The Hindu Sep 8 to Sep 14

8/10/2019 The Hindu Sep 8 to Sep 14

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KIIWHindu Sep 8 to 14


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Notes by vineetpunnoose on www.kiwipaper.com

Content

A clean-up under scrutiny 1

'Plan to clean Ganga by 2019 impossible' 1

Free lectures in schools, colleges mandatory for scientists 2

'Mandatory for scientists to give lectures in schools' 2

Tamil party threatens agitation 2

Open for talks on 13th Amendment: Rajapaksa 3

'Colombo stonewalling fishermen issue' 3

How not to reinvent the wheel 3

Govt. to reconstitute wildlife board 4

Clearance without compliance 5

'Russia wants to control whole of Ukraine' 6

EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine 6

Germany's great green gamble 6

'J&K floods grim reminder of climate change' 7

U.K. keen on global fund to tackle climate change 8

'New climate treaty should reflect reality' 8

Govt to amend laws to strengthen consumer rights 9

New highways to economic growth 9


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Content

Who takes the credit? 10

The illiteracy of innovation 10

Our businessmen given a raw deal: Pak. 10

'Sharif won't resign' 10

An important milestone 11

Israel, a gift of the Arabs 11

China-India ties poised for an 'orbital jump,' says Doval 12

20 agreements, MoUs to be signed during Xi's India visit 12

NSA Doval in Beijing to prepare ground for Xi India visit 12

Quenching Beijing's thirst may stunt regional growth 13

Textbook theory of volcanoes is wrong: study 13

Govt to replace affidavits with self-attested documents 13

McCain exhorts India to join fight against Islamic State 14

Have authority to sanction action against Islamic State: Obama 14

Obama to outline anti-IS strategy 14

Getting real about jihadi terror 15

Mars Curiosity rover reaches its primary destination 17

NASA to make ISS an Earth-observing platform 17


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Content

Mars spacecraft to be ordered into orbit 17

Loading of commands for Mars orbiter begins 18

Lessons to be learnt 18

Bacteria that may help tackle nuclear waste found 18

Australia banking on uranium pact to gain edge over Eurasian rivals 19

Pension reforms miss the wood for the trees 19

What deters investment in India today? 20

India wins the support of developed nations at WTO 20

India not blocking rule-based global trade: Narendra Modi 21

Towards an equitable policy on Community Radio 21

$100 billion investment expected in renewable energy in 5 years 23

No-frills airports to take flight 23

The CBI's crisis of credibility 23

Koli gets reprieve at the eleventh hour 24

Probe sought into Trinamool-Jamaat link 25

Neither victims nor perpetrators 25

The logical response to an ideological campaign 26

Strategic networking in the Indo-Pacific 26


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Content

Imran Khan extends protests by two weeks 29

Independence of judiciary is dear to me, it is non-negotiable: CJI Lodha 29

A red herring for judicial independence 29

Cyber threats among greatest national security dangers: US 31

Super cyber intelligence body soon, announces IT Minister 31

Counter-terrorism, growth likely to dominate Obama-Modi agenda 31

India inks free trade agreement with ASEAN 32

India has second-highest number of child marriages: Unicef 32

PM seeks people's views on his 'Clean India' mission 33

Strong solar flare making its way towards Earth 33

India's Arctic observatory toaid climate change studies 33

Activists want rabies to be declared notifiable disease 34

NGO accuses Maharashtra govt. of diluting Forest Rights Act 34

The benefits of a multipolar world 35

Listening to moderate voices 36

Centre to fund Swachh Vidyalaya campaign 37

Greenhouse gas levels in atmosphere hit new high 37

UN reports largest annual CO2 increase since 1984 37


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Content

Ozone layer showing signs of recovery: UN 37

Arab League chief: confront ISIS 38

NGT seeks clarity on fresh Western Ghats survey 39

Western Ghats: green tribunal asks Ministry to clarify on fresh survey 39

Data glitches stall roll out of Food Security Act 39

With SECC delayed, states lag behind on Food Act implementation 40

Ratan Tata rallies support for protection of high seas 40

Semi high-speed train runs on eight more routes by year-end 40

Peace and prosperity through security and stability 41

A welcome record of failure 42

China's Silk Road to counter Washington's FTA move 43


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Notes by vineetpunnoose on www.kiwipaper.com Page 1

A clean-up under scrutiny Wed, Sep 10, 2014environment, Ganga Action Plan, The Hindu, river,

In 2013, estimates by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that from Gangotri

to Diamond Harbour faecal coliform levels were above acceptable levels on all stretches

of the river, except for the upper reaches. Uttar Pradesh, which has a 1,000-km stretch

of the river, has over 600 highly polluting industrial units. The report pointed out that human

activity including industrialisation, urbanisation and deforestation, and a complete lack

of provision along the river for waste water disposal, have reduced the Ganga to its current

condition. The quality of water in the river, once famed for its purity, is abysmal now.

And one of the key areas which need attention is ecological restoration. The National

Mission for Clean Ganga envisions that by 2020, no untreated municipal sewage or industrial

effluent will flow into the Ganga. Hundreds of crores of rupees from foreign funding agencies

and the government has been pledged to clean the river, but as the Supreme Court has

observed, the bureaucratic approach has failed to work. There seems to be no dearth of

reports or expert advice on cleaning the Ganga; only the political will and decisive actionon the ground are lacking. Perhaps the Supreme Court's admonition, along with the government's

new resolve, could act as a catalyst for change.

'Plan to clean Ganga by 2019 impossible' Mon, Sep 8, 2014environment, Ganga Action Plan, The Hindu, river,

However, with a carefully drawn up strategy the river can be cleaned over 10 years, the

former minister said in an interaction on climate change in Kolkata. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi

first tried to clean the 2,500 kilometre river. Later in 2009, Mr Ramesh launched his own

brand of "Ganga Action Plan (GAP)" and now the Prime Minister has vowed to comeup with his plan to clean the river. However, recent studies suggest pollution kept growing

over all these three decades. "75% of the pollutants in the river are untreated municipal

waste, while only 25% is industrial waste," he said. "Perhaps it is possible to control the

industrial effluents, but it is an impossible task to treat the municipality waste flowing

into the river as we do not have sewage treatment facilities in most of these towns and

cities," Mr Ramesh said. However, the former minister also said that if the sewage flowing

in to the river is treated "properly" the project is doable. River Rhine in Europe flows

through six countries, while Ganga moves through only five states. When Rhine could

be cleaned up, so it is doable but we can not underestimate the magnitude of the problem,

According to July 2013 estimates of the Central Pollution Control Board, fecal coliformlevels in the main-stream of the river - some 2,500 km from Gangotri in Uttarakhand to

Diamond Harbour in south Bengal - remain above the acceptable level in all stretches,

other than its upper reaches, the CSE paper said.


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Free lectures in schools, colleges mandatory for scientists Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, kiran, education,

"It will be mandatory for them to deliver 12 hours of lecture every year to Class IX andunder-graduate college students. The scientist will devise a methodology in his or her area

of expertise to make the subject interesting for students,'' he said at a press conference.

At the same time, a special promotion scheme for women scientists, KIRAN (Knowledge

and Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), will allow public sector

institutions to make alternate offers to women who have had a break in their career or have

had a change of residence. "This is for gender parity and to bring forward women in leadership

positions,'' Dr. Singh said. "We will try to have a mobility mechanism for women scientists

who have had a change of residence to enable them to continue in their positions. The

government does not want to lose trained women scientists for such reasons.''

'Mandatory for scientists to give lectures in schools' Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, kiran, education,

For this, departments, particularly publicly-funded national institutes, will enter into an

agreement with schools and colleges. The Ministry of Human Resource Development

will collaborate with departments concerned. "The experiment will help catch young talent,"

he added. The CSIR system and the DST have about 6,000 scientists and researchers on

their rolls. Dr. Singh said the performance of scientists and researchers would be evaluated

every three years. A special promotion scheme for women scientists, KIRAN (Knowledge

and Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), would allow public sector

institutions to make alternate offers to women who have had a break in their career or a

change of residence.

Tamil party threatens agitation Wed, Sep 10, 2014tamil party, Ilankai Tamil Arasu, The Hindu, international, Sri Lanka,

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), the main constituent of the Tamil National Alliance

(TNA), has said it would commence a non-violent struggle in January next year if the Sri

Lankan government "does not change its course before the end of this year." the ITAK

passed a resolution inviting all Tamil, Muslim political parties, formations, and progressive

forces within Sri Lanka to join it in pushing for maximum possible devolution to addressthe ethnic conflict. We also request India, the international community and the people

of Sri Lanka not to permit the Government of Sri Lanka to continue to breach the provisions

of the Indo-Lanka Accord, which is an international bilateral treaty between two sovereign

states


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Open for talks on 13th Amendment: Rajapaksa Thu, Sep 11, 201413th amendment, The Hindu, international, sri lanka,

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is open for a dialogue with the Tamil NationalAlliance (TNA) on the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution,

which devolves more powers to provinces in the island nation. Implementation of the 13th

Amendment was one of India's key demands, and Mr. Modi had told a TNA delegation

that "he was dismayed by reports that the Sri Lankan government proposed to dilute the

13th Amendment," officials said. In the interview, President Rajapaksa said he was grateful

for India's stand on the U.N. Human Rights Council vote, where New Delhi refused to

endorse the demand for an inquiry by an international agency into allegations of "war crimes"

by the Sri Lankan Army against the LTTE in 2009. "Our government is conducting local

investigations, but we won't allow them to internationalise it," Mr. Rajapaksa said. "The

next time it [the UNHRC] will say that there must be an international inquiry into Kashmir.

What would be our position? Whether it is against India or Sri Lanka, we will not allow

an external inquiry." He also rejected concerns in India about the growing Chinese investment

in Sri Lanka, even as he prepares for the visit of President Xi Jinping on September 16,

when the two countries are expected to sign a Free Trade Agreement. "India has nothing

to worry about from China in Sri Lanka," Mr. Rajapaksa said in response to a question

about a contract on Air Force maintenance that was recently awarded to the Chinese company

CATIC. "Until I am here, I can promise that."

'Colombo stonewalling fishermen issue' Fri, Sep 12, 2014

fishermen, The Hindu, international, sri lanka,

Recalling the submission of her memorandum to the Prime Minister in June, she reiterated

that the retrieval of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka and her request for a comprehensive

special package of Rs. 1,520 crore as part of enabling the fishermen to diversify their activities

had to be addressed. the Chief Minister expressed the hope that "given the emphasis you

are placing on resolving issues in the neighbourhood of the country, the plight of Tamil

Nadu fishermen will receive the much needed priority attention that it deserves and the

Government of India will take necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our

fishermen and secure the immediate release of the detained 78 fishermen and 72 boats."

How not to reinvent the wheel Sat, Sep 13, 2014The Hindu, international, sri lanka,

The declaration by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an interview to The Hindu

that he is prepared to talk to Tamil political parties on a meaningful process of devolution

is a welcome step forward. After the Sri Lankan military's defeat of the LTTE, it was

expected that the political aspects of reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and


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the minority Tamils would be easy to settle. A framework for devolution has existed since

1987 under the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. Yet post-war, the political

question has been as difficult to resolve as the human rights issues that have since surfaced.

For one, as reiterated by President Rajapaksa in the interview, the government refuses

to share police powers with the province, even though these are provided for by the Constitution.Powers over land have been another bone of contention, with the Sri Lankan Supreme

Court ruling last year that they are vested in the central government, and not the province.

Tamil parties have understandably felt that a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) in

which the ruling coalition has overwhelming representation will end up diluting the 13th

Amendment further. The main Opposition parties have boycotted it. This is why the Tamil

National Alliance, which is the main Tamil political grouping, has stayed away from it.

What it wants as a precondition for joining the PSC is a commitment from the government

that the 13th Amendment will be the starting point for deliberations, which will also take

into account the recommendations of previous government-appointed committees on the

Tamil political question. The issue has been further hobbled by the looming military presence

in the Tamil-dominated North. The Governor of the province, in whom much authority

is vested, is a former Army General, hardly the kind of figure to inspire trust in a post-conflict

situation. As well, the Tamil demand for "maximum devolution" without being specific

on its idea of a lasting solution is problematic, especially as some TNA constituents are

of the view that the 13th Amendment should be scratched as it is too limited in scope.

What is required to break out of the impasse is an honest commitment from both sides

to the possibilities for maximum power-sharing within a united Sri Lanka. What is needed

equally is an unequivocal commitment by the Rajapaksa government that it is prepared

to conduct a fair and credible internal enquiry against those in the military responsible

for the alleged war crimes, including disappearances. An international inquiry will be definitely

intrusive, but thus far the measures taken by the Sri Lankan government seem aimed more

at window-dressing for the international community than at providing the healing touch.

Govt. to reconstitute wildlife board Thu, Sep 11, 2014Wildlife Protection Act, environment, The Hindu, wildlife board,

The government has decided to reconstitute the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) after

the Supreme Court stayed decisions of its newly constituted standing committee in August

for violating provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. it is understood that the new committee

is in keeping with the legal provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act which prescribes

10 non-official members and five independent NGOs and representatives from 10 Statesor Union Territories.


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Clearance without compliance Tue, Sep 9, 2014environment, The Hindu, national board for wildlife,

While the Board was reconstituted, it did not have the five mandatory NGO representativesor the ten persons to be nominated by the Central government from among eminent conservationist

ecologists and environmentalists, as mandated by Section 5A of the Wildlife Protection

Act. Besides, the notification only referred to the Standing Committee. It was not surprising

therefore that the Supreme Court on August 25 stayed the decisions of the diluted Standing

Committee of the NBWL, after a petition challenged the constitution of the Board. On

July 28, the Ministry issued another office memorandum easing conditions for coal projects

-- all in the interests of ramping up coal production -- which were initiated by the previous

Congress-led regime. Not a day passes by without some proposal coming up to dilute existing

green laws. The Minister is considering granting a general approval for projects near the

China and Pakistan borders where some 6,000 kilometres of roads were pending and there

was need for vital installations and infrastructure. The need for speedy clearances was

addressed in the Ministry's own notification in 2012 which said that in the case of border

roads, proposals of the Ministry of Defence -- a simplified pro forma for simultaneous

clearance under the Forest Conservation Act and wildlife clearance -- was being adopted

under a single-window system. One wonders what happened to that. The Forest (Conservation

Act), 1980 expressly prohibits conversion of forest land to non-forest use without the Centre's

nod but this general approval would ensure that proposals need not go to the Centre at

all. Some senior forest officials said unless the Act was amended, this kind of general approval

could not be granted. However, Mr. Javadekar specified that no amendment was needed

and the decision was in keeping with the law. Environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta told

The Hindu that many dilutions have been in the offing for a long time, but in the case

of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), it would be very difficult to recast it as an administrative

or quasi-judicial body as suggested by reports. This lack of transparency can also be seen

in the functioning of the Environment Ministry's Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee

(GEAC) which had not met for over a year. This Committee also had over 70 pending

proposals. In July, it cleared some genetically modified crop field trials. Unlike in the past,

neither its agenda nor the minutes of the meeting are posted online. The Environment

Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, is another casualty. As it is, the public hearings

under the Act which are mandatory for projects have been reduced to a farce. A notification

from the Environment Ministry on June 25, 2014, amended the process, exempting certain

categories of projects from the EIA. But the most important change is that earlier projectsthat were within 10 kilometres of Protected Areas would have to be vetted by the NBWL,

but now, that distance has been reduced to five km, says Pushp Jain of the EIA Resource

and Response Centre.


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'Russia wants to control whole of Ukraine' Sat, Sep 13, 2014russia, ukraine, The Hindu, international,

accused Russia of wanting to control the whole of Ukraine, arguing that only NATO couldprovide his country with the protection it needed. Kiev and Western governments have

accused Moscow of deploying Russian troops and tanks into eastern Ukraine in support

of separatist rebels. Meanwhile, more than half of the vehicles forming part of Russia's

second humanitarian aid convoy arrived in Luhansk, according to RIA Novosti . The convoy,

which consists of 200 lorries in total, contains more than a thousand tonnes of humanitarian

aid, including food, sugar, flour and diesel generators.

EU imposes new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine Fri, Sep 12, 2014russia, The Hindu, Ukraine, international,

The European Union imposed sanctions on Friday against large Russian energy and defence

companies, including a subsidiary of Gazprom and the manufacturer of Kalashnikov rifles.

They hinder access to EU financial markets for energy companies Rosneft, Transneft

and Gazprom Neft, as well as defence manufacturers Opk Oboronprom, Uralvagonzavod

and United Aircraft Corporation. In addition, they prohibit the sale of dual-use goods

-- which can be put to civilian or military use -- to nine defence firms, including Kalashnikov

and Almaz-Antey, manufacturer of the Buk missile system.

Germany's great green gamble Mon, Sep 8, 2014

environment, The Hindu, solar power, green energy, climate change,

Today, already something like 30 per cent of Germany's electricity supply comes from

solar and wind energy and the country is actually exporting power. The goal is to increase

this contribution to 50 per cent by 2030 and a staggering 80 per cent by 2050. At present,

Germany has around 37,000 megawatts of installed solar energy capacity. In addition,

it has another 29,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity. What has given renewables

new momentum is the decision of Chancellor Angela Merkel to completely phase out Germany's

present nuclear power generating capacity of about 12,000 megawatts by the year 2022.

Germany was getting between a fifth and a quarter of electricity supply from its nuclear

power plants. It is the complete decommissioning of all such plants in eight years coupled

with an overriding emphasis on energy efficiency that gives energiewende a unique dimension.It has undergone many changes subsequently, but the anchor remains the concept of a

"feed-in tariff" that depends on the technology being used. Anybody can invest in solar

or wind power, sell surplus power to the grid and get a generous income that covers investment

and running costs, guaranteed for 20 years, regardless of demand. This means that some

6 per cent of Germans are energy producers. This is the nearest equivalent to the mobile

phone revolution. The structure of electricity generation has been thoroughly shaken up


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and the four big private utilities have been consistently losing market share. . The most

contentious issue is whether consumers are paying more now than they were earlier. The

cost of renewables is financed out of a surcharge on the bills of consumers. Of course,

many consumers have themselves turned producers, but that apart, there appear to be two

views. One view is that German household expenditure on electricity has not changedover the past decade and that the latest increase will cost the consumer every month the

equivalent of a pint of beer. But the fact remains that energy prices will continue to increase

since the large-scale use of renewable sources does require extensive grid, storage and

backup infrastructure. The gamble is criticised as being expensive but it cannot be denied

that it is expansive. At present, wind energy capacity is close to 22,000 megawatts and

solar amounts to another 2,650 megawatts or so (nuclear is about 4,800 megawatts). Capacity

wise, wind and solar account for about 13 per cent of total electricity generating capacity,

although contribution to actual energy supply is perhaps no more than six per cent. The

main difference with Germany, of course, is that in 2030, India's energy supply basket

is projected to have an eight per cent contribution from nuclear energy as well. In terms

of capacity, wind energy is recommended to increase to 1,20,000 megawatts and solar

to 1,00,000 megawatts by the same year. These may look like daunting goals at the moment

but they are eminently feasible, especially given the fact that India is more favourably

endowed in solar energy and in some parts, even in wind energy. The energy transition

which will have to be driven by innovations in technology, regulation and financing will

bring multiple benefits. It will, of course, increase energy security and also reduce emissions

of carbon dioxide. It will also have significant positive impacts on public health and also

stimulate development in regions that have remained backward so far. The possibility

of India acquiring strategic leadership in the green technology industry globally in about

a decade's time also is very real -- provided it is linked with a strong indigenous research

and development and engineering capability. If a comprehensive valuation of benefits

is done, as the expert group boldly pointed out, "even with lower GDP, the low carbon

strategy is worth pursuing." In any case, the reduction in the average annual GDP growth

rate by the expert group's own reckoning by the use of low carbon strategies is 0.1-0.15

percentage points. That is, instead of say a 8 per cent growth rate, you will end up having

a 7.85-7.90 per cent growth rate. Surely, this is by no means any kind of disaster, especially

when all the gains of green growth are reckoned and taken into account fully. India is ready

for another 4G revolution -- great green growth gamble.

'J&K floods grim reminder of climate change'Wed, Sep 10, 2014environment, The Hindu, kashmir flood, climate change,

The worst floods in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 60 years and the subsequent devastation

are due to a combination of unprecedented and intense rain, mismanagement, unplanned

urbanisation and a lack of preparedness, Sunita Narain, director-general, Centre for Science

and Environment (CSE), said on Wednesday. n 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change (IPCC) in its fourth assessment report, said extreme rainfall events were


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set to increase over the Indian subcontinent. In its fifth assessment report, the IPCC said

the intensity of rainfall in India would increase. A study by B.N. Goswami of the Indian

Institute of Tropical Meteorology in 2006 had predicted changes in rainfall across India

and especially over the Himalayan range, which would have a high impact in the region,

apart from the west coast and central India. the incidence of heavy and very heavy rainfall(more than 100 mm and 150 mm/ a day) had increased and moderate rainfall decreased.

Jammu and Kashmir does not have a flood forecasting system, not even a separate disaster

management plan, t 55 per cent of wetlands, drainage channels and water bodies had been

encroached upon. Ms Narain said Jammu and Kashmir had an intricate system of water

management. The lake areas had diminished, the holding capacity of many water bodies

had gone down, and houses were built in places they should never have been, she pointed

out.

U.K. keen on global fund to tackle climate change Mon, Sep 8, 2014

environment, The Hindu, green climate fund, climate change,

"The UK is a good player, we have created a fund of 0 .7 per cent of GDP for development

aid and we have been spending that significantly, particularly in least developed countries.

We are keen to demonstrate our willingness on the GCF and we have done this by set up

our own International Climate Fund and we have put PS 3.9 billion, which we have begun

spending on exactly what India is asking for." The main purpose of his visit is to get India

on board a proposal for a Global Apollo Programme to assist in technology transfer to

the developing world. Among its objectives is a future where renewable energy is cheaper

to produce for every country in the world by 2025. A major component of the proposed

research would focus on developing a good technology for large scale energy storage,

be it nuclear, wind or solar power. "Wind and solar are intermittent energy while nuclear

is constant. If you are producing too much energy from nuclear, you can store it and use

it when there is a demand. For all forms of energy, storage is the missing technology. Smart

grid technology also needs to be developed, and money could be invested in renewable

research development and demonstration," he said.

'New climate treaty should reflect reality' Sat, Sep 13, 2014environment, The Hindu, climate treaty,

While accepting Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR), the world should

look to a new climate treaty which is binding but also reflect the ground realities, accordingto Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, European Commission, on Friday.

"The first thing we need is to have a more constructive and "unideological" way of discussing

that," she pointed out. In the run-up to the Copenhagen climate conference, more than

90 countries made their own climate targets. Recent figures show that the world has not

seen such an increase in emissions like it did last year and those who are afraid of binding

treaties should come up with credible alternatives that make the world convinced that when


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countries leave the negotiating table in Paris with stated intentions, they will be delivered

over the years. She said CBDR was a big controversial issue but not the only one at arriving

a global consensus - issues of finance, technology and others would also dominate talks.

CBDR cannot be discussed in a black and white manner and based on the 1992 situation.

Then the divisions were clear that developed countries must commit to cutting emissionsbut now we need to evolve a way where growth development and climate change can go

hand in hand, she said. On September 23, 28 heads of states in the European Union will

adopt new targets for Europe, a 40 per cent cut in emissions domestically by 2030, in addition

to aiming at 27 per cent of all energy consumption from renewables and a 30 per cent energy

efficiency.

Govt to amend laws to strengthen consumer rights Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, economics, consumer rights,

Amendments have been proposed to the Consumer Protection Act as well as the Bureau

of Indian Standards Act, 1986. We have decided to set up a consumer protection authority

with independent powers to frame policies for protecting consumers rights and addressing

their grievances Our Prime Minister has emphasised on 'Make in India and Made in India'.

To implement this in letter and spirit, there is a need to follow best quality standards.

New highways to economic growth Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, international, economics,

On Independence Day, Mr. Modi spoke about the need for the South Asian Association

for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries to fight poverty together, rather than being

engaged in meaningless conflict. The next day, speaking after the function to lay the foundation

stone of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust special economic zone at Nhava Sheva, he highlighted

the need for State governments to become more active in exports and Foreign Direct Investment

(FDI) State governments reaching out to the outside world began in the 1990s, post-liberalisation

of the economy, when Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu reached

out to the U.S., and was able to attract investments from IT giants like Microsoft which

began investing in Hyderabad. The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, also made

an effort to woo foreign investors. The efforts by Mr. Naidu and Mr. Krishna helped in

promoting Hyderabad and Bangalore as investment destinations. While Hyderabad was

on the itinerary of U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Bangalore was on

the schedule of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, in 2001. First, while the Modi governmentmay encourage interactions with countries like Europe and Southeast Asia, it remains to

be seen how Mr. Modi will view the participation of border States like those on the west

(Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat) vis-a-vis Pakistan, and those bordering Myanmar in

the northeast. This would be unfortunate, because over the past few years, some border

States have been willing to play a constructive role in enhancing land connectivity and

strengthening economic connectivity. In this context, Tripura (bordering Bangladesh) and


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Punjab (Pakistan) clearly stand out. Second, Mr. Modi's real success would be to ensure

that States that are not industrialised develop links with the outside world and benefit from

these linkages economically. Currently, it is only a handful of economically developed

States like Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh which

have reaped the benefits of economic diplomacy with the outside world. Finally, foreignservice officers should take short sabbaticals where they work closely with State governments;

something along the lines of the Pearson Fellowship introduced in the U.S., where diplomats

actually work in provinces and understand the legislative process in Washington would

be handy in this context. While economic diplomacy in India has been going on for two

decades, Mr. Modi's test is to ensure that the number of States which reach out to the outside

world increases, and that sub-regional linkages within South Asia get strengthened through

political will.

Who takes the credit? Sun, Sep 14, 2014

The Hindu, economics, credit,

The illiteracy of innovation Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, economics, innovation,

Our businessmen given a raw deal: Pak. Mon, Sep 8, 2014

pakistan, Trade, The Hindu, international,

An agreement between Home Secretaries, finalised in January 2013, planned to exempt

businessmen from reporting to the police, but has never been implemented. According

to the TDAP official, some businessmen say they are also facing delays in transporting

their merchandise, with Customs officials holding up shipments at the Wagah border and

Delhi airport.

'Sharif won't resign' Wed, Sep 10, 2014Pakistan, The Hindu, international,

Senior Ministers of Pakistan's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) partyon Wednesday rallied in Parliament in support of the embattled Prime Minister Nawaz

Sharif and dismissed demands for his resignation by protest leaders Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadr

Mr. Dar said in Parliament that the government has already agreed to five demands presented

by the protesting parties but has told them that the sixth point was non-negotiable, referring

to the demand for Mr. Sharif to quit, The News reported.


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An important milestone Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, international, Australia,

Relations between Australia and India crossed an important milestone with last week'ssigning of the Agreement on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. Following the lead

of the United States, Australia was one of the countries that strongly opposed the 1998

Pokhran nuclear tests, joining Western nations in imposing sanctions against India. With

40 per cent of the world's uranium reserves, Australia is pivotal to India's nuclear energy

road map. It was only in 2011 that then Prime Minister Julia Gillard was able to overturn

her Labor party's long-standing opposition on uranium sales to India, paving the way

for the signing of the agreement during Prime Minister Tony Abbott's visit The demand

for uranium fell after the Fukushima disaster, and the push for sale to India came in large

measure from the Australian mining industry, an important sector of that country's economy,

but one that is well past its glory days. Australia is also looking to expand trade with India.

Mr. Abbott, whose delegation included a big group of CEOs, wants to conclude a Comprehensive

Economic Partnership Agreement with New Delhi by 2016. As well as economic ties,

the agreement on selling uranium is certain to improve the strategic relationship. Mr. Abbott

has made no secret of his view that India's partnership is essential to sustaining the U.S-led

push to maintain the strategic balance in East Asia vis-a-vis China.

Israel, a gift of the Arabs Thu, Sep 11, 2014The Hindu, international, Israel,

Islamic terror has become the popular topic of drawing room conversations in the last decade.

The doings of Hamas and Hezbollah, the Taliban and most recently of the Islamic State

have provided much fuel to the fire. There is little reference, however, to the state as the

source of terror of which Israel is currently the prime example. Anti-Semitism has plagued

the Jews for two millennia and is often invoked to justify Israeli impunity. Ironically, the

Arabs have historically not been participants in this history of racial hatred. On the contrary,

it was in Arabia that the Jews sought refuge after they fled Jerusalem following the destruction

of Second Temple. The Palestinians, through sales of their land to migrant Jews actually

made the state of Israel possible on the ground. Israel is, quite literally, as I have argued

in a forthcoming book, a "gift" of the Arabs even as the land transfers occurred without

Palestinians realising that a "Jewish State" was in the making. Tragically, the state of

Israel seems to have learnt more from its persecutors than its benefactors in the calculatedprecision of its targeting and killing. But the problem is not just the most recent round

of the war in Gaza. The deeper problem is that Israel has made impossible any viable statehood

for the Palestinians. There is little doubt that both the Palestine Liberation Organization

(PLO) and Hamas have contributed to the Palestinian predicament. The PLO wrote off

East Jerusalem in the Oslo Agreement in 1993 and compromised on the right to return

of Palestinians in return for its recognition as the official Palestinian authority. The Oslo


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peace process itself enabled the rise of Hamas, since the PLO had lost legitimacy with

many Palestinians. For the West, Hamas was an effective counterbalance to the PLO. Since

then Hamas' own violent politics has gone hand in hand with Israel's metamorphosis

into an expansionist, settler state. What then should be our stand in India? Though India

has become hugely dependent on Israel for small arms and India-Israel relations have strengthenedit must stand for peace and justice in Palestine if it aspires for leadership in global politics.

Fortunately the official Indian statement at a special session of the UN Human Rights

Council criticised the heavy airstrikes in Gaza, the human rights situation in the Occupied

Palestine Territory including East Jerusalem and emphasised the need for a sovereign,

independent, viable and united State of Palestine. Citizens all over the world must press

for stronger action in favour of Palestinian statehood including the resort to economic

boycott of Israel if required. The solution to Hamas lies in a sustainable Palestine and not

in death in Gaza.

China-India ties poised for an 'orbital jump,' says Doval Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, international, China,

20 agreements, MoUs to be signed during Xi's India visit Fri, Sep 12, 2014The Hindu, international, China,

India and China are expected to sign as many as 20 agreements and MoUs in Delhi, on

issues related to infrastructure development, cultural ties among others. Chief amongst

the agreements will be the setting up of two 'industrial cities' near Gandhinagar and Pune

on the lines of the Chinese manufacturing hub Shenzen. The two leaders, who are meeting

for the second time since Mr Modi took office, are expected to discuss the road ahead

in the Sino-Indian border negotiations. However, the two countries are still to appoint

their Special Representatives for the border talks.

NSA Doval in Beijing to prepare ground for Xi India visit Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, international, china,

During his visit to India, Mr. Xi is expected to announce major Chinese investments as

well as hold talks with Modi on border dispute as well as China's plans to revive a number

of Silk Road Projects including the Maritime Silk Road. Mr. Doval's visit comes in theimmediate backdrop of the cancellation of Mr. Xi's visit to Islamabad planned as part

of his first visit to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Besides finalising the schedule, Mr.

Doval's visit is expected to focus on the political aspects of Mr. Xi's tour, including issues

related to the boundary dispute and new routes for Kailash and Manasarovar Yatra.


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Quenching Beijing's thirst may stunt regional growth Thu, Sep 11, 2014The Hindu, international, China, river,

China is about to realise a dream of Communist leader Mao Zedong to redirect the country'sriver flows to benefit Beijing and the dry north, but critics say the resources grab by the

politically powerful capital will harm regional China. The $62 billion South-North Water

Transfer Project is one of the world's biggest infrastructure projects. Starting in October,

stage two will see a massive 9.5 billion cubic meters of water per year pumped through

1,500 kms (932 miles) of canals and pipes from the Danjiangkou reservoir in central Hubei

province to the northern provinces of Henan and Hebei and to Beijing. The water project

will provide more than a third of Beijing's water supply. In February, Qiu Baoxing, the

vice minister of housing and urban-rural development, said the water diversion project

was unsustainable and that the capital would be better off relying on desalination technology

and saving rain water. Pollution of China's waterways, like air pollution in major cities,

is a major environmental crisis born from the country's rapid economic growth. The government

has estimated that more than 70 per cent of the country's rivers and lakes are polluted

-- half of it so badly that it contains water unfit for human touch. Almost 60 per cent of

China's groundwater is also too polluted to use, a consequence of lax environmental regulation

and illegal dumping of industrial waste. The Danjiangkou reservoir gets its water from

the Han River, a tributary of the Yangtze River which feeds several major cities in central

China such as Wuhan, an economic power house in Hubei province sporting a $144 billion

GDP. But the new water supply will come as a huge relief for northern China, one of the

driest regions in the world where water scarcity has been made even worse by widespread

pollution of rivers, lakes and groundwater. Despite the lack of water, the region's economy

relies primarily on water-intensive manufacturing industries and coal-fired power, and

it produces around a third of China's food. The biggest share of the water will be used

for agricultural irrigation in Henan, while the rest will be distributed as drinking water

and for industrial use across the region.

Textbook theory of volcanoes is wrong: study Wed, Sep 10, 2014geography, The Hindu, volcanoes,

Govt to replace affidavits with self-attested documents Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, self attestation, polity,

"There may be a problem when you go to some place and an officer may say he will not

receive a self-attested document. He will say there is no such order. So, the order will be

issued by us. But, till then all stakeholders including the State governments need to work

together for it," said Mr. Singh. He said self-certification of documents is going to be a


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great boon for the unemployed youth. "In certain security-related matters, gazetted certification

might have to be retained, after a dispassionate look," he said. He said the promotion of

self-certification in place of notarised affidavits will be a significant step in making life

easier for the common man and building trust. "As India goes into the 21st century, everyone

would recognise the stakes involved in false attestation," he said.

McCain exhorts India to join fight against Islamic State Tue, Sep 9, 2014isis, The Hindu, international, usa,

U.S. Republican Senator John McCain has urged New Delhi and Washington to extend

bilateral cooperation deeper into counterterrorism operations linked to West Asia, citing

both al Qaeda boss Ayman al-Zawahiri's announcement of a new terror 'wing' for the

Indian subcontinent, and the growing presence of foreign recruits in the ranks of militant

outfit Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. "Our governments are currently negotiating a Bilateral

Investment Treaty, which is worthwhile. But why not aim instead for a Free Trade Agreement?

India and the United States have, or are negotiating, FTAs with every other major global

trading partner, so we are on course to discriminate only against one another." U.S. disengagement

from West Asia has created a vacuum that extremism and terrorism are filling; about perceptions

of U.S. weakness in the face of Russian aggression and Chinese provocation; and by the

American plan to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2017, "which Indians believe will foster

disorder and direct threats to India."

Have authority to sanction action against Islamic State: Obama Wed, Sep 10, 2014isis, The Hindu, international, usa,

Mr. Obama told the leaders that he would welcome action by the Congress that would

aid the overall effort and demonstrate to the world that the U.S. is united in defeating the

threat from ISIS, the statement said. "The Speaker said the spread of radicalised Islam

is a global epidemic and our national objective must be to defeat and destroy ISIS. He

asked the President to define success in those terms when he addresses the nation tomorrow

night," an aide to the Speaker said. The U.S. has said Iraq is facing an "existential threat"

from the Islamic State militants, warning that the failure of the new Iraqi government to

unite the country would threaten the whole nation. "It does threaten American national

security interests for ISIL to be operating in a virtual safe haven along the vanishing border

between Iraq and Syria," he said.

Obama to outline anti-IS strategy Wed, Sep 10, 2014isis, The Hindu, international,

U.S. President Barack Obama was poised to announce his support to both opposition groups

in Syria and the newly formed Iraqi government in their fight against the Islamic State

(IS), the militant group that captured large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months and


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declared a caliphate. The official added that Mr. Obama would outline plans to build a

coalition of allies and partners in the region and in the broader international community

to support U.S. efforts, and will also touch upon how he would coordinate with the U.S.

Congress as a partner in these efforts. Though rumours have been circulating for a while

now about the prospects of the U.S. expanding air strikes into Syria and also cooperatingfurther with Syrian opposition forces, no concrete policies have been outlined by the White

House on either issue thus far.

Getting real about jihadi terror Sat, Sep 13, 2014terrorism, The Hindu, international, jihadi terror,

U.S. President Barack Obama's recent television address, on a strategy to combat the violence

and influence unleashed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) couldn't have come

a day or a moment too soon. What he said may not have been spectacular or path-breaking

in its content, but the categorical announcement of all-out air strikes in the affected areas

reveal a steely resolve to destroy the monster that the terrorist outfit -- a splinter group

from the al-Qaeda -- has become. Outsmarting the parent outfit, al-Qaeda, in just a few

years of its existence, ISIS has shown itself to be even more brutal and acutely driven by

a fundamentalism that ostensibly strives for a Caliphate, whatever such a body means.

With a cadre strength of about 10,000 it seems to have the resources -- control over a few

towns in Syria and Iraq as also some oilfields -- and the determination to hold on to its

gains against the odds. Its achievements have been spectacular and have lured many away

from the al-Qaeda, whose presence in the region could become nominal if the trend continues.

There is now unassailable evidence that ISIS has managed to draw substantial support

from highly motivated youth. What is even more serious is the arrival into Syria and Iraq

of an estimated 1,000 young men from abroad, especially the United States and the United

Kingdom. This is however not something new. We do know of how a large number of

youth from the West became fascinated by the al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and in the days

following 9/11, with many even having received training in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

One sees a revival of the trend after a short lull following the liquidation of bin Laden

in 2011. Only very few countries, including those in Africa and Asia, can be blind to this

sinister development because of its serious implications for their own domestic stability.

There is no news yet of what happened to the other three. This report confirms the existence

of the regular movement of youth from India to the Middle East on religious-cum-terrorist

pursuits. This again should not come as a surprise to our intelligence and law-enforcement

officials. An investigation of the activities of the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) in the past fewyears has shown that some young men, especially from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra

and Uttar Pradesh, had been drawn to the cause and were maintaining contacts outside

the country. The IM's role in terrorist adventures, inspired by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)

and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is all too well known for us to ignore the

dangerous implications of this on our national security. Challenge before intelligence

It is in this context that we need to know whether there is the possibility of a link between


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the IM and ISIS. This is a real challenge before the IB and State intelligence agencies.

At this stage, this proposition could seem preposterous, but the evolving picture is one

of many such dangerous possibilities. Our intelligence agencies are no doubt sharp and

clued in. The IB, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and the State police should

get their act together to monitor the situation and take follow-up action. Unfortunately,the weakest link is the police, especially in the form of police stations. With the exception

of a few States, the priorities and preoccupation of the police have been skewed, with the

accent on perpetuating the fortunes of the ruling dispensation, rather than in taking care

of public security. What is crucial is to keep an eye on all those travelling to the troubled

Middle East region and their purpose of visit. This exercise could lead to some harassment

of those who have genuine business to undertake in the area, but this should be no ground

for lowering our vigil. We have a new National Security Adviser who knows his job well.

His forte is counter-terrorism against religious fundamentalism, and this gives us some

optimism that important happenings will not be missed out. We have had far too many

incidents of terror in our major cities since the 9/11 attack for us to be confident that our

law enforcement agencies will be able to thwart any IM-LeT-ISI-ISIS joint manoeuvre

to disturb peace in India. Memories of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai have not faded away

either and should serve as a reminder to avoid repeating the mistakes that were glaring

then. Also, till a few years ago, the politicisation of the force and a more than sly appeasement

of rival religious groups within and outside the police were rampant. This undermined

professionalism in tackling both conventional crime and terror. Acts such as taking out

processions in defiance of prohibitory orders and inflammatory speeches capable of inciting

religious bigotry in Mumbai shockingly went unpunished in the name of sheer political

expediency. Training in handling new equipment is another grey area. In our view, there

is a need for greater transparency in this area. Every taxpaying citizen is entitled to information

on how his contribution to the government treasury is being utilised towards enhancing

his safety. There is nothing wrong in a government being more forthcoming in sharing

details with the community on the state of our security preparedness. The obsession with

secrecy in this area that we often see is odd. There is at least one report that speaks of

ISIS using the Internet to disseminate pernicious ideology and training material. This is

vividly reminiscent of the days when the al-Qaeda was active. There is only a little that

we can do to prevent the propagation of mischief in cyberspace. What we can certainly

do is to use the same medium to counter false propaganda. all religious groups must sink

their dogmatism and petty differences and take up this momentous challenge at a time

when India faces immense danger from terrorism. We are happy that the Mumbai police

and a few other law enforcement agencies are using social media to disseminate publicsafety information. The same medium can be employed effectively to counter vicious terrorist

propaganda that is unabashedly sectarian. Or else we could face a repeat of 26/11 and all

that emanated from it.


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Mars Curiosity rover reaches its primary destination Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, Mars, space, Mars Curiosity rover,

After more than two years of touching down on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has finallyreached the foothills of Mount Sharp, the primary destination it was designed to explore.

Mount Sharp is a Mount-Rainier-size mountain at the centre of the vast Gale Crater and

the rover mission's long-term prime destination. Compared to neighbouring crater-floor

terrain, the rock of the Murray formation is softer and does not preserve impact scars, as

well. As viewed from orbit, it is not as well-layered as other units at the base of Mount

Sharp. Curiosity reached its current location after its route was modified earlier this year

in response to excessive wheel wear. In late 2013, the team realised a region of Martian

terrain littered with sharp, embedded rocks was poking holes in four of the rover's six

wheels. After landing inside Gale Crater in August 2012, Curiosity fulfilled in its first

year of operations its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental

conditions favourable for microbial life.

NASA to make ISS an Earth-observing platform Tue, Sep 9, 2014nasa, The Hindu, ISS, science & tech, space,

In a bid to monitor Earth better, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

is adding a number of Earth-observing instruments to the International Space Station (ISS)

that will increase the leverage of the space station's unique vantage point in space. Scheduled

to be launched this month, the first NASA Earth-observing instrument called ISS-RapidScat

will monitor ocean winds for climate research as well as weather predictions and hurricane

monitoring. The second instrument scheduled for a December launch is the Cloud Aerosol

Transport System (CATS), a laser instrument that will measure clouds and the location

and distribution of airborne particles such as mineral dust and smoke in the atmosphere,

the U.S. space agency said in a statement. ISS-RapidScat and CATS follow the February

launch of the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory, a joint mission with

the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the July launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-

Mars spacecraft to be ordered into orbit Fri, Sep 12, 2014mars, The Hindu, science & tech, isro, space,

We are doing a re-start of the 440 Newton engine for four seconds at 2 p.m. on September22. We are doing that re-start to confirm [that the engine will erupt into life on September

24]," he said. The Mars spacecraft and its five scientific instruments are in good health.

On September 11, the spacecraft was just about 35 lakh km away from Mars while it had

already covered more than 64 crore km in its epic voyage.


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Loading of commands for Mars orbiter begins Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, Mars orbiter, ISRO, space,

the primary objective" of India's Mars Orbiter Mission was to put the spacecraft into aMartian orbit, its scientific objective was empirical observation of the planet. The ISRO-built

orbiter carries five instruments to detect methane on Mars, to study its geological activity,

to study the Martian atmosphere and so on. ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle put

the spacecraft into an initial orbit on November 5, 2013.

Lessons to be learnt Wed, Sep 10, 2014The Hindu, science & tech, ebola,

As on September 5, at least 3,967 cases and 2,105 deaths were reported from the four countries.

The number of cases and deaths has spiked over the last fortnight. There was a sudden

spurt of deaths, numbering 400, during the period from August 28 to September 3, and

the month of August alone accounted for over 40 per cent of all Ebola cases found since

December 2013. There is every reason to believe that the count of the number of infected

cases belies the ground reality. What is particularly poignant is that the community's confidence

in health workers continues to remain low, and people are largely unwilling to seek medical

attention. WHO estimates that it may take six to nine months to contain the outbreak,

which is estimated to have infected up to 20,000 people. Unlike the severe acute respiratory

syndrome (SARS) outbreak in February 2003 and H1N1 influenza that was declared a

pandemic in June 2009, the Ebola virus disease spreads only through direct contact with

the body fluids of a diseased person. Its spread could thus be checked easily, but the weak

public health systems in the four countries lack the infrastructure to handle the crisis.

Bacteria that may help tackle nuclear waste found Wed, Sep 10, 2014nuclear, The Hindu, bacteria, science & tech,

The bacteria were found in a highly alkaline industrial site in the Peak district in Britain.

The extremophile - organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions

that are detrimental to most life on the Earth - bacteria can thrive under the alkaline conditions

expected in cement-based radioactive waste, the researchers said. Although bacteria with

waste-eating properties have been discovered in relatively pristine soils before, this is the

first time that microbes that can survive in the very harsh conditions expected in radioactivewaste disposal sites have been found. he organisms are not only superbly adapted to live

in such hostile environments but they can use the ISA as a source of food and energy under

conditions that mimic those expected in and around intermediate level radioactive waste

disposal sites.


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Australia banking on uranium pact to gain edge over Eurasian rivals Thu, Sep 11, 2014nuclear, The Hindu, international, Australia, uranium,

At about 31 per cent of the world total, Australia has the largest known reserves of uranium.Just before concluding the civil nuclear agreement with India, Australia had drawn the

curtain on its uranium trade with Russia, which is one of the largest suppliers of uranium

to India. India is the only non-NPT signatory to which Australia will be supplying uranium.

Besides Russia, India imports most of its uranium from Kazakhstan and France. There

is little domestic demand for uranium in Australia and the focus therefore is on exports,

which are slated to cross 10,000 tonnes by 2017-18.

Pension reforms miss the wood for the trees Mon, Sep 8, 2014The Hindu, pension reforms, economics,

The recent passage of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act (PFRDA)

generated a lot of heat about foreign investors being allowed to manage India's retirement

savings. Yet, the basic truth is this: a majority of the workforce today lacks any form of

retirement security. Though India is likely to see its 60-plus population swell from 80 million

to nearly 200 million over the next 15 years, nearly 90 per cent of these people are not

covered by any formal pension scheme. Then there is the fact that even those who are

supposedly covered by formal pension schemes aren't really assured of a reasonable retirement

kitty. Take the over 8 crore subscribers of the EPFO. Though their monthly contributions

to the EPF are well-defined, the returns they can hope to earn from this fund aren't. Over

the long-term, the fund's inability to deliver over inflation can cost its subscribers dear.

They may be left with much lower purchasing power than they expected when they retire.

The usual solution offered to this problem is to let the EPFO invest, say, 10-15 per cent

of its corpus in equities. But investing in equities requires hands-on portfolio management,

a good sense of market timing, and an ability to actively churn the portfolio in tune with

shifting macro indicators. The organisation has so far demonstrated very little ability on

these. Not only are its investments subject to rigid and archaic guidelines but they are also

further moderated by its Board of Trustees. As a result, the EPFO hasn't even explored

triple-A rated corporate bonds or debt mutual funds, which are allowed under its restrictive

mandate. More active management of the debt portfolio is the need of the hour, before

the fund can jump headlong into equities. Two, the decision (since 2008) to appoint private

fund managers to manage the EPFO's Rs.5-lakh crore-plus corpus hasn't generated materialbenefits for its subscribers either. The restrictive investment rules do not allow these managers

to manage the portfolio for the best results. The inexplicable decision to appoint these

fund managers only for three years at a time has also made for low interest as well as accountabilit

from the chosen managers. Subscribers to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) are luckier

than those in the EPFO when it comes to returns. The NPS is the default pension manager

for all government employees since 2003 and is also open to private and informal sector


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workers. Given that this scheme offers a wide menu of asset classes (equities, private and

government bonds and money market instruments) to its managers, most plans have managed

to generate a double-digit or at least inflation-beating return. The scheme also allows the

employee to choose between managers based on their individual return record and freely

switch between them. This has led to better accountability and performance.

What deters investment in India today? Wed, Sep 10, 2014investment climate, The Hindu, economics,

The tendency of Indian corporates to invest a greater proportion of their investment in

the financial sector makes it vital to look at the composition of financial assets. The share

of equities as part of the total financial assets has fallen from 72.5 per cent in 2001 to 63

per cent in 2013, with respective shares of mutual funds (at 18.9 per cent) debt instruments

(6.5 per cent) and other categories like approved securities and preference shares providing

for the rest. Evidently, the ongoing pace of financialisation has played a role in enticing

Indian corporates to seek the high-return short term financial assets. With borrowings

making up a large part of the liabilities, one can observe a pattern where corporates today

are following a 'ponzi scheme' mode, with borrowings used to meet current liabilities

both as interest payments on past loans and as dividends on sales of shares. Physical assets

have hovered at around 35 per cent or less of total assets held by the corporates over the

decade ending 2013 and it is not surprising that a major part of investments by the corporates

is being directed to formation of financial assets rather than physical assets. As for corporates,

'short-termism' reflects itself in shareholder preference for quick profits, bypassing long-term

growth. This 'growth-profit trade-off' in business decisions at the firm level generates

a climate where a long-term 'retain and invest' strategy is replaced by a shareholder-oriented

'downsize and distribute.' In such a scenario, managers often align themselves to shareholder

preferences, with offers of 'market-oriented remuneration schemes,' linking bonuses --

or Employee Stock Ownership Plans -- to the balance-sheet performance of firms where

they are employed. Stagnation in Indian industry today cannot be explained only in terms

of risk-aversion unless one looks at its financial sector, where the rates of returns are far

more attractive. The current strategy of corporate India to get embroiled in the high-profit,

high-risk world of finance may eventually turn out to be a dangerous game for the economy

as a whole.

India wins the support of developed nations at WTOSat, Sep 13, 2014WTO, The Hindu, economics,

India said on Friday it has won the support of major developed countries, including the

U.K. and Germany, as also the European Commission, for its stand at the World Trade

Organisation (WTO) demanding that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement

(TFA) be kept pending unless its apprehensions on the issue of food security are addressed.

Following protracted negotiations, the ASEM agreed to not only drop a reference to non-implemen


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of the TFA but also include the need for implementation of all of the WTO's Bali Ministerial

decisions in its draft communique Many countries like the United Kingdom, Germany,

Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and the European Commission emphasised on the

need for expressing deep concern on non-implementation of TFA without mentioning

India's concern on the issue of food security, India is not opposed to the TFA as it increasesthe ease of doing business but wants its adoption postponed till there is "satisfactory" progress

on finding a permanent protection for its minimum support prices to farmers against the

WTO's agriculture subsidy caps that are benchmarked to food prices of the 1980s. At

the WTO's General Council meeting in Geneva on July 31, India stalled the ratification

of the TFA owing to these concerns. India got a reference to BRICS and disappointment

with poor progress on the IMF quota reforms also included in the ASEM communique.

The communique talks about enhanced cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe

to create sustainable and profitable growth.

India not blocking rule-based global trade: Narendra Modi Tue, Sep 9, 2014WTO, The Hindu, economics,

the country does not stand in the way of rule-based global trade but the interests of its

poor and farmers cannot be sacrificed. India wants active participation of FAO in addressing

the emerging challenges in Indian agriculture and in designing a special campaign targeted

at women in India, which would highlight ways to improve nutritional value and food

habits. The 160 members of WTO had gathered there to adopt a treaty to simplify, standardise

and streamline the rules for shipping goods across borders, having previously agreed to

its terms at a ministerial conference on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last December.

However, India refused to agree to the text because it wanted more attention paid to its

concerns over WTO limits on stockpiling of food which will ultimately hit its subsidised

food distribution programme, the world`s largest, targeted at nearly 850 million people.

He discussed ways and means for the FAO to contribute towards increasing nutritional

value in the mid-day meal scheme for school children, enhancing production and protein

content of pulses, improving production of oilseeds, enhancing milk productivity, and

modernization of fisheries sector in India.

Towards an equitable policy on Community Radio Tue, Sep 9, 2014community radio, The Hindu, social,

India is host to about 170 community radio stations spread across the length and breadthof the country. The movement for community broadcasting had its roots in the late 1990s

when activists and community members worked together to leverage a crucial 1995 Supreme

Court judgment declaring airwaves to be public property. After a decade of sustained advocacy,

the government opened up community broadcasting to educational institutions in 2003-04.

wo years later, on November 16, 2006, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting released

guidelines on community radio - opening up the airwaves to non-profit organizations and


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Krishi Vigyan Kendras, in addition to educational institutions. By 2008, several non-profit

organizations and many more educational institutions were broadcasting under a community

radio license. TRAI has made relatively conservative and unsurprising recommendations,

mostly voicing what the political class has already expressed at various fora since the new

government was formed in May. On the critical issue of news and current affairs, TRAIhas recommended that Community Radio stations should be allowed to re-broadcast news

from All India Radio and also translate the news into local language/dialect without distorting

the content. On the issue of license renewal, TRAI has recommended that incumbent stations

can be given renewal for a period of five years, after which extension would be subject

to self-evaluation reports that could be verified. TRAI has also recommended an e-governance

enabled single window mechanism for applicants since the current process is overly cumbersome

and bureaucratic. Finally, TRAI has recommended that the current advertisement duration

of five minutes per hour of broadcast be continued. However, it has recommended that

the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) should not insist that its rates

for community radio be the lowest or exclusive. Commercial FM and community radio

are the only two sectors in the media that are not allowed news, and incidentally also are

the only two private (i.e. non-State) sectors that are analogue terrestrial service providers.

T TRAI has reasoned that it would be unfair to allow community radio to broadcast news.

TRAI has said that the provision for self-generated news can be reviewed once Ministry

of I& B sets up an operational monitoring system. Firstly, this recommendation betrays

a lack of trust in communities. If communities can be trusted to operate a FM transmitter

and broadcast a wide range of programmes for so many years without any monitoring

system, then it is baffling how the same communities may 'misuse' or provide 'misleading

information in the guise of local news'. It is obvious that any such transgressions would

be subject to the law of the land. Secondly, TRAI is being a bit too optimistic about the

online internet-based monitoring system set up by I&B Ministry. TRAI is referring to

the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre. MIB plans to make it mandatory for every community

radio to have an Internet connection so that the audio broadcast is simultaneously streamed

online There are many community radio stations that are struggling to find a reliable supply

of electricity, let alone broadband internet, to upload audio feed. Finally, these programmes

are being broadcast on a local FM transmitter. By the time someone from EMMC realizes

that there is something objectionable, it would be too late. Thirdly, TRAI has denied community

radio the right to broadcast news, because commercial radio does not have it either. Rather

than recommending that both sectors be allowed to broadcast news (thus creating a level

playing field), TRAI has endorsed the government's position that both be disallowed news.

Not only is this recommendation unfair to community radio it is also unfair to commercialradio. The right to freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right enshrined

under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution. The free flow of opinion, and to express one's

ideas is a universally declared and recognized human right. By denying community radio

stations the right to broadcast news, the government is also effectively denying its citizens

the right to hear news, views and ideas. To deny these rights by anticipating misuse is

to unreasonably exceed the restrictions provided in the Constitution. The Supreme Court


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is currently hearing a PIL filed by Common Cause questioning the restriction on broadcast

of news by commercial and community radio stations. TRAI has concluded correctly,

albeit on limited evidence, that many of the operational community radio stations are not

able to mobilize the five minutes of advertising that they are allowed per hour of broadcast

time. In such a scenario, the regulator said, there is no need for increasing the durationof advertisements. While this recommendation is perfectly logical, it signals the need for

radically rethinking how community radio stations can be sustainable. Even limited evidence

collected by TRAI is indicative that advertising is not generating revenues for community

radio.

$100 billion investment expected in renewable energy in 5 years Thu, Sep 11, 2014environment, The Hindu, renewable energy,

The Minister for power, coal and renewable energy, Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the

government expects an investment of around $100 billion in the renewable energy sector

in the next five years and about $50 billion in transmission and distribution in next four

years. The government is working on a renewable energy policy to attract investments

in the space by providing tax breaks and cheaper loans.

No-frills airports to take flight Tue, Sep 9, 2014The Hindu, economics, no frills airport,

Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh; Kishangarh in Rajasthan; Jharsuguda in Odisha; and Hubli

and Belgaum in Karnataka will soon get no-frills airports. The bells and whistles associated

with metro airports -- huge seating areas, food marts, phone-charging kiosks, shopping

areas and so on -- would be absent.The Minister, however, said they should not be called

low-cost airports. Mr. Raju launched a "Know Your Rights" portal of the Directorate

General of Civil Aviation in case of inconvenience to passengers due to delayed flights,

denial of boarding and lost or damaged baggage.

The CBI's crisis of credibility Fri, Sep 12, 2014CBI, The Hindu, polity,

The Supreme Court is currently seized with allegations against the Director of Central

Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Ranjit Sinha for meeting persons linked with the 2G scam

and coal scam at his residence. the court described the allegations as "serious" and askedthe Director to file his version through an affidavit within a week. During the hearing,

the Supreme Court had asked the Centre whether it was contemplating a law to make the

working of the CBI independent and insulate it from extraneous intrusion and interferences.

The Group of Ministers (GoM), set up by the Central government in May 2013, was entrusted

with the task to bring a Cabinet proposal on the law to safeguard the CBI's autonomy.

The report of the GoM was duly submitted to the court. Some others including the CBI


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also submitted their views. The court's orders in this regard are awaited. it needs to be

reiterated that autonomy does not mean complete freedom or unbridled independence.

Autonomy for the CBI or for that matter any investigating agency means the freedom to

investigate crime, while it remains under the administrative control of the government

of the day. Much was made of Section 4(2) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act,which vests superintendence of the establishment in the Central government. This Act

provides legal power to the CBI and under it, the Special Police Establishment (SPE) division

conducts its investigative work. The agency does not function in isolation. It should be

part of governance machinery. In its work, it needs the cooperation of other agencies of

the government, such as the Income Tax department and the Enforcement Directorate.

For investigation abroad, it needs the cooperation of foreign governments, for which it

needs support of the Ministry of External Affairs here. The line between superintendence

and interference in its investigation work is no doubt thin but by no means is it vague.

Under our legal system, the political executive cannot cross that line. Be it the CBI or

the police, they do investigation under the Criminal Procedure Code, and for this work,

they are accountable to law and to law alone. The above judgment has been quoted by

the Supreme Court with approval in scores of cases, including in the 1997 Vineet Narain

case. The Central Vigilance Commission Act of 2003 was a result of this order of the apex

court. But it was an apology of an act. For instance, it brought back the 'Single Directive'

requiring the CBI to obtain prior permission of the government before initiating enquiries

into allegations of corruption against government officers in the rank of Joint Secretaries

and above, which had been quashed by the Supreme Court earlier. The Supreme Court

on May 6, 2014, again quashed Section 6 (A) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment

Act (DSPEA) of 1946 in reiteration of its earlier order dated 18.12.97. The Lokpal Act

goes further and provides for the appointment of the Director of CBI by a collegium comprising

the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. This should meet

the requirement of proper selection. The answer to the court's concerns perhaps lies in

recognising the centrality of the institution of Lokpal. Under this Act, the services of the

CBI would be placed at the disposal of the Lokpal for investigation of cases, which the

latter decides to take up. The CBI will report not to the government of the day, but to the

Lokpal for investigation into such cases, over which the Lokpal will have the power to

oversee and supervise, in the manner the Supreme Court has done in some cases of controversial

nature. Finally, a new CBI Act must substitute the archaic DSPE Act. The role, jurisdiction

and legal powers of the CBI need to be clearly laid down.

Koli gets reprieve at the eleventh hour Mon, Sep 8, 2014death penalty, The Hindu, polity,

On September 3, a Constitution Bench decided that death row convicts seeking judicial

review should be given a public hearing, their counsel should be allowed to argue for 30

minutes and three judges should hear them. Till then, review petitions were usually heard

by Supreme Court judges in their chambers. Relief was rare. The September 3 judgment,


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authored by Justice Rohinton Nariman, argued that the death penalty was irreversible.

Justice should be seen to be done, it said. Justice Nariman upheld the highest principle

of the Constitution - the right of a man to live. "The fundamental right to life and the irreversibility

of the death sentence mandate that oral hearing be given at the review stage in death sentence

cases, as a just, fair and reasonable procedure under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution,"he wrote in his majority judgment for a Bench led by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha, who concurred.

The judgment had come on a batch of petitions filed by eight men on death row who challenged

the practice of Supreme Court judges hearing review petitions of death row convicts in

their chambers and not in the public glare of open courtrooms. Koli became the first condemned

man to reap the reprieve granted by the judgment.

Probe sought into Trinamool-Jamaat link Sun, Sep 14, 2014The Hindu, international, Bangladesh, Jamaat, Trinamool Congress,

Amidst reports of the Trinamool Congress's alleged funding of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Bangladesh-ba

extremist group, Members of Parliament from both the ruling Awami League and the Workers

Party have demanded a probe into the allegations. The allegations gained ground as the

Kolkota-based Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika reported on Friday that crores of money

from the Saradha chit fund scam were used to instigate violence in Bangladesh. News

reports in Bangladesh have alleged that the Jamaat, with close contacts with the TMC

leadership, has built a "base" in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. Dhaka has already

communicated its concerns on the issue to New Delhi, newspapers said. The Jamaat, in

a statement, however, brushed aside the allegations, terming it baseless and politically

motivated.

Neither victims nor perpetrators Sat, Sep 13, 2014child abuse, The Hindu, social,

Today's victims are tomorrow's perpetrators; but this state of affairs is not inevitable.

It says the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children is so pervasive because there

is a high level of acceptance around these habitual behaviours. Also, there is that level

of acceptance only because such violence in fact takes place in settings where boys and

girls should normally feel safe Six out of ten children in the 2-14 age group are subjected

to physical punishment by caregivers. Nearly one out of three adolescents has either bullied

their peers or have themselves experienced the humiliation. Nearly a quarter of all girls

in the 15-19 age group report physical violence and one in ten girls under 20 years aresubjected to forced sexual acts. As it is often the case, the report cautions that victims of

extreme violence in their early years, end up as perpetrators themselves. Techniques of

non-violent discipline to promote positive interaction between parents and children and

sharing knowledge about early child development are some of the other proven strategies.

Documents

The Hindu Sep 8 to Sep 14