet Shihab Ghanem. The

peace prize is named after Rabindranath Tagore, a

Bengali creative talent and India's first Nobel

laureate. Ghanem is the first-ever Arab to receive

the prestigious award. The award recognized

Ghanem's countless forays into the world of

literature. His translation of Indian works into both

the Arabic and English language was also

appreciated. The award is given to one person everytwo years. Ghanem was chosen due to the

promotion of the human values of love and peace

via his poetic works.

Prior to winning the Tagore Peace Prize, Ghanemreceived a plethora of awards and commendations.Examples include the Rashid Award for ScientificExcellence in 1989, 1st prize for poetry in the UAEin 1984, and book prize from the Ruler of Sharjah forpoetry translation in 2003 and 2007.





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EDITORIALS

••••• Reigniting Bonds of Friendship

The new economi c engagement betw een I ndi a

and A sean opens up exc i t i ng possi b i l i t i es for

both part ners

Over the past three weeks, 31 Indian-made XUVshave raced across eight Asean nations, coveringclose to 8,000 km of diverse geographies - from theislands of Indonesia through the beaches of Thailand and the tropical forests of Myanmar toend at Guwahati. The Asean-India car rally was

organised by the external affairs ministry and theConfederation of Indian Industry (CII), with thesupport of all Asean governments, to commemorate20 years of Asean-India dialogue partnership.

The rally was more than just an adventure. Itreignited the close bonds of friendship and culture

between India and Asean, forged new partnershipsand, most of all, highlighted that the two sides sharegeostrategic space just across the land border fromnortheast India.

The historical connectivity between India andAsean came out strongly during the car rally,which stopped at architectural wonders of theregion such as Borobudur and Angkor Wat,deriving from Hindu and Buddhist traditions.Everywhere, the procession was greeted withwaving of Indian flags, while some fans evenrecalled Hindi film songs. Alongside the rally route,we held business conferences that brought togethergovernments, industry leaders and think tanks fornotable discussions on economic potential.

As the fulcrum of economic growth tilts towardsthe dynamic Asian economies, expanding trade andinvestment relations between India and Asean will

be hugely beneficial for both partners. Taken together,they represent a population of 1.8 billion, and a rapidlygrowing economy of about $2.75 trillion.

Under India's Look East policy, the two sidescommenced sectoral dialogue in 1992 and becamefull dialogue partners in 1996. The relationship hasgone from strength to strength, and a Plan of Actionwas initiated in 2010 that covers cooperation onmultiple fronts, including strategic, economic,education, energy, climate change and othercomponents. The partnership was cemented withthe landmark Asean-India Trade in Goods

Agreement, which was operationalised fromAugust last year. Now, the two partners haveconcluded the expansion of this agreement toinclude services and investments as well.

Bilateral economic cooperation has truly soaredin the last decade, with trade rocketing tenfold to$80 billion. India sold $36.7 billion worth of goodsto Asean in 2011-12, a jump of 43% over theprevious year. Similarly, its imports from the regionwent up by 40% to stand at $43.2 billion.

This is accompanied by strong mutualinvestment interest - between April 2000 and July2012, Asean's equity investments in Indiaaggregated about $19 billion, while $6 billionflowed the other way. Indian companies have madestrategic investments across the region in diversesectors ranging from plantations and mining tomanufacturing and biotechnology. Singapore hasemerged as a favourite destination of Indiancompanies, and likewise, India's economic growthis being leveraged by companies in Singapore,

Malaysia and Indonesia. Energy cooperation isstrengthening, which is a critical input for India.

Additionally, India has special partnershipprogrammes for the least developed countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam - theCLMV group - including certain zero-duty imports,scholarships and training programmes, and othereconomic aid. With Myanmar, the Indiangovernment has instituted numerous infrastructureprojects that aim to link our northeastern states -which themselves are set on a new growth path -through road and port connectivities to the robustAsean economies.

The region also sees various other platforms of economic engagement with India, such as the Bayof Bengal Initiative for Multi-eSectoral Technical andEconomic Cooperation, or Bimstec, and Mekong-Ganga Cooperation. Most recently, the East AsiaSummit process, which includes Asean and Indiaalong with five other members, gained momentum

by announcing a Regional Comprehensive

Economic Partnership that would tie up the strandsof multiple FTAs in the region and may be in placeas early as 2015.





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As proximate neighbours, India and Asean muststep up their economic partnership. India's sharein Asean's trade is still low, and many opportunitiesexist in traditional manufacturing sectors as wellas services, infrastructure and agriculture areas. Inmanufacturing, synergies arising from the bilateralFTA as well as FTAs with other countries need to

be explored, so that a stronger supply chain canlink India with East Asian economies. Engineeringgoods, electronics, machinery and equipment would

benefit from such partnerships.

Both sides are embarking on ambitiousinfrastructure construction programmes and canparticipate in each other's roads, ports and powersectors. India offers business potential in its effectivemodel of public-private partnerships, among thelargest range of such projects in the world. It isalso set to build $1 trillion of infrastructure facilitiesover the next five years. Equally, Indian companiescan look at large manufacturing regions and specialzones coming up in Asean economies. Energycooperation can be further expanded as well.

In the services sector, there are many possiblesubsectors of cooperation, including education,healthcare, IT and tourism. For example, Philippineshas become a strong player in the outsourcingmarket, while Thailand has emerged as a healthcarehub and Malaysia is home to over 5,000 Indianstudents. Indian companies are already tapping

these markets. The proposed FTA in services wouldfurther open new horizons for cooperation.

As the Asean-India car rally demonstrates, thefoundation of friendship is strong and deep. Weshould now shift gears and redirect the steeringwheel for taking the expressway to economiccooperation with Asean.

Source: Times of India

••••• Because women's rights are human rights

There exist no scales on which the sexual brutality of gangrape, accompanied by extremephysical assault, may be measured. Even so, therecent violence against a young medical student inDelhi still struggling for survival is surely amongstthe worst episodes of brazen sexual violence. Thespontaneous events of public prayer in allcosmopolitan Indian cities for her survival aresimply unprecedented; so is the renewal of criticalsocial solidarity against all forms of sexual violence.

The unfolding events of popular protest reiteratesome familiar demands - conscientious policeinvestigation, speedy trials, harsh punishments andefficacious law reform. With the exception of thedemand for capital punishment for all rapists, these

demands carry universal agreement. What is newis the sense of urgency, cascading public indignationand a wider call for responsive and reflexive lawand governance. Translation of the current waveof protests into an enduring social movement entailsa serious-minded addressal of flourishing rapecultures in state and civil society, going beyond thepractices of exposé politics, the abrasive bravado of leading 24x7 TV anchors, and the opportunisticpractices of competitive party politics.

Rape cultures abound in civil society, illustratedcruelly in dowry murders and female foeticide,and the sex-based malnutrition of the girl child.Paedophilia, on all available evidence, iswidespread. Visual rape in public spaces is aneveryday predation. Conscription into sexualslavery through trafficking of women and girlsstands archived in literature and the memories of

those affected. Marital rape alltoo often defines the abjection of married women.Caste/ biradari/ khap panchayats, as well as fatwacultures, continue to flourish under the patronageof politics. The "shadow" reports by women'smovement groups to the UN CEDAW provide apoignant counter-archive.

Political rape cultures are vividly foregroundedin "counter-insurgency" operations; no reminder

beyond a recall of Manorama's epic struggles should be necessary. The practices of insurgent, armed

opposition groups fare no better. Further,degenerate forms of doing competitive "liberalpolitics" continue even today, seeking to "justify"unnameable violence against women in situationsof regime-sponsored or tolerated "communal" and"ethnic" violence.

I have named such cultures "democidal" in atleast two ways: these deal mortal blows to the spiritof women as peoples and citizens, and pave waysfor explosive forms of public distrust inrepresentational democracy. "Arresting" these is an

uphill task, never fully addressed by demands forspecific and sectoral changes of law, policy andadministration; rather, we need to devise moresustainable forms of social action that aim tofeminise sovereign power.

The growing demand for capital punishment ill-serves the very cause it seems to espouse, especiallyif it were extended to gruesome violence routinelyafflicted in the prevalent societal rape cultures.Popularising justice as revenge obliterates citizenmemory of a global consensus against capitalpunishment, and especially India's specificinternational human rights treaty obligationstowards its "progressive elimination". Available





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studies worldwide show that capital punishmentdoes not deter, in the median or long term, "crimesof passion" or, indeed, insurgency-based politicalcrimes. And frenzied advocacy of capitalpunishment for rapists overlooks the fine balancingtrick so superbly achieved by the Supreme Courtvia its test of the rarest of rare cases. This testalready extends to heinous rape crimes resultingin the death of the victim.

A disturbing portent is the spectacle of leading24x7 TV anchors who flay, to the point of ostracism,human rights-based opposition to capitalpunishment. Trashing in full public view abolitionisthuman rights activists as anti-women voices doesnot furnish the best moves ahead.

The loud talk about the convening of a specialsession of Parliament signifies no more than a ritualof symbolic politics and may, in the short run,

pacify the protesters; yet, it is unlikely that thespecial session will escape disruption, especiallytriggered over the passage in the Lok Sabha of theconstitutional amendment providing reservation forthe promotion of SCs/STs in public services.

Instead, this demand needs conversion into arequirement that Parliament, and state legislatures,set aside a few working days in each session todebate and monitor measures assuring the collectiveand individual rights of human security for the girlchild and all women.

For the moment, no more than a wise use of powers to proclaim an ordinance is required asdemonstrative of political will. Such a measureought at least to achieve the following.

First, it should provide for fast-tracking of allpending rape trials. Second, life imprisonment withrigorous labour, and without parole or remission,should be the norm for rapists. Third, new offencesmust be declared for law enforcement officials whodecline, delay, or doctor FIRs, and for public

prosecutors who fail to perform their statutoryduties with alacrity. Fourth, the right to immediateand long-run compensation, rehabilitation andrestitution for violated women, their kin andsurvivors, and efficient legal aid and witnessprotection programmes should be legislated. Fifth,rape as a "crime against humanity" should now beproclaimed on the lines of the elements of crimedefined in the statute of the International CriminalCourt. Sixth, stringent offences against global sextourism in India should be proclaimed.

Such measures will provide a roadmap forparliamentary consideration and publicdiscussion; given Article 123's requirement of

parliamentary approval within six weeks of thereassembly of Parliament, any further changesmust remain time-bound.

An electoral law reform prohibiting thenomination of candidates against whom criminalcharges have been judicially framed for rape orother acts of sex-based aggression remains

imperative. The argument of "innocent until provedguilty" is impertinent here, because Article 51 A of the Constitution, which prescribes the fundamentalduties of citizens, includes the duty to "renouncepractices derogatory to the dignity of women". Howmay any constitutionally sincere citizen take an oathto uphold the Constitution when judiciallyimplicated for prima facie violation of hisfundamental duty towards women? In any event,this measure will make a significant dent in Indianrape cultures.

More measures are needed. Explicit Constitution- based guidel ines should st ipulate obligationsregulating executive discretion in matters such asclemency, parole and outright amnesty for sex-offenders. The presiding officers of Parliament andstate legislatures need to reframe legislative rules of

business that enable the prioritisation of legislativeconsideration of violent crimes against women.Further, appointment of judges at district levels andtheir elevation to high courts and the Supreme Courtshould take full account of their judicial

performance, including utterances from the bench,that betray a lack of sensitivity and sensibilitytowards women's rights as human rights. Thisrequirement should extend to elevation from the

bar to the bench.

Even granting that Right to Information Act-type disclosures about judicial appointments maynot best subserve public interest, apex justices stillneed to assure the wounded citizenry that theircollegiate practices actually avoid elevationsviolative of Article 51 A.

The four law teachers who dared write an openletter to the Chief Justice of India in the 1970sconcerning the Mathura verdict, initiated someenduring gains of law reform via reasoned publicdebate, even without the mixed blessing of 24x7instant mobilisation of mass opinion. Their messagestill holds - combating political rape cultures invitesHerculean labours directed towards the reformationof state rationality and the institutions that sustainit. Further, the theatres of mass public protest needalso to engage, with equal determination, the notion

that a violation of women's rights is a violation of human rights in the prevalent societal rape cultures.

Source: Indian Express





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••••• Critics of the cash transfers project are allbarking up the wrong tree

Cash transfers enjoy two major advantages overin-kind transfers. First, they empower the

beneficiary instead of placing her at the mercy of the provider, as is the case under in-kind transfers.

Second, they foster efficiency by reducingcorruption and leaks in the long distribution chainsunder inkind transfers. Nevertheless, critics like LantPritchett and Shrayana Bhattacharya have allegedthat they are not a 'cure-all ' solution.

Surely, the proponents understand that cashtransfers are only one instrument among many tocombat poverty. Indeed, if Pritchett andBhattacharya have a cure-all solution, I will be thefirst to give up cash transfers in its favour.

They also argue that in-kind transfers are better

because they nudge the beneficiary towards theconsumption basket the government considershealthy. This is a false claim.

Just because the transfer is affected in rice doesnot mean that the beneficiary will consume morerice. If she prefers ice-cream, instead, he willsimply sell part of the rice for cash and use thecash to buy ice-cream. India's poor may lackmoney but they have the brains to figure out thatthe market allows two-way conversion: cash intokind and kind into cash.

They bolster their claim by citing an obscureexperimental study from Honduras in which in-kind transfers led to increased calorie consumptionwhile cash transfers did not.

They neglect the fact that the existence of amassive food-distribution programme for decadesin India has not prevented a steady decline in calorieconsumption across all income classes. Perhaps theHonduras experiment was not run long enough forthe beneficiaries to discover the conversion

possibilities that the market offers.

The idea that in-kind transfers can transferpurchasing power while additionally imposing aspecific consumption basket on the beneficiarythereby killing two birds with one stone is an enticingone. But, alas, you can get such a kill only in therare case when the shooter and the two birds arealigned along a straight line and the shooter alsohas a strong arm and a good aim. In most cases, youneed two or more stones to kill two birds.

Public policy is no different. Regardless of whether the government transfers purchasingpower in cash or kind, it must additionally run an

effective campaign to inform the target populationof what constitutes a healthy basket of goods andwhy it is good for them.

As India's own experience testifies, distributionof heavily subsidised rice and wheat will notguarantee even increased calorie consumption, letalone a balanced diet.

Pritchett and Bhattacharya also contend thatwhereas the poor can self-identify under in-kindtransfers, cash transfers lack this attribute. But thisis a hugely exaggerated claim since self-identificationunder in-kind transfers is only possible if thetransfers consist off rotten food or lowqualityeducation and health services for which only thepoor might line up.

Related, did the proponents of National RuralEmployment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) not tellus that it would lead to self-identification of thepoor? Well, with three years worth of nationwideoperation of the scheme, the government must nowknow every single poor household in every singlevillage . Why is then the identification of the pooran issue any more unless the claims of self-identification were false in the first place? If thelatter, let us not keep repeating the claim that in-kind transfers magically separate the poor from thenon-poor.

Separately, Yogi Aggarwal attacks cash transfers

on the ground that they will expand the spaceoccupied by the private sector while alsoundermining public programmes for fooddistribution, health and education.

He doesn't confront the question whether theobjective behind redistribution is to help the pooror protect public distribution programmesregardless of the service they provide to the poor.

Why, despite the elaborate system of sub-centers,public health centers and community health centers,painstakingly built over five decades, 75% of theoutpatient care and 55% of inpatient care takesplace in the private sector in both rural and urbanareas ? Why is it that even families at the bottomof the socio-economic ladder work multiple shiftsso that they may scrape enough financial resourcesto send their children to private schools?

And why do so many poor citizens find itdemeaning to stand in the queue every month atthe ration shop and beg the shopkeeper for thegrain that is rightfully theirs in the first place? Purely

on statistical grounds, it is a safe bet that even theAggarwal family has stayed clear of public schools,government hospital and ration shops.





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Finally, we have the criticism that cash transfersare infeasible because not everyone has a bankaccount. Having grown up in 1960s' India, I do notrecall there being a single ration card before thepublic distribution system was invented. Aadhaaroffers a more promising starting point.

It is ironic that after 50 years of failure we are

still optimistic for in-kind transfers but won't givecash transfers even five years to build the necessaryinfrastructure.

Source: Economic Times

••••• Get the basics right

The tempest of public anger and revulsion againstviolent attacks on women in the nation's capitalmust catalyse long-delayed changes in laws andtheir implementation for a more secure and humaneworld for girls and women to grow up in. The

students and young people who faced watercannons and tear gas shells are right in settling fornothing less.

High on the list of reforms demanded - andwhich a besieged government seems most willingto concede - is the death penalty for rapists. Thesame cry for the death penalty rose recently in thecontext of terrorist violence. It seems that when wefeel most violated - as in terrorist massacres or inthe gruesome recent gangrape of the physiotherapystudent in Delhi - we believe that only the death of those who cause us so much grief and outrage willensure closure and justice. The assumption is alsothat potential rapists - and terrorists - will bedeterred from committing such crimes only if theyare threatened by the ultimate punishment of death.

But in our justified rage, it is important for us toreflect collectively if death both as retribution anddeterrence will actually reduce violence - terroristand against women. A statement by a number of feminist and progressive groups and individuals,

while supporting demands for justice for personsguilty of rape, adds that 'our vision of this justicedoes not include the death penalty, which is neithera deterrent nor an effective or ethical response tothese acts of sexual violence'.

India today stands among a minority of nationswhere the death penalty is still lawful. One hundredand forty-one nations have abolished the deathpenalty, from just eight United Nations member-states in 1945. The overwhelming evidence fromcountries which abolished the death penalty is that

ending it has nowhere resulted in increased crime;therefore, there is little basis to believe that capitalpunishment is an effective, let alone essential,deterrent to heinous crimes like rape.

Both statutes and evidence are evaluated byhuman beings, and human beings are always subjectto failings and bias. Law scholar Usha Ramanathandocuments many pitfalls in the path of justice,including "eyewitness misidentification, flawedforensics, police and prosecutorial pursuing of conviction and not justice, false witnesses, dearthof defence lawyers for the indigent, false confessionsand miscarriage of justice". No judicial system inthe world has been able to eliminate the chances of wrongful conviction. Then how can we morally

justify taking away the life of a person who mayactually turn out to be innocent?

This is aggravated by class, gender, caste, racialand communal prejudice among all actors in thecriminal justice system - the police, prosecutionand judges, which led Justice Krishna Iyer toobserve that capital sentence has 'a class bias and

colour bar', and is 'reserved' for crimes committed by the poor. Justice PN Bhagwati also agreed thatthe death penalty has a "class bias inasmuch as itis largely the poor and downtrodden who arevictims of this extreme penalty".

Beyond the failings and bias of the criminal justicesystem are ethical questions with which we mustgrapple, even when enraged and anguished suchas by the suffering of the gangraped student. JusticeKrishna Iyer reminds us of the sacredness of life,the ever-present possibility of redemption of the

worst type of criminal, and the barbarity of thedeath penalty. I feel convinced that every human being must be given a chance to redeem himself.And every human being, even the most unrepentantcriminal - rapist, terrorist, serial killer, child abuser- who wrongs us most grievously, still is worthy of our compassion. As lawyer and campaigner YugMohit Chaudhary declares, "If we have to becomea more humane and compassionate society, andleave a better… world behind for our children, wehave to curb our instinct for bloody retribution".He adds, "Mercy tempers justice, makes it lessexacting, more humane."

The statement by feminists and progressivesfurther observes, "Sexual assault occurs withfrightening regularity in this country" against"adivasi and Dalit women and those working inthe unorganised sector, women with disabilities,hijras, kothis, trans- people and sex workers", whoare especially targeted with impunity. It calls forthe "need to evolve punishments that act as truedeterrents to the very large number of men who

commit these crimes. Our stance is not anti-punishment but against the State executing thedeath penalty. The fact that cases of rape have aconviction rate of as low as 26% shows that





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perpetrators of sexual violence enjoy a high degreeof impunity, including being freed of charges".

The changes which we must seek in this hour of grief and anger are long-delayed reforms in an over-worked and under-trained police force; reforms ininvestigation and prosecution; and judicial reforms.We need significant changes in laws on sexual

violence and sexual harassment in the workplace.The blueprints of these reforms are relatively wellcharted; what is lacking is commitment to a changingworld in which every woman must have the freedomto confidently enter and excel in every workplaceand all public spaces, at all times.

But in our fury, we also need to turn thetorchlight within. We need to reflect as a peopleabout the ways we bring up our boys and men,discouraging their gentler nurturing instincts, andteaching them to be aggressive, dominating, violent,

and disrespectful of women and girls. The act whicheliminates a girl-child in the womb is the violencewhich ultimately manifests itself in acts of hate anddominance like rape. It is not by threatening rapistswith death that violence against women will end.We do need effective laws and enforcement systems.But we need in the end to believe in equal rights tothis world to girls and women, and recreate families,workplaces and public spaces in ways that equality

becomes a way of life.

Source: Hindustan Times

••••• How to do drugs right

I ndi a's repressive narcoti cs l aw has not served

it s ow n ends

Recently, two states in the US, Washington andColorado, liberalised their narcotics laws anddecriminalised recreational marijuana. Marijuana formedical use has been legal for a while in 18 USstates. This is a big step, even though the federalgovernment is trying to override these laws with its

own court rulings. India though, is years away fromeven a debate on these lines - though our repressiveposition on narcotics has clearly not served us.

India's strict narcotics laws have been ineffective.Supply and demand for all narcotic and syntheticdrugs has risen rapidly after the Narcotics Drugsand Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) (1985).All the police does is arrest the most defenceless inthe drug chain - drug users, and those who sellsmall quantities to pay for their addiction.Over thelast 10 years, Punjab made 55,867 arrests, of whom

25,003 were sentenced. In Delhi, of the 4,155arrested, 2,052 were sentenced - of whom only 103were traffickers and couriers and the rest wereaddicts or peddlers. Those who are arrested live on

the streets and those who consume at home getaway. Can the authorities jail all Punjab's users,estimated at 72.5 of the youth by Guru Nanak DevUniversity's department of sociology?

Of course, some voices, demanding extraordinaryliberalisation of laws, can be discounted. Forinstance, Virender Kashyap, BJP MP from Shimla

has repeatedly demanded that the profit-orientedopium cultivation in the state be legalised. Thisdemand was last raised by MPs from Uttarakhand,Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal two years ago,

but it was rejected.

However, it must be remembered that opiumcultivation was legal in Himachal Pradesh and whatis now Uttarakhand until 1961. Then, theheadquarters of the Central Bureau of Narcoticsshifted from Shimla to Gwalior. An out-of-touch

bureaucracy declared this cultivation illegal. Opium

growers ignored that diktat. Despite the stringentNDPS Act, demand for opium has increased steeplyin the last 15 years, and illicit cultivation has enrichedits farmers. Opium is also grown, illegally, in sixdistricts of Arunachal Pradesh, where it has beentraditionally grown for centuries, primarily for thepersonal use of the cultivators, usually poor. Tocontain this practice, the government should revivethe Opium Registry System, by which registeredaddicts were officially given opium through theirstate governments. This would prevent illicit

cultivation, which haphazard eradication has not been able to achieve in three decades.

There is another way to regulate drugs: don't jail the drug users. Decriminalisation is a repugnantidea in India, though it has increasing support inEurope, the US and Latin America. If no drug usersare arrested, the police will have to tackle traffickersto show progress on the problem. Portugal showedthe way in 2001, treating addicts as "patientsneeding help, not dangerous criminals needing to

be locked away from society." This brave andsuccessful innovation was scoffed at by all, till 10years later a survey showed improvements in allthe indicators, and trashed the fear that addictionand crime would rise. Many US institutions havegrudgingly appreciated Portugal, and many in theUK are advocating a similar step.

This state of affairs began in 1961, with theUN's Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs -unnecessarily severe, and full of an unworldlyoptimism. For instance, in Article 49, it expected

that opium use would end within 15 years,cannabis and coca chewing in 25. It is on suchfragile research that our draconian narcotics lawshave been based. During negotiations for the





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"foundational treaties" of 1912, 1925, 1931, and1936, the representatives for India (some Indians

bu t most ly Bri ti sh ) st ood fi rm agains t theprohibition of non-medical and non-scientific useof opium and cannabis. However, in 1985, India'sNDPS Act was enforced severely, as in 190 othercountries. Trafficking and addiction onlyincreased.

India needs a strong broad-based movement tochange some sections. A new NDPS (Amendment)Bill, 2011 is being debated, but only a few areparticipating in it - which is why the governmentcan get away with blithely suggesting that thesentence for consumption be reduced from one yearto six months. Clearly, India needs more sustainedadvocacy from groups, who could demandliberalisation in strong terms.

Source: Indian Express

••••• Still staring at jobless growth

A Plan panel report on employment concedesthat the years of high growth since 2004-05 havenot created jobs. But having said that, it peddlesshop-worn clichés by way of solutions.

As the country enters the New Year, what willmost of its youth, that sizeable section of thepopulation predestined by the policymaker with thelabel of "demographic dividend", be thinking - if they think at all?

Those in the urban with secure jobs areas willhardly need to contemplate anything moreprofound than an exploration of the air-conditioned malls' tactile pleasures - the wondrousleeching of modernisation's gifts. But those withoutsecure employment will wonder what 2013 will

bring for them.

Perhaps, they should read the PlanningCommission report on employment in the 12th Plan(Report of the Working Group on Employment,

Planning and Policy for the Twelfth Plan) to drawsustenance from its focus on "inclusiveness".

The 12th Plan that began this year will makeemployment a centrepiece of the planning process. Or,as the Working Group intones, labour and employment"is likely to play a crucial role in the planning process."All the vast numbers grouped into that blessed'demographic dividend" can now take heart.

The Working Group report was issued lastDecember as a curtain raiser for the 12th Plan's

focus. One year later, a revisit of its observationson and prescriptions for labour and employmentover the next four years of the 12th Plan seems inorder. Not so much to fault the government for

letting a year go by, but more to locate its innatestrengths and weaknesses as a document of change.

Blame the economy

That the economy, over the past 12 months hasgiven no indication of providing the platform forthe kind of employment opportunities theCommission envisages, is unfortunate. Increasing

employment opportunities demands robust growthand so far we have had no evidence of that;policymakers with stars in their eyes talk of aturnaround next year but then they know no better

because they have stars in their eyes or, to put itmore prosaically, 'green shoots' in their gaze.

No one with clear vision can say anything about2014 either; Europe is due for a huge financialoverhaul, perhaps the US recovery might gainstrength. But India has its general elections and

judging by the current play of power, it may haveone messy outcome and that isn't good for investors

betting on India's "growth story".

Growth yes, jobs no

Not that growth itself, measured by the inflowof capital and surge in investments, has had anymajor impact on employment. The five-year periodsince 2004-05, considered the golden age of IndiaShining, recorded poor employment growth. In fact,the report casts doubts on the idea of trickle-down

benefits, when it suggests that even in periods of

high growth employment, benefits were notforthcoming. That is one reason for planners to treatemployment not as a derivative of growth, but asa goal to be pursued separately.

This is how the report explains it: "A notablerising trend has been observed in unemploymentamong educated youth. Another area of majorconcern has been the quality of employment andlevel of productivity. These developments areindicative of the fact that growth alone cannotgenerate sustainable and quality employment

opportunities."

This is of course a loaded criticism, for itundermines the basic philosophy policymakers havefollowed so assiduously since the late 1980s - thatgrowth will change us all.

Having said its piece, the Planning Commissioncannot throw up its hands and abandon planning.By de-linking employment from economicexpansion, it assigns itself the task of venturing intothe field abandoned by market-led growth.

Not looking ahead

In the data it provides, overall employment,measured by the work force participation rates



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(WPR) fell between 2004-05 and 2009-10. But thenumber of daily wage earners measured by CurrentDaily Status increased. "The work force expansionwas also maximum under CDS. It increased from382.8 million person-days on a day in 2004-05 to400.8 million persons-days on a day i.e. by 18 millionperson-days." Therefore, the casualisation of labourand the divide between the organised andunorganised sectors of the economy, a key themeof the Arjun Sengupta committee report on theinformal sector, has not been bridged in the highgrowth years.

The report on employment in the 12th Planmakes for fascinating reading, though not in theway the authors would have intended it to be read.The report makes it clear that growth led-employment has not led to the desired job creation,particularly among "educated youth."

But when it gets down to looking into the future,it falls back on the same shop-worn cliches that

basically tell us how far behind the curve of realityplanners are. It could be argued that the PC playsthe tune set by the government of the day.

That may explain the following nostrum:"employment generation should be focused ondifferent segments of labour force - organised,unorganised, rural, urban, educated, uneducated,skilled, unskilled, male, female and youth and thatemployment will be source of livelihood for all.Nevertheless, priority needs to be accorded to thedisadvantaged sections of society such as SC/ST/OBC/minorities/women and differently abled. Thiscould be better ensured through generation of sustainable and good quality employment… TheWorking Group also underlined the significance of adoption of labour-intensive technology… theWorking Group suggested policy initiatives requiredto stimulate decent jobs during the 12th Planperiod."

In the above one senses a self-parody, acaricaturising of an old sermon bereft of meaning,

that with repeated utterance becomes a mockery of itself at best and at worst, the reduction of discourseinto dissimulation.

Source: Business Line

1.weekly 24 to 30 december 2012

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