Radio active waste

Nuclear waste

Nuclear waste is the radioactive waste left over from nuclear reactors, nuclear research projects, and nuclear bomb production. Nuclear waste is divided into low, medium, and high-level waste by the amount of radioactivity the waste produces.

Sources of waste

Radioactive waste comes from a number of sources. The majority of waste originates from the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear weapons reprocessing. However, other sources include medical and industrial wastes, as well as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).

Management of waste

Nuclear waste requires sophisticated treatment and management to successfully isolate it from interacting with the biosphere. This usually necessitates treatment, followed by a long-term management strategy involving storage, disposal or transformation of the waste into a non-toxic form. Governments around the world are considering a range of waste management and disposal options, though there has been limited progress toward long-term waste management solutions.

Initial treatment of waste

· Vitrification

Long-term storage of radioactive waste requires the stabilization of the waste into a form which will neither react nor degrade for extended periods of time. One way to do this is through vitrification.

Vitrification is the transformation of a substance into a glass. Usually, it is achieved by rapdily cooling a liquid through the glass transition. In a wider sense, the embedding of material in a glassy matrix is also called vitrification. An important application is the vitrification of radioactive waste to obtain a stable compound that is suitable for ultimate disposal.

· Ion exchange

It is common for medium active wastes in the nuclear industry to be treated with ion exchange or other means to concentrate the radioactivity into a small volume. The much less radioactive bulk (after treatment) is often then discharged. For instance, it is possible to use a ferric hydroxide floc to remove radioactive metals from aqueous mixtures. After the radioisotopes are absorbed onto the ferric hydroxide, the resulting sludge can be placed in a metal drum before being mixed with cement to form a solid waste form.

Long term management of waste

· Geologic disposal

The process of selecting appropriate deep final repositories for high level waste and spent fuel is now under way in several countries with the first expected to be commissioned some time after 2010. The basic concept is to locate a large, stable geologic formation and use mining technology to excavate a tunnel, or large-bore tunnel boring machines to drill a shaft 500–1,000 meters below the surface where rooms or vaults can be excavated for disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The goal is to permanently isolate nuclear waste from the human environment.

Deep borehole disposal is the concept of disposing of high-level radioactive waste from nuclear reactors in extremely deep boreholes. Deep borehole disposal seeks to place the waste as much as five kilometers beneath the surface of the Earth and relies primarily on the immense natural geological barrier to confine the waste safely and permanently so that it should never pose a threat to the environment.

Sea-based options for disposal of radioactive waste include burial beneath a stable abyssal plain, burial in a subduction zone that would slowly carry the waste downward into the Earth's mantle, and burial beneath a remote natural or human-made island. While these approaches all have merit and would facilitate an international solution to the problem of disposal of radioactive waste, they would require an amendment of the Law of the Sea.

· Nuclear transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one chemical element or isotope into another, which occurs through nuclear reactions. Natural transmutation occurs when radioactive elements spontaneously decay over a long period of time and transform into other more stable elements. Artificial transmutation occurs in machinery that has enough energy to cause changes in the nuclear structure of the elements. Machines that can cause artificial transmutation include particle accelerators and tokamak reactors as well as conventional fission power reactors. Nuclear transmutation is considered as a possible mechanism for reducing the volume and hazard of radioactive waste.

· Re-use of waste

Another option is to find applications for the isotopes in nuclear waste so as to re-use them. Already, caesium-137, strontium-90 and a few other isotopes are extracted for certain industrial applications such as food irradiation and radioisotope thermoelectric generators. While re-use does not eliminate the need to manage radioisotopes, it reduces the quantity of waste produced.

· Space disposal

Space disposal is an attractive notion because it permanently removes nuclear waste from the environment. It has significant disadvantages, not least of which is the potential for catastrophic failure of a launch vehicle. The high number of launches that would be required — because no individual rocket would be able to carry very much of the material relative to the material needed to be disposed of—makes the proposal impractical (for both economic and risk-based reasons). To further complicate matters, international agreements on the regulation of such a program would need to be established.

Accidents involving radioactive waste

A number of incidents have occurred when radioactive material was disposed of improperly, shielding during transport was defective, or when it was simply abandoned or even stolen from a waste store.

Goiânia accident

The Goiânia accident was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on 13 September 1987, at Goiânia, Brazil. Considered one of the worst nuclear disasters in history, it took place after an old nuclear medicine source was scavenged from an abandoned hospital site in the city. It was subsequently handled by many people, resulting in four deaths and serious radioactive contamination of 249 other people. The dispersal of radiation was equivalent to a medium-size dirty bomb.

Kyshtym disaster

The Kyshtym disaster was a radiation contamination incident that occurred on 29 September 1957 at Mayak, a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Russia (then a part of the Soviet Union). It measured as a Level 6 disaster on the International Nuclear Event Scale, making it the second most serious nuclear accident ever recorded (after the Chernobyl disaster). The event occurred in the town of Ozyorsk, a closed city built around the Mayak plant.

The Mayak plant was built in a great hurry between 1946 and 1950. Initially Mayak was dumping high-level radioactive waste into a nearby river, which was taking waste to the river Ob, flowing farther down to the Arctic Ocean.

A storage facility for liquid nuclear waste was added around 1953. Because of the high level of radioactivity, the waste was heating itself through decay heat. For that reason, a cooler was built around each bank containing 20 tanks. In September 1957 the cooling system in one of the tanks containing about 70-80 tons of radioactive waste failed, and the temperature in it started to rise, resulting in a non-nuclear explosion of the dried waste having a force estimated at about 70-100 tons of TNT, which threw the concrete lid, weighing 160 tons, into the air.

Even though the Soviet government suppressed information about the figures, it is estimated that the direct exposure to radiation caused at least 200 cases of death from cancer.\l

Mayapuri incident

April 2010 - A 35-year old man was hospitalized in New Delhi after handling radioactive scrap metal. Investigation led to the discovery of an amount of scrap metal containing Cobalt-60 in the New Delhi industrial district of Mayapuri. The 35-year old man later died from his injuries, while six others remained hospitalized.

Sports Authority of India

Sports Authority of India

Sports today is an integral part of the all round development of the human personality and achieving excellence in sports has great bearing on national prestige and morale. In order to meet the increasing demands of the changing scenario, national as well as international, Government has taken it upon itself to implement programs to promote excellence in sports. At the forefront of the efforts stand the Sports Authority of India (SAI) – the field arm of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. Through its sports promotional schemes, SAI supports and nurtures talent in youth, and provides them with requisite infrastructure, equipment, coaching facilities and competition exposure.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), a successor organization of the IXth Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982, was set up as a Society registered of Societies Act, 1860 in 1984 with the objective of promotion of Sports and Games.

Aims & Objectives

* Talent Scouting at micro level & Nurturing talent towards excellence
* Training & International Exposure
* Support Training with Scientific & Sports Equipment and scientific personnel
* Monitor and enhance Performance with a scientific evaluation system
* Training and preparation of National teams
* Sports Infrastructure Development & Maintenance
* Maintenance and up gradation of 4 stadia complexes and a shooting range in Delhi
* To produce coaches and physical educationists of high caliber in different disciplines of sports to broad base sports .

SAI has got two Academic Wings, namely, Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS), Patiala for coaches and the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE) at Thiruvananthapuram.

The Sports Authority of India with a view of promoting sports at Sub-Junior, Junior and Senior levels, is implementing the under mentioned schemes all over the country:-

* National Sports Talent Contest Scheme (NSTC) - for Sub-Junior level trainees
* Army Boys Sports Company Scheme (ABSC) - for Sub-Junior level trainees
* SAI Training Centres Scheme (STC) - for Junior level trainees
* Extension Centre of STC /SAG
* Special Area Games Scheme (SAG) - for Junior level trainees
* Centre of Excellence Scheme (COX) - for Senior level trainees

Also, SAI was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the national teams for different disciplines for the CWG-2010, in collaboration with the concerned National Sports Federation, on behalf of the Ministry of YA & Sports. At the end of the games, India was placed in the Second position in the Medals tally - which reflects the contribution of SAI.

Dowry Prohibition Act

The object in forming the Dowry Prohibition Act and adding provisions in the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act is to remove the evil of dowry system and give protection to women.

DOWRY RELATED ACTS

To prohibit the demanding, giving and taking of Dowry, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 is in force since 1st July 1961.

To stop the offences of cruelty by husband or his relatives on wife, Section 498-A has been added in the Indian Penal Code, and Section 198-A has been added in the Criminal Procedure Code since the year 1983.

In the case of suicide by a married woman, within 7 years from the date of her marriage, the Court may presume that such suicide has been abetted, encouraged by her husband or his relatives. Provision to this effect has been added in the Indian Evidence Act, by adding Section 113-A since the year 1983.

PROVISIONS OF Dowry Prohibition Act

Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, a person who gives or takes, or helps in the giving or taking of dowry can be sentenced to jail for 5 years and fined Rs.15,000/- or the amount of the value of dowry, whichever is more. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, to give or to agree to give, directly or indirectly, any property or valuable security, in connection with a marriage is prohibited. The giving of or agreeing to the giving of any amount either in cash of kind, jewelry, articles, properties, etc. in respect of a marriage is absolutely prohibited by the Dowry prohibition Act.

Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, even the making of a demand for dowry also is now prohibited and it is punishable with imprisonment of 5 years and a fine of Rs.10,000/-.

Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, now nobody can advertise to give money or share in his property as a consideration of the marriage.

Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, an Agreement between the parties, to give or to take dowry, is considered as void and cannot be enforced in law and the person who has received dowry is liable to return it to the wife.

Genuine presents offered to the Bride or to the Bridegroom, at the time of the marriage, are however not prohibited by this Act. The giving of such presents however must be customary. The value of such presents, however, should not be excessive, compared to the financial status of the parties giving such presents. A list of such presents is also required to be maintained wherein the name of the person who has given the present, his relationship with the Bride or Bridegroom, description of the presents given and the value of the presents is to be mentioned and that list has to be signed by both the Bride and the Bridegroom.

The demanding of dowry itself is a cruel act and can be a ground of Divorce. A husband or his relatives can be punished for behaving cruelly with the wife by demanding dowry and can be sentenced for 3 years imprisonment and also fined. Harassment of a woman for dowry is now a criminal offence and ill treatment of a woman for dowry can also be punished.

On account of the Dowry Prohibition Act, a wife or her relatives can now take recourse of law and if dowry is demanded or a wife is harassed on account of dowry, the persons doing so can be punished.

GROUND REALITY

Unfortunately, despite all these legislations, ill treatment of women in our society still continues. The system of dowry, the evil of dowry still exists. Dowry deaths and Dowry suicides still happen every day. Pick up any newspaper and you will find a case of dowry death or a dowry suicide or harassment of a woman on account of dowry. What is surprising is, that such demand of dowry, such harassment for dowry, dowry deaths and dowry suicides are even found in the affluent and educated society. However, the purpose of legislature in making the Dowry Prohibition Act and amendments to other acts is not lost. On account of such laws, the evils of dowry have definitely come under control. Cases of harassment to wife have reduced and have come to light on account of these laws.

Few years ago, when these laws were not in force, particularly when the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 had not been enacted, there was no remedy for a harassed wife or her parents against the demand for dowry. The numerous cases about the dowry death or harassment on account of dowry which you now read in the Newspapers have come to light because of these laws. If these laws had not been made, a troubled wife or her relatives would not have been in a position to complain against the demand for dowry or the taking of dowry. The evil of dowry has definitely been brought under control to a very great extent by these laws and these laws definitely provide great relief to a wife.

Husbands, however, complain that these laws are being misused and that on account of these laws, wives or their parents make false complaints against the husband and his family members just to harass them. Many times, when a husband files a petition for divorce, the wife or her parents take recourse under the Dowry Prohibition Act and lodge false complaints, under that Act, against the husband or his parents, so as to pressurize the husband. Well, every coin has two sides. It cannot be denied that, at times, the Dowry Prohibition Act, is being misused. But this Law has certainly helped the bride and has reduced the evil of Dowry.

Unless there is a strong awareness in the minds of the people, unless the entire society believes that dowry is an evil, unless the entire society objects to the demand for dowry, unless every mother-in-law thinks that at one time she too was a daughter-in-law, unless every mother thinks that the treatment which she gives to her daughter-in-law can also be received by her own daughter, the evils of dowry will remain in society. The Law definitely helps to prevent the evil of dowry but to make the Law effective and fruitful, people should follow the Law and see that dowry demands are not made and dowry deaths do not occur. A word of advice: One should not treat Marriage as a lottery. After all "The Love of money is the root of all evil".

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Dowry Prohibition Act — a boon or bane?

THE STRINGENT provisions incorporated in the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 (Central Act) have been largely diluted. Recent amendments and rules framed under the Act by State governments reinforce this perception. Whether the teeth provided in the Act had been plucked off as the injustice caused by it was too much, or whether cases filed under the Act and put to test acted as a catalyst for a rethinking about the provisions is a moot point.

When the Bill was introduced in Parliament it was said that its object was `to prohibit the evil practice of giving and taking of dowry.' When a Bill was introduced to amend the Act of 1961, it was said that the evil of dowry had been a matter of serious concern in view of its ever increasing and disturbing proportions. Accordingly the Act of 1984 made some amendments in the Act of 1961.

Some women's voluntary organisations felt that the amendments were still inadequate. Hence the Amendment Act of 1986 further amended the 1961 Act. After the above two amendments, the Act became more stringent. The 1986 Act introduced new sections 8-A and 8-B. Sec. 8-A says that the burden of proving that one has not committed offence u/s. 3 (giving or taking of dowry or any abetment towards it) and u/s. 4 (demanding dowry) is on the person charged.

However, the Supreme Court (AIR 1996 SC 2184) has held that conviction cannot be based on such presumptions without offence being proved beyond reasonable doubt.

The amendments and Sec. 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were introduced presupposing that only genuinely aggrieved women would lodge complaints and that they would invariably tell the truth.

Victims of false cases

Some victims of false cases formed associations and expressed concern over the arrest of the accused husband, his family members and even remote relatives without proper investigation, and money mongering by wife and her relatives led to suicides by many men.

Recently a retired Assistant Director of Prosecution and his wife committed suicide fearing harassment as they were alleged to have committed offences under the Dowry Prohibition Act. A men's welfare organisation functioning in Karnataka made an appeal that punitive punishment should be imposed on those responsible for giving false complaints besides awarding costs and damages to the victims; that tax payer should not be made to pay for mala fide and frivolous complaints; that the process of courts should not be used for settling personal vendetta; that Sec. 498-A of the IPC and the amended Dowry Prohibition Act, which were meant to prevent the victimisation of women, were being increasingly misused by women to blackmail, victimise and harass innocent husbands and their relatives.

When the Dowry Prohibition Act was sought to be amended in 1986, Parliament with a view to checking the misuse of the Act, introduced Sec. 8-B which deals with appointment of dowry prohibition officers by State governments.

The Supreme Court in a number of judgments asked the State governments and Union Territories to immediately frame rules for appointment of dowry prohibition officers under the Act.

The Punjab Government (Act 26 of 1976) substituted Sec. 7 of the Act to the effect that no police officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police shall investigate any offence punishable under the Act or make arrest thereof. Himachal Pradesh has also substituted the provision as above.

Punjab inserted Sec. 8-A as hereunder:

"8-A Institution of Proceedings: No prosecution shall be instituted against any person in respect of any offence committed under this Act without the previous sanction of the District Magistrate or of such officer as the State government may by special or general order appoint in this behalf."

The government of Tamil Nadu also framed the Tamil Nadu Dowry Prohibition Officers and Advisory Board Rules 1998. Dowry prohibition officers were invested with the powers of police officers as per rule 4 of the above Rules.

Tamil Nadu gave more powers to dowry prohibition officers and to stop misuse of the Act, brought in new rules called Tamil Nadu Dowry Prohibition Rules 2004 in supersession of the Tamil Nadu Dowry Prohibition Officers and Advisory Board Rules 1998.

The Tamil Nadu Dowry Prohibition Rules define police officer as Deputy Superintendent of Police of the division concerned. In Rule 3 it is said that dowry prohibition officers shall exercise jurisdiction and powers u/s. 8-B of the Act. Dowry prohibition officers' approach as defined in the Rules is primarily preventive and remedial and for prosecution he can only recommend. Rule 7 further says that dowry prohibition officers shall submit a report before a competent magistrate and the report shall be deemed to be a report u/s. 173 of CrPC.

I do not think in any other statute in India, it has been mentioned that an enquiry should be conducted to collect such evidence from the parties as to the genuineness of the complaint. When the Rule 5 (X) insists that the dowry prohibition officers shall scrutinise the complaint and collect evidence from the parties as to the genuineness of the complaint, we can read between the lines a lot. Moreover, it insists that evidence should be collected from the parties, which means not only on the complainant side but also on the respondent side.

While disposing of a petition, the High Court of Madras (Justice A.K. Rajan) has said:

"It is true that demand of dowry, which originally prevailed among a small sect of people, has not pervaded the entire society due to the educational advancement. Further, due to the constant attempts by various organisations women started complaining about dowry harassment to the police. Of course, it is a healthy sign. But at the same time, it is not uncommon that while such complaints of dowry harassment are made, even innocent in-laws are arrayed as accused. When such false complaints are made, some people, unable to bear such false accusations, go to the extent of committing suicide. This has to be taken note of by the authorities concerned and there must be restraint regarding such complaints against in-laws."

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Wi Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Direct

Wi-Fi Direct, formerly known as Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer, is a set of software protocols that allow Wi-Fi devices to talk to each other without the need for wireless access points (hot spots). Wi-Fi Direct is developed and supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the industry group that develops the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED standards suite and owns the "Wi-Fi" trademark.

Conventional Wi-Fi networks are typically based on the presence of controller devices known as wireless access points, "base stations" or "hot spots". These devices normally combine three primary functions; physical support for wireless and wired networking, bridging and routing between devices on the network, and service provisioning to add and remove devices from the network.

A typical Wi-Fi home network includes a wired connection to a broadband provider, the access point, computers connected by wired and wireless connections, and sometimes other devices on the network. The majority of Wi-Fi networks are set up in "infrastructure mode", where the access point acts as a central hub to which Wi-Fi capable devices are connected. The devices do not communicate directly, but they go through the access point.

All Wi-Fi Direct devices are able to operate as either a device or an access point.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is an open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short wavelength radio transmissions) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of security. Created by telecoms vendor Ericsson in 1994. It can connect several devices, overcoming problems of synchronization.

List of applications

* A typical Bluetooth mobile phone headset. Wireless control of and communication between a mobile phone and a hands free headset. This was one of the earliest applications to become popular.
* Wireless networking between PCs in a confined space and where little bandwidth is required.
* Wireless communication with PC input and output devices, the most common being the mouse, keyboard and printer.
* Transfer of files, contact details, calendar appointments, and reminders between devices with OBEX.
* Replacement of traditional wired serial communications in test equipment, GPS receivers, medical equipment, bar code scanners, and traffic control devices.
* For controls where infrared was traditionally used.
* For low bandwidth applications where higher USB bandwidth is not required and cable-free connection desired.
* Sending small advertisements from Bluetooth-enabled advertising hoardings to other, discoverable, Bluetooth devices.
* Wireless bridge between two Industrial Ethernet (e.g., PROFINET) networks.
* Dial-up internet access on personal computers or PDAs using a data-capable mobile phone as a wireless modem like Novatel mifi.
* Short range transmission of health sensor data from medical devices to mobile phone, set-top box or dedicated telehealth devices.
* Allowing a DECT phone to ring and answer calls on behalf of a nearby cell phone
* Real-time location systems (RTLS), are used to track and identify the location of objects in real-time using “Nodes” or “tags” attached to, or embedded in the objects tracked, and “Readers” that receive and process the wireless signals from these tags to determine their locations.

BLUETOOTH VS Wi-Fi

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have many applications: setting up networks, printing, or transferring files.

Wi-Fi is intended for resident equipment and its applications. The category of applications is outlined as WLAN, the wireless local area networks. Wi-Fi is intended as a replacement for cabling for general local area network access in work areas.

Bluetooth is intended for non-resident equipment and its applications. The category of applications is outlined as the wireless personal area network (WPAN). Bluetooth is a replacement for cabling in a variety of personally carried applications in any ambience and can also support fixed location applications such as smart energy functionality in the home (thermostats, etc.).

Wi-Fi is wireless version of a traditional Ethernet network, and requires configuration to set up shared resources, transmit files, and to set up audio links (for example, headsets and hands-free devices). Wi-Fi uses the same radio frequencies as Bluetooth, but with higher power, resulting in a faster connection and better range from the base station. The nearest equivalents in Bluetooth are the DUN profile, which allows devices to act as modem interfaces, and the PAN profile, which allows for ad-hoc networking.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

‘Nagoya Protocol a big victory for India’ - In a hard-fought triumph for India and other developing nations, a new international treaty to ensure that the benefits of natural resources and their commercial derivatives are shared with local communities was signed in the Japanese city of Nagoya on Saturday. However, the flip side is that the U.S. — one of the largest users of such resources — is not among the nearly 200 signatories of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) rules of the Nagoya Protocol. Getting the Americans into the net will be a key aim of the next U.N. summit on bio-diversity to be held in New Delhi in 2012.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits from utilization of genetic resources. With 193 Parties, the Convention has near universal participation among countries committed to preserving life on Earth. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety a supplementary treaty to the Convention seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. To date, 156 countries and the European Community are party to the Protocol. The Secretariat of the Convention and its Cartagena Protocol is located in Montreal.

The Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes the sovereign rights of States over their natural resources in areas within their jurisdiction. Parties to the Convention therefore have the authority to determine access to genetic resources in areas within their jurisdiction. Parties also have the obligation to take appropriate measures with the aim of sharing the benefits derived from their use. Genetic resources, whether from plants, animals or micro-organisms, may be used for different purposes. Users of genetic resources can include research institutes, universities and private companies operating in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, horticulture and biotechnology. Benefits derived from genetic resources may include the result of research and development carried out on genetic resources, the transfer of technologies which make use of those resources, participation in biotechnological research activities, or monetary benefits arising from the commercialization of products based on genetic resources.

2010 International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to raise awareness about the crucial importance of biodiversity, to communicate the human costs of biodiversity loss, and to engage people, particularly youth, throughout the world in the fight to protect all life on Earth. Initiatives will be organized throughout the year to disseminate information, promote the protection of biodiversity and encourage countries, organizations, and individuals to take direct action to reduce biodiversity loss. The focal point for the year is the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia. It was established on 8 August1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam then joined on 8 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.

ASEAN spans over an area of 4.46 million km2 with a population of approximately 580 million people, 8.7% of the world population.

In 2009, its combined nominal GDP had grown to more than USD $1.5 trillion.

Seat of Secretariat -Jakarta (Indonesia).

AIMS AND PURPOSES

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:

* To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
* To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
* To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
* To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
* To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
* To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
* To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

East Asia Summit (EAS)

The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a forum for dialogue on broad strategic, political and economic issues of common interest and concern with the aim of promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in East Asia. It is an open, inclusive, transparent and outward-looking forum, which strives to strengthen global norms and universally recognised values with ASEAN as the driving force working in partnership with the other participants of the East Asia Summit.

The First East Asia Summit was held on 14 December 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was attended by the Heads of State/Government of the Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia, People’s Republic of China, Republic of India, Japan, Republic of Korea and New Zealand.

The Second East Asia Summit was held on 15 January 2007 in Cebu City, the Republic of the Philippines.

The Third East Asia Summit (EAS) was held on 21 November 2007 in Singapore.

The Fourth East Asia Summit was rescheduled several times, had its venue changed and one attempt to hold it was cancelled due to the 2008–2009 Thai political crisis. It was ultimately held on 25 October 2009 in Cha-am and Hua Hin, Thailand.

The Fifth East Asia Summit will be chaired by Vietnam on 30 October 2010.

The Subansari Dam

SUBANSIRI DAM

The Subansari Dam is a 2,000 Mega-Watt under construction hydroelectric power project of NHPC limited. The 116 m concrete gravity dam is on the river Subansari, a tributary of Brahmaputra, in India. When constructed it will be the largest hydroelectric project in India. The project is located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is scheduled to be completed by approx 2012.

CONCERN

These projects have given rise to widespread concern and anxiety in Assam. It is apprehended that once these projects are completed, there would be flash floods in the downstream areas when there is sudden and excessive discharge of waters after heavy rainfall. Besides, there are apprehensions that these projects would have adverse impact on erosion situation, bio-diversity and ecology of the region

National Commission for Scheduled Castes

National Commission for Scheduled Castes

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has been constituted under Article 338 of the Constitution of India as amended by the Constitution (Eighty-Ninth Amendment)Act, 2003.

The statutory National Commission for SCs & STs came into being on 12-3-92 (after the Constitution (65^th )Amendment); Act 1990. Notified on 8-6-1990), it was headed by Sh. Ram Dhan as Chairperson.

Consequent upon implementation of the provision of the Constitution (89^th) Amendment Act.2003, as per notification dated 19-2-2004, the Erstwhile National Commission for SC & ST was replaced by two Commissions viz; National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).

According to article 338 of the Indian Constitution -

1.There shall be a Commission for the Scheduled Castes to be known as the National Commission for the Scheduled Castes.

2.Subject to the provisions of any law made in this behalf by Parliament, the Commission shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members and the conditions of service and tenure of office of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and other Members so appointed shall be such as the President may by rule determine.

3.The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and other Members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.

4.The Commission shall have the power to regulate its own procedure.

5.It shall be the duty of the Commission -

1. to investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under this Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force or under any order of the Government and to evaluate the working of such safeguards;
2. to inquire into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Scheduled Castes;
3. to participate and advise on the planning process of socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes and to evaluate the progress of their development under the Union and any State;
4. to present to the President, annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports upon the working of those safeguards;
5. to make in such reports recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or any State for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes; and
6. to discharge such other functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and advancement of the Scheduled Castes as the President may, subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, by rule specify.
7. to make in such reports recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or any State for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes; and
8. to discharge such other functions in relation to the protection, welfare and development and advancement of the Scheduled Castes as the President may, subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, by rule specify.

6.The President shall cause all such reports to be laid before each House of Parliament along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the Union and the reasons for the non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations.

7. Where any such report, or any part thereof, relates to any matter with which any State Government is concerned, a copy of such report shall be forwarded to the Governor of the State who shall cause it to be laid before the Legislature of the State along with a memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the State and the reasons for the non-acceptance, if any, of any of such recommendations.

8. The Commission shall, while investigating any matter referred to in sub-clause (a) or inquiring into any complaint referred to in sub-clause (b) of clause (5), have all the powers of a civil court trying a suit and in particular in respect of the following matters, namely:-

1. summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of India and examining him on oath;
2. requiring the discovery and production of any documents;
3. receiving evidence on affidavits;
4. requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office;
5. issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents;
6. any other matter which the President may, by rule, determine.

9. The Union and every State Government shall consult the Commission on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Castes.

10. In this article, references to the Scheduled Castes shall be construed as including references to such other backward classes as the President may, on receipt of the report of a Commission appointed under clause (1) of article 340 by order specify and also to the Anglo-Indian community.

3G Mobile Services

3G SPECTRUM

International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT--2000), better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunications services fulfilling specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment.

Compared to the older 2G and 2.5G standards, a 3G system must allow simultaneous use of speech and data services, and provide peak data rates of at least 200 kbit/s according to the IMT-2000 specification.

APPLICATIONS

The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:

• Mobile TV – a provider redirects a TV channel directly to the subscriber's phone where it can be watched.
• Video on demand – a provider sends a movie to the subscriber's phone.
• Video conferencing – subscribers can see as well as talk to each other.
• Tele-medicine – a medical provider monitors or provides advice to the potentially isolated subscriber.
• Location-based services – a provider sends localized weather or traffic conditions to the phone, or the phone allows the subscriber to find nearby businesses or friends.

Nuclear Liability Treaty

Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (csc)

At a Diplomatic Conference at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters in Vienna, 8-12 September 1997, delegates from over 80 States adopted a Protocol to Amend the 1963 Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and also adopted a Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage.

The CSC also allows for compensating civil damage occurring within a State's exclusive economic zone, including loss of tourism or fisheries related income. It also sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability, time limits governing possible legal action, requires that nuclear operators maintain insurance or other financial security measures and provides for a single competent court to hear claims.

The IAEA is the “depository” of the CSC, which has so far been signed by 14 countries and ratified by four, including the U.S. At the moment four States have signed and ratified the Convention - Argentina, Morocco, Romania and the United States. India's signing brings a total of 14 States as current signatories to the Convention. The Convention is set to enter into force on the ninetieth day after date of ratification by at least five States who have a minimum of 400,000 units of installed nuclear capacity.

Nuclear Liability Act

To facilitate nuclear commerce and attract U.S. private companies involved in nuclear commerce, it is necessary to pass the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill also known as Nuclear Liability Bill. Nuclear Liability Bill will thus define the financial and legal liabilities upon the involved groups, manufacturers, operators and government in case a nuclear accident occurs. In this case the suppliers and builders will be the U.S. private companies and the operator will be the Indian government controlled Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Why is it necessary ?

India has an ambitious and indigenous nuclear power program to achieve the goal of 20,000 MWe electricity produced through nuclear energy by 2020 which will be further increased to 60,000 MWe by 2032. In this way, India will produce 25 percent of its electricity from nuclear power plants by 2050. Presently, India is producing 3981 MWe of electricity through nuclear power. The share of nuclear power can be increased with the involvement of foreign private involvement in manufacturing and supply of nuclear reactors.

India needed cooperation with the international community in the nuclear field as its own uranium resources are not adequately exploited, preventing adequate utilisation of atomic plants. The country has 1,47,000 tonnes of known uranium resources but in certain areas like those in Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, mining is yet to begin because of "local" and environmental reasons.

To reap the benefits of Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Deal of nuclear commerce and attract the U.S. companies involved in nuclear commerce like General Electric and Westinghouse, it was necessary to bring a liability act which would help these private companies in getting insurance cover in their home state. Thus, the act will help in the realization of the Indo-U.S. Nuclear deal.

There is no international obligation as such for the act. Some countries of the Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG) like France and Russia do not require any kind of liability act for nuclear trade. Both of these countries have shown interest in nuclear collaboration with India. Still, there are some countries in the group like U.S. which require the host country to have a liability act for a possible nuclear accident.

After the enactment of the Nuclear Liability Bill, India will join the international convention on liability in the civil nuclear arena. India will thus be benefited by the nuclear trade with the participating countries in the nuclear arena. The act shall necessitate suitable amendments in the Atomic Energy Act 1962 which will pave way for private investment in the Indian nuclear power program.

The motive behind the act is also to legally and financially bind the operator and the government to provide relief to the affected population in the case of a nuclear accident. But the amount of financial assistance and legal relief is a point of debate as it is being considered insufficient and unsatisfactory.

Project Tiger

PROJECT TIGER

Project Tiger Scheme has been under implementation since 1973 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Government of India.

Objective

The main objective of Project Tiger is to ensure a viable population of tiger in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values and to preserve for all time, areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.

Main objectives under the scheme include wildlife management, protection measures and site specific ecodevelopment to reduce the dependency of local communities on tiger reserve resources.

Initially, the Project started with 9 tiger reserves, covering an area of 16,339 sq.km., with a population of 268 tigers.

At present there are more than 40 tiger reserves covering an area of 37761 sq.km., with a population of 1411 tigers.

This amounts to almost 1.14% of the total geographical area of the country.

LIST OF TIGER RESERVES

Assam Kaziranga Tiger Reserve

Assam Manas Tiger Reserve

Assam Nameri Tiger Reserve

Arunachal Pradesh Namdapha Tiger Reserve

Arunachal Pradesh Pakhui Tiger Reserve

Andhra Pradesh Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

Bihar Valmiki Tiger Reserve

Chhattisgarh Indravati Tiger Reserve

Chhattisgarh Guru Ghasidas National Park

Jharkhand Palamau Tiger Reserve

Karnataka Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Karnataka Nagarhole (extension) Tiger Reserve

Karnataka Bhadra Tiger Reserve

Kerala Periyar Tiger Reserve

Kerala/Tamil Nadu Annamalai-Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Bori-Satpura Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Kanha Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Panna Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Pench Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Ratapani Tiger Reserve

Maharashtra Melghat Tiger Reserve

Maharashtra Pench Tiger Reserve

Maharashtra Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

Maharashtra Sahyadri Tiger Reserve - Chandoli National Park

Mizoram Dampa Tiger Reserve

Orissa Simlipal Tiger Reserve

Orissa Sunabeda Tiger Reserve

Rajasthan Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve

Rajasthan Sariska Tiger Reserve

Tamil Nadu Kalakad-Mundathurai Tiger Reserve

Tamil Nadu Mudumalai National Park

Tamil Nadu/Kerala Annamalai-Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

Uttar Pradesh Dudhwa Tiger Reserve

Uttar Pradesh Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

Uttaranchal Corbett Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Buxa Tiger Reserve

West Bengal Sunderbans Tiger Reserve

Chattisgarh Udanti & Sitanadi Tiger Reserve

Orissa Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Chattisgarh Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

Karnataka Dandeli-Anashi Tiger Reserve

Madhya Pradesh Sanjay National Park & Sanjay Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary

The Millennium Development Goal

The Millennium Development declaration was a visionary document, which sought partnership between rich and poor nations to make globalisation a force for good. Its signatories agreed to explicit goals on a specific timeline. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set ambitious targets for reducing hunger, poverty, infant and maternal mortality, for reversing the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and giving children basic education by 2015. These also included gender equality, environmental sustainability and multisectoral and international partnerships.

The 10th anniversary of the declaration was used to review progress and suggest course corrections to meet the 2015 deadline. The glittering banquets, the power lunches and the rhetoric at the formal meetings, attended by many celebrities, ambassadors of different nations, international charities and the media, in New York belied the stark reality in many poor countries. While the declaration and the MDGs were a clarion call and mobilised many governments into concerted action, a review of the achievements to date and projections for 2015 suggest some success and much failure. Most rich nations failed to meet the targets on promised aid. While progress has been made, much more needs to be done.

Government's claims

The Government of India claims that the country is on track to meet the MDG targets by 2015. It argues that the number of people living below the poverty line has reduced. It claims that child and maternal mortality rates are reducing at a pace commensurate with its plans. It maintains that many government-sponsored schemes have increased public resources in several key sectors. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has increased rural employment. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a national policy to universalise primary education, has increased enrolment in schools. The Reproductive and Child Health Programme II, the Integrated Child Development Services and the National Rural Health Mission have resulted in massive inputs in the health sector. It states HIV rates are low and that deaths due to tuberculosis and malaria show downward trends. It asserts that the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission and the Total Sanitation Campaign address crucial MDGs.

It is, however, difficult to endorse the government's confidence and optimism. Experts argue that the poverty reduction claims are the result of a sleight of hand, which employs debatable measurements and methods for assessment. The existing rates of malnutrition, affecting half of all children under 5, do not support the claims of hunger reduction.

While many agree with the figures for reduction in maternal mortality, they feel the target set is unachievable, as are those for reduction of child mortality and for universal primary education. Gender equality remains elusive. The emergence of an extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis and the high incidence of malaria in certain regions are worrying.

The impressive growth and the creation of wealth with economic liberalisation have not resulted in social development, what with stagnation in key social indicators, particularly among the disadvantaged. There has been an uneven expansion of social and economic opportunities with growing disparities across regions, castes and gender. While India's Gross Domestic Product argues for its middle-income nation status, it also hides massive poverty and much inequity. The challenge to convert India's commitments and resources into measurable results for all its citizens, especially those belonging to socially disadvantaged and marginalised communities, remains gigantic and unmet.

Illusory measurements

The Millennium Declaration, unlike many other documents, set out measurable aims instead of the usual vague platitudes of many international agreements. The MDGs focus on specific and measurable outcomes. However, employing proxy and surrogate variables to measure the country's success may not reflect actual progress. The focus on the massive inputs related to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) while discussing child and maternal mortality, for instance. Most NRHM documents describe in detail particulars of the increased funding, new infrastructure, additional health personnel and the many new initiatives. However, they are silent on their impact on the health of people. The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a conditional cash transfer scheme for safe motherhood, is operative and is part of the drive to increase institutional deliveries. The impressive number of women who have given birth to children in hospitals and the amounts utilised under the scheme measure its success. However, the system does not collect and collate data on the number of safe deliveries, the number of live births and measures of the health of mothers and babies. Data on the person who actually conducted the delivery, post-delivery complications, duration of stay at health centres and the status of the mother and child are not available. System failures related to transport, functioning of facilities, referral and emergency obstetric care are not rare but go undocumented.

While there is no doubt that the NRHM has made a positive impact on primary and secondary health systems, we need proof of improved functioning in addition to evidence of enhanced infrastructure and increased personnel. Specific measurements of outcomes will allow for course corrections and targeted inputs.

Similarly, while enrolment rates have improved, the question of retention of girls in primary education is yet to be established, posing a threat to meeting the targets for universal education. While the figures for hunger reduction look better, those for malnutrition in children suggest otherwise. The figures for poverty reduction are contested. Patriarchy is firmly established and shows little signs of change, especially in rural India, making gender equality and justice elusive. Many reports suggest that environmental sustainability of many development projects is not adequately evaluated.

While there are many gains, the question to be answered is: “Is India on track to meet the MDGs in 2015?” Its vast population, its diversity, the variability of services and the differing baselines across regions complicate the achievement of the MDGs. There is evidence that while some States are on track, many others lag behind and will lower the country's overall achievement. This demands a more detailed assessment of the impact of the many schemes introduced rather than the use of only input variables to predict MDG outputs.

Rhetoric-reality divide

India's vast geography and its diversity are major reasons for significant variations across regions. They mandate the need for separate targets, governance, a focus on public health and changes in social structures. The variability across regions mandates dedicated goals and specific targets tailored to regional baseline rates, for both specific regions and marginalised populations. Periodic assessments of specific outputs required to meet the MDGs are necessary rather than highlighting of new inputs. The many new schemes need to audit their actual, rather than their presumed, impact.

Any survey of regional data clearly documents that poor outcomes are in regions with poor governance. While the NRHM divides the country into high-focus and non-high focus States, the inputs to improve the situation are not directed at improving governance. The federal structure means that improving local governance is the responsibility of individual States. Many States have not fully exploited the increased funding and the newer schemes. Good governance is an effect multiplier and will have a much greater impact on the country's MDGs than just increases in finance, infrastructure and health personnel. Corruption is a deadlier disease which needs urgent attention than most of the medical conditions affecting the people.

The focus on improvement in health continues to employ perspectives of curative medicine rather than concentrate on public health approaches. Clean water, sanitation, nutrition, housing, education, employment and social determinants seem to receive a lower priority despite their known impact on the health of populations.

Feudal social structures continue to oppress millions of people. Health and economic indices of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes show much lower rates of health and greater poverty. Patriarchal society places much burden on girls and women, especially in rural India. Without changes in social structures, improvements in health and economic status will remain a distant dream for the many millions who live on the margins of a resurgent India.

The 10th anniversary assessment of the MDGs and its rhetoric left many wondering if they were just warm words, business as usual. Millions live in poverty, hunger is common, half the children under-five are malnourished, maternal mortality is unacceptably high, and a significant number of girls will not receive primary education. The sense of urgency, born of the moral conviction that extreme poverty is unacceptable in our inter-connected world, should not be lost. The time for action is now.

Law Commission of India

The Law Commission of India goes back a long way and has a very distinguished history. The first Law Commission, set up in 1834 under none other than Thomas Macaulay, recommended among others things codification of the Indian Penal Code. But in independent India the Law Commission hasn't had such a great time. This might change if the latest proposal by the law ministry is implemented. The ministry has recommended providing greater autonomy to the panel by giving it statutory status. A Bill is likely to be moved in Parliament soon. This would go some way in making the panel, which currently gets reconstituted every three years, more effective. Like the law panels of England and Canada, the Indian Law Commission will have greater independence and continuity.

However, statutory powers won't change things completely by themselves. The Law Commission will still submit reports which will be tabled in Parliament. It will then be up to the government to accept the panel's advice and act on it. The law panel, first set up in 1955 and headed by eminent jurists, has made several good recommendations in the 234 reports it has submitted so far. But unfortunately these have been ignored in many instances. For example, the Law Commission had in 2000 recommended a provision recognising and punishing child abuse with a longer prison term. But there was no movement until the high-profile case involving former Haryana inspector-general of police S P S Rathore. The terms of reference of the current Law Commission, the 19th in independent India, include review and repeal of obsolete laws. We can only hope more teeth to the panel will make the government heed its recommendations and speed up the process of reform of law.

Currency War

What is meant by currency war?

The term ‘currency war’ was used in recent times by Brazil’s finance minister Guido Mantega in the first week of October this year reacting to China’s attempt to protect the yuan from rising too quickly against the dollar. It comprises competitive measures by governments to improve their trade by maneuvering exchange rates. A cheap currency, vis-àvis the dollar, adds to the competitive advantage to the exporter. Countries such as China, Brazil, South Korea and Japan have taken measures to devaluate their currencies which would help them boost exports and create jobs. An attempt by the government to prevent its currency from appreciating too steeply and too fast against competing nation is what is seen as currency war between different countries . The history of currency wars dates back to the Great Depression era when major economies devalued their currencies as a part of a measure to give preference to local goods over imported ones.

What is its impact on Indian economy?

When competitors devalue their respective currencies, domestic exporters tend to lose out on the price advantage on their exportables as buyers prefer to buy from a cheaper currency. This in turn hurts income as well as the jobs in the export sector and the prospects for the economy. The central bank at such times tries to intervene — buy dollars and create an artificial demand for the dollar, devaluing the value of the rupee in the process and retain some price advantage for the exporter . But buying dollars involves a fiscal cost as the central bank has to pump in equivalent amount of rupees and again mop it up by selling bonds. These bonds need to be serviced by the government. This would in turn worsen the fiscal position .

How does currency war impact global recovery?

Currency wars are a part of what is described as a ‘beggar thy neighbour’ policy — attempts by a country to solve its economic problems by causing worse difficulties in other markets. When all countries engage in such policies, it turns out to be a race to the bottom. As countries compete to devalue their currencies to save the interest of their exporters, it collectively reduces demand for foreign goods, something that world economies cannot afford at a time when the process of global recovery from the after affects of the crisis of 2008-09 is still underway. Also , competitive currency devaluation is happening at a time, when some of the developed economies have a soft money situation, wherein monetary regulators are on a quantitative easing spree, lowering their interest rates, which is making emerging economies trying to regulate their inflation an arduous task, as direction of the capital flows has turned towards them. There is also the fear of a bubble, which will burst once developed economies are back on track and the flow of capital shrinks. This shrinking is expected to be first reflected in the currency markets.

What is the current international thinking on the matter?

The United States is looking for global support at forums such as the G20 to the IMF, so that there can be collective pressure on China to ease up on the Yuan. IMF feels that it is the right place to make progress on the currency question . Emerging nations are not very keen to range themselves in this battle. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has said he urged countries to work towards a consensus as the way forward.

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Threat of Currency War:

It may not really be a currency war, but even I was surprised by the aggressive language being used by senior American and Chinese officials in Washington last week. Not to mention the head of the IMF. It's been a long time since economic relations between the major powers have been this bad-tempered.

I reported from the "frontline" last Thursday, but here's an "idiot's guide" to the debate over global currencies, which I've just done for the World Service.

Coming out of the financial crisis, every country wants to grow as fast it can. That's not the problem. The problem is how.

The United States and Britain have the largest budget deficits in the G20 - which means they're looking at years of cuts. They're looking for exports to pick up the slack, and the best way to boost exports is through a weaker currency.

The problem is that the eurozone wants the same thing. So does Japan. And so does China - even though America and the eurozone think it's time that the Chinese consumer stepped up to the plate.

It sounds like a global price war, with each country fighting to under-bid the other. But when companies have price wars - don't we consumers usually win?

The trouble is that exchange rates aren't the same as prices - if the dollar is going down, then other currencies have to go up. And governments aren't companies: if they don't like where their currency is going they can intervene. The rest of the world is left fighting the price war on its own.

That is exactly what China and other Asian exporting countries have been doing for the last few years - they've spent hundreds of billions of dollars fixing the market to keep their exports cheap. More than a trillion, in the case of China, which now sits on a mountain of dollar reserves.

At the start of the summer, China promised to let its exchange rate go up - but since then it has strengthened against the dollar by just 2%. The yuan has fallen about 10% against the euro and the yen. You can see why the US and other governments gathered in Washington last week were less than thrilled.

China says the focus on the exchange rate misses the point - policy-makers should focus on the why the US saves too little as a nation, and Asian economies save too much. Long term, that IS what re-balancing the global economy must be about.

But, as the director of the International Monetary Fund said last week, you can't go many steps along that road without a substantial change in exchange rates.

That's why you should worry about where talk of currency wars will lead. Because if the world's leaders cannot agree on the role that currencies will play in this global economy - they're not going to agree on very much else.

Right of recourse to Foreign Countries

Right of recourse to foreign countries

The accident insurance institutions have the right to claim compensation (recourse) for granted benefits of those who have caused the damage or their insurers by legally transferring the claims for damages to them. As a rule, damage or recourse can also be claimed if the insured person has suffered a damage (or if the damage was caused on the national territory by a person residing in a foreign country).


Especially in the case of damages caused in a foreign country, the damage claim principles prevailing in the particular country, that often differ from the national handling, have to be observed which then impedes the enforcement of claims (e.g. low maximum damage claims, short periods of application and prescription, refusal to accept the legal transfer of claims for damages).





Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC)

Over the past two decades, the international community has taken a number of actions to foster the use of nuclear power in a safe and secure manner. One of the most important actions was adoption of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) to serve as the basis for a global nuclear liability regime. Such a regime is vital to promoting international cooperation in designing, constructing and operating nuclear power plants and in ensuring the safety and security of these plants.

The CSC achieves legal certainty by requiring each member country to have national law on nuclear liability that is based on the Paris Convention,3 the Vienna Convention4 or the Annex to the CSC56 and that incorporates the provisions in the CSC on jurisdiction, compensation and the definition of nuclear damage.

The CSC reaffirms the principle that jurisdiction over a nuclear incident lies only with the courts of the country where the incident occurs. The CSC assures the availability of a meaningful amount of compensation for nuclear damage in member countries by providing for two tiers of compensation. The CSC assures meaningful compensation for nuclear damage promptly with a minimum of litigation.

Both generating States and non-generating States have a strong interest in assuring that, in the unlikely event of a nuclear incident, their citizens receive meaningful compensation for nuclear damage promptly with a minimum of litigation and other burdens. The CSC has been developed specifically to achieve this objective.

Establishment of a global nuclear liability regime based on the CSC is essential to fully realising the potential benefits from nuclear power with respect to economic development, living standards, energy prices and supplies, and the environment. Since the adoption of the CSC in 1997, considerable effort has been expended to provide a better understanding of the CSC and to clarify how its provisions operate to establish a legal framework that achieves the complementary objectives of facilitating commercial development of nuclear power and assuring, in the unlikely event of a nuclear incident, the prompt availability of meaningful compensation with a minimum of litigation and other burdens. This effort has provided a sound basis on which both generating States and non-generating States can now give serious consideration to adhering to the CSC and thereby establish a global nuclear liability regime.

MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE

MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE

In recognition of the importance of assuring reasonable produce prices to the farmers, motivating them to adopt improved technology and to promote investment by them in farm enterprises, the Agricultural Prices Commission (Currently known as the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices) was established in 1965 for advising the Government on agricultural prices policy on a continuing basis. The thrust of the policy in 1965 was to evolve a balanced and integrated structure to meet the overall needs of the economy and with due regard to the interests of the producers and the consumers.

The minimum support prices are announced by the Govt. of India with a view to ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce on the basis of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommendations. The minimum support prices are perceived by the farmers as a guarantee price for their produce from the Government. These prices are announced by the Government at the commencement of the season to enable them to pursue their efforts with the assurance that the prices would not be allowed to fall below the level fixed by the Govt. Such minimum support prices are fixed at incentive level, so as to induce the farmers to make capital investment for the improvement of their farm and to motivate them to adopt improved crop production technologies to step up their production and thereby their net income.

Recently GOI announced a marginal increase of Rs.20 a quintal in the minimum support price of wheat to Rs.1,120

BIPA The Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement

The Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) between India and Sudan came into effect from Monday with the exchange of instruments of ratification (IoR) between the two countries.

BIPA seeks to promote and protect investments from one country in the other country. Such agreements facilitate bilateral investment flows and grant benefits of national treatment (NT) and most favoured nation (MFN). So far, India has inked BIPA with 79 countries of which 68 are already in force. Sudan is the 69th nation with which the provisions of the agreement have now come in to effect.

Convention on Biological Diversity Meeting

The 193 members of the U.N.'s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held n the central city of Nagoya in Japan to try to work out strategies to head off a manmade mass extinction.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty. The Convention has three main goals:

1. conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity);
2. sustainable use of its components; and
3. fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.
International Biodiversity Day: 22 May

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)

The INO will be a major underground experimental facility to study the elusive and nearly mass-less fundamental particles of nature called neutrinos,
The Singara site which, according to scientists, is the best spot to locate the INO, was rejected by the MoEF on the grounds that it was not cleared by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD). It was stated to fall in the buffer zone of the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve. The site being close to the elephant corridor between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats was also a consideration.

Two-km tunnel

The proposed massive neutrino detector will be built in a cavern set in massive charnockite rock (group of igneous rocks found in South India with those in Tamil Nadu known to be the hardest). The cavern will be excavated by drilling a tunnel of 1.9-2 km in length under the peak designated as 1589 so that there is vertical overburden of about 1,300 m. For a good neutrino detection facility, a vertical cover of at least 1,000 m is required so that the observed neutrino events are not contaminated by unwanted particles that will be absorbed by the overburden.

The INO includes nearly 90 scientists from 25 institutions, with the TIFR as the nodal institution.

Neutrino:

Is an elementary particle that usually travels close to the speed of light, is electrically neutral, and is able to pass through ordinary matter almost undisturbed. This makes neutrinos extremely difficult to detect. Neutrinos have a very small, but nonzero mass. They are denoted by the Greek letter ν (nu).

Right To Property

Though the ‘right to property' was deleted by the 44th Constitution Amendment in 1978, it was challenged only in 2007 in the context of acquisition of large extents of land for Special Economic Zones, and the court issued notice to the Centre.

It was contended in the PIL petition that nowadays, further inroads into the right to property were evident in the newly formed policy on SEZs, “which has as its goal the taking over of the property of individuals, small peasants and farmers under the Land Acquisition Act without reference to their reasonableness.”

SC rejected petition filed by Sanjiv Kumar Agarwal, founder of the Kolkata-based Good Governance India Foundation.

The petition challenged the deletion of Article 19 (1) (f) from the Fundamental Rights chapter of the Constitution by the 44th Amendment. According to the object of this Amendment, “In view of the special position sought to be given to fundamental rights, the right to property, which has been the occasion for more than one amendment of the Constitution, would cease to be a fundamental right and become only a legal right. Necessary amendments for this purpose are being made to Article 19 and Article 31 [compulsory acquisition of property] is being deleted.”

Global Hunger Index 2010

1. GHI 2010 released by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC
2. hungry people in the world hovers around the one-billion mark
3. A year ago Food and Agriculture Organisation place the figure at 925 million
5. glittering economic growth rates do not mean a hunger-free nation
6. Brazil has improved its performance by more than 50 per cent between 1990 and 2010, thanks to effective state intervention.

GHI:
Is a multidimensional statistical tool used to describe the state of countries’ hunger situation. The GHI measures progress and failures in the global fight against hunger.^[1] The GHI is updated once a year.

Calculation:

The Index ranks countries on a 100 point scale, with 0 being the best score ("no hunger") and 100 being the wors0- No hunger

4 .9 - Low hunger

5 to 9.9 - moderate hunger

10 to 19.9 - alarming hunger

above 30: extremely alarming hunger

100- Worst Hunger situtation

Rank of India is 18th: with score of 24,1(2010) 23,9(2009) 31,7(2008)

The GHI combines three equally weighted indicators:
1) the proportion of the undernourished as a percentage of the population
2) the prevalence of underweight children under the age of five; and
3) the mortality rate of children under the age of five.

India's UAV: Rustom

Rustom 1, a medium-altitude and long-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), was successfully test-flown

Two other UAVs developed by the ADE — Lakshya and Nishant.

Lakshya — a drone that is remotely piloted by a ground control station — provides aerial sub-targets for live-fire training

Nishant is a surveillance aircraft primarily tasked with intelligence gathering over enemy territory.

Rustom 1-

Unlike the other UAVs, which used to have a free fall with parachutes after executing their tasks, Rustom will carry out copybook style landing,

Mullaiperiyar Dam Controversy:Issues And Concerns

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Mullaperiyar Dam is constructed over the headwaters of the Periyar River in Kerala, India. The Periyar National Park, Thekkady is located around the Periyar reservoir formed by the backwaters of this dam. It is operated by the Government of Tamil Nadu according to a 999-year lease agreement made during erstwhile British colonial rule.

Periyar river is a west-flowing river of Kerala State. The river flows its full course entirely through Kerala, and derives its water almost exclusively from catchment area (Drainage basin) inside the State. The dam stops the west flowing river to form a reservoir, which is also exclusively located in Kerala. From the reservoir, Tamil Nadu collects water to the eastern side of Western Ghats via a tunnel.

The government of Tamil Nadu has proposed an increase in the storage level of the dam from the currently maintained 136 feet (41 m) to 142 feet (43 m). The Kerala government has opposed this move, citing safety concerns for the more than hundred year old brid
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Interestingly, Mullaiperiyar dam controversy is not about sharing water as in the case of Cauvery. Kerala, any way, cannot use the dam water as most of it is going to the sea and the Kerala is least bothered about use of water that flows through the dam. It is also not a case of rehabilitation, at least as on date, as in the case of Narmada. Vast areas that would be submerged if reservoir level were increased are the Periyar Tiger Reserve and it is a different matter of concern altogether of protecting forest species. It is not even the question of increasing height of the dam because the original storage level was 152 ft, which was reduced to 136 ft in the backdrop of mild tremor to the magnitude of 2 on Richter scale in the region in 1979. Still, the tempers are running high on both states, if not to the level of confrontations and clashes. Because, it is a matter of providing livelihood to several lakhs of people and of increasing agricultural productivity in the rain shadow districts of Tamil Nadu that would benefit out of water flow, which otherwise goes waste, by increasing the reservoir level. On the other hand, it is a matter of environmental concern for Kerala that would like to avoid ‘bursting’ or ‘breaking’ of the 110 years old, 175 ft high, 5704 ft long lime and brick dam in question. Kerala, being a land-locked state, appears to be over cautious. The state being land hungry, any environmental imbalance snowballing into imbalance in and destabilization of irrigation and, in turn, agrarian economy also cannot be ruled out. Kerala appears to be more concerned about the consequences inland than about the Mullaiperiyar dam as such.Tamil Nadu went to the Supreme Court and succeeded in convincing the Court to pass an order, in February 2006, in its favour to increase the height of the reservoir level of the dam to 142 ft from the present 136 ft. Kerala countered it by moving swiftly to the extent of holding a special two-day assembly session in March to discuss the issue and unanimously passed a legislation, Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006 in order to steal away the basis of the Supreme Court order. The amended act has empowered the Kerala Dam Safety Authority to fix maximum reservoir level for scheduled dams and to instruct custodians of the dam accordingly. In this case, Mullaiperiyar is a scheduled dam and custodian is the Tamil Nadu state government. When the Kerala government approached the Court for revision of its order, the Supreme Court rejected it and has advised talks between the two governments. Talks that have been on for last few months appear not to have yielded desired results and it is only a matter of time for the Tamil Nadu State Government to approach the court to enforce the verdict.The Kerala government is coming up with the issue of safety of the 110-year-old dam and the consequent issues that are expected to affect more than 35 lakh people living in downstream in the districts of Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Pathananmthitta and Alappuzha. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, is raising the issues of irrigation and drinking water in the rain shadow districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram which would otherwise have no access to any water facilities. Tamil Nadu claimed to have lost 45000 crores in the last 25 years because more than 8000 hectares of land went dry by way of reduction in the original reservoir level of 152 ft.As the Kerala government said that the dam is so weak that it cannot withstand storage level of more than 136 ft, an Experts Committee was formed to study the technical feasibility and ways to strengthen the ailing dam. After some modification, renovation and repair works were carried out; the Experts Committee inspected the dam and has certified that the dam can withstand a reservoir level of 142 ft initially. But, the Kerala government is not ready to buy the argument and insists that the reservoir level should not be increased at any cost.The Centre for Earth Science Studies in Kerala says that the dam cannot withstand an earthquake of the magnitude of 6 or more on the Richter scale if the epicentre is near the dam. The institute also assessed that tremor of such a magnitude is not too far as the region has been experiencing several tremors on lesser degrees for quite sometime now, i.e., in the last two decades. The chances of occurrence of such tremors are also high due to the presence of lineaments and fault zones in the region.The Mullaiperiyar controversy has opened up newer and newer issues for discussion. Strangely, the dam is located in the lands of Kerala while the maintenance of dam and the operation of sluice gate are undertaken by the Tamil Nadu government. The land was taken on lease by Tamil Nadu for 999 years in 1886 through an agreement between the then Maharaja of State of Travancore and the Madras Presidency. The project was conceived in 1895. Again, a new agreement was signed around 1970 when the old one was about to expire. The lease amount was increased from Rs.5/ to Rs.30 per acre and the Tamil Nadu government was allowed to produce electricity at a price. The whole problem started only in 1979 when the region faced mild tremors. Now, there are also debates on annexing dam areas bordering the state to Tamil Nadu. The State Reorganisation Commission had also suggested including Devikulam and Peermedu areas (dam areas) in the state. Tamil Nadu is concerned because the new amended law empowers Kerala Dam Safety Authority even to decommission dams, if found unsafe. Such an eventuality will affect more than 80000 acres of land that is under irrigation and will be a body blow to the state of Tamil Nadu. It has also opened debates on water policies of both governments, diverting west-flowing rivers (from Kerala to Arabian Sea) towards east (Tamil Nadu) so as to avoid wastage of water, the rationale of allowing privatization and commercialization of water in this water starved era, policies that makes people to pay for every drop of water they use while encouraging multinationals to go scot-free in exploiting all our water resources (like Coca-Cola company at Tirunelveli and Bechtel at Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu), scientific approach to water conservation and watershed management, etc. Electricity generation and distribution policies are also being debated anew.Tamil Nadu is heading for a water crisis. Irrigation systems are being handed over to various multinational agencies including World Bank and companies from European countries. The people are being forced to pay for it. Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), a government agency, has been turned into a nodal agency for brokering deals with multinationals and for spearheading privatization and commercialization of water. The government is shirking off its responsibility on water issues and TWAD being restructured to become a self-sustainable, profit-based organization is only an indication.In this backdrop, the issue involved is the livelihood of millions of people on both sides. Court verdicts and emergency legislations may not solve the real crisis. Water going waste is of no concern for Kerala and the same being used by Tamil Nadu also should not be a problem for them. Increasing agricultural productivity and saving livelihood of lakhs of people in Tamil Nadu, particularly in those dry and rain shadow districts in the region, is very important. Likewise, the safety and security of lakhs of people of Kerala are also equally important. Conflicting views on the stress and strength analysis and technical feasibility of increasing reservoir level of the dam should be thrashed out first. Instead of depending on courts and legislations, negotiations and talks should be the main modus operandi to settle the dispute. Taking over of irrigation subject by the Central Government may not be a real solution in a multi-national, multi-ethnic society. Rather, the central government should play the role of an efficient and effective facilitator to find an amicable solution to the dispute. There is a need for evolving an effective inter-state water dispute redressal mechanism. Any attempt, on both sides, to incite passions of regional chauvinism should be condemned in unequivocal terms. But, unfortunately political parties in both states are inclined mainly to incite passions rather than finding an amicable and workable solution to the dispute. The ruling party in Kerala is behaving more as a regionalist party than a communist party. DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu are also eyeing for an opportunity to flare up feelings of regional chauvinism in order to revive their own declining influences among masses. Arriving at a mutually acceptable, mutually beneficial solution should be the point of departure for any framework for solution. Alternatives should also be given serious thought. Constructing a new dam can also be considered if it is established that Mullaiperiyar dam cannot withstand the pressure of increasing the reservoir level. Adopting an integrated approach of river diversions, utilization of all possible water ways, innovative water management policies, putting kanmoys (tanks and lakes) and rivers (Vaigai) to a coordinated use, etc., can also be considered. There is also an opinion expressed by Kambam Basin Farmers’ Association that water can be effectively put to use through an integrated use of Vaigai river system and its kanmoys (tanks) where water can be stored after it is released from Mullaiperiyar dam and constructing a small dam near Varusanadu, if necessary, to feed Vaigai river. This proposal, if actually feasible, is potent enough to make other proposals of increasing reservoir level of Mullaiperiyar dam and constructing a new dam redundant.