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MENTOR MAY 2017NATIONAL

Union Government to launch Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

Union Government is going to launch Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) scheme for providing physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to BPL category. It is the first-of-its-kind Central Sector Scheme (CCS) in India, to be fully funded by the Central Government. It is expected to benefit 5,20,000 Senior Citizens. The scheme will be distribute free of cost physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to BPL category. It will be implemented through the sole implementing agency ‘Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The eligible elderly beneficiary will get devices such as walking sticks, elbow crutches, walkers/crutches, tripods/qadpods, hearing aids, wheelchair, aificial Dentures and Spectacles. The devices will help the Senior Citizens to overcome their age related physical impairment and to lead a dignified and productive life with minimal dependence on care givers or other members of the family. Beneficiaries will be identified by the State Governments/UTs through a Committee chaired by the Deputy Commissioner/District Collector. The Committee can utilize the data of BPL beneficiaries receiving Old Age Pension under the NSAP or any other Scheme of the State/UTs for identification of senior citizens belonging to BPL category.As per the Census of 2011, there are 10.38 crore senior citizens in the country and 5.2% of them suffer from some sort of old age-related disability. It is projected that the number of senior citizens will increase to around 173 million by 2026.

National Health Policy, 2017: Salient Features

The Union Union Cabinet approved the National Health Policy 2017. It will replace the previous policy which was framed 15 years ago in 2002. It aims at providing healthcare in an “assured manner” to all by addressing current and emerging challenges arising from the ever changing socio-economic, epidemiological and technological scenarios. Highlights of National Health PolicyIt aims to raise public healthcare expenditure to 2.5% of GDP from current 1.4%, with more than two-thirds of those resources going towards primary healthcare. It envisages providing a larger package of assured comprehensive primary healthcare through the ‘Health and Wellness Centers’. It is a comprehensive package that will include care for major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), geriatric healthcare, mental health, palliative care and rehabilitative care services. It proposes free diagnostics, free drugs and free emergency and essential healthcare services in all public hospitals in order to provide healthcare access and financial protection. It seeks to establish regular tracking of disability adjusted life years (DALY) Index as a measure of burden of disease and its major categories trends by 2022. It aims to improve and strengthen the regulatory environment by putting in place systems for setting standards and ensuring quality of healthcare. It also looks at reforms in the existing regulatory systems both for easing drugs and devices manufacturing to promote Make in India and also reforming medical education. It advocates development of mid-level service providers, public health cadre, nurse practitioners to improve availability of appropriate health human resource.

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MENTOR MAY 2017 Targets: It aims to ensure availability of 2 beds per 1000 population to enable access within golden hour. It proposes to increase life expectancy from 67.5 to 70 years by 2025. It aims to reduce total fertility rate (TFR) to 2.1 at sub-national and national level by 2025. It also aims to reduce mortality rate (MR) of children under 5 years of age to 23 per 1000 by 2025 and maternal mortality rate (MMR) to 100 by 2020. It also aims to reduce infant mortality rate to 28 by 2019 and reduce neo-natal mortality to 16 and still birth rate to ‘single digit’ by 2025.

Union Cabinet approves amendment to RTE Act, 2009The Union Cabinet has approved the amendment to Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The amendment seeks to ensure all teachers, in position as on March 2015, acquire minimum qualifications prescribed by academic authority to extend period for such training for 4 years up to March 2019. The RTE Act, 2009 envisages free and compulsory elementary education to every child in the age group of 6-14 years. The section 23(2) of the Act specifies that all teachers at elementary level at commencement of this law if did not possess minimum qualifications under it need to acquire these within a period of five years i.e. by March 2015. However, several state governments have reported that 11.00 lakh teachers at the elementary level are still untrained out of a total number of 66.41 lakh teachers. Thus, to ensure that all teachers acquire the minimum qualifications prescribed by the academic authority, it is deemed necessary to carry out appropriate amendment in the RTE Act, 2009 to extend period for such training for four years up to March 2019.It will enable the in-service untrained elementary teachers to complete their training and ensure that all teachers at the elementary level have a certain minimum standard of qualifications. It will ensure that all teachers attain minimum qualifications as considered necessary to maintain the standard of teaching quality. It will ultimately result in improvement in overall quality of teachers, teaching processes and learning outcomes of

children. It will reinforce the Government’s emphasis on improvement of quality of elementary education.

Recommendations of Law Commission against Hate SpeechThe Law Commission of India (LCI) in its 267th Report has laid out that bare the danger of hate speech to the Union Government and called for action from the government and Parliament. It held that hate speech has the potential to provoke individuals and society to commit acts of genocides, terrorism and ethnic cleansing. The Supreme Court of India in 2014 had referred to the Law Commission for means to arm the Election Commission to crack down on hate speech.In its report, the commission has cautioned the government that hate speech is considered outside the realm of protective discourse and has urged for the expansion of the penal law against hate crimes. It held that indisputably, offensive hate speech has real and devastating effects on people’s lives and risks their health and safety. It is also harmful and divisive for communities and hampers social progress. If left unchecked, it can severely affect right to life of every individual.Law against Hate Speech The commission also has drafted a new law The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2017 by inserting new Sections to fortify democracy against hate speeches. The law defined hate speech as any word written or spoken, signs, visible representations within the hearing or sight of a person with the intention to cause fear or alarm, or incitement to violence. Its Section 153C penalises incitement to hatred and Section 505A for the first time makes ‘causing fear, alarm, or provocation of violence in certain cases’ a specific criminal offence. Section 153C calls for punishing guilty person with two years’ imprisonment or Rs. 5,000 in fine or both. Section 505A provides a punishment of one year imprisonment or Rs. 5,000 in fine or both.

Government to wind up 8 tribunalsThe Lok Sabha has approved amendments to The Finance Bill, 2017 proposed by the Union Government to wind up eight tribunals These eight


MENTOR MAY 2017tribunals currently exclusively deal with disputes pertaining to employees’ provident fund (EPF), Competition law, Airports economic regulation, IT law, National highways, railways, copyrights and Forex. The amendments in the Finance Bill of 2017 also has proposed changes in the norms for tribunals, appellate tribunals and other boards associated with the administration of 17 central laws. 8 major tribunals that will cease to operate Competition Appellate Tribunal: Its work now has will be transferred to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal. Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT) and Cyber Appellate Tribunal: Their functions will now be discharged by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). EPF Appellate Tribunal: Its works will be transferred to the Industrial Tribunal that examines matters under the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947. Cases under the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999: They will be transferred to Appellate Tribunal constituted under Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976. National Highways Tribunal: Now Highway disputes will now be adjudicated by the Airport Appellate Tribunal set up under the Airport Authority of India (AAI) Act,1994. Railways Rates Tribunal: It was established for hearing matters under the Railways Act, 1989. Its workload will be transferred to the Railway Claims Tribunal. Copyright Board: It was responsible for enforcing of the Copyright Act of 1957. Now it will be transferred to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board set up under the Trademarks Act of 1999.

Rajya Sabha passes HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014The Rajya Sabha has passed HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014. The Bill seeks to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV. It aims to prevent social stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV (PLHIV). It also seeks to strengthen legal

accountability and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances to probe discrimination complaints against those who discriminate against PLHIV. Salient Features of Bill Prevention and control the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS. No person will be compelled to disclose his HIV status except with his informed consent, and if required by a court order Establishments keeping records of information of PLHIV must adopt data protection measures. Obligations on establishments to safeguard rights of persons living with HIV arid create mechanisms for redressing complaints. Lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV-positive persons and those living with them is prohibited. These include the denial, discontinuation, termination or unfair treatment with regard to employment, educational establishments, health care services, renting property etc. Prohibits, requirement for HIV testing as a pre-requisite for obtaining employment or accessing health care or education. Prohibits any individual from publishing information or advocating feelings of hatred against HIV positive persons and PLHIV.There are approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India, the third highest number after South Africa and Nigeria. Currently, HIV is more prevalent in high-risk groups like female sex workers, homosexuals and drug addicts. The prevalence of HIV is decreasing over the last decade but percentage of PLHIV receiving Anti-Retroviral therapy (ART) treatment are merely 28.82% against global percentage of 41%.

Parliament passes Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016Parliament has passed the Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to raise maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for two surviving children. It was passed in the Lok Sabha and already has been passed in the Rajya Sabha. India will be in third position in terms of the


MENTOR MAY 2017number of weeks allowed for maternity leave in the world after Norway (44 weeks) and Canada (50). Key Features of the bill The Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 which protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her of a ‘maternity benefit’ Maternity leave: Increased to 26 weeks for the working women for the first two children. Woman with two or more children will be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave. Woman who adopts a child below the age of three months and also commissioning mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave. In this case, commissioning mother is defined as biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman. Crèche facilities: Every establishment with more than 50 employees must provide for crèche facilities for working mothers. Such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the crèche. Work from home: Employer may permit a woman to work from home, if the nature of work assigned permits her to do so. This must be mutually agreed upon by the woman and employer. Information about benefits: Establishment must inform a working woman of all benefits available under this law at the time of her appointment. Such information must be given in electronically or writing. Applicability: The provisions of this law will apply to every establishment employing ten or more persons and include mines and factories. No employer can remove any woman employee on ground of pregnancy.

Government notifies Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017The Union Government has notified the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017 to prohibit the holding, transferring or receiving of scrapped old Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes from 31 December, 2016, This law makes possession of more than a certain number of the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes a criminal offence. It

ends the liability of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government on the demonetised Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes. It prohibits the holding, transferring or receiving of demonitised notes from 31 December, 2016 and confers power on the court of a first class magistrate to impose the penalty. Possessing more than 10 pieces of old notes by individuals and more than 25 pieces for study, research or numismatics purposes will attract a fine of Rs. 10,000 or five times the value of cash held, whichever is higher. Fine of a minimum of Rs, 50,000 will be imposed for a false declaration by persons for being abroad during the demonetisation period (9 November-30 December, 2016).The Union Government had demonetised old Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 notes from November 2016 on the recommendations of the RBI’s central board to eliminate unaccounted money and fake currency notes from the financial system. As a follow up, The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017 was passed by Parliament in February 2017 and received assent of President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 February 2017. The law aims to eliminating the possibility of running a parallel economy using demonetised currency notes. The demonetisation had abruptly sucked out 86% of the currency in circulation in the form of Rs.500 and Rs. 1,000 out of the system.

Jal Kranti Abhiyan

National conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan was recently held in Delhi. Participating in the conference representatives from water user associations, NGOs and other agencies gave useful suggestions to make Jal Kranti Abhiyan a success.The daylong conference was organized by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation as part of Jal Kranti Abhiyan. About


MENTOR MAY 2017700 participants representing various stakeholder groups such as farmers, Panchayat members, officials, NGOs and students attended the conference.Jal Kranti Abhiyan was launched on June 05, 2015 to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders making it a mass movement.One of the main objectives of the Jal Kranti Abhiyan is “strengthening grass root involvement of all stakeholders including Panchayati Raj institutions and local bodies for Participatory Irrigation Management.”There are four important components of Jal Kranti Abhiyan viz. Jal Gram Yojana, Development of Model Command Area, Pollution Abatement and Mass Awareness Programme.Under Jal Gram Yojana two water stressed villages in each district of the country are to be selected and a comprehensive water security plan is formulated to achieve water security for these villages. So far 726 such villages have been identified against the total target of 828. Integrated Water Security Plan for 180 Villages have been prepared and 61 of them have been approved.

Admiralty Bill,2016 The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 was recently passed by the Lok Sabha. Admiralty laws deal with cases of accidents in navigable waters or involve contracts related to commerce on such waters. The Bill repeals laws such as the Admiralty Court Act, 1861, the Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890. Objectives of the bill:The Bill aims to establish a legal framework to consolidate the existing laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues.It also aims to replace archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance.Highlights of the Bill:Admiralty jurisdiction: The jurisdiction with respect to maritime claims under the Bill will vest with the respective High Courts and will extend up

to the territorial waters of their respective jurisdictions. The central government may extend the jurisdiction of these High Courts. Currently admiralty jurisdiction applies to the Bombay, Calcutta and Madras High Courts. The Bill further extend this to the High Courts of Karnataka, Gujarat, Orissa, Kerala, Hyderabad, and any other High Court notified by the central government.Maritime claims: The High Courts may exercise jurisdiction on maritime claims arising out of conditions including: (i) disputes regarding ownership of a vessel, (ii) disputes between co-owners of a vessel regarding employment or earnings of the vessel, (iii) mortgage on a vessel, (iv) construction, repair, or conversion of the vessel, (v) disputes arising out of the sale of a vessel, (vi) environmental damage caused by the vessel, etc. The Bill defines a vessel as any ship, boat, or sailing vessel which may or may not be mechanically propelled.While determining maritime claims under the specified conditions, the courts may settle any outstanding accounts between parties with regard to the vessel. They may also direct that the vessel or a share of it be sold. With regard to a sale, courts may determine the title to the proceeds of such sale.Priority of maritime claims: Among all claims in an admiralty proceeding, highest priority will be given to maritime claims, followed by mortgages on the vessel, and all other claims. Within maritime claims, the highest priority will be given to claims for wages due with regard to employment on the vessel. This would be followed by claims with regard to loss of life or personal injury in connection with the operation of the vessel. Such claims will continue to exist even with the change of ownership of the vessel.Jurisdiction over a person: Courts may exercise admiralty jurisdiction against a person with regard to maritime claims. However, the courts will not entertain complaints against a person in certain cases. These include: (i) damage, or loss of life, or personal injury arising out of collision between vessels that was caused in India, or (ii) non-compliance with the collision regulations of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 by a person who does not reside or carry out business in India. Further,


MENTOR MAY 2017Courts will not entertain action against a person until any case against them with regard to the same incident in any court outside India has ended.Arrest of vessel: The courts may order for the arrest of any vessel within their jurisdiction for providing security against a maritime claim which is the subject of a proceeding. They may do so under various reasons such as: (i) owner of the vessel is liable for the claim, (ii) the claim is based on mortgage of the vessel, and (iii) the claim relates to ownership of the vessel, etc.Appeals: Any judgments made by a single Judge of the High Court can be appealed against to a Division Bench of the High Court. Further, the Supreme Court may, on application by any party, transfer an admiralty proceeding at any stage from one High Court to any other High Court. The latter High Court will proceed with the matter from the stage where it stood at the time of the transfer.Assessors: The central government will appoint a list of assessors qualified and experienced in admiralty and maritime matters. The central government will also determine the duties of assessors, and their fee. Typically, assessors assist the judges in determining rates and claims in admiralty proceedings.India is a leading maritime nation and maritime transportation caters to about ninety-five percent of its merchandise trade volume. However, under the present statutory framework, the admiralty jurisdiction of Indian courts flow from laws enacted in the British era. Admiralty jurisdiction relates to powers of the High Courts in respect of claims associated with transport by sea and navigable waterways. The repealing of five admiralty statutes is in line with the Government’s commitment to do away with archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance.

Inter-state River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha The government has introduced Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Lok Sabha. Highlights of the bill:

The Bill proposes a Single Standing Tribunal (with multiple benches) instead of existing multiple tribunals, which shall consist of one Chairperson, one Vice-Chairperson and not more than six other Members. While the term of office of the Chairperson is five year or till he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier, the term of office of Vice Chairperson and other member of tribunal shall be co-terminus with the adjudication of the water dispute.The Bill also provides for the appointment of Assessors to provide technical support to the tribunal. They shall be appointed from amongst experts serving in the Central Water engineering Service not below the rank of Chief Engineer.The total time period for adjudication of dispute has been fixed at maximum of four and half years. The decision of the Tribunal shall be final and binding with no requirement of publication in the official Gazette.The Bill also proposes to introduce mechanism to resolve the dispute amicably by negotiations, through a Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) to be established by the Central Government consisting of relevant experts, before such dispute is referred to the tribunal.The Bill also provides for transparent data collection system at the national level for each river basin and for this purpose, an agency to maintain data-bank and information system shall be appointed or authorized by Central Government.Background:Inter-state river water disputes are on the rise on account of increase in water demands by the States. The Inter State Water Dispute Act, 1956 which provides the legal framework to address such disputes, suffers from many drawbacks. Under this Act, a separate Tribunal has to be established for each Inter State River Water Dispute. Only three out of eight Tribunals have given awards accepted by the States, while Tribunals like Cauvery and Ravi Beas have been in existence for over 26 and 30 years respectively without any award. Delays are on account of no time limit for adjudication by a Tribunal, no upper age limit for the Chairman or the Members, work getting stalled due to


MENTOR MAY 2017occurrence of any vacancy and no time limit for publishing the report of the Tribunal.

ECONOMY

Cabinet approves of proposal to establish a Fund of Fund for Start-ups The Union Cabinet has approved proposals to tweak Fund of Funds of Start-ups (FFS) rules to enable greater flow of resources. FFS was established in June 2016 with a corpus of Rs. 1,000 crores. The proposals approved are Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs) supported by FFS shall invest at least twice the amount of contribution received from FFS in Start-ups. Further, if the amount committed for a Start-up in whole has not been released before a Start-up ceases to be so, the balance funding can continue thereafter. The operating expenses for carrying out due diligence, legal and technical appraisal, convening meeting of Venture Capital Investment Committee, etc. will be met out of the FFS. These expenses will be to an extent of 0.50% of the commitments made to AIFs and outstanding. This will be debited to the fund at the beginning of each half year i.e. April 1 and October 1.The Union Cabinet in June 2016 had approved the proposal to establish a Fund of Funds for Start-ups (FFS) with a total corpus of Rs.10000 crore. It was approved with contribution spread over the 14th & 15th Finance Commission (FC) cycles based on progress of implementation and availability of funds. It was decided that the FFS shall contribute to the corpus of AIFs for investing in equity and equity linked instruments of various start-ups at early stage, seed stage and growth stages. The FFS is being managed and operated by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). It contributes to SEBI registered AIFs that may go up to maximum of 35% of the corpus of the AIF concerned.

CCEA approves North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase IThe Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved North East Road Network

Connectivity Project (NERNCP) Phase I for development of 403 kms of National Highways in Meghalaya and Mizoram. Out of total 403 km, approximately 351 km will be in developed in Mizoram and 52 km in Meghalaya. The project will be executed in EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) Mode. The implementation of projects will start from the financial year 2017-18. The civil works are expected to be completed by 2021 and maintenance works by 2025. The projects will encourage sub-regional socio-economic development by improving infrastructure in Mizoram and Meghalaya. It will also enhance connectivity with inter-state roads and International Borders. The work for development of two lane standards under the scheme NERNCP Phase I will be financially supported by loan assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The existing carriageway of all the stretches in Meghalaya and Mizoram are varying between Single lane to Intermediate lane. The condition of the pavement is also very poor and at some locations which is not in traffic worthy condition. In addition, these stretches also are in poor condition in the landslides areas/sinking zone. The development and updation of these stretches to the two lane will improve their standards and improve connectivity.

World Bank approves $175 million loan for India’s National Hydrology ProjectThe World Bank has approved $175 million for India’s ambitious National Hydrology Project to improve its ability to forecast floods and reduce vulnerability to recurring floods and droughts. The loan has been issued from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) with maturity of 23 years. It also has a six-year grace period in which no interest payments will be due. NHP was approved by the Union cabinet in April 2016 as a central sector scheme with a total outlay of Rs 3679 crore. Later it was approved by the World Bank Board. Of the total fund, Rs 3,640 crore will be spent for the national project, remaining Rs 39 crore will be used to establish National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC) as a


MENTOR MAY 2017repository of nation-wide water resources data. It aims at improving extent, quality, and accessibility of water resources information, decision support system for floods and basin level resource planning and strengthen capacity of institutions in India. It is expected to take forward the success of the Hydrology Project-I and Hydrology Project-II by covering the entire country, including the states along the Ganga and Brahmaputra-Barak basins. Earlier Project-I and Project-II were limited only to large river systems viz. Krishna and Satluj-Beas. They had established real-time flood forecast systems to give reservoir managers an accurate picture of the water situation in their region. The early forecast had increased the time available for early flood warnings and improved flood management preparation from hours to days, saving hundreds of lives and avoided flood damages of $65 million a year.It will strengthen the capacity of existing institutions to assess the water situation and equip them with real-time flood forecast systems across the country. It will help the states monitor all the important aspects of the hydro-meteorological cycle and adopt the procedures laid out in the earlier projects. It will help communities to plan in advance to build resilience against flooding and droughts due to uncertainties of climate change. It will reduce the vulnerability of many regions to recurring floods and droughts as absence of real-time ground information for the entire country creates difficulties in issuing alerts on time

GST Council approves States and UTs GST BillsGST Council meeting presided by Finance Minister Arun Gaitley has approved draft Bills for implementing the goods and services tax (GST) in States and Union Territories (UTs). It was the 12th meeting of the GST Council. The Council already has approved three other GST Bills pertaining to central GST, integrated GST and the compensation to be paid to States for loss of revenue. The approval of these bills paves the way for the Centre and the States to pilot GST, the new indirect tax system, proposed to be introduced from July 1, 2017 through Parliament and the state assemblies.

The Council also approved the ceiling rates for the cess to be levied on top of the maximum GST rate of 28% on demerit or sin goods. Four tax rates (ceilings) 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% have been proposed under the GST. It also proposed 15% ceiling on the cess to be levied on aerated drinks and luxury cars over and above the maximum proposed GST rate of 28%. It also proposed separate cess ceilings for pan masala and tobacco products, including chewing tobacco and cigarettes. However, Beedis have been kept out of the GST net. It also decided to make the tax treatment of items produced in special economic zones (SEZs) similar to that on exports. Procurement of supplies by SEZs will be zero-rated.GST is proposed uniform indirect taxation regime throughout the country. It was approved by The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016. It will merge most of the existing indirect taxes into single system of taxation. It is consumption based tax levied on the supply of Goods and Services which will be levied and collected at each stage of sale or purchase of goods or services based on the input tax credit method.

Government releases Draft Labour Code on Social Security & WelfareThe Union Labour Ministry has proposed a labour code which will provide social security cover to the entire workforce in the country, including self-employed and agricultural workers. In this regard, it has proposed a draft code on Social Security and Welfare with an aim to provide social security cover to the entire workforce in the country of about 45 crore workers. Features of Draft code It will cover every working person whether he/she belongs to the organised sector or the unorganised sector in the country under it. Thus, for the first time, agricultural workers along with self-employed people will be covered under the social security cover. Even factories employing single worker will have to contribute towards social security benefits. It will cover any factory, mine, shop, plantation, charitable organisations and all establishments or households employing casual, fixed-term, part-


MENTOR MAY 2017time, informal, apprentice, domestic and home-based workers. If such establishments or factories fail to contribute towards the social security schemes of the workers, they will be liable to pay compensation. It even covers households employing domestic help and they will also have contribute towards schemes, including gratuity for the worker and provident fund. It proposes, National Social Security Council (NSSC), chaired by the Prime Minister to streamline and make policy on social security schemes related to all the Ministries. NSSC’s other members will include Union Finance Minister, Labour Minister, Health and Family Welfare Minister along with employer and employees’ representatives. It will co-ordinate between central and State governments, monitor the implementation of social security schemes, regulate funds collected under various social security schemes, among others.

ICRISAT, ICAR join hands for crop improvementThe Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have signed an agreement to work together. They will work together on crop improvement and agronomy programmes for grain legumes and dryland cereals. It will benefit small farmers in India and globally. The agreement has identified climate smart crops, smart food, and digitalisation of breeding database as some of the core areas of research. The other areas of focus include developing genetic and genomic resources of finger millet and enhancing genetic gains for priority traits, integrating systems modelling tools for upscaling climate resilient agriculture. On crop improvement front, it will facilitate research on pigeonpea and chickpea for insect resistance. Dryland cereals and grain legumes are branded as smart foods. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit agricultural research organization headquartered in Patancheru in Hyderabad, Telangana. It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the

Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations. Its charter was signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It has several regional centres around globe- Niamey (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya) and research stations Bamako (Mali), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). Since its inception, India has granted special status to ICRISAT as a UN Organization operating in the Indian Territory making it eligible for special immunities and tax privileges.

Government launches Trade Infrastructure for Export SchemeThe Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry has launched Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme for developing export linked infrastructure in states with a view to promoting outbound shipments. TIES seeks to bridge the critical infrastructure gap and provide forward and backward linkages to units engaged in trade activities.Objective: Enhance export competitiveness by bridging the gap in export infrastructure, which has not been addressed by any other scheme. It would focus on projects like customs checkpoints, last mile connectivity, border haats and integrated check posts. Beneficiaries: All central and state agencies including Commodities Boards, Export Promotion Councils, SEZ authorities and Apex Trade Bodies recognised under EXIM policy of Central Government are eligible for financial support. Funding: The cost of projects will be equally shared by the Centre and the states in form of grant-in-aid. In normal cases centre will borne 50% of the total equity in the project. For projects located in north-eastern and the Himalayan region states, Centre may bear 80% of the cost. Funds from other sources: Projects leveraging of funds from bank financing will be promoted. It will not include recurring costs of land and operating & maintenance costs to be met through pay and use charges. Priority will be given to the projects involving significant contribution by the implementing agency and bank financing for achieving financial closure.


MENTOR MAY 2017 Approval: An inter-ministerial empowered committee will sanction and monitor the projects. It will be headed by the commerce secretary.

Government unveils revised Building CodeThe Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution unveiled the revised Building Code, making builders liable for the structure’s safety. The code has been prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). It is voluntary in nature, but the states can incorporate them in their building bylaws. Some provisions of the code Safety responsibility: Structure designers and supervisors are made responsible for the safety of the structure. Builders are also made responsible safety of the construction. Builders have to give a certificate mentioning that the building has been constructed as per the planned design submitted to the local bodies Modern buildings: It incorporates necessary changes keeping in view the requirement of modern buildings. Besides, it encourages use new building material and alternative smart technologies. It also has provisions on use of innovative materials and technologies and on prefabricated construction techniques that can give fillip to speedier construction. Fire and life safety norms: Specified for high rise buildings and a proper horizontal evacuation system in high-rise hospitals and public buildings. It includes high speed lifts for tall buildings. Universal accessibility: It provides for universal accessibility for senior citizens and differently abled citizens. Sustainability norms: It features norms for solar energy utilisation, inclusion of modern lighting technique including LED, updated provision on piped gas supply in houses and hospitals. It also covers solid waste management and rain water harvesting. Ease of doing business: It has a detailed provision for streamlining the approval process in respect of different agencies in the form of an integrated approval process through single window approach

thereby avoiding separate clearances from various authorities.The Building Code is used by local bodies for framing building bylaws. It is used by government departments in construction activity and also by private builders as well as professionals like planners, architect and engineers. It is also used for academic purpose

CCEA approves Policy for Early Monetization of Coal Bed Methane GasThe Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Policy for Early Monetization of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Gas Marketing and Pricing Freedom for CBM Gas. The policy provides marketing and pricing freedom to the CBM Contractors to sell the CBM at Arm’s Length Price in the domestic market. The policy is expected to incentivize the CBM operation in the country to boost gas production and will generate economic activities. It will in turn be beneficial for creating more employment opportunities in CBM operations and related activities. Under it, contractor while discovering the market price has to ensure a fully transparent and competitive process for sale of CBM at the best possible price without any restrictive commercial practices. It allows contractors to sell the CBM to its any affiliate, in the case it cannot identify any buyer. However, royalty and other dues to the Government will be payable on the basis of Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) notified prices or selling prices, whichever is higher.CBM is natural gas found in coal seams. It mainly consists of Methane (CH4) with minor amounts of nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and heavier hydrocarbons like ethane (C2H6). It is clean source of energy. During the initial years of mining, CBM was vented out and wasted into the atmosphere as it was considered as serious safety hazard while conducting coal mining operations. However, later with advancement of technology it was possible to extract CBM, a precious energy resource and an unconventional form of natural gas.


MENTOR MAY 2017

Government launches Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue RevolutionThe Union Ministry of Agriculture has launched Mission Fingerling, a programme to enable holistic development and management of fisheries sector in India with a total expenditure of about Rs. 52000 lakh. The mission aims to achieve the target to enhance fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21 under the Blue Revolution. Government has identified 20 States based on their potential and other relevant factors to strengthen the Fish Fingerling production and Fish Seed infrastructure in the country. This program will facilitate the establishment of Fingerling rearing pond and hatcheries to ensure the fish production of 426 crores fish fingerling, 25.50 crores Post Larvae of shrimp and crab in the country. This will converge in the production of 20 lakh tonnes of fish annually, which will inturn benefit about 4 million families. The implementation of this program will supplement the requirement of stocking materials in the country up to a large extent, which is a much needed input to achieve the enhanced fish production.

Government to launch pilot project on ornamental fisheriesThe Union Government is going to launch pilot project on ornamental fisheries in 8 potential States with total outlay of over 61 crore rupees. These 8 potential States identified includes Assam, West Bengal , Odisha, Maharashtra , Gujarat , Karnataka , Tamil Nadu and Kerala. What is Ornamental fishery? It is a sub-sector of the fisheries sector dealing with breeding and rearing of coloured fish of both freshwater and marine water. There are about 400 species of marine ornamental fishes and 375 freshwater ornamental varieties are available in various parts of the India.Ornamental fishery industry does not directly contribute to the food and nutritional security, but it generates livelihood and income for the rural and periurban population, especially women and unemployed youth as part-time activities. In India,

ornamental fishery industry is small but vibrant, with potential for tremendous growth. The low production cost and high returns within a short span of time and the ever growing demand, both in international and domestic markets, are the major attractions for this industry.It will be implemented by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) through the Fisheries Departments of States and Union territories.

NTPC installs India’s largest Floating Solar PV Plant in KeralaState-run NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) has installed India’s largest floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) at Kayamkulam in Kerala. The 100 kWp (kilowatt peak) floating solar PV plant has been indigenously developed as a part of Union Government flagship ‘Make In India’ initiative.It has been indigenously developed by NETRA (NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance), R&D arm of NTPC, in collaboration with Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chennai. The system was installed by Chennai based Swelect Energy Systems Ltd with support from NETRA and NTPC Kayamkulam station in a short span of 22 days. Floating solar PV systems are fast emerging as an alternative to conventional ground mounted PV systems which are land intensive. It can also be installed on saline water environment. It has various benefits like conserving water through reduction of evaporation, increased power generation due to cooling effect on the panels, reduced installation time etc. Installation potential of such type of floating systems in India is huge because of abundance of water bodies.Particularly in Kerala this type of system has a great potential due to availability of water bodies and lack of presence of enough land.

Government issues draft rules on e-wallet paymentsThe Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has issued draft Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 for Prepaid Payment


MENTOR MAY 2017Instruments (PPI) company or e wallet firms. The draft rules seek to ensure integrity, security and confidentiality of electronic payments made through PPIs. It covers an entire spectrum for protecting consumer information, especially financial data. Key Features of the Rules Definition of e-PPI issuer: Person operating a payment system issuing prepaid payment instruments to individuals or organisations under the aegis of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Information security policy: Mandatory for e-PPI issuers to develop an information security policy that ensures that the systems operated by them are secure. Privacy policy and terms: Mandatory for e-PPIs to publish on their websites and mobile applications both their ‘privacy policy’ and terms for use of their payment systems. Risk assessment: Mandatory for e-PPI to carry out risk assessment to spot security risks and also ensure adequate due diligence is done before issuing PPIs. Chief grievance officer: e-PPIs should appoint a chief grievance officer with his contact details prominently displayed on website. The officer must act upon any complaint within 36 hours and close it in a month’s time. End-to-end encryption e-PPIs shall ensure that end-to-end encryption is applied to safeguard the data exchanged. It shall retain data relating to electronic payments only till necessary. CERT-In’s responsibility: CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) shall notify the categories of incidents and breaches that are required to be reported to it mandatorily. What are Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs)? PPIs are methods that facilitate purchase of goods and services against the value stored on such instruments. The value stored on such instruments represents the value paid for by the holder, by debit, by cash to a bank account or by credit card. These prepaid instruments can be issued as online wallets, mobile accounts, mobile wallets, smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, internet accounts, paper vouchers and any such instruments used to access the prepaid amount.

Government launches Web Portal for obtaining CRZ ClearancesThe Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched the web portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances. The portal is a web-based system for obtaining clearances required from the Ministry under the (CRZ) by the Project proponents for ease of doing business.The objectives of the web portal are (i) Enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in the process of CRZ clearances (ii) Enhance responsiveness through workflows and availability of real-time information on the status of CRZ clearance proposals (iii) ease of business and convenience of citizens in accessing information and services; standardised procedures and processes across Central and State levels. The user-friendly portal enables submission of applications for CRZ clearance in a single-window interface and facilitates quick flow of information related to CRZ clearances. It will enable the project proponents and the concerned State/UT bodies like the State Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMAs) and Town/ Municipal Planning agencies to track status of their proposals. The system is based on web architecture, similar to the existing systems of the ministry for environmental and forest clearances.Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) is the zone along the coastal stretches of seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers and backwaters along the coastline specially demarcated for regulated development activity. The demarcated zone consists of coastal stretches influenced by tidal action (in the landward side) upto 500 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL) and the land between the Low Tide Line (LTL) and the HTL. The regulations in this zone are governed by the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), 2011 issued under the under Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. In this zone, Government imposes restrictions on setting up and expansion of industries or other projects. It is mandatory for getting clearances from ministry and local authorities to start any development project in CRZ.


MENTOR MAY 2017Government announces new licensing policy to boost oil outputThe Union Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has announced new Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) for oil and gas exploration. The new policy will allow bidders to carve out areas where they want to drill. It will help energy hungry India and world’s third-largest oil consumer to attract greater foreign investment to boost output. The objective of OLAP is to increase India’s indigenous oil and gas production by maximising the potential of already discovered hydrocarbon resources in the country. OALP offers single license to explore conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources to propel investment in and provide operational flexibility to the investors. It provides operational flexibility to the investors. It is departure from the current licensing policy of government identifying the oil and gas blocks and then putting them on auction. Under it, Government will conduct auction of oil and gas blocks twice a year, with the first round being held in July 2017. The selection of oil blocks will be based on seismic and well data provided by Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons in National Data Repository which offers total of 160TB data of India’s 26 sedimentary basins. The OALP auction will be held under the overhauled exploration licensing policy, allowing pricing and marketing freedom to operators and shifts to a revenue sharing model. OALP is part of the strategy to make India a business and investor friendly destination and cut import dependence by 10% and achieve the plan to double existing oil production from current 80 million metric tons to about 150-155 million metric tons by 2022. In this new model, government will not micromanage, micro monitor with producers rather only share revenue. Thus, it gives an option to a company looking for exploring hydrocarbons to select the exploration areas on its own. The July 2017 auction under this new policy will be India’s first major exploration licensing round since 2010.

India and Belgium sign Protocol amending Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Protocol

India and Belgium have signed a Protocol to amend the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries. The Protocol was signed by Sushil Chandra, Chairman Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India.The amendment of DTAA will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information between the two countries. It will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes. It also revises the scope of existing treaty provisions on mutual assistance in collection of taxes and further help to curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. The Union Government has set a key priority area for dighting the menace of Black Money stashed in offshore accounts. To further this goal, India has either signed or amended international agreements, declarations or conventions for the DTAA and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and for the Exchange of Information with Mauritius, Switzerland, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Kazakhstan, and Austria during the financial year 2016-17.

India tops in bribery rate among 16 Asia-Pacific nations: Transparency InternationalAccording to recent survey released by Transparency International (TI), India had highest bribery rate among the 16 Asia-Pacific countries surveyed between July 2015 and January 2017. The survey was conducted among more than 21,000 people in the region. It revealed that more than one in four people, when accessing basic services like medicine, education or water. Key Highlights of the Survey Countries having highest incidence of bribery: 69% of the study group in India said that they have paid a bribe, done a favour or given a gift to receive services. Vietnam follows this suit with 65%, Thailand 41% and Pakistan 40%. China reported a much lower 26%. Countries having lowest incidence of bribery: Japan had the lowest incidence of bribery at 0.2%


MENTOR MAY 2017followed by South Korea and Australia recorded 3% each, Hong Kong 2% and Taiwan 6%. India related facts: Nearly seven in 10 people who had accessed public services in the country have payed bribe. 46% to 60% of Indians said they have paid bribes for various public services, including in public schools and hospitals, getting IDs, voter cards and permits and accessing utilities and police and court services as well. Institution wise facts: Police, a key law and order institution suffer most from corruption. Nearly two in five people in the region mentioned the police were mostly or entirely corrupt (39%). They also perceived political decision-makers at both the national and local level to be highly corrupt. Legislative representatives, officials and local councillors were also highly corrupt (from 35 to 37%). Religious leaders were seen as far cleaner, with fewer than one in five were highly corrupt (18%).TI is an international non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany. Its purpose is to take action to combat corruption and prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. It publishes annually Corruption Perceptions Index and Global Corruption Barometer

Union Cabinet approves accession to global customs conventionThe Union Cabinet has given its approval for India’s accession to the Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods under cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) and necessary procedures for ratification. By joining the convention, Indian traders will get access to fast, easy, reliable and hassle free international system for movement of goods by road or multi-modal means across the territories of other contracting parties.The need for inspection of goods at intermediate borders as well as physical escorts en route shall be obviated by joining the TIR Convention, due to reciprocal recognition of Customs controls. It will avoid clearances at Border Crossing Points and ports that may often be congested, as under the convention customs clearance can take place at

internal Customs locations. Movement under the TIR is allowed by only checking the seals and the external conditions of the load compartment or the container. Thus, it will play important role in reducing border delays, transport and transaction costs thereby leading to increased competitiveness and growth for the trade and transport sectors. Compliance with the Convention will ensure enhanced security in the supply chain as only approved transporters and vehicles are allowed to operate under it. It also represents a guarantee for Customs duties and taxes and traffic in transit, so there is no need for payment of such taxes and duties en route. It can serve as an instrument for movement of goods along the International “North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) particularly using ports in Iran like the Chabahar port. It will be helpful in boosting trade with the Central Asian Republics and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). TIR Convention TIR Carnets, 1975 (TIR Convention) is an international transit system under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). It facilitates the seamless movement of goods within and amongst the Parties to the Convention. At present there are 70 parties to the Convention, including 69 states and the European Union. It covers customs transit by road and other modes of transport (e.g., rail, inland waterway, maritime transport), as long as at least one part of the total transport is made by road. It also serves as a Customs declaration, and hence it precludes the need to file multiple declarations satisfying national laws of the different transiting countries.

Union Cabinet approves oil storage pact with UAE’s ADNOCThe Union Cabinet has approved signing of the Definitive Agreement on Oil Storage and Management between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) and UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Government’s this move aims at boosting India’s energy security by ensuring a strategic storage flow in for crude oil, from a government firm in Abu Dhabi for meeting unexpected future exigencies.


MENTOR MAY 2017ADNOC will fill up 0.81 MMT or 5,860,000 million barrels of crude oil at ISPRL storage facility at Mangalore, Karnataka. Out of the crude stored, some part will be used for commercial purpose of ADNOC, while a major part will be purely for strategic purposes. The investment by ADNOC is a major investment from UAE under the High Level Task Force on Investment (HLTFI). It is also first investment by UAE in India in the energy sector.India being fastest growing economies and world’s third-biggest oil consumer, is building emergency storage in underground caverns to hold 36.87 million barrels of crude. It is equivalent to about 10 days of its average daily oil demand. This move aims to hedge against energy security risks as it imports most of its oil needs.Trade Mark Rules 2017 come into effect The Trade Mark Rules, 2017 have come into effect, streamlining and simplifying the processing of Trade Mark applications. The new rules were released by Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry and will replace the erstwhile Trade Mark Rules, 2002. Salient features of revamped Rules Number of Trade Mark (TM) Forms have been reduced to 8 from 74. For the first time, the rules have laid out, modalities for determination of well-known trademarks. The TM applications fee for online filing has been kept at 10% lower than that for physical filing to promote e-filing. The provisions related to expedited processing of an application for registration of a trade mark extended upto registration stage. Earlier, it was only upto examination stage). Modalities for service of documents from applicants to the Registry and vice-versa through electronic means have been introduced to expedite the process. e-mail has been made an essential part of address for service to be provided by the applicant or any party to the proceedings so that the office communication may be sent through email. Hearing through video conferencing has been introduced. Number of adjournments in opposition

proceedings has been restricted to a maximum of two by each party to dispose off matters in time. Procedures relating to registration as Registered User of trademarks have also been simplified. Over all fees have been rationalized by reducing the number of entries in Schedule I from 88 to just 23.

Thiruvananthapuram tops city governance ranking: ASICS Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala has topped in city governance ranking of the Annual Survey of India’s City Systems (ASICS) 2016 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy. This year it was the fourth edition the annual survey that had evaluated 21 major cities from the 18 states. It highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public service delivery and quality of life. What is ASICS? The ASICS is designed to help city leaders pin point issues in urban governance in their cities and help them chalk out a reform roadmap to make them more livable. It ranks citites in the scale of 0 to 10 scale. The better scores of city in the survey, indicates it will be able to deliver better quality of life to citizens over the medium and long-term. The major parameters of the survey included urban capacities and resources, urban planning and design, empowered and legitimate political representation, and transparency, accountability and participation.Highlights of 2016 ASICS Thiruvananthapuram topped in 2016 Survey. Pune is ranked second, up two ranks from 2015. Kolkata retained its third rank. National capital Delhi slipped to ninth rank from earlier seventh. Bhubaneswar was the biggest gainer in the 2016 survey as it jumped by eight places to the 10th spot compared to 2015 position. Bengaluru dropped by four places to 16th rank. Ludhiana, Jaipur and Chandigarh retain their previous last three positions of 19th, 20th and 21st respectively. Cities in India continue to score poorly across their city-systems framework with their average scores of between 2.1 and 4.4 on 10 scale. London and New York score 9.3 and 9.8 on the same parameters.


MENTOR MAY 2017Changes in planning laws are needed to address the issues challenging the efficient planning of the cities to deliver a high quality of life to citizens.

NFHS 4 shows improved sex ratio, decline in infant mortality rateThe Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled last National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) for 2015-16. It has shown positive trends in key health indicators, including an decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) and improvement in sex ratio at birth during 2015-16. The survey was conducted after collecting information from 6 lakh households, 7 lakh women and 1.3 lakh men. For the first time it provides district level estimates. Key Highlights from NFHS-4 Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): It has declined from 57 to 41 per 1,000 live births between NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4. IMR has declined substantially in almost all the states during the last decade. It dropped by more than 20% in Tripura, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha. It reflects that concerted efforts and focussed interventions in the sector can translate to improved outcomes. Sex ratio at birth (number of females per 1,000 males): It has improved from 914 to 919 at the national level over the last decade. It is highest in Kerala (1,047), followed by Meghalaya (1,009) and Chhattisgarh (977). Haryana also witnessed a significant increase from 762 to 836. Institutional births: Increased by 40 percentage points from 38.7% in NFHS-3 to 78.9% in NFHS 4. There was an increase of 34.1% institutional births in public facility, while Assam has experienced more than a 40 percentage point increase. Proportion of women who received at least 4 antenatal care visits for their last birth has increased by 14 percentage points from 37% to 51.2% over the decade (2005-15). Total Fertility Rate (TFR): It also has declined to 2.2 children per woman from 2.7 in NFHS-3. Thus, it is moving closer to target level of 2.1. There was considerable decline in TFR in each of the 30 states/UTS, maximum decline was observed in Uttar Pradesh (1.1 child), Nagaland (1.0 child),

Arunachal Pradesh (0.9 child) and Sikkim (0.9 child). Bihar failed to register substantial decline. Full immunization coverage: Children within the age of 12-23 months have been fully immunized (BCG, measles and 3 doses each of polio) and DPT increased by 18 percentage points to 62% in NFHS-4 from 44% in NFHS-3. It has increased in Punjab, Bihar and Meghalaya by 29 percentage point each. In Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh it increased by 28 percentage points each. Underweight children: There was a decline by 7 percentage points, a consequence of improved child feeding practices and focus on nutritional aspects of children. There was “substantial” decline of anaemia from 69% in NFHS-3 to 58% in NFHS-4 among children aged 6-59 months. The maximum decrease was reported in Assam with 34 percentage points followed by Chhattisgarh (30% points), Mizoram (26% points) and Odisha (20% points). Contraceptive prevalence rate among currently married women: It has increased by 7 percentage points from NFHS-1 (41%) to NFHS-2 (48%), 8 percentage points from NFHS-2 to NFHS-3 (56%). However, the rate decreased by 2 percentage points from NFHS-3 (56%) to NFHS-4 (54%), but pills and condom usage have shown increasing trend.

Government signs Financing Agreement with World Bank for Tejaswini ProjectThe Union Government has signed a Financing Agreement with World Bank for IDA credit of $63 million for the Tejaswini Socio-Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) Project. It is World Bank’s first project in India solely focused on the welfare of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged between 14 and 24 to complete their secondary level education and provide relevant skills for job market. About Tejaswini Project It seeks to empower adolescent girls with basic life skills to acquire market driven skill training or completion of secondary education, depending on


MENTOR MAY 2017the inclination of the beneficiary. Its three main components are Expanding social, educational and economic opportunities: Support AGYW to achieve greater social, educational, and economic empowerment at community level and institutional level. Intensive service delivery: It will evaluate more intensive community-level service delivery models focused on increasing AGYW’s access to educational interventions, training and employment opportunities State capacity-building and implementation support: It aims to support strengthening of institutional capacity and outreach of concerned government agencies to enable effective and efficient delivery of services for AGYW in the state. Life skills education includes four core elements: (i) Resilience and soft skills (ii) Rights and protections (iii) Health and nutrition. (iv) Financial literacy. The project is being delivered in 17 Districts of Jharkhand. About 680,000 adolescent girls and young women in these districts are expected to benefit from the program.

MEITY to promote digital transactions in place of NITI AayogThe Union Government has shifted the responsibility of promoting digital transactions in the country to the Union Ministry of IT and Electronics (MEITY) from NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog. In this regard, Government already has changed the business transaction rules to enable MEITY to promote digital transactions, including digital payments.This decision was taken in view of the core competence of MEITY to promote digital means for various transactions. NITI Aayog which is a think-tank is more focused on monitoring and suggesting ways to improve various government schemes rather than getting involved with implementation. MEITY is responsible for promotion of e-governance schemes for empowering citizens as well as promoting inclusive

and also sustainable growth of electronics and IT sector and IT-enabled services industries.Earlier, the Central Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to push adoption of e-transactions amid the cash crunch faced by citizens due demonetisation. NITI Aayog also implemented two programmes Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana to promote e-payments. Transfer of the business to Ministry will help Government to effectively promote digital transactions to achieve its target of reducing cash to GDP ratio to around 8%, which is at present hovering over 13% in the country

4th India-CLMV Business Conclave held in JaipurThe fourth edition of India – CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) Business Conclave was held in Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan. The two-day conference organised by Department of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held deliberations on manufacturing, renewable energy, agriculture and skilling among others sectors in the region. The conference was aimed at identifying specific project opportunities and seeks business partnerships in the region. It consisted of business to business meetings and sectorial sessions. The conclave focused on sectors such as Pharma, Healthcare, manufacturing, Agri Business, Food processing, Gems and Jewellery, Textiles, Leather, Renewable Energy and education. The CLMV conclave is an annual event which provides an opportunity for Indian business leaders to interact with government and business stakeholders representing these four Southeast Asian countries. It facilitates to create and provide a platform for the decision makers from CLMV countries to interact with a range of Indian business companies involved in manufacturing, processing, trading, engineering, consultancy, construction etc.Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam collectively are the third largest economy in ASEAN, followed by Indonesia and Thailand. Due to close proximity, India is looking to boost trade and investment with the CLMV countries and


MENTOR MAY 2017South east region as part of the ‘Act East’ policy announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 12th India – ASEAN Summit in 2014 held in Myannmar. In the last 10 years, India’s trade with the CLMV countries has grown from $1.5 billion to more than $10 billion.

Cheneni-Nashiri: India’s Longest Road Tunnel completes trial runIndia’s longest surface tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district is complete. It will be open to traffic soon, following successful completion of trial runs for peak and off-peak hours. The 9-km-long tunnel at Chenani passes through the lower Himalayan mountain range on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway. Work on Cheneni-Nashiri Road Tunnel was started in May 2011. It took nearly six years for completion of the project at a cost of over Rs. 3,720 crore. The 9-km-long twin-tube tunnel located at an elevation of 1,200 metres. It is an important part of a 286-km-long four-lane project on the highway. It is India’s first tunnel equipped with world class integrated tunnel control system through which ventilation, signals, fire control, communication and electrical systems are automatically actuated. It reduces travel distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 kilometres and save time by three to four hours. The road distance from Chenani and Nashri will now be 10.9 km, instead of present 41 km. The tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity to the Valley and avoid landslide-prone stretch. It will help to boost the trade and commerce and tourism in the valley.

Parliament passes The Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2016The Parliament has passed The Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The Bill amends the Employee’s Compensation Act, 1923. It ensures compensation up to Rs 1 lakh to employee if an injured in an industrial accident and imposes hefty penalty in case of any violation by the employers. Salient features of the Bill Mandatory for employers to inform the employee of his right to compensation under the Act. Such

information must be given in writing at the time of employing him. Employer will be penalised if he fails to inform his employee of his right to compensation. Such penalty may be between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh. Raises amount in dispute related to compensation, distribution of compensation, award of penalty or interest, etc to Rs. 10, 000. It permits the central government to further raise this amount. Provision of withholding payments pending appeal if an employer has appealed against a Commissioner’s order has been deleted. The Employee’s Compensation Act, 1923 It provides payment of compensation to employees and their dependants in the case of injury by industrial accidents, including occupational diseases. It provides that any dispute related to an employee’s compensation will be heard by a Commissioner (with powers of a civil court). Under it, appeals from the Commissioner’s order, related to a substantial question of law, will lie before the High Court only if amount in dispute is at least Rs. 300.

A Government Panel recommends legal framework for protection of interests of migrants in the country The ‘Working Group on Migration’ set by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviationin 2015 has submitted its Report to the Government. The Panel has recommended necessary legal and policy framework to protect the interests of the migrants in the country, stating that the migrant population makes substantial contribution to economic growth and their Constitutional rights need to be secured. Important recommendations:The Working Group has recommended that the Protocols of the Registrar General of India needs to be amended to enable caste based enumeration of migrants so that they can avail the attendant benefits in the States to which migration takes place. It also recommended that migrants should be enabled to avail benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) in the destination State by providing for inter-State operability of PDS.


MENTOR MAY 2017Referring to Constitutional Right of Freedom of Movement and residence in any part of the territory of the country, the Group suggested that States should be encouraged to proactively eliminate the requirement of domicile status to prevent any discrimination in work and employment. States are also to be asked to include migrant children in the Annual Work Plans under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) to uphold their Right to Education.Noting that money remittances of migrants was of the order of Rs.50,000 cr during 2007-08, the Working Group suggested that the vast network of post offices need to be made effective use of by reducing the cost of transfer of money to avoid informal remittences. It also suggested that migrants should be enabled to open bank accounts by asking banks to adhere to RBI guidelines regarding Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and not insist on documents that were not required.The Group suggested that the hugely underutilized Construction Workers Welfare Cess Fund should be used to promote rental housing, working Women Hostels etc., for the benefit of migrants.According to Census 2011 and National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), migrants constitute about 30% of the country’s population and also of the total working force. The recent Economic Survey noted that annual migration in the country increased from 3.30 million in 2011 to 9.00 million in 2016.

Indus basin: Punjab and J&K to resume work on Shahpur Kandi dam project Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have reached out an agreement to resolve issues relating to the Shahpur Kandi Dam project, proposed to be built downstream Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) on the Ravi in Gurdaspur district. The project comes under the Indus Water Treaty, thus helping India utilise its rights on eastern rivers of the basin. The agreement was facilitated by the Union ministry of water resources, also a cosignatory in the pact. Punjab will bear the balance cost on account of compensation for land acquisition in respect of Thein Dam, located nearly 10km upstream the Shahpur Kandi Dam. Punjab will also share with Jammu and Kashmir 20% of the total power

generated at Thein Dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs 3.50 per unit immediately. This is subject to confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. A tripartite monitoring team, headed by a member of the Central Water Commission, would be constituted to oversee the work.The 55.5 high Shahpur Kandi dam, located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, will help in providing irrigation facility to 5000 hectares of land in Punjab and 32173 hectares in J&K besides generation of 206 MW power.Tagged as a national project by the Centre, it was to be built with an estimated cost of Rs 2,285.81 crore (as per April 2008 price level) and is expected to generate 206 megawatt electricity. The project will continue to be implemented by Punjab and its design shall be as agreed by both states. Model studies will be carried out concurrently to ensure J&K gets its mandated share of 1,150 cusecs of water.Under the scheme, MoWR, RD&GR provides central assistance @ 90% of the balance cost of works component of irrigation and water supply.The construction of Shahpur Kandi project was taken up in May 1999 but later halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K.

Labour code to provide social security cover to all workers The government has proposed a labour code which will provide social security cover to the entire workforce in the country, including self-employed and agricultural workers. The code is proposed by the labour ministry. Highlights of the ‘draft code on Social Security and Welfare’:According to the code, even households employing domestic help will also have contribute towards schemes including provident fund and gratuity for the worker. Factories employing even a single worker will have to contribute towards social security benefits, as per the proposal.Every working person in the country will be covered under the social security code whether she belongs to the organised sector or the unorganised sector. For the first time, cover to agricultural


MENTOR MAY 2017workers is being provided along with self-employed people. The target is to provide social security benefits to 45 crore workers.The proposed code seeks to cover “any factory, any mine, any plantation, any shop, charitable organisations” and all establishments or households employing casual, part-time, fixed-term, informal, apprentice, domestic and home-based workers. All such establishments or factories will be liable to pay compensation if they fail to contribute towards the social security schemes of the workers.The total contribution to be made by employers towards Employees’ Provident Fund and Employees’ State Insurance Scheme is proposed to be capped at 30% of the workers’ income. At present, employers contribute 31.5% of the workers’ income towards these schemes.According to the proposed code, self-employed workers will contribute 20% of their monthly income towards provident fund, pension and other related schemes. Self-employed workers will also include “a person who takes land on share cropping or any other form of rent, and tills the same using his own or family members’ labour.”All the entities – whether factories or households – will have to register their workers through an Aadhaar-based registration system, according to another proposal, and self-employer workers will be required to register themselves.Social security benefits unclaimed for five years after becoming due to the worker will be confiscated by the government, according to the proposed code. National Social Security Council:A National Social Security Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, has been proposed to streamline and make policy on social security schemes related to all the Ministries. Other members would include: Finance Minister, Labour Minister, Health and Family Welfare Minister along with employer and employees’ representatives.The council will co-ordinate between central and State governments, monitor the implementation of social security schemes, regulate funds collected under various social security schemes, among others, according to the proposed labour law.

INTERNATIONAL

IORA Leaders Summit held in JakartaThe Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit was recently held in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia from March 5 to 7, 2017. The theme of the summit was ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean’. It was attended by leaders from 21 member states of IORA. From India, Vice President Hamid Ansari attended the two-day summit.It drew attention on issues of regional interest such as maritime security, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, fisheries management, people-to-people exchanges, trade and investment and tourism. 21 member states issued a strategic vision document known as the Jakarta Concord. It sets out a vision strengthening the regional architecture to face its challenges. It also issued Joint Declaration of the IORA business Community to build partnership for a sustainable and equitable economic growth. It also adopted IORA Action Plan, a document containing the implementation actions of the Jakarta Concord to strengthen the implementation of priority areas and cross-sectorial commitments. The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism was also adopted, stating importance of countering terrorism. The member nations stressed on the need to work together in order to eliminate the growth and spread of terrorism and violent extremism. Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) IORA is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean, established in 1997 to promote cooperation in the IOR. It is a regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Academia and Business for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among them. It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region. IORA comprises 21 member states (including India) and 7 dialogue partners. Besides, Indian Ocean Research Group


MENTOR MAY 2017and the Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation have observer status.

Commonwealth launches Peace in the Home programme to stamp out domestic violenceThe Commonwealth of Nations has launched “Peace in the home” programme to help member states tackle domestic violence which still remains a “stubborn stain” on communities, disproportionately impacting women. The programme was launched on Women’s Day (March 8) and will continue through till 2018 when there is expected to be an accord on ending domestic violence in the Commonwealth. It will build a coalition of governments, businesses, human rights institutions, civil society and individual citizens to choral our efforts to address domestic violence. It will include toolkits to help governments across Commonwealth involve multiple agencies such as schools, hospitals and doctors as well as government and law enforcement agencies to work together effectively.Commonwealth of Nations: It is an international intergovernmental organisation of countries that were mostly former territories of the British Empire and dependencies. It was established by the London Declaration in 1949. Many countries from Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe and the Pacific have joined the Commonwealth. Current membership includes 52 counties (including India). Membership is based on free and equal voluntary co-operation. Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth. She is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms.

Government notifies third Protocol amending India-Singapore DTAAThe Union Finance Ministry has notified third Protocol amending India-Singapore Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The agreement came into force in February 2017and was signed in December 2016. The Third Protocol amends the DTAA between both countries to

provide for source-based taxation of capital gains arising on sale of shares in a company.The India-Singapore DTAA at present provides for residence-based taxation of capital gains of shares in a company. The addition of provision of source-based taxation of capital gains in DTAA, will help to curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation and streamline the flow of investments. It also provides certainty to investors, investments in shares made before April 1, 2017 subject to fulfillment of conditions in Limitation of Benefits clause as per 2005 Protocol. Further, it also provides a two-year transition period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2019 during which capital gains on shares will be taxed in source country at half the normal tax rate. It also facilitates relieving of economic double taxation in transfer pricing cases. It is a taxpayer-friendly measure and is in line with India’s commitments under Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan. It also enables application of domestic law and measures concerning prevention of tax avoidance or tax evasion.

India’s contribution to UN increases to Rs 244 crore in 2015-16: GovernmentIndia’s contribution to the United Nations has rose by 55% to Rs 244 crore in 2015-16 compared with the previous fiscal. In 2014-15, India had contributed Rs 157 crore. It was announced by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Lok Sabha. In the same period, India also made voluntary contributions to tune of Rs 22 crore to international organisations, including UN agencies. For the period 2016-18, India’s Scale of Assessment for the UN’s Regular and Peacekeeping budgets has been fixed at 0.737% and 0.1474%, respectively. Each UN member is required to contribute to the organisation’s Regular and Peacekeeping budgets. These obligatory contributions are calculated based on a member’s relative ‘capacity to pay’. It is defined through a scale of assessment that takes into account the member country’s Gross National Income relative to the Global Gross National Income, further adjusted for the level of its national


MENTOR MAY 2017external debt and low per capita income. For Peacekeeping budget all permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) bear special responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security, but they also contribute additional amounts.

India, Brazil finalise social security agreement India and Brazil have finalised text of the Social Security Agreement (SSA). It will come in force by early 2018 after it is ratified. It will be the first such agreement between the BRICS countries. This SSA takes forward the spirit of Goa Declaration adopted at 8th BRICS Summit, outcomes of the meetings of BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers held in June 2016 in Geneva and September 2016 in New Delhi. Key Features of the agreement Detached workers of the two countries exempted from making social security contributions in either countries so long as they were making such contributions in their respective countries. Rights and obligations of nationals of both countries have been established. Equal treatment will be provided to nationals. Unrestricted payment of pensions will be provided to nationals even in the case of residence in the other contracting state. The requirements to be entitled to a pension can be met by aggregating the periods of insurance completed in India and Brazil, whereby each country will only pay pension for the insurance periods covered by its laws.Once SSA between Brazil and India is brought into force, it will favourably impact the profitability and competitive position of companies of both countries with foreign operations in either countries by reducing their cost of doing business abroad. It will also help promote more investment flows between the two countries.So far, India has signed and operationalized Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 18 countries. They are Australia, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Hungary,

Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and South Korea.

India to attend Lahore meet on Indus Waters Treaty Signalling a major shift in its position on talks with Pakistan on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India has accepted an invitation to attend the next meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) to be held in Lahore in March.The move came after two months of diplomatic negotiations, with World Bank officials playing mediator in encouraging Pakistan to extend the invitation and for India to accept.A look at the two major hydro electric projects- Kishenganga and Ratle- in Jammu and Kashmir may be taken up in the meeting.The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank. The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.According to this treaty, waters of the three western rivers (the Jhelum, the Chenab, and the Indus itself) were allocated to Pakistan, and those of the three eastern rivers (the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej) were allocated to India.Indus Waters Treaty has remained a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Earlier, India had reviewed the IWT and decided to fully utilise its share water of rivers as per its rights under the pact.Under the IWT, which covers the water distribution and sharing rights of six rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum, the World Bank has a specified role in the process of resolution of differences and disputes.What is PIC?Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of officials from India-Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of Indus Waters Treaty. Under the treaty, it is required that India and Pakistan meet every financial year. The Indus Commission is the first step for conflict resolution. If an agreement cannot be reached at the Commission level, the dispute is to be referred to


MENTOR MAY 2017the two governments. If the governments too fail to reach an agreement, the Treaty provides an arbitration mechanism. The last meeting of the commission was held in July 2016. Background:The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is an $864 million dam which is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It is located 5 km north of Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir, India and will have an installed capacity of 330 MW. Construction on the project began in 2007 and is expected to be complete in 2016. Construction on the dam was temporarily halted by the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration in October 2011 due to Pakistan’s protest of its effect on the flow of the Kishanganga River (called the Neelum River in Pakistan). In February 2013, the Hague ruled that India could divert a minimum amount of water for power generation.The Ratle Hydroelectric Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station currently under construction on the Chenab River, downstream of the village of Ratle in Doda district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The project includes a 133 m (436 ft) tall gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to one another.

Pakistan returns to SAARC, gets Secretary General post After months of difficulty posed mainly by India, Pakistan has succeeded in getting its official elected to the post of the Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This was backed by all members, including India, which made the selection consensus-based.As the incoming chair, Pakistan was supposed to provide the next Secretary General. The new chief of SAARC was expected to take charge a year ago. Earlier, India had opposed holding of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad in November 2016 following the terror strike in Uri.The Secretary–General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, is the head of the SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered

in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Secretary-General is appointed for a three-year term by election by a council of Ministers from member states. The Secretary-General is assisted by eight deputies, one from each nation, who also reside in Kathmandu.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and geopolitical organisation of eight countries that are primarily located in South Asia or the Indian subcontinent.The SAARC Secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.The combined economy of SAARC is the third largest in the world in the terms of GDP (PPP) after the United States and China and fifth largest in the terms of nominal GDP.SAARC nations comprise 3% of the world’s area and contain 21% (around 1.7 billion) of the world’s total population and around 9.12% of the global economy as of 2015.India makes up over 70% of the area and population among these eight nations.The SAARC policies aim to promote welfare economics, collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia, and to accelerate socio-cultural development in the region.The SAARC has also developed external relations by establishing permanent diplomatic relations with the EU, the UN (as an observer), and other multilateral entities.The member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.States with observer status include Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.

ENVIRONMENTSea ice hits record winter low at both poles: ScientistsAccording to US and European scientists, the extent of sea ice at both poles has hit new record lows for this time of the year. The disappearing sea ice comes as the Earth marks three consecutive years of record-breaking heat and temperature rise,


MENTOR MAY 2017raising fresh concerns about the accelerating pace of global warming. Key Findings : Artic region: The ice floating in the Arctic Ocean grows and shrinks on a seasonal cycle every year, reaching its largest size in March and smallest at the end of the summer melt in September. However, this year’s Arctic maximum spanned 14.42 million sq.km i.e. 95,829 sq.km below the previous record low in 2015. This year’s ice cover is 12,19,884 sq.km smaller compared to average sea ice extent for 1981-2010. The Arctic sea ice maximum has dropped by an average of 2.8% per decade since 1979. There was a lot of open ocean water and very slow ice growth because the water had a lot of accumulated. Antartic region: The ice in the Antarctic also follows a seasonal cycle but its maximum comes in September and its minimum around February (summer in Southern Hemisphere). In the Antarctic, this year’s annual sea ice was 21,10,840 sq.km, about 1,83,889 sq.km below the previous lowest minimum extent in the satellite record, which occurred in 1997. For the past two years, Antarctica saw record high sea ice extents and decades of moderate sea ice growth.

March 23: World Meteorological DayThe World Meteorological Day (WMD) is observed every year on 23rd March to mark establishment of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on this day in 1950. 2017 Theme: “Understanding Clouds”. It seeks to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water. They play a critical role in the water cycle and shaping the global distribution of water resources. On this occasion, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) launched new edition of the International Cloud Atlas. It is a treasure trove of hundreds of images of clouds, including a few newly classified cloud types and is single authoritative and most comprehensive reference for identifying clouds. It also features other meteorological phenomena such as rainbows, halos, snow devils and hailstones. This Atlas for the first time has been produced in a

digital format and is accessible via both computers and mobile devices. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) WMO is an intergovernmental organization whose mandate covers weather, climate and water resources. It is UN specialized agency for meteorology, operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. It has 191 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mass coral bleaching occurring in Great Barrier Reef for second yearGreat Barrier Reef in Australia’s eastern coast is experiencing an unprecedented second straight year of mass coral bleaching. This is for the first time Great Barrier Reef has bleached two years in sequence. Earlier in March and April 2016, 2,300-km reef suffered had its most severe bleaching on record due to warming sea temperatures.Coral Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour. The 2016 bleaching was more severe in the northern areas of the bio-diverse site. But now more bleaching was being observed in the central part of the reef, which earlier had escaped widespread severe bleaching. The back-to-back occurrence of widespread bleaching is resulting in decrease in stress tolerance of these corals, which means that they may not fully recover.The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef system in the world composed of over 2,900 individual reefs. It was recorded as a World Heritage site in 1981. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, north east of Australia and covers an area of approximately 348,000 sq km. It is credited as the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms and is visible from the outer space.


MENTOR MAY 2017Assam Government launches SaCReD initiative to make Majuli carbon neutral islandAssam Government launched Sustainable Action for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative to develop Majuli, the world’s largest river island, as the country’s first carbon neutral district. It was launched by state Chief Minister Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the occasion of International Day of Forests (observed on March 21).SaCReD Initiative will also ensure that infrastructure in Majuli has less carbon. It aims to battle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The will also aim to make the Majul island a biodiversity heritage site (BHS), first in the state in order to preserve its rich heritage and legacy. State Government also launched registry in Majuli to record and analyse the climate impact of all proposed projects in the district. Forests are Lives campaign was also launched to underline the importance of Assam’s rich forest and biodiversity. It urges people to take a pledge to conserve its biodiversity to make the state pollution free.Majuli island is fluvial riverine island is formed in the Brahmaputra river system. It is the world’s largest mid river delta (island) system. It is also India’s first river island. It is surrounded by Subanisri River in the North, main Brahmaputra River on the South and kherkatia Suli, split channel of Brahmaputra River in northeast. Majuli island is mostly inhabited by Mishing tribal people. It has been the hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture initiated by saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva in 15th century. It had some 65 satras (monasteries adhering) to Vaishnavism. Large numbers of them were relocated to mainland after being washed away. Some surviving satras are Garamurh, Dakhinpat, Kamalabari, Auniati and Bengenaati. Majuli island is a rich environmental hotspot harbouring. It is home of many rare and endangered avifauna species including migratory birds. Due to erosion of river-bank of the island it has shrunk from about 1250 sq km in 1891 to about 515 sq km.

Uttarakhand HC recognise Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as living entityThe Uttarakhand High Court has recognized the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers as so-called living entities. It is for the first time any court in India has recognized a non-human as a living entity. The two rivers are sacred for the Hindus, sustain millions of people in the country but have seen years of damage at the hands of humans. The HC Division Bench comprising Justice Alok Singh and Justice Rajiv Sharma gave a landmark judgment while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by one Mohammad Salim in 2014. Uttarakhand HC verdict Ganga and Yamuna, all their tributaries, streams are declared as legal persons [or] living persons in order to protect the recognition and the faith of society. They will have the status of a legal person with all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person in order to preserve and conserve them. State government failed to fulfil its responsibility regarding the rivers. Central government must constitute Ganga Management Board to look into the issue of cleaning and maintaining these rivers. The Director, Namami Gange project and the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General of Uttarakhand have been charged to protect, conserve and preserve the rivers and their tributaries.What does it means? In India, animals, for instance, are not considered living entities by law. Only humans are. But recognizing these rivers as a living entity, grants them new legal identity and all rights laid out in the Constitution of India. Thus, they have the right to be legally protected and not be harmed and destroyed. They also can be parties to disputes as their rights can be used to protect the interests of the rivers. It also means that if someone pollutes these rivers, the law will see it equal to harming a human being. Interesting Facts Earlier in March 2017, New Zealand Parliament passed a bill declaring 145km long Whanganui River as ‘legal person’, making it first river to get this status. Ecuador was first country to recognize Rights of Nature in its Constitution adopted in


MENTOR MAY 2017September 2008. The new Ecuadorian Constitution includes a Chapter: Rights for Nature.

Three Forest Research Institutes develop High-Yielding Varieties of Plant SpeciesThree institutes of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun have developed 20 high-yielding varieties of plant species. These three institutes are Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun. Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI), Jabalpur and Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore. ICFRE’s Variety Releasing Committee (VRC) has granted approval for the release of these varieties of plant species. These developed varieties had gone through stringent long field trials and testing before release.FRI, Dehradun: It has developed 10 improved varieties of Melia dubia (popularly known as Dreake or Malabar Neem) and 3 clones of Eucalyptus tereticornis, the timber of which is in high demand in the industry. The HYV cultivars of Melia have high productivity per unit area, with an average of 34.57 cubic metre per hectare per annum (cm/h/a). It is a desirable characteristic for plywood industry. The HYV varieties of Eucalyptus have average recorded productivity as 19.44 (cm/h/a), against the present productivity 5-7 (cm/h/a). They are also resistant to wall gasp and pink disease. IFGTB, Coimbatore: It has developed five inter-specific hybrids of Casuarina equisetifolia X Casuarina junghuhniana for timber use. TFRI, Jabalpur: It has developed two varieties of medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina.

Earth Hour observed across the WorldThe eleventh edition of the Earth Hour was observed across the world on 25 March 2017 to take a global call on climate change. To mark this day, cities worldwide turned their lights off from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. This year millions of people from some 170 countries and territories had taken part in the annual event in a bid to highlight global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas to drive cars and power plants. Environmental activists this year also have

focused to raise awareness on another problem that gets far less attention: Light Pollution.Earth Hour is an annual international event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The first Earth Hour was held on March 31, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. It is held annually in end of March month to encourage everyone to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event encourages households and businesses to turn off their lights and electrical appliances for one hour at the appointed time to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. Its goal is to raise awareness for sustainable energy use and create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Since its inception, it has become annual global environmental event (movement). Now it has grown to engage more than 7,000 cities and towns across 172 countries worldwide.What is Light Pollution? Light pollution is artificial brightening of the night sky caused by man-made lightening sources, which has a disruptive effect on natural cycles and inhibits the observation of stars and planets. It is also known as photo pollution or luminous pollution and basically is the misdirected or obtrusive of natural light by excessive artificial light. More than 80% of humanity lives under skies saturated with artificial light. Components of light pollution Glare: excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. Skyglow: brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas. Clutter: bright, excessive and confusing groupings of light sources. Light trespass: light falling where it is not intended or needed. Effects of Light Pollution Disturbs the reproductive cycles of some animals. Disturbs migration of birds that navigate using the stars and to disorient night-flying insects. In humans, it disturbs circadian rhythms that regulate hormones and other bodily functions. Excessive blue light emitted form LEDs directly affects sleep pattern in Human by suppressing the production of


MENTOR MAY 2017the hormone melatonin, which mediates the sleep-wake cycle in humans.

Sea ice hits record winter low at both poles: ScientistsAccording to US and European scientists, the extent of sea ice at both poles has hit new record lows for this time of the year. The disappearing sea ice comes as the Earth marks three consecutive years of record-breaking heat and temperature rise, raising fresh concerns about the accelerating pace of global warming. Key Findings Artic region: The ice floating in the Arctic Ocean grows and shrinks on a seasonal cycle every year, reaching its largest size in March and smallest at the end of the summer melt in September. But this year’s Arctic maximum spanned 14.42 million sq.km i.e. 95,829 sq.km below the previous record low in 2015. This year’s ice cover is 12,19,884 sq.km smaller compared to average sea ice extent for 1981-2010. The Arctic sea ice maximum has dropped by an average of 2.8% per decade since 1979. There was a lot of open ocean water and very slow ice growth because the water had a lot of accumulated. Antartic region: The ice in the Antarctic also follows a seasonal cycle but its maximum comes in September and its minimum around February (summer in Southern Hemisphere). In the Antarctic, this year’s annual sea ice was 21,10,840 sq.km, about 1,83,889 sq.km below the previous lowest minimum extent in the satellite record, which occurred in 1997. For the past two years, Antarctica saw record high sea ice extents and decades of moderate sea ice growth.

Four States come together for elephant censusFor the first time in India, four states Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have decided to conduct a synchronised elephant census in May 2017. These four together have the maximum number of human-elephant conflict-prone regions in India. This decision was taken by senior Forest

Department officials of the four States during a regional workshop. These states will conduct the census based on an identical set of rules using the direct and indirect counting methods. The direct counting method is based on sighting of elephants while the indirect method uses the elephant ‘dung decay’ formula, in which the analysis of dung is used to estimate the population. The indirect method has already been used by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Direct method can be used alone because it is not possible to cover entire area during the census. As per the 2015 census, Odisha has 1,954 elephants while Jharkhand has 700, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal had approximately 275 and 130 elephants, respectively.

India launches Stage II of HCFC Phase Out Management PlanThe Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched Stage II of HCFCs Phase Out Management Plan (HPMP) for the 2017-23 period. It aims to phase out use of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), harmful ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by switching over to non-ozone depleting and low global warming potential technologies. Under HPMP-II India has secured $44.1 million from Multilateral Fund for implementation of Montreal Protocol for phasing out 8,190 MT of HCFC consumption between 2017 to 2023 to meet targets under the protocol for 2020. More than 400 enterprises, including MSMEs in foam manufacturing sector and 6 large air-conditioning manufacturing enterprises will be supported for conversion to non-HCFC technologies from HCFCs. Energy efficiency, development building codes, cold chain development with non-HCFC alternatives and development of standards for new non-ODS and low GWP alternatives will be promoted. Adequate attention to synergize the Refrigeration and Servicing (RAC) servicing sector trainings will be given with the Skill India Mission, in order to multiply the impact of skilling and training.


MENTOR MAY 2017 Nearly, 16, 000 service technicians will be trained under HPMP-II. It will result in net direct CO2-equivalent emission reductions of about 8.5 million metric tonne annually from 2023.Under the Montreal Protocol, the accelerated phase out of Hydrochlorofluorcarbons (HCFCs) is underway with a aim to complete phase out by 2030 of these chemicals that result in ozone depletion and aid global warming. At present, HCFCs are used in various sectors like refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC), polyurethane foam manufacturing and cold chains sectors etc. These sectors are directly related to urban development, agriculture through cold chain, and industrial development. India is undertaking phase-out of HCFCs through the implementation of HPMP. The Stage-I of HPMP has been already implemented in the country and has successfully met all the ODS phase-out targets, including those of HPMP Stage-I.Montreal Protocol It seeks to cut the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in order to protect the earth’s fragile ozone layer. It also aims at phase out HCFCs by 2030. It came into force in 1989 and has been ratified by 197 parties making it universally ratified protocol in UN history. It is also highly successful international arrangement, as it has phased-out more than 95% of the ODS so far as per its main mandate in less than 30 years of its existence.

Government launches first ever across-the-river survey to figure out aquatic lifeThe Union Government has launched the first ever across-the-river survey in River Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life, including that of the endangered Gangetic doplhin. The survey will create a baseline scientific data for the government to take suitable measures to improve quality of the Ganga’s water. The first of its kind survey is being conducted by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) through Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under Namami Gange programme. The first leg of the census was launched on March 1, 2017 from Narora in Uttar Pradesh to Bijnor (covering nearly 165 km distance) to establish the number of the

Gangetic dolphin, national aquatic animal. In next phase it will be launched in the Allahabad to Varanasi stretch (close to 250 km in length) in Uttar Pradesh. It will find out stretches where dolphin is habitating, what are the conditions there and the level of threat the long-snouted species is facing in a particular belt, The study to figure out fish species composition in the in the 2525 km-long stretch of River Ganga also been started from Harshil in Uttarakhand. Besides populace count, it will help know distribution pattern of aquatic life in river, extent of threat level faced by them and their habitat conditions. It will also ascertain number of ghariyals and turtles. This will be for the first time a comprehensive and scientific study will be conducted to determine the population of aquatic life in River Ganga. Earlier all the surveys carried out were conducted in bits and pieces or were rapid.

WCCB’s Operation Thunderbird and Operation Save Kurma for fight against wildlife crime Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has successfully coordinated Operation Thunder Bird from January 30 to February 19, 2017 in its fight to end poaching of India’s wildlife animals. It also had convened Operation Save Kurma, a species specific operation on turtles between 15 December 2016 and 30 January 2017. Operation Thunderbird: It is code-name of INTERPOL’s (International Criminal Police Organization) multi-national and multi-species enforcement operation for wildlife protection. It has resulted in huge seizures of 2, 524 Live species of scheduled animals, 9 wild animal carcasses, 19.2 kg elephant ivory, 1 tiger skin, 1 organ pipe coral, 1 jar snake venom, 8 leopard skins and 1 Indian Mujtac skin. The operation brought about a unanimous approach by the state enforcement agencies in the fight against wildlife crime in the country. It had received overwhelming response from the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttrakhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.


MENTOR MAY 2017Operation Save Kurma: It was species specific operation on turtles. Under it total of 15,739 live turtles were recovered from 45 suspects, having inter-state linkages. It helped the enforcement agencies to focus on the existing trade routes and major trade hubs in the country, which will be continued in future.Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is statutory multi-disciplinary body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to combat organized wildlife crime in the country. It was established in June 2007 by amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972, a special Act to protect the wildlife and fauna in the country. It is headquartered in New Delhi and has five regional offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Jabalpur; three sub-regional offices at Amritsar, Guwahati, and Cochin; and five border. Functions: Under Section 38 (Z) of WLPA, 1972, it is mandated to collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime and disseminate it to state and other enforcement agencies for immediate action. It assist foreign authorities and international organization concerned to facilitate co-ordination and universal action for wildlife crime control. It is tasked with capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist states to ensure success in wildlife crimes prosecutions. It advises Union Government on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and international ramifications, relevant policy and laws. It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.

March 3: World Wildlife DayThe World Wildlife Day is observed on 3rd March every year to celebrate and raise awareness about the world’s wild fauna and flora. It is celebrated to mark the signing of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on this day in 1973.

It aims to create awareness and encourages people across the globe to protect endangered species. It also calls for taking up urgent steps to fight wildlife crime which has wide-ranging environmental, economic and social impacts. 2017 theme: “Listen to the Young Voices”. It aims to empower and engage the youth in conservation issues. Engaging and empowering youth is the call of this year. The World Wildlife Day was designated by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session on 20 December 2013. On this day in 1973, CITES was adopted. Wildlife has an intrinsic value and contributes to the ecological, social, economic, genetic, scientific, educational, cultural, aesthetic and recreational aspects of sustainable development and human well-being. Habitat loss, poaching and climate change are among the most alarming challenges faced by wildlife today. Poaching and trafficking of wildlife is now the most immediate threat to many species. There is pressing need for enhanced action to ensure survival of wildlife in its natural habitats. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is international agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. Its aim is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It entered into force in July 1975. It is administered through United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It’s secretariat is located in Geneva (Switzerland). CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. It classifies plants and animals according to three categories, or appendices, based on how threatened. They are. (i) Appendix I: It lists species that are in danger of extinction. It prohibits commercial trade of these plants and animals except in extraordinary situations for scientific or educational reasons. Appendix II species: They are those that are not threatened with extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted.


MENTOR MAY 2017Their trade is regulated by permit. Appendix III species: They are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member states and that has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade in that species. In addition CITES also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs.

Madras HC orders TN Government to enact law to remove Seemai Karuvelam treesThe Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has ordered Tamil Nadu government to enact a law with prohibitory and penal clauses to eradicate Seemai Karuvelam (prosopis juliflora) trees within two months. Seemai Karuvelam is invasive species of tree harmful to the environment as it sucks lot of water ultimately affect the environment and agricultural activities.The HC’s order came after it heard a batch of petitions including Public Interest Litigations (PILs) seeking directions to remove the seemai karuvelam trees claiming that they are harmful to the environment and agriculture. Earlier in December 2016, the bench of high court had directed state government to completely uproot this tree species from public as well as private lands in 13 districts under its territorial jurisdiction by mid February 2017. Seemai Karuvelam tree species are native to West Africa. It was brought to Tamil Nadu in 1960s as fuelwood. It disrupts the local ecosystem of its habitation by soaking in all the ground water near it. It is an invasive species that has infiltrated the water bodies and dry lands of Tamil Nadu.

Polluted environment kills 1.7 million children a year: WHO reportAccording to recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report titled “Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment”, polluted environment kills around 1.7 million children a year. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the environment’s impact especially air pollution on

children’s health, illustrating the scale of the challenge. Key Highlights from Report Every year, environmental risks such as outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, second-hand smoke, lack of sanitation and inadequate hygiene results in quarter of all global deaths of children under five. Large portion of the most common causes of death among children are diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia due to pollution. Harmful exposures also increase the risk of premature birth. When infants and pre-schoolers are exposed to air pollution they have an increased lifelong risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma. Exposure to air pollution may also increase their lifelong risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer. Children’s developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them vulnerable pollution.

Cabinet approves Revised Cost Estimate-I of Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project in Uttarakhand The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Revised Cost Estimate-I of 400 MW Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand at an estimated completion cost of Rs.2,717.35 crore. The project is being implemented by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) India Limited. In addition to additional generating capacity of 400 MW of peaking power it will regulate releases from Tehri Reservoir for irrigation and drinking water supply.The Project has already been commissioned fully in March, 2012. Only balance works are to be done which are not linked with operation of the Plant but essential for safety and completion of the project.Koteshwar Hydro-Electric Project (400 MW), located 22 km downstream of Tehri, is an integral part of Tehri Power Complex comprising of Tehri Dam & HPP (1000 MW), Tehri PSP (1000MW) and Koteshwar HEP (400MW) to develop Hydro-electric potential of river Bhagirathi. It will facilitate the functioning of Tehri Power Complex as a major peaking station in Northern grid as


MENTOR MAY 2017reservoir created by Koteshwar Dam having a live storage capacity of 35.0 MCM will function as lower (balancing) reservoir for Tehri PSP. This project is also regulating water releases from Tehri reservoir for irrigation purpose. Ministry of Railways and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed Letters of Intent(LOI) on Environment Initiatives Ministry of Railways signed a LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to formalise the joint cooperation in the area of environmental conservation.The focussed areas identified for joint activities would be to:Collaborate in Formulating Specific Roadmap for achieving 20% reduction in Water consumption at Railway establishments.Collaborate in the development of a Draft action plan for establishing waste management centres at major stations on Indian Railways.Collaborate in the development of a Draft action plan for Indian Railways on sustainable public procurement for green technology.The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director, as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference) in June 1972 and has its headquarters in the Gigiri neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya.UNEP has overall responsibility for environmental problems among United Nations agencies but talks on addressing global warming are overseen by the Bonn-based Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its activities cover a wide range of issues regarding the atmosphere, marine and terrestrial ecosystems, environmental governance and green economy.UNEP has also been active in funding and implementing environment related development

projects. The World Meteorological Organization and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. UNEP is also one of several Implementing Agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. The International Cyanide Management Code, a program of best practice for the chemical’s use at gold mining operations, was developed under UNEP’s aegis.

First “Pristine air-quality monitoring station at Palampur” National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has established an atmospheric monitoring station in the campus of Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) at Palampur (H.P.) at an altitude of 1391 m for generating the base data for atmospheric trace species & properties to serve as reference for comparison of polluted atmosphere in India.The station houses calibrated state-of-the-art-equipment for the continuous measurements of ambient and greenhouse gases (CO, NO, NO2, NH3, SO2, O3, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, hydrocarbons, black-carbon, CO2 & CH4), and weather parameters.Because of Palampur’s pristine air, and the capability of the new monitoring station for detection of small amounts of pollutants, the impact of faraway pollution sources can be measured precisely.In addition, this new station has the experimental facilities to investigate the aerosol/cloud interactions, and such investigations would be helpful in generating a better understanding of the Earth’s climate system.The data generated by pristine station at Palampur will act as background data for the measured pollution at various cities in the country. The generated background data will be shared with different pollution control boards and agencies in the country so that the more precise pollution mapping traceable to standard values can be done,


MENTOR MAY 2017which in turn, would assist policy decisions for the abatement of air pollutants.In India, air quality parameters are mostly measured in industrial and residential areas, however, data for air quality of pristine atmosphere is not available in India. NPL’s station will contribute to fill this important gap. The NPL’s station will also serve as a base station for inter-comparison of air quality monitoring equipment being used in India to improve quality of monitored data in India.

World Forestry DayWorld Forestry Day or International Day of Forests is celebrated worldwide every year on 21st of March at the international level in order to increase the public awareness among communities about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.Theme for World Forestry Day 2017 is “Forests & Energy”.The World Forestry Day was established in the year 1971 at the 23rd General Assembly of European Confederation of Agriculture. And it was decided to be celebrated as an annual event celebration on 21st of March by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Emission Norms: Supreme Court Tells Automobile Firms Not To Delay BS-IV Roll Out The Supreme Court has asked automobile companies not to frustrate the government’s initiative to check increasing levels of pollution by selling BS-III vehicles which they are holding in stock.What’s the issue?Companies have been seeking permission to sell their existing stock of BS-III vehicles even after Bharat Stage-IV emission norms come into force from April 1. The motor companies are holding a stock of 8,24,275 BS-III vehicles, which includes 96,724 commercial vehicles, 6,71,308 two-wheelers, 40,048 three-wheelers and 16,198 cars. What has the Court said?The Supreme Court, which is hearing pleas of automobile manufacturers, indicated that either it

will ban registration of such vehicles or impose costs to compensate for the health hazards created by pollution. What has the government said?The Centre has come out in support of auto manufacturers and urged the Supreme Court to allow the companies to sell their existing stock of BS-III vehicles even after Bharat Stage-IV emission norms come into force from April 1. The government has argued for the case on the following grounds:The existing rules that govern migration of emission standards provide only for halting of manufacturing of vehicles that comply to the previous norms.These rules have not been challenged or objected to at any stage.The same set of rules were followed when the country moved on to BS III emission norms.Sale and registration of BS III vehicles can continue as these vehicles do not become redundant. They can very well be run on BS IV fuel.The stock of BS III vehicles that remain unsold account for a tiny fraction of the 19 crore vehicles already plying on the roads.

SCIENCE

National Science Day National Science Day is celebrated all over India with great enthusiasm on 28th of February every year in order to commemorate the invention of the Raman Effect in India by the Indian physicist, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on the same day in the year 1928. For his great success in the field of science in India, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was awarded and honored with the Nobel Prize in the Physics in the year 1930.Theme: the theme for the year 2017 is ‘Science and Technology for Specially abled Persons’. What is Raman effect?The Raman Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free, transparent sample of a chemical compound, a


MENTOR MAY 2017small fraction of the light emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however, has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a result of the Raman effect.

WHO wants new drugs against 12 antibiotics-resistant super-germsThe World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments, scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs to tackle 12 antibiotics-resistant super-germs threatening an explosion of incurable diseases. This is for the first time, WHO has published a list of bacteria threatening to turn once easily-treatable infections into incurable diseases. It held that antibiotics may not be ready in time if it is left on market forces alone.WHO described these antibiotics-resistant super-germs as “priority pathogens” as they are greatest threats to human health. They are no longer respond to an ever-growing list of ineffective antibiotics. They were targeted based on the severity of disease they cause how many drugs still work against them, how easily they spread and how many new ones are already being developed. WHO divided these 12 “priority pathogens” into three categories of new medicine priority: critical, high and medium. The high and medium priority categories include drug-resistant bacteria that cause more common diseases such as gonorrhea and salmonella-induced food poisoning which hit poor countries particularly hard. These 12 germs cause ailments including blood, lung, brain, and urinary tract infections, food poisoning from salmonella and gonorrhoea. The most urgent section contained three bacteria families resistant to carbapenem antibiotics which are last-resort treatment for many life-threatening infections.WHO is a specialized agency of the UN that is concerned with international public health. It was established in April 1948. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is member of the United Nations Development Group. It is responsible for the World Health Report, a leading international publication on health, the worldwide World Health

Survey.

4 ISRO teams join 36th Indian Scientific Expedition to AntarcticaThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined the 36th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (36-ISEA) organised by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). It has send four teams-one team each from Space Applications Centre (SAC), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and and Space Physics Laboratory(SPL). The main objective of this expedition is to install stakes on ice for Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) measurements around two Indian bases Bharati and Maitri in Antartica. It will validate glacier surface velocity derived from satellite data to estimate thickness of snow over land and sea ice using Ground Penetrating Radars (GPR’s). It will also verify conditions of snow over sea and land ice. ISRO teams will also study of snow melt and freeze dynamics in Antarctica using space-based and ground-based observations. It will also study measurements of Atmospheric Black Carbon (BC), greenhouse gases and solar radiation fluxes at Antarctica on a long-term basis. Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program conducted every year by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. It was started in 1981. It has gained global acceptance after India signed Antarctic Treaty. Subsequently, India had constructed Dakshin Gangotri Antarctic research base in 1983. It was superseded by the Maitri base from 1990, India’s newest base in Antarctica, Bharati, was commissioned in 2015. It is constructed out of 134 shipping containers.

Scientists switch on the world’s largest artificial sunScientists from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have switched on world’s largest artificial sun – a device developed to help shed light on new ways of making climate-friendly fuels. The


MENTOR MAY 2017artificial sun is giant honeycomb-like set-up of 149 spotlights, officially known as Synlight. It is located in Juelich. It uses xenon short-arc lamps normally found in cinemas to simulate natural sunlight.The aim of Synlight experiment is to develop an optimal setup for concentrating natural sunlight to power a reaction to produce hydrogen fuel. Its goal is to eventually use actual sunlight rather than the artificial light produced using electricity which is costly and requires as much electricity in four hours as a four-person household would use in a year. Using the array, scientists are seeking to produce the equivalent of 10,000 times the amount of solar radiation by focusing the entire array on a single 8×8 in spot (20*20cm). When light from all the lamps is aligned to concentrate on a single spot, it can generate temperatures of around 3,500 degree Celsius i.e. temperature two to three times of a blast furnace.Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, but on earth it is relatively rare. One way to manufacture hydrogen is to split water (H2O) into its two elemental components – Hydrogen and oxygen, using electricity in electrolysis process. Synlight experiment will bypass usage of electricity by tapping into the enormous amount of solar energy that reaches Earth from sun. Hydrogen obtained from it will be used to be used in fuel cells, a clean source of energy that does not produce carbon emissions.

Scientists develop solar-powered skin for prosthetic limbsResearchers including Indian origin from University of Glasgow have developed new prototype prosthetic limbs having solar-powered skin. The solar-powered skin will give amputees with prosthetic limbs a better sense capabilities of touch, temperature and texture compared to battery powered prosthetics. The new technology involves installing a thin layer of pure carbon around a prosthetic arm, hand or leg. This allows light to pass through it and be easily used as solar energy. The sun can provide up to 15 times more energy than is usually needed to power a prosthetic limb. This extra and renewable energy

can be used to power sensors. These sensors can increase sense and feeling in a limb, so much so that the prosthetic can feel pressure, temperature and texture like natural skin. The technology also has potential to increase the functionality of robots, allowing them to have a better understanding of what they touch.

ISRO commissions world’s third-largest hypersonic wind tunnelThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third-largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In this regard, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar commissioned two facilities – a 1-m Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and a 1-m Shock Tunnel. These facilities are the third largest in terms of size and simulation capability in the world next only to the ones in the United States (US) and Russia. They have been indigenously designed, developed and made in India with the support of Indian Industries. Few critical technologies of these tunnels which are under embargo were also indigenously developed. These facilities together are quite complex with 500 valves, 2 km of pipelines, 41 electric motors, 35 pumps, 320 instruments and 10 km of cables. Applications: These wind tunnels will be used to study the effects of air flowing past a solid object and in ISRO’s case, space vehicles. These new facilities will help aerodynamic characterisation of advanced space transportation systems in a hypersonic environment. Significance: Such facilities will provide adequate data for design and development of current and future space transportation systems in the country. Commissioning of these facilities also symbolises the country’s capability in establishing such world-class facilities wherein technology from outside is restricted or not available.

NGT suspends Green nod for Neutrino projectThe Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO). It has asked the project


MENTOR MAY 2017proponent to make a fresh application. NGT suspended the EC after petitioner submitted that the INO project was just 4.5 km away from Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district (Kerala) and one kilometre from Kerala-Tamil Nadu border and falls under category ‘A’ project in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Union Environment Ministry had categorised INO project as a Category ‘B’ project, for which an EIA is not necessary. But, as per EIA Notification, 2006, any project specified in category ‘B’ will be treated as category A, if it is located in whole or in part within 10 km from the boundary of protected areas notified under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and inter-State boundaries.INO is a category ‘A’ project, which meant EIA study has to be done by an accredited agency. Since the project was near a national park, INO needs to get a clearance from the National Board for Wildlife. It also needs to get necessary clearance from the Kerala government as well.India-Based Neutrino Observatory (INO) It country’s most ambitious basic science project proposed to come up in Bodi west hills of Theni district of Tamil Nadu. It aims at building a world-class underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximately 1200 meter. Its mandate is to conduct basic research on the elementary particle called neutrino. It is jointly supported by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Department of Science & Technology (DST), with DAE acting as the nodal agency. The observatory will be located underground in order to provide adequate shielding to the neutrino detector from cosmic background radiation. It will comprise a complex of caverns which will house detector which is 130 metres long, 26 metres wide and 30 metre high.

GRAPES-3 Telescope upgraded to detect solar stormsThe GRAPES-3 experiment at TIFR’s (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) Cosmic Ray Laboratory in Ootacamund in Tamil Nadu is getting upgraded to detect solar storms. GRAPES-3 (Gamma Ray Astronomy PeV EnergieS phase-3)

experiment had detected the effect of a solar storm that hit the earth in June 2015.GRAPES-3 has an important role in understanding the propagation of storms from the L1 point (Lagrange point 1) to its impact on the Earth. The upgraded detector will have an increased coverage and improved capacity to determine the direction of incident cosmic rays. It will play a major role in getting precise information about the propagation of storms in the last million miles (from the L-1 point) of their journey from the Sun to the earth. The Sun is at a distance of 150 million kilometres from the earth. Satellites are placed at a distance of nearly 1.5 million kilometres, at the so-called L1 point (between Earth and Sun), where they orbit the Sun along with the Earth. The satellites act as an early warning system as the charged particles from a solar storm first impact the satellites before hitting the earth.The GRAPES-3 experiment is located at Ooty in India. It was started as a collaboration of the TIFR and the Japanese Osaka City University, and now also includes the Japanese Nagoya Women’s University. It is specially designed to study cosmic rays with an array of air shower detectors and a large area muon detector. It aims to probe acceleration of cosmic rays in the four astrophysical settings. Scientists discover five new sub-atomic particles at CERNScientists using Large Hadron Collider accelerator (LHC) at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) have discovered a new system of five particles all in a single analysis. This discovery is unique as observing five new states all at once is very rare. According to the standard convention, these particle states were named Oc(3000)0, Oc(3050)0, Oc(3066)0, Oc(3090)0 b Oc(3119)0. The numbers indicate their masses in megaelectronvolts (MeV), measured by LHCb experiment, one of seven particle physics detector experiments collecting data at LHC, world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator.The new particles were found to be in excited states (a particle state that has a higher energy than the ground state or absolute minimum configuration) of a particle called Omega-c-zero.


MENTOR MAY 2017 Omega-c-zero is a baryon. It is a particle with three quarks, containing two strange and one charm quark. It decays via the strong force into another baryon, called Xi-c-plus (containing a “charm”, a “strange” and an “up” quark) and a kaon K-. Xi-c-plusparticle further decays in turn into a proton p, a kaon K- and a pion p+. LHCb collaboration by analysing trajectories and energy left in the detector by all the particles in this final configuration were able to trace back the initial event he decay of the Omega-c-zeroand its excited states. Now quantum numbers of these new particles, characteristic numbers used to identify the properties of a specific particle and their theoretical significance will be determined. Significance of the Discovery: It will contribute to understanding how the three constituent quarks are bound inside a baryon. It will also help to probe the correlation between quarks, which plays a key role in describing multi-quark states, such as tetraquarks and pentaquarks. Baryon is a composite subatomic particle made up of three quarks (a triquark, as distinct from mesons, which are composed of one quark and one antiquark). Baryons and mesons belong to the hadron family of particles, which are the quark-based particles. The most familiar baryons are the protons and neutrons that make up most of the mass of the visible matter in the universe.

Scientists develop new Wi-Fi system to offer super-fast connectivityScientists from Eindhoven University of Technology in Netherlands have developed a new wireless Internet network based on infrared rays that is reportedly 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) networks. It has a huge capacity, more than 40 Gigabits per second (Gbit/s). It also does away with the need of sharing Wi-Fi, as every device gets its own ray of light. The wireless data in this network comes from a few central ‘light antennas’, that are able to precisely direct the rays of light supplied by an optical fibre. These antennas contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at different angles (passive diffraction gratings). If a user is walking and his smartphone or

tablet is moving out of the light antenna’s direction, then another light antenna takes over. In this system, changing the light wavelengths also changes the direction of the ray of light. It uses safe infrared wavelength that does not reach the retina in the eye. Key Features of the new system The network tracks the precise location of every wireless device using its radio signal transmitted in the return direction. Different devices are assigned different wavelengths by the same light antenna and so do not have to share capacity. It uses infrared light with wavelengths of 1,500 nanometres and higher. Current, Wi-Fi uses radio signals with a frequency of 2.5 or five gigahertz. On this network, researchers have managed to achieve a speed of 42.8 Gbit/s over a distance of 2.5 metres. It is hundred times fast than best Wi-Fi systems currently available that can provide users maximum 300 mbps speed. The new system so far has used the light rays only to download. Uploads are still done using radio signals since in most applications much less capacity is needed for uploading.

India signs WHO’s Call To End TB by 2030 in South East Asian regionIndia along with other countries in the South East Asian Region have signed World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Call To end Tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 in the region. It was signed by Health ministers from countries in WHO South-East Asia Region (WHO SEARO) during two-day ministerial meeting towards ending TB in the region held in New Delhi. Call To End TB by 2030 initiative also stresses on increasing government and partner budgetary allocations to enable national TB plans to be fully funded. WHO SEARO countries have pledged to scale-up efforts and implement adequately funded, innovative, multi-sectoral and comprehensive measures to achieve the global target to end the disease by 2030. They also agreed to set up of a ‘regional innovation to implementation fund’ for accelerated sharing of knowledge, intellectual


MENTOR MAY 2017resources and innovations to reach out and treat all cases. The WHO global targets seek to reduce TB mortality by 90% and incidence by 80% by 2030.WHO South East Asian Region bears half of the global tuberculosis burden. Six of the region’s countries Bangladesh, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand are among the 30 high TB burden nations globally. In 2015, TB caused estimated 4.74 million new TB cases were reported in the region and nearly 8,00,000 deaths. India represents the single highest number of TB cases in the world reporting 2.8 million new TB cases annually and nearly half a million deaths due to the disease. WHO’s South-East Asia Region comprises Bhutan, Bangladesh, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste. Tuberculosis is an infectious, airborne disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mainly affects the lungs. It can be transmitted from person to person through the air when people with TB cough, sneeze, laugh or speak, spit, propelling the germs into the atmosphere.

Scientists develop first blood test for autismScientists from US for first time have developed a blood test to accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first of its kind of physiological test for analysing a blood sample opens the door to earlier diagnosis and potential future development of therapeutics. To develop this test, scientists had investigated patterns of several metabolites and found significant differences between metabolites of children with ASD and those that are neurotypical. These differences allowed them to categorise whether an individual is on the autism spectrum. This algorithm by measuring 24 metabolites from a blood sample can tell whether or not an individual has Autism spectrum and even to some degree where on the spectrum they land. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised as a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. It is estimated to affect about 1.5% of individuals. The physiological basis for ASD is not

known, but genetic and environmental factors are both believed to play a role. People with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. Early intervention can improve development, but currently diagnosis depends on clinical observation of behaviour, that is considered as an obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment.

Scientists discover world’s first fluorescent frog in ArgentinaScientists have discovered polka dot tree frog (Hypsiboas punctatus), the world’s first fluorescent frog in Argentina. The newly discovered amphibian sports a muted palette of greens, reds and yellows under normal light, but in the dark gives off a bright blue and green glow. Scientists found that the polka dot tree frog uses fluorescent molecules totally unlike those found in other animals. In some insects, proteins bound to biliverdin emit a faint red fluorescence. However, in the polka dot tree frog, biliverdin turned out to be a red herring. In ultraviolet flashlight (or black light), polka dot tree frogs gave off an intense greenish-blue glow instead of a faint red. Three molecules hyloin-L1, hyloin-L2 and hyloin-G1 were responsible for green fluorescence. These molecules contain a ring structure and a chain of hydrocarbons, and are unique among the known fluorescent molecules in animals. Fluorescence is the ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and re-emit it at longer wavelengths. It is rare in terrestrial animals. Many ocean creatures exhibit fluorescence, including corals, fish, sharks and one species of sea turtle. But, until now, it was unheard of in amphibians. On land, fluorescence was previously known in only parrots and some species of scorpions. But it is still unclear why animals have this ability. Scientists believe that Fluorescence may be shown by animals for the purpose communication, camouflage and mate attraction.

New canyon system found near Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh


MENTOR MAY 2017Scientists for the first time have discovered three new canyons close to Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. This discovery was made by team of scientists from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Visakhapatnam. These three canyons together form a major canyon system in the depths of the Bay of Bengal.This discovery was made by clearly mapping the ocean floor between Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam by sending over 32 high density beams to the depths of the sea. Canyon systems are generally formed by the flow of river water into the sea and they could be as old as the river system, which is close to 23 million years. The new canyon system was probably formed by river Kandivalasa. It is very huge and its depth varies from about 90 metres at the starting point to about 2,500 metres at the deepest point. It extends to about 50 to 70 km deep into the sea. The last canyon systems off the Visakhapatnam coast were discovered in 1963 by American geologist E.C. LaFond of the US Navy Electronics Laboratory. The data was collected on board research ship Anton Bruun. Most of the canyons in the ocean system across the world act as channels for depositing sediments from the river in the shelf region. There are more chances of finding hydro-carbons if the deposits are more.

Punjab Agricultural University develops genetically-modified cotton varietiesPunjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana has claimed developing country’s first genetically-modified (GM) varieties of cotton – PAU Bt 1 and F1861. Cotton is the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in India. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) also has identified three Bt cotton varieties –F1861, PAU Bt 1 and RS2013 for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.The genetic modification of cotton involves introduction of the Bt bacterial gene that codes for a protein which kills the bollworm cotton pest. All three varieties carry the Cry1Ac gene obtained from Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) bacteria. It imparts resistance against bollworm cotton pest. Besides, seeds of these three genetically-modified varieties

can be reused by farmers with no commercial restrictions. It will aid in savings on repeat seed purchases every season. The PAU Bt 1 variety was completely developed at PAU, whereas the F1861 and RS2013 were converted to Bt version by Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur.

EU successfully launches 5th satellite of Copernicus observation programEuropean Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched Sentinel-2B satellite, fifth of its Sentinel Earth observation satellites part of its multi-billion-euro Copernicus observation program. The optical imaging satellite was launched on board of a Vega rocket from ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana. It marks overall ninth successful launch of the Vega launcher since its debut in 2012. The Sentinel-2B satellite is part of satellites system that monitors Earth. It will join its twin Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since 2015. The two satellites will orbit 786 km above Earth, on opposite sides of planet. They will take high-resolution, colour and infrared images for a wide array of environmental initiatives, including crop forecasting and monitoring natural disasters. Together, they will cover all of Earth’s land surfaces, large islands, inland and coastal waterways every five days, providing more up-to-date images and at higher resolution than have been available. It will help track pollution of lakes and coastal waters, monitor land changes and produce disaster maps by providing information on floods, landslide and volcanic eruptions.Copernicus observation program is the world’s largest single earth observation programme. It is directed by the European Commission in partnership with ESA. It consists of constellation of seven Sentinel Earth observation satellites. The first satellite of the series was launched in April 2014. It aims at achieving a global, continuous, autonomous, high quality, wide range Earth observation capacity by providing accurate, timely and easily accessible information. It also aims at improving the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure civil security. Copernicus


MENTOR MAY 2017observation program is successor of previous European Envisat program which operated from 2002 to 2012.

1.04 crore people hit by arsenic contamination in Bengal: ReportAccording to recent report tabled in the Lok Sabha, West Bengal has the highest number of arsenic-affected people in the country. State’s 83 blocks in eight districts have ground water affected by arsenic contamination. Despite the State government’s efforts to curb the Arsenic menace, there is still a lot to be done. So far, state government was able to provide safe drinking water to 52% of the arsenic-affected areas in Bengal.The total number of arsenic-affected people in the country is about 1.48 crore (as of March 2017). West Bengal has topped the list with more than 1.04 crore arsenic-affected persons. Bihar is second with 16.88 lakh persons, with Assam is third with 14.48 lakh victims. According to the WHO’s guidelines for drinking water quality (2011), the permissible limit of Arsenic in groundwater is .01 m/ litre. However, in India the permissible limit in drinking water was only recently been revised from .05 mg/litre to .01 mg/litre. West Bengal government recently had initiated a project to provide safe drinking water to more than six lakh people in the arsenic-affected blocks. However, there is slow progress in setting up water treatment plants since the technology for removal of arsenic is new and expensive.Arsenic is a natural component in the earth’s crust. It is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water and land. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form. Contaminated water used for drinking, irrigation of food crops and food preparation poses the greatest threat to public health from arsenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can lead to chronic arsenic poisoning. It can cause cancer, skin lesions, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and diabetes. The most important action in affected communities is the prevention of further exposure to arsenic by providing them of a safe water supply. It is a high-profile problem in the Ganges Delta, due to the use of deep tubewells for

water supply. The groundwater in these tubewells have high concentrations of arsenic in deeper levels.

DMRL AND JSHL Sign Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology of High Nitrogen Steel Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), Hyderabad, a premier research laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Jindal Stainless (Hisar) Limited (JSHL) have signed the Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology of High Nitrogen Steel (HNS) for armour applications.High nitrogen steels (HNS) are a new class of high alloy martensitic, austenitic or duplex grades with up to 0.9 mass% of N in solid solution. They are applied e.g. to stainless tools and bearings, in chemical engineering and for high strength non-magnetic components.HNS is not only tough but also has good strength. In addition to being non magnetic as well as corrosion resistant, the HNS cost is about 40% less compared to Rolled Homogenous Armour Steel (RHA). This material has potential for a number of defence and civil applications like armouring, mine trawls, oil industries etc.

Battling Leptospira at the genome level To improve the odds of controlling Leptospirosis by understanding the genetic determinants of Leptospira pathogenesis that researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and the J. Craig Venter Institute have collaborated in a major genome-sequencing effort for 20 Leptospira species. There are lessons for India. In the summer and rainy seasons of 2015, leptospirosis, a dangerous, neglected tropical disease, struck in multiple cities of India. In Mumbai, the toll was high — at least 18 people reportedly succumbed to the zoonotic disease, also known colloquially as “rat fever” for its association with the urine of rodents among several host species.Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be


MENTOR MAY 2017mistaken for other diseases. Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all.The bacteria that causes leptospirosis is spread in the urine of infected animals, including rodents, wildlife, dogs, and livestock.It does not spread from person to person.Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics. The disease can lead to life-threatening complications like renal failure, hypotension and hemorrage. Severe or untreated leptospirosis can lead to damage of the organs and in rare cases.

New Wi-Fi system to offer super-fast connectivity Scientists have developed a new wireless Internet based on infrared rays that is reportedly 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi networks. A light-based system, also known as ‘Li-Fi,’ could make wireless networks much more secure.The wireless network not only has a huge capacity — more than 40 Gigabits per second (Gbit/s) — but does away with the need to share Wi-Fi as every device gets its own ray of light.The wireless data comes from a few central ‘light antennas’, which can be mounted on the ceiling, that are able to precisely direct the rays of light supplied by an optical fibre. The antennas contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at different angles (‘passive diffraction gratings’).Changing the light wavelengths also changes the direction of the ray of light. A safe infrared wavelength is used that does not reach the retina in the eye.If a user is walking about and a smartphone or tablet moves out of the light antenna’s direction, then another light antenna takes over.The network tracks the precise location of every wireless device using its radio signal transmitted in the return direction.Different devices are assigned different wavelengths by the same light antenna and so do not have to share capacity.Current Wi-Fi uses radio signals with a frequency of 2.5 or five gigahertz. The new system uses infrared light with wavelengths of 1,500 nanometres and higher.

MISCELLANEOUS

Endangered Kurukh gets official language status in West BengalWest Bengal Government has given official language status to endangered tribal language Kurukh, mother tongue belonging to the Dravidian family. It was given this status by the state government last month and but was announced recently by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In West Bengal, it is spoken by Oraon tribal community who live in Dooars (alluvial floodplains in northeastern India that lie south of outer foothills of Himalayas and north of Brahmaputra River basin). Most of the tribal languages in West Bengal have their origins in the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Barman families. But Kurukh is an exception which has its origin from the Dravidian family is Malto, which is not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Jharkhand’s Rajmahal hills area. Santhali, Munda and Hoe languages spoken in state that belong to Austro-Asiastic family, while the languages spoken by the Tamang, Lepcha and Bhutia tribes of the Darjeeling hills are of the Tibeto-Burman group.Kurukh language belongs to subfamily of Dravidian languages, spoken by some 17 lakh people (2001 census report) of the Oraon tribes of Chota Nagpur plateau of east-central India. It is closely related to Kumarbhag Paharia and Sauria Paharia languages, which are together referred to as Malto. Its script is called Tolong Siki. The language has been listed “vulnerable”state in UNESCO’s list of endangered languages. Jharkhand has recognised Kurukh as a language and its script in 2003. It allows students can write their school final examination in its script.

March 24: World TB DayThe World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) is observed every year on March 24 to raise public awareness about the global epidemic of Tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease. WTD is observed to commemorate discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, bacillus (bacteria) causing TB on 24th March, 1882 by German microbiologist Dr Robert


MENTOR MAY 2017Koch. This discovery had opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB. It is one of eight official global public health campaigns observed by the World Health Organization (WHO). 2017 Theme (Campaign): “Unite to End TB”. This year it is second year of a two year “United to End TB” Campaign. WHO has placed special focus on uniting efforts to “Leave no one behind” including actions to address stigma, discrimination, marginalization and overcome barriers to access care. On this occasion, WHO also released TB Ethics guidelines to ensure that the countries while implementing the End TB strategy adhere to sound ethical standards to protect the rights of all those affected.Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria “Mycobacterium tuberculosis” that most often affect the lungs. The disease is spread from person to person through the air. It commonly affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is the second biggest killer disease worldwide next only to HIV/AIDS. It can be completely cured with proper and regular medication. According to WHO, in 2015, 10.4 million people fell ill with TB and 1.8 million died from the disease. Over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

India ranks 131 in 2016 Human Development IndexIndia was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries. India scored 0.624 and was placed in medium human development category. The index was unveiled recently as part of the Human Development Report (HDR) 2016 titled Human Development for Everyone published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Key Highlights of 2016 HDR Top three countries: Norway (0.949 score), Australia (0.939) and Switzerland (0.939). SAARC countries: Sri Lanka (73) and Maldives (105) were placed in “high human development” category, followed by India (131), Bhutan (132), Bangladesh (139), Nepal (144), Pakistan (147) and Afghanistan (169).

BRICS Countries: India ranks lowest among BRICS nations. Russia (49), Brazil (79), China (90), South Africa (119) and India (131). India related facts: India’s HDI value increased from 0.428 in 1990 to 0.624 in 2015. However, its average annual growth in HDI (1990-2015) was higher than that of other medium HDI countries. In 2015 HDI, India ranked 130 with score of 0.609 and was placed in the medium human development category. Life expectancy at birth: In India, it has increased from 68 years to an average of 68.3 years — 69.9 years for women and 66.9 years for men. Access to knowledge: India’s expected years of schooling remains at 11.7 years, while mean years of schooling increased from 5.4 to 6.3 years. India’s Gross National Income (GNI) based on per capita purchasing power parity (PPP): It has risen from $5,497 to $5,663Gender Inequality Index (GII): India ranked 125 among 159 countries. Only 12.2% of Parliament seats are held by women. 8% of women above the age of 15 years are part of India’s labour force — compared to 79.1% men. The ratio of maternal mortality is 174 against every 100,000 live births. Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI): It is difference between the HDI and IHDI, expressed as a percentage of the HDI, indicating the loss in human development due to inequality. India’s HDI was pegged at 0.624, but its value falls 27.2% after being adjusted for inequalities, resulting in a HDI value of 0.455. Life expectancy adjusted with inequalities between 2010 and 2015 fell 24%, resulting in a value of 0.565. The percentage of inequality in education in 2015 was 39.4% or 0.324 and inequality in income 16.1% or 0.512. The HDI is a measure for assessing countries progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life (life expectancy), access to knowledge and access to a decent standard of living. Countries are ranked based on scale ranging between 0 (low) to 1 (high).


MENTOR MAY 2017India ranks 148 in 2017 UN Women in Politics MapIn recently released 2017 Women in Politics Map report, India was ranked low at 148th position in representation of women in executive government. It was released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. The report was launched on sidelines of 61st Commission on Status of Women, the largest inter-governmental forum on women’s rights and gender equality. The theme for this year event is on women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. Key highlights of the report Globally, the number of women in executive government and in Parliament has stagnated, with only marginal improvements since 2015. Top 10 countries with highest women in parliament: Rwanda, Bolivia, Cuba, Iceland, Nicaragua, Sweden, Senegal, Mexico, Finland and South Africa. Region wise facts: In Europe, the total percentage stood at 22.5%. In Nordic countries the number of female ministers fell by more than six per cent to 43.5%. Women’s representation in the Americas made the most significant gains. Women’s participation in parliaments rose to 25% from 22.4% in 2015. But the region saw a drop in Heads of State. In Africa, female ministers saw a decline in numbers, after years of steady growth. About 19.7% of the region’s ministerial posts are held by women. In Asia, women hold 11% of ministerial posts. Indonesia tops in the region with 25.7% women representatives in the government. Among the Arab States, 9.7% of senior executive posts are held by women. Tunisia and United Arab Emirates top in region with 23.1% and 26.7%, respectively. India related facts: Women make up 11.8% of the Lok Sabha i.e. 64 were elected to the 542-member house and 11% of the Rajya Sabha with 27 of the 245 members. India ranked 88 in the number of women ministers with five or 18.5% in the cabinet.

March 15: World Consumer Rights Day

The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is celebrated every year on March 15 to pay solidarity with the international consumer movement and give more attention to promote basic rights of consumers. Significance of Day: It provides (i) an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers (ii) demand those rights that must be respected and protected and (ii) for those protesting against the market abuses and social injustices. 2017 Theme: ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’. The WCRD commemorate the historic address given by the then US President John F Kennedy to the US congress on this day in 1962. In his historic address he had outlined the definition of consumer rights for the first time. He was the first world leader to formally define ‘consumer rights’. The first WCRD was observed on 15 March 1983 and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. Note: In India, 24th December is observed as National Consumer Day. On this day in 1986, Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President.

Indian Navy successfully test fires Barak missile from INS VikramadityaIndian Navy successfully conducted maiden test of short range surface-to-air Barak missile from country’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The test was conducted in the Arabian Sea in which missile was fired against a live, low-flying, high-speed target. The missile successfully engaged and destroyed the target, validating operational readiness inspection of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy. About INS Vikramaditya INS Vikramaditya is the country’s sole aircraft carrier (after retirement of INS Viraat in March 2017). It was built in 1987 and had served the Soviet navy (named as Baku).

India ranks 122 in 2017 World Happiness ReportIndia ranked at 122 out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017 published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network on the


MENTOR MAY 2017eve of International Day of Happiness (20 March). The rankings are based factors such as inequality, life expectancy, GDP per capita, public trust (i.e. a lack of corruption in government and business), and social support. Together they are used to generate a happiness score of country on a scale from 1 to 10.This year it is fifth such report since the first was published in 2012. Key Highlights of report 10 Happiest Countries: Norway (1), Denmark (2), Iceland (3), Switzerland (4), Finland (5), Netherlands (6), Canada (7), New Zealand (8), Australia (9) and Sweden (10). 5 Saddest Countries: Rwanda (151), Syria (152), Tanzania (153), Burundi (154) and Central African Republic (155). The entire top ten were wealthier developed nations. But the report mentioned that money is not the only ingredient in the recipe for happiness. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and those hit by conflict were ranked lower. India was placed behind the majority of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, apart from war-ravaged Afghanistan (141). In the previous edition of the report, India ranked 118. Eight SAARC nations: Pakistan (80), Nepal (99), Bhutan (97), Bangladesh (110) and Sri Lanka (120). Maldives did not figure in the report. BRICS Countries: Brazil (17), Russia (56), China (79), South Africa (116) and India (122).

India’s first sign language dictionary to come up soon: GovernmentThe Union Government will soon launch country’s first-of-its-kind Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people. It is being developed in both print and video format by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC). It will give an uniform language to 50 lakh hearing and 20 lakh speech impaired people in the country. ISL dictionary will contain graphic representations of popular signs used by the hearing impaired and also their regional variations. It will also have legal, technical and medical terms. It will help bridge the

communication gap by promoting the use of sign language for hearing impaired students at schools and colleges. It will also enable government officials, teachers, community leaders, professionals and the public at large to learn and use sign language. It will enable the public utility organisations like hospitals, banks, courts, airports, and others to utilise the services of interpreters. So far, it has compiled 6,032 Hindi and English words and their corresponding graphic representation of the signs which are used in daily life.ISLRTC is an autonomous organization under the aegis of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It was established under Society Registration Act, 1860. Its main objectives are to develop manpower for teaching and conducting research in Indian Sign Language (ISL), promote use of ISL as an educational mode in collaboration with universities, national and international bodies.

First fully India-made train Medha flagged off at Dadar stationFirst fully India-made train (rake) Medha was flagged off at Dadar station in Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu via videoconferencing. The rake (group of coaches) costs Rs.43.23 crore, approximately Rs. 1 crore less than imported German-made Bombardier rake, which is Rs. 44.36 crore. It will save foreign exchange worth $50 lakh per EMU rake along with 25% manufacturing cost.It has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Its rake with 12 coaches has capacity of 6,050 passengers and 1,168 seats. It has in-built systems to minimise breakdowns during the travel. It is fitted with a high power fully Made in India 3-phase propulsion system and powered by Hyderabad-based firm Medha Servo Drives. The rake can run at a speed of 110 kmph, whereas local trains run at maximum 90 or 100 kmph. Like the existing rakes, it has cushioned seats in first class and stainless steel seats in general compartments. It also has LED lighting which reduces energy consumption by


MENTOR MAY 2017approximately 30-35% as compared to the existing rakes. It is also fitted with GPS-based information system to indicate the stations and also has a facility that will help motormen communicate with a guard in case of emergencies. The rake also has modular roof-mounted forced ventilation system which supplies 16000 cubic m/hr fresh air into the passenger area.

Cabinet approves revised MoU with Bangladesh to set up Border HaatsThe Union Cabinet has approved Revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Mode of Operation (MoO) between India and Bangladesh for establishing Border Haats on India-Bangladesh Border. The revised MoU and MoO will provide a legal framework for establishment and operationalization of additional Border Haats along India-Bangladesh border.The Border Haats aim at promoting traditional system of marketing the local produce through local markets across the India-Bangladesh border. It will help to improve economic well-being of marginalised sections in remote areas across along the border. The Border Haats allows to people living in border areas to trade in specified products in accordance with the regulations agreed and notified by both Governments. Currently four Border Haats are operational, two each in Meghalaya and Tripura, along the border. They were established and operationalized under the MoU and MoO signed between Bangladesh and India in 2010. Subsequently, an Addendum to MoO of Border Haats was also signed in May, 2012.

15 IIITs declared as Institutes of National ImportanceThe Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public- Private Partnership) Bill, 2017. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The Bill will declare the existing IIITs in PPPS as ‘Institutions of National Importance with powers to award degrees.

This coveted status will entitle them to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or Master of Technology (M.Tech) or Ph.D degree as issued by Institution or University of National Importance. By granting formal degree, IIITs will enhance the prospects of graduating students in job market and will also enable them to attract enough students to develop a strong research base in the country in the field of IT. Besides, it will also cater the emerging needs of the industry and the economy as a whole for skilled technical manpower from the talent pool of trained personnel of the institutes. The 15 IIITs are: Assam (Guwahati), Andhra Pradesh (Chittoor), Haryana (Sonipat), Gujarat (Vadodara),Himachal Pradesh (Una), Kerala (Kottayam), Jharkhand (Ranchi), Karnataka (Dharwad), Maharashtra (Nagpur & Pune), Rajasthan (Kota), Manipur (Senapati), Tamilnadu (Tiruchirappalli), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow), Kalyani (West Bengal).

Madhukar Gupta Committee on border protection submits reportThe Madhukar Gupta Committee on border protection has submitted its report to the Union Government to strengthen border protection and address vulnerabilities in fencing along the Indo-Pakistan border. It was announced by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to question in the Lok Sabha. The committee has given broad recommendations on the issues of Threats and Border Protection, assessment of force level, deployment on the border, infrastructure and technology issues for protection of border and administrative issues. The Union Government has decided to initiate action in light of the recommendations of the Committee in consultation with the stakeholders.

Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and UN-WomenUnion Cabinet has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Nations Entity of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-


MENTOR MAY 2017Women). Under this MoU, Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and UN-Women will work in collaboration with each other to promote participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The MoU seeks to provide technical support to MoPR in strengthening capacities of governance institutions including PRIs to better leverage opportunities created for gender equality. MoPR and UN-Women will now work together towards participatory design of governance processes and effective implementation of laws, policies and programmes to promote gender responsive governance. It will focus on building capacities of Elected Women Representatives to empower them and enhance their effectiveness. It will facilitate the achievement of time-bound results in the implementation of specific activities identified jointly by MoPR and UN Women within the broader framework for cooperation under the UNDAF. Activities under this MoU will be implemented at the district and sub-district level in six States i.e. Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. World’s oldest aircraft carrier INS Viraat decommissionedThe world’s longest serving warship INS Viraat was decommissioned by the Indian Navy at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra after nearly six decades of service. This marks the end of an era of Viraat being the flagship of the Indian Navy as it had provided utmost protection to the country during many tense situations. The decision on the warship’s future has not been taken yet. INS Viraat holds Guinness Books of record of being the longest serving warship in the world. It was also the last British-built ship serving with the Indian Navy. It was built in 1943 during the Second World War and was first commissioned as the HMS Hermes into the British Royal Navy in November 1959.

Half of India-Bangladesh border fenced: Government

The Union Government has announced that half of the 4,096-km long border India shares with Bangladesh has been fenced. The remaining half will be fenced by 2019 deadline. Its aim of fencing the India-Bangladesh border is to curb infiltration and smuggling of cattle and fake Indian currency notes (FICN). However, land acquisition is a major challenge to completing the work by the deadline. Besides, government is going to use technological solutions such as cameras and lasers across cross border rivers, where fencing is not possible. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km land boundary, largest among the international boundaries that India shares with its neighbours. The border runs along five states, West Bengal (2,216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km).

BrahMos missile successfully test-firedThe land-attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with an extended range increased from 290 km to 450 km was successfully test fired. The missile was test fired from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. It met its mission parameters fully by achieving 100% results. BrahMos missile BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has been designed and developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia. It name has been derived from the names of two rivers, India’s Brahmaputra River and Russia’s Moskva River. Features: It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2. It is two-stage missile, the first one being solid and the second one ramjet liquid propellant.It is capable of carrying a warhead of 300 kilogram, both conventional and nuclear. Range: Its earlier strike range was 290 km. But after India’s induction into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016, missile’s range has been increased beyond 300km in the same configuration. Another version of the missile with a strike range of 800 km is under development. Deployment: It has already been inducted into the Indian Army and Navy, while the Air Force version


MENTOR MAY 2017is in the final stage of trials. Navy’s first version was inducted in 2005 on INS Rajput. The Indian Army is already equipped with three regiments of Block III version of Brahmos missiles. Now, it is fully operational with two regiments of the Army.

Indo-Nepal joint Military exercise Surya Kiran-XI held in UttarakhandThe eleventh edition of joint military exercise ‘Surya Kiran 2017‘ between India and Nepal began in Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand. It is two-week long battalion level joint exercise between armies of both countries. It will focus on skills required for natural disaster management, counter-insurgency and jungle warfare. The Surya Kiran XI aims at training of both the troops in the area of various counter insurgency operations over a prolonged period. It will focus on other important aspects such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and environmental conservation. In this exercise, Indian Army is represented by the officers and troops of Ekta Shakti Battalion of the Punjab Regiment. While, Nepali Army is being represented by Durga Baksh Battalion. Both the armies will mutually benefit from the varied experiences gained during the exercise and strengthen the friendly relation between Nepal and India.The Surya Kiran series of military exercises are being conducted bi-annually, alternatively in India and Nepal. It is largest exercise in terms of troop’s participation in series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries. It aims at promoting military relations while increasing interoperability in conducting joint counter insurgency operations in mountainous terrain. The 10 edition of the exercise was held at Army Battle School, Saljhandi in Nepal in November 2016.

India-Oman joint military exercise Al-Nagah-II 2017 held in Himachal PradeshThe joint military exercise Al-Nagah-II 2017 between India and Oman began in the Dhauladhar Ranges in Bakloh belt of Himachal Pradesh to strengthen the military ties between the two countries. This is the second edition of the exercise

in continuation of a series of joint exercises between the armies of the two countries. The first edition of the exercise was held at Muscat, Oman in 2015. The 14-day joint exercise aims to acquaint both forces with each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of counter insurgency, counter terrorism environment. The troops have been drawn from one infantry battalion each from the two armies. Approximately sixty troops from both countries are participating in the exercise. The exercise will also enhance the interoperability between the two armed forces in conducting joint military operations.

Indigenously developed weapon-locating radar SWATHI handed to ArmyThe Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) formally handed over an indigenously developed Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) system dubbed as ‘SWATHI’ to Indian Army. The DRDO also handed over a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) recce vehicle Mk-I and NBC treatment drugs to the Indian Army. NBC recce vehicle Mk-I NBC treatment drugs. Developed by DRDO’s Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE). It has a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in service worldwide under its coverage. Performs two roles i.e. Weapon Location Mode for enemy Artillery and Direction of Own artillery Fire (DOOAF) Mode for Artillery. Provides quick, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing within its effective zone of coverage. Simultaneously it can handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations. It can also direct artillery response based on the incoming enemy fire. It has been extensively tested along the Line of Control (LoC). Four such systems are currently in operation and another 30 are on order for the Indian Army. The WLR has been a critical requirement of the Indian Army and in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict it was imported from the US in 2002 to fill critical needs.

Indian Navy successfully test-Fires anti-ship missile from Kalvari Submarine


MENTOR MAY 2017Indian Navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously built INS Kalvari submarine. During a test firing in the Arabian Sea, the missile successfully hit a surface target at extended ranges. This launch is considered as significant milestone of Indian Navy in enhancing its “sub-surface” warfare prowess. INS Kalvari is the first of India’s six Scorpene-class submarines which are being built under the Project 75. It has been designed by France’s DCNS and was manufactured at state-owned Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The anti-ship missiles will provide the Kalvari class submarines ability to neutralize surface threats at extended ranges. Scorpene-class submarines The diesel powered Kalvari (Scorpene) class submarines have superior stealth. They use guided weapons such as tube-launched anti-ship missiles and torpedoes on enemy submarines from the surface or underwater. Besides warfare, they can perform varied functions will include intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance etc. The second Kalvari class submarine INS Khanderi was launched in Mumbai in January 2017. The other four submarines are expected to be launched at nine-month intervals.

Supersonic interceptor missile successfully test-fired Indigenously developed supersonic Advance Area Defence (AAD) interceptor missile was successfully test-fired from launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore, Odisha. The supersonic interceptor missile is capable of destroying any incoming enemy ballistic missile at low altitude. The successful test validates the reliability of its two layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system.The AAD interceptor missile has been indigenously developed by DRDO. It is a 7.5-metre-long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile. It is equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer, inertial navigation system and an electro-mechanical activator. It can destroy the incoming hostile ballistic missile in the endo-atmospheric region (less than 30 km altitude) at a low altitude of

less than 30 kms. It has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars, India’s BMD programme The Research Centre Imarat (RCI) of the DRDO has played pivotal role in the development of all strategic missiles, spearheaded under the India’s double-layered ballistic missile defence (BMD) programme. The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmosphere or lower altitudes and Prithvi Defence Vehicle for exo-atmospheric ranges. The DRDO expects deployment of BMD shield by 2022. India will be fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and Israel to successfully built effective anti-ballistic missile system. Earlier in February 2017, DRDO had successfully carried out test of the exo-atmospheric Pirthivi interceptor missile destroying the target outside the earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of over 85 km.

French mathematician Yves Meyer wins 2017 Abel PrizeFrench mathematician Yves Meyer has won the prestigious 2017 Abel Prize for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets (small waves or ripples). His theory is used for applications ranging from image compression to the detection of gravitational waves from the merging of black holes. It also allowed scientists to create unique wavelet transforms suited to specific signals. It is awarded annually by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters to one or more outstanding mathematicians. It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. The award was established by the Government of Norway in 2001. It is described as the mathematician’s Nobel Prize and is one of the world’s top prizes in mathematics. It carries monetary award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) (around 600,000 Euros). Indian American mathematician R. Srinivasa Varadhan was bestowed with this award in 2007 for his fundamental contributions to probability theory and for creating a unified theory of large deviation.


MENTOR MAY 2017

Indrani Das wins top prize in Regeneron Science Talent Search competitionIndian-American teenager Indrani Das (17) has won the top prize of $2,50,000 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition in the United States (US). She has won the award for her research on treating brain injury and disease. Her research showed a way for increasing the survival rate of neurons affected by brain injury or neurodegenerative disease.One of contributors to neuron death is It is a condition that occurs when cells called astrocytes react to injury by growing, dividing and reducing uptake of glutamate, which in excess is toxic to neurons. Das’s in a laboratory model showed that exosomes isolated from astrocytes transfected with microRNA-124a improved astrocyte uptake of glutamate and also increased neuron survival. Indian-American teen, Arjun Ramani was placed at third place for his project on networks using mathematical field of graph theory and computer programming. He won prize of $1,50,000. Other Indian Winners Of the 40 finalists of the science talent search, 13 were Indian-Americans. More that 1,700 students took part in the contest. 5th place award ($90,000): Won by Archana Verma for research related development of windows that could produce solar power. 7th place award ($70,000): Won by Prathik Naidu for a developing software to study human genomes and cancer. 9th place award ($50,000): Won by Vrinda Madan for her study of medications for malaria. Regeneron Science Talent Search competition It is the oldest science competition in US for students. It is nicknamed as the “Junior Nobel Prize”. Twelve of the contest alumni have won Nobel Prizes. It was originally sponsored by Westinghouse in 1942 and Intel took it up from 1998 till 2016. Now it is organised by the Society for Science and the Public in association with medical firm Regeneron.

Konkani Writer Mahabaleshwar Sail selected for Saraswati Samman 2016Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail (74) was selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan. His novel was shortlisted out of 22 books written in as many languages. He will receive cash prize of Rs 15 lakh and a citation. Saraswati Samman is an annual award bestowed upon Indian citizen for his outstanding literary work written in any Indian language mentioned in Schedule VIII of Constitution and published during last 10 years. The award has been named after an Indian goddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India. It was established in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. It carries cash prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque of goddess Saraswati. Eminent Hindi author Harivansh Rai Bachchan was the first recipient of this award for his autobiography in four volumes.

Lakkaram tank regains lost gloryThe Lakkaram tank of Kakatiya period here has received a new lease of life following near total restoration of the water body at an estimated cost of Rs 13.5 crore under the Mission Kakatiya scheme.Mission Kakatiya is the Telangana government’s flagship programme aimed at restoring minor irrigation sources like tanks and other water bodies to help small and marginal farmers. The name ‘Mission Kakatiya’ is given in the remembrance and tribute to the Kakatiya rulers who developed large number of the irrigation tanks.kakatiya dynasty-Key facts:The 12th and the 13th centuries saw the emergence of the Kakatiyas. They were at first the feudatories of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyana, ruling over a small territory near Warangal. Prataparudra I established a sovereign dynasty in 1163 CE. The dynasty saw powerful leaders like Ganapathi Deva and Rudramadevi.Prataparudra I, also known as Kakatiya Rudradeva, was the son of the Kakatiya leader Prola II. It was under his rule that the Kakatiyas declared sovereignty. He ruled the kingdom till 1195 A.D. It was under the rule of Prataparudra I that usage of


MENTOR MAY 2017Telugu language in inscriptions began. Before the establishment of Orugallu/Warangal as the capital, Hanamakonda was the first capital of the Kakatiyas.The great Italian traveller Marco Polo visited the Kakatiya Kingdom sometime during Rudramadevi’s tenure as the ruler of the Kakatiya Dynasty and made note of her administrative style; admiring her extensively.The iconic Kakatiya Thoranam was built by Rudramadevi’s father in the 12th Century. This ornate arch is said to have many similarities with the gateways at the Sanchi Stupa and is also the emblem of Telangana.The scenic Pakhal lake in Warangal was built by Ganapathi Deva.The 1000 pillar temple in Warangal was built during the Kakatiya Rule and is another example to the exquisite Kakatiya Architecture.Under the Kakatiya rule, the caste system was not rigid and in fact, it was not given much significance socially. Anyone could take up any profession and people were not bound to an occupation by birth.The Koh-i-Noor Diamond, which is now among the jewels set in the British Crown, was mined and first owned by the Kakatiya Dynasty.Since the end of 13th Century and the early of 14th Century, Kakatiya Kingdom faced several attacks by the Delhi Sultanate. The attacks started under Alauddin Khilji’s rule and it is said that it is during this time that the Koh-i-Noor went into the hands of the Delhi Sultanate.The Kakatiya rule finally came to an end in 1323 A.D. when Warangal was conquered by the Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, the then Sultan of Delhi.

Reviving Assam’s ancient ink By unravelling the science behind Assam’s ancient herbal ink ‘mahi’, researchers are planning to recreate the lost techniques of manuscript writing. They say their efforts could boost heritage tourism. ‘Mahi’ was used in early and medieval Assam for writing on ‘sancipat’ (folios made of the bark of the sanci tree) manuscripts. Some folios were gifted by Kumar Bhaskar Barman, the then King of Pragjyotishpura (ancient Assam) to Harshavardhana, an emperor who ruled north India

from 606 to 647 C.E., a testimony to the period of use. About mahi ink:The technique involves extracting ‘mahi’ using cow urine from a cocktail of fruit pulp and tree bark such as haritaki, amla, bibhitakhi or bhomora, mango and jamun — often infused with the blood of eels or catfish. Rust from iron tools or nails was added for an intense black hue.The endurance of the ink is proven by the stability of sancipat manuscripts. The key factor for this long-lasting marriage between ‘mahi’ and ‘sancipat’ is the herbal concoction’s resistance to aerial oxidation and fungal attacks.The major phytochemical constituents in ‘mahi’ have been identified as phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins and their complexes with iron. Though there are several recorded recipes for ‘mahi’ formulation, one commonality exists for all: the season during which it is concocted.Another interesting feature is that the pH of mahi remains neutral because of cow urine and the absence of acidic ingredients like vinegar. No stabiliser is used in mahi.

Move to get world heritage status for Sankaram The Buddhist Heritage sites at Salihundam (Srikakulam district) and Sankaram near Anakapalle in Visakhapatnam district, in addition to Lepakshi (Anantapur district) and the Nagarjunakonda International Museum (Guntur district) are likely to find a place in the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites.In this regard, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has sought a proposal from its Hyderabad unit, for sending it to the Unesco World Heritage Centre for tentative listing.Sankaram, also known as Bojjannakonda, was excavated under the aegis of Alexander Rim in 1906. A gold coin belonging to the Samudragupta period, copper coins of the Chalukya king, Kubja Vishnu Vardhan, coins of Andhra Satavahanas and pottery were discovered at the site.An interesting aspect of the Bojjannakonda finds is that they feature all the three phases of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. A stairway


MENTOR MAY 2017leads to a large double-storeyed cave on a hill. The rectangular cave has a doorway and is flanked by ‘dwarapalakas’ on either side.There is a rock-cut stupa, standing on a square platform, at the centre of the cave. A series of rock-cut caves and monolithic structures standing on rock platforms are seen on the northern side of the hill.The upper cave has a rectangular doorway, flanked by figures of the Buddha on either side. The imposing figures of the Buddha in a seated meditative posture and the stupa are the main attractions for tourists at Bojjannakonda.To the west of Bojjannakonda is another hillock, Lingalakonda or Lingalametta, where a number of monolithic and structural stupas can be seen.The caves at Bojjannakonda and those in Takshasila are similar. The word ‘Sangrama’ was in use at Takshasila but was never used in Andhra Pradesh. These two features suggest that Bojjannakonda was influenced by Buddhist practices in northern India.

Nowruz Nowruz, also spelled as Navroz, is the Iranian New Year celebrated by ethnic Iranian people. Several ethno-linguistic communities around the world irrespective of their religious background observe it as the start of the New Year. In India, the Parsi community, who follow Zoroastrianism, celebrate Navroz with full fervour. This year, it falls on March 21. What are the origins of Navroz? Which communities celebrate Navroz?Navroz is the beginning of the New Year for several communities. It dates back as far as the 6th Century BC, back when the Iranian community were homogeneously Zoroastrians. Once the community divided over the course of history, people of Iranian origin worldwide continued following Zoroastrian traditions and with that the Iranian New Year as well. What is the significance of Navroz?Apart from the difference of one or two days, the Iranian community celebrates Navroz on March 21. March 21 is the first day of the Iranian calendar. It is also marked as the day King Jamshid was

crowned as the King of Persia. King Jamshid holds a great significance in Zoroastrianism and the day of his coronation is generally considered to be the beginning of the New Year among Iranian people. It is interestingly the first day of the Aries constellation. Navroz is also the day of the Spring equinox and the rituals are performed based on the movements of the sun during the course of the day.How is it celebrated in India?In India, the Parsi community celebrate the Iranian New Year in a similar fashion as is around the world. People decorate their houses and wear new clothes on the occasion of Navroz. A visit to the Fire Temple, the place of worship of the Parsi community, is a ritual followed on Navroz every morning. Special prayers are offered and once the religious rituals are done, Parsis celebrate the day with various delicacies. In India, prominent numbers of the Parsi community still remain in Mumbai and Gujarat, who celebrate Navroz with ardour.

Hindu New YearHindu New Year is being welcomed in different parts of the country today with traditional festivities and celebrations.The Chaitra Sukladi, Ugadi, Gudi Padava, Navareh, Navroz and Chetti Chand are the same festivals in different names, marking the occasion.Various festivals celebrated today:Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Ugadi.Karnataka: Yugadi /Ugadi.Maharashtra: Gudi Padwa.Sindhis: Cheti Chand.Manipuris: Sajibu Cheiraoba.Hindus of Bali and Indonesia also celebrate their new year on the same day as Nyepi.


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