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MAHITHI MONTHLY

NammaKPSC is a one stop website to cater to all the needs of young graduates aspiring to enter government/public service in Karnataka. It is the only website that provides exclusive materials related to all the exams conducted by Karnataka Public service commission (KPSC)

KPSC is a constitutional body under the Indian Constitution, which conducts exams to recruit civil servants for the state of Karnataka, starting from Group A posts like Karnataka Administrative service (KAS) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), Medical Officers, Judicial Officers to all other related services like Teachers, FDAs and many more as and when required.

Today there is increasing aspiration to enter the government service and walk the corridors of power has led to an increase in the competition. Further, there has been constant changes in the way exams are being conducted, making it even more challenging. This is where NammaKPSC comes in, to help the best to become better.

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CHIEF EDITORS

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MAHITHI MONTHLY- JUNE 2016

1 ©www.nammaKPSC.com

CONTENT

KARNATAKA ISSUES

NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR MALARIA ELIMINATION LAUNCHED IN KARNATAKA ................................. 6

SAMRAKSHANE-SOFTWARE FOR CROP INSURANCE .................................................................................................. 8

KARNATAKA TO BUY 1,000 MW SOLAR POWER FROM SECI ................................................................................... 8

KARNATAKA-COMPREHENSIVE AREA SCHEME (CSA) ............................................................................................... 9

CENTRE, STATE TO SPEND RS 575CR FOR MAHAMASTAKABHISHEKA .......................................................... 11

CRITERIA FOR BPL CARDS TO BE RELAXED ................................................................................................................ 11

NAAC GRANTS ‘B’ GRADE TO GULBARGA UNIVERSITY ........................................................................................... 12

MOBILE MATSYADARSHINI (FISH CANTEEN) ............................................................................................................. 13

PANEL ON CRIMES ON WOMEN, KIDS SEEKS ANOTHER EXTENSION............................................................... 14

DECISION ON SADASHIVA RECOMMENDATIONS ONLY AFTER SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY REPORT 14

1,000-YEAR-OLD INSCRIPTION ON KAPALIKAS FOUND ......................................................................................... 15

DERECOGNITION OF KSOU COURSES: NHRC SEEKS REPORTS FROM STATE AND UGC ............................ 15

FRAME GUIDELINES FOR CONFERRING RAJYOTSAVA AWARD: HC ................................................................... 17

CASTE CENSUS TO FINISH IN ANOTHER MONTH ...................................................................................................... 17

YADUVEER WADIYAR MARRIES TRISHIKA KUMARI IN MYSURU ....................................................................... 18

MYSURU TO HAVE INDIA'S FIRST PUBLIC BICYCLE SHARING SERVICE .......................................................... 18

CABINET APPROVES 4-LANING OF HUBLI-HOSPET SECTION OF NH-63 IN KARNATAKA ....................... 20

MANGALURU CITY AIRPORT TO GET ADVANCED AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES EQUIPMENT ................ 21

KARNATAKA BANS SALE OF E-CIGARETTES................................................................................................................ 21

CHIEF MINISTER INDUCTS NEW MINISTERS INTO THE GOVERNMENT ......................................................... 23

'THITHI' SHINES AT SHANGHAI FILM FESTIVAL ........................................................................................................ 23

BMTF TO BE EMPOWERED TO ACT TOUGH ON ILLEGAL HOARDINGS ............................................................ 23

AWARD FOR SAVIOURS OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS- JEEVA RAKSHAKA AWARD ............................................... 25

NOW, BABY FOOD, HOT MILK AVAILABLE AT 10 RAIL STATIONS-JANANI SEWA SCHEME .................... 25

IN A FIRST, MYSURU ZOO IS WI-FI ENABLED .............................................................................................................. 25

TOURIST MITRAS AND TOURIST GUIDES ...................................................................................................................... 26

PENDENCY MOUNTS AS HC GRAPPLES WITH JUDGES' SHORTAGE ................................................................... 26

DIGITAL INDIA: VILLAGES IN MYSURU NOW HAVE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ............................................... 27

COMMISSION RECOMMENDS SAFAI KARAMCHARI DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN STATE ............ 27

9 DIGITS TO BETTER EDUCATION .................................................................................................................................... 28

LAKE REVIVAL BY CORPORATES ...................................................................................................................................... 28

SOON, UAVS TO SPRAY PESTICIDES IN ARECANUT PLANTATIONS ................................................................... 28

PANEL SET UP TO STUDY YETTINAHOLE PROJECT .................................................................................................. 29

SOUTH INDIA CAN EXPECT NEW HELI-AMBULANCE SERVICE FROM OCT. ................................................... 30

STATE TO ANNOUNCE M-SAND POLICY SOON ............................................................................................................ 30

RAJYA SABHA ELECTIONS: NIRMALA SEETHARAMAN, JAIRAM RAMESH WIN FROM KARNATAKA ... 32

RENOVATED HOUSE OF R K NARAYAN TO OPEN THIS MONTH .......................................................................... 33

AFTER 50 YEARS, STATE RAILWAY POLICE TO GET MORE STAFF .................................................................... 33

COLONIAL PRACTICE BITES THE DUST; NO MORE POLICE ORDERLIES .......................................................... 34

SHOWCASING BELAGAVI’S POTENTIAL FOR IT AND ELECTRONICS ................................................................. 34



NOW, CORPORATES PITCH IN FOR BENGALURU LAKES ........................................................................................ 35

KARNATAKA TO SET UP FOOD COMMISSION .............................................................................................................. 35

SOYA CULTIVATION INCREASES IN BIDAR ................................................................................................................... 36

ALL MUZRAI TEMPLES IN STATE TO GET BASIC FACILITIES ............................................................................... 37

WEATHER-BASED FARM ADVISORY SYSTEM TO REACH TALUKS NOW ......................................................... 37

MYSURU’S TRYST WITH RADIO PREDATES AIR ......................................................................................................... 38

LAKE WARDENS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 39

STATE SEES A RISE IN NUMBER OF FOREIGN STUDENTS ..................................................................................... 40

FARM LAND COMING UNDER ORGANIC CERTIFICATION ....................................................................................... 40

HUMAN DIGESTIVE SYSTEM INSPIRES IDEA FOR IN-FLIGHT WASTE MANAGEMENT .............................. 40

BIO-COUPONS SAVE 50 PER CENT OF PDS KEROSENE ............................................................................................ 41

KONKAN RAILWAY GOES GREEN, UDUPI BECOMES SOLAR-POWERED RAILWAY STATION ................. 42

HAL-BUILT HTT-40’S FIRST FLIGHT SUCCESSFUL .................................................................................................... 43

STATE FIXES FOODGRAIN PRODUCTION AT 130 LAKH TONNES FOR 2016-17 ........................................... 43

CASHLESS TREATMENT HELPS 6,100 ACCIDENT VICTIMS IN KARNATAKA ................................................. 44

APPS WITHIN WHEELS.......................................................................................................................................................... 44

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING COMMITTEE (SDMC) FORUM .................................................. 46

KARNATAKA'S ONLY 1947 MODEL PASSENGER BUS TO GO ON PUBLIC DISPLAY ...................................... 46

GOVT PROPOSES TO MERGE 731 SCHOOLS WITH FEWER THAN 10 STUDENTS ......................................... 47

FINANCIAL AID FOR KAILASH MANASAROVAR PILGRIMS .................................................................................... 47

BIOPIC ON FORMER KARNATAKA CM DEVARAJ URS ............................................................................................... 48

BIDAR'S DROUGHT-PROOF ACTION: A MODEL FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW .................................................... 48

STATE NOT KEEN ON CENTRE'S PULSES OFFER ........................................................................................................ 49

SOON, PASSPORTS WILL BE ISSUED IN KALABURAGI, TOO .................................................................................. 50

BIRD FESTIVAL IN GADAG DISTRICT .............................................................................................................................. 50

BOATS ANCHOR OFF HARBOURS FOR BREEDING-SEASON BREAK ................................................................... 50

PLAN TO REPLACE KEONICS WITH INFY AS INDUSTRY PARTNER OF IIIT, DHARWAD ............................ 51

NATIONAL ISSUES ALL ABOUT NATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION POLICY, 2016 .......................................................................................... 52

SPECIAL PACKAGE FOR LEATHER SECTOR TO BOOST JOBS ................................................................................. 57

PRIVATE FIRMS CAN NOW BID FOR MINE PERMITS ................................................................................................ 58

NEW PLANNING STRATEGY UNDER NITI AAYOG ...................................................................................................... 59

CABINET CLEARS 23.5% HIKE IN PAY FOR CENTRAL GOVT. STAFF ................................................................. 60

MINISTRIES CAN APPROVE UP TO RS. 500 CR. OF NON-PLAN SPENDING ...................................................... 61

MEDIAN MARRIAGE AGE UP: CENSUS DATA................................................................................................................ 61

CSIR LAB TO CERTIFY COAL USED IN POWER PLANTS ........................................................................................... 62

PARCHED PANCHAYATI RAJ MINISTRY ON VERGE OF CLOSURE ....................................................................... 63

NEW WEAPON AGAINST CYBER THREAT ..................................................................................................................... 63

APPOINTMENT LETTERS TO BE MADE MANDATORY SOON ................................................................................ 63

U.S. HOWITZER TO ADD TO ARMY’S FIREPOWER ..................................................................................................... 64

CENTRE NOTIFIES AMENDED RBI ACT TO USHER IN MPC .................................................................................... 65

TAX TO BE LEVIED AT SOURCE ONLY IF PAYMENT IN CASH IS ABOVE RS.2 LAKH .................................... 66

NITI AAYOG STRATEGY TO MONITOR HEALTH .......................................................................................................... 66

PRICES OF 42 ESSENTIAL DRUGS SLASHED BY 15% ................................................................................................ 66



50,000 YOGA PROFESSIONALS TO BE CERTIFIED IN 3 YEARS ............................................................................. 67

RUBBER SECTOR HEADED FOR NEW CRISIS ............................................................................................................... 68

A SOCIAL MEDIA PUSH FOR WEATHER INFORMATION .......................................................................................... 68

INDIA AMONG TOP 3 REGIONS IN CORRUPTION-LINKED FRAUD ...................................................................... 68

NOD FOR RS.10,000 CR START-UP FUND ...................................................................................................................... 69

CABINET APPROVES MEGA SPECTRUM AUCTION ..................................................................................................... 71

TEXTILES GET TAX SOPS IN OUTPUT IMPETUS .......................................................................................................... 72

ARMY COMES OUT AGAINST ROAD WORK ON CHINA BORDER .......................................................................... 73

DGCA TO GET MORE PUNITIVE POWERS ...................................................................................................................... 75

PSLV C34 LAUNCHED ............................................................................................................................................................. 75

CENTRE’S DRAFT FOREST POLICY MOOTS GREEN CESS ........................................................................................ 76

COASTAL ZONE REPORT RELAXES CURBS ON CONSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................... 78

COURT DISMISSES PIL ON USE OF ‘SATYAMEV JAYATE’ ......................................................................................... 79

MAJORITY FOREIGN STAKE PUTS CURBS ON OVERSEAS FLIGHTS .................................................................... 80

AADHAAR TO BE LINKED WITH CASTE CERTIFICATE ............................................................................................ 80

‘MADE IN INDIA’ F-16S ON RADAR, THANKS TO FDI ................................................................................................ 80

PM HOLDS MEET ON RUPEE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................... 81

AYUSH SET TO GET INTERNATIONAL TREATMENT................................................................................................. 81

USE OF POTASSIUM BROMATE AS FOOD ADDITIVE BANNED ............................................................................. 82

GOLDEN CRESCENT ................................................................................................................................................................ 82

OVER 65,000 CHILDREN GIVEN IPV VACCINE IN HYDERABAD ........................................................................... 82

MODI FAST-TRACKS REFORMS WITH RADICAL CHANGE IN FDI NORMS ....................................................... 83

EXTEND QUOTA FOR POOR STUDENTS IN MINORITY SCHOOLS, SAYS PANEL............................................. 85

DIPHTHERIA CLAIMS A LIFE IN MALAPPURAM ......................................................................................................... 85

DEFENCE MINISTER AIMS AT GENDER PARITY IN ARMED FORCES ................................................................. 86

LIFE-SAVER CHOPPER AMBULANCES MAY GET GREEN LIGHT TO LAND EVEN ON ROADS ................... 86

MODI WANTS 10 CRORE HOUSEHOLDS IN TAX NET ................................................................................................ 87

THE CULLING FIELDS - EDITORIAL .................................................................................................................................. 87

MCX PLANS TO TRADE MORE COMMODITIES ............................................................................................................. 89

NITI AAYOG SUBMITS PROPOSALS FOR DIVESTMENT ............................................................................................ 89

DRAFT WIND-SOLAR HYBRID POLICY PROVES RESTRICTIVE ............................................................................. 90

REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY SUBSIDY SUBJECT TO PASSENGER LOADS ............................................................ 91

DNA STUDY ON KORAGAS TO FIND OUT CAUSE OF DROP IN POPULATION .................................................. 91

SEBI PROPOSES NEW DISCLOSURE NORMS FOR INVITS ........................................................................................ 92

SCHEME FOR SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURING OF STRESSED ASSETS (S4A) ..................................................... 92

CABINET APPROVES MERGER OF ASSOCIATES WITH STATE BANK ................................................................. 93

INDIA SETS SIGHTS ON GOLD IN OCEAN ....................................................................................................................... 94

ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON CHEMICAL FROM 5 NATIONS ....................................................................................... 95

PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY AND ITS CONSTITUTIONALITY .......................................................................... 95

GOVT. TO SELL PULSES THROUGH MOBILE VANS ..................................................................................................... 97

NAVY’S WOMAN POWER REACHES MAURITIUS SHORES....................................................................................... 97

VIJAY MALLYA IS A PROCLAIMED OFFENDER: COURT ............................................................................................ 97

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS .............................................................................................................................. 98

UDTA PUNJAB SET TO SOAR WITH ONE CUT, ‘A’ CERTIFICATE .......................................................................... 99



‘YOGA MEDALS’ PROPOSED FOR PARAMILITARY TROOPS ................................................................................ 100

ARMY TO INVOLVE INDUSTRY IN ITS LONG-TERM PLANS ................................................................................ 101

GOVT. DENIES NOD FOR GOOGLE’S STREET VIEW ................................................................................................. 101

KEN-BETWA PROJECT, A THREAT TO WILDLIFE? .................................................................................................. 102

1.46 LAKH LIVES LOST ON INDIAN ROADS LAST YEAR ........................................................................................ 103

CENTRE TO EVOLVE NORMS TO ENHANCE PRODUCT QUALITY ..................................................................... 104

THE MONSOON HAS OFFICIALLY ARRIVED: IMD .................................................................................................... 105

RESERVE BANK TELLS LENDERS TO EXPEDITE CYBER SECURITY POLICY ................................................ 106

RBI BEGINS WORK ON IT ARM ........................................................................................................................................ 106

RAILWAYS SPEED TO TOP RATING IN POLL ............................................................................................................. 106

ARMY WANTS SOLDIERS TO HAVE A CLEAN SHAVE ............................................................................................. 107

MUHAMMA SAYS IT IS FREE FROM OPEN DEFECATION ..................................................................................... 108

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES TO BE OR NOT TO BE - BREXIT VOTE ........................................................................................................................... 110

U.S. WANTS PROGRESS IN INVESTMENT PACT TALKS WITH INDIA: ENVOY ............................................. 112

INDIA ENTERS ELITE MISSILE TECH GROUP ............................................................................................................ 113

EXPANDED PANAMA CANAL IS NOW OPEN .............................................................................................................. 113

INDIA HAS TO COMPLETE A LONG PROCESS FOR SCO MEMBERSHIP ........................................................... 114

INDIA SEEKS TO PURCHASE PATROL DRONES FROM U.S. .................................................................................. 114

CHINA KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON MALABAR EXERCISES ............................................................................................. 114

BILL SEEKING SPECIAL STATUS FOR INDIA FAILS IN U.S. SENATE ................................................................. 115

INDIA WARNED AGAINST PITFALLS IN ASEAN TRADE AGREEMENT ........................................................... 115

THE TWIN TOWERS OF TERRORISM ............................................................................................................................ 116

CHINESE VIOLATE BORDER IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH ...................................................................................... 118

PRESIDENT’S AFRICA TOUR ............................................................................................................................................. 118

INDIA’S NSG ENTRY STUCK ON NPT ISSUE ................................................................................................................ 120

INDIA, SEYCHELLES WORKING TO ‘ENSURE SECURITY’ IN INDIAN OCEAN ............................................... 122

IT’S HILLARY VS. TRUMP IN NOVEMBER VOTE ....................................................................................................... 122

INDIA EYES URANIUM FROM AFRICA .......................................................................................................................... 123

FRANCE LAUNCHES ‘TERROR ALERT’ SMARTPHONE APP ................................................................................. 123

PMS US VISIT ........................................................................................................................................................................... 123

TO MOLLIFY CHINA, INDIA EASES CURBS ON CONFERENCE VISAS ................................................................ 125

A RE-LOOK NEEDED AT INDIA'S ENGAGEMENT OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ............................................. 125

WHITE TIGER MASCOT OF 2018 WINTER GAMES .................................................................................................. 127

INDIA, U.S. TO SHARE DATA ON TERRORISTS .......................................................................................................... 127

INDIA JOINS THE HAGUE CODE OF CONDUCT .......................................................................................................... 128

PM TO INAUGURATE FRIENDSHIP DAM IN AFGHANISTAN ............................................................................... 128

S. CHINA SEA ISSUE TO DOMINATE ASIA SECURITY SUMMIT ........................................................................... 128

SRI LANKA PANEL PROPOSES BILL OF RIGHTS ....................................................................................................... 129



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KARNATAKA ISSUES National framework for malaria elimination launched in Karnataka

The Health Department launched the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India programme in Karnataka

The World Health Organisation is committed to eradicating malaria by 2030.

Keeping this as the target, the Union government has taken a decision to work towards eliminating malaria in the whole country by 2025.

All the States are formulating a framework to meet this Under the programme, States have been classified into various categories based on

disease prevalence. Karnataka falls into medium transmission category because of high number of

cases reported from the two districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The Karnataka Health Department is trying to go to category 1 (low transmission) by

next year As many as 11,341 cases of malaria were

reported in the State in 2015. For districts where more cases are reported,

a two-pronged strategy is adopted—implementing a strong surveillance mechanism and controlling breeding of mosquitoes, through biological controls using gambusia fish in waterbodies such as ponds or chemicals for small containers.

All about The National Framework for MalariaElimination (NFME) 2016-2030

The National Framework for MalariaElimination (NFME) 2016-2030, which outlines

India’s strategy for elimination of the disease by 2030.

This framework has been developed with a vision to eliminate malaria from the

country and contribute to improved health and quality of life and alleviation of poverty

The NFME document clearly defines goals, objectives, strategies, targets and timelines

and will serve as a roadmap for advocating and planning malaria elimination in the

country in a phased manner

http://nammakpsc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/7-Tips-for-Malaria-Prevention.jpg

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In line with the WHO Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for Malaria 2016-2030 and Asia Pacific

Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) Malaria Elimination Roadmap for the Asia Pacific,

the goals of the National Framework for Malaria Elimination in India are to:

1. Eliminate malaria (zero indigenous cases) throughout the entire country by 2030; and

2. Maintain malaria free status in areas where malaria transmission has been interrupted and

prevent re-introduction of malaria

Necessary guidance is expressed for rolling out the strategies and related interventions in each

State/UT as per respective epidemiological situation.

Eliminating Malaria will result in cutting down on expenditure on diseases control programme,

and will help in reducing out-of-pocket expenditure too

The objectives of the NFME are to:

1. eliminate malaria from all low (Category 1) and moderate (Category 2) endemic states/uts

(26) by 2022

2. Reduce incidence of malaria to less than 1 case per 1000 population in all States/uts and the

districts and malaria elimination in 31 states/uts by 2024;

3. Interrupt indigenous transmission of malaria in all States/ uts (Category 3) by 2027

4. Prevent re-establishment of local transmission of malaria in areas where it has been

eliminated and to maintain malaria-free status of the country by 2030

The milestones and targets are set for 2016, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2027 and 2030 by when the entire

country has sustained zero indigenous cases and deaths due to malaria for 3 years and initiated the

processes for certification of malaria elimination status to the country.

The NFME 2016-2030 also defines key strategic approaches such as programme phasing

considering the varying malaria endemicity in the country; classification of States/UTs

based on API as

Primary criterion (Category 0: Prevention of re- introduction phase

Category 1: Elimination phase

Category 2: Pre-elimination phase

Category 3: Intensified control phase

District will be the unit of planning and implementation; and special focus will be on high endemic

areas; and special strategy for P. vivax elimination.

In the short-term, i.e. by end of 2016, all states/UTs are expected to include malaria elimination in

their broader health policies and planning framework; by end of 2017, all states are expected to

bring down API to less than 1 per thousand population; and by end of 2020, 15 states/UTs under

category 1 (elimination phase) are expected to interrupt transmission of malaria and achieve zero

indigenous cases and deaths due to malaria.

It is also envisaged that in states with relatively good capacity and health infrastructure, such as,

Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra, accelerated efforts may usher malaria elimination sooner -

within two to three years.

As per the targets under the 12th Five Year Plan, the country is to achieve API<1 at state and district

level by 2017 and pave way to malaria elimination in subsequent years.



About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana Objective: The scheme aims to bring 50% farmers under the scheme within next 2-3 years. Scheme:

The scheme covers kharif, rabi crops as well as annual commercial and horticultural crops

There will be one insurance company for the whole state. Private insurance companies will be roped along with Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AIC) to implement the scheme

New scheme will cover post-harvest losses apart from yield loss. It will also provide farm level assessment for localised calamities including

hailstorms, unseasonal rains, landslides and inundation. The scheme proposes mandatory use of remote sensing, smart phones and drones

for quick estimation of crop loss to speed up the claim process. The settlement of claims will be fastened for the full sum assured. About 25% of the

likely claim will be settled directly on farmers account. There will not be a cap on the premium and reduction of the sum insured.

Samrakshane-software for crop insurance

Samrakshane’, a software application for online registration of farmers for crop insurance scheme was launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

The software provides for online registration of farmers from the state for Karnataka Raita Suraksha Pradhana Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS).

This provides financial support to farmers suffering from crop loss or damage arising out of unforeseen events and disasters.

The state government has earmarked Rs 675.38 crore as the state’s share for the project launched recently by the Centre

The software has been developed by National Informatics Centre.

Karnataka to buy 1,000 MW solar power from SECI

Amid worsening power situation, Karnataka is turning to solar power to bridge the shortage in its energy demand and supply.

Five state-run utility providers in Karnataka signed an agreement to purchase 1,000 megawatt (MW) of solar power from Union government’s Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI)

The solar power will be just enough to meet the gap between demand and supply of power in normal weather conditions in the state



The agreement will allow the state to get solar power at Rs.4.50 per unit, almost comparable to the rate at which the government buys power from other conventional sources

The move comes at a time when Karnataka, especially its capital city and India’s Silicon Valley Bengaluru, is reeling under severe power shortage

The state has been struggling to meet its total power demand of more than 12,000 MW, of which almost 25% is consumed by Bengaluru, as the supply from its 21 power-generation stations, primarily hydel and thermal plants, was fluctuating drastically with the onset of drought and with reservoirs going empty last year.

For instance, they were producing only 3,000 to 4,000 MW daily against a total capacity of 9,021 MW last October, according to the energy department.

As a result, the government had forced some industries to go for a one-day power holiday every week in Bengaluru until recently. The same period also saw long power outages becoming a new normal in Bengaluru, hurting start-ups and people alike

According to government estimates, power will start trickling in from SECI to local utilities within the next 18 months.

The 25-year purchase agreements show that SECI, which is dedicated to implement the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and encourage the use of solar energy across the country, has sub-contracted the generation and supply to 10 private companies, providing a viability gap funding of Rs.1 crore per MW.

Karnataka-Comprehensive Area Scheme (CSA)

In an effort to help government-run transport entities, the Karnataka State Transport Authority (KSTU) has come out with a Comprehensive Area Scheme (CSA) for the entire state that bans new permits to private bus operators.

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI)

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) is a company under the administrative control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), established on 20 September 2011 to facilitate the implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission and the achievement of targets set therein.

It is the only CPSU dedicated to the solar energy sector.

The mandate of the company has also been broadened to cover the entire renewable energy domain

The company is responsible for implementation of a number of government schemes, major ones being the VGF schemes for large-scale grid-connected projects under JNNSM, solar park scheme and grid-connected solar rooftop scheme, along with a host of other specialised schemes such as defence scheme, canal-top scheme, Indo-Pak border scheme etc.

In addition, SECI has ventured into solar project development on turnkey basis for several PSUs.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to renaming Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as the Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI)

SECI will become RECI after change of its name and then will take up development of all segments of renewable energy namely, geo-thermal, off-shore wind, tidal etc. apart from solar energy



This will help KSRTC, NWKRTC, NEKRTC to ply umpteen buses on any route

The move will help state transport undertakings, including the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), get an exclusive right to ply as many buses as they wish on as many routes as possible.

The decision to introduce the CSA is aimed at skirting the draft Road Transport Safety Bill, 2015, which provides for auctioning of routes to the highest bidder.

Once the CSA comes into force, state-run transport utilities will have monopoly before the enactment of the bill.

The draft bill states that even state transport undertakings must compete with private bus operators to get a route permit from the KSTU.

Why this move: Private operators have a strong lobby. It’s very difficult for the KSRTC, the NEKRTC and the NWKRTC to compete with them. Section 343 (Repeal and Savings) of the proposed bill says that permits cannot be auctioned if the area is nationalised. Keeping this in mind, the government is introducing the CAS. When there are no routes available, there is no question of auction. It kills the competition and helps the KSRT

This decision has been taken to provide bus services to people in villages and save the public transport utilities. Only state-owned operators run buses on obligatory routes without taking profit into consideration.

Private operators protest : Expectedly, the move has triggered resentment among private operators who see it as an attempt to curb them in the name of law. They want the government to provide a level-playing field so that they can also serve the public.

The Transport Department has invited objections from the stakeholders to the

About Road Transport and Safety Bill: It is a Bill which aims to provide a

framework for safer, faster, cost effective and inclusive movement of passengers and freight in the country thus enabling the mission of ‘Make in India’.

It aims to save 2 lakhs lives in first 5 years due to reduction in road traffic accident deaths.

It also aims to improve GDP by 4% on account of increased efficiency and safety of road transport sector.

10 lac Jobs will be created with increase in investment in the sector.

Salient Feature of the Bill: The new Bill makes significant departures from the 1988 Motor Vehicle Act as it includes safety in construction, design, maintenance and use of motor vehicles and roads as a major component. Provides for more stringent penalties to

offenders. A graded penalty point system would now act as a deterrent and improve traffic condition whereas electronic detection and centralized information of offences would facilitate to identify repeat-offenders.

Proposes to introduce an independent agency called the National Road Safety Authority of India, which will be an independent, legally empowered and accountable expert lead agency. It shall be accountable to the Parliament and Central Government.

The establishment of State Safety Authorities which shall act in accordance with the directions issued by the National Authority.

A unified driver licensing system in India which will be transparent. Such a system shall facilitate any time anywhere licence application mechanism in the country and mitigate duplication of licences from various regional transport offices.

There will be a unified vehicle registration system to enable electronic and online submission of applications for registration at any registering authority leading to real time interchange of data relating to such an activity.

Safety issues: Envisages for enforcement of modern safety technologies.

Creation of a motor vehicle accident fund for immediate relief to the accident victim. It gives special emphasis on safety of school children and security of women.

The setting up of a Highway Traffic Regulation and Protection Force (HTRPF).



draft notification on nationalisation of area (Comprehensive Area Scheme) issued on June 10.

As per the draft notification, no fresh permits will be issued to private operators, though existing legal, valid permits in operation with private stage and contract carriages will be allowed to operate. Government-run transport undertakings of other states are also eligible to ply in Karnataka.

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates under the area scheme. Once the city is brought under the area scheme, no private operator can operate under the fresh stage carriage permit. Hassan and some districts in North Karnataka also fall under the area scheme where no fresh stage carriage permits are issued to private operators.

Centre, state to spend Rs 575cr for Mahamastakabhisheka

The Karnataka government, with the assistance of the Centre, has decided to spend Rs 575 crore for organising the historical Mahamastakabhisheka of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola, which is held once in 12 years

The Mahamastakabhisheka is scheduled to begin in the first week of February 2018 at Shravanabelagola, Hassan district. The events will last for 15 to 18 days.

This is going to be the 89th edition of the event. The last Mahamastakabhisheka was held in 2006

Criteria for BPL cards to be relaxed

The State government has decided to simplify eligibility criteria for submitting applications as well as seeking below poverty line ration cards for households.

It also proposes to give bpl cards to cancer and dialysis patients owing to high cost of treatment of the diseases.

The parameters for identifying eligible bpl card families will be reduced from 14 criteria to just four so that ration cards will go to eligible beneficiaries without hassles and will weed out bogus ration cards by linking them with the aadhaar.

The government order issued in august 2013 lists 14 criteria to identify those ineligible under the scheme such as income tax payers, government employees, doctors, accountants, merchants or businessmen, those who possess three hectares of land, employees of aided and unaided schools, those paying electricity bills averaging rs. 450 a month, those who posses any vehicle with engine capacity of more than 100 cc, except autorickshaw.

Simplification of eligibility criteria would ease disposal of over 10 lakh pending applications.

There are 1.36 crore ration cardholders in the state and of them 27.15 lakh are apl cardholders.

After enactment of the national food security act, the centre has been releasing 2.17 lakh tonnes of foodgrains to the state every month.

It was decided to issue coupons to bpl cardholders at bangaloreone centres to procure kerosene and foodgrains from ration shops



NAAC grants ‘B’ grade to Gulbarga University

Gulbarga University has been granted ‘B’ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) the university got 2.91 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and if it had got an overall 3 CGPA, it would have been awarded ‘A’ grade

Reasons behind the lacklustre performance by the university

1. Shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff 2. lack of collaboration with other universities 3. low academic progress of students 4. lack of required number of research works by

the teaching staff Steps had been initiated to overcome these

shortcomings and the university had signed a memorandum of understanding with Azim Premji University and the University of Bolton in the United Kingdom for training teachers.

While Azim Premji University would provide academic training and upscale the teaching skills of postgraduate and undergraduate teaching staff in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Raichur districts, the University of Bolton would provide technical knowhow and training to upscale the teaching skills of D.Ed., B.Ed. and M.Ed. teaching staff at the university and affiliated colleges.

The Union government had released Rs. 10 crore as the first instalment of the Rs. 20 crore sanctioned under the Rashtriya Uchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA) and the balance was expected soon.

Apart from this, the university had submitted a fresh proposal for Rs. 40 crore under the RUSA under the science faculty for the development of state- of-the-art laboratory facilities through a research project titled ‘Studies on natural bio-molecules for human welfare’ undertaken by Prof. Niranjana.

The Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology services had granted a Rs. 1 crore for an interdisciplinary biotechnology finishing school

About NAAC: The National Assessment

and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an organisation that assesses and accredits institutions of higher education in India.

It is an autonomous body funded by University Grants Commission of Government of India headquartered in Bangalore.

NAAC was established in 1994 in response to recommendations of National Policy in Education (1986).

This policy was to "address the issues of deterioration in quality of education", and the Plan of Action (POA-1992) laid out strategic plans for the policies including the establishment of an independent national accreditation body

The seven criteria based on which the grading is done are:

1. Promotion of Research 2. Resource Mobilization for

Research 3. Research Facilities 4. Research Publications and

Awards 5. Consultancy 6. Extension Activities and

Institutional Social Responsibility

7. Collaborations



Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), launched in 2013 aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.

The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent.

The funding would flow from the central ministry through the state governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils before reaching the identified institutions.

The funding to states would be made on the basis of critical appraisal of State Higher Education Plans, which would describe each state’s strategy to address issues of equity, access and excellence in higher education.

Objectives Improve the overall quality of state institutions by ensuring conformity to prescribed

norms and standards and adopt accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.

Usher transformative reforms in the state higher education system by creating a facilitating institutional structure for planning and monitoring at the state level, promoting autonomy in State Universities and improving governance in institutions.

Ensure reforms in the affiliation, academic and examination systems. Ensure adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions and

ensure capacity building at all levels of employment. Create an enabling atmosphere in the higher educational institutions to devote

themselves to research and innovations. Expand the institutional base by creating additional capacity in existing institutions

and establishing new institutions, in order to achieve enrolment targets. Correct regional imbalances in access to higher education by setting up institutions in

unserved & underserved areas. Improve equity in higher education by providing adequate opportunities of higher

education to SC/STs and socially and educationally backward classes; promote inclusion of women, minorities, and differently abled persons.

Mobile Matsyadarshini (fish canteen)

A mobile fish kiosk was inaugurated at Matsyadarshini in Cubbon Park by Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj

The Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation Ltd launched the facility on an experimental basis under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

The vehicle stores and sells different varieties of fish. The vehicle, a modified mini truck, is equipped with an overhead water tank, chiller and has space for dry and wet waste.

A similar mobile kiosk selling sea food called ‘Mobile Matsyadarshini’ was launched in Mangaluru during the Matsya Mela in March.

Mobile canteen will supply fresh and value added products of fish to customers.



The mobile vehicle has a refrigerator, equipment for fish storage, electric grills for frying the fish, overhead tank to supply water and facility to collect the fish waste and other necessities.

All the systems inside the vehicle are battery operated.

Panel on crimes on women, kids seeks another extension

Despite missed deadlines and repeated extensions, the expert committee to prevent crimes on women and children constituted by the government, has failed to submit its final report.

The committee's term came to an end and it has sought yet another extension. This is the fourth such extension sought by the committee, which was given a timeframe of six months to submit its report.

Several instances of rapes, especially on minors, prompted the government to set up the committee in October 2014.

Committee chairperson: MLC V S Ugrappa

Decision on Sadashiva recommendations only after socio-economic survey report

The State government would take a final decision on the A.J. Sadashiva Inquiry Commission report - that recommended reallocation of reservation among communities grouped under Scheduled Castes, only after going through the report of the socio-economic and cultural survey.

The survey will authentically reveal the numerical size of each community, along with their social, economic and educational conditions in relation to one another. This will enable the govt to look into the issue of reallocation of reservation among Scheduled Castes in a better way.

About Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

It is a State Plan Scheme of Additional Central Assistance launched in August 2007 as a part of the 11th Five Year Plan by the Government of India.

It seeks to achieve 4% annual growth in agriculture through development of Agriculture and its allied sectors

Presently, six sub-schemes are being implemented as sub-schemes under RKVY during 2014-15. These sub-schemes and their allocations are:-

1. Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern Region 2. Initiative on Vegetable Clusters 3. National Mission for Protein Supplements 4. Saffron Mission 5. Vidharbha Intensive Irrigation Development Programme 6. Crop Diversification



1,000-year-old inscription on Kapalikas found

A nearly 1,000-year-old rare stone inscription on Kapalikas has been discovered in Raichur district by a professor of Kannada University, Hampi.

This is the first time that we have an inscription that throws light on the presence of Kapalikas in South India, and in Karnataka in particular

Though there were references to Kapalikas in a few inscriptions found in northern India and Karnataka, there was no documentary evidence about their presence.

Derecognition of KSOU courses: NHRC seeks reports from state and UGC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought reports from the Karnataka government and the University Grants Commission over a decision to derecognise courses offered by the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU).

Intervening in the issue that could affect around nine lakh students, the NHRC asked the Karnataka Education Secretary and UGC officials to reply to its notice within four weeks about the issue involving the Mysuru-based KSOU.

The action came on a public grievance letter received at the Commission which claimed that the future of these students is at stake due to the UGC decision

In the letter, the NHRC said, it was argued that most of the poor students who could not afford to pursue courses from regular universities opted for distance learning programme offered by the KSOU.

“They are in a dilemma, as to what will happen if their courses are now derecognised,” the letter said.

About 40% candidates who have cleared an exam for the post of assistant professor, conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), are also uncertain about their future as to what will happen if the KEA, in line with UGC guidelines, de-recognises their degrees from KSOU, Mysuru

Kapalikas were a mysterious cult who may have practised human sacrifice and immolation.

Worshippers of Bhairava, a manifestation of Shiva,

The inscription, found above a cave atop a hilly area, two kilometres from Maliyabad village in Raichur district, is undated.

However, based on the nature of the script, which is in ancient Kannada, it is presumed to be from mid 1,000 AD. The inscription also refers to a ‘Kankala Gorava’ who had mastered Soma Siddantha or Kapalika Siddantha.

It states that though Soma Siddanthis led a lavish life, they had a cordial relationship with the rest of society. It also claims that taking a dip in the pond and having a darshan of the deity in the cave would relieve one of sins.

The finding is significant especially because there is a lack of information about Kapalikas in any literature other than Sanskrit

a detailed study now be taken up to throw light on the presence of the Kapalika cult in various places, their culture, traditions, practices, their status in society, how they began to wane after the emergence of Veerashaivism

Who are Kapalikas?



The Commission observed that it is an “unfortunate situation” for the students who despite having degrees from a duly recognised university are, in a way, being subjected to cruelty due to want of clarity in the matter. “It amounts to violation of their Right to Education and Equality as their future is at stake due to the proposed derecognition of some KSOU courses by the UGC after 2012-13,” the Commission said.

University Grants Commission has de-recognized the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysore, for offering programmes through distance learning mode by ‘blatantly flouting the norms’.

KSOU, in collaboration with private institutions/ entities/coaching centres spread all over the country and even abroad, has been offering programmes through distance learning mode by blatantly flouting the norms, guidelines and directives of UGC and erstwhile Distance Education Council (DEC) of Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi

The university remained undeterred and continued to offer programmes through distance learning mode in violation of the UGC policy on territorial jurisdiction vide UGC public notice dated 27 June 2013

It has also been offering professional/technical programmes in violation of the norms of the concerned regulatory bodies and without their approval.

The university has also started offering online programmes, which are not recognised by UGC, as an exclusive method of distance education

Karnataka State Open University

The Karnataka State Open University established in June 1996 is considered to be a reputed Open University amongst the open learning institutions in the country.

Karnataka State Open University was formally established on June 1, 1996 under the Karnataka State Open University Act of 1992, with the objectives of introducing and promoting the system of open university and distance learning in the state of Karnataka, and coordinating and determining the standard of such a system in the state.

The University has its headquarters in Mysore.

The objective is to provide education to people who cannot attend full-time or part-time educational courses offered by universities

The distance education programmes of Karnataka State Open University provide opportunities to working professionals who cannot afford full-time education to earn degrees or diplomas

The Karnataka State Open University originally started as the Institute of Correspondence Course and Continuing Education, a wing of University of Mysore.

The Karnataka State Open University is the 8th Open University to be established in India.

The university has initiated several ambitious programmes on its infrastructure front to facilitate rapid realization of its vision of a "virtual university", including the recent launch of Web Virtual Classroom based MBA programs with a partner Institute.

It now offers wide-ranging programmes leading to degrees from the graduate level to the doctoral level and also offers a variety of diploma and certificate programmes

The university is now in the process of introducing multi-level, inter-linked programmes in information technology, apart from several specialized programmes in different areas of contemporary value and interest, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi..

Vice-Chancellor: Prof. D. Shivalingaiah



Rajyotsava Prashasti The Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state are

conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the birth of Karnataka State on November 1 celebrated as Kannada Rajyotsava.

The awards celebrate achievements by persons of eminence in their chosen fields. The awardees are from the fields of literature, music, dance, theatre, journalism,

sports, medicine, education, agriculture, Information Technology and Science. Each award carries an amount of Rs. 100,000, a shawl, a citation and a memento. In

addition to that, the government allots commercial land for eligible awardees. Karnataka Ratna

Karnataka Ratna is the highest civilian honour of the State of Karnataka. It is awarded to a person for his extraordinary contribution in any field. It was

constituted in the year 1992 by the Government of Karnataka. There have been a total of 9 recipients of this award.

Kuvempu was the first recipient of this award for his contribution in the field of literature. Subsequently it has been awarded to Rajkumar, S. Nijalingappa, C. N. R. Rao, Bhimsen Joshi, Sree Sree Shivakumara Swamiji, Javare Gowda and Veerendra Heggade

Frame guidelines for conferring Rajyotsava award: HC

The High Court on Thursday directed the state government to either frame guidelines for conferring Rajyotsava award or discontinue the award itself.

It expressed displeasure over government not framing guidelines for conferring the prestigious award over the past 60 years.

B V Satyanarayana Rao, a writer had approached the court seeking directions to the government to consider his application for the award.

Justice S Abdul Nazeer said the Rajyostava award is a prestigious state honour and if it is conferred without framing any guidelines, it is as good as any private award where anybody and everybody is felicitated.

Caste census to finish in another month

The extensive socio-economic survey (caste census) by Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission (KSBCC) will take another month to complete as the survey details from eight districts are yet to come.

H Kantharaja, chairman of KSBCC, said that survey figures are yet to be received from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Ballari, Dharwad, Haveri, Chamarajanagar, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and Raichur

The department had earlier set April 30 as the deadline for completing the survey. The survey’s main objective is to collect statistics on social, educational and

occupational status of all classes/castes, validate with other databases like Aadhaar, electoral photo identity card (EPIC), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, ration cards and bringing out development schemes based on the results.



The last time such extensive survey was conducted was in 1931. The survey involves questionnaires with questions ranging on education, social status, occupational status and others.

Making the results of the survey public or not is for the government to decide

Yaduveer Wadiyar marries Trishika Kumari in Mysuru

Amid royal splendour, scion of Wodeyar royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar entered into a wedlock with Trishika Kumari Singh in a traditional ceremony at the iconic Amba Vilas Palace.

The wedding was officiated by a battery of priests in the presence of about 1,000 guests at the specially decorated 'Kalyana Mantapa' in the palace

Trishika is the daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshri Kumari from the Dungarpur royal family in Rajasthan.

Marriage rituals have been underway with the stamp of royal traditions. It began with Yaduveer performing 'pada puja' to 'Rajaguru' Bramhatantra Parakala mutt seer Abhinava Vageesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swami.

24-year-old Boston-educated Yaduveer, the 27th 'King' of Wodeyar dynasty tied the nuptial knot with Trishika in the auspicious 'Karkataka lagna'

In a traditional ceremony on May 28 last year, Yaduveer was crowned as the titular head of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family. Later during Dasara he had ascended the golden throne to preside over the 'khasa (private) durbar', which is reminiscent of the bygone era.

Colourful royal head gears, both Rajput and Mysuru style, added charm to the wedding. A lavish spread of south Indian delicacies was served to the invitees.

Mysuru to have India's first public bicycle sharing service

The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is all set to introduce public bicycle sharing service in and around the city’s tourist hot spots.

With this, Mysuru will be the first city in the country to have such a service. The MCC is introducing bicycle service to ease visitors’ journey and check pollution. The civic body will introduce the service by spending about Rs 20 crore under the

World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility project. Under this project, 450 normal bicycles will be stationed at 45 docking stations in the

city and 10 stations on the outskirts. The docking stations are planned near the railway and bus stations, Jaganmohan

Palace, Mysuru Zoo, Amba Vilas Palace, Karanji Lake, Chamundi Hills, Airport, among other places.

The MCC will introduce a smart card system for cycle users. One can hire a cycle by swiping the card at any of the docking stations and leave it at another station after the ride.

As a security measure, each bicycle will be fitted with a radio frequency tag to trace it. City-based Green Wheel Ride, bicycle manufacturers, will provide the cycles.

A rent of Rs five and Rs 10 will be charged for the first one and two hours respectively



Excessive use of pesticide killing peacocks in Haveri Excess use of pesticide has been posing a threat to the lives of peacocks in Haveri

district as hundreds of birds have died in the recent past after farmers took up sowing operations.

Bird lovers have raised an alarm for the protection of peacocks after several birds died in Byadagi taluk by consuming seeds containing high amount of chemicals and fertilisers in the fields

Rising human interference and lack of adequate financial resources has jeopardised the prospects of the Peacock Conservation Reserve in Bankapur.

Poaching has also been posing a threat to the peacocks as a large number of birds roam in agricultural land outside the reserve.

The state government has declared 139-acres of forest land in Bankapur as a conservation reserve in 2006 after conducting a census. High mounds and deep trenches in the reserve has become an ideal location for peacock breeding.

Situated two km away from NH 4 in Shiggaon taluk, the animal husbandry department, that owns the entire land, has been extending assistance with its limited financial resources for conservation and breeding of the national bird

But, increase of people’s movement and infrastructure development near the conservation reserve has been causing disturbance to the peacocks. This has raised concern among bird lovers who are demanding adequate protection for the peacocks after several birds died due to pesticide poisoning.

Last year, Bombay Natural History Society had placed the peacock reserve among ten important habitats of birds in the country that are facing danger due to rapid urbanization and rising insensitivity towards nature

The World Bank Group-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Program The World Bank Group-Global Environment Facility (GEF) Program is one of the

institution’s largest and longest standing trust-funded programs Since 1991, when the World Bank helped to establish the GEF, it has integrated global

environmental benefits across the Bank programs through more than 790 investment projects and programs in 120 countries (pdf) spanning every region of the world.

GEF grants directly support actions to combat major environmental issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, polluted international waters, land degradation and desertification, and persistent organic pollutants, as well as stimulate green growth.

The World Bank Group program has collectively channeled over $4.8 billion (representing 38 percent of total GEF funding disbursed) in GEF grants to the private sector, NGOs, and client countries over the past two decades, and stands out among for its sustained track record in helping design and support implementation of innovative and tailored solutions to complex multi-sector challenges.

Today the GEF is the largest public funder of projects to improve the global environment.

The GEF also serves as financial mechanism for the following conventions: 1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 3. UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 4. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 5. Minamata Convention on Mercury 6. The GEF, although not linked formally to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that

Deplete the Ozone Layer (MP), supports implementation of the Protocol in countries with economies in transition.



What is Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) and Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC)?

A contractual arrangement whereby the concessionaire undertakes the construction, including financing, of a given infrastructure facility, and the operation and maintenance thereof. The concessionaire operates the facility over a fixed term during which it is allowed to charge facility users appropriate tolls, fees, rentals, and charges not exceeding these proposed in its bid or as negotiated and incorporated in the contract to enable the concessionaire to recover its investment, and operating and maintenance expenses in the project. The concessionaire transfers the facility to the Government Agency or Local Government unit concerned at the end of the fixed term.

EPC mode of investment relies on assigning the responsibility for investigations, designs and construction to a private contractor for a lump sum money provided by the government via a competitive bidding. The objective is to ensure the implementation of the project with a certainty on cost and time while transferring the construction risk to the private contractor.

Cabinet approves 4-laning of Hubli-Hospet section of NH-63 in Karnataka

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the development of four laning of Hubli-Hospet Section of NH-63 in Karnataka.

The cost is estimated to be Rs.2272.20 crore including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the road to be developed is approximately 144 kms.

This work will be done under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) Phase-IV on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis.

The project will help in expediting the improvement of infrastructure in Karnataka and in reducing the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying between Hubli and Hospet section.

The development of this stretch will also help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of this region in the state. It would also increase employment potential for local labourers for project activities.

The project was earlier approved on BOT (Toll). Bids were invited for the project three times and one more time with increased Viability Gap Funding (VGF).

However, no bids were received. As such, it was decided to implement the project through EPC mode.

Did you know about The National Highways Development Project?

The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was implemented in 1998 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "National Highways" account for only about 2% of the total length of roads, but carry about 40% of the total traffic across the length and breadth of the country. This project is managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.



The project is composed of the following phases: 1. Phase I: The Golden Quadrilateral (GQ; 5,846 km) connecting the four major cities of

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. 2. Phase II: North-South and East-West corridors comprising national highways

connecting four extreme points of the country. 3. Phase III: The government recently approved NHDP-III to upgrade 12,109 km (7,524

mi)of national highways on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, which takes into account high-density traffic, connectivity of state capitals via NHDP Phase I and II, and connectivity to centres of economic importance

4. Phase IV: The government is considering widening 20,000 km (12,000 mi) of highway that were not part of Phase I, II, or III. Phase IV will convert existing single lane highways into two lanes with paved shoulders.

5. Phase V: As road traffic increases over time, a number of four lane highways will need to be upgraded/expanded to six lanes. The current plan calls for upgrade of about 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of four-lane roads

6. Phase VI: The government is working on constructing expressways that would connect major commercial and industrial townships.

7. Phase VII: This phase calls for improvements to city road networks by adding ring roads to enable easier connectivity with national highways to important cities.

Mangaluru City airport to get advanced air navigation services equipment

Mangaluru International Airport under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will provide air navigation services to aeroplanes with more sophisticated equipment.

Modern equipment being installed at the airport now would provide enhanced safe navigation services to flights.

The airport is in the process of replacing its three main navigation equipment. They are very high frequency omni directional radio range equipment, monopulse secondary surveillance radar and instrument landing system (ILS).

Karnataka bans sale of e-cigarettes

The State government imposed a ban on sale (including online) and use of e-cigarettes in the State, based on the recommendations of the State high powered committee on tobacco control. A notification in this regard has also been issued.

Battery-powered cartridges are used in e-cigarettes to produce a nicotine-laced vapour.

Two years ago, the State government had imposed a similar ban on sale and use of gutkha and paan masala.

According to a member of the high powered committee, Karnataka is the first State to impose such a ban. Punjab, Maharashtra and Chandigarh had earlier passed enforcement orders on unapproved sale of e-cigarettes

The sale of nicotine, apart from tobacco products under Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), is permitted only for tobacco cessation in accordance with the Drugs and



What is an e-cigarette? An electronic cigarette (e cigarette or e-cig or ecig) is an electrical device that contains a cartridge with liquid (eliquid), heater (atomizer) and battery. These sub units collectively produce a vapor when inhaled. The battery supplies required power to the atomizer, which in turn heats eliquid in the cartridge to produce a vapor. The produced vapor has the sensation and appearance of real tobacco smoke which provides the feel of tobacco smoking to the users although there is NO TOBACCO in e-cigarettes. Vapors come with different flavors and nicotine strengths. Using an e-cigarette is called vaping. Vaping is allowed in public places in most countries.

Cosmetics Act, 1940. However, this clause is being misused by companies. It is unfortunate that e-cigarettes are sold in medical shops and even online

The decision has been taken on the recommendation of the committee on cancer prevention

Study was conducted by the committee with an NGO on e-cigarettes, which said large number of youngsters was getting addicted to it.

2mg and 4 mg nicotine is allowed in chewables like nicotine gum for de-addiction purpose, but these e-cigarettes usage is leading to addiction towards it

E-cigarettes mimic the size and shape of cigarettes and contain a cartridge containing liquid, which includes nicotine (up to 36 mg/ML) among other chemicals (usually propylene glycol or glycerol).

The government, in a circular, said the state has knowledge that Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems or e-cigarette and other similar products have been sold illegally (including online sale), without a obtaining valid license from appropriate authority specified by law.

It also pointed out that the use of nicotine in food products and consumption by public is banned under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation 2011.

Nicotine is allowed as an aid for de-addiction in nicotine replacement therapy under Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, it is not allowed for any other purpose under law.

Therefore, the state government hereby prohibits the sale (including online sale), manufacture, distribution, trade, import and advertisement of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, its parts and components in any shape or size of cartridges containing nicotine in the interest of public

The Indian Medical Association had in January discouraged the use of electronic cigarettes to cut down on smoking as these disguised forms of tobacco can have "serious" long-term effects on health.

IMA believes that e-cigarettes, though not as harmful as normal cigarettes, are not healthy and their use should not be encouraged. Like hookahs, they are disguised forms of tobacco addiction and can have serious long-term effects on one's health



Chief minister inducts new ministers into the government

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inducted 13 new faces into his council of ministers. He also dropped 14 ministers, amid brewing dissidence in the Congress party. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at

the Raj Bhavan. There are nine Cabinet-rank ministers and four ministers of state.

New ministers include Kagodu Thimmappa, H Y Meti, K R Ramesh Kumar, Basavaraj Rayareddy, M R Seetharam,Rudrappa M Lamani, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge, Eshwar, heemanna Khandre, Tanveer Sait, Mallikarjun S S, Pramod Madhwara, and Santhosh S Lad,

'Thithi' shines at Shanghai film festival

Kannada film ‘Thithi’ won Asia New Talent Awards for best film and best script writer during the ongoing 19th Shanghai International Film Festival in China.

‘Thithi’ is a light-hearted story about three generations of men reacting to the death of the family’s 101-year-old patriarch. The film’s cast were non-professional actors from Indian villages, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The film, written by Raam Reddy and Ere Gowda, is directed by the former. It is an Indian-American co-production, jointly produced by Pratap Reddy from

Prspctvs Productions and Sunmin Park from Maxmedia. The film premiered at the 68th Locarno International Film Festival on August 8, 2015. It won the Golden Leopard in the Filmmakers of the Present category for Reddy and

the Swatch First Feature award. It received numerous other awards at film festivals held in Mumbai, Palm Springs,

Marrakech and various other cities It recently won three Karnataka state film awards in best film, best supporting actress

and best dialogue category. Thithi’ was adjusted as the best feature film in Kannada at the national level last year.

BMTF to be empowered to act tough on illegal hoardings

The Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) will be given more powers to check the menace of illegal hoardings.

It was decided that stringent action will be taken against those putting up illegal hoardings in the city.

Police protection will be provided while removing the advertisement boards and any attack on the staff will be dealt with strictly.

It was also decided that the government agencies should work in tandem to initiate action against illegal hoardings with the help of BMTF.

The police department has also decided to initiate legal action against those who print/publish the advertisements

Those indulging in such activities will face six months jail term. An extensive drive will be launched with the help of police to remove illegal hoardings,

banners, flexes and other display materials in the city.



Janani Sewa In compliance of the Budget

Announcement 2016-17, ’JANANI SEWA’ is being introduced on IR in order to mitigate the hardships of the mothers travelling with their infants.

Under this scheme, Railways shall ensure availability of essential y items like baby food, hot milk and hot water etc. at Railway Stations.

Award for saviours of accident victims- Jeeva Rakshaka Award

The state government has decided to institute the 'Jeeva Rakshaka' award starting this year to those who save the lives of accident victims.

The move is aimed at implementing the Mukhyamantri Santwana - Harish Scheme that aims at providing immediate and instant medical treatment road accident victims during golden hour effectively.

The annual state level Jeeva Rakshak award will be decided considering the gravity of accident and the service rendered by the rescuers across the state

The department also chalking out plans to book criminal cases against those who videograph the plight of victims at the accident spots instead of taking initiatives to help the person

Now, baby food, hot milk available at 10 rail stations-Janani sewa scheme

Ten important railway stations in the Bengaluru division started serving baby food and hot milk under the ‘Janani Sewa’ scheme

Baby food will also be available at licensed milk parlours, pharmacy stores, cell kitchens and pantry cars.

Mothers can buy baby food at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru City), Whitefield, Bengaluru Cantonment, Yeshwantpur, KR Puram, Baiyappanahalli, Ramanagaram, Mandya, Hosur and Bangarpet railway stations.

Hot water will also be available in pantry cars for mothers to prepare food for their babies. Tea will be served in kulhads (earthen pots) as an add-on option to the passengers.

In a first, Mysuru zoo is Wi-Fi enabled

Now, visitors to Mysuru zoo can enjoy high-speed internet on the tap of their cellphones. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has introduced grade 5G Wi-Fi hotspots at five places inside the menagerie.

Nearly 1,000 users can avail Internet service simultaneously at any time, sharing the backhaul of 10 Mbps

For the first 30 minutes, users can acess the service for free, while they have to pay nominal fee later

The users can avail the service by getting one-time password provided by the operators

The public service provider in Karnataka is leading in carrier-grade Wi-Fi services. The services are now available at 548 hotspots in 215 locations covering 19 districts. In more than 90 villages, people are enjoying the high-speed net services made possible through National Optical Fibre Network.



The Karnataka circle is the first to launch mobile data service faster than 4G by Mobile Data Offloading (MDO) to Wi-Fi.

The MDO services are available in 102 locations with 157 access points in the state, including Mysuru zoo. BSNL has so far commissioned 67 Wi-Fi hotspots and it has planned to add nearly 1,400 hotspots during the current financial year in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts

Tourist Mitras and Tourist Guides

The state tourism department issued licences and identity cards to the first batch of 111 tourist guides in Bengaluru

The first batch of 174 Tourist Mitras were inducted in November 2015 The department spent Rs 9 lakh on every 40 candidates to train them as guides. This

included three months theory, one-month field training and foreign language courses. They have been taught French and Russian languages. In the next batches, they will be

taught Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. The guides were trained in five universities- Visvesvaraya Technological University in

Belagavi, University of Mysore, Mangalore University, Rani Channamma University in Vijayapura and Bangalore University.

Based on the recommendation of the Empowered Committee, the Karnataka Tourism Vision Group, 25 people from rural background were trained in English, knowledge of arts and crafts, cuisines and etiquette. Now known as tourism ambassadors, they have been employed at various hotels and travel agencies.

About Tourist Mitras and guides

Tourist Mitras are Home Guards who have been additionally trained to take care of tourists at 319 destinations.

They are being paid as per the Home Guard act, Rs 9,770 per month. They have powers equivalent to a police constable. They have been given training in

soft skills and the next batch will be trained to be life guards also. To be tourist guides, candidates have to learn a licensed syllabus and write an

examination They are trained to be self-employed and can partner with travel agencies also Each guide has a licensed code, to avoid duplication. This will also save tourists from being misguided.

Pendency mounts as HC grapples with judges' shortage

The Karnataka High Court has been functioning with less than half of the sanctioned strength of judges, leading to an increase in the pendency of litigations.

Of the total 62 sanctioned posts of judges in High Court, only 26 are functioning Of these 26 judges, two will be retiring by the year-end leaving only 24 judges to sit in

the High Court, including Dharwad and Kalaburagi benches. The last appointments of judges to the High Court were made in December 2014.



The High Court has more than 2.50 lakh pending cases as in April 2016. The average number of days a case is pending before the court is 1,011 days.

Karnataka High Court ranks sixth on this count in the country, according to Bengaluru-based NGO Daksh India which analyses the functioning of the judiciary and political system.

According to sources, the High Court collegium had sent 18 names, 10 from the Bar and eight from the Bench for appointment as judges. The state government has not approved five names from the Bar

Digital India: villages in Mysuru now have high-speed Internet

Mysuru is among the five districts in the State where gram panchayats have got 100 per cent optical cable connectivity under the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN).

The Karnataka telecom circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) is commissioning the project, which ensures high-speed Internet in rural areas.

The project, launched under Digital India, aims to allow rural residents at speeds similar to their urban counterparts. The facility offers a bandwidth of 50 Mbps.

Out of the 6,954 GPs already being serviced across the country under NOFN, 2,986 are in Karnataka — the highest of any State.

In addition to Mysuru, the four other districts in the State where the project has been fully commissioned are Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru North and Udupi.

The Karnataka circle is expected to complete the NOFN project in all the 5,631 GPs by the end of September.

With the project’s implementation, rural users will be able to access government services without having to go to the town or district headquarters.

The Karnataka circle serves 347 cities and towns and 21,992 villages in the State, with 13 lakh landline connections, five lakh broadband connections, 69 lakh mobile connections and 17,500 leased lines.

These connections include 23,712 numbers of high-speed Internet with optical fibre connectivity

BSNL said the minimum speed of most of the broadband plans has been increased to 2 Mbps since October last year.

Commission recommends safai karamchari development corporation in State

The Karnataka State Safai Karamchari Commission has recommended to the State government the establishment of a separate Safai Karamchari Development Corporation to extend financial assistance and take up welfare measures to the families of the safai karamcharis and pourakarmikas in the State

Such a corporation to provide financial help for the housing projects, extending education scholarship to the families of the purakarmikas using the funds available under the Special Component Plan and Sub Plan and also the funds provided by the commission.

The commission provided Rs. 6 lakh each as grant for the construction of the group housing schemes for the pourakarmikas and safai karamcharis and the remaining Rs.



1.5 lakh would be provided as loan for the construction of the houses, which the beneficiary pourakarmikas or safai karamcharis should have to pay in instalments

9 digits to better education

Keeping ‘vigil’ on a child’s academic performance, reducing dropouts and better management of teaching resources may soon become easier.

The Department of Primary and Secondary Education plans to allot a nine-digit exclusive code to each of the 1.01 crore students in classes one to ten in government, aided and unaided schools across the State. The number will be linked to several other parameters of the child.

Schools and Education Department officials have been asked to provide 42 parameters by the end of June. Officials say the system would facilitate tracking even if the child changes schools.

Lake revival by corporates

Striking up partnerships with corporate firms for rejuvenation of lakes, which the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) is now pushing for, with five firms already signing up, is a step conservationists are wary about.

The corporate push comes at a time a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Environment Support Group (ESG) on the privatisation of three lakes is pending before the Supreme Court.

The Lake Development Authority (LDA), which has now been replaced by KLCDA, has contested the second part of the Justice N.K. Patil Report that bars privatisation and commercialisation of lakes.

Most of the objections to the earlier model seem to have been accommodated now. While LDA had leased out four lakes for 15 years without any checks on commercial

exploitation, now the lakes will still be with the government agency, which will own and maintain them.

While LDA had leased out four lakes for 15 years without any checks on commercial exploitation, now the lakes will still be with the government agency, which will own and maintain them.

According to Ajay Mishra, chief executive officer of KLCDA, the MoUs include a ban on commercialisation of the lakes, putting up advertisements and collection of entry fee.

Each of these will have a project monitoring committee that will be set up with equal number of representatives from the contributing corporate firm, KLCDA and the custodian agency, which will monitor the spending.

On the day-to-day functioning of the lake, the decision of the custodian agency will be final.

Soon, UAVs to spray pesticides in arecanut plantations

The Central Plantation Crop Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod, has planned to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to ensure controlled and uniform spray of pesticides in arecanut plantations.

Arecanut farmers in Karnataka and Kerala are facing acute shortage of labour for activities like harvesting and for spraying pesticide . A major chunk of farmers in Malnad and coastal Karnataka region could not take up the second round of spraying



copper sulphate and lime solution, commonly called mailututta in 2013, owing to incessant rain and shortage of labour.

This resulted in the outbreak of fruit rot disease, popularly known as koleroga, due to which there was a decline in the yield to the tune of 40 per cent.

The proposed UAV would provide solution to such problems by minimising the role of human labour in the operation of spraying pesticides

Farmers can purchase the vehicle through the village-level cooperative societies. The government can also purchase the vehicle for the custom hiring centres of agriculture equipment that it has established at hobli level and farmers can hire them on rent basis

Panel set up to study Yettinahole project

The State government has set up a five-member committee to study the implementation of the Yettinahole drinking water project and availability of other water resources to mitigate water woes in drought-prone Kolar and Chickballapur districts.

The committee, headed by A.K. Bajaj, former chairman, Central Water Commission, has been asked to submit a report within six months.

Besides the viability of water in the project, the committee will study the availability of water resources for drinking purposes in the Krishan valley, Mekedatu, Sharavati, Aghanashini, and supply of water by treating sewage from the Koramangala– Challaghatta valley to the two districts.

It will also study availability of other water resources to mitigate woes in Kolar, Chickballapur districts

Yettinahole River Project is River Netravathi Diversion project initiated by Karantaka.

Nethravathi is Lifeline of Mangalore and Dakshina kannnada District .She starts at Bangrabalige valley, Yelaneeru in Kudermukh in Chikkamangalru District of Karnataka, India flows West and reaches Arabian Sea .

It is used for agriculture and cultivation by the farmers of Hassan, Mangalore and Dakshina Kannada Districts to cultivate 3.5 lakh Hectares of Land. And also used to provide Drinking Water for the people of Mangalore and Daskina Kannada District. Apart from above two things it is also used for Fish cultivation and for fishing which is another prime occupation of people of Mangalore.

The Project: This project was initiated by Karnataka Govt in 2011 at an estimated cost of Rs 8,300 crore, but now it has reached Rs 13,000 crore.

The project involves construction of 8 dams .

All These dams are constructed near Yettinahole .

From these dams continues 85 cumsec water is collected from June to november 24*7 to Delivery chambers interconnected to many Delivery chambers

From Last Delivery chambers water is passed to Gravity Canal which then makes water travel 274 Kms.

After Reaching Koratgere Taluk. water is again passed or Pumped to reservoir ( which needs to constructed).These may involve submerging of 700 hectares of land and three villages.

From here water is passed to Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.This also includes several tanks and Reservoir is constructed to en route the water to Bangalore and Devanhalli Industrial Area. and constructing over100 bridges in villages and nearly 100 road brides on major roads.

Main Purpose of this project: Provide Drinking Water to Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.

IMPACT and Environmental issues: Deforestation and Wildlife: This project involves cutting many trees and forest of western Ghats estimates upto more than 100 Hectares of forest need to cut for construction of Dams and Delivery chambers etc. Many of these forest are home for many animals like Tiger, Lion Tailed Macaque, Elephant, Slender Loris and Gaur.

It might Change the Monsoon pattern .



Advantages of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) are:

It is well graded in the required proportion.

It does not contain organic and soluble compound that affects the setting time and properties of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained.

It does not have the presence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings, increase water requirement as in the case of river sand which impair bond between cement paste and aggregate. Thus, increased quality and durability of concrete.

M-Sand is obtained from specific hard rock (granite) using the state-of-the-art International technology, thus the required property of sand is obtained.

Mortars with M-sand exhibit better workability and water retention characteristics, confirms a study held at IIS, Bangalore. For 1:4 cement mortar, to achieve 100 per cent flow the water cement ratio required is about 0.88 using M-sand whereas 1.20 using river sand. Lower water-cement ratio results in better characteristics of mortars in hardened state.

South India can expect new heli-ambulance service from Oct.

Air-lifting critically ill patients in emergencies or organs for transplant will get extra support.

Starting early October, Bengaluru-based helicopter service Aviators Air Rescue plans to operate three helicopters as day-time ambulances.

The service includes stand-by pilots at a helicopter base, 24/7 call centre, tie-ups with hospitals and their ambulances on ground, and landing sites.

The chopper will take off within seven minutes of a call, cover 125 km in 30 minutes and can travel up to 400 km

It will be the first dedicated provider of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in India

The service will be offered to State governments, rescue groups, hospitals, clinics, public and private companies; and through a subscription fee of Rs. 9,000 per individual or Rs. 18,000 for family and an insurance cover from United India Insurance.

State to announce M-sand policy soon

The Karnataka government would shortly announce an Manufactured sand (M-sand) policy

Owing to acute shortage of sand in the state, the government has decided to formulate a M-sand policy, which is the only alternative to meet the excessive demand

The government would aggressively promote production of manufactured sand.

Though M-sand is being produced, it is only available in urban centers and not in rural areas. Sand has become so scarce that constructing even small houses has become difficult. Several of the PWD works have been hit. There is a huge gap between demand and supply.

Hence, there is a need to promote M-Sand production

A total of 98 M-sand plants are operating in the state at present and 68 more plants would be started in two-three months. Meanwhile, the government would offer 10 acres of land to existing M-sand plants to double their production.

The price of M-sand would be 50% less compared to the price of river sand.



Instructions have been given to use maximum M-sand in government works Quality testing laboratories would be strengthened to ensure the production of good

quality M-sand and awareness programmes would also be organised to popularise its uses.

About M-Sand

Manufactured sand is a substitute of river for construction purposes sand produced from hard granite stone by crushing. The crushed sand is of cubical shape with grounded edges, washed and graded to as a construction material. The size of manufactured sand (M-Sand) is less than 4.75mm.

Manufactured sand is an alternative for river sand. Due to fast growing construction industry, the demand for sand has increased tremendously, causing deficiency of suitable river sand in most part of the word. Due to the depletion of good quality river sand for the use of construction, the use of manufactured sand has been increased.

Another reason for use of M-Sand is its availability and transportation cost. Since this sand can be crushed from hard granite rocks, it can be readily available at the nearby place, reducing the cost of transportation from far-off river sand bed.

Thus, the cost of construction can be controlled by the use of manufactured sand as an alternative material for construction. The other advantage of using M-Sand is, it can be dust free, the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the required grading for the given construction.

Experts vouch that manufactured sand is not only a viable alternative to natural sand, but is superior in many ways. River sand is not graded properly and has excessive silt and organic impurities like coal, bones, shells, mica and silt and these can be detrimental to durability of steel and concrete, whereas manufactured sand has no silt or organic impurities.

Two factors determine the quality of manufactured sand; size and shape. The sand particles should not be flaky and elongated as that may make the mix weak and affect the durability and strength of the concrete.

Rocks with more mica content are considered not suitable for manufacturing sand.

How is it Manufactured?

M-Sand is cubical in shape and is manufactured using technology like High Carbon steel hit rock and then ROCK ON ROCK process which is synonymous to that of natural process undergoing in river sand information.

Manufacturing of sand involves three stages, crushing of stones into aggregates by VSI, which is fed into a rotopactor to crush aggregate into sand in required grain sizes. Screening is done to eliminate dust particles and washing of sand eliminates very fine

Did you know? Pune-Mumbai expressway was completely built using manufactured sand. Runway of Thiruvananthapuram International airport, new flyover at Thakaraparambu and Palayam underpass at Thiruvananthapuram are also learnt to have constructed using M-sand.



particles present within. The end product will satisfy all the requirements of IS:383 Zone II and can be used in concrete and construction.

Only, sand manufactured by VSI crusher and rotopactor is cubical and angular in shape. Sand made by other types of machines is found to be flaky and contain higher percentage of dust. Generally, manufactured sand is classified as Zone I, Zone II, Zone III and Zone IV (i.e. coarser to finer). There is sieve designation for each zone. Gradation is made in accord with the usage of the sand. There are testing sieves, consists of 4.75mm, 2.36mm, 1.183mm, 600microns, 300 microns and 150 microns.

Zone I sand is used for concreting while sands Zone II to IV are used for plastering. Tests have revealed that the characteristics of mortars and concrete using M-sand as fine aggregate are superior when compared to the natural sand as fine aggregate.

Issue: It would be difficult for a layman to distinguish manufactured sand from rock sand. Rock sand is the residue dust formed during the stone crushing. Chances of developing early cracks and weakening are more as it is devoid of required grades and not undergone adequate cleaning.

Rajya Sabha elections: Nirmala Seetharaman, Jairam Ramesh win from Karnataka

Union Minister Nirmala Seetharaman and Congress’ Jairam Ramesh, Oscar Fernandes and K C Ramamurthy won Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka in the biennial elections highlighted by cross voting from JDS and votes for cash controversy.

Dissidence-hit JD(S) suffered a humiliating blow with eight of its MLAs cross voting in favour of Congress, with the party admitting it even before the polling deadline ended

Congress’ candidate, former IPS official K C Ramamurthy pulled off a resounding victory as he secured 52 votes, aided by the support of Independents and JDS rebel MLAs.

Congress with 122 members was assured of two seats for former Union ministers Jairam Ramesh and Oscar Fernandes, but with a surplus of 33 votes, the party fielded Ramamurthy.

The required strength for victory is 45 votes. Nirmala Seetharaman secured 46 votes with BJP, which with 44 members was short of one vote, making up the shortfall comfortably.

A cloud of uncertainty had hung over the elections after allegations of vote for cash with “sting” operations by two TV channels, but it was ended with the Election Commission giving the go ahead, rejecting the demand for countermanding it.

About Rajya Sabha Elections

The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Membership of Rajya Sabha is limited by the Constitution to a maximum of 250 members, and current laws have provision for 245 members

Most of the members of the House are indirectly elected by state and territorial legislatures using single transferable votes, while the President can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services.



Members sit for staggered six-year terms, with one third of the members retiring every two years.

The Rajya Sabha seat quota for each state is fixed as per Schedule 4 of the constitution. Elections to 1/3 of these seats occur every 2 years.

Renovated house of R K Narayan to open this month

The renovated house of Indian-English writer R K Narayan of ‘Malgudi Days’ fame, will be inaugurated as a heritage building this month end.

The monument would be a 110th birth anniversary gift for the writer, who made Mysuru his home, even though he was born in Tamil Nadu and died in Chennai.

The works on the house, which was partially demolished by a builder five years back, is almost over and needs finishing touches. The demolition was stalled by writers and activists of the city, who urged the Mysuru City Corporation and the state government to take over the structure and develop it into a memorial.

Even though the works were delayed for a long time, it was launched last December. Earlier, a compensation of Rs 2.4 crore was paid to Bhuvaneshwari, a granddaughter of Narayan, to part with the building.

The monument was being developed on the lines of Shakespeare’s memorial in the United Kingdom.

Narayan’s father Krishnaswamy migrated to Mysuru and thus Narayan completed his degree from Maharaja’s College in 1930. Then, he took to writing, and went on to become a celebrated writer.

After 50 years, state railway police to get more staff

The Karnataka government is all set to approve the State Government Railway Police’s (SGRP) major proposal of creating 1,037 posts of various ranks.

The proposal assumes significance as it is for the first time in the last 50 years that a recommendation is made on increasing the strength of the state’s railway police force.

The Police Act came into force in the country in 1861, while the Railway Police was formed in 1881.

The Railway Board and state government equally share the expenditure made on the railway police establishment, including recruitment and salaries.

At present, of the 900 sanctioned posts, 299 are vacant. Prevention and detection crimes, recovery of stolen properties and passengers’ safety at railway properties have taken a back seat in the state due to staff shortage.

The SGRP had discussed staff shortage with the Railway Board officers in New Delhi and the latter had asked SGRP to send a proposal for recruitment. The approval, once passed by the Finance Department, would be sent to Railway Board for final approval through general managers of zones that operate in the state



Did you know? Three years ago, an RTI

application revealed that the State government incurs expenditure of nearly Rs. 80 crore a year for providing orderlies to police officers. Average salary, including all benefits, of a police constable and head constable is about Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh a year.

The Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra, Vijayanagar, Bengaluru, conducted the social audit on orderlies and it said many of them were even working for retired senior police officers illegally. Orderlies are asked to do tasks such as washing clothes, mopping floor, gardening, shopping, and taking care of dogs.

Colonial practice bites the dust; no more police orderlies

The State government has decided to scrap the archaic system of orderlies, where nearly 3,000 trained police constables and head constables are working as domestic help at the residences of police officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and above.

The Home Department has decided to post orderlies as constables for regular police duty.

As these constables have undergone rigorous training, steps will be taken to give them right postings. The transition would happen in a phased manner.

Scrapping this system was one of the main demands put forth by the constabulary that threatened “mass leave” strike last week, which eventually fizzled out.

However, the discontent appears to have pushed the Home Ministry into scrapping the system.

But given the fact that most senior officers are so used to having a 24/7 attendant, the idea of an orderly will be replaced by a group ‘D’ employee and not a trained constable as in the present system.

Newly appointed personnel would be called “dalayats” or “followers”. These personnel would be used as domestic help for cooking, receiving telephone calls

and so on. A proposal would be submitted to the Finance Department for recruitment of group ‘D’ personnel

In News: Mass protest by Police Constabulary Interview Questions: Ponder over this..... Q. What are the problems faced by police force in India (Karnataka)? Q. Do you know about Soli Sorabjee committee on Police reform? Q. Should the police force be allowed to strike? Q. If you are appointed as DySP or SP... How would you address the problems of your subordinate?

Showcasing Belagavi’s potential for IT and electronics

A one-day conference on “IT and Electronics” aimed at showcasing the potential of Belagavi for the promotion of IT and Electronics Clusters on the theme, “Buzzing Belagavi-The Next Global Technology Hub”, has come as a fresh initiative to attract global investments in these two specific sectors in this tier two city of North Karnataka.

The conference will be held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha



The event is being hosted by the Department of IT, BT and Science & Technology, and supported by Karnataka State Small Industries Development Corporation Limited, along with the Belagavi district administration, Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) and National Small Scale Industries Association (NSIC).

Leading industry associations such as NASSCOM, FICCI, IESA, CLIK, FKCCI, the Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industries, NKSSIA, TiE–Hubbali, KCC&I, BITA and Deshpande Foundation are also among the organisers.

The Department of IT, BT and S&T had taken several initiatives to promote and nurture Tier-II/III cities as the next destination for investments, where Belagavi was the most ideally located with salubrious weather conditions, infrastructure, educated and skilled human resources and is well connected by air, rail and national and State highways.

The Union government has selected the city for its Smart City Project, the plans of which were ready for implementation over a period of five years.

Now, corporates pitch in for Bengaluru lakes

The newly formed Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA), which in its earlier avatar as the Lake Development Authority (LDA) landed in a soup for leasing out four lakes in the city, repitched for contributions from the corporate sector to conserve and rejuvenate lakes.

In response, five firms — Biocon Ltd., Wipro Ltd, the UB Group, Mphasis India, and Sensara Engineering — signed the Expression of Interest (EoI) with KLCDA on Monday.

The authority would now work with corporate companies and the civic agencies to draw up detailed project reports (DPRs) for works to be taken up in the lakes. However, commercial activity, advertisements and charging any entry fee were prohibited.

KLCDA, which will be the custodian of lakes, will henceforth be the single window clearance agency for communities, corporates and NGOs to work for the city’s lakes.

Forest Department, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, and Bangalore Development Authority, made a presentation of rejuvenation works under progress and those yet to be taken up, seeking funds for projects.

A single corporate firm might be unable to fund the entire rejuvenation project for large lakes, which may in some cases run up to several hundred crores. To fund such projects, special purpose vehicles would be formed within the KLCDA. SPVs are likely to be floated soon for Bellandur and Varthur lakes.

Biocon, Wipro, & the UB Group are among the firms which have evinced interest in the initiative

Karnataka to set up food commission

Third State to set up a regulatory panel for food Karnataka has cleared the decks for setting up the State Food Commission a State-level quasi judicial regulatory body



to monitor issues related to the public distribution system,

such as the Anna Bhagya scheme of supplying foodgrains at nominal cost and supply of food to anganwadis under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

The chairman and members will be chosen by a committee headed by the Chief Minister.

The selection committee will comprise presiding officers and leaders of the Opposition of both Houses of the State legislature, and the Food Minister as its members.

The general public can take up any issue or grievance related to food in the public sector with the proposed commission

Soya cultivation increases in Bidar

Crop like maize and soya replacing pulses seems to be the trend in many States. Pulses are slowly shifting to rabi due to the growing influence of soya and maize.

In Karnataka, Bidar has a larger crop area compared to Belagavi and Dharwad, the other two soya growing districts

Bidar has emerged as a front-runner among soya-producing districts in the State. Soya bean, which covered just around 20 per cent of the cropping area five years ago,

has jumped up to acquire half of the 3.4 lakh hectares (ha) of the cultivated area in the district in the kharif season.

Details- The change in cropping pattern-

Bidar has been a traditional green gram and black gram growing area. But soya is slowly replacing them for reasons ranging from climatic conditions to perceived ease of cultivation. In the last few years, we are witnessing heavy rainfall at the time of harvest of green gram and black gram, which is 60-70 days after sowing. Such showers can damage the crop, apart from making harvesting difficult. However, soya takes 110 days to mature and is not damaged by rain. In fact, it can be stored in hay stacks and thrashed a month later, to take out the pods. This is the prime reason for its popularity

Farmers are inter-cropping soya with red gram, to ensure ease of cultivation. Soya is a rain fed crop and does not need protective irrigation. An acre of soya yields 8-10 quintals while the yield of

green gram and black gram are around 4-7 quintals per acre.

Soya is also relatively disease and pest free Soya has been getting a stable price at the whole sale

markets for some years now. Soya is selling at Rs. 4,000 per quintal and farmers are happy to get a return of Rs. 30,000-Rs. 35,000 per acre

This is partly because of the soya-based industries in neighbouring Maharashtra that need a constant supply of the crop. The Agriculture Department has sought 86,000 quintal soya seeds from the State government.

Karnataka was the third State in the country, after Bihar and Haryana, to set up such a commission under the provisions of the National Food Security Act.

Reasons- In brief

Hardy crop that can survive in scarce or excess rainfall

Qualities of ease of harvest, Higher yields, Stable prices and Relatively high disease

resistance



All Muzrai temples in State to get basic facilities

All temples in the State coming under the Muzrai Department will be provided with basic facilities, such as drinking water, toilets, and shelter. The temple authorities concerned have been asked to prepare a plan and send it to the government. The authorities could also seek kitchen and dining hall if the temples provide ‘prasada’ to devotees.

Executive officers of temples have been directed to prepare a plan for development of temples. According to the directions, the Mysuru district administration issued a circular to all the temple executive officers and temple officials in Mysuru to prepare a comprehensive development plan and submit them to the administration, which in turn would send it to the government. After receiving the plans from all the temples, the Minister is expected to hold another round of meetings with officials before allocating funds for the development of the temples

There are 1,289 temples coming under the Muzrai Department in Mysuru. Of them, five temples are grouped under ‘A’ category while four are placed under ‘B’ category; the remaining 1,280 temples are grouped under ‘C’ category.

Temples that have an annual income of more than Rs. 25 lakh are classified under ‘A’ category and temples having an annual income in the range of Rs. 5 lakh to Rs.25 lakh are under ‘B’ category. Temples having an annual income of less than Rs. 5 lakh are placed under ‘C’ category.

The Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi hills, Nanjundeshwara temple in Nanjangud, the temple in Talakad, and Marinakamma temple in Periyapatna town, are placed under ‘A’ category, while Sri Rama temple in Chuchanakatte, Chikkadevamma Kunduru temple in H.D. Kote, Muguru Tripura Sundari temple and Gunjal Narasimhaswamy temple in T.Narsipur taluk are placed under ‘B’ category.

The State government has earmarked Rs. 150 crore for the proposed development of temples

Weather-based farm advisory system to reach taluks now

The country’s flagship programme of the weather forecast-based agricultural advisory system is set to become more focussed by moving to the taluk level from the present district level for greater accuracy and efficiency.

To begin with, the system will be implemented on a pilot basis in 100 taluks chosen from different States, of which five are from Karnataka

The pilot project would commence in about six months from now While the weather forecast for taluk level is already available, the data related to

its interpretation and farm advisory system is being put in place Based on the performance of the pilot scheme, the system will be extended to all the

6,650 taluks in the country The ultimate goal is to treat villages as primary units when there is adequate

technical infrastructure.



About: The weather forecast-based advisory system

The weather forecast-based advisory system was launched about three years ago on a low-key basis, with only 500 farmers opting for its services.

In the system, the registered farmers will get two advisories a week in the form of SMSes on their mobile phones on the dos and don’ts on farming operations based on the weather forecast.

While each SMS costs around 75 paise, the Centre bears the entire cost of the system.

1.5 crore farmers registering for the services. Under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa project

(GKMS), India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Science in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities /Indian Council of Agricultural Research etc. is issuing crop and location specific weather based agro advisories for the benefit of farming community on every Tuesday and Friday and occurrence of extreme weather

They have been successful in providing the crop specific advisories to the farmers at the district level through different media like print/visual/Radio/ IT based including short message service (SMS) and Integrated Voice Response System (IVRS) for a wider dissemination.

Mysuru’s tryst with radio predates AIR

Even as India’s public broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) celebrated the 80th year of its naming on, its synonym, Akashvani, owes its origin to a house at Vani Vilas Mohalla in Mysusru where its owner, M.V. Gopalaswamy, began a radio broadcasting station.

A professor in psychology in Maharaja’s College, Gopalaswamy was a radio enthusiast. He set up an experimental radio station with a low-power transmitter (about 30 W), which he had procured from London, on September 10, 1935 in his house, ‘Vittal Vihar’.

Thus, Mysuru’s tryst with radio began with poet laureate Kuvempu rendering his poetry more than eight decades ago. Soon, well-known composer Mysore Vasudevacharya’s music programmes too came to be transmitted on radio along with other music, education, literature, and theatre-related programmes, spawning a new generation of creative and talented artistes.

According to a souvenir brought out by Akashvani Mysore to celebrate its platinum jubilee in 2010, the radio station shifted from ‘Vittal Vihar’ to the first floor of the Dasara Exhibition buildings, now housing Mysore Medical College and Research

Fact Box:Did you know? For the benefit of fisherman community, a satellite-based application for the fishermen community of the country, called "Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) Advisories", is being generated and provided on using the satellite data and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools since 1999 useful for location of fish grounds/aggregation . In addition, the Ocean State Forecast (OSF) (wave height and direction, wind speed and direction, ocean currents, sea surface temperature, depth of mixed layer and thermo cline, sea level at major and minor ports, etc. is also being provided to fisherman.



Responsibilities

Selected wardens will assist authorities to check prohibited activities, remove encroachments and perform other allied duties.

While lake conservation activists have welcomed the move, they would have preferred more clarity about rules on meetings and powers of the panels.

The newly formed Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority has asked citizens to enrol in lake committees, which will be spearheaded by the civic agency responsible for that lake. But the Authority will only be a nodal agency; volunteers will have to enrol with either the BBMP or the BDA. Giving such a role for these agencies, under whose watch the lakes have been encroached upon, has not gone down well with many citizens.

Institute, in 1939. After running the radio station single-handedly from his own funds for six years, Gopalaswamy handed over its administration to the Mysore City Municipality before the then government of Mysore Maharaja took it over on January 1, 1942.

Gopalaswamy, however, was retained the director of the radio station till August 2, 1943. Later, his colleague N. Kasthuri was appointed a full-time chief executive of the station. It was around this time that the radio station was named Akashvani

The radio station started operations from its present and own building at V.V. Mohalla from February 1944 while the transfer of the State broadcasting station to All India Radio network took place on April 1, 1950.

lake wardens

Bengaluru is enrolling wardens to save its threatened water bodies. That is the offer made to Bengaluru residents by the newly formed Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority. The agency has invited applications to appoint wardens on Lake Watch Committees.

Committees with wardens — described as models of participative governance — have been in the pipeline for years, but are only now taking shape.

With each lake having a designated committee, the panels promise to be the fulcrum of community ownership for rejuvenation and management. Citizens can apply to either the Bangalore Development Authority or the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, depending on who is in charge of a particular wetland.



State sees a rise in number of foreign students

The number of foreign students registering for courses in the State has increased by 26 per cent in the last eight months, a study by the Overseas Centre for Foreign Students (OCFS) has shown. The data was compiled from several universities, the Foreigner Regional Registration Office and various other sources.

This figure constitutes 36.7 per cent of the total number of foreign students in the country.

Karnataka attracts the maximum number of foreign students in the country based on this data and ranks fourth among all the States and Union Territories in terms of the total number of universities with 50.

Besides students, there is also an upward trend in the number of foreign faculty members who visit the State to teach, the study has shown.

1. Foreign students in State in 2016 2. Universities: 9,200 3. Private institutions: 1,600 4. Affiliated colleges in Bengaluru: 3,100 5. Total: 13,900

Farm land coming under organic certification

The Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency is in the process of inspecting and certifying 6,240 hectares of farm land owned by 4,512 farmers in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru districts. The inspection will be over by March, 2017

Farmers whose land had been chosen for organic certification should not use chemicals for three years. The certificate would be issued later.

4,512 farmers in the three districts had formed a regional federation called the Federation of Organic Growers in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Chikkamagaluru. It comprised 44 societies of organic growers in 44 villages.

Human digestive system inspires idea for in-flight waste management

Three long-haul flights of approximately 10 hours each can generate up to one tonne of waste. And this is only organic waste comprising food and toilet waste – both of which are degradable. Add to this an unspecified amount of non-biodegradable waste such as plastic.

Much of this waste ends up in a landfill, with airlines paying huge sums of money to contractors to collect and transport it to landfills.

Environmental hazard apart, researchers say potential energy is wasted by the unprocessed waste.



But things are about to change, thanks to two alumni of Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), who were part of the team that won the recent Innovation Showdown 2016.

‘waste gasification’.

A gasification plant is installed onboard for a small cost. It breaks down solid waste into small chunks. These particles are converted into electrical energy that can be stored in batteries. This can used to power entertainment systems on the flight. As of now, batteries are being charged by the engine

This process is being likened to the human digestive system, where the intestines assimilate energy from food before throwing out waste in solid and gaseous form.

Advantages- environmental impact, and savings on fuel and the fee to the contractor

Bio-coupons save 50 per cent of PDS kerosene

The Food Department has taken up an initiative to prevent diversion of kerosene given to BPL card-holders to the black market in Bengaluru. From June, all ration card holders will have to get ‘bio-coupons’ to avail their monthly quota of kerosene.

This comes in the wake of its bio-coupon experiment, taken up in 50 Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets, resulting in nearly 50 per cent saving of kerosene.

A large quantum of keresone supplied through the PDS is being diverted for industrial and commercial use, either through bogus cards or by the PDS outlets through fictitious accounts.

This system has also been taken up on an experimental basis in 10 shops in each district centre.

The annual subsidy on the kerosene being supplied in the State works out to about Rs. 2,000 crore

As per the new system, ration card holders who have linked their cards with Aadhar cards can visit the local food department office/photo bio-centre/village panchayat or Bengaluru One/Karnataka One centres to avail printed kerosene coupons by matching their fingerprints or iris.

Those who have linked their mobile phones with Aadhar cards could get bio-coupon on their phones using a One-Time-Password by visiting the department’s website, he said.

Those who have linked their ration cards with mobile numbers have the option of getting the coupon on their mobile phones by messaging RCKERO to 9731979899.

The bio-coupon codes will have to be shown to the PDS outlets to avail kerosene



About Konkan Railways: The Konkan Railway was the missing link

between Maharashtra capital, Mumbai, and Mangalore. The 741-kilometre line connects Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka

KR does not have divisions like the other Indian Railways; however, it has two regions with headquarters at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and Karwar in Karnataka.

The route is a single-line track, and is not electrified. The total length of the line is about 738 kilometres (459 mi). Although it has been designed for high-speed traffic of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph), the fastest train on the route, the Trivandrum Rajdhani Express, at present runs at a maximum speed of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph).

The route is open to both freight and passenger traffic.

The line, which runs parallel to the Arabian Sea coastline, offers some of the most spectacular views of any Indian rail journey.

The Konkan railway route intersects national highway NH-66 at many places

There are fifty-six stations on the entire line. Although the route is currently a single line, KR and South Western Railway lines run parallel from Majorda to Margao in Goa, making that section a double line

Konkan Railway goes green, Udupi becomes solar-powered railway station

The Konkan Railways is making all possible attempts to tread the path of being eco-friendly division of the railways and in this direction, it has made Udupi Railway Station solar powered station.

The roof top of the station has been embedded with solar panels and the total power generation capacity of this system is 7 kw.

The station's power requirement is about 48 kw. After using the power produced at the station, the remaining power is being

procured from the Mescom the station has adequate land to install

the panels so as to be self-sufficient in power generation, but the Mescom rule that solar panels must be installed only on roof tops has posed an impediment for augmenting power generation

The station has already put in place Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU), which aims at cutting down fuel consumption and soon the same system will be extended

Soon, the Konkan Railway will introduce Rain Water Harvesting technique in all the new buildings of the division, following the success of the system in Murudeshwar Railway Station

Concept of Bio Toilets are being introduced in every station in phases

Further, over 40,000 saplings have been planted all along the track of Konkan railways.

All in all the Konkan Railways is leading the way in green initiatives



HAL-built HTT-40’s first flight successful

The home-grown Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) from the hangars of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) had its first flight in Bengaluru

The Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT-40) was piloted by Group Capt Subramaniam (Retd), Chief Test Pilot, HAL. According to sources, the flight lasted for about 30 minutes

About HAL HTT-40 Aircraft

The HAL HTT-40 aircraft project is a Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) proposal for an indigenous replacement for the Indian Air Force's retired HPT-32 Deepak as a basic trainer

The HTT-40 will be an all-metal tandem seat aircraft powered by a 1,100 hp (820 kW) turboprop engine.

On 28 February 2015, it was reported that Indian defense ministry has selected 68 HAL HTT-40 trainers and 38 Pilatus trainers to replace its current trainer aircraft fleet stating that this move was "commercially viable".

On 21 June 2015, HAL chose the Honeywell Garrett TPE331-12B turboprop to power the trainer.

HAL rolled out the first prototype on 2 February 2016

State fixes foodgrain production at 130 lakh tonnes for 2016-17

Expecting normal monsoon during the Kharif season, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, launched a Krishi Abhiyan and set a target foodgrain production at 130 lakh tonnes in 2016-17.

Krishi Melas would be organised at the hobli-level to create awareness among the farmers on the availability of new technologies.

The government has extended input subsides, and 9.75 lakh quintal of seeds would be procured during the 2016 Kharif season

About Krishi Abhiyan The State Government’s ambitious ‘Krishi Abhiyan’ programme, an extensive

awareness campaign that will take agricultural experts to farmers’ fields Scientists and agricultural experts would visit the different hoblis centres across the

district to provide consultation to farmers. The experts will interact with the farmers and provide guidance pertaining to

cropping plans/resolving agricultural related issues The officials will also explain the importance of various issues including soil testing

and the mechanised farming during the campaign.

http://nammakpsc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HAL_HTT-40_model.jpg



About the scheme: Under the scheme, launched on March

9, victims are given cashless medical treatment for the first 48 hours at any registered hospital, up to Rs. 25,000.

The scheme was named after Harish Nanjappa, a Bengaluru-based youth who donated his eyes moments before his death.

Currently, 430 hospitals across Karnataka are part of the scheme, of which 37 are in Bengaluru.

The speciality of the scheme is that any one is eligible for it, irrespective of their financial ability

Any amount less than Rs. 5,000 is auto-approved.

Cashless treatment helps 6,100 accident victims in Karnataka

The Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana (MSHS), providing cashless treatment in the crucial hours after an accident, has catered to 6,100 cases across Karnataka and provided treatment of up to Rs. 13 lakh in the three months after its launch.

At the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) office in Shanthinagar, a unit of the Health Department which administers the scheme, the number of beneficiaries under MSHS is updated in real time.

Lists are generated daily to find out beneficiaries in each district and the process of how an accident victim receives treatment during the golden hour is studied on a case-by-case basis, with the aim of plugging loopholes in the system.

Apps within wheels

Karnataka’s face-off with new taxi companies shows how State governments continue to be behind the curve on utilising technology to fix public transport

The rapid spread of new mobility services such as Uber and Ola taxis presents a regulatory dilemma for transport administrators. Should they embrace the popular new entrants, or should they try to box them in with regulation, partly to favour traditional operators?

Karnataka’s face-off with the new taxi companies shows that a transparent model of regulation can be difficult to arrive at without a sound assessment of mobility trends.

Arguments "for" these operators

Globally, app-based taxi services, under the broad category of Commercial Transport Applications, are being accepted by governments as a technology-led disruption that should be mainstreamed to meet the needs of the travelling public.

These services have been able to fill some gaps that governments could not — such as providing access to reliable travel at night.

They have been able to generate clear insights into what people want in terms of mobility.



Problems with traditional mode

Transport departments in India, as in most other countries, and traditional operators, are apprehensive about the new entrants who have the unique benefit of data insight. Governments have so far made policy “blind”, that is, without the benefit of real-time data on demand for buses, urban rail and feeder services.

Government-run services have no concept of “on demand” travel. In India, the problem is particularly complex. Unlike cities in Europe and the U.K., State

governments here failed to invest in modern bus and urban rail systems during the entire period of two decades of economic growth that produced a sharp increase in travel demand.

Autorickshaws and old taxis faced severe disruption, since the “bottleneck” benefit which they got from a limited number of transport permits disappeared. Their experience is not unique. In London, there are now over 90,000 Uber cabs, while the iconic and expensive black cabs number 25,000, and unlicensed taxis an estimated 30,000.

What needs to be done?

When it comes to providing people mobility, governments should be concerned about the fulfilment of public policy objectives — equity, safety, consumer welfare and sustainability. The regulation of new-technology taxi services must meet such policy objectives, rather than be trapped in ideology.

Karnataka should be concerned whether the new services are providing more and better connections to protected consumers, and adding jobs.

A regulation-lite approach to new taxi services could create a pool of drivers who have been vetted and verified by the government and issued a nationally portable identification card. Such identification would add to employment flexibility for the individual, and help governments assess whether proper working conditions are being ensured.

Moreover, there is a continuous stream of data put out by the taxi driver and the user, and it is thus possible to ensure accountability. Karnataka’s approach to restrict employment by prescribing a two-year residence requirement for a taxi driver obviously fails the test of flexibility.

Transport departments in several States have, ironically, favoured informal employment in the sector for many years, giving regulation less importance. Shared vehicles are thus operated “off the record” by hundreds of operators with no restrictions, competing with government-run transport networks even in some metropolitan cities such as Chennai. They do fulfil a critical role in transporting people, and fill a gap created by failing or absent bus systems. Yet, they are beyond the pale of serious regulation, and governments have little idea of how many people actually use them on a daily basis, since there is no data gathered or shared.

What governments need to recognise is that the transport landscape is today shaped by access to information on real travel needs. Anyone carrying a smartphone can potentially aid the process by passively providing data, if authorities are willing to listen. A transport app for a bus network, for instance, can inform travellers about services in real time, and simultaneously tell the administrators where and when



people are going, and where they would like to go. Bengaluru rolled out such an app recently, but stands out as an exception..

Uber and Ola have similar insights to offer, which State regulators could get in anonymised form, to understand urban travel trends.

San Francisco is a city that listened to data from various sources, and found that it was spending $4.5 billion in a year to enable passenger car trips, but only $1.5 billion for collective trips. It became easier to set a policy priority to spend more money on collective, shared travel options, potentially cutting congestion and reducing parking problems. The Chief Innovation Officer at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Timothy Papandreou, told the ITF conference that there are “more shared mobility solutions in San Francisco than probably anywhere else in the world”.

The era of State governments using transport departments merely to collect rent, with little insight into demand and supply, and certainly no accountability for public service has been upended by technology. The smart option would be to understand the change, harness the data, and help cities grow around modern bus, rail and taxi networks.

School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) Forum

A list of 16 recommendations have been put forth by the committee School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) Forum has made 16

recommendations including that CCTV cameras be installed in all government schools keeping the interest of students in mind.

They have sought that the government take back the circular that was issued on May 21 pertaining to the closure of government schools.

They have also recommended that lower primary schools be protected at the ward-level and pre-primary schools be started on the lower primary school campus.

To ensure quality education to students, they have sought that the head master, craft teacher, music and physical education teachers not be counted as actual teaching faculty.

Karnataka's only 1947 model passenger bus to go on public display

A 1947-model ‘Banashankari’ bus, the oldest pre-Independence era public transport vehicle in Karnataka, has been brought back from oblivion and restored to its previous glory.

Manufactured under the Bedford brand by a Canadian firm, the bus was used to ferry devotees to the famous Banashankari Devi fair in Badami, Bagalkot district, and the Yellamma fair in Saundatti, Belagavi district, and that is how it got its name

It remained with the Bombay State Road T ransport Corporation until the unification of Karnataka in 1956.

During the Raj, Bijapur and Belgaum districts were part of the Bombay Presidency.



Later, the Bedford bus became a property of the Mysore State Road Transport Corporation.

It was used as a passenger vehicle till 1968, after which the operations were withdrawn.

The bus remained dumped in the KSRTC’s Kengeri depot, with few officials being aware of its vintage value. KSRTC managing director Rajendra Kumar Kataria spotted it during a recent inspection of the depot. He learnt that the bus was the last passenger vehicle from the pre-Independence era in Karnataka. He decided to get it restored and put it on public display at the corporation’s central office in Shanthinagar.

Govt proposes to merge 731 schools with fewer than 10 students

The Department of Public Instruction has proposed that a staggering 731 schools with less than 10 enrolments in the state be merged with the schools that have a good number of admissions.

The department has sought that students who are presently enrolled in schools that have reported less than ten admissions be transfered to other government, aided or unaided schools, which have a strength of over 31 students.

The schools to which the children are being transfered ought to be within one kilometer radius from the present schools where they are admitted. If the student does not get admission in a nearby government schools for any reason, they ought to be given a seat under the RTE quota in aided or unaided schools.

As many as 731 schools have less than 10 admissions in the state while 3,005 schools have 10 and 30 enrolments. Mandya has the most number of schools with less than ten admissions, this year. There are 191 such schools in the district.

Financial aid for Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims

The state government has proposed to provide financial assistance to pilgrims from Karnataka who are visiting Kailash Manasarovar for the first time this year.

Only permanent residents of Karnataka are eligible to get the benefit of this scheme. The address mentioned in the passport will be taken as proof for considering the

pilgrims as the residents of the state of Karnataka. Those who have already availed the benefit of this scheme are not entitled to it for the

second time.



Biopic on former Karnataka CM Devaraj Urs

Karnataka government plans to produce a biopic on former chief minister Devaraj Urs, who is credited with ushering in a silent social revolution in the state and undertaking land reforms during his eight year reign from 1972.

The film on Urs, the eighth chief minister of the state, would be made at a budget of Rs three crore

The biopic will be directed by T S Nagabharana, Kannada film director and one of the pioneers of parallel cinema, and will be completed in a year's time

The biopic will showcase Urs' political accomplishments, including the ushering in of a silent social revolution in Karnataka.

The film will also highlight the stress Urs laid on education of people belonging to backward classes, and most notably being abolishment of carrying night soil by Dalits and bonded labour

The biopic will also depict Urs as one of the greatest social reformers Karnataka The land reforms spearheaded by him, in which the tiller of the land became the

owner, was exemplary. It had reduced the chasm between the rich and the poor, doing away with social inequality

Bidar's drought-proof action: a model for others to follow

Faced with worst ever drought, the district in Karnataka has desilted historical wells and tanks for the first time in last five decades with minimum investment and created an extra water storage of over 10 tmc while setting an example for other 250-odd drought-hit districts in India.

With desilting work to continue till arrival of monsoon next week, the district administration plans to add another 10 tmc (thousand million cubic) storage space in tanks and wells, taking the total extra storage capacity to 20 tmc.

The good work being done in the district prompted the state government to announce last month a 'Kere Sanjivini' scheme to clean/dredge tanks and wells in all drought-hit districts in the state but funds have not yet reached them

The 'Bidar model' is unique in the sense that the district administration started work in March itself and spent about Rs 2.5 crore to remove 26 lakh cubic meter of silt, which otherwise would have cost not less than Rs 100 crore.

So far, the district has completed desilting in 200 open wells out of 1,000; 100 tanks out of 120 in five taluks, 20 temple tanks out of 400 and the work is being carried to add another 10 tmc extra storage before arrival of monsoon rains

The water from these desilted open wells has been tested and being supplied through tankers for drinking water purpose.

Major intervention in water conservation was that the district initiated for the fist time in last many years the desilting of ancient underground water tunnels called ‘Karez’ system that originated in Iran



The Bidar Karez, built in the 15th century, is more than 3 km long with 21 air vents. There are 12 water network lines in the district and desilting of each line is estimated to cost Rs 2 crore. Desilting work has begun in one line already.

All these efforts coupled with reforestation program of planting one crore trees in the district and promotion of rainwater and micro irrigation have saved the district from drought in the next ten years

Unlike neighbouring states Maharashtra and Telangana, the district administration did not focus on digging new open wells, instead it rejuvenated historical wells which were constructed way back in 12th century.

The taluk faced severe drinking water crisis in March due to drying up of 'Chulkinaala tank' for the first time this year due to drought. But the district administration desilted 2 lakh cubic meters of water here and this will recharge open wells, borewells and groundwater in this taluk.

Black-topped fields are making an appearance in most parts of the district as farmers have already spread desilted soil in over 50,000 acres out of total farm land of 9.14 lakh acres in the district.

Drought-hit farmers are now pinning hopes on black rich soil and good monsoon to reap record harvest this year even as the government has announced a substantial hike in the minimum support price of kharif crops.

State not keen on Centre's pulses offer

The state government is not likely to accept the centre’s offer to make tur and urad dal available to people at Rs 120 per kg – a measure aimed at helping people cope with rise in prices of essential commodities.

Sources in the state Food and Civil Supplies department said the government is reluctant to take the responsibility of supplying the pulses to people, as offered by the centre.

One of the main reasons is the fear of incurring huge financial losses in the event of a price crash. Moreover, lack of clarity on the centre's part has also discouraged the state from accepting the

The centre recently offered to supply unmilled tur and urad dals to the state at Rs 66 and Rs 82 per kg, respectively, and asked to ensure availability of the pulses to people at not more than Rs 120 a kg. The centre made this offer in view of the rising prices.

The state has to work out the cost of processing (milling), packing and transportation and distribution in such a way that the price (consumer price) of the pulses does not exceed Rs 120 per kg.

Currently, urad dal and tur dal cost about Rs 185 and Rs 155 per kg, respectively, in the open market. There are indications of the prices coming down by Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg in the coming days. The centre recently announced that it has a stock of 10,000 metric tonnes of urad dal and tur dal, which will be distributed among all states.

The department has in a proposal submitted to the government recently, estimated an expenditure of Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore per month to supply urad dal and tur dal to people in major cities and towns, including Bengaluru. This includes cost of lifting from the centre's godowns, milling, packing, transportation and sale.



The plan is to sell these pulses at janata bazaars and outlets of Hopcoms and Karnataka State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation. T

he estimated expenditure for supplying these pulses to all BPL families through the public distribution system is Rs 120 crore per month. But the government has chosen not to take any decision in a hurry, the sources said.

Soon, passports will be issued in Kalaburagi, too

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to upgrade the Passport Application Processing Centre (PAPC) in Kalaburagi into a full-fledged Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in order to reduce the workload on the Regional Passport Office in Bengaluru and to ensure transparency in administration.

With the conversion of the Kalaburagi PAPC into a passport seva kendra, the number of PSKs in Karnataka will go up to five

Bengaluru has two PSKs (Lalbagh Road and Marathahalli) and Hubballi and Mangaluru have one each.

Presently, the Kalaburagi PAPC serves as a virtual PSK. All front operations to generate a passport, such as submission of applications, digitisation of files, taking of pictures and biometrics and verification of documents, have been completed. The last stage of granting of passports is done by the Regional Passport Office in Bengaluru. This will happen in Kalaburagi once the PSK begins its operations

The PAPC in Kalaburagi was commissioned in 2015 to help passport seekers in the region. It has handled over 25,000 applications so far. It receives about 100 applications a day. The facility will function five days a week and will be dependent on the RPO in Bengaluru for crucial issues

Bird festival in Gadag district

Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology B Ramanath Rai announced that this year’s bird festival would be held at the Magadi lake in Shirahatti taluk of the district.

More than 70 species of birds from countries like China and Mongolia migrate to the lake during winter every year.

The bird festival was organised at Ranganathittu in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district and Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district in the past

Boats anchor off harbours for breeding-season break

Hundreds of mechanised boats anchored off the fishing harbour following the annual ban on fishing to facilitate breeding.

Boats were stationed across all fishing harbours along the state’s coast, including Mangaluru.

The ban will be in place between June 1 and July 31. The ban which was for 45 days earlier has been in place for 61 days since last year.

This gives the fishermen community a break from their routine and an opportunity to visit their native places.



Fish usually are on the shores in June to lay eggs. It is also the season when the fish get abundant food in the sea. The advantage for the fishermen is that they will have a sizeable catch when they get back to the sea after the two-month ban.

Only traditional boats involve in fishing and those with a motor capacity of up to 10 horsepower (HP) are allowed into the sea for travelling purposes during the period.

Action is taken as per the provisions of the Karnataka Coastal Fishing (Regulation) Act if the fishermen are found to be involved in fishing during the said period.

They will also become ineligible to get cess-free diesel for their boats and for availing the refund of the central excise tax levied on the diesel

Figures available with the department of fisheries show that there has been an year-on-year increase in the availability of fish in the sea. But fishermen do not agree with the figures. They say that there has been a shortage of fish.

As per the figures with the department, 3.89 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of fish were produced during 2014-15.

The production was 4.11 MT in 2015-16, worth Rs 3,424 crore.

Plan to replace Keonics with Infy as industry partner of IIIT, Dharwad

The state government wants to replace state-run PSU Keonics with Infosys as its industry partner, at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Dharwad, set up under public private partnership last year.

The government has sent a proposal to the centre, seeking approval to induct Infosys as the industry partner.

Sudha Murty Neralu, who is the chairperson of IIIT’s board of governors, has proposed to make Infosys the industry partner of the institute, requesting that the buildings on the campus be named after Infosys

The institute became operational from a temporary campus in Dharwad last year after the signing of a tripartite memorandum of understanding by the central government, state government and Keonics (Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd).

The institute was set up under a UPA tenure plan to open 20 IIITs in the country in partnership with the industry.

The share in the cost of running the institutes is in the ratio of 50:35:15 among the central government, state government and the industry partner.

The centre has so far approved setting up of 19 IIITs in partnership with the industry, with most of them being public sector units (PSUs). As many as 12 of these IIITs are already functioning.

None of these institutes has its buildings named after the industry partners



NATIONAL NEWS

All about National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016

The Minister of Civil Aviation Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju released the National Civil Aviation

Policy 2016. This is the first time since independence that an integrated Civil Aviation Policy has

been brought out by the Ministry.

The centre-piece of the policy is to make regional air connectivity a reality.

The policy aims to

Take flying to the masses by making it affordable and convenient,

Establish an integrated eco-system which will lead to significant growth of the civil

aviation sector to promote tourism, employment and balanced regional growth,

Enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure

development and

Enhance ease of doing business through deregulation, simplified procedures and e-

governance.

The policy is very comprehensive, covering 22 areas of the Civil Aviation sector.

Its salient features are as follows :

1. Regional Connectivity Scheme

This scheme will come into effect in the second quarter of 2016-17.

An airline signing up for the scheme will connect small towns in flights of about 1hour

with ticket charges capped at Rs 2,500. Only airlines under the scheme will need to cap

fares at Rs 2,500. It doesn't mean all airlines operating one hour flights levy fares as low as

Rs 2,500.

This will be implemented by way of:

1. Revival of airstrips/airports as No-Frills Airports at an indicative cost of Rs.50 crore to

Rs100 crore. Demand driven selection of Airports/airstrips for revival in consultation with

State Govts and airlines

2. As the fares are low and wouldn't cover costs Viability Gap Funding(VGF) will be provided

to airline operators

Creation of Regional Connectivity fund for VGF through a small levy per

departure flights of scheduled carriers operating in trunk routes such as Delhi-

Mumbai.

VGF to be shared between MoCA and State Governments in the ratio of 80:20. For

the North Eastern States, the ratio is 90:10



3. RCS only in those states which reduce VAT on

ATF to 1% or less, provide other support

services and 20% of VGF

Concessions to airlines signing up for the

scheme will include

1. There will be no airport charges

2. Reduced Service tax on tickets (on 10% of the

taxable value) for 1 year initially

3. Reduced Excise duty at 2% on ATF picked at

RCS airports

4. State government will provide police and fire

services free of cost. Power, water and other

utilities at concessional rates

2.Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG)

Category I to be rationalized based on a transparent criteria, i.e., flying distance of more

than 700km, average seat factor of 70% and above and annual traffic of 5 lakh passengers

The percentage of Cat.I traffic to be deployed on Cat.II, and IIA will remain the same while

for CATIII it will be 35%.

Routes to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh included in Category II

Revised categorization to apply from winter schedule of 2017

There view of routes will be done by MoCA once every 5 years

Withdrawal or revision of domestic operations to and within North East Region etc, subject

to full compliance of RDG, can be done under prior intimation to MoCA at least three

months before withdrawal or revision of the service

3. 5/20 Requirement

What is 5/20 rule?

The so called 5/20 rule is prevalent in civil aviation in India only and not other countries. This rule

says that before an airline is allowed to fly abroad, it must be at least 5-year-old and must have at

least 20 aircraft in its fleet. This implies that a domestic airline needs to have a fleet of 20 aircraft

and operational experience of 5 years to start international operations.

Implications of the rule

The rule had pushed down the Indian players. This is because of this policy that the

government allows any foreign carrier to offer services here while younger domestic

carriers are denied permission to fly overseas. Thus, it does not allow to create a

genuinely competitive environment within the country.

Despite having bilateral air services agreements with more than 100 countries, India was

unable to utilize its full potential. So there has been a demand from new players to scrap

this rule.

Analysis

The government's new regional

connectivity scheme will

likely attract air charter companies

and other non-scheduled operators

to launch regional operations.

But its implementation will be

difficult and subsidising operators

may lead to higher ticket prices

between metro cities

The implementation and monitoring

of the viability gap funding will be

difficult

Also the levy on airlines is likely to

be passed on to passengers



What is Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG)?

The core philosophy behind the route dispersal guidelines is that via these, the government

makes the airline operators accept the social obligation to fly to the northeast and other

remote parts of the country. The route dispersal guidelines mandate the airlines to fly unviable

routes connecting cities in the north-eastern region, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar

Islands and Lakshadweep.

Route Categorization

The DGCA had first framed and issued the guidelines in 1994, whereby, all routes were

divided into three categories viz. Category – I, II and III.

Route categorization was based on

Category – I - traditionally surplus generating routes ,ie. routes were largely inter-metro routes

and generated surplus that cross subsidized losses largely on Category – II routes

Category – II - loss making routes,ie. connecting airports in North-Eastern region, Jammu and

Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

Category – III - the remaining routes other than those included in Category – I and Category – II.

It was obligatory on the part of scheduled airlines to deploy on Category – II, IIA and III routes, a

specified percentage of capacity deployed in Category – I routes

On Category – II routes, at least 10% of the capacity deployed on routes in Category – I.

On Category – IIA routes, at least 10% of the capacity deployed on routes in Category – II.

On Category – III routes, at least 50% of the capacity deployed on routes in Category – I.

However, the incumbent airlines had supported this rule to avoid competition from new

players.

What does the new policy say?

Replaced with a scheme which provides a level playing field

All airlines can now commence international operations provided that they deploy 20

aircraft or 20% of total capacity (in term of average number of seats on all departures put

together), whichever is higher for domestic operations

Impact

The biggest beneficiaries of the rule change will be New airlines, such as Vistara and

AirAsia

4. Bilateral Traffic Rights

SAARC countries and countries located beyond 5000 km from Delhi - GoI will enter

into 'Open Sky' Air Service Agreements on a reciprocal basis.

where the Indian carriers have not utilised 80% of their capacity entitlements but foreign

carriers /countries have utilised their bilateral rights, a method will be recommended by a

Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary for the allotment of additional capacity

entitlements

Whenever designated carriers of India have utilised 80% their capacity entitlements, the

same will be renegotiated in the usual manner.



Impact

This means that airlines from European or Saarc countries will have unlimited access, in

terms of number of flights and seats, to Indian airports, leading to increased flight

frequencies with these countries. While India has full open-sky with U.S., it has a near

open-sky agreement with the U.K. with a restriction on the frequency of flights to and from

Mumbai and Delhi.

5. Ground Handling Policy

The Ground Handling Policy/ Instructions/Regulations will be replaced by a new framework:

The airport operator will ensure that there will be three Ground Handling Agencies

(GHA) including Air India's subsidiary/JV at all major airports as defined in AERA Act

At non-major airports, the airport operator to decide on the number of ground handling

agencies, based on the traffic output, airside and terminal building capacity

All domestic scheduled airline operators including helicopter operators will be free to

carry out self-handling at all airports through their regular employees

Hiring of employees through manpower supplier or contract workers will not be permitted

for security reasons

6. Airport PPP/AAI

Encourage development of airports by AAI, State Governments, the private sector or in

PPP mode

Future tariffs at all airports will be calculated on a 'hybrid till' basis, unless specified

otherwise in concession agreements.30% of non-aeronautical revenue will be used to

cross- subsidise aeronautical charges

Increase non-aeronautical revenue by better utilisation of commercial opportunities of

city side land

AAI to be compensated in case a new greenfield airport is approved in future within a 150

km radius of an existing unsaturated operational AAI airport (not applicable to civil

enclaves)

7. Aviation Security, Immigration and customs

MoCA will develop 'service delivery modules' for aviation security, Immigration, Customs,

quarantine officers etc in consultations with respective Ministries/Departments

Allow Indian carriers to provide security services to other domestic airlines subject to

approval of BCAS

Encourage use of private security agencies at airports for non- core security functions to be

decided in consultation with MHA

Such agencies should be registered under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act,

2005 and will also be separately accredited by BCAS

Subject to minimum benchmarks being met, security architecture at the different airports

will be proportionate to the threat classification and traffic volume.



8. Helicopters and Charters Separate regulations for helicopters will be notified by DGCA after due stakeholder

consultation Helicopters will be free to fly from point to point without prior ATC clearance in airspace

below 5000 feet and areas other than controlled or prohibited or restricted airspace. Airport charges for helicopter operations will be suitably rationalized

The existing policy of allowing Inclusive tour package charters will be further reviewed to include more categories of passenger charter flights recognised globally.

9. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul The MRO business of Indian carriers is around Rs 5000 crore, 90% of which is currently

spent outside India. In the budget for 2016-17, customs duty has been rationalised and the procedure for

clearance of goods simplified. Further incentives proposed in the policy to give a push to this sector:

MoCA will persuade State Governments to make VAT zero- rated on MRO activities Provision for adequate land for MRO service providers will be made in all future

airport/heliport projects where potential for such MRO services exists Airport royalty and additional charges will not be levied on MRO service

providers for a period of five years from the date of approval of the policy 10. Aviation Education and Skill Building

Estimated direct additional employment requirement of the Civil Aviation Sector by 2025 is about 3.3 lakh .

All training in non licensed category will conform to National Skill Qualification Framework standards.

MoCA will provide full support to the Aviation Sector Skill Council and other similar organisations/agencies for imparting skills for the growing aviation industry .

There are nearly 8000 pilots holding CPL but who have not found any regular employment. MoCA will develop a scheme with budgetary support for Type- rating of Pilots.



The Indian Leather Development Programme ILDP, introduced in January 2014, was aimed at : Augmenting raw material base

through modernisation and technology upgradation of leather units,

Addressing environmental concerns,

Human resource development, Supporting traditional leather

artisans, Addressing infrastructure

constraints and establishing institutional facilities.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is the nodal agency for the Indian Leather Development Programme (ILDP). ILDP is a Union cabinet-approved scheme, any changes to it would need a Cabinet nod. Current ILDP scheme would be in place till March-end 2017 and any changes to ILDP or a new package is likely to be implemented only in the next fiscal.

Special package for leather sector to boost jobs

The Centre is planning a special package, incorporating labour reforms, subsidies and duty incentives, for the leather sector to boost investment, jobs and exports. The sector

India accounts for about 10 per cent of the world’s leather production, and is the world’s second largest producer of leather garments and footwear.

About 2.5 million people are employed in the $12 billion leather industry. The sector, like textiles, predominantly employs women.

To increase productivity, the leather sector package may include labour reforms similar to those introduced in the textiles package.

Foreign investors in India include Feng Tay Shoes and Apache Group (both from Taiwan) and Itares (Italy).

Despite advantages of low cost of labour and production, India faces major competition in overseas markets from countries such as China.

The package may include

Higher incentives under the Duty Free Import Scheme (DFIS). Under DFIS, a manufacturer-exporter or a merchant exporter having a tie-up with a supporting manufacturer is currently allowed duty-free import of inputs up to three per cent of the value of exports realised in the previous year. In the new package, this may be raised to five per cent.

Currently, ILDP provides up to 30 per cent subsidy on the cost of plant and machinery for micro and small enterprises and 20 per cent subsidy to other units. The subsidy has a ceiling of Rs.2 crore for each product line. In the new package, this ceiling could either be done away with or enhanced.

The package may include higher subsidy for setting up of mega leather clusters to create world-class infrastructure, and for upgradation or installation of Common Effluent Treatment Plants.



Private firms can now bid for mine permits

The Cabinet approved the National Mineral Exploration Policy setting the stage for auctioning exploration permits to private sector players on a revenue-sharing basis starting with 100 identified mineral blocks over the next six months.

Progress on exploration has been quite poor with just 10 per cent of a potential 8 lakh square kilometres being explored so far

Prior to the MMDR 2015 law, a reconnaissance permit could be converted into a prospecting licence and mining lease.

Though private players, including foreign investors, were allowed to explore blocks for determining mineral reserves, a new regime became imperative after the passage of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act which was enacted in 2015.

The new mining law requires all blocks with identified mineral reserves to be auctioned instead of allotted administratively. Hence, there was no guarantee that those who explored for the minerals would be able to exploit the blocks which were found viable for mining.

In the first phase, about 100 blocks identified by the Geological Survey of India would be put out for bidding in the next six months for exploration.

The rights would be awarded to the bidder seeking the minimum revenue-share if their exploration results in the discovery of auctionable reserves.

The Cabinet also cleared an additional outlay of Rs.2,116 crore for the ministry to implement the other aspects of the exploration policy which includes the creation of baseline geoscientific data for open dissemination and a national aero-geophysical programme to map the entire country to find deep-seated mineral deposits.

NMEP has the following main features for facilitating exploration in the country:-

i. The Ministry of Mines will carry out auctioning of identified exploration blocks for exploration by private sector on revenue sharing basis in case their exploration leads to auctionable resources. The revenue will be borne by the successful bidder of those auctionable blocks. ii. If the explorer agencies do not discover any auctionable resources, their exploration expenditure will be reimbursed on normative cost basis. iii. Creation of baseline geoscientific data as a public good for open dissemination free of charge. iv. Government will carry out a National Aerogeophysical Program for acquiring state-of-the-art baseline data for targeting concealed mineral deposits. v. A National Geoscientific Data Repository is proposed to be set up to collate all baseline and mineral exploration information generated by various central & state government agencies and also mineral concession holders and to maintain these on geospatial database. vi. Government proposes to establish a not-for-profit autonomous institution that will be known as the National Centre for Mineral Targeting (NCMT) in collaboration with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for scientific and technological research to address the mineral exploration challenges in the country. vii. Provisions for inviting private investment in exploration through attractive revenue sharing models.



viii. On the lines of UNCOVER project of Australia, the government intends to launch a special initiative to probe deep-seated/ concealed minerals deposits in the country in collaboration with National Geophysical Research Institute and the proposed NCMT and Geoscience Australia. The major impact of NMEP are:- 1) The pre-competitive baseline geoscientific data will be created as a public good and will be fully available for open dissemination free of charge. This is expected to benefit public and private exploration agencies. 2) The collaboration with scientific and research bodies, universities and industry for the scientific and technological development necessary for exploration in public- private partnership. 3) Government will launch a special initiative to probe deep-seated/concealed mineral deposits in the country. Characterizing India's geological cover, investigating India's lithospheric architecture, resolving 4D geodynamic and metallogenic evolution, and detecting and characterizing the distal footprints of ore deposits, would be the main components of this initiative. 4) A National Aerogeophysical Mapping program will be launched to map the entire country with low altitude and close space flight to delineate the deep-seated and concealed mineral deposits. 5) Government will engage private agencies for carrying out exploration in identified blocks / areas with the right to certain share in the revenue accruing to the State government through auction. 6) Public expenditure on regional and detailed exploration will be prioritized and subject to periodical review based on assessment of criticality and strategic interests.

New Planning Strategy under NITI Aayog

The Centre will soon discuss with state chief ministers its strategy to shift from the five-year plan approach to a new system that would consist of an overarching 15-year vision document supplemented by a seven-year strategy and three-year action plans.

Niti Aayog's Governing Council that includes leaders of all states and union territories and chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is likely to meet next month

The practice of five-year plans, being followed for over six decades, will end after the ongoing XIIth Plan that concludes in 2016-17. The 15-year vision document to be prepared by the Aayog will also cover internal security and defence that have traditionally not been part of the planning process.

The vision document will be supplemented by a seven-year strategy and three-year action plans

Background: The Ministry of Mines has, in the recent past, taken a series of measures for the growth of the mineral sector, including allowing 100% FDI. However, these initiatives have fetched only limited success. Further, over the years the dynamics of the mineral sector have undergone sea change thereby creating new demands and imperatives. There is a compelling need to provide an impetus to exploration activity in the country. This has prompted the Government to carry out a comprehensive review of its exploration policy and strategy. The amendments brought in to the MMDR Act in 2015 is a step in this direction. The most important feature of this amendment is that mining leases (ML) and prospecting license-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) will be granted only through an auction process. This is expected to bring in transparency, expeditiousness and simplification in procedures in grant of mineral concessions. Against this background, the NMEP has been framed so as to provide a new set of objectives, sense of purpose and direction to exploration within the amended legal framework.



Besides the new planning process, the Council is also expected to discuss the model law on land leasing developed by the Aayog as an alternative to the more contentious reforms in the land acquisition law that the Centre has now put on the backburner. The target enunciated by the Centre to double agricultural incomes in five years is also likely to come up for discussion.

The Prime Minister had in February this year urged all state governments to give priority to boosting the agriculture sector with a target of doubling the income of farmers by 2022. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Budget also made a commitment to doubling farm incomes over the next five years.

The Aayog’s vice chairman Arvind Panagariya is expected to table an appraisal of the XIIth Five Year Plan at the meeting and is also like to apprise the council of the activities under taken over the past year by the Aayog that was set up in December 2014 after abolishing the erstwhile Planning Commission.

The Council is also likely to review the action taken on the three reports submitted by groups of chief ministers – on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Skill Development and rationalization of centrally-sponsored schemes.

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant is expected to make presentations on the new programmes unveiled over the past few months such as the Atal Innovation Mission and Start up India.

Cabinet clears 23.5% hike in pay for Central govt. staff

The government announced an overall increase of 23.5 per cent for over one crore government employees and pensioners in line with the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations

The hikes will come with the August paychecks and be paid with effect from January 1, 2016. The arrears for the six months will be disbursed during the current financial year (2016-17) itself.

In November 2015, within the overall hike of 23.55-per cent, the pay panel had recommended increases of 16% in pay and 24 per cent in pensions. The starting salary for new recruits at the lowest level has been raised to Rs. 18,000 from Rs. 7,000 per month. Freshly recruited Class I officers will receive Rs. 56,100.

This reflects a compression ratio of 1:3.12 signifying that the pay of a Class I officer on direct recruitment will be three times the pay of an entrant at the lowest level.

The approved maximum pay, drawn by the Cabinet Secretary, is Rs. 2.5 lakh per month (against the current Rs. 90,000), higher than the salaries drawn by MPs.

The fifth and sixth pay commissions had narrowed the gap between salaries paid in the private and government sector. The seventh has moved further in the same direction.

An IIM Ahmedabad study has found that pay in the government sector is distinctly greater than that in the private sector so there can’t be protests from employees

To examine the concerns employees have raised, the Union Cabinet decided to set up four committees which will:

1. Look into the implementation issues anticipated



2. Go into the likely anomalies. 3. Examine the recommendations on allowances, which have largely been kept on

hold. 4. Suggest measures for streamlining the National Pension System.

In a rationalisation exercise, the Commission suggested abolishing 51 and subsuming of 37 of the existing 196 allowances.

Ministries can approve up to Rs. 500 cr. of non-Plan spending

Earlier, Plan projects needed the approval of the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry, which created two bottlenecks. Then, with NITI Aayog, this was removed. The new changes have now extended this independence to non-plan projects as well.

The spending autonomy of Ministries has gone up The threshold of non-Plan project expenditure that can be approved by

them raised from Rs. 150 crore to Rs. 500 crore The Finance Ministry’s nod will be needed for expenditure between Rs. 500

crore and Rs. 1,000 crore, Beyond which Cabinet approval would be required.

According to the revised guidelines, the Committee on Non-Plan Expenditure, an appraisal forum for all non-Plan proposals of the Centre, will now appraise proposals involving expenditure of Rs. 300 crore and above, the earlier limit being Rs. 75 crore. The appraisal of non-Plan projects of less than Rs. 300 crore can now be done by the relevant Ministry.

The independence given to the ministries in this regard means that projects that have been budgeted or committed to will not need to be delayed by a long formal approval process. This is expected to expedite the appraisal and approval process in the Central government Ministries/ departments.

Revised estimates The government has also altered the rules with regard to the approval of

revised cost estimated of projects. Increase in cost up to 20 per cent of the firmed up cost estimates can now

be appraised by the financial adviser It needs to be approved by the Secretary of the administrative department, if the

absolute cost escalation is up to Rs.75 crore, and by the administrative Minister-in-charge if absolute cost escalation is above this

Median marriage age up: Census data

New Census data released by the government shows that the median age at the time of marriage has increased across categories of people and genders, a trend that experts say will continue due to the socio-economic changes taking place in the country.

The data, released by the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner, show that the median age for men increased to 23.5 at the time of the 2011 Census, from 22.6 as per the 2001 figures. These numbers were 19.2 years and 18.2 years for women in the respective years.



The reason for the upswing is the increasingly mobile and migratory nature of work in the country

These workers are not in the traditional social set-up as they were. For example, look at Madhubani district in Bihar, which is only about six per cent urban. About 75 per cent of the households had a migrant worker. Even in the most backward areas, families are not fully rural.

This migrant population has different priorities which have an effect on the ages the people get married at.

The absolute stability of a completely rural lifestyle has given way. However, migration is only part of the explanation since the increase in the age at the

time of marriage was seen among marginal workers and non-workers as well. The median age for marginal workers increased from 21.8 to 22.5 for men and from 17.6 to 18.7 for women. For non-workers, the age at the time of marriage increased from 22.8 to 23.5 for men and from 18.5 to 19.4 for women.

The other reason for the change could be higher levels of school enrolment. School enrolment is about 90 per cent everywhere, across most castes. It is 80 per cent-plus for Dalits. People are sending their children to school, which also has an effect on the age of marriage

CSIR lab to certify coal used in power plants

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) has signed an annual Rs. 250-crore deal with several state-run coal and thermal power companies to certify the quality of the coal being supplied and used in their facilities.

The certification will help power plants use coal appropriate to the machinery and technology available in the plant and contribute to efficient use and, in the long run, reduce emissions

The grading is expected to be finer and more reliable than that done by other organisations

CSIR

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Parched Panchayati Raj Ministry on verge of closure

After facing a massive budget cut last year, the future of the Panchayati Raj Ministry continues to look bleak.

After the government shuttered two of its key programmes — the Backward Regions Grants Fund (BRGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA) — it would soon be closed down and turned into a department under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Last year’s budget cut, from Rs. 7,000 crores to Rs. 96 crores, left such an impact on the Ministry that it lost confidence in empowering panchayats nationwide.

After the budget sequestration some elements of RGPSA were retained after being renamed Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). This year, Finance Minister allotted Rs. 655 crores to RGSA.

New weapon against cyber threat

Maharashtra has taken the first steps towards creating its version of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to ward off external cyber threats.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, heading a high-power committee on cyber security, appointed a consortium of M/s C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) and Railtel Corporation of India to set up a CERT.

C-DAC is likely to use the same technical assistance as that of GARUDA, India’s national grid computing initiative, and GIST (Graphics and Intelligence Based Script Technology).

Railtel meanwhile, has expertise in working out a complex multimedia network based on broadband. It has already put in place a network using modern transmission systems and high-end routers created for the Railways’s seamless right-of-way along 63,000 km tracks across 7,000 stations.

The state CERT will also work in coordination with the RBI to counter phishing websites. While banks will have authentication mechanisms in place, the CERT will work to mitigate further risks.

Appointment letters to be made mandatory soon

The Centre will soon make it mandatory for companies with more than ten workers to give appointment letters to employees at the time of joining — a move that would benefit millions of workers in the informal sector.

A proposal to make appointment letters mandatory is part of the draft labour code on working conditions finalised by the Union Labour and Employment Ministry.

Companies in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, mining and a few other sectors will have to issue a letter of appointment within days of hiring, even if this involves contractual or migrant short-term workers.

Only a handful of labour laws such as the Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976 specifically mention about the need to issue an appointment letter.



Significance

An absence of legislation on the issue makes it difficult for workers, including those who are employed informally or via contractors in the organised sector, to establish proof of employment and gives companies room to violate labour laws and not ensure any social security benefits for such employees.

Appointment letters become a starting point for industrial disputes in many cases Appointment letter is the only authoritative proof that a person is employed and all

the statutory benefits including Employees’ State Insurance, provident fund are passed on to her or him

At the time of claiming certain benefits such as gratuity from the employers, workers are not able to prove whether or not they are eligible for the claim. As per the law, workers are entitled to get gratuity benefits at the time of termination of employment or retirement, only after completing five years of service at the firm.

In many cases employers and employees get into an informal arrangement for their mutual benefit. Workers often do not want the statutory benefits to be deducted from their salary in order to enhance their take-home pay. To avoid getting into the trap of administrative hassles of filing compliance, employers also avoid handing out a formal letter to workers

U.S. howitzer to add to Army’s firepower

The Army’s efforts to induct new artillery guns made last mile progress with the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) giving advanced approvals for the procurement of M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzer (ULH) from the U.S. and Dhanush developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

In the M-777 deal for 145 ULH worth around $750 million, the DAC approved the case under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from the U.S.

The DAC directed independent progressing of the offsets. Under this, BAE systems, which manufactures the guns, will set up an Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) facility in India for which it has already selected Mahindra group. Of the 145 guns, 25 will be imported while the remaining 120 will be assembled in India.

However the number is expected to go up further given the Army’s need for guns to quip the mountain strike corps on the Eastern front.

In another case, the Council reviewed the ongoing development of the indigenous Dhanush howitzer by the OFB based on the original Bofors guns imported from Sweden. Under this three guns will be delivered for user exploitation trails by June 30 and another three guns by September end.

The Army’s ongoing projects for procurement of air defence systems, Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) and Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORAD), were also reviewed.

For the Navy, approval was made for issuing the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) for six next generation



missile vessels to replace the current Prabal class ships at an estimated cost of Rs.13,600 crore.

For the Air Force, while there was decision on the much anticipated S-400 Triumph air defence systems from Russia, two other projects — procurement of indigenously developed simulators for Jaguar Aircraft at a cost of Rs. 500 crore and setting up of an electronic warfare range by the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at a cost of Rs. 1,330 crore were approved.

Centre notifies amended RBI Act to usher in MPC

The Centre brought the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) one step closer to reality by notifying the changes made to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act.

The rules governing the procedure for selection of members of Monetary Policy Committee and terms and conditions of their appointment and factors constituting failure to meet inflation target under the MPC framework have also been notified on

MPC Tasked with bringing “value and transparency to monetary policy decisions” Composition-

The six-member Committee will comprise three members from RBI, including the Governor, who will be the ex-officio chairperson, a Deputy Governor and one officer of the central bank.

The other three members will be appointed by the Centre on the recommendations of a search-cum-selection committee to be headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

These three members of MPC will be experts in the field of economics or banking or finance or monetary policy and will be appointed for a period of four years and shall not be eligible for re-appointment

The Committee is to meet four times a year and make public its decisions following each meeting.



Tax to be levied at source only if payment in cash is above Rs.2 lakh

CBDT has issued a new circular on Tax Collected at Source (TCS) clarifying that the levy will not be applicable when cash part of the payment for certain goods or services is less than Rs.2 lakh, even when the total payment is more than this amount.

NITI Aayog strategy to monitor health

The NITI Aayog is working on a strategy to put in place a tracking system for monitoring health parameters of target beneficiaries under the National Nutrition Mission on a real-time basis.

The tracking system is likely to be Aadhaar-linked There are multiple programmes under various ministries aimed at addressing the

multitude of the related issues of gender discrimination, infections, diseases, food fortification, education opportunities, sanitation etc, all of which affect stunting and under-nutrition in children below the age of five, including the unborn

Centre was working out policy measures and a strategy to converge the various schemes that impacted malnutrition.

Now the govt wants to monitor the healthcare parameters of target beneficiaries on a real-time basis using Aadhaar at the district, block and, if possible, at the village level. The outcomes at the grass root levels that should be monitored in the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare would also be finalised.

The challenge was and the target should be to identify individual households or individuals for the purpose of monitoring the outcomes. At present, nutrition data was available on a sample basis rather than by censuses.

Prices of 42 essential drugs slashed by 15%

Prices of 42 essential medicines used in treatment of various ailments including tuberculosis, cancer, cardiac diseases, asthma, epilepsy and depression have been capped by the government, reducing their cost by up to 15 per cent.

Drug price regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed/revised ceiling prices of 45 scheduled formulations of Schedule-I under Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order, 2016.

Out of the 45, the prices of 42 medicines have been reduced by up to 15 per cent Manufacturers not complying with the ceiling price would be liable to deposit the

overcharged amount along with interest thereon under the provisions of the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013.

The authority has also fixed the retail price of 12 formulations under DPCO, 2013. The NPPA has also fixed/revised ceiling prices of 32 scheduled formulations packs of

IV Fluids



50,000 yoga professionals to be certified in 3 years

Standards in services sectors will soon be made a critical component at the levels of the Union and the State governments with particular focus initially on yoga and healthcare

The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and the QCI (quality control of India) had in June 2015 announced a scheme for voluntary certification of yoga professionals.

It is a part of capacity-building in yoga Was aiming to “certify around 50,000 yoga professionals within the next three years

for Level 1 and Level 2. So far, a little over 10,000 yoga professionals have registered for it, out of which 300 have been granted the certification.

National AYUSH mission:

National AYUSH mission was launched in September 2014 by the government of India. Aim: It is aimed at addressing the gaps in health services by supporting AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) care and education, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas.

Under the mission, special focus will be given to specific needs of vulnerable areas and allocation of higher resources in their annual plans.

The Mission will help in the improvement of AYUSH education through enhancement in the number of upgraded educational institutions.

It will provide better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, availability of drugs and manpower.

It provides sustained availability of quality raw material for AYUSH systems of medicine.

It improves availability of quality Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs through increase in the number of pharmacies, drug laboratories and improved enforcement mechanism.

Evolution of the Ministry:

Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) was created in March 1995 and re-named as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani , Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003 with a view to providing focused attention to development of Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani , Siddha and Homoeopathy systems. The Department has been elevated to an independent Ministry in September 2014.



Rubber sector headed for new crisis

The rubber economy is headed for a new crisis, with the Centre slashing the import tariff for a slew of rubber products.

In a notification issued on June 21, the Central Board of Excise and Customs had provided deeper tariff concessions for goods imported under the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (IMCECA).

The move would lead to a spree of imports, flooding the market with cheap goods from Malaysia.

According to the notification, The import tariff for new and retreaded tyres for cars, buses, and lorries will be

brought down to five per cent from June 30 zero tariff items - aircraft tyres and agricultural and construction machinery,

sheath contraceptives, surgical gloves, floor coverings, erasers, hard rubber products, synthetic rubber of various types, waste and scrap rubber, camel back strips for retreading rubber, tubes, pipes and hoses, and conveyor belts.

Industry observers said the tariff reduction would have serious repercussions for a State like Kerala.

A social media push for weather information

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is planning to take to social media in a big way to reach out to a larger audience.

Currently the weather forecasts by government agencies reach hardly 20-25 per cent of the population

The Ministry has asked institutes under its ambit to use social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to reach out to people.

Several institutes like the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services that issues tsunami alerts, the Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology under the MoES work on issues directly related to people.

Putting their work on social media will also enable them to take their research to the masses.

Farmers can register mobile phone numbers to receive alerts. The state governments have been asked to take this forward and make it a massive

movement. Maharashtra government has helped register over 60 lakh farmers Last month, the IMD started three Twitter accounts to disseminate information on

weather, air quality and earthquakes.

India among top 3 regions in corruption-linked fraud

The Global Fraud Report 2015-16 - by risk mitigation consultancy Kroll, with the aid of the Economist Intelligence Unit

Found that the perceived prevalence of fraud in India is the third-highest among all countries and regions surveyed across six continents. Only Colombia (83 per cent) and Sub-Saharan Africa (84 per cent) surpass India.



An overwhelming 80 per cent of companies polled in India said they had been victims of fraud in 2015-16, up from 69 per cent in 2013-14, according to the survey report.

The incidence of fraud was on the rise globally A combination of a lack of preventive measures at Indian companies and a poor legal

system had resulted in 92 per cent of the respondents saying they had witnessed an increase in exposure to fraud. A quarter of the respondents said they registered losses due to this.

On average, the worldwide survey found that only 11 per cent of the companies reported corruption and bribery as a source of revenue loss.

The India-centric data in the report shows that the highest incidence of fraud as reported by Indian companies is due to what the report terms ‘corruption and bribery’.

The second-highest fraud-related source of loss of revenue in India is vendor, supplier or procurement fraud, which affected 23 per cent of the companies, which is also higher than the global average of 17 per cent.

Interestingly, the 2013-14 survey found that the highest source of fraud-related revenue loss for Indian companies came from theft of physical assets or stock (33 per cent) and both information theft, loss or attack and corruption and bribery were on a par (24 per cent).

The latest report also finds that the biggest factors exposing Indian companies to fraud have changed over the last few years. Where the previous report pegged IT complexity as the biggest contributor to fraud, the 2015-16 report says the new drivers of fraud are high employee turnover and cost restraints over pay.

Nod for Rs.10,000 cr start-up fund

The Cabinet approved the setting up of a Rs.10,000 crore fund to support start-ups in becoming full fledged business entities.

The fund is expected to generate employment for 18 lakh persons. The approval will pave the way for setting up “Fund of Funds for Startups” at the

Small Industries Development Bank of India for contributions to various Alternative Investment Funds registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India

This is in line with the Start-up India Action Plan of the government unveiled this year .

The Rs.10,000 crore-corpus will be built up over the 14th and 15th Finance Commission cycles subject to progress of the scheme and availability of funds. Already Rs.500 crore has been provided.



All you need to know about Startup India Initiative Startup India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Startups in the country that will drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.

The Government through this initiative aims to empower Startups to grow through innovation and design.

In order to meet the objectives of the initiative, Government of India is announcing this Action Plan that addresses all aspects of the Startup ecosystem

With this Action Plan the Government hopes to accelerate spreading of the Startup movement:

1. From digital/ technology sector to a wide array of sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, social sector, healthcare, education, etc.

2. From existing tier 1 cities to tier 2 and tier 3 citites including semi-urban and rural areas.

Definition of Startup

Startup means an entity, incorporated or registered in India not prior to five years, with annual turnover not exceeding INR 25 crore in any preceding financial year, working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercialization of new products, processes or services driven by technology or intellectual property

The Action Plan:

1. Compliance Regime based on Self-Certification 2. Startup India Hub 3. Rolling-out of Mobile App and Portal 4. Legal Support and Fast-tracking Patent Examination at Lower Costs 5. Scheme for Startup Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) 6. To provide an equal platform to Startups (in the manufacturing sector) 7. Faster Exit for Startups 8. Providing Funding Support through a Fund of Funds with a Corpus of INR 10,000 crore 9. Credit Guarantee Fund for Startups 10. Tax Exemption on Capital Gains 11. Tax Exemption to Startups for 3 years 12. Tax Exemption on Investments above Fair Market Value

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Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)

To serve as a platform for promotion of world-class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges, Startup businesses and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology driven areas The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) shall have two core functions:

1. Entrepreneurship promotion through Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU), wherein innovators would be supported and mentored to become successful entrepreneurs

2. Innovation promotion: to provide a platform where innovative ideas are generated

13. Organizing Startup Fests for Showcasing Innovation and Providing a Collaboration Platform

14. Launch of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) with Self-Employment and Talent Utilization (SETU) Program

15. Harnessing Private Sector Expertise for Incubator Setup

16. Building Innovation Centres at National Institutes

17. Setting up of 7 New Research Parks Modeled on the Research Park Setup at IIT Madras

18. Promoting Startups in the Biotechnology Sector

19. Launching of Innovation Focused Programs for Students

20. Annual Incubator Grand Challenge

Cabinet approves mega spectrum auction

Paving the way for the largest-ever spectrum auction in the country, the Union Cabinet chaired approved the sale of all available spectrum — a move that could potentially fetch the exchequer about Rs.5.5 lakh crore going by the reserve price.

The auction in which about 2000 MHz of airwaves will be put up for sale is likely to be conducted in September. The government had earned revenues of Rs 1.1 lakh crore from the auctions held last year.

700 MHz - This is the first time that the 700 MHz band that is preferred for offering high-speed broadband services will be put on offer at a reserve price of Rs11,485 crore per MHz pan-India. However, the operators had asked the sale to be held back till the device ecosystem was put in place. The cost of delivering mobile services in the 700 MHz band is also approximately 70 per cent cheaper than in the 2100 MHz band (used for 3G services).

For 2016-17, the Centre has estimated revenues from communication services at Rs 98,995 crore, of which Rs 55,000 crore is expected from the auction of spectrum.

For the 1,800 MHz spectrum — widely used for offering voice services — a reserve price of Rs. 2,873 crore has been fixed. For spectrum in the 900 MHz, 800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2300 MHz bands, reserve prices of Rs.3,341 crore, Rs.5,819 crore, Rs. 3,746 crore and Rs. 817 crore,

Spectrum usage charges- The Cabinet has, however, decided to refer back the issue of spectrum usage charges (SUC) to the telecom regular TRAI for its recommendations. The Telecom Commission (TC) recently cleared a weighted average formula for the SUC, an annual fee payable by telecom operators for using airwaves. For the upcoming auctions, SUC was recommended at 3 per cent of operator’s annual revenue.



respectively, have been stipulated. The regulator has recommended that the reserve price for 2500 MHz spectrum,

which is also on the offer for the first time, be equal to that of 2300 MHz spectrum.

Textiles get tax sops in output impetus

The Centre announced a Rs.6,000-crore special package, with tax and production incentives, for the textile and apparel sector to enable domestic firms to compete globally.

The package

Includes several tax and production incentives Aims to help in creating one crore jobs, mostly for women, in the next three years These initiatives are expected to lead to an increase in exports by $30 billion and

help attract investments worth Rs.74,000 crore in three years. Of the Rs.6,000 crore package, Rs.5,500 crore is for an additional five per cent duty

drawback for garments. In a first-of-its-kind move, a new scheme will be introduced to refund the state levies which were not refunded so far. Drawback at ‘all industries rate’ would be given for domestic duty paid inputs even when fabrics are imported under ‘Advance Authorization Scheme'

The remaining Rs.500 crore will be for additional incentives under Amended Technology Upgradation Funds Scheme (ATUFS), where the subsidy provided to garmenting units under the scheme is being increased from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, providing a boost to employment generation.

The package breaks new ground in moving from input-based to outcome-based incentives; a unique feature of the scheme will be to disburse subsidy only after expected jobs have been created

The government has also suggested bringing in flexibility in labour laws to increase productivity.

To ensure increased earnings for workers, the package specifies that overtime hours

The need

China was gradually relinquishing its leadership position in the garment sector due to its rising wages and production shifting to high technology sectors.

This was leading to garment sector firms shifting to countries including Bangladesh and Vietnam.

The package would strengthen the Indian textile and apparel sector by improving its cost competitiveness in the global market.

Compared with Bangladesh and Vietnam India was the leader in apparel exports between 1995 and 2000. Bangladesh’s apparel exports exceeded that of India in 2003, while Vietnam surpassed India in 2011. With policy support, India can again regain its position in the next three years



for workers shall not to exceed eight hours per week — in line with International Labour Organisation norms.

Taking note of the seasonal nature of the garment industry, fixed term employment will be introduced for the sector

A fixed term workman will be considered at par with permanent workman in terms of working hours, wages, allowances and other statutory dues.

Considering the industry’s seasonal nature, the provision of 240 days under Section 80JJAA of Income Tax Act (allowing deduction of 30 per cent of additional wages paid to new regular employees for three years where the worker has worked at least for 240 days in a previous year) would be relaxed to 150 days for the garment industry

Also, the government will bear the entire employer’s contribution of 12 per cent under the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, for new employees of garment industry earning less than Rs. 15,000 per month, for the first three years.

Army comes out against road work on China border

An ambitious road project planned along the McMahon Line in Arunachal Pradesh has hit the Indian Army hurdle.

The Army is opposed to constructing any road close to the disputed border with China. The proposed 1,500-km India-China frontier highway will run parallel along the China border.

The proposed highway will pass through Tawang, East Kameng, Upper Subansiri, West Siang, Upper Siang, Dibang Valley, Desali, Chaglagam, Kibito, Dong, Hawai and Vijaynagar on the Arunachal Pradesh border.

The government has already relaxed environmental clearances for border area projects.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which was initially approached for the project, had declined to work on it citing that it was financially not viable. The project is said to cost anywhere between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 40,000 crore. The Home Ministry is now looking to rope in an international contractor to complete the project.

The DGMO also opposed the demand of opening advance landing grounds for civilian use. The State government has been demanding that all the eight advance landing grounds should be thrown open for civilian aircraft to boost connectivity in the region.



DGCA to get more punitive powers

For better enforcement of air safety standards, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will soon be empowered to penalise airlines and airports for various offences and non-compliance of air regulations.

Under the present rules, the DGCA is authorised to either suspend the operations of airlines or airports or take away their licence, but has no powers to impose fines or penalties.

The Civil Aviation Ministry will soon send a proposal to amend the Aircraft Act, 1937, to the Law Ministry, to empower the DGCA to impose fines for violations under the Act.

The violations include operating aircraft without the specified minimum crew, flying without a valid pilot licence or medical fitness, not maintaining records, fraudulent entry in logbooks and not maintaining airports.

The DGCA may be empowered to fill vacancies on deputation or promote its employees without getting the consent of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

PSLV C34 launched

Expanding its horizons, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 20 satellites through a single rocket, surpassing its 2008 record of launching 10 satellites in a single mission. The launch of the 20 satellites, weighing about 1,288 kg in total, a “major milestone” for the national space agency. Besides the primary Cartosat-2 Series satellite, the PSLV C-34 rocket launched two satellites from Indian universities and 17 foreign satellites, including one for a Google company.

Other satellites that were launched 1. Sathyabamasat, the satellite of

Sathyabama University in Chennai, 2. The Swayam satellite of the

College of Engineering in Pune, 3. LAPAN-A3 (Indonesia), 4. BIROS (Germany), 5. M3msat (Canada), 6. Skysat Gen2-1 (USA) of Terra

Bela (Google company), 7. Ghgsat-D (Canada) 8. 12 Dove Satellites (USA) .

About DGCA:

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is the regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The DGCA is responsible for implementing, controlling, and supervising airworthiness standards, safety operations, crew training in India. This directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents.



Did you know? In 2008, ISRO launched 10 satellites in a

single rocket. On April 28, 2008, its PSLV-C9 rocket launched a Remote Sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A along with Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and eight nano satellites.

In 2014, Russian Dnepr rocket launched a record 37 satellites in a single mission.

ISRO also ignited the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket twice after the separation of satellites in an experiment

After the 48-hour countdown, the PSLV rocket lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 9.25 a.m. and, some 16 minutes later, placed the Cartosat-2 Series satellite about 505 km above the Earth’s orbit.

In the next 10 minutes, the remaining 19 satellites were placed in the orbits. The 725.5-kg Cartosat-2 series satellite would be for Earth observation and its imagery

would be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, and utility management like road networking, ISRO said.

Centre’s draft forest policy moots green cess

The Environment Ministry has proposed a new policy for the management of forests - the National Forest Policy, 2016, prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests’s Indian Institute of Forest Management,

Says governments must switch focus from Forests to landscapes, From canopy cover to healthy ecosystems, From substituting wood to promoting sustainable wood use, From participatory approaches to empowerment, From joint forest management to community forest management From qualitative policy statements to a results-based policy framework.

Called on the government to promote the sustainable use of wood.

Cartosat 2C

The Cartosat-2 series satellite is the primary satellite carried by PSLV-C34. This satellite is similar to the earlier Cartosat-2, 2A and 2B. After its injection into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit by PSLV-C34, the satellite

was brought to operational configuration following which it will begin providing regular remote sensing services using Panchromatic and Multi-spectral cameras.

The imagery of Cartosat-2 series satellite will be useful cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, precision study, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System

(GIS) applications. Launch of PSLV-C34/Cartosat-2 Series Satellite Mission took place on June 22, 2016 at

09:26 hrs (IST) from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

Type of Satellite: Earth Observation



Environment Ministry revokes draft forest policy

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has repudiated a ‘Draft National Forest Policy’ that it uploaded on its website earlier this month calling it an “inadvertent” error.

The ‘Draft National Forest Policy, 2016’, was uploaded on the Ministry’s website on June 16 along with an office memorandum calling for comments.

The Environment Ministry had tasked the Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Forest Management, an affiliated organisation, with reviewing and revising the existing forest policy. This is the first time that the policy was being re-looked since 1988 as it wanted to update the several changes in forest laws and provide a forward-looking policy that talked about increasing India’s forest cover and tackling the effects of climate change.

According to the policy Wood has a significantly lower carbon footprint than many of the substitutes that consume fossil fuels in their production.

Use of wood also has the potential to create new green jobs by giving a boost to indigenous manufacturing using locally grown raw material.

Thus promotion of wood use, obtained from sustainably-managed forests and trees, would play a positive role in mitigating climate change and ensuring sustainable living.

Governments and stakeholders must shift from regulating to promoting cultivation, harvesting, transportation and marketing of wood

This even as the forest policy also emphasises that the government “must double tree cover, outside forests, within a decade.

It proposes a national implementation framework to be in place within six months of the notification, and exhorts States to draft their state forest policies and prepare an implementation framework.

Environmental cess, green tax, carbon tax etc. may be levied on certain products and services for facilitating ecologically responsible behaviour, garnering citizen's contribution and supplementing financial resources

India has set an ambitious target of bringing a third of its geographical area under forest-and-tree cover within a decade, up from the current one-fourth. The policy acknowledges it but recommends that this be done by replenishing these lands with native species rather than “introducing exotic species.”

In a nod to the Union government’s controversial decision to declare certain animals as “vermin” and implicitly sanctioning the slaughter of nilgai, wildpigs and monkeys in certain States, the forest policy recommends mitigating human-wildlife conflicts

By taking up habitat enrichment, Providing adequate and timely compensation in case of injury or loss of human

life, property, crop damage or livestock casualties Developing teams of well-equipped and trained forest personnel.



Coastal zone report relaxes curbs on constructions

Former Secretary of the Earth Sciences Ministry Shailesh Nayak chaired a six-member committee in 2014 that prepared the ‘Report of the Committee to Review the Issues relating to the Coastal Regulation Zone, 2011’ and submitted it to the Environment Ministry in January 2015.

Researcher and environmentalist Kanchi Kohli from the Centre for Policy Research filed a Right to Information (RTI) application in February 2015 after being denied access to the report. The Ministry refused to share it on the grounds that the government had not approved the report’s recommendations.

The Central Information Commission ordered that the Environment Ministry share the report with Mr. Kohli. The report can be viewed on the CPR website.

Recommendations 1. has recommended changes to laws governing infrastructure development along India’s

coast 2. According to a statement by the CPR analysing the report, the new Act proposes the

devolution of powers to State and Union Territory governments along with local authorities for CRZ II (built up cities and towns), CRZ III (rural areas) and CRZ IV (12 nautical miles into the sea) areas. These are for activities not covered under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.

3. Giving greater powers and responsibilities to coastal States to regulate development, maintain and conserve ecologically fragile zones and ensure that environment be protected without neglecting “basic requirements of growing population.”

4. Also the committee has in several places recommended that local town planning regulations be preferred over the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) restrictions.

5. NDZ- has suggested relaxation in No Development Zones (NDZ) in CRZ-3 areas of States like Kerala based on population density.

The coastal areas with a population density of more than 2,161 people/sq km (Class-3 towns as defined in 2001 census) would be categorised as thickly-populated areas and the NDZ has been reduced to 50 metre against the original 200 metres in seaside areas.

The NDZ will be 200 metre along the other rural areas, which have a population density of less than 2,161 people/ sq km. For backwater islands, the NDZ has been brought down to 10 metres from the existing 50 metre, it recommended.

In densely-populated CRZ 3 areas, development can be taken up in accordance with the local prevailing norms, including the height regulations.



6. The local authorities shall ensure that no activities shall be undertaken that would cause shoreline change, including disturbing the sediment balance in the coastal waters.

7. For less populated rural areas, development of new houses of local communities can be taken up beyond NDZ, which is 200 metre from the High Tide Line. The expansion of existing houses in accordance with the prevailing local Town and Country Planning Regulations can be taken up subject to overall height of the construction not exceeding 9 metre with ground plus one floor.

8. The CRZ 3 areas are those which are “relatively undisturbed and those do not belong to either CRZ-I or II

9. Regularisation: The dwelling units of the coastal communities in CRZ 3 areas, constructed in violation of the CRZ Notification, shall be regularised by the States concerned by following the local town and country construction norms. If any of these violations are pending before the court, the State government may take up the matter, and with the approval of the court such violations could be regularised, it said.

Court dismisses PIL on use of ‘Satyamev Jayate’

The Bombay High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that took objection to the use of the words ‘Satyamev Jayate’ in Aamir Khan’s show on Star Plus.

A PIL petition alleging that the use of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ was violative of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition and Improper Use) Act and State Emblem of India (Regulation of Use) Rules.

Dismissing the PIL, the court said prohibition was only for the use of the emblem as a whole and not the motto ‘Satyameva Jayate.’

The Act and Rules prohibit improper use of the State Emblem of India as a whole. There is no provision which prohibits the use of its part like ‘Satyameva Jayate’, the lion, the bull, the horse and so on

Panel report may sound death knell for mangroves

Mangrove swathes dotting the coastal areas would be wiped out upsetting the coastal ecology and livelihood options of millions of fishermen if the Shailesh Nayak Committee report on Coastal Regulation Zone 2011 notification is accepted The panel, which recommended that developmental activities in private

mangrove land can be taken up also directed that no buffer zones would

be required in private holdings. Construction of walkways, interpretation

centres, promenades, public facilities for developing parks, research facilities related to mangrove biodiversity, facilities for conservation and the like can be set up in the 50-metre buffer suggested for vegetation extending more than 1,000 sq metres.

Walkways have been suggested on stilts. The buffer could also be developed as a

greenbelt to prevent “encroachment, illegal dumping, construction activity and slum redevelopment” and such “unauthorised and illegal activities which are harmful to mangroves



Majority foreign stake puts curbs on overseas flights

Airlines with a majority foreign ownership will not be allowed to fly on international routes.

The government liberalised norms in the sector, allowing foreign investors to own up to 100 per cent stake in domestic carriers.

The bilateral air traffic agreements that India has signed with most of the countries have ‘substantial ownership and effective control’ (SOEC) clause which may not permit the airlines with majority foreign ownership to fly abroad from India

Aadhaar to be linked with caste certificate

All State governments have been asked to link Aadhaar with caste and domicile certificates to be issued to school students, as part of a first-of-its-kind initiative by the Centre.

The States have been told to ensure that such certificates are issued within 60 days to the students when they are studying in Class V or VIII.

The development assumes significance as there have been complaints of delay in grant of scholarship to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Besides, people have often complained of harassment allegedly by government officials in getting caste and domicile certificates issued.

‘Made in India’ F-16s on radar, thanks to FDI

American military manufacturer Lockheed Martin could soon be producing F-16 fighters in an assembly line based in India, taking advantage of the new liberalised FDI conditions announced by the government.

The proposal for setting up an assembly line for F-16 fighters in India was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. earlier this month.

The negotiations with the French government for the pu rchase of 36 Rafale fighters haven’t succeeded yet in securing a competitive price. Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, is keen to close down its F16 production facility in the U.S. Talks are on to invite the company to shift its F16 production line, lock, stock and barrel, to India

This will serve the twin purposes: it will be a success story of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make In India initiative plus it will address the Indian defence establishment’s requirement of a new fighter fleet



PM holds meet on rupee management

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held meetings with his key officials to assess the possible impact on the rupee and macro-economic stability following the announcement by RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan that he would not continue in the post after his tenure ends in September.

In the immediate term, the most effective strategy will be for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to signal that it intends to defend the rupee.

The government wants to make sure that the bond and currency markets remain calm especially when a foreign currency non-resident deposit scheme’s redemptions begin, starting September.

There could be outflows of about $20 billion due to the imminent maturity of the scheme, which the RBI unveiled in October 2013 to tide over the worst rupee crisis in decades.

India had mobilised $26 billion through foreign currency non-resident bank account (FCNR-B) deposits by offering a special swap window for banks after the U.S. Federal Reserve ‘taper tantrums’ in the summer of 2013 sent the rupee to a lifetime low of Rs. 67.85.

Several alternatives are on the table for mitigating the impact of the redemptions One option is to mobilise funds from non-resident Indians through a fresh dollar-

denominated instrument along the lines of the ‘India Millennium Deposit’, the State Bank of India’s foreign currency denominated deposits (IMD) issued in 2010.

The second option is to issue swap instruments using the facilities that the RBI has in place with central banks of other countries.

The handling of the situation has become more important because India is up for a ratings upgrade this year. Last October, global ratings agency Standard & Poor’s affirmed its ‘BBB-’ long-term and ‘A-3’ short-term sovereign credit ratings for India, with a stable outlook.

AYUSH set to get international treatment

The Ministry of External Affairs will send out groups of AYUSH experts to help set up departments of AYUSH in the leading universities of the member countries of the U.N.

In line with the new scheme, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Indian missions abroad had reached out to foreign governments to host the AYUSH experts. The initiative found quick response from Iraq, Colombia and Reunion Island, which will soon be hosting AYUSH experts.

Apart from Iraq, Colombia and the Reunion Island, the first phase of the project will include twelve other countries. Each group of experts will have teachers, practitioners and demonstrators, who will train a first generation of teachers and students of AYUSH in these countries

ICCR Handles cultural diplomacy under the MEA and has been instrumental in roping in 192 countries across the world for the International Day of Yoga, which is celebrated on 21st June.



Use of potassium bromate as food additive banned

The government on Monday banned the use of potassium bromate as a food additive following a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study that found its presence in bread caused cancer.

FSSAI [Food Safety Standards Authority of India] has banned potassium bromate. A notification has been issued in this regard. As far as potassium iodate is concerned, it has been referred to a scientific panel.

Potassium iodate is also used as a food additive and it too is said to be carcinogenic. A CSE study had found that 84 per cent of 38 commonly available brands of pre-

packaged breads, including pav and buns, tested positive for potassium bromate and potassium iodate. The two food additives are banned in many countries and are listed as “hazardous” to public health.

Golden Crescent

Investigations into the main accused in the ephedrine racket busted by the Thane police earlier this year, have revealed that he is one of the main facilitators for drug lords in the Golden Crescent..

Golden Crescent includes Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is one of two principal areas of illicit drug production at the intersection of Central, South and West Asia, the other being the Golden Triangle comprising Myanmar, Laos and Thailand.

Over 65,000 children given IPV vaccine in Hyderabad

The Telangana government vaccinated more than 65,000 children as part of a special polio vaccination drive in State capital, aimed at preventing human infections with the virus. Around 2.5 lakh children are expected to receive a dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) during the week-long campaign.

The campaign became warranted after type 2 vaccine-derived polio virus was found in a sewage sample collected here last month.

Finding of polio virus in the environment mandates a response through rapid vaccination in areas around the spot where the virus is found. Since the virus was found in a drain that flows from north to southeast in Hyderabad, vaccination is being organised across the city. The campaign is being implemented through 2,231 vaccination booths.

India is currently using bivalent oral polio vaccine, which protects only against type 1 and type 3 polio virus types. The inactivated polio vaccine, however, protects against all three types. Consequently, unvaccinated children are now required to receive both the injectable and oral vaccines.

It was also learnt from the scientist that vaccine-derived P2 strain found in Hyderabad must have been around more than a year, since the virus had gathered 10 mutations.

Potassium bromate typically increases dough strength, leads to higher rising and gives uniform finish to baked products. Potassium iodate is a flour treatment agent.



Polio virus that gathers six mutations during the course of replication in a vaccine recipient’s intestine is said to be around for a year and considered virulent.

Sewage samples are now being collected every week and sent for testing at Enterovirus Research Center in Mumbai.

Modi fast-tracks reforms with radical change in FDI norms

The government announced what it termed a “radical liberalisation” of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regime by easing norms for a host of important sectors, including defence, civil aviation and pharmaceuticals, opening them up for complete foreign ownership.

In November last, the government announced FDI reforms across several sectors FDI e- commerce

In the Union Budget, the government said 100 per cent FDI would be allowed in the marketing of food products made in India. Current FDI announcements extends it to e-commerce.

FDI defence The government decision to liberalise conditions allowing 100 per cent FDI in the

defence sector may result in at least some foreign entities setting up subsidiaries in India

The government removed the condition of “state-of-the-art” technology for permitting 100 per cent FDI in the defence sector. The new condition is that the companies wanting to invest 100 per cent FDI and open a subsidiary needs to bring in only “modern” technology.

The new rule is 49 per cent FDI in defence under the automatic route. Foreign investment beyond that would be permitted through government approval

route in cases resulting in “modern” technology. The FDI limit for the defence sector has been made applicable to manufacturing of

small arms and ammunition covered under the Arms Act, 1959. The proposals in the defence sector were troubled by the clause ‘state-of-art’. This was

affecting the ease of doing business; therefore we have changed the terminology. New policy will be a significant step forward in ensuring that OEM [original

equipment manufacturer] subsidiary-driven manufacturing plans take off. It will result in greater comfort for OEMs to establish high-technology manufacturing-driven subsidiaries

FDI pharma With 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in pharma, mergers and acquisitions

(M&A) by multinational companies are likely to intensify in the sector, attracting a sizeable amount of funds

The Union government decided to allow 100 per cent FDI under the automatic route in greenfield pharmaceutical projects and under government approval in existing companies, or brownfield pharma



FDI under the automatic route in brownfield pharmaceutical firms would be 74 per cent.

For private companies, this will allow promoters to monetise part of their shareholding easily should they choose to do so. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board process used to add to timelines; deals will now close much quicker.

The Centre’s big reform push- Editorial

With India now acknowledged as the fastest growing large economy in the world and also edging up in the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings, the time is ripe for the country to open its doors wider to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

This is exactly what the Centre has done by

Raising FDI caps in some sectors -airlines from 49 to 100 per cent,

Sweeping others entirely into the automatic route -cable TV, brownfield airports

Diluting preconditions for sectors with restrictions - relaxation of sourcing norms in single-brand retail and technology norms for defence.

FDI is stickier and more resilient to business cycles than mercurial Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) flows. At a time when the private sector has a limited appetite to invest and when the government is tied down by fiscal constraints, India needs to seek out foreign capital to keep its growth engines purring. That foreign investors are interested in India is evident: there has been a 23 per cent surge in inbound FDI, which touched a record $55.5 billion in 2015-16.

Constraints to FDI

Even so, it is simplistic to assume that merely opening up more sectors or setting more liberal equity caps will have foreign investors queuing up to invest. India’s experience suggests that actual investment interest in the newly liberalised sectors will be tied to three factors.

One, foreign investors, like domestic ones, are ROI (Return on Investment) focussed. Therefore, sectors that are already witnessing booming consumer demand — such as DTH television, airlines and pharmaceuticals — are more likely to attract quick investment flows than those that are in need of bailouts (asset reconstruction firms) or entail long gestation periods (airports or defence).

Two, even if the Centre is willing to reduce initial entry barriers, frequent market or pricing interventions can deter investors. The Centre seems to have recognised this in watering down the sourcing norms for FDI in single-brand retail. But its attempts to woo FDI into pharma may be stymied by increasing price controls and the lack of clarity in the policy on essential drugs.

Three, the experience with sectors such as insurance suggests that foreign investors committing long-term capital expect to exercise control over the entities they fund.

Overall, there is no disputing that the FDI relaxations, irrespective of whether they were timed to signal the Centre’s commitment to reforms in the face of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan’s exit in September, are a step in the right direction. But as we have learnt from the past, the devil is usually in the detail.



Extend quota for poor students in minority schools, says panel

The draft report on the new national policy on education submitted by a panel headed by T.S.R. Subramanian

Recommendations on RTE and minority institutions

While the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, mandates that even private, unaided schools shall provide admission to children from disadvantaged groups and weaker sections in admission to Class-1 to the extent of at least 25 per cent of the admissions done, private, unaided minority institutions are exempt from this requirement.

The Supreme Court, in April, 2012, held that the provision did not extend to institutions set by minorities, which are defined as religious and linguistic minorities in India.

Whereas the panel report says that “it is now important to reconcile the rights of the economically weaker sections with the rights of the minorities under Article 30 (1), particularly when minority institutions appear to clutch at any prop to ensure that their obligations, met by other aided or unaided schools, are circumvented.”

The Right to Education Act includes the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes in its definition of “disadvantaged group” and defines a child belonging to “weaker sections” as one whose parent or guardian earns below a minimum level of income specified by the appropriate government.

Recommendation on University Grants Commission (UGC)

has recommended that the law that set up the higher education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) be allowed to lapse.

The committee's report, submitted recently to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, says the UGC has been unable over the years to effectively implement its regulations aimed at ensuring the quality of higher education in the country.

The panel has instead suggested an alternative arrangement for a pruned UGC. “The UGC could be revamped, made considerably leaner and thinner, and could be the

nodal point for administration of the proposed National Higher Education Fellowship Programme, without any other promotional or regulatory function,” it said.

Diphtheria claims a life in Malappuram

Diphtheria has reared its head in Malappuram again, this time claiming the life of a 15-year-old boy, Mohammed Ameen, who was totally un-immunised.

Two other partially immunised childre who were found to have clinical symptoms of diphtheria, are under treatment and doing fine.

His condition worsened progressively even though he was administered the anti-diphtheria serum and other drugs. The boy died at the MCH on Saturday following multi-organ failure.



The siblings and over 100 houses of all possible contacts of the children had been visited and people administered the Td booster vaccine against tetanus and diphtheria as well as a course of antibiotics as prophylaxis.

In 2015 September also four cases of diphtheria were reported in Malappuram, in un-immunised and partially immunised children, two of whom had died.

Though the department has been engaged in an intensive awareness and immunisation campaign since then, the anti-vaccination propagandists too have been hard at work, undoing all the field-level work done by the health officials.

Following the diphtheria deaths in September, a major immunisation campaign had been carried out in Malappuram by the Health Department wherein all schoolchildren up to 16 years of age were administered the Td vaccine. However, in many schools, the PTA and even the teachers opposed the campaign.

The department has been doing all that it can to persuade the people to immunise the children but religion and anti-vaccination propaganda together was a lethal combination, against which health workers were powerless

Defence Minister aims at gender parity in Armed Forces

History was created at the Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar presented ‘wings and brevets’ to three women — Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh — and commissioned them as fighter pilots.

It was the endeavour of the Centre to bring gender parity in the Armed Forces.

Life-saver chopper ambulances may get green light to land even on roads

More lives may be saved in the golden hour after an accident as the government is working on an ambitious plan to allow helicopter ambulances to land anywhere near an accident spot — be it a national highway or a sports ground.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has proposed allowing air ambulances, to be known as Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), to land at accident and emergency sites without operational clearance. Such services are provided in countries such as Germany, Canada and Australia

For the first phase, the DGCA has laid down standards for operating the services under which ambulance helicopters can land at designated points surveyed by the operator in a city.

The second phase envisages landing freedom in any open area for which approvals will be required with the ministries concerned



Modi wants 10 crore households in tax net

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked senior tax officials to aim for widening the tax net from the present 5.4 crore households to 10 crore households — all non-agricultural income households — mainly, by changing their attitudes towards taxpayers.

He gave a five-point charter to tax administrators embodied in the word ‘RAPID.’ These are:

Revenue, Accountability, Probity, Information and Digitisation.

While nearly 92 per cent of India’s tax revenue comes from self-assessments, advance tax payments and tax deducted at source, the 42,000 taxmen raise barely 8 per cent through assessments and scrutiny of returns.

Prime Minister asked the officers to ensure their behaviour is “soft” and “sober” and change their attitude so that the “fear of harassment” is erased from the minds of taxpayers.

The culling fields - Editorial

Context The difference of views on the killing of wild animals between a former and a sitting

Environment Minister of the ruling party — one in favour, the other against — has hit the front pages.

This decision raises questions about which Minister is right and whether it is right to kill wildlife that damage crops. More pertinent is whether the problem has been framed and assessed correctly, and culling the appropriate solution in the first place.

In parts of India, wildlife species such as wild pig, elephants, macaques, and nilgai occasionally damage crops or property.

Effective conflict management

Field research by wildlife scientists in diverse landscape contexts, on different wildlife species and kinds of human-wildlife interactions, including “conflicts”, suggests multiple solutions. Traditional reactive measures such as killing, removal, or compensation carried out after conflicts occur. Culling (killing) or removal of “conflict” wildlife, often labelled “problem animals”, is one among a suite of possible interventions recommended by conservation scientists and managers. Unfortunately, removal through capture or killing may not prevent recurrence of conflicts and may even exacerbate them.

Himachal Pradesh, for instance, killed hundreds of rhesus macaques in 2007 (with conflicts recurring within two years), sterilised over 96,000 macaques since 2007 (while conflicts continued to increase), yet now proposes more of the same.



This is despite the State’s own data and recent estimates by scientists from Mysore University and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History reporting that macaque populations are in overall decline and only eight forest divisions (out of 44) record sharp increase.

A better approach to conflict management requires Integration of scientific evidence, Ecology and behaviour of particular species, and Landscape and socio-economic context.

Without this, the response of State authorities, often based on political compulsions and public perception, even if legitimate, may end up being inappropriate and confused in relation to the problem.

Human injuries and deaths due to wildlife is a serious issue, but recent studies show that a large proportion are a result of accidental encounters with species such as elephants and bears. Government figures report that around 400 human deaths a year are due to elephants. Conflating such human deaths with crop damage by very different wild animals implies connecting an extreme response such as killing nilgai in Bihar through an unjustified comparison with human deaths due to other wild animals nationwide.

Applying proactive measures

If human safety was the chief concern — as it perhaps should be — it is more appropriate to first adopt measures to reduce human injuries and fatalities due to wildlife. Effective measures for this include

1. Deploying animal early warning systems, 2. Providing timely public information on presence and movements of species such as

elephants to local people to facilitate precautionary measures, 3. And attending to health and safety needs that reduce the risk of wildlife encounters. 4. Housing improvements and provision of amenities such as lighting, indoor toilets,

and rural public bus services help reduce accidental human deaths. 5. Improving livestock corrals can reduce livestock losses and carnivore incursion into

villages, 6. While better garbage disposal and avoiding deliberate or accidental feeding of

animals reduces risks associated with wild animals like monkeys. 7. Crop damage by wildlife may occur when animals enter crop fields because of habitat

alteration and fragmentation (by mining or infrastructure projects, for example), because crops are edible, or because the fields lie along movement routes to forest patches or water sources.

8. Research reveals that a small proportion of villages in the landscape may be conflict “hotspots” and, additionally, peripheral fields may be more vulnerable than central ones. Such site-specific scientific information helps design targeted mitigation with participation of affected people. This includes supporting local communities to install — and, more important, maintain on a sustained basis — bio-fencing and power fencing around vulnerable areas.

9. Crop insurance for wildlife damage, which the environment ministry recently recommended be included in the national crop/agricultural insurance programme, also deserves trial. An insurance approach recognises wildlife as a part of the shared



countryside and as a risk to be offset rather than viewing wildlife as antagonists belonging to the State that one wishes away.

10. Conservationists today also use modern technology such as mobile phones for SMS alerts, customised apps, automated wildlife detection and warning systems, and participatory measures for wildlife tracking and rapid response to monitor and reduce conflicts, save crops, property, and human lives.

Identification of appropriate proactive measures, including where and when and how they should be deployed, requires prior scientific research on conflict patterns in specific landscapes and locations. Without this, culling becomes a mere public relations exercise meant to assuage farmers who have lost faith in the authorities’ ability to forestall or recompense losses.

Merely removing “problem animals” will not make “problem locations” disappear. Servicing human needs, enhancing local amenities, and adopting science-based and sustained interventions will provide more lasting solutions. A moratorium on culling will thus help redirect attention to where it is really needed and be in the best long-term interests of people and wildlife.

MCX plans to trade more commodities

Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX), which is the country’s largest commodity bourse in terms of market share, plans to introduce trading in more agricultural commodities and has written to the SEBI for approvals.

MCX is predominantly a metals and energy exchange with only a handful of agri-commodities — cardamom, cotton, mentha oil, crude palm oil — currently available for trading.

NITI Aayog submits proposals for divestment

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had in February directed the Aayog to identify PSUs that the Department could take up for strategic disinvestment and also suggest norms for doing so. Any disinvestment of government’s shareholdings, closure or mergers of PSU will need the Union Cabinet’s approval

The NITI Aayog has submitted two sets of recommendations to the Centre for strategic disinvestment of State-owned companies

The first of these is a list of recommendations on each of the sick and loss-making government-owned companies. There are about 74 such companies in all.

Of these, For about 25 companies in which revival plans were attempted but had failed, it has

suggested closure, after which their assets, especially land holdings, could be disposed off and employees be offered voluntary retirement.

In the remaining cases, either mergers with other public sector units or strategic disinvestment is recommended.

In some companies, the Aayog preferred to let revival plans run their course, before taking a call on their future.

The second set of suggestions from the Aayog is a separate list of 15 PSUs in which it has recommended strategic disinvestment on priority. This list has been submitted to the Department of Investment and Public Asset management in the Finance Ministry.



Draft wind-solar hybrid policy proves restrictive

The government has released the draft National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy which aims at providing a framework to promote large grid connected wind-solar PV system for optimal and efficient utilisation of transmission infrastructure among others.

The goal of the policy is to reach wind-solar hybrid capacity of 10 GW by 2022. The main objective of the policy is to provide a framework for promotion of large grid

connected wind-solar PV system for optimal and efficient utilisation of transmission infrastructure and land, reducing the variability in renewable power generation, thus, achieving better grid stability.

Highlights:

Broadly, the draft policy proposes hybridisation of existing solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants as well as providing a guideline towards setting up of new hybrid wind-solar PV power plants.

The draft policy proposes to provide fiscal and financial incentives for hybridisation of existing plants as well as setting up of new hybrid wind-solar PV plants. Low cost financing for hybrid projects may be made available through IREDA and other financial institutions like multilateral banks.

If existing plants want to hybridize, they will have to ensure that the power injected into the grid is not more than the existing capacity sanctioned for the plant. Further, the additional power generated from the hybrid project may be used for captive purpose or sold either to the distribution utility at a price determined by the state regulator or lowest bid price discovered by any government agency, whichever is lower.

For new hybrid wind-solar projects, the draft policy proposes to provide the developer with the option of using the hybrid power for captive use, third party sale or sale to state electricity distribution utilities at prices determined by the state electricity regulatory commissions for the project. The hybrid power so purchased by the distribution company may be used to offset both solar and non-solar renewable purchase obligations.

Limitations

It is restrictive in suggesting that hybrid capacity addition, for existing plants, must be limited to the sanctioned transmission capacity. This could pose a problem for areas where transmission capacity is not enough to cater to the energy potential. In wind farms with low turbine density, a significant solar potential could be tapped (even of the order of 500 kW to 1 MW, depending upon plant area), which would require additional transmission capacity.

While there are inherent advantages in hybrid projects in optimal utilisation of resources, the project economics for such projects (whether for new or hybridisation of existing wind & solar plants) would be critically dependent upon the tariff level which may be either feed-in tariff based or competitively bid based, as is proposed in the policy. The draft policy is not clear about the financial incentives for hybrid systems and merely refers to the existing incentives for solar and wind projects



The Koraga are a tribal community found mainly in the Dakshina Kannada, Udupi districts of Karnataka and the Kasaragod district ofKerala, south India. These areas in Karnataka, are altogether often referred to as Tulu Nadu. They are also found in small numbers in adjoining districts of Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Kodagu. The Koraga are classified by the Government of India as aScheduled Tribe. The Koraga, who numbered 16,071 according to the 2001 census of India, have their own language, classified as an independent dravidian language, which is strongly influenced by Kannada, Malayalam and Tulu languages commonly found in their area

Regional connectivity subsidy subject to passenger loads

The subsidy provided by the Centre to airlines under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) may be tapered if the passenger load factor increases to a decent level, according to the new civil aviation policy..

The Centre will subsidise the losses incurred by airlines by flying on the regional routes in a bid to allow them to charge Rs.2,500 to passenger for an hour’s flight. The Centre will create a regional connectivity fund through a small levy on departure of each flight, as per the policy. While Centre will contribute 80 per cent for the viability gap funding, the rest 20 per cent will come from the states.

The subsidy will be reviewed after every three years, according to the policy. The RCS will give airlines an easy exit option in case they find the unconnected routes unviable.

DNA study on Koragas to find out cause of drop in population

The population of Koragas, a primitive tribal community of coastal Karnataka, stood at 11,656 in 1991 and dwindled to 4,858 as per the 2011 Census.

To study the reasons behind this alarming decline in numbers, the Directorate of Tribal Welfare has asked Karnatak University’s DNA Centre to do DNA analysis of the community. There have been increasing instances of heart aliments, tuberculosis and cancer in the community.

Two scientists of the centre will visit Koraga colonies in Dakshina Kannada and collect blood samples on Friday and Saturday. This pilot study will be the basis for the detailed study to be carried out by Mysuru-based Tribal Research Centre in collaboration with the DNA Centre, said T.T. Basavana Gowda, director of the Tribal Research Centre.

For over a decade, the Koraga community, who originally lived in the forests, have been demanding a study to learn why many members of the tribe are not living beyond 50 years. “Many of us toil as civic workers. We not only work under inhospitable conditions but also are ostracised from society,” said Sanjeev Moodbidri, secretary of the Koraga Samajagala Okkoota.

Contradicting this claim, Hemalatha B.S., Dakshina Kannada Integrated Tribal Development Project Officer, said there were enough members in the tribe who were aged above 50 as they found during a recent survey covering 85 families.



Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs)

Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) are mutual fund like institutions that enable investments into the infrastructure sector by pooling small sums of money from multitude of individual investors for directly investing in infrastructure so as to return a portion of the income (after deducting expenditures) to unit holders of InvITs, who pooled in the money.

InvITs can invest in infrastructure projects, either directly or through a special purpose vehicle (SPV). In case of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, such investments can only be through SPV.

InvITs are regulated by the securities market regulator in India- Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

The objective of InvIT is to facilitate investment into the infrastructure sector in India. InvITs are very much similar to the Real Estate investment Trusts (REITs) in structure

and operations. InvITs are modified REITs designed to suit the specific circumstances in India.

Types of InviTs

Two types of InvITs have been allowed, one which is allowed to invest mainly in completed and revenue generating infrastructure projects and other which has the flexibility to invest in completed/under-construction projects. While the former has to undertake a public offer of its units, the latter has to opt for a private placement of its units. Both the structures are required to be listed.

SEBI proposes new disclosure norms for InvITs

Markets regulator SEBI has proposed additional guidelines for Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).

The proposed measures are aimed at helping the entities interested in setting up InvITs better understand the regulatory regime for these newly-introduced products.

Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A)

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has asked bankers to judiciously apply the latest loan restructuring

RBI announced a revised scheme for debt recast, namely, Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets (S4A).

The new norms are only applicable for Projects that have commenced operations Where bank loans amount to more than Rs.500 crore.

According to the norms, At least 50 per cent of the debt should be serviced over the same period as that

of the existing loans



Stressed loan Stressed loan in the Indian banking system has increased sharply since 2012. According to RBI data, the stressed assets ratio (which is the total of that gross NPA,

restructured standard assets and Written Off Accounts) for the banking system as a whole, which stood at 9.8 per cent at the end of March 2012, rose to 14.5 per cent at the end of December 2015.

Public sector banks have a disproportionate share of the stress, as during the same period, the stressed assets for government-owned banks increased from 11.0 per cent to 17.7 per cent.

The rise in bad loans prompted the RBI to conduct an asset quality review which identified many accounts that banks need to classify as non-performing. As a result, many public sector banks have suffered heavy losses during the Oct-Dec and Jan-march quarter of 2015-16.

The remaining debt could be converted into equity or quasi-equity instruments. The meeting was convened by the Banks Board Bureau following lenders’ complaints

of over activism by investigative agencies probing bad debts. Banks are wary to offer one-time settlement of loans to borrowers, which would need them to take substantial haircut in many cases, as they fear being hounded by investigative agencies in case of such deals.

Cabinet approves merger of associates with State Bank

The Union Cabinet has approved the merger of State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, and its associate banks

This is expected to bring the state-owned entity on a par with global lenders. The merger of SBI with its associates began eight years ago when SBI merged State

Bank of Saurashtra with itself in 2008. In 2010, State Bank of Indore was also merged with the larger bank. SBI has since made repeated attempts to merge its units but none came to fruition due to a shortage of capital.

The merged entity will have an asset base of about Rs.37 lakh crore, with nearly 24,000 branches and about 58,700 ATMs across the country as of March 2016-end . SBI and its associates employed 2.85 lakh people in 2014-15.

The merger of SBI and its associate banks is a win-win for both. While the network of SBI would stand to increase, its reach would multiply. The bank expected efficiencies to be created from rationalisation of branches, common treasury pooling and proper deployment of a large skilled resource base. Currently, no Indian bank features in the top 50 banks of the world. With this merger, some visibility at global level is likely to increase

Customers of associates and subsidiaries would also be beneficiaries. Any introduction of new technology by SBI would simultaneously be available uniformly. The scale of operations and common cost would get rationalised. Overall, the synergies being pooled at one place are going to be a big positive

The shares of SBI associate banks rose sharply after the cabinet approval. Those of the three listed associate banks that, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur were up 20 per cent each. SBI shares were up 3.9 per



Deep seabed polymetallic sulphides (PMS)

Contain iron, copper, zinc, silver, gold and platinum in variable constitutions and

Are precipitates of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from the deep interior of the oceanic crust.

These compounds in the ocean ridges have attracted worldwide attention for their long-term commercial and strategic values,

The ISA, under the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), governs non-living resources of the seabed of international waters.

cent to close the day at Rs. 214.65 while the benchmark Sensex rose 1.25 per cent or 330 points to reach 26,726.

India sets sights on gold in ocean

The Union Cabinet approved a proposal By the Earth Sciences Ministry To sign the agreement to mine for so-called polymetallic sulphides over

10,000 sq km around parts of central and southwest Indian ridges in the Indian ocean.

India will sign a contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a United Nations organisation, later this year that will give the country exclusive rights to mine for precious metals

Exploration

In 2002, the government was granted permission only to explore ocean regions and prospect for precious metals.

A slew of Indian organisations such as the National Institute of Ocean Technology and the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research are involved with these surveys and developing specialised shipping vehicles.

Initial estimated resource of polymetallic nodules on the site retained by India on the central Indian Ocean basin is 380 million tonnes with 0.55 tonnes of cobalt, 4.7 tonnes of nickel, 4.29 tonnes of copper and 92.59 tonnes of manganese.

However, the actual estimates will vary depending on the results of a detailed survey and exploration, coupled with results of test mining of nodules upon developing the mining technology.

They will be of immense strategic and commercial value.

Officials say that while the long-term mining projects will fructify only over decades

A key technical challenge is being able to develop the specialised drills and extraction-technology required to fish out the metals.



Anti-dumping duty on chemical from 5 nations

India may impose anti-dumping duty of up to $168.76 per tonne on imports of a chemical, mainly used in textile and packaging industry, from five countries including China and Iran to protect domestic players.

In its final findings, the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD), under the ministry, has found that ‘Purified Terephthalic Acid’ has been exported to India from China, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan below its normal value which has resulted in dumping. The DGAD said that it considers it necessary to impose the duty on the imports. It has recommended an anti-dumping duty in the range of $83.08 per tonne to $168.76 per tonne on the imports.

While DGAD recommends the duty, the Finance Ministry imposes it. Countries initiate anti-dumping probes to determine if the domestic industry has been

hurt by a surge in below-cost imports. To counter it they impose duties under the multi-lateral WTO regime. Anti-dumping steps are taken to ensure fair trade and provide a level-playing field to the domestic industry.

Parliamentary Secretary and its constitutionality

In News: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reacted strongly to the President’s rejection of proposed legislation by the Delhi government to exempt the post of Parliamentary Secretary from the purview of ‘office-of-profit’, questioning why Delhi is being singled out as other States too have instituted the post of ‘Parliamentary Secretary.’ The posts do exist in various States at present, including Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan — where the BJP is in power.

Various petitions

In the High Court have challenged the appointment of Parliament Secretary, arguing that the post is in contradiction to Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution which provides for limiting the number of Ministers in the State Cabinets to 15 per cent of the total number of members of the State Legislative Assembly.

Because a Parliament Secretary often holds the rank of Minister of State, the Calcutta High Court, in June 2015, quashed the appointment of 24 Parliamentary Secretaries in West Bengal dubbing it unconstitutional.

Similar action was taken by the Bombay High Court in 2009 for the appointment of two Parliamentary Secretaries in Goa

And by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2005 for the appointment of eight Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and four Parliamentary Secretaries in the State.

In May 2015, the Hyderabad High Court stayed the appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries in Telangana.

The matter is sub judice in Punjab and Haryana.



Legal issues

The ongoing debate around Delhi is whether the post of ‘Parliamentary Secretary’ is an ‘office of profit.’

‘Office of profit’ is not defined in the Constitution. However, in past judgments, the Election Commission has noted “what constitutes an office of profit under the Government is now well established by a catena of judgments of the Supreme Court."

Five tests have been laid down Further, some High Courts have ruled that

parliamentary secretaries are essentially ministers and their appointment would be struck down if it resulted in the ministry’s strength breaching the constitutional limit.

Under Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution, introduced in 2003, the Council of Ministers should not comprise more than 15 per cent of the strength of a Legislative Assembly.

The number of Cabinet Ministers in Delhi cannot exceed 10 per cent of the total 70 seats — that is seven — as per Article 239(A) of Constitution. As of now, only one Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister is authorised.

Current situation-

The Delhi government argues that as Parliamentary Secretaries are not eligible for any remuneration or perks from the government the post should be exempt from the office of profit.

The matter is essentially a mix of two legal questions: Whether the post of parliamentary secretary, paid or unpaid, is an office of

profit; And whether MLAs are given the positions only to get around the constitutional

limit on the number of ministers a State can have. These questions can be settled through the Election Commission and the courts of law,

and attempts to politicise them are unnecessary. The parliamentary secretaries are under notice from the EC to show cause why

they should not be disqualified for holding an ‘office of profit’. Mr. Kejriwal contends that his parliamentary secretaries do not draw any

salaries or perquisites. He ought to canvass this point before the Election Commission.

The EC will have to go by the set of tests evolved by the Supreme Court on whether a particular post is an ‘office of profit’.

Such questions arise because the term ‘office of profit’ and the post of parliamentary secretary do not yet have a clear legal definition. A legislative solution applicable across the country is needed. That should ensure that there are no double standards in applying the law on office of profit.

What are the Five tests laid down to determine office of profit:

Whether the government makes the appointment;

Whether the government has the right to remove or dismiss the holder;

Whether the government pays remuneration;

What the functions of the holder are;

Does the government exercise any control over the performance of these functions.



Govt. to sell pulses through mobile vans

Amid the spiralling prices of pulses, the Centre decided to address the demand supply gap of the the pulses

As on June 13, 2016, the procurement of Rabi pulses had reached 64,000 tonnes. Together with the earlier procurement of 51,000 tonnes of the Kharif season, the total domestic procurement by government agencies had reached 1,15,000 tonnes. Following measures willbe taken

Import of pulses : The Centre has also ordered further import of 12,500 tonnes of pulses for

buffer stocks, which include 10,000 tonnes of masur and 2,500 tonnes of urad. So far, 14,321 tonnes of pulses have been imported by the government agencies against the total contracted quantity of 38,500 tonnes

Govt is in talks with Myanmar and other countries for government-to-government import of pulses to meet shortage

It has decided to sell pigeon pea (tur) and black gram (urad) at Rs. 120 per kg through the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF) via mobile vans in Delhi.

Only Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi had lifted the allocated pulses from the buffer stock. Requests for allocation are still awaited from other States

Navy’s woman power reaches Mauritius shores

The Navy sail boat INSV Mhadei — steered by an all-woman, six-member crew that will attempt to circumnavigate the world next year — entered Port Louis, Mauritius.

This historic open ocean voyage by the all-women crew, the first such in Indian maritime history, is designed to help them get used to the conditions they will face during their mission.

The 2100 Nm [nautical mile] voyage was covered by the crew in 20 days passing through rough seas whipped up by the southwest monsoon. The timing of the voyage was chosen to expose the crew to rough weather that they are likely to encounter during their attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 2017

Vijay Mallya is a proclaimed offender: Court

A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court declared businessman Vijay Mallya a “proclaimed offender” on a request by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe against him in an alleged Rs. 900 crore loan default case.

The ED’s application was filed under Section 82 of the Cr.PC after Mr. Mallya failed to respond to summons, and a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by the court.

A person is termed a proclaimed offender in a criminal investigation if the court believes that the accused has absconded or is concealing himself so that a



warrant cannot be executed. As per the provisions of the Cr.PC, Mr. Mallya would be required to appear before the PMLA court and the investigating agency within 30 days.

An FIR has been registered against him under Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant

or agent) and Section 120 B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code for investigation into the suspected offences of criminal conspiracy, criminal

breach of trust etc relating to Rs. 900 crore of loan sanctioned by IDBI Bank, Mumbai to M/s Kingfisher Airlines Ltd in which Mr. Mallya is one of the accused among other co-accused.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

REITs are similar to mutual funds. While mutual funds provide for an opportunity to invest in equity stocks, REITs allow one to invest in income-generating real estate assets. REIT origins

REITs originated in the U.S. to give investors an opportunity to invest in income-generating real estate assets. After its introduction in the U.S., several countries such as Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong have implemented REITs.

Why now, in India? REITs, as a concept, have been on the horizon

for a while now. India’sregulations in 2014 for the sector have

not been able to attract investor interest. REITs obtained exemption from dividend distribution tax in the Budget, a step towards making them attractive for the investors.

A report by real estate consultancy firm Cushman and Wakefield estimates that Indian commercial real estate (like office, retail assets) offers investment opportunities for REITs worth $43 billion – $54 billion (Rs, 2.88 lakh crore – Rs. 3.60 lakh crore) across top cities.

The underlying strategy for REIT is to invest in rent-yielding assets and generate rental income for investors in the form of dividends. That explains why commercial real estate is seen as potential for REITs. The predominant strategy to invest in residential assets is via rental housing schemes. However, rental housing schemes in India are still not prevalent

How does an REIT work?

REITs raise funds from a large number of investors and directly invest that sum in income-generating real estate properties (which could be offices, residential apartments, shopping centres, hotels and warehouses).

The trusts are listed in stock exchanges so that investors can buy units in the trust. REITs are structured as trusts. Thus, the assets of an REIT are held by an independent trustee on behalf of unit holders.

The investment objective of REITs is to provide unit holders with dividends, usually generated from rental income and capital gains from the profitable sale of real estate assets.

Typically, the trust distributes 90 per cent of its income among its investors by issuing dividends.



and hence investing in residential assets would be challenging The current SEBI guidelines for REITs permit investments only in rent-yielding assets.

Why invest in REITs?

For investors who are averse to investing in physical purchase of property due to the risks involved, REIT is an alternative. Investors purchase units of REITs which are traded on the stock exchange, as against physical purchase of property. Therefore, investors can buy and sell units of REIT on the stock exchange as and when required, making investment easier to liquidate compared to physical property transaction.

REITs units are listed on, and are subject to the vagaries of the stock exchanges, resulting in negative or lower returns than expected.

Udta Punjab set to soar with one cut, ‘A’ certificate

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue an ‘A’ certificate to the movie Udta Punjab (Punjab on a High) with the deletion of one scene and a modified disclaimer.

Central Board of Film Certification

1. The Central Board of Film Certification (often referred to as the Censor Board) 2. Is a statutory censorship and classification body 3. Under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. 4. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provisions of

the Cinematograph Act 1952". 5. It assigns certifications to films, television shows, television ads, and publications for

exhibition, sale or hire in India. 6. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they are certified by the Board,

including films shown on television. 7. The CBFC India is considered to be one of the most powerful film Censor Boards in the

world due to its strict ways of functioning. 8. The Board consist of 25 other non-official

members and a Chairperson (all of whom are appointed by Central Government). The Board functions with its headquarters at Mumbai. It has nine Regional offices.

9. The Regional Offices are assisted in the examination of films by Advisory Panels. The members of the panels are nominated by Central Government by drawing people from different walks of life for a period of two years.

Films are certified under 4 categories. "U" (unrestricted public

exhibition) "A" (restricted to adult

audiences). "UA" (unrestricted public

exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of twelve)

"S" (restricted to specialized audiences such as doctors or scientists).



The censor is snipped- Editorial

The Bombay High Court has served a reminder that certification, and not censorship, is the real job of the CBFC.

And that the power to order changes and cuts must be exercised only in line with provisions of the Constitution and Supreme Court orders.

Its mandate is not to interfere with the film-maker’s creative process and freedom of expression.

More importantly, the CBFC has been advised not to look at cinema like a ‘grandmother’ and instead move with the times and understand the impulses of present-day creators who may have a candid and direct manner of storytelling.

It has reminded the Board that a film should be seen as one whole and its scenes and dialogues be not taken out of context.

The CBFC had no business in the first place to appoint itself the guardian of the honour of Punjab and take umbrage at the portrayal of the prevailing reality of widespread drug addiction in the State. Suggesting that references to Punjab and other places be deleted amounted to ordering that a film about a besetting vice in a particular geographical area be converted into a vague tale in a make-believe world.

The reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) have been routinely invoked to choke free speech and expression. These restrictions were never meant to include such things as whether people,

in power or otherwise, found something in poor taste, offensive or against the grain of social or political opinion.

We live in a country where hurt sentiment is used to seek curbs on all manner of creative expression — in books, music, art and film.

In doing what he did, Mr. Nihalani is guilty of succumbing to the view that hurt sentiments (whether real or manufactured) are a basis for ordering extensive and story-altering cuts in a film.

The Shyam Benegal Committee, which recently submitted its report on norms relating to film certification, recommended that the CBFC should be nothing more than a certification body. It has suggested that films be classified on the basis of their suitability to different age groups.

After Udta Punjab , reforming the CBFC’s functioning has acquired a new urgency

‘Yoga medals’ proposed for paramilitary troops

With the country set to celebrate the second International Yoga Day (IYD) on June 21, the government has proposed instituting ‘Yoga medals’ for Central paramilitary troops for displaying exceptional skills in the ancient discipline for physical, mental and spiritual well being.

Besides, it has planned to re-employ retiring personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces as Master Yoga Trainers in order to create a constant resource pool of teachers for about 9 lakh personnel of the CRPF, the CISF, the ITBP, the SSB and the BSF.



Army to involve industry in its long-term plans

On the lines of the Navy’s design bureau which has been successful in indigenising warship design, the Army is attempting a major reworking of weapons design and procurement by incorporating academia and industry in its long-term perspective plans. This will be done under the soon to be set up Army Design Bureau (ADB) the formal approval for which is in the final stages.

In order to identify joint development projects in critical areas, Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha, Deputy Chief of Army-Planning & Systems is currently holding a series of interactions with the academic institutions and industry across the country and sharing the Army’s long-term requirements.

Some 4-5 teams have been set up which are working on few prototypes and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Mumbai and Kharagpur are set to join the effort.

Some of the priority areas the Army is looking at include small arms, smart munitions, communication and electronic warfare systems and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), both surveillance and combat.

The Army, which has been traditionally reluctant to engage with the industry, is now opening up with the government’s emphasis on ‘Make in India’.

While the idea is welcome, there is need for policy clarity on how these projects will work within the larger Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which guides all defence procurements. In fact, DPP 2016 has created a new category, indigenous Design Development and Manufacturing, which will be the preferred procurement route for procurement.

Govt. denies nod for Google’s Street View

In April 2015, Google representatives made a presentation on Street View for the MHA. They had told the officials then that the platform would be useful for tourism and disaster management.

A formal proposal was submitted in July same year to shoot images through high-end cameras and upload them on ‘Street View’.

In 2011, Google launched Street View as a pilot project in some of the tourist sites like Qutub Minar, the Thanjavur temple, the Varanasi riverbank, the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, Nalanda University, Mysore Palace and Chinnaswamy Stadium in partnership with the Tourism Ministry.

A technical committee of the Defence Ministry, which comprises officials from Indian Air Force, Military Intelligence, Navy, Army and Intelligence Bureau, had unanimously opposed the service

The main concern was security of sensitive defence installations. The Defence Ministry said it was not possible to monitor the service once it was launched and it would be detrimental to national security

The proposal was rejected in February itself, primarily amid security concerns after the terror attack at the Pathankot airbase on January 1-2. Investigating agencies suspect that terrorists used Google maps as they were aware of the airbase’s topography.



The decision comes close on the heels of a proposed law to regulate Internet content in the country. The Home Ministry recently uploaded the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 for comments from the public. The Bill proposes jail term of seven years and a fine upto Rs. 100 crore for wrongly depicting the map of India, a move that is likely to hit Google and Microsoft.

The service was launched in 2007 in the U.S. and has since expanded to other parts of the world.

The Street View imagery has run into trouble in Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom amid privacy concerns and data protection issues.

Ken-Betwa project, a threat to wildlife?

An ambitious project to link Ken and Betwa rivers has become a stage for a unique man-animal conflict. Key structures of the project proposed Daudhan dam and the 2.5 km canal

Aim- transfer surplus water from the Uttar Pradesh section of the Ken to the Betwa in Madhya Pradesh

Significance- critical to irrigate nearly 7,00,000 hectares in drought-ravaged Bundelkhand

Opposition-

Environmentalists say that such a dam will submerge at least 4,000 hectares of Madhya Pradesh’s Panna tiger reserve, whose tigers were almost lost to poaching in 2009 and have only recently been partially replenished.

They allege that most districts in Madhya Pradesh will not actually get the promised water.

There are vultures in the region, whose nests will be threatened by the height of the dam.

Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expanded to include cities and rural areas worldwide. Streets with Street View imagery available are shown as blue lines on Google Maps.

Google Street View displays panoramas of stitched images. Most photography is done by car, but some is done by trekker, tricycle, walking, boat, snowmobile, and underwater apparatus.

http://nammakpsc.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ken-betwa.jpg



The proposed body

Advisory body, under the Ministry, Will have a permanent office Five or six members With expertise in road engineering,

road safety, automobile manufacturing, traffic and trauma care.

It would be funded by the Ministry. Mandated to advise on rules and

regulations, road safety and road engineering

It will also have a joint secretary from the Ministry as its member

Will be set up through an executive order after Cabinet’s approval.

1.46 lakh lives lost on Indian roads last year

An official report, released recently, said 1.46 lakh people were killed in road accidents in India in 2015 — an increase of five per cent from 2014.

Road accidents as a whole rose 2.5 per cent during 2015 to 5.01 lakh or 1,374 accidents every day, claiming 400 lives

The report said a majority (54.1 per cent) of those killed in road accidents during 2015 were in the age group of 15-34. Thirteen States, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, accounted for the highest number of accidents. Among cities, while Mumbai had the highest number of accidents (23,468), Delhi saw the most number of deaths (1,622) in road accidents.

Also, drivers’ fault was responsible for 77.1 per cent of the accidents, deaths and injuries, mainly because of over-speeding, the report noted.

National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board

Alarmed by rising road accidents, the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has sent a Cabinet note for setting up a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board to advise the government on road safety standards and guidelines. The Centre has decided to form the National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board through an executive order after it failed to push the Road Safety Bill owing to the logjam in Parliament

The Ministry never had an advisory body of experts to lay down standards and oversee activities related to road safety

The States would be encouraged to send reports on road accidents and their causes to the Centre every three months.

S. Sundar Committee on road safety and traffic management, set up in 2007 had recommended settibg up a Road Safety Board. But according to one of its members setting up a road safety body through an executive order makes it toothless. The idea to float a Bill was to give powers to the board to set standards, independent of the government, and not give recommendations



Centre to evolve norms to enhance product quality

The Commerce Ministry will soon bring out a five-year ‘National Standards Strategy Paper’ to weed out substandard products from the domestic market and boost India’s exports of high quality goods. An inter-ministerial panel is already working on identifying goods that do not conform to safety, security, environment and health standards

The government is mulling improving regulations to ensure that India moves gradually towards adoption of more mandatory standards (also called technical regulations) that are harmonised with international standards.

The move comes in the backdrop of the ministry preparing to organise a ‘Standards Conclave’ on June 23 and 24 in collaboration with industry body CII, Bureau of Indian Standards and National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies in the national capital. Soon, Regional Standard Conclaves will also be held in cities across India.

It is essential that India develops a coordinated national response to meet the challenges of the World Trade Organisation regime in standards and conformity assessment

Need for adequate standards framework

A strong standards and regulatory framework would help domestic industry in becoming competitive in the world as well as domestic market. This would help in increasing the exports by measuring up to standards and conformity assessment procedures both in quantitative terms and also getting higher value exports

A good standards regime shall fulfil the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘zero defect, zero effect (meaning, environment-friendly)’ and ‘Make In India’ campaigns.

It would also help prevent flooding of domestic market with unsafe/sub-standard imports which adversely affect consumers and domestic industry

Mega-regional free trade agreements, including Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are promoting high

Standards under WTO

Article 20 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) allows governments to act on trade in order to protect human, animal or plant life or health, provided they do not discriminate or use this as disguised protectionism

A separate agreement on food safety and animal and plant health standards (the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement or SPS) sets out the basic rules.

Technical regulations and standards - It recognises WTO members' right to implement measures to achieve legitimate policy objectives, such as the protection of human health and safety, or protection of the environment. The agreement also sets out a code of good practice for both governments and non-governmental or industry bodies to prepare, adopt and apply voluntary standards. Over 200 standards-setting bodies apply the code.



Did you Know?

Criteria for onset of monsoon The meteorological department has an elaborate set of criteria to be fulfilled

before it declares the onset of the monsoon over Kerala. All of these must be consecutively met for two days for the IMD to officially declare the monsoon.

After May 10, at least eight of 14 stations across Kerala and Karnataka have to register at least 2.5 mm of rain, and monsoon-bearing winds have to be at least of 30-40 kmph velocity and below 600 hPa (approximately upto 4.5km) over the south Arabian Sea.

A key parameter is the Outgoing Longwave Radiation — an indicator of convection — has to be below 200 W/m2.

The Outgoing Longwave Radiation was the only value that was not being met for so far and used to vary. That has now been met, based on latest data available on June 7

standards for global trade. It is therefore important to anticipate the future scenario on standards and technical regulations in the context of TPP and TTIP.

The strategy of having different standards for domestic market and export market has not worked anywhere. We cannot compartmentalise quality consciousness. It has to be right from the bottom. To grow India’s export, Indian manufacturers should comply with international best practices and standards and create an ecosystem of conformity.

The monsoon has officially arrived: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared that the monsoon had arrived over Kerala on, a day later than its forecast date of June 7.

Though it has been raining heavily in Kerala for well over a week — prompting private weather forecasters such as Skymet, to declare that the monsoon set in on May 30 — these rains have only qualified as ‘pre monsoon’ showers.

According to a statement from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of south Arabian Sea, Maldives, Comorin area, most parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, some parts of south interior Karnataka, remaining parts of south Bay of Bengal and some more parts of central Bay of Bengal. It is expected to cover the whole country by July 15.

The IMD has predicted monsoon rains to be 6 per cent more than the historical average of 89 cm and spread out quite evenly over the country. This would be the first time in at least five years that the IMD has predicted above-average monsoon rains since April and on the back of two years of consecutive droughts.



Reserve Bank tells lenders to expedite cyber security policy

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has told commercial banks to ‘immediately’ put in place a cyber security policy, duly approved by the board, in the wake of increasing cyber attacks in the financial system.

The policy would also include setting up an adaptive incident response, management and recovery framework to deal with adverse incidents/disruptions, if and when they occur, according to the central bank.

Banks have been asked to formulate a Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP) which should be a part of the overall board-approved strategy. CCMP should address the following four aspects—Detection, Response, Recovery and Containment.

The regulator has emphasised that the cyber security policy should be distinct and separate from the broader IT policy/IS Security policy so that it can highlight the risks from cyber threats and the measures to address or mitigate these risks.

RBI begins work on IT arm

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set in motion the process of establishing an IT (information technology) subsidiary.

It has commenced the exercise to recruit key heads for assorted verticals of the proposed subsidiary.

The subsidiary will have advisory committees to provide guidance on cyber security, current and future requirements of entities regulated by the RBI, particularly from the regulatory and supervisory points of view, and to the central bank on its IT systems and projects.

The IT subsidiary would focus On IT and cyber security (including related research) of the financial

sector and Assist in IT systems audit and assessment of the RBI regulated entities; Advise, implement and manage internal or system-wide IT projects (both the

existing and the new) of the Reserve Bank as mutually decided between the Reserve Bank and the subsidiary

Periodically report to apex-level committees of RBI, including the Board for Financial Supervision, the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS) and the RBI’s central board.

Given the need for inter-operability and cross-institutional co-operation, the entity would be expected to play an effective role in setting standards to strengthen RBI’s role as regulator.

Railways speed to top rating in poll

15,000 respond as PM seeks feedback on government portal MyGov.in Ratings have been solicited by the PM on 15 of his pet projects At the end of these responses, the scores on just what and whose work makes the cut

in the government is telling.



Ranking right there at the top, with an average of 4.6 stars are the initiatives taken by the government on rail connectivity and modernisation

Following closely in the list of above average work are the initiatives on roads and highways; they score an average of 4.55 stars.

Number three for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Her Ministry’s work gets an average of 4.5 star rating.

Make in India, and initiatives in the power sector are the next two popular areas of government work. Each scored an average of 4.2 stars.

MyGov.in

MyGov platform is a unique path breaking initiative which was launched on July 26, 2014

It is a unique first of its kind participatory governance initiative involving the common citizen at large.

By the use of online platform creating an interface for healthy exchange of ideas and views involving the common citizen and experts with the ultimate goal to contribute to the social and economic transformation of India.

In its short span of existence till date, MyGov platform has been more than successful in keeping the citizens engaged on important policy issues and governance, be it Clean Ganga, Girl Child Education, Skill Development and Healthy India to name a few.

The major attributes of MyGov includes Discussion, Tasks, Talks, Polls and Blogs on various groups based on the diverse governance and public policy issues.

Today MyGov has more than 1.78 Million users who contribute their ideas through discussions and also participate through the various earmarked tasks.

As mentioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, MyGov is an initiative which should culminate into a mass movement towards self-governance or ‘surajya’.

Army wants soldiers to have a clean shave

After a great deal of legal wrangling, a jawan who insisted on growing a beard on religious grounds has been terminated by the Army and termed ‘an undesirable soldier’.

His dismissal was upheld by the Kochi Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) recently.

Maktumhusen, a 34-year-old Muslim from Dharwad in Karnataka, was a sepoy in the Army Medical Corps for nearly 10 years from 2001, when he first sought permission from his Commanding Officer (CO) to have a beard on religious grounds.

The CO allowed him on the condition that he get a new identity card and retain the look for the rest of his service under the Army headquarters letters of 1951 and 1978



Amended rules

But later these rules had been superseded by amendments to Regulation No. 665 of the Defence Services Regulations and the Ministry of Defence (Army) letter, 1991.

Under the amended rules, those other than Sikhs cannot sport a permanent beard. Citing this, the CO revoked his order and asked Mr. Maktumhusen to comply. The jawan refused and moved the Karnataka High Court, terming the order

‘discriminatory.’ Meanwhile since he paid no heed to further instructions, and the Army discharged him

from service as an ‘undesirable soldier’ after an enquiry.

Tribunal ruling

Soldiers's argument terming the order ‘discriminatory. that he had the right to grow a beard (under Article 25 of the Constitution on

religious freedom) and that he should have rights on par with Sikhs. Tribunal order

said that having a beard was not among the ‘fundamental tenets’ of Islam. The Army is a disciplined force and denominational differences among its

members based on religion, caste etc. cannot be permitted. Practice of wearing a beard claimed on the basis of religion by the applicant, which goes against Regulation 665 of the Defence Service Regulations, is not conducive to the discipline of the Force

Rules across services Sikhs are permitted to keep a well-maintained beard and untrimmed hair across

the Services. But the Army, Navy and the Air force have differing rules. The Army allows non-Sikhs, especially in certain regiments, to sport a temporary beard.

The Air Force does not allow display of religious symbols on duty or at parades. But Muslims who had a beard at the time of enrolment before January 1, 2002, can keep it.

The Navy allows its personnel to change their appearance. But the CO’s permission is mandatory. Medical grounds grant exemption from the rules.

Muhamma says it is free from open defecation

Muhamma grama panchayat in the Alappuzha district of Kerala has declared itself an open defecation-free (ODF) panchayat.

It is the first panchayat in the State to make such a self-declaration, as part of a procedure to be ratified by the State under the Swachh Bharat Mission of the Union government.

All houses and institutions in the panchayat have toilets now A survey conducted earlier revealed that 281 houses in the local body area were

deprived of toilet facility. The panchayat took up a project to construct toilets there,



utilising assistance available from the Central mission, apart from funds of the panchayat as well as some government departments.

The panchayat has handed over documents claiming ODF status to mission representatives and district panchayat president. The status would be examined by State-level officials over a six-month period, after which the State mission could confirm the status.

It would be a challenge for the panchayat to ensure that people do not go back to open defecation.



INTERNATIONAL ISSUES To be or not to be - Brexit vote

The results of the June 23 referendum, the second vote in 41 years on United Kingdom’s place in the European Union, will have implications for generations to come.

There is widespread resentment among voters against the current terms of Britain’s membership in the EU

The Brexit camp argued that owing to the EU membership, Britain is not allowed to make changes in existing laws and take independent economic decisions.

Such restrictions have cost the country economically and are partly responsible for high unemployment.

EU’s immigration policies for migrant arrivals.

It has to pay millions of pounds each week as a contribution to the European budget.

The extremely bureaucratic nature of the European parliament is hurting British exporters

Migration with the European Union into Britain (mainly PIGS economies) is creating an imbalance in the welfare schemes of the UK government.

But most of these arguments appear hollow as a post-Brexit scenario could throw up even worse outcomes.

Treasury assesses that Brexit would slow down growth, and could lead to a loss of £36 billion in tax receipts.

In the short term, a ‘No’ vote will throw the country into political instability as Prime Minister David Cameron will resign.

There will also be economic uncertainty as Britain will have to negotiate its new relationship with the EU within two years.

A bigger problem would be trade. Currently, almost half of Britain’s exports go to other EU countries. The

One alternative is to follow the Norwegian model. The Scandinavian country is not part of the EU but has access to the single market. But Norway has had to make huge concessions for this access, including making payments into EU budgets.

Another option is for Britain to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU. But this route has at least two problems. First, free trade deals are unlikely to cover financial services. Second, the U.K. will face competition from other economic powerhouses such as the U.S. and India in negotiating a trade agreement with the EU. On its own, the U.K. will be at a disadvantage compared to the bigger markets.



economic impact of losing access to the EU’s single market will be huge.

Moreover, Brexit would put the idea of a united Europe in danger as it could have a domino effect.

The voters’ decision will have serious effects on not just the country but on the whole region.

What is Brexit?

It is the abbreviation of “British Exit” from the European Union (EU).

Brexit mirrors the term Grexit — a term which was coined and used by two Citigroup’s economists in February 2012 to refer to the possible exit of Greece from the EU.

Eligible voters: All British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK, along with UK nationals living abroad who have been on the electoral register in the UK in the past 15 years

Negative Impacts of the Brexit referendum to India

India will have to adjust to a changing world order There may be foreign fund outflow and dollar rise Rupee may depreciate because of the double effect

of foreign fund outflow and dollar rise This may increase petrol and diesel prices to an

extent Prices of gold, electronic goods, among others may

also increase Sensex and Nifty may tumble in the short-run Brexit will have a negative impact on the $108

billion Indian IT sector in the short term. Many Indian companies are listed on the London

Stock Exchange and many have European headquarters in London. Brexit will take away this advantage

Positive Impacts of the Brexit referendum to India

With lower pound value, Indian companies may be able to acquire many hi-tech assets. As investors look around the world for safe havens in these turbulent times, India stands out both in terms of stability and of growth Brexit might give a boost to trade ties between India and the UK Britain will now be free to discuss a bilateral trade pact with India

What is the European Union?

The EU is a political, trade and economic union founded in 1957. The EU evolved over decades and reached its present model in 1992. There are 51 countries in Europe, out of which 28 countries have signed a treaty to become a part of European Union. The EU treaty provided for a European Parliament and European Council which consisted of representatives of the member-states. EU members account for 16 per cent of world imports and exports. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

What is the Euro Area?

The Euro Area (EA) is a subset of the EU, which is a monetary union of 19 of the 28 countries which use the common currency, Euro. Not all EU members use the Euro. Britain is a EU member, it is not part of the EA. It does not use the Euro and has retained its own currency, the Pound Sterling.



U.S. wants progress in investment pact talks with India: Envoy

The new model text on the basis of which India is negotiating its Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) is making it difficult for America to hold bilateral talks on the proposed India-U.S. BIT, according to U.S. Ambassador to India.

The reasons

This is mainly because India’s model BIT text “substantially narrows the scope of investments” that can be covered by the proposed India-U.S. BIT

The model text also requires that disputes be exhausted in local Indian jurisdictions before alternative investor-state dispute mechanisms can be initiated.

Investors from developed countries including the U.S. have been citing ‘judicial delays’ in India to demand that they be granted the flexibility in the BITs to take disputes to international arbitration tribunals without waiting to exhaust remedies available in India.

These investors have also demanded that the BITs should ensure protection of even the investment commitments they make on the basis of existing policies in India in case changes in such policies later harm those investment plans.

India had become very cautious about the Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism in its BITs following instances of governments being dragged by investors to international courts on the basis of the existing treaties.

Foreign investors — seeking such international arbitration — usually claim huge compensation for “losses” they “suffered” owing to reasons including government policy changes.

The first round negotiations on the India-U.S. BIT was held in August 2009. However, the negotiations were initially delayed as India and the U.S. had undertaken a review of their respective model BIT texts.

Countries develop a model BIT to use as a template to negotiate investment treaties, but on its own, a model BIT has very limited legal value. Provoked by foreign investors suing India under different bilateral investment treaties (BITs), the government recently adopted a new model BIT. The 2015 model BIT replaces the 2003 model, which was fairly investor-friendly. Most of India’s existing BITs, signed with more than 70 countries, are based on the 2003 model. The adoption of the new model BIT heralds a new era in India’s engagement with foreign investment and investment treaty practice.

A bilateral investment treaty (BIT) is an agreement establishing the terms and conditions for private investment by nationals and companies of one state in another state. This type of investment is called foreign direct investment (FDI). BITs are established through trade pacts

The objective of BITs is protection of the interests of investors but in the process these pacts aim to balance the obligations of the respective governments and the rights of investors.



India enters elite missile tech group

In a boost to its non-proliferation credentials, India joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) at a ceremony in South Block, attended by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and diplomats from the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg missions.

India’s MTCR membership would help in “furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives,”

The MTCR chair at The Hague said India would enjoy “full participation in organisational activities, including the October 2016 plenary of the regime in South Korea.”

India had intensified efforts at gaining membership of the MTCR, the NSG, the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement since getting a waiver at the NSG in 2008. Membership of these groups would help India trade more effectively in critical high tech areas.

Expanded Panama Canal is now open

A giant Chinese-chartered freighter nudged its way into the expanded Panama Canal to mark the completion of nearly a decade of work forecast to boost global trade.

The vessel, especially renamed COSCO Shipping Panama, inaugurated the widening of the century-old waterway, which has been fitted with a new shipping lane and locks.

The Chinese ship entered from the Atlantic and was to take hours to make its way to the Pacific side of the country, where a ceremony attended by several heads of state and foreign dignitaries was to take place.

The United States — builder of the original

Neopanamax freighters can carry up to three times the cargo of older and smaller Panamax ships.



canal, which opened in 1914 and is still in operation alongside the additions The U.S. and China are the two most frequent canal users. Its expansion is expected to

greatly benefit commercial traffic between North America and Asia. The expansion — work began in 2007 and finished two years late at a cost of at least

$5.5 billion — allows a new generation of much larger ships, known as Neopanamax class vessels, to ply the canal.

Cruise ships built to the same dimensions typically double the number of passengers of the previous iteration.

India has to complete a long process for SCO membership

A long-drawn process lies ahead for India to complete its entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which will begin its annual summit on June 23-24 at Tashkent

At this upcoming summit, the process of India’s accession to the SCO will start with a signature on the ‘base document’ which is called the ‘Memorandum of Obligations

India will attend the summit as an “Acceding Member” but will speak from the category of “Observers.”

The Memorandum of Obligations, however, will begin a process of more intense engagement.

The memorandum which India will sign on June 24 will also provide opportunity to intensify anti-terror cooperation between India and China.

India seeks to purchase patrol drones from U.S.

India has sent a letter of request (LoR) to the U.S. seeking to purchase patrol drones for protection of its maritime assets in the Indian Ocean

The LoR sent by New Delhi comes less than a fortnight after India was inducted into Missile Technology Control Regime and recognised by the U.S. as a “major defence partner” after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama earlier this month.

This is part of the government’s effort to fast-track its goal to secure the country’s maritime assets, particularly in the Indian Ocean and detect any untoward intrusion like Mumbai terrorist attack.

The letter seeks purchase of State-of-the-art Multi-mission Maritime patrol predator guardian unmanned aerial vehicles (uav). It provides high-altitude wide area view and Has long endurance maritime isr (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance)

capability.

China keeps close eye on Malabar exercises

Multiple incidents during the ongoing Malabar naval exercises between India, Japan and the U.S. off the Okinawa coast in Japan highlighted the increasing friction



between China and the other nations in the region over developments in the South China Sea, unwittingly dragging India into the tensions.

A Chinese observation ship had tailed the U.S. aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis in the Western Pacific which is taking part in the exercises,

In a separate incident Japan said that another ship entered its territorial waters for the first time in over a decade.

Exercise Malabar

is a trilateral naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners. Originally a bilateral exercise between India and the U.S., Japan became a permanent partner in 2015.

Past non-permanent participants are Australia and Singapore. The annual Malabar series began in 1992 and includes diverse activities, ranging from

fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises

Bill seeking special status for India fails in U.S. Senate

The Senate has failed to recognise India as a “global strategic and defence partner” of the U.S. after a key amendment necessary to modify its export control regulations could not be passed.

The U.S. had recognised India as a “major defence partner” in a joint statement issued after Mr. Modi held talks with President Barack Obama which supported defence-related trade and technology transfer to the country which would now be treated on par with America’s closest allies.

National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA-17) - which if passed would have recognised India as a global strategic and defence partner.

Top Republican senator John McCain had moved an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA-17)

The NDAA was passed by the Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 85-13. But some of the key amendments including the (SA 4618) — even though they had bipartisan support — could not be passed by the Senate.

The McCain amendment said that the relationship between the U.S. and India has developed over the past two decades to become a multifaceted, global strategic and defence partnership rooted in shared democratic values and the promotion of mutual prosperity, greater economic cooperation, regional peace, security and stability.

As such it asked the President to take such actions as may be necessary “to recognise the status of India as a global strategic and defence partner” of the U.S. through appropriate modifications to defence export control regulations.

India warned against pitfalls in ASEAN trade agreement

MSF has warned India it will no more remain ‘the pharmacy of the developing world’ if the proposals in the pact are adopted.



As talks for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — a regional trade agreement among the 10 ASEAN countries — continue in Auckland, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned India that it will no more remain ‘the pharmacy of the developing world’ if the proposals in the pact are adopted.

MSF Access Campaign and other civil society organisations are pushing for the removal of harmful intellectual property provisions that could potentially increase drug costs by creating new monopolies and delaying the entry of affordable generics in the market.

Two of the most worrying are the demands for ‘Data Exclusivity’ and ‘Patent Term Extensions’.

Data exclusivity is a form of legal monopoly protection for a drug, over and above the patent protections. This is given expressly to compensate for the investment made during clinical trials. It implied that regulators cannot approve a similar drug with similar data for the next five years, delaying the entry of generic, affordable versions

Patent term extensions are given to compensate the company for delays in processing patent applications. A company gets a 20-year patent monopoly on a drug from the date that the application is filed. Sometimes processing these applications takes time and the companies get only 13 years instead of 20. A patent term extension will give another five-year monopoly to the innovator company, again delaying the entry of generic drugs in the market

The twin towers of terrorism

The Islamic State has displaced al-Qaeda as the dominant force in international jihadism, but the two are still competing for funding, recruits and prestige — and together pose the gravest threat to the world

Since 2013, IS and al-Qaeda have been competing for funding, recruits and prestige — and they often argue over tactics.

Islamic state

IS leaders prefer the wholesale slaughter of civilians, as epitomised by recent attacks in Paris, Baghdad, Beirut and elsewhere.

By late 2014, the IS seized large chunks of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The group then proclaimed a caliphate in the territory under its control, and named its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as caliph and “leader of Muslims everywhere”.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand). RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.

RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which includes the United States but excludes China.



The IS established a regional base that has allowed it to govern territory, train thousands of fighters and generate income from illicit trade in oil and other resources — all on a scale larger than anything al-Qaeda has achieved.

The IS has also established a larger recruitment effort and more sophisticated social media presence than al-Qaeda’s.

With its self-declared caliphate, the IS has gained control of more resources and generated more income than the al-Qaeda.

The IS generates money by selling oil and wheat, imposing taxes on residents of the territory it controls, and through extortion.

In 2014, it raked in about $2 billion, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. That included $500 million in oil sales in the black market, and up to $1 billion in cash stolen from banks while the group made its initial march across Syria and Iraq.

Overall, IS has displaced al-Qaeda as the dominant force in international jihadism.

Al-Qaeda

By contrast, the al-Qaeda has historically relied on donations from wealthy individuals, especially in the Gulf states.

But even in its weakened state, the al-Qaeda still poses a danger to the West, West Asia and the wider Muslim world.

In recent years, it has become more active in Yemen and has established a strong affiliate in Syria, the Jabhat al-Nusra, which is a dominant force among the jihadists fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It’s essential not to underestimate al-Qaeda’s ability to evolve and adapt to a new landscape — as it has done before. When the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to drive out the ruling Taliban movement that sheltered bin Laden and his supporters, the al-Qaeda was temporarily thrown off balance. It quickly regrouped, dispersing its surviving members, distributing its ideological tracts and terrorist techniques to a wider audience on the Internet, and encouraging new recruits to act autonomously under its banner.

Even while in hiding, bin Laden and his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, freely addressed their supporters through dozens of videos, audiotapes and Internet statements. They helped inspire hundreds of young men to carry out suicide or conventional bombings in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Spain, Turkey and Britain.

‘Near’ and ‘far’ enemies IS and al-Qaeda differ in other important ways: the al-Qaeda wants to overthrow

what it views as the corrupt and “apostate” regimes of West Asia — the “near enemy”. But in order to do so, al-Qaeda’s leaders focussed on the “far enemy:” the U.S. and the West.

In targeting the U.S., the al-Qaeda believes it will eventually force Washington to withdraw its support for the autocratic Arab regimes and abandon West Asia entirely.

But the IS does not subscribe to al-Qaeda’s vision and instead it mainly focusses on the “near enemy” — meaning the so-called apostate regimes in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Arab world. So far, IS has been more successful in its strategy, which relies on capturing and holding territory.



As the al-Qaeda’s influence waned, the IS has tried to fill the vacuum by expanding into new territory. In November 2014, Baghdadi announced that the IS was creating new “provinces” of its self-declared caliphate in five new countries: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. While IS sympathisers had pledged allegiance to Baghdadi in other states, the IS leader singled out only those countries where the movement has a strong base of support and could mount sustained attacks.

But Baghdadi also called on his supporters to carry out “lone wolf” attacks wherever possible. “Oh soldiers of the Islamic State, erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere,” he declared. “Light the earth with fire against all dictators.” And for more than a year, IS militants have been heeding the self-proclaimed caliph’s call.

Chinese violate border in Arunachal Pradesh

A fresh transgression by Chinese troops into Indian territory has come to light. The incident happened on June 9 at Yangtse which is located 25-30 km east of Bum La pass in western Arunachal Pradesh.

This is the first incident in the Yangtse region this year and such incidents usually tend to increase this time of the year.

Army officials said that this happens regularly due to differences in perception on the boundary and after claiming that the area belongs to China, troops tend to go back.

The incident coincides with India’s efforts at securing membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which China has openly opposed citing India’s non-accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Late last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi had attempted to reach out to China on the issue through Russia.

In March, Chinese troops had entered Indian territory in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir. While the first incident was reported on March 8, there was a face-off between the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on March 11 as well. On March 8, Chinese troops had entered almost 6 km deep inside Indian territory near the Pangong lake in Ladakh.

President’s Africa Tour

President Pranab Mukherjee embarked on a six-day visit to Ghana, Ivory Coast and Namibia to boost trade ties with these countries.

This is not a ceremonial visit. It has an educational component, economic component and a community component

The President’s first stop was Ghanian capital of Accra, where he held delegation-level talks at the President’s House. The imposing building was built by renowned Indian builder Shapoorji Pallonji.

India, Ghana sign three agreements

Ghana is the first country visited by the President The President visited the India-Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, set up by

India, and met its faculty and alumni.



The three agreements signed with Ghana, after delegation level talks between Mr. Mukherjee and his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama, included

one for visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports and one for setting up a Joint Commission.The commission will periodically review

various aspects of the multi-dimensional relationship between the two countries.

Though symbolic in nature, the pacts came during the first ever visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to the country.

Ghana has sought India’s civil nuclear cooperation to explore the possibilities of reducing its dependence on traditional energy sources to cut costs and focus on cleaner environment.

India is the largest foreign investor in Ghana today, with more than 700 projects. More than 222 of these projects are in the manufacturing sector.

Bilateral trade With China at the back of its mind, India intends to expand its bilateral trade with

Ghana from $3 billion to $5 billion in the next three years. Though India has a strong presence for decades with a sizeable diaspora and business community engaged in trade for decades in Africa, it is way behind China in investments in key infrastructure sectors.

India’s cumulative investments in Ghana hover around $1 billion, whereas bilateral trade is worth $3 billion in 2015-16. Though bilateral trade and investments have been steadily growing, these were still below potential.

They acknowledged the need to take up mutually beneficial projects such as a joint fertilizer plant, with an emphasis on greater value-addition.

Government of Ghana conveyed its deep appreciation of India’s concessional developmental assistance by way of grants and Lines of Credit, in particular, its support for major socio-economic projects such as Komenda Sugar Plant and Elmina Fish Processing Plant.

India has also approved a Line of Credit for setting up a Foreign Policy Training Institute.

It was agreed that India would establish a Chair on Indian Studies in the University of Ghana, Accra.

In the course of his visit, the President paid floral tributes to Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah at his Mausoleum in Accra, and unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, in the University of Ghana.

From Ghana, Mr. Mukherjee left to Ivory Coast.

Ivory Coast

Cote D’Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast), a francophone country

Its the biggest producer and exporter of cashew nuts to India which procures nearly 80 per cent of their total exports.

The Ivory Coast government is very keen to

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get Indian private sector on board President Pranab Mukherjee was decorated with National Grand Croix, Cote D’Ivoire’s

highest honour. UN reforms- Mr. Mukherjee raised the issue of U.N. reforms at a meeting with

President of Cote D’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara. He made out a strong case for a “concerted push” to make the United Nations more democratic and representative at the annual session of its general assembly scheduled for September, maintaining that any further delay would rob the process of its grace.

Namibia

Namibia is the fourth largest producer of uranium. Reiterating its commitment to honour the 2009 pact to supply uranium to India at the

earliest, Namibia has asked New Delhi to enter into similar agreements with other countries to convince the member-states of the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty (ANWFZT).

Namibia, a member of ANWFZT, is barred from supplying uranium to India as the latter is not a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT.

The ANWFZT, also known as the Treaty of Pelindaba, is named after South Africa’s main Nuclear Research Centre, run by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation.

It was the location where South Africa’s atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored.

The sale of uranium to India was one of the main topics on the agenda of discussion between the President Pranab Mukherjee and his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob at the delegation-level talks.

Namibia was keen on supplying uranium to India as part of the civil nuclear cooperation, for augmenting its resources.

Sale of uranium by Namibia to India can change the trade dynamics between the two countries. It is a win-win situation.

So far, India has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with 12 countries, including the United States, Russia, Korea and Japan.

Among the other engagements of the President during the day was an address to the Namibian Parliament.

He also addressed the students of Namibia University of Science and Technology.

India’s NSG entry stuck on NPT issue

After a day of twists and turns, India’s hopes for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) got stuck over the question of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in Seoul

The much-anticipated bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tashkent ended without a statement of support from China.



Earlier in the day, India had scored a coup when the NSG agreed to hold a ‘Special Session’ previous night with India’s membership on the agenda. This was despite China’s repeated assertion that the membership of non-signatories to the NPT, or “non-NPT countries” was not on the table for the 26th Plenary session that got under way in Seoul.

China has maintained that non-NPT signatories should not be admitted into NSG on the grounds that it would undermine efforts to prevent proliferation

Formation of NSG

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons

The NSG was founded in response to the Indian nuclear test in May 1974 and first met in November 1975.

The India nuclear test demonstrated that certain non-weapons specific nuclear technology could be readily turned to weapons development. Therefore

Nations already signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) saw the need to further limit the export of nuclear equipment, materials or technology. Another benefit was that non-NPT and non-Zangger Committee nations, then specifically France, could be brought in.

A series of meetings in London from 1975 to 1978 resulted in agreements on the guidelines for export, these were published as INFCIRC/254 (essentially the Zangger "Trigger List") by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Listed items could only be exported to non-nuclear states if certain International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards were agreed to or if exceptional circumstances relating to safety existed.

The name of the "London Club" was due to the series of meetings in London. It has also been referred to as the London Group, or the London Suppliers Group.

At the first meeting since 1978, held at the Hague in March 1991, the twenty-six participating governments agreed to the changes, which were published as the "Dual-use List" in 1992, and also to the extension of the original list to more closely match the up-to-date Zangger list. A regular series of plenary meetings was also arranged as was the regular updating of the two key lists

India's efforts to join various bodies 30-year-old effort to secure a

permanent seat on the UN Security Council - characterised as the pursuit of a diplomatic holy grail.

A similar, but less intense effort is on to seek admission to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a body which should have included India in the first place. Here again, there is no sign of India being invited, even as the 10-year moratorium on new membership has expired.

India has now embarked on another quest, this time to seek membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The Prime Minister himself has travelled to Switzerland to seek support and he will also go to Mexico for the same purpose.



India, Seychelles working to ‘ensure security’ in Indian Ocean

Seychelles’s Tourism Minister Alain St. Ange, was in Chennai to promote the country’s tourism industry

India is an important source of tourism for the island nation.

Last year, about 8,000 Indians travelled to Seychelles to spend holidays. About 4,000 Indian tourists have travelled to Seychelles so far this year

The economy of the Indian Ocean country is heavily dependent on tourism. It receives about 2,80,000 tourists a year a year, roughly three times its population.

The direct share of tourism in the economy 27 per cent, which goes up to 62 per cent if the indirect contribution is factored in

Indian ocean- India and Seychelles have “very close” relations and both counties are working together to ensure safety and security in the Indian Ocean.

Work will start this year in the Assumption Island to jointly develop a naval base by India and Seychelles.

The country has allocated a plot on the Assumption Island for the base, which will help enhance maritime security along India’s west and south coast. This initiative has come following China’s announcement that it would build its first African naval base in Djibouti.

However Mr. St. Ange said it’s not right to call the Assumption Island facility an Indian naval base. It’s a base of Seychelles to be built with support from India.

India is already helping Seychelles patrol the Indian Ocean. When you leave the African waters, you enter the Seychelles waters in the Indian Ocean. So every time the world spoke of bandits they say in the Seychelles waters. Alone Seychelles cannot patrol this wide area.. And India is one of the supporting countries in this regard.

It’s Hillary vs. Trump in November vote

Powered by a solid triumph in California, Hillary Clinton declared victory in her year-long battle for the heart of the Democratic Party, seizing her place in history and setting out on the difficult task of fusing a fractured party to confront Donald Trump.

Ms. Clinton cruised to easy victories in four of the six State contests. With each win she further solidified Sen. Bernie Sanders’ defeat and dashed his already slim chances of using the last night of State contests to refuel his bid.

The victories allowed Ms. Clinton to celebrate her long-sought “milestone”, the first woman poised to lead a major political party’s presidential ticket.

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Standing before a flag-waving crowd in Brooklyn, the former Secretary of State soaked up the cheers and beamed.

India eyes uranium from Africa

In the back drop of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India is likely to ask African countries to relax commitment to the Pelindaba Treaty

Which controls supply of uranium from key mineral hubs of Africa to the rest of the world.

The Pelindaba Treaty signed in 1996, also known as the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty,

Aims at preventing nuclear proliferation and preventing strategic minerals of Africa from being exported freely.

France launches ‘terror alert’ smartphone app

A new smartphone app to alert users to possible terror attacks was launched by the French government in time for the start of Euro 2016, amid growing security concerns over the tournament.

The application, which is free to download in both French and English, will send users a warning “in case of a suspected attack,”

It will also alert users about “unexpected events” such as the breaching of flood defences.

Alerts will appear on the app less than 15 minutes after the incident has been confirmed by authorities, and will be customised according to the user’s exact location.

PMs US visit

India now a ‘major defence partner’

The U.S. has recognised India as ‘major defence partner,’ a classification that will allow India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from the U.S. Now we will be treated at a level similar to the closest allies and partners of the U.S. and it sort of allows for better, higher quality, faster technology access on the defence side and also more liberal access to the dual technology side

This move will be complemented by India’s entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime, an exclusive club that restricts trade in sensitive defence technologies.

The U.S. has also declared that it will be its “strong objective to have India voted as a member “of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), another export control regime

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)-

The logistics pact between India and the U.S., Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), which found mention in the joint statement has some more steps to go through back home before it can be signed.



In the coming weeks the agreement will go through the administrative procedure and has to be formally approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) before it can be signed. Both sides had announced their ‘in-principle’ understanding to conclude the logistics arrangement

LEMOA is basically a functional technical agreement to carry out logistical tasks It will simplify exchange of fuel and other logistics support at each other’s

facilities during joint training, exercises, port calls and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief missions.

It would entail designation of officials on both sides for each side to approach in case of necessity and each request would be considered on a case by case basis.

Would enable India to respond faster to contingencies in the HADR domain like in Yemen or Nepal.

Modi addresses U.S. Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi combined poetry, humour and rhetoric to outline his vision for India’s partnership with the U.S in the 21st century, addressing a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

This was Mr. Modi’s first address and he became the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the Congress.

Mr Modi called for deepening U.S.- India security cooperation to tackle global terrorism, based on a policy that “delinks religion from terrorism.”

Effusive in his enthusiasm for India’s partnership with the U.S “in every sector of India’s forward march, I see the U.S as an indispensable partner”, Mr. Modi, however, diplomatically and emphatically drove home the message that New Delhi could have its own priorities and convictions. “As we deepen our partnership, there would be times when we would have differing perspectives. But since our interests and concerns converge, the autonomy in decision-making and diversity in our perspectives can only add value to our partnership,”

Recalling former prime minister A.B. Vajapyee’s address to the Congress, where he had spoken about overcoming the “hesitations of history,” Mr. Modi said: “Our relationship has overcome the hesitations of history,” and “comfort, candour and convergence define our conversations.”

With Pakistan obviously in mind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that terrorism was being “incubated in India’s neighbourhood”, and pressed for action without distinction against groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Taliban and the IS who share the “same philosophy of hate, murder and killings.”



In his address to the joint sitting of the U.S. Congress here, Mr. Modi said terrorism has to be fought with “one voice” as he commended the American lawmakers for sending out a clear message in refusing to “reward” those who preach and practice terrorism for political gains — an apparent reference to the recent blocking of sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

“Let us work together to convert shared ideals into practical cooperation,” he said, lauding common democratic principles and hailing two heroes of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

To mollify China, India eases curbs on conference visas

India has removed “conference” visas for Chinese participants from the prior referral category.

Conference visas are issued for seminars, workshops and conferences organised by government departments, Union ministries, public sector undertakings, central educational institutions or public funded universities. The relaxation is only for conference visas as it was a major hindrance for the Chinese to come here and share technological advancements and strategies

China has, on several occasions, pressed India for lifting restrictions on conference and research visas.

Recent moves to liberalise the visa regime for Chinese citizens. India has already rolled out electronic tourist visa-on-arrival facility for Chinese More recently, removed the need for prior approval for conference visas.

Earlier, China was bracketed with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, foreigners of Pakistani origin and stateless persons under the restricted category, requiring prior security clearance from the intelligence agencies for obtaining a visa.

However, Beijing is yet to reciprocate to New Delhi demand for a similar arrangement for its citizens.

A re-look needed at India's engagement of the neighbourhood

India has traditionally displayed a self-imposed ‘unilateral bias’ in addressing key challenges in the neighbourhood and near abroad. The limits of this approach are evident

For instance The Salma Dam in Afghanistan’s Herat Province or Iran’s Chabahar port complex represents New Delhi’s ambitious foray into its extended neighbourhood. But there is considerable scepticism within the strategic community regarding India’s material and political wherewithal to stay the course vis-à-vis these long-term projects

The problem

India’s strategic engagements in the region and beyond suffer from several handicaps. 1. First of all, New Delhi lacks the financial resources to invest in crucial projects in a

sustained manner due to budget constraints and compulsions of domestic priorities.



Eg- Hambantota Port some years ago is a case in point 2. Second, there is also a problem of severe attention deficit resulting from an inability

to commit diplomatic and political capital to pursue key strategic objectives. 3. Third, many of India’s strategic initiatives in the region, Chabahar for instance,

often get portrayed in competitive terms, thereby getting into the cross hairs of adversarial/insecure neighbours.

4. Finally, this problem is compounded by the fact that New Delhi has traditionally displayed a self-imposed “unilateral bias” in addressing key challenges in the neighbourhood and near abroad. Indeed, this tendency to “go solo” partly explains the lacklustre performance of at least some of India’s strategic initiatives, and has, indeed, contributed to a certain “strategic diffidence” in our strategic culture.

Solution 1. Adopting a grand strategic approach to addressing key strategic challenges: there

should be a clear rationale guiding our strategic engagements 2. Moving from a unilateral approach to tackling problems to a multilateral

approach, and 3. Creating a regional/global consensus on key challenges. Let’s examine some of our

current strategic engagements in the region and see whether a multilateral approach can help us pursue our objectives better.

For instance 1. Co-developing Chabahar 2. Unilateralism in Afghanistan

There is no denying the fact that India’s engagement with Kabul has so far been praiseworthy

thanks to its well-conceived reconstruction and development assistance (over $2 billion so far) to Afghanistan.

The Afghan Parliament, constructed with Indian assistance and scores of school buildings and hospitals, among others, have generated a lot of goodwill for India there

And yet, there is a real danger of Indian interests and assets being the target of adversaries in the days ahead with the Taliban on the rise and NATO and U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan.

New Delhi does not seem to have a contingency plan to deal with it other than perhaps putting an end to the good work there.

New Delhi does not seem to have recognised the fact that reconstruction and peace-building should go hand in hand. India has so far shied away from participating in the Afghan peace process since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001.

If New Delhi’s Afghan policy is to be meaningful and sustainable, it needs to do two things:

get like-minded countries on board India’s reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, and support and

engage in the Afghan reconciliation and peace-building process. 3. India-China strategic partnership

India should also try to engage China more proactively and with a long-term geopolitical imagination.



India and China have traditionally viewed each other through the Pakistan prism, and the resultant faulty view of each other has constrained us from fully utilising our potential in addressing the challenges faced by the region.

A more meaningful Sino-Indian strategic partnership should therefore be undertaken at three levels.

First, by jointly fighting terror in the region. Second, China today is a major contributor to South Asia’s developmental needs.

There is no point in crying foul about increasing Chinese forays into the region Finally, Indian reactions to China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project should be

to see how we can utilise the many economic, infrastructural and other opportunities opened up by OBOR.

We need to create alliances and coalitions to confront challenges and better utilise opportunities, and in today’s “loose multipolar” world, our alliance behaviour should be guided by clear strategic objectives rather than traditional friendships alone.

In today’s ‘loose multipolar’ world, our alliance behaviour should be guided by clear strategic objectives rather than traditional friendships alone

White tiger mascot of 2018 Winter Games

A cheerful white tiger cub, named ‘Soohorang’, was unveiled as the official mascot for South Korea’s 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

India, U.S. to share data on terrorists

The Home Ministry signed an agreement on to join the global terror database maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) of the U.S.

This move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States on June 7 and 8.

Under this arrangement, both sides will give each other access to terrorism screening information through designated contact points, subject to domestic laws and regulations

The proposal was initially made by the U.S. in 2012, but had made little progress due to objections raised by security agencies. The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) had opposed giving the United States unhindered access to the database of terror suspects in India.

The U.S. has already finalised such agreements with 30 countries The Terrorist Screening Center has details of 11,000 terror suspects on its

database, including nationality, date of birth, photos, finger prints (if any) and passport number.



India joins The Hague Code of Conduct

Strengthening worldwide attempt to contain the spread of ballistic missiles, India has joined The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC)

It is a voluntary legally non-binding multilateral body aimed at preventing the spread of ballistic missiles that can deliver weapons of

mass destruction India’s joining the Code signals our readiness to further strengthen the global non-

proliferation regimes In recent years, the HCoC has been focused on West Asia, South Asia and the East Asia

due to the rising missile and nuclear arms race among rival powers. In the latest meeting of the HCoC which concluded on May 29, a special mention was

made of the increased number of missile launches by North Korea in 2015.

PM to inaugurate Friendship Dam in Afghanistan

Marking the completion of a landmark Afghan development project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam during his visit to Afghanistan this weekend

The completion of the dam project in Herat province represents the culmination of work by 1500 Indian and Afghan engineers and other professionals in very difficult conditions

Originally constructed in 1976, the reservoir was damaged in the Afghanistan civil war. The Afghan-India Friendship Dam will irrigate 75,000 hectares of farmland in arid parts of western Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan government in 2015 changed the name of the project from Salma dam to Afghan-India Friendship Dam.

S. China Sea issue to dominate Asia security summit

U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Singapore ahead of a regional security summit Shangri-La Dialogue

The summit is likely to be dominated by China’s continued military build up in the South China Sea.

His attendance at this weekend’s Shangri-La Dialogue is part of a broader U.S. diplomatic push to build and maintain alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, which America sees as key to its own long-term economic and security interests.

In the year since the last summit, China has stepped up its maritime patrols across the South China Sea and built up a series of military bases on small islands it reclaimed from the ocean.

Mr. Carter has spoken forcefully about China’s military moves in the South China Sea and last week said Beijing risked building a “Great Wall of self-isolation”.



China has indicated it may soon declare an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) that would require civilian aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers in the region.

Sri Lanka panel proposes Bill of Rights

The 20-member committee official committee on constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka has submitted its final recommendations

It has not been able to arrive at a consensus while making recommendations on several contentious areas such as the nature of state, national flag, religion, merger of provinces and land powers.

Outcomes- Bill of Rights - It covers 32 types of rights, ranging from right to life (not

included in the 1978 Constitution) to freedom of religion to rights of people with diverse sexual and gender identities.

Provisions for curtailment of powers of the office of Governor, a subject that has been of great interest to the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

On the issue of religion, the committee points out that despite the existing constitutional position of providing Buddhism “the foremost place”, the Supreme Court has called Sri Lanka a “secular State”. One of its suggestions was that all religions be given equal status while protecting and fostering Buddhism.

The committee is also for retaining the present national flag or designing one without any reference to ethnicity, while representing Sri Lankan collective life, or framing a new flag symbolising the equality of all ethnic groups.

As for the nature of the state, the panel has suggested three formulations, one of which had no reference to unitary or federal. Another proposal, using the term “unitary”, talks of “multi-tier governance systems”.

Terming the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces as “the most controversial”, the committee makes six recommendations. One of them is for allowing the current structure of nine provinces with constitutional provisions for power- sharing.

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