The Girl Child – Investing in the Future "24 Jan - NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY"

The Girl Child – Investing in the Future 

Welcome to the world of the girl child. Her story across India is promising yet gloomy, hopeful yet mired in despair.

A girl child is the hand that rocks the cradle, the procreator, and the mother of tomorrow. A woman shapes the destiny of civilization.

Indian history is full of examples of successful women who have been leaders in various walks of life. Yet the irony is that a creation as beautiful as the girl child is also one of the gravest concerns facing India due to many cultural factors.

Realising this, Indian governments have undertaken progressive legislation and have implemented several schemes from time to time. Yet more needs to be done not only to ensure her survival and also to help her realise her full potential.

One such effort initiated by the United Progressive Alliance Government in 2008 is the observance of National Girl Child Day on January 24 every year.

The reason January 24 was chosen is that on this day in 1966 Mrs. Indira Gandhi took over as the first woman Prime Minister of India.

Children in the age group 0–6 years constitute around 158 million of the population of India as per the 2011 census. These children in the age group of 0-6 are future human resource of the country.

Then, why celebrate just National Girl Child Day? The reason is obvious: the girl child continues to be the most vulnerable member of Indian society.

The 2011 Census shows that there has been an improvement in social indicators such as literacy and the gender gap in effective literacy development rate and that the overall sex ratio has improved from 933 to 940. However, at an age-group wise dis-aggregated level, the Census shows a decline in the ratio of girls per thousand boys in the 0 to 6 age group, i.e. in the Child Sex Ratio as compared to 914 in 2011 from 927 in the 2001 Census.

The latest Census clearly shows that decline in Child Sex Ratio has now been witnessed in as many as 22 States and 5 Union Territories. The National Family Health Survey-3 data on under nutrition in children below 5 years had already flagged that 43 per cent of girls are under-nourished.

Through this campaign, the government has highlighted the inequalities encountered by the girl child.

NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY: OBJECTIVES

Armed with more than half a dozen objectives, the government, along with other stakeholders, is trying to ensure the girl child survives and succeeds with dignity and respect in a male-dominated society.

·        To increase the awareness and offer new opportunities to the girl child.

·        To remove all the inequalities faced by the girl children.

·        To ensure that every girl child is getting proper respect, human rights and value in the Indian society.

·        To work against diminishing the child sex ratio and fight the social stigma against the girl child.

·        To initiate couple towards the girl child by increasing awareness about the importance and role of the girl child.

·        To address the girl children issues associated to their health, education, nutrition etc.

·        To propagate the gender equality

WHAT WILL NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY CELEBRATIONS ACHIEVE? It attempts to attack the prevailing mindset and ensure that even before a girl is born she is not viewed as a burden and that she does not becomes a victim of violence or female foeticide.

Legislative Measures

 For meeting these challenges, the government is stressing on the importance of three 'A's, i.e. Advocacy, Awareness and Affirmative action. Some of the important legislative measures taken so far include:-

·        Banning Sex determination during pregnancy and Policies & programmes for rewarding the girl child

·        Restricting Child marriages

·        Improving Antenatal care for all the pregnant women

·        Introduction of “Save the Girl Child” scheme

·        Free and compulsory primary school education for both boys and girls till 14 years of age.

·        Reservation of 1/3 seats in the local government for women.

·        School children are well availed with the uniforms, noon meal and educational materials and schemes of higher learning for  SC and ST girls.

·        Balwadi-cum-creeches.

·        The Open Learning System has been established for easiness to the girls of backward areas.

·        Self-Help Groups initiated in various states is helping girls in rural areas access better livelihood opportunities

OTHER AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONS

The Women and Child Development Ministry had implemented a scheme called “Dhanalaksmi” to make cash transfer to the girl child family to fulfil the basic needs such as immunization, birth registration, school enrolment and maintenance up to the Class VIII.

Another equally important scheme is the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)–‘Sabla’, a Centrally-sponsored scheme introduced in the year 2010-11 on a pilot basis. Sabla aims at all-round development of adolescent girls of 11-18 years (with a focus on out of school girls) and is being implemented in 205 districts from all the States/UTs.

Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) implemented since 2006-07 as a component under the centrally sponsored Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme seeks to empower adolescent girls in terms of nutritional, health and family care, learning life skills and going back to school. Currently KSY is being implemented in 6118 blocks in the country.

FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT

To commemorate National Girl Child Day in 2014, India Post is launching a special drive for opening of new Saving Bank (SB) accounts in the name of each girl child. The drive starts from January 24 and will conclude on 28.

The objective of the drive is to secure the future of girl child by motivating them to open a small savings bank account.

This facility is available in all 4480 Post offices of North Karnataka Region covering all villages. Under this scheme, each account fetches 4 percent interest per annum and depositor can make any number of transactions. The executives will visit all schools to help each school going girl child to have one SB account in her name.

PROTECTING AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE

The Integrated Child Protection Scheme being implemented since 2009-10 and Childline services is also addressing the issue of safety and security of girl child in India.

Top policy makers realised how child abuse is shrouded in secrecy and there is a conspiracy of silence around the entire subject. In 2005 the Ministry of Women and Child Development undertook a study to examine the extent and magnitude of child abuse in India. As a result a special law - the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 - was passed by Parliament in May, 2012 to address this issue.

CHILD BUDGETING

Child Budgeting introduced in the Union Budget for 2008-09 by the UPA government aims at providing for Schemes for the Welfare of Children. Initially it covered the “Demands for Grants” with child-specific schemes from Ministries of Women and Child Development, Human Resource Development, Health and Family Welfare, Labour and Employment, Social Justice & Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports. Currently the 'Child Budgeting' statement covers 18 “Demands for Grants” from Union Ministries/Departments of Atomic Energy, Industrial Policy, Posts, Telecommunication, and Information and Broadcasting among others), marking a significant increase from an initial Budget. This along with the Gender Budgeting is likely to improve opportunities for girl child to survive and succeed in India.

NATIONAL CHILD POLICY RESOLUTION ADOPTED

To affirm its commitment to the rights based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging challenges in the situation of children, the Government of India had adopts this Resolution on the National Policy for Children, 2013. The document calls for a comprehensive review of this Policy once in five years in consultation with all stakeholders, including children. The Ministry of Women and Child Development will lead the review process.

CONCLUSION

Protecting a girl child in India should not be limited to observing National Girl Child Day every year. Instead armed with strong legislative measures, the governments and other stakeholders - the community, civil society, business houses, neighbourhood and parents – must play a strong role to secure a safe life for the girl child in order to build a better society, better future and a better India.

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Author - K. S. Narayanan (A Freelance Writer.) Source - PIB

MEASURES TO REINVIGORATE INDIAN ECONOMY

Indian economy is looking to be at a perfect storm. A loose fiscal policy uncorked a spell of high inflation, triggering a tight monetary policy to fight it. The outcome was the economy began to lose momentum. Mismanagement added to woes by way of stalled industrial projects and policy flip-flops. The likelihood that the US will soon begin to roll back almost five years of monetary stimulus adds to the uncertainty.

The recent measures announced by the finance minister P Chidambaram looks quite inadequate to reinvigorate India's economy.

Import duty on gold has been increased thrice in 2013 by a cumulative six percentage points to 10%, in an attempt to rein in the current account deficit, but incremental rise will not solve a structural problem.

At the heart of India's current economic problems is the runaway fiscal deficit. It also happens to be under the direct control of the finance ministry. Chidambaram surprised everyone by announcing a fiscal deficit of just 4.9% of GDP in 2012-13, as this was lower than projected in the budget. This also helped the government regain credibility and was rewarded by an upgrade in the outlook of credit rating agency Fitch.

Still, the situation presents an opportunity to renew the jittery investors' faith in India. The overarching approach has to be to project stability. This will partially undo the damage of the last few years and also draw in the $70 billion Chidambaram forecast as the foreign money needed in 2013-14 to bridge the current account deficit.

The next step should be to follow through on the promised fiscal road map as this will be the single biggest stabilizing influence on the economy. Pulling back subsidies is critical. The food bill, however, sends a negative signal on the government's commitment and suggests an irrational approach to welfare measures. It should not be allowed to sidetrack reforms of fertilizer and fuel subsidies. Retail fuel subsidy today costs the exchequer Rs 379 crore a day and can be tackled through fast price adjustments.

Fiscal stabilization has to be complemented by catalyzing investments. Banks are hobbled by over Rs 2 trillion of bad loans. Here too the government can help by facilitating clearance of stalled projects that are stuck because of poor coordination among different arms of the government. Better systems are only the first steps for unclogging the investment pipeline. A turnaround requires a steadfast policy shift towards incentivizing growth.

Reduce the current account deficit- India adopted LPG policy in 1991 to avoid the precipitated balance of payment crisis since then the value of India's international trade has increased sharply. But a major fact remains same that its import always remains on higher side than its export. The major reason of this factor is its heavy reliance on global trader for import of commodities like oil, natural gas, machinery, electronic goods, gold and silver. India's oil import bill is seen as a major driver of its current account deficit due to global economic volatility in the oil market.

Time demands that India has to increase its global trade partner with whom it can have liberal policies like free trade agreement, currency exchange program, and technology development schemes. This is required to achieve the aim of faster, inclusive and sustainable growth.

Proper implementation of agriculture related schemes- Agriculture and its allied activities are an important of Indian economy but agriculture output of India lag far behind its real potential. With half of our population dependent on agriculture and its allied activities, there is a need of faster growth in farm sectors as even 1% point growth in agriculture is at least 2 or 3 times more effective in reducing poverty than the same growth pattern of non-agriculture sector.

There is a need of adopting modern agriculture practices, major land reform provision to increase land holding and targeted subsidy distribution schemes. There is a sharp requirement in revision of subsidy scheme (fertilizer subsidy, diesel subsidy) of govt. so that only real beneficiary will get the entitled profit and extra burden on exchequer can be reduced.

The authorities are required to provide strong impetus to schemes like BGREI (bringing green revolution to eastern India), RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana) etc.

Boosting the secondary sector of the economy, that includes manufacturing, construction and electricity, gas and water supply. But in recent past it has almost shown negative growth pattern that is an alarming for a nation and the more dismal fact is that it has contributed only 15.8% in employment part. There is a requirement of effective plan for this sector like investment in renewable energy program on priority basis. Government has to revamp its number of schemes so that adequate spending in this sector can be done.

Improving the investment-grade credit ratings- either domestic or foreign investment depends ultimately on confidence. As investors want to have a feeling that their money will come back with reasonable returns. There is a need to have revision for high-profile tax policy which created a negative impact on the interest of foreign investors. Committees like CCEA, CCI have to create a positive environment in the market by resolving difficulty of obtaining land and environmental permits. This requires a good amount of cooperation and communication between different ministries of the cabinet.

Increase the transparency of the system to reduce the level of corruption- corruption is one of the most pervasive problems in front of the nation which is assumed to be the major roadblock in the path of growth and development. Red-tapism, bureaucracy and license raj has made such its base that corruption is assumed to be the daily affairs. Excessive regulation, mandated programs and monopoly of govt. on distribution of certain goods and services are major causes of corruption.

The suggestive measures to improve this condition is that government has to implement the anti-corruption policies stringently like citizen's charter act, Right to information, public service bill, e-governance, e-procurement, e-choupal etc. These measures and some others can only reinvigorate Indian economy.


Courtesy :- R. Meghna / civilserviceindia dot com

Method of Writing Essay or WA

Method of Writing Essay or WA:-

After getting the topic or deciding the topic  :-

1. Start brain storming
2. Write down all the ideas that you about the topic.
3. Do not classify or systematize your points at this stage.
4. Put them on paper randomly as they flow in.
5. Later, arrange the ideas in a logical and sequential manner.
6. Having arrived at the sequence, start writing, giving due care to the introduction, the body and finally the conclusion.
7. Ensure that you have enough time for revision.
8. Remember it is a General Essay or WA and you should not be highly technical.

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Topic : - SC'S NEGATIVE VOTING VERDICT, GOOD OR BAD FOR DEMOCRACY:-

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The Supreme Court made a momentous decision when it held that voters have the right to reject all the candidates contesting polls.

As per existing norms, if a voter goes to a polling booth and does not want to cast his vote for any candidate, he can sign a register saying he does not want to vote.

The Court directed the Election Commission to provide 'none of the above' (NOTA) option at the end of the list of candidates in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the ballot papers to allow voters to exercise the option of rejecting all those contesting polls.

It is a remarkable verdict upholding the democratic spirit of our nation. It comes as a respite for the fence sitters who vote for the better of the lot just to ensure that they do their duty to cast vote.

Now, if you feel that none of the candidates are worth for representing, then you need not quit voting, rather vote 'NOTA' thereby sending a strong message to the political parties to field better candidates worth your vote. It would reduce alienation of voters who usually don't come to vote as they are not satisfied with the candidates.

This move is a severe blow to the political parties who takes the easy road to success by fielding criminal candidates on account of their 'winnability' factor.

Now, they will be forced to bring forth candidates with clean background. With this the aam aadmi is empowered with a powerful weapon in the form of NOTA.

Non- acceptance and rejection is an aspect of our fundamental rights to freedom of speech and expression. We, the people are given the power to determine the fate of the nation and now our choices are not limited to the handful of candidates whom the parties field and from amongst whom we are bound to find the better one.

The court has opined that this would gradually bring out a systemic change in the whole election process in the country thereby cleansing Indian political spectrum in the long run.

The parties will take good care of the fact that more than half of the voters are not hard core followers of any particular political ideology and hence they would vote for none, beyond any political pressures and narrow political visions.

Also, this would mandate all the parties to follow a moral code of conduct not just at the time of elections but through out to win credibility and sustain their image. This would help developing better political culture in India.

So, there is not even a shred of doubt, prima facie, that the verdict holds good for the democracy. But, on second thoughts, what if NOTA gets maximum votes in many constituencies then it would literally bring the governance to a standstill.

One plausible suggestion is if NOTA get the highest vote, then the election should be cancelled and contesting candidates should be disqualified. And fresh election should be conducted and parties should be asked to field fresh candidates.

And if in second election, only a candidate who gets more than 50 per cent should be declared winner. Imagine the money, time and resources such a scenario would encompass. Though the verdict seems good in paper, the difficulties while implementing may turn it into a nightmare.

Is it just addressing the symptom, not the disease? Is the remedy worse than the disease? Abstaining from voting or negative voting just allows one to voice your discontent. But then what next? This is one important question to be pondered upon.

If the Election Commission can come up with a practical solution to the same, we could indeed cherish it as a celebration of our democratic ethos. But, till then we will have to keep our fingers crossed.

Courtesy :- Krishna S / civilserviceindia dot com

Top 5 Reasons to Educate a Girl

By educating a girl, the overwhelming benefits extend far beyond the classroom.  The impact of giving a girl in a developing country a quality education can be felt in families, communities, and future generations.  We’ve dedicated August to exploring the theme of “going back to school.”  Yet for millions of girls, going to school is a very distant dream.

For economic, social, and political reasons, stepping foot inside a classroom is out of the question.  However, in this list below, we explore why it’s vital that girls have the opportunity to receive an education.

1. Reducing Fertility Rates – 

The World Bank cites that when girls receive an education, they’ll have “fewer and healthier” babies.  In fact, one year of formal education can result in a 10% decrease in fertility.  Why is this? Women who receive an education are better informed about family planning, and are more likely to marry later.

2. Lower Maternal and Child Mortality Rates – 

Girls who receive an education are less likely to contract HIV & AIDS, and thus, less likely to pass it onto their children.  The Comparative & International Education Society writes that their children are more likely to be vaccinated, and educated mothers will be better informed about proper nutrition and health practices.  The Girls Global Education Fund reports that when a child is born to a woman in Africa who hasn’t received an education, he or she has a 1 in 5 chance of dying before 5.

3. Future Educated Generations – 

An African proverb says, “If we educate a boy, we educate one person.  If we educate a girl, we educate a family – and a whole nation.” By sending a girl to school, she is far more likely to ensure that her children also receive an education.  As many claim, investing in a girl’s education is investing in a nation.

4. Higher Wages – 

The Girl Effect states that if a girl attends an additional year of primary school, she’ll see her wages increase up to 20%.  Furthermore, if she attends an additional year of secondary school, her wages could increase by 25%!

5. Investing in the Family – 

With these additional wages, research shows that women are more likely to invest in their family.  In fact, the Basic Education Coalition claims that women will reserve 90% of their income to better their families.  This economic savings will result in the betterment of not only individual families, but entire communities.

Article Courtesy: http://gccblogs.concernusa.org/2011/08/05/top-5-educate-a-girl/

KYOTO PROTOCOL ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Background

Countries with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions must meet their targets primarily through national measures. As an additional means of meeting these targets, the Kyoto Protocol introduced three market-based mechanisms, thereby creating what is now known as the “carbon market.” 

The Kyoto mechanisms are:
1 Emissions Trading
2 The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
3 Joint Implementation (JI)

The Kyoto mechanisms:
Stimulate sustainable development through technology transfer and investment
Help countries with Kyoto commitments to meet their targets by reducing emissions or removing carbon from the atmosphere in other countries in a cost-effective way
Encourage the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission reduction efforts



JI and CDM are the two project-based mechanisms which feed the carbon market. JI enables industrialized countries to carry out joint implementation projects with other developed countries, while the CDM involves investment in sustainable development projects that reduce emissions in developing countries.



The carbon market is a key tool for reducing emissions worldwide. It was worth 30 billion USD in 2006 and is growing.

Annex I Parties must provide information in their national communications under the Protocol to demonstrate that their use of the mechanisms is “supplemental to domestic action” to achieve their targets. This information is assessed by the facilitative branch of the Compliance Committee

Eligibility requirements

To participate in the mechanisms, Annex I Parties must meet, among others, the following eligibility requirements:

o They must have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.


o They must have calculated their assigned amount in terms of tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions.


o They must have in place a national system for estimating emissions and removals of greenhouse gases within their territory.


o They must have in place a national registry to record and track the creation and movement of ERUs, CERs, AAUs and RMUs and must annually report such information to the secretariat.


o They must annually report information on emissions and removals to the secretariat.


ADMIN: LAV

EMPOWERING A NEW CAG

To be truly independent, this institution must be freed from both governmental control and political bias

Many recent reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) have highlighted grave discrepancies in government expenditure and deliberate distortions of stated policies. These reports and their aftermath demonstrate the true potential of the office of the CAG to force action against corruption. As the custodian of the public purse, it is one of the key actors in the system of checks and balances envisaged under our Constitution. In fact, today the CAG is likely the most important functionary responsible for ensuring accountability of the government.

However, the CAG can do justice to this role only if he is competent, independent and suitably empowered. Sadly, the current framework compromises this, leaving room for abuse in appointments, as well as limiting the CAG's authority to effectively perform his constitutional duties. This is particularly important now, as the appointment of a new CAG looms on the horizon.

The CAG's appointment pro-cess is a legacy from the pre-Independence 'not-accountable-to-Indians' mindset, whereby it is entirely at the government's discretion. Given the governing coalition's exasperation with the incumbent, it is probable that this time around it will look for someone who is likely to be favourably inclined towards the government, or at the least be ineffective.

This stratagem has already been exposed in making even those appointments which provide a role for the opposition. In the 2010 appointment of the chief vigilance commissioner (P J Thomas) and this month the National Human Rights Commissioner, the government simply bulldozed the process, totally disregarding the dissent notes by the leaders of the opposition. That was possible because, even in these more modern, democra-tic institutions, the intent of checks and balances in appointments is defeated by providing the government the upper hand.

In order to be truly independent, the CAG — not to mention other institutions like the CVC and NHRC — must be free from both governmental control and political bias. Sadly, even at the highest levels of government there does not seem to be any acceptance of the need to bring in changes.

To ensure that the independence of the CAG does not depend on the morals of the government of the day, his appointment should reflect real checks and balances. My formula would have the CAG appointed by a committee consisting of the Speaker, the prime minister and the two leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Their choice should be by simple majority and, in the event of a tie, it should be referred to the Chief Justice of India to cast the deciding vote.

Reforming the CAG must not end with the appointment pro-cess. There is an urgent need to amend the Audit Act that governs the working of the CAG. The most important changes must include: Bringing contractual agreements and public-private partnerships (PPPs) within the CAG's ambit; giving statutory backing to 'performance audits'; penalties for not responding to information requests from the CAG in time; and time-bound laying of CAG reports in the legislature.

In recent years, the role of the government has been considerably redefined. It is now increasingly partnering with the private sector. Many infrastructure projects are now undertaken in the PPP mode, involving transfer of public assets (for instance, oilfields) and revenue sharing between the government and the private sector. Many of these newer structures are presently outside the ambit of the CAG. This reduces oversight and creates avenues for corruption. Therefore, the scope of the CAG's powers must be expanded to include such arrangements.

However, we should be careful not to overreach. The expanded remit of the CAG must not deter participation of the private sector. Private enterprises are likely to be wary of excessive intrusiveness in their decision-making processes, and rightly so.

A solution to maintain a balance would be to empower the CAG to audit only those transactions that are primarily related to specific agreements between the government and private parties to ensure that the government's share in revenue or profit is protected. By limiting the scope of the audit, this provision would shield private players from undue interference.

The CAG should also be explicitly empowered to conduct 'performance audits'. This form of audit allows the auditor to question government decisions to check for wastage of public money. Performance audits were used by the CAG for the reports on the Commonwealth Games and theallocation of 2G spectrum, among others. These highlighted drama-tic incidents of malfeasance that mere accounting exercises would not have been able to unearth.

Next, there ought to be penalties for delaying information asked for by the CAG, which should also be armed with search and seizure powers. And finally, it must be mandatory for the government to lay the CAG's reports in Parliament or the state assem-bly within seven days of its sitting. Currently, governments often delay the tabling of reports which are politically inconvenient.

I have recently submitted two private members' Bills in the Lok Sabha in support of these measures. I recognise that private Bills haven't been passed by our Parliament in decades. Nevertheless, they serve as useful tools to build awareness, gather public support and pressurise the government. The new CAG is scheduled to be appointed in May. There is no time to lose.

ADMIN: LAV

DEREGULATION OF SUGAR SECTOR

India is the largest consumer and second largest producer of sugar after Brazil. Sugar and Sugarcane are notified as essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act 1955. The Indian sugar sector suffers from policy inconsistency and unpredictability. The Sugar industry in India is over-regulated and prone to cyclicality due to price interventions. Deregulation of the sugar industry has been widely debated for a long time. From a purely economic point of view, greater play of market forces would provide better prices and serve the interests of all stakeholders. Export bans and controls could be replaced with small variable external tariffs to stabilize prices.

The principal aspects regulated in the sugar sector are as under:

(i) Cane reservation area and bonding: Every designated mill is obligated to purchase from cane farmers within the cane reservation area, and conversely, farmers are bound to sell to the mill.


(ii) Minimum distance criterion: The Central Government has prescribed a minimum distance of 15 km between any two sugar mills.


(iii) Price of sugarcane: While on the one hand, the Centre Government fixes FRP as the minimum price, which is also used for arriving at the price of levy sugar. On the other, many States have intervened in sugarcane pricing with State Advised Price (SAP) to strengthen the farmer interests. SAP has typically been higher than FRP.


(iv) Levy sugar obligation: Every sugar mill mandatorily surrenders 10% of its production to the Central Government at a pre-determined price, which is, at present, Rs. 1,904.82 per quintal. This enables Central Government to get access to low cost sugar stocks for distribution through PDS.


(v) Regulated release of free-sale (non-levy) sugar: The release of non-levy sugar into the market is regulated by the Central Government through a controlled release mechanism.


(vii) Regulations relating to by-products


(viii) Jute Packaging Materials Act mandates that sugar be packed only in jute bags.

A report on ‘Regulation of the Sugar Sector in India: The way forward‘ has been submitted by the Committee under the chairmanship of Dr C. Rangarajan, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. The ways forward suggested include: rangarajan

Phasing out cane reservation area


Dispensing with minimum distance criteria: The minimum distance criterion inhibits entry and further investment, and adversely impacts competition for purchase of sugarcane as well as for improving mill efficiency.


Dispensing with the levy sugar system: States that want to provide sugar under the PDS may procure it from the market according to their requirement, fix the issue price and subsidize from their own budgets.


Dispensing with the regulated release mechanism (of non-levy) sugar 
Stable trade policy: No quantitative or movement restrictions on byproducts like molasses and ethanol and dispensing with compulsory jute packing

The committee has suggested Rationalization of sugarcane pricing and liberalization of sugar trade need to be introduced over a two to three year period, in a calibrated and phased manner. However, levy sugar obligation and administrative control on non-levy sugar need to be dispensed with immediately.

ADMIN- LAV

Space Debris

Space debris, also known as orbital debris, space junk, and space waste, is simply the collection of defunct objects in orbit around Earth. It is estimated that about 10 tons of space garbage clutter low earth orbits of up to 2,000 km. Russia has recently lost a nano-satellite in a collision with a piece of Chinese debris.

o Sources of Debris
Sources of Debris include everything from spent rocket stages, boosters, lost equipment, dead satellites, and fragments from disintegration, erosion, and collisions. One major source of debris in the past was the testing of anti-satellite weapons carried out by the developed nations.
Space debris in Low Earth Orbits

The most commonly used orbits for both manned and unmanned space vehicles are Low Earth Orbits, which cover an altitude range low enough for residual air drag to be sufficient to help keep the zone clear. That is, the junk often comes down to Earth.

At altitudes above the levels where atmospheric drag is significant, the time required for orbital decay (to reduce the altitude of the orbit by gravitational pull) is much longer. Hence space debris there poses more serious threat.

In Geosynchronous orbits, there is no question of orbits of the satellites clashing with one other but the junk may be created by left overs.

o Kesslers Syndrome/ Snowball Effect
The Kessler syndrome, proposed by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978, is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade – each collision generating space debris which increases the likelihood of further collisions.

If a collision occurs, resulting fragments can become an additional collision risk. As the chance of collision is influenced by the number of objects in space, there is a critical density where the creation of new debris occurs faster than the speed with which various natural forces remove them. Beyond this point a runaway chain reaction may occur that pulverizes everything in orbit, including functioning satellites. Thus a runaway Kessler syndrome would render the useful polar-orbiting bands difficult to use, and greatly increase the cost of space launches and missions.
Handling Debris

o Monitoring and mitigating debris producing events by regulations like the effective design of space vehicles etc

o Self-removal for rocket stages or satellites that retain enough propellant to power themselves into a decaying orbit. Geostationary satellites are supposed to remove themselves to a graveyard orbit at the end of their lives.

o External removal using space vehicles, using laser technology to ablate (wear away through erosion or vaporization) material etc


ADMIN : LAV

CENTRAL ARMED POLICE FORCES

Since independence, India has faced a large number of external and internal security challenges. The Indian army, the paramilitary forces and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have worked hand-in-hand to manage and neutralise these challenges. While the army has been responsible to maintain the integrity of the country’s long land boundaries through four wars and the Kargil conflict, the CAPFs have been largely responsible to manage the land borders and lend a helping hand to the army for counter-insurgency operations. Some insurgencies are now being fought primarily by the CAPFs by themselves.

In May 2001, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had approved the concept of “one border, one force”. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the border with Tibet is now being managed largely by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). In the west, the entire border with Pakistan is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF) except the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Maintaining the sanctity of the LoC is the responsibility of the army and some BSF battalions have been placed under its operational control for this purpose. For over 50 years since the Kashmir conflict began in 1947-48, soon after independence, the two armies were engaged in a so-called ‘eyeball-to-eyeball’ confrontation with daily loss of life and property that could justifiably be called a ‘low intensity limited war’. An informal cease-fire has been in place all along the LoC, including at the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) along the Saltoro Range west of the Siachen Glacier, since November 25, 2003.

The border with Nepal was virtually un-attended till very recently as Nepalese citizens have free access to live and work in India under a 1950 treaty between the two countries. Since the eruption of a Maoist insurgency in Nepal, efforts have been made to gradually step up vigilance along this border to prevent the southward spread of Maoist ideology. The responsibility for this has been entrusted to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), erstwhile Special Security Bureau that is now a Ministry of Home Affairs force. The Bhutan border is also managed by the SSB. Since the Royal Bhutanese Army drove out the Bodo and ULFA insurgents from its territory some years ago, the border has been relatively quiet. The border with Myanmar also remains operationally active. Several insurgent groups have secured sanctuaries for themselves in Myanmar despite the cooperation extended to India by the Myanmarese army. The cross border movement of Nagas and Mizos for training, purchase of arms and shelter when pursued by Indian security forces, combined with the difficult terrain obtaining in the area, makes this border extremely challenging to manage. This border is manned by the Assam Rifles (AR), India’s oldest paramilitary force.

Along the Bangladesh border that has seen some action in recent years, the BSF is in charge. This border remains in the news as there are frequent clashes between the BSF and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). Managing this border is a peculiar challenge that is usually referred to as ‘Enclaves and Adverse Possessions’. There are 111 Indian enclaves (17,158 acres) within Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (7,110.02 acres) in India.” Thirty-four tracts of Indian land are under the adverse possession of Bangladesh and 40 pieces of Bangladeshi land are in India’s adverse possession. Though the Land Border Agreement of 1974 has provisions for the settlement of the issue of adverse possession, it has not been implemented so far as the problem is politically sensitive.

The CCS had also approved the nomination of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as the country’s primary counter-insurgency force. Since then, the BSF has been withdrawn from internal security duties in J&K and has been replaced by CRPF battalions. The CRPF is also the primary strike force for anti-Naxalite or anti Maoist operations in the left wing extremism (LWE) affected states in central India. Though it has suffered many casualties in operations so far and is still on a learning curve, it is gradually gaining experience in counter-insurgency operations and can be expected to acquit itself creditably in future.

Lessons in good governance from former 'Bimaru' states Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh

Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, once derisively called Bimaru states, have suddenly started growing much faster than the national average. They have followed widely divergent paths to success, which need elucidation.

In 2011-12, national GDP growth was 6.21%. But Bihar(13.26%), Madhya Pradesh (11.81%), Jharkhand(8.92%) and even Uttar Pradesh (6.86%) fared better than the national average. Odisha (4.92%) lagged behind , but this was a one-time departure from an average of 8% in the last decade. Provisional data for 2012-13 are no more than projections, but they once again show most backward states growing faster than the national average of 5%.

Graft Out, Growth In 

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has won three successive elections. In 2000, Odisha had the biggestfiscal deficit and debt:GDP ratio among all states. Today, it has become a revenue-surplus state and, amazingly , so have almost all the once-backward states. Fast state-level growth has generated a revenue bonanza, over and above which fast national growth has hugely increased the states' share of central revenue (poor states benefit disproportionately from such transfers).

Odisha always had minerals, but was held back by the licence-permit raj and high corruption. Politicians sought to get re-elected through patronage networks and wooing vote banks, not economic development.

Patnaik transformed this by weeding out corruption and focusing on development. He has sacked more than 20 ministers for corruption in the last decade, and quashed revolts from those sacked . Despite many big projects - Posco's steel plant and Vedanta's aluminium smelter - getting hamstrung by tribal agitations, Odisha has averaged 8% growth for a decade.

End for Gangsters 

In Bihar, Nitish Kumar focused first on restoring public order and ending endemic gangsterism that had flourished under his predecessor . Through imaginative use of the Arms Act, he quickly tried and jailed over 50,000 gangsters. This hugely encouraged economic activity earlier held back by fear of gangsters.

Kumar also built roads and bridges that were in terrible shape. No theory of Marx or the World Bank said that double-digit growth could be generated in a state with hardly any electricity, simply by improving law and order and building roads. Kumar has driven home the key importance of these.

He has followed up by focusing on primary education and primary health. The state historically was at the very bottom of most social indicators . But in the decade 2001-11 , its literacy rate improved 16.8 percentage points and female literacy improved a whopping 20 points, perhaps the best anywhere in the world. Infant mortality in Bihar used to be among the highest in India, but by 2012, had fallen enough to equal the national average of 44 per 1,000.

Courtesy : ET

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR)

Why is IPR becoming important?

• Increasing dominance of the new knowledge economy
• Exponential growth of scientific knowledge
• Increasing demand for new forms of intellectual property protection as well as access to IP related information
• Address the emerging complexities linked to IP in traditional knowledge, community knowledge and animate objects
• All these pose a challenge in setting up the new 21st century IP agenda, especially for a country like India

TRIPS
The WTO’s TRIPS Agreement is an attempt to narrow the gaps in the way these rights are protected around the world, and to bring them under common international rules. It establishes minimum levels of protection that each government has to give to the intellectual property of fellow WTO members. In doing so, it strikes a balance between the long term benefits and possible short term costs to society. Society benefits in the long term when intellectual property protection encourages creation and invention, especially when the period of protection expires and the creations and inventions enter the public domain. Governments are allowed to reduce any short term costs through various exceptions, for example to tackle public health problems. And, when there are trade disputes over intellectual property rights, the WTO’s dispute settlement system is now available.
The agreement covers five broad issues:

• how basic principles of the trading system and other international intellectual property agreements should be applied

• how to give adequate protection to intellectual property rights

• how countries should enforce those rights adequately in their own territories

• how to settle disputes on intellectual property between members of the WTO

• special transitional arrangements during the period when the new system is being introduced.

• Entailed significant changes for the protection of pharmaceutical products and processes
• Made product patent protection binding on all member countries
• Strengthened process patents. 
• Narrowly defined the conditions for establishing exceptions to patent rights 
• Limited the possibility of applying special modalities of compulsory licences to pharmaceuticals
India and IPRs
• India has enacted several laws to protect IPR

• Copyright Act
• Trademark Act
• Designs Act
• Patent Act, 1970
• Geographical Indications Act

India and TRIPS
• India has met its entire TRIPS obligations in various stages starting from providing mailbox applications in 1999 with retrospective effect
• Amendment to the Patent Act in 2003

• This amendment brought the Indian Patent Act more or less on a par with the developed countries by providing a 20 year patent term 
• Safeguarded national interest by remodelling compulsory licence provisions by introducing Bolar and Import Provisions

• 3rd amendment to Patents act in 2005 provided product patenting in pharmaceuticals, food, and chemicals, rationalising and reducing timelines for processing of patent applications and doing away with Exclusive Marketing Rights

Issues & Resolutions

• Effect on India’s pharmaceutical industry

• Resolution: the industry is taking steps to cope with the challenge. It is increasing its investment in R&D. Moving from imitative research to innovative research

• Effect on other knowledge based industries in India, such as the IT industry, biotechnology, and microelectronics
• Effect on limiting monopolies
o Resolution: there is voluntary licensing and compulsory licensing. For important drugs the government can resort to compulsory licensing. 
• The grant of patents on non-original innovations (particularly those linked to traditional medicines) which are based on what is already a part of the traditional knowledge of the developing world is a cause of concern

•  CSIR successfully challenged the US Patent on the wound healing properties of turmeric. Similarly patent on Neem was quashed. 
•  These issues need to be addressed jointly by the developing and the developed worlds
•  CSIR has created a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL)

Way Forward
• India should nurture a strong innovation base through a balanced system of recognition and rewards
• India will have to invest liberally to enhance the skills and knowledge base of scientists and on understanding, interpreting and analysing the techno-legal business information contained in IP documents and in drafting of IP documents
• We must properly protect our inventions

NPD (New Product Development ) [From My MBA Days]

You Can use this in your Interviews and discussions.

Generally, there are four types of new products/services.

✔ 1. BREAKTHROUGH : When Supplier and Customer both know that it is a Breakthrough.

e.g : APPLE I-phones before i-4 

✔ 2. INCREMENTAL : When Supplier and Customer both know that it is an incremental improvement over others.

e.g. Samsung Galaxy Smart phones can come in this category, since supplier and customer both knows that it has just an incremental technology improvement wrt competitors and existing products

[Above cases are a win situation for supplier, since they have a  SUCCESSFUL pre and post product launch plan.]

✘ 3. SHADOW :Shadow product is one in which the Supplier believes is an incremental development, but consumers see  more as a breakthrough. 

e.g. A classic example of this is 3M’s Post-it Notes. While customers quickly found an array of uses for the Post-it Note, 3M slowly began to realize this product’s potential. Shadow products are often under-priced, or under-produced.

✘ 4. Delusion : Supplier believes the product is a breakthrough development, but consumers see  more as a incremental. 

e.g. NeXT is a desktop developed by Steve Jobs. It has optical drive instead of floppy disk. This new feature [which was a breakthrough]  created a problem for the product, since costumers didnt want to work on a system which has not a floppy drive. Students feel it is expensive and others thought that work station is better.

It creates a big cash loss for the company. Generally it happens due to bad product launch planning.

Suggestion : Supplier should educate customer before a great breackthrouh. Now few of the suppliers starting this (educate customer) YOU CAN SEE THIS IN i-5 new add, they are teaching how to click PANORAMA image.]

SHADOW & DELUSION IS MISMATCH between suppliers and customers perceptions.

♛ THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS: NPD should be start with customer voice.

♛ YOU CAN USE THIS anywhere, Take example of Bollywood:

► 3 Idiots - A Breakthrough

► Special 26 : Incremental

► Gangs of Wasseypur : Shadow

► Dil Se: Delusion [That time death of leading role (sad end) was not accepted] 

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♛ NOTE : LAKHAN FUNCTION was SHADOW launch by me, I didn't thought of 2700+  shares within 2 days. (still counting). 

This is the power of EDUCATION (here I got this from MBA) which teaches you everything, now it's you. Are you using it or deleting it from your active brain.

Link of LAKHAN FUNCTION : www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=522414831143971