The Hindu Editorials(consolidated list)-Part2 {20dec - 26 dec}

• Counting tigers more accurately - The Hindu
• A fresh exercise to count the country’s tigers led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority has now been launched. This is an important project, given that India hosts the most number of tigers in the wild.
• a mere 10 per cent of the habitat today hosts 90 per cent of the reproducing populations of the big cat.
• One of the criticisms of the scheme to sample tiger densities — which cost about Rs.12 crore in 2006 according to published accounts — is that it is likely to ignore sharp and rapid declines in populations. The methodology being used since 2006, including camera traps is, of course, an improvement over the unscientific analysis of pugmarks employed for nearly three decades.
• Given the limited scientific resources at the disposal of the Environment Ministry, and the large external pool of science-based conservation organisations, there should be no hesitation to broaden the scope of monitoring. It is equally important to involve local communities, choosing volunteers who can be trained and deployed along with scientific personnel.
• Concentration of large number of cats in the small area is not good for growth in tigers population.First,because of their habit of establishing control over a particular area like other animals.Second,Healthy growth in their population is possible when they have enough prey for themselves and their newborns.Third,outbreak of certain disease in the highly populated areas may cause serious effect on their population and it may become a reason behind the threat to their existence.Forth it will have an impact on the food chain in both the regions,where tigers population is small and where they are in large numbers.
  Therefore I think more focus should be given in those regions where they are in small number or where their number is decreasing without ignoring highly populated areas.Of course this should be done with best possible method at our disposal.

• Unwise intransigence - The Hindu
• Justice A.K. Ganguly’s holding on to his position as the Chairperson of the West Bengal State Human Rights Commission after being accused by a law intern of improper sexual advances may indicate a justified concern about his hard-earned reputation.

• The beginning of taper - The Hindu
• It was supposed to be the Damocles’s sword hanging over global markets, including that of India’s, over the last few months. Ultimately, when the U.S. Federal Reserve did announce the start of a tapering of its $85 billion monthly bond-buying programme on December 18, the event set off nothing more than minor ripples across global equity and currency markets. Does the credit go to the Fed for preparing the markets for the winding down of quantitative easing? Probably yes, because it has been talking about the tapering process for the last six months.
• the absence of turbulence can be attributed to two main reasons. One, of course, is that the markets had already discounted the fact that a wind-down of the bond-purchase programme was imminent and factored that into their valuations. Second, and more important, is that the start of the tapering process is a clear signal that the health of the U.S. economy, which is the global economic engine, is getting closer to normal.
• The Indian markets reacted to the news with minor turbulence on December 19. The Sensex declined and the rupee wobbled a bit but they both regained their balance on December 20. This is in sharp contrast to the turmoil that they experienced when the T-word was first mentioned by Mr. Bernanke in May. That is because the intervening period has seen a smart turnaround in India’s external account. The current account deficit fell to 1.2 per cent of GDP in the second quarter from a high of 4.9 per cent in the first; it is projected to be 3 per cent or less for fiscal 2013-14, which is a vast improvement over the last year. GDP growth has rebounded in the second quarter to 4.8 per cent, though the growth impulse continues to be weak. Foreign currency reserves have also been augmented through a series of measures initiated by the RBI. While these explain the equanimity in the markets, the fact is that the clouds have not lifted entirely yet. As the tapering process gathers steam over the next few months, there is bound to be both a pull-out of capital from India and reduced allocations for fresh investment as funds chase rising rates in the U.S. This means the current account deficit has to be managed by pushing exports more, especially to a resurgent U.S., and by taking steps to attract fresh foreign direct investment. Policymakers, including in the RBI, need to address these challenges.

• Political arrogance on display - The Hindu
• The Maharashtra government’s decision to reject the findings of a judicial commission that has indicted four former Chief Ministers and a dozen civil servants for extending illegal patronage to the controversial Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society constitutes a brazen display of political arrogance.
• The commission, comprising retired judge J.A. Patil and former Chief Secretary P. Subrahmanyam, has come to the same conclusion as the Comptroller and Auditor General did in a report two years ago.

• Flawed preference - The Hindu
• Among the many manifestations of gender discrimination in India, arguably the most premeditated action involves the so-called boy-preference — the systematic elimination of female foetuses. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, Laws and Son Preference in India: A Reality Check, could not be more timely. It says the 1994 ban on sex-selective abortions, in order to be more effective, must be backed by comprehensive legal, judicial and police reforms targeting violence against girls and women.
• China’s recent decision to loosen the single-child norm could strengthen opinion in India that has been consistently critical of the deployment of coercive means to control population.
• South Korea has recently witnessed improvements in child-sex ratios, influenced by the waning appeal of sex-selection techniques.
• the editorial is still focusing on the symptom of
  skewed sex ratio, instead of the cure for the disease--social reform.
  No law (or lack of law) makes people decide boys over girls. It is the
  society's role to guarantee gender neutrality. We need an extensive
  campaign to educate people about the ill-effects of sex selection
  including its impact of crime.
  Kerala is an example indicating the natural range of sex ratio at
  birth, and the statistical variations in the metric. Kerala is also a
  state with the best HDI in India. This is another aspect that policy-
  makers should reflect.

• Transformational politics - The Hindu
• The Aam Aadmi Party’s journey from mass movement to political office in just one year is without a parallel in Indian electoral history, reflecting as it does a popular yearning for change from the models of governance on offer today.
• Mr. Kejriwal is admittedly hamstrung by having to take support from the Congress, which the AAP had denounced as irredeemably corrupt. However, even with this constraint, he can bring about substantive changes in governance, starting with putting an end to the much-detested VIP culture. While the first breakthrough is definitely the passing of the Lokpal law, there are still several promises that the AAP must keep. The real test of the AAP’s commitment to clean politics and transparent governance begins now.

• No respite for Muzaffarnagar - The Hindu
• Even going by Uttar Pradesh’s history of susceptibility to communal violence, the horror that has unfolded in the Muzaffarnagar-Shamli region will rank as extraordinary with deaths and displacement on a scale unmatched in recent times. Four months after a local skirmish escalated into a Hindu Jat-Muslim clash leading to deaths on both sides, there is no sign that tensions have abated and much less that the mostly Muslim victims have found the courage to return to their homes in the villages.
• Sadly, the Manmohan Singh government too has once again let go of the opportunity — in the winter session — to enact an acceptable Communal Violence Bill focussed on the provision of adequate relief and rehabilitation of victims.
• The situation in Muzaffarnagar-Shamli shows once again that political leaders are unable to see beyond majoritarianism & electoral politics. Constitutional bodies which are meant to protect individual rights are falling prey to popular opinion. The quality of debate is declining and in many cases - completely absent. If we allow this to continue, we will become unstable and ungovernable.

• Restructuring a savings scheme - The Hindu
• Though designed with plenty of good intentions, the new series of consumer price index-linked savings bonds is unlikely to enthuse most of the individuals for whom it is intended. The Inflation Indexed National Savings Securities-Cumulative (IINSS-C) launched by the Reserve Bank of India opened for subscription on December 23
• The bonds have been designed to give investors a return that is 1.5 per cent above the reference consumer price index calculated according to a set formula. Thus there are two components of interest — a fixed 1.5 per cent and a variable return based on the CPI.

• Wrong-footing the drug cartels - The Hindu
• Uruguay has become the first country to legalise cannabis, taking this most radical step instead of engaging in the so-called war on drugs.
• In future, Uruguayan citizens over 18 and resident in the country will be able to register with the government and then grow up to six plants at home or buy up to 40 grams of the drug per month from licensed pharmacies.
• sale in cafés will be illegal.
• The psychoactive element in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
• The new law is, above all, pragmatic rather than ideological. Uruguay’s President, José Mujica Cordano, a former Marxist guerrilla who leads a very simple life himself, concurs with the two thirds of the population who oppose legalisation, and is prepared to reverse the policy if it fails, but he sees trafficking as a far greater evil.
• The results of Uruguay’s courageous move will be closely watched around the world.

• Let the dialogue begin - The Hindu
  • The long-awaited meeting between the Directors-General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan did not come up with any eureka ideas on how to safeguard the ceasefire on the Line of Control, but the very fact of their face-to-face interaction gives the hope that the two sides can still settle differences in a sensible manner. This year, which marked the 10th anniversary of the ceasefire on the LoC, has also been the most trying for it in the entire decade. By September, the number of ceasefire violations had exceeded 200, going by numbers given out by New Delhi. The horrific beheading of a soldier on the Indian side of the line in January, and an ambush in August, again on Indian territory, created a political furore, undermined other gains in the bilateral relationship and put paid to diplomatic efforts to get the peace process restarted.

The Hindu Editorials(consolidated list)-Part1 {10 dec - 20 dec}

• 
  
• Small consolation - The Hindu
  • After the drubbing in the Assembly elections to four heartland States, a victory in the small northeastern State of Mizoram could not have been of much consolation for the Congress. But Mizoram needs the Congress more than the Congress needs Mizoram.
  • For a State divided by tribal identities, where development is organically linked to Central funds, the Congress is in some ways both unifier and saviour.
  • Regional parties such as the Mizo National Front, which contested this election as a part of the Mizoram Democratic Alliance, have a large support base, but sometimes the dominant electoral issue goes beyond local affinities. With the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in power at the Centre, Congress Chief Minister Lalthanhawla must have found it easier to harness Central funds to development works.
  • The North-East Regional Political Front, formed recently by ten regional parties including the MNF, to protect the “territorial, cultural, social, political and economic rights” of the people of the region, could perhaps bring more pressure to bear on the Centre on such issues. Poor transport and communication facilities have so far kept this hill State economically backward. Given the relative peace and quiet in Mizoram after the end of the insurgency, Mizos can now look forward to greater investment in infrastructure to boost to the economy.
• Talk of war and peace - The Hindu
  • The denial by Nawaz Sharif of his “fourth war over Kashmir” remark, and his reiteration that problems with India have to be resolved through peaceful methods, came not a moment too soon. The Pakistan Prime Minister had been quoted as saying that “Kashmir is a flashpoint and can trigger a fourth war between the two nuclear powers at any time,” in his address to the “Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council” in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Denying that he had ever made such a remark, his office put out a transcript of his speech that had no mention of the word war. This is the second time that Mr. Sharif has had to deny words attributed to him on India, the first when he was said to have made a personal remark against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

    
    
• 
  
• Woes of migrant labour - The Hindu
  • The widespread exploitation of migrant labourers in Qatar threatens to undermine whatever prestige the country may have earned by winning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In September this year, the Guardianhad shone light on the deplorable treatment of contract labourers — mostly from the Indian subcontinent — engaged in World Cup-related construction projects.
  • Amnesty International has meticulously documented serial violations of Qatar’s labour laws by private contractors. Migrant workers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are at the mercy of their Qatari employers, thanks to the harsh systems in place to check illegal immigration.
  • Many migrant labourers are yet to receive their passports back. What is more, Qatari law requires the “sponsor” to issue supporting documents for an “exit visa”. Without workers’ unions to represent their case, access to justice for foreign labourers remains elusive. Amnesty’s report suggested many of them were yet to receive their salaries.
  • That New Delhi and Riyadh could coordinate their actions and successfully regularise the stay of most Indian labourers in Saudi Arabia ahead of the ‘Nitaqat’ deadline, however, suggests that such issues are eminently resolvable. India should consider its migrant workforce in West Asia as an asset rather than as a vulnerable constituency. Countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia have sought to raise their profile by positioning themselves as global commercial hubs. In pursuit of this aim, they have invested considerably in infrastructure projects. Hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup figures prominently in Qatar’s efforts to boost its marketability. Needless to say, Indian labour is very much in demand for the successful completion of these projects.
  • The reports from the Guardian and Amnesty International serve as a reminder to West Asia that it cannot take migrant labour for granted. South Asian countries must insist their citizens are granted their rights and benefits as per international obligations.
• A principled course - The Hindu
  • The Aam Aadmi Party has creditably been unswerving in its refusal to accept offers of support from the major political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, to form the next government in Delhi. By staying true to his pledge not to support either party in the event of a hung Assembly in Delhi, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has shown himself to be a person of principles. He has acknowledged that the mandate for his fledgling formation reflected public faith in the AAP’s platform.
• 
  
• The sugar imbroglio - The Hindu
  • The sugar industry is in a mess, yet again, and it is apparent that lessons from the past are never learnt. A little over a year after the Rangarajan Committee, which went into the regulatory and business aspects of the industry submitted its report, only a part of its sensible recommendations have been implemented. The crucial recommendation on revenue-sharing between sugarcane farmers and sugar mills has been ignored.
  • The latest crisis could have been avoided if only the sugarcane producing States— especially Uttar Pradesh which accounts for the bulk of the sugarcane output — had implemented the recommendation and not gone ahead and announced their own prices for procurement by mills
  • The Rangarajan Committee recommended a 70:30 revenue-sharing mechanism between farmers and mills, taking into account revenues from the sale of sugar and also by-products such as molasses and bagasse. The States should adopt the Committee’s formula, which is not only transparent but has been arrived at after a study of the cost structures of sugarcane farming and sugar mills.
• A retrograde decision - The Hindu
  • The Supreme Court’s retrograde decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict that decriminalised gay sex has enthroned medieval prejudice and dealt a body blow to liberal values and human rights. Through its path-breaking judgment in Naz Foundation, the Delhi High Court had laid the foundation for “reading down” and eventually amending Section 377 to decriminalise consensual sex among adults irrespective of gender.
  • In the result, Section 377 — which punishes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” — is now back in force and hangs over the heads of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT).
  • The court has stepped in wherever the executive had failed and has not hesitated to read into the constitutionally enumerated fundamental rights to life and to equality an expansive set of human rights including the right to education, the right to work with dignity and the right of prisoners to humane treatment.
  • Barring a sudden dawning of a humane sense of fairness all around, Section 377 is here to stay in the medium term with all its horrific consequences. If harassment by law enforcement agencies drives sections of the LGBT community underground and makes them terrified of disclosing their orientation, it would have serious public health consequences as well, particularly in the fight against AIDS. Above all, it is a test of humane values, fairness and dignity in a society. It is important that institutions of the state acknowledge the importance of these values.
• 
  
• Uncertainty in Thailand - The Hindu
  • Notwithstanding the criticism that she is her brother’s proxy, Ms. Yingluck has emerged as a leader in her own right in the last two years.
  • In a country where the military has carried out coups 18 times since the end of monarchical rule in 1938 and, as in Pakistan, has played a backroom role even in civilian dispensations, it cannot be ruled out as a player. If the impasse persists, it might still be called upon to play the arbiter.
• A good start in Bali - The Hindu
  • The trade agreement reached in Bali last weekend has provided much-needed oxygen to a moribund World Trade Organisation. The WTO, founded in 1995, was fast fading into irrelevance what with countries forging bilateral trade pacts and powerful regional trade agreements, especially in the developed world.
  • the first-ever trade agreement between the 159 member-countries of the WTO is a shot in the arm for multilateralism even as it keeps the agenda of the Doha Round alive.
  • Roberto Azevedo, Director-General,
  • The agreement is designed to simplify customs procedures and lower trade barriers between countries. The International Chamber of Commerce has estimated that the Bali deal will cut trade costs by 10-15 per cent even as it adds an estimated $1 trillion to global trade.
  • In a sense, the emergence of regional trade blocs which was seen as a threat to the WTO eventually proved to be its saviour as those countries left out from them, mainly emerging economies such as India, Brazil, South Africa and Russia, realised the WTO was critical to their interests.
  • The unyielding stance of India on protecting its farm subsidies which are set to increase following the enactment of the Food Security Act did cause some disquiet amongst the member-countries and at one stage seemed set to hold up an eventual agreement.
  • Trade negotiators need to carry forward the positive momentum built up at Bali as they seek to push through the Doha Round agenda. This will not be easy though, as negotiators will have to contend with regional groupings such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which involves the U.S., Japan and ten other Pacific Rim countries, and the powerful trans-Atlantic alliance between the U.S. and the European Union, negotiations for which are now on. Bali may have infused life into the WTO but its biggest battles lie ahead.
• 
  
• Unsafe bus rides - The Hindu
  • Two recent and successive bus accidents which led to the loss of more than 50 lives in charred vehicles, have yet again raised questions about standards and practices of bus body design.
  • In 2001, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), which felt that existing designs were hardly optimal and safe, published the Code of Practice for Bus Body Design and Approval.
• Premium on continuity - The Hindu
  • Much of what Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said at the Economic Conclave 2013 is not new.
  • Ruling people and officials often speak about fiscal consolidation
    (FC). how can we attain it when subsidies and imports are stressing
    India. Although, middle class is the major consumers in India,
    Inflation has depleted the purchasing power of people.It also eroded
    the Congress dreams in recent elections. Only populist schemes don't
    help in attaining FC. Govt. should take effective measures to curb
    Inflation, if at all it want to stand a chance in General
    elections.Govt. should focus more on generating revenue and cutting
    unwanted expenditures.
• 
  
• A troubling practice - The Hindu
  • Nationalistic outrage aside, the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York for giving false information to obtain a visa for her domestic worker, and paying her less than the local minimum wage, has shone well-deserved light on a troubling practice that many Indians unfortunately think is normal. Devyani Khobragade is not the first Foreign Service officer caught on the wrong end of the law in the host country on charges relating to treatment of a domestic employee.
  • As a consular official, Ms. Khobragade does not have the same extent of immunity under the Vienna conventions as a diplomat in an embassy. In the United States, consular officials can be arrested for a serious crime on the basis of a warrant. It is of course debatable if the offence she is charged with falls in the category of felony, particularly as she was released on bail within a few hours.
  • Sensibly, New Delhi made no claim of immunity for the official. While standing in solidarity with the official against the manner of her arrest, the government has also rightly made it clear that she will be available for the court proceedings against her.
• The Afghan challenge ahead - The Hindu
  • President Hamid Karzai’s visit to India, possibly his last before elections scheduled for April 2014, marks a critical moment in the development of the relationship between India and the new Afghanistan born amid the bloodshed of 9/11. India has been a partner in the process, but Mr. Karzai came asking how much more it might be willing to do.
  • International Security Assistance Force which has provided the backbone of the state since 2001 will begin to return home.
  • Following more than a year of deliberation, India has finally committed to providing Afghanistan with the military assistance it seeks under the Strategic Partnership Agreement binding the two allies.
  • Indian-made light helicopters will join Afghanistan’s fledgling air fleet, while its army will receive transport and logistics equipment. This comes on top of a substantial programme of civilian assistance. Indian engineers have, despite credible Taliban threats, brought the Salma hydro-electric dam near Herat to within a year of completion.
  • Preliminary plans exist for iron ore mining at Hajigak.
• 
  
• A prisoner of his principles - The Hindu
  • If politics is the art of the possible, as Otto von Bismarck argued, then Arvind Kejriwal would do well to explore the next best options in Delhi in a situation where his principles do not allow him to either accept the support of other parties or offer his support to them. As the second largest party in a hung Assembly, the Aam Aadmi Party is in a real dilemma. After having grown without the traditional building blocks of caste and communal vote banks, and won support in the election on the basis of a campaign against both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the AAP is quite rightly wary of being seen as politically opportunistic in the changed post-election situation.
• A law long overdue - The Hindu
  • When a bill that has eluded a political consensus for decades comes close to actual enactment, cynicism must give way to pragmatism and hope. The Lokpal Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha in an earlier form two years ago but now amended on the basis of the report of a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha, is likely to be approved soon by the Upper House and sent back to the lower chamber for fresh passage. The Union government has dropped the provisions relating to establishing Lok Ayuktas at the State level.
  • The Central Bureau of Investigation has been placed at the disposal of the Lokpal, which will have superintendence over that agency in cases under its consideration. The need for sanction from the respective governments to initiate prosecution has been waived for cases cleared by the Lokpal. The CBI Director’s appointment will be on the basis of a statutory process, and the Lokpal will have its own inquiry and prosecution wings.
• 
  
• Ending an uneasy partnership - The Hindu
  • With not much to gain and a lot to lose in being seen in the company of the Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has adopted the only course open to it now: it has ruled out an alliance with the Congress for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
• Unfinished reform - The Hindu
  • A year after the brutal Delhi gang rape, institutional responses to sexual violence against women have failed to keep pace with robust efforts by civil society to sensitise the public.
  • The ‘Nirbhaya’ movement also brought to bear on the government enormous pressure to respond strongly against sexual offenders through tougher legislation.
  • United Progressive Alliance did well to incorporate the Justice Verma Committee’s recommendation to amend the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, it has come up woefully short in implementing the new laws.
  • Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, passed by Parliament in February this year, was notified and given effect to only a week ago.
  • Ministry of Women and Child Development is yet to formulate a concrete plan to utilise the Rs.1000-crore Nirbhaya Fund that was integrated into the Union Budget this year.
  • The UPA is also yet to act on the Verma Committee’s recommendation to penalise marital rape under criminal law. Further, there has been no debate on the Committee’s recommendation to strip armed forces personnel of the immunity granted under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 while investigating sexual offences.
  • The apex court recently confirmed that its former judge, Asok Kumar Ganguly, had harassed an intern, and thus abused his fiduciary position — the episode has cast the male-dominated higher judiciary in poor light. The media too have been engulfed by the scandal surrounding Tarun Tejpal, who while serving as editor-in-chief ofTehelka is alleged to have raped a journalist working for the magazine. That the guardians of democracy have come up short in their efforts to tackle sexual harassment internally is a grim reminder that the roots of this malaise run deep. The government must sustain the momentum against gender-based violence that the 2012 gang rape provoked to offer better policing and legal protection for women.
  • Atrocities against women cannot be stopped by Rules and its
    implementation alone. There is need for change in the mindset of our
    people. That the judiciary and the media are not an exemption in
    treating women with grace and dignity has already been mentioned in
    the editorial. Even in the other spheres like art, culture, films and
    theatre also developments and attitudes are not helping the cause any
    better. With few exceptions films depict woman in poor light. The
    dialogues and songs are normally not appropriate and sometimes even
    vulgar. Our script writers, Directors song writers and even the
    artists can contribute a lot towards improving the mindset of the
    people.
• 
  
• A wait-and-watch policy - The Hindu
  • In a move that has surprised everyone, the Reserve Bank of India in its mid-quarter monetary policy review has not changed either the policy repo rate or the cash reserve ratio (CRR). The repo rate remains at 7.75 per cent and the CRR at 4 per cent.
  • Inflation is no doubt a serious problem: CPI inflation stood at 11.24 per cent in November, its highest level since the new composite index was introduced. Headline WPI inflation at 7.52 per cent has been moving up and is well above the RBI’s comfort level. Underpinning both are high food, especially vegetable, prices. The traditional belief that monetary policy will have little influence over supply side factors has been proved wrong, and irrespective of where inflationary pressures originate they need to be countered with all available policy measures.
  • The traditional policy dilemma of growth versus price stability remains. The latest policy statement reveals a more contemporary dilemma of whether to act immediately against inflation or wait for some time in the expectation of prices moderating. Timing is critical, and the RBI can be expected to remain vigilant.
• Outrage and overreaction - The Hindu
  • It is not surprising that the details of the treatment to which Devyani Khobragade, the Indian deputy-consul in New York, was subjected after her roadside arrest on charges of fudging her domestic help’s visa forms and underpaying her have caused an uproar. A strip search, examination of body cavities and the possible use of restraints other than handcuffs such as waist chains and shackles, are grossly over-the-top steps to use against any detained person. These are automatic, non-discriminatory and legal post-arrest procedures, but that does not make them any better. Ms. Khobragade, even under her limited consular immunity, was entitled to be treated with dignity.
  • While some of this outrage is justified and rightly seeks to establish that the international diplomatic community lives and works in a world of reciprocal terms and conditions, in the current atmosphere of nationalist fury, it is all too easy to take it too far.
  • Despite Indian diplomats being embroiled in similar cases in the past, each time blaming the domestic worker’s motives — in all previous cases, the complainant got long-term residency in the U.S — the government has only now started giving serious thought to managing the practice of officials taking domestic staff along on postings abroad. Both sides could have found a mutually acceptable way to defuse the controversy — often in such cases, the issue is closed by withdrawing the diplomat. That the government chose instead to transfer Ms. Khobragade to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, with a view to enhancing her immunity, is questionable and casts India’s claim of a nation ruled by law in poor light.
• 
  
• Waking up to human problems - The Hindu
  • Amid the furore caused by the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in the United States, the release on Thursday of Indian sailors Sunil James and Vijayan by the authorities in Togo could easily have gone unnoticed.
  • But it needs mention that the plight of the jailed men was taken up in earnest only after the death of Mr. James’s son came to the attention of the media and public.
  • In this respect, a common thread runs through the arrests of Ms. Khobragade and the two sailors. Both cases indicate that Indian diplomacy has been too slow to respond to crises that were long in the making.
  • The alacrity with which the Ministry of External Affairs has intervened in Ms. Khobragade’s case sits uncomfortably with its lax attempts to resolve the open-and-shut case involving the sailors. India’s diplomatic establishment needs to formulate a policy that deals with the concerns of Indians abroad — not just of diplomats but of sailors, businesspersons, fishermen and others. As the global and business profile of India increases, it is only natural that more Indians find themselves in legal and diplomatic crosshairs around the world. Resolving their concerns effectively while deferring to the national laws of other states should be accorded a higher priority than has been in evidence.
• Drowning out reason - The Hindu
  • That the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2013, to create a new state of Telangana would force a sharp regional divide in the Assembly and the Legislative Council was predictable and understandable.

What Is the Demographic Dividend?How should it be improved.

• The demographic dividend is the accelerated economic growth that may result from a decline in a country's birth and death rates and the subsequent change in the age structure of the population.

• With fewer births each year, a country's young dependent population declines in relation to the working-age population. With fewer people to support, a country has a window of opportunity for rapid economic growth if the right social and economic policies are developed and investments made.

Recommended Actions to reap Demographic dividend

The demographic dividend in many developing countries remains a possibility, but for the process to begin, countries must give high priority to substantially lowering fertility and child mortality(a process called demographic transition) through the following actions:

• Invest in child survival and health programs.
• Commit to voluntary family planning to achieve the demographic transition.
• Invest in the reproductive health needs of both married and unmarried youth.
• Prioritize education—especially secondary education for girls.(educated girls are less likely to marry at early age,prefer lesser children,have skills therefor contribute to labor force thereby increasing work participation rate).
• Improved Health,Educationd,Gender equity,Modern Family Planning is needed.

Nice perspective to look at ur problems...Love it :-)

National Population Policy 2000

NPP 2000 is a policy framework to formulate strategies to achieve reproductive and child health needs of people of India.Three pronged objectives-

Immediate objective--
1.Adress unmet needs for contraception,Health care infrastructure and health personnel.
2.To provide integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child health care.

Medium term objective--To bring TFR levels to replacement level i.e 2.1 by 2010.

Long term Objective--To achieve a stable Population by 2045 to achieve suistanable economic growth,social development and enviromental protection.
In pursuance of these objectives National Socio-Demographic Goals have also been formulated

National Population Register(NPR)

The National Population Register(NPR) is a comprehensive database of the residents of the country  maintained by Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (RGI).It will have biometric data and UID no. of every person(15y and above).In a phased manner National Identity cards will be issued by the Office of Census Commisioner for the first time in country .

Why the Population growth in India continues to remain high?

There are various interrelated and independent factors responsible for te continuing population growth in India.Some of these factors are--

1-Large size of population in reroductive age group(58%)

2-High fertility rate due to unmet contraception needs.Urgent steps are required to make contracetion more widely available,accesible and affordable.Reproductive health and basic infrastructure services are very poor in rural areas.

3-High wanted Fertility due to high Infant Mortality rate(IMR).Repeated Child births are seen as an attempt to keep as an insurance against multiple infant deaths.Thus high IMR reduces efforts of reducing TFR.

4-Child Marriage is also one of the cause.

To achieve demographic dividend reducing TFR and IMR is very important.Education,Infrastructure and Government Policies are very important in this aspect.National Population Policy is specifically vital in this context.

Why is the Year 1921 Considered the Demographic Divide in India?

The year 1921 is taken as the demographic divide for the reason that before this year, the population was not stable, sometimes it increased and at other times it decreased.

The growth rate of population was generally low before 1921. But after this year, there has been considerable and continuous increase in the population.

Between 1901 and 1911, the total increase in population was 5.9% and between 1911 and 1921, there was a decrease of 0.39%. In the decade of 1921-1931, the increase was 11.1%, from 1931 to 1941, it was 14.00% and during 1941-1951, it was 13.5%. It is going increasingly since then. Hence the year 1921 is rightly called the demographic divide.

Important Summits,Meets and Pacts this year.(September Onwards)

November

1--CHOGM Summit 2013.(22^nd or 23rd)—at Colombo ,Srilanka

2--Iran + US and 5 other country’s –To constraint Iran’s nuclear programme.Iran signed in affirmative.

3--Japan and Russia ‘2+2’ meet—To upgrade Defence ties.

4.--Iraq PM Nur-al Maliki visits US.—Discussed bilateral and regional issues like AlQaeda outfit in the country and Syria issue.

5--Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) @ Gurgaon Haryana.--ASEM is a bridge between Asia and Europe and a platform for dialogue  to promote stability peace and development.

6--British PM David Cameroon visits INDIA---Bilateral economic and political ties discussed

7--Russia-India-China Foreign minister’s Talk—On sidelines of ASEM meet. Issues discussed--Terrorism,Drug-Trafficking, Afghanistan situation ,Syria issue.

8--WTO 9^th Ministerial Conference @ Bali.(To b held in 3-7 December)

9--India-Peru sign Pact.—Issues--Defence cooperation,education and cultural agreement.

10--India-Kuwait signs pacts—Issues--energy cooperation,education and cultural agreement,extradition treaty.

11--Vice President Hamid Ansari visits Cuba.—MoU for cooperation btw Prasar Bharti and Cuban Radio.

12--UN Climate Talks 2013—COP 19 @ Warsaw,Poland.

October:

13--East Asia Summit @ Bandar Seri Begawan,Brunei,9 Oct 2013—Issues--Security,Defence Cooperation,Intelligence Sharing and Counter Terrorism.

14-- ASEAN-India summit,11^th @ Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei.—Agreement on Services and Investment to reacha n accord of FTA,India’s Look East Policy welcomed.

15--China –European Union Currency Swap Deal.—An alliance btw Yuan and EuroNo Dollar based transaction now onwards.

16--UNSC paased resolution for destruction of Syria Chemical Weapons(Sarin Gas ,Mustard Gas etc.)

17.Nawaz Sharif visits America—bilateral trade and investment relations.Afghanistan and Kashmir issue

18.PM Manmihan visits China—Bilateral and Regional issues—Pakistan, Afghanistan,Stapled Visa to archers from A.P.;China’s investments in Pakistan. New Border Defence cooperation agreement signed.

19. US-Afghanistan Security Deal—Gives legal basis for US to have its forces in Afghanistan after 2014.

20.President visits Belgium and Turkey.

21.Manmohan Singh visits Indonesia—Issues--enhance maritime ccoperation,Mous to combat corruption ,drug  and human trafficking,disaster management assistance,piracy

22.Hungarian Prime Minister V.M. Orban visited India—Issues--Defence cooperation MoUs for transfer of Know How(Hungary to India),technicalities in biological ,radiological and chemical warfare field.Other 5 agreeements for cooperation in Science and Tech,Culture,Medicine,Civil aviation,Youth affairs and Sports.

September:

22.G-20 Summit@ St.Petersburg Russia.---Global economic and financial stability measures,Syria Issue.

23.6^th Beijing Forum on Human Rights.

23.On the sidelines of G20 Summit BRICS created  $100b Currency Reserve Fund.

24.National Integration Council Meet,New Delhi India—Recent MuzaffarNagar Violence,Communal Violence.

25.Manmohan Visits US —Civil Nuclear Initiative ,Defence Field buyer-seller relationship

Enterprise Mobility

Enterprise mobility is the trend toward a shift in work habits, with more employees working out of the office and using mobile devices and cloud services to perform business tasks.

The term refers not only to mobile workers and mobile devices, but also to the mobility of corporate data. An employee may upload a corporate presentation from his or her desktop PC to a cloud storage service, then access it from a personal iPad to show at a client site, for example.

Enterprise mobility can improve employee productivity, but it also creates security risks. Enterprise mobility management products, such as data loss prevention technologies, are available to help IT departments address these risks.

Corporate India is all set to reduce their costs and increase efficiency and productivity. Most companies are trying to reduce the input costs like administrative and travel expenses to increase the margin in the challeging economic conditions. Mobile Device Management and Mobile Application Manager are two important key elements of Enterprise Mobility Management. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) concept is also being adopted by the organisations to enable remote working and teleworking.

Thus Enterprise Mobility Managment is a novel concept which can immensely help in increasing the productivity in the challenging scenorio for indrustial sector.But at the same time it also brings various technological and security challenges which needs better mobile data traffic management and IP traffic development.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013

CHOGM 2013 is a biennial meet of Heads of government of Commonwealth nations members.It has 53 members.Every 2 years meeting is held in different countries.This year in November meeting was held at Colombo,Silanka. The theme was"Growth with equity and Inclusive Development".

Some important points briefly:

1-This was 23rd meet.The first meet was held in 1971 in Singapore.The meet for 2015 and 2017 are scheduled at Malta and Vanuatu respectively.

2-There were controversies regarding this meet as Sri-Lanka was the host nation.
    Sri Lanka has had been alleged of the war crime for 2009 LTTE civil war due to which its 2011 meet was post poned for this year.

3-Canada,Mauritius and India boycotted the meet,though Salman Khursid,External Affairs Minister represented India in the meet.

4-The Sri Lanka is being accused of not conductng proper investigation of the civil war crimes conducted.Human Rights Watch(UN Human rights Council) reported that such crimes are still beeing continued.

5-Much of the talk was focissed on Sri Lanka's positives,post war economic prospects.Mr David Cameroon had visited the town and met the war crime victims.The final communique was issued as Colombo Declaration.Mr Cameroon reiterated that if the War Crme investigations are not over by 2014 he would press for independent international investigation.

NATIONAL SPOT EXCHANGE LTD.

National Spot Exchange (NSEL) is a Commodities exchange in India, and is a joint venture of Financial Technologies (India) Ltd. (FTIL) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).

National Spot Exchange's stated mission is to develop a common Indian market by setting up a nation-wide electronic spot market and providing state of art trading, delivery, and settlement facilities in various commodities.

This exchange is now in the middle of a controversy due to a major commodityscam and all the trades have been stopped.

Services offered by NSEL are-

1. Selling - NSEL provides an electronic trading andauction platform to sell commodities (Agri, bullion and Metals).

2.Procurement - Bulk buyers can procure the agri-commodities directly from farmers through electronic platform provided by the NSEL.

3.Warehousing - NSEL provides warehousing facilities for various commodities and also facilitate to sell it through the electronic platform to the bulk buyers and millers situated across the country.

4.Investment - NSEL provides investment instruments. E-series products launched by NSEL can be bought by the investors for accumulation in the demat account, just like the shares in the equity market. Currently, E-Gold, E-Silver and E-Copper are available to investors.

5.Arbitrage - A trader can do arbitrage using different prices available for the same commodity.

Spot exchanges in Indian:-
As of now there are 4 spot exhanges-
-NSEL
-NCDEX Spot Exchange Ltd
-Reliance Spot Exchange Ltd
-Indian Bullion Spot Exchange Ltd

Source- wikipedia, thehindu.com

Main Determinants of voting behaviour in India

In the democratic set up voting is essential process. The democratic system has been working smoothly, for the past 60(57) years. Citizens of India enjoy their full freedom and understanding in voting power. Parties try to capture maximum number of votes to come in power. For this they tend to develop and determine the voting behaviour of the voters. Issues related to the daily life such as unemployment, price rise, law & order system and other developmental issues are often influence the vote of common people

Some of the biggest determinants of the voting behaviour.

In India is as follows:

1.Race: Sometimes and in some regions, yet race plays a role like in North Eastern states, it will be very tough to get elected by any south Indian and so is the case with south India also.

2.Religion: It is as fact that religion plays a important role especially where both the followers Hindus and Muslims are situated in a constituency. This gave a support to Religion based parties. Though in a secular state like India, it must not be used.

3.Money: This is the biggest determinants of the voting behaviour for the past five decades in India. This is the most ancient and widely used factor. Parties give tickets to the candidate of a caste which has the majority in the constituencies.

4.Regionalism: After 1990s it is getting more and more importance. Demanding separate region, promoting region specific interest, claiming representation to end exploitation etc. are the main emerging causes from regionalism.

5.Language: Language does not play a big role but at national level but it is deciding factor at state level politics

6.Charismatic Leaders: Leaders like J. L. Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jai Prakash Narayan, attract a number of voters due to their personal influence of behaviour, look, style, and ideology.

7.Ideology: Some political ideologies play a deciding factor like democrats, socialism and communism.

8.Development: Development factor is practised in developed democracy. It is a sign of old and smooth running democratic system. It is expected that this is the main and desirable factor that should play a big role in determining the voting behaviour.

7.Cadre: Some of the voters are emotionally attached to the political parties and they vote in the name of the party only.

8.Individuals: The ability and speciality and of course popularity of the individuals as the candidate also influence the voters.

“Disputes between the riparian on sharing of river waters In post-Independence India are becoming increasingly common’’. Objectively analyse the major disputes in this connection, with special reference to the southern states.

Rivers are natural geographical features which does not follow the man made boundaries. In India which is a ‘nation of nations’ having different provincial boundaries, (28 states and 7 U.T.S) it is but natural that disputes arises a lot . There are 16 river basins in Northern India and 14 in southern India. All of them originate in one state, flows through the boundary of different states and its mouth is in another state., This is the root course for the dispute.

Some of them which are currently brewing and making inter-state relation vicious are as follows;

1. Cauvery: Karnataka & Tamilnadu
2. Krishna-Godavari: Karnataka, Maharashtra & Andhra Pradesh.
3. Yamuna: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana & Delhi
4. Raavi - Beas: Jammu Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan.

In the southern states the inter-riverine disputes takes a more complex from because rivers have a steep change in their yearly regimen. Southern states are also the kernel of paddy cultivation which requires standing water, for which they requires a lot of water. All this makes matter worse and vitiates the political as well as the social milieu between the states.

Prominent among them is the Cauvery water disputes. Originating from Tala Cauvery in Karnataka Cauvery flows through mostly dry area. Which also happens to be the rice bowl thus it is considered the most dammed river of the world.

This makes the upper riparian state Karnataka as alleged by Tamilnadu that is exploits the river to such an extent that Tamilnadu gets nothing in return. Scarcity of water affects the farmers of this region. Another issue is with the Mullaperiya dam that is widely disputed between Tamilnadu and Kerala. The problem is with the height of the dam on river Periyar. Though based in Kerala the benefits are given to Tamil nadu as per the agreement. Further North river Krishna experiences the same inter-state dispute between Andhra and Karnataka while still further north river Godavari sees the same type of dispute between the inter-riparian states that are Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Although Northern riparian states has glacially charged rivers. The periodic regimen of flow still alters but not to the extent as it happens in the rivers of southern states. So most disputes deals with the extra utilization from the binding legal contracts (through tribunals – Article 262 of constitution).

Main problem for the increasing complexities in the inter-state river dispute is the data that have become independable as they are based on old parameters. Thus the upper riparian states say they do not have the water for their own needs then how can they allocate it to other states.

What is Phytoremediation? Discuss its applications.

Phytoremediation is the use of green plants for in situ risk reduction and removed of contaminants from contaminated soil, water, sediments and air. 

Phytore-mediation is used for the remediation of metals, radionuclides, pesticides, explosives, fuels, volatile organic compounds.

The principal application of phytore-mediation is for lightly contaminated soils, sludge's, and waters where the material to be treated is at a shallow or medium depth and the area to be treated is large, so that organic techniques are economical and applicable for both planting and harvesting.

Phytoremediation may be applied wherever the soil or static water environment has become polluted or is suffering ongoing chronic pollution. Examples-where phytoremediation has been used successfully include the restoration of abandoned metal-mine working, reducing the impact of sites where polychlorinated biphenyl have been dumped during manufacture and mitigation of on-going coal mine discharges.

Phytoremediation refers to the natural ability of certain plants called hyperaccumulators to bioaccumulate, degrade, or render harmless contaminants in soils, water of air. Contaminants such as metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives, and crude oil and its derivatives, have been mitigated phytoremediation projects worldwide.

Phytoremediation is considered a clean, cost-effective and non-environ-mentally disruptive technology, as opposed to mechanical cleanup methods such as soil excavation or pumping polluted ground-water. Over the past 20 years, this technology has become increasingly popular and has applied at sites with soils contaminated with lead, uranium, and arsenic.

Soils Erosion and its control in India

Soil erosion is washing away and removal of the soil cover of earth. The major causes of soil erosion are rivers, winds, pre-monsoon dry waves and deforestation. Geographically there are three prominent  types of soil erosion.

(i) Run-off erosion: It is due to rills and gullies. The worst affected areas are those of Betwa, Chambal and Ken rivers.

(ii) Sheet-erosion: Sheet erosion is the main problem in Rajasthan where sandy soil is removed by run-off process.

(iii) Splash erosion: Splash erosion is the problem of broad leaf dense forest in the region of M.P. N.E. India and Chotanagpur.

Control  measures:
1. Afforestations.
2. Compensatory forestry programme (1971) to compensate the loss of the forest which took place.
3. Mulching programme-moisture of the land is to be maintained.
4. Social forestry gives emphasis over forestry on governmental lands and villages.
5. Bunding scheme in rills and gullies.
6.Innovative farming techniques--terrace farming,contour farming etc.

Treaties and Summits(still under updation);Imp for Mains 2014

1.    Antarctica Treaty System

2.    Basel Convention

3.    Biological Weapons Convention-  Signed in 1972 btw USA and USSR.Bans productiona ans stockpiling of biological weapons.

4.    Chemical Weapons Convention

5.    Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty

6.    Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty-   The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not entered into force due to the non-ratification of  all the states.India,North Korea and Pakistan have not signed it.By not signing the treaty India has kept its nuclear option open.

7.    Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty(NPT)— Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty aims to prevent spread of Nuclear weapons and related technology. It was entered into 1968, but India, Pakistan and Israel are not the signatories yet.North Korea was the first country to withdraw from the Treaty.Its major features are—

·         No Transfer of nuclear weapons to non members

·         Nuclear Powers have agreed to make available their nuclear know how to non nuclear states for peaceful purposes

8.    Partial Test Ban Treaty

9.    Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty

10.   Strategic Arms Reduction Talks-1

11.   Strategic Arms Reduction Talk-2

12.   UN Convention on the Law of Sea(UNCLOS)

13.   Convention on Rights of Disabled Person

14.   Convention Against Torture

15.   Convention Agains Trans National Organised Crime

16.   Cnvention Against Corruption

17.   Convention for Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism

18.   Convention of Dumping of Wastes at Sea

19.   Convention on Climate Change

20.   Convention on Biological Diversity

21.   Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES)

22.Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

23.Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

24.Convention on The Rights of Chilld

25.Convention to Combat Desertification

26.Geneva Convention

27.Genocide Convention

28. Hague Convention

29. Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty

30. International Conference on Population and Development

31.              Landmines Ban Treaty

32.              Montreal Protocol

33.              Outer Space Treaty--It contains main legal aspects of outer space in international field. The treaty of 1967 makes provision for free and peaceful use of outer space.It bans military activities in outer space and installation of any kinds of weapons in earth’s orbit,moon or any celestial bodies.

34.  Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

35.  Seabed Treaty

36.  Vienna Declaration on Human Rights

37.  Chemical Weapons Convention Tallinn Manual

38.  The Rotterdam Convention

39.  Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Immunity

40.  Beijing Conference on Women

41.  Shimla Agreement---- Simla Treaty, popularly known as the Simla Pact or the Simla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan on 2nd July 1972. This agreement was entered to end the war of 1971, in December, 1971 that led to the independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh.

42.  Tashkent Agreement--

Tashkent Agreement,  (Jan. 10, 1966), accord signed by India’s prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri (who died the next day) and Pakistan’s president Ayub Khan, ending the 17-day war between Pakistan and India of August–September 1965. A cease-fire had been secured by the United Nations Security Council on Sept. 22, 1965.

The agreement was mediated by Soviet premier Aleksey Kosygin, who had invited the parties to Tashkent. The parties agreed to withdraw all armed forces to positions held before Aug. 5, 1965; to restore diplomatic relations; and to discuss economic, refugee, and other questions. The agreement was criticized in India because it did not contain a no-war pact or any renunciation of guerrilla aggression in Kashmir.

43.  Nuclear Test Ban Treaty—This treaty was signed in 1963 between America,UK and USSR.According to this treaty all tests on ground,atmosphere and under the sea have been banned.No ban on underground tests