Saturday, 31 August 2013
Friday, 30 August 2013
July 2013 News 20 US SENATE APPROVES FIRST INDIA BORN SENIOR JUDGE
US SENATE APPROVES FIRST INDIA BORN SENIOR JUDGE
The United States senate on May 23, 2013 approved the first Indian-American, Sri Srinivasan, as judge of the US Courtof Appeals, DC circuit.
The senate voted 97-0 to confirm him as the judge, a stepping stone to the i Supreme Court. Srinivasan, 46, will become the first Indian American of a circuit court of appeals judge, a milestone for the three million Indian-American community.
"This is a historic moment for all Indian-Americans and Asian Americans," said Ami Bera, the only Indian American in US Congress. Srinivasan's confirmation also puts him in line for Supreme Court, four of whose judges, including Chief Justice John Roberts came from the D C circuit.
July 2013 News 19 MALAYALAM GET, CLASSICAL STATES
MALAYALAM GET, CLASSICAL STATES
Malayalam's long wait for 'Classical' status is over. On May 23, 2013, the Union Cabinet decided to grant the coveted recognition to the language, spoken by 333 crore Malayalis all over the world.Malayalam now joins Tamil, Kannada and Telugu, all members of the Dravidian linguistic family, as the four'Classical' language of South India.
July 2013 News 18 GOVT. SIGNS IBSA RESOLUTION TO EMPOWER WOMEN
GOVT. SIGNS IBSA RESOLUTION TO EMPOWER WOMEN
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath signed the Fifth India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) Women's Forum Resolution on May 16, 2013 in New Delhi. The joint resolution between the three countries will look at recognising the key role of governments with the support of civil society in ensuring and accelerating efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowerment of women.Speaking at the signing event, the Minister said : "The resolution signed at the end of the three-day meet shows our commitment to
work for women's empowerment and for fighting gender-
based discrimination and violence against women in all forms.
Stating that ending violence against women must be the goal for a more equitable society, the Minister said: "The 'Stop Rape Campaign' of South Africa is particularly appreciable for intrinsic value in gender sensitising school children. Also, the social programmes, such as Bolsa Familia of Brazil, have popularised the model for effective delivery of financial benefits to poor families."
July 2013 News 17 SCORES OF CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION MADE PUBLIC
SCORES OF CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION MADE PUBLIC
[UPSC topper scores 53%]As the Times of India has published, for the first time in the history of the elite Civil Service examination, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on May 16, 2013 made public the final marks of all successful candidates who were recently recommended for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS and other key Central Services.
Curiously enough, only four of them, including two women, obtained more than 50% marks in the examination. Three of the four are from Kerala.
The list for this year shows that the topper, Haritha V. Kumar, a woman engineer from Kerala, scored 53% marks (1193 out of 2250). It also shows that general category candidates who scored between 48% and 50% got selected for the top three services-IAS, IFS and IPS.
In the general category, the cut off was 42%, while in other categories it went as low as 35%. The marks of successful candidates, which were a closely guarded secret for long, also brought into the open the scores in the interview (personality test), which carried 250 marks and which used to play a key role in deciding the future of aspirants.
General category candidates who got between 48% and 50% marks got selected for top three services, indicating that it is tough to score high marks in Civil Services exam.
42% is the minimum cut-off in the general category. In other categories, it went as low as 35%. Move to display final marks on UPSC website comes after a CIC directive.
July 2013 News 16 GOVT. TO ESTABLISH BUREAU OF WATER USE EFFICIENCY
GOVT. TO ESTABLISH BUREAU OF WATER USE EFFICIENCY
The Centre will establish a National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency as an authority for promotion, regulation and control of efficient use of water in irrigation, municipal and industrial uses.This was decided in the first meeting of the Advisory Board of the National Water Mission (NWM) that was established as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
It was also decided that for improving water use efficiency by 20 per cent, the Mission will review the National and State Water Policies and prepare State specific Action Plans for water sector through consultation process.
During the first meeting in New Delhi on May 3, 2013 the members were informed that the National Bureau of water use Efficiency, will have the responsibility of improving water use efficiency across various sectors namely irrigation, drinking water supply, power generation and industry.
The Bureau will take up five bench marking irrigation projects in parts of the country to demonstrate water use efficiency through water supply on volumetric basis, empowering Water Users Associations to price water and collect water charges and demonstrating state-of-the-art technologies.
Guide Lines To States
States will have to establish Water Regulatory Authorities for overseeing water pricing and mandatory water audits. Several States have in the past expressed reservations on such a move.
The Mission will issue guidelines to States for basin wise uses of water for irrigation, drinking and industrial use. At the centre of the plan is the strategy to open up the water sector and incentivise States that reform based on the principle that 'incentivising is more effective in bringing out reforms.'
Simultaneously, studies will be undertaken on impact of climate change, if any, on water resources. The inter-departmental meeting was attended among others by State Irrigation and Water Resources Ministers from Arunanchal Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh who are members on the Board. During
2013-14, water use efficiency is targeted to be raised by five per cent and by 20 per cent in two years.
With funding and technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank, the Ministry will initiate a National Water Use Efficiency Improvement Support Programme to identify 'priority actions'.
The Central Water Commission has identified 138 major and 73 medium irrigation projects for baseline study of water use efficiency in two years.
Towards this purpose, Secretary, Water Resources S.K. Sarkar, on May 11 asked States to adopt an integrated water resources planning approach at the basin level for water conservation, recharge and management of aquifers and improvement of water use efficiency.
July 2013 News 15 NAVY GETS FIRST FIGHTER SQUADRON IN 30 YEARS
NAVY GETS FIRST FIGHTER SQUADRON IN 30 YEARS
The Navy has commissioned its first fighter squadron in three decades with the 303 'Black Panthers' squadron getting formal status but will have to wait till the end of this year for the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier to arrive from Russia to start sea-borne operations.The new Indian Navy Air Squadron (INAS), commissioned at a ceremony, in the second week of May 2013, led by Defence
Minister A. K.Antony, operates the MiG 29 K fighters that were inducted into service in 2010 and have been going through trials and training missions over the past three years before the arrival of the carrier.
The commissioning marks the beginning of an event ful year for the Navy that is set to see many of its major projects reach critical milestones in the coming months. The first will be the activation of the nuclear reactor on board the INS Arihant nuclear missile submarine later this month, following which the vessel will go for sea trials before a formal commissioning by next year.
The naval squadron, which has been nick-named 'Black Panthers', is the first fighter squadron to be commissioned after the Sea Harrier fighters were inducted in December 1983. It comprises 16 aircraft that have till now collectively clocked 2500 hours in training missions and has been termed as the 'sword arm' of the Navy. The INS Hansa airbase in Dabolim where the squadron is
based is also equipped with a shore-based training facility (SBTF) to train pilots on landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. The SBTF, which comprises a ski jump and an arrested recovery system, is likely to be commissioned in a few months.
The new squadron, which is likely to embark on the INS Vikramaditya after it arrives from Russia after a five-year delay is a major capability jump for the Navy that has till now operated Sea Harrier fighters on board the INS Viraat, which is likely to be decommissioned in the next two years.
The new fighters will give a major edge due to their modern avionics, range and weapons suite that has been compared to the best in the world. The navy has termed the new squadron 'the game changers' to reflect the increase in capability. The squadron has been christened as the 303 after the 303 cartridge that revolutionised warfare in the mid 19th century with its now legendary design.
With 29 additional fighters on order from Russia as part of a $ 1.2 billion follow on contract, the navy will induct another fighter squadron within the next two years.
July 2013 News 14 CABINET APPROVES COUNCIL PROPOSALS
CABINET APPROVES COUNCIL PROPOSALS
In the midst of political crisis triggered by two union ministers-one relating to bribery in top appointments in the Railway and the other relating to making changes in the affidavit filed by the CBI in the coal blocks allocation case-the cabinet approved several decisions signalling its intent of moving ahead with key proposals.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on May 9, 2013 approved the proposal regarding revival of five closed units of the Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. (FCIL) at Sindri, Talcher, Ramagundam, Gorakhpur and Korba. Revival of closed units will ensure larger availability of indigenous fertilizers in the country.
Port at Sagar Island
The CCEA also approved the proposal of setting up of the new major port at Sagar Island in West Bengal and another at Andhra Pradesh through the Public Private Partnership (PPPs) mode.
July 2013 News 13 GOVERNMENT FORMS GROUP OF MINISTERS ON CBI AUTONOMY
GOVERNMENT FORMS GROUP OF MINISTERS ON CBI AUTONOMY
The Union Government on May 14, 2013 formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to draft a law to insulate the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from external influence. The GoM, headed by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, IT and Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari and Minister of State for personnel V. Narayansamy as Members.The Government's move came after the Supreme Court had rapped the CBI for being a 'caged parrot' of its political masters while hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation.
CBI has become a caged parrot. We can't have CBI a caged parrot speaking in master's voice. It is a sordid saga where there are many masters and one parrot.," the court had said during a hearing on May 6, 2013.
The Court's direction had come following an affidavit from the CBI director, who admitted to have shared a draft coal block allocation probe report with the former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and two joint secretaries from the Prime Minister's Office and the coal ministry.
The apex court had also asked the government to make an effort to come out with a law to insulate the CBI from external influence and intrusion. CBI director Ranjit Sinha is also reported to arrange for giving his input to the newly constituted group.
July 2013 News 12 INDIA GETS OBSERVER STATUS IN ARCTIC COUNCIL
INDIA GETS OBSERVER STATUS IN ARCTIC COUNCIL
India's bid for observer status in the Arctic Council was successful on May 15, 2013 along with that of five other countries-China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore-at a meeting in Kiruna, Sweden. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, welcomed India's admission.An MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) spokes-person said that India would contribute its scientific expertise, particularly in polar research capabilities, to the work of the Arctic Council to support its objectives.
However, at the level of real politic, India will be looking at the opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration offered in the Arctic circle by joining hands with any of the five countries gearing up for the purpose-the US, Canada, Norway, Russia and Denmark.
When geography is considered Russia emerges as the most attractive partner. But for that to happen, India will have to take a firm political stand on the Lomonosow Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge which Russia claims are an extension of its continental shelf. By supporting Moscow's position, India could get access to the rich deposits and also utilise the North Sea Route.
PURELY SCIENTIFIC INTEREST
Officially, India maintained that its approach will be solely scientific. "Unlike China and South Korea which are going for commercial benefit, our interest is purely scientific. Look at the number of scientists we have sent and the number of articles they have published and you will get an idea about our main interest area," said a Government source. The rapid melting of Arctic sea ice that reached new lows last September has caused nations to show intense interest in the region in terms of navigation and
exploration of its rich natural resources. At the first Arctic Summit in Oslo in March organized by The Economist, though India was not represented, scientists, indigenous communities and environmentalists sounded a note of caution on exploring the region's undiscovered natural resources. Though India has a research station there since 2008, China has forged ahead in navigating the area with a three months sea voyage in an ice breaker, the first Asian ship to undertake that journey. China is now eyeing new and shorter sea routes, its Polar Research Institute
having already made elaborate projections on container traffic and trade.
There were concerns that the Arctic Council not being united in its views on exploring natural resources may not be able to manage the environment. For the roughly 4.5 million inhabitants of the Arctic region climate change was already a reality and the thinning ice was making transportation and hunting difficult. The 60,000 Inuit represented by Aqqaluk Lynge, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council had appealed to countries like India to be more circumspect in their desire to drill for oil or minerals and demanded that the fate of the indigenous people should not be jeopardized. Already Greenland had given out over 100 mining leases which was a cause of concern for local people.
July 2013 News 11 FOR CREAMY LAYER CABINET RAISES INCOME LIMIT
CREAMY LAYER: CABINET, RAISES INCOME LIMIT
[Ceiling raised to Rs. 6 lakh from Rs. 4.5 lakh]Revising the criteria for applying creamy layer criteria for other backward classes (OBCs), the Union Cabinet on May 16, 2013 raised the income limit to Rs. 6 lakh per annum from the existing Rs. 4.5 lakh per annum that will allow more persons to take advantage of reservation benefits for OBCs in government jobs and
admission to Central Educational Institutions.
The decision means that only those OBC families earning over Rs. 6 lakh annually will be out of the purview of reservation benefits the increase Rs.1.5 lakh being done to adjust against rise in consumer price index. The decision, however, does not match the recommendation of the National Commission for OBCs which proposed a dual ceiling of Rs. 12 lakh per annum for urban areas and Rs. 9 lakh for rural areas.
July 2013 News 10 KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT CLEARED, WITH CAVEATS
KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT CLEARED, WITH CAVEATS
[Benefits outweigh minor radiological detriments', says the Apex Court]
The Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant. A bench of justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Deepak Misra, in concurring judgements, however, made it clear that the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) gave their final clearances.
The Bench said that "we have to balance 'economic scientific benefits' with that of minor radiological detriments' on the touch-stone of our national nuclear policy. Economic benefit has
to be viewed on a larger canvas which not only augments our economic growth but alleviates poverty and generates employment. NPCL, while setting up the NPP at Kudankulam, have satisfied the environmental principles like sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, precautionary principle, inter-intra-gene-
rational equity and so on to implement our National Policy to develop, control and use of atomic energy for the welfare of the people and for economic growth of the country."
The Bench said, "Larger public interest of the community should give way to individual apprehension of violation of human rights and right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. Public money running into crores and crores of rupees has already been spent for the development, control and use of atomic
energy for the welfare of the people and hence, we have to put up with such 'minor inconveniences', 'minor radiological detriments' and minor environmental detriments in our lives because the benefits we reap from KKNPP are enormous since nuclear energy remains an important element in India's energy mix which can
replace a significant part of fossil fuels like coal, gas, oil etc."
The Bench said, "To sustain rapid economic growth, it is necessary to double the supply of energy. Energy tariff is also increasing, nuclear power in the long run will be much cheaper than other forms of energy."
The Bench said, "Nuclear power plant is being established not to negate right to life but to protect the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution." Verdict is a S. (A In ti-1,
The Supreme Court judgement on May 6, 2013 dismissing petitions against commissioning of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) 'is a shot in the arm' for the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), says R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission. "It is indeed a great relief for all of us in the DAE because it has given us the benefit of the decision of the Supreme Court and it will help us in enhancing the public confidence in nuclear power," said Mr. Sinha, who is also Secretary, DAE. He was hopeful the verdict would remove the apprehensions in the minds of a section of the public on nuclear energy.
"The DAE will continue to step up its public outreach activities to ensure that the benefits of nuclear energy and the DAE's contribution in all areas relevant to national growth are brought to the attention of the public," Mr. Sinha added.
July 2013 News 9 WOMEN TOP CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION
WOMEN TOP CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION
Girls emerged the winners in this year's Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations, bagging the first and third positions in the results which were declared in New Delhi on May 3. Haritha V. Kumar, a B.Tech student from Kerala University, stood first, followed by V. Sriram, on MBBS student, also of Kerala University, Stuti Charan, marketing and management student of IIPM, Delhi, came third.
A total of 998 candidates (753 male and 245 female) made the cut this year for the IAS, IFS, IPS and other Central Services.
A total of 13,092 candidates qualified for the main written test held in October and 2,674 of them were selected for the personality test conducted in March-April.
Of the top 25 candidates 12 took the exams from Delhi, two each from Chennai and Hyderabad, four from Thiruva nanthapuram and one each from Jammu, Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Allahabad. Of this list, six made it in their first attempt; nine in their second; eight in their third; and one each in their fourth and sixth attempts.
July 2013 News 8 CABINET NOD FOR LOANS AT LOW INTEREST FOR WOMEN SELF HELP GROUPS
CABINET NOD FOR LOANS AT LOW INTEREST FOR WOMEN SELF HELP GROUPS
In a bid to financially strengthen Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) across India, the Union Cabinet has approved key changes to the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), aiming to eradicate poverty in villages by empowering women. Union Rural Development Minister on May 7, 2013 announced that over 25 lakh women SHGs will now be provided bank loans at an interest rate of seven per cent.
Initially, the scheme will be started as a pilot project in 150 districts, including the 82 Integrated Action Plan districts affected by naxal violence, and in the rest of the States. 75 per cent of the cost would be borne by the Central Government and 25 per cent by the States.
"In 150 districts, all women SHGs, which are now getting bank loans at 11.5 to 14 per cent rate of interest will now get it at 7 per cent rate of interest," the minister said.
Additional Support Additionally, Women SHGs that repay loans in time will enjoy an additional three per cent subvention, thereby reducing the effective rate to 4 per cent. In the 150 districts, the Central Government will bear the entire cost of the interest subvention from the market rate to seven per cent.
The total cost of the project is around Rs. 1,650 crore for 2013-14, out of which, Rs. 1,400 crore shall be borne by the Central Government and Rs. 250 crore by the States.
"Over the next five years, we will move to a situation where the entire cost will be borne by the Centre," The Minister added.
In order to improve targeting, the Cabinet decided to do away with the BPL (below poverty line) category in the NRLM, and instead identify target groups through the Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP) process, at the community level.
Currently, there are nearly 25 lakh women SHGs in the country, with nearly three crore members and over the next five years, the number is expected to increase to seven crore.
The NRLM was launched by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in June 2011-a poverty reduction programme based on employment generation by adoption of a multipronged strategy. The programme aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms of the rural poor, thereby enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.
July 2013 News 7 INFANT MORTALITY RATE
INFANT MORTALITY RATE
The interventions under the sub-mission will aim to result in the reduction of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), universal access to reproductive health care and the convergence of all health-related interventions.Under the scheme, the government proposes to set up one Urban Primary Health Centre for a population of 50,000-60,000, one Urban Community Health Centre for five to six urban Primary Health Centres in big cities, and Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for a population of 10,000 and an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.
The Central Government is to provide a share of 16,955 crore towards the estimated cost of NUHM for five years-Rs. 22,507 crore.
While the Centre will fund 75 per cent of the mission and the State 25 per cent, the funding ratio for North Eastern States and special category States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be 90: 10. The existing mechanism and systems created and functioning under NRHM will be strengthened to meet
the needs of NUHM and city-wise implementation plans will be prepared based on baseline surveys and felt needs. The urban local bodies will be fully involved in the implementation of the scheme.
The scheme had been pending for a long time but not cleared due to shortage of financial resources. Even now, funds earmarked for it in the current year (2013-14) are abysmally low at Rs. 1 crore only.
At present, there is no dedicated health delivery system for the urban poor. The health indicators among them are also bad and nutrition levels of urban children living in slums are alarmingly low.
Estimates have shown that one in 10 children born in the slums did not see their fifth birthday while less than half were immunised.
July 2013 News 6 CABINET NOD FOR URBAN HEALTH MISSION WITH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
CABINET NOD FOR URBAN HEALTH MISSION WITH PPPS
The Union Cabinet on May 1, 2013 approved the 7 22,507 crore National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) that seeks to address healthcare challenges in towns and cities with focus on urban poor. Though the proposal is in time with the Prime Minister's announcement of a unified National Health Mission last year, a few paragraphs on Public Private Partnership (PPPs) have been added.The mission will be implemented in 779 cities and towns, each with a population of more than 50,000 and cover over 7.75 crore people.
The NUHM aims to improve the health status of the urban population in general, and the poor and other disadvantaged sections in particular, by facilitating equitable access to quality health care through a revamped primary public health care system, targeted out reach services and involvement of the community and urban local bodies. The NUHM will be on the lines of the Health and Family Welfare. Ministry's flagship National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM) launched in 2005 to address the health
challenges of rural India.
July 2013 News 5 INDIA TO DEVELOP IRANIAN PORT
INDIA TO DEVELOP IRANIAN PORT
[Decision on Chabahar Spurred by Chinese State in Pakistan's Gwadar Port]India on May 4, 2013 announced its participation in the Chabahar port project-a move that would reinforce New Delhi's strategic ties with Tehran and Kabul ahead of next year's withdrawal from Afghanistan by the United States.
The decision to forge a trilateral partnership was announced in Tehran by External Affair Minister Salman Khurshid. Mr.Khurshid's word rang loud and clear : "The convergence of views between India and Iran goes beyond the ambit of bilateral relations and extends to the regional and international arena as well. The Chabahar port project is one such area which reflects our commitment to the stability and peace in Afghanistan."
Geopolitical Resonance Analysts point out that India's participation in the up gradation of Chabahar port has deep geopolitical resonance.
The full development of the Chabahar port would lower land-locked Afghanistan's dependence on Pakistani ports for assured access to the sea. Besides, the trilateral arrangement could balance joint foray by China and Pakistan in the Indian Ocean. In February, Pakistan decided that China would operate its Gwadar port, just 76 km from Chabahar.
For the first time, Gwadar would provide Chinese ships sustained anchorage in an area on the edge of the Arabian Sea, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, through which the bulk of the world's energy supplies pass.
Observers say the development of Gwadar may have imparted some urgency to India's decision to go ahead with the Chabahar project.
Mr. Khurshid made it plain that India's energetic engagement with Iran was the result of deep deliberation, and could be traced to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tehran for the non-aligned summit last August. "The visit of the Prime Minister to Iran was a clear expression of India's commitment and the value we attach to our relations with Iran," he said. He added that his
own visit to Tehran should be seen as the "continuation of this tradition of constructive engagement".
Mr. Khurshid stressed that India, Iran and Afghanistan should sign a parallel 'transit agreement' to streamline their logistical lines.
July 2013 News 4 CABINET NOD FOR NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPEMENT AGENCY
CABINET NOD FOR NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPEMENT AGENCY
In an effort to give a single-point focus to skill development initiative, the government on May 9, 2013 cleared a proposal to set up a National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) subsumingother bodies engaged in this initiative.
The Union Cabinet gave its nod to NSDA replacing the Prime Minister's National Council on Skill Development (PM-NCSD), the National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB) and the office of the Adviser to the PM on Skill development.
According to a government statement the Agency will be located in the ministry of finance.
Cordinate and Harmonise
The new skill body will coordinate and harmonise the skill development efforts of the government and the private sector to achieve the targets of the 12th plan and beyond.
It will also anchor and operationalise the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and be the nodal agency for sector skills councils and endeavour to bridge the social, regional,
gender and economic divides in skilling.
Further, it will also be empowered to raise extra budgetary resources. The Central Ministries and NSDC will continue to implement schemes in their remit, the statement said.
"The NSDA is expected to provide the much-needed single point focus to ensure that skilling quality and standards meet sector-specific requirements benchmarked to international standards. Such an initiative will boost employability of youth in India," the statement said.
July 2013 News 3 CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG'S VISIT TO INDIA
CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG'S VISIT TO INDIA
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang paid a three-day visit to India in the third-week of May. During this visit India and China expressed a strong desire to resolve pending issues and take the relationship forward in new spheres such as civil nuclear energy during two rounds of discussions in New Delhi on May 20 and 21, 2013 between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Border Issues
The two leaders decided to entrust the task of ensuring incident like Depsang do not recur to the two Special Representatives (SRs), who have also been asked to speed up work in their core area of demarcating and delineating the border by trying to achieve closure on the second of the three-stage process of resolving the border question. India could not get its way with an upgraded joint mechanism on trans border rivers to quell its concerns about construction activity on the Chinese portion of the Brahmaputra. But both sides signed a pact-among the eight between the two sides-to increase the frequency of exchange of hydrological data.
There was some progress on the economic front-an area that Beijing maintains is the centre piece of the visit from its point of view-with China holding out the promise of addressing India's complaints about market access for its three exporting mainstays of IT, pharmaceuticals and food products. In addition to seeking to resolve the existing issues of border, water and trade through further discussions, the two leaders also set milestones for the future by listing new areas of cooperation such as civil nuclear energy and ensuring seamless connectivity between Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.
• India, China lay road map for better ties and trade.
• Agree to evolve mechanism to ease border tension, address trade balance.
• Sign eight pacts for bilateral boost.
• China realizes the need to accord due consideration for Indian sense of national pride.
• Special representatives to ensure that Depsang type incidents don't recur.
• They will meet soon to work on boundary agreement.
• Both countries to cooperate in civil nuclear energy.
• Three working groups drawn up to boost trade between the two nations.
• China to make further improvements to existing facilities for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims. It will also provide information of water level discharge and rainfall on the mainstream Brahmaputra river.
• Both nations to join hands in finding water efficient irrigation methods for agriculture.
EIGHT Agreements
The two leaders firmed up eight agreements to enhance cooperation in a range of areas including trade, culture and water resources.
The agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang.
To enhance trade, both sides decided to set up three working groups under the joint Economic Group. The three groups are Services Trade Promotion Working Group, Economic and Trade Planning Cooperation Group and Trade Statistical Analysis Group.
The pact for setting up of the working groups was signed by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng.
In 2012, bilateral trade between the two countries was $ 66 billion, a decline from over the $ 74 billion mark in 2011. The two countries have set a target of $ 100 billion by 2015 for bilateral trade.
As per an agreement signed by External Affairs
Minister Salman Khurshid and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, China will make further improvements to the existing facilities for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims including providing them with wireless sets and local SIM cards.
July 2013 News 2 BULLET TRAINS ON MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD ROUTE
BULLET TRAINS ON MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD ROUTE
India is set to benefit from the famed Japanese bullet train technology, with Tokyo on May 29, 2013 pledging to invest heavily in building high speed railway systems in the country. The two
sides will jointly fund a feasibility study for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
sides will jointly fund a feasibility study for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route.
July 2013 News 1 INDIAN PRIME MINISTER VISIT TO JAPAN AND THAILAND
Indian Prime Minister visit to Japan and 'Thailand
[PM wants India, Japan to chart a new course for Asia]
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a visit to Japan in the last week of May 2013. In his address to three different forums, during this visit, comprising Indian and Japanese parliamentarians, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked of the responsibility of India and Japan to address multiple challenges in the India-Pacific region to chart a new course for Asia in this century.
Addressing the Japan-India Association, the Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League and the International Friendship Exchange Council, Dr.Singh spoke of Japan in glowing terms as the role model of economic growth and of the high stakes of the world in reinvigorating the Japanese economy.
India, Japan to speed up talks on Civil Nuclear Deal
Indian PM Dr. Singh and his counterpart Japanese PM Shinzo Abe on May 29 decided to accelerate talks on a civil nuclear deal that would allow Japan to export nuclear reactors to India and to
bolster maritime security cooperation at a time when China's postures in the region's seas have thrown up concerns.
A joint statement issued at the end of exhaustive talks between Dr. Singh and Mr. Abe said that the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of civil nuclear co-operation between the two countries
while recognizing that nuclear safety was a priority for both governments.
India and Japan welcomed the expansion of bilateral defence ties and agreed to further cooperate on maritime issues to ensure freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce.
They decided to establish a Joint Working Group to explore the modalities for cooperation on the US-2 amphibious aircraft.
Naval Exercises
The two sides also institutionalized naval exercises which will now be held on a regular basis with increased frequency. Both sides expressed their commitment to continue working to prepare
the ground for India to become a full member in the international export control regimes the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group and the
Wassenaar Agreement. Expectations on substantial progress on the civil nuclear deal were belied with Abe stressing the importance of bringing into force the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) at an early date. Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, wants India to sign both the NPT and the CTBT, which New Delhi terms as discriminatory.
On his part, Singh reiterated India's commitment to its unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.
PM in Thailand
The PM Mr. Singh dashed to Thailand from Japan on May 30. India and Thailand signed an extradition treaty and other important agreements at the conclusion of talks between PM Manmohan Singh and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra.
The security cooperation got a major boost. The two countries ratified a treaty on exchanging sentenced prisoners and signed a pact on cooperation in anti-money laundering policies.
The other pacts cover areas of mutual cooperation such as space technology development and cultural cooperation. Thailand invited Indian investment in various sectors.
An ambitious project to develop a 3,200 km highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand was an important item on the agenda of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit here.
On May 30, 2013 Dr. Singh and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinwatra expressed the hope that the highway would be ready by 2016.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
NEWS HEADLINES JULY 2013
NATIONAL
NEWS HEADLINES JULY 2013
PEOPLE WHO PASSED AWAY in JULY 2013
ABBREVIATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS of JULY 2013
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS of JULY 2013
NEWS ABOUT INDIAN STATES for JULY 2013
July 2013 News 1: INDIAN PRIME MINISTER VISIT TO JAPAN AND THAILAND
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July 2013 News 2: BULLET TRAINS ON MUMBAI-AHMEDABAD ROUTE
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July 2013 News 3: CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANG'S VISIT TO INDIA
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July 2013 News 4: CABINET NOD FOR NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPEMENT AGENCY
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July 2013 News 5: INDIA TO DEVELOP IRANIAN PORT
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July 2013 News 6: CABINET NOD FOR URBAN HEALTH MISSION WITH PPPS
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July 2013 News 7: INFANT MORTALITY RATE
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July 2013 News 8: CABINET NOD FOR LOANS AT LOW INTEREST FOR WOMEN SELF HELP GROUPS
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July 2013 News 9: WOMEN TOP CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION
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July 2013 News 10: KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT CLEARED, WITH CAVEATS
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July 2013 News 11: FOR CREAMY LAYER CABINET RAISES INCOME LIMIT
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July 2013 News 12: INDIA GETS OBSERVER STATUS IN ARCTIC COUNCIL
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July 2013 News 13: GOVERNMENT FORMS GROUP OF MINISTERS ON CBI AUTONOMY
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July 2013 News 14: CABINET APPROVES COUNCIL PROPOSALS
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July 2013 News 15: NAVY GETS FIRST FIGHTER SQUADRON IN 30 YEARS
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July 2013 News 16: GOVT. TO ESTABLISH BUREAU OF WATER USE EFFICIENCY
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July 2013 News 17: SCORES OF CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION MADE PUBLIC
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July 2013 News 18: GOVT. SIGNS IBSA RESOLUTION TO EMPOWER WOMEN
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July 2013 News 19: MALAYALAM GET, CLASSICAL STATES
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July 2013 News 20: US SENATE APPROVES FIRST INDIA BORN SENIOR JUDGE
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July 2013 News 21: NEW WARSHIP FIRES BRAH-MOS SUCCESSFULLY
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