Current Events India -November 2006 and later

• TROPEX (Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercises) 2007, the navy's largest annual exercise, commenced on 30^th Jan and saw the participation of all the force's major combatants, as also significant elements from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Coast Guard.

· The third unit of Kaiga Atomic Power Plant - India's seventeenth – went critical on February 26 and will go commercial by the end of March as scheduled. The 220 mw plant is located at Kaiga in Karnataka. Going ``critical,'' means ready to produce power. Nuclear Power Corp. will commission a fourth reactor at Kaiga in six months. 220-megawatt third unit, which began producing power yesterday, will sell power to four states in southern India, he said. India has 14 220-megawatt reactors.

· Presently, 239 items are reserved for the small scale sector.(Feb 2007)

· Remains of Harappan Civilization have been found at Bhirrana (Haryana), Baror & Tarkhanawala Dhera (Rajasthan), Juni Kuran & Dholavira (Gujarat) and Sanauli (Uttar Pradesh) in the recent excavations. A broken copper bangle was found missing from the excavated site at Sanauli, district Baghpat (Uttar Pradesh). The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has reported the incident to police who are investigating into this.

· The Chief of Air Staff & Chairman Chief of Staff Committee, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, laid the foundation stone at the proposed site for a New Aerospace Museum in Delhi

The development of Trishul, Akash and Nag missiles are currently going under Integrated Guided Missiles Development Programme (IGMDP).

Trishul - Low Level Quick Reaction surface - to - air missile system with a range of 9 km.

Akash - Medium range, air defence system with a multi-target handling capacity. It has a range of 25 km.

Nag - Third generation anti - tank missile with "top - attack" and "fire & forget capability.

Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme started in July 1983.

Prithvi and Agni are already inducted

Why is Brahmos not a part of the IGMDP- Find out

• The Drug Controller General of India has recently approved oral anti Kala-azar drug “Miltefosine” for treatment of Kala-azar patients.

The clinical trials of Miltefosine – oral drug have been conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. Based on the results of clinical trials, the Expert Committee of the Directorate of Health Services has recommended introduction of Miltefosine as first line of treatment.

The Government of India has already decided to introduce the drug in 10 Kala-azar endemic districts in the country and procurement of drug is under way. West Bengal and Bihar have kala azar endemic districts .

• The Government has introduced the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2006 in Rajya Sabha in February this year, with a view to enabling citizens of India, who are living abroad for employment, education or otherwise outside India, to get their names enrolled in the electoral rolls and cast their votes, when they are in their constituency at the time of polls.
• Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

The first meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was held on 28.11.2006 under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests. The Authority has been constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006, as recommended by the Tiger Task Force.

The Authority deliberated on several issues relating to tiger reserves including the general approach for the XIth Plan covering antipoaching, infrastructure, man-animal conflict, co-existence in buffer, research, staff development, determination of inviolate spaces for wildlife, mainstreaming livelihood concerns, strengthening of infrastructure for the National Tiger Conservation Authority and independent monitoring.

Detailed deliberations took place on the three main initiatives required to be taken by the Tiger Reserve States: formation of State Level Steering Committee, preparation of tiger conservation plan and establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation.

The following decisions were taken:

1. Deployment of local work force comprising of local people for protection.

2. In view of the paucity of frontline staff in many of the tiger reserves, issue of Directives to States to launch special recruitment drive for filling up frontline field staff vacancies. Preference should be given to local forest dwelling people, by if necessary, relaxing the prescribed qualifications for such posts. The process requires to be completed within a time frame of six months from the start of the coming financial year.

3. Constitution of a Committee with NTCA experts, Ministry of Home Affairs (Internal Security), Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Social Justice, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Chief Wildlife Wardens of concerned States to suggest measures for containing insurgency and Naxalite problems in affected tiger reserves.

4. Completion of Phase-I analysis of the All India Tiger Estimation using the new methodology as approved by the Tiger Task Force by December, 2006, including Phase-I, II and III for Central India: completion of all Phases for the rest of the country by July, 2007.

5. Using the new protocol developed in the All India Tiger Estimation for regular, institutionalized monitoring of tiger reserves.

6. Constitution of a Committee under the Chairmanship of Prof. Madhav Gadgil, Member, NTCA for suggesting networking with researchers towards fostering field research and refining the parameters for independent monitoring.

7. Strengthening of NTCA infrastructure.

This was the first meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority since it was constituted on 4^th September of this year. It was done for effective implementation and monitoring of tiger conservative initiatives. Chairman ,Minister of Environment and Forests is the Chairman and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests is vice-chairman of this twenty-four member body.!18 members are from various ministries and 8 non-official experts are other members.

· The salient features of the National Jute Policy are to increase the quantity of export of jute and jute products by achieving a CAGR of 15% per annum, produce good quality jute fibre and value added diversified jute products, ensure remunerative prices to the jute farmers and enhance per hectare yield of raw jute.

· The Government has noted that in response to a query, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed to PTI on October, 25, 2006, that China has no such plans to build a dam and divert water from Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) to the Yellow River.

• 66 India Reserve Battalions have been raised so far. India Reserve Battalions are sanctioned to the States on the basis of their request and taking into account the law and order and security situations. The battalions are raised by the State Governments within two years from the date of sanction. The concept of IRB was mooted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in the background of increasing problems of law and order and emerging internal security scenario in the country which put considerable pressure on the Central Paramilitary Forces.
• The rate of interest declared by the Government on the Employees’ Provident Fund is 8.5 per cent respectively.
  
  The rate of interest is declared by the Government in consultation with the Central Board of Trustees, Employees’ Provident Fund, which in turn, makes recommendations to the Government on the basis of the projected incomes and projected interest payment liabilities during a particular year. Thus, the rate of interest is based on the total yield of the fund, which is invested in accordance with the pattern prescribed by the Government.
• As per Census 2001, the number of agricultural workers in India is 10.67 crore. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has initiated several measures to solve the problems of the landless labourers. Various labour laws like the Minimum Wages Act 1948; the Workmen Compensation Act, 1923; the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (RE&CS) Act, 1979 are applicable to these workers. There is no specific schemes/programmes for improving the conditions of these Labourers being implemented by this Ministry. However, there are various schemes/programmes being implemented by other Ministries/Departments for improving the conditions of rural poor including landless labourers. Some of such schemes are : Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana; Sampporna Grameen Rozgar Yojana; Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana; National Social Assistance Programme; etc. The Government has recently enacted National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• The Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers with 2001 as the base year has been released by the Labour Bureau
• Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPET)- Mysore
• The Election Commission has informed that the voting machine is both mechanically and electronically protected to prevent any tampering/manipulation. The Government has not received any survey relating to negative report from anywhere inside the country or from abroad in this regard.
  
  There is no possibility of misuse of electronic voting machines as these machines used for elections conducted and monitored by the Election Commission of India are manufactured and supplied only as per the Commission’s requirement by two Central Public Sector Undertakings, namely, M/s Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bangalore and M/s Electronics Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad. These machines always remain in proper security under the custody of Government officials authorized by law.
• Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) conceived in 1996-97 in order to provide financial assistance to States to complete ongoing irrigation projects
• About 2.63 crore rural households have been provided sanitation facilities under Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). It is planned to achieve 100% coverage of rural sanitation by the end of Eleventh Plan.
  
  Pace of implementation has increased significantly in recent years. Number of Gram Panchayats receiving Nirmal Gram Puraskar has increased from 38 in 2004-05 to 760 in 2005-06.
• The Government has decided to support the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) in setting up of world class Institutes of Public Health in India. PHFI is an autonomous body. The Government of India proposes to contribute as one-time grant upto Rs. 65 crore only to the initial Rs.200 crore PHFI corpus.
  
  PHFI initially proposes to set up two schools. The locations have yet to be decided by PHFI.
• There are 2.96 crore cases pending in different courts of the country up to July 2006. The reason for accumulation of cases in the courts has been considered by various Committees and Law Commission. While there are many factors for accumulation of cases in courts, adjournments/postponement of hearing dates, transfer of judicial officers and delay in appointment of judges have also contributed.
  
  With a view to reducing pendency in the courts Government has taken a number of measures which include timely filling up of vacancies of judges, increasing of judge strength, grouping of cases involving common question of law, organization of Lok Adalats, encouraging alternative mode of dispute resolution, setting up of special courts like the Family Courts, Labour Courts, continuation of 1562 Fast Track Courts in the country up to March 2010 and also computerization of courts.
• According to the estimate of Indian Bureau of Mines, total iron ore resources in the country (as on April, 2005) are estimated at 25.25 billion tonnes. Out of this, economically mineable resources are 7.21 billion tones. The remaining resources have not yet been established as economically mineable. Out of the total resources of 25.25 billion tonnes, 10.62 billion tonnes are magnetite and the remaining are haematite. A large part of magnetite resources are covered under the ban imposed by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India on environmental grounds. Iron ore exports have more than doubled during the last five years, while domestic consumption has grown only one and a half times. It is estimated that at this rate of growth of consumption and export, the entire resources will be exhausted before 2030.
• The Union Cabinet approved a proposal for amendment in National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 so as to make it applicable to the State of Jammu & Kashmir by deleting the words ‘except the State of Jammu & Kashmir’ from Section 1(2) of the Act.
• 37TH IFFI TAKES place AT GOA in November. SHASHI KAPOOR is the CHIEF GUEST AT IFFI-06.
• Cartagena Protocol on biosafety

· medium enterprises (ME) are those units with investment in plant and machinery above the small-scale industry limit and up to Rs 10 crore.SSI units are those with investments in plant and machinery up to Rs 1 crore other than a few specified industries such as pharmaceuticals, textiles and sports goods where the cut-off investment limit stands at Rs 5 crore.

• An agreement was signed today in Paris on the establishment of ITER (International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor) International Fusion Energy Organisation for the joint implementation of the ITER project. The signatories are the seven parties of the ITER i.e. China, European Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. ITER is coming up at Cadarache in southern France. It is the second costliest international science project after the ISS.

Following is the synopses of Agreements/ Protocols/ MOUs signed during visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to India (November 20-23, 2006):

1. Protocol between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Establishment of Consulates-General at Guangzhou and Kolkata

(Signatories: Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs and Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

This Protocol provides for an Indian Consulate-General in Guangzhou, with its consular district covering the seven Chinese Provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Chinese Consulate-General in Kolkata will have its consular district covering the five States of West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. This Protocol will help sustain, facilitate and promote greater engagement between India and China.

2. Protocol on Cooperation between the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

(Signatories: Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs and Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

This Protocol institutionalizes the bilateral dialogue and consultation mechanisms between the two Foreign Offices and provides for the establishment of a hotline between the two Foreign Ministers. The Protocol is expected to intensify dialogues, interaction and cooperation on issues of mutual interest between the two Foreign Offices.

3. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Issue of Property of the Consulate General of the Republic of India in Shanghai

(Signatories: Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs and Mr. Li Zhaoxing, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

Under this Agreement, the Chinese side shall provide the Indian side with a plot of land measuring an area of 5,000 square meters, free of charge for the construction of the premises of the Consulate General of India, Shanghai. The plot of land is provided to Indian side in lieu of the old Indian Consulate property in Shanghai. The signing of the agreement will bring to a close an issue which has remained outstanding for over 40 years now.

4. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People’s Republic of China for the Promotion and Protection of Investments

(Signatories: Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Mr. Bo Xilai, Chinese Minister of Commerce)

The Agreement provides for a framework for bilateral investment flows between the two countries, thereby creating favourable conditions for investors of one country to make investments in the other. This will send a positive signal to prospective Indian and Chinese investors and contribute to strengthening of the economic engagement between the two countries.

5. Agreement of Cooperation on Inspection of Iron Ore between Export Inspection Council of the Republic of India (EIC) and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ)

(Signatories: Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Mr. Li Changjiang, Administrator, AQSIQ)

The Agreement establishes a mechanism to inspect trade in iron ore between China and India. The Export Inspection Council of India and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China shall respectively recognise and designate inspection agencies in India and China. This Agreement is expected to give a further boost to bilateral trade in iron ore-the single largest export item from India to China.

6. The Protocol between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of India and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China on Phytosanitary Requirements for Exporting Rice from India to China

(Signatories: Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister for Agriculture and Mr. Li Changjiang, Administrator of AQSIQ)

This Protocol, which provides, the phytosanitary requirements regarding the entry into China of Basmati rice produced in India, will facilitate the export of Indian rice to China. Accordingly, Basmati rice that is exported to China shall comply with the Chinese plant quarantine laws and regulations and also adhere to the relevant measures under the WTO.

7. MOU between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) for Cooperation in Agricultural Research

(Signatories: Dr. Mangala Rai, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General, ICAR and Mr. Sun Yuxi, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to India)

Under this MOU, the ICAR and CAAS agree to promote cooperation in the exchange of scientific peronnel; germplasm and breeding material; scientific literature, information and methodology; equipment, etc. The signing of this MOU will facilitate cooperation in areas that are crucial to the well-being of a large part of their respective populations.

8. Exchange Programme between the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Education of the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Cooperation in the Field of Education

(Signatories: Shri R. P. Agarwal, Secretary (HE), Ministry of Human Resource Development and Mr. Cui Tiankai, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

Through this Agreement the Ministry of Human Resource Development of India and the Ministry of Education of the Government of China seek to encourage the development of contacts and cooperation between the educational institutions of the two countries. As two developing countries with large human resources potential, cooperation in the area of education will contribute to the further broad basing of the bilateral relationship.

9. MOU between Forward Markets Commission, India and China Security Regulatory Commission Regarding Commodity Futures Regulatory Cooperation

(Signatories: Shri S. Sundareshan, Chairman, Forward Markets Commission and Mr. Sun Yuxi, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to India)

The purpose of this MOU is to promote investor protection and integrity of the commodity futures markets by providing a framework for cooperation, including channels of communication, increasing mutual understanding and exchange of regulatory and technical information.

10. MOU on Cooperation between the Indian Institute of Public Administration, India and the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Republic of China

(Signatories: Shri P. L. Sanjeeva Reddy, Director General, IIPA and Mr. Cui Tiankai, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

The MOU provides for cooperation between the IIPA and the CPS on issues of common interest such as rural development, agriculture, poverty alleviation, public administration, public policy, role of government in a market economy and role of Planning Commissions. The signing of the MOU reflects the desire of the public administration institutions of the two sides to better understand each other’s systems of governance and promote cooperation and exchange of experience.

[Note: The CPS is a school for developing mid and high level Party and government officials under the direct leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.]

11. The Agreement on Forestry Cooperation between Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Republic of India and State Forestry Administration of the People’s Republic of China

(Signatories: Shri Gopal Krishna Prasad, Director General of Forests & Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and Mr. Cui Tiankai, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China)

Under this Agreement the two sides shall support cooperation and development in forestry related fields of economy, manufacturing, processing, and science & technology. This would provide an opportunity for the two sides to gain better insight into an important part of the other’s natural ecosystem and the activities that influence them.

12. MOU between the Archaeological Survey of India of the Republic of India (ASI) and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China (SACH) on Cooperation in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

(Signatories: Shri C. Babu Rajeev, Director General, Archaeological Survey of India and Mr. Shan Jixiang, Director General of State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China)

The MOU provides for cooperation between ASI and SACH in the field of cultural heritage. Cooperation shall include exchange of professional experience; training of personnel; and joint scientific and academic research in related spheres of activity. Such cooperation assumes significance for the two countries which are inheritors of the oldest civilisations in the world.

13. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Preventing Theft, Clandestine Excavation and Illicit Import and Export of Cultural Property

(Signatories: Shri C. Babu Rajeev, Director General, Archaeological Survey of India and Mr. Shan Jixiang, Director General of State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China)

Under this Agreement, the Ministry of Culture of India and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China shall collaborate in adopting preventive, mandatory and remedial measures to combat unlawful and criminal practices concerning the theft, clandestine excavation and illicit import and export of cultural property.

• All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural and Rural Labourers (Base 1986-87 = 100)

Minister of State for Women & Child Development, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury presented “Stree Shakti Puraskars” for outstanding work in the area of women empowerment for the year 2002 and 2003. Instituted by the Ministry of Women & Child Development the award carries a cash prize of Rs. One Lakh and a citation.


Awardees for 2003 include Smt. Vandana Gopikumar for rehabilitation of mentally retarded homeless women, Smt. Bhagirathi Dutta for her work for destitute women and girls, Dr. Gopa Kothari for her contribution for welfare of the weaker sections of the society and slum dwellers, Dr. Sunita Krishnan for the cause of women in difficult circumstances, Smt. Kamala Khora, a women without formal education but working for enrolment of girls.

Awardees for 2002 are Smt. Auda Viegas for rights for women and children, Smt. Shanta Trivedi for eradication of social evils in Mewar Region of Rajasthan, Smt. Yumnam Sarojini Devi for helping fellow women, Ms. Mahjabeen Sarwar for fighting for justice for exploited women and Smt. Suniti Yadav for her work in the area of environment.

• Mr. Hamid Karzai is given the "Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development" award for 2005.
• India has been re-elected to serve on the Council of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) (Headquarters: Geneva)during the elections held at the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, which is presently in session at Antalya, Turkey. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the ITU, which comprises of 191 member countries
• The Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. D.Purandeswari is leading a High Level delegation of senior officials to the Group Meeting on ‘Education for All (EFA)’at Cairo, Egypt (14-16 November, 2006). The meeting is to review the progress made towards the EFA goals and education related Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
• A news item had appeared in a section of the press on 03.11.2006 titled “US scuttles an Indian plea for WTO panel on exports of frozen and canned warm water shrimps”.
• SARAS 2006, an exhibition to give exposure to products manufactured by rural artisans got underway at the Indian International Trade Fair (IITF) in November 2006.
• The festival organized by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture in November had glimpses of rich cultural heritage through unique forms of folk dances. These will include Jabro of J&K, Lahauli of Himachal Pradesh, Irula of Tamil Nadu, Koya of Andhra Pradesh, Kuruvara Kunitha of Karnataka, Rava of West Bengal, Ghoomra of Orissa, Songi Mukhawaete of Maharashtra, Radhwa Adivasi Nritya of Gujarat, Daangi Dola of Rajasthan, Gaur Madia of Chhattisgarh, Gorware Kunitha of Karnataka, Tandi of Uttaranchal, Lingo of Maharashtra, Karma of Uttar Pradesh, Bhagouriya of Madhya Pradesh, Hoko of Meghalaya, Sanokshi Malu of Nagaland and Bordoichikla of Assam.

· The Vice President Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the Rabindranath Tagore Centre at the University of Guyana . The Centre has been established with assistance from the Government of India.

• India has made some progress on the Human Development Index (HDI) value that has gone up from .602 in last year’s Report to .611 in HRD 2006. On HDI ranking, India is ranked at 126 this year against a total of 177, going up one rank as compared to last year. India’s rank on the Human Poverty Index (HP1-1) is 55 in a universe of 102 developing countries.(UNDP 2006)
• The Universal Postal Union (Berne, Switzerland- headquarters)was established on 9th October, 1874. It became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1948. Its aim is to assist the postal sector in its member countries in improving and developing their postal services. At present, it has 190 countries including India as members.

Towards the Southeast of Patna, the Capital City of Bihar State in India, is a village called the 'Bada Gaon', in the vicinity of which, are the world famous ruins of Nalanda University.

Founded in the 5th Century A.D., Nalanda is known as the ancient seat of learning. 2,000 Teachers and 10,000 Students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied at Nalanda, the first Residential International University of the World.

As per the National Census 2001, 2.1% of India’s population suffers from one or other kind of disability. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the State Governments are committed to ensure equal opportunity to this section of population and their development to their full potential.

“SAMARTHYA 2006”, Chandigarh organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with State Government of Punjab & Haryana, is an exhibition of assistive devices, teaching kit, learning material services and barrier free features that not only provides a unique opportunity for obtaining information on technologies available in the field of disability, but also provides a forum for exchange of ideas among the users and providers of rehabilitation services. It also aims at creating awareness about prevention, early intervention and barrier free environment among general public.

• Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr. Anbumani Ramdoss inaugurated Second World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya 2006 Exhibition on 5 November 2006 at Pune University