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The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2010 Copyright is an exclusive right given by law for a certain number of years to an author or creator of literary or artistic production to print, publish and sell copies of his or her original work. Publishers see it as a simple mechanism provided for the protection of rights of authors. According to this arrangement, an author owns his/her creations and therefore he/she must be free to control them. The Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2010, which is intended to amend the Copyright Act, 1957, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on April 19. It is an instance of legislation that is likely to favour one stakeholder disproportionately at the expense of others because of the shoddy manner in which it is drafted. The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill says the Copyright Act, 1957, is proposed to be amended for clarity to remove operational difficulties and also to address certain issues that have emerged in the context of digital technologies and the Internet. The two World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Internet Treaties, namely, the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT), 1996, and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), 1996, have set the international standards in these spheres. The WCT and the WPPT were negotiated in 1996 to address the challenges posed to the protection of copyrights and related rights by digital technology, particularly with regard to dissemination of protected material over digital networks such as the Internet. The member-countries of WIPO agreed on the utility of having Internet treaties in the changed global technical situation and adopted them by consensus. In order to extend the protection of copyrighted material in India over digital networks such as the Internet and other computer networks in respect of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, cinematograph films and sound recordings of works of performers, the government proposed to amend the Act so that it harmonises with the provisions of the two WIPO Internet treaties, to the extent considered necessary and desirable. The WCT deals with copyright protection for the authors of literary and artistic works such as writings, computer programs, original databases, musical works, audiovisual works, works of fine art and photographs. The WPPT protects certain related rights which are the rights of performers and producers of phonograms. Although India has not yet signed these two treaties, its voluntary decision to make its domestic laws comply with these treaty provisions is seen as a demonstration of its respect for international law and institutions. The Bill declares that amendments to the Act were necessary because in the knowledge society in which we live today, it is imperative to encourage creativity for the promotion of the culture of enterprise and innovation. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act is an act of the Parliament of India which was passed in 1985 and came into effect in India from November 14, 1985. Under one of the provisions of the act, the Narcotics Control Bureau was set up with effect from March 1986.
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The Act is designed to fulfill India's treaty obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. INSURGENCY IN ASSAM THE 30-year-old insurgency in Assam entered a new phase in the last part of 2009 when India's sustained diplomatic engagement with Bangladesh finally yielded positive results. Sheikh Hasina's government handed over the chairman of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Arabinda Rajkhowa, and its self-styled deputy commander-in-chief, Raju Barua, to the Indian authorities. Two other top ULFA leaders, foreign secretary' Sasha Choudhury and finance secretary' Chitraban Hazarika, had been handed over to India.
The arrest of the ULFA leaders improved the prospects of reviving the peace initiatives between ULFA and New Delhi, which had been initiated when these leaders were in Bangladesh but reached a deadlock later. A convention held on April 24 in Guwahati, under the aegis of a group of intellectuals and leading citizens, added to the expectations of peace talks while stoking up the public debate on the sovereignty issue raised by ULFA. THE UNIQUE IDENTITY NUMBER The project provides a unique identity number, something like the U.S. social security number, to Indias billion-plus citizens. The Unique ID number, the number, not the card The finance minister allocated 1200 million rupees to the Unique Identification Authority of India, UIA is headed by former Infosys chief Nandan Nilekani. It involves setting up a database with the identification details of citizens. It also uses an advanced technology like biometrics on a scale which has not been used anywhere in the world, The biometric details will make identification foolproof. Once implemented, the project is expected to help the government identify beneficiaries of various welfare schemes and help security agencies. It will also link the database to the election commission and the income tax department.
What is Biometrics? Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring and analyzing biological data. In information technology, biometrics refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns and hand measurements, for authentication purposes. LIBERHAN COMMISSION ON BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION SUBMITS REPORT
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The Justice Liberhan Commission, which probed the sequence of events that led to the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan. Set up on December 16, 1992, the Commission was initially asked to give a report in three months.
BANDRA-WORLI SEA LINK BANDRA, MUMBAI, TO BE NAMED AFTER RAJIV GANDHI. This is Indias longest sea link, the third of its kind after Pamban Railway Bridge connecting Mandapam and the island of Rameswaram and the Indira Gandhi Bridge (built in 1988) that runs parallel to the Pamban Bridge. The sea link is being constructed for reducing the travel time from Bandra to Worli to seven minutes from the current 40. This could help save fuel and reduce pollution.
NEW SCHEME FOR SLUM-FREE INDIA The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a new scheme announced by the President earlier this year, focuses on slum dwellers and the urban poor an effort to promote a slum-free India in the next five years. will focus on according property rights to slum dwellers and urban poor by the States, providing basic amenities and enabling the construction of houses through access to subsidised credit. The target will be 10 lakh over the next 5 years, starting with 2 lakh in 2009-2010. The focus will be on imparting quality training and skill certification through reputed institutions or skills training providers so that the urban poor youth can enhance their income and improve their living conditions.
HOME MINISTER CHIDAMBARAM OPENS NSGS MUMBAI HUB Mumbai regional hub of the National Security Guard (NSG) will cater to the whole of countrys western region. Other three regional hubs in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata will be inaugurated. The NSG earlier operated only from its headquarter at Manesar in Haryana. However, the force took more than nine hours to reach Mumbai during the terror attacks in November last year. Hence the need for regional hubs was felt.
SOUTH ASIAN VARSITY South Asian University to be set up under the auspices of SAARC The Govt. approved the payment of Indias contribution of $239.9 million, which amounts to 79 per cent of the total cost. It became operational by July-August next year.
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The university would come up on a 100-acre land next to the Indira Gandhi National Open University here.
DELHI HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN SECTION 377 OF IPC Section criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private. In a landmark judgment, the Delhi High Court struck down the provision of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalised consensual sexual acts of adults in private, holding that it violated the fundamental right of life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed in the Constitution. A Division Bench of Justice A.P. Shah and Justice S. Muralidhar in its 105-page order said: We declare that Section 377 of the IPC, insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private, is violative of Articles 21 [Right to Protection of Life and Personal Liberty], 14 [Right to Equality before Law] and 15 *Prohibition of Discrimination on Grounds of Religion, Race, Caste, Sex or Place of Birth+ of the Constitution. We hold that sexual orientation is a ground analogous to sex, and that discrimination on sexual orientation is not permitted under Article 15, the judgment said.However, the court clarified that the provisions of Section 377 will continue to govern non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non-vaginal sex involving minors. The judges also said that by adult they meant everyone who is 18 years of age and above. A person below 18 would be presumed not to be able to consent to a sexual act, the judgment said. The Bench further said that this clarification will hold till, of course, Parliament chooses to amend the law to effectuate the recommendation of the Law Commission of India in its 172nd Report which, we believe, removes a great deal of confusion.The judgment also made it clear that it would not result in re-opening of criminal cases involving Section 377 that had already attained finality. The verdict came on a PIL plea by Delhi-based non-government organisation Naz Foundation that the Section 377 provision criminalising sexual acts between consenting adults in private violated Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The Foundation works among sex workers in Delhi. 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE AT DRASS CELEBRATED ON JULY 26 Army rejoices recapture of Tiger Hill 10 years ago The recapture of the Tiger Hill was a turning point in the Kargil conflict, and thereafter the Indian Army did not look back.Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of the recapture of the formidable 5,062-metre-high mountain top from Pakistani Army regulars in Operation Vijay. Operation Vijay (1961) - the operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa, Daman and Diu and Anjidiv Islands from the Portuguese colonial holding in 1961.
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Operation Vijay (1999) - name of the successful Indian operation to push back the infiltrators from the Kargil Sector, in the 1999 Kargil War.
AMARTYA SEN, INDRA NOOYI ON MANMOHANS PANEL Economist Amartya Sen, business tycoon L.N. Mittal, and Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi are among the members of a high-level panel headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, constituted to advise the government on drawing upon experience from the best Indian minds abroad for a two-way engagement. Other panelists of the 23-member council include External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Citi group CEO Vikram Pandit, NRI entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria, economist Jagdish Bhagwati, and educationist Sam Pitroda. Council would also consider methods to access the skills and knowledge of the Indian diaspora, to meet the countrys development goals and facilitate investments by overseas Indians in the country. The council will serve as a platform for the Prime Minister to draw upon the experience, knowledge and wisdom of the best Indian minds wherever they may be based, THE INFOSYS PRIZE-INDIAS LARGEST PRIZE FOR PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCES IN 2009, The Infosys Science Foundation has announced the juries, comprising international academicians, for judging the nominations and selecting the winners of the prestigious Infosys Prize across five categories each carrying a prize of Rs. 50 lakh. Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen is the chairperson of the jury for the Social Sciences category.Reckoned to be Indias largest prize for Pure and Applied Sciences in 2009, the Infosys Prize was created in February to recognise and honour outstanding scientific achievements in the country. RIGHT TO INFORMATION ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS GROUP (RAAG) RTI Assessment & Analysis Group (Raag) is a collaborative effort on the part of the civil society to assess the implementation of RTI in the country. CEMETERY TOURISM HIMACHAL PRADESH. The Himachal government is planning cemetery tourism to attract their kin to the hill state. With many foreigners having been buried in Himachal Pradesh when Shimla used to be the summer capital of the British Raj, A number of Britishers and other foreigners died and were buried in different parts of the state during the Raj, including Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli and Mcleodganj. More than 400 British soldiers who died in a devastating earthquake in Kangra in 1905, were laid to rest in Mcleodganj.
ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD GAINING GROUND IN INDIA
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The OLPC is the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, and aims at providing the specially designed and built laptops to children with little or no access to education, as a learning tool and also a means of self expression. The initiative is spearheaded by the OLPC Association, a non-profit organisation that is collaborating with governments, organizations and individuals in several parts of the world to support the distribution and use of the laptops. It is for those with little or no access to education India has just begun taking an interest in the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) global initiative that aims at providing poor children with laptops to open up a world of education to them. Izzat monthly season tickets (MSTs) The Railways will launch on August 1 the Izzat monthly season tickets (MSTs) for Rs.25 to persons working in the unorganised sector with a monthly income not exceeding Rs.1,500. The MST would include all surcharges and would be issued for travel up to 100 km.
AVAHAN, THE INDIA AIDS INITIATIVE OF THE BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION. Bill Gates announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has increased its funding commitment to Avahan an initiative to reduce the spread of HIV in India to a total of $338 million. Launched in 2003 by the Gates Foundation, Avahan provides funding and support to targeted HIV prevention programs in six Indian states and along the national trucking routes. Prior to todays announcement, the foundation had committed a total of $258 million to Avahan. Ashok Alexander, Director, Avahan India AIDS Initiative. JUDGES ASSETS BILL Judges Assets Bill is a proposed legislation in India which would make disclosure of personal assets of judges mandatory in India. The Bill titled The Judges Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Bill, 2009 was attempted to be introduced in Rajya Sabha by Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily on 3 August 2009. However, it was postponed due to opposition from both Left and Right about Clause 6 of the bill which states that High Court and Supreme Court judges would declare their assets but the same would not be made public. The bill would mandate Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court and High court and their dependents declare their assets. The bill was approved by the cabinet on 25 July 2009.Failure to declare, or misdeclaration, of assets would be deemed misconduct BAREFOOT COLLEGE IN TILONIA, RAJASTHAN 'Bunker' Roy is an Indian social activist and educator. In 1972 he founded the Barefoot college in Tilonia, Rajasthan, with the conviction that solutions to rural problems lie within the community. The College addresses problems of drinking water, girl education, health & sanitation, rural unemployment, income generation, electricity and power, as well as social awareness and the conservation of ecological systems in rural communities.The College benefits the poorest of the poor who have no alternatives. The College encourages practical knowledge and skills rather than paper qualifications through a learning by doing process of education.
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In 2002 he was selected for Geneva-based Schwab Foundation's award
BY 2013 INDIA TO HAVE 3RD LARGEST ONLINE POPULATION The number of internet users worldwide is expected to touch 2.2 billion by 2013 and India is projected to have the third largest online population by then, a report by technology and market research firm Forrester Research said. The number of people online around the world will grow more than 45 per cent to 2.2 billion users by 2013 and Asia will continue to be the biggest Internet growth engine... India will be the third largest internet user base by 2013 with China and the U.S. taking the first two spots, respectively. Globally, there were about 1.5 billion internet users in 2008. JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT 2000 The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has recommended the widening of the reach of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 by including children who are trafficked, and are displaced either due to civil unrest or natural disasters. It has called for introducing and implementing a comprehensive policy and legislative framework that prevents domestic child abuse. As for children affected and infected by HIV, it recommended the establishment and operationalisation of targeted policies and procedural guidelines that address permanency planning, placement processes and guardianship rights and responsibilities. Focus on six areas A committee comprising NCPCR chairperson Shantha Sinha, member Dipa Dixit and Rashmi Chopra, senior fellow with the panel that studied the Act, focussed on six major areas the reach of the JJ Act, the regularisation of juvenile justice homes, the reformation of the Juvenile Justice Board procedural implementation, stable and durable placement outcomes for children without access to parental care, quality care in existing homes and systematic early intervention and targeting at risk children by a community-based child perspective service. In its recommendations, the Commission suggested establishing a new joint government-civil registration body in each State, to regulate care provision within the juvenile justice system. Importantly, advocating establishing systemic reforms within the judiciary, the panel called for setting up a Juvenile Justice Academy. RIGHT TO FOOD ACT: The Union governments draft 'Right to Food (Guarantee of Safety and Security) Act' makes freedom from hunger and malnutrition a fundamental right. According to the draft the act will "provide for and assert the
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physical, economic and social right of all citizens to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with an adequate diet necessary to lead an active and healthy life with dignity" Even though at the times of polls the party has promised 25 kg of grains at Rs 3 per kg, this law offers 35 kg of cereal at Rs 3 per kg every month. This will apply to expanded set of beneficiaries including nclude destitute and vulnerable households besides below the poverty line (BPL) families and those eligible under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana. E. PADMANABHAN COMMISSION The Supreme Court sought the response of State governments and High Courts to the three-fold pay increase for judicial officers recommended by the one-man commission of E. Padmanabhan, a retired judge of the Madras High Court.This has been determined on the basis of the report of the Justice Shetty Commission the First National Judicial Pay Commission consequent to the pay revision for High Court and Supreme Court judges. SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL Survival international organization supporting tribal peoples worldwide. founded in 1969 after an article by Norman Lewis in the UK's Sunday Times highlighted the massacres, land thefts and genocide taking place in Brazilian Amazonia. Like many modern atrocities, the racist oppression of Brazil's Indians took place in the name of 'economic growth'. Today, Survival has supporters in 82 countries. Which work for tribal peoples' rights in three complementary ways: education, advocacy and campaigns. also offer tribal people themselves a platform to address the world. It works closely with local indigenous organizations, and focus on tribal peoples who have the most to lose, usually those most recently in contact with the outside world. MISSILE WOMAN TESSY THOMAS TO HEAD AGNI-V Tessy Thomas has been appointed the project director (mission) of Indias most ambitious missile, Agni-V, which has a strike range of 5,000 km and which is slated to be tested for the first time next year. Thomas, 46, was made the project director of the new advanced version of the 2,500-km Agni-II missile last year after she played a crucial role in the successful firing of the 3,500-km range Agni-III missile as an associate project director, the test-firing of which will propel India towards having potent ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities, largely the preserve of the Big 5 countries until now. TERRITORIAL ARMY The Territorial Army was raised by the Britishers in 1920 through Indian Territorial Act of 1920 and it was org into two wings namely . After Independence Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948 and the Territorial Army was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor General Shri C Rajagopalachari on 09 Oct 1949. This date is being celebrated as Prime Minister's TA Day Parade every year. The Territorial Army is part of Regular Army and its present role is to relieve the Regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the Security of the Country is threatened and to provide units for Regulars Army as and when required.
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NANDITA DAS TO HEAD CHILDRENS FILM SOCIETY Actor Nandita Das has been appointed chairperson of the Childrens Films Society of India (CFSI).According to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, she will hold the office for three years.The last chairperson was Nafisa Ali.
INDIAN MUSEUM GETTING READY FOR 200TH BIRTHDAY The ninth oldest regular museum of the world, INDIAN MUSEUM, Kolkata, India is the oldest institution of its kind in Asia Pacific region and repository of the largest museum objects in India. A multipurpose and multi disciplinary institution of national importance, the Museum was established at the Asiatic Society, the earliest learned body in the country on 2nd February 1814. Transferred to the present building in 1878 with two galleries, the Museum has now over sixty galleries of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Botany sections, spreading over ten thousand square feet area. Indian Museum is an autonomous institution fully funded by the Department of Culture, Government of India.Founder Curator was Dr. Nathaniel Wallich - a botanist from Copenhagen, Denmark. The grand old Indian Museum is set for a major restoration and renovation programme to give it a facelift by 2014, when it will be celebrating its bicentenary year. It is the eighth oldest museum in the world and the largest in India.The project has two components restoration of the museum building and modernisation of the galleries.
ISO (INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION) world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 162 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system. ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations. ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. ISO has developed over 17500 International Standards on a variety of subjects and some 1100 new ISO standards are published every year. The full range of technical fields can be seen from the listing International Standards. Users can browse that listing to find bibliographic information on each standard and, in many cases, a brief abstract. The online ISO Standards listing integrates both the ISO Catalogue of published standards and the ISO Technical programme of standards under development.
BHARATIYA RESERVE BANK NOTE MUDRAN PRIVATE LIMITED (BRBNMPL) IN MYSORE
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Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) was established by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as its wholly owned subsidiary on 3rd February 1995 with a view to augmenting the production of bank notes in India to enable the RBI to bridge the gap between the supply and demand for bank notes in the country. The BRBNMPL has been registered as a Public Limited Company under the Companies Act 1956 with its Registered and Corporate Office situated at Bangalore. The company manages 2 Presses one at Mysore in Karnataka and the other at Salboni in West Bengal.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA (ASI) Archaeological and historical pursuits in India started with the efforts of Sir William Jones, who put together a group of antiquarians to form the Asiatic Society on 15th January 1784 in Calcuta. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance is the prime concern of the ASI. Besides it regulate all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972. For the maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance the entire country is divided into 24 Circles. The organization has a large work force of trained archaeologists, conservators, epigraphist, architects and scientists for conducting archaeological research projects through its Circles, Museums, Excavation Branches, Prehistory Branch, Epigraphy Branches, Science Branch, Horticulture Branch, Building Survey Project, Temple Survey Projects and Underwater Archaeology Wing.
PRESIDENT INAUGURATES ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL The government has appointed the former Supreme Court judge A.K. Mathur as chairperson of the AFT, which will have 29 members. It has 8 judicial members and 15 administrative members. A total of 15 courts three each in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Lucknow and one each in Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai and Jaipur will function. The Armed Forces Tribunal will provide a judicial forum for redress of grievances of some1.3 million armed forces personnel and 1.2 million ex-servicemen. The decisions of the AFT can be challenged only in the Supreme Court.
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR OCEAN INFORMATION SERVICES (INCOIS) An autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), has a mission i.e. to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to the society, industry, government and scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvement through systematic and focussed research. Which houses the Tsunami Warning Centre. The information was shared with other
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countries along the Indian Ocean rim and also with regional tsunami warning centres in Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. RANGARAJAN HEADS ADVISORY COUNCIL The Prime Minister has reconstituted his Economic Advisory Council with C. Rangarajan as head and Govinda Rao, V.S. Vyas, Suman Bery and S. Chaudhuri as members. The Economic Advisory Council has been set up with a view to provide a sounding board for inculcating awareness in Government on the different point of view on key economic issues. The Economic Advisory Council has been reconstituted time and again with different organisational setup headed by various economists who are of recognised international eminence. Terms of Reference: 1. Analyzing any issue, economic or otherwise, referred to it by the Prime Minister and advising him thereon; 2. Addressing issues of macroeconomic importance and presenting views thereon to the Prime Minister. This could be either be suo-moto or on a reference from the Prime Minister or anyone else; 3. Submitting periodic reports to the Prime Minister on macroeconomic developments and issues with implications for economic policy; 4. Attending to any other task as may be desired by the Prime Minister from time to time. ORGANISATION The Planning Commission is the Nodal Agency for the EAC for administrative, logistic, planning and budgeting purposes.
U.S. PUTS INDIA ON WATCH LIST The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its Watch List for 2009 because it found the Central government had failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several States. It failed to take steps to ensure rights of religious minorities in several States In 2002 and 2003, India was designated as a country of particular concern
In 2002 and 2003, the Commission had recommended that India be designated a country of particular concern (CPC) in the wake of the severe riots in Gujarat and elsewhere. This is a grade higher than Watch List, which includes countries where religious freedom conditions do not rise to the statutory level requiring CPC designation but which require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments.
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The USCIRF annual report states that despite the Congress Partys commitment to religious tolerance, communal violence has continued to occur with disturbing results, and the governments response particularly at the State and local levels has been largely inadequate. According to a footnote in the chapter on India, the Commission had sought permission to visit the country in June this year to discuss religious freedom conditions with officials, religious leaders, civil society activists and others, but the government did not issue visas. Nor did the Indian government offer alternative dates for a visit which the Commission requested. In particular, the Commission dwells on the attacks on Christians in Orissa since the Christmas of 2007, which left 40 people dead and over 60,000 members of the community homeless. Adding to this indictment, the reports says efforts continue to lag to prosecute the perpetrators of the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat in which over 2,000 people were killed, the majority of whom were Muslim. India regrets U.S. report India has termed regrettable the move by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to ask U.S. President Barack Obama to urge India to take new measures to promote communal harmony and prevent communal violence. Ministry of External Affairs said: India, a country of 1.1 billion people, is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. Aberrations, if any, are dealt with promptly within our legal framework, under the watchful eye of an independent judiciary and a vigilant media. Any country designated on the Watch List requires close monitoring. Other countries on the list are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, the Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela. JINNAH WAS 'DEMONISED' BY INDIA: JASWANT "Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence", the book written by Jaswanth Singh described the "epic journey of Jinnah from being the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity to the Quaid-e-Azam of Pakistan". Singh, a former external affairs minister, feels India had misunderstood Jinnah and made a demon out of him. Contrary to popular perception, Singh feels it was not Jinnah but Nehru's "highly centralised polity" that led to the Partition of India. Singh contested the popular Indian view that Jinnah was the villain of Partition or the man principally responsible for it. Maintaining that this view was wrong, he said, "It is. It is not borne out of the facts...we need to correct it." He feels Jinnah's call for Pakistan was "a negotiating tactic" to obtain "space" for Muslims "in a reassuring system" where they would not be dominated by the Hindu majority. He said if the final decisions had been taken by Mahatma Gandhi, Rajaji or Maulana Azad -- rather than Nehru -- a united India would have been attained, Singh said the widespread opinion that Jinnah was against Hindus is mistaken.
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FISHERMEN RIGHTS BILL IS ON ANVIL A draft Fishermen Rights Bill will be introduced in Parliament in December to protect the traditional rights of fishermen. It will be modelled on the Forest Rights Act, or The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. In July, the Ministry had accepted the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan Expert Committee Report on the Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) Notification and let the CMZ Notification, 2008, to lapse. The Ministry also announced that amendments would be made to the existing CRZ notification for better coastal management.
Navroze -parsi New Year Jamshed-E-Navroz is the first day of the first month of the Zoroastrian year.Parsis follow the Fasli calendar and their New Year commences with the Vernal Equinox. The community dutifully follows all the rituals performed during Jamshed-e-Navroze. Parsis offer special prayers on the day savour the fixed menu of the festival and greet each other. A Parsi or Parsee is a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent.According to tradition, the present-day Parsis descend from a group of Iranian Zoroastrians who emigrated to Western India over 1,000 years ago. The long presence in the region distinguishes the Parsis from the Iranis, who are more recent arrivals, and who represent the smaller of the two Indian-Zoroastrian communities. USE MIMANSA PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION (MPI): JUDGES The Supreme Court has called for liberal use of Mimansa Principles of Interpretation (MPI) in interpreting and understanding the statutes and provisions of law. A Bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice A.K. Ganguly in its order said MIP which were our traditional principles of interpretation for over 2,500 years, but which are unfortunately ignored in our Courts of law today. It is deeply regrettable that in our Courts of law, lawyers quote Maxwell and Craies but nobody refers to the MPI. Most lawyers would not have even heard of their existence. Today our so-called educated people are largely ignorant about the great intellectual achievements of our ancestors and the intellectual treasury which they have bequeathed us. Mimamsa is one of the six philosophical system of Hinduism, the others are 1. Sankhya, a strongly dualist theoretical exposition of mind and matter.
2. Yoga, a school emphasizing meditation closely based on Sankhya 3. Nyaya or logics 4. Vaisheshika, an empiricist school of atomism 5. Mimamsa, an anti-ascetic and anti-mysticist school of orthopraxy
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6. Vedanta, opposing Vedic ritualism in favour of mysticism. Vedanta came to be the dominant current of Hinduism in the post-medieval period. Universal application The Bench said the Mimansa Principles were our traditional system of interpretation of legal texts. Although originally they were created for interpreting religious texts [pertaining to the Yagya sacrifice], gradually they came to be utilised for interpreting legal texts and also for interpreting texts on philosophy, grammar, etc. i.e. they became of universal application. Thus, Shankaracharya has used the Mimansa adhikaranas in his bhashya on the Vedanta sutras. There were hundreds of books [all in Sanskrit] written on the subject, though only a few dozens have survived the ravages of time, but even these show how deep our ancestors went into the subject of interpretation. INDRA NOOYI, SONIA GANDHI, CHANDA KOCHHAR IN FORBES POWERFUL WOMEN LIST PepsiCo Chief Executive Indra Nooyi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar have been listed among the worlds 100 most powerful women by Forbes magazine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list, followed by U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance chairperson Sheila Bair.The three Indians have been ranked higher than U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the list. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of Biocon, is another Indian to have made it to the list.Chennai-born Ms. Nooyi has been ranked third, followed by Ms. Gandhi at the 13th position, Ms. Kochhar (20th) and Ms. MazumdarShaw (91st).Gandhi, the Italian-born leader of Indias most powerful political party, is still the countrys dominant force since she reluctantly entered politics in the 1990s, said the magazine. Referring to the strategies Ms. Nooyi was adopting, Forbe s said, Focusing on innovation, instead of acquisition, the company is debuting new product lines, targeted marketing and repackaging efforts in 2009. About Ms. Kochhar, Forbes said she created a stir when she was named the first woman boss of ICICI Bank in December. After taking charge in May, she now oversees a bank with assets of $100 billion. After topping her B-school class, she joined ICICI 25 years ago as a management trainee, when it was a wholesale lending institution, the magazine said. While assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who ran countries, large companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility and the size of the organisation or country they lead. CJI CONSTITUTES COMMITTEE OF JUDGES TO SIMPLIFY LAWS Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan has constituted a Committee of Judges to bring out an authoritative series of Restatements of Law on about 100 topics to remove ambiguities surrounding the legal principles and their applicability; clarification and simplification of laws for their better adaptation to social needs. It is proposed to have two parallel projects long-term and short-term, having regard to the nature of topic, current relevance and need for re-statement. The committee, comprising a few Supreme Court and High Court judges, eminent jurists, academicians, and scholars, has initially embarked upon a pilot project (to create standards as
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models) in three areas: legislative privileges, contempt of court and public interest litigation. The other short-term subjects are: corrupt practices in elections; treaty-making power of the state; preventive detention and adoption. The long-term projects would be in administrative law; arbitration; partnership; succession; damages and compensation; interpretation of statutes and deeds and consumer protection. There will be periodical addition of subjects, revisions and updates of existing re-instatements. Thereafter the relevant suggestions and comments received from the public would be placed before a full committee of judges for incorporating them in the draft report and the final report is expected to be published as a book before the retirement of Mr. Balakrishnan in May 2010.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS OFFICE OF PROFIT LAW The Supreme Court held that the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Act, 2006 exempting 55 offices occupied by members of Parliament from disqualification was constitutionally valid. It was the prerogative of Parliament to decide which particular post could be exempted from the Office of Profit. The Bench also held that there was no violation of Article 14 (equality before law) in choosing the offices as each office was different in its own way. The court dismissed petitions filed by the Consumer Education and Research Society and Dinesh Trivedi, MP, challenging the constitutional validity of the law.
IITS CANT THROW OUT SC/ST STUDENTS FOR POOR PERFORMANCE: SUPREME COURT The Supreme Court has held that Scheduled Caste/Tribe students could not be expelled from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on the ground of poor performance , said the IITs must provide them with additional coaching to bring them up on a par with the general category students. Mandate of Article 46 It is not in dispute that SC and ST are a separate class by themselves, and the creamy layer principle is not applicable to them. Article 46 of the Constitution enjoins upon the state to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections and protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. These socially and economically backward categories are to be taken care of at every stage even in the specialised institutions like IITs. Avinash Singh Bagri and five other SC/ST students of the IIT-Delhi filed writ petitions, alleging that most of the SC/ST students who had been admitted were denied the right to pursue their education on the ground of poor performance.
50% QUOTA FOR WOMEN IN ALL TIERS OF PANCHAYAT RAJ The UPA government raised reservation for women at all tiers of the panchayat raj system from 33 to at least 50 per cent. The Cabinet, also cleared the proposal to amend Article 243(D) of the Constitution for the purpose. An amendment would be moved in the next session of Parliament. The Urban Development Ministry would also initiate a similar proposal soon to enhance womens representation in urban local bodies. The proposed amendment seeks to increase reservation for
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women in the number of seats to be filled by direct election for the office of chairperson, right from the panchayat to the panchayat samiti and the zilla parishad. Once implemented, the law will be applicable in all States except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, tribal areas of Assam and Tripura and hill areas of Manipur. The panchayat raj system being a State subject, it would be the prerogative of the States concerned, where the quota for women is less than 50 per cent, to formulate their own rules to implement the provision once it is made part of the Constitution. Currently, the representation of women is 36.87 per cent of the 28.18 lakh elected panchayat representatives. The number of women representatives will go up to over 14 lakh after the proposed Constitution amendment.
THE ALL INDIA DEMOCRATIC WOMENS ASSOCIATION (AIDWA) The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) is the women's wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The All India Democratic Women's Association, AIDWA was established in 1981, and works for women's rights and for their education, employment and status, along with issues like casteism, communalism, child rights and disaster aid. AIDWA has an annual membership fee of one rupee, which allows it policy-independence from donor agencies and government. In 2007, it had over 10 million members, spread across 23 states.
JUDICIAL POWER ACCOUNTABLE TO CONSTITUTION: HIGH COURT The Delhi High Court held that all power judicial power exercised by Supreme Court judges being no exception is accountable to the Constitution. Rejecting the contention that the declaration of assets by Supreme Court judges as per the 1997 resolutions was based only on convention and that such information was kept confidential, Justice S. Ravindra Bhat said, Holders of power are expected to live by the standards they set, interpret, or enforce, at least to the extent their office demands. CHENCHU TRIBALS The Chenchus are an aboriginal tribe of the central hill regions of Andhra Pradesh, India. Their traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering. In general, the Chenchu relationship to nontribal people has been largely symbiotic. Some Chenchus have continued to specialize in collecting forest products for sale to non-tribal people. The Chenchus are referred to as one of the Primitive Tribal Groups that are still dependent on forests and do not cultivate land but hunt for a living. Caste Hindus living among them, rent land from the Chenchus and pay a portion of the harvest. Dalits have also settled among them with the help of the Chenchus and learned agriculture from them, and the nomadic Banjara herders who graze their cattle in the forest also have been allotted land there. The Chenchus have responded unenthusiastically to government efforts to induce them to
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take up farming themselves. Because of their long association with Hindu hermits and their refusal to eat beef, Chenchus are considered an unpolluted group by caste Hindus. N L R M P NATIONAL LAND RECORDS MODERNISATION PROGRAMME The Department of Land Resources under the Union Ministry of Rural Development to put the following states Kerala, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh to get Central funds for the ambitious National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP).The NLRMP will help computerise the entire process of property transaction records and network revenue offices. The NLRMP emerged out of two Centrally sponsored schemes computerisation of land records and strengthening of revenue administration and updating of land records. The main aims of the NLRMP are to usher in a system of updated land records, automated and automatic mutation, integration between textual and spatial records, interconnectivity between revenue and registration offices and replacing the present deeds registration and presumptive title system with that of conclusive titling with title guarantee, says information posted on the Land Resources Department web site. The basic belief behind launching the land records modernisation programme across the country is that effective management of agrarian relations and good land administration are key to economic development and poverty eradication. NATIONAL MISSION FOR FEMALE LITERACY LAUNCHED - SAAKSHAR BHARAT MISSION The National Mission for Female Literacy, a renewed effort to make 70 million people 60 million of them women functionally literate by 2012 and plug the gender gap that has persisted despite the two-decade-old literacy drive in mission mode, was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark the International Literacy Day( September 8). Further, Dr. Singh voiced the hope that the Saakshar Bharat Mission as the National Mission for Female Literacy has been christened would fully involve the community in its implementation and utilise the potential and promise of panchayati raj institutions and womens Self-Help Groups.
TAMANG REPORT The Gujarat High Court granted a stay on the report of the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Magistrate, S.P. Tamang, declaring the June 2004 police encounter with Ishrat Jehan and three others fake. WHAT IS WIPO? The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. The Director General is Francis Gurry. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding th e public interest.
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WIPO was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 with a mandate from its Member States to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. SHOULD PRESIDENT ADDRESS RESUMED SESSION AT YEAR BEGINNING? At the conclusion of arguments, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court reserved verdict on the issue whether the Presidents address to both Houses of Parliament at the first session of every year could be dispensed with if it is considered resumption of an adjourned sitting. Ramdas Athawale, former national president of the Republican Party of India, challenged the then Speakers decision to dispense with the Presidents address when Parliament was convened on January 29, 2004. His counsel, H.K. Puri argued that there was no presidential address at the first session of 2004 as envisaged under Article 87, and therefore the Lok Sabha proceedings in the session were unconstitutional, illegal, and void. The winter session was adjourned sine die on December 23, 2003. However, a notice was issued on January 20, 2004 stating the Lok Sabha would resume on January 29. Counsel argued that the sitting, which commenced that day, was the first session for 2004 in terms of Article 87. But the provisions of this Article were not complied with. Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati argued that the winter session was adjourned and the House was not prorogued. As a result, the sitting begun January 29, 2004 was not a new one but continuation of the winter session. The Attorney-General said the first session of the year, as provided under Article 87, could not refer to resumption of the adjourned session. It must refer to a new session. CHIDAMBARAM FLAGS OFF BI-WEEKLY CHENNAI-DELHI DURONTO EXPRESS Chennai Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin weekly Duronto Express before its flagging off by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. NANAVATI COMMISSION The commission was appointed by the NDA government on May 8, 2000 to look into certain matters emnanting from the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots.The one-man commission consisted of former Supreme Court of India justice G.T. Nanavati. THE NANAVATI PANEL The Gujarat Government, in consultation with Central Government appointed Justice Nanavati and Shah to investigate Godhra and post-Godhra incidents. THE BANNERJEE PANEL Two years after the incident Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav appointed Justice U C Banerjee to investigate Godhra incident. INS KOCHI LAUNCHED INS Kochi, the second warship of Project 15A, was launched at Mazgaon. Was inaugurated the 163-m-long ship that entered the waters for the first time. The process of equipping with various armaments and weapons will start soon, and finally, scheduled to be handed over to the navy in August 2012.
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WOMEN'S RESERVATION BILL - A SOCIAL NECESSITY, NATIONAL OBLIGATION History does not repeat itself is a self-evident maxim which most people tend to accept without demur. But now we are witness to seeing history being repeated every year in Parliament in the matter of hypocrisy of all political parties in the context of the Women's Reservation Bill. Every political party for the last six years has been assuring its support to the Bill which disarms women activists. And then a farce rather than a tragedy is played out by so-called radical politicians, jumping into the well of the House, tearing copies of the Bill and making impossible for proceedings to continue - the House gets adjourned, the Bill is thrown into the dustbin till it is revived in subsequent years with the same result. It is time this mockery stopped, considering that the Congress, the BJP and Left parties proclaim that they are for the Bill in the present form, and really want it to become a law. Women are not asking for grace and charity. Their contribution to the cause of nation-building exceeds that of men. An International Labour Organisation study shows that "while women represent 50 percent of the world adult population and a third of the official labour force, they perform nearly two-third of all working hours, receive a tenth of world income and own less than one percent of world property." Therefore, reservation for women is not a bounty but only an honest recognition of their contribution to social development. An alternative to the Bill suggests amending the Representation of People Act, 1951, to compel political parties to mandatorily nominate women candidates for at least one-third of the seats on the pain of losing recognition. This is politically flawed and not even constitutionally permissible. It may be violative of the fundamental rights to form an association guaranteed under Article 19(1) (c) of the Constitution. The only permissible restrictions are those in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India or public order or morality, and such an amendment would not fall within these. That apart, this alternative will not achieve the objective behind the Amendment Bill, because even if a third of women candidates are put up by political parties, there is no guarantee that the same number will get elected. It is freely admitted by all parties that because of the inbuilt prejudice against women, male candidates will have an unfair advantage in elections. This aspect is freely admitted even by Left parties. Thus, parties will tend to allow women candidates to fight elections from their weak constituencies. Though I am all for the Bill in its present forms, it is unwise to underestimate the opposition from the male constituency in Parliament. Given the present instability in political coalitions, and the material that is in Parliament, to expect one-third of the male members to accept political hara-kiri is unrealistic. They are no Gandhians. They will not give up their privileges so easily. There is also some merit in the objection that the reservation of seats for women would mean rotation of seats at every general election with the result that the members will not be able to nurse their constituencies and also that candidates will be uncertain of anticipating their future constituencies. This will be thus breaking their link with the electorate. Notwithstanding these ticklish problems, I would have continued insisting on the present Bill. But there is another alternative which can give one-third seats to women without in any way asking the male members to make the way. This alternative gets further strength now that the Delimitation Commission has been asked to adopt the 2001 census for delimiting the constituencies, and therefore the same inevitable consequences must follow.
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Article 81 provides for the Lok Sabha to have not more than 530 members. Further amendments were made to freeze the number of Lok Sabha members on the basis of the 1971 census till another census after 2000 had been published. Article 82 provides for the allocation of seats upon the completion of each census. As per the 1971 census, the population of India was about 54 crores. Now after the 2001 census, it has risen to about 102 crores. So the strength of the Lok Sabha can be easily increased by one-third to 750 well within the requisite formula. This will take away the fear of any male member to vacate the present seat. These extra seats could be dovetailed into double-member constituencies, which win ensure the reservation of one seat for women and, even permitting two to be elected, if the other woman candidate gets the maximum of the votes polled. This is what happened in former President Giri's case during the 1957 general election when both seats were won by Scheduled Caste members - one reserved and the other a general seat - because SC candidate got more votes than Mr. Giri. The argument that the women's quota wilt be monopolised by urban women is a red herring. There are about 200 OBC candidates in the Lok Sabha, it is a stark reality dial, it is not their public service, but merely the caste configuration that has preferred them. Similar results will follow even after the reservation for women. The only difference will be a big Chink in the male bastion. That is the real reason for opposition by male MPs. In my view, the provision of a sub-quota for the OBCs runs the risk of being held as unconstitutional. A subquota for Muslim women would violate secularism, a basic feature of the Constitution, and even an amendment would be illegal. Article 325 provides for one general electoral roll for every constituency and mandates that no person shall be ineligible for incursion on grounds of religion. In the matter of the fight against injustice and discrimination, women as a class should not be weakened by seeking to bifurcate them on caste lines. Reservation for women would check the muddy politics that the men folk have brought about. It would bring social consciousness to political life. It will also help in brushing the criminal-politician nexus - the real danger to our democracy. Bill, I am afraid, the strategy of women's organisations has been faulty from the start. Holding seminars or lobbying political leaders in their offices or on television will not help. All women's organisations, irrespective of political affiliation, should form a common platform with a single agenda. It must become a mass social movement and send out a message to all political parties, warning them that women will withdraw their backing in the next election if they do not support the Bill now.
CONFRONTING TERRORISM: THE CHALLENGE BEFORE INDIA Terrorism is now recognized as the greatest scourge of modern times. It targets innocent men, women and children at random and, at one stroke, ends the lives of hundreds of people. It aims its weaponry at soft targets in order to evoke the maximum possible horror, revulsion and demoralization. The act of terror itself and the targets selected usually have little connection with any direct strategic advantage or even the promotion of any cause the perpetrators may be pursuing. In the latter part of the 20th century, we witnessed terrorist activity perpetrated by groups such as the Red Army Faction (known as the Baader Meinhof Group in its early days), the IRA in Northern Ireland and the Tamil Tigers. The latter were principal users of suicide bombings between 1980-2003, killing both
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innocent civilians and high-profile political and military leaders, including former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Religious Terrorism The nature of terrorist violence has changed over the last 30 years: an analysis of contemporary terrorism reveals the central role of religion in terms of providing the ideology, organization and motivating impulse for terror. Religious terror actually has a long history. Religion-based extremists are selective in drawing from their traditions and tend to reject the accommodative and pluralistic aspects of their heritage in favour of narrow rigidities that they see as the essence of their pristine traditions. This leads to a scenario of moral absolutes, with all good being with on one side and all evil informing the Other, which is seen as contaminated, sinful and doomed. The origins of contemporary religious terror lie primarily in the global jihad that was put in place in Afghanistan from the early 1980s by forces opposed to the Soviet occupation of that country. Thousands of jihadis from countries and communities across the world were encouraged to come to Afghanistan, where they were imbued with jihadi zeal and provided arms training to confront godless Communism. This jihad radicalized a section of youth across the world, and spawned in Al-Qaeda a transnational terrorist organization which envisioned the setting up a Caliphate, and legitimized recourse to violence in which no targets were considered innocent and martyrdom operations were exalted. In the 1990s, amidst internecine conflict amongst Afghan warlords following the Soviet withdrawal, an extremist Islamic organization was set up by the Pakistan government in Afghanistan the Taliban. Made up of students in the Islamic seminaries at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, these young men, with the active support of the Pakistani armed forces, captured 90% of Afghanistan. In a move that was to have considerable significance for the development of regional and international politics, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan in 1996 introduced Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, to Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban government, and set the stage for an intimate symbiotic relationship between the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The Taliban gave bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda sanctuary and protection from US hostility, while, in turn, bin Laden imbued Mullah Omar and the Taliban with jihadi zeal and deep animosity for the Crusader West, which led, in due course, to the violent events of 9/11. At the end of the 20th century, the jihad sponsored by Pakistan and some others, saw the domination over Afghanistan of the most obscurantist regime the world had ever seen, which provided sanctuary to the most hostile and militant Islamic movement that the world faced. A trained and experienced cadre of jihadi veterans was now available to carry out operations in different parts of the world. THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE Indias encounter with externally-sponsored terror began about 30 years ago with militancy in support of a Sikh homeland, Khalistan. This movement flourished for about 15 years, with considerable financial, logistical and armed support and sanctuary from Pakistan. It petered out in the 1990s as the people of Punjab got increasingly disenchanted with the vicious and random acts of violence and the involvement in criminal activity of its principal protagonists. Still, the Khalistan-related violence caused the death of several thousand innocent people and security personnel, and also of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
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However, the greatest challenge the India State has faced in recent years is externally-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Whereas in the pre-1990 period, Pakistans approach was to provide training and arms assistance to indigenous insurgent and terrorist groups in India, from 1990, it began to infiltrate Pakistani and other foreign mercenaries in large numbers into Jammu and Kashmir, initially to beef up the indigenous groups and, subsequently, to marginalize them, take over the leadership from them and provide the bulk of the militants as well. The following is a thumbnail sketch of the principal Pak-sponsored terrorist outfits operating in J&K. The Hizbul Mujahedeen (HUM), originally called Al Badr, was founded in 1989 as the militant wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami of J&K to counter the secular Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). In its early days, HUM was in touch with the Afghan extremist group, Hizb-e-Islami, from which it received arms and training. In the early 1990s, the group was responsible for assassinating moderate Kashmiris as also JKLF members. Harakat-ul-Ansar (HUA) was formed in 1993 by the merger of two Pakistan-based extremist groups, Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami and the Harakat-ul -Mujahideen. (The Harakat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami had been set up in 1980 as the armed wing of Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan.) HUA received its training at the ISI camps in Afghanistan. Besides J&K, its members participated in terrorist actions in Myanmar, Tajikistan and Bosnia. In 1997, HUA was identified as a terrorist organization by the US; hence, it officially shut down and emerged as a new terrorist outfit, the Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, which was responsible for the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight in December 1999. However, the ISI transferred many of the members of HUA to the then emerging Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT). The LeT was founded in 1990 in the Kunnar province of Afghanistan. It is the military wing of the Markazul-Daawa-Wal-Irshad (MDI), an Islamic radical organization affiliated to the extremist Islamic party, the Ahle-Hadith in Pakistan. The LeT has a pan-Islamic ideology in terms of which it challenges Indias sovereignty over J&K and has also been active in Chechnya and other parts of Central Asia. After the Kargil war (1999), LeT launched its fidayeen strategy in terms of which suicide squads of 2-5 members would attack camps of security forces, as also Hindu and Sikh villagers in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The LeT launched the attack on the Red Fort in Delhi in December 2000, followed by several attacks in Kashmir in 2001 on security and civilian targets. It is said to have close links with Al-Qaeda and was responsible for the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. It has re-named itself Jamaat ul-Dawa. The Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) was launched on 31 January, 2000, by former HUA member, Maulana Masood Azhar, soon after his release following the hijacking of the Indian Airlines aircraft in December 1999. The Jaish has also organized suicide attacks. Its members attacked the Indian Parliament on 13 December, 2001. It also has close ties with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Pak-sponsored jihadi violence has included assaults upon security forces and state institutions, extensive random killings, targeted assassinations of prominent leaders and suicide bombings in which numerous innocent people have been killed and injured. From the early part of this century, this externallysponsored violence has spread to soft targets in other parts of India, including institutions of secular and religious significance. Between 2000 and 2009, there have been 26 acts of jihadi terror in India outside J&K in which 900 people have been killed or injured. These culminated with the attack upon Mumbai on 26 November 2008, in which nearly 200 people, including foreign nationals, were killed. The Mumbai attacks confirm the emergence of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba as a major global jihadi organization closely
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affiliated to the Al-Qaeda. In fact, given the targets and victims (Indian, Western and Israeli), there is little doubt that the Mumbai events have a strong Al-Qaeda connection: global jihad has now come to India. GLOBAL JIHAD RESURRECTED After the events of 9/11, while US-led armed action removed the Taliban and Al-Qaeda from much of Afghanistan, their leaders and many of their followers were given sanctuary in Pakistan. Over the last five years, with active support from Pakistan, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have once again become influential in large parts of Afghanistan and are attempting to replicate the situation in the country fifteen years ago when most of Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban. Al-Qaeda, on its part, has revived its global agenda by sending its cadres to different parts of West Asia and North Africa, including Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Morocco. Al-Qaeda has also inspired terrorist acts in Europe and South-East Asia. Pak-sponsored terrorist activity has little connection with the so-called aspirations of the Kashmiri people or even with the welfare of Indian Muslims, to which Pakistani leaders frequently pay lip-service; it is a strategic asset to pursue its anti-India agenda. Pakistans cross-border terrorism in India has grown out of its campaign to weaken India economically, militarily and politically. Pakistan looks upon terrorism as a political tool to frustrate Indias aspirations of emerging as a major regional power and as a weapon to keep the Indian army preoccupied with internal security duties. Indias experience with jihadi terror over the last 20 years has confirmed three basic percepts: first, that jihad, with its commitment to large-scale and wanton violence and having little connection with any cause or aspiration, cannot be an instrument to pursue a political agenda. Secondly, jihad cannot be confined to national borders; it stretches its tentacles transnationally and brings into its embrace diverse people with grievances and sense of victimhood, and imbues them with hatred and penchant for violence that has hardly any link with the original source of their grievances. Finally, it soon escapes the embrace of those who had given it birth and had attempted to use it for their own short-term purposes, and turns its anger and weaponry upon those same countries and institutions that had spawned it. OVERVIEW After Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, India has suffered the most from terrorism perpetrated by insurgents and extremist religious and leftwing groups. What has complicated the scenario in India is the active involvement of Pakistani official and non-official agencies and institutions in supporting the violence in India as a strategic tool in pursuit of their countrys proxy war against India. Pakistans deep involvement with Islam-based extremism and nurturing of extremist groups both in Afghanistan and within the country is well-documented, so that Pakistan is now seen generally as the nursery, training ground and sanctuary for terrorist elements. Since jihad recognizes no national borders, this extremist mindset and these institutions are today seen as a grave threat across South and West Asia. In fact, the arrest of certain individuals planning acts of terrorist violence in the United States and Western Europe has confirmed that the tentacles of the terrorist scourge nurtured from the Af-Pak area has serious global dimensions. On the other hand, it is today widely recognized in global counsels that India has courageously coped with extremist violence sponsored from outside its borders and, while it has paid a heavy price in its war against these votaries of mindless terror, it has ensured that its national values of democracy and secularism and its development policies have endured. In spite of severe provocations, including assaults
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on important institutions of national and religious importance, Indians have shown their commitment to communal harmony and a remarkable resilience in the face of horrendous murder and destruction. These qualities will continue to be severely tested through challenges from aggrieved elements within the body politic as also from across its national borders.
NAXALISM F A Q Who are the Naxalites? The Naxalites, also sometimes called the Naxals, is a loose term used to define groups waging a violent struggle on behalf of landless labourers and tribal people against landlords and others. The Naxalites say they are fighting oppression and exploitation to create a classless society. Their opponents say the Naxalites are terrorists oppressing people in the name of a class war. How many Naxalite groups are there? Many groups operate under different names. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) is the political outfit that propagates the Naxalite ideology. There are front organisations and special outfits for specific groups such as the Indian People's Front. The two main groups involved in violent activities, besides many factions and smaller outfits, are the People's War, the group many believe is responsible for the attempt on Naidu, and the Maoist Communist Centre. Where do they operate? The most prominent area of operation is a broad swathe across the very heartland of India, often considered the least developed area of this country. The Naxalites operate mostly in the rural and Adivasi areas, often out of the continuous jungles in these regions. Their operations are most prominent in (from North to South) Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh eastern Maharashtra the Telengana (northwestern) region of Andhra Pradesh, and western Orissa. It will be seen that these areas are all inland, from the coastline. The People's War is active mainly in Andhra Pradesh, western Orissa and eastern Maharashtra while the Maoist Communist Centre is active in Bihar, Jharkhand and northern Chhattisgarh. Who do they represent? The Naxalites claim to represent the most oppressed people in India, those who are often left untouched by India's development and bypassed by the electoral process. Invariably, they are the Adivasis, Dalits, and the poorest of the poor, who work as landless labourers for a pittance, often below India's mandated minimum wages. The criticism against the Naxalites is that despite their ideology, they have over the years become just another terrorist outfit, extorting money from middle-level landowners (since rich landowners invariably buy protection), and worse, even extorting and dominating the lives of the Adivasis and villagers who they claim to represent in the name of providing justice. Who do the Naxalites target?
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Ideologically, the Naxalites claim they are against India as she exists currently. They believe that Indians are still to acquire freedom from hunger and deprivation and that the rich classes -- landlords, industrialists, traders, etc -- control the means of production. Their final aim is the overthrow of the present system, hence the targeting of politicians, police officers and men, forest contractors, etc. At a more local level, the Naxalites have invariably targeted landlords in the villages, often claiming protection money from them. Naxalites have also been known to claim 'tax' from the Adivasis and landless farmers in areas where their writ runs more than that of the government. When did this movement start? How did it get its name? The earliest manifestation of the movement was the Telengana Struggle in July 1948 (100 years after the Paris Communes were first set up, coining the word Communist). This struggle was based on the ideology of China's Mao Zedong, with the aim of creating an Indian revolution. Not surprisingly, the ideology remains strong in this region of Andhra Pradesh. But the Naxalite movement took shape after some members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) split to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), after the former agreed to participate in elections and form a coalition government in West Bengal. Charu Mazumdar led the split. On May 25, 1967, in Naxalbari village in Darjeeling district, northern West Bengal, local goons attacked a tribal who had been given land by the courts under the tenancy laws. In retaliation, the tribals attacked landlords and claimed the land. From this 'Naxalbari Uprising' came the word Naxalite. Was it ever popular? In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Naxalite movement was popular. There were reports of brilliant students, including from the famed IITs, dropping out of college to join the struggle for the rights of the tribals and landless labourers. But as has been the case with many movements set up with high principles, over the years the Naxalite movement is seen as having lost its vision and having compromised its principles. Nevertheless, the fact that it has an endless supply of men and women joining its ranks shows that many still believe in its cause. Do the Naxalites face much opposition? Yes they do, almost from the entire Indian political spectrum. Noticeably, when the Naxalite movement first started in the late sixties in West Bengal, it was the CPI-M [that cracked down hardest on the Maoist rebels, with ample support from the Congress at the Centre. At village levels, the Naxalites' terror tactics have spawned local armies to provide protection to the landlords and others. The most infamous of these is the Ranvir Sena in Bihar and Jharkhand, formed by Bhumihar caste landlords, which kill tribals, Dalits and landless labourers either in retaliation or to enforce their domination.
Dholavira, now identified as one of the five largest Harappan sites, tells the story of a civilisation that flourished across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Dholavira, an ancient city, and locally known as Kotada Timba Prachin Mahanagar Dholavira, is one of the largest and most prominent archaeological sites in India, belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is
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located on the Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Rann of Kutch, Kachchh district of Gujarat, India. The site is surrounded by water in the monsoon season. The site was occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE. It was briefly abandoned and reoccupied until c.1450 BCE The site was discovered in 1967-8 by J.P. Joshi and is the fifth largest Harappan site in the Indian subcontinent, and has been under excavation almost continuously since 1990 by the Archaeological Survey of India. Eight large urban centers have been discovered: Harappa, Mohenjo Daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupar, Dholavira, and Lothal.
VETERAN SINGER MANNA DEY TO RECEIVE PHALKE AWARD Legendary playback singer manna dey, will be honoured FOR 2007. the 90-year-old has sung more than 3,500 songs mr. dey will receive the award which carries a cash prize of rs.10 lakh, a swarna kamal and a shawl from president pratibha patil on october 21 during the national film awards function. MAHATMA AT PIETERMARITZBURG (SOUTH AFRICA) Pietermaritzburg is famous for an incident early in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. In May 1893, while Gandhi was on his way to Pretoria, a white man objected to Gandhi's presence in a first-class carriage, and he was ordered to move to the van compartment at the end of the train. Gandhi, who had a first-class ticket, refused, and was thrown off the train at Pietermaritzburg. Shivering through the winter night in the waiting room of the station, Gandhi made the momentous decision to stay on in South Africa and fight the racial discrimination against Indians there. Out of that struggle emerged his unique version of nonviolent resistance, Satyagraha. Today, a bronze statue of Gandhi stands in Church Street, in the city centre. A bust (A SCULPTURE DEPICTING A PERSON'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS) of mahatma gandhi, which was to be installed at a railway station in south africa, is gathering dust in a basement. It was intended to serve as a reminder of the day in may 1893 when 24-year-old Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was thrown of a train at the station because he was in a compartment designated for whites only. The incident changed the life of gandhi, who thereafter committed his life to fighting racial discrimination in south africa and colonialism in india. GRAM NYAYALAYAS ACT TO TAKE EFFECT ON OCTOBER 2 Central government announced that, more than 5,000 village courts, aimed at providing inexpensive justice, set up under the provisions of the gram nyayalayas act, 2008, will start functioning from gandhi jayanthi. This was announced by the The act has been enacted to establish gram nyayalayas (gns) at the grassroots level for providing access to justice to the citizens at their doorstep. The gns will provide inexpensive justice to people in rural areas. It will be a court of the judicial magistrate of the first class, and its presiding officer (nyayadhikari) will be appointed by the state government in consultation with the high court. The GNS will be established for every panchayat at the intermediate level or a group of contiguous panchayats at the intermediate level in a district or where there is no panchayat at the intermediate level in any state, for with the prestigious DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD
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a group of contiguous panchayats. The nyayadhikaris, who will preside over these gns, are strictly judicial officers and will drawthe same salary and derive the same powers as the first class magistrates working under high courts. The GNS will be a mobile court and exercise the powers of both the criminal and civil courts. The seat of the gns will be located at the headquarters of the intermediate panchayat, they will go to villages, work there and dispose of the cases. It will try criminal cases, civil suits, claims or disputes which are specified in the first schedule and the second schedule to the act. They will follow summary procedure in criminal trial and exercise the powers of a civil court with certain modifications and follow the special procedure as AVDESH KAUSHAL TO RETURN PADMA SHRI Padma shri awardee and noted environmental activist avdesh kaushal has decided to return the honour to the government in protest against the stalling of work at two power projects in uttarakhand. The uttarakhand government has stopped work on 480 mw maneri bhali power project, situated on the banks of the ganga, and on 381 mw bhaironghati power project after environmentalist guru das agarwal sat on a fast-unto-death, protesting against the two projects. Demanding resumption of work at the two sites, Mr. Kaushal on wednesday told reporters that he would return his padma shri, presented to him in 1986 for his contribution towards conserving environment if work was not resumed immediately. Mr. Kaushal said, if in the name of conserving environment, we wish to promote poverty and force poor people to live without proper power supply then such conservation activities and awards are worthless.
CATCH EVERY DROP WHERE IT FALLS - STATES WERE ASKED TO MAKE ROOFTOP RAIN WATER HARVESTING COMPULSORY, CGWA is empowered to issue directions to the states and appoint officers. Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) was constituted on 14 January 1997 by the Ministry of Environment and Forest under Sub Section (3) of Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1998 (29 of 1986). Central ground water authority (CGWA), under the ministry of water resources, So far 18 states had adopted the scheme. CGWA chairman B.M. Jha OBJECTIVES: Regulation and control of ground water management and development of the country. To regulate indiscriminate boring and withdrawal of ground water in the country and to issue necessary regulatory directions with a view to preserve and protect the ground water.
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Under the Regulatory Act , to notify an area where over exploitation, pollution, salinity hazard etc has been considered. The jurisdiction of the Authority shall be the whole of India.
NUCLEAR COMMISSION MEET IN DELHI The international commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, a joint initiative by AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN, will hold its fourth regional conference in Delhi The body aims to reduce the number of nuclear weapons world-wide and achieve conditions that might permit the ultimate goal total elimination of nuclear weapons. It also aims to reinvigorate international efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, in the context of both the 2010 nuclear non-proliferation treaty review conference, and beyond. Australian prime minister KEVIN RUDD proposed the commission in june last year. It is cochaired by the former foreign ministers, Gareth Evans (Australia) and Yoriko Kawaguchi (japan). The commissions previous three regional meetings were held in Moscow, Beijing and Chile.
THE INDIAN NATIONAL TRUST FOR ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (INTACH) It was founded in 1984 with Rajiv Gandhi, as its first chairman and its headquarters are in New Delhi , and today it has chapters in 117 Indian cities, plus in Belgium, UK and USA . INTACH is the only non governmental Indian non-profit society working for the awareness, and conservation of Indian culture, shodnatmak prakriya and heritage.2009 INTACHs Silver Jubilee Year PANCHAYATI RAJ TURNS 50; FESTIVITIES AT NAGAUR The panchayati raj is turning 50 on october 2, Its Mahatma Gandhis dream to make village republics out of the village panchayats. Jawaharlal Nehru launched panchayati raj on october 2, 1959, nagaur in west rajasthan Pandit Nehrus trip to nagaur was preceded by the enactment of the panchayat samiti and zila parishad act of september 2, 1959. The three-tier system for panchayats was adopted on the basis of the recommendations of the BALWANTRAY MEHTA COMMITTEE. The implementation of the act came into effect from October 2 when the Panchayati Raj was formally launched from nagaur. Andhra pradesh had the launch soon after, on october 11, While Assam, Karnataka and Madras had it in 1960.
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The state of maharashtra had the launch in 1962 and west bengal in 1964. One by one all the other states followed suit later.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are people forced to flee their homes but who, unlike refugees, remain within their country's borders At the end of 2006 estimates of 24.5 million in some 52 countries. The region with the largest IDP population is Africa with some 11.8 million in 2 1 countries.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the United Nations. It groups 57 member states, from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The official languages of the organisation are Arabic, English and French. Headquarters Jeddah, Saudi Arabia PRANAB ELECTED SECOND VICE CHAIR OF G-24 Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was unanimously elected second vice chair of g -24 countries at its meeting held at istanbul. Mr. Mukherjee was the union finance minister in 1982 -84 when India held the chair of G-24 last time. The minister would automatically become the first vice chair in 2010 -11 and then in 2011-12, he would be the chair of G-24 countries. Till now, syria was the chair, brazil was the first vice chair and South Africa the second vice chair. So from now onwards, the chair (brazil), first vice chair (south africa) and india (second vice chair) would all be countries that form part of the IBSA (INDIA-BRAZIL-SOUTH AFRICA) group. The Group of 24 (G24), a chapter of the G-77, was established in 1971 to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues and to ensure that their interests were adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters.
The group, which is officially called the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development, is not an organ of the IMF, but the IMF provides secretariat services for the Group. Its meetings usually take place twice a year, prior to the IMFC and Development Committee meetings, to enable developing country members to discuss agenda items beforehand. Although membership in the G-24 is strictly limited to 24 countries, any member of the G-77 can join discussions. China has been a "special invitee" since the Gabon meetings of 1981. AWACS AWACS system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft. Used at a high altitude, the radars allow the operators to distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft hundreds of miles away. AWACS aircraft are used for defensive and offensive air operations. The system is used offensively to direct fighters to their target locations, and defensively to counter attacks. GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE GBCI
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GBCI was established in January 2008 with the support of the U.S. Green Building Council to manage the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Building Certification and the Professional Accreditation Processes. While the U.S. Green Building Council handles the development of the LEED Rating System and offers LEED-based education programs, the LEED Professional Accreditation program is independently administered under the Green Building Certification Institute to allow for balanced, objective management of the credential. GBCI manages all aspects of the LEED Professional Accreditation program including exam development, registration, and delivery. GBCIS Headquarters located at Washington, D.C., It is a Non Governmental Organisation. DIMA HALIM DAOGA Dima Halim Daoga, an erstwhile Indian extremist group operating mostly in Assam and Nagaland, laid down its arms on 2009-09-14. It is an organization purporting to represent to Dimasa in their quest to create a Dimasaland in the two states. The Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) is a descendant of the Dimasa National Security Force (DNSF), which ceased operations in 1995. Commander-in-Chief Jewel Garlossa, refused to surrender and launched the DHD (J) also known as Black Widow in 1996. The Black Widow's declared objective is to create a "Dimasaland" for the Dimasa people, which would include parts of Cachar, Karbi Anglong, and Nagaon districts in Assam, and sections of Dimapur district in Nagaland.
THE SAVE THE CHILDREN Alliance was founded in Geneva in 1977 by a number of Save the Childrens organisations from the English-speaking world, to co-ordinate their work.In 1997 a more formal structure was set up and the organisation was renamed the International Save the Childr en Alliance. Soon afterwards, a permanent secretariat was set up in London. This was later moved to Geneva, but currently is based once more in London. NORTH KOREAN CARGO VESSEL HYANG RO WAS DETAINED It was detained by the Navy and the Coast guard for entering the indian territorial waters off the kerala coast at vadakara without mandatory statutory clearances. Hyang ro unauthorisedly entered the Indian waters while sailing from colombo to port bin qasim, near Karachi, in Pakistan. The authorities who inspected the ship have established that the claims of the crew [that the vessel dropped anchor because of an internal leak] were genuine. The team did not find any incriminating cargo or evidence on board. Later it was ordered to leave Indian water
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT. China registered the largest gain in rank, moving up seven places to finish at 92. The United States dropped one place to end at 13.
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The hdr ranks countries on the human development index (hdi), measuring their progress on three key indicators Education, Life expectancy and Income measured by purchasing power parity.
Developed in 1990 jointly by AMARTYA SEN AND MAHBUB UL HAQ, the HDI is a summary measure of a countrys human development.
DOLPHIN DECLARED NATIONAL AQUATIC ANIMAL To save dolphins from extinction, the centre has declared them as the national aquatic animal. The dolphins found in the ganga are a rare species. This decision was taken in the first meeting of the national ganga river basin authority (ngrba) chaired by prime minister manmohan singh. Killer whales, the largest member of the dolphin family.
The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) are two sub-species of freshwater or river dolphins found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The Ganges River Dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, while the Indus River Dolphin is found in the Indus river in Pakistan and its Beas and Sutlej tributaries. From the 1970s until 1998, they were regarded as separate species; however, in 1998, their classification was changed from two separate species to subspecies of a single species. The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal. PRITHVI-II MISSILES Two nuclear-capable, medium range surface-to-surface missile. Nine-metre tall PRITHVI-II is a single stage liquid fuelled missile and has a diameter of one metre. It is capable of carrying a 500-kg warhead. The DRDO developed three variants of Prithvi to meet the requirements of the army, the air force and the navy (Dhanush). The project, first one developed under the DRDOS integrated guided missile programme, was initiated when the former President, A.P.J. Abdul kalam, headed the organisation.
BANGALORE TO HAVE WORLD CLASS RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
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The proposed national institute for research on climate and environment would help build Indias own capacity for measuring, monitoring and modelling climate at a time when most information on global warming was derived from the west. The institute would use space-based and ground-based observation systems to create an indigenous nucleus for research into all issues relating to climate, including the impact of climate change on aspects of the economy such as agriculture and water. The institute would be a joint initiative of the indian space research organisation (isro) and the union ministry for environment and forests (moef). ANTARIKSH BHAVAN- Headquarters of the department of space and ISRO - Bangalore.
GREEN BONUS Green bonus a new mechanism was being proposed by ministry of environment and forestry to provide incentives to states to retain and expand green cover, a green bonus would be given to states along with funds from the planning commission or finance commission . RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN URBAN LOCAL BODIES FROM ONE-THIRD TO 50 PER CENT. The union cabinet approved the proposal for a constitutional amendment bill for enhancing reservation for women in urban local bodies from one-third to 50 per cent. The urban development ministry will introduce a bill in this regard during the winter session of parliament. This provision will apply to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election, offices of chairpersons and seats and offices of the chairpersons reserved for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Implementation strategy and targets ministry of urban development will move a bill for amendment to ARTICLE 243 T of the constitution in the next session of parliament.
RTI ACT TO COVER OPPOSITION LEADER The leader of the opposition in the lok sabha is covered under the RTI ACT, the central information commission ruled recently. Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat habibullah said the office of leader of the opposition is a public authority, as it was created by a government notification, but reserved his decision on whether it was part of the Lok Sabha secretariat or an independent office.
MIKE HOOPER chief executive of the commonwealth games POLICE REFORMS IN INDIA
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The Imperative for Efficiency Police play a vital role in maintaining law and order as well as protection and promotion of human rights in a country. In a democratic society, the role of police becomes all the more important, unlike dictatorial or autocratic systems where the police forces are synonymous with terror. In democracy, it is expected to act as promoter of peace and public order. Notwithstanding the exemplary role of police in India, there have been many instances of police excesses leading to public unrest and deteriorating faith of people. As a result, the reforming the system has become the need of the day. Police reform covers many issues and concerns that go beyond strengthening and improving the administrative and structural aspects of the organisation. It includes the culture and ethos of policing. Police Reforms- Rationale and Resistance Enormous changes have occurred in this country since independence, which cast a paramount obligation and duty on the police to function according to the requirements of the Constitution, law and democratic aspirations of the people. They require the police to be professional, service-oriented, free from extraneous influences and above all be accountable to the rule of law. This has, however, not happened because those who control and run the system have abused it beyond repair and are responsible for the large number of ills that presently threaten to destroy the system. Causes for popular dissatisfaction with the police What are the causes for popular dissatisfaction with the police and who is responsible for it? What follows are examples of popular discontent against the police. The issue is not whether all of these are absolutely true or not but whether they exist in the public mind and whether there is any justification for them. 1. Police are the principal violators of the law and they get away with impunity. 2. Some sections of the police are in league with anti-social elements. Consequently they indulge in selective enforcement of the law. 3. Police exhibit rude behavior, abusive language and contempt towards courts and human rights; they indulge in all forms of corruption. 4. Depending on the socio-cultural status, economic power and political influences of people who approach them, police adopt differential attitudes, violating equality and human dignity. 5. Police are either ignorant of the precepts of human rights or they deliberately disregard them in the matters of arrest, interrogation, searching, detention and preventive policing. 6. Given the dismal record of prevention and successful investigation of crimes, the police lack accountability in protection of life and property. 7. While crimes are getting sophisticated, the police are becoming less professional. There is no evidence of a collective desire within the police organisation to redeem its public image. 8. The police are insensitive towards victims of violent crimes. They sometimes behave rudely with victims, as if they are responsible for their fate.
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9. At least a section of policemen think of human rights as antithetical to effective law enforcement. They blame the law, lawyers and courts for their own inefficiency. 10. Of late, some policemen have publicly shown leniency towards fundamentalists and terrorists, manifesting a dangerous threat to security and constitutional governance. Today, more than fifty percent of complaints received by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India every year are against police personnel. Public complaints against police personnel indicate that they are: brutal and lawless; highly corrupt; partisan and politicised; and lack professional competence. A media scan done by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), a non-governmental organisation fighting against human rights violations in India, reveals that over the last few years, there has been increasing involvement of police personnel in committing crime. Official statistics also indicate increasing deviance amongst police personnel. The ignoble functioning of the police is to some extent a part of the large problem of criminalisation of politics. A large number of criminals have entered the corridors of power. An illegitimate nexus has developed between the police, bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. The worst victim of this system of mafia politics and politicised policing is the common man, who really wants efficient and reliable policing but is not being heard. Summary of a few major recommendations of the NPC 1. Police tasks are of three types- (i) investigative; (ii) preventive; and (iii) service-oriented. The investigative tasks of the police are beyond any kind of intervention by the executive or non-executive. In the performance of preventive and service-oriented functions, the police directions should be openly given and made known to the State Legislatures. 2. To help the State government discharge their superintending responsibility in an open manner under the framework a law, a State Security Commission should be established statutorily in each State. The Commission should have the Minister in Charge of Police as its chairman and six more members. Two of these should be from the State Legislature (one from the ruling and the other from the opposition party) and four should be appointed by the Chief Minister, subject to the approval of the State Legislature, from amongst retired judges of the High Court, retired senior government officers and eminent social scientists or academicians. The State security Commission should: Lay down broad policy guidelines for the performance of preventive and service-oriented functions by the police; Evaluate the performance of the State Police every year; Function as a forum of appeal to dispose of representations from officers regarding their being subjected to illegal orders and regarding their promotion; and Generally review the functioning of the State Police Force.
3. The Chief of Police should be assured of a fixed tenure of office. The tenure may be for four years or for a period extending up to the period of retirement, whichever is earlier. The removal of the Chief of Police from his post before the expiry of the tenure should require approval of the State Security Commission.
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4. The Chief of the State Police Force should be selected from a panel of three IPS officers of that State. The panel should be prepared by a committee headed by the Chairman of the UPSC. The Police Act of 1861 should be replaced by a new Police Act, which not only changes the system of superintendence and control over the police but also enlarges the role of the police to make it function as an agency which promotes the rule of law in the country and renders impartial service to the community. Under the circumstance, the need for police reform is an urgent priority. It is, in fact, essential for the very survival of our democratic structure, establishment of good governance, protection of human rights and achievement of economic progress. Understanding the need of the reforms, on Nov. 15, 1977, the government of India's Ministry of Home Affairs appointed a National Police Commission (NPC) to examine all aspects of the Indian Police Service and to redefine the role, duties, powers and responsibilities of the police. From 1979 to 1981, the NPC made numerous far-reaching and promising recommendations concerning the functions, procedures and perceptions of the police in India and the Indian system of justice in general. The NPC produced a total of eight reports with the eighth and concluding report proposing a new Police Act to replace the Police Act of 1861. Now almost 20 years after the publication of the NPC's concluding report the state of the Indian police remains as before, and India's state and central governments show no signs of implementing any of the recommendations. The NPC's recommendations so far have remained unimplemented. There is a deep-seated and strong resistance to the idea of police reforms. Politicians and bureaucrats have developed a great vested interest in retaining control and superintendence over the police organisation. The lack of response from several states in India to the letter written in April 1997 by the then Union Minister for Home Indrajit Gupta was indicative of the deeply entrenched resistance to reform. Within the police establishment also there are those who are content to retain the status quo. Recent Initiatives Recently, there have been some positive and significant developments aimed at breaking the government's resistance to introduce police reforms. 1. Civil Writ Petition No. 316 of 1996 and the Ribeiro Committee on Police Reforms In 1996, a civil writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court by two retired IPS officers, praying for issue of orders to the Government to implement the recommendations of the NPC. Four specific issues were raised in the petition: (1) creation of a State Security Commission; (2) adoption of a fixed tenure for the police chief; (3) separation of the law and order and investigative branches of the police force; and (4) introduction of a new Police Act. In pursuance of the directions issued by the Court in the above case, the Government set up a Committee in 1998 on Police Reforms under J.F.Rebeiro, former Director-General of Police, Punjab. The Rebeiro Committee finalised its report regarding the establishment of the State Security Commission, besides setting up of proper procedures to select the Chiefs of Police Forces and providing a minimum secure tenure to them. It also urged for insulating the investigating wing of the police rather than overburdening the police force with duties related to law and order functions in October 1998.
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2. Writ Petitions (Criminal) Nos. 340-343 of 1996 Another initiative came in the form of Writ Petitions (Criminal) Nos. 340-343 of 1996 filed in what is commonly known as the Havala Case. The Supreme Court's judgement delivered in this case on December 18, 1997 raised issues of considerable significance. The most important of which was about the type of superintendence and control that should be exercised over an important organisation, like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is the premier investigating agency of the country and which must function efficiently and impartially to serve the rule of law. Even the partial attempts at improving the mechanisms of supervision and control over the police have been undone with some deliberation. To recapitulate, a few relevant facts are stated below: The judgement in the Havala case was delivered by the Supreme Court on December 18, 1997. The Government of the day, which was on the way out, decided to do nothing. The next Government, installed in power on March 19, 1998, sat over the judgement till August. There were two sessions of the Parliament during the five-month interregnum. But it was not considered necessary to introduce any legislation to give effect to the judgement of the apex Court. Suddenly in August 1998, the Government was in such a tearing hurry that, taking advantage of the absence of Parliament, they promulgated an ordinance called the Central Vigilance Ordinance, 1998. The draft prepared by the Secretaries was pushed up to the Cabinet for approval and notified as an Ordinance in reference to the draft prepared by the Law Commission of India. The Ordinance brought back the scandalous Single Directive, confined the selection panel for the posts of chairperson and members of the CVC to the serving and retired civil servants alone, made the Secretary Personnel an ex - officio member of the Commission and limited the role of the CVC to superintend the functioning of the Special Police Establishment Act relating to cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 only. Once again it required an intervention from the Court to undo the mischief, forcing the Government to revise the Ordinance and draft a Bill to replace it. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, but lapsed Because the Rajya Sabha did not take up the Bill for consideration in its last session. That it is not possible to find time to enact such an important piece of legislation indicates the priorities of our lawmakers. The CVC Ordinance lapsed on April 5, 1999. The CVC thus has no statutory basis at present and the organization is functioning according to a Resolution of the Government of India. The above developments once again show how deep seated and strong has been the resistance to police reforms.
Hard questions need to be asked in the wake of the Gujarat tragedy - hard questions about the character -and future - of a democracy that permits the blatant and consistent disregard of the rule of law by its own law enforcement agencies. Serious consideration must be given to the NPC reports and recommendations as well as Malimath committee recommendations - a seemingly obvious point of departure but one that has surprisingly found no mention either in government circles or in the media. It would constitute the first step toward the reconceptualisation of the Indian police as a protective force that can be relied on and expected to provide safety to people under threat, regardless of their religious status or political preferences.
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Police reform is at present a subject of concern for a small number of informed and committed people, many of whom are retired police personnel who know and understand the gravity of the situation. There has to be a more proactive response and initiatives from cross sections of the society and the media should play a more dynamic role. People and police ought not to maintain an adversarial relationship as it harms both of them. There are black sheep in every organisation. To isolate and cultivate the talented is the challenge that has to be faced by the community, the media and the NGOs. Such a partnership guarantees human rights protection, the security of life and property and a credible system of criminal justice in the country. Concerted efforts in the direction of police reform will restore people's faith in the police in particular and criminal justice system of the country in general. To have a citizen plead with the police to come and save their life is a disgrace to the democratic culture to which Indians lay claim.
SILENT VALLEY CELEBRATES SILVER JUBLEE Home to rare species of flora and fauna, some endemic to the Western ghats, the Silent Valley national park spread over 238 square kilometres in Palakkad district of Kerala, will be celebrating its silver jubilee. The park forms the core of the Nilgiri International Biosphere Reserve and is locally known as Sairandhrivanam, meaning forest in the valley.The unique biosphere, which houses rare animals like Lion-tailed Macaque and Nilgiri Langur also Nature lovers can see rare orchids like Malabar Daffodil and the Blue Tiger butterfly. The evergreen cliff forest descending from Nilgiri plateau to the plains of Kerala spread over about 8,952 hectares with 23 mammalian species. In 1970s, plans for a hydroelectric project by the state electricity board were shelved after protests by Save Silent Valley movement, which highlighted the dangers to the rich diversity. It was declared a national park in 1984, by late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
NATIONAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY (NIA) National Investigation Agency (NIA) is a new federal agency approved by the Indian overnment to combat terror in India. The agency will be empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states. The National Investigation Agency Bill 2008 to create the agency was moved in Parliament by Union Home Minister on 16 December 2008.NIA was created after the Nov 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realised. Radha Vinod Raju, Special Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir, is appointed as Director General of the newly established National Investigation Agency (NIA).Now appointed NIA head is CBI
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special director S.C. Sinha from February 2010, a 1975 Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, he became the second chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), succeeding R.V. Raju who retired.
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J.M LYNGDOH COMMITTE REPORT The Committee Constituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India as per the Direction of the Honble Supreme Court of India to frame Guidelines on Students Union Elections in Colleges/Universities, December 12, 2005. Terms of Reference of the Committee Pursuant to the order of the Honourable Supreme Court, dated December 12, 2005, the Committee was mandated to examine, inter alia, the following broad aspects of students elections:1. Criminalisation in student elections; 2. Financial transparency and limits of expenditure in the conduct of such elections (such as ceilings on election-related expenditure, indication of the details and sources of such expenditure, the filing of returns by students unions in respect of their transactions and the scrutiny of such returns); 3. Eligibility criteria for candidates seeking to contest such elections (such as maximum age limits for candidates and minimum standards of educational performance attained by candidates); and 4. The institution of a forum to address grievances and disputes arising out of students elections as regards procedural fairness, eligibility of candidates and/or the non-observance of norms during the conduct of student elections. SALE OF PETROL WITH 5% ETHANOL MADE MANDATORY The Union Cabinet has directed the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to make it mandatory for all oil marketing companies to sell petrol mixed with 5 per cent of ethanol. In November 2006, the Centre mandated that five per cent ethanol be blended in petrol to be sold all through India except the northeast and J&K, and that the amount of ethanol in petrol be optionally increased to 10 per cent from October 2007 and made compulsory from October 2008. But Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited could not even ensure the blend, citing ethanol shortage.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs reiterated on an earlier decision that there shall be a mandatory blending of five per cent of ethanol. It has instructed the Petroleum Ministry to ensure that all oil marketing companies implement the decision, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram told journalists.
KONARK SUN TEMPLE Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Orissa. I t was constructed from oxidizing and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1236-1264 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is one of the most well renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site. The temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels. The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun god. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata Mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns.The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TO BE SET UP IN KARAIKAL A National Institute of Technology (NIT) will be established in the revenue village of Poovam and Thiruvetakudy in the Karaikal region. The Puducherry government has identified 180 to 200 acres for the purpose and started the acquisition process.
Global Handwashing Day is a campaign to motivate and mobilize millions around the world to wash their hands with soap. The campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of handwashing with soap as a key approach to disease prevention. It was made at the annual World Water Week 2008, which was held in Stockholm from August 17 to 23 and initiated the Public Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW). The Global Handwashing Day took place for the first time on October 15, 2008, the date appointed by UN General Assembly in accordance with year 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. NATIONAL CULTURAL ORGANISATION (NCO) Dr. Seshadri was the founder of the National Cultural Organisation (NCO), which he set up on the advice of Pandit Nehru. The National Cultural Organisation (NCO), inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru on the 16th of October, Every year Dr. Seshadri organised many festivals like the Thyagaraja, Purandaradasa and Bharati festivals, mostly in Delhi, which were very popular and in which eminent Carnatic and Hindustani musicians participated. Big Bang machine re-starts after 14 months
NG-ON YEE BECAME THE YOUNGEST SNOOKER CHAMPION Ng-On Yee became the youngest champion when she trounced Kathy Parashis in the final of the World snooker championship in Hyderabad. Ng-On Yee was not even born when Kathy Parashis of Australia began playing snooker. The 19-yearold Hong Kong girl produced a classy performance to beat the 49-year-old Australian 57-22, 50-55, 5244, 63-42, 83-20, 65-34 in the final of the ONGC-IBSF World snooker championship at HICC Hall. She also became the youngest World champion.
FIFTY SIX NEWSPAPERS IN 45 COUNTRIES THROUGH A COMMON EDITORIAL CALL FOR UNITED AND DECISIVE ACTION TO CHECK IRREPARABLE DAMAGE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL THRUST ON EARTH. Copenhagen: Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting, and last years inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the worlds response has been feeble and half-hearted. Climate change has been caused over centuries, has consequences that will endure for all time, and our prospects of taming it will be determined in the next 14 days. We call on the representatives of the 192 countries gathered in Copenhagen not to hesitate, not to fall into dispute, not to blame each other but to seize opportunity from the greatest modern failure of politics. This should not be a fight between the rich world and the poor world, or between east and west. Climate change affects everyone, and must be solved by everyone.
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The science is complex but the facts are clear. The world needs to take steps to limit temperature rises to 2C, an aim that will require global emissions to peak and begin falling within the next 5-10 years. A bigger rise of 34C the smallest increase we can prudently expect to follow inaction would parch continents, turning farmland into desert. Half of all species could become extinct, untold millions of people would be displaced, whole nations drowned by the sea. Few believe that Copenhagen can any longer produce a fully polished treaty; real progress towards one could only begin with the arrival of President Obama in the White House and the reversal of years of US obstructionism. Even now the world finds itself at the mercy of American domestic politics, for the President cannot fully commit to the action required until the US Congress has done so. But the politicians in Copenhagen can and must agree the essential elements of a fair and effective deal and, crucially, a firm timetable for turning it into a treaty. Next Junes UN climate meeting in Bonn should be their deadline. As one negotiator put it: We can go into extra time but we cant afford a replay. At the deals heart must be a settlement between the rich world and the developing world covering how the burden of fighting climate change will be divided and how we will share a newly precious resource: the trillion or so tonnes of carbon that we can emit before the mercury rises to dangerous levels. Rich nations like to point to the arithmetic truth that there can be no solution until developing giants such as China take more radical steps than they have so far. But the rich world is responsible for most of the accumulated carbon in the atmosphere three-quarters of all carbon dioxide emitted since 1850. It must now take a lead, and every developed country must commit to deep cuts which will reduce its emissions within a decade to very substantially less than its 1990 level. Developing countries can point out they did not cause the bulk of the problem, and also that the poorest regions of the world will be hardest hit. But they will increasingly contribute to warming, and must thus pledge meaningful and quantifiable action of their own. Though both fell short of what some had hoped for, the recent commitments to emissions targets by the worlds biggest polluters, the United States and China, were important steps in the right direction. Social justice demands that the industrialised world digs deep into its pockets and pledges cash to help poorer countries adapt to climate change, and clean technologies to enable them to grow economically without growing their emissions. The architecture of a future treaty must also be pinned down with rigorous multilateral monitoring, fair rewards for protecting forests, and the credible assessment of exported emissions so that the burden can eventually be more equitably shared between those who produce polluting products and those who consume them. And fairness requires that the burden placed on individual developed countries should take into account their ability to bear it; for instance newer EU members, often much poorer than old Europe, must not suffer more than their richer partners. The transformation will be costly, but many times less than the bill for bailing out global finance and far less costly than the consequences of doing nothing. Many of us, particularly in the developed world, will have to change our lifestyles. The era of flights that cost less than the taxi ride to the airport is drawing to a close. We will have to shop, eat, and travel more intelligently. We will have to pay more for our energy, and use less of it. But the shift to a low-carbon society holds out the prospect of more opportunity than sacrifice. Already some countries have recognised that embracing the transformation can bring growth, jobs, and better quality lives. The flow of capital tells its own story: last year for the first time more was invested in renewable forms of energy than producing electricity from fossil fuels. Kicking our carbon habit within a few short decades will require a feat of engineering and innovation to match anything in our history. But whereas putting a man on the moon or splitting the atom were born of conflict and competition, the coming carbon race must be driven by a collaborative effort to achieve collective salvation.
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Overcoming climate change will take a triumph of optimism over pessimism, of vision over shortsightedness, of what Abraham Lincoln called the better angels of our nature. It is in that spirit that 56 newspapers from around the world have united behind this editorial. If we, with such different national and political perspectives, can agree on what must be done then surely our leaders can too. The politicians in Copenhagen have the power to shape historys judgment on this generation: one that saw a challenge and rose to it, or one so stupid that saw calamity coming but did nothing to avert it. We implore them to make the right choice. Q&A: The Copenhagen climate summit The Copenhagen climate conference COP15 resulted in a document called the Copenhagen Accord. It was hammered out by a small group of countries - including the world's two biggest greenhouse gas polluters, China and the US. The conference as a whole did not adopt the accord, but voted to "take note" of it. Was the summit a success? On the positive side, the Copenhagen Accord, for the first time, unites the US, China and other major developing countries in an effort to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol did not achieve this - it imposed no obligations on developing countries to restrain the growth of their emissions, and the US never acceded to it. The accord also says developed countries will aim to mobilise $100bn per year by 2020, to address the needs of developing countries. On the other hand, the summit did not result in a legally binding deal or any commitment to reach one in future. The accord calls on countries to state what they will do to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but these will not be legally binding commitments. Furthermore, there is no global target for emissions reductions by 2050 and the accord is vague as to how its goals - such as the $100bn of funds annually for developing countries - will be achieved. What are the key points of the Copenhagen Accord? A commitment "to reduce global emissions so as to hold the increase in global temperature below 2C" and to achieve "the peaking of global and national emissions as soon as possible" Developed countries must make commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and developing countries must report their plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions to the UN by 31 January 2010 New and additional resources "approaching $30bn" will be channelled to poorer nations over the period 2010-12, with an annual sum of $100bn envisaged by 2020 A Copenhagen Green Climate Fund will be established under the UN convention on climate change, to direct some of this money to climate-related projects in developing countries Projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries will be subject to international monitoring if they are internationally funded
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Programmes to provide developing countries with financial incentives to preserve forests - REDD and REDD-plus - will be established immediately
Implementation of the accord will be reviewed in 2015 and an assessment will be made of whether the goal of keeping global temperature rise within 2C needs to be strengthened to 1.5C
Which countries backed the accord? The essential points of the deal were brokered by US President Barack Obama with representatives of China, India, Brazil and South Africa. Mr Obama also consulted with the leaders of France, Germany and the UK. Most countries at the conference gave it their support, but some countries were resolutely opposed, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba. Why did the Copenhagen summit take place at all? The majority of the world's governments believe that climate change poses a threat to human society and to the natural world.Successive scientific reports, notably those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), have come to ever firmer conclusions about humankind's influence on the modern-day climate, and about the impacts of rising temperatures.In 2007, at the UN climate talks held in Bali, governments agreed to start work on a new global agreement.The Copenhagen talks marked the end of that two-year period. Why is a new global agreement needed? The Copenhagen talks sat within the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), established at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. In 1997, the UNFCCC spawned the Kyoto Protocol. But neither of these agreements can curb the growth in greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to avoid the climate impacts projected by the IPCC. In particular, the Kyoto Protocol's targets for reducing emissions apply only to a small set of countries and expire in 2012. Negotiations therefore began on new treaty that was bigger, bolder, wider-ranging and more sophisticated than the Kyoto agreement, and the plan was that these would conclude in Copenhagen. Why is climate change happening - and is it the same as global warming? The Earth's climate has always changed naturally over time. For example, variability in our planet's orbit alters its distance from the Sun, which has given rise to major Ice Ages and intervening warmer periods.
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According to the last IPCC report, it is more than 90% probable that humankind is largely responsible for modern-day climate change.
The principal cause is burning fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas. This produces carbon dioxide (CO2), which - added to the CO2 present naturally in the Earth's atmosphere - acts as a kind of blanket, trapping more of the Sun's energy and warming the Earth's surface.
Deforestation and processes that release other greenhouse gases such as methane also contribute. Although the initial impact is a rise in average temperatures around the world - "global warming" this also produces changes in rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, changes to the difference in temperatures between night and day, and so on.
This more complex set of disturbances has acquired the label "climate change" - sometimes more accurately called "anthropogenic (human-made) climate change".
Will the Copenhagen deal solve climate change? The global average temperature has already risen by about 0.7C since pre-industrial times. In some parts of the world this is already having impacts - and a Copenhagen deal could not stop those impacts, although it could provide funding to help deal with some of the consequences. Greenhouse gases such as CO2 stay in the atmosphere for decades; and concentrations are already high enough that further warming is almost inevitable. Many analyses suggest an average rise of 1.5C since pre-industrial times is guaranteed. THE RAJYA SABHA GIVES NOD FOR THE WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2009. The Rajya Sabha unanimously approved, by voice vote, the Workmens Compensation (Amendment) Bill, 2009, that seeks to give higher compensation to workers and their families in the event of injury or death. It empowers the Centre to enhance the compensation and funeral expenses, by notification, from time to time. It also empowers the government to specify, by notification, monthly wages for an employee.In the case of a funeral, the aid is proposed to be raised from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 5,000. In the event of death, the compensation for the family from the company is proposed to be raised from Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 1.2 lakh and for permanent disability a worker could get Rs. 1.4 lakh, up from the present Rs. 90,000. There is a new provision for actual reimbursement of medical expenses, he added. WORKING GROUP ON CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS SUBMITS REPORT TO OMAR ABDULLAH
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The fifth Working Group on Centre-State relations constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Jammu the report in which it has suggested that the abrogation or continuance of Article 370 should be left to the people of the State.
The Working Group was headed by Justice (retired) Saghir Ahmad. The five Working Groups were constituted by Dr. Singh on May 25, 2006, at the end of the Round Table Conference in Srinagar. The other groups dealing with Confidence-building measures, crossLine Of Control travel and trade, economy and good governance have already submitted their reports.
It has also suggested that the appointment of Governor be considered. The summary said that as far as Article 370 of the Constitution of India was concerned, it is for the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to decide how long to continue Article 370 in its present form and when to make it permanent of abrogate.
The Working Group said the question of the appointment of Governor and dismissal of the popular government by the Governor may be considered and resolved.
The Working Group has also suggested that Representational Reservation for Scheduled Tribes and Women in the Assembly may be guided by the national pattern subject to political consensus. It has, however, opposed the demand for the abolition of the State Legislative Council, saying that the present position may be maintained.
On the increase in the number of Assembly seats and the De-limitation Commission, the summary said: Since the Constitutional provisions do not allow any change up to the year 2026, the present position may be maintained till then.
BIFURCATE HOME MINISTRY - CHIDAMBARAM Proposing a bold, thorough and radical restructuring of the security architecture at the national level, Union Minister P. Chidambaram suggested bifurcation of the Home Ministry. He said subjects not directly related to internal security should be dealt with by a separate Ministry or brought under a separate department in the Home Ministry itself and handled by a Minister independently. To counter, prevent and contain a terrorist attack and respond to it should one take place, India must set up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by the end of 2010.
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Gorkha Janamukti Morcha. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is a political party registered with the Election commission of India. It is headed by Bimal Gurung and is fighting for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland within India. DHANUSH MISSILE TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY Dhanush, the ship-based anti-surface missile, was successfully launched from INS Subhadra, in the Bay of Bengal, off Orissa. The nuclear-capable Dhanush, a naval version of Prithvi, was test fired. It flew over 350 km and splashed down at the target point in the Bay with pinpoint accuracy, according to official sources in the Defence Research & Development Organisation. The missile followed the pre-designated trajectory with text-book precision and two naval ships anchored near the target tracked the splash. The single-stage missile is powered by liquid propellants; it is 10 metres long and weighs six tonnes. It has one-metre diameter and can carry a 500-kg warhead. there would be two more flight tests of the nuclear-capable Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile AgniII (2,000 km-plus range) to overcome its failure in the two previous flights, in May and November 2009. BRAIN DEATH Brain death is a legal indicator of death in the USA that refers to the irreversible end of all brain activity (including involuntary activity necessary to sustain life) due to total necrosis of the cerebral neurons following loss of blood flow and oxygenation. Brain-stem death (not whole brain death) is taken to be the significant indicator of death. The significant point is that the brain is no longer capable of sustaining the rest of the body's systems without advanced life support. It should not be confused with a persistent vegetative state.The concept of brain death emerged in the 1960s, as the ability to resuscitate individuals and mechanically keep the heart and lungs functioning became prevalent. THE RANGANATH MISRA COMMISSION RECOMMENDS 10 PER CENT QUOTA FOR MUSLIMS IN GOVERNMENT JOBS. Ranganath Mishra Commission is an enquiry commission assigned by Government of India to study and find solution for the minority status of India. The report was conducted by National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities. 10% quota for Muslims in jobs, educational institutions recommended The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities has recommended the extension of quota to all religious minorities while advocating an overhaul of the reservation policy to make income the lone criteria for affirmative action.
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It has also recommended reservation of 15 per cent seats in Central and State government jobs, besides non-minority educational institutions for the minorities.
In its report tabled in Parliament,the Commission said the Scheduled Castes (SC) status should be delinked from religion to make the SC net fully religion-neutral like that of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). For this, Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 which originally restricted the SC net to Hindus and later opened it to Sikhs and Buddhists should be wholly deleted by appropriate action.
Calling for an overhaul of the entire reservation policy, the Commission, which submitted its report to the government on May 10, 2007, stressed the need to limit the benefits of reservation to the socially and economically backward. For this purpose, the Commission suggested that the Below Poverty Line (BPL) lists prepared on the basis of social/educational and economic criteria should be used, as they are scientifically prepared and revised periodically. BPL lists should, therefore, be made eligible for grant of reservation without distinction on caste, class, group or religion basis.
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE DIGITAL LIBRARY (TKDL) Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is a knowledge repository of the traditional knowledge. Setup by the Indian government, the objective of this library is to protect the ancient and traditional knowledge of the country from exploitation such as bio-piracy and unethical Data on 80,000 formulations in Ayurveda, 1,000,000 in Unani and 12,000 in Siddha had already been put in the TKDL, and is being made available in five languages English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese. The data relating to 1,500 postures in yoga remained to be included.
NITIN GADKARI IS APPOINTED THE BJP PRESIDENT. Nitin Gadkari was appointed the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, succeeding Rajnath Singh whose term got over last month. At 52, Mr. Gadkari happens to be the youngest party president, heralding the BJPs first step towards ushering in a generational transition in its leadership. THE GUJARAT ASSEMBLY PASSES THE GUJARAT LOCAL AUTHORITIES LAWS (AMENDMENT)2009. Making voting compulsory in elections to all the local bodies in the State. Nod for Bombay Prohibition (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2009 providing for death penalty for the handlers of spurious liquor. it is compulsory to vote in local bodies elections in Gujarat
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The Gujarat Assembly on Saturday adopted an official Bill making voting compulsory in elections to all the local bodies in the State amidst opposition from the Congress which termed the move as impractical and designed with political motives.
Gujarat has emerged as the first State in the country to make voting compulsory in the local elections following the example, as Chief Minister Narendra Modi described, of 32 countries where the pattern of exercising the adult franchise showed a remarkable improvement from 45 per cent to over 90 per cent.
The Bill seeks to make voting compulsory in all the seven municipal corporations, 159 municipalities, 26 district panchayats, 223 taluka panchayats and over 13,000 village panchayats in the State. It empowers an official chosen by the State Election Commission to declare an absent voter as a defaulter except under the circumstances of illness or being away from the state or the country on the voting day. The defaulter could be punished under rules to be framed by the government later after giving due notice.
The House also passed another official measure providing 50 per cent reservation for women in all the local bodies in the state.
PRADHAN INQUIRY COMMISSION Officially known as the High-Level Enquiry Committee (HLEC) on 26/11, the Pradhan Inquiry Commission was appointed by the Maharashtra Government on December 30, 2008, to probe the response to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The committee submitted its report to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in April 2009, but the government did not release it, citing security concerns. In December 2009, after substantial portions of the report had been leaked in the media and much agitation had been conducted by the opposition in the state assembly, a Marathi translation was tabled before the assembly. The committee suggested steps to strengthen coastal security through better monitoring at higher levels of the Central and Maharashtra governments and to remove red tape for quicker modernisation of police with automatic arms and ammunition. Amicus curiae or amicus curi (plural amici curiarum) is a legal Latin phrase, literally translated as "friend of the court", that refers to someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information on a point of law or some other aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it. The information may be a legal opinion in the form of a brief, a testimony that has not been solicited by any of the parties, or a learned
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treatise on a matter that bears on the case. The decision whether to admit the information lies with the discretion of the court. RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009 TO BE AMENDED TO BE MADE MORE DISABLED-FRIENDLY. The Union Cabinet decided to amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, (RTE) to make it more disabled-friendly by including children with autism, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities within its ambit. This has been a pending demand of the disability sector which was up in arms in August this year over Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry confining the provision mandating that schools reserve 25 per cent seats at entry level for children belonging to disadvantaged group only to children with physical disabilities. Presently, only children suffering from disabilities defined in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection and Full Participation) Act, 1996, (PWD) are entitled to access the quota. After the proposed amendment, children in the six-to-14 age group covered by the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999, will also be entitled to special rights to pursue free and compulsory education. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE AMENDMENTS TAKE EFFECT. The Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act, 2008, which provides for sweeping changes in the criminal justice delivery system, came into effect from December 31, 2009. The Act, which gives protection to rape victims, got President Pratibha Patils assent in January last year, but was kept in abeyance for about a year. It incorporates the recommendations of the Law Commission, the Justice Malimath
Committees(2003) report and the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court to prevent overcrowding of jails with undertrials. With the permission of court, a rape victim can engage an advocate to help the prosecution. As far as practicable, the statement should be recorded by a woman police officer in the presence of the victims parents or guardian or near relatives or social worker of the locality. Under the new law, statements can be recorded through audio/video or other electronic means. Investigation of rape/child sex abuse must be completed in three months from the date when information was recorded by the officer in charge of the police station.
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Right to inform, the Act mandates the police officer making an arrest to bear his identification badge or tag. A memorandum of arrest shall be prepared, witnessed and countersigned. The person arrested shall be told that he/she has the right to inform a relative or friend. To protect the interests of the accused, it stipulates that an arrested person be examined immediately by a medical officer.
MAHATMA GANDHI RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT

The UPA government renamed its flagship rural job guarantee programme the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) after Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary.
MADHYA PRADESH AS ALTERNATIVE LION HABITAT At present, Asiatic lions are found only in Gir forests in Gujarat and the Centre had plans to relocate some of them to Kuno Sanctuary to repopulate the endangered species there. There are around 800 lions in the Gir forests but experts feel that the concentration of the entire lion population at one place exposes it to the danger of being wiped out by disease or natural calamity. However, the Narendra Modi government has categorically refused to part with the lions citing non-conducive environment such as threat from poachers and poor prey base in the Madhya Pradesh sanctuary spread over 344.686 square km. Kuno was identified as a best potential site by the Wildlife Institute of India among two other sites Darrah-Jawahar Sagar and Sitamata (both in Rajasthan) long back in 1993.
THE GIR FOREST NATIONAL PARK and Wildlife Sanctuary (also known as Sasan-Gir) is a forest and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, India. Established in 1965, with a total area of 1412 km the park is located 65 km to the south-east of Junagadh. It is the sole home of the pure Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica) and is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species. The forest area of Gir and its lions were declared as "protected" in the early 1900s by the then Nawab of the princely state of Junagadh. VALIATHAN COMMITTEE ON AIIMS The four-member expert committee headed by M.S. Valiathan, set up to look into the functioning of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The committee will make recommendations to turn the premier institution into a centre of excellence and a leader in public health.
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Besides Dr. Valiathan, former Director of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram, the committee comprises M.K. Bhan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; P.K. Hota, Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary; and R.K. Srivastava, Director General of Health Services.
OPERATION GREEN HUNT Operation Green Hunt is an ongoing military offensive begun in November 2009 by the central government of India along five states in the "Red Corridor The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite maoist militant activity. These are also areas that suffer from the greatest illiteracy, poverty and overpopulation in modern India, and span parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal states. ARTICLE 143 OF THE CONSTITUTION : If, at any time, it appears to the President that a question of law or fact has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of a such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he [or she] may refer the question to t hat court for consideration and the court may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon. DHAKA, NEW DELHI BEGIN RIVER WATER-SHARING TALKS Bangladesh and India began Secretary-level talks here on river water-sharing to lay the groundwork for the coming summit talks between their Prime Ministers. said the sharing of the waters of the Teesta and Feni and the construction of embankments were on the agenda of the discussion. The Indian team is led by Water Resources Secretary U.N. Panjiar. The talks will also include the sharing of water of six other common rivers the Dharla, Monu, Muhuri, Dudhkumar, Khowai and Gomti. The dredging of the Isamoti may also come up for discussion.
MUNDE APPOINTED PAC CHAIRMAN Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has appointed Gopinath Munde as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the recommendation of Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj. By precedent and practice over the last several decades, the PAC has been headed by a member of the main Opposition party.
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Lok Sabha rules envisage appointments to the PAC for not more than one year. The Speakers notification has specified that Mr. Mundes chairmanship will end on April 30, 2010, the rest of Mr. Jaswant Singhs tenure.
FREEDOM FIGHTER NYAPATI SUBBA RAO PANTULU January 14 marks the 154th birth anniversary of an early proponent of Andhra The 154th birth anniversary of Nyapati Subba Rao Pantulu, one of the earliest to voice the demand for the separation of Andhra from the Madras Presidency in 1914, is set to be marked on January 14, 2010. Subba Rao Pantulu, freedom fighter, journalist and literary personality, was one of the founders of The Hindu. He was a contemporary figure with a major public presence. After addressing the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda returned to India by ship via Colombo on February 11, 1897. The Triplicane Six, who founded The Hindu in Madras in 1878, convened a meeting in Victoria Hall, Madras, to organise a welcome. The largely attended meeting elected Subba Rao Pantulu as the reception committee chairman. He started the Historical Research Society (which is now the Rallabandi Subbarao Museum). "THE TRIPLICANE SIX" The first issue of The Hindu was published on September 20, 1878, by a group of six young men, led by G. Subramania Aiyer, a radical social reformer and school teacher. Aiyer, then 23, along with, M. Veeraraghavachariar of Chingleput, and four law students, T.T. Rangachariar, P.V. Rangachariar, D. Kesava Rao Pantulu and N. Subba Rao Pantulu were members of the Triplicane Literary Society. The British-controlled English language local newspapers had been campaigning against the appointment of the first Indian, T. Muthuswami Iyer, to the Bench of the Madras High Court in 1878. "The Triplicane Six," in an attempt to counter the dominant attitudes in the English language press started The Hindu on one British rupee and twelve annas of borrowed money. The first editorial declared, " Press does not only give expression to public opinion, but also modifies and moulds it." INDIA READY TO REVIEW THE 1950 TREATY India has reiterated its willingness to review the controversial 1950 Nepal-India Friendship Treaty. Indian Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna who is on a three-day visit to Nepal.
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Mr. Krishna, who is on a three-day visit,met with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on. He would be meeting President Ram Baran Yadav. He will also be laying foundation of the Integrated Check Post in Birgunj.
memorandum of understanding (MoU) To strengthen road infrastructure in the Terai region of Nepal. The assistance is worth NPR 1300 crore. Electrification of five village development committees. Establishment of Nepal-Bharat Maitri Science Learning Center in Nepal, and An agreement between Nepal Stock Exchange Limited and Central Depository Services (India).
THE INDO-NEPAL TREATY OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP OF 1950. The Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 is a bilateral treaty between Nepal and India establishing a close strategic relationship between the two South Asian neighbors. The treaty was signed on July 31, 1950 by the then-Prime Minister of Nepal Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Indian ambassador to Nepal, Chadreshwar Narayan Singh. 1) The treaty allows for the free movement of people and goods between the two nations and a close relationship and collaboration on matters of defence and foreign affairs.. 2) The Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship provided for an open border between the two nations, permitting free and unrestricted travel of people and goods and allowing the immigration of Indians to Nepal and of Nepalese people to India, granting equal rights to them. 3) Both nations agreed to respect each others territorial integrity and independence. 4) The treaty also facilitated extensive cooperation on strategic issues, with both nations required to consult each other on affairs of regional security; while India was obligated to actively assist Nepal in national defence and military preparedness, and both nations resolved not to tolerate threats to each others security.
JUSTICE SIRPURKAR HEADS 3-MEMBER DINAKARAN IMPEACHMENT PANEL
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Supreme Court judge V.S. Sirpurkar will head a three-member committee that will investigate the grounds for impeachment of Karnataka Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran whose removal from office has been sought jointly by 75 Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on corruption and land-grabbing charges. Justice A.R. Dave, Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and eminent jurist P.P. Rao are the other members of the panel constituted by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari. The panel was notified late. The Committee, constituted under sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Judges [Inquiry] Act, 1968, would make an investigation into the grounds on which the removal of Mr. Justice Paul Daniel Dinakaran Prem Kumar, Chief Justice of Karnataka, is prayed for. Normally, the panel would be expected to submit its report in six months. Under the Constitution, judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court can be removed from office only through impeachment in Parliament. Allegations The allegations made against the judge include possessing wealth disproportionate to the known sources of his income, land-grabbing, entering into benami transactions, undervaluation of his property, illegal encroachment on government and public property to deprive Dalits and the poor of their livelihoods. The last such inquiry panel set up was in March 2009 for the removal of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court. Impeachment or Removal. Though many use the word impeachment, if we strictly go by the Constitution, it should have been removal in the case of Judges. The term impeachment only can be used only in the case of President. PRATIBHA TO INAUGURATE EC DIAMOND JUBILEE President Pratibha Patil will inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations (60 years) of the Election Commission of India on January 25. Which was formed on 25/01/1950. The Commission, in charge of holding polls to the 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Lok Sabha, The Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, Legislative Councils (in some States) and For the offices of President and Vice-President,
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E.C is a three-member body and consists of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin B. Chawla and Election Commissioners S.Y. Quraishi and V.S. Sampath. The three Commissioners have equal voting power and the CEC is the first among equals with certain leadership and administrative responsibilities. Structure The commission presently consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, appointed by the president. Until October 1989, there was just one Chief Election Commissioner. In 1989, two Election Commissioners were appointed, but were removed again in January 1990. In 1991, however, the Parliament of India passed a law providing for the appointment of two Election Commissioners. This law was amended and renamed in 1993 as the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Amendment Act 1993. 11 YEARS OF NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER S.No NAME TERM OF OFICE FREOM 1. Brijesh Mishra 2. J N Dixit 3. M K Narayanan 4. Shiv Shankar Menon 24 January 2010 Incumbent Manmohan Singh January 25, 2005 24 January 2010 Manmohan Singh 27 May 2004 25 January 2005 Manmohan Singh 27 May 1998 27 May 2004 Atal Bihari Vajpayee TERM OF OFICE TO Prime Minister(s) served under
The National Security Council (NSC) of India is the apex agency looking into the political, economic, energy and strategic security concerns of India. It was established by the A B Vajpayee government on 19 November 1998, with Brijesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor. Prior to the formation of the NSC, these activities were overseen by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
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NSA is unique in combining a parliamentary system with the institution of a National Security Adviser who has wide-ranging executive responsibilities in the areas of foreign policy, intelligence, nuclear command and control as well as long-term strategic planning. NSA was intended to be the prime mover of a multi-tiered planning structure with the National Security Council (NSC) headed by the Prime Minister at the apex. An NSC Secretariat (NSCS) was created to service the Council, which subsumed the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and its staff within it. Finally, a National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) of outside experts was set up to generate independent inputs to the NSC. India is unique in combining a parliamentary system with the institution of a National Security Adviser who has wide-ranging executive responsibilities in the areas of foreign policy, intelligence, nuclear command and control as well as long-term strategic planning.
NETAJI CURRENCY MADE PUBLIC BY GRANDSON OF ACTIVIST A currency issued by Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses Bank of Independence has been made public on the eve of his 113th birth anniversary, leading to excitement among his supporters. In the 1980s, Ram Kishore Dubey, a retired contractor with the State Irrigation Department, discovered the note in his grandfathers Ramayana book, but did not realise its historical significance till recently.My grandfather, Praagilal, worked for Netaji in the Azaad Hind Fauj and passed away in 1958, says the 63-year-old Dubey. The currency, of denomination one lakh, has a photograph of Bose on the left side and a pre-independence map of the Indian territory with the inscription swatantra bharat in Hindi on the other. In the middle are inscribed the words Jai Hind in English, with the words I promise to pay the bearer the sum of one Lac below it. On the top of the note is a series of flags of the Azaad Hind Fauj over a bold inscription saying Bank of Independence with good wishes inscribed at the bottom. Several historians contend that in April 1944, Netaji established the Azad Hind Bank or the Bank of Independence in Rangoon (now Yangon) to manage funds donated by the Indian community from across the world.
BASIC COUNTRIES INDIA CHINA - SOUTH AFRICA BRAZIL
MRINAL PANDE MADE PRASAR BHARATI CHIEF Veteran journalist and writer Mrinal Pande has been appointed chairperson of Prasar Bharati. Filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Muzaffar Ali will be part-time members, along with Suman Dubey, a media personality. WOMEN'S RESERVATION BILL - FAQ
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The Women's Reservation Bill has been a political raw nerve for nearly a decade now. It has always triggered heated debates in Parliament and outside.Its advocates say the Bill is essential for active political participation of women.Opponents argue that reservation would only help women of elitist groups gain political power, aggravating the plight of the poor and deprived sections. How did the Women's Reservation Bill originate? The proposed legislation to reserve 33.3 percent seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women was drafted first by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996. Though it has been introduced in Parliament several times since then, the Bill could not be passed because of lack of political consensus. What does the Bill provide? Reservation for women at each level of legislative decision-making, starting with the Lok Sabha, down to state and local legislatures. If the Bill is passed, one-third of the total available seats would be reserved for women in national, state, or local governments. In continuation of the existing provisions already mandating reservations for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes, one-third of such SC and ST candidates must be women. What is the argument in favour of the Bill? Its proponents say it would lead to gender equality in Parliament, resulting in the empowerment of women as a whole. Historically, the Bill's supporters say, women are deprived in India. Increased political participation of women will help them fight the abuse, discrimination, and inequality they suffer from. Does reservation for women exist in panchayat elections? Yes, 33.3 per cent seats in panchayat elections have been reserved for women already. The experience of women's reservation at the panchayat level has been very encouraging. A million women are being elected to the panchayats in the country every five years. This is the largest mobilisation of women in public life in the world. Then why is there opposition to the Bill? Various political parties have staunchly opposed it because they fear many of their male leaders would not get a chance to fight elections if 33.3 percent seats are reserved for women. The Bill has also been opposed by politicians from the socially and economically backward classes. They argue that reservation would only help women of the elitist groups to gain seats, therefore causing further discrimination and under-representation to the poor and backward classes.
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Who are the main political opponents of the Bill? From day one, Lalu Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party have been the main political forces opposed to the Bill. Why? The SP and RJD are opposed to the bill in its present form and want a quota within quota for women from backward classes. Lalu says the Bill 'would deny adequate representation to other sections of society.' He favours 10 to 15 percent reservation for women. 'My party is not opposed to women's reservation, but the case of Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and other religious minorities should not be overlooked,' is his argument.There should be reservation within reservation," said Lalu. Mulayam favours making it mandatory for political parties to give 10 percent of election tickets to women. If 33.3 per cent reservation for women is added to the already existing 22.5 percent for scheduled castes and tribes, more than 55 per cent of seats in Parliament would be reserved. This would not be fair to other sections of the population. Most members opposing say that it is better to create reservation of women in political parties than in Parliament. The provision of rotation of reserved states is also debated. It can reduce the incentive of the elected MPs to spend energy because he or she may not be able to re-seek the mandate from the same constituency. What is the status of the Bill now? The Bill had been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, and Personnel, which gave its report in December 2009. It recommended passage of the Bill in its present form and suggested that the issue should not be left to the discretion of political parties. The central government cleared the Bill on February 25, 2010. For such a bill to pass, the Constitution has laid out an elaborate procedure. So, even if the Rajya Sabha passes the bill its real impact will be felt only when it passes through the Lok Sabha. Political pundits, sociologists, political scientists, feminists and historians and almost everybody has said that if the bill becomes an act then it will be the biggest socio-political news since independence. PTIS DIAMOND JUBILEE Employees of The Press Trust of India (PTI) will celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the newswire for three days from February 2.
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Press Trust of India is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 450 Indian newspapers and has a staff of about 2,000 writers spread across 150 offices nationwide. It took over the Indian operations of the Associated Press and Reuters soon after India's independence on August 15, 1947. It provides news coverage and information of the region in both English and Hindi. Its current chairman is Mr. V.K. Chopra P.K. Warrier felicitated MOZART OF MADRAS BAGS TWO GRAMMYS Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman continued his winning streak, bagging two Grammy awards for his foot-tapping number Jai Ho and outstanding soundtrack for the film Slumdog Millionaire. The composer shared the award for Jai Ho with lyricist Gulzar and Tanvi Shah, who penned the Spanish words of the international hit. Rahman won in the category of Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for Slumdog Millionaire and Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for Jai Ho. The Mozart of Madras bagged two Academy awards for his music in Slumdog Millionaire, besides winning a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award. KALBELIA DANCE. Kalbelia is the one of the most sensuous dance forms of Rajasthan, performed by the kalbelia tribe. The Kalbelias were known for their frequent movement from one place to another in ancient times. Their main occupation is catching snakes and trading snake venom. Hence, the dance movements and the costumes of their community bear a resemblance to that of the serpents. They are also known as Sapera, Jogira or Jogi. They follow Hindu religion. They trace their ancestry from Kanlipar, the 12th disciple of Guru Gorakhnath. The largest number of the population of Kalbelias is in Pali district, then Ajmer, Chittorgarh and Udaipur district. They live a nomadic life.
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BRAHMOS INSTALLATION TEST FLIGHT IN BALTIC SEA An installation test flight of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is scheduled to take place in the Baltic Sea from a stealth frigate being built for the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad in Russia. Sivathanu Pillai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BrahMos Aerospace Limited. The missile's vertical launcher and fire control system, made in India, was transported to Kaliningrad and fitted into the stealth frigate, a Talwar-class ship. The BrahMos missile is a joint product of India and Russia and it has already been inducted into the Indian Navy and Army. Mr. Kadakin said the best brains of the two countries coming together made the system highly advanced and reliable. Three Talwar-class ships to be built for the Indian Navy by Russia would have Brah- Mos missiles. There are four versions of BrahMos now: sea-to-sea; sea-to-land; land-to-sea; and landto-land. Work on launching the cruise missile from submarines and aircraft was in progress. Established in 1998, Brah- Mos Aerospace, produces and markets the BrahMos supersonic missiles. Known as BrahMos Block-2, the missile has a top speed of over Mach 5, making it virtually impossible to intercept, and it can effectively engage even slightly visible ground targets. It has been designed primarily to meet the needs of the Army.
MAHARASHTRA BILL TO CURB ATTACKS ON MEDIA After the violent attacks by Shiv Sainiks on the offices of IBN Lokmat and IBN7 i last November, the Maharashtra government is taking its first step towards preventing such incidents. State Home minister R.R. Patil proposed a Bill making attacks on journalists a nonbailable offence. INDIAN TO HEAD AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Amnesty International has appointed Salil Shetty,an Indian who headed the U.N. Millennium Campaign, as its next secretary general. JEAN DREZE, ARUNA ROY KEEP OFF SAMMELAN
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Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy, members of the Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC) governing body for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme kept away from MNREGS Sammelan 2010 describing it as a ceremonial function. In their joint letter to Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi, the social activists, who had played a crucial role in shaping the manual job guaranteeing law, said, We see little point in attending ceremonial functions as members of the CEGC, stressing the councils substantive work was at a virtual standstill. MOILY SAYS NO TO SUPREME COURT BENCHES Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily firmly rejected suggestions for setting up Supreme Court Benches in different parts of the country. The Law Commission had recommended the setting up of Supreme Court Benches. The matter was referred to Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati. He has not agreed to it.
SRIKRISHNA HEADS FIVE-MEMBER COMMITTEE ON TELANGANA ISSUE Nearly a month after holding consultations with eight recognised political parties on the Telangana issue, the government constituted a five-member committee to hold wide-ranging consultations with all sections of the people and all political parties and groups in Andhra Pradesh. The committee will be headed by the former Supreme Court judge, Justice B.N. Srikrishna. ERROR ON GLACIER DAMAGED IPCC CREDIBILITY Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), admitted that its credibility was damaged by the controversy over its 2007 report, which falsely claimed that the Himalayan glaciers could melt away by 2035. THE WORLD LOST A LANGUAGE. Two unique Andamanese languages disappear with death of last speakers The death of Boro and Boa of Great Andaman, last surviving speakers of Andamanese languages, Khora and Bo, has resulted in the extermination of their unique tribes on the islands. There are just 50 Great Andamanese left, says Anvita Abbi, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University who has undertaken a project to document the languages of these tribes. Now we only have Jeru and Sare speakers in the group.
STRAIT ISLAND Strait Island is a small island of 2 km2 located in South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Strait is a small, comma-shaped, and forested island, known for its caves of birds' nests and
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plentiful deer (though they are now rare to find). The settlement for the Great Andamanese, one of the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands, was built and is managed by the Andaman administration. Originally, the Great Andamanese were a group of 10 tribes with a total population of 5,000 when the British colonised the Andaman Islands. Over the years, most were killed or died of the diseases brought by settlers.
U.R.ANANTHA MOORTHY Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy is a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language and is considered as one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. He is well known among Indian authors.He is the sixth person among seven recipients of the Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language, the highest literary honor conferred in India. In 1998, he received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India. VIRDHAWAL KHADE Virdhawal Khade (Maharashtra, India) , is India's top swimming talent. He competed in the men's 50 m, 100 m and 200 m Freestyle swimming events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing setting an Indian national record in 100 m Freestyle while winning his heat, but failed to qualify for the semifinals in his events.. A.P. QUOTA FOR SECTIONS OF MUSLIMS QUASHED In a significant judgment having national ramifications, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the four per cent reservation provided by the State government to selected sections of Muslims in education and public employment. Declaring the A.P. Reservation in favour of Socially Educationally Backward Classes of Muslims Act, 2007 unsustainable, the five judges said the Act is religion-specific and potentially encourages religious conversions. This is the third time the government is facing an embarrassment over a quota for Muslims. To keep its election promise, the government issued an administrative order in 2004 providing 5 per cent reservation for all Muslims, relying on a report by the A.P. Minorities Finance Corporation. This was struck down by the High Court. The government then constituted a BC commission and, based on its report, brought about the enactment in 2005, which was again rejected by the court. 17 ARMY MEN KILLED IN AVALANCHES Seventeen Army men, including an officer, were killed in avalanches near Gulmarg(Jammu). Out of the 400 men undergoing training at a high altitude warfare camp in Khilanmarg area, 80 were trapped and most of them rescued, The Army launched a massive rescue
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operation amid bad weather and informed sources said bodies of the 16 soldiers and the officer were recovered. The Snow Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) issued avalanche warnings, advising people living in the region not to venture out. The area has been receiving heavy snowfall in the past three days. 337-YEAR-OLD BOOK TO BE REPRINTED Collectors of rare books will soon be able to lay their hands on a facsimile copy of 17th century book India and Persia by British cartographer John Ogilvie. It is being reprinted by the authorities of the Asiatic Society here. Published in 1673, the book, which is a part of the Library of the Asiatic Society, is the only known copy in India, said Nirbed Ray, publication secretary of the Society. The book has unique artwork and maps from India and Persia. It provided the merchants of the East India Company valuable information on India and the Gangetic plains, Mr. Ray said.
QUOTA FOR MUSLIMS IN WEST BENGAL The West Bengal government announced a 10 per cent quota in jobs for the weaker sections among Muslims under the OBC category as per the recommendation of Ranganath Mishra Commission. Ranganath Mishra Commission is an enquiry commission assigned by Government of India to study and find solution for the minority status of India. The report was conducted by National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The report focused on the issue of The report was submitted to the government on 21 May 2007.
MEMBERS - PLANNING COMMISSION. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Sh. B.K. CHATURVEDI, IAS (Rtd.) SAUMITRA CHAUDHURI Dr. (Ms.) SYEDA SAIYIDAIN HAMEED Dr. NARENDRA JADHAV DR.K.KASTURIRANGAN PROF. ABHIJIT SEN Dr. MIHIR SHAH SH. ARUN MAIRA
11TH SOUTH ASIAN GAMES: DHAKA 2010 There were total 23 sports in the 11th edition of South Asian Games held in Dhaka.India who leads the medal tally clearly dominated in 13 sports, which are Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Judo, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Wushu. Host Bangladesh dominated in Golf and Karate while Pakistan and
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Afghanistan dominated in Squash and Taekwondo respectively. Among the team events, India won men and women Kabadi, women Football and Volleyball. Bangladesh won men Football and T20 Cricket, Pakistan won Hockey and Handball while Afghanistan won Basketball. Bhandari retains marathon gold. Madhurika Patkar, won four gold medals in the table tennis event at the South Asian Games. Under-21 Cricket T20 was introduced for the first time in the SA Games, with Bangladesh emerged victorious beating Sri Lanka in the closely contested final. Pakistan won the bronze by beating Maldives. India, the other test playing nation of the region, did not participate in the event. INDIA, BRITAIN INK NUCLEAR PACT India signed a declaration on civilian nuclear cooperation with the U.K. which officials described as a general umbrella agreement. The two sides are expected to make a public announcement in the coming days. The U.K. becomes the eighth country with which India has signed a civilian nuclear pact since breaking out of restrictions imposed on it. The agreement was signed here by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Srikumar Banerjee and British High Commissioner Richard Stagg. The pact will provide a legal framework for British companies that have expertise in supplying components.
India has so far signed civilian nuclear pacts with 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Russia, France, U.S.A, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Argentina and Namibia.
WORLD SPICE CONGRESS. The 10th Word Spice Congress which concluded in New Delhi recently expressed concern over the increasing labour shortage, shift in the young generation from agriculture to other sectors and rising costs. The congress which saw participation from over 50 countries with 165 international delegates discussed steps to promote spice exports. Presentations were made on food safety and risk management and risk assessment and regulators role at the congress by experts from American Spice Trade Association, European Spice Association and from South Africa.
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KOLKATA GROUP DEMANDS UNIVERSAL, JUSTICIABLE FOOD ENTITLEMENTS The Kolkata Group is an independent initiative inspired and chaired by Nobel Prizewinning economist Amartya Sen. Once a year, it brings together participants drawn from various fields to explore the many inter-connections between inequality, deprivation, human development, and democracy. Its special focus has been on examining ways of advancing peoples health and education. The organisations supporting the Kolkata Group are UNICEF India, Professor Sens Pratichi Trust, and the Harvard-based Global Equity Initiative. This years workshop, the eighth in the annual series, was on Eliminating Injustice. It was structured broadly around the themes explored in Professor Sens most recent theoretical work, The Idea of Justice (Allen Lane, Penguin Books, 2009) and, like earlier workshops, drew on insights gained from surveys, other kinds of research, and practical experience. The two-day workshop, structured into five sessions, began with a discussion of the different dimensions of injustice and addressed the challenge of eliminating injustice in the areas of elementary education, food and health, women, work and care, and tribals, Dalits and minorities. The theme this year was Eliminating Injustice.
NANKANA SAHIB Nankana Sahib was earlier known as 'Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi' is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab named after the first Guru of the Sikhs Guru Nanak Dev. Located at about 80 kilometers south west of Lahore and about 75 kilometres East from Faisalabad with a population of approx. 60,000 it is also the capital of Nankana Sahib District and Tehsil. Because Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, the central figure in Sikhism, it is a city of high historic and religious value and is a popular pilgrimage site for Sikhs from all over the world. Narinder Nath Vohra Narinder Nath Vohra is the current governor of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He took over from S K Sinha on June 25, 2008. He is the first civilian governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 18 years after Jagmohan. Vohra was educated at Punjab and Oxford Universities, and served in the IAS between 1959 and 1994. He served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister I.K. Gujral in 1997-98 and was a member of the National Security Advisory Board from 1998 to 2001 when the NDA government was in power. For his service to the nation, Vohra was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2007. Since February 2003 until he became the governor, Vohra had been the Indian government's interlocutor in Kashmir. As such he had been holding wide-ranging discussions with both the elected representatives in the state and also the separatists in
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a bid to forge a common ground for the all-round development of the state.His first major action was to withdraw the controversial Amarnath shrine land transfer order. THE SILDA CAMP ATTACK The Silda camp attack occurred on February 15, 2010, when dozens of Naxalite Maoist insurgents ambushed Indian security forces in Silda (some 30 km from Midnapore) in West Bengal, India. The resulting death of 24 paramilitary personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles, and several believed to be abducted, made the attack a hard blow to the government's fight against the rebels. Inquiry panel set up to probe Silda attack The West Bengal government announced the setting up of a three-member committee to inquire Silda attack .The committee will be headed by State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen and will submit its report within two months. BELOW THE RADAR, A NEW AGRIBUSINESS PACT WITH THE U.S. The government quietly secured Cabinet approval for a new agreement with the United States that aims, inter alia, at promoting the privatisation of agricultural extension services and facilitating collaborations between American agribusiness and the Indian farm sector. The proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. on Agriculture Cooperation and Food Security was approved and is likely to be signed soon. The present MoU was initiated under the India-U.S. Agriculture Dialogue during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs visit to Washington last November. WEARING BURQA NOT AN INTEGRAL PART OF ISLAM: ELECTION COMMISSION The Election Commission informed the Supreme Court that wearing a burqa by a Muslim woman was a mere religious custom, and not an integral part of Islam. In its response to a special leave petition to restrain it from publishing photographs of purdah-clad Muslim women in the electoral rolls, the Commission said: Article 25 of the Constitution does not confer unfettered rights to religious practice, but merely protects the essential or integral practice of any religion. The SLP was directed against the September 7, 2006 judgment of the Madras High Court, dismissing a petition filed by M. Ajmal Khan against the use of photographs in the rolls.
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THE INDUS WATERS TREATY The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing treaty between the Republic of India and Islamic Republic Of Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Mohammad Ayub Khan. The treaty was a result of Pakistani fear that since the source rivers of the Indus basin were in India, it could potentially create droughts and famines in Pakistan, especially at times of war. However, India did not revoke the treaty during any of three later Indo-Pakistani Wars. Provisions The Indus System of Rivers comprises three Western Rivers the Indus, the Jhelum and Chenab and three Eastern Rivers - the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi; and with minor exceptions, the treaty gives India exclusive use of all of the waters of the Eastern Rivers and their tributaries before the point where the rivers enter Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan has exclusive use of the Western Rivers. Pakistan also received one-time financial compensation for the loss of water from the Eastern rivers. The countries agree to exchange data and co-operate in matters related to the treaty. For this purpose, treaty creates the Permanent Indus Commission, with a commissioner appointed by each country. JEAN MAYER AWARD FOR JOURNALIST SANJOY HAZARIKA Eminent journalist Sanjoy Hazarika has been awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Award for Global Citizenship by the U.S.-based Tufts University for his contribution to the northeast of India, initiatives in health and governance, besides advocacy of issues. The award is given annually to scholars and practitioners who make significant contributions to improving the lives of people in their areas of work and impacting both research and policy. The previous awardees include Nobel laureates Amartya Sen and Desmond Tutu
DEEMED UNIVERSITY
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Deemed university is a status of autonomy granted to high performing institutes and departments of various universities in India. This status of Deemed-to-be-University, is granted by Deptt. Of Higher Education, Union Human Resource Development Ministry, on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956 . The UGC began in 1956 after Indian parliament passed the University Grants Commission Act "to make provision for the co-ordination and determination of standards in Universities and for that purpose, to establish a University Grants Commission." KANDHAMAL: 52 ACQUITTED Fifty two people accused of being involved in the 2008 riots in Kandhamal(Orissa) were acquitted by two fast track courts due to lack of evidence. There were seven cases, involving house burning and church attacks. Thirty-eight people were killed in these incidents.
CENSUS 2011 Case for B.C. count How data on the Backward Classes, especially those relating to caste, can be gathered in Census 2011 andwhy it is important to do so. IT is possible to make Census 2011 meet the needs of the Backward Classes without having to face the problems many critics have raised. The method explained below will not promote caste-based divisiveness but can help destroy caste and thereby help optimal national economic progress. The Union Cabinet on May 26 referred the matter of caste-based census to a Group of Ministers to examine and recommend the modalities. The Government of India has to complete this process expeditiously and decide and communicate to the Census Commissioner that the new element in Census 2011 is not caste census but B.C. census, in which demographic, educational, occupational, residential and economic data will be gathered in respect of the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs)/Other Backward Classes (OBCs)/Backward Classes (B.Cs), hereafter referred to as B.Cs, as has been done in respect of the Scheduled Castes (S.Cs) and the Scheduled Tribes (S.Ts) in every Census since 1951. This will remove the basis for the apprehension that this is going to be a caste census in which everyone will be asked, What is your caste? For canvassing B.C. data, enumerators in each State should be furnished with a copy of the Central List of Backward Classes for that State in the same way that they are given the list of the S.Cs and the S.Ts for each State during every Census. The Central List of B.Cs is State-wise, just like the Presidential Schedule of the S.Cs and the S.Ts for each State. Most critics miss the point that the aggregate number of entries in the Central List of B.Cs for all States is only 1,963. Incidentally, the number of entries of S.Cs and S.Ts is 1,932 (1,234 S.Cs and 698 S.Ts). Therefore, the additional work will be manageable. Census data are canvassed in two stages. In the first stage, questions pertain to access to drinking water, electricity, latrine, drainage, bathroom, fuel used, availability of radio, television, telephone, mobile phone, type of conveyance used, whether banking service is availed and so on in what is called the
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Houselisting and Housing Schedule. This is for the house and household and not for each individual. In the second, that is, the Family Schedule, the questions are on employment, literacy, industrial category, occupation, and so on of each individual. For canvassing B.C. data, all that the enumerator has to do is ask a person who belongs to the Backward Classes as to which caste of B.C.he/she belongs to, as is done in the case of the S.Cs and the S.Ts. It is only those who say they belong to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes who are asked which caste of S.C. or tribe of S.T. they belong to. Similarly, in Census 2011 those who say they do not belong to the Backward Classes need not be, and should not be, asked which caste they belong to. Collection process For this, all that is required is to add B.C. in column 15 of the Housing Schedule so that it reads as: If S.C., S.T., B.C. or Other S.C. 1 / S.T. 2 / B.C. 3 / Other 4. Also add a new column, column 11 in the Family Schedule (which is under preparation), after the existing columns 9 and 10. The heading of column 9 reads: If belonging to Scheduled Castes, fill the name of the Scheduled Caste, from the list supplied (Scheduled Castes can be in Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religions only). Column 10 similarly provides for the S.Ts. The new column 11 should read as follows: If belonging to Backward Classes, fill the name of the backward caste/community from the Central List of B.Cs supplied (B.Cs are also called Socially and Educationally Backward Classes or Other Backward Classes; B.Cs can be in any religion). When a person claiming to belong to the Backward Classes, in reply to the next question,mentions a caste in the Central List of B.Cs for that State to be his/her caste, appropriate entries are to be made in column 15 of the HousingSchedule and the new column 11 of the Family Schedule, as is done for the S.Cs and the S.Ts. If a person claiming to belong to the Backward Classes mentionsa caste that is not in the list,the enumerator should show/read out the Central List to that person and ask whether he/she belongs to any of those castes. This is how it should be done for the S.Cs and the S.Ts also. This will preclude the possibility of less-educated people giving the names of gotras or clans and also the consequent confusion in the post-Census sorting work. There will then be no danger of 60,000 or even one lakh caste names being returned, as mentioned by certain critics. There is also no room for confusion on account of spelling/phonetic variants or regional names because all these have been listed under each caste entry/tribe entry in the Presidential Schedules of the S.Cs and the S.Ts and the Central List of B.Cs. Data gathered by the Census authorities on various parameters demographic, economic, occupational, educational, residential, living conditions and facilities accessible for all people can then be assigned easily to the B.Cs, who would have been identified as per column 15 of the Housing Schedule and the new column 11 of the Family Schedule, following the procedure used for assignment of data to the S.Cs and the S.Ts from 1951. There is no danger of advanced caste people returning themselves as B.C. people in order to get the benefit of reservation, as critics allege. The caste return in the Census is no basis for providing the benefit of reservation to an individual. To derive such benefit, each individual has to apply to the appropriate authorities, who will verify locally before issuing a certificate whether the applicant belongs to the caste
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mentioned and whether that caste is in the list of B.Cs. It is not easy to get a false caste certificate because the applicant will have inter aliato furnish his/her father's name. No advanced caste individual will mention falsely B.C.parentage, especially if it is known that the particulars of each applicant, including the father's name, will be publicised. No doubt there are a few collusively produced false caste certificates. Even these can be exposed if each applicant's name, father's name, and name of the caste as in the application are publicised in public offices from the panchayat upwards and in widely circulated print media. In any case, self-declaration as B.C.by a non-B.C. person or as S.C. by a non-S.C. person or as S.T. by a non-S.T. person will not get him/her reservation in jobs or educational institutions. Reservation Some persons are worried about the reservation-related consequences of the data on B.Cs collected in the Census. It is impossible that B.Cs will turn out to be 80 per cent or more, as mentioned by certain critics, when 24.4 per cent have been counted in 2001 as belonging to the S.Cs and the S.Ts, and wellknown advanced castes are likely to be anywhere between 20 and 30 per cent. So B.Cs can only be anywhere between 45 and 55 per cent with State-wise variations and perhaps not very different from the Mandal's all-India estimate of 52 per cent (including B.Cs of Muslims and Christians). Whatever be the percentage of the B.C. population emerging from the Census, it will have no bearing on the percentage of reservation so long as the Supreme Court's cap of 50 per cent for the S.Cs, the S.Ts plus the B.Cs remains. Critics have looked at the whole issue only from the reservation-focussed point of view of the advanced castes. A persistent theme in every writ petition against reservation for the B.Cs has been that there is no population data for the B.Cs. Now, when there is the possibility of getting such data, it is selfcontradictory to oppose it. But, it must be noted that the Census data have many uses other than those related to reservation. An opinion has been expressed that for addressing the discrimination against Dalits, designing remedial measures and empowering them with education, resources, food security, economic resources, political participation and so on, a census is not required. This view ignores the fact that without the census of the S.Cs and the S.Ts it would not have been possible to provide populationequivalent reservation for them in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, as mandated by Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution. A basic principle of the Special Component Plan for the S.Cs and the Tribal sub-Plan for the S.Ts is that the population-equivalent percentage of the Plan budgetary resources and physical benefits should be set apart for them. How could this have been done if there were no population census of the S.Cs and the S.Ts? The data on the B.Cs in the Census will help improve the allocation of budgetary resources and benefits for the B.Cs. Will counting caste reduce inequality, some critics have asked. The simple answer is thatno census, no statistic can reduce inequality. They can provide authentic data for those who want to plan sincerely to enable the S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs to reach the level of equality with the advanced castes. Today, India's rise to its fullest potential eludes it because the S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs have been and are being prevented from making their full contribution, and much of the valuable energies of the advanced castes are being frittered away in checkmating the Constitution-mandated progress of these categories. Those who sincerely abhor the caste system must support the cause of social justice for the S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs and also the collection of caste data of the B.Cs as a long and wrongly denied aid to design and implement plans to achieve this. Members of advanced castes who occupy the commanding heights of decision-making and opinionshaping must ponder over whether it is desirable to have the dichotomy where the B.Cs are denied the
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development-related statistical visibility available to the S.Cs and the S.Ts while the advanced castes, with rare exceptions, oppose it. This dichotomy also prevailed when long-denied recognition and reservation at the Central level became available for the B.Cs in 1990. Passions were whipped up by eminent advanced caste leaders, including in the media, some of whom are now active against the B.C. census. In 1990, the media screams drove some ill-informed young people to commit self-immolation. The dire consequences predicted by the media in 1990 have not materialised. On the other hand, the advanced castes have benefited by the extension of reservation to the B.Cs, again after a lot of delay, in 2006, to government and aided educational institutions. Before a single B.C. candidate got admission through reservation, teachers, almost entirely of the advanced castes, got age-extension of service. The number of seats were so expanded that the number of general seats did not fall while providing reservation for the B.Cs (reservation for the S.Cs and the S.Ts already existed). Higher education, which had stagnated formany decades, began to expand, resulting in more seats for the advanced castes along withthe S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs. If the S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs are given their due place and space in all spheres and at all levels, the consequent social harmony dividend will unshackle the chains which keep back India's economy from reaching the full heights of its potential. It is in the interest not only of the S.Cs, the S.Ts and the B.Cs but of the advanced castes and the nation as a whole to stop the policy of opposing everything that is done for the B.Cs (from Champakam Dorairajan and Venkataramana cases of 1951 tothe Ashoka Kumar Thakur case, 2006-08 the S.Cs got a respite after attention turned to the B.Cs from 1990) even though it is in accordance with the constitutional mandate. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT - SOCIAL ISSUE AJMAL AMIR KASAB'S death sentence has brought the issue of capital punishment again into the spotlight. There are already calls for his execution although the legal process is far from over. However, given the irreversible and final nature of capital punishment, a number of steps are required be to taken before any execution can take place. The death sentence has to be confirmed by the High Court and time allowed for an appeal to be made to the Supreme Court. After the conclusion of the judicial process, mercy petitions take centre stage. This is a two-tiered process. In Kasab's case, the first mercy petition will be sent to the Governor of Maharashtra. If that is rejected, a second and final petition will be sent to the President of India. Under India's constitutional system, the actual decisions are not made by the Governor or the President, but instead by the State and Central governments, as the constitutional heads are bound by the advice of their respective Cabinets. There has been only one execution in India after mid-1997: that of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, on August 14, 2004, in Kolkata. How has this situation of a virtual end to executions come about? For a start, it has not been a sudden move. As Table 1 and in particular the last column shows, executions in India have been coming down steadily after Independence. The early decline in executions appears to be a result of the amendment to criminal law in 195556 (that did away with the idea of death penalty being the obvious punishment for murder) along with an increase in the grant of commutation in mercy proceedings. The sharp decrease in the 1970s is likely to be because of the new Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973-74, which made the death penalty an exceptional punishment. The decline in the 1980s is a direct result of the judgment of the constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court in Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab,
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which limited the award of the death penalty to only the rarest of rare cases. With the number of people being sentenced to death itself reducing (as evident from the lack of disposal of mercy petitions), executions were bound to reduce as well. Role played by Presidents India's virtual end to executions after 1997 owes much to the role played by Presidents K.R. Narayanan, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil. With respect to mercy petitions, it is well known that the power of the President is limited. The Home Minister makes a recommendation on the mercy petition file and sends it to the President for signing. The President may return the file once for reconsideration, but must sign if the file is returned to him or her. There is, however, no time-limit prescribed for this, allowing the President some room for manoeuvrability.
The Supreme Court's judgment holding forced narcoanalysis unconstitutional represents a turning point in its history . THE Supreme Court's approach to matters of national security has long been guided by minimalism a doctrine that enables the court to settle pending disputes rather than articulate deeper constitutional principles. When confronted with competing claims of national security and Fundamental Rights, the court has played the role of a mediator rather than a guardian of Fundamental Rights. In doing so, it has shown more concern for procedural safeguards and compliance rather than addressing substantive issues. Whenever anti-terror laws have been challenged before it, the Supreme Court has deferred to the legislative branch. It has, to cite a few instances, upheld the validity of the Preventive Detention Act, 1950, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1985 and 1987, and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002. These scholars were in for a surprise on May 5 when the court, in Selvi vs State of Karnataka, abandoned its exceptionalism in the adjudication of terror-related cases. Selvi's daughter Kavita had married Shivakumar of a different caste against the wishes of her family. Shivakumar was brutally killed in 2004, and Selvi and two others became the suspects. Since the prosecution's case depended entirely on circumstantial evidence, it sought the court's permission to conduct polygraphy and brain-mapping tests on the three persons. The court granted permission and the tests were conducted. When the results of the polygraphy test indicated signs of deception, the prosecution sought the court's permission to perform narcoanalysis on the three persons. The magistrate directed the three to undergo narcoanalysis. All of them challenged this decision in the Karnataka High Court, but failed to get relief. They then went in appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, in a remarkable shift from its minimalist approach, held that compulsory brain-mapping and polygraph tests and narcoanalysis were in violation of Articles 20(3) and 21 of the Constitution. The key sentence is in Paragraph 220 of the judgment: In constitutional adjudication, our concerns are not confined to the facts at hand but extend to the implications of our decision for the whole population as well as future generations. While deciding Selvi's appeal, along with some 10 similar appeals, the Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices R.V. Raveendran and J.M. Panchal relied
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heavily on the court's judgment in Nandini Satpathy vs P.L. Dani in 1978. In that case, decided by a three-judge Bench headed by Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, narcoanalysis was not an issue as it was not in use then as an investigative tool. Nandini Satpathy case Nandini Satpathy, the former Chief Minister of Orissa, was directed to appear at the Vigilance Police Station, Cuttack, in connection with a vigilance case against her. Nandini Satpathy was given a long list of questions in writing about her alleged acquisition of assets disproportionate to her known sources of income. She exercised her right under Article 20(3) of the Constitution and refused to answer the questions. Article 20(3) guarantees that no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against oneself. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Cuttack, filed a complaint against Nandini Satpathy under Section 179 of the Indian Penal Code (refusing to answer a public servant authorised to question) before the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Cuttack. When the magistrate issued her summons of appearance she challenged it before the High Court, saying the umbrella of Article 20(3) and the immunity under Section 161(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) were wide enough to shield her in her refusal. Section 161(2) of the CrPC does not bind a person to answer questions where the answers had a tendency to expose the person to a criminal charge or to a penalty or forfeiture. When the High Court rebuffed her, Nandini Satpathy appealed to the Supreme Court. Justice Krishna Iyer, who allowed her appeal and quashed the magistrates proceedings against her, said in his judgment that the very act of directing a woman to come to a police station in violation of Section 160(1) of the CrPC may make for tension and negate voluntariness. Besides, it was likely that some of the questions posed to her were self-incriminatory. It was in this case that the Supreme Court laid down that the prohibitive sweep of Article 20(3) went back to the stage of police investigation. In its May 5 judgment, the Supreme Court revisited the issues raised in the Nandini Satpathy case in the light of the challenge to the involuntary administration of narcoanalysis, polygraph examination and the Brain Electrical Activation Profile (BEAP) tests for improving investigation efforts in criminal cases. Narcoanalysis: Narcoanalysis involves the intravenous administration of sodium pentothal, a drug that lowers a person's inhibitions and induces him or her to talk freely. Empirical studies suggest that the druginduced revelations need not necessarily be true. Polygraph examination and the BEAP tests: Polygraph examination and the BEAP tests serve the respective purposes of detecting lies and gauging the subject's familiarity with information relating to a crime. These techniques, wherein inferences are drawn from the physiological responses of the subject, are essentially confirmatory in nature. Their reliability has been questioned repeatedly in empirical studies. An essential safeguard:
Page 74 of 85 The right against self-incrimination is now viewed as an essential safeguard in criminal procedure. Its underlying rationale corresponds broadly with the objectives of ensuring the reliability of statements made by an accused and ensuring that such statements are made voluntarily. The court held that in a polygraph test and a brain-mapping test, the subject makes a mental effort, which leads to a physiological response. Thus the person ends up imparting personal knowledge about relevant facts, which brings these techniques within the purview of the ban imposed by Article 20(3) of the Constitution. Therefore, the court held that the results of these tests should be treated as testimonial acts for the purpose of invoking the right against selfincrimination. Right to privacy: In the context of Article 21 of the Constitution (which guarantees that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except under the procedure established by law), the court held that a person's right to make a statement or remain silent involves the exercise of the right to privacy. Thus, compelling a person to make a statement would amount to a contravention of Article 21 as well. It thus broadened the understanding of the terms privacy and personal liberty under Article 21. The judgment read Article 20 into Article 21. In the process it declared the impugned tests to be unconstitutional even in respect of civil proceedings. Another far-reaching ruling of the court is that the presumption of a person being in a custodial environment would apply irrespective of whether he/she has been formally accused or is a suspect or a witness. The court thus plugs the loopholes that the police use to contravene provisions relating to custodial interrogation. The court rejected the argument of compelling public interest, especially against terror suspects. It held Articles 20 and 21 to be non-derogable and under the Constitution they could not be suspended even during a state of emergency. Thus, it held that the impugned tests could not be conducted on terror suspects against their consent. Terming as circular logic the argument that not having these tests would lead to the police using conventional third degree methods, the court refused to uphold the constitutionality of the tests on this ground. In holding that the tests amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, thus contravening Article 21, the court stated that the threshold for proving the same was lesser than that of proving torture. The court made it clear that even when a person gives consent to undergo any of these tests, the results by themselves cannot be admitted as evidence because the person does not exercise conscious control over the responses during the administration of the test. However, any information or material that is subsequently discovered with the help of voluntarily administered test results can be admitted in accordance with Section 27 of the Evidence Act, it held. For this purpose, the court made it mandatory to follow strictly the guidelines laid down by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 2000 for administering the polygraph test. It wanted similar safeguards to be adopted for conducting the narcoanalysis technique and the BEAP test. NHRC guidelines: (i) No lie detector tests should be administered except on the basis of consent of the accused.
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(ii) If the accused volunteers for a lie detector test, he should be given access to a lawyer, and the physical, emotional and legal implication of such a test should be explained to him by the police and his lawyer. (iii) The consent should be recorded before a judicial magistrate. (iv) During the hearing before the magistrate, the person alleged to have agreed should be duly represented by a lawyer. (v) At the hearing, the person in question should also be told in clear terms that the statement that is made shall not be a confessional statement to the magistrate but will have the status of a statement made to the police. (vi) The magistrate shall consider all factors relating to the detention, including the length of detention and the nature of interrogation. (vii) The actual recording of the lie detector test shall be done by an independent agency (such as a hospital) and conducted in the presence of a lawyer. (viii) A full medical and factual narration of the manner of the information received must be taken on record. Chief Justice Balakrishnan, cited Justice Aharon Barak of the Supreme Court of Israel, in defence of the Bench's ruling against coercive methods to obtain information from suspects. A social audit on the working of the ban on child labour in the domestic and hospitality sectors reveals a sorry state of affairs. The social audit, carried out by the Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) and the Campaign Against Child Trafficking (CACT) in association with over 30 non-governmental organisations working for child rights, covered 12 States Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. It brought out a mind-boggling, countrywide tale of apathy, insensitivity and indifference.
Many heart-wrenching tales of real children were narrated at a public hearing on the working of the ban on child labour in the domestic sector and in the hospitality industry, which has been in force since October 2006. The public hearing, which was held in New Delhi on April 30, was the culmination of a nationwide social audit. Quoting official sources such as the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, the social audit report puts the number of children employed in the domestic sector at 1.86 lakh and in the hospitality industry at 70, 934. In all, over 2.56 lakh children work in the domestic and hospitality sectors. Unofficial sources, however, put the figure at around 20 million. Compared with the enormity of the problem, the response of the authorities to the social audit was poor, even hostile, the report says. either the States did not have the information or they did not want to divulge it and, therefore, kept shunting the auditors from one department to another.
Page 76 of 85 On the basis of the meagre information received from the States (only 10 out of 12 responded), the auditors figured out that out of a total of 5,096 children rescued since October 2006, only 3.04 per cent of the children were reported to be from the domestic sector and the rest were from dhabas and roadside eateries\hotels. The figures for the number of children rehabilitated are equally dismal. The jury at the public hearing comprised Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission; R.K. Raghavan, former Director, Central Bureau of Investigation; Vimala Ramachandran, educationist; Ashok Arora, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court; and Arvind Kejriwal, Right to Information (RTI) activist and Magsaysay Award winner. Its unanimous verdict on the functioning of the ban on child labour in the Stating that the existing laws on child rights were ineffective even in the rare circumstances when they were implemented, the jury noted that these could be made stringent so that they acted as a deterrent. It recommended making offences under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, cognisable and emphasised the need to sensitise the community at large on issues relating to child rights. The report says that rehabilitation programmes for children rescued from work are extremely inadequate, resulting in children falling back into the same trap after being rescued. The audit report cites the annual report of the Ministry of Labour, which itself says that under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), catering to children rescued from hazardous sectors, the 9,000 schools being run for them have an enrolment of only 0.45 million children, and only 0.48 million have been mainstreamed since the NCLP was initiated in 1998. This gives rise to the big question: Where is all the money being put into such programmes going? Who are the children benefiting from such projects? The social auditors of the CACL and the CACT got no answer from the authorities, nor do government reports say anything about it. Revamping the existing child labour elimination programmes and investing adequately in new and holistic and need-based interventions is the need of the hour, the audit report says. Khap panchayats want the Hindu Marriage Act amended to prevent same-gotra marriages: khap panchayats have been demanding an amendment to certain sections of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, in order to prohibit same- gotra marriages. The immediate context is the March 30 verdict in the sensational two-and-a-half-year-old Manoj-Babli murder case in which a Karnal court awarded the death sentence to five persons. The court also sentenced to life imprisonment two others, one of whom was a khap panchayat leader of the Barwala gotra. Manoj and Babli, both Jats, had apparently violated the norms of village and gotra exogamy and were brutally done to death. A dominant khap in the area had ordered that the couple be killed. On April 13, representatives of over 20 khaps met at Kurukshetra and demanded a ban on samegotra marriages. Section 29 of the Hindu Marriage Act validates same- gotra marriages. The section, titled Savings, says that a marriage solemnised between Hindus before the commencement of this Act, which is otherwise valid, shall not be deemed to be invalid or ever to have been invalid by reason only of the fact that the parties thereto belonged to the same gotra or pravara or belonged to different religions, castes or subdivisions of the same caste. Also, recognising the plurality of customs in the country, Section 5 (Sub-section 4) of the Act says that a marriage between two Hindus can be solemnised if the parties are not sapindas (meaning,
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of the same body) of each other, unless the custom or usage governing each of them permits of a marriage between the two. The sapinda relationship with reference to any person extends as far as the third generation in the line of ascent through the mother and fifth in the line of ascent through the father. Khap panchayats want the Act to be amended to disallow same- gotra marriages and it is in this context that they met their elected representative. FAQ - KHAP PANCHAYATS What are khap panchayats? These are community groups usually comprising elderly men from the Jat community that set the rules in an area comprising one or more villages. Transgressors penalty can be serious. What do they want? An amendment to the Hindu related stories Moily rules out bowing to Khaps, Jindal draws flak Marriage Act, 1955, to ban marriages within the same gotra (sub-caste) including mothers gotra and within the same village. Local customs dictate that a boy and a girl belonging to the same gotra are brother and sister. How old is this institution? The exact origins of khap panchayats are lost in the mists of time but popular belief dates this social structure back to 600 AD. What purpose does it serve? Khaps were socially relevant and renowned for amicable resolution of disputes only till the judicial system was established. Over time they lost their clout. But in the last decade, they have regained some sort of legitimacy through issues such as a ban on same-gotra marriages. They have become less transparent in functioning, oppressive and in conflict with the law of the land. In which states do they exist? They exist in western UP, eastern Rajasthan but are most powerful in the Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Sonepat, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, and Hisar districts of Haryana. Do they have any legal status? No. Khap panchayats are social institutions that have no sanction under the law. Why are politicians supporting them? Because Jats, who make up 25 per cent of Haryanas population, are the state's largest caste group.
Parallel system It maybe recalled that soon after the infamous Mirchpur incident on April 21, where 18 Dalit homes were torched and a physically challenged girl and her father killed, khaps rallied in support
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of those arrested in the arson. Many quarters view with concern the attempt to create a parallel law and order system that goes beyond honour killings. After a long history of struggles, the Special Marriage Act was amended to allow for inter-caste, inter-religious and inter-community marriages. Under the Hindu Marriage Act too, the consent of a person to get married became essential and gotra marriages were not included within the degrees of relationships that were prohibited. It was recognised that a gotra involved a large number of people their numbers running into lakhs who were not necessarily direct or indirect relations of each other. Section 29 of the Act specifically provided that marriages between persons of the same gotra or pravara would not be invalidated, said Kirti Singh, senior lawyer in the Supreme Court of India. Formerly a member of the Law Commission of India, Kirti Singh said that the issues at stake included the rights of young people to get married according to their choice and to decide when they should get married. Khaps, she said, wanted the Act amended in order to justify their violent acts against young couples in the name of protecting custom and tradition. IN a case of suspected honour killing, Nirupama Pathak, a 22-year-old journalist employed with a prominent English daily, was found dead on April 29 at her home in Jhumri Tilaiya, Koderma district, Jharkhand. Nirupama, a former student of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, was in a relationship with her colleague and fellow journalist, Priyabanshu Ranjan. Her parents were known to be opposed to the alliance as the boy was a non-Brahmin. The postmortem done on Nirupama's body established that the death was from asphyxia as a result of smothering and confirmed ligature marks on her neck, pointing to strangulation with a rope. She was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death. The pressure to amend existing marriage laws such as the Hindu Marriage Act is a symptom of this backlash and the deep desire to maintain the status quo at any cost. To dismiss this as an expression of mediaeval and feudal backwardness alone would be incorrect. It is the challenge posed to the existing unequal social order in the form of constitutional rights and the conferring of the right to property on women that seems to be at the root of the current disquiet.
The Khairlanji case : WHEN four members of the Bhotmange family were killed in Khairlanji village in Maharashtra's Bhandara district on September 29, 2006, it was considered to be among the worst caste atrocities in post-Independence India. However, a special trial court in Bhandara, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge S.S. Das, concluded on September 15, 2008, after a 16-month trial, that the motive for the crime against the Scheduled Caste family was revenge and not caste animosity. Not only did he rule out the application of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, but he also did not invoke Section 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman) or Section 375 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The trial court convicted eight of the 11 accused. Three people were acquitted after the judge said the killings were not proved to be caste-related. Six of the convicted were awarded the death sentence.
Page 79 of 85 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was prosecuting the case, filed an appeal before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. On July 14, 2010, the Bench upheld the lower court's verdict but commuted the death sentences to life imprisonment. A draft prepared by AIDWA for the proposed Bill to deal with honour crimes includes a comprehensive definition of honour killing. Kirti Singh, former member of the Law Commission of India and Supreme Court lawyer, presented a draft of the proposed legislation at the seminar Organised by the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA),. It was later submitted to Union Minister of Law M. Veerappa Moily. AIDWA's draft law sAIDWA's draft of the proposed law has some remarkable features. Apart from containing a comprehensive definition of what constitutes honour killing, it describes the right to choose one's own partner as a fundamental right. The idea of defining it as a fundamental right is that the act of anyone opposing it would be construed as an offence, said Kirti Singh. The draft law defines various kinds of acts that either precede or follow honour killing. These include all kinds of harassment: public endorsement of violence, threats, and social and economic sanctions against families of the victims by either individuals or collective bodies such as panchayats. It has provisions specifying certain duties of the district administration as well. It says, for instance, that prohibitory orders need to be issued as soon as the district administration gets information about meetings that have to do with the violation of the fundamental right defined by the law. It cannot be dealt with by invoking Section 302 *in the Indian Penal Code, punishment for murder] alone. We have, for the first time, classified different types of harassment and broadened the ambit of intimidation that can include physical, psychological, verbal *harassment+, said Kirti Singh. The range of punishment, too, extends from one to 10 years depending on the nature of the offence. For instance, the draft law provides for imprisonment up to two years for anyone glorifying or supporting the crime publicly. The burden of proof has been placed on the accused and credence given to the oral statements of the couple, especially if they have consented to marry or stay with each other. The police should not register a case of kidnapping in such a situation, she said. The draft of the Bill proposed by the Ministry of Law and Justice (Indian Penal Code and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010) envisages changes in the IPC (Section 300, which specifies various conditions that constitute the crime of murder); the Indian Evidence Act, 1872; and the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The draft, which is being looked into by a Group of Ministers (GoM), has incorporated a new definition of honour killing, though it does not say it in so many words: a murder done by any person or persons acting in concert with, or, at the behest of, a member of the family or a member of a body or group of the caste or clan or community or caste panchayat (by whatever name called) in the belief that the victim has brought dishonour or perceived to have brought dishonour upon the family or caste or clan or community or caste panchayat. Here the definition of dishonour is also very limited, and the definition does not cover all perceptible forms of
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violence, including cases in which young people, not necessarily in a sexual relationship, are humiliated and even killed for talking to a member of the opposite sex. The draft law purports to make entire communities culpable by virtue of mere association with a caste panchayat or body or group of the caste or clan or community. It is commonly known that in all such cases involving harassment or murder, there were self-styled leaders who enjoyed political, social and economic clout and whose decisions compelled others to toe their line. In such a situation, booking entire communities by virtue of mere association, without making a distinction between the perpetrators, abettors and vocal supporters, has been seen as a ploy to frustrate the exercise of a good law to deal with such crimes. One of the positive aspects of the draft Bill, however, involves placing the burden of proof on those accused of such murder. Another is doing away with the 30-day waiting period in the Special Marriage Act, 1954. It is becoming increasingly clear that dealing with honour crimes has to be comprehensive so that every aspect relating to them is covered under the law. And it is all the more necessary as the demands of caste councils are becoming more strident. Accused of being patriarchal and undemocratic in their constitution, they are now trying to remove the tag by taking in women and a few members from other caste groups. EDUCATION BECOMES A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT April 1 India will join a group of few countries in the world, with a historic law making education a fundamental right of every child coming into force. Making elementary education an entitlement for children in the 6-14 age group, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 will directly benefit close to one crore children who do not go to school at present. For the first time, education will become a constitutional right. It is a tryst with destiny in the area of education. Nearly 92 lakh children, who had either dropped out of schools or never been to any educational institution, will get elementary education as it will be binding on the part of the local and State governments to ensure that all children in the 6-14 age group get schooling. As per the Act, private educational institutions should reserve 25 per cent seats for children from the weaker sections of society. The Centre and the States have agreed to share the financial burden in the ratio of 55:45, while the Finance Commission has given Rs. 25,000 crore to the States for implementing the Act. The Centre has approved an outlay of Rs.15,000 crore for 2010-2011 for the purpose. The school management committee or the local authority will identify the drop-outs or out-ofschool children aged above six and admit them in classes appropriate to their age after giving special training. INDIA LAUNCHES CENSUS 2011, THE BIGGEST-EVER IN HISTORY 11-month exercise will enumerate the country's 1.2 billion population Registrar-General and Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli announces the launch of Census 2011 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, where the first citizen and President, Pratibha Patil, was enumerated.
Page 81 of 85 India o launched Census 2011,'' the biggest-ever census attempted in the history of mankind enumerating the country's 1.2 billion population and classifying usual residents according to their gender, religion, occupation and education. The massive exercise, to be spread over 11 months, will mark a milestone as the first-ever National Population Register (NPR) will also be prepared in which all persons aged over 15 years will be photographed and fingerprinted to create a biometric national database. With this India will probably become the first democratic nation in the world which would have got its population fingerprinted in a year from now. As the first citizen of the country, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil was the first person to be listed in the decennial exercise. She appealed to her compatriots to follow her example for the good of the nation.'' The 15th National Census exercise, since 1872, will see over 25 lakh officials capturing the socioeconomic-cultural profile of its citizens. It will cost around Rs. 2,209 crore while the expenditure on NPR will be Rs. 3,539.24 crore. The exercise will also consume more than 11 million tonnes of paper. The second phase, called the Population Enumeration phase, will be conducted simultaneously all over the country from February 9 to 28, 2011, and the entire exercise would be completed by March 5, 2011. All 640 districts, 5,767 tehsils, 7,742 towns and more than six lakh villages will be covered
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WOMEN'S RESERVATION BILL OR THE THE CONSTITUTION (108TH AMENDMENT) BILL Women's Reservation Bill or the The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, is a pending bill in India which proposes to provide 'thirty three per cent of all seats in the Lower house of Parliament of India the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies shall be reserved for women. The Upper House Rajya Sabha passed it on 9 Mar 2010. The seats to be reserved in rotation will be determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat shall be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections. THE 2010 DANTEWADA BUS BOMBING The 2010 Dantewada bus bombing occurred on 17 May 2010 when a bus hit a landmine 50 km away from Dantewada, in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. Fatalities reports range from 31 to 44, including several Special Police Officers (SPOs) and civilians. It was the first Naxal attack to target a civilian bus.[6] The attack occurred one month after Dantewada witnessed the worst-ever massacre of CRPF jawans, when 76 troops were killed in the April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada. NATIONAL INTEGRATION COUNCIL RECONSTITUTED The government has reconstituted the National Integration Council (NIC) which will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The NIC has 147 members, including Union Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of all States and Union Territories with Legislatures. It also includes leaders of national and regional political parties, chairpersons of national commissions, eminent journalists, public figures, and representatives of business and women's organisations. Set up in the early 60s by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the NIC held its first meeting in 1962. The council reviews matters relating to national integration and makes recommendations over such issues. The NIC aims at finding ways and means to combat the menace of communalism, casteism and regionalism. It has held 14 meetings so far, with the last one in October 2008 during the first innings of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The reconstituted NIC will have 14 Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee (Finance), Sharad Pawar (Agriculture), A.K. Antony (Defence), P. Chidambaram (Home), Mamata Banerjee (Railways), M. Veerappa Moily (Law & Justice), Kapil Sibal (Human Resource Development), Ambika Soni (Information & Broadcasting), Dayanidhi Maran (Textiles), Farooq Abdullah (New & Renewable Energy), Mukul Wasnik (Social Justice & Empowerment), Kantilal Bhuria (Tribal Affairs), Salman Khurshid (Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs) and Krishna Tirath (Women & Child Development). Leaders of national political parties, Sonia Gandhi (Congress), Nitin Gadkari (Bharatiya Janata Party), Prakash Karat (Communist Party of India-Marxist), A.B. Bardhan (CPI), Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party) and Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party) have been included in the Council. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, have also been named NIC members.
Page 83 of 85 Leaders of regional political parties M. Karunanidhi (DMK), Farooq Abdullah (NC), Ajit Singh (RLD), Sukbir Singh Badal (SAD), N. Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), E. Ahamed (IUML), Mulayam Singh (SP), Lalu Prasad (RJD), H.D. Deve Gowda (JD-S), Sharad Yadav (JD-U), Navin Patnaik (BJD), Chandra Mohan Patowary (AGP), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), Shibu Soren (JMM) have been made members of the Council. Eminent journalists include N. Ravi, Editor of The Hindu, Shashi Shekhar, Editor-in-Chief of Hindustan, Mammen Mathew, Editor of Malayala Manorama, Shobhana Bhartia, chairperson of Hindustan Times, V. Raja, Chief Editor of the Sun TV network, Barkha Dutt, Group Editor of NDTV, Zahid Ali Khan, Editor of The Siasat Daily, and P. Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu. Women's representatives include Ela R. Bhatt, V. Mohini Giri, Noor Bano, Amrit Srinivasan, Annie Raja, Gomathi Nair and Neerja Chowdhury. From the business world, industrialists Venu Srinivasan, Azim Premji, Yogi Deveshwar and A.M. Naik have been included, along with Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India. .. NATIONAL INNOVATION COUNCIL Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the setting up of a National Innovation Council to prepare a road map for the 'Decade of Innovation 2011-2020'. Sam Pitroda , adviser to the prime minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, will head the National Innovation Council. The Council has been given the mandate to evolve an Indian model of innovation focussing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate eco-system conducive to fostering inclusive innovation. It will delineate appropriate policy initiatives within the government required to spur innovation. It will also promote the setting up of sectoral innovation councils and state innovation councils. While encouraging all important sectors of the economy to innovate, the NIC will take special efforts to facilitate innovation by micro, small and medium enterprises. Innovation in public services delivery and encouraging multi-disciplinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations would be focused on by the council. The National Innovation Council would have as its members: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. K Kasturirangan, members of the Planning Commission; Arun Maira, member of the Planning Commission; Ramesh A Mashelkar, former director general of CSIR; Kiran Karnik, former President, Nasscom; Devi Prasad Shetty of the Narayana Hrudyalaya; R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, chairperson, Biocon ; Shekhar Kapur , film director; Saurabh Srivastava, chairman, CA Technologies; Anil K Gupta, professor IIM Ahmedabad ; Sujatha Ramadorai, professor, TIFR;
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12. 13. 14. 15.
Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII; Amit Mitra, secretary general, FICCI; Samir Brahmachari, director general, CSIR; and Sanjay Dhande, director, IIT Kanpur .
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INS BETWA DEPLOYED IN GULF OF ADEN The Navy has deployed INS Betwa with an armed helicopter and marine commando team for anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden. INS Betwa, 16 {+t} {+h} Indian Navy ship deployed in the area since October 2008, has replaced INS Beas. Warships of several other countries are also deployed in the Gulf of Aden. On average, 16-18 warships are there at any given time.

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