Breakthroughs governance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked bureaucrats to work on breakthroughs in governance, in a meeting with Secretaries to the government. The Prime Minister urged secretaries to come up with ideas for transformative change in employment generation, innovative budgeting and accelerated inclusive growth.

Foundation for a 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway

Tough exchange of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress country’s political calendar for the year. Mr. Modi accused the Congress of trying to “destroy Parliament” while the Congress blamed him for exercising “autocracy.” The Prime Minister launched his attack against the Congress at a public meeting in Western Uttar Pradesh where he laid the foundation for a 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway. Those who have enjoyed power for 50-60 years, they have no right to destroy Parliament...to stop functioning of Parliament,” hinting at the Congress rule ever since India became independent.The heated rhetoric from both sides implies that the coming year would be full of political wrangling over the contentious issues like the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill and the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act. Mr. Modi said the Congress should take an oath that it will allow Parliament to function in 2016.

Marathi poet Mangesh Padgaonkar passed away

Eminent Marathi poet Mangesh Padgaonkar passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on after a brief illness. He was 86. He was iconic Marathi poet best known for many poetry recitation programmes and for writing lyrics for many Marathi films. About Mangesh Padgaonkar Born on 10 March 1929 in Vengurla, Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra. He had received a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Marathi and Sanskrit from the University of Bombay. Padgaonkar had served as an editor at the US Information Service (USIS) both in Mumbai from 1970 to 1990. He had 40 publications to his credit of which US Library of Congress has acquired 31 publications. He had peened famous Marathi songs Ya Jaganyawar Shatada Prem Karawe, Shukratara Mand Wara and Bhatukalichya Khelamadhali. Padgaonkar also had penned University of Pune’s theme song Punyamayee De Amha Akshar Vardaan in 1983. He had translated works of Mirabai (6th century mystic poet and devotee of Krishna) and published a book Mira in 1965. He also had translated Bible: The New Testament in Marathi in 2008. He translated works of Surdas and Kabir in Marathi and also Shakespeare’s plays The Julius Ceasar, Tempest and Romeo and Juliet. Awards and Honours: Sahitya Academy Award (1980) for his collection of poems Salam, MP Literary Conference Award (1956), Maharashtra State Award in 1953 and 1955, Maharashtra Bhushan Award (2008) and Padma Bhushan (2013). He was President of the second Vishwa Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held in Dubai in 2010.

बराक-8 का सफल परीक्षण

लम्बी दूरी तक मार करने वाले बराक-8 के इस नौसेना संस्करण का विकास भारतीय नौसेना ने रक्षा अनुसंधान एवं विकास संगठन (DRDO), इज़राइल की फर्म एल्टा सिस्टम्स (Elta Systems), फ्रांस की राफेल (Rafael) और कुछ अन्य कम्पनियों के साथ मिलकर किया है। इस प्रक्षेपास्त्र का सफल परीक्षण 29 व 30 जनवरी 2015 को अरब सागर में आईएनएस कोलकाता (INS Kolkata) से किया गया। इस पोत से प्रक्षेपित किया जाने पर बराक-8 मिसाइल ने हवा में तेजी से उड़ते निशानों का सही भेदन कर इस परीक्षण को सफल बनाया। इस सफल परीक्षण के चलते भारतीय नौसेना की मिसाइल-रोधी क्षमता (anti-missile defence capability) में अभूतपूर्व वृद्धि हुई है।

E-cigarettes treat human cells

Marketed as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes could actually damage cells in ways that could lead to cancer, suggests new research. In laboratory tests, the researchers found that even nicotine-free versions of e-cigarettes could make human cells cancerous. I believe they are no better than smoking regular cigarettes,” said one of the lead researchers Jessica Wang-Rodriquez, professor of pathology at University of California, San Diego, U.S. “Our study strongly suggests that electronic cigarettes are not as safe as their marketing makes them appear to the public. The research team created an extract from the vapour of two popular brands of e-cigarettes and used it to treat human cells in Petri dishes. Compared with untreated cells, the treated cells were more likely to show DNA damage and die. In the main part of the experiment, the team used normal epithelial cells, which line organs, glands, and cavities throughout the body, including the mouth and lungs. The scientists tested two types of each e-cigarette: a nicotine and nicotine-free version. Nicotine is what makes smoking addictive. There is also some evidence it can damage cells. The team found that the nicotine versions caused worse damage, but even the nicotine-free vapour was enough to alter cells. “There must be other components in the e-cigarettes that are doing this damage. So we may be identifying other carcinogenic components that are previously undescribed,” Ms. Wang-Rodriguez pointed out. The team is now trying to sort out those other substances and their specific effects. There are nearly 500 brands of e-cigarettes on the market, in more than 7,000 flavours. So scientists have their work cut out for them identifying all the potential problems. The study was published in the journal Oral Oncology.

131st Foundation Day of Congress

Congress today marked its 131st Foundation Day with its president Sonia Gandhi hoisting the party flag at the AICC headquarters here. All the top leaders of the party including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders Salman Khurshid, Anand Sharma, Sheila Dikshit, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manish Tewari were present. After the flag hoisting at Akbar road party office, Sonia and Rahul interacted with the leaders and later left the venue. Both Sonia and Rahul did not interact with the media. A large number of supporters had gathered on the occasion.

Reliance launched 4G (4th Generation) telecom service

Reliance Jio has launched 4G (4th Generation) telecom service using LTE (Long Term Evolution) Technology. The service was launched by company’s Chairman Mukesh Ambani on the 83rd birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in Navy Mumbai, Maharashtra. This initial phase of 4G service was launched for limited to 85000 employees and their families of the company. However the commercial services to begin by April 2016 throughout country. Features The Jio 4G Service has three-pronged features focusing on broadband networks, affordable smart phones and the availability of rich content and applications. It seeks to provide unique combination of high speed data up to 1 gigabyte per second (Gbps), telecom, media, digital commerce and payment services. India’s 4G profile With this launch Reliance Jio became fourth telecom service provider in India to launch 4G service. Sunil Bharti Mittal led Airtel was first telecom service provider in the country to launch 4G service using LTE Technology in Kolkata in 2012. It was followed by Aircel in July 2014 (in 4 circles Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Odisha) and Vodafone India on 8th December 2015 in Kochi, Kerala. About 4G 4G LTE is wireless communications standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Standards: 4G LTE is one of several competing 4G standards along with WiMax (IEEE 802.16) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). Presently two standards are commercially used world-wide viz. LTE and Mobile WiMax standard. WiMax standard was first commercially in South Korea in 2007 and LTE standard was first used in Norway and Sweden in 2009. Speed: Designed to provide up to 10x speeds of 3G networks for mobile devices such as tablets, smartphones, netbooks and wireless hotspots etc. It can provide internet speed of at least 100 Mbit per second (Mbps) to 1 Gbps. Services: 4G technologies are designed to provide IP (Internet Protocol)-based voice, data and multimedia streaming at high speed.

Fortune 500 companies in India

State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has emerged as the country’s biggest company in terms of annual revenue as per an annual list of 2015 Fortune 500 companies in India. IOC topped the list for consecutive sixth year with annual revenue of Rs. 4,51,911 crore. IOC was followed by Mukesh Ambani-led private sector Reliance Industries at the second place with a revenue of Rs. 3,82,565 crore. Top ten companies are Indian Oil Corp (IOC):4,51,911 crore annual revenue. Reliance Industries: Rs 3,82,565 crore annual revenue. Tata Motors: Rs 2,67,025 crore annual revenue. It has jumped to third slot from fifth place in 2014. State Bank of India (SBI): Rs 2,57,289 crore annual revenue. It was ranked sixth in 2014. Bharat Petroleum (BPCL): Rs 2,40,367 crore annual revenue. In 2014, it was placed at the third spot. Hindustan Petroleum: Rs 2,13,380 crore annual revenue. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC): Rs 1,65,161 crore annual revenue. Tata Steel: Rs 1,41,669 crore annual revenue. Hindalco Industries: Rs 1,06,897 crore annual revenue. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): Rs 98,368 crore annual revenue.

Akhand Bharat- Reunite

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) still believes that one day these parts, which have for historical reasons separated only 60 years ago, will again, through popular goodwill, come together and Akhand Bharat will be createdt that does not mean we wage war on any country... we annex any country. Without war, through popular consent, it can happen. The programme containing Mr. Madhav’s comments was apparently recorded in London before the Prime Minister’s surprise visit to Pakistan on Christmas day when he met Mr. Sharif and discussed ways of improving ties between the two countries. Mr. Madhav, an RSS pracharak himself, said, India is “a land where a particular way of life, a particular culture or civilisation, is practised”.

India has one culture. We are one culture, one people, one nation,” he told the channel. Mr. Madhav said the RSS ideology is for the supremacy of India and the organisation is neither “fascist” nor “aggressive”. On the controversy over returning of awards by writers and intellectuals, he said, a small number of people do not represent the entire country’s views and there were a very large number of intellectuals who did not support this award. Mr. Madhav said they were doing it “to defame the government and in turn to defame the image of India” and termed as “wrong” their method of protest.

Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue with Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry

The mutual agreement on venue and tentative date for the talks between the two Foreign Secretaries, coincided with India appointing a new High Commissioner, Gautam H.Bambawale to Islamabad. Mr. Bambawale, India’s current ambassador to Bhutan, is one of the experts on China-India ties in the Ministry of External Affairs and is known to enjoy a good working relation with Mr. Jaishankar.

The meeting between Mr. Jaishankar and Mr. Chaudhry will be the first stage of the Comprehensive Dialogue Process which was announced by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her visit to Islamabad earlier this month to participate in the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference on Afghanistan. Sources say the decision on Islamabad as the venue for the first Foreign Secretary level talks came after some hard negotiations between the two sides but Pakistanis sent a positive message by agreeing to India’s choice of Mr. Bambawale as the new High Commissioner. However, Pakistan’s position on the Hurriyat Conference will be watched in the run-up to the meeting between the Foreign Secretaries. In recent weeks, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit has met the Hurriyat leaders in New Delhi. High Commission sources have told The Hindu that Mr. Basit is expected to meet some more Hurriyat leaders before the New Year. The meeting of the Foreign Secretaries will determine the way ahead for the structured dialogue between India and Pakistan, which is expected to cover peace and security, Confidence Building Measures, Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, economic and commercial cooperation.

Coal-based Thermal Power Plants

The Union Government has notified the revised standards for coal-based Thermal Power Plants in the country with the primary aim of minimising pollution In this regard, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued notification and proposed theses standard to be implemented in a phased manner. Key facts These new standards are based on the recommendation of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) after consultations with different stakeholders. For implementation of revised standards Thermal power plants are categorised into 3 categories (i) Installed before 31st December, 2003 (ii) Installed after 2003 and up to 31st December, 2016 and (iii) Installed after 31st December, 2016. The new standards are aimed at reducing emission of sulphur dioxide (7.3 Kg/MWh), PM10 (0.98 kg/MWh) and Oxide of nitrogen (4.8 kg/MWh). It would in turn help in bringing about an improvement in the Nation Ambient Air Quality (AAQ) index around and in thermal power plants. The technology employed for controlling of proposed emission limit of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) will also help in reducing mercury emission at about 70-90%. Limiting the use of water in thermal power plant for water conservation as thermal power plant is a water-intensive industry. In turn it would also lead to a reduction in energy requirement for drawl of water. The standards have been made stringent for recently installed plants, compared to earlier ones and most stringent standards will be for those plants to be set up in future.

The biggest change in the International Monetary Fund

The United States (US) Senate has ratified reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost the representation of emerging economies as part of a budget bill. The reforms ratified in the legislation are in line with the proposed 2010 Quota Reforms and now it will go to President Barack Obama for assent. These proposed reforms are the biggest change in the governance of the Fund since it was established after World War Two in 1945 after the Bretton Woods Conference. Proposed reforms in the Bill Put four emerging markets Brazil, China, India and Russia among the IMF’s top 10 shareholders and give emerging markets more influence at the global lender. Gives emerging markets more voting power and double the Fund’s resources. China’s vote at the IMF would increase to 6 per cent from 3.8 per cent. It would make it the third-largest shareholder from its previous sixth position. The voting power and quota shares of the IMF’s poorest member countries will be protected. IMF’s Board will entirely consist of elected Executive Directors. It will end the current category of appointment of Executive Directors by five largest quotas holders. Quotas of all 188 members will increase as the Fund’s quota resources rise to about 477 billion special drawing rights (SDR) from 238.5 billion. India’s voting rights will also rise to 2.6 per cent from the current 2.3 per cent. US’s quota share drop from 16.7 per cent to 16.5 per cent but it will retain its veto power. The biggest losers in these proposed reforms are European economies which will see their voting rights diminished.

Victory of Ruling conservative People’s Party

Ruling conservative People’s Party (PP) of Spain led Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy by has won the 2015 general election of the country. In the general election, PP won the 123 seats by securing in the lower house of the 350-member Parliament and securing 28.7 percent vote share. However, it has fallen short of absolute majority which can be achieved by any party that wins minimum 176 seats.  Now the People’s Party has to form a coalition government with support of other political parties to govern for another four-year term. Results of other parties The Socialists which won 90 seats with 22 percent vote share. Anti-austerity Podemos Party along with its allies won 69 seats with 20.6 percent vote share. Liberal Ciudadanos party (LCP) won 40 seats with 13.8 percent vote share. In the earlier outgoing parliament People’s Party was having 186 seats in the lower house of the Parliament.

United States lifted a 40 year ban on oil exports

The United States (US) has lifted a 40 year ban on oil exports marking a historic shift for the booming US oil industry. This decision was taken as part of a 1.1 trillion dollars spending bill to fund US government until 2016 received assent of President Barack Obama This move will help in economic growth and in turn create jobs along with new revenues, prosperity and enhanced energy security for other countries.  It would pave the way for energy deficient countries including India to open up another frontier and diversify import basket of oil from US. Background The ban of crude oil exports was born of oil shock of 1973-1974 due to Arab oil embargo that had sent global shooting up of oil prices. The ban was first imposed in 1975 after Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting (OPEC) Countries had banned oil exports to the US in retaliation for its support of Israel during the Arab-Israeli war. The ban was imposed by US mainly for seeking greater energy independence. US also had created an emergency stockpile of crude oil the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in 1975.

Afghanistan, 163rd member of the World Trade Organisation

Afghanistan has become 163rd member nation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), global trade body after 11 years of negotiations. WTO has formally approved Afghanistan’s membership proposal at its ongoing 10th ministerial conference in the Nairobi, Kenya. In this regard, Protocol of Accession (PoA) was signed by WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo and Afghanistan’s First Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Khan Rahmani. The final accession to become a full member will come in to effect after PoA is ratified by Afghanistan Parliament till June 2015. It will be the 36th least developed country (LDC) to join the global trade body. Advantages for Afghanistan By joining WTO, landlocked war-shattered Afghanistan hopes to reap the benefits of the WTO membership for its post-conflict reconstruction. Trade-led growth will help to create new economic opportunities in world’s poorest economy and create jobs especially for women and in turn help to reduce poverty. Post-conflict reconstruction will certainly contribute in a major way to reduce extremism and achieve regional peace and security.

Appointed Chief Information Commissioner

Former Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur has been appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head from among the serving information commissioners. The post had fallen vacant after Vijai Sharma completed his tenure on December 1. “R.K. Mathur has been selected as Chief Information Commissioner,” Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. A total of 33,724 complaints and appeals are pending before the commission, according to official data. Mr.Mathur will serve in the post for about three years, till he attains the age of 65. A retired IAS officer of Tripura cadre, Mr.Mathur was made the Defence Secretary for a fixed two-year term on May 28, 2013. The selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday finalised Mr.Mathur’s name.

National Stock Exchange launched three separate indices

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched three separate indices on three corporate houses of India viz. Tata, Aditya Birla and Mahindra Group. The first of its kind three separate indices based on corporate houses have been designed to reflect the performance of companies belonging to the respective corporate group. Each of three indices will comprise all the companies of the respective business group. The three separate indices are Nifty Tata Group Index: It includes 25 companies across 12 sectors with a total market capitalisation of 7.51 lakh crore rupees. It represents 7.83 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on the NSE. Nifty Aditya Birla Group Index: It consists of eight companies across seven sectors with the market capitalisation of 2.08 lakh crore rupees. It represents 2.17 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on the NSE. Nifty Mahindra Group Index: It consists of seven companies with a market capitalisation of about 1.64 lakh crore rupees. It represents 1.71 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on NSE. These three indices have been created by the NSE’s group company India Index Services & Products Ltd (IISL). The company is planning to launch indices on other corporate groups and third-party products based on such indices.

The Asian Development Bank

India is set to build a sea bridge and tunnel connecting Sri Lanka while a pact has been inked with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for seamless flow of traffic and passenger vehicles, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari  “The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is ready to fully finance a bridge-building project connecting Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. The project was also discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his counterpart during the latter’s recent visit,” Mr. Gadkari said in a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha. The India-Sri Lanka connectivity project cost is pegged at about Rs 24,000 crore. “The government, right from the day it assumed office, has been focussed on enhancing regional cooperation. Subsequent to Modi’s announcement of ‘Act East policy’, India proactively engaged in building effective and credible links between South Asia and Southeast Asia through enhanced regional connectivity,”  A majormilestone was the signing of the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal (BBIN) MotorVehicles Agreement (MVA) in Thimphu to facilitate seamless movement of passenger and cargo vehicles in the region,  Under BBIN MVA, a cargo trial run was held on the 640 km Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route in November, which was a substantial reduction compared to the traditional 1,550 km transit route from Kolkata to Agartala via Siliguri-Guwahati-Silchar.

50th space mission

India successfully put six Singapore satellites into orbit after a perfect launch of its polar rocket in its landmark 50th space mission from here that also gave a boost to its space business.

The Singaporean satellites that would help the city-state gather information on disaster monitoring and urban planning were launched by ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV-C29) coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and India this year

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also scored a splendid hat-trick of exclusive commercial launches this year after the July and September missions when it launched 11 satellites, including those of United States and United Kingdom.

Smart Cities Mission

Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to submit smart city plans for three selected cities to Union Government. In this regard, state government has submitted smart city Proposals of Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer to Union Ministry of Urban Development. Under the proposal the investment outlays proposed by state government for developing these 3 cities as smart cities are Kota 1,493 crore rupees, Ajmer 1,300 crore rupees and Udaipur 1,221 crore rupees respectively. State Government is also forwarding Smart city proposal for Jaipur Cilty with an investment proposed 2,403 crore rupees prior to December 15, 2015 deadline. Overall Rajasthan has proposed a total investment of 6,457 crore rupees for 5 years for developing these four cities as smart cities. About Smart Cities Mission It is flagship scheme of Union Government under which 100 smart cities would be built across the country in different states. Aim of the Mission is to efficiently utilise available resources, assets and infrastructure in order to enhance quality of urban life and provide a clean and sustainable environment. Each state government has been empowered to shortlist a number of aspirant smart cities from the state for which proposals and plans would be forwarded to Union Government. These shortlisted cities would be selected by Union Government on the basis of ‘competition’ to ascertain their ability of cities to achieve mission objectives. Each selected city would get assistance of 100 crore rupees per year for five years from Union Government to implement the scheme. Special emphasis on participation of citizens in planning and prioritising urban interventions will be also considered.

Swachch Ganga Research Laboratory

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, dressed in a traditional dhoti, was struggling to make his way through to the famous Dashashwamedh ghat, barely three km from his house. The ghat was spruced up and illuminated for the Ganga Aarti hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hisJapanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe. The Special Protection Group personnel denied him access, disregarding his VIP ‘pass,’ and directed him through the common gate. Mr. Mishra, the Mahant of the famous Sankat Mochan temple, was shocked and felt humiliated. The officials soon realised their error and tried to make amends. But Mr. Mishra, miffed at the negligence, refused to participate further. He also boycotted Mr. Modi’s banquet, for which he was specially invited. “If you cannot manage an event, how can you address the problems of the Ganga and Varanasi,” asked Mr. Mishra. He also termed Mr. Modi’s drive to clean the Ganga ‘cosmetic’ as there was no engineering solution in place. “If Modi was serious about a fair assessment of the situation and concerned about highlighting Varanasi’s woes, he should have taken Abe through broken roads and shown him drains. Not the Aarti,” Mr. Mishra said. Despite many visits by Mr. Modi to his constituency and publicising of schemes, Mr. Mishra said he had not seen any new approach to clean the Ganga. “The Ganga Ministry has come up. But nothing concrete has been done. The same obsolete techniques are at play, like installation of pipes. Indiscriminate medication without diagnosis of the disease can be disastrous,” Mr. Mishra said, referring to the numerous proposals slated for Varanasi. An over-emphasis on a bureaucratic approach and lack of competent officials is a big shortcoming, he said. He is opposed to the plans of converting Kashi into another Kyoto. “It is okay if we adopt some of the good things from Kyoto, like cleanliness. But each city has its own model and spirituality. You cannot tamper with that cultural coding. Varanasi is a living heritage not just buildings and monuments.” Mr. Mishra traces the problem to the failure of the Ganga Action Plan, launched in 1986. Almost three decades later, the existing infrastructure in Varanasi can only treat 102 Million Litres per Day of discharge. The average discharge stands much higher, at 350 MLD.

Victory of “climate justice”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the landmark climate change deal reached in Paris last night as the victory of “climate justice” and said there were no winners or losers in the outcome.

“Outcome of #ParisAgreement has no winners or losers. Climate justice has won & we are all working towards a greener future,” Modi tweeted, commenting on the legally-binding pact which seeks to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and making developed nations commit USD 100 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries.

“#ClimateChange remains a challenge but #ParisAgreement demonstrates how every nation rose to the challenge, working towards a solution,” the Prime Minister said in another tweet. He also said the deliberations showed collective wisdom of the world leaders to mitigate climate change. He added: “Deliberations at #COP21 & #ParisAgreement demonstrates the collective wisdom of world leaders to mitigate climate change.”

Major features of the text outlined by French Foreign Minister and CoP21 president Laurent Fabius are:

1              It takes into account the differentiation and responsibility of developing countries, and their respective capacities in light of national circumstances.

2              Confirms the key objective of containing mean global temperature rise 'well below' 2 degrees Celsius and to endeavour to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

3              There will be five-yearly national contributions on actions taken to address climate change.

4              There is provision for adaptation to climate change. Cooperation on loss and damage suffered by countries on a long term basis to provide necessary means to all countries for durable development.

5              Provision of 100 billion per year as a floor by 2020 to help developing nations.

6              A new figure to be defined for the period between now and 2020.

7              Collective stocktaking every five years of national actions and consideration of steps if efforts are insufficient for the objective set.

Paris Agreement on climate

The Paris Agreement on climate, adopted on Saturday by the member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, creates an enhanced transparency framework that requires all countries to submit a national inventory of greenhouse gas emissions arising from human activity using standardised methodologies accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. External monitoring of the national pledge on climate action to “track progress made in implementing and achieving the Nationally DeterminedContributions (NDCs)”, a technical review of the emissions data submitted, and participation in a facilitative, multilateral consideration of progress are among the provisions in the Agreement, all of which are significant for India, since many activities involving carbon emissions involve policy made or implemented by the State governments, and not just the Centre. In the voluntary pledge — the Intended NDCs (INDCs) — submitted to the UNFCCC, India lists investments in agriculture, water resources, coastal regions, health and disaster management, besides major goals such as reducing emissions intensity of the GDP by 33-35 per cent over 2005 levels by 2030.

National Green Tribunal

As Delhi prepares to implement the odd-even car system come January 2016, ending almost a year-long wait for government action on diesel vehicles, the National Green Tribunal on Friday directed that no new or old diesel vehicle be registered in Delhi till Jan. 6. The NGT had, way back in Nov. 2014, suggested banning diesel vehicles. But the government kept seeking time to implement it. while asking the Aam Aadmi Party government to take a serious view on whether diesel vehicles should be registered in Delhi or not, the NGT, as an interim measure, ordered that they be not registered till January 6, the next date of hearing. Not only that, the Tribunal tried to stir the conscience of the Centre and the State government as it reiterated its suggestion that they or their agencies should not purchase any diesel vehicle and phase out those already in use. “We direct the government to take a conscientious decision in regard to not buying any diesel vehicle, whether by the Central or the State Government.” “We direct all the public authorities, Corporation, DDA, Police and other Public Departments to prepare an action plan for phasing out of diesel vehicles, particularly the trucks being used by all these bodies,” a Bench headed by NGT chairpersonJustice Swatanter Kumar said. The NGT also raised queries concerning the even-odd scheme and questioned its feasibility as it sought to know if the government had assessed its impact on pollution levels. The Tribunal also wanted to know whether due to this scheme, more buses would come on road and cause more pollution.

हरियाणा पंचायती राज (संशोधन) कानून, 2015

सर्वोच्च न्यायालय की एक पीठ ने हरियाणा पंचायती राज (संशोधन) कानून, 2015 (Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015) की वैधता को चुनौती देने वाली याचिकाओं को खारिज कर दिया। इस कानून में प्रावधान किया गया था कि हरियाणा राज्य में पंचायती राज प्रणाली के निर्वाचित पदों के लिए सामान्य वर्ग के पुरुष अभ्यर्थियों के लिए हाई-स्कूल की शिक्षा न्यूनतम अहर्ता हो जबकि सामान्य वर्ग की महिलाओं और दलित पुरुष अभ्यर्थियों के लिए अहर्ता आठवीं पास तय की गई थी। वहीं दलित वर्ग की महिला अभ्यर्थियों के पाँचवीं पास को न्यूनतम अहर्ता तय किया गया था। राज्य के इस कानून के खिलाफ कुछ पक्षों ने अपनी आपत्ति जताते हुए इस कानून को सर्वोच्च न्यायालय में चुनौती दी थी। लेकिन सर्वोच्च न्यायालय इस कानून को सही बताते हुए इन याचिकाओं को स्वीकार कर दिया।  हरियाणा के अलावा राजस्थान(Rajasthan) ने भी अपने राज्य में ऐसे ही कानून का निर्माण किया है। माना जा रहा है कि सर्वोच्च न्यायालय की मुहर लग जाने से कम से कम पंचायत चुनाव में अन्य राज्य भी न्यूनतम शैक्षिक अहर्ता तय करने की ओर कदम बढ़ायेंगे।

“तेलंगाना इन्टेलेक्चुअल प्रॉपर्टी क्राइम यूनिट”

फिल्मों की पायरेसी को रोकने के लिए स्थापित की जा रही देश की अपनी तरह की पहली पुलिस इकाई तेलंगाना (Telangana) में स्थापित की जा रही है तथा इसका नाम “तेलंगाना इन्टेलेक्चुअल प्रॉपर्टी क्राइम यूनिट” (Telangana Intellectual Property Crime Unit – TIPCU) रखा गया है। यह इकाई कुछ ही महीनों में कार्य करना शुरू कर देगी तथा इसका मुख्य उद्देश्य ऑनलाइन तरीकों से की जा रही फिल्मों की पाइरेसी को रोकना होगा। इसमें साइबर क्राइम पुलिस, तेलंगाना राज्य के IT मंत्रालय, इंटरनेट सेवा प्रदत्ता (ISPs), तेलुगु फिल्म उद्योग, विधि क्षेत्र के विशेषज्ञ तथा वित्तीय विशेषज्ञों को प्रतिनिधियों के रूप में शामिल किया जा रहा है। TIPCU को लंदन पुलिस की इन्टेलेक्चुअल प्रॉपर्टी क्राइम यूनिट (Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit – PIPCU) की तर्ज पर तैयार किया जा रहा है। उल्लेखनीय है कि इस इकाई के स्थापित हो जाने से तेलुगु फिल्म उद्योग को पायरेसी के खिलाफ एक बड़ा तंत्र मिलने की संभावना व्यक्त की जा रही है। तेलुगु फिल्म उद्योग दक्षिण भारतीय फिल्म उद्योग में तलिम उद्योग के बाद दूसरा सबसे बड़ा है। भारत में हर वर्ष लगभग 1500 से 2000 फिल्मों का निर्माण होता है लेकिन इन फिल्मों से प्राप्त होने वाले कुल राजस्व में लगभग 30% की सेंध पायरेसी के कारण लग जाती है। इससे फिल्म निर्माताओं को होने वाले भारी आर्थिक नुकसान के अलावा सरकारी राजस्व को भी नुकसान होता है।

Abe likely to unveil Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

Bullet trains will be a reality soon in India. The contract to build the bullet train link between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is expected to be declared in favour of Japanese bullet train major Shinkansen at the weekend summit meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources have told. But the project, which is expected to be the high point of Mr. Abe’s December 11-13 visit, will have a new set of guidelines that Japan has reportedly extended a Rs. 98,000-crore loan for the ultra modern high-speed train project. The Hindu was told that the guidelines were prompted by Japanese experience with the DMRC project, which despite Japanese grant went on to buy coaches from rival countries. The new guidelines are meant to scuttle plans by rivals like China in the Indian infrastructure market. Another key initiative to be unveiled during the visit will cover transfer of technology in defence. Thanks to its pacific traditions, Japan has been holding on to transfer of technology which is necessary to enable India to order the U-2 amphibious planes in a deal which could not be finalised during Mr.Modi’s 2014 Japan visit. Mr. Abe is also expected to make “announcement regarding progress in the nuclear deal.”

India and Pakistan have agreed to resume structured dialogue

Seven years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India and Pakistan have agreed to resume structured dialogue between them. Announcing the breakthrough development, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said at a joint press conference in Islamabad, “We have decided to restart the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. The dialogue that was earlier known as Composite Dialogue and later on known as Resumed Dialogue will now be known as the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.” Ms. Swaraj added that the decision had come as a result of the talks on terror by the National Security Advisors in Bangkok on Sunday. In their joint statement, Ms. Swaraj and Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz “condemned terrorism and resolved to cooperate to eliminate it”. The joint statement also notes that Pakistan had given assurances on an “early completion of the Mumbai trial”. Earlier Ms. Swaraj and the Indian delegation comprising Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and India’s envoys to Pakistan and Afghanistan called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at his office in Islamabad. The meeting, that had been scheduled only as a “courtesy call” as Ms. Swaraj was there to attend the Heart of Asia conference, ended up lasting well past an hour. “The atmosphere was very warm and friendly right from the start,” a senior official present in the room told The Hindu, adding that Ms. Swaraj referred to the fact that Mr. Sharif had maintained his commitment to dialogue between India and Pakistan ever since he had been elected Prime Minister. “She said repeatedly that PM Sharif’s sincerity was beyond doubt and appreciated his willingness to accept shortcomings and move ahead with the process.” In response, Mr. Sharif reportedly said that he was indeed committed to peace with India and that “no issue was off the table as far as he was concerned”.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved buffer stock of pulses

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved creation of buffer stock of pulses to deal with wide fluctuation in prices of pulses and check food inflation. The buffer stock will be created by the procurement and would be valid for fiscal year 2015-16. As per decision The buffer stock will consist about 50000 tonnes of pulses from the kharif crop 2015-16 and one lakh tonnes from the rabi crop of 2015-16. The Procurement will be done at market prices through above Minimum Support Price (MSP) out of the Price Stabilisation Fund. If the prices fall below MSP, the procurement will be made at MSP under Price Support Scheme of Department of Agriculture (DoA). Procuring agencies would be Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC). The CCEA also decided to import pulses through Union Ministry of Commerce depending on the requirement.

CAG exposes scam in rice procurement

Irregularities in procurement and milling caused a loss of at least Rs.50,000 crore over the past five years. Motorcycles, autorickshaws, jeeps and even handcarts were shown on paper to have transported paddy and processed rice weighing between 14 and 1,800 quintals, in States such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG).In Punjab, 97 per cent of the 3,319 registration numbers of vehicles mentioned as used for transportation did not match the State transport authority’s computerised database. Of the 88 traceable vehicles, 15 were found to be other than trucks — buses, cars, motorcycles and tankers. The report has highlighted massive irregularities in the procurement and milling of paddy for the central pool of the public distribution system that resulted in a loss of at least Rs. 50,000 crore over the past five years.

The government paid Rs.17,985 crore without confirming if the farmers received the full payment. The CAG has, therefore, recommended direct payment to farmers. In addition, these irregularities resulted in further losses on account of government subsidies of Rs.22,000 crore. The CAG has recommended a thorough probe into all doubtful cases of transportation of paddy. It has also suggested investigation toascertain the actual quantum of loss to the exchequer, which would be much higher. The first-of-its-kind audit was undertaken amid complaints by RTI activist Gouri Shankar Jain alleging massive corruption by unscrupulous mill owners with the connivance of government servants. In March, The Hindu had reported extensively on the issue.

Parliament must ratify WTO deals

Days ahead of the Nairobi meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for negotiations towards an agreement to open up global trade, civil society groups have urged the Union government not to undertake new binding commitments without public consultation as well as before debate and ratification by Parliament.

Organisations such as the Forum against Free Trade Agreements and the National Working Group on Patent Laws and WTO also asked Parliament to take inputs from all stakeholders and carry out a thorough assessment of the employment, social and environmental impacts arising out of the commitments India makes at the WTO-level talks as well as due to the various free trade agreements (FTA) between India and other countries.

They expressed concern over India engaging in ‘non-binding’ discussions on ‘new’ issues such as environment and labour that the developed world is keen on introducing during the December 15-18 meetings in the Kenyan capital. The new issues pertain to global value chains, e-commerce, competition and investment provisions, transparency in government procurement and state-owned enterprises.

The civil society groups alleged that the new issues — which the rich world terms as the latest challenges facing world trade — represent the corporate agenda of the advanced countries to further pry open developing country markets.

Support from Joshi

The civil society groups held a ‘National Convention’ here on issues related to the WTO meet and also received moral support for their cause from BJP leader and former Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and former BJP leader Govindacharya, who addressed the event.

Mr. Govindacharya said the government should publish a ‘white paper’ on the gains and losses from the WTO agreements and FTAs and place it before Parliament.

‘Battle for protection’

Mr. Joshi said India should treat the Nairobi meet as an‘important battle’ for protection of the interests of poor farmers and smalltraders as well as India’s food security programmes.

The groups said India should provide leadership to developing countries by highlighting issues of concern to them, including reduction of ‘huge and trade distorting’ agri-business subsidies in developed countries.

“नेशनल हेरॉल्ड” समाचार-पत्र

भाजपा नेता डॉ. सुब्रह्मण्यम स्वामी (Dr. Subramanian Swamy) ने इस मामले के तहत अदालत में याचिका दायर की थी तथा आरोप लगाया था कि अब बंद हो चुके “नेशनल हेरॉल्ड” (‘National Herald’) समाचार-पत्र का प्रकाशन करने वाली कम्पनी का अधिग्रहण करने के लिए सोनिया गाँधी और राहुल गाँधी ने कथित तौर पर गलत तरीके अपनाए थे। इसके लिए कांग्रेस पार्टी ने कथित तौर पर 90 करोड़ का ऋण प्रदान किया था जो एक राजनीतिक दल के अधिकार क्षेत्र के बाहर है। डॉ. सुब्रह्मण्यम स्वामी ने यह मामला तब दायर किया था जब को पूर्ववर्ती जनता पार्टी के अध्यक्ष थे। उन्होंने दावा किया था कि सोनिया गाँधी और राहुल गाँधी ने “यंग इण्डियन” (‘Young Indian’) नामक एक कम्पनी को गठित किया था जिसने जवाहरलाल नेहरू द्वारा संस्थापित एसोसिएटेट जर्नल्स (Associated Journals) का अधिग्रहण किया था, जो “नेशनल हेरॉल्ड” समाचार-पत्र का प्रकाशन करता था। उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि कांग्रेस का नेतृत्व करने वाले इन दोनों नेताओं द्वारा किए गए इस अधिग्रहण का मुख्य उद्देश्य दिल्ली के बीचोंबीच स्थित “हेरॉल्ड हाउस” जैसी बेशकीमती इमारत को कौड़ियों के भाव हासिल करने का था।

Supreme Court will ensure rule of law

Noting that there is a political angle to the whole religious intolerance debate, Chief Justice of India Tirath Singh Thakur sent a strong message against divisive forces, saying that India is an inclusive society where people of all faiths and religions flourish with mutual respect and the Supreme Court will ensure that the Rule of Law reigns supreme.

“When the Constitution guarantees Rule of Law to those who are not our citizens, there is no question that citizens of India, no matter of what religion or faith should feel unprotected. We (Supreme Court) have no reluctance to protect the beliefs of our fellow citizens. As long as Rule of Law prevails no one has to be afraid,” Chief Justice Thakur said during a media interaction at his residence on Sunday.

"As long as there is rule of law and independent Judiciary, I don't think anyone need to fear from anything. We should not get upset, " he said.

Canada has successfully sent the first consignment of 250 tonnes of uranium to India

Canada has successfully sent the first consignment of 250 tonnes of uranium to India as part of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation between both countries. It was shipped by Canada’s Cameco Inc, as part of contract with Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offical visit to Canada in April 2015. With this the 41-year-long hiatus in the bilateral nuclear cooperation between both countries finally came to an end. Canada had completely banned exports of uranium and nuclear hardware to India after it had conducted first nuclear test on 18 May 1974. It was alleged that India had used Canadian technology to develop a nuclear bomb for this test. It should be noted that Canada is the second-largest producer of Uranium globally and is the third country to supply uranium to India after Russia and Kazakhstan. Background The India-Canada civil nuclear contract was signed in line with the Canada-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that took effect in 2013. The agreement was signed after the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) had granted its waiver for use of atomic power for civilian purposes in 2008 ending India’s 3 decade long isolation from international nuclear trade. As per the supply agreement, Canada’s Cameco Corporation is going to supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to India for next five years starting from year 2015. These supplies will be under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

National Security Advisory talks between India and Pakistan

National Security Advisory (NSA) level talks between India and Pakistan were held in Bangkok, Thailand. It was attended by India’s NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua. Foreign secretaries S. Jaishankar (India) and Aziz Ahmad Chaudhary (Pakistan) were also present during the high level meet. Key facts Both sides in the meeting discussed peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir and other issues including tranquility along the Lince of Control. The dialogue mainly covered issues of key interest to both countries including terrorism for India and the Kashmir dispute for Pakistan. They also agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement between both countries. Background The NSA level talks come in the backdrop of the recent meeting between Prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris, France on the lines of UNFCCC summit. Earlier in September 2015, the planned NSA level talks based on 2015 Ufa declaration between both countries was called off at last moment.

Modi launches International Solar Alliance

India launched an International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the CoP21 Climate Conference here on Monday, with an announcement by Prime Minister Modi that the revolution in the field would bring power to all citizens, and create unlimited economic opportunity.

The new body, which has invited all countries located fully or partly between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn to join, is to function from the National Institute of Solar Energy in India, Gurgaon. The Centre will provide land and $30 million to form a secretariat for the Alliance, and also support it for five years, the Prime Minister said at an event that was co-chaired with him by French President Francois Hollande.

In its launch resolution, the ISA says it seeks to share collective ambitions to reduce the cost of finance and technology that is needed to deploy solar power widely; generation and storage technologies would be adapted to the individual countries’ needs.

Among the tasks that the Alliance would pursue are, cooperation in training, building institutions, regulatory issues, common standards, and investment including joint ventures.

Addressing a packed audience, which was treated to visuals and a song on the theme, Mr.Modi said solar had created a revolution, as costs had declined sharply, technology continued to evolve and grid connectivity was improving. The response from industry was also encouraging. The Prime Minister presented “Convenient Action”, a book he has written on the Gujarat experience with solar energy and a music CD with songs on the environment to Mr. Hollande.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations would work closely with the ISA and commended India’s success in adopting the technology, as witnessed in the solar projects in Gujarat.

Union Minister of State for Power Piyush Goyal presented the goals of the ISA contained in its resolution.

Debating the ethics of human gene editing

Rewriting your DNA is getting closer to reality. A revolutionary technology is opening new frontiers for genetic engineering a promise of cures for intractable diseases along with anxiety about designer babies.

It’s a question that gained urgency after Chinese researchers made the first attempt at editing genes in human embryos, a laboratory experiment that didn’t work well but did raise the prospect of one day altering human heredity passing modified DNA to future generations.

“This is a technology that could have profound implications for permanent alteration of the human genome,” molecular biologist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, wrote in the journal Nature on the eve of the international summit.

Doudna co-invented the most-used gene-editing tool, and her calls for scientists, policymakers and the public to determine the right balance in how it’s eventually used led to this week’s gathering.

At issue are tools to edit precisely genes inside living cells, finding specific sections of DNA to slice and repair or replace much like a biological version of cut-and-paste software. There are a few methods but one with the wonky name CRISPR-Cas9 is so fast, cheap and simple for biologists to use that research is booming.

Scientists find new role of a protein in regulating immune response

A novel mechanism of a protein secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), inhibiting the infected host’s immune response by modulating certain genes has been discovered, giving rise to hopes of a targeted drug therapy.

With identification of suitable drug targets and candidate vaccines to control TB remaining a challenge and most of the studies focusing on strategies to prevent TB infection, scientists from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) here have looked at the interaction between pathogenic mycobacteria and the human cell during infection.

Giving details of the study which was published in the prestigious journal ‘Nature Communications’, CDFD Director G. R.Chandak along with the team of scientists led by Sanjeev Khosla told reporters on Thursday that the finding could not only be a potential drug target against mycobacterial infections but also help in developing a new biomarker for identification of M.tuberculosis infection in humans.

Bill Gates sceptical of solar, wind power

Lauding India for doubling its funding for research and development of climate change technology, the former Microsoft CEO and co-founder of the world’s biggest charitable foundation, Bill Gates, says technological innovation is the only way to fight climate change. “If we are going to make the cost of clean energy as inexpensive as hydrocarbons, or coal energy today, which will need innovations. That will mean you won’t have to think about this huge trade-off between ‘Should I be clean’ or ‘Should I electrify’?” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interview.

Mr. Gates was in Paris for the COP21 summit, where he launched a multi-billion dollar 20-nation ‘Breakthrough Energy Coalition,’ and has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice this week, both in Paris and in Delhi on Friday.

Backing India’s stand on ‘climate justice’ or the need for the developing world to be financed for cutting emissions, Mr. Gates said that unless clean energy was made cheaper, it put countries like India in an “impossible” situation. “I can’t comment on climate justice, I don’t know what the definition of that is. I think while the premium cost of clean energy is very high, you force an almost impossible trade-off between two very important goals. My belief is that if you increase the R&D that will lower the price of energy,” he said.

However, Mr. Gates indicated that solar and wind energy, which forms the bulk of India’s clean energy mix, may not be the most viable sources of electricity in future. In its latest plans, the government has announced it will raise its renewable energy production from the current 38 Gigawatts to 175 Gigawatts by 2022, 100 GWs of which would come from solar energy alone.

But Mr. Gates said the “intermittency” of solar and wind makes it unviable, compared with other sources like nuclear energy and new technologies for storage. “Energy has to be reliable, and when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, you still need energy. So the whole system designed in terms of storage and transmission gets quite complex. Wind and solar can be a part of your mix, but you can’t do much with them without a storage miracle.”

Mr. Gates words are significant as it runs counter to the solar alliance of countries with hot climates, which Mr. Modi launched at the Paris summit

To the criticism of “philanthro-capitalism” that the Gates foundation funds programmes tied to technologies and companies wherein Mr. Gates has interests, including intellectual property rights, he said he finds the allegations “amusing”. “If you think the way to make money is to come to India and help people get healthcare, that is one strange way to make money,” he said. “The healthcare system in India is under-funded , and we give money away to it, not make money. We give hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars to help children get nutrition. We don’t get some benefit back from that.”

Goa Government has launched the National Food Security Act 2013

Goa Government has launched the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to benefit more than one third of the state’s population. It will bring more than one third population of the coastal state into legal entitlements of existing food security programmes and schemes of Central Government. Key facts Around 5 lakh 11 thousand persons in the targeted Public Distribution System (PDS) in Goa will receive 5 kgs subsidised rice or wheat per person per month. Rice will be given at the subsidised rate of 3 rupees per kg and wheat at the rate of 3 rupees per kg to target persons. For effective implementation of this scheme, state government’s civil supplies and distribution departments have scrutinised the PDS households. They also have digitised the ration cards and updated the consolidated data with Aadhar card and other identifications prior to launching the scheme for implementation of NFS Act. For the implementation of the scheme, Union government will bear a subsidy of 65 crores rupees, while the state government will spend 25 crores annually. Background National Food Security Act, 2013 envisages adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life of dignity under Article 21 of Constitution. It includes the Midday Meal (MDM) Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and Public Distribution System (PDS) under it to provide subsidized food grains.