{Current Affairs} Daily News Notes: 11th, 12th & 13th Dec, 2013

· The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has ruled that the Uttar Pradesh government cannot withdraw terror cases without the Centre's consent. The court said that most of the accused were booked under central acts. The High Court order came after the state government withdrew terror cases against 19 men accused in terror strikes in 2006 Varanasi serial blasts and the serial court blasts of 2007. The withdrawal of terror cases against those described as innocent youths of a particular community, was one of the biggest political commitments of the party.
· MPs belonging to Janata Dal United staged a protest outside parliament over the alleged discrimination of Indian languages by the Union Public Service Commission. The party said that the UPSC has changed rules that favour the elite candidates opting for English as their medium of examination.
· The Union Cabinet today approved the national rollout of the Plan Accounting and Public Finance Management System (PA&PFMS) also known as Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS) over a period of four years till 2017. The new system provides for a financial management platform for all plan schemes, a database of all recipient agencies, and integration with core banking solution of banks handling plan funds, integration with State Treasuries and efficient and effective tracking of fund flow to the lowest level of implementation for Plan schemes of the Government. It will result in effectiveness and economy in public financial management through better cash management for Government transparency in public expenditure and real-time information on resource availability and utilisation across schemes.
· Minister of Communications informed that the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) had launched ‘Rural Wireline Broadband Scheme’ for providing broadband connectivity to rural and remote areas in 2009. The scheme is being implemented at pan-India level. National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project is planned to connect all Gram Panchayats (approx. 2.5 Lakh) in the country through optical fibre utilizing existing fibers of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) viz. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), RailTel and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and laying incremental fiber wherever necessary to bridge the connectivity gap between Gram Panchayats and Blocks. Further, the Minister informed that for the Rural populace of India the Department of Posts has an insurance scheme called Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI).
· The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal for continuation of the District Component of the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme in the existing form during 2013-14 and until the new and restructured BRGF is introduced. This will accelerate socio-economic development of the 272 backward districts of 27 states in the country. This will contribute towards poverty alleviation in backward districts and promote accountable and responsible panchayats and municipalities. Unlike the conventional top down approach in planning, the BRGF programme has adopted the bottoms up approach wherein the plans are prepared at the grassroots level i.e. gram panchayat and equivalent level and are then consolidated at the district level. BACKGROUND: As an approach to address the issue of regional imbalances in development process, a programme called BRGF Programme was launched by the Prime Minister at Barpeta in Assam on 19th February 2007. The BRGF has two components, namely, (i) District Component covering 272 backward districts in 27 States, and (ii) State Component. The funds for the District Component as well as for the State Component are allocated as an Additional Central Assistance to State Plans on 100 percent grant basis. The District component is implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj while the implementation of the State component of BRGF is entrusted to the Planning Commission.
· The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) for implementation during the 12th Plan with an outlay of ~Rs. 17000 crore, a centrally sponsored scheme. Out of this, State governments will be contributing a sum of ~Rs. 1000 crore in the States where the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) sub-scheme is implemented. The strategy of the MIDH will be on production of quality seeds and planting material, production enhancement through productivity improvement measures along with support for creation of infrastructure to reduce post harvest losses and improved marketing of produce with active participation of all stake holders, particularly farmer groups and farmer producer organizations. Implementation of MIDH is expected to achieve a growth rate of 7.2 percent in the horticulture sector during the 12th Plan, besides generating skilled and unskilled employment opportunities in rural and urban areas. The scheme will cover all States and Union Territories (UTs) of India. Other Related Scheme: While the NHM scheme will be focusing on 18 States and UTs, the Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan States (HMNEH) scheme will cover all States in the North East and Himalayan region of the country. While these schemes will be focusing on small and marginal farmers, National Horticulture Board (NHB) scheme will address developmental issues on commercial horticulture through entrepreneurs involving institutional financing. The National Bamboo Mission (NBM) will address developmental issues on bamboo, whereas the Coconut Development Board (CDB) schemes will focus on development of the coconut sector. MIDH will subsume six ongoing schemes of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation on horticulture development viz. three Centrally Sponsored Schemes of NHM, HMNEH, NBM, and three Central Sector Schemes viz. NHB, CDB and the Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH) Nagaland.
· The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved modification and continuation of the Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS) during the 12th Plan. The objectives of "DEDS" are to generate self-employment and provide infrastructure for dairy sector, set up modem dairy farms and infrastructure for production of clean milk, encourage heifer calf rearing for conservation and development of good breeding stock, bring structural changes in the unorganized sector (so that initial processing of milk can be taken up at the village level), upgrade traditional technology to handle milk on commercial scale, and provide value addition to milk through processing and production of milk products. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will be the nodal agency for implementation of the scheme. NABARD will implement the scheme through all Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural and Urban Banks, State Cooperative Banks, State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks and such other institutions, which are eligible for refinance from NABARD. The proposals will be sanctioned by the banks as per guidelines of RBI, NABARD and Government of India. The eligible beneficiaries of the scheme will be agricultural farmers, individual entrepreneurs, self-help groups, dairy cooperative societies, milk unions, milk federation, panchyati raj institutions (PRls) etc. The scheme will be implemented throughout the country and cover all sections of society including women, the landless and small and marginal farmers in rural and urban areas.
· The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of the ongoing state Plan Scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) in the 12th Plan (2012-13 to 2016-17). One of the basic objectives of RKVY is to incentivize investments in agriculture and allied sectors by linking state wise allocation of RKVY funds to the increased share of State plan expenditure in agriculture and allied sectors. RKVY is a State plan scheme that provides considerable flexibility` and autonomy to States in planning and executing programmes for incentivizing investment in agriculture and allied sectors.
· Minister for Corporate Affairs informed that a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri M. Damodaran was constituted to suggest measures for a roadmap for improving business climate in India. The Committee has since submitted its report to the Central Government recommending (a) legal reforms (b) regulatory architecture (c) boosting efficacy of regulatory process (d) enabling Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and (e) addressing state level issues. The Minister said that most of the recommendations of the Committee have been taken into account in the Companies Act, 2013.
· As four MiG-21 FL (Type-77) combat jets streaked across the sky in a box formation for the last time at the Kalaikunda airbase (home to the Operational Conversion Unit of the Indian Air Force) in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district on Wednesday, an era in the history of Indian military aviation came to an end. After the final pass, a MiG-21 FL, with tail number C-1125, was towed towards the hangar. It was with the induction of the first batch of six MiG-21s in March-April of 1963 that the supersonic era in the IAF started. In an operational career that spanned roughly five decades, MiG-21 has done great service to the nation in gaining air supremacy during war times. The first supersonic air combat in the subcontinent took place during the 1971 war with Pakistan when MiG-21 proved its mettle. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N.A.K Browne said: “Today’s [Wednesday] event marks a watershed moment in the IAF’s history as we reach the end of nearly five decades of remarkable operational service rendered by this iconic fighter.”
· The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) panel has suggested that trades by promoters, employees, directors and their immediate relatives would need to be disclosed internally to the company. The panel on insider trading (headed by former chief justice of India N. K. Sodhi) also recommended that trades within a calendar quarter of a value beyond Rs. 10 lakh (or such other amount as the capital market regulator may specify) would be required to be disclosed to the stock exchanges. The Justice Sodhi Committee on Insider Trading Regulations has made a range of recommendations to the legal framework for prohibition of insider trading in India and has focused on making this area of regulation more predictable, precise and clear by suggesting a combination of principles-based regulations and rules that are backed by principles. While enlarging the definition of “insider”, the term “connected person” has been defined more clearly and immediate relatives are presumed to be connected persons, with a right to rebut the presumption. Further the regulations would bring greater clarity on what constitutes “unpublished price sensitive information” (UPSI) by defining what constitutes “generally available information”, essentially, information to which non-discriminatory public access would be available. A list of types of information that may ordinarily be regarded as price sensitive information has also been provided. All other persons such as auditors, law firms, accountancy firms, analysts and consultants who handle UPSI in the course of business operations may formulate a code of conduct and the existence of such a code would evidence the seriousness with which the organization treats compliance requirements.
· Export growth eased to a five-month low of 5.9% in November due to a fall in shipments of petroleum goods and rough diamonds, although the trade deficit narrowed as gold imports declined. India’s exports stood at $24.6 billion in November 2013 as against $23.3 billion in the same month last year. However, a 16.3% decline in imports — particularly gold and silver during the month — helped in narrowing the trade deficit to $9.2 billion in November, which is second lowest level during the ongoing fiscal.
· In the run up to the forthcoming general elections will Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi, or for that matter Arvind Kejriwal, issue an open letter to the lesbian and gay community in India promising decriminalization, recognition of partnerships, equality in getting spousal benefits and adoption rights. Although there are no firm estimates, the government had told the Supreme Court last year that there were about 25 lakh gays in India. But because of the social stigma attached to homosexuality in India — even within families, forget the outside world — most gays choose to not come out of the closet. Which is why certain other estimates that place the community at around 7-13% of the population appear to be closer to reality. Taking just the total adult population of India — 18-plus, which is voting age — of 762 million, that would put gays at close to 100 million at the upper end of the range. Which is a significant vote-bank, given that India’s largest minority community is about 170 million large. Further, the Homosexuality is legal in all European Union states. Thanks to the clout acquired by sexual minorities in various countries, same-sex marriage has been legalized in seven EU states while 14 European countries have legalized civil unions or other forms of recognition for same-sex couples. Opinion polls clearly show that treating the LGBT community as a vote bank is not merely because of their own numbers. It is because of a much wider support that they get from society at large. A survey on global acceptance of homosexuality published in June this year by the Pew Research Center found that there is broad acceptance of homosexuality in North America, the European Union and much of Latin America. However, rejection of homosexuality is equally widespread in West Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and in Russia. Views of homosexuality are particularly positive in Spain (88% say it should be accepted by society), Germany (87%), Czech Republic (80%), Canada (80%), Australia (79%), France (77%), Britain (76%), Argentina (74%), Italy (74%) and Philippines (73%). An Observer poll in 2008 showed that over 55% Britons support gay marriages. In France, 62% people support gay marriages according to an Angus Reid poll. {INFOGRAPHIC: The Verdict and its fallout; Homosexual involves punishment}
· Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom company by market cap and revenues, has entered into an infrastructure-sharing deal with the telecom arm of Reliance Industries, creating a somewhat unlikely alliance between two groups usually perceived to be bitter rivals. The deal (Airtel-Jio Infr share) will give the telecom unit, Reliance Jio, pan-India access to Bharti’s nationwide infrastructure while giving Bharti access to the optic fibre capacity created by Jio in future. “The sharing could extend to roaming on 2G, 3G and 4G, and any other mutually benefiting areas relating to telecommunication”, both the companies said in a statement. The statement added that the scope of the partnership also extended to jointly laying optic fibre and rolling out other forms of infrastructure services. This is the second infrastructure-sharing arrangement between the two. In April this year, the two had signed an agreement under which Bharti has provided capacity on its i2i submarine cable to Reliance Jio. Both the companies said the primary reason for joining hands was to cut the duplication of infrastructure wherever possible and to preserve capital and the environment.
· The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission Phase-1 (JNNSM) is poised to make India a global leader in the development of solar power as its green growth agenda increased the installed capacity from around 30 MW to more than 2,000 MW, a World Bank report said on Thursday. What is significant is that JNNSM has reduced the costs of energy to $0.15 per kWh, making India amongst the lowest cost destinations for grid-connected solar Photovoltaic (PV) in the world. Growth in this sector will help India increase its share of clean energy and meet its target of reducing emissions per unit of its GDP by 20-25 per cent by 2020 over the 2005 levels.
· Minister of State for Finance informed that the Government has established Bharatiya Mahila Bank Limited. The Bank was inaugurated on 19th November, 2013 and is functional at present with its 9 branches at Mumbai (Maharashtra), Kolkata (West Bengal), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Guwahati (Assam), New Delhi and Indore (Madhya Pradesh). There is no proposal to set up more such banks in the country.
· The Reserve Bank of India has granted license to Doha Bank to start banking operations (wholesale banking, retail banking, treasury and trade finance services) in India and has allowed it to open a branch in Mumbai to provide full-scale banking services. It is the largest commercial bank in the state of Qatar. This licence will further boost the niche role Doha Bank is playing and facilitating the movement of trade between Qatar and India. Qatar-India bilateral annual trade is about $16 billion and there are huge opportunities of growth available in infrastructure and other sectors in India.
· President Hamid Karzai will renew his request for Indian supplies of lethal military equipment during a scheduled visit to India later this week. The equipment include 105-millimeter howitzers,An-32 aircraft and Mi-17 helicopters. In a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2011, Afghanistan’s first with any foreign country, India promised to assist in “training, equipping and capacity-building programmes for [the] Afghan National Security Forces.” However, New Delhi has stonewalled Mr. Karzai’s requests, saying there are contractual issues to be resolved with suppliers in Russia.
· A Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) between the Government of India and the Government of UAE was formally signed here today. The Agreement requires each country to encourage and create favourable conditions for investors of the other country to make investment in its territory and to admit investments in accordance with its laws. It is hoped that the Agreement would serve as a catalyst in boosting investment flows between the two countries.
· The US and UK have suspended all non-lethal support for rebels in northern Syria, but not humanitarian aid. The non-lethal aid includes medicine, vehicles and communications equipment.
· With sounds of reggae beats coming from the streets where thousands of people waved rainbow flags, the Uruguayan Senate passed a law on Tuesday night allowing the citizens of this South American country to grow, sell and smoke marijuana, which is aimed at wresting the business from criminals. Though consumption of marijuana is allowed in some countries, Uruguay has become the first country in the world to allow its citizens to grow and sell it. The law would also allow Uruguayan citizens to grow up to six plants of marijuana in their homes a year and set up smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that could grow up to 99 plants every year. Uruguay is one of the most peaceful countries in South America, but one-third of its prison inmates face charges related to drugs trafficking that has turned it into a transit route for Paraguayan marijuana and Bolivian cocaine. Mujica, known as the “poorest president in the world”, has projected the law as an attempt to decriminalise the trade. This experiment is being watched by several countries, which are getting tired of the U.S.-led “war on drugs” and working on drug liberalisation policies. Since 1971, the U.S. has spent $1 trillion on this war and 45 million people have been arrested. In the last 40 years, the U.S. has spent $20 billion a year on training police agents in several Latin American nations like Colombia and Mexico and built a network of expensive hardware, radar, aircraft, ships, runways and refuelling stations to “stem the tide of drugs from South America to the US”. And yet, the illegal drug market is worth over $320 billion per year.
· President Vladimir Putin has ordered the military to step up its presence in the Arctic after Canada signalled it planned to claim the North Pole and surrounding waters. The tough and rapid response to Canada’s announcement reflected Russia’s desire to protect its oil and natural gas interests in the pristine but energy-rich region amid competing claims there by countries that also include Norway and Denmark. Canada last week filed a claim with the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf concerning the outer limits of its continental shelf in the Atlantic Ocean. Russia has an overlapping claim to both the North Pole and swathes of the Arctic that the U.S. Geological Survey thinks could hold 13 per cent of the world’s undiscovered oil and up to 30 per cent of its hidden natural gas reserves.
· Any malicious complaint of sexual harassment by a woman will attract the same punishment a man who has been found guilty of it at the workplace suffers. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redress) Rules, 2013, notified by the Women and Child Development Ministry, recommend action for sexual harassment/malicious complaint including a written apology; warning; reprimand or censure; withholding of promotion, pay rise or increments; termination from service; or undergoing counselling or doing community service. Further, anyone who discloses the name or iden tity of the aggrieved woman or witnesses will be liable to pay a penalty of Rs 5,000. A complaint of sexual harassment can be filed by a relative or a friend, a co-worker or an officer of the National Commission for Women or the State Women’s Commission or any other person who has knowledge of the incident where the complainant is unable to do it herself beca-use of physical incapacity. But this has to be done with her written consent.
· NASA satellites discovered a desolate and remote ice plateau in East Antarctica, the coldest place on earth. The remote region plunged as low as minus 94.7oC (minus 135.8oF). This beat the previous record of -89.2 degrees Celsius measured at the Russian Vostok Research Station in East Antarctica on July 21, 1983. The Scientists made the discovery while examining 32 years of global surface temperatures recorded by viz. remote sensing satellites, the new Landsat 8, a joint project of NASA and the US Geological Survey (USGS), etc.
· Researchers at University of Toronto have discovered a new greenhouse gas that is 7,000 times more powerful than carbon dioxide to cause greenhouse effect which causes warming of the Earth. As per the scientists, the newly discovered gas, PerFluoroTriButylAmine (PFTBA), has been in use by the electrical industry since the mid-20th century. The study showed that PFTBA remains in the atmosphere for about 500 years, and unlike CO2 which is absorbed by forests and oceans, there are no known natural “sinks” on Earth to absorb it.