To Our Readers Dear Readers, WHERE EXCELLENCE GUIDES THE SUCCESS Year 5 Issue 56 February 2011 EDITOR Mahendra

Jain It is with a sense of great pleasure and satisfaction that we are presenting to you the February issue of your favourite magazine Pratiyogita Darpan. We have made all efforts to make this issue examination-oriented and also useful for general reading. Your consistent interest in the magazine is giving us impetus to make it more and more useful to serve your needs. If you read it intelligently and wi th proper understanding, we are sure that it will go a long way in enhancing you r knowledge to face any competitive examination and come out successful with fly ing colours. It has become a tradition with us to reach our readers directly to know their needs in view of ever changing patterns of their examinations and set our magazine accordingly. This has made our magazine so useful and has endeared to our readers. This issue of the magazine contains a number of core articles o n important world events contributed by our well informed authors. Some of the i mportant and representative articles are : Barack Obamas Visit to IndiaHope and Hy pes, Reconfiguration of India-Russia Relations, India-Japan Ties A Strategic Part nership etc. The most important section of the magazine contains a number of que stion papers selected from various competitive examinations. These are fully sol ved with relevant hints and explanations. We make all efforts for giving their e rrorfree solutions. We are glad that we are maintaining this unique speciality o f our magazine. This has made it unparalleled and has endeared to all its reader s. The column Compendium in the magazine has been widely acclaimed as a trusted to ol for help of the readers. An intelligent study and understanding of its conten ts is sure to be useful in solving question papers of any future examination. We have been reminding you, again and again, that planned hardwork, strong self-co nf idence and right guidance are all indispensable for success in an y examinati on. You can wish for but cannot achieve success with out any one of these. If yo u are determined, Pratiyogita Darpan is ready to give the best guidance. It will surely sublime your career. Read Pratiyogita Darpan regularly and intelligently . It gives you the power to master your career and shape your destiny. We take t his opportunity to send our warmest new year greetings. May it be a peaceful, pr osperous and very successful year to you. Sincerely yours, MAHENDRA JAIN (Editor ) REGISTERED OFFICE 2/11-A, Swadeshi Bima Nagar Agra282 002 ADMINISTRATIVE AND EDIT ORIAL OFFICE 1, State Bank Colony Opp. Van Chetna Kendra Agra-Mathura Bye pass, Agra282 005 Tel. : 2531101, 2530966, 4053333 Fax : (0562) 4031570, 4053330 Websit e : www.pdgroup.in E-mail : Editorial : publisher@pdgroup.in Customer Care : car e@pdgroup.in BRANCH OFFICE Delhi 4845, Ansari Road Daryaganj, New-Delhi2 Tel. : 2 3251844, 23251866 Hyderabad 1-8-1/B, R. R. Complex (Near Sundaraiah Park, Adjace nt to Manasa Enclave Gate), Bagh Lingampally, Hyderabad-44 Tel. : 66753330 All rights reserved. No part of this Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a ret rieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, Electronic, Mechanical, P hotocopying, Recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the informati on published in this edition, neither publisher nor any of its employees accept any responsibility for any error or omission. Articles that cannot be used are r eturned to the authors if accompanied by a self addressed and sufficiently stamp ed envelope. But no responsibility is taken for any loss or delay in returning t

he material. Pratiyogita Darpan assumes no responsibility for statements and opi nions advanced by the authors nor for any claims made in the advertisements publ ished in the Magazine. PD/February/2011/1336

Year 5 Issue 56 February 2011 International Diplomacy Article Regulars 1336 To our Readers 1339 Editorial 1414 Geopolitics and Superpowers Concerning C onflict and Crisis in Major of Asia Vividha 1417 Compendium News and Events 1340 1352 1358 1360 Nation this Month World this Month Regional News National an d International Updates Countries of the World : At a Glance 1420 Japan Annual Report 2009-10 1422 Present Scenario and New Initiatives in Indian Labour and Employment Sector : Highlights Career News 1370 Employment and Career News 1372 Forthcoming Competitive Examinations Profile : International Organisation 1424 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) 1425 Current Quest ionnaire 1427 Trade and Industry Current Affairs 1374 Sports World 1379 Memorable Points 1381 Economic Scenario Question Papers Optional Paper 1428 M.P. PSC (Pre.) Exam., 2009 : Geography World Panorama 1389 (i) NATO : New Strategic Concept 1392 (ii) Reconfiguration of India-Russia Relations Other Papers 1472 United India Insurance A.A.O. Exam., 2010 : General Awareness 1473 Punjab a nd Sind Bank P.O. Exam., 2010 : General Awareness 1477 Bank of India P.O. Exam., 2010 : General Awareness 1480 I.D.B.I. Assistant Manager Exam., 2010 : General and Financial Awareness 1483 Forthcoming Civil Services (Pre.) Exam., 2011 : CSA T Mock Test 1495 Hotel Management, Aurangabad Exam., 2010 : Logic Ability 1500 S yndicate Bank P.O. Exam., 2010 : Reasoning 1505 Bank of India P.O. Exam., 2010 : Quantitative Aptitude 1509 Punjab and Sind Bank P.O. Exam., 2010 : Computer Kno wledge Personality Development 1395 Coping with Hurdles that Hamper Success Inspiring Youth : Interviews 1397 Suman Rawat TopperCivil Services 2009 (44th Rank) 1400 Komal Kiran Selected in Bank P.O. Exam., 2010 Articles Tourism Article 1402 Village Tourism : An Agent for Rural Economic Growth International Relations Articles 1404 India-Japan Ties : A Strategic Partnership 1406 Barack Obamas Visit to India : Hopes and Hypes

Political Science Article 1410 Human Rights Through the Ages Your Pages 1512 1514 1517 1518 Essay Contest Concentric Quiz Test Your Knowledge Results Career Article 1412 The Proposed Changes in the Civil Services Exam. : Are they Biased Against the Rural Aspirants ? 1519 Semi-Annual Current Affairs Special-I PD/February/2011/1337

ESSAY COMPETITION Topic : Corruption Haunts the Polity : Causes and Cure February 25, 2011 1st : R s. 1,200/- ; 2nd : Rs. 800/- ; 3rd : Rs. 600/Last Date : Prizes : Subscription Rates PRATIYOGITA DARPAN One Copy One Year By Ordinary Post By Registered Post Two Years By Ordinary Post By Registered Post Rs. 55/Rs. 495/Rs. 725/Rs. 890/Rs. 1340/DEBATE COMPETITION Topic : Let Indian Prime Minister be a Directly Elected Leader Last Date : Febru ary 25, 2011 Prizes : Rs. 1,000/- Each (For 2 best entries) Rules and Regulations : Participation is open to students and competitors only. Only one complete and co nsolidated entry on essay or debate competition will be accepted from one partic ipant. Writings on essays and debates should be strictly to the point and in sim ple, intelligible but forceful language. Essays and Debates should be written in own hand and should be duly signed by the candidate. Printed and unsigned entri es will not be accepted. Irrelevant details are to be avoided at all costs. The Essay/Debate should not exceed a word limit of 1500. The Essay/Debate accompanie d by a passport sized photograph must be sent by mail or courier. The selection committee will decide best entries and they will be awarded. The winners in Essa y Contest will also receive an award certificate from Pratiyogita Darpan. The pr ize winning entries will be published in the forthcoming issues of Pratiyogita D arpan. A certificate should invariably be given under the scripts to the effect that this is my original work and is unpublished elsewhere. Please send your membership fee by Money Order or Bank Draft only. Cheques will not be accepted. Write your address clearly; also inform the month (from which m onth to which month) for which you are intending to be our customer. Old custome rs should invariably write their customer number. Money Order or Bank Draft only in the name of Pratiyogita Darpan will be accepted.

Order Form I want to become a yearly/two yearly regular customer. Please send my copy of th e magazine on the following address : Name Address Pin Code I am sending Money Order/Bank Draf MEMORY RETENTION CONTEST Win Attractive Prizes : Are you appearing or want to appear in States Civil Services Exams., SSC Combined Examination, Banking Service Exam., Indian Insurance Corporations Administrative Officers Exam., Forest Service, Sub-Inspector, Hindi Translator, M.B.A., CPMT, CBSE, B. Ed. Entrance Exam., Railway etc. ? If Yes ! then you can win attractive prizes. What you have just to do is to send to us the questions, along with the answers, asked in objective type papersbased on your memory. We will include all the entries and will reward the persons whose answers are found to be most corr ect. (i) The first three participants who will send the most correct answers wil l get Rs. 600, 400 and 250 respectively. (ii) Less than 75% correct answers will not deserve any prize from us. PRATIYOGITA DARPAN 2/11A, Swadeshi Bima Nagar, AGRA-2 Phone : 4053333, 2530966, 2531101 Fax : (0562) 4053330, 4031570 MEMORY RETENTION CONTEST Pratiyogita Darpan 2/11 A, Swadeshi Bima Nagar, Agra-2 PD/February/2011/1338

At the present juncture, India and the whole world are keyed up for fighting the menace of terrorism. It is extremely important in such a situation that sanity must prevail. While taking all measures to strike at the root of terrorism, care has to be taken to ensure that one type of terrorism is not replaced by another type of terrorism. A blend of firmness and civilised behaviour is required to t ackle the problem. If the terrorists do not get the support which they normally get from misguided people and grievances which provide fuel to terrorism are sui tably addressed, terrorism will dry up. The concerned governments will take legi timate action for containing terrorism. We wish our young men and women should s trive on their part to encourage sanity and create an atmosphere of non-violence , peace and love. To contain and control terrorism is a gigantic task. This can be accomplished only by persons with a clean heart and a thoughtful mind. Let us hope that our young men and women will come forward to develop faculties of inn er peace and love, love meaning the good of alluniversal welfare. Let our young m en and women prepare themselves for this great task which is seemingly so diffic ult, almost impossible. At the same time, it is also true that sooner or later, this has to be done by the young men and women, as real potential is the child o f the new blood. It is also to be remembered that such persons as would bring ab out peace on earth, will be of this earthly earth and not be creatures of some o ther world. Prejudice in the human mind is the source of all the divisions, whic h result in war, poverty and exploitation, and delusion makes people pursue false aims. It is, therefore, important f or progress that men and womenmore so of the younger generation, should increasin gly learn to uncondition themselves and make rightful thinking a supreme object of their lives. The future of the human society depends on our young men and wom en who have right understanding of things and people. This quality can be develo ped not by reading huge volumes or delivering inspiring talks. The quality of in fluencing people can be developed only by doing what we think or preach. Let us remember that actions speak louder than words, and silence in doing a right type of work is more eloquent than speech. It is extremely necessary to understand t hat the inner must be strong enough to be visible in the outer. Our intentions m ust manifest as actions. Our thoughts must be powerful enough to generate forces of transformation. This is possible only if we live what we say or ask others t o do. In fact, the truth of the matter is that the real service can be done only if we try to live like the saint of the story in which a woman takes her child to the saint to make the child give up the habit of eating too much sugar or swe ets. The saint asked the woman to come after three weeks. His inner was strong e nough to come out as outer and influence the child, who got rid of the habit of taking too much of sugar. The woman out of curiosity asked the saint as to why h e had asked her to wait for three weeks. The saint smilingly repliedMadam, when y ou came to me for the first time, I myself used to take enough of sugar in the f orm of sharbat. During the three weeks time, for which I asked you to keep in waiting, I tried to give up the habit, and fortunately got rid of it. In case I had not done so, I could have never been able to prevail up on your child to leave taking sugar. The outer can be effective only if the inne r is pure and strong. In the light of what has been stated and outlined above, n one of you should have any difficulty in working out his/her individual role in propagating the doctrine of peaceful living and generating forces which will cha nge the pervading matrix to facilitate real transformation. Let us take this opp ortunity to impress that peaceful living and peaceful co-existence are two diffe rent things. Co-existence means a state of strangeness. This does not bring peop le together and create an atmosphere conducive to peace and upliftment. A note o f warning may be struck; sufficiently long time may be taken before your efforts bear fruits. Never care for that. Even if he/she takes one step forward, i.e., in the right direction, that would be highly meaningful, for, the step taken den otes the direction of the movement as well as displays the commitment to act. Ea ch such step will also throw light on the next step to be taken. This is the pro cess of unfoldment of ones potential. Let us not forget that ones potential is lim

itless. Gandhian doctrine of truth and non-violence lays down more than clearly that one step is enough for me, and also that a Satyagrahia man pledged to tread the path of truthis never defeated, because he does not fight for himself, but fo r the good of the society, so every step taken by him takes the humanity a step nearer P.Darpan to the good and the beautiful. PD/February/2011/1339 Lots of people talk to animalsNot very many listen, thoughTha ts the problem.

Supreme Court to Monitor Investigation of 2G Spectrum Scam The 2G spectrum allotment scam that rocked the winter session of Parliament and created a logjam of vehement protests by the opposition demanding the Constituti on of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the scam in its entirety is now t o be investigated by the CBI, with the Supreme Court of India monitoring the pro be. who caused a loss estimated by the CAG at crore to the exchequer. 176 lakh India-Oman Agreement on Technology Transfer India and Oman have entered into an agreement under which the two sides will pre pare a report on nine areas of cooperation for direct investment and technology transfer. The two sides are also eyeing contract farming as the next area of coo peration. According to Oman s official news agency, the agreement was signed by India s Planning Commission ViceChairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Omani ruler Sultan Qaboss adviser for economic planning affairs Mohammad bin Al Zubair. The Supreme Committee for Ahluwalia : Promoting Economic Relations between Eyeing n ew deals India and Oman was established under a directive of Sultan Qaboss bin S aid and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during the latter s visit to the count ry in 2008 to promote economic cooperation between the two. The report shows fiel ds upon which economic and trade relations can be expanded not only between the governments of the two countries, but also between the private sector in the Sul tanate and the Republic of India, Zubair said. Oman could strengthen the domestic availability of foodgrains by entering into contract farming with Indian farmers , Mr. Ahluwalia said. The Indian law does not allow foreign companies to buy land there and therefore, Omani companies can enter into a contract farming relation ship for producing the type of crop they want. We have identified from our side a couple of firms that have shown interest in tying up with Omani investors to ge t into contract farming arrangements, Mr. Ahluwalia stated. What CBI will Probe Supreme Court has directed the CBI to look into the following aspects of the cas e How ineligible companies got 2G spectrum licence in 2008 and why no action was taken against those telecom operators who failed in their rollout obligations. W hy the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India did not take action against the gra nt of licence to ineligible companies and those that failed in their rollout obl igations. The conduct of officials of the department of telecommunications who s igned on the loan applications of telecom companies for securing loans from publ ic sector banks. The Supreme Court on December 16, 2010 decided to monitor the CBI investigation into the 2G spectrum scam and said that prima facie, there was evidence of wrong doing in the grant of 2G spectrum licences in 2008 and of dual-use technology t o some telecom operators prior to October 19, 2007. Allowing a plea filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation for court monitoring of the probe, the tw ojudge bench said that the allegations of wrong doings in spectrum allocation ma de in the plea were supported by the reports of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Comptroller and Auditor General. It said the CBI would conduct a comprehensive probe covering the period 2001-07 in coordination with the Enforce ment Directorate and income tax department. It directed the CBI to submit its fi rst status report on February 10, 2011. The court also said there was no need to set up a special investigation team to probe the scam, adding that the CBI woul d conduct the probe without being influenced by any person or authority. The ben ch said the director general of income tax would provide transcripts of the tapp ed conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and several politicians, industrialists and journalists to the CBI. The court also said the CBI could re gister a first information report with respect to the officials and people

New RTI Rules : Ask But Only in 250 Words The government on December 12, 2010 proposed new rules that require a Right to I nformation (RTI) application to be restricted to 250 words and only on one subje ct. Currently there is no word limit and applicants can seek information on any number of subjects in a single application. PD/February/2011/1340 I am chained to the earth to pay for the freedom of my eyes.

Conditions Apply 250-word ceiling for applications. Only one subject per application. Postage abo ve Rs. 10 for government s reply to be paid by applicant. Appeals only in a fixe d format, with several documents attached on its website and has invited comment s from the public by December 27, which is a procedural. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has uploaded a 10-page draft of the Right to Information Rules, 2010 on its website. RTI activists criticize the new rules saying that they dilute the landmark legislation. A noted RTI activis t said that the Act is meant even for illiterates, how can you expect people to follow such a tight word limit. Another RTI activist said that the proposal was a clear attempt to create grey areas in a transparent law and allows scope for h arassment of applicants. According to new Rules, applicants dissatisfied with a reply have to appeal to the First Appelate Authority in a given format, attachin g a list of documents. This condition was not in force earlier. The proposed new rules require the applicant to pay postal charges in excess of Rs. 10 incurred by authorities in replying to the application. Currently, applic ants are not required to pay postal charges. They pay only Rs. 10 while filling the application. PD/February/2011/1342 I guess Ive spent my life listening to what wasnt being said.

India Enters US-Backed $ 10 billion Gas Pipeline Project [The Channel will bring in fuel from Turkmenistan to India Via Afghanistan and I ndia] India on December 11, 2010 put its stamp on an energy lifeline that could reshape regional bonds and trigger a new economic dynamics through a natural gas pipeline all the way from Turkmenistan in Central Asia to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan. India s oil Minister Murli Deora representing Prime Minister Manm ohan Singh at the Summit of leaders of concerned countries joined Presidents of New Beginnings : (From left) PetroAfghanistan, Paki- leum Minister Murli Deora, Pakistani stan and Turkmeni- President Asif Ali Zardari, Turkman stan at Turkman President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamecapital Ashgabat to dov and Afghan President H amid sign the Inter-Gov- Karzai during a meeting in Turkmeernmental Agree- nista n on Dec. 11, 2010. ment to formally join the US-backed project that could cost over $ 10 billion. It may be recalled that the USA is very much against such a p roject in a group of countries which include Iran, its arch enemy which dosen t head its dictate on stopping its nuclear programme. It will be the harbinger of economic growth and prosperity to us all. Manmohan Sin gh had described it as the peace pipeline, says Petroleum Minister. For, in case of the Iran pipeline project, which is cheaper and easier to build, India has been playing hardball over similar issues and insisting Teheran deliv ers gas at New Delhi s doorstep. India also appears to be playing along Turkmeni stan s unwillingness to make up for any shortfall or disruption in gas supplies. New Silk Route Terming the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-PakistanIndia (TAPI) pipeline project as th e new Silk Route between Central Asia and South Asia, said Mr. Deora added that this will aid in rapid growth of not only India but also other participating cou ntries. Govt. Nod for 4 More Stealth Destroyers The Union Government has approved a major defence programme known as Project-15 B to indigenously construct four guided missile stealth destroyers for around Rs. 30,000 crore at Mazagaon Docks Limited (MDL). In its quest to become a powerful three-dimensional blue water force and maintain a fleet of around 140 surface an d sub-surface combatants, the Navy already has 30 warships and six sub-marines o n order in various Indian shipyards. Moreover, it has an aircraft carrier, Admir al Gorshkov or INS Vikramaditya, three additional Talwar-class stealth frigates in Russia, as also two fleet tankers in Italy under construction. Project-15 B w hich is set to be undertaken at MDL after the three Kolkata-class 6,700 tonne de stroyers already being constructed there under a long-delayed Rs. 11,662 crore p roject are finally delivered in 20122014 was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on December 8. It was earlier cleared by the Defence Acquisition s Council, chaired by Defence Minister A. K. Antony in July 2010. Deora also utilised the presence of top Pakistani and Afghan leaders to remind t hat they need to address India s concerns over physical security of the pipeline and uninterrupted gas supplies to make the project work. There are issues that n eed to be addressed. We have to come to a decision regarding the price of gas, s ecurity of the pipeline, certainty of gas supply, transit fee and the setting up of the consortium for laying and operating the pipeline, Mr. Deora told the summ it. For good measure Deora added, As a buyer, and being at the tail-end of the pr oject, we have concerns that relate to the realities that surround us. Quite obv iously, our goal is not merely the construction of the pipeline, but also contin uous and uninterrupted flow of Turkman natural gas over several decades. India ha s agreed to accept gas at the TurkmanAfghanistan border and will bank on the int ernational composition of the consortium building the pipeline to ensure supply security through Afghanistan and Pakistan. MEA officials attribute this to India s commitment to the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. But there is no deny ing that the softer security stand is being taken in deference to the US backing for the project, which Washington wants as an alternative route for Central Asi

an gas bypassing the Russian pipelines network. PD/February/2011/1343 No one is listening until you fart.

Another big project in the offing is the around Rs. 45,000 crore construction of seven more stealth frigates at MDL in Mumbai and GRSE in Kolkata. The biggest p rogramme, of course, will be Project - 75 (India), where the Navy is to acquire six new generation stealth submarines, equipped with tube-launched missiles and air-independent propulsion, but it is still around two years away from being fin alized. The biggest warIncreasing Firepower ships currently on order are the 44, 570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov undergoing a refit in Russia and the 40,000-tonne ind igenous aircraft carrier (IAC) being built at Cochin Shipyard. With Gorshkov and IAC to be inducted by early 2013 and 2015, respectively, India hopes to deploy two potent carrier battle-groups by the middle of this decade. XIth India-EU Summit in Brussels The India-EU Summit 2010 was held in the second week of December 2010 at Brussel s in Belgium. Widening and deepening their strategic partnership, India and the 27-member European Union on December 10, 2010 agreed to strengthen cooperation o n a wide range of issues, including counter-terrorism, a new initiative to impro ve cultural ties, on legal agreements on extradition, and above all, to redouble efforts to ensure that early in 2011 a free trade agreement was ready for signa ture. Even as it looked that an agreement on movement of professionals was very much on the cards, despite earlier resistance by the EU, Deepening Partnership : European Prime Minister Man- Council President Herman Van mohan Singh called Ro mpuy (left) greets Prime Minister for taking the lead Manmohan Singh as European Union in avoiding pro- Commission President Jose Manuel tectionist trends, Barro so looks on, prior to the EU-India keeping markets Summit on Dec. 10 at the EU h eadquarters in Brussels. open and encouraging the free flow and movement of peop le by the two sides. He made this observation at a joint press conference also a ddressed by Presidents of the European Council and EU Commission Herman Van Romp uy and J. M. Barroso respectively. Agni-II Prime Launch Fails The maiden launch of the Agni-II Prime Missile from the Wheeler Island, off the Orissa coast on December 10, 2010 failed. Within moments of take off from a spec ially designed truck, the missile plunged into the Bay of Bengal following a dev iation in its trajectory. The failure naturally cast a gloom on the missile tech nologists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The two-s tage, surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 2,500 km. The 17-tonne mis sile is 20 metres long, capable of carrying nuclear warheads of one tonne. The D RDO had built Agni-II Prime, earlier called Agni-II+, to fill the gap in the ran ge between Agni-II and Agni-III. While Agni-II has a range of more than 2,000 km , Agni-III can target places more than 3,000 km away. All the three were strateg ic missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Agni-II Prime was an improved version of Agni-II, boasting several new technologies. While both stages of Agn i-II were made of metal casing, the second stage of Agni-II Prime was made of fi bre reinforced plastic (FRP), or composite casing. The FRP reduced the missile s structural weight, enabling it to carry more propellants, and to have a better range than Agni-II s. Agni-II Prime also had a better stage separation system, e fficient propulsion, high-energy propellants, more efficient batteries to provid e better power supply and sophisticated retro rockets. It had a good configurati on which meant the user (the Army) could move it around easily, both on rail and road. DRDO technologists said it would take a few days to figure out the exact reason for the failure. Joint Declaration In the two-page joint declaration released at Brussels on December 10, it was sa id that an ambitious and balanced broad-based trade and investment agreement wou ld bring significant economic benefits to both India and the EU. It was noted th at significant progress was recorded during recent negotiations and there was ag reement on the contours of a final package which could be concluded by the sprin g of 2011. It was also agreedas reflected in the joint statementthat in the field of easy movement of professionals and other people, an important issue for India

, the two sides should have regular, structured and comprehensive dialogue. Alth ough much space and time was devoted to mutual help and cooperation in the areas of counter terrorism and security related issuesa joint India - EU declaration o n international terrorism was issuedthere was not enough clarity on the EU positi on in relation to Afghanistan, especially after 2014 by when European and Americ an forces are expected to withdraw from the country. Mr. Rompuy did not respond when asked directly about the EU taking on board Pakistan s interests and concer ns as it was a NATO ally rather than India s. Instead, he said the EU was commit ted for the long-term reconstruction and stabilisation in Afghanistan. PD/February/2011/1344 Women like silent men. They think theyre listening.

However, in the joint statement on terrorism, there was mention of opportunities for coordination on a financial task force of the EU countries and India that w ould try to prevent terrorists from gaining access to financial resources. For t his, best practices on financial controls to be put into place would be shared. A business summit was held on the sidelines of the summit and as Dr. Manmohan Sing h indicated, there were vast opportunities for Europe to invest in India in infr astructure areas, high technology, research, clean energy (solar energy was mean t at the joint press conference), skill development and vocational training. mohan Singh launched a new phase in their civil nuclear cooperation by signing t he five atomic pacts for building two 1,650 MW nuclear reactors at Jaitpur in Ma harashtra. Against Terrorism France also underlined solidarity with India against terrorism and asked Pakista n to act against safe havens and sanctuaries for terrorist groups. Prime Ministe r Manmohan Singh and Sarkozy held talks for nearly 90 minutes that focussed on e xpanding civil nuclear cooperation and forging closer links in the French Presid ent Nicolas Sarkozy (L) field of defence, shakes hands with Prime Minister space , education and Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on December 6, 20 10 research. Safeguards Responding to questions, Dr. Singh allayed fears that if any agreement was reach ed on free trade in agricultural products, small and medium farmers in India wou ld be adversely affected. He stated that adequate safeguards could be put in pla ce to take care of the concerns of farmers and small businesses. In a way the su mmit was by and large successful. Of the 12 areas, negotiations on five itemstrad e barriers, defence measures, trade facilitation, competition policy and rules o f origin were finalised. But no agreement has so far been reached on some areas including investment, government procurement, transparency and sustainable devel opment, which includes issues such as environment and labour standards. We have c learly articulated our reservations on certain issues and we are going to ensure that our domestic policies and interests are not compromised in any way, an offi cial said. Global Issues The two leaders also discussed a host of global issues including UN reforms, glo bal terrorism, reforms of international financial institutions, the G-20 forum o f major and emerging economies and climate change. Other Pacts Besides five atomic pacts, the two sides signed a pact for co-production of film s and another agreement for space cooperation in the field of earth science and climate. They sought to double bilateral trade to 12 billion Euros by 2012. It i s appropriate to emphasize that France s long-term plan to build six reactors in India for producing 18,000 MW electricity over the next few years formed the ce ntre piece of Sarkozy s four-day presidential visit to India that started on Dec ember 3, 2010. The two sides signed five nuclear reactor pacts, including an ear lier Works Agreement and a general Framework agreement between French nuclear gi ant French President Nicolas Sarkozy s Visit to India : India, France Sign New Power Deal The biggest achievement of French President Mr. Sarkozy s visit to India was the signing of civil nuclear cooperation agreement. It may be recalled that French President Nicolas Sarkozy landed at Bangalore Airport on December 4, 2010 on a f our-day visit to India. Mr. Sarkozy who has come down to be one of the closest f riends of Indian people received a warm and cordial welcome from Indian leaders. On December 6, 2010 in New Delhi the French President vigorously pitched for a

permanent seat on the Security Council as the two France s President Nicolas Sar kozy and First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy walk leaders Mr. Sarkozy down the steps from their plane as they and Indian Prime arrive in Bangalore HAL Airport on Min ister Dr. Man- Dec. 3, 2010. PD/February/2011/1345 There are truths on this side of the Pyranees, which are falsehoods on the other.

Areva and the Nuclear Power Cooperation of India Limited (NPCIL) for implementat ion of two European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) at Jaitpur (Maharashtra). In the field of nuclear energy negotiation have reached an advanced stage to pave the way for the launching of nuclear power reactors in Jaitpur in partnership with I ndian industry, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Singh said at a joint press conference . Prime Minister s Message for the Corporate World On December 14, 2010 the Prime Minister of India sent out a suggestive message f or the corporate world in such a succinct manner as carries a veritable convicti on and serves a an eye opener for this part of the business world. He said with anguish that the perceived ethical deficit of corporate houses is not conducive t o sustainability of businesses, and the corporate sector will have to strike a b alance between financial and human, social and ecological capital to be viable i n the long run. Call to Pakistan Calling upon Pakistan to fight terrorism with determination, Sarkozy appreciated India s efforts to stretch out its hand towards its South Asian neighbour. We appl aud India s effort to stretch out its hand. We call upon Pakistan to fight terro rism determinedly, Sarkozy said in reply to a query on counter-terrorism cooperat ion at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. He pointed out that France had stood shoulder-toshoulder with India in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which two French officials also d ied. They were among the 166 victims. Our cooperation on counter-terrorism is wit hout limits, said Sarkozy. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrived at Bangalore on December 3 on a fo ur-day visit to the country, backed India s bid for a permanent seat in the Unit ed Nations Security Council and its fight against terrorism. India deserves a per manent seat in the UNSC, Sarkozy said addressing over 500 scientists, captains of industry and students at the Indian Space Research Organisation in Bangalore. S arkozy said India, along with Brazil, Germany, Japan, Africa and Arab world shou ld be in the UN Security Council. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (centre), corporate affairs minister Salman Khursh id (left) and secretary, corporate affairs ministry, R. Bandyopadhyay, at the in augural function of the 2nd India Corporate Week, in New Delhi on December 14, 2 010. For this, he said that corporates may adopt a threepronged approach increas ing the employability of population through effective skill development; resettl ement and rehabilitation of project-affected families; and ethical and responsib le behaviour. The PM said that although the might of domestic companies has grow n on the global stage with Indian corporates poised to become the main engine of growth for the economy. I am sure business leaders are aware that business pract ices of some corporate houses have recently come under intense public scrutiny f or their perceived ethical deficit. He said the corporates should focus on effect ive skill development, which will help in integrating the weaker sections of the society to the mainstream economy. Though some industry associations have partn ered for improving ITIs and developing skills of youth, much needs to be done to have a visible impact of such efforts. The corporates should work towards prope r resettlement and rehabilitation policies for families affected by their projec ts while ensuring that there is no adverse impact on livelihoods due to environm ental degradation. While reiterating that growth should not suffer because of lo ss of confidence in industrialisation, the PM said the affected populations must see a stake for themselves in transiting to alternative lifestyles. Emphasizing o n the ethical and responsible behaviour by India Inc, the Prime Minister said th at the large companies have to set the pace in this direction, which would soon be followed by smaller entities. He said that although business needs to be prof itable, yet the manner in which they use the natural resources and the extent to which they are sensitive to the needs and aspirations of the common man is also critical to their own long-term survival and growth. Just as over bearing contro

ls stifle initiative, dogmatic adherence to extreme models of non-regulation can also be disruptive to sustainable growth. Ours is the middle path. We believe t hat we must trust corporate India as indeed you must trust us, he said. PD/February/2011/1346 If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point.

Harassment Bill Tabled in the Lok Sabha The government on December 7, 2010 introduced in the Lok Sabha a Bill aimed at p reventing sexual harassment of women at work places in various forms, including implied or overt promise of preferential treatment or threat or interference in her work through intimidation. The proposed legislation makes it incumbent on the employer to order probe into any complaint and provides for a fine of Rs. 50,000 in case an internal inquiry is not set up by the employer or attempt is made contravene the provisions of th e new law. Punishment for False Reporting However, in the case of false or malicious complaint, the Bill provides for acti on against the complainant in accordance with service rules and in any other man ner in case no service rules exist. The malicious intent or falsehood or part of the complainant shall be established after an inquiry in accordance with the pr ocedure prescribed before any action is recommended. But mere inability to subst antiate a complaint or provide adequate proof need not attract action against th e complainant, the Bill says. The Bill has identified actions that would come un der its purview as implied or overt promise of preferential treatment in her (any woman s) employment; or implied or overt threat of detrimental treatment in her employment; or implied or overt threat about her present or future employment s tatus. Under Scrutiny The legislation provides safe, secure and enabling environment free from all for ms of sexual harassment to every woman, irrespective of her age or employment st atus. The bill provides for a fine of 50,000 in case an internal inquiry is not set up by the employer. In the case of false or malicious complaint, the bill pr ovides for action against the complainant in accordance with service rules.

The Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, provi des for mandatory setting up of an internal committee by a company or any other institute to probe a written complaint by an aggrieved person or settle the matt er through concilliation. Objectives Moving the Bill, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said that t he objective was to enact a comprehensive legislation to provide safe, secure an d enabling environment free from all forms of sexual harassment to every woman, irrespective of her age or employment status (other than domestic workers). It f ixes the responsibility on the employer as well as the district magistrate or ad ditional DM or the collector or Deputy collector of every district in the state as a district officer and lays down a statutory redressal mechanism. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabaos Visit to India Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao paid a three day state visit to India in the b eginning of third week of December, 2010. He arrived in the Indian capital on De cember 15 and immediately thereafter got engaged in talks with the Indian leader s. One thing that stands out pre-eminently is the warmth with which he stated th at India and China are not rivals but partners, partners in giving good life to the people of the two countries. India and China are partners for cooperation and not rivals in competition. PD/February/2011/1347 In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds.

As if to under-score that point, Indian and Chinese companies and business insti tutions proceeded to sign 50 deals worth a staggering $ 16 billion at a formal f unction in Wen s presence. They surpassed the $ 10 billion worth of agreements i nked during the recent visit of US President Barack Obama. At a gathering of ind ustrialists Mr. Wen said. There is enough space in the Fresh Thrust to Ties : Chi nese Premier world for the deve- Wen Jiabao waves an arrival at the Air Force St ation at Palam, New Delhi, on lopment of both Dec. 15. To his right and left are China and India, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yan and there are enough Minister of State for Commerce and areas for us to co- Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia. operat e. These words were direct echo of the sentiments of Indian Prime Minister when h e met Chinese leaders at different fora. economic policy coordination and address challenges facing economic development. India and China have also agreed to jointly oppose protectionism in all forms, be sides expanding bilateral cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, environmen tal protection, information technology, telecommunications, investment and finan ce on a priority basis. Hotline Operational On the political side, the much-awaited hotline between the two Premiers has bec ome operational. It was also decided that from now on the two Foreign Ministers will meet annually. Mr. Wen also insisted that apart from attending the BRIC sum mit in Beijing next year, Dr. Singh should pay a standalone visit to China. Six Pacts Signed India and China signed six pacts, including one in the field of green technology . The pacts were signed after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ch inese Premier Wen Jiabao. Besides green tech, the two sides also signed an MoU e ach on exchange of hydrological data of common rivers, media an cultural exchang es. Two pacts were signed in the banking sector. These were an MoU each between RBI and Chinese Bank Regulatory Commission and EXIM Bank of India and Chinese De velopment Bank. Trade India and China agreed to raise the bilateral trade to $ 100 billion by 2015, st ep up investments and permit banks of other countries to open branches and repre sentative offices. The two sides also decided to reduce the trade deficit, which is in favour of China, said a joint communique issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Set a new bilateral trad e target of $ 100 billion by 2015. The two sides agreed to take measures to prom ote greater Indian exports to China with a view to reducing India s trade defici t. it said. The bilateral trade between India and China is expected to be around $ 60 billion in 2010. The bilateral trade imbalance was against India to the ext ent of $ 19 billion during 2009-10. China agreed to support Indian participation in its national and regional trade fairs, enhance exchange and cooperation of p harmaceutical supervision and expedite completion of phytosanitary negotiations on agro products. Earlier, Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Shyamala Gopina th and vice chairman of China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) signed a memo randum of understanding to enhace cooperation in the banking and financial secto rs between the two countries. The modalities for allowing banks of other countri es to open branches and representative offices, the Communique said, will be work ed out by the concerned authorities. In view of the potential to step up bilatera l trade between the neighbours, the two sides decided to establish a Strategic E conomic Dialogue to enhance macroRegarding India s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Mr. Wen w as evidently non-committal but said that China appreciated India s aspirations t o play a bigger role in the world body. He said that China would pay attention t o that aspect. On the issue of dams or rivers, China changed its position slight ly. Both sides agreed to further discuss India s suggestion for increased cooper

ation on transborder river issues over and above the expert level mechanism for Brahmputra and Sutlej rivers. Stapled Visa The stapled visa issue on Pakistan occupied Kashmir could not be unstapled durin g the two rounds of talks between the two Prime Ministers. But both countries ag reed on a mechanism to address the matter. They also agreed to address the pause in high-level defence exchangessuspended as a result of the Chinese policy of is suing distinctive visas to Indian citizens domiciled in Jammu and Kashmirby creat ing a basis for them to continue without constraints. The main constraint is the sta pled visa, which India says challenges its sovereignty and territorial integrity . Pending resolution of this issue, therefore, it refused to include in the join t statement references to Chinese sovereignty in Tibet and One China that have bee n part of the past three summit level declarations. The two sides agreed to enco urage greater mutual investment and project contracting cooperation between busi nesses of the two countries and deal appropriately with issues concerning econom ic and trade frictions. It was resolved to constitute an India-China CEO s Forum to deliberate on business issues and make recommendations on expansion of trade and investment cooperation. PD/February/2011/1348 The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule .

Chinese Premier Slams Indian Media Faced with negative headlines on outcome of his talks with the Indian leadership , Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was sharply critical of the Indian media, saying it was causing damage to bilateral ties. Winding up his three-day visit to New Delhi , Wen told a group of editors and scholars before emplaning for Pakistan that he understood that the press in India has freedom but it should play a role in pro moting friendship. Citing the Indian media s coverage of the situation on the Si no-Indian border, the Chinese leader said that not a single shot had been fired no r had there been any exchanges in border areas between the troops. Still, the boun dary question has repeatedly been sensationalised by the media after which leaders of the two countries have had to repair the damage and harm, he said. His advice to the media was that it should play a more active role in enhancing friendship. Interaction at the Top Level Besides exercises, there has been interaction at the top level too. Both countri es have had visits of top brass with the former Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen eral Noble Thamburaj visiting Mongolia in 2009 on the Mongolian armed forces day while its Chief of the Army staff visited the Defence Expo in New Delhi. Mongol ian Defence Minister L. Bold was one of the dignitaries at the 2009 Aero India a nd also took part in the Joint Working Group meeting. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev s Visit to India 30 pacts signed from space to pharmaceutical, defence and nuclear reactors. Indi an PM stresses cooperation in intelligence sharing and anti-terror strategies. Meanwhile, Exim Bank chairman and managing director T.C.A. Ranganathan and China Development Bank Cooperation vice-governor Gao Jian signed a MoU to boost bilat eral trade between the two countries. In an important development China shed its earlier ambivalence and agreed to back the UN resolution that proscribes terror ist organisations like al-Qaeda and its affiliates like the anti-India Lashkar-e -Taiba. India also took up the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan and pr essed the Chinese leader to take it up with the Pakistani leadership. However, t here was no perceptible advancement of China s stand on India s bid for a perman ent seat in the UN Security Council. India, Mongolia Hold Joint Military Exercises India-Mongolia defence cooperation is abundantly reflected in the joint military exercises they held in December 2010. The troops of India and Mongolia engaged in joint exercises, with the latest two-week drill in counter-insurgency ending in Belgaum on December 19, 2010. Nearly 30 officers and personnel of the Mongoli a armed forces participated in the workout called Nomadic Elephant along with 50 o fficers and personnel of the Indian Army in counter-terrorism environment. This engagement tapered and ended around the time the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was in India and Pakistan. Close on the heels of the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao s visit to India in the third week of December came the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev w ho arrived on the night of December 20, 2010. The meeting between Mr. Medvedev a nd Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh materialised on December 21. This meetin g was a historic one in so far as historic decisions were taken, policy statemen ts were made and a slew of agreements were signed. As many as 30 agreements were signed; the highlight of the same was the consolidation and extension of strate gic cooperation in the civil nuclear, hydrocarbons and space sectors. The Prime Minister told the journalists that India s relationship with Russia was special and privileged and would develop independent of its ties with other countries. India s Global Role : Support for UNSC Permanent Seat Russia joined the US and France in appreciating India s global role and speaking of India and itself as states possessing nuclear weapons. Mr. Medvedev promised to quarterback India s bid for full membership at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (

NSG) and other multi-lateral export control clubs. Defence Cooperation Defence cooperation and relations between the militaries of the two countries ha s seen a steady growth over the last decade with the first joint exercise in 200 4. For the last few years, the joint drills are being held every year. In recent years, the exercises varied with the one in 2005 being held at the Counter Insu rgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairnagte, Mizoram while another exercise he ld in Mongolia in September 2008 was on peace keeping operations. PD/February/2011/1349 The world is round and the place which may seem like the en d may also be only the beginning.

Russia reiterated its support to India for a permanent seat on the United Nation s Security Council. There was also public acknowledgement of India s imminent me mbership of the Russia-China led Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Besides talk s on the setting up of more reactors at Kundankulam and Haripur, India and Russi a agreed to work together at the global level on nuclear energy. In the first in itiative of Fortifying Ties : Prime Minister its kind to be taken Manmohan Singh greets Russian by either of them, President Dmitry Medvedev prior to the two co untries their meeting and the signing of agreed to consider agreements at Hydera bad House in cooperation in the New Delhi on Dec. 22, 2010. peaceful uses of nuc lear energy with third countries. Both sides also identified joint research and development in reactor technology as an area on which the two atomic energy esta blishments hold discussions. In defence, India and Russia marked the beginning o f their first-ever collaboration in producing a next generation fighter aircraft , with the signing of the preliminary design contract agreement between their pr emier defence also companies. With both sides focussing greatly on improving the ir trade and economic ties, Moscow agreed to smoothen travel procedures for busi ness people and visitors, a longstanding Indian grouse that had earlier led to a n IT major CEO abandoning plans to invest in Russia. At the same time, both side s agreed to discourage unwanted or overstaying visitors and thereby avoid subseq uent diplomatic wrinkles. The corporate sector was also active on the sidelines as a result of their greater involvement after the setting up of a joint CEOs fo rum in 2008. The agreements they signed were joint ventures in steel production, hydel power plants and telecom products. The intention to collaborate in the hy drocarbons sector was given a concrete shape by an inter-governmental agreement that will evolve into an extensive road map largely modelled on the Sino-Russia partnership in this sector. The Memorandum of Understanding between Sistema, a t elecom-petro giant with rights over two lucrative hydrocarbon fields, and ONGC V idesh progressed to a framework agreement on cooperation. India, Russia Sign Fighter Aircraft Pact The biggest defence programme in India s historythe contract for the preliminary design of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA)was signed on December 21, 2010 between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia s Rosoboronexport an d Sukhoi. It will involve the production of 200-250 aircraft. The FGFA will have advanced features such as stealth, super-cruise, ultra-manoeuvrability, highly i ntegrated avionics suite, enhanced situational awareness, internal carriage of weapons and network centric warfare capabilities. The aircraft would be called Perspective Multirole Fighter (PMF). It draws upon the basic structural and syst em design of the Russian FGFA Technology Demonstrator with modifications to meet the Indian Air Force s specifications, which are much more stringent. Besides d esign and development, the project covers production and joint marketing of the aircraft to third countries. The programme options include the design and develo pment of a twin-seater variant and the integration of an advanced engine with hi gher thrust at a later stage. The agreement is the first in a series of such con tracts that will cover different stages of this programme. The contract was sign ed by A. Isaykin, General Director of Rosoboronexport and M. Pogosyan, General D irector RAC MiG and Sukhoi from the Russian side and HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak, a nd N.C. Agarwal, Director (D&D), HAL from the Indian side here. The Russian President pointed to the need for bilateral framework agreements for extradition. He said that his country s anti-terrorism cooperation with India w as productive and quite open. No Justification for Terrorism The joint statement noted that both countries agreed that there is no justificati on whatsoever for any act of terrorism, and that multi-ethnic democratic countri es like India and Russia were vulnerable to acts of terrorism which are attacks against the values and freedoms enshrined in their societies. It also called upon Pakistan to expeditiously bring all the perpetrators, authors and accomplices o f the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice. India expressed sympathy for the v

ictims of the terrorist attacks in the Moscow metro stations in March in 2010 an d expressed support for Russia s efforts to eliminate terrorism from Russian soi l. Agreement on CECA India and Russia agreed to consider CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agr eement) to push the bilateral trade $ 20 billion by 2015. Recognizing the huge p otential between the world s two fastest growing economies, both the countries a greed for mutual investment in the private sectors and viewed bilateral energy c ooperation as a key component of their strategic partnership. In the joint state ment issued after talks between the two leaders, the two sides agreed to continu e their efforts to achieve the strategic target of bilateral trade volume of $ 2 0 billion by 2015. Bilateral trade in 2009-10 stood at $ 454 billion and the two nations aspire to step it up Expeditious Punishment to Mumbai Attackers Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in his speech called for expeditious punishmen t to terrorists involved in the Mumbai terror attacks. A modern and civilized st ate cannot hide terrorists and should extradite them if it is interested in coop erating in the fight against terrorism, the President said in response to a ques tion at the joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Dr. Singh said that India and Russia were both victims of terrorism. As such there is natu ral synergy of interest in working together to deal with this menace. PD/February/2011/1350 Wont you come into the garden ? I would like my roses to see you.

more than four-fold in the next five years. It may be mentioned that India is in the process of negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and CECA with a dozen-o dd countries including blocs like Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and European Union. Such pacts are already under implementation with the ASEAN, Singapore and South Korea. Noting that the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) plays an important ro le in promoting a multi-polar world order and global financial stability, India and Russia welcomed the proposed inclusion of South Africa into the BRIC process in 2011. India, Russia to set up N-Plants in South Asian Countries India and Russia have decided to work together in the field of nuclear commerce. The two countries will help set up smaller nuclear power plants in South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. According to sources, this was the key outcome of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev s visit to India. The two sides agr eed to consider cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy with third cou ntries. Negotiators from New Delhi and Moscow said both sides were confident of e xecuting projects jointly. Both sides feel that the projects in South Asian coun tries will yield economic and political dividends. South Asian countries need sm aller nuclear power plants, generating 200-250 MW of power. Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are energy starved and India is helping them by linking their grids wi th its own. In the case of Bangladesh, India is making efforts to link its easte rn grid through its border in West Bengal, while in the case of Sri Lanka, India is planning to lay underwater cables to connect the power grid in both countrie s. China is active in most South Asian countries, building infrastructure in a b ig way, and hence, the IndiaRussia joint initiative will be an attempt to counte r that as well. For the first time, Russia has also recognized India as a supplie r state in the nuclear businessboth in terms of equipment and fuel. P.Darpan Two Prithvi-II Missiles Flight-tested Successfully Two Prithvi-II nuclear-capable ballistic missiles with a strike range of 350 km were successfully test-fired in an hour s gap on December 22, 2010 as part of us er trials by the Army from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off Oris sa Coast. As per defence sources, the missiles, mounted on mobile launchers and aimed at different targets, were test-fired from launch complex in the ITR aroun d 815 am and 915 am. The test-firing of the sleek missiles, already inducted into the armed forces, were routine trials conducted by personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC). The entire trajectory of the twin trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, electro-optic telemetry stations and ships launched in the down range impact-point area in Bay for post-launch analysis, the sources sai d. Key Features 350 km Maximum range 500 to 1,000 kg Weight of warheads it can carr y. Powered by liquid-propelled, twin engines, state-of-the-art guidance system, can deceive anti-ballistic missiles With a maximum strike range of 350 km Prithvi-II is capable of carrying a pay-lo ad of 500-1000 kg warhead. Taken from routine production lot during earlier user trials by Indian Army, the missile had achieved single digit accuracy, reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP), the sources said. The missile, ha ving required features to deceive any anti-ballistic missile, had demonstrated f light duration of 483 seconds, reaching a peak altitude of 435 km during user s t rial in 2008. Similarly, two Prithvi-II missiles, aimed at different targets at 350 km were successfully launched within minutes of each other on October 12, 20 09, sources said. PD/February/2011/1351/2 People who look through keyholes are apt to get the idea that most things are keyhole shaped.

Security Council Eases Sanctions on Iraq It permits civilian nuclear programme. It shutters the oil-for-food programme. I t gives Iraq control over most of its oil assets. waiting for the UN protections to be lifted so that they could pursue court acti on. Mr. Zebari, citing hundreds of such claims, said that Iraq planned to try to place its assets with the Federal Reserve, whose presidential decree might shie ld them, and also to try a parallel strategy in Europe. France was the only coun try to abstain on any resolution, concerned that the one ending the oil-for-food programme did not sufficiently protect BNP Paribas which handled payments, from claimants. The resolutions have no substantial implications for American policy , but to create a sense of occasion VicePresident Joe Biden presided over the vo te in the Security Council. The United States held the rotating council presiden cy in December. Basically the United States wants to close the Iraq file and that is what it is doing, said Joost R. Hiltermann, the deputy West Asia programme di rector at the International Crisis Group. But it does mean something for Iraq; th ey take their sovereignty seriously. As per New York Times, News Service, the United States, tying up loose ends as i ts occupation of Iraq winds down, pushed through three Security Council resoluti ons on December 15 that lifted restrictions left over from the confrontation wit h Saddam Hussein. First resolution permits Iraq to develop a civilian nuclear pr ogramme and import materials once banned because they would possibly be used to help develop unconventional weapons. A second resolution formally shuttered the dormant, widely corrupt oil-forfood programme. And the third gives the coun- Wor kers on an oilfield in Basra. try control over most of Iraq will have control ov er most of its oil assets starting July its oil assets starting July 1, 2011. 1, 2011, while simultaneously lifting the protection that shielded post invasion I raq from countless legal claims. After years of being sanctioned by Security Coun cil resolutions due to the aggression, the belligerence of Saddams regime, I thin k today we closed a dark chapter, said Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqs Foreign Minister. I th ink this shows that Iraq is coming back truly to its rightful place among the co mmunity of nations. Council resolutions that demand that Iraq resolve disputes wi th Kuwait were left intact. Working out final agreements on issues ranging from border demarcation to items stolen from the Kuwaiti national archives will be a priority for the next Iraqi government, said Mr. Zebari, so that Iraq can free i tself of all Security Council restrictions imposed since 1990. Iraq still faces at least $ 22 billion in outstanding financial claims, according to UN figures, much of it owed to Kuwait. Iraq will continue to set aside five per cent of its oil revenues in a special account to pay off reparations from the war Saddam ini tiated in August 1990. Foreign governments, westerners forced to serve as human shields and companies that lost business because of Saddams invasion of Kuwait ha ve been among those Cancun Conference on Climate Change Concludes The 16th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded on December 11, 2010. The deliberations wer e conducted for about a week at Cancun, Mexico. To much applause and relief the Cancun Agreements were adopted on December 11 with a big majority. Bolivia raise d strong objections, refusing to endorse any document without binding emission c uts. The mitigation provisions of the Copenhagen accord of 2009 were put into a UN framework in these agreements which include long pending decisions on finance , technology transfer, transparency, a Green Climate Fund, a Cancun Adaptation F ramework and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation COP Pr esident Patricia Espinosa took note of Bolivias objections and said the country h ad been given ample opportunity to present its case. She called the agreements a landmark outcome and was overwhelmed by the support she got from all 193 suppor ting countries. The hope that Cancun would deliver a balanced package was expres sed often enough during the UN Climate Change Conference, which started at Cancu n on November 29. But few expected the positive response evoked by the draft tex

ts released on December 11. At an informal plenary, most countries did have rese rvations but supported the texts and the role played by the host, Mexico. PD/February/2011/1352 No object is mysterious. The mystery is your eye.

Both the Working Groups for the Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA) and further c ommitments for the developed countries or Annex 1 parties under the Kyoto Protoc ol adopted the draft texts. After the failure to achieve any binding agreement a t Copenhagen in 2009, Cancun managed to deliver a package, though not perfect. Trust Deficit Bridged Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh, speaking during an inf ormal plenary, said, The trust deficit has been considerably bridged. The agreemen ts said there should be no gap between the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in December 2012, and the second phase. However, the agr eements merely call on the developed countries to raise the level of ambition of the emission reductions to be achieved by them individually or jointly, with a v iew to reducing their aggregate level of emission of green house gases. The agree ments allow flexibility in choosing the base year for setting emission reduction targets. Emissions trading and the project-based mechanism under the Kyoto Prot ocol shall continue to be available to developed countries/parties as a means to meet their quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives. However, th e Cancun outcome could have an impact on the Kyoto Protocol since there are no b inding emission reduction targets for the developed countries and it favours a pledge and review system of voluntary emission reduction commitments. In the context of the long-term goal and the ultimate objective of the Convention and the Bali action plan, the idea is to work towards identifying a global goal for substantially reducing emission s by 2050 and to consider it at the 17th session next year. But no figures are m entioned. Human Rights The agreements recognise that deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are r equired as documented in the fourth assessment Report of the Intergovernmental P anel on Climate Change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb the increase in global average temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial leve ls. In the absence of any firm target, this could be an inadequate and vague pro vision. However, for the first time, the agreements emphasise that in all climat e change related action, human rights must be respected. They also recognise the need to engage with a broad range of stakeholders, including youth and persons with disability, and call for gender equality and effective participation of wom en and indigenous people in effective action on all aspects of climate change. J apan too was enthusiastic about the drafts and gave them the thumbs up. While BA SIC countries are on board now, the drafts negate the three non-negotiable aspec ts PD/February/2011/1353

the countries set out during the conference. The first is the necessity of a sec ond commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol. The two other issues were the need to accelerate disbursement under the fast start finance in the form of new and a dditional resources through a multilaterally supervised mechanism and recognitio n of the importance of continued dialogue on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as part of the technology development and transfer issues. The agreements propos e a Cancun Adaptation Framework to strengthen and address implementation of acti on. The agreements propose to enhance transparency by the developing countries a nd emphasize the role of market based mechanisms to promote mitigation action. Green Climate Fund On finance, the agreements call for information on the fast start finance promis ed in 2009 at Copenhagen by the developed countries. They endorse the pledge by the developed countries to provide $ 100 billion annually till 2020 and say a si gnificant share of this new multilateral funding should flow through the Green C limate Fund, which is also established. This new fund will be the operating enti ty of the UNFCCC financial mechanism. The fund will be designed by a transitiona l committee, with 15 members from the developed countries and 25 from the develo ping nations. The technology mechanism will facilitate technology development an d transfer, through a Technology Executive Committee and a Climate Technology Ce ntre and Network. PD/February/2011/1354 I think in terms of the days resolutions, not the years.

India Built Bridges in Cancun Talks Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has been praised for his role as a bridge-bui lder on contentious issues at the UN climate conference in Cancun which ended wi th a deal to curb global warming, including a $ 100 billion fund to help develop ing countries. The two-week long conference closed with Cancun Agreement, which ma rked some progress for finance, technology, adaptation and transparency, but isnt viewed as a decisive boost for combating climate change. The minister (Ramesh) h as been instrumental in bridging gaps, Mohammed Aslam, the Environment Minister o f Maldives, said. He has been reaching out to the AOSIS nations as well as to dev eloped countries, he said. Aslam was referring to the Alliance of Small Island St ates, which are most vulnerable to climate change and want Jairam Ramesh develop ed countries as well as emerging economies, especially China and India, to take on hefty legally binding emission cuts. The UN climate conference on early hours of December 11 reached a compromise to set up a US D 100 billion Green Fund to figh t global warming, a decision India described as an important step forward, but the re was no agreement on extending the landmark Kyoto Protocol on emissions cuts b eyond 2012. We are very happy with the text, Ramesh earlier said, noting that the major emerging economiesBrazil, South Africa , India and China (BASIC)had welcomed the decision. Cancun represents an important step forward, he said. Progress at t he conference includes a broad agreement on technology-sharing mechanism that wi ll ensure that poor and vulnerable countries are able to access green technologi es easily and in a cost-effective manner. AGreen Fund has been set up that is expe cted to mobilise US D 100 billion per year by 2020, which will be given to devel oping countries for adaptation and mitigation purposes. The nitty-gritty of the technology and finance mechanism still needs to be worked out. Bolivia was the s ole country to oppose the decision in Cancun, but was eventually overruled. Acco rding to Ramesh, many of Indias contributions had been incorporated in the text, including the International Consultation and Analysis, which is a transparency m echanism to review whether developing countries are carrying out their domestic mitigation actions. The North Koreans, aided by Myanmarese works, are constructing a concrete reinfor ced underground facility that is 500 feet from the top of the cave to the top of the hill above, according to the cable. The official is quoted as saying that th e North Koreans were blowing concrete into excavation. An expatriate businessman told the embassy in Yangon, capital of Myanmar that he had seen a large barge c arrying reinforced steel bar of a diameter that suggested a project larger than a factory. The reports add rare detail to rumours that have circulated since 200 2 that Myanmar is a country seeking a nuclear bomb with the help of North Korean s, However, both countries have strenuously denied it and Myanmar insists that t here are no North Koreans in Myanmar. The cables will compound existing internat ional concern over Iranian and North Korean nuclear programmes, and show why Bar ack Obama has made nuclear non-proliferation one of the central planks of his fo reign policy. The alleged nuclear site is the Irrawaddy river town of Minbu in M agwe division, west central Myanmar. Myanmar has made no secret of wanting a civ ilian nuclear reactor, in part because of severe electricity shortages, and has signed a deal with Russia to build one. The project has so far failed to start b ecause of lack of funds. A secret deal with North Korea would be in breach of in ternational rules on nuclear proliferation. Myanmarese Military Junta Building N-Sites with North Korean Help : An Intellige nce Source Witnesses in Myanmar claim to have seen evidence of secret nuclear and missile s ites being built in remote jungle, according to secret US diplomatic Cables rele ased by WikiLeaks, heightening concerns that the military regime is seeking to d evelop nuclear weapons. A Myanmarese official quoted in a cable from the US emba ssy in Myanmar said he had witnessed North Korean technicians helping to constru ct an underground facility in foothills more than 300 miles north-west of Yangon .

PD/February/2011/1355 Set out from any point. They are all alike. They all lead to a point of departure .

Comment It is an irony and a sad irony indeed that double standards in foreign policy ar e being tried to carry conviction with world public opinion. The USA itself is a rmed to the teeth with nuclear weapons. Other Security Council permanent members , too, are in possession of a good deal of nuclear stockpiles. But all of them h arangue others to keep off the same. Israel is allowed by the USA to keep nuclea r weapons and there is made no hue and cry about its nuclear plans. But countrie s like Iran, North Korea and Myanmar are criticized for enriching uranium. The l atter have spoken again and again that their objective is to generate electricit y from nuclear capability which they are seeking to build up. But even their gen uine efforts are frowned upon on the planks of non-proliferation regime. The ide al would be that first the nuclear powers put a complete fullstop to their nucle ar programme and destroy all existing nuclear weapons and then seek to ensure th at the same is done every where in the world. So long as double standards are fo llowed, there is little possibility that new entrants in this field will be stop ped from carrying out their programmes. History is witness to the fact that it i s the double standards of the big powers which have been responsible for big cat astrophes like the two world wars. If we do not learn the lesson from the past e ven now, another repetition of a catastrophic eventuality may not be prevented f rom materialising if not in the near feature, but in the distant future. Medvedev, the state department fears that the major policy shift could trigger u nnecessary tensions with Russia. The decision to draft contingency plans for Est onia, Latvia and Lithuania was taken secretly earlier in 2010 at the urging of t he US and Germany at NATO headquarters in Belgium, ending years of division at t he heart of the western alliance over how to view Vladimir Putins Russia. The dec ision, according to a secret cable signed by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary o f state, marks the start of a major revamp of Nato defence planning in Europe. T he strategy has not been made public, in line with NATOs customary refusal to div ulge details of its contingency planningblueprints for the defence of a NATO member state by the alliance as a whole. According to a secret cable from the US missi on to NATO in Brussels, US admiral James Stavridis, the alliances top commander i n Europe, proposed drawing defence plans for the former Soviet Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The policy was put to top military officials fro m NATOs 28 states. On January 22 NATOs military committee agreed under a silence pro cedure, the cable notes, referring to a decision carried by consensus unless some one speaks up to object. NATO to Defend Baltic States NATO planned to defend the vulnerable parts of eastern Europe against Russian Th reats. The Plan entails grouping of the Baltic States with Poland in a new regio nal defence scheme. The U.S.A. and its allies have for the first time since the end of the cold war drawn up classified military plans to defend the most vulnerable parts of easter n Europe against Russian threats, according to confidential US diplomatic cables . The US state department ordered an information blackout when the decision was taken earlier in 2010. Since January 2010, the blue print has been refined. Nine NATO divisionsUS, British, German and Polishhave been identified for combat opera tions in the event of armed aggression against Poland or three Baltic StatesEston ia, Latvia and Lithuania. North Polish and German ports have been listed for the receipt of naval assault forces and British and US warships. The first NATO exe rcises under the plan are to take place in the Baltic in 2011, according to reli able sources. Following years of transatlantic dispute over the new policy, NATO leaders are understood to have quietly endorsed the strategy at a summit in Lis bon in November 2010. Despite President Barack Obamas policy of resetting relation s with Russia, which was boosted at the NATO summit attended by Russian Presiden t, Dmitry After his three-day visit to India, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao reached Is

lamabad, Pakistan on December 17, 2010. Pakistan rolled the red carpet welcome f or its all weather friend China as the Chinese Premier landed at Islamabad from India without making any reference detrimental to Islamabad as has been wont wit h many a head of state/government visiting New Delhi over the past few months. T hough Chinas expanding relation-ship with India has been a cause of concern in ce rtain quarters in Pakpolitical circles, the fact that Mr. Wen did not concede an y diplomatic ground to India vis-a-vis Pakistan came as a big relief. In his arr ival statement, Mr. Wen said : The purpose of my visit this time is to solidify f riendship, deepen cooperation, support Pakistans efforts of Pakistani Prime Minis ter Yousuf Raza post-disaster recon- Gilani speaks with his Chinese struction an d ring counterpart Wen Jiabao during the intogether with inauguration ceremony of the Pakistan Pakistanthe 60th China Friendship Centre in Islamabad, anniversary of Pakistan, on December 18, 2010 China-Pakistan diplomatic relations in 2011. PD/February/2011/1356 Immorality : The morality of those who are having a better time.

Deals Worth $ 15 billion Signed Mr. Wens visit to Pakistan has good significance in so far as a slew of agreement s worth billions were signed by members of his delegation in a wide range of are as. Besides agreements/memoranda of understanding worth $ 15 billion, Mr. Wen an nounced a $ 410 million package for the ongoing flood relief. During their one-o n-one interaction Pakistans Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Chinese Pri me Minister discussed ways and means of broadbasing and deepening the strategic partnership between China and Pakistan though Mr. Gilani maintained that their r elationship was not directed against any country. All through the visit of Mr. W en Pakistani leaderships endeavour was to convey to China its gratitude for being a steadfast friend, who chose to visit Pakistan in its hour of trial. China is the only P-5 country to send a head of state/government to Pakistan in 2010, whi le the other four permanent members of the U. N. Security Council paid high-leve l visits to India on their calendar in 2010. Even from outside P-5 such a high-l evel visit to Pakistan has become a rarity. Ayad Allawi, the leader of the Iraqiya party that won 91 seatstwo more than the M r. Malikis State of the Law coalition but was unable to form a governmenthas been appointed as the head of the national council for strategic studies, a newly cre ated post. Another prominent Iraqiya member, Rafie al-Esawi, has been appointed as the Finance Minister. The Iraqiya party had won heavily in Sunni-dominated ar eas and Mr. Esawi is also a Sunni. Nouri al-Maliki confirmed as Prime Minister In his address to law makers, Mr. Ne wly created post for Iraqiya Allawi said his Iraqiya coalition would leader Ayad fully participate in the government. Allawi We as the Iraqiya bloc declare our f ull support for this government, said Mr. Allawi. Iraqiya will play an active, product ive and cooperative role. In his new line up, Mr. Maliki has retained as Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, a seasoned Kurdish politician. The Iraqi Presidency is also headed by Jalal Talabani, a veteran Kurdish leader. During his address to Parliament, Mr. Maliki acknowledged that the formation of the new government had been problematic. I do not say that this government, with all its formations, sa tisfies its citizens aspiration, nor the political blocs, nor my ambition, nor any other persons ambition, because it is formed in extraordinary circumstances, he o bserved. Kashmir Issue at the Banquet Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on December 18, 2010 reiterated Paki stans desire to strive for a peaceful resolution of all issues with India includi ng the long standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He brought up the K Word in his sp eech at the banquet he hosted for visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. Describin g China as, Pakistans most trusted and reliable friend the Prime Minister articulat ed Islamabads appreciation for Beijings support on various regional and internatio nal issues. He extended Pakistans support to China on all its core issues; specif ically the One China policy while condemning any attempt to undermine Chinas sovere ignty and territorial integrity. Both countries expressed the intent to create a transborder corridor for trade that would further deepen the relationship which will turn 60 in 2011. Both sides decided to commemorate 2011 as Friendship year . Apart from signing a number of agreements, the business communities of the two countries vowed to boost bilateral trade to $ 18 billion over the next 5 years. As for the agreements for bilateral cooperation, they span a crosssection of se ctors and regions including Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir where Chinese firm s are already engaged in over 14 development projects including hydroelectric po wer projects. Continued on Page 1378

Iraq Gets New Government After Nine-month Delay Iraqs Parliament after a delay of nine months confirmed in the third week of Dece mber 2010 Nouri alMaliki as Prime Minister for a second term. The formation of M r. Malikis national unity government has been an exercise in balancing the compet ing interests of Iraqs Sunni, Shia and Kurdish power blocs. PD/February/2011/1357 A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.

ANDHRA PRADESH AP Film Awards : Saroja Devi, Ramoji Rao Among the Winners Popular yesteryear actress B. Saroja Devi has been chosen for the prestigious NT R National Award for 2009 while well known film producer K. Raghava has got the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award. The NTR Award carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh, and the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, Rs. 2 lakh. Media baron and producer, Ch. Ramoji Rao was selected for the Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani National Film (From left) Sa roja Devi, Ramoji Rao and K. Raghavendra Rao Award, while the B. N. Reddy Nation al Award was given to veteran director K. Raghavendra Rao. Both awards carry a c ash prize of Rs. 2 lakh each. The recipients were named after a five-member comm ittee headed by producer G. Adiseshagiri Rao selected the nominees at a meeting on December 6, 2010. The state of the art gallery is an initiative of the Delhi Jal Board and has bee n built in collaboration with the NSC. Through the use of over 30 displays inclu ding illustrative panels, interactive kiosks, live models and documentaries on w ater supply, sewerage and river environment, the gallery aims at enforcing water conservation. The focus of the Gallery is on educating and entertaining the vis itors and elicit a response towards water conservation and abating pollution in the Yamuna. It portrays and explains the effects of water supply constraints and development of sewerage networks, main causes of pollution of water bodies, and efforts made by the DJB under Yamuna Action Plan-II and other major projects. HARYANA Haryana Sets up Mitti Kala Board The Haryana Government has constituted a Mitti Kala Board to promote the traditi onal art of handicrafted earthenware. State Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced it on December 9, 2010. The Board will be constituted as an autonomou s body with a perpetual seal. Artists involved in manufacture of earthenware pot tery and artefacts will be encouraged and promoted in a big way. Skill developme nt faculties in manufactures of earthenware, pottery and artefacts will be set u p by engaging artists of repute across the country. BIHAR Chaudhary Re-elected Speaker of the Assembly Senior Janata Dal leader Uday Narayan Chaudhary was on December 2, 2010 unanimou sly elected for the second term as Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Hi s name was proposed by Minister for Water Resources Vijay Kumar Chaudhary Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and and seconded by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Mod i greet Uday Narayan Chaudhary Road construction Nand after he was unanimously e lected as Minister the Speaker of the Bihar Assembly for Kishore Yadav. The the second consecutive term in Patna in resolution was pasDecember 2010. sed by voic e vote. New Haryana Policy on Litigation Haryana government in December 2010 announced the New Litigation Policy which ai ms at bringing about a visible, enduring, qualitative and quantitative improveme nt in the manner in which litigation is perceived, managed and conducted. The po licy focusses on better decision-making, quick response to representations, mana ging litigation through IT based decision support system, capacity building revi ew and dispute settlements and improving infrastructure, quality of menpower sys tem and procedures. As per the New Haryana Policy on Litigation as announced by official spokesperson on December 18, 2010 the State-level-Empowered Committee, department level Policy Implementation Committees and district-level Policy Impl ementation Committees would be set up. The Empowered Committee would identify ma jor causes of litigation and recommend suitable measures to minimise cases. The Policy Implementation Committee would regularly monitor and review litigation ar ising in departments and it would have powers to take decisions on DELHI

Country s First Water Gallery Inaugurated Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the country s first Water and Was tewater Gallery at the National Science Centre in Delhi on December 14, 2010. PD/February/2011/1358 Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds.

cases where the financial implication was not very high. In case it feels the nee d for streamlining some policies or rules, it would make recommendations to the State-level Committee. The Home or Administration of Justice Department would be the nodal agency for facilitating coordination and interaction between these com mittees. It would be mandatory for employees to seek redressal through the compl aints redressal mechanism before going to courts. HIMACHAL PRADESH Preity Zinta will be Himachal Pradesh s Brand Ambassador Bollywood Actress Preity Zinta who was born in Himachal Pradesh has agreed in pr inciple to become the States brand ambassador for tourism and environment. She wi ll promote tourism in Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh tourism and civil aviat ion director. Arun Sharma had recently met Ms. Zinta in Mumbai for getting her c onsent to lend support to the state by Preity Zinta becoming the brand ambassado r. cases while Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat account for 41 per cent of new infections. Children account for 35 p er cent of all infections while 83 per cent are in the age group of 15-49 years. Of all HIV infections, 39 per cent (93 lakh) is constituted by women. Andhra Pra desh has 5 lakh, Maharashtra, 42 lakh, Karnataka, 25 lakh and Tamil Nadu, 15 lakh p eople living with HIV infections. West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are to have more than one lakh infected people while Punjab, Orissa, Rajasthan a nd Madhya Pradesh have between 50,000-1,00,000 infections each. RAJASTHAN Award for Jaipur BRTS The Jaipur City Transport Service Limited established in the Rajasthan Capital r ecently under the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) scheme has got the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Urban Mobility Award 2 010 for new technological applications and innovations. Rajasthan state Transpor t Minister Braj Kishore Sharma received the award from Union Development Ministe r S. Jaipal Reddy at the Urban Mobility India Conference organised in New Delhi on December 5, 2010. Awards were given away on the occasion to the best mass tra nsit projects selected from among the JNNURM projects across the country. P.Darp an NORTH-EAST/OTHER STATES Highest HIV Infection Prevalence Found in Manipur As per the data released by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) Manipur co ntinues to top the list with an adult prevalence of 140 per cent, followed by And hra Pradesh (090 per cent), Mizoram (081 per cent) and Nagaland at (078 per cent). It is estimated that India had approximately 12 lakh new HIV infections in 2009 a s against 27 lakh in 2000. While all high-prevalence States indicate a clear decl ining trend from 041 per cent in 2000 to 031 per cent in 2009, HIV has notably dec lined in Tamil Nadu, according to the latest figures released by the National Ai ds Control Organisation (NACO) to mark World AIDS Day. The total number of peopl e living with HIV infections in the country is close to 24 lakh, including 93 lak h women. However, low-prevalence States such as Chandigarh, Orissa, Kerala Jhark hand, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have shown rising trends in the past four years. In Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Chandigar h, Gujarat, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, the estimated adult HIV prevalence is greater than the national average of 031 per cent, while Delhi, Orissa, West Bengal, Cha ttisgarh and Puducherry have a prevalence rate ranging between 028 to 030 per cent . Of the 12 lakh-odd new infections in 2009, the six high-prevalence States accou nt for only 39 per cent of the PD/February/2011/1359 We judge others by their behaviour. We judge ourselves by our intentions.

CRSDAIThe Confederation of Real State Developers Association of India. The agency wants various taxes levied by the government reduced so as to provide affordable housing. The association organised a two-day convention, NATCO2010 which opened in New Delhi in the second week of December 2010. GSLGoa Shipyard Limited ICGSInd ian Coast Guard Ship IMBLInternational Maritime Boundary Line Special Representative to Af-Pak region and will be assisted by two deputies, on e of them an Indian American. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has retain ed the team which the late Holbrooke created for his Afghanistan and Pakistan ag enda. Mr. Ruggiero will lead the SRAP (Special Representative for Afghanistan an d Pakistan) structure that Richard Holbrooke constructed, and will really serve as one of his finest legacies. The SRAP structure that will continue on in his a bsence combines individuals and experts from across governments. It incorporates international partners into this structure. Mr. Ruggiero joined his new assignm ent with immediate effect in the beginning of the second week of December 2010. Nasim Zaidi, New Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi, a 1976 batch IAS official, took charge as the new civil aviation se cretary in the first week of December 2010. Aviation Secretary Praful Patel refe rred to Zaidi as brand name in aviation. He remembered how Zaidi, secretary, had w elcome him in the ministry when he became the civil aviation minister. Bharat Bhushan Bharat Bhushan will lead the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)the coun trys aviation sector regulator. His last posting was as additional secretary and financial adviser in the aviation ministry. Amitabh Mattoo President Pratibha Patil in her capacity as visitor of all Central Universities on December 20, 2010 approved the appointment of Amitabh Mattoo as the first Vic eChancellor of the Central University at Jammu. Amitabh Mattoo is currently Prof essor of Disarmament Studies at the Centre for International Politics, Organisat ion and Disarmament (CIPOD), School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal N ehru University. A Padma Sri winner, Professor Mattoos teaching and research inte rests include issues of international security, Indias foreign policy, arms contr ol and disarmament. Tariq Mansoor Prof. Tariq Mansoor, department of Surgery, J. N. Medical College, Aligarh Musli m University has taken over as President of Association of Surgeons of India (IS I), UP chapter at Kanpur for 2010-11. Prof. Tariq Mansoor is the first surgeon f rom Aligarh to be elected as head of the body of surgeons of UP which has 1600 m embers in all districts of Uttar Pradesh. Satyanand Misra Satyanand Misra, currently one of the six Information Commissioners and an IAS o fficer of 1973 batch has been selected to be the next Chief Information Commissi oner. Mr. Misra will replace A. N. Tiwari who has held the position of Chief Inf ormation Commissioner since October 1, 2010. The other five Information Commissi oners are Annapurna Dixit, Deepak Sandhu, Sushma Singh, M. L. Sharma and Shailes h Gandhi. Mr. Misras name was finalised for the present post of CIC after being r ecommended by a panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Law Minister Vee rappa Moily and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj. M. S. Valiathan Eminent cardiologist M. S. Valiathan has been appointed National Research Profes sor for the second term. His appointment comes into effect from January 1, 2011 for a term of five years. His first term ended on December 31, 2010. S. K. Tripathi

The government on December 26, 2010 appointed S. K. Tripathi as the new head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) after incumbent K. C. Verma put in his pape rs a month before he was scheduled to retire. Mr. Tripathi was earlier head of t he Aviation Research Centre, RAWs airwing. Mr. Tripathi will have a fixed term of two years. Frank Ruggiero Frank Ruggiero, a career civil servant who served under late Richard Holbrooke, has been made Acting U.S. PD/February/2011/1360 All honors wounds are self-inflicted.

An old hand in RAW, Mr. Tripathi has served in various capacities in the agency and was also in the running for the top position in 2009. But then at that time Mr. K. C. Verma, then Secretary (Security) in the Home Ministry had been appoint ed to the post. PERSONS IN THE NEWS Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of the Facebook social networking s ite that has more than a billion users, was named Time magazines Person of the Ye ar on December 14, 2010. Time defines the Person of the Year as the person who, for better or for worse, does the most to influence the events of the year. This year they passed 500 million users. Mr. Zuckerberg was a 19 year old sophomore at Harvard University in 2004 when he started a web service called the face book .com for Mark Zuckerberg his dorm. Now, he is one of the worlds youngest billiona ires and his privately held company is projected to have 2010 revenues of $ 2 bi llion Time said. At 26, Mr. Zuckerberg is the youngest winner since Charles Lind berg was named the magazines first person of the year in 1927 when he became the first pilot of flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean. U. S. Federal Reserve Chai rman Ben Bernauke was the 2009 winner. the government of China for his advocacy of democracy. The Chinese government is angry with the Norwegian Nobel Committee for having awarded the Nobel Peace Pri ze for a man who is behind bars in China. Interestingly China has been able to e nlist the support of 100 nations in Anti-Nobel protests and calls those responsi ble for awarding the honour as clowns. Since the announcement of the Prize to Li u Xiabo, his wife Liu Xia is under house arrest. DEATHS Walter Haeussermann [Nazi Germanys key rocket scientist passes away at the age of 96] Nazi Germanys fa mous rocket scientist Walter Haeussermann, who was member of a team which helped America send its astronauts to the moon, died in Alabama in the US. He was 96. Haeussermann died on December 8 at Huntsville Hospital of complications from a f all; he is survived by his wife Ruth, The Huntsville Times reported. Haeusserman n was with Wernher von Braun at Pennemunde, the German site where he helped deve lop V-2 rockets that were launched against London during World War II, and later formed the basis of the American rocket programme. S. Bangarappa Former Karnataka Chief Minister S. Bangarappa on December 15 quit the Congress a nd joined Janata Dal JD(S) Supremo H. D. Deve Gowda welcomes former CM S. Bangarappa into the party i n Bangalore on Dec. 15. Gowda described Bangarappa as a crown for his party while his son and state unit president H. D. Kumaraswamy saw it as an inspiration for th e outfit. Secular JD(S). He is one of those persons switching party loyalties again and ag ain. He has the rare distinction of making it the ninth time he has switched par ties. Liu Xiabo Liu Xiabo is the Nobel Prize for Peace 2010 winner. He is a Chinese dissident le ader who has been jailed by PD/February/2011/1361 The enemy is anybody whos going to get you killed, no matter which side hes on.

He joined the team of scientists and engineers who worked on Americas space progr amme at Huntsville after the war. He was in charge of guidance and control syste ms for rockets that landed American astronauts on the moon in 1969. His contribu tions to the space programme were recognised with the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service in 1959. Haeussermann, who became a naturalised US citizen in 1954, remained an enthusiastic supporter of the American space programme and att ended reunions and public events regularly until his death. Former Kerala CM Karunakaran No More Veteran Congress leader and former Kerala Ch i e f Minister K. Karunakaran passe d away on December 23, 2010 after a prolonged illness. He was 93. Affectionately called Leader by his admirers, the Congress stalwart was a master tactician who r emained influential in Kerala politics for decades and a much sought-after polit ical troubleshooter at the K. Karunakaran national level. Richard Holbrooke Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obamas Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, died on December 13, 2010 in Washington at George Washington Univ ersity. He was 69. Mr. Obama described Holbrooke as a true giant of American for eign policy who has made America stronger, safer and more respected. Mr. Holbroo ke had played an important role in upgrading the Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue to the ministerial level and expanding the Richard scope of Pakistan-US relation s. As Holbrooke Foreign Service Officer a t the time of Vietnam war he displayed acumen in the Paris Peace talks of 1968, which ultimately helped end the war. Papa Umanath Papa Umanath, one of the senior leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist ) and one of the founders of the All India Democratic Womens Association (AIDWA) died on December 17, 2010 after a brief illness in Tiruchi. She was 80. Papa was the daughter of Lakshmi, the first woman to die in prison after 23 days of fast ing against the jail authorities. Papas original name was Dhanalakshmi. Her entry into politics began at a very young age as her mother was working closely with the Communist leaders and railway workers at Pommalai in Tiruchi. Justice Eradi Vettath Balakrishna Eradi, a former judge of the Supreme Court who played a lead ing role in several spiritual, cultural and social organisations passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode on December 30, 2010. He was 88. Justice Eradi, who had also served as Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court and President of t he National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had been ailing for some time . The National Press of India Golden Jubilee Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the Shiromani Award and Balakrishna Eradi the National Citizenship Award are among the honours he won during his long and eventful career. Hridayanand Agarwala Hridayanand Agarwala, a noted film director of Assam, died at his residence at T ejpur, Assam on December 10, 2010. Mr. Agarwala was 93. He was the youngest brot her of the first Assamese film producer-director Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala . Mr. Agarwala engaged the eminent Assamese singer and director Bhupen Hazarika in 1976 to make the documentary Rupkonwar Joyti Prasad aur Joymoti. He had also independently directed two critically acclaimed Assamese movies Kesa Sun and Dho omuha. Till his end he was managing the states first cinema hall, Jonaki, establi shed in 1939 by his brother Jyoti Prasad Agarwala. Surendra Mohan Renowned socialist thinker and activist Surendra Mohan passed away in New Delhi December 17, 2010. He was 84. Mr. Mohan was a true socialist and constituted a l ink between the new and the old socialist movement. Mr. Mohan was a member of th e Rajya Sabha from 1978 to 1984. He was also the former Chairman of the Khadi an d Village Industries Commission. He was imprisoned during the Emergency Surendra

Mohan in 1975. When the Janata Party came into power he declined the offer of a Union Minister. Besides the above Mr. Mohan was an environmental activist, a po litical columnist, a human rights and civil liberty activist, and a Parliamentar ian. K. G. Kannabiran Eminent civil rights activist and prominent lawyer K. G. Kannabiran passed away in Hyderabad on December 30, 2010. He was 81. Mr. Kannabiran had been defending political dissenters since the late 1960s. He was the President of Andhra Prades h Civil Liberties Committee between 1978 and 1994 and went on to become the nati onal President of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties K. G. Kannabiran (PUCL). He w as a lover of Indian classical music. He authored a book The Wages of Impunity : Power, Justice and Human Rights. PD/February/2011/1362 Theres no such thing as bragging. Youre either lying or telling the truth.

41st IFFI Awards : Moner Manush Gets Golden Peacock Bengali filmmaker Gautam Ghoshs film Moner Manush (The Quest), an Indo-Bangladesh j oint production, received the coveted Golden Peacock Award for the Best Film at the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010. The film is a saga of the life and times of Lalan Faquir and his liberal sect whose message of tolera nce and secularism is becoming most relevant in todays world. The 11-day festival concluded on December 2, 2010 with the screening of the French film The Princess of Montpensier, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, premier French director and scre enplay writer. The Silver Peacock Award for the Best Director was bagged by Susa nne Bier of Denmark for her film In a Better World. Just Another Love Story from Ind ia and The Boy from New Zealand were the joint winners of the Special Jury Award. The Rs. 40 lakh cash prize was shared by Mr. Ghose and producers of the film Gau tam Kundo (India), Habiburahaman Khan and Faridureza Saqar (both from Bangladesh ). The Best Actor Award of Rs. 10 lakh went to the Turkish actor Guven Kirac for his role in the film The Crossing while the Best Actress Award was won by Magdale na Boczarska of Poland for her role in Little Rose. The films were chosen by a fiv e-member competition jury out of 18 entries in the competition section from the U.K., the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark, China, Iran, Israel, Maxico, Poland, Russia, Turkey, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, and three films from India. The jury was headed by Polish director Jerzy Antczak. Other members of the jury were Sturla Gunnarsson (Canada), Mick Molloy (Australia), Olivier Pier (Switzerland) and Revathi Menon (India). The 11-day extravaganza which was began on November 22, 2010 with U.K. filmmaker Andy Emmonys West is West witnessed the screening of 3 00 films from 61 countries in 11 theatres. S. M. Khan, Festival Director and Goa Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava were present. CNN-IBN at a glittering ceremony in Singapore on December 9, 2010. This is the f ifth time that Mr. Thapar won the Best Current Affairs Presenter Award in the 15 -year history of the Asian Television awards. He won the award in 1999, 2003, 20 05 and 2007. This year Mr. Thapar won the award for his Devils Advocate interview p rogramme. The winning interview with Ram Jethmalani was conducted in June 2010. The subject was Mr. Jethmalanis controversial decision to rejoin the Bharatiya Ja nata Party. The interview ended abruptly when Mr. Jethmalani walked out in anger over questions that explored allegations of opportunism surrounding his return to the BJP. K. C. Kulish International Award for Ghana Newspaper The prestigious Rajasthan Patrika Groups K. C. Kulish International Award for Ex cellence in Print Media Journalism for 2009 has been conferred on The New Crusadi ng Guidea daily newspaper from Ghana in West Africa. The daily has been selected on the basis of a series of reports on Ghanas Madhouse and Chinese sex mafia. The award, set up in the name of the Patrika founder, carries a cash component of 1 1,000 US dollars and a trophy. The theme for this years award was Inclusive develop ment. The merit awards have also been announced for reports appearing in Hindustan (Lucknow), Tata Steel Bags MAKE 2010 Award Tata Steel has received the distinction as the only manufacturing company from I ndias Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise (MAKE) for 2010 for sustained excellence in the field of knowledge management. The MAKE has rated Tata Steel best (first place) in developing knowledge workers through senior management leadership. It is the only manufacturing company to achieve this feat in 2010. Karan Thapar Gets Asian Television Award The Asian Television award for the Best Current Affairs Presenter was presented to Karan Thapar of the PD/February/2011/1363 I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the stree t, I met a man who had no feet.

Malayala Manorama (Kottayam), Hindustan Times (Delhi), Indian Express (Delhi), R ashtra Deepika (Kottayam), La Opinion (Los Angles), and Daily Jang Mir (Quetta, Balochistan). The awards were selected by a jury comprising Gloria Brown Anderso n of The New York Times, S. Gurumurthy corporate advisor and columnist, Yogendra K. Alagh Chairman of the Institute of Rural Management and Gulab Kothari, Edito r-in-Chief of Patrika. It may be added here that the awards are given by the Public Cause Research Foun dation. The foundation also organized a ceremony to honour the 10 RTI activists who were killed this year. The awards were decided by a jury consisting, among o thers, of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy; the former Chief Justice of Ind ia, J. S. Verma; journalist-editor Madhu Trehan; and the former Chief Election C ommissioner, J. M. Lyngdoh. Indias Nicole Faria Crowned Miss Earth 2010 Indias Nicole Faria has been crowned Miss Earth 2010 in Vietnam. The 10th edition of the Miss Earth beauty pageant was held in Vinpearl Land, Nha Trang, Vietnam in December 2010. Nicole also won the 2010 Miss Earth Talent Competition. Miss P uerto Rico Yeidy Bosquez was announced Miss Earth Fire and Miss Ecuador Jennifer Pazmino won the Miss Earth Air title. Miss Thailand Watsaporn Wattanakoon grabb ed the Miss Earth Water Crown. Talking about Nicole, Miss India World 2010, Mana svi Mamgai said, I Miss Earth 2010 Nicole Faria feel very happy for her. This is the only title India has won in 2010, so its great. Nicole has got the looks, so we all had expectations that she would win. During an interview, Nicole said, I wa nt to make friends and enjoy my time in Vietnam. Its not about winning or losing, but how you play the game. Faria is a 20-year-old girl from Bangalore. Nitish Kumar Chosen the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was chosen as the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2 010 in December 2 010. He has been chosen for this honour for changing the vocab ulary of politics, putting development on centre stage and triggering hope among st millions. Agriculture scientist M. S. Swaminathan has been honoured with the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding N itish Kumar leadership in the field of agriculture that has contributed to ensur ing food security for millions of Indians. Wrestler Sushil Kumar was chosen in t he Sports category, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla (business), film director Shankar (entertainment) and the Ladakh Ecological Development M. S. Swaminathan receiving the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010 Group and SEEDS Lifetime Achievem ent Award from India (public service Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. ca tegory). Special Achievement awards went to the Shillong Chamber Choir and the I ndian Womens Relay Team of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji, Mandeep Kaur . J. Gopikrishnan, journalist, who was instrumental in exposing the 2G spectrum scam, was honoured with the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010Special Achievement Aw ard. Right to Information Awards : Saikia Dutta Gets the Best RTI Journalist Award Saikia Dutta of the Outlook magazine, Vinita Kamte, Manoj Kumar Karwarsa and Ath ar Shamsi have been named among the seven National RTI Awards winners for 2010. Saikia Dutta of the Outlook magazine has bagged the Best RTI Journalist Award fo r using the Right to Information Act to expose a Rs. 2500 crore scam in the expo rt of rice. The awards were announced on December 20, 2010. The other awardees a re Manoj Kumar Karwarsa, a school teacher from Haryana who filed RTI petitions t o expose the panchayat occupation of government land in his village; Ramesh Kuma r Verma, a Haryana-based activist who brought to light irregularities in the sup ply of medicines to government hospitals; Athar Shamsi, who fought for the right s of beedi workers in Uttar Pradesh; and Rajan Savlo Ghate, who exposed the ille gal purchase of Goan lands by foreign nationals. The winner in the Best PIO cate gory is Pradeep Kumar, a young Block Development Officer of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh with a sterling record in upholding transparency and handing out inform ation.

IFFCO Bags National Energy Conservation Award Fertilizer cooperative major IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limite d) in December 2010 said it had bagged the National Energy Conservation Award 20 10 for adopting clean and efficient technologies at its Phulpur unit in Uttar Pr adesh. IFFCOs complex fertilizer unit in Paradeep, Orissa, has also received the C ertificate of Merit for 2010 for conservation of energy, according to a company s tatement. The awards, constituted by the Union Power Ministry, were presented to IFFCO marking the National Energy Conservation Day on December 14, 2010. PD/February/2011/1364 A penny will hide the biggest star in the Universe if you h old it close enough to your eye.

Sahitya Akademi Awards for 2010 Announced : Veerendra and Nanjil are among the W inners The former Union Minister, M. P. Veerendra Kumar is among the 22 who have won Sa hitya Akademi awards 2010 for the best works in literature. The awards were annn ounced in December 2010. Mr. Kumar has won the award for his travelogue Haimavath abhuvil in Malayalam. The other winners include eight poets, four novelists and t hree short story writers. The winning poets are : Arun Sakhardande [Konkani], Va nita [Punjabi], Mithila Prasad Tripathi [Sanskrit], Sheen Kaaf Nizam [Urdu], Lax man Dubey [Sindhi], Mangat Badal [Rajasthani], Aurobindo Uzir [Bodo] and Gopi Na rayan Pradhan [Nepali]. The novelists are Esther David [English], Bani Basu [Ben gali], Dhirendra Mehta [Gujarati] and M. Borkanya [Manipuri]. Under the category of short stories, Nanjil Nadan [Tamil], Uday Prakash [Hindi] and Manoj [Dogri] have been chosen for the award. Among others, Rahamat Tarikere [Kannada], Ashok R. Kelkar [Marathi], Basher Bashir [Kashmiri] have won the awards for best books of criticism, Pathani Pattnaik [Oriya] under the category of autobiographies and Bhogle Soren [Santhali] under plays. It may be added here that the awards are in t he form of caskets containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and a cheque fo r Rs. one lakh. They will be presented at a function on February 15, 2011 during the festival of letters organised by the Akademi. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Army Grants Permanent Commission to Women Officers The Indian Army has decided to grant permanent commission to 12 women officers i n the Education and Judge Advocate General branches, Army sources divulged the i nformation in New Delhi. Had appealed in Court The decision came after the selection board met during the second week of Novemb er, the sources said. These officers were among the group which had sought a dir ection from the Delhi High Court. It had come in March 2010. Later in August, th e government said in the Supreme Court that it would consider granting the perma nent commission. DEFENCE New Vessel to Patrol India-Pakistan Sea Border Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vijit, the second in the series of 90-metre Offsh ore Patrol Vessels (OPV), was commissioned by Minister of State for Defence M. M . Pallam Raju at Goa on December 11. Vice - Admiral Anil Chopra, Director-Genera l of the Coast Guard, and Rear Admiral (retired) Vineet Bakshi, Chairman and Man aging Director of the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) which built the ship, were pres ent on the occasion. The ICGS will be commanded by Deputy Inspector General Nare sh Kaul and manned by eight officers and 82 men. To be homeported at Porbander, the state-of-the-art vessel will be used extensively to patrol the countrys north western maritime region, more so along its sensitive International Maritime Boun dary Line (IMBL) with Pakistan, according to a press release. Srikrishna Committee Submits Report The Srikrishna Committee, after holding wide-ranging consultations over the past 11 months on the demand for a state of Telangana and maintaining the present st atus of a United Andhra Pradesh, submitted its report to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on December 30, 2010. Srikrishna Committee Chairman Justice B. N. Srikrishna (second from left) submit s the panels report on Telangana to Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on Dec. 30. Others in the picture from left are : Ravinder Kaur, Professor, Departm ent of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT-New Delhi; member-secretary of the pa nel V.K. Duggal; and Vice-Chancellor of National Law University in New Delhi Ran bir Singh. It may be recalled that this five-member committee headed by Justice Srikrishna,

a retired Supreme Court Judge had been constituted on February 3, 2010 and its term was to end on December 31, 2010. The contents of the report were not divulg ed in the year past. PD/February/2011/1365 Is the glass half empty, half full, or twice as large as it needs to be ?

The ICGS is fitted with advanced navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery. It features an Integrated Bridge System, High Power External Fir e Fighting System (ABS Fi-Fi Class-1), and an indigenous Close Range Naval 91 Gu n Mount, along with an optical fire control system for round-the-clock use. The ship is designed to carry one twin-engine light helicopter and five high-speed b oats for search and rescue (SAR), law enforcement and maritime patrol. It is als o capable of carrying pollution response equipment to combat marine oil spill co ntamination. The advanced Global Maritime Distress and Safety System on board ma kes it the right platform to carry out SAR operations. ICGS Vijit displaces 2,39 0 tonnes and is capable of attaining a maximum speed of 26 knots. At economical speeds, it has an endurance of 4,500 nautical miles and can stay at sea for 15 d ays without replenishment. A World Bank-UNICEF study found that across the world, be it India or Ethiopia, the bottlenecks are not in the supply but in demand. People dont access services such as healthcare and education because of issues of social exclusion, which is why the world needs an equity focused approach to child survival and developmen t, Mr. Lake is understood to have said. A new UNICEF study shows that $ 1 millio n spent on helping children under 5-years in the most backward areas can prevent 60% more deaths than the current approach. Governments have to partner with commu nities to make the most of available resources to meet the 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Mr. Lake said. Mr. Lake visited the Vaishali d istrict in Bihar and saw things for himself. He was satisfied, however, that thi ngs are changing in Bihar. The future history of India will be written in places l ike Bihar, Mr. Lake stated. STUDY/RESEARCH/SURVEY Malnutrition : A Big Challenge in India [Each year 23 million children die before reaching the age of five.] On his firs t visit to India, UNICEF (United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund) executive director Anthony Lake expressed his grave concern at the problem of ma lnutrition and lack of quality education in India. Corruption Tops Minds of Indians The big question is as to what the Indians generally talk and worry about. A rec ent survey of people in 26 countries showed that the most talked about topic thi s year among Indians in the year 2010 was corruption. About a third of Indians r eportedly talked about corruption with friends, co-workers and family. Core Concerns Country India China Pakistan US, UK Russia Issue Corruption Climate change Terro rism State of global econo-my Extreme hunger/ poverty Issue Extreme hunger/ pove rty Corruption Environment/pollution Terrorism Rising prices Persons share* 69% 68% 64% 61% 59% * Multiple mentions were allowed. Most interestingly, what Indians thought was the most serious global problem. It was corruption again. The year 2010 has seen the exposure of sleaze at an unhea rd of scale in the country, gathering all manner of the high and mighty in its s weep. Topping the charts is the gigantic 2G spectrum scam with its chaotic polit ical fallout. Then there was the Commonwealth Games scam, the UP food scam, and a host of others. All these have preoccupied Indians like never before. The surv ey carried out by opinion research consultancy Globescan, for BBC World Service revealed that corruption/greed was considered the most serious problem in 21 out of 26 countries surveyed. Over 68% of people mention corruption as one of the m ost serious problems facing the world. In neighbouring Pakistan Terrorism was th e most talked about subject with over 54% respondents mentioning itthe highest in the world alongwith Turkey. Rising prices was the second most talked about issu e in Pakistan followed by corruption.

According to Mr. Lake, with 46% children underweight and 38% stunted, India face s its biggest development challenge. Each year 23 million children die before re aching the age of five in India, accounting for 21% of the worlds under-five deat hs. Stunting, or low weight for age, is an indicator of slow cognitive development , which inpacts the childs future. India is short of over 1 million teachers who need to be hired to reduce the high drop-out rate in schools, he said. India is maki ng progress in the under-five mortality, which has halved since 1990 and is abov e the global average. There are millions of young adults alive in India today if it wasnt for this statistic, Mr. Lake stated. PD/February/2011/1366 If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see ever y problem as a nail.

In India Terrorism was the second most popular topic of conversation in India, w ith about a quarter of those surveyed mentioning it. This is much higher than th e global average of about 14%. Globally, too, corruption was considered the most worrying problem, with 21% respondents flagging it. Prayer Helps Tackle Woes in Crunch Situations Those who choose to pray find personalised comfort during hard times and can eas ily deal with their emotions and problems, according to a new study. The 75% of Americans who pray on a weekly basis do so to manage a range of negative situati ons and emotions illness, sadness, trauma and anger, a researcher at University o f Wisconsin - Madison has claimed. Through the course of his indepth interviews with victims of violent relationships, Shane Sharp, a sociology graduate at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, gathered ways how prayer helped them deal wit h their situations. Sharps interviewees represented a wide swath of the US in geo graphic, educational and racial terms, and came largely from Christian back-grou nds. Those who were boiling with anger said they found a readily available listeni ng ear, said Sharp. India and China which received $ 51 billion in remittances, ac counts for almost a quarter of the worldwide remittances flows of $ 440 billion in 2010, the report estimated. High income OECD (Organisation of European Cooper ation and Development) accounts for just $ 107 billion of the global remittances flow. Not surprisingly, it is the developing countries which receive the bulk $ 325 billion, an increase of 6% from 2009. Middle income countries including Chi na, Russia, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey receive the lions share of over $ 301 billion, while low income countries including Bangladesh, Tajikistan , Nepal, Uganda and Cambodia receive just $ 24 billion. Bangladesh alone account for over $ 11 billion. US Remains Top Migrant Destination Country The true size of remittances, including unrecorded flows through formal and info rmal channels, is believed to be significantly larger. Interestingly, even recor ded remittances in 2009 were nearly three times the amount of the official forei gn aid and almost as large as foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developin g countries. The fact book estimated the total number of international migrants or people living outside their country of birth in 2010 to be 215 million person s, or 3% of the world population, only a marginal increase over the levels recor ded in 2005. Meanwhile the World Migration Report 2010, brought out by the Inter national Organisation said that about 57% of all migrants live in high income co untries up from 43% in 1990. Migrants now make up 10% of the population of highincome regions, up from 72% in 1990. The US remains the top migrant destination c ountry in the world, with 428 million migrants in 2010 compared to 348 million in 2000, according to the World Bank Report. However, just over 22 million Americans live outside the US, less than 1% of the countrys population. India No. 2 in Emigrating India continued to be the largest recipient of remittances in 2010, with the fig ure rising from $ 496 billion in 2009 to $ 55 billion in 2010. It was also the co untry with the second largest number of emigrants (those migrating abroad) after Mexico, according the recently released Migration and Face-book 2011. Interesti ngly, even as 114 million people from India went abroad, 54 million came into the country, making India No. 10 in the list of nations attracting the most immigran ts and the most attractive Asian country for immigrants. PD/February/2011/1367/3 Be careful how you interpret the world : It is like that.

Migrants from South Asia Vulnerable to HIV Infection [UN Reports paints alarming picture, buying sex said to be reason.] Migrants fro m South Asia who send billions of dollars as remittances to their home countries are extremely vulnerable to HIV infection as a large proportion of them migrate under conditions that expose them to greater risk of such infection. Over 40% o f the $ 44 billion in remittances received by India in 2008 was contributed by t he increasing number of unskilled and semi-skilled Indian workers employed in th e Gulf states and Malaysia. It is just these unskilled and semiskilled workers w ho are most exposed to the risk of contracting HIV. This was revealed in the rep ort HIV/AIDS and Mobility in South Asia of the United Nations Development Progra mme (UNDP), UNAIDS and the International Labour Organisation released on World A IDS Day. While data is not available for all South Asian countries, what is avai lable paints an alarming picture. About 67% of the identified HIV positive cases in Bangladesh are returned migrant workers and their spouses. In Nepal in 2007, 41% of reported cases of HIV were among migrant workers. More than 40% of the w omen who have tested positive both abroad and in Sri Lanka are, or have been, mi grants. Out of more than 72 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Asia Pacific, 5 million are in South Asia. Of the 849,000 low-skilled Indian workers who went abroad for work in 2008, over 96% went to the Gulf countries. Of all migrant wor kers, unskilled workers, particularly domestic workers, and workers who migrate through illegal channels are the most vulnerable to exploitation and in these co untries there is little or no mechanism to protect these workers, stated the rep ort. Since migrant workers tend to buy sex when they are away from home, several million of them will be at risk of infection, said the report. It pointed out t hat most South Asian countries did not have any process for reintegrating HIVpos itive migrants who have been deported or have returned home on their own. HIV-in fected returnees often preferred to hide their positive status for fear of exclu sion and humiliation, said the report calling for stronger support systems to fa cilitate migrant reintegration. While migration itself is not considered a vulne rability factor for HIV infections, the unsafe conditions under which people mig rate exposes them to a greater risk of infection, said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Coun try Director in India. Protecting and promoting the right to health of migrants including access to HIV services is vital for safe mobility, urged the report. V ulnerability to HIV is often an outcome of external factors, including language barriers, prejudice, discrimination, lack of access to health care facilities an d support mechanisms. Countries that send migrants out, as well as host countrie s, have important roles in protecting migrants rights and access to health servic es. However, to date, a general absence of support services and treatment for se xually transmitted infections, including HIV, throughout the migration cycle is evident in all countries of South Asia, stated the report. The Migration Report said that for Asia too, the US was the main destination wit h 79 million Asian emigrants going to that country. Asians are the second-most nu merous group of migrants in the US, next to Mexicans, with over 10 million peopl ea 27% share of the total migrant populationmade up of nearly 2 million Chinese, 17 million Filipinos and 16 million Indians. ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE Roman Statue Unearthed A Roman statue buried for centuries has been unearthed by the winter gales that rocked Israels coast. The white-marble figure of a woman in toga and sandals was found in the remains of a cliff that crumbled under the force of winds, waves an d rain at the ancient part of Ashkelon in Israel, official sources revealed. The s ea gave us this amazing statue, they said. The statue which lacks a head and arms, is about 4 feet tall, weights 200 kg and dates back to the Roman occupation of what was western Judea, between 1,800 and 2,000 years ago. It will be put on dis play in museums. Also, recovered at the site were fragments of Roman bath-house and mosaics. But long-established Israeli archaeological sites such as the ruins of coastal Caesarea suffered serious damage in the storm, so the statues find br ought the officials little joy.

The Roman statue unearthed in Israel. Mummified Head of French King Henry-IV Found A 400-year old mummified head has been identified as that of French king Henry I V, whose body was mutilated by revolutionaries during a symbolic desecration of the tombs of the countrys monarchs in 1793. A team of multidisciplinary researche rs, who carried out an extensive forensic examination of the mummified head and its inner parts, concluded that the head actually is Royal Match : A reconstruct ion of the of the beloved king face of Frances king Henry IV (L) and as thought e arlier. his skull with the reconstruction The team led by overlaid. After 9 mont hs of tests, osteo - archaeologist researchers in France identified his Philipp Charlier of embalmed head, which disappeared University Hospital during the Fren ch Revolution in 1793. Poincare in Garches, composed the head with sculptures an d portraits of Henry, and digitally reconstructed the face. Besides the US, other top destination countries are Russia, Germany and Saudi Ar abia in that order. The US also recorded the largest outflow of remittances in 2 009$ 48 billionfollowed by Saudi Arabia with an outflow of $ 26 billion and Switze rland and Russia accounting for less than $ 20 billion of outflows each. Many of the big destination countries are also origin countries like Germany, the U.K., Ukraine, Russia and India. The top immigration countries relative to population are Qatar where migrants make up 87% of the population, Monaco (72%), the Unite d Arab Emirates (70%), Kuwait (69%) and Andorra (64%). PD/February/2011/1368 Each act is virgin, even the repeated ones.

The result was a dead ringer for the beloved king, the researchers said, adding that the same techniques could be used on the other mutilated remains of French royalty, Live Science reported. The story of how Henry IVs head became the subjec t of a forensic investigation can be traced to 1589, when his predecessor, Henry III, was assassinated by a fanatical monk. The head stayed in the hands of priv ate collectors until recently. The mummified head was well-preserved, and the ro yal brain lay undisturbed inside the skull. Hyderabad The capital of Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad will host the World Wide Web 2011 meet. Scheduled in India for the first time it is the fourth in an Asian city. The Con ference is the latest in the series of international events that started with Ge neva. Abu Dhabi Three decades after it came into being the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) sessio n was held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in December 2010. TERRORISM Centre Forms Teams to Nab 31 Most Wanted Terrorists The Union Government has constituted special teams to locate and nab 31 most want ed militants, including 19 of the Indian Mujahideen and some Jamiat-ul-Ansar-ulMu slimeen terrorists. Jim Corbett National Park The world famous Jim Corbett National Parkhome to the endangered Royal Bengal Tig eris celebrating its platinum jubilee in January 2011. Nha Trang A coastal city of Vietnam where 2010 Miss Earth beauty pageant was held in Decem ber 2010.

Fact Sheet 19 out of 31 belong to Indian Mujahideen Karnataka (3 from Bhatkal town) Uttar Pradesh (All from Azamgarh) Kerala (All f om Kannur) Maharashtra Gujarat Jharkhand 10 8 6 3 2 2 BOOKS AND AUTHORS 1. Convenient Action : Gujarats Response to Challenges of Climate Change By Narend ra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Published by MacMillan, India A 250-page boo k, it primarily focusses on how Gujarat has responded to challenges of climate c hange. It may be mentioned that Modi had earlier penned short stories, poetry an d essays, but they are all in Gujarati. The present book is the one in English. 2. India for A Billion Reasons Edited by Amit Dasgupta, Daryaganj, New Delhi 3. M y Life with the Taliban By Abdul Salam Zaeef, Translated by Alex Strick Van Linsc hoten and Felix Kuehn 4. The China Syndrome : Grappling with Uneasy Relationship By Harsh V. Pant 5. Ourselves Unborn : A History of Foetus in Modern America By S ara Dubow 6. Shah Commission Report : Lost and Regained By Era Sezhiyan 7. Global Crisis Recession and Uneven Recovery By Y. V. Reddy; Orient Blackswan, Hyderabad If needed, the teams will co-ordinate with foreign law enforcement agencies and go abroad to get the terrorists from the countries where they are currently hole d in, most of whom are wanted for carrying out of or the other bomb blast in the last three-four years. The list of terrorists sent by the Union Home Ministry c ontains documents and sketches/photographs of the 31 absconding terrorists. Deta iled dossiers of these terrorists have also been shared with a few Gulf countrie s as intelligence inputs suggest that some of them are currently based there and carrying Pakistani passports. We have asked the teams to make a concerted effort to apprehend these people, said a source. He said the move was part of the planned crackdown on absconding terrorists, adding some foreign countries had already s

tarted helping the security agencies and begun surveillance on some suspects. Th e Centres plan assumes significance in the light of recent terrorist bombing in V aranasi as well as intelligence inputs that the Indian Mujahideen is trying to e xpand its network by recruiting new members, particularly from Uttar Pradesh, an d sending some of them to Pakistan for training. The Indian Mujahideens hand is s uspected in over 10 serial blasts in Delhi and other parts of the country that c laimed nearly 500 lives while JIAM struck in Bangalore on July 25, 2008, where n ine bombs exploded, killing a woman and injuring 20 people. The Indian Mujahidee n, an offshoot of the banned SIMI and Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba and is dire ctly controlled by the Pakistan intelligence agency ISI. National Days February 24 Central Excise Day February 28 National Science Day International Days February 2 World Wetlands Day February 21 International Mother Language Day P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1369 We dont see things as they are, we see them as we are.

U.P. PCS Additional Private Secretary (U.P. Secretariat) Examination 2010 Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 21, 2011. Total Vacancies250. Educ ational QualificationsA graduate degree from any university recognised by Law in India with minimum 80 words p.m. speed in Hindi shorthand and minimum 25 words p .m. speed in Hindi type. Age Limit21 years to 35 years of age. How to ApplyAs per the format published in Employment News December 25-31, 2010. Selection Procedur ePaper I will have General Knowledge, Paper II will have General Hindi, Paper III will be based on Hindi shorthand while Paper IV will have Hindi typewriting. Se e Employment News December 25-31, 2010 for more details. Recruitment in North Eastern Railway for Various Post Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)February 12, 2011. Total Vacancies146. Edu cational Qualifications Minimum 10th Class Pass. Age Limit18 to 33 years How to Ap plyAs per the format given in Employment News December 25-31, 2010. Selection Pro cedureAll candidates shall be required to appear in Physical Efficiency Test (PET ). See Employment News December 25-31, 2010 for more details. Age Limit18 years to 25 years. Selection ProcedureSelection will be based on perfo rmance in Sports Trials/Interview. See Employment News December 25-31, 2010 for more details. Recruitment in Indian Navy as Sailors for Artificer Apprentice (AA) Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 15, 2011. Educational Qualificati ons 10 + 2/equivalent. Age Limit16 to 19 years. Selection ProcedureThe question pap er will comprise four sections English, Science, Mathematics and General Knowled ge. There will be Physical Efficiency Test (PET). How to ApplyThe applications ar e to be downloaded from website www.nausena-bharti.nic.in, Application will be r eceived only through Ordinary Post. See Employment News December 18-24, 2010 for more details. Recruitment in South Western Railway Against Ex-Servicemen Quota Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 25, 2011. Total Vacancies987. Elig ibility CriteriaEx-Servicemen who have retired after putting in 15 years and have passed class-I certificate or equivalent. Procedure of RecruitmentThe recruitmen t shall be on the basis of scrutiny of applications. How to ApplyAs per the forma t given in Employment News December 25-31, 2010. See Employment News December 25 -31, 2010 for more details. East Coast Railway : Recruitment Against ExServicemen Quota in Group D Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 24, 2011. Total Vacancies277. Elig ibility CriteriaEx-servicemen who have retired after putting in 15 years of servi ce and have passed Army class-I certificate. Mode of SelectionThe names of eligib le candidates will be arranged in the order of merit on the basis of total lengt h of military service. How to ApplyAs per the format given in Employment News Dec ember 25-31, 2010. See Employment News December 25-31, 2010 for more details. Recruitment in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited for Engineering Professionals Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 7, 2011. Total Vacancies50. Educat ional Qualifications Full Time Engineering Degree in Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering etc. Age Limit36 years for Deputy Manager and 39 years for Managers. Selection ProcedureSelection Process will Comprise Personal Interview. How to App lyThe submission of applications will be online only through our website : www.bh elisg.com See Employment News December 11-17, 2010 for more details. Recruitment in East Coast Railway Against Sportsperson Quota (Open Market) for t he year 2010-11 Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 24, 2011. Total Vacancies12. Educa tional Qualification Matriculation or its equivalent from a recognised board. PD/February/2011/1370

In the ideal sense nothing is uninteresting; there are only uninterested people.

UPPSC : Combined State/Upper Subordinate Service Examination 2011 Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 28, 2011. Total Vacancies100. Plan of Examination : The competitive examination comprises three successive sta ges viz (1) Preliminary Examination (Objective Type). (2) Main Examination (Conv entional Type), i.e., Written examination. (3) Viva-voce (Personality Test). The preliminary examination will consist of two objective type papers of which answ er sheet be on OMR sheets. Paper-I (Optional) Paper-II (Compulsory) : General St udies For the Mains Examination : The Written Examination will consist of compul sory and optional subjects. The candidates have to select any two optional subje cts for mains examination. Each optional subject will consist of two papers. Aft er Mains Exam. Personality Test (Interview) will be held. How to ApplyAs per the format given in Employment News December 11-17, 2010. See Employment News December 11-17, 2010 for more details. SSC Recruitment of Junior Engineers Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 31, 2011. Total Vacancies142. Educ ational Qualifications Degree or Diploma in Civil or Mechanical Engineering. Age LimitUpto 32 years for Junior Engineers (Civil and Mechanical) in Central Water C ommission and 18-27 years for Junior Engineers (Electrical) in Department of Pos ts. Selection ProcedureThere will be two papers. Paper I will consist of General Intelligence, General Awareness, General Engineering and Paper II will consist o f Engineering subject. How to ApplyAs per Application format as given in Employme nt News January 1-7, 2011 should be submitted. See Employment News January 1-7, 2011 for more details. Educational QualificationsThe candidates must possess a Bachelor s Degree or its equivalent from any recognised University. Age Limit21 to 35 years. How to ApplyOM R Application forms with instruction can be purchased for Rs. 155 from the desig nated Post Offices. See Employment News January 1-7, 2011 for more details. SSC Junoir Engineers (Civil and Electrical) Examination 2011 Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 31, 2011. Age Limit18 to 27 years. Selection ProcedureWritten test will have two Papers. Paper-I will be objective type having General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, General Engin eering (Civil and Structural, Electrical and Mechanical) while Paper-II will be conventional type (General EngineeringCivil and Structural, Electrical and Mechan ical). How to ApplyApplications must be submitted only in the prescribed format g iven in Employment News January 1-7, 2011. See Employment News January 1-7, 2011 for more details. Northern Railway : Recruitment Against ExServicemen Quota Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 10, 2011. Total Vacancies2116. Eli gibility CriteriaEx-Servicemen who have retired after putting in 15 years of serv ice and have passed Army Class-I certificate or equivalent. Mode of SelectionThe recruitment will be on the basis of scrutiny of application and there will be no physical efficiency test or written test. PD/February/2011/1371 I am not an Athenian or a Greek, I am a citizen of the world.

Recruitment in BalliaEtahwah Gramin Bank for Assistants Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 25, 2011. Total Vacancies199. Educ ational Qualifications Bachelor s Degree or its equivalent from a recognized Univ ersity in any descipline. Selection ProcedureWritten Test will consist of Reasoni ng, Numerical Ability, Clerical Aptitude and General Awareness. How to ApplyCandidates are required to apply on-line through Bank s website www.b kgb.co.in. See Employment News January 1-7, 2011 for more details. Selection ProcedureOn deputation basis in most cases. How to ApplyAs per the instr uctions given in Employment News January 1-7, 2011. See Employment News January 1-7, 2011 for more details. Recruitment in the Office of Registrar General India for Various Posts Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)February 14, 2011. Total VacanciesApproxim ately 700. Educational QualificationsAs per the requirement of the post. Recruitment in Saurashtra Gramin Bank for Various Posts Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 28, 2011. Total Vacancies134. FORTHCOMING COMPETITIVE EXAMS., 2011 Punjab and Sind Bank Probationary Officers Scale-I Exam. (Jan. 16) Clerical Recr uitment Exam. in State Bank of Indias Associate Banks (Jan. 16) Corporation Bank Officers Cadre Examination (Jan. 16) Madhya Pradesh Assistant Director/District Statistical Officer Exam., 2009 (Jan. 16) M.P. Police Telecommunication Organisa tion, Bhopal Constables (Radio) Operator Exam. (Jan. 17) Madhya Bharat Gramin Ba nk Officers Scale-I Exam. (Jan. 23) Punjab and Sind Bank Specialist Officers Exa m. (Jan. 23) I.D.B.I. Bank Executives Exam. (Jan. 23) UCO Bank Probationary Offi cer in JMGS-I Exam. (Jan. 30) GATE 2011 Online Exam. (Jan. 30) (Papers : GG and TF, AE and MN) Punjab and Sind Bank Clerical Cadre Exam. (Jan. 30) Madhya Bharat Gramin Bank Office Assistants Exam. (Jan. 30) U.P. PCS Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer etc. General Selection (Pre.) Exam., 2010 (Jan. 30) National Ins urance Company Ltd. Administrative Officer (Scale-I) Examination. (Jan. 30) M.P. School Education Department, Principal Higher Secondary School Recruitment Exam . (Jan. 30) M.P. Police Constable Recruitment Exam. (Jan. 30) (Closing Date : 10 Jan., 2011) Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Entrance Exam. (Feb. 6) (For Class VI) R eserve Bank of India Grade B Officers Exam. (Feb. 6) Union Bank Clerical Cadre Exa m. (Feb. 6) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Post Graduate Teacher Preliminary Exam. (Feb. 11) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan TGT and Librarian, Primary Teacher (Pre. ) Exam. (Feb. 12) U.P. Trained Graduate Teacher Recruitment Exam. (Feb 13&20) Ce ntral Bank of India Clerical Cadre Exam. (Feb. 13) Assam Gramin Vikas Bank Offic e Assistant Exam. (Feb. 13) UPSC Combined Defence Service Exam. (I), 2011 (Feb. 13) GATE 2011 Offline Exam. (Feb. 13) (Papers : AR, BT, CE, CH, CS, ME, PH and P I, AG, CY, EC, EE, IN, MA, MT, XE and XL) Assam Gramin Vikas Bank Officer Junior Management Scale-I Exam. (Feb. 20) Madhya Pradesh State Services (Pre.) Exam., 2010 (Feb. 20) Baroda Rajasthan Gramin Bank Officer Scale-I and Scale-II Examina tion (Feb. 20) Chhattisgarh Gramin Bank Officer Scale-I Exam. (Feb. 20) Indian A ir Force Airman Recruitment Test (Feb.) (Group X Technical Trade) S.S.C. Multi Tas king (Non-Technical) Staff Recruitment Exam. (Feb. 27) Dena Bank Probationary Of ficers Exam. (Feb. 27) LIC Assistant Administrative Officer (Generalists/ Charte red Accountants/Company Secretary/ Legal) Exam. (Feb. 27) Chhattisgarh Gramin Ba nk Office Assistants Exam.(Feb. 27) Baroda Rajasthan Gramin Bank Office Assistan ts Recruitment Exam. (Feb. 27) Rajasthan Gramin Bank Officers Recruitment Exam. (March 6) Dena Bank Clerical Cadre Exam. (March 6) Bank of India General Banking Officer Scale-I and II Examination for North Eastern States (March 6) Baroda U. P. Gramin Bank Officers (Scale-I) Exam. (March 6) Bank of India Clerk Examinatio n for North Eastern States (March 13) Rajasthan Gramin Bank Office Assistant (Mu ltipurpose) Exam. (March 13) Andhra Pradesh Gramin Vikas Bank Office Assistants Exam., 2010 (March 13) (Online Closing Date : 14 Jan., 2011) Baroda U.P. Gramin Bank Office Assistant Clerical Cadre Exam. (March 13) Indian Navy Senior Seconda

ry Recruitment Exam. (March-April) C.B.S.E. All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Entrance Exam., 2011 (April 3) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Post Graduate Teach er (Mains) Exam. (April 8) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan TGT and Librarian, Prima ry Teacher (Mains) Exam. (April 9) I.I.T. Joint Entrance Exam., 2011 (April 10) Rajasthan Sub-Inspector Police Combined (April/May) Competitive Exam., 2010 C.B. S.E. All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental (Mains) Exam., 2011 (May 15) I.E.R.T. Entrance Exam., 2011 (Allahabad) (Engg./ (May 24) Technology Diploma Course) (Cl osing Date : 19 April, 2011) PD/February/2011/1372 Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesnt mean he lacks vision.

Educational Qualifications Bachelor s Degree. Selection ProcedureThe test will com prise Reasoning, Numerical Ability, General Knowledge, General English, General Hindi. How to ApplyAs per the format given at the website www.sgb.org.in. Log ont o www.sgb.org.in for more details. Physical Efficiency Test, Dictation in English and Personal Interview will be he ld. How to ApplyAs per the format given in www.bsf.nic.in. Log onto www.bsf.nic.i n for more details. Recruitment in Bank of Baroda for Probationary Officers Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)January 25, 2011. Total Vacancies900. Educ ational Qualifications Degree in any discipline from a recognized University. Age Limit21 to 30 years. Selection ProcedureWritten Test will consist of Objective te st, on Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude. General Socio Economic and Banking Awar eness English Language and Marketing Aptitude. How to ApplyCandidates are require d to apply online through website www.bankofbaroda.com. No other means of applic ation will be accepted. Log onto www.bankofbaroda. P.Darpan com. for more detail s. Recruitment in Directorate of Border Security Force for Various Posts Last Date (Receipt of Application Forms)February 26, 2011. Total Vacancies865. Edu cational Matriculation. Qualifications Age Limit18 to 23 years for HC (RO)/HC (Fitter) 18 to 25 years (ASI-RM). Selectio n ProcedureIn first Phase Written Exam will comprise Physics, Mathematics, Chemis try and English & GK while in Second Phase UPSC Calendar for Examinations-2011 S. No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Name of Examination Civil Services (Pre.) E xam., 2011 Indian Forest Service Exam., 2011 SCRA Exam., 2011 NDA & NA Exam. (II ), 2011 CDS Exam. (II), 2011 Central Police Forces (AC) Exam., 2011 Civil Servic es (Mains) Exam., 2011 IES/ISS Exam., 2011 Geologists Exam., 2011 S.O./Steno (GDB/GD-I) Ltd. Deptt. Competitive Exam. Date of Notification 19.02.2011 12.03.2011 19.03.2011 09.04.2011 30.04.2011 28.05.2011 30.07.2011 13.08.2011 23.07.2011 La st Date for Receipt of Applications 21.03.2011 (Monday) 11.04.2011 (Monday) 18.0 4.2011 (Monday) 09.05.2011 (Monday) 30.05.2011 (Monday) 27.06.2011 (Monday) 29.0 8.2011 (Monday) 12.09.2011 (Monday) 19.09.2011 (Monday) Date of Commencement 12. 06.2011 (Sunday) 09.07.2011 (Saturday) 31.07.2011 (Sunday) 21.08.2011 (Sunday) 1 8.09.2011 (Sunday) 09.10.2011 (Sunday) 29.10.2011 (Saturday) 03.12.2011 (Saturda y) 03.12.2011 (Saturday) 17.12.2011 (Saturday) PD/February/2011/1373

CRICKET India Sweep ODI Series Against New Zealand India defeated New Zealand in Chennai on December 10, 2010 in One Day Internatio nal and thus had 5-0 ODI series sweep. India registered eight wicket victory ove r New, Zealand with 173 deliveries to spare. This was India s biggest win in ter ms of balls against New Zealand. Yuvraj Singh (42 not out) was declared Man-of-t he-Match. Left handed Gautam Gambhir was adjudged Player of the Series for 329 run sincluding two centuriesat 10966 in the series. It may be recalled here that India s only previous 5-0 sweep was against England at home in the 2008/09 season. of Test Cricket to achieve half century of hundreds. It may be recalled here tha t Tendulkar has scored seven Test centuries in 2010 during which he also notched up the first doublecentury in the history of one-day cricket. Saurav Ganguly-In dia s former captain of cricket team called him the best batsman ever ahead of t he late Don Bradman who retired in 1948 with a Test batting average of 9994. England s last triumph in Australia. The English responded with a towering 513 t o hold a match winning 415 run innings lead which Australia found totally beyond it. Bangladesh Wins 5th ODI; Clinches Series Against Zimbabwe Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe in the fifth and final overs international by six wicke ts and clinched the fivegame series against Zimbabwe 3-1 in Chittagong on Decemb er 12, 2010. Bangladesh reached the winning run in reply to Zimbabwes 188-6 with seven overs. Bangladeshs Iqbal was five runs short of reaching his century becaus e of which he was named man of the match for his 96-ball knock that included fiv e boundaries and seven sixes in his town. It is noteworthy that Zimbabwe won the first match and Bangladesh took the second and third. The fourth match was aban doned due to wet field. India secured a series whitewash against New Zealand with an eight-wicket victor y in Chennai on December 10, 2010. England Retains Ashes : Crushes Australia in Fourth Test England retained the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years by completing and emphatic innings and 157-run win over Australia on the fourth day of the fourth test on December 29, 2010 in Melbourne. It was England s biggest win over Australia since 1956 putting it an unbeatable 2-1 up with one match to play-after a quarter of century after Mike Gattings team claimed the series 2-1 in 1986-87 in Sachin s Another Milestone : Makes 50th Test Century Sachin Tendulkar India s most loved cricketerrecorded another milestone in the hi story of cricket when he scored an unprecedented 50th Test century against South Africa on December 19, 2010 in Centurion (South Africa). Now Sachin Tendulkar h as become the first batsman in the 133 years history PD/February/2011/1374 The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.

HOCKEY Air India Clinches Lal Bahadur Shastri Tournament Air India subdued Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 4-2 after leading 3-0 i n the final of the Indian Oil 21st Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey Tournament on Dece mber 4, 2010 in New Delhi. Air India took the match away by scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes. Two of them were by Birender Lakra. You will be proud of us, proud of the Middle East. The winners (hosts) were decla red after a secret ballot of 22 FIFA executive committee members in Zurich. to emerge winner. Earlier Thai pair of Wannasuk and Kumkhum won the doubles titl e on December 10, 2010. Nicha Lertpitaksinchai FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces Russia as the host nation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Zurich on December 2, 2010. Qatar will hos t the following edition of 2022. Serbia Bags Davis Cup 2010 Serbia s Victor Trocki defeated France s Michael Llodra to bag Serbia s first Da vis Cup title in the 110-year old competition on December 5, 2010 in Belgrade (S erbia) Trocki Previous Hosts/Winners of FIFA Cup The Air India team which won the Indian Oil 21st Lal Bahadur Shastri Tournament on December 4, 2010. Years 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 197 8 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 Host Uruguay Italy France Brazil Switzerland Swe den Chile England Mexico West Germany Argentina Spain Mexico Italy United States France Winners Uruguay Italy Italy Uruguay West Germany Brazil Brazil England B razil West Germany Argentina Italy Argentina West Germany Brazil France The champion side was presented Rs. 2 lakh, and the runner-up got Rs. 1 lakh. Di wakar Ram was adjudged the best player of the tournament and V. Raghunath was give n a special prize, a Hero Honda bike, for emerging the top scorer of the tournam ent. Army XI was presented the fair play trophy. Serbian tennis team holds the Davis Cup trophy after winning the cup against Fra nce in Belgrade, Serbia. FOOTBALL Russia and Qatar Declared Hosts of World Cup 2018 and 2022 Respectively Russia has been awarded the hostship of 2018 World Cup Football while the gulf c ountry of Qatar has been declared the host of 2022 World Cup. This information w as made public on December 2, 2010 in Zurich. The announcement means the World C up will be staged in two countries which have never hosted the event before foll owing the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Qatar 2022 bid President Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani promisedwe won t let you down. South Korea & Brazil Japan Germany South Africa Italy Spain 2006 2010 recorded straight sets victory over Michael Llodra in the final singles match. E arlier Novak Djokovic beat Gael Monfils to level the tie at 2-2. The World No. 3 Novak Djokovic won both his singles rubbers in the 32 victory. He rated the tri umph as the best moment of a career. Earlier, France s Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clemont beat Nenad Zimonjic and Victor Troicki to emerge champions in doubles f inal by 3-2. Past Ten Years Winners of Davis Cup Year 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Winner Spain Spain USA Ru

ssia Croatia Spain Australia Russia France Spain Runner-up Czech Rep. Argentina Russia Argentina Slovak Rep. USA Spain France Australia Australia TENNIS Lertpitaksinchai Maiden Title Grabs Nicha Lertpitaksinchai of Thailand won the $ 25,000 Questnet Open ITF Women s te nnis on December 11, 2010 in Bangalore. She out played Kimiko Ijima of Japan 6-4 , 6-3 PD/February/2011/1375 Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world .

BADMINTON Prannoy and Sindhu Claim Titles Kerala s Prannoy and AAI s Sindhu won their maiden badminton major senior titles on the final day of the Bank of India all-India Senior ranking badminton rankin g tournament in Bangalore on November 30, 2010. Prannoy downed Nanda Gopal of An dhra Pradesh whereas Sindhu out classed fellow AAI player and fourth seed Neha P andit. Series and defended the Indonesia Super Series. In Men s singles, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia beat Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) 21-19, 21-9 to bag the title. In Men s Double s Ko Sung Hyun and Yoo Yeon Seong of Korea defeated Markis Kido and He ndra Setiawan of Indonesia to emerge winers. In Women s Doubles Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) outclassed Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei ( China) to clinch victory. Rumbaka and Hui Zhou Emerge Triumphant Top seeded Rumbaka Hayom Dionysius of Indonesia defeated the unseeded Avihingsan on Suppanyu of Thailand 14-21, 21-15, 21-12 to clinch men s singles title in the Indian Open Grand Prix Badminton Championship on December 19, 2010 in Hyderabad . In the women s singles final, the unseeded Hui Zhou of China outclassed fifth seeded Fransiska Ratnasari of Indonesia 21-13, 21-17. In men s doubles final the second seeded Indonesian pair Ahsan Mohammad and Septano Bona beat Sindhu and Prannoy with Trophies Thus Prannoy clinched men s title and purse of Rs. 75,000 while Sindhu pocketed Rs. 50,000 for her win. Saina Nehwal Clinches Hong Kong Open Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal registered a scentillating three-game victory o ver Shixian Wang of China to bag the title in Wanchal (Hong Kong) on December 12 , 2010. The 20 year old Indian took her career s fourth Super Series title trium ph with Rumbaka Hayom Dionysius and Hui Zhou who won the singles titles. close in Bangalore on December 4, 2010. Karnataka s Nirupama Sunderraj completed the sprint double for the second year in a row. After her victory in the 100 m earlier, she also swept the field aside to win the under-20 girl s 200 m dash se tting a new meet records in the process. Her time of 2428s was well inside Maria James 2483 from five years ago. Sunderraj also ran a spectacular anchor leg in t he 4 100 m relay, overtaking two runners to help the Karnataka team finish with a silver. Kerala, meanwhile, took the overall championship with a tally of 28 go ld, 19 silver, and 23 bronze medals. Haryana (18-28-10), and Maharashtra (17-9-3 ) finished second and third, condemning Tamil Nadu (16-14-16) to fourth place. T riple jumper Arpinder Singh also had a memorable outing, leaping 1645m to break R enjith Maheshwary s six year-old under-20 boys record of 1606, on a day when sev en other National records fell. Maharashtra s Shraddha Ghule was responsible for one of those, turning in an excellent performance in the under 20 girls long j ump to add to her triple jump gold. Ghule managed 630m, improving over Ruta Patka r s mark of 625. The Results (winners only) : Boys : U-20 : 200 m : Manish (Har) 2185s; 400 m hurdles : Ramashankar Bharati (Ma h) 5346; 800 m : Jinson Johnson 1 : 5249; 3000 m steeple-chase : Jiyalal Bind (MP) 9 : 3085; Triple jump : Arpinder Singh (Pun) 1645 m, NR (Old Renjith Maheshwary 1 606); Shot put : Gurwant Singh (Pun) 1737 m; 4 100 m relay : Kerala 4164. Best athl ete : Arpinder Singh (Pun) 1096. U-18 : 200 m : Prateek Ninave (Mah) 2222s; 400 h urdles : Durgesh Kumar Pal (Mah) 5174, NMR (Old : Shejil Verghese 5314); 3000 m : Inderjeet (UP) 8 : 2591, NR (Old : Indrajeet Patel, 8 : 2731); Pole Vault : Parmen der Patel (UP) 470 m, NR (Old Parmender Patel 430); Hammer : Ali Ahmed (UP) 6434 m;

Shot put : Surender Singh (Har) 1698; Javelin : Manoj Yadav (UP) 7196, NR (Old : Rohit Kumar 7152). Best athlete : K. Prem Kumar (TN) 1096. U-16 : 200 m : Kamberd eep Singh (Pun) 2233s, NR (Old : Jatin Jain top seeded Gan Chai Teik and Tan Shen Bin of Malaysia 19-21, 21-15, 21-14 to eme rge winners. In women s doubles Huan Zia and Tang Jinhua of China beats Ng Hui E rn and Ng Hui Lin (Malaysia) to clinch title. In mixed doubles, Liu Peixuan and Tang Jinhua (China) defeated Ng Hui Lin and Gan Chai Teik (Malaysia) 21-17, 21-1 7 to claim the title. ATHLETICS Saina Nehwal with Hong Kong Open Trophy a 15-21, 21-16, 21-17 win over the Chinese in one hour and 11 minutes summit cla sh. It is note worthy that Saina won back-to-back titleIndian Open Grand Prix, Si ngapore Open 26th National Junior Athletics Championship Concludes : Nirupama Completes Sprin t Double The 26th National Junior Athletics Championship came to a Efficiency is intellige nt laziness. PD/February/2011/1376

2303); High jump : Ajay (Har) 191m. Best athlete : Shuvhendu Mishra (UP) 931. U-14 : Long jump : Ashaful Mondal (WB) 662m, NR (Old : P. Anburaja 633). Best athlete : Shakti Solanki (Del) 982. Girls : U-20 : 200 m : Nirupama Sunderraj (Kar) 2428s , NMR (Old : Maria James 2483); 400 m hurdles : Anju Rani (Har) 1 : 0256; 800 m : Anju (Har) 2 : 1381; Long jump : Shraddha Ghule (Mah) 630 m, NR (Old : Ruta Patkar 625); Discus : Parmila (Har) 4910 m, NMR (Old : M. R. Saroj 4874); 4 100 m relay : Kerala 4838. Best athlete : Nirupama Sunderraj (Kar) 1038. U-18 : 200 m : C. Ren githa (Ker) 2479s, NMR (Old : Chitra Soman 2500); 400 m hurdles : R. Anu (Ker) 1 : 0265, NR (Old : Geetha Roby 1 : 0343); 3000 m : Sahanara Kalam (WB) 10 : 29. 53. Best athlete : R. Anu (Ker) 999. U-16 : 200m : Ruma Sarkar (WB) 2542s; High Jump : P. Merlin (Ker) 156. Best athlete : Duttee Chand (Ori) 1026. U-14 : Best athlet e : Rochelle Macfarlane (TN) 949. as he is already rated above the 2500 mark. He disappointed at Porto Carras in G reece by not finishing among the medals despite starting as the favourite in the World Under-18 Championship. His showing in Poland has certainly compensated fo r it. Parimarjan Negi Emerges National Champion Parimarjan Negi of Bharat Petroleum won the 48th National Premier Chess Champion ship in New Delhi on December 22, 2010. He won the Karlberg stayed off the lead and Baek Seu K. Hyun dropped three strokes by 12 ho les and surprise leader Manav Jaini tumbled from 11-under to chok on the 16th an d 17th. Ultimately it was Karlberg who finished to seal the $ 125 million Hero Ho nda Indian Open golf title. It is noteworthy that Karlberg won the SAIL Open tit le and began this event in third place on the Asian Tour s Order of Merit. Baek Seu K. Hyun (Korea) finished second while Manav Jaini finished third in the tour nament. SPORTS AND GAMES BRIEFING Saurav Ghosal Wins Squash Title Saurav Ghosal defeated Harinder Pal Sandhu for a 10-12, 12-10, 11-14, 11-2 victo ry in the men s final of 58th Senior National Championship on December 10, 2010 in Mumbai. In women s final, it was Joshna Chinappa (Tamil Nadu) who after beati ng Saumya Karki (Maharashtra) 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 emerged Saurav Ghosal triumphant in the tournament. Newly-crowned National champion Parimarjan Negi (right) and runner-up G. N. Gopa l display their trophies in New Delhi on December 22, 2010 CHESS title after beating G.N. Gopal. The title win fetched him not only a glittering trophy and a cheque for Rs. 125 lakh but also an unexpected bonus of Rs. 50,000 f rom Delhi Chess Association. He is the first National Champion from Delhi. Vijender Bags Award Boxer Vijender Singh was presented the Most Valuable Performance Award by Samsun g on December 22, 2010. Vijender had defeated world champion Abbos S. P. Sethuraman is India s Youngest Grand Master Former World Under-16 Champion S. P. Sethuraman won a Grand Master Tournament by a one point margin at Poland on December 1, 2010 to complete his third Grand Ma ster norm and become India s youngest grandmaster on date. In the 10player all-p lay-all, Sethuraman scored 7/9 and finished ahead of the GM Norm requirement whi ch was 65. His third norm folloS. P. Sethuraman wed earlier norms made at Parsvna th Open in Delhi 2009 and Paris Open July 2010. The 1993-born player from Chenna i has become a Grand Master

GOLF Rikard Karlberg Bags Indian Open Crown Sweden s Rikard Karlberg won the Indian Open Crown of golf in New Delhi on Decem ber 5, 2010. The President and CEO of Samsung South West Asia, Jung Soo Shin, presenting the M ost valuable Performance Award to Vijender Singh. Rikard Karlberg with the Indian Open crown Trophy Atoev of Uzbekistan 7-0 in the final in 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in Novembe r 2010. The MVP award, carries a reward of Rs. 5 lakh worth of Samsung products. All the other athletes who had won medals in the Asian Games were also felicita ted with different sizes of LCD television sets and mobile phones. PD/February/2011/1377 It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall.

Matthew and Duncalf Claim Squash Titles World Champion of Squash Nick Matthew of England beat James Willstrop to registe r a splendid victory and thus clinch the $ 192,500 Punj Lloyd PSA Master Squash Championship in New Delhi on December 19, 2010. self well in the first term, with violence writ large on Iraqi polity right sinc e the formation of a government in his first term. He has succeeded well enough in bringing conflicting segments of Iraqs political brass and has been able to el icit a vow from America to withdraw its forces at the earliest. The Arab world w ill be well advised to extend all cooperation to the new government and let it w ork independently in the interest of regional peace. No cause of excuse must be left for the imperialist forces to prolong their stay in Iraq. News in a Nutshell Russia Launches Rocket Carrying its Glonass Nick Matthew (right) and Jenny Duncalf won the PSA and WISPA Masters titles on D ecember 19, 2010. Pakistan Test-fires its Gauri Missile Successfully Pakistan on December 21, 2010 successfully test-fired Hatf V (Gauri)a Medium Rang e Ballistic Missilecapable of carrying both conventional and nuclear war heads ov er 1,300 km. Lauding the 11-yearRocket launched a rocket carrying three Glonass navigational satellites into spa ce on December 5, 2010 from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was repor ted by Interfax news agency. The Protocol M-rocket blasted off on time carrying three GlonassM satellites part of a system designed by the Russian government as a rival to the United States government s Global Positioning System (GPS), Inter fax reported. North Korea Digging Tunnel for N-Test North Korea is digging a tunnel at its nuclear test site which would make it rea dy to conduct a third nuclear test by March, journalistic sources revealed on De cember 15 as South Korea prepared for its largest civil defence drills in years. P.Darpan The champion collected $ 29,093 and the runner-up $ 19,118. In the women s final the top seeded Jenny Duncalf of England outplayed the second seeded Kasey Brown of Australia and clinched WISPA Masters title in 34 minutes dropping 14 points. Tamil Nadu and Railway are Volleyball Champions Tamil Nadu scripted a classic come-from-behind victory after defeating Kerala in the final of the Operational : Hatf V (Gauri) being testfired from an undisclosed location in Pak istan on December 21. The triumphant Tamil Nadu team members pose with the trophy. Velammal Silver Jubilee 59th Senior National Volleyball Championship (men s titl e) in Chennai on December 19, 2010. Earlier Railway women clinched a hat-trick o f titles beating Kerala to emerge champion in women s section. P.Darpan Continued from Page 1357 Comment It may however be mentioned that Nouri al-Maliki is by and large a sagacious lea der. He acquitted him-

old Army Strategic Force Command (ASFC) for the successful launch, Prime Ministe r Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the test was a signal to the world that Paki stans defence capability was impregnable and should never be challenged. Addressi ng concerns voiced internationally about the safety and security of Pakistans nuc lear weapons, the Prime Minister said that they are safe, fully secure and under a multi-layered command and control system. According to Press sources the launch was conducted by the Strategic Missile Group of the ASFC on the culmination of a field training exercise. PD/February/2011/1378

National Sanjeev (SK) Tripathi Sanjeev (SK) Tripathiwho was hitherto the head of the Aviat ion Research Centre (ARC) has been appointed The new Chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is the Chief of Research and A nalysis WingIndia s external intelligence agency. The man who has been chosen CNN -IBN Indian of the year is

Nitish Kumar Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been chosen as the CNN-IBN Indian of the y ear for changing the vocabulary of politics, putting development on centre stage and triggering hope amongst millions. The National (Chess) Champion is 2010 in New Delhi. India rece ntly signed 30 pacts with agreements were signed between India and Russia. Parimarjan Negi Parimarjan Negi beat G.N. Gopal to clinch the 48th National Premier Chess Champi onship on December 22, Russia Russia s President Dmitry Medvedev had a very significant visit to India in Dece mber 2010 during which 30 Mongolia The troops of India and Mongolia held joint m ilitary exercise with two-week drill in counter insurgency India recently held joint military exercise with ending in Belgaum on December 1 9, 2010. The exercise was named Nomadic Elephant. The 4th Indo-US Healthcare Summi t will be held in representing 60,000 doctors is holding its 4th Indo-US Healthc are Summit in January 2011. The winners of 59th Senior National Volleyball Champ ionship in Men s and Women s Sections respectively are Tamil Nadu and Railway Jaipur The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI)a premier medical a ssociation in America Tamil Nadu beat Kerala to clinch the 59th Senior National Volleyball Championshi p (men s section) while Railway also defeated Kerala to bag women s title of the 59th Senior National Vo lleyball Championship held in Chennai in December 2010. The winners of Indian Gr and Prix (Badminton) title in men s and women s finals are Rumbaka Hayom Dionysi us and Hui Zhou Top seeded Rumbaka Hayom Dionysius of Indonesia beat Avihingsanon Suppanayu of T hailand to clinch men s singles title while in women s singles final Hui Zhou of China beat fifth seeded Fransiska Ratnasari to bag the title in the Indian Open Grand Prix badmin ton championship held in Hyderabad in December 2010. The winner of Hong Kong Ope n (Badminton) Championship is clinch the title at the Hong Kong Open in Wanchai on December 12, 2010. Saina Nehwal Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal registered a scintillating three game victory o ver Shixian Wang of China to France India signed five agreements with France in

the nuclear field as announced on December 6, 2010 by External India recently signed two pacts on nuclear safety and 5 pacts in nuclear field w ith Affairs Ministry while two pacts on nuclear safety with the same were also s igned on the same date. 9% growth In its Mid Year Analysis 2010-2011 tabled in Parliament on December 7, 2010 by Finance Minister Pranab The Mid Year Analysis Projects for Indian Economy Mukherjee it is estimated that growth in 2010-11 will be 875 plus or minus 035 per cent that is nearly about 9%.

The winner of the Hero Honda Indian Open golf title is Rikard Karlberg Sweden s Rikard Karlberg registered a splendid victory to clinch the $ 125 millio n Hero Honda Indian Open golf title on December 5, 2010 in New Delhi while South Korea s Baek Seuk-Hyun f inished second in the tournament. PD/February/2011/1379 Every man regards his own life as the New Years Eve of time.

The highest HIV infection in the country in percentage term is found in Manipur As per the latest data released by National Aids Control Organization Manipur co ntinues to top the list with an adult prevalence of 140 per cent followed by Andhra Pradesh (090%) Mizoram at ( 081 per cent) and Nagaland at (078 per cent). The estimated new HIV infections in India in 2009 was 12 lakh As per recently released data released by NACO it is es timated that India had approximately 12 lakh new HIV infections in 2009 as agains t 27 lakh in 2000. India recently test-fired BrahMos Missile India s supersonic c ruise missile BrahMos was successfully flight-tested on December 2, 2010 from th e Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Orissa. Recently Indian Army was inv olved in Operation Saiyam (patience) which was related to

Scrap Ammunitions Indian Army began its biggest operation in November-December 2 010 to dispose of scrap ammunitions (mortar bombs projectiles, grenades, rockets etc.) in Shekowal and Khelwal villa ge near Ludhiana. The operation was named Operation Saiyam (patience) which aims at destroying scraps imported between 1999 and 2004. The Best RTI Journalist Aw ard has been conferred on Saikat Datta

Saikat Datta of the Outlook has been given the Best RTI Journalist Award for usi ng the Right to Information Act to expose a Rs. 2,500 crore scam in the export of rice. International Russian Parliament recently approved New START The RussianAmerican New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) won preliminary a pproval of the Russian Parliament by a 350-56 majority in the first of three votes on December 24, 2010 in the State Duma Lower House of Parliament, though the Parliament postp oned its final approval till next year. Pakistan recently test-fired Hatf V (Gha uri) Pakistan on December 21, 2010, successfully test-fired Hatf V (Ghauri)a Medi um Range Ballistic Missile capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warh eads over 1,300 km. The man who has been declared African Player of the Year is Samuel Eto Cameroon s Samuel Eto of Inter Milan was named African Player of the year for a record fourth time on December 20, 2010. He also won this honour in 2 003, 2004 and 2005. The Time Magazine Person of the Year 2010 is Mark Zuckerberg Mark Zuckerberg founder and Chief executive of the Facebooksocial networking sit e that has more than half billion users has been named Time Magazines 2010 Perso n of the Year in December 2010. The K.C. Kulish International Award for Excellen ce in Print Media Journalism for 2009 has been conferred on Ghana Newspaper the New Crusading Guide

 The New Crusading Guide-a daily newspaper from Ghana in West Africa has been nam ed the winner of Rajasthan Patrika Group s K.C. Kulish International Award for Excellence in Prin t Media Journalism 2009 for its series of reports on Ghana s Madhouse and Chines e sex mafia. The year which has been ranked as one of the top three warmest year s is The year 2010

Since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850 the year 2010 is alm ost certain to rank in the top three warmest years. As per World Meteorological Organization data, at present 2 010 s nominal value is the highest on record just ahead of 1998 and 2005. FIFA W orld Cup Football hosts for 2018 and 2022 respectively are Russia and Qatar Russ ia and Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups (Football) following a se cret ballot of 22 FIFA executive committee members in Zurich on December 2, 2010 . The 2014 World Cup of Football will be held in Brazil. The winner of Davis Cup (Tennis) 2010 is Serbia

Serbia s Vicktor Troicki beat France s Michael Llodra to clinch Davis Cup (Tenni s) 2010 in Belgrade. It was Serbia s first title in the 110 year old competition. The winner of Ashes Test S eries (cricket) in December 2010 was England England retained the Ashes Test Series after an innings and 157 run victory in t he fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne on December 29, 2010 with one match yet play. It was Engl ands biggest win over P.Darpan Australia since 1956. PD/February/2011/1380 All the suns labour to kindle your flame and a microbe puts it out.

RBI Promotes Liquidity by Reducing SLR to 24% Reserve Bank of India in its Monetary Policy Review on December 16, 2010 put mai n focus on liquidity problem which commercial banks were facing. RBI reduced Sta tutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) by 1 per cent to 24 per cent. SLR signifies the fra ction of deposits which commercial banks are mandated to invest in government bo nds. Besides, RBI announced infusion of 48000 crore in liquidityequivalent to a 1 per cent cut in cash reserve ratiothrough open market operations in one month. R BI has taken these steps to ease the liquidity tightness and to provide support to credit growth. Analysts put the view that these steps of easing liquidity tig htness and increasing government spending will ensure a comfortable environment on liquidity front. SLRs Journey 40 35 38.5 30 24.0 25 20 Sep 22 91 Effective date Dec 18 10 (in %) Rate, CRR, Repo Rate and Reverse Repo Rate but RBI may raise these rates as the inflation pressures are still mounting in the economy. The new measure declared for RRBs means that RRBs can now keep less of governmen t securities and have more lendable resources for credit needs. Key Rates of RBI (Status as on Dec. 18, 2010) Key Rate Bank Rate Cash Reserve Ratio Repo Rate Rev erse Repo Rate Statutory Liquidity Ratio Rate 60% 60% 625% 525% 24% w. e. f. April 3 0, 2003 April 24, 2010 Nov. 2, 2010 Nov. 2, 2010 Dec. 18, 2010 Mid-year Economic Review Puts Economy on Right Track Finance Ministry on December 7, 2010 presented country s Mid-year Economic Revie w 2010-11 which indicates good health of the economy and projects 91 per cent gro wth rate for the year 2010-11. It is the highest projection of the growth rate i n the last three years. The Economic Survey, presented by the Ministry before bu dget 2010-11, had projected the growth rate of 825875 per cent for 2010-11. Mid-yea r review highlights the better performance of the economy in the second quarter of the year 201011. 4 per cent growth in farm sector and 98 per cent growth in ma nufacturing sector helped the economy to attain 89 per cent GDP growth in the sec ond quarter of the economy. Mid-year review puts agriculture and industry growth rates for AprilSeptember 2010 period at 38 per cent RBI also Cuts SLR for RRBs to 24% After 10 days of announcing a reduction of 1% in SLR to 24% w.e.f. December 18, 2010, Reserve Bank of India on December 27, 2010 also announced reduction in SLR by one per cent point 24 per cent for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). RBI also mad e this rate effective for RRBs from December 18, 2010. The similar cut for comme rcial banks was announced by RBI in its monetary review made on December 18, 201 0. Though in its review on December 16, 2010 RBI has not altered any of the other k ey rate including Bank What is Statutory Liquidity Ratio ? SLR refers to that portion of total deposits of a commercial bank which it has t o keep with itself in the form of cash reserves. SLR is an effective instrument of credit control with Reserve Bank of India. By varying the SLR, the RBI contro ls the expansion and contraction of credit. If SLR is reduced, the lendable reso urces with the scheduled commercial banks gets correspondingly increased and vic e-versa. PD/February/2011/1381 As far as the Moon is concerned, he is always full.

and 102 per cent respectively while they were only 10 and 63 per cent for the same period of 2009. GDP has been estimated at 89 per cent in the first half of 2010-1 1 which is higher to 75 per cent obtained in the first half of 2009-10. Important Statistics Midyear Economic Review (in million $) April-June 2009 Trade Balance Current Balance Account 445 182 612 827 2010 1373 112 312 461 2564 3419 NRI Deposits/Remittances FDI (Net) Portfolio Mid-year review presents satisfactory scenario of revenue deficit and fiscal def icit due to increase in tax and non-tax revenues. Revenue deficit and fiscal def icit may remain below the target of 4% and 55% of GDP for the entire year 201011. Finance Ministry puts signals to bring the economy on the right track, but raise s concerns over debt and deficit. Average food inflation, projected at 1995 per c ent is another serious worry raised in the mid-year survey. to reduce the trade deficit. According to the official statistics, India s cumul ative merchandise exports to China in 2009-10 stood at $ 17875143 million while t otal imports were at $ 28837288 million. India s trade balance with China has ris en from $ () 4607520 million in 2005-06 to $ 109, 62145 million. China has become I ndia s largest trading partners, though the balance of trade lies heavily in fav our of China. Now both the countries agreed to take measures Economy Scenario India Vs. China at a Glance GDP 2009 China $ 498 trillion India $ 131 trillion GDP Growth Rates (%) China India 2007 13 9 2008 9 74 2009 91 77 China agreed to support Indian participation in national and regional trade fair s, enhance exchange and cooperation of pharmaceutical supervision and expedite c ompletion of phytosanitary negotiations on agro products. To step up the potenti al of bilateral trade, India and China have decided to establish a Strategic Eco nomic Dialogue to enhance macro economic policy coordination and address challen ges facing economic development. India and China also agreed to jointly oppose pr otectionism in all forms, besides expanding bilateral cooperation in sectors like infrastructure, environmental protection, information technology, telecommunica tions, investment and finance, on a priority basis. The two sides agreed to enco urage greater mutual investment and project contracting cooperation between busi nesses of the two countries and deal appropriately with issues concerning econom ic and trade frictions. India and China to Raise Bilateral Trade to $ 100 billion by 2015 India and China have agreed to raise bilateral trade to $ 100 billion by 2015. B oth the countries have decided to promote India s exports to China so as to reduce India s trade deficit. The b ilateral trade between India and China is expected to be around $ 60 billion in 2010. The bilateral trade imbalance was against India to the tune of $ 19 billio n during 2009-10. PD/February/2011/1382 The rich would have to eat money if the poor did not provide food.

ASSOCHAM Ranks Uttar Pradesh Among Top 2 Domestic Investment Destinations ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) has ranked Utta r Pradesh as the second most preferred domestic investment destination in India after Karnataka. As per the statistics, Uttar Pradesh registered a growth of 75 per cent (year-on-year) and 47 per cent share of total investment commitments mad e during April-September 2010-11. According to ASSOCHAM s Investment Meter (AIM) , Uttar Pradesh attracted massive investment plans of about 205000 crore during the first half of 2010-11. Power and services were prominent sectors which attra cted major investments. Among the list of top 20 investment attracting states, K arnataka has emerged as a preferred destination with the highest share of over 9 per cent in domestic investment plans. According to the ASSOCHAM Investment Met er, an assessment of corporate investments across states and sectors, total inve stment plans of India incorporated increased significantly from 79,70,000 crore in 2009 to 100,97,000 crore during the current financial year. The availability of rich mineral resources like coal and iron ore along with cheap availability o f manpower helped Jharkhand rank amongst the top three states in attracting corp orate investments. Gujarat and Orissa secured fourth and fifth position by attra cting investment plans worth 1,96,000 crore and 1,91,000 crore respectively. September 30, 2010 reached 72328 million. Wireless user base registered 255 per ce nt increase between August 2010 and September 2010, adding 1710 million new subsc ribers but country s fixed line phone connection as of September 30, 2010 declin ed to 3537 million from 3577 million of August 2010. India s total broadband subsc ription at the end of September 2010 was 1029 million. Bharti Airtel, country s l argest telecom provider, retains its leadership position in mobile phone user ba se with a market share of 2084 per cent, followed by Reliance with 1706 per cent m arket share. Vodafone Essar with market share of 1680 per cent stood third in the race. In land-line telephone market BSNL is still leading with 7371 per cent sha re in the market and having 2622 million land-line users as of September-end 2010 . MTNL remained the second largest fixed line telephone operator with a market s hare of 977 per cent or 347 million subscribers as on September 30, 2010. Bharti A irtel with 904 per cent share in the land-line market stands third in the list. T he over-all tele-density statistics has been placed at 6099 as on September 30, 2 010 while it was 5963 in August-end 2010. The wireless telephone density rose to 5799 in September-end from 5661 of August 2010. 2010-11. The total FDI inflow during the first half of 2010-11 stood at $ 11 bil lion. Karnataka remained the thirdmost preferred FDI destination in the country, attracting $ 104 billion during the period, followed by Andhra Pradesh ($ 491 mi llion), Madhya Pradesh ($ 398 million) and Tamil Nadu ($ 331 million). FDI flows into different states in India have increased steadily since the early 1990s bu t Maharashtra and NCR took the lead in attracting maximum FDI due to better infr astructure as compared to other states of the country. Less developed states lik e Rajasthan received $ 13 million of FDI during the period, while Orissa and Utt ar Pradesh attracted $ 11 million and $ 80 million, respectively. The sectors th at attracted the maximum FDI include services, telecommunication, metallurgical industries, power, computer hardware and software and construction. Since the be ginning of liberalisation and globalisation era, government is making sustained efforts to make the FDI policy regime more attractive and investor-friendly. The foreign direct investment into the country in 2009-10 was $ 2588 billion which w as 5 per cent lower than the $ 2733 billion FDI inflow in 2008-09. The main reaso n of this decrease was global recession. Maharashtra Attracted Maximum FDI in April-Sept. 2010 Maharashtra attracted the maximum Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of about $ 267 billion ( 12,275 crore) during the first half of 2010-11 (i.e., April-September period of 2010) which is 34 per cent of the total FDI inflows into the country. Delhis National Capital Region (NCR), including parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryan a could attract $ 196 billion ( 8961 crore) of FDI during the period which is 20 per cent of total FDI into the country. Thus, Maharashtra and NCR accounted for

over 50 per cent of total FDI inflows into the country during the first half of RBI asks Banks to Cap Cash Deposit Charges Maximum at 5 The Reserve Bank of India has taken a major step by directing banks not to charg e more than 5 for any cash deposit made at a non-home branch i.e. branch other t han the one where the customer has the account. RBI has taken this step after ta king note of the fact that some banks charge as much as 110 for such cash deposi ts. It may be recalled that in 2008, the apex bank Reserve Bank of India had dir ected that the charge for a transaction under the National Electronic Fund Trans fer (NEFT) upto 1 lakh should not exceed 5. Making similar to the line with NEFT charges, RBI now directed banks not to charge India s Tele-density Reaches 6099 as on Sept.-end 2010 As per the data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), th e country s total telephone user base, including landline and mobile phone users as on PD/February/2011/1383/4 My play was a complete success. The audience was a failure.

more than 5 for cash deposit charges. RBI takes such type of steps whenever it f inds banks on unfair track. Last year, RBI had mandated a fixed charge for cash withdrawal from third-party automated teller machines, beyond the five free tran sactions. Banks used to charge customers as much as 55 for cash withdrawal from other bank ATMs. Besides for reviewing customer service in banks, RBI recently s et up a committee under former Securities and Exchange Board of India chairman, M. Damodaran. It would look at the range of services offered to retail and small borrowers, including pensioners, and suggest a mechanism to expedite grievance redressal. FDI into Developing Countries to Rise 17% in 2010 : World Bank According to a Report of World Bank, the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into developing countries, including India, was expected to recover over the ne xt few years and was projected to rise by 17 per cent in 2010. The reportWorld In vestment and Political Risklaunched by the World Bank s Multilateral Investment G uarantee Agency said that the net FDI inflows into the developing countries was projected to touch $ 416 billion in 2010, up from its 2009 level of $ 354 billio n. World Bank s report also extends the view that the overall FDI inflows to the developing world continued to be overwhelmingly concentrated in middle-income nat ions, with Brazil, the Russian Federation, India and China alone absorbing half. Honda. After buying this stake, Munjals will have control over 52 per cent stake in the company. The agreed transaction will take place in a phased manner and i s expected to be completed by 2011. Hero group has not specified the price at wh ich shares will be exchanged. Hero Honda will continue to produce and sell its e xisting product range. Agreement made under MoU shows that the Hero Honda group can also use the Honda brand name on new models until 2014. Though Munjals group is dependent on Honda for research and development (R&D) but Munjals disclosed that the Hero group will be free to develop its own R&D capabilities after compl etion of transaction. Besides, Munjals have signed a new agreement with Honda, r eplacing its old agreement, which was to end in 2014. Under this new agreement, Honda will provide the Hero group new models at the existing royalty rates. Many Indian Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Engineering Companies have already set up offices in Kazakhstan. Further there being no other Indian bank in CIS co untries other than Russia, Kazakhstan can be a gateway for CIS countries for tap ping India centric business. 37 Companies Selected to Build Solar Power Plants To support country s Solar Mission Plan, unveiled last year, the government has selected 37 companies to build solar power projects. India has initiated a plan which seeks to significantly scale up production of solar energy from zero to 20 GW by 2022. According to the road map of Solar Mission Plan, the country is to produce 1300 MW of power by 2013, an additional supply of upto 10 GW by 2017 and the rest by 2022 at an overall investment of about $ 70 billion. As per the NTP C Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. Sources, Lanco Infratech, KVK Energy Ventures Pvt. Lt d. and Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Pvt. Ltd. won bids for a maximum project c apacity of 100 MW each. Other selected bidders included Maharashtra Seamless Ind ian Oil Corp, Welspun Solar AP, a unit of Welspun Corp that has interests in ste el and textiles, and Punj Lloyd Infra. NTPC, through its unit, NTPC Vidyut Vyapa r Nigam (NVVN) will lead the solar plan s initial phase through long-term contra cts to buy the first 1 GW of energy from developers at Rs. 1531 per kWh for solar thermal and Rs. 1791 per kWh for solar moduleabout eight times the cost of coal p ower. Godawari Power and Ispat, Corporate Ispat Alloys Ltd. and Megha Engineerin g and Infrastructure Ltd. were also selected to build power plants with a capaci ty of 50 MW each. The Solar Mission Plan is to make the use of solar-powered equ ipment and applications mandatory for hospitals, hotels and government building, and encourage the use of solar lighting systems in villages and small towns wit h micro financing.

PNB Acquires About TwoThird Stake in JSC Dana Bank, Kazakhstan PNB has completed the transaction for acquisition of 6364% stake in JSC Dana Bank Kazakhstan. PNB has acquired 35 million shares of 1000 Tenge each, at par, for 35 Bn Tenge (US D 23765 Mio approx.), which has raised the capital of JSC Dana Ban k to the level of 55 Bn Tenge from the existing 2 Bn. Tenge. This transaction sha ll be placed for necessary ratification, in the General Body Meeting of sharehol ders of JSC Dana Bank. Kazakhstan the largest economy in Central Asia has strate gic importance for India due to growing economic cooperation between two countri es at the apex level. PNB has its presence in Almaty, Kazakhstan since 1998 thro ugh its Representative Office. In order to systematically achieve the aspiration of becoming a truly global and universal bank in the foreseeable future, operat ional presence in Kazakhstan has been considered crucial for PNB due to growing bilateral business opportunities and per capita income in Kazakhstan, which has natural resources aplenty. Hero Groups Terminates Joint Venture with Japanese Honda Munjals Group of Hero Honda on December 16, 2010 announced the termination of it s 26-year old joint venture with Japanese auto company Honda Motor Corporation. In accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two co mpanies, Munjals-promoted Hero Group will buy out Honda s entire 26 per cent sta ke in Hero PD/February/2011/1384 The tyrant is nothing but a slave turned inside out.

Delhi gets 1 MW Solar Energy Generator North-Delhi Power Ltd. (NDPL)a joint venture of Tata Power with the Delhi governm ent has commissioned a solar power plant installed by Tata BP Solar. The install ed power plant consists of more than 5500 solar photovoltaic panels made of crys talline silicon. These panels will absorb sunlight and convert it into electrici ty and will feed directly to NDPL s main grid line. The panels in the solar powe r plant have been designed to work for 25 years. This 1 MW unit is designed to p roduce. 158 million units of electricity annually which is sufficient to light mo re than 1000 homes. NDPL has planned a three-fold initiative to promote solar po wer generation over the next three to four years. This includes setting up gridi nteractive solar PV systems on the roofs of 56 of its grid substations in its di stribution network of North and North-west Delhi, with a cumulative capacity of 253 MW. It is also pursuing the prospect of setting up a 100 MW grid interactive solar power plant in Rajasthan. NDPL will also facilitate grid interactive solar PV systems on the rooftops of individual households and commercial buildings. established in 1960 with the aim to reduce poverty by lending money (known as cr edits) on concessional terms. IDA credits have no interest charge and the repaym ent period ranges between 35 to 40 years. IDA is the largest sources of assistan ce for the worlds 79 poorest countries, 39 of which come from Africa. Not only wi th IDA, India is also the third largest borrower of the International Bank for R econstruction and Development (IBRD), a part of World Bank group with a total lo an of $ 219 billion which have financed 77 projects in the country. Among various states in India, Tamil Nadu hold the maximum assistance of $ 21 billion from the World Bank to support its six on-going projects. eight months to $ 316 billion, and gems and jewellery by 16 per cent. Besides, ex ports of petroleum refinery products increased by 41 per cent and cotton yarn by 465 per cent due to support of global market. IIP Rebounds to 108% Growth The third quarter of the financial year 2010-11 started with a robust industrial growth. After showing a big dip in September 2010, Index of Industrial Producti on (IIP) rebounds back into double digits at 1076 per cent in October 2010. It ma y be recalled that IIP had registered the 16-month low level of 44 per cent in Se ptember 2010. All the three sectoral components of Index of Industrial Productio n (IIP) showed declined growth rates in September 2010 on an annual, as well as on a sequential basis. September s IIP growth in 2010 is the lowest expansion si nce May 2009. Except July 2010, all the months of 2010-11 experienced declining growth path in IIP. Exports Register 27% Growth in November 2010 India s exports in November 2010 registered a rise of 268 per cent to touch level of $ 189 billion yearon-year basis which raised government s confidence to breac h the export target and touch $ 215 billion level. Another favourable figure of imports for November 2010 shows a much slower pace of 112 per cent to $ 278 billio n. On cumulative front, for AprilNovember 2010 period, exports have gone up by 2 67 per cent to $ 1403 billion while imports expanded 24 per cent to reach $ 222 bi llion level. The trade deficit for the first eight months of 2010-11 stands at $ 817 billion. With the ongoing trend, the Commerce Ministry has extended hope to see export level at anywhere between $ 210 billion and $ 215 billion. It is wort hnoting that the government had set an export target of $ 200 billion for 2010-1 1 against the export level of $ 179 billion obtained in 2009-10. During the curr ent financial year 2010-11, the official data show a huge amount of positive gro wth every where. However, certain sectors like garments and agricultural items a re in negative as exports of most of the commodities are restricted. The big pos itive on exports came from the engineering sector which increased by 50 per cent in the first The bluebird carries the sky on his back. IIP Growth Path in 2010-11

April May June July August September October 176% 115% 71% 138% 56% 44% 108% India Becomes Largest Borrower of IDA According to the statistics of World Bank, India has become the largest borrower from the International Development Association (IDA), a component of World Bank Group which helps the poorest countries of the world. Among the banks FY10 Top T en IDA borrowing countries, India tops the table with $ 2,578 million, followed by Vietnam ($ 1,429 million), Tanzania ($ 943 million), Ethiopia and Nigeria wit h $ 890 million each, Bangladesh ($ 828 million), Kenya ($ 614 million), Uganda ($ 480 million), Democratic Republic of Congo ($ 460 million) and Ghana (433 mil lion). IDA, termed as Soft Loan Window of the World Bank, was IIP could take rebound basically on the back of an increase in manufacturing, pa rticularly of consumer durables. Manufacturing registered the highest rate among sectors at 113 per cent in October 2010 compared with 108 per cent last year. Min ing and electricity production grew at 65 per cent and 88 per cent respectively co mpared with 91 per cent and 4 per cent. Basic and intermediate goods grew at 77 pe r cent and 95 per cent, respectively in Oct. 2010 compared with 4 per cent and 154 per cent of Oct. 2009. Capital goods, which have been one of the most volatile components of IIP, grew at a robust 22 per cent in October 2010 after registerin g a contraction of 41 per cent in September 2010. PD/February/2011/1385

Sectoral Growth October 2009 Vs. October 2010 Sector Mining Manufacturing Electricity IIP October 2009 91 108 40 101 October 2010 65 113 88 108 JSW Steel Buys Ispat Industries JSW Steel declares to buy a controlling 4129 per cent stake in Ispat Industries f or 2157 crore. Disclosing the road map of Ispat Industries revival plan, Vice-Ch airman and MD of JSW Steel Mr. Sajjan Jindal said that JSW would refinance Ispat s entire 7500 crore debt at a lower interest rate and get fresh lenders on boar d. JSW Steel will raise the entire debt from a new set of lenders at lower inter est rate and will repay the existing lenders by September 2011. Presently IDBI, ICICI and IFCI are Ispat s prime lenders of Ispat Industries. Ispat also owes St ate Bank of India 2000 crore as part of its working capital debt. As per the agr eement between the two Ispat will issue on a preferential basis 10866 crore equit y shares at 1985 a share, for a consideration of 2157 crore. The entire capital i nfusion will go towards strengthening Ispat s balance sheet by paying off credit ors and lenders. 1673 per cent during November 2009. Inflation for primary articles also moderated to 13 per cent as compared to 167 per cent in October 2010 and fuel price inflat ion declined to 103 per cent compared to 11 per cent in the month October 2010. F inance Ministry has extended hope that the inflation rate will come down to six per cent coinciding with the Reserve Bank of India target by the end of the fina ncial year 2010-11. IMF Chief Places India as Economic Powerhouse On the basis of solid performance of Indian economy, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strausskahn described India as a Leading Power and an Economic Powerhouse. On his visit to New Delhi, IMF Managing Director exten ded the view that India s result in terms of economic growth and also in terms o f inclusive growth were really amazing. IMF has projected Indian economy to grow by 97 per cent in 2010 and the Indian economy is well going ahead to achieve thi s projection. India, which uses a different computation for calculating GDP, exp ects the economy to grow by 85 per cent during 2010-11. IMF chief also extended t he view that higher economic growth than what was being witnessed by India might lead to risks of inflation and high current account deficit in the country. NELP in Moscow, urging Russia to take part in the exploration of 34 hydrocarbon blocks. The bids for the latest auction is scheduled to close down on March 18, 2011. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has extended hope to arrange invest ment of around $ 14 billion in this ninth round of auctioning. NELP-VIII could a ttract a very poor response which could manage only $ 11 billion. Gazprom is one of the most active Russian energy companies which has been invited by India s st ate-run explorer Oil India Ltd. (OIL) to co-operate in two upstream gas projects . RBI to Buy upto 12000 crore of Govt. Bonds The Reserve Bank of India declared to buy upto 12000 crore ($ 27 billion) of gove rnment bonds through Open Market Operations (OMO) in a move to inject liquidity into country s banking system. As per official sources of RBI, the auction was c onducted on December 15, 2010. Government Securities purchased under the program me included the 702 per cent 2016 bonds, the 799 per cent 2017 bonds, the 813 per c ent 2022 bonds. News in a Nutshell Russia Invited to Explore India s Hydrocarbon Reserves India has invited Russia for exploration of its hydrocarbon reserves. India has taken this step to attract more investment in its energy sector so as to ensure less dependence on oil and gas imports. India, on the other hand is also interes ted in increasing its participation in the development of Russia s vast oil and gas reserves. With its New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP) which was lau

nched in 1999 India offered better terms to contractors for exploring reserves i n India. India imports over two-third of its crude oil needs and that s the reas on why India has come forward to reduce its dependence on overseas purchases of oil and gas. In its continued efforts, Indian energy officials presented the nin th round of Farm sector shows 38% growth in first half 2010-11Due to better suppor t from Kharif crop production, the agriculture and allied sector registered grow th of 38 per cent in the first six-month of 2010-11, compared to only one per cen t growth obtained in the same period of last year. According to the Gross Domest ic Product (GDP) data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), th e country s farm sector grew by 25 per cent and 44 per cent each in the first two quarters of the current financial year 2010-11, compared to 19 per cent and 09 per cent, respectively, in the same period last year. Allied sectors livestocks, fo restry and fisheries showed growth in the range of 3-4 per cent which WPI Moderated to 11-month Low Level of 748 per cent Due to deceleration in food inflation and high base effect, Wholesale Price Inde x (WPI) got moderated to an 11-month low of 748 per cent in November 2010. The in flation rate was 45 per cent during November 2009. Wholesale inflation has mainta ined a broadly moderating trend since April 2010. This rate was 858 per cent in O ctober 2010 which again moderated to 748 per cent in November 2010. Food inflatio n stood at 94 per cent in November 2010, compared to 141 per cent in October 2010 and PD/February/2011/1386 The chains that bind us most closely are the ones we have broken.

gave support to farm sector to obtain 38% growth in first half of 2010-11. In 200 9-10, the agricultural sector recorded its lowest growth in five years, at 01 per cent, due to widespread drought across the country. The sector had grown 16 per cent in the previous financial year. The government has set a target of 4 per ce nt agricultural growth a year in the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2007-12). Natur al gas price for non-priority sector raisedThe government has given its approval to raise 10 per cent prices of natural gas which state-own petroleum companies s ell to consumers in non-priority sectors such as steel and petro-chemicals. As p er official declaration, ONGC and Oil India Ltd. (OIL) have been allowed to char ge upto $ 525 per million British thermal unit (mBtu) for 78 million standard cubi c metres per day (msc md) of gas which is sold to nonpower and non-fertiliser se ctor w.e.f. December 1, 2010. The rates set would be excluding cess, transportat ion charge, marketing margin/service charge and taxes. It is worthnoting that na tural gas produced by ONGC and OIL, from fields given to them on a nomination ba sis is sold at government controlled price calle APM (Administered Pricing Mecha nism) rate. According to the petroleum ministry order, consumers in western and northern parts of the country (Maharashtra, Gujarat and other states covered by GAIL s HaziraVijaipur-Jagdishpur and DahejVijaipur pipeline, like Rajasthan, Mad hya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi) will pay $ 525 an mBtu. Users in R ajasthan, South Gujarat and isolated customers in Gujarat, who are getting gas f rom identified onshore fields, would be charged $ 5 anmBtu while the same in Tam il Nadu and Andhra Pradesh would pay $ 475 per mBtu and $ 45 per mBtu, respectivel y. Consumers in the North-east would pay $ 42 per mBtu. Indirect tax collections went up by 423%With an increase in custom duty collection, Indirect Tax collections have gone up by 423 per cent to 207756 crore between April-November 2010 period against 145958 cror e in the corresponding period of 2009-10. The collections in the first eight mon ths are about 66 per cent of the budget estimate of 315000 crore for 2010-11.Yea r s collection during the same period constituted 545 per cent of the overall tar get. The biggest contributor to indirect tax revenue collections has been custom duty which increased 67 per cent to 86844 crore in the eight-month period this year against 52011 crore in the year-ago period. Excise duty collections went up to 81984 crore which is 344 per cent more than 61020 crore collected during the s ame period last year. Revenue collections from service tax stood at 38927 crore, showing an increase of 182 per cent over 32927 crore collected during the same p eriod of 2009-10. Agriculture cooperative major Nafed, a regulating agency, has been asked by the government to stop giving fresh clearance to exporters. The government has also made exports almost impossible for those who are already in possession of no obje ction certificate (NOC) given by the Nafed and 12 other agencies. It has more tha n doubled the minimum export price (MEP) to $ 1,200 a tonne from $ 525, meaning no shipment can take place below this price. The rise in onion prices is due to stock holding in home market on the one hand and on the other due to large scale export of the produce to gulf countries and neighbouring Sri Lanka and Banglade sh since September 2010. Government attributed the price rise of onion phenomeno n to supply crunch due to unseasonal rain in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Southern s tates which produces bulk of onion in the country. UP Signs MoU with Neyveli for Power ProjectA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Uttar P radesh government and Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) to set up a 2000 MW ther mal power plant unit at Gatampur, Kanpur. The project is scheduled to be complet ed by 2014 with an estimated investment of 10000 crore. The State Government wil l get 75 per cent of the power generated. As per MoU signed, the project s equit y ratio between NLC and U.P. Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam will be 51 and 49 per ce nt respectively. Around 70 per cent of the project will be funded by debt and 30 per cent by equity capital. Proposed power plant will have the initial capacity of 2000 MW but it will be extended in future. This project is estimated to gene rate direct employment for 800 people and another about 10000 jobs indirectly. I t may be recalled that recently Uttar Pradesh has taken the MoU route for power

projects totalling Indirect Tax Revenue Collections AprilNovember Period ( crore) Tax Custom Duty Excise Duty Service Tax Total Indirect Tax 2009-10 52011 61020 3 2927 145958 2010-11 86844 81984 38927 207756 % increase 670 344 182 423

Onion Export banned for short period to curb pricesOnion prices in the open marke t have risen 70 per cent to 60-70 per kg in the past few days which worried the government and compelled it to suspend onion exports till January 15, 2011. PD/February/2011/1387 If you see the world in black and white, youre missing impor tant grey matter.

almost 10000 MW. Work has already been started on three power projects at Bara, Karchchna and Meja with total capacity of 4600 MW. Anti-dumping duty imposed on Chinese equipmentIndia has imposed anti-dumping duty of upto 266 per cent on impo rt of an IT equipmentalso used in the telecom sectorto guard the domestic industry against cheap Chinese and Israeli shipments. According to the official declarat ion, the restrictive duty on import of the synchronous digital hierarchy transmis sion equipment would range from three to 266 per cent on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of imports. The move would impact import of the equipment fr om companies like Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, ZTE Corporation and Israelbased ECI Telecom. As per the declaration of Department of Revenue, the anti-dumping d uty shall be levied for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or am ended earlier) from the date of imposition of the provisional antidumping duty, that is, from December 8, 2009, for import from China and Israel. Indo-Israel ho rticulture project setup in HaryanaTo enable farmers to grow unseasonal vegetable s, Haryana government has set up an Indo-Israel horticulture project at Gharaund a in Distt. Gujarat at the cost of 6 crore. The project is expected to provide o pportunities to the farmers to grow new kinds of vegetables. This project would help farmers to increase their income because unseasonal cultivation of vegetabl es would fetch better prices in the market. The project has been set up over an area of 25 acres of land. In this project, seedling of various vegetables like t omato, seedless cucumber and capsicums would be prepared in the green house, net house and these saplings would be provided to the farmers on subsidy.

BSE launched Shariah Index The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and Taqwaa Advisory and Shariah Investment Solutions have launched the BSE TASIS SHARIAH 50 Index since December 27, 2010. The index is the first shariah index created in India utilisi ng the strict guidelines and local expertise of a domestic Shariah advisory boar d. The index comprises the 50 largest and most liquid Shariah-compliant stocks w ithin the BSE 500. According to Madhu Kannan, managing director and chief execut ive officer of BSE, the index will give Islamic and other socially responsible i nvestors another means to access the Indian market and help attract pools of cap ital from the Gulf, Europe, and Southeast Asia. tions in the country stood at 74213 million, compared to 526 million a year ago. Out of this total of 74213 million, 70670 million were wireless or mobile phone us ers which stands about 95 per cent of the total subscribers. Wireline connection s are declining every year. Landline subscribers, which were 4142 million in Marc h 2005, declined to 3543 million in October 2010. On the other hand, wireless (or mobile) subscribers increased from 5695 million to 70670 million (more than 12 ti mes) during the same period of five years. The subscriber base of wireless servi ces rose at a compounded annual growth rate of 57 per cent since 2004. Addition of more than 17 million connections per month has put the telecom sector in a st rong footing. India is now having the largest wireless network in the world. ONG C proposes to raise stake in Pawan HansOil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has p roposed to increase its equity in government-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. ( PHHL) to 49 per cent from the present level of 215 per cent by infusing 96 crore. ONGC has also agreed to give Pawan Hans a five year loan of 275 crore. Besides, NTPC has also proposed an investment of 55 crore in PHHL in return for services , not equity. This NTPC investment will be used for fleet expansion in PHHL. At present, Pawan Hans has 41 helicopters. Pawan Hans was incorporated in 1985 to p rovide helicopter support to the oil industry, services to remote areas and also to promote tourism in the country. At present government owns 785 per cent share in Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd. PHHL is also looking for inviting FDI because 100 % FDI is permitted in a seaplane operation venture. P.Darpan

FDI in services dips 21% in April-Sept. 2010According to the data released by Com merce and Industry Ministry, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the countrys service sector during the first half of the year 2010-11 declined by 21 per cent to $ 206 billion ( 9506 crore). Last year for the same period this figure was $ 262 billion ( 12782 crore). The overall FDI inflows in the country during April-S eptember 2010 dropped by 28 per cent to $ 11 billion against $ 1527 billion in th e same period of 2009. The service sector, despite the 214 per cent dip in FDI, t opped the chart in attracting FDI inflows from abroad. During the period, the hi ghest FDI, of $ 384 billion, came from Mauritius, followed by Singapore ($ 113 bil lion), the US ($ 724 million), Japan ($ 563 million) and the Netherlands ($ 498 million).

Telecom sector registers growth of 40% in 2010The telecom sector has added 21613 m illion subscriber in 2010 which shows a growth of 40 per cent over the statistic s of 2009. As on October 31, 2010, the telephone connecA boil is no big deal. On someone elses neck. PD/February/2011/1388

NATO : New Strategic Concept Arunoday Bajpai North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) adopted a new strategic concept at its Lisbon Summit concluded on November 20, 2010. The new strategic concept underlines the changing role and status of NATO in global affairs. In fa ct, NATO is the only collective security/military organisation active outside th e UN collective security system. NATO came as a collective military response of western bloc in the beginning of global cold war politics. After the second Worl d War, the differences between the soviet bloc (communist countries) and western bloc (capitalist countries) were intensified, which led to the emergence of col d war in international politics. The capitalist bloc was led by the USA, while c ommunist bloc was led by the Soviet Union. In response to NATO s establishment i n 1949, the communist bloc also established its own military organisation, which was known as WARSAW pact. In addition to these two major collective security or ganisations, the USA and western bloc also managed to set up other such collecti ve security organisations in other parts of the world. The example of such organ isations are SEATO and CENTO. These military organisations, on the one hand, ens ured the collective security of its members, whereas they created suspicion and hatred among the nations, on the other. Both NATO and WARSAW pacts were chief in struments of western and communist blocs respectively during the heyday of cold war politics. After the end of cold war and disintegration of the Soviet Union i n 1991, the WARSAW pact was disbanded in 1992. Most of the East European member states of WARSAW pact switched over to capitalism and multi-party democracy. In the normal course, the NATO should have also gone in to redundancy after the end of cold war. But NATO continued to exist and expand in the post-cold war era wi th new focus and priorities. Its membership has been opened to former soviet blo c countries. Its expansion in Eastern Europe and further attempt to include brea kaway republics of former Soviet Union has been resented by Russia. The eastward expansion of NATO near the borders of Russia and its plan to set-up missile def ence system in eastern Europe are considered as security threats by Russia. bilities particularly proliferation of ballistic missiles in different regions a nd countries poses a real and growing threat in Euro-Atlantic area. The strategi c concept identifies many new and non-conventional threats to security of its me mbers. These are proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass dest ruction and their means of delivery, spread of terrorism and other extremist gro ups, instability or conflicts beyond NATO border areas, cyber attacks, safety of land and maritime means of transport and communication, development of laser we apons, electronic warfare and technologies and environmental threats like climat e change, health risks or water scarcity. In its estimate, terrorism poses direc t threat to the citizens of NATO countries and more broadly to the international stability and prosperity. It says that terrorist groups continue to spread to t he areas of strategic importance to NATO and modern technology increases the thr eat and potential impact of terrorist attacks, in particular, if terrorists acqu ire nuclear, chemical, biological or radiological capabilities. On cyber threat, the Summit leaders agreed that cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, more o rganised and more damaging to the government administrations, businesses, transp ortation and supply networks and critical infrastructures. Such attacks have pot ential to reach a threshold that threatens national and Euro-Atlantic prosperity , security and stability. In brief, the strategic concept has reviewed all the c onventional and non-conventional sources of threat to the peace and security of NATO nations in the contemporary scenario. 2. Core Tasks and Principles The strat egic concept identifies three sets of principles and three types of core tasks, which have deep bearing on the future role of NATO in global New Strategic Concept NATO has adopted a new strategic concept for the defence and security of its mem bers in the Lisbon Summit held on Nov. 20, 2010. The Strategic concept contains 38 points. Its guiding principle is Active Engagement, Modern Defence. It reflects upon the new threats arising from the changing global security environment, cor e tasks and activities of NATO and the commitments of NATO in the changing scena

rio. The strategic concept is likely to guide the next phase in the evolution of NATO, so that it continues to be effective in a changing world, against new thr eats and with new capabilities and new partners. 1. The Changing Security Enviro nmentThe Strategic concept highlights both the conventional and modern threats fa ced by Euro-Atlantic area. As far as conventional threats are concerned it state s that, at present, Euro-Atlantic area is at peace and the threat of a conventio nal attack against NATO territory is low. However, it is aware that the acquisit ion of substantial and modern military capaListen or thy tongue will keep thee de af. PD/February/2011/1389

affairs. The three fundamental principles are : (a) The fundamental and enduring purpose of NATO is to safeguard freedom and security of all its members by poli tical and military means. NATO is an essential source of stability in an unpredi ctable world. (b) NATO community is committed to the principles of individual li berty, democracy, human rights and rule of law. Besides, the Summit leaders expr essed their commitment to the Washington treaty and charter of the UN. (c) It un derlined the political and military bonds between Europe and North America, whic h was forged since the NATO was formed in 1949. The Security of NATO members on both sides of Atlantic is indivisible. The NATO shall continue to defend itself together on the basis of solidarity, shared purpose and fair burden-sharing. In the prevailing security environment at present, the strategic concept has identi fied the following three Core Tasks of NATO : (a) Collective DefenceThe NATO was established under the Washington treaty signed by member states in 1949. Article 5 of this treaty states that any attack against one member shall be considered as an attack on all the members. Accordingly, NATO shall deter and defend agains t any threat of aggression or security challenge that threatens the fundamental security of member states. (b) Crisis ManagementNATO has developed capabilities t o address the full spectrum of crises-before, during and after conflicts. NATO s hall employ appropriate mix of political and military tools to help manage devel oping crises before they escalate into conflicts, to stop ongoing conflicts whic h affect Alliance Security and to help consolidate stability in post-conflict si tuations, which contributes to Euro-Atlantic security. (c) Cooperative SecurityIt has been reaffirmed that alliance would engage actively to strengthen international security through partnership w ith relevant countries and other international organisations, by contributing to arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament, and by keeping the door to memb ership of NATO open to all European democracies that meet its standards. It also noted that alongwith defence, the deterrence, based on approximate mix of nucle ar and conventional capabilities, remains a core element of NATO s strategy. It is reiterated that as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. It is also decided that in order to make NATO security missions more e ffective, the NATO will engage in a continuous process of reform, modernisation and transformation. 3. Renewed CommitmentsIn view of the prevailing security envi ronment, the strategic concept lists the following commitments of NATO : (a) It commits the alliance to prevent crises, manage conflicts, stablise post-conflict situations, including working closely with international partners, UN and Europ ean Union. (b) It commits NATO to the goal of creating the conditions for a worl d without nuclear weapons. But as long as there are nuclear weapons in the world , NATO shall remain a nuclear alliance. (c) NATO shall offer more political enga gement with its allies to shape the ongoing missions of the alliance. (d) It is the firm commitment of NATO to keep its door open for the new European states, b ecause enlargement shall advance the goal of a Europe, whole, free and at peace. (e) It commits NATO to continuous reform towards a more efficient, effective an d flexible alliance. (f) The strategic concept reaffirms the bond between the me mber states to defend one another against attack. Current Military Operations of NATO At present, NATO is engaged in four military operations in different regions of the world : 1. The first major operation is to tackle the problem of terrorism i n Afghanistan. The NATO forces in Afghanistan were deployed in April 2003. These forces are called International Security Assistance forces. The NATO forces led by the USA are engaged in bitter battle with Taliban terrorists. 2. The second military mission of NATO is deployed in the off the Horn of Africa since Aug. 20 09 to tackle the problem of piracy. In the present decade, the coastal regions o f Eastern Africa have faced the major problem of piracy, threatening the East-We st maritime sea routes. 3. The third on goining military operation of NATO is Ope ration Active Endeavour in Sept. 2001 to tackle the problem of terrorism in the m editerranean. The purpose of this mission is to conduct maritime operations in t he assigned area of operations to demonstrate NATO s resolve to help deter, defe

nd, disrupt and protect against terrorism. 4. The fourth ongoing mission is NATO mission in Kosovo, which was launched on June 12, 1999 under the United Nations mandate. The purpose of international forces is to establish and maintain secur ity in Kosovo. This is a peace-enforcement force. Conclusion The Lisbon Summit, Nov. 20, 2010 also committed NATO leaders to pull-back intern ational forces from Afghanistan by the year 2014. The withdrawal of forces will commence in 2011 itself. For better cooperation between Afghanistan and NATO for ces, a joint statement by the Afghan President and NATO was also issued during t he Lisbon Summit. However, the actual withdrawal of NATO forces shall depend upo n the improvement of security situation in Afghanistan. Even after the deadline PD/February/2011/1390 No one really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while youll see why.

NATO : Important Facts NATO was founded by the treaty of Washington which was signed on April 4, 1949. NATO played an active role during cold war era as a major collective security al liance of western bloc led by the U.S.A. After the end of cold war, it existed a nd expanded as a single largest collective security alliance for maintaining pea ce and security in different parts of the world. Both its role and size have exp anded in the post cold war era. The Treaty of Brussels signed on March 1948 is c onsidered precursor to NATO. This treaty was signed by five countries namely Bel gium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom. These five sta tes alongwith seven other nations USA, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark a nd Ireland were the orginal founders of NATO. NATO has been the military vanguar d of US bloc against the communist bloc led by the USSR during the cold war peri od. After the end of cold war and disintegration of the USSR. NATO got fertile g round to expand to eastern Europe. At present its 28 members are : Albania, Belg ium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, German y, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovania, Spain, Turkey the UK and the USA. Albania and Croatia joined on April 1, 2009. The new membership of NATO has come from the Eastern Europe and Balkans including the former members of WA RSAW pact, which was disbanded in 1992. The future enlargement of membership is also planned as NATO decided to incorporate Republic of Mecedonia, Ukraine and G eorgia, in 2008 at Bucharest Summit. However, the expansion was not materialised as Greece opposed the membership of Mecedonia and Russia opposed the incorporat ion of Ukraine and Georgia. Similarly, the membership of Cyprus is opposed by Tu rkey. NATO s Headquarters is located at Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Its ap ex structure consists of NATO Parliament, NATO council and two commands. The NAT O Parliamentary Assembly consists of legislatures from member countries as well as Thirteen Associate member states. The Assembly is the political integration b ody of NATO that deliberates in the political policy agenda of NATO. Thus, it is responsible for setting broad strategic goals of NATO. It holds two meetings in a year. The NATO council consists of ministers of Defence and Foreign ministers of member countries. Within the given strategic goals, the council is the highe st decision-making body of the NATO. Its meetings are presided over by its Secre tary General. Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the present Secretary-General of NATO. La rger strategic issues are decided by the Annual Summit meetings of NATO. Besides , each member is represented at NATO by its permanent representative. NATO s mil itary structure consists of the military committee and two operational commands. The NATO military committee consists of military representatives from member co untries. Its principle role is to give direction and advice on military policy a nd strategy. It is responsible for recommending to political authorities of NATO those measures which are necessary for the common defence of the NATO region. N ATO s military activities are carried out by two commands(1) Allied Command Trans formation (ACT), which is responsible for transformation and training of NATO fo rces; and (2) Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is responsible for world wi de military operations. The supreme commander of ACO is called the Supreme Allie d Commander Europe (SACEUR) and is based in the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powe rs Europe (SHAPE), which is located in Belgian city of Mons. After the break up of the Soviet Union, NATO has tried to engage Russia as partner to coordinate se curity process in Europe. For this purpose NATO-Russia permanent joint council w as established in 1998. The Annual Summit meetings of this council are held alon gwith NATO Summit. The 2010 Summit of this council was held on 20th Nov. at Brus sels in which both sides resolved : Based upon our joint cooperation agenda, we have agreed to further broaden and deepen NATO-Russia dialogue and practical coo peration and bolster a NATO-Russia partnership that enhances security for all in the Europe Atlantic area and beyond. The ongoing military partnership between N ATO and Russia underscores the military hegemony of NATO in Europe and beyond. H owever, Russia has raised objection to NATO s activities on two counts. First, R ussia opposes the inclusion of Ukraine and Georgia as it considers their inclusi on as a threat to its Security. Secondly, the NATO missile defence plan in Easte rn Europe is also opposed by Russia on security grounds. In view of the resurgen

ce of Russia in 21st century, the partnership between NATO and Russia may not ha ve a smooth sailing. The present American strategy to reset relationship with Russ ia is directed to sort out these differences. of 2014, the NATO forces may remain in Afghanistan to assist and train Afghan na tional forces. If we review the 60-years existance of NATO as a security bloc, w e find that it has not only survived but has also strengthened and expanded afte r the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of cold war. At present, NA TO remains the only collective security organisation which has its areas o f ope ration in Europe and beyond. It has emerged as a chief instrument of western military hegemony in the world. With the disintegration of WARSAW pact, NATO is not likely to face a ny collective military challenge in the world. Even in some cases, NATO has acte d beyond or without the UN mandate. Though, there are certain fundamental differ ences between the NATO and Russia, the impact of NATO in global security and pol itical stability is likely to increase in coming years. However, its long and complicated presenc e in Afghanistan is yet to produce a stable and secure Afghanistan. NATO has con ducted military raids against terrorists in Pakistani areas bordering Afghanista n. Afghan people have become weary of arbitrary military activities of NATO. The larger public opinion is opposed to the unwanted military interferences in diff erent part of the world. PD/February/2011/1391 Home is where you can say anything you like cause nobody li stens to you anyway.

Reconfiguration of India-Russia Relations The latter half of the year 2010 marks the phase of high diplomacy as far as Ind ian foreign relations are concerned. It is a rare coincidence that heads of gove rnment/state of all the P-5 countries (Five permanent members of Security Counci l) visited India with diverse agenda related to economic and strategic issues. B ritish Prime Minister visited India in July 2010, followed by Barack Obama in No vember 2010. The French President, the Chinese Premier and finally Russian Presi dent Dmitry Medvedev visited India in the closing month of December 2010. These high profile visits within a period of 6 months have two significant implication s. First, India is poised to ensure a position as a global player in the interna tional affairs. Second, given the complicated nature of strategic relations amon g the P-5 members themselves, India has to tread a careful path keeping in mind her own national interest. The strategic pathlines of the relations among these countries are not clear and bold. There are both areas of convergence and diverg ence among them. Given the historical background of Indo-Russia relations as wel l as present setting the visit of Russian President assumes special significance . The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid an official visit to India on 21-22 December, 2010 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh fo r the 10th Annual Summit Meeting under the India-Russia Strategic Partnership. T o give new direction and filip to the relations between the two countries, both had signed Declaration on Strategic Partnership on October 3, 2000 at New Delhi and decided to hold annual Summit meeting to strengthen and advance this strateg ic partnership. The present visit was 10th in the series of annual summits launc hed in 2001. The highlight of the visit was the signing of 30 agreements between the public and private sectors of two countries. This reflects the consolidatio n and extension of strategic cooperation in the civil nuclear, hydrocarbons and space sectors. Indian Prime Minister remarked that Indias relationship with Russi a was Special and privileged and would grow independent of her relations with othe r countries. The implicit reflex was to ward off any misgiving about the close r elations between India and the USA. Russian President Medvedev recognised India as a state possessing nuclear weapons and supported Indias bid to full membership of the Nuclear Supplier Group that works as a nuclear export control club. It s hould be noted that similar recognition was accorded to India by the US and Fran ce. Russian President also reiterated its support to India for the permanent mem bership of the UN Security Council. Thus, at present, China is the only P-5 coun try, which has not supported clearly the Indian claim for permanent membership o f the Security Council. (A) Bilateral Cooperation 1. After noting the substantial progress in bilateral trade, both sides agreed t o make efforts to achieve the annual target of trade volume of $ 20 billion by t he year 2015. The bilateral trade between the two countries was $ 45 billion in 2 009-10. For the expansion of bilateral trade both countries decided to put in pl ace a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and consider the possi bility of constituting a customs union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, a fter due consultation with all parties involved. Both countries viewed bilateral energy cooperation as an important pillar of strategic partnership, as Russia i s a major energy producer and India is a potential energy consumer. Accordingly, they reviewed the progress in the commissioning of unit I and II of the Kudanku lam Nuclear project (Developed with the Assistance of Russia) and decided to com plete discussion for setting up two additional units III and IV. Both sides revi ewed the ongoing efforts to establish joint cooperation ventures between Indian and Russian companies in the oil and gas sector. Both countries signed the Inter -governmental agreement on cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector, which would wo rk as a legal mechanism to facilitate such joint ventures. As Memorandum of Unde rstanding (MoU) was signed between the ONGC Videsh and the Russian telecom petro giant, sistema which gives concrete shape to such cooperation. Both leaders ack nowledged that the progress in the traditionally close cooperation between the t wo countries in the militarytechnical field reflects the trust and confidence be tween the two countries. The Agreement on the long term programme for military a

nd technical cooperation for the period 2011-2020 was signed in December 2009, w ould further expedite the process of joint research and development, manufacturi ng and marketing 2. The Joint Statement The leaders of the two countries signed a joint statement, on December 21, 2010, which is subtitled as Celebrating a Decade of the IndiaRussian Federation Strate gic Partnership and Looking Ahead. The 25 points joint statement stressed that th is partnership had been marked by close coordination of foreign policy approache s to a wide range of international and regional issues, large-scale trade and ec onomic interactions including modernisation and deployment of high-technology, g reater military and technical cooperation including the joint manufacture of mod ern armaments and transfer of technology and a warm traditional friendship betwe en the people of two countries, particularly manifested in cultural and people t o people bonds. During the visit, both sides reviewed the progress in principal areas of cooperation including in the military-technical, energy and high techno logy sectors of space and tele-communication. The main points of the joint state ment are given below. 3. PD/February/2011/1392 The most important thing in communication is to hear what isnt being said.

4. activities in this field. They noted with satisfaction that the third India-Russ ia joint military exercises held in India in October 13-23, 2010, had concluded successfully. This military exercise focused on counter-terrorism operations. Ho wever, the highlight of the military cooperation during this visit was the signi ng of the contract between the public companies of the two countries for the pre liminary design of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). It would involv e the production of 200250 aircrafts. Besides design and development, the projec t covers the production and joint marketing of the aircraft to third countries. Both countries decided to extend the Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) for S cientific and Technical cooperation for another decade. This programme would focus on innovation-led technology projects. The new IndianRussian S&T Cen tre shall facilitate such innovative programmes. (B) Cooperation in International and Regional Issues 1. Both leaders observed that the coordination of approaches of the two countrie s to various international and regional issues was an effective way to strengthe n global peace, security and stability and to build a just and democratic global order. Both supported an international order which was inclusive and democratic , based on the supremacy of international law and adhering to the goals and prin ciples of the UN Charter. In order to increase the authority and efficiency of t he UN, both countries agreed to cooperate on the issue of the reform of the Secu rity Council, which should 3. 2. 4. Indo-Russian Friendship : Background India and Russia (Formerly Soviet Union) have shared a warm and close friendship for a long time. Even during the national movement, the Soviet Union had displa yed sympathy for Indias independence. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharl al Nehru was deeply touched by the planned economic development of the Soviet Un ion. Besides socialism and planned development, both countries shared a common i deological background against colonialism, imperialism and racialism. Thus, afte r Indias independence, both countries evolved and matured as natural allies in in ternational politics. Though India followed a policy of non-alignment, its ideol ogical indicator was tilted towards communist bloc during the heyday of cold war . While the USA termed the policy of non-alignment as immoral, the Soviet Union di d not hesitate to appreciate the stands taken by India. India too displayed soft attitude towards controversial activities of the Soviet Union in international affairs. Thus, India expressed muted criticism of Soviet intervention in Hungary in 1956 and military intervention in Afghanistan in 1979. The turning point in the close relationship between the two countries was the signing of the treaty o f friendship and cooperation in 1971, in the background of IndoPak War 1971. Man y observers remarked that India had renounced the policy of nonalignment and had joined the Soviet Camp. Whatever may be the criticism against this treaty, it p roved to be of great help to India during the 1971 crisis. Thus, during the cold war era both countries shared close relations in the field of space, defence, t echnology etc. The cultural bonds also matured between the two countries during this period. It is a known fact, that the Indian movies and films have been very popular in the Soviet Union. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union and t he end of cold war, the reconfiguration occurred in the relationship between the two countries. As Russia was entangled in the domestic problems to attain polit ical and economic stability, India, too, gradually moved towards closer relation s with the USA. The relationship between the two countries became sluggish and l

acked the warmth of earlier period. During his eight years of presidency 1992-20 00, Boris Yelstin visited only once India. Similarly, during the last decade of 20th century, Russia was gradually oriented to the western countries led by the USA. However, when Putin assumed the Presidentship of Russia in 2000, a new phas e of bilateral and strategic relationship between the two countries was in initi ated. The Signing of Declaration on Strategic Partnership by the two countries i n October 2000 marks the beginning of close cooperation and partnership. This is the process of reconfiguration of historical ties between the two countries. be carried out in the manner that reflects the contemporary realisties and makes it more representative and effective in dealing with both present day and emerg ing challenges. Russia supported India as a deserving and strong candidate for a permanent seat in the expanded Security Council. Both leaders considered the on going global recovery as fragile and characterised by wide disparities in the ex perience of individual countries. For a shared goal of strong, sustainable and b alanced growth, the Seoul Action plan of G-20 should be fully implemented. Both reiterated their commitment to the successful completion of the ongoing reforms of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to make them more inclusive, r epresentative and efficient. The two sides stressed the importance of enhancing international efforts to combat climate change under the ages of UN Framework Co nvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While expressing satisfaction at the recent ly concluded Cancun Conference, they agreed that the post-Cancun negotiations sh ould be part of a comprehensive package covering all pillars of the Bali Action Plan. Both leaders reaffirmed that international terrorism is a threat to peace and security, a grave violation of human rights and a crime against humanity. Th ey demanded an early conclusion of comprehensive convention on International Ter rorism to be adopted by the UN. Both India and Russia called upon Pakistan to ex peditiously bring all the perpetrators, authors and accomplices of November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice. It should be noted that the Chinese Premier, during his visit to India a few days back, avoided to criticise Pakistan for Mumbai att acks. India and Russia both as responsible states, possessing advanced nuclear t echnology share the objective of preventing 5. 6. PD/February/2011/1393 If animals could talk, the world would lose its best listeners.

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction including their possible acquisitio n by terrorist groups. Both emphasised the need for global nuclear disarmament t o promote stability, peace and security for all. India promised to continue to c ontribute to international efforts at strengthening nuclear non-proliferation re gime. Russia supported Indias full membership to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) an d Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). 7. Both sides underlined the importa nce of successful regional and security cooperation formats operating in Asia, a nd in the Indian and Pacific Ocean region like, RIC (Russia, India China), SCO ( Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), SAARC, APEC, East Asia Summit and ASEAN. Rus sia supported Indias proposed membership of SCA and Asia Pacific Economic Coopera tion (APEC). Similarly, India welcomed Russia joining East Asia Summit in 2011. Both sides resolved to work towards the creation of a transparent, open, inclusi ve and balanced security and economic cooperation architecture in the Asia-pacif ic region, having due consideration to the legitimate interest of all states. On Afghan situation, both leaders expressed concern at the deteriorating security situation and desired successful stabilisation of Afghan situation after elimina tion of safe havens and infrastructure of terrorism both in Afghanistan and Paki stan. With respect to Iranian nuclear issue, both sides reiterated that all poss ible efforts should be made to address it through dialogue and negotiation and a greed that Iran has the right to development, research, production and use of nu clear energy for peaceful purposes in conformity with its international obligati ons. Highlights of Medvedevs Visit to India The following are the major highlights of Medvedevs visit (December 21-22, 2010) to India Both agreed to expand bilateral trade from $ 45 billion (2009-10) to $ 20 billion by the year 2015. Both agreed to conclude negotiations for the setting of two additional Nuclear Units III and IV at Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu) by Russia. Both signed the contract for the design and development of Fifth Generation Fig hter Aircraft in India with Russian collaboration. Both decided to set up joint ventures in the field of hydrocarbon and energy. In total both sides signed 30 a greements out of which 8 memoranda of understanding were signed between the priv ate companies of the two countries. Russia agreed to relax travel procedure for business people and visitors to facilitate business cooperation between the two countries. Both agreed to the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). Russia supported Indias permanent membership to the Security C ouncil and full membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Russia demanded that Pakistan should punish the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorist attack. Both agreed to contribute to the evolution of an inclusive and balanced security and economi c cooperation architecture in Asiapacific region. Russia also supported Indian m embership to SCO and APEC. At present, both share a common viewpoint on many regional and international iss ues such as terrorism, reform of the UN and other international financial instit utions, stabilisation of situation in Afghanistan and evolving architecture of r egional cooperation in Asia-pacific region. Both share common platform in BRIC ( Brazil, Russia, India, China) RIC (Russia, India and China) EastAsia Summit and G-20. Russia is also interested to closely engage India with Shanghai Cooperatio n Organisation, a security mechanism in Central Asia. Yet, India has to play a b alancing role in relationship between Russia on the one hand and her relationshi p with the USA on the other. For last 10 years, Indias closer engagement with the USA has invited the attention of many international observers. The USA intends to promote India as a counterbalance to China in global and regional affairs. Th is may not be liked by Russia. Besides, the resurgent Russia and the US have man y points of differences such as expansion of NATO, proposal of the US to develop missile defence system in the Eastern Europe, nuclear issues of Iran and North Korea etc. In addition, Russia has come closer to Pakistan and China both in com pa- rison to its relations with these countries during cold war. Thus, in view o f the China and US factor, India has to move carefully to protect its core natio nal interests and strategic position in the region and beyond. P.Darpan

8. Looking Ahead It is explicit from the foregoing discussion that India and Russia have shared h istorical ties of friendship, trust and goodwill. After, the end of cold war and following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the relationship between the two countries received temporary setback. Both reconfigurated their relationship with the west. Howeve r, since the year 2000, both launched a new phase of strategic partnership. The progress in relationship in the fields of trade, nuclear sector, hydrocarbon and energy and defence is the testimony to growing partnership. The Russian resurge nce in the present decade also facilitated this partnership. PD/February/2011/1394 My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think thats what she said.

Personality Development

Coping with Hurdles that Hamper Success I. M. Soni A cluster of reasons silently operates behind your failure (or success) in life and career. When this cluster is split, it yields an untidy crop, which varies f rom person to person. Yet, some of the reasons are common to many youngsters on the threshold of a career, or those who yearn to go up the greasy pole of succes s. They are : habits morbidity, nerves, shyness (read inferiority complex), poor memory, ifs and buts, and a failureattitude. Every man has habits. Some are help ful. Others are not. He has physical, mental, emotional and moral habits. He sho uld tackle his bad physical habits first. If these defy him, he will not go far. He should grapple with his bad emotional habits. He should control his baser fe elings. He should put his mind in order and begin to learn. And when his will ha s been strengthened, he can deal with his moral weaknesses and build up his char acter. Some habits are really obsessions, such as, for instance, the biting of t he fingernails. Some people are terrified of cats or lifts. Rossini was frighten ed of railway trains. Dr. Amuel Johnson touched every post that he passed. There are many little obsessions of this kind. Some are harmless. But all are irratio nal. As soon as a man makes the great decision to live his own life, he must ove rhaul his habits. Those that are silly or harmful he must overcome. It is wise t o live automatically with regard to the small matters of life. You must regulari ze life so that you will have more leisure. You should choose habits and not hav e them thrust on you. You must, in a word, bring your whole life into conformity with what you have decided to do. Every man has characteristic faults or habits of thought that are more or less irrational. But in most cases this only means that he has his own point of view. No man has a perfectly balanced brain. As eng ineer, for instance, does not appreciate the value of advertising. No man has ev er yet cleared his mind of prejudices, but he should know that he is prejudiced on many matters. He should not, as many men do, make a hobby of his prejudices. As far as possible, he should be open to conviction. He should modify his opinio ns according to common sense and experience. One drawback is morbidity. It is se rious because it is hard to overcome. Morbidity is caused by some experience in childhood. Invariably, there has been a shock of fear that has made the brain in some way imbalanced. Morbidity is a mental disorder. A morbid person becomes more and more self-centred and hostile. He inclines to sink back into isolation whic h is in itself a cause of morbidity. Morbidity ruins disposition. It is a surren der to the weaker selfto the fears of the subconscious. It has brought ruin and u nhappiness to thousands of young people. The cure is simple. A morbid person mus t mingle with happy people, laugh, help others, develop a sense of humour and a spirit of gaiety. Should not brood on a trouble or a bereavement or a defect or a wrong. The wisest plan is to concentrate on some task that must be doneto turn it on something outside of itself. Nerves ! Usually, this is a word for bad temper and lack of selfcontrol. It often leads to a physical and mental breakdown. Peo ple who have nerves are irritated by trifles. They cannot endure. They are driven mad They have no poise-no steel. Even able men have allowed themselves to become th e victims of nerves. Pulitzer, the journalist, had to spend the last twenty years of his life on a yacht-a silence yacht that was specially built for him-because he could not endure the slightest noise. Carlyle, too, tortured himself by being i rritated by trifles. He once said to himself : Alas ! I ought to be wrapped in co tton-wool. I can stand nothing. I am really ashamed of the figure I cut. Any case of nerves can be cured by doses of will-power and common sense. He own sense of s elf-respect should lift him above the power of trifles. If he has the delusion t hat he is too fine-too delicate-too high-strung for his rough world, he must thr ow this out of his mind. Many endure harder troubles than he does. He should tra in himself to look on the bright side of life and to think more of others and le ss of himself. He should get rid of nerves which paralyse. Shyness is serious when a man remains shy all his life. It is serious because it represses him. It make s him put too low a value on himself. It prevents self-expression. It is a mild fear. It keeps hundreds of men in the rank and file. It may harden into an infer

iority complex. It becomes a sense of smallness. An inferiority complex may do o ne of two things. It may spur us on to develop ourselves and do our best, or it may send us into a hole. If a young man has no pluck, his inferiority complex wi ll make him a weakling. He will be stuck in the rank and file. But if he has men tal ambition, his inferiority will stimulate him to learn, to take chances and t o breast the blows of circumstances and grapple with his fate. The best way to o vercome shyness is to meet more people, especially strangers. If a man is afraid of the sound of his own voice, he PD/February/2011/1395 The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.

should join a class in public speaking. He should take more part in conversation in larger groups. There is another pull-back memory. The average mind is practi cally all memory and feelings. The active thinking part is not developed. Memory is the creator of tradition, which is the most powerful enemy of progress, says O .S. Marden. A certain body of knowledge or ignorance becomes standardized. When it becomes old, it becomes sacred. It becomes a creed. It is orthodoxy and whoev er questions it, is regarded as immoral. Keyserling says, The power of memory is overwhelming. It is almost the incapacity to forget. There is the main reason why people are unprogressive. They do not think. They only remember. We do bind the brain with formalism and class distinction. We create castes. We do have our tr aditional body of learning. We rank men, not by their usefulness and creative po wer, but by other tests which have nothing to do with intelligence. We have inve nted ways of dulling and paralyzing the brain. We aim at oblivion rather than se lf-expression. We deaden the brain with drink, drugs, superstitions, traditions and castes. Consequently, when one decides to follow his own reason and to live his own life, he is faced with difficulties and opposition, both from within and without. Every young man, with a spark, has a wish to attain success. He may ha ve a wish to be distinctive. But he shrinks back from paying the price. He says. What will people say ? and I don t feel like it. He makes weak excuses. He says : I am what I am. I can t change myself. There is too much risk. His spark of ambition be comes a cinder. He settles down to do what he is told to do and to live a life t hat is controlled by others-a puppet ! These are the whines of the weak, the tim id. No one can set limits to self development. Many have made history and shaped the destinies of nations though born with a wooden spoon.

If Columbus had said : I don t feel like going on, when he was a thousand miles fr om land, he would never have discovered a new continent. If he had been influenc ed by tradition or by what people said, he would never have started on the most famous of all voyagers ! The weak man is always a but man. He is held fast by the pullbacks. When anyone suggests a new plan or improvement, he says : Yes. That wo uld be a good idea, but. He always has a but. His buts have kept him unsuccessful, ye they continue to repress him. There are always buts-risks and obstacles. If fame were sold in Bargain Basements, we could all be celevrities. The only way that any man can succeed is facing and over come his buts. There is always a resistance to be overcome. All the prizes of life are upstream. They can never be reached by drifting. Imagination rescues us from the clutch of memory. It makes a man look forward, not back. And it gives him forethought instead of fearthought. However you find yourself opposed and uncertain, the wisest policy is to concentrate upo n the near future and the next step. Think tomorrow. Take a short view. Go forward as man does on a strange road in a dark night-one step at a time. As a gold champion, once said : It is the next sh ot that counts. If an ocean liner could think and feel, it would be afraid to lea ve its dock. It would think of the vast ocean. And the storms and the great wave s. It would think of all its dangers and it would be afraid. But the fact is tha t it has only to meet once wave at a time. And it is strong enough to overcome o ne wave. If you have a big problem, divide it up and tackle one part at a time. Wave by wave, a ship goes through the sea, and step-by-step, a man can overcone most, it not all, of his difficulties. A man goes forward by tackling his todays and planning his tomorrows. Every bit of progress gives him increased confidenc e. A man prepares himself for tomorrow s work by making a strong assertion of wh at he will do-by making it just before he goes to sleep. This, says C. G. Leland , strengthens the will. It keeps the brain positive. It gives the habit of foret hought and is likely to awaken a glow of resolution and confidence. P.Darpan UPKARS Exam. Date 6 Feb., 2011 RBI

OFFICERS GRADE B EXAM. (For Phase-I) By : Dr. Lal & Jain Code No. 443 Price : Rs. 335/It Contains Previous Years Solved Papers General Awareness English Quantitative Language Test of Reasoning Aptitude UPKAR PRAKASHAN, AGRA282 002 E-mail : care@upkar.in Website : www.upkar.in PD/February/2011/1396 Dont worry that children never listen to you; worry that the y are always watching you.

 Inspiring Youth To labour intelligently is the secret of my success. Suman Rawat ToppersCivil Services Exam., 2009 (44th Rank) Pratiyogita Darpan arranged an exclusive interview with Suman Rawat who has been s elected in Civil Services Exam. 2009. He has achieved 44th rank. He deserves all admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid success. This impo rtant, thought provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form. PDAchieving top slot in the CS Examination is no small feat : accept our hearties t congratulations on your splendid success. SumanThanks a lot. Without the blessi ngs of God, encouragement from parents, guidance from teachers and love of my si blings this wouldnt have been possible. PDCan you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ? SumanThe importance of Civil Service s was brought to my notice by my father who at his time couldnt attempt the exam. owing to his financial constraints. PDFinally, at what point of time did you mak e up your mind to make career in Civil Services. SumanI was constantly in touch wit h the trends post my under graduate studies; but I took a total plunge after com pleting my Masters academics. PDYou must have read IAS Toppers interviews in newsp apers/ magazines : what inspired you the most ? Any particular success story whi ch influenced your journey to this result ? SumanI used to read IAS toppers interv iews regularly in Pratiyogita Darpan and other magaines. What inspired me the mo st was a factor that was common in them all i.e. Never say die attitude. PDWas CSE a planned decision or your parents wish ? Did you keep in mind some time frame, f or the examination preparation and number of attempts ? SumanCSE, though initiate d as a parents wish ultimately called for a planned preparation based on Pratiyogi ta Darpan is an excellent effort and is of great importance to any aspirant. It is impeccable. Hindi medium issue is an invaluable help for the Hindi medium asp irants who might find it difficult to consolidate their preparation otherwise du e to paucity of quality Hindi medium books. PD Extra Issue on General Studies is of remarkable significance owing to its excellent compilation and relevance. I personally referred to Economics and Polity Issues Suman Rawat pragmatic decision. Though the first attempt immediately after graduation was out of overconfidence generated owing to being the university topper, the next was based on a and pla nned effort. PDThe first step is the most difficult; how to prepare ? Which optio nals ? What to read ? How much to read ? Many such questions come to your mind w hen you really get serious about Civil Services Examination ? From where, you di d get the right advice ? SumanI read the planners available in the market to put things in perspective. Then the invaluable help of my seniors from the universit y who got into services was of great help and more so, my friend Major Ajay Sing h Ranas (Shaurya Chakra) efforts to keep me streamlined and disciplined paying me rich dividends. PDWere you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news of your success ? SumanI was confident of my success in the examination. I, however was expecting a good rank, but the Science and Te chnology portion of General Studies paper perhaps pulled me down, though I havent seen the scores as yet. PDIn how many attempts have you achieved this success ? How do you visualize your preparation/previous attempts ? SumanThis was my second attempt. The previous attempt was a completely unprepared one just to get the f eel of the exam as I couldnt convince myself of taking coaching. However this att empt was a well planned and a laborious one. PDWere you preparing for other caree r opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e. Career in Ci vil Services ? SumanAfter my Masters I was working as a Junior Specialist at the U niversity of California. But the Civil Services kept drawing me so I came back. I enrolled in M. Phil. and was teaching at Daulat Ram College, University of Del hi; along with my preparation. PDWhile the changing economic environment offers i mmense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you mo tivated towards Civil Services ? SumanCivil Services open a plethora of opportuni ties to prove yourself at various avenues. It is a tailormade profession for tho se whom social considerations drive more than economic considerations. It is not without a reason that it carries adage of a heaven born services.

PD/February/2011/1397 Be beautiful if you can, wise if you want to, but be respectedthat is essential.

PDWhile making final choice for optional subject/s, whats important and whats not ? Share your thoughts and opinions. SumanWhile making final choice for optional su bject/s whats of prime importance is your interest, availability of course materi al and guidance. You must never go by market opinion. Sharing my own blunder, I bought the market opinion in my first attempt regarding optional and paid a heav y price. should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Exam inations ? SumanOne should start when one feels that one is ready for the challen ge. Every person has unique circumstances, so there cannot be a static answer to this. However, one year before one plans to take the prelims is appropriate and adequate time to get started. PDWhat is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ? SumanWell as far as CS is concerned, this time the above question will have an answer in posi tive from me. Looking at the result of previous few years including this years. Science subjects surely are advantageous eventually science does play a role in ranking. PDWhat is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ? S umanAny medium is good, as long as you can express yourself best in that medium. PDDoes the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspi rant have any impact on the preparation ? SumanYes in the course of preparation t hese factors do have pull and push impact. But if you are determined then even s ky is not the limit. PDIn your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines pla y when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ? SumanCompetitio n Magazines are of immense importance. They not only are a repository of informa tion but in an archival form are always present as a ready reference data. They save a lot of time and at time inspire and boost a candidates confidence, with it s documented evidence of the success of previous aspirants and toppers. PDAccordi ng to a recent report published by reputed survey agency, PRATIYOGITA DARPAN (Hi ndi) is Self-respect knows no considerations. the largest read and the only Career and Competition magazine in top four magazi nes in India. How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? SumanPratiyogita Darpan is an excellent effort and is of great importance to any aspirant of competitive exams . Its impeccable Hindi Issue is an invaluable help for the Hindi Medium aspirant s who might find it difficult to consolidate their preparation otherwise due to paucity of quality Hindi medium books. PDPlease give your comments on the PD Extr a Issues Series on General Studies and a few Optional Subjects ? SumanPD Extra Issu es Series on General Studies is of remarkable significance owing to its excellent compilation and relevance. I personally referred to Economics and Polity issues. I didn t however refer to optional series and hence cant comment on the same.

Bio-Data NameSuman Rawat Fathers NameMr. M. S. Rawat Mothers NameMrs. S. Rawat Date of BirthMa 10, 1984 Educational Qualifications 10th76% (2000), OSN, Rishikesh 12th68% (2002) OSN, Rishikesh B.A. (Hons.)6975% (2005) Daulat Ram College M.A.64% (2007) Hindu Col lege M. Phil.(2008) continuing University of Delhi Previous Selections 2009Was teac hing Philosophy (Hons.) Course at Daulat Ram College University of Delhi. 2007Wor ked as a Junior Specialist at University of California, Santa Cruz. Got through University of Rome for Ph.D. Personal Qualities Favourite PersonMoshe Dayan Strong PointOratory skills Weak PointTo hide weak point s HobbiesPlaying violin, playing squash, script writing, making crafts from waste materials, reading, Internet browsing etc. PDWhat were your optional subjects ? Give the basis of selecting them. SumanPrelim s : Philosophy. Mains : Philosophy and Public Administration. Since I am a Philo sophy graduate and was pursuing M. Phil. with same subject, it was an obvious ch oice. Public Administration was advantageous considering that it was theory of w hat I would do post joining services. PDDid you keep the same optional subjects i

n all your attempts ? SumanIn my previous attempt I wrote prelims with Public Adm inistration and failed miserably. PDIn your opinion at which Educational Level sh ould one start preparing for Civil Services and what PDDid you refer to Pratiyogita DarpanYear Book ? What is your opinion about the co ntents, size and the time of publishing ? SumanI didnt refer to the same as I conf ined myself to standard India Year Book owing to paucity of time. However, my fr iends in the services did recommend it to me as an invaluable compilation. PDWhat is the secret of your success ? SumanSuccess has no secrets; one who labours the most gets the most; but dont labour like a donkey; intelligence has a role to pl ay. PDWhat preference in services have you opted for ? SumanIAS, IFS, IPS PD/February/2011/1398

PDTo whom would you like to give the credit for your success ? SumanMy father whos e commitment to education is my inspiration; my mother whose love and affection are my strength; my brother Parikshit who kept me on toes; my friend Major Ajay Singh Rana, without whom this was just impossible. PDAny sugges tion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants. SumanToil Toil ye ris ing ship never stop till you see the sun ! List of Books Outlines of Indian Philosophy M. Hiriyanna A History of PhilosophyFredrick Copelst on Introduction to Indian PhilosophyC. D. Sharma Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy The Problems of Philosophy Bistrand Russell My Experiments with TruthM. K. Gandhi EthicsW. Irankena Introduction to EthicsWilliam Lillie A Short history of EthicsAls aid Mclntyre Ethics and LanguageC. L. Stevenson MY STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS FOR PRELIMS For General Studies, after strengthening the conventional areas from NCERTs I foc ussed on integrating them with current happenings from newspapers and magazines. I made my own notes of G. S. as well as optionals. For the optional subject I r ead as much as possible and accorded a wide coverage to the subject. Even though Philosophy is a popular subject for Mains, opting it for prelims was a challeng e. But I tried it with focussed approach and it did work well. I could attempt a lmost all questions correctly in prelims in my optional subject. I gave equal im portance and time to both. As for negative marking, I practised a lot of MCQs bef ore Prelims to improve my accuracy rate in exam. I didnt over attempt, and attemp ted only those questions about which I was completely sure. Anyhow I feel Negativ e Marking is a boon, not a bane to get the best people in. This time I picked up I s India a Soft State ? I have interest in National security and political happeni ngs. I also was up to date on the happenings on the security front. All this mad e my choosing this topic an obvious fact.

FOR INTERVIEW For my interview I read a lot of latest literature, interacted regularly with my friends; talked to my seniors etc. My brother Parikshit who is in class XII use d to take my mock interviews on phone which were of immense help, Major Ajay Sin gh also groomed in personality related issues. I had my interview on March 25, 2 010 in Sir I.M.G. Khans board. My interview went on impeccably. I was questioned on every sphere with questions ranging from my background, optionals to foreign affair economics and current happenings. Contrary to general perception, I enjoy ed my interview, it was one of the best moments of my life. It lasted for 35 min s. Mains Optional I Philosophy FOR MAINS For Mains I laid extreme emphasis on answer writing practice; selective and inte nsive reading. I also kept myself stress free and cool by attending various cult ural festivals happening around the city. Here so, I gave importance to See and l earn strategy to and travelled around and interacted more and more. Outlines of Indian Philosophy M. Hiriyanna Introduction to Indian PhilosophyC. D.

Sharma Indian Philosophy Series S . Radhakrishna A History of Western PhilosophyFr edrick Copelston Series A History of Western PhilosophyY. Masih Social and Politi cal Philosophy O. P. Gauba ArthashastraKautilya Willgenstein and Modern PhilosophyM artnack IdeasHusserl Philosophy of Religion J o h n Hick; Y. Masih etc. and articl es from JSTOR Optional II Time Management Since I was doing my M. Phil. along with my preparation, time management, was in dispensable. Being a University Topper, I didnt want to lose my rank in M. Phil. too, so I had tough times often to balance between the two. But since it is true that nothing is impossible I made a schedule, strictly followed it and sometimes overstretched myself, the entire Universe then conspired to sail me through. Public Administration New Horizons of Public AdministrationMohit Bhattacharya Public Administration & P ublic AffairsNicholas Henry Public AdministrationFadia & Fadia Administrative Thin kersPrasad & Prasad Indian AdministrationArora & Goyal Public AdministrationSharma & Sadana P.Darpan

FOR ESSAY PAPER Essay writing comes effortlessly to me. Since childhood my father has inculcated a habit of reading and writing in me and that training made Essay paper relativ ely easier for me. PD/February/2011/1399/5 Respect yourself and others will respect you.

 Inspiring Youth The power is within me to shape my life. Mrs. Komal Kiran Selected in Bank Probationary Officers Exam., 2010 Pratiyogita Darpan arranged an exclusive interview with Mrs. Komal Kiran who has b een selected in Bank Probationary Officers Examination 2010. She deserves all ad miration and our heartiest congratulations on her splendid success. This importa nt, thought provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form. PDHeartiest congratulations on your brilliant success in the Bank P.O. Exam. Kira nThank you. PD As you are aware, on the great demand from lakhs of aspiring youths like you, PD English was launched on 1st June, 2006. Now that you have tasted t he sweetness of success, so please tell us (i) What difference could it have made if you had got PD English while you were preparing for Bank P.O. Exam. ? (ii) W hat special feature/ features would you like to see in PD English ? Kiran(i) PD E nglish is an exhaustive book of knowledge. One need not read anything else if on e reads PD thoroughly for G.K. and Current Awareness. I was completely dependent on it for my exams and interview. (ii) PD is already equipped with all the requ irements of Bank P.O. exams. PDWere you confident of your success ? How did you r eact to this special news of your success ? KiranI feel that success is often the result of taking a step in the right direction. I was not sure about success in this particular exam., but I was confident about its arrival sooner or later. I thank God for letting me taste it earlier than my other friends. PDBefore knowin g your own result, what was your perception about toppers ? KiranBefore my select ion I used to think that those who qualify these exams do hours of labour to suc ceed, and they do something different but now I realised it was their strategy t owards preparations. Pratiyogita Darpan is really in great demand and I personall y rate it as 9/10 because I was completely dependent on it for my current awaren ess preparation. PD Extra Issue Series on General Studies contain awesome featur es and are of great help. Economic Issue helps a lot in understanding the socioeconomics and financial terms which are frequently asked. Mrs. Komal Kiran PDWas only Bank P.O. your ultimate goal or were you preparing for other career op portunities as well simultaneously ? Kiran Being an eligible candidate for Banki ng services exams and being a part of financial sector was not my aim but dream. Frankly saying I took steps only for banking services examinations. PD In your o pinion at which level of education should one start preparing for Bank P.O. Exam . and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Bank P.O . Examinations ? KiranIt is never late to start. The moment one realises his/her goal one should move forward to it. I myself started after completing my graduation. Six months are enough if prepared with honest efforts. PD What is the impor tance of medium of expression in the exams like Bank P.O. ? KiranIt really doesnt matter. It is the concept that really matters. The basic concept of anything whe ther in English or Hindi is important. One should opt for in which he/she is com fortable. PDDoes the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on his/her preparations ? KiranIt does have as the y do impact on our concentration power. But as it is well said that adversity ma kes you strong and bright. I feel that it is hard but not impossible to overcome these problems. Bio-Data NameMrs. Komal Kiran Fathers NameShri Shyam Bihari Thakur Mothers Name Smt. Sunita Th akur DoBOctober 19, 1985 Educational Qualifications 10th(2003) DAV Public School, P atna (74%) 1 2 t h (2005) DAV Public School, Patna (65%) B.A.(2008) A. N. College (MU), Patna (59%) Previous SelectionsOBC Clerk, 2009; Allahabad (P.O.), 2010; Al lahabad Clerk, 2010; PNB Clerk, 2010; SBI (P.O.), 2010 (Result awaited). PD In yo ur opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing fo r an examination like Bank P.O. ? KiranCompetition Magazines guide us in exact wa y. Even if one doesnt go to classes for preparation, one can perform well followi

ng the PD/February/2011/1400 A man who doesnt trust himself can never really trust anyone else.

details and manner of solving the questions in these magazines. PDPRATIYOGITA DAR PAN is the largest read Career and Competition Magazine in India. How do you rat e Pratiyogita Darpan and in what way can this magazine be made more useful for B ank P.O. aspirants ? KiranPD is really in great demand and I personally rate it a s 9/10 because I was completely dependent on it my current awareness preparation . KiranYes, I joined the classes for strategic preparations. These institutes guide us in right direction and in a strategic way. I would like to give credit to my teachers at Maxmin Tutorials where I learnt many basic things required to quali fy these banking exams. PDTo whom would you like to give the credit for your succ ess ? KiranFirst of all the Almighty God who is present within me. Then the suppo rt of my family members especially my father and mother and some teachers with a wesome personality who has been motivating always. PDPoint out the detailed strat egy for Bank P.O. Exams., and Interview. KiranTime management. Be selective, if y ou are good at particular section try to get maximum in it and then give priorit isation to other sections. InterviewGo through the last academic course you have qualified i.e., degree or P .G. whatever it is learn some general banking terms, socioeconomic topics and cu rrent affairs (newspaper and magazines). PDYour biggest mistake. KiranEarlier I wa s unable to manage the time in exam. Mistakes are unavoidable which give you les sons and experience for your better tomorrow. PDAny suggestion/advice you would l ike to give to the future aspirants ? KiranI would suggest to all aspiring candid ates to have faith in themselves. And if you dont get success at first attempt, j ust think something bigger and good awaits you. Just followConcentrate and have. PD Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for a bright future. KiranThank you, once again. Personal Qualities Favourite PersonKalpana Chawala. Strong PointPersistence and curious to know. Weak Point Feeling low when I do not get something I desire. HobbiesReading novels and magazines and listening music. PDPlease give your comments on the PD Extra Issue Series on General Studies and other Banks related examinations. KiranThey are aweso me features and are of great help. Economic Issue helps lot in understanding the socio-economics and financial terms which are frequently asked. PDDid you see ou r latest publication : Pratiyogita Darpan Year Book ? What is your opinion about the contents, size and the timing of launch (Mid Apriljust before Prelims) ? Kira nPratiyogita Darpan Year Book is a detailed round up of happenings and events of particular year and to every aspirant of competitive exams. I would suggest to f ollow it without any doubt. PDWhat is the secret of your success ? KiranFor me the learning graph never ends. The power is within me to shape my life. I have a st rong conviction that if I do not get something I desire, something bigger awaits me. PDDid you join any coaching institute at any stage of the preparation ? If y es, then what is your opinion about the role these institutes play in the prepar ation for Bank P.O. Examinations ? MY STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS FOR INTERVIEW For Interview I covered the syllabus of my degree subject and for current affair s I read PD English and newspaper (Times of India). The questions asked were : 1 . Banking ombudsman. 2. Question related to RBI (now it is diff. from other bank s). 3. What is RTI Act, what is its changes. 4. Computer related questions, (wha t is rediffmail). 5. Some questions from my Hons. subject etc. Time Management Banking exams are all about taking stress tests. These exams increased my capabi lities to deal in hard situations. Frequent tests conducted at Maxmin Tutorials helped me to understand where I am lacking. I followed the principle of smart an d strategic study to tackle my time management problem.

P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1401 Respecting yourself means listening to your body and emotions continuously.

Tourism Tou ism Article Village Tourism : An Agent for Rural Economic Growth C. P. Chandan The spirit of India resides in her villages and those living in cities and towns have their roots in rural life, its art and rituals. Indian villages, which hav e pastoral beauty and touching simplicity, offer fresh comforting breezes and la vish openness. They are the reservoirs of traditional knowledge. Those in the de veloped world who have a craze for knowledge about traditional ways of life, art s and crafts will be attracted to visit rural India if the concept of rural tour ism is marketed well. Tourism growth potential can be harnessed as a strategy fo r Rural Development. The development of a strong platform around the concept of village tourism is definitely useful for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its more than half million villages. Rural tourism or village tourism stands for showcasing the ethnic arts, crafts, culture and li festyle in its traditional setting, and providing a platform for tourists to exp erience this. It also signifies promoting the concept of home-stays in the host community. Though rural tourism may be relatively a new concept in India, in Eur opean countries it started as early as 1950. In France, agro-tourism started in 1950 and today nearly 20,000 farmers offer their services to tourism interested in rural tourism. Similarly, rural tourism in Spain started in the eighties and the country has nearly 7,000 rural resorts comprising 50,000 beds for people int erested in visiting the countryside. In United Kingdom, rural tourism started in mid seventies, and today it is a strategic force in the rural economy. Overall speaking, in Europe 25 per cent farmers are directly or indirectly engaged in ru ral tourism. In countries like Australia, Ukraine, Canada, Philippine, Italy agr iculture tourism is emerging as a mini-boom to the rural economy. In India, rura l tourism started in mid nineties, when some entrepreneurs and some NGOs started exploring the possibilities of rural tourism. Here the scope of rural tourism i s very vast, where 74 per cent of the total population lives in its more than ha lf million villages. The country has more compelling reasons to promote rural to urism. One, is the immense potential of rural youth, the other is the urgent nee d to check rural migration to cities. Moreover, across the world, the trends of industrialization and development have had an urban centric approach. Alongside, the stresses of urban lifestyles have led to a counterurbanisation syndrome. Th is has led to growing interest in villages. At the same time, this trend of urba nization had led to falling income levels. Rural tourism is one of the few activ ities which can provide a solution to these problems. Village tourism or rural t ourism has various forms of tourism such asagriculture or farm tourism, nature to urism, heritage tourism, pilgrim tourism, adventure tourism, culture tourism, et c. Indian villages have potential of all such forms of tourism. The Botanix Farm House is located in Abhaypur village in Gurgaon district in Haryana. It offers the ultimate in leisure and weekend breaks. It is set in its own extensively lan dscaped gardens in the heart of Gurgaon countryside. It combines state-of theart of facility with the charm of traditional village tourism to create one of the m ost luxurious and relaxing nature health farms in the country. The Kalki Mystic Farm House is designed on the lines of Vaastu Shastra. It spreads over 10 acres of land in Garhi Hasru village near Sultanpur lake tourist complex in Gurgaon di strict, Haryana. Farming is a year round occupation with a variety of activities occurring throughout the year. The exclusive setting makes it an ideal place fo r people seeking an experience, of true ethnic and cultural ethos and exposure o f modern day farming. Spread over 75 acres of land, the Nature Care Farm is loca ted in Daulatpur in Haryanas Hissar district. The greenery all around invites vis itors to a breath of natural village life and other relaxing breaks from hectic urban lifestyle. The Farm has an ecosystem concept of agriculture (biodiversity) which includes Herbal Farming, Organic Farming, Vermi compost unit, orchard and Vegetable garden, bee keeping, stud Farm, Dairy Farming, Poultry, agro forestry , aqua culture. Situated at Talao village in Haryanas Jhajjar district, Pratapgar h Farms and Resorts have a lot of outdoor learning fun activities like archery, tube well baths, village games like gulli danda etc. The accommodation is cozy a

nd the rooms are furnished with modern amenities. Designed on the lines of Vaast u Shastra, the Sheilma Farm House is spread over 10 acres of land at Khori Jamal pur village in Faridabad district in Haryana. Here visitors are welcome Farm Tourism Some important farm tourism may be explained as below : Spread over 10 acres of land the Banni Khera Farm is located in Samar Gopalpur in Rohtak, in Haryana. It is designed on the lines of Vaastu Shastra. Farming is a year round occupation with a variety of activities occurring throughout the year. This farm has a tran quil location. Located in Amarpur village near Palwal in Faridabad district, Har yana approximately 65 km from Delhi, the Progressive Farm spreads over 25 acre. The Farm is based on the concept of Back to Nature. The Progressive Farm provides natural living, natural food, natural care and natural farming. PD/February/2011/1402 Self-respect is a question of recognizing that anything worth having has a price.

to explore the haveli at Sheilma farms and fields at their leisure. Its tranquil location is enhanced by on-site fishing. The exclusive setting makes it an idea l place for people seeking an experience, of true ethnic and cultural ethos and exposure of modern day farming. Surijivan Farm is located very close to New Delh i. It has lush green undulation sprinkled with the most breathtaking variety of colourful plants, then the mud house for a heady taste of village and rustic lif e. The adjoining village is famous for making hand-made shoes and coloured baske ts woven out of thatch. The tourists can be taken to these villages where they c an also purchase these if they like. Set up at Bhulwana village in Faridabad dis trict, the YMCA Rural Center Hodal is the lighthouse of sustainable rural develo pment, imparting technical know-how of the modern farming techniques, creates aw areness through non-formal education and to improve the health status of the com munity. The main objective of this farm is the development of body, mind and spi rit. Apart from these farms there are lots of other farms such as The Golden Dun es Farm House, The Laksh Farm House, The Wilderness Farm House, which offer fulf illing experience in rural eco-tourism. huge respect for the Indian heritage while craving for more such tours in the ne ar future. Pilgrim Tourism It is a widely accepted view that India has been a country of spirituality from time immemorial. People seeking eternal quest and peace of mind used to come her e to gain religious knowledge. Max Mueller, Grearson, including Chinese travelle rs all came to India to seek knowledge. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have originated on the Indian soil. The unity in diversity is the keyword for th e grand country. The Hindus flock to take a dip in the holy rivers, the Sikhs wa lk up to a height of 4329 meters through the difficult terrain to reach the Hemk und Sahib. The cradle of Buddhism, devotees from the world over frequent the hol y city of Sarnath. The great pilgrim destination for the Hindus is Haridwar, or the door to God, at the foothills of Shivaliks. The aarti held every evening at the Har-ki-Pauri, with innumerable floating diyas and flowers is a must for all, something not to be missed. The Chardham Yatra is a major attraction for touris m in India. The Yatra to the Chardhams comprise visit to holy places of Badrinat h, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Rishikesh, in the laps of the Himalayas ha ppens to be the common point for all the four pilgrim spots besides being sacred itself. It happens to be a great site for rafting and trekking as well. Located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi rivers, Devprayag is a fa mous pilgrimage spot. Uttarkashi town is situated on the banks of the river Bhag irathi and its Vishwanatha temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, attracts several pilgr ims. The holy city of Rudraprayag located at the confluence of Alaknanda and Man dakini draws several pilgrims to the Rudranath, Chamunda Devi and the Koteshwar temples. Further up at Gaurikund, one may visit the famous Gauri temple and bath e in the hot water pond. The package is completed with visit to Joshimath, Badri nath and Govind Ghat. As far as the Buddhist pilgrimage is concerned, here too w e have Heritage Tourism India has glorious past which represents the rich heritage. The splendid archite cture, minutely carved motifs, embellished facades of the heritage monuments nar rate the immense skill of the craftsmen of the yore which have been fascinating the world for many centuries. The exquisite marble inlay work of the Taj Mahal o r the titillating sculptures of the Khajuraho Temples or the excellent fusion of science and art in Konark Sun Temple, all tell the story of golden past of the country. The number of important monuments and sites is so great that a single t our to discover the multifarious facets of its wonderful heritage is not enough. Nevertheless, it will give you an admirable glimpse into the Indian history and heritage. At the end of your trip, you will surely develop a several pilgrim spots in the country that are associated with the birth and teac

hing places of Buddha. Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. The city of Sarnath is popular amongst the Buddhist as the spot for Buddhas first sermon, which revea led the eightfold path after His enlightenment. Lord Buddha had attained Enlight enment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, which too is a pilgrimage for the Buddh ists. The pilgrimage to Vaishali is significant as Buddha delivered His last ser mon here and announced His Nirvana. The holy city of Varanasi is situated on the banks of the Ganga. Its name has been derived from the two streams flowing thro ugh it namely, Varuna and Assi. Pilgrims to the holy land, follow the age-old tr adition of bathing and performing puja at the ghats. The Alamgir Mosque or the B eni Madhav Ka Darera close to the main city is an example of the beauty of amalg amation of the Hindu and Mughal styles of architecture. For the Sikhs one of the most revered shrines is the Hemkund Sahib. Pilgrims trek to a height of 4329 me tres to pray at the world s Highest Gurudwara. The pilgrimage starts at the base camp of Govind Dham. Devotees visit the Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji gurudwara at Mani karan known for the hot water springs with healing properties. The sacred city o f Poanta Sahib is visited to regard the tenth guru, Guru Govind Singh. Pilgrims also flock to Anandpur Sahib, the residence and meditation spot for the Gurus. Adventure Tourism As most rural tourism trips would be in the lap of nature, fishing, hunting, tre kking and bird-watching could go with it. India has an endless scope of adventur e tourism because of its diverse topography and climate. The mountainous regions offer umpteen scope for mountaineering, rock climbing, trekking, skiing, skatin g, mount biking and safaris while the rushing rivers from these mountains are ju st perfect for river rafting, canoeing and kayaking. The oceans are not behind i n any manner as well. The forest and the desert regions Continued on Page 1471 PD/February/2011/1403 If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.

International Relations Article Relations India-Japan Ties : A Strategic Partnership C. P. Chandan Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singhs visit to Japan for Annual Summit of the Prime Ministers on October 24-25, 2010 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Mini ster of Naoto Kan has resulted in a strong, vibrant and multi-dimensional relati onship between India and Japan. Both the countries decided to extend their coope ration to areas such as joint ventures in rare earth minerals, some hitherto une xplored areas in defence, and transport and industrial corridors in south India. Prime Ministers of both the countries resolved to continue the talks on a civil nuclear agreement. They instructed officials to ensure the smooth implementatio n of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and accelerate disc ussions on the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), to which bo th countries are aspirants as permanent members. Manmohan Singh and Naoto Kan di scussed the need for open and transparent dialogue with China. They agreed that engaging China in more productive dialogue and developing structures of cooperat ion is the way forward. It requires deep analysis, close engagement and lots of patience. The reality is that both will have to develop indepth ties with China. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on simplifying visa proc edures that would supplement the CEPA by catering for India s areas of strength in pharmaceuticals, healthcare personnel and information technology. In MoU ther e are many measures related to Business Visas in India and Temporary Visitors Vis as for Businessmen in Japan. Under the Memorandum, any Japanese coming to India for business or work will be straightway granted three-year visa and similar pro cedures will be followed by Japan. Each side may issue multiple entry visas vali d for up to 5 years to each other s businessmen who travel to the other country on a temporary visit for business purposes, with a limit on the number of days o f stay. The memorandum would also pave way for more exchanges in the education c ommunity with the visas procedures being simplified for students seeking to purs ue courses in the other country. The agreement also relaxes entry procedures for tourists. India has also relaxed for tourists from Japan its tough entry norm t hat requires a twomonth interval between two visits to ensure that genuine touri sts are not adversely affected. Nationals of Japan with tourist visas, after init ial entry into India, may visit another country largely on account of neighbourh ood tourism and need to reenter India within 60 days, before finally exiting, the MoU says. The two Prime Ministers reiterated the fundamental identity of values , interests and priorities between Japan and India. They reaffirmed the politica l commitment in both countries cutting across party lines and popular desire for upgrading bilateral relations, and valued their cooperation for sustained peace and prosperity in a changing and dynamic Asia and the world. In this context, t hey expressed their common desire to further consolidate, enhance and expand the Strategic and Global Partnership between them through the second decade of the 21st Century. Dr. Singh and Naoto Kan expressed satisfaction at the steady growt h of political exchanges, dialogue and policy coordination at all levels. They p ositively evaluated Ministerial-level annual dialogues and exchanges between For eign Minister, Defense Minister and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of J apan and External Affairs Minister, Defense Minister, Commerce and Industry Mini ster and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India and noted that all these exchanges were successfully accomplished in 2010. India and Japan also sup ported the establishment of a Ministerial Level Economic Dialogue between them t o give strategic and long-term policy orientation to their bilateral economic en gagement, taking into account the regional and global context and to coordinate economic issues of cross-cutting nature, including infrastructure development an d financing. They welcomed the launch of the 2 plus 2 dialogue at Subcabinet / Sen ior Official level and the launch of a dialogue on Africa at the official level in 2010 as a reflection of wider policy consultation and coordination on foreign policy and security issues. Both Prime Ministers welcomed the successful conclu sion of negotiations on a balanced and mutually beneficial Japan-India Comprehen sive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). They directed their concerned author

ities to work towards early entry into force of CEPA and its smooth implementati on. They expressed optimism that Japan-India CEPA will deepen their economic eng agement, in terms of trade in goods and services, investment and cooperation and contribute to mutual prosperity. They hailed CEPA between these two leading eco nomies of Asia as an important step for regional integration. Both of them under lined the vital importance of economic cooperation, including Japan s Official D evelopment Assistance to India and Special Economic Partnership Initiatives, in strengthening Japan-India partnership. Prime Minister Singh expressed his apprec iation to the Government and the people of Japan for Japan s generous role in In dia s development. The two Prime Ministers aimed for early completion of both ph ases of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor in India in a parallel manner PD/February/2011/1404 How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning a fter we have committed them.

with Japan s financial and technical assistance, and noted with satisfaction the progress on the Phase II of the Corridor with the signing of the Exchange of No tes for the Engineering Services for Phase II in July 2010. They expressed their desire to accelerate progress on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). J apanese Prime Minister Mr. Kan expressed his intention to enhance Japan s involv ement to DMICDC (Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation) throu gh the efforts of related organizations such as JETRO (Japan External Trade Orga nization) and AOTS (Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship). The two Pri me Ministers positively appraised the efforts from both sides to develop the Cor ridor in an ecofriendly manner as "Smart Communities" and welcomed the progress of cooperation in the field of urban development. They took note of the potentia l of the DMIC project to enhance physical connectivity across Asia. They encoura ged greater investment from Japan into India including in the infrastructure sec tor over the next decade to realize this vision, and asked their respective side s to engage in dialogues on public-private partnership on DMIC. Prime Minister S ingh appreciated Japan s decision on the extension of the period of technical co operation programme, Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing (VLFM) Programme. The t wo Prime Ministers hoped that this programme will contribute to the development of manufacturing sector in India. 28th April, 1952. This treaty was one of the first peace treaties Japan signed a fter the World War II. India had helped Japan by exporting iron ore to them. Thi s helped a great deal Japans recovery from the devastation in the post World War II period. Following Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi s visit to India in 1957, Japan started providing yen loans to India in 1958, as the first yen loan aid extended by Japanese government. Since 1986, Japan has become India s larges t aid donor. In August 2000 Japanese Prim Minister Moris visit to India provided the momentum to strengthen the India-Japan tie. Since then, annual meetings betw een prime ministers, including Prime Minister Koizumi s visit to India in April 2005, Indian Prime Minister Singh s visit to Japan in December 2006, Japanese Pr ime Minister Shinzo Abe s visit to India in August 2007, and Prime Minister Sing h s visit to Japan on October 2223, 2008, have led to the establishment of the St rategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India as well as the further str engthening of the bilateral relationship. During Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyam as visit to India in December 27-29, 2009, Japan and India singed the Joint State ment New State of Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership. It main elements i ncluded : 1. Bilateral Cooperation(a) Finalization of the Action Plan to advance security cooperation, including the establishment of Sub-cabinet/ Senior Officia l 2 + 2 dialogue, (b) Acceleration of EPA/CEPA negotiations, (c) Early realizati on of DFC project, (d) Collaboration in IIT Hyderabad, (e) Joint establishment o f PDF for DMIC project, etc. 2. Regional and Global Cooperation(a) Disarmament an d Nonproliferation, Climate Change, (b) Counter-Terrorism, (c) WTO, (d) UN Refor m, etc. 3. Security CooperationIndia and Japan have been conducting annual Foreig n Office Consultations at the Foreign Secretary level. The Security Dialogue bet ween the two countries was set up in 2001 and six rounds of dialogue have been conducted since then. During the Indian Prime Ministers visit to Japan in 2008, th e Joint Statement on security cooperation between Japan and India was issued. Bes ides, Action Plan to advance Security Cooperation based on the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between Japan and India was issued during the Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyamas visit to India in 2009. The India-Japan 2 plus 2 Dialogu e, which is the framework established based on the agreement by the Prime Minist ers of both countries at the Annual Summit in December 2009, was held in July 20 10 in New Delhi. High level exchange is continuing between the defense authoriti es. From Japan, General Masaki, Chief of Staff (September, 2005), Admiral Saito, Chief of Maritime SDF (February, 2006), General Mori, Chief of Ground SDF (Marc h, 2006), and General Yoshida, Chief of Air SDF (April, 2006) visited India. Fro m India, Admiral Prakash, Chief of Naval Staff, visited Japan in October, 2005. Defense Minister of India, Mr. Antony, visited Japan in November, 2009, and Join t Press Statement was issued to promote defense exchanges and cooperation. In Ap

ril, 2009, Maritime SDF joined in the Malabar 2009 which was co-hosted by U.S. and India. Furthermore, four Indian navy vessels visited the port of Sasebo and the Maritime SDF s training squadrons visited the port of Goa in May 2009. Between the coast guards, combined exercises on anti-piracy, search and rescue etc. have been conducted since 2000. The both coast guards conducted 8th joint exercise w hen the Indian coast guard Sagar visited Nagoya in May 2007. Heads of coast guards of both countries visit each other almost every year. The two coast guards exch anged a Memorandum on Cooperation at the occasion of commandant Ishikawa s visit to India in November, 2006. 4. Cooperation in Economic FieldsRecently, bilateral trade between two countries is expanding but the speed and scope of expansion a re still limited. Joint Study Group (JSG), Historical Perspective of Ties Bilateral relations between India and Japan began in sixth century when Buddhism was introduced to Japan. Japanese culture was greatly influenced by the Indian culture and this is a relevant source of the Japanese peoples sense of closeness to India. Indian first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru provided two Indian e lephants to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo in 1949. This brought a ray of light into the lives of the Japanese people who still had not recovered from defeat in the war. Japan and India signed a peace treaty and established diplomatic relations on Continued on Page 1471 PD/February/2011/1405 The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person.

International Relations Article Barack Obamas Visit to India : Hopes and Hypes Amresh Chandra US President Barack Obama has visited India for a series of high-level meetings and events designed to strengthen ties between the two countries, particularly i n agriculture, strategic issues and on regional issues concerning China, Afghani stan, Pakistan and Kashmir. The Presidents historic visit to India offers an oppo rtunity to set a new course for the direction of the USIndia partnership-one tha t acknowledges Indias growing global role and the changing Asian strategic landsc ape that makes strong USIndian partnership imperative for stability and prosperi ty in the region. Among the agreements reached during Obamas visit are US D 10 bi llion worth of business deals designed to boost US exports amid the countrys slug gish economy. Obama has also endorsed Indias bid for a permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council that could significantly change the contours of IndoUS ties. T heir commonality is based on various aspects and has broad dimensions. The US an d India share common values based on their democratic, multi-cultural, multiethn ic and multi-religious societies, as well as a strong entrepreneurial spirit, al l of which support the bilateral Strategic Partnership. Both the US and India ar e committed to full exploitation of the mutual benefits of globalization, which is an irreversible process driven by technology and the development of human res ources in an increasingly knowledge-based world. Through mutual harnessing of te chnology and human capital, the US and India can forge a unique partnership to a chieve greater competitiveness and prosperity for the citizens of both nations. This feeling got reflected in the very first comments of the US President during his tour to India as he said, we took this trip with the intention of strengthen ing what is already an incredible friendship between the United States and India . As I ve said earlier during my visit, I believe that the partnership between t he United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. We are the two largest democracies in the world. We share extraordinary people-to-people contacts. Most importantly, we share a core set of values. Furt her he said, During the course of these discussions between myself and the Prime Minister, myself and the President, and other members of the Indian delegation, that we will be able to continue to build on the commercial ties that we already have to strengthen our cooperation in our bilateral relations in the internatio nal economy; that we ll be able to focus on issues like counter-terrorism in ord er to assure that both the United States and India are secure well into the futu re; that we can build on the people-to-people ties that are in part grounded in the millions of Indian Americans who contribute so much to our country and help give us an appreciation of Indian life; and that, given that India is not simply an emerging power, but now is a world power, that the United States and India w ill be able to work together to promote the international principles, the rules of interaction between nations that can promote peace and stability and prosperi ty not only for our two nations, but for the world as a whole. two blocs. This al ienated it from America. The decision of US to sell arms to Pakistan further dis tanced the two countries. During his visit to US in 1954, Pandit Nehru strongly protested against this but to little avail. Indias strong socialist leanings and growing closeness with the Soviet Union further strained the relations. Dwight E isenhower, known for his India leanings was the first US President to visit Indi a in 1959. The reign of John F. Kennedy (19611963), saw India as a partner agains t the rising power of communist China. This resulted in military and strategic a ssistance by US to India during its 1962 border conflict with China. During Kenn edys period, US helped establish one of the first computer science departments at IIT, Kanpur. In 1969 Richard Nixon became the second American President to tour India, but not much came out of it. From 1970 to 80The decade of seventies saw a change in the foreign policy of the US. While it turned with warmth and support towards Pakistan, it attempted to woo China and decided to ignore India. The th en President Richard Nixons dislike towards India and its people is often blamed for this worsening of relations. During the 1971 war with Bangladesh, US clearly expressed its support in favour of Pakistan. Indira Gandhis visit to the US in t

he same year turned out to be completely fruitless. The 1974 Pokharan nuclear te st resulted in increased suspicion and innumerable economic sanctions on India. 1975 was a significant year as an embargo on arms sale to India was lifted by th e then President Gerald Ford. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter visited India. Fro m 1980 to 90With the collapse of Communism, American interests and outlook toward s the international order changed. Meanwhile its continued help to Pakistan kept India estranged from it. HowRelation Scale in Chronological From Second World War to 1970After independence, though the decade of 50s was tha t of poverty and underdevelopment when a weak, divided nation was staggeringly p icking up its broken bits, yet, India earned respect internationally due to Pand it Jawaharlal Nehrus calculative policy of Non-Alignment, at a time when the worl d had polarized into PD/February/2011/1406 Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address.

ever, the 80s saw some sunshine and the bilateral relations began to improve due to numerous high level visits and inking of several economic, military and cult ural agreements. Indira Gandhis visit to the US in 1982 resulted in the latter ag reeing to supply fuel and spare parts for the nuclear power plant at Tarapur. Ra jiv Gandhis visit to the US in 1985 was greatly successful as a bilateral agreeme nt on scientific and technological exchanges was agreed upon by the two states. From 1990 to 2000With the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, the Cold War ended, resulting in the rise of new geo-political equations and providing a much neede d boost to Indo-US camaraderie. With the introduction of New Economic Reforms by Manmohan Singh, India opened its markets and the relations between the two coun tries got a fresh lease of life. In fact from 1991 to 2004, the stock of FDI inf low from the US increased from US $ 11.3 million to $ 344.4 million. In 1994 PM Narasimha Rao visited America when several agreements were signed. He also addre ssed a joint session of the Congress. India and US signed an Extradition treaty in 1997. In 1998 the NDA government tested nuclear bombs at Pokhran for a second time, resulting in US sanctions under the Glenn Amendment Act. From 2000 onward sThe 9/11 attack on America in 2001 became a new parameter that began to influenc e the politics world over, including the Indo-US relations. Terrorism, nuclear p roliferation, rise of China and economic and environmental concerns became major factors determining the ties between the two states at the dawn of the new mill ennium. While the terror attack on Pentagon and World Trade Centre created suspi cions against Pakistan, Chinas rapid rise became a major cause of concern for the US. India began to be looked upon by the worlds only superpower as a safety valv e in South Asia. Bill Clintons love for India further catapulted us from the peri pherals to the position of a strategic partner. In 2000, India and the USA agree d to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism. And in the same year Bill Clinton became the fourth American President to tour India on a highly successful trip that literally changed equations between the top leade rships of the two countries. The George W. Bush years are argued to be the best for India, though not as much for the world at large. In 2001, Bush lifted postP okharan II sanctions imposed on India. In the next year 2002, the IndoUS High Te chnology Cooperation Group came into being. In 2005 an Open Skies Agreement sign ed between the two countries. In the same year Manmohan Singh visited America an d many agreements, including the civil nuclear deal, were inked. In the 21st cen tury, the US has become Indias largest investment partner with American direct in vestment of $ 9 billion accounting for 9% of total foreign investment into India . The Obama eraInitially, it was believed that due to Obama administrations excess ive emphasis on China and the promises made on Iraq and Afghanistan, relations w ith India would take a backseat. The fears were supported by the fact that in Fe bruary 2009 India was excluded from the list of countries that the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured during her first South Asia visit. But Mrs. Clin ton allayed the fears when she visited India in July in the same year and called India a key partner. She institutionalized what is known as Strategic Dialogue between the two countries. In the same year India strongly criticized Obama admi nistrations decision to limit H-1B visas and that issue continues to be a thorn f or the two sides. In May 2009, Obama reiterated his anti-outsourcing views and c riticized the current US tax policy for favouring companies who outsourced jobs. The ties in his reign have been highlighted by symbolisms Dr. Manmohan Singh was the first head of the government that Obama hosted after becoming President, th is is his biggest state visit to any country, he calls Singh a guru and has spok en glowingly about Mahatma Gandhi and enviously about Indias knowledge and econom ic prowess. Singhs visit of 2009 was marked by a new Knowledge Initiative, launch of USIndia Financial and Economic Partnership etc. With this visit of President Obama [November 2010], touted as his largest in his presidency term till now, there i s a potential of correcting the chart which seems to be going away from the path set by his recent predecessors. It is a chance for India to showcase warmth whi ch is at once symbolic of its love for the Americans and is also an indicator th

at they can depend on their partner in the East. That partner may not be China i f everything goes well. Agreements Signed During Obamas Visit India and the United States have agreed to set up a research and development cen tre for clean energy in India and will provide annual funding of $ 5 million eac h for five years to complete joint research in solar, biofuels and energy effici ency. US signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to set up a Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership for research and development of secure and proliferation resistant reactor systems. MoU to establish an India-US Energy Co operation Programme. It will mobilise private sector expertise and resources to address clean energy-related issues in India and the US. This will broadly cover all sources of energy, including renewable source, and ties in with Obamas focus on climate change. Agreement on technical cooperation to study Indias annual mon soon rains. The agreement is likely to help India improve its capability in pred icting monsoon, which is crucial for the agriculture sector, crop weather predic tion and predicting floods. MoU between India and the US on shale gas resources which will see US technology used to assess shale gas resources in India. India does not have technology to exploit shale gas, an unconventional gas trapped in sedimentary rocks and the US is a pioneer in the field.

PD/February/2011/1407 It is a mans own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

India and the US signed MoU on establishing and operating a Global Disease Detec tion Centre in India. The MoU would be implemented through an agreed plan betwee n the National Centre for Disease Control, India and the Centre for Disease Cont rol, Atlanta. The agreement would enable sharing best practices for detection an d response to emerging infections culture and counter-terrorism. The two sides launched a Knowledge Initiative wit h a total funding of US D 10 million that will be allocated to increasing univer sity linkages and junior faculty development exchanges between U.S. and Indian u niversities and they also agreed to launch the US-India Financial and Economic P artnership to strengthen engagement on economic, financial and investment relate d issues. Both the leaders reaffirmed their intention to move ahead and operatio nalize the provisions of the Civil Nuclear Agreement at the earliest and also ag reed to consult regularly and seek the early start of negotiations on a multilat eral, non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty at the Conference on Disarmament. They further committed themselves to st rengthening and reform the global economic and financial architecture in the G-2 0, World Bank and the IMF, and to achieving genuine reform of the United Nations including in its Security Council in a manner that reflects the contemporary re alities of the 21st century. Secretary Clinton and External Affairs Minister est ablished a Strategic Dialogue during the formers visit to India in July 2009, to be pursued by bilateral working groups of five principal fields viz; Strategic Coo peration on nonproliferation, counter-terrorism and military; Energy and Climate Change; Education and Development on education and womens empowerment; Economics , Trade and Agriculture on business, trade and food security; and Science and Te chnology, Health and Innovation on major technologies and global health challeng es which will lead to more focus on areas of common interest. The two sides sign ed a Technology Safeguards Agreement that will allow India to launch satellites containing US parts on its satellite launch vehicles for non-commercial purposes . They also established a $ 30 million Science and Technology Endowment for vari ous related projects. India-US Economic Relations The growing economic partnershi p between the US and India has been one of the pillars of the transformed bilateral relationship. In the Joint State ment issued on November 24, 2009, during Prime Ministers state visit to Washingto n, Prime Minister and President Obama agreed to launch the India-US Financial an d Economic Partnership to strengthen bilateral engagement on macroeconomic, fina ncial, and investmentrelated issues. India has emerged as a thriving market for US exports, which nearly tripled in value between 2004 and 2007. The upward tren d has continued in 2008, though at a slower rate and declined in 2009 due to the global economic downturn. The total trade during 2008 was US $ 434 billion (Indi as exports to US 25.7 and US exports to India-177) as compared to US $ 216 billion (155 + 61) in the year 2004. The total trade during January-August 2009 was US $ 2 44 billion (136 bn + 108 bn). Major US exports to India include aircraft and aviati on-related products, fertilizers, other machinery, precious stones and metals, o rganic chemicals, optical and medical instruments. Major components of Indias exp ort to the US include gems and jewellery, textiles, pharmaceuticals, organic che micals, engineering goods and, since last year, iron and steel products. The US is the third largest source of foreign direct investments in India. Cumulative F DI inflows from the USA till July 2009 were $ 9.71 billion. The FDI inflows from USA to India increased from US $ 502 million in 2004-05 to US $ 1.80 billion in 2008-09. The sectors attracting FDI from USA are Fuels (Power and Oil Refinery) , Telecommunications, Electrical equipments (including computer software and ele ctronics), Food Processing Industries and Service sector. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, investments from India to US in 2006 were estimated at around US $ 2 billion and rose sharply in 2007 to touch US $ 13 billion. In 200 7-08 alone, an estimated US $ 10.25 billion was invested by Indian companies in the US. Consequently, by industry estimates, an additional 65,000 jobs were crea

ted in the US in diverse sectors (steel, chemicals, hotels, and beverages, autom obile). Major Areas of Cooperation in the Recent Past In recent years, there have been close and frequent contacts at political and of ficial levels. There is now a wide-ranging dialogue on global, regional and bila teral issues of mutual interest between the two countries. Prime Ministers visit to USA in November 2009Prime Minister visited Washington in November 2009, at the invitation of President Obama as his first State Guest. The visit focused on th e common interests and shared values in a strategic partnership of global releva nce and reflects the vision and resolve of the two leaders to embark upon a new phase in their bilateral partnership. Prime Minister had met President Obama for the first time in London in April 2009 on the sidelines of G-20 Summit He met th e President again in LAquila in Italy and also during the G-20 Summit in Pittsbur g, USA in September 2009. Earlier, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited In dia in July 2009 and had launched a new Strategic Dialogue with External Affairs Ministry. A Joint Statement titled India and the United States : Partnership for a Better World was issued by Prime Minister and President Obama on November 24th 2009, which highlights the main areas of cooperation. Both the leaders recogniz ed that the India-US partnership is indispensable for global peace and security and acknowledged the common threat that international terrorism poses to regiona l and global security. The Statement also focussed on trade and investment, clea n and efficient energy, science and technology, space, high technology, educatio n, health, agriPD/February/2011/1408 The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.

Indo-US Defence CooperationDuring PMs visit, both Governments agreed to continue p ursuing mutually beneficial defence cooperation through the existing security di alogue, service-level exchanges, defence exercises and trade and technology tran sfer and collaboration. The New Framework for India-US Defence Relationship signed between the two sides on June 28, 2005 and the India-US Framework for Maritime S ecurity Cooperation signed in March 2006 have added a new dynamism to the IndoUS defence ties. Under the Framework for Defence Cooperation, six Joint Working Gro ups are functioning. Joint Exercises between the three Services of both countrie s have improved in scale and frequency since the signing of the New Framework. F rom the US, India has presently contracted for defence equipments such as radars , maritime patrol aircraft, transport aircraft, anti ship missiles etc. Indo-US Space Cooperation The US-India Joint Working Group on Civil Space Cooperation is the forum for discussions on joint activities in space. India signed a landmark agreement with NASA at their Ames Research Centre on July 28, 2008 to carry out lunar exploration. India s first unmanned lunar mission, Chandrayaan-I was succe ssfully launched from Shriharikota on 22nd October, 2008 and carried two NASA pa yloadsa Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar to map ice deposits in the moon s surf ace and a Moon Mineralogy Maper to assess mineral resources of the Moon. A Techn ology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) signed with the US on July 20, 2009 in New Delh i during the visit of US Secretary of State, will open up fresh opportunities fo r India in the field of space launches and will facilitate the launch of non-com mercial US satellites and satellites with US components on Indian launch vehicle s. US has subsequently approved launch of ALSAT-2A and 2B satellites by Polar Sa tellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). A Letter of Intent was signed between ISRO and NA SA on November 18, 2009, on Oceansat-2 collaboration, on the sidelines of the 6th plen ary session of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in Washington. The Oceansat -2 was successfully launched by ISRO from Sriharikota on September 23, 2009 usin g PSLV. This would enable the US agencies to receive Oceansat-2 data for researc h, education etc. Indo-US Cooperation in Science and TechnologyIndia and the US s igned a Science and Technology Agreement on October 17, 2005 that deals with IPR issues and provides for joint research and training, and the establishment of p ublic-private partnerships. A $ 30 million Science and Technology Endowment for various related projects was established during the visit of Secretary of State to India on July 20, 2009. The 11th annual governing body meeting of the India-U S Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) was held at National Institute of Health , Bethesda, USA during December 7-8, 2009. An MoU for Earth Observations and Eart h Sciences has been signed between Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and US Natio nal Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in April 2008 and the first Jo int Executive Meeting (JEM) was held during October 6-7, 2009 in New Delhi. The 6th Steering Committee Meeting of Methane to Markets (M2M) partnership was held at Washington DC during September 10-11, 2009 and was represented by India. A de legation from India attended the XXXII Antartica Treaty Consultative Meeting and XII Committee for Environmental Protection meetings held in Baltimore, USA, fro m April 16-17, 2009. During the recent visit of PM, an Agreement for access to Tr aditional Knowledge Digital Library was signed between CSIR, India and US Patent and Trademark office on November 23, 2009, to prevent misappropriation of tradit ional knowledge belonging to India, at international patent offices. A Memorandu m of Intent between US Deptt. of Health and Ministry of Health and Family Welfar e, GOI, was signed on November 24, 2009. This envisages setting up a Global Dise ase Detection Centre in Delhi. Joint Working Group on Counter TerrorismDuring the visit of PM in November 2009, the IndiaUS Counter-terrorism Cooperation Initiative was initialled between the two countries, which would expand collaboration on counter-terrorism, informatio n sharing and capacity building. Prime Minister and President Obama expressed th eir grave concern about the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremists ema nating from Indias neighbourhood, and agreed that resolute and credible steps mus t be taken to eliminate safe heavens and sanctuaries that provide shelter to ter

rorists and their activities. JWG on Counter Terrorism was established in Januar y 2000 and in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008, bo th sides have reiterated their commitment to combating terrorism. The 11th meeti ng of the JWG was held in Washington on June 17, 2009. Conclusion : More Proactivism of US Serves its Long Range Goals For a long time now, Obama has consistently held that Indiamore than any other em erging powerhas the potential to become Americas most important strategic partner because of its geopolitical weight and because both countries are tied together by common values and shared interests. In fact, the strategic value of strong U. S.-Indian ties for Americas larger Asian and, by extension, global interests was considered substantial enough to warrant continued nurturing even in what could be initially fallow years. Nothing has changed in the global environment since B ushs departure to call into question the basic course adopted by the United State s towards India. Consequently, Obama would like to use the opportunity presented by his visit to India to deepen the bilateral relationship even if India curren tly remains more a beneficiary than a reciprocator. Further, although Indias econ omic expansion has been slower than Chinas in comparative terms, it is nonetheles s growing rapidly enough that it is expected to become the third Continued on Page 1499 PD/February/2011/1409 You must admit you have self-control before you can use it.

Political Science Article Human Rights Through the Ages Shourya Gupta Today, nearly all states in all regions of the world, at all levels of developme nt, proclaim their commitment to human rights. This was not always the case. A n ations progress on human rights or lack of it has been an established subject of international relations for only about half a century. Deep in the mind and spir it of human beings lies the conviction that every person has rights, including a right to freedom from oppression, freedom to make reasonable choices and freedo m from cruelty. Historically, most societies granted rights only to the lucky fe w. In all civilized nations attempts are made to define and buttress human right s. The core of the concept is the same everywhere. Traditionally all groups of h umans have had notions of justice, fairness, dignity and respect. Human rights a re the rights that one has simply because one is human. They are universal and e qual. Human rights are also inalienable. They may be suspended, rightly or wrong ly, at various places and times, but the idea of inherent rights cannot be taken away. The idea of human rights, which recognizes that human beings are extremel y vulnerable and need protection from other men and oppressive governments, can be traced back to religious rules and teachings that emphasize humanitarian valu es. Ages ago in pre-historic times it was believed that rulers had an obligation to govern wisely and for everyones benefit. However, this obligation was believe d to come from divine commandment or from tradition. It did not rest on a concep t of personal human rights that ordinary people could call on to defend themselv es against unjust rulers. Noticeably, in medieval times the idea was present in the form of moral obligation, or a duty. This progressed and evolved into human r ights, rights that man was entitled to, which ensured his dignity and were enforc ed by the rule of law. In contemporary society, the universality of the term huma n rights is always being re-evaluated and modified. As understood today, the purp ose of human rights to promote values like empathy, compassion, and goodwill, ar e to be found in all religions. Although the term human rights is not used in reli gious texts the idea is represented as mans moral obligations ordained by God. Ev ery religion has the common message to impart. In the shifting of weight from me dieval to modern times the concept of duty, which continued to exist, led to the emergence of subjective rights, rights that protected an individual from injust ice in society and ensured his dignity. The internationalising of human rights h as had a range of effects. International pressure, both from governments and fro m foreign organisations led to the government establishing global concern toward s humans. The link that is made between human rights and trade, and the social c lause that has been under discussion, has, on the other hand resulted in a warin ess both with the state, and among a number of human rights and development acti vists. The threat of intervention in the arena of human rights has been a cause for hostility to international instruments which deal with human rights standard s. Its the human right to overthrow a sovereign who failed to protect their basic rights, furthering the idea that rights were not just mans duties but also thing s man was entitled to. In the face of industrialization, it was emphatically tru e, the growing inequality and dissatisfaction of the working class. Many eminent people became a rallying point for previously marginalized individuals, reflect ing the very spirit of human rights in making the weak visible to the powerful. Socialist ideas both contributed from and detracted to human rights, as communis t regimes committed many atrocities. During World War II the inhumane acts commi tteed by Hitler, a democratically elected leader, made human life a curse. Every individual was denied their basic civil right. His dictatorship curbed all human rights. Today, human rights have a powerful influence in promoting dignity, the rule of law and representative government. History evidently points to the Cold War between the Americans and the Soviet Union that was prevailing decades ago. It was a war of democracy against the communists, characterized by competing ver sions of human rights as primarily political and civil rights, versus primarily social and economic rights. As each superpower tried to convert the world to its own beliefs, it became increasingly apparent that the idea of respecting human

dignity had become lost in a political agenda. Defending human rights had really become a point of concern. It was a fight to reach the top of the world, humani ty being totally sidelined. In the race for supremacy of power, humans suffered as they did never before. In contemporary society the term human rights, with its universal appeal, is being regularly manipulated to subvert the rule of law and advance political goals. In this era of Globalization and The War on Terror, securin g national border takes precedence over human rights. In all adverse situations, dispossessed groups used their limited freedoms to press for legal recognition of the fundamental rights still denied to them. The acceptance of arguments like we are all entitled to the same basic rights as well as to equal concern and res pect from the state has led to radical social and political changes throughout th e world. Across the globe, regimes that denied basic human rights to their citiz ens have lacked long-term stability. In the era of globalization the establishme nt of democratic institutions and inviolability of human rights have become PD/February/2011/1410 Its all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back.

an essential condition for political, social and economic development. Many of t he great political struggles of the past two centuries revolved around expanding the range of protected rights. This included extending the right to vote to all citizens, permitting working people to lobby for improved pay and working condi tions, and eliminate discrimination based on race and gender. Womens rights are hu man rights has demanded a re-construction of the understanding of human rights. E arlier existing social custom like land Alienation, demolitions of slums, sexual h arassment at the workplace, death penalties, fake encounters (extra judicial kil lings) have greatly denied humans their fundamental right. Often identified as b eing dowry-related deaths, unnatural deaths of women in their marital home has a cquired prominence. But being vigilant towards humanity has immensely reduced ho nour killings. Respecting human life in a given form has made the prevailing of human rights more justified. Differences in culture, religion and political ideology are starkly represented in society today. Many countries have become hostile towards the term human right s. In the past decade the context of human rights in India was influenced by the state policy of liberalisation, the internationalising of human rights (Globalis ation is the buzz word). Intermixing of cultures of different countries and free t rade have made people aware about the relevance and importance of granting every individual their human rights because they are born as humans. All human beings h ave a right to dignity, equality and freedom according to the universal declarat ion of human rights, a product of contemporary society intended to protect the w eak and vulnerable. The lesson of the recent past is that, wherever people are g iven the chance to choose, they choose internationally recognised human right. T hey want their voices to be reached to the masses. All people want their standard of living to be emphatically improved upon and guaranteed than their hum anitarian rights. However, today the very existence of human rights is being thre atened by a political attitude that accepts power struggles, cyclical violence, and war, and by world leaders, whose actions promote this unjust reality instead of a world order based on humanitarian values developed over time. There is a p aradigm shift in the ideology of the way human rights were being treated, a deca de ago. More emphasis is now being laid on humanity rather than on the socio-eco nomic or political aspects of the case under study. It is the high time when we regarded rights as claims rather than appeals to charity. It is the need of hour t o point out that human rights are the new standard of civilisation. All human rig hts for all is the goal of the century and the aim is to ensure that human rights are universally accepted and respected. We still havent gone far enough to reali se that, The meaning of life is to serve humanity. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1411

Career Article The Proposed Changes in the Civil Services Exam. : Are they Biased Against the R ural Aspirants ? Gopala Krishna V. Excellence is an essential requisite for any public service and its pursuit begi ns with the recruitment process. In India, the foundations for a professionalise d recruitment process can be traced to the East India Company. The Macaulay Comm ittee in 1854 recommended that the patronage based civil service of the East India Company be replaced by a permanent civil service recruited on merit by a written co mpetitive examination. The recruitment system was based on the principle of trans ferability of academic talent to administration. The committee believed that Early superiority in academics indicates the existence of some qualities which are se curities against vice industry, self denial, a taste for pleasure not sensual, a e desire of honourable distinction, a still more laudable desire to obtain the appr obation of friends and relations. Accordingly the examination was structured comp rising compulsory and optional subjects like English Language and Literature, Ma thematics, Natural Sciences and Moral Sciences. The Macaulay system of examinati on continued till Independence. While designing a successor civil service the Indi an political leaders chose to retain the system of examination based on open ent ry and academic achievements. Minor changes were made in the scheme of examinati on while retaining the basic principles established by the Macaulay report. In 197 4, the UPSC appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri. D. S. Kothari. The Committee recommended a sequential system of examination based on the dictu m that the average quality would get richer as the stream proceeds from one stage to the next. Sequences would improve the efficiency of the selection process and make it more homogeneous. Accordingly the examination was designed as a sequentia l three stage process : an objective type Preliminary examination comprising one Optional and General Studies (to prevent overloading the selection process by a large number of indifferent candidates), a Main examination which would compris e 9 written papers (compulsory papers and optionals which would test the depth o f knowledge of the aspirant and finally a Personality Test to test the government al sense of the aspirant. The Kothari Commission also ensured inclusiveness by allo wing candidates to appear at the Main examination in any regional language. In 1 989, the government appointed the Satish Chandra Committee to suggest reforms. T he committee recommended that the Kothari model should be retained and minor chang es should be incorporated to remove the imbalances that had crept in inadvertently . Accordingly, an Essay paper was introduced to test the drafting skills of the pr ospective aspirants and the marks for the Interview were enhanced from 250 to 30 0. Presently, the Civil Services Examination is conducted on an annual basis on this pattern. The Y. K. Alagh Committee, appointed in 2001, recommended an overh aul of the existing system. It suggested that the optional subject at the Prelimin ary examination should be continued but the General Studies paper should be reca st to that of a Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) comprising questions on basi c awareness, problem solving and analytical abilities (situation from the civil ser vices arena to be taken to test reasoning and understanding of problems) and data analysis ability. It recommended that the optionals at the Main examination shou ld be replaced by compulsory papers viz. Sustainable Development and Social Just ice, Science and Technology in Society, Democratic Governance, Public Systems an d Human Rights. The Hotha Committee on Civil Services which was set up subsequentl y supported the views of the Alagh committee and recommended aptitude and leadershi p tests for selection. No action was taken by the government on the proposals of the Alagh Committee. The Second Administrative Reforms (Veerappa Moily) Commissi on in its report in 2008 recommended further changes. It recommended that the Pr eliminary and the Main examination should consist of compulsory subjects like th e Constitution of India, Indian Legal System, Administrative Law, Indian Economy , Indian Polity and Indian History and Culture (At present, as the selected aspi rants come from diverse background these subjects are taught at the foundational training course). Recently, in a written reply in Parliament, the Minister of S tate in the Ministry of PersonnelShri Prithvi Raj Chauhan declared that the gover

nment had decided to replace the Civil Services Preliminary Examination with a C ivil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) which will test the aspirants aptitude for a demanding life in the Civil Services. The Preliminary examination is expected to comprise two Objective Type papers : 1. Civil Services Aptitude Test (Problem S olving and Analytical Skills, Logical Reasoning and Decision-making skills, from the Public Administration Perspective and specifically the arena of Civil Servi ces). (300 marks ) 2. General Studies (Current Events, India after Independence, Indian Polity, Society and Economy and Data Analysis Ability). (150 marks) PD/February/2011/1412 If we resist our passions, it is more because of their weakness than because of o ur strength.

However, before the Aptitude Test is made a part of the examination the followin g questions need to be answered : In an ever changing scenario of governance in India, how does one test the aptitude of a candidate for the civil services ? Even today, a majority of the students at the University level are not aware of the opportunity of a career in the civil service. In this context, would it be fair to try to test their aptitude ? If aptitude is equated with ethics and morals, can a Test be designed which would serve the purpose with reliability and predictab ility ? Is ethics a product of heredity and schooling or is it an outcome of the system which one enters after passing the examination ? All examinations which are designed to test the required aptitude like the Common Admission Test for Bu siness Schools and the Common Law Admission Test for the Law Schools have a domi nant emphasis on English and are accessible only to the elite. Incase the Prelimin ary examination is recast along these lines, would it not keep a majority of the rural aspirants out of the reckoning? Does this not defeat the avowed ideals of the makers of the Constitution who advocated an inclusive bureaucracy which rep resents all sections of the society ? The Preliminary question paper has to be a dministered in both English and Hindi Medium . Can an aptitude test be designed in such a way that the Hindi Medium student is not at a disadvantage as compared to his English medium counterpart ? Many aspirants prepare for the optional in their mother tongue, as they have had their entire education in the regional media . Though, they have a problem with attempting the Preliminary in English yet the y are able to qualify due to the their knowledge of the subject matter. Does thi s system where the subject matter is new (and not available in their mother tongue ) not work against their interests ? An eligibility test would logically be a test in what has been already taught at the university level. This is the logic behind the optional at the examination. Would it be fair to test what has not been taught ? Would it not make more sens e if the ethical component is tested at the final stage i.e., the Personality te st and not at the screening test level ? When there is no uniformity of subjects , teaching and standards for evaluation in the different universities, would suc h an aptitude test not give an undue advantage to aspirants from the golden mile u niversities located in the metropolitan cities which inculcate the required apti tude by their environmental impact ? Can a candidate from the rural milieu ever hope to compete with his urban counterpart ? Most of the State Public Service Co mmissions like the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission and the Karnataka Pub lic Service Commission, follow a similar pattern of examination. This has the tw in advantage of a backup for an aspirant as well as assured quality for the State Public Service as most of the candidates appear for both the examinations. If the examination pattern is changed it would disturb this equilibrium. Also, the gap between the direct recruit and the promotee would get accentuated as the recrui tment patterns are different which would defeat the avowed aim of esprit de corps. In these days of demands for smaller states can we afford such a gap ? The syllab us for the aptitude test is being examined by a high-powered committee headed by Prof. S. K. Khanna, a former Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission. The committee is expected to work out the details of the Preliminary examinatio n and submit its report. The UPSC would, then, discuss the recommendations with the government and finalise the content of the paper. Unless, by consensus, the committee finds suitable answers to the above questions it would be premature to introduce any change. Until due diligence is completed it would be better to re ly on the time honoured dictuman intellectual test is the best moral test which has successfully produced the steel frame for decades. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1413 For every man there exists a bait which he cannot resist swallowing.

International Diplomacy Article Geopolitics and Superpowers Concerning Conflict and Crisis in Major of Asia Dr. Shahid Ali Khan and Dr. Md. Akhtar Hasinur Rehaman Geopolitics Rudolf Kjellen, a Swedish political scientist coined the term geopolitics and he h imself defined it as the theory of the state as a geographic organism or phenome non in space, i.e, as a land, territory, area or most especially, as a country. Infact, the term geopolitics came to prominence during the late nineteenth centu ry and referred to the way in which ideas relating to politics and space could b e used within national policy. Thus, geopolitics is concerned with political rel ations between states, the external strategies of states and the global balance of power. By geopolitics or geopolitical competition means the contention betwee n great powers and aspiring great powers for control over territory, resources a nd important geographical positions, such as ports and harbours, canals, river s ystems, oases and other sources of wealth and influence. If we look into past, w e will find that this kind of contestation has been the driving force in world p olitics and especially world conflict in much of the previous few countries. For example, the incidents leading up to the First World War came out of this mode of thinking of geopolitics, such as the 1898. Fashoda incident over the headwate rs of the Nile river that gave rise to a near conflict between third Republican France and late Victorian Britain. The Spanish-American War was an intentional d evice by which the United States acquired an empire. The Spanish-American war an d the occupation of the Philippines were followed quickly by the seizure of Pana ma, openly justified by geo political ideology. Now let us sit back for a minute and return to the classical geopolitical thinking of the early part of the last century, particularly the views of Sir Helford Mackinder of great Britain. This perspective holds the view that Eurasia was the most important part and termed Heartland of the civilized world and that whoever controlled this Heartland by def inition controlled the rest of the world because of the concentration there of p opulation, resources and industrial might. In classical geopolitical thinking, w orld politics is essentially a struggle over who will control the Eurasian heart land. After the turn of twentieth century, the strategists and political analyst s saw two ways through which global dominance could arise. One was through the e mergence of a continental power (or a combination of continental powers) that do minated Eurasia and was therefore, the master of the world. The other approach t o global dominance perceived by political strategists was to control the Rimland ( the inner or marginal crescent of the heartland which is partly continental and partly oceanic renamed as the Rimland by Nicholes J. Spykman of the university of Ya le) of Eurasia that is western Europe, The pacific rim, and the Middle-Eastern a nd there by contain any emerging Heartland. For strategic point of view, the Unite d States determined that it would infect maintain a permanent military presence in all the Rimlands of Eurasia. And it was this outlook that led to the formatio n of NATO, the Marshall Plan, SEATO, CENTO and the US military alliances with Ja pan and Taiwan. Concerning geopolitics as an ideology of self conscious through a set of beliefs on which elites and leaders of the super powers acted can be ev aluated as : to see just how self conscious this process is, really, if we study the history of the cold war, the overt conflicts that took place were conscious ly framed by a geopolitical orientation from American point of view. For instanc e, the reason for both the Korean War and the Vietnam War was understood at the highest levels in terms of the US interest in control of the Pacific Rim. The Un ited Statess motto to control the Middle East and its oil may trace out on the basis o f the Truman Doctrine and the Eisenhower Doctrine and the Carter Doctrine. Obser vably, the best way to see whats happening today in Iraq and elsewhere is through a geopolitical prism. America has embarked on the classical geopolitical projec t of assuring US dominance of the most important resource areas as a source of p

ower and wealth. Today, we are seeing a resurgence of unabashed geopolitical ide ology among the leadership cadres of the superpowers, above all in the United St ates. The new centre of geopolitical competition, as we see it, is south-central Eurasia, encompassing the Persian Gulf area which possesses two-third of the wo rlds oil. Similarly, the Caspian Sea basin and other potential resource countries of central Asia is the new centre of the world struggle and conflict. Until now , the contested Rim lands of Eurasia were the base of US power. Superpowers Superpowers symbolize those countries which have global capacity and strength to influence the events of world affairs. They achieve their status through econom ic power, military might and political influence. For them, the worlds surface is like a giant chess board where the moves and counter moves indicate the changin g balance of power. Thus, their aim is to incorporate as much of the world as po ssible into their sphere of influence. However, the spheres of influence may be in areas of strategic importance in which a superpower can wield effective power . The size of geographical sphere and degree of influence make a superpower the ability to reach a desirable out come. Attemptedly/ desirably, they try to maint ain and improve their geopolitical position by PD/February/2011/1414 An element of abstention, of restraint, must enter into all finer joys.

extending their relative spheres of influence. This is achieved through maintain ing control in their respective cores. Thus, the actions of superpowers are codi fied in geopolitical strategies which try to legitimatize their international ro le. Geopolitics of the MiddleEast Broadly, for the purpose of definition, the Greater Middle-East has been defined in an expansive manner to include the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey-as al so the Horn of Africa, the Trans-Caucasus, Western Central Asia and South Asia; to the geographical region from Iran to Saudi Arabia. More importantly, the Midd le-East geopolitics and real politic bedrock have distinctive aspects on global politics. Many strategists, experts and politicians implicitly believe that Midd le-East politics are primarily shaped by ideology. Ironically, this view accepts the claims of pan-Arab nationalism or radical Islamic groups that all Arabs wan t to unite and that they set their policy mainly based on the Palestinian issue and inter-Arab (or Islamic) solidarity. Paradoxically, a parallel concept is hel d by Israels right-wing. The Arab world is seen as relatively unchanging due to i deological factors deeply rooted in political culture. Since Arab states will no t cease trying to destroy Israel, then real peace is impossible, any Israeli con cessions are dangerous, and it is better to hold onto territories rather than se ek a comprise solution. While there is evidence for this standpoint in the regio ns, political rhetoric, there is far less proof of these concepts in its history . Indeed, no one knows better than the Arab nationalist intellectuals that reali ty has been quite different from the expectation of the 1950s and 1960s when pan Arab nationalism seemed to be the wave of futures line of course. Among individua l Middle-East countries, a distinct regional role and interest often transcends regime changes and alliance shifts. The governing forces are each countys, locati on, contours, resource base, history, blend of population groups and relative st rength. Israel and Syria, for example are bound to be competitors whether or not they even sign a peace tr eaty. Equally, the IraqIran competition over gulf hegemony will continue in some form regardless of who is in power in Baghdad and Tehran. These trajectories ha ve made all the more clear that a conceptual framework for understanding MiddleEast is remarkably complex. Several key principles based on real politik and geo politics is indispensable to make a sense of regions political course. Today, the Gulf Arab states portray themselves in a fascinating way where Israeli issue ha s become a minor factor in that process. The Gulf monarchies are eagerly interes ted to rebuild relations with Iran-Oman-Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and are also most open to links with Israel in order to deter Iran and ensure them more independence from Saudi Control. Real politik, not ideological enthusiasm is the foundation of Gulf politics. They had long pursued this potion: buying US milit ary equipment, asking the US navy to convoy tankers and protect them. US-Israel relations were no barrier to cooperation because their own survival was at stake . Like the Gulf American monarchies, the similar states in the Middle-East were also ready to seek US and other western support to guarantee survival against th eir Arab brothers. Equally, they were reluctant to be dragged into Arab-Israeli confrontation lest these should destabilize them. The likely scenario of one pow er dominating Asias geopolitical future is unlikely. Instead, it will be several powers dominating Asia together to decide the future course of Asia and middle-E ast. Interstingly, the 21st century is projected to be Asian century, as the fut ure peace and stability in Asia and world will be perhaps determined by the poli cies to be pursued by India, China, Russia and the US, for whom Asia is the meet ing ground. One recent analysis, for example, judges that the likely emergence o f China and India as new Asian and global players will transform the geopolitica l landscape of the Asian continent. It is well worth remembering that India and China are competitors for the energy resources found in the Middle-East. These developments and a number of significant global and regional events have c hanged the Middle East in recent years, ofcourse opening a new era there. The US

SRs collapse, USs rise to sole superpower status, Iraqs defeat in Kuwait and breakt hroughs in Arab-Israeli peace making have greatly influenced the whole political affairs of the MiddleEast. The Arab-Israeli conflict as a whole and radical Ara b nationalisms appeal has declined sharply. Individual Arab states are far freer to stake and seek their interest. Free enterprise and the pursuit of economic de velopment have become higher priorities. Geopolitics of the Persian Gulf Triangle The Persian Gulf area contains about 40 per cent current oil production and huge amounts of natural gas as well. In strategic terms, the area is triangular and there is no other place in the world like this. Apart from this, most of the wor lds reaming oil located-approximately 70 percent of known petroleum reserves. We should think of oil not just as a source of fuel but as a source of power becaus e of its significance as a valuable asset. Strategists see it; whoever controls Persian Gulf oil controls the worlds economy and, therefore, has the ultimate lev er over all competing powers. In coming decades, China is expected to be totally dependent on the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea area for the oil, if she need ed to sustain its economic growth. Europe, Japan, South Korea will be in much th e some position. This is the only geographical region in the world where the int erests of the putative great powers collide. In the hotly contested Caspian Sea area, Russia, China and the United States are expanding powers. They are struggl ing with one another consciously and actively. American Administration is determ ined to dominate this area and to subordinate these two potential Challenges and prevent them from forming a common front against the United States. PD/February/2011/1415/6 Conscience whispers, but interest screams aloud.

Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean The strategic importance of the Indian Ocean by definition may clearly be unders tood as a major source of raw materials, the house to some of the worlds most vol atile regions, the incubator of violent extremism, the location for a large numb er of failed and failing states, the littoral importance for the global economy and great power. The strategic maritime focus of the world has inexorably shifte d from the AtlanticPacific of the Cold War to the Pacific Indian Ocean combine i n the post 9/11 system. Given overwhelming naval superiority to the Indian Ocean , the USA remains the lead presence in the Indian Ocean region and will seek to retain its advantage in the navigable oceans of the world including principal in terlocutors namely India and China. China which is the rising power of the early 21st century is driven by the same logic of great powers with global aspiration s to straddle two of the three navigable oceans of the world and is investing in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in a very determined manner. String of Pearls is a phrase often involved to describe the Poeples Republic of Chinas investment in por ts in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and now Bangladesh. The Beijing considers tha t the Hormuz-Malacca Oceanic arc is both the new silk route and the Achilles hee l for the rise of China. Further, USA. China, India and Japan are naval powers o f varying capability and Beijings deepest fear is the possibility of long term tr iangular maritime cooperation with strategic overtones among the three democraci es, Consequently, China has been making a concerted attempt to legitimize and en hance its Indian Ocean Region (IOR) presence. Similarly, at first, possibly Chin a and India are emerging as important sources of the world economic growth and t he drivers of regional integration in the Indian Ocean. Second, the increase in the economic mass of China and India well intensify their gravitational pull and most certainly recognize the geopolitical space in the littoral of Indian Ocean . Observably, the most important strategic triangle in our littoral and the maritime world will be that between the United States, China, and India. While other major powers like Russia, Japan, France and medium powers like Kore a, Indonesia and Iran to name a few well indeed have a bearing on the maritime s tructures of the India ocean, it is the triangular dynamic between Washington, B eijing and Delhi that will be the most consequential. Summarily, some argue that the relative decline of the United States is inevitable and organization of the balance of power in the Indian ocean is necessary amidst the rise of China and the emergence of India. Others argue that structural change in the geopolitics o f the Indian ocean may be inevitable, but not imminent. The logical interpretati on of globalization and trade means China and India are today more reliant on th e seas than ever before. Nearly 90 per cent of world trade in commodities and go ods continues to flow by the seas. Thus, both Beijing and Delhi have greater sta kes at sea. This means a steady expansion of the size and quality of China and I ndian naval forces. Geopolitics of the Pipelines Iran was the first country in the Middle-East to export gas via pipelines. There fore, it has already existing internal pipeline networks of almost 4,000 kilomet res of major lines, covering both the South-North and East-West regions. Along a South-North axis, Persian Gulf is connected via pipeline to the Caspian Sea. In view of Irans geo-graphical position it has a high privilege of being the only c ountry linking the two strategically hydro-carbons regions of the Caspian Sea an d Persian Gulf. Thus, in principle, Iran could have the opportunity to play a ce ntral role in the competition for new pipeline networks offering an important wa ter ways to the land locked central Asian countries. Here, in the game of the va rious possible pipelines to connect the land locked Caspian Sea has claimed Irans role not merely as a transit route, but also as a final market for Caspian oil. This claim not only offers the cheapest transit route in its region for oil and gas but also to be competitive from a security point of view. This is becau se this transitional pipeline regards the role of Iran as a final user of Caspia n oil and gas which further guarantees that oil and gas flows would not be inter

rupted. Interestingly, Iran itself needs to satisfy its growing national energy demand, besides enhancing oil recovery in old oil reservoirs. Another factor aff ecting Iranian policies is the strong increase of energy demand in India and oth er Asian nations. Even Iran and India quietly reached a major long-term gas agre ement under which Iran will supply India with 5 million tonnes of Liquefied Natu ral Gas (LNG) annually for 25 years and with 100,000 barrels of oil per day for a period of one year. Iran has just two basic options here; either to lay a pipe line overland from Iranian gas fields to India, via Pakistan or to lay a pipelin e underwater from the fields to the final destination, thus by passing Pakistan. India has always insisted on avoiding Pakistani territory. On its part, Pakista n has always favoured the passage of pipeline on its soil to get annual revenue in term of royalties. However, upto now, United States opposition and Iran, Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) have strongly hindred projects for an Iranian route. To thi s end, the approval of the controversial Baku-Ceyhan pipeline construction in th e summer of 2002, involving Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey has been a highlight confirming this tendency to Iranian exclusion. Last but not least, the whole dis cussion and these developments reveal that it will be several powers coming toge ther to decide the future course of Asia. In coming decades, the power leverages countries like India and China would have increased manifold within Asias geopol itical landscape while the United States will be forced by circumstances, if not deliberate design to take into account the rising power of the Asian giants in its own policy towards Asia. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1416 Not using faults does not mean that one does not have them.

Indian Polity and Constitution Which Constitutional Amendment Act facilitates the appointment of the same perso n as a governor for two or more states ? 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies established by an Act of the Parliament that is : States Reorgan isation Act of 1956 The first proclamation of National Emergency was issued in O ctober 1962 on account of : Chinese aggression in the NEFA (North East Frontier A gency now Arunachal Pradesh) The State has its own Constitution is : Jammu and Ka shmir Which Article of the Constitution empowers the High Court to issue writs includi ng habaes corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto for the enf orcement of fundamental rights of the citizens and for any other purpose ? Articl e 226 Indian National Movement In the history of Indian National Movement Santhal Rebellion took place between : 1855-1856 Das and Jogesh Chandra Dutt were editors of : Amrit Bazar Patrika Which of the Br itish Acts provided for the establishment of All India Federation at the centre ? The Government of India Act 1935 Ashfaqullah Khan, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ram Pr asad Bismil, Rajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh and Sachindranath Sanyal were all ass ociated with : The Kakori Conspiracy (1925) History and Culture of India Who wrote the book The Wonder that was India ? A. L. Basham Who said that The mythology, as well as cosmog ony of the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were borrowed from the doctrines of the Brahmins. Nanthaniel Halhed Vedic Literature includes : Who headed the committee on Revitalisation of Panchayati Raj Institutions for Democracy and Development appoin ted by the Rajiv Gandhi Government in 1986 ? L. M. Singhvi The famine which killed nearly 8 lakh people during British rule as per the report furnished by the Famine Commis sion of 1660 had struck : Western India in November 1876-77 Swami Vivekanand esta blished the Ramakrishna Mission in the year 1897 The first President of the India n National Congress was : Sir Wyomesh Chandra Banerjee 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 has added a new PartIX to the Constitution of India entitled as the Panc hayats which provides for : a Three-Tier System of Panchayati Raj System The Central Recruiting Agency of India is : The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

 Who called the revolt of 1857 as a war between barbarism and civilisation ? T. R. Holmes To be eligible as Vice-President a person should have completed : 35 years of age Who is the author of the book The Great Rebellion ? Ashok Mehta The pardoning power of the President in India as enshrined in the Article 72 of the Constitution of India i ncludes : Pardon, Commutation, Remission, Respite, Reprieve Under which Article o f the Constitution does the governor of state possess the pardoning power ? Artic le 161 Who said, This (the revolt 1857) was an eruption of social volcano, where many spent forces found vent. After the eruption, the whole social topography had changed; the scars of rebellion remai ned deep and shining. Ashok Mehta Sisir Kumar Ghosh, Shambhuchand Mukherjee, Kali Mohan Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads The first definite mention of Bharata as a region is to be found in : Panini who lived about sixth century B.C. The Palaeolithic Age in India is divided into three phases namely : Lower Pa laeolithic (Handaxe and cleaver industries), Middle Palaeolithic (Tools made on flakes) and upper Palaeolithic (Tools made on flakes and blades) The Harappan ci vilization was discovered in 1920-21 following excavation : By R. D. Banerjee (at Mohenjodaro) and By D. R. Sahni (at Harappa) Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah founded the state of Hyderabad in : 1724 PD/February/2011/1417 The trouble with resisting temptation is it may never come your way again.

 Tipu Sultan was the Sultan (ruler) of Mysore from : 1782 to 17999 The Sikh Khalsa was formed to instil a strong mart ial spirit in the Sikhs by : Tenth Sikh Guru Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 The Chief of Sukarchakiya misl (a Sikh confederacy) was : Maharaja Ranjit Singh district Karnataka) and Ramgiri Gold Field (in Anantpur district Andhra Pradesh) The only tungsten producing mine in the country is : Degana (Rajasthan) In coal production, India ranks in the world : Third (after China and America) The instrument which graphically records physiological movement (e.g., blood pre ssure/ heartbeat) is known as : Kymograph Who invented Ball-point pen ? C. Biro in 1938 The instrument which measures strength of electric current is : Ammeter One Angstrom is equal to : 10 10 metre As tronomical distance is measured in : light year Dynamite, Tri-Nitro Toulene (TNT) , Tri-Nitro Benzene (TNB) and Tri-Nitro Phenol (TNP) and RDX are all used as : Ex plosives The heaviest element is : Osmium The opposition offered by a conductor t o the flow of current through it is called : Resistance Geography (India and the World) The middle zone of the earth with a thickness of 2780 km having an average density of 56 is known as : Pyrosphere Th e instrument which records the seismic waves generated by the occurrence of eart hquakes is called : Seismograph Wild Ass Sanctuary is situated in : Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat The headquarters of North Eastern Railway is : Gorakhpur The West ern Ghats are also known as : The Sahyadris The major peaks like Mt. Everest, Kan chenjunga, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Mansalu, Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat and Annapurna all are situated in : The Greater Himalayas (Himadri) The highest peak of the Karakor am Range is : Mt. K2 (Godvin Austin) Vembnad Lake is located in : Kerala The most important coal field in India is : Jharia Coalfield The top five million cities o f India as per the 2001 census, in descending order are : Greater Mumbai, Kolkata , Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore Economic Affairs of India The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) aims at ensuring universal access to secondary level education by : the year 2017 The National Food for Work Programme was launched in : November 2004 in 150 most backward districts of the country Ba sed on the European Banking system the first bank in India was started in India : at Calcutta in 1770 named Hindustan Bank In the country, which state is on the to p in present in newly developed Education Development Index ? Kerala Which bank h as become the first registrar for Unique Identification Authority of India for c ollecting both demographic and biometric informations of the banks account holder s ? State Bank of India Who won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awar d 2009 ? Anand Mahindra Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited of Tata group has been renam ed as Tata Communication Limited In Global Hunger Index (GHI) India has been rank ed at : 96th place among 119 developing countries The important gold fields in th e country are : Kolar Gold Field (Kolar district) and Hutti Gold Field (Raichur Agriculture As per the Eleventh Five Year Plan Period (2007-2012) target under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), the production of rice, wheat and pulses is to be increased by : 10, 8 and 2 mill

ion tonnes respectively Food management in India has three basic objectives name ly : Procurement of foodgrains from farmers, distribution of foodgrains to the co nsumers and maintenance of food buffers for security and price stability Keeping in view the interest of the farmers as also the need of self-reliance the Gover nment has been announcing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for : 24 major crops FRP st ands for : Fair and Remunerative Price (of Sugarcane) Under the Decentralized Pro curement Scheme (DPC)operational since 1997 foodgrains are procured and distribut ed by : The State Governments themselves Science & Technology Institute for Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences is located in : New Delhi PD/February/2011/1418 Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in tou ch.

 National Project on Organic Farming was launched during : 10th Five Year Plan (20022007) Neprologist is a specialist who treats : Kidney system Knesset is the name of the Parliament of : was : Ferdinand Magellan Israel First man to sail round the world The instruments for food management are : Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Central Issue Price (CIP) Cirrhosis is a disease which affects : Liver Sleep language of Spanish Hypnology is the study of : The official Argentina is : Wildlife Institute of India is situated in : Dehradun RKVY stands for : Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana The Zaid crop is grown during : Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) is situated at : Perambur (Chennai) Bhilai Steel Plant was built in 1955 with the co operation of : Former USSR The months of March to June Rice (Paddy) Jowar, Bajra, Maize Cotton, Sugarcane, S easamum, Soybean, Groundnut are all : Kharif Crops Dirham is the currency of : Morocco OPEC stands for : Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries Sports and Games Jwala Gutta and V. Diju are the famous players of : Badminton Lin Dan who was declared Most Valuable Player in 16 th Asiad Guangzhou belongs to : China Champion who won the final of ONGCIBSF World Snooker Championship in Hyderabad in November 2009 was : Ng-On Yee Boris Gelfand is associated with : Chess Agha Khan Cup is associated with : Hockey (Western Ind ia) Hat-trick, Off-side are the terms associated with : Hockey The playground of wrestling is called : Arena Fuwa was the official mascot of : Beijing Olympics 200 8 Falklands Islands are in : South Atlantic National Highway No. 3 runs from : Agra to Mumbai Hertz is a unit o f : Frequency of sound waves The first Indian to win the Golden Globe for best original Music Score with Jai Ho was :

 A. R. Rahman The national tree of India is : Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) Sentinelese and Shompens are the tribals inhabiting : Andaman and Nicobar Islands P.Darpan The function of DNA in the body is : To control the heredity In a human body, the basic building blocks are : Cell s with : Golf The youngest World Snooker Prince of Wales Cup is associated Being Myself is the autobiography of famous tenn is player : Martina Navratilova The study of Cancer is called : Oncology Bully, Carry, Corner, Dribble, Ceylon is the old name of : Sri Lanka Bering Strait was discovered by : Vitus Bering The capital of Bahrain is : Manama Kangaroo is the national emblem of : of : Bangladesh Australia Brooklyn (USA) is a place associated with : Baseball The number of players in Wat er Polo is : 7 Jatiyo Sangsad is the Parliament Lake Nyasa and Lake Victoria are located in : Continent of Africa Miscellany The medical term for memory loss is : Amnesia Zulus are the tribes living in : South Africa

PD/February/2011/1419 There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.

: Nihon (or Nippon) Koku (Land of the Rising Sun) Capital : Tokyo Area : 3,77,91 5 sq km Official Language : Japanese Major Islands : Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu an d Shikoku Population : 12,77,67,994 (as per 2005 census) Males : 6,23,48,977 Fem ales : 6,54,19,017 Population Density : 343 per square km UN Projected Popula- : 10251 million tion for 2050 Largest Conurbation of : Tokyo (with a population th e World of 352 million) GDP per Capita : (PPD $) 31,267 (as per 2005 data) : 0884 (Rank 11) HDI/World Rank (2010 Human Development Report) Adult Literacy Rate : 9 9% Birth Rate (2005) : 84 per 1000 population Death Rate (2005) : 86 per 1000 popu lation Life Expectancy at birth : 855 years for women and (2005 data) 785 years fo r men Currency : Yen (JPY) Official Name Japanese Current Prime Minister Naoto Kan Japans Current Monarch : Akihito GDP growth rate for : 21% (In 2007 Japans total 2007 GDP was US $ 4,3767 billion) C entral Bank Bank/Main : The Nippon Ginko (Bank of Japan) founded in 1882 Largest Stock Exchange : Tokyo Stock Exchange Total Length of Roads : 11,85590 k m (2005 data) Main International : Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Airports Kagoshima, Nagoy a, Naha, Nugate, Osaka Principal Airlines : Japan Airlines International (JAL) M ain Broadcasters : Japan Broadcasting Corporation (Nippon Hoso KyokaiNHK) and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters National Anthem : Kimigayo (The Reign of our Emperor) Major Cities : Akashi, Akita, Yokohama, Toyota, Tokyo, To kushima, Sapporo, Osaka, Nagoya, Nagasaki, Kyoto, Kobe, Kawasaki, Hiroshima, Fuk uyama, Nara, Kochi, Kashiwa, Ichikawa, Gifu, Chiba, etc. Major Prefecturs : Yama nashi, Shiga, Saga, Iwate, Hokkaido, Fukui, Tochigi, Miyagi, Okinawa, Wakayama, Yamagata, Nagano, Kangoshima, Ehime, Miyazaki, Okayama Mie, Ibaraki, Shizouka Oi ta, Aichi, Aomari, Gumma, Ishikawa, Kagoshima, Niigata Brief History Map of Japan The first Japanese state appeared in the central region of Honshu in the 7th cen tury. In 1710 the first Japanese PD/February/2011/1420 Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it.

capital was established in Nara by Empress Genmei. In 1794 capital was moved to HeianKyo (present day Kyoto). In 12th century anarchy entered Japan; the control of barons (daimyo) started ruling Japan through the warriors also known as The S amurai. Taira Kiyamori seized power and ended anarchy and then civil war followe d causing the defeat of Taira Kiyamori. The power passed to Minamoto Yoritomo wh o established a new office Shogun. For the next 700 years Japan was ruled by a m ilitary dictatorthe shogun while emperor ruled reclusively. Nine shogun ruled dur ing the Kamakura epoch (11851333). From 1467 to 1603 Japan suffered the Fighting Principalities (Sengokiyidai). The Spanish Jesuit missionary St. Frances Xavier landed in Japan in 1549. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan till 1869 and establ ished himself at Edo (present day Tokyo). In 1636 Japanese were forbidden to emi grate. Europeans were expelled and thus Japan remained for 220 years under selfimposed isolation. Cut-off from outside Japan gradually became strong. A revital ized Japan defeated China in the First Sino Japanese war in 1894-95 and gained T aiwan. After making alliance with Japan entered first world war against Germany in 1914 and took German island colonies in the north. Japan began phase of aggre ssive expansionism Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931. In 1937 there was full scale war with China. Japan captured Shanghai in 1937, Guangzhou in 1938 and Nanjing in 1940. Under premier General Tojo Hideki Japan invaded the US fleet in Pearl H arbour, Hawaii in December 1941. Thus Bringing USA into second world war (1939194 5). Japans ruthless advance overwhelmed the Allied powers. In August 1945 USA pla nes dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki causing more than 2,00,000 de aths. The emperor Hirohito surrendered. The new Japan remained a monarchy in whi ch the emperor was a figurehead. Now the country has emerged as a major donor to aid the developing countries. Location As earlier mentioned Japan consists of four major islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyu shu, Shikaku and number of small islands. It is an archipelago lying off East Co ast of Asia. In the east is the Korean peninsula. It is an island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan. Climate Japan lies in temperate zone. The climate is temperate with warm, humid summers and relatively mild winters. The rainy season occurs in June-July. The best seas ons are spring and autumn. Sometimes September brings typhoons. Annual rainfall is 1128 mm. Mineral and Energy Resources Japan is not very rich in energy resources. The country is dependent on foreign supplies for these resources. In 2006, Japan had a generating capacity of 47,700 Megawatt. Total installed generating capacity was 2745 million kilowatt in 2006. In 2005 there were 55 nuclear reactors. Output of crude petroleum was 9,17,725 kilolitres almost entirely from oilfields on the island of Honshu. Output of nat ural gas in 2005 was 3,120 million cubic metres with reserves of 40 billion cubi c metres. Agriculture and Industry In Japan, the leading companies by market capitalization in March 2008 were Toyo ta Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi, Financial Group and Nintendo. The industrial s tructure is dominated by corporate groups (Keiretsu). A total of 1,14,84,000 mot or vehicles were manufactured in Japan in 2006, making it the second largest pro ducer after USA. Japan is the largest producer of passenger cars (97,57,000 in 2 006). The chemical industry ranks fourth in shipment value after machinery, meta ls and food products. As for agriculture, the agriculture population was 408 mill ion in 2004. Rice is staple food. Rice cultivation accounted for 17,06,000 hecta re in 2005. Livestock stood in 2006 at 962 million in 2006. In 2002 there were 1, 08,01,000 workers organized in 65,642 unions. In January 2003 unemployment stood at 55% the highest rate on record. As for fisheries, the catch in 2005 was 57,65 ,000 tonnes excluding whaling. Japan is the leading importer of fishery commodit

ies with imports in 2003 totalling US $ 1240 billion. Constitution and the Government In present, the Emperor of Japan is Akihito who succeeded his father on January 1989 (enthroned on November 12, 1990). The emperor is the symbol of the unity of the people. Sovereign power rests with the people. Legislative power rests with the Diet which consists of Shugi-in (House of Deputies) having a four years term and Upper House, Sangi-in (House of Councillors) of 242 members (96 elected by p arty list system with proportional representation according to the d Hondt method and 146 from prefectural districts) one half of its members being elected every three years. A law was passed in year 2000 giving voters a choice between indiv idual candidates and parties when casting ballots for the proportional represent ation seats in the House of Councillors. It may be added here that the successio n to the throne is fixed upon the male descendents in terms of monarchy. Prince Hisahito was the first male born into the imperial family since 1965. The 1947 C onstitution supersedes the Meiji Constitution of 1889. The emperor has no power related to government. In May 2007 Parliament approved a national referendum on changing the commitment to postwar pacifism. Major Tourist Places Japan has 14 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The important tourist site s are the Buddhist Monuments in the Horyuji Area, Himeji-jo, Yakushima Shirakami -Sanchi, the Ancient Monuments of Kyoto, Marine and land ecosystem at Shiretoko, the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its cultural landscape, Hiroshima Peace Memori al, Shrine and Temples of Nikko Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingd om of Ryuku, Itsukushima Shinto Shrine and the historic ancient monuments of Nar a including five Buddhist temples. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1421 We like slipping, but not falling; our real anxiety is to be tempted enough.

Annual Report : 2009-10 Present Scenario and New Initiatives in Indian Labour and Employment Sector : Hi ghlights Undoubtedly ! in Indian agriculture and industries/factories, the total operatio nal and manufacturing work is being done by the labourers as a key for operationa l work. So also, the success and progress both are totally depend on manpower i. e., labour. For the protection, safeguard and interest of the workers, in genera l, the Government of India (GOI) and State Governments are fully responsible, wh ich (labour) constitutes the poor, deprived and disadvantaged sections of the so ciety. The Ministry of Labour and Employment (G O I) decides the policies/laws, wages, regulates the terms and conditions of service as well as employment of wo rkers for the welfare and social security and their development and creates awar eness through research, training and development programmes. For which, labour R esearch and Training Institutes like; VVGNLI (V. V. Giri National Labour Institu te) established in July 1974; NRCCL (National Research Centre on Child Labour); CBWE (Central Board for Workers Education) established in 1958 Hq. Nagpur (Mahar ashtra) NARTSS (National Academy for Research and Training in Social Security) e tc. are fully engaged in their respective fields for Indian labour and employmen t sector. Based on the Annual Report (2009-10) of the Ministry of Labour and Emp loyment (G O I), several efforts have been made in the interest of labour and em ployment sector through labour research and training, workers education, IT (Inf ormation Technology) Initiatives etc. activities and the main highlights can be expressed in nutshell, as below : the supreme post is of 1Secretary (L&E) and und er Secretary, the other posts are of : Joint Secretary, Director General/ Deputy Director General (DDG) Labour welfare, Economic Adviser, Additional Secretary (L &E), Special Secretary (L&E Labour and Employment), Labour and Employment Advise r etc. The ML&E (GOI) has four attached offices and ten subordinate offices, 4 Autonomo us Organisations, 22 Adjudicating Bodies and 1Arbitration Body. In attached offic es, Directorate General of Employment and Training (DGE&T), Labour Bureau etc. a nd in subordinate officesDGMS (Directorate General of Mines Safety), Welfare Comm issioners etc., Autonomous Organisations, Adjudicating Bodies etc., are various organisations in the ML&E (GOI). Under functional activities, Career Management and Training, Labour Research and Training, Information Technology (IT) Initiati ves etc. Programmes are considered. Website : http://www.labour. nic. in. C B W E (Central Board for Workers Education) established in 1958 Hq. at Nagpur ( Maha.), is a registered society imparting schemes related to workers training an d develop consciousness among them about their rights, duties and responsibiliti es. This Board (CBWE) also undertakes programmes for rural workers education and functional adult education. EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation)works unde r Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and also resp onsible for schemes of Provident Fund, Family Pension and Deposit Linked Insuran ce for the benefit of workers. The Employees Pension Scheme, 1995 came into exist ence on Nov. 16, 1995. NARTSS (National Academy for Research and Training in Soc ial Security)administered by the EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation) and imparts research, training programmes on labour welfare, social standards and s ecurity, personnel management and industrial relation. The EPFO covers 057 millio n establishments and 4707 million subscribers for social securityas an organized s ector. Under New Initiatives (2009-10), the computerization plan of EPFO with NI C is being implemented.

Labour Research, Training and Education Major Achievements and New Initiatives Organisational set-up/Infrastructure and Functional Activities of the ML&E (Mini stry of Labour and EmploymentGOI) Under the ML&E (Ministry of Labour and Employment, GOI), VVGNLI (V. V. Giri National Labour Institute)an autonomous body of the ML&E (GOI) , est. in July 1974, is a premier Institute of Research, Training and Education in the area of Labour. The main activities of this institute are; organising tra ining, educational programmes, seminars, workshops, group meetings, scientists m eet as well as promote and coordinate research with other agencies of the countr y and other countries. New Initiatives (during 2009-10) ML&E (GOI) gave the more stress during the year (2009-10) on vocational training for creating a world class skilled labour force, through a network of more than 2000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 5509 Industrial Training Centres (ITCs) located throughout India. About 106 million training seats are available in both ITIs&ITCs in PD/February/2011/1422 If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.

the country, which shows a progress in this sector. Under vocational training programme of the ML&E, NKDP (National Skill Developmen t Policy) has been formulated. It is imparting various schemes like; Skill Develo pment Initiative Scheme (SDIS) w.e.f. 2006-07 to achieve a target to train one mi llion persons in first 5 years in Modular Employable Skills (MES) framework and thereafter one million every year for school drop-outs and existing workers, mai nly in informal sector. ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation)It covers abo ut 13 million insured persons and 50 million beneficiaries, and it is taking-up Medical Education Projects. RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana)w.e.f. April 1, 2008, in unorganized sector for social security, provides health insurance to al l BPL (Below Poverty Line) families, a unit of 5 over period of five years. Unde r this scheme RSBY 127 crore cards have been issued upto Feb. 28, 2010. NCLP (Nat ional Child Labour Project)Scheme launched in 1988, and in 12 child labour endemi c distts. of the country, 521 lakh children have been mainstreamed into formal ed ucation system. Wage improvementw.e.f. Nov. 1, 2009, the National Floor Level Min imum Wage has been revised from Rs. 80 per day to Rs. 100 per day. The minimum w ages Act, 1948 was enacted for labour. Safety Awards and VRP (Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar) awards were given on Sept . 17, 2009. Every year, ML&E distributes these awards as well as PM Shram Awards to workers. Workers Education Day was celebrated on Sept. 16, 2009 at Guwahati (Assam) and o n August 15, 2009 (Eve of Independence Day), the Prime Ministers Shram Awards for the year 2007 were given to 5 2 workers, including 7 women. Since 1970 till Sep t. 2009, the CBWE (Central Board for Workers Education) Hq. Nagpur (Maha.), has conducted 935 programmes of varied durations at National level for 22,584 partic ipants. Hindi UseHindi Teaching Scheme (GOI), Hindi Workshop for awards, incentiv es, allowances to labour etc. were organised. Plantations Labour (Amendment) Bil l, 2008Plantations Labour Act, 1951 provides for the welfare of labour and regula tes the conditions of work in plantation. This Act/Bill provides safeguards to b e adopted in the use and handling of agrochemicals (Insecticides / Pesticides / HerbicidesWeedicides) for handling hazardous chemicals in plantations and to proh ibit employment of children, below 14 years in plantations. Gender BudgetingNCLP (National Child Labour Project), Indus Project Scheme, Welfare of SCs/STs, CBWE (Central Board for Workers Education) etc. are under operation for gender budget ing including women, child, etc. NVTI (National Vocational Training Institute) f or Women, Noida provides training for Women.

enhancement of knowledge of labour, it can very well be summarized in nutshell t hat; Under Labour Research, Training and Education, several institutions like; V

VGNLI (V. V. Giri National Labour Institute) w.e.f. 1974; CBWE (Central Board fo r Workers Education, since 1958, at Nagpur (Maha.); EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation Act, 1952); NARTSS (National Academy for Research and Training in Social Security) etc. are working in the various fields for labour research/ tra ining/education. Several new initiatives have been taken in the interest of labo ur and employment through ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes), ITCs (Industria l Training Centres) under Vocational Training Programmes of the M L & E (GOI), t hrough NSDP (National Skill Development Policy) like; wage improvement revised f rom Rs. 80 per day to Rs. 100 per day; Under NCLP (National Child Labour Project ) w.e.f. 1988521 lakh children have been mainstreamed into formal education system ; Under Plantations Labour (Amendment) Bill, 2008, original Plantation Labour Ac t, 1951, prohibits the employment of children below 14 years in plantations, it also provides safeguard to be adopted in use and handing of agro-chemicals (inse cticides/pesticides/herbicides) in plantation. Overall, it can be concluded as p in-points that the M L & E (GOI) activities are continuously under progress and providing the right directions to labour through research, training, seminars, w orkshops. IT (Information Technology) for their employment opportunities in the country. Other Activities Labour Welfare Scheme (LWS) The LWS, monitored by the GOI provides help in Group Insurance, Medical and Health Care, Scholarships and Pension for the constructi on workers. The unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008 has been enacted. A wards and Conferences Objective Questions 1. RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana) formally launched under Ministry of Lab our and Employment (GOI) on October 1, 2007, which has become operational from A pril 1, (A) 2007 (B) 2008 (C) 2009 (D) None of these Summary Based on the present status, labour Research, Education and Training activities and new initiatives taken under the Ministry of Labour and EmploymentML&E (GOI) d uring the year 2009-10 for attitudinal change, skill development and The National Safety Awards (Mines) were awarded on Oct. 23, 2009 and also NSA (N ational Continued on Page 1511 PD/February/2011/1423 Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.

Profile International Organisation SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION (SAARC) Established in Headquarters Member States 1985 Kathmandu (Nepal) Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lank a, Bhutan, Maldives. Jigmi Y. Thinley (Bhutan) Sheel Kant Sharma English with in ternational and regional organisation with similar aims and purposes. Afghanista n was added to the regional grouping in November 2005. Dhaka 2009 Summit of SAARC The Dhaka 2009 Summit accorded observer status to People s Republic of China, Ja pan, South Korea and United States of America. The nations also agreed to organi ze development funds under a single financial institution with a permanent secre tariat, that would cover all SAARC programs and also ranging from social to infr astructure to economic ones. Chairman Secretary General Official Language Organisational Structure Sheel Kant Sharma Type of Organisation The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organisation of South Asian nations founded in 1985. The organisation is dedicated to economi c, technological, social and cultural development emphasizing collective Self-re liance. The concept of SAARC was first SAARC adopted by Bangladesh during 1977. Logo of SAARC The organisation was established to accelerate the process of econ omic and social development in member states through joint action in agreed area s of cooperation. The foreign ministers of the seven member countries met for th e first time in New Delhi in August 1983 and Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation whereby an Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) was launched. The c harter establishing SAARC was adopted at the first summit meeting in Dhaka in De cember 1985. The highest authority of the Secretary-General of SAARC SAARC is vested in the h eads of state or government who meet annually at the summit. The Council of Fore ign Ministers meet twice a year and is responsible for formulating the policy. I t reviews progress and decides on new areas of cooperation and mechanism which i s necessary for that. The Council is supported by a Standing Committee and by 11 Technical Committees responsible for individual areas of SAARC s activities of the Secretarial, located in Kathmandu, is headed by a Secretary General who is a ssisted by seven Directors in his work. He is appointed by the Secretary-General upon nomination by member states for a period of three years which may be exten ded in extraordinary circumstances. SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement The Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement (SAPTA) was signed in Apri l 1993 and entered into force in December 1995 with the desire of the Member Sta tes of SAARC to promote and sustain mutual trade and economic cooperation within the SAARC region through the exchange of concessions. The basic principles unde rlying SAPTA are : (i) overall reciprocity and mutuality of advantages so as to benefit equitably all contracting States taking into account their respective le vel of economic and industrial development, the pattern of their external trade and trade and tariff policies and systems, (ii) negotiations of tariff reform st ep by step, improved and extended in successive stages through periodic reviews, (iii) recognition of the special needs of the Least Developed Contracting State

s and agreement on concrete preferential measures in their favour, (iv) inclusio n of all products, manufacturers and commodities in their raw, semi-processed an d processed forms. Objectives of SAARC The charter lays down the objectives asto promote the welfare of the people of So uth Asia and to improve their quality of life; accelerate economic growth, socia l progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential; to prom ote and strengthen collective self-reliance among countries of South Asia; to co ntribute to mutual trust, understanding and apprecia-tion of one another s probl ems; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, soci al, cultural, technical and scientific fields; to strengthen cooperation with ot her developing countries; to strengthen cooperation among themselves in internat ional forums on matters of common interest and to cooperate Continued on Page 1476 PD/February/2011/1424 You are a puppet, but in the hands of the infinite, which may be your own.

Multiple Choice Questions Current Questionnaire 1. India recently signed MoU for High-tech Disease Detection Centre with (A) Sout h Korea (B) USA (C) Russia (D) Japan 2. India is purchasing the gigantic C-17 Gl obemaster-III giant strategic airlift aircraft from (A) Japan (B) USA (C) Austral ia (D) England 3. Judge Soumitra Sen has been found guilty of corruption by a Ra jya Sabha-appointed committee and thus is liable for impeachment ? He is from (A) Calcutta High Court (B) Allahabad High Court (C) Delhi High Court (D) Supreme C ourt 4. Armys Strategic Forces Command recently tested (A) Agni-II (B) Agni-I (C) Prithvi-III (D) Trishul 5. Recently the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (C CEA) approved the commencement of an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) in (A) 60 Naxal hit districts (B) 80 Naxal hit districts (C) 50 Naxal hit districts (D) 40 Naxa l hit districts 6. The President of India November visited (A) (B) (C) (D) in (A) (B) (C) (D) September 2010 November 2010 October 2010 December 2010 (A) (B) tio n (C) (D) Research and Analysis Wing Central Bureau of InvestigaPrasar Bharti No ne of the above 9. The United Kingdom signed treaties agreeing to military cooperation including testing of nuclear warheads with (A) Belgium (B) France (C) The Netherlands (D) Germany 10. G-20 Summit was recently held in (A) New York (B) Seoul (C) London (D ) Tokyo 11. Which year has been set as a deadline for withdrawal of troops by No rth Atlantic Treaty Organisation from Afghanistan ? (A) Year 2013 (B) Year 2015 (C) Year 2014 (D) Year 2016 12. The New Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is (A) J aganmohan Reddy (B) Chiranjeevi (C) Kiran Kumar Reddy (D) K. Rosaiah 13. The New Chief Minister of Maharashtra is (A) Ashok Chavan (B) Ajit Pawar (C) Sharad Pawa r (D) Prithviraj Chavan 14. Dilma Rouseff has been elected a the new President o f (A) Brazil (B) Argentina (C) Peru (D) Chile 15. Justice Arun Kumar Mishra is ne w Chief Justice of (A) Calcutta High Court (B) Rajasthan High Court (C) Madras Hi gh Court (D) Bombay High Court 16. Amar Pratap Singh has been appointed as the n ew Director of 17. Nikki Randhawa Haleyan Indian-American recently became the first woman to win the governors race in (A) Texas (B) South Carolina (C) Ohio (D) Louisiana 18. Ind ira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010 has been confer red on (A) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (B) Asma Jahangir (C) Lula da Silva (D) Tony Blai r 19. Which magazine has been selected for International Press Institute (IPI) A ward ? (A) India Today (B) Tehalka (C) Outlook (D) Frontline 20. The Hindu Best Fiction Award 2010 has been conferred on (A) Manu Joseph (B) Vikram Seth (C) Anit a Desai (D) None of the above 21. Which of the following has been ranked as one of the most powerful women of past century in Time Magazine list ? (A) Indira Gand hi (B) Mother Teresa (C) Both of the above (D) None of the above 22. The 2010 Ag a Khan Award (of Architecture) has been given to (A) Five Projects (B) Six Projec ts (C) Three Projects (D) Four Projects Syria and UAE Egypt and Jordan Sudan and Libya South Africa and Leosotho 7. The state of Orissa has been renamed as (A) Odisha (B) Orisa (C) Odisa (D) Orr isha 8. Aung San Suu Kyiprodemocracy leader of Myanmar was released from house-ar rest by military ruler in PD/February/2011/1425 Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when youd have preferred to talk.

23. International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Male Athlete of the year 2010 is (A) Usain Bolt (B) David Rudisha (C) Lin Dan (D) Michael Phelps 24. International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Female Athlete of the year 2010 is (A) Blanka Vlasic (B) Saina Nehwal (C) Aselefech Mergia (D) None of the above 25. The Most Valuable Player of 16th Asiad 2010 was (A) Lin Dan (B) Swi mmer Park (C) Sushil Kumar (D) Saina Nehwal 26. As per a recent global report th e country which tops the terrorism risk list is (A) Pakistan (B) Somalia (C) Iraq (D) Iran 27. Which of the following was recently inscribed on UNESCOs intangible heritage list include (A) Keralas Mudiyetu (B) Chhau of East India (C) Kalbelia o f Rajasthan (D) All the above 28. Decision Points is a book written by (A) Barack O bama (B) George Bush (C) Bill Clinton (D) Dr. Manmohan Singh 29. National Youth Day is observed on (A) January 12 (B) January 15 (C) January 18 (D) January 22 30 . The 16th FCCC Conference was recently organised in (A) Cancun (B) Moscow (C) To kyo (D) Jakarta 31. Hambantota is a newly built port of (A) Thailand (B) Sri Lank a (C) Vietnam (D) Pakistan 32. National Thermal Power Corporation along with French firm Areva is developin g the 9,900 Megawatt Jaitpur Power Project in the state of (A) Odisa (B) Kerala ( C) Bihar (D) Maharashtra 33. Who won the Paris Masters final of Tennis in Novemb er 2010 ? (A) Robin Soderling (B) Roger Federer (C) Rafael Nadal (D) Andy Roddic k 34. The theme song of 16th Asiad 2010 was Chongfeng which means (A) Harmony (B) Solidarity (C) Reunion (D) Justice 35. The country which led the medal tally in 16th Asiad 2010 at Guangzhou is (A) China (B) Germany (C) USA (D) India 36. Indi as position in terms of medals tally at 16th Asian Games 2010 at Guangzhou was (A) Fifth (B) Sixth (C) Seventh (D) Third 37. Which Indian boxer won the gold medal in 60 kg category and thus became the youngest to win a boxing gold for India ? (A) Vijender Singh (B) Vikas Krishan (C) Ronjan Sodhi (D) Somdev 38. As per the Human Development Report 2010 released in November 2010, India has been placed at (A) 120th rank (B) 119th rank (C) 118th rank (D) 115th rank 39. Indias Human De velopment Index (HDI) value in 2010 UNDP Human Development Report is (A) 0482 (B) 0519 (C) 0499 (D) 0552 40. The winner of Durand Cup (Football) 2010 is (A) (B) (C) (D) Chirag United Dem po Sports Club Churchill Brothers SC Mahindra United Answers with Explanations Continued on Page 1482 PD/February/2011/1426 We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

Current Objective Questions Trade and Industry 1. On December 16, 2010, RBI in its Monetary Policy issue has reduced one of its key rates. Which is this rate ? (A) Cash Reserve Ratio (B) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (C) Repo Rate (D) Reverse Repo Rate 2. India and China agreed to raise bil ateral trade to (A) $ 120 billion by 2015 (B) $ 110 billion by 2015 (C) $ 100 bil lion by 2015 (D) $ 100 billion by 2012 3. ASSOCHAM Investment Meter (AIM) makes a list of top 20 investment attracting states. Which rank Uttar Pradesh gets ? ( A) 1st (B) 2nd (C) 3rd (D) 4th 4. RBI has recently sold its stake in a financial institution to the government. Which is this institution ? (A) IDBI (C) NHB (B) SIDBI (D) NABARD 8. Which of the Indias public sector bank has acquired twothird stake in JSC Dena Bank Kazakhstan ? (A) Punjab National Bank (B) Bank of Baroda (C) State Bank of India (D) Central Bank of India 9. Which of the following gro up has bought and acquired the controlling stake in Ispat Industries ? (A) Tata Steels (B) Arcelor-Mittal Steels (C) JWS Steels (D) None of the above 10. During first half of 2010-11, farm sector in India registered growth of (A) 23% (B) 32% ( C) 38% (D) 42% 11. How many Navratna Companies have been upgraded and awarded the status of Maharatna Companies ? (A) 4 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 7 12. Which of the following state shows the fastest growth in expanding Micro Finance business in the count ry ? (A) Gujarat (B) Andhra Pradesh (C) Maharashtra (D) Karnataka 13. As per the statistics released by the Commerce Ministry, the growth rate of Indias exports (in dollar value) during the first half of 2010-11 stood at (A) Above 25 per cent (B) Between 20 to 25 per cent (C) Between 15 to 20 per cent (D) Below 15 per ce nt 14. On the basis of market capitalisation which of the following Indian Compa ny ranks first ? (A) ONGC (B) RIL (C) OIL (D) IOC 15. The new Direct Tax Code is proposed to replace the existing Income Tax Act. From which financial year it w ill be effective ? (A) 2011-12 (B) 2002-13 (C) 2013-14 (D) 2014-15 16. In Mid-ye ar Economic Review made by Finance Ministry, countrys GDP growth for the period A pril-Sept. 2010 is placed at (A) 82% (B) 85% (C) 89% (D) 92% 17. Which public sector bank was the banking partner to the Commonwealth Games 2010 ? (A) State Bank of India (B) Central Bank of India (C) Bank of Baroda (D) Punjab National Bank 18. Rajeev Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls named as Sabla includes t he girls of the age group (A) 9 to 12 years (B) 10 to 15 years (C) 11 to 18 years (D) 15 to 18 years 19. SAARC Trade Fair was organised between December 15-19, 2 010 in (A) Kathmandu (Nepal) (B) Hyderabad (India) (C) Dhaka (Bangladesh) (D) Isl amabad (Pakistan) 20. Global vision Award of Asia Society was awarded to an Indi an entrepreneur in November 2010. Who is he ? (A) Anil Ambani (B) Mukesh Ambani (C) Ratan Tata (D) L. N. Mittal 21. Which of the following public sector enterpr ise does not possess Maharatna status given to four Navratna Companies ? (A) SAIL (B) BHEL (C) ONGC (D) NTPC 5. RBI has directed banks not to charge above a limit for any cash deposit made at a non-home brance. What is this directed limit ? (A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 20 (D) 50 6 . With effect from December 18, 2010, the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) become s (A) (B) (C) (D) 24% from 25% 25% from 24% 24% from 26% Maintained at 25% 7. Hero group and Honda terminated their 26-year old joint venture known as Hero Honda. Signed MoU allows Hero Honda group to use Honda brand name on new models until (A) 2012 (B) 2013 (C) 2014 (D) 2015 Continued on Page 1504 PD/February/2011/1427 Lenin could listen so intently that he exhausted the speaker.

Solved Paper MADHYA PRADESH P.S.C. (Pre.) EXAM., 2009 (Held on 9-5-2010) Geography 1. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet at (A) Vshnu Prayag (B) Dev Prayag (C) Karan Pra yag (D) Badrinath 2. Mumbai-Kolkata rail-route passes through which pass ? (A) B horghat (B) Palghat (C) Thalghat (D) None of these 3. Which area is water-divide r between Indus drainage system and Ganges drainage system ? (A) Saharanpur-Roor kee (B) Roorkee-Haridwar (C) Ludhiana-Ambala (D) Ambala-Saharanpur 4. Out of the following situations where will be the maximum clustered pattern of settlements ? (A) (B) (C) (D) Along river-course Along road In fertile agricultural plain I n the area of industry 8. Which one is not a reason for river-rejuvenation ? (A) Climatic change (B) Dearth of water in River (C) Dearth of river-load in River (D) Changes in sea-level 9. Which one is not a characteristic of Doldrums ? (A) Co nvectional currents (B) Low Pressure (C) High Temperatures (D) Air Deflection 10 . In Madhya Pradesh, districts with high population of Gonds are (A) Mandla - Bal aghat - Chhindwara - Seoni (B) Devas - Rewa - Neemach Bhopal (C) Ujjain - Sagar - Indore Rewa (D) Bhopal - Guna - Hoshangabad - Rewa 11. The observatory providi ng information regarding season in Madhya Pradesh is located at (A) Indore (B) Bh opal (C) Pachmarhi (D) Shivpuri 12. Tropical cyclones are more destructive than temperate cyclones, because (A) These have origin in summer (B) They have no fron ts (C) Pressure gradient and rain are higher (D) These originate through convect ional currents 13. In an ecosytem third and fourth phase of food-chain populatio n descreases because of (A) Negative effect of first and second phase (B) Energy decreases in transfer (C) Competition in organic life (D) Decrease in food mater ials 14. The coral reef along east coast of Australia is an example of (A) Fringi ng reef (B) Barrier reef (C) Atoll (D) Coral Island 15. Who believes that all cor al reefs were formed as fringing reefs and upgrowth was due to subsidence ? (A) D ana (B) Murray (C) Davis (D) Darwin 16. According to relief of ocean basin conti nental shelf is landform of which order ? (A) First (B) Second (C) Third (D) Non e of these 17. All hot deserts of the world are in western parts, because (A) Tem peratures are high (B) Sand-Dunes are there (C) Are in zone of easterlies (D) Ar e in rain shadow areas 18. The largest pork producer in world is (A) United State s of America (B) China (C) Germany (D) France 19. Which index cannot be determin ed for a living person ? (A) Cephalic Index (B) Nasal Index (C) Orbital Index (D ) Cranial Capacity 20. Which race has Nasal Index above 85 ? (A) (B) (C) (D) Mon goloid Caucasian Negroid Australoid 5. Who called time as fourth dimension in Geography ? (A) (B) (C) (D) Richard Ha rtshorne Carl Sauer F. K. Schafer Peter Hagget 6. Which characteristic is not of Ecosystem ? (A) Monistic (B) Functional (C) De scriptive (D) Structured 7. Mesa and Butte are formed by which agent ? (A) Air (B) G lacial (C) Underground water (D) River PD/February/2011/1428

21. If valley glaciers in their course of erosion meet with sea-coast, then they form (A) Dalmatian coast (B) Fiord coast (C) Ria coast (D) Neutral coast 22. In Madhya Pradesh mostly rural settlements are of which type ? (A) Clustered (B) Sc attered (C) Semi-clustered (D) Radial 23. Nomadic herders Badouins habitats in (A ) Hammad and Nefud deserts (B) Atacama desert (C) Central Asia desert (D) Kalaha ri desert 24. Which effect of globalisation is not true in India ? (A) Developme nt Economic Zones of Special 29. In Madhya Pradesh Rock Phosphate is produced at (A) Jhabua district (B) Chhin dwara district (C) Balaghat district (D) Jabalpur district 30. Denudation which takes place in a limestone region, is primarily by the process of (A) Corrosion ( B) Attrition (C) Solution (D) Deflation 31. Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal in i ts report of 1979 allocated the maximum distribution of water of Sardar Sarover Project to which state ? (A) Madhya Pradesh (B) Gujarat (C) Rajasthan (D) Mahara shtra 32. Out of the following which is the purpose of Ganga Action Plan ? (A) P roviding Electric Crematorium (B) Plantation along river course (C) Blocking res iduals from Municipal Committees, changing direction (D) All of the above 33. Wh ich industry is developed in Shahdol and Nepanagar ? (A) Sugar Industry (B) Cott on Textile Industry (C) Paper and Pulp Industry (D) Cement Industry 34. What are Roaring forties, furious fifties and Shrieking sixties ? (A) Oceanic storms (B) Westerlies in southern hemisphere (C) Westerlies in northern hemisphere (D) Pac ific Ocean currents 35. The largest mica producing state of India is (A) Jharkand (B) Rajasthan (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Andhra Pradesh 36. In which latitudes ocea nic salinity is highest ? (A) 010 (C) 20-40 (B) 1020 (D) 4060 37. Suns rays can make right angle 1 only upto 23 2 N and S latitudes because (A) Earth is inclined at an angle 1 of 662 on its axis (B) Earths angular momentum ob structs beyond it (C) Albedo increases beyond it (D) Tropical zone ends 38. In w hich country Karst region is located ? (A) Ukraine (B) Italy (C) France (D) Serb ia and Montenegro 39. In marine trenches, the deepest trench is (A) Tonga (B) Mar iana (C) Puerto Rico (D) Kamchatka 40. In morphology of cities the highest cost of land is in (A) Residential zone (B) Fringe zone (C) Industrial zone (D) Centra l Business District 41. The water body separating Andaman and Nicobar is known a s (A) Bay of Mannar (B) Andaman Sea (C) 10 Channel (D) 11 Channel 42. Minicoy Islan d was formed due to (A) Volcanic eruptions (B) Coral reef (C) Ridge formation (D) None of these 43. Vama, Mandar, Gaderi, Meheda etc. are Gotra/class of which tr ibe ? (A) Gond (B) Vaiga (C) Maria (D) Bhil 44. Lumberjack of Canada are involve d in which economic activities ? (A) Cultivation in Summer and Lumbering in wint er (B) Navigation and Agriculture (C) Hunting and fishing (D) Forest gathering (B) Increase in foreign trade of India (C) Increase foreign banks in number of (D) Entering of foreign workers in India 25. Which river is most important in te rms of Inland waterway ? (A) Amazon (B) Mississippi (C) Rhine (D) Hooghly 26. Wh en lava solidifies in interior of the Earths crust in intermediate part in the sh ape of dome, that is known as (A) Batholith (B) Lacolith (C) Phacolith (D) Dyke 2 7. In Europe and Asia some settlements, houses developed around water bodies hav e a settlement pattern (A) Nebular (B) Nucleated (C) Linear (D) Rectangular 28. A ccording to 2001 census literacy rate in Madhya Pradesh was (A) 50-55% (C) 61-65% (B) 56-60% (D) 65-70% PD/February/2011/1429

45. Which type of coffee is grown maximum in the world ? (A) Coffea arabica (B) Coffea robusta (C) Coffea liberia (D) Mountain coffee 46. How much share of tota l uranium production of the world is produced by Canada (Approximate) ? (A) 25% (B) 28% (C) 31% (D) 34% 47. When a cold air-mass enters warm surface, then (A) St ability develops in Air (B) Inversion of Temperature occurs in Air-mass (C) Prec ipitation is low (D) Air becomes unstable and precipitation occurs 48. Which lak e is an example of Lagoon ? (A) Pulicut (B) Sambhar (C) Dal (D) All of these 49. The total road length per 100 sq. km in Madhya Pradesh is (A) 21 km (B) 23 km (C ) 25 km (D) 27 km 50. In South-East Asia mostly rice is grown, because (A) Amount of rainfall is high (B) Rice has higher sustaining power (C) Population is high and conditions are favourable (D) All facts apply 51. Concentration of Bhils in Madhya Pradesh is in which area ? (A) Balaghat-Betul-Chhindwara (B) Dhar-Jhabua -Ratlam-Nimar (C) Mandla-Seoni-Rewa (D) Devas-Bhopal-Hoshangabad 52. In India ge o-thermal energy is produced at (A) (B) (C) (D) Tamil Nadu Jabalpur Laddakh Mizor am (A) (B) (C) (D) First Second Third Fourth 54. Formation of a region around a central place is an example of (A) Uniform Reg ion (B) Special Region (C) Nodal or Functional Region (D) None of these 55. Acco rding to Tobbler which is the first law of Geography ? (A) Everything is related to everything, but near things are more related than distant things (B) Geograp hy is the study of Areas (C) Geography is related with where, how and why (D) Pr esent is key to the past 56. Masai Tribe of East Africa have major occuption as ( A) Hunting (B) Fishing (C) Agriculture (D) Livestock Rearing 57. Chickel Rose ch ewing-gum which tree ? (A) Cinchona (C) Zapota used for making is extracted from (B) Ebony (D) Hamlock 62. Who propounded the concept of Stop-and-Go determinism ? (A) Friedrich Ratzel ( B) Richthofen (C) Griffith Taylor (D) Ellen Churchill Semple 63. Temperate grass lands provide ideal conditions for which crop ? (A) Rice (B) Rubber (C) Tea (D) Wheat 64. Which is the oldest mountain range of India ? (A) Himalayas (B) Vindhy achal (C) Satpura (D) Aravalli 65. Which of the following sequences is right in terms of flow of Chambal ? (A) Mhow, Kota, Boondi, Dholpur, Etawah (B) Kota, Mho w, Dholpur, Boondi, Etawah (C) Etawah, Mhow, Kota, Dholpur, Boondi (D) Boondi, K ota, Etawah, Mhow, Dholpur 66. Which seismic waves pass through solid, liquid an d gaseous ? (A) Primary and secondary waves (B) Only primary waves (C) Only seco ndary waves (D) L-waves 67. Habitat of which tribe is related with Playa and Salt P an ? (A) Eskimo (B) Pygmy (C) Bushman (D) Mawri 68. Doggar Banks known for fishing is located in which sea ? (A) Baltic sea (B) North sea (C) Black sea (D) Mediter ranean sea 69. In India which regions climate is affected by Norwesters ? (A) Assam and West Bengal (B) Punjab and Haryana (C) Gujarat and Maharashtra (D) Andhra P radesh and Tamil Nadu 70. In Madhya Pradesh major coal producing area is 58. In groundnut production India ranksamong the world. (A) Second (B) First (C) F ifth (D) Fourth 59. Spouting Horn is a feature of (A) Karst Topography (B) Marine Topography (C) Glacial Topography (D) Aeolian Topography 60. Outwash plain form ation is an example of (A) Glaciofluvial Deposits (B) Ground Moraine (C) Plucking by Glacier (D) Lateral Moraine 61. Who of the following has started mathematica l tradition in Geography ? (A) Thales (B) Hipparchus (C) Ptolemy (D) Eratosthene s 53. In Demographic Transition which is Early Expanding State ? PD/February/2011/1430

(A) (B) (C) (D) Betul Korba Sundergarh Singrauli and Sohagpur (A) 1921 (C) 2001 (B) 1981 (D) 1911 85. Concept of Region was defined and developed by (A) Hartshorne Committee (B) W hittlesey Committee (C) Dickinson Committee (D) Preston James Committee 86. Whic h one of the following facts is not true regarding Indian Black-soils ? (A) Thes e are rich in Ironcontent (B) These are rich in Potash (C) These are rich in Hum us (D) These are poor in Nitrogen 87. According to 2001 census in Madhya Pradesh cities of more than ten lacs were in descending order of population (A) Jabalpur , Bhopal, Indore (B) Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore (C) Indore, Jabalpur, Bhopal (D) I ndore, Bhopal, Jabalpur 88. The Richter Scale was developed in (A) 1925 (B) 1935 (C) 1940 (D) 1945 89. Semang belong to (A) Australia (B) Kalahari (C) China (D) M alaysia 90. Surface currents in the ocean are primarily caused by (A) Temperature differences (B) Density differences (C) Wind action (D) Coriolis effect 91. Fir st Iron and Steel Industry in India was established (A) TISCO, Jamshedpur (B) IIS CO, Burnpur (C) Bengal Iron and Steel, Kulti (D) Mysore Bhadravati Steel Works, 71. A town is located at a height of 825 metres above mean sea level and its ave rage temperature for June is 15C. Had this town been on mean sea level this tempe rature would have been (A) 10C (C) 15C (B) 20C (D) 30C 78. Leading producers of Rubber in the world are (A) Thailand and Indonesia (B) I ndonesia and Malaysia (C) Malaysia and India (D) Thailand and Malaysia 79. Durin g Green Revolution in India major thrust was on which of the following ? (A) Enh ancement of Greenery (B) Green Fodder Crops (C) More Foodgrain Production (D) Mo re Cash Crops 80. In region of Gonds words Dippa, Panda, Dahia, Mandla etc. are used for what ? (A) Regional Division (B) Shifting Cultivation (C) Division of G roups (D) Settlement type 81. If velocity of a flowing river increases two-times , then its capacity to carry load will increase how much ? (A) Two times (B) Twe lve times (C) Thirty-six times (D) Sixty-four times 82. According to Guha which racial group has been considered as most ancient settlers in India ? (A) Proto-A ustraloid (B) Negreto (C) Nordic or Vedic Aryans (D) Mongoloid 83. Innuits are i nhabitants of which region ? (A) Tropical desert (B) Mediterranean (C) Tundra (D ) Equatorial 84. The name Parkland has been given to which vegetation ? (A) Tropic al grasslands of South Africa (B) Temperate grasslands of South Africa (C) Tempe rate grasslands of South America (D) Tropical Venezuela grasslands of 72. Which of the following statements is not true ? (A) 90 of the worlds populatio n lives in Northern Hemisphere (B) 50% of the worlds population lives between 20N40N latitude in Asia (C) 10% of the worlds population lives between 0 to 20 N latitu de in Asia (D) 50% of the worlds population lives between 40N to 60N latitude in Eu rope 73. According to 2008 production about more than one-third of the Manganese production of the world came from single nation (A) China (B) India (C) South Af rica (D) Brazil 74. In which district Chalk hills famous for magnesite is situat ed ? (A) Mysore (B) Bellary (C) Hassan (D) Salem 75. According to 2001 census, t he per cent share of population of Madhya Pradesh to India is (A) 588 (B) 762 (C) 73 5 (D) 489 76. According to Wegners Continental Drift theory which force was effect ive for drift towards equator ? (A) Buoyancy force (B) Gravitational force (C) C entrifugal force (D) Buoyancy and Gravitational forces 77. In which census of In dia, the natural growth rate was minimum ? 92. What is Hammada ? (A) Aeoloian deposited Sandy Plain (B) Rockey Desert of Liby a region (C) Plains deposited by river (D) Plains of glacial plucking 93. Regard ing morphology of cities multiple-nuclei theory was given by

PD/February/2011/1467

(A) (B) (C) (D) Burgess Homer Hoyt Jefferson Ullman and Harris 94. The term Ecosystem was firstly used by (A) Ackerman (B) Darwin (C) Tansley (D ) Huntington 102. 95. Baba Gurgur area is known for which production ? (A) Petro leum (B) Manganese (C) Coffee (D) Coal 96. If cirques are formed on various slop es of a mountain on a same elevation, they form which topography ? (A) U-shaped valley (B) Horn (C) Glacial Troughs (D) Roche Moutonnee 103. 97. For functional classification of towns standard deviation tech- 104. nique w as first adopted by (A) Chauncy D. Harris (B) L. L. Pownall (C) J. F. Hart (D) H. J. Nelson 98. The largest sugarcane producing 105. state in India is blasting and disastrou s volca- 113. In Madhya Pradesh per hectare noes ? yield of wheat is low, becaus e (A) Karnataka (A) Hawaiin type (B) Madhya Pradesh (A) Lack of rain and irrigati on (B) Strambolian type (C) Uttar Pradesh (B) Soil cover is thin (C) Volcano typ e (D) Maharashtra (C) Farmers are not laborious (D) Pelean type (D) None of the above 99. Ideal climate for the production of juicy fruits is 106. According to K oeppens classi- 114. Best example of acidic igneous fication in which region of I ndia (A) Equatorial Region rocks is Tropical Savanna type (Aw) (B) Mediterranean Region (A) Gabbro (B) Granite climate is found ? (C) Monsoon Region (C) Dolerite (D) Basalt (A) Western Coast South of Goa (D) North-west Europe type 115. Old fa ithful Geyser of USA (B) Coromandel Coast of Tamil erupts at an interval of 100. T he maximum deflection of Nadu winds due to Coriolis force is (A) 30 minutes (C) Major part of Peninsular maximum at (B) 35 minutes Plateau at south of Tropic of (A) Poles (C) 60 minutes Capricorn (B) Equator (D) 65 minutes (D) Western part o f Rajasthan (C) 45 North and South Lati116. The largest share for worlds 107. Whic h pollutatns are responsbile tudes production of Tobacco comes for maximum damag e to Ozone (D) 232 Latitudes 101. In India with reference to regional disparitie s in agriculture highest yield is in 1 (A) Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, 108. Which ocean route is on Great Circle ? Kerala (A ) Vancouver-Yokohama (B) Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (B) London-Mumbai (C) Maha rashtra, Gujarat (C) San Fransisco-Singapore (D) Punjab, Haryana, Western (D) Ph iladelphia-Liverpool Uttar Pradesh 109. The highest number of Artesian According to 2001 the largest wells in the world is in which gold production in the world region ? comes from (A) India (A) United States of America (B) Australia (B) Aus tralia (C) South Africa (C) South Africa (D) Brazil (D) China 110. Out of the fo llowing which To check environmental degrapeople are not coinciding with dation which measures are their habitat ? desirable ? (A) MasaiAfrican grasslands (A) In dustrial development be (B) ZikaroAmazon basin blocked (C) PunanBorneo (B) A check on greenhouse (D) PapuanSahara desert gases (C) Energy utilization be 111. Out o f total surface area of the world how much percentage is decreased cultivable ? (D) All of the above (A) 5% (B) 27% Bhils call their huts by which (C) 11% (D) 5 2% name ? 112. Which pair is incorrect ? (A) Fana or Koo (A) ChinookRockies (B) P al (B) FohnAlps (C) Jirga (C) SircoccoAtlas (D) Tola (D) BoraHimalayas Which are th e most dangerous, North and South layer ? (A) Hydro-carbon (B) Carbon dioxide (C) Nitrous oxides (D) Chlorofluoroc

arbons from (A) India (B) Brazil (C) China (D) United States of America PD/February/2011/1468

117. The highest peak on Chota Nagpur plateau is (A) (B) (C) (D) Dhoopgarh Pachma rhi Parasnath Mahabaleshwar 118. Which racial group has waivy hair ? (A) Caucasian (B) Mongoloid (C) Negro ( D) Australoid 119. Generally which three races are considered as major by Anthro pologists ? (A) Australoid, Negroid (C) Mongoloid, Australoid (D) Caucasoid, Neg roid Mongoloid, (B) Capoid, Negroid, Caucasoid Caucasoid, Mongoloid, 120. Exfoliation is which type of weathering ? (A) Physical (B) Chemical (C) Bio logical (D) Bio-chemical Answers with Explanations PD/February/2011/1469

Continued from Page 1403 have their own distinct place in providing scope for adventure tourism in India. Tourists can enjoy animal safari, jeep safari, bird watching, wild camp, wildli fe safari and jungle trail in the forest region while jeep safari and camel safa ri are the most favoured adventure sports in the desert region. Nature Tourism India has varied topographical features that range from the snowcapped mountains to exquisite backwater. Everything related to nature can be found in villages o f this country. The nature tours in India also include the scenic hill destinati ons that are some of the most sought after tourist spots in the country. Visitor s can explore the paradisiacal destinations such as Dharamsala, Kodaikanal, Shim la, Manali, Mussoorie, Ooty, Munnar, Dalhousie and Darjeeling on these tours. Na ture has played a key role in enticing the people to travel from one part to ano ther in search of the natural treasures and also to explore its hidden mysteries . What can be more scenic than a clean and rural setting. India has all that. Th e fascinating Himalayan valleys and the long coastlines of the Arabian Sea and t he Bay of Bengal provide tourists a good opportunity to indulge in angling, a sp ort fast gaining popularity in the country. Kerala is known as Gods own Country. It is undoubtedly the most captivating destination of south India. Its tropical se tting is bestowed with greenery and breathtaking backwaters. Peep into the villa ge life of the people here and observe their routine while enjoying the exquisit e surroundings. The whispering palmgroves and swaying paddy fields combine to en rich the charm of the place. benefits to rural and its new geographic regions, the Government of India have i dentified some areas under Endogenous Tourism Project (ETP) of United Nation Dev elopment Programme (UNDP) across the country as tourist spots. The project promo ted peoples institutions, developed skills for hospitality and marketing in 31 si tes of the 139 rural tourism destinations. These 31 villages are spread across 2 0 states. P.Darpan Continued from Page 1405 composed of government officials and representatives of business and academia fr om the two countries, held four meetings after July, 2005. JSG submitted its rep ort to both Prime Ministers when they met in July, 2006, which includes a recomm endation for launching EPA negotiations. In December, 2006, the Prime Ministers of the two countries decided to launch immediate negotiations for the conclusion of a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement/ Comprehensive Economic Partnersh ip Agreement aiming to complete in substance as soon as possible in approximatel y two years. Thirteen rounds of negotiations were held in New Delhi and Tokyo re spectively as of July 2010. India-Japan Strategic Dialogue on Economic Issues wh ich reviews the current status of bilateral economic issues discussed at Summit meetings, and undertakes coordination as necessary was held 3 times in New Delhi and Tokyo respectively as of July 2010 since the Dialogue was launched in July 2007. In August 2007, the Business Leaders Forum was held in New Delhi on the o ccasion of Prime Minister Abe s visit to India, and the Second meeting was held in Tokyo in October 2008. The Hatoyama visit to India in December 2009 had taken place at a time when China was set to overtake Japan in the future as the secon d largest economy of the world and its all weather friend, the United States, ha d scaled down rhetoric over Chinese military spending seen by western experts as disproportionate to its legitimate requirements. P.Darpan Village Tourism and Governments Efforts Falling income levels, lesser job opportunities in the rural areas lead to pover ty in the rural areas. Village tourism can provide a solution to all these probl ems. In order to promote village tourism for socio-economic

P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1471

Solved Paper UNITED INDIA INSURANCE A.A.O. EXAM., 2010 (Held on 6-6-2010)

General Awareness (Based on Memory) 1. Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission or Solar India has been launched to c reate an installed capacity of 2000 MW by the end of (A) 13th Plan (B) 14th Plan (C) 15th Plan (D) 16th Plan Bollywood actors who, on February 2, 2010 rang bells in NASDAQ on Time Square, New Yorkan honour usually reserved for CEOs of major c orporations, are (A) Amir Khan and Priyanka Chopra (B) Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol ( C) Abhishek Bachchan and Aswarya (D) Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor (B) Global Atomic Research Consortium (C) Global Automotive Research Centre (D) Global Adv ancement Research Centre 9. The largest fresh water lake, Lake Superior is located in (A) Canada (B) Russia (C) Tanzania (D) Argentina 10. In which State of India is the largest river island Majuli ? (A) Assam (B) Kolkata (C) Orissa (D) M.P. ( C) Shri Lanka (D) Maldives 16. Indias Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seated at the spot in the leaders list of 100 most influential persons of the world realeased by the famous Time Magazine recently. (A) 15 (B) 19 (C) 23 (D) 27 17. The Islam was established in (A) 5th A.D. (B) 7th A.D. (C) 3rd B.C. (D) 5th B.C. 18. Which part of the human body is highly affected by the nuclear radiation first ? (A) Bone marrow (B) Skin (C) Lungs (D) Eyes 19. Who invented the video-tape ? (A) Ch arles Ginsberg (B) Georges de Mestral (C) Richard James (D) P. T. Farnsworth 20. Match the following (a) NH1 (b) NH3 (c) NH5 (d) NH7 1. VaranasiKanyakumari 2. Kolkat hennai 3. New DelhiAmritsar 4. AgraMumbai Codes : (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 2 1 4 3 (B) 3 4 2 1 (C) 4 3 1 2 (D) 1 3 4 2 2. 3. 4. 5. 11. Match the following (a) Berlin, Germany (b) Ankara, Turkey (c) Bristol, UK (d ) Budapest, Hungary 1. Danube 2. Kizil The term 16 yards hit is asso3. Spree 4. Av on ciated with Codes : (A) Badminton (B) Baseball (a) (b) (c) (d) (C) Polo (D) Ho ckey (A) 2 1 4 3 The vital constituent of blood (B) 4 3 1 2 that helps in clotti ng is (C) 1 4 2 3 (A) Platelets (B) Haemoglobin (D) 3 2 4 1 (C) Plasma (D) Serum Which of the following animals 12. Governments ambitious UID Project has been ren amed can hear ultrasonic sound ? (A) Parichaya (B) Pahchan (A) Cat (B) Rat (C) Aa dhar (D) Aanklan (C) Bat (D) Squirrel The acid rain destroys vegetations because it contains (A) Sulphuric acid (B) Ozone (C) Carbon monoxide (D) Nitric acid Man Booker Prize winner Ms. Kiran Desais novel, The Inheritance of Loss deals with (A) Telangana movement (B) Santhal movement (C) Gorkhaland movement (D) Bodoland mov ement GARC is the acronym for (A) Global Automotive Research Consortium 13. Who i s the author of the book Speaking for Myself ? (A) Salman Rushdie (B) Cherie Blair (C) Mohammad Hanif (D) Hillary Clinton 14. The name of Indias first homebuilt st ealth warship whose features reduce the probability of being detected at sea is ( A) Sahyadiri (B) Satpura (C) Shivalik (D) Shivaji 15. Which country will host th e 17th SAARC summit ? (A) Bangladesh (B) Nepal 6. 7. Answers

8. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1472

Solved Paper PUNJAB AND SIND BANK PROBATIONARY OFFICERS EXAM., 2010 (Held on 16-5-2010) General Awareness (Based on Memory) 1. The Rate on which Banks borrow from the RBI is called (A) SLR (B) CRR (C) Inte rest Rate (D) Bank Rate (E) Repo Rate 02. M. K. Narayan has taken over as the Go vernor of (A) Gujarat (B) Assam (C) Meghalaya (D) West Bengal (E) None of these 0 3. Which of the following will be the venue of the India-ASEAN Summit to be held in 2012 ? (A) Tokyo (B) Jakarta (C) Beijing (D) New Delhi (E) None of these 04. As we know the RBI is the apex Bank of India, similarly the apex Bank of USA is called (A) Federal Reserve (B) The Central Bank of USA (C) Bank of America (D) C entral National Bank of USA (E) None of these 5. As per the newspaper reports th e Standards and Poors (S&P) has changed Indias sovereign rating from Negative to Sta ble. This means 1. Indias economic condition has improved a lot. 2. There is no pre ssure of inflation of the economy as it is well under control. 3. Indias economic condition has further gone down as it has failed to control the fiscal deficit. (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) Only 1 and 2 (E) None of these in August 2 009, India will try to capture new markets for its exports in Asia, Latin Americ a, Africa and Oceania etc. Earlier amongst the following were Indias biggest expo rt markets ? 1. USA 2. Europe 3. SAARC Nations (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 (E) None of these 07. As per the recent reports published in various newspapers, the core infrastructure industries registered a 4.5% growth in the month of February 2010. This figure does not include the performance of w hich one of the following industries; as it is not a core industry ? (A) Coal (B ) Power (C) Paper (D) Cement (E) All are core industries 08. Who amongst the fol lowing has taken over as the new Chief of the Armed Forces ? (A) Pradeep V. Naik (B) V. K. Singh (C) Suresh Mehta (D) Deepak Kapoor (E) None of these 09. As per the provisions made in the Union Budget 2010-11, Govt. will infuse Rs. 16,500 c rores in banks to make their capital base strong. This money will be infused in which of the following types of banks ? (A) Gramin Banks (B) Cooperative Banks ( C) National Housing Banks (D) Public Sector Banks (E) None of these 10. Who amon gst the following is the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2009 ? (A) He rta Mulber (B) Barack Obama (C) Martli Ahtisaari (D) Paul Krugman (E) None of th ese 11. As reported in various financial newspapers the Govt. of India is planni ng to link the prices of diesel and petrol to market prices and may also introdu ce a graded system of sharing subsidy. If it is done this will be in order to im plement the recommendation of which of the following committees ? (A) Murli Deor a Committee (B) C. Rangarajan Committee (C) Kirit Parikh Committee (D) S. Sundar eshan Committee (E) None of these 12. Which of the following schemes of the Govt . of India is planned to help farmers by providing a competitive price to their produce ? 1. Minimum support price of agro products 2. 3. Creating buffer stock of food grains Making loans available to them on special and subsidized rates of interest Only 2 Only 3 All 1, 2 and 3 None of these (A) Only 1 (B) (C) (D) (E) 06. As per the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) unveiled by the UPA Govt. 13. Which of the following norms/ practices adopted by the banks is/are launched to ensure that the money from illegal activities/ sources does/do not come to b anks and therefore, the econoPD/February/2011/1473

mic health of the nation does not get affected ? 1. Know your Customer 2. Financ ial Inclusion 3. Branchless Banking (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) Only 1 and 2 (E) All 1, 2 and 3 14. As a practice, all banks now deduct some amount fro m their pre tax income and set aside in a separate account to create a cushion f or the loans which may go bad. This is called (A) CRR (B) SLR (C) Provisioning (D ) PLR (E) None of these 15. As we know many Indian Banks are opening their branc hes in foreign countries these days. What in your opinion is/are the reasons owi ng to which these banks are willing to open branches in foreign countries ? 1. I ndia has the largest network of bank branches in the world. Hence other nations also wish to take advantage of their services. 2. Indian Banks get an opportunit y to raise foreign currency funds and also the experience funding joint ventures of multinationals. This prompts them to open their branches in foreign nations. 3. As many foreign banks are functioning in India, India in turn is also requir ed to open equal number of branches in foreign countries. Hence Indian Banks are opening branches in these countries. (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) Only 1 and 2 (E) None of these 16. Who amongst the following was recently nominated a s the Member of the Rajya Sabha ? (A) Amitabh Bachchan (B) (C) (D) (E) Manoj Kumar Aamir Khan Javed Akhtar None of these 17. The 97th annual session of the Indian Science Congress was held in which of the following cities in January 2010 ? (A) Mumbai (B) Kolkata (C) New Delhi (D) Thiruvananthapuram (E) Hyderabad 18. Which of the following crops need plenty of water to grow ? (A) Jowar (B) Cotton (C) Paddy (D) Bajra (E) All these need ple nty of water 19. Which of the following is/are true about the National Rural Emp loyment Guarantee Act ? 1. The Act is now known as Indira Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. 2. The Act is now applicable to all the districts of t he country. 3. Minimum wage fixed under this Act is now Rs. 250 per day. (A) Onl y 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 (E) None of these 20. Who amongst t he following was recently awarded the prestigious Order of Merit of the Italian R epublic ? (A) Sunil Mittal (B) Ratan Tata (C) Harshpati Singhania (D) Rahul Bajaj (E) None of these 21. Govt. of India recently approved the national policy on B io fuels. Which of the following crops is one which is used to make biofuels ? ( A) Onion (B) Sugarcane (C) Wheat (D) Coconut (E) None of these 22. Which of the following countries is the largest producer of milk in the worl d ? (A) China (B) India (C) Denmark (D) USA (E) None of these 23. Which of the f ollowing terms is not associated with the game of Hockey ? (A) Bouncer (B) Bully (C) Short Corner (D) Goal (E) Penalty Corner 24. Saina Nehwal is a famous (A) La wn Tennis Player (B) Golf Player (C) Table Tennis Player (D) Badminton Player (E ) None of these 25. Who amongst the following is associated with music and is a maestro of international repute ? (A) Vikram Seth (B) Steve Waugh (C) Salman Rus hdie (D) Ritu Beri (E) A. R. Rahman 26. India is providing help to which of the following nations in setting up a Medical College there on the lines of the AIIM S ? (A) Nepal (B) Bhutan (C) Bangladesh (D) Myanmar (E) None of these 27. Which of the following is the abbreviated name of the company which produces chemical fertilizers in India ? (A) IASRI (C) IFFCO (E) FERA 28. Which of the following i s not a food grain ? (A) Paddy (B) Jatropha (C) Bajra (D) Jowar (E) Wheat 29. As we know Govt. is paying much attention towards the development of watersheds an d water bodies in all the areas of the country. What is/are the reasons owing to which Govt. has to take these special efforts to (B) BHEL (D) FICCI PD/February/2011/1474

develop/recharge watersheds and water bodies ? 1. The one single biggest problem of the agricuture in the country is inappropriate irrigation facilities and far mers overdependence on the monsoon. Govt. wants farmers to come out of it. 2. The water table in some of the areas in the country is going down. This is a matter of great concern for all of us as this may result in severe water problem in da ys to come. Govt. is serious about it. 3. Around 30 to 35 per cent watersheds/wa ter bodies in the country are not being utilized as the quality of the water in these has deteriorated over the years. (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 (E) None of these 30. Which of the following is/are true about the In dira Awas Yojana ? 1. The scheme provides financial assistance to people living below poverty line for construction of housing units. 2. Every family gets an as sistance of Rs. 3 lakhs for construction of new housing unit and upto Rs. 2 lakh s for upgradation of old/existing units. 3. Scheme is available only to those wh o are staying in any village or urban areas having a population of 50000 or more . (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 (E) None of these 31. The head office of the World Trade Organisation is located in (A) Nepal (B) India (C) Japan (D) Australia (E) None of these 32. Who amongst the following is/was not a famous writer of English Language ? ( A) V. S. Naipaul (B) Anita Desai (C) Harivansh Rai Bachchan (D) Kiran Desai (E) Chetan Bhagat 33. Which of the following awards is given for excellence in the f ield of Sports ? (A) Kalidas Samman (B) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (C) Jananp ith Award (D) Arjun Award (E) Bharat Ratna 34. Which of the following trophies/ cups is associated with the game of Cricket ? (A) Davis Cup (B) Agha Khan Cup (C ) Nehru Trophy (D) Durand Cup (E) Duleep Trophy 35. Who amongst the following is NOT a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan Award given away recently ? (A) Y. V. Re ddy (B) Zora Segal (C) V. Ramakrishnan (D) Pratap C. Reddy (E) Shreya Ghosal 36. The conference of the Speakers and presiding officers of the commonwealth count ries was organized recently in (A) New Delhi (B) (C) (D) (E) London Pretoria Kual a Lumpur None of these (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Mahesh Bhupati Leanders Paes Sania Mirza Rohan Bopanna None of these 39. As per the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, released by the UNO, ov er half of the total illiterate population of the world lives in just four count ries. Which of the following is not one of these four ? (A) China (B) India (C) South Africa (D) Pakistan (E) Bangladesh 40. Which of the following is/are corre ct about the Rajiv Gandhi LPG Vitrak Yojana ? 1. Women/men in the age group of 2 1-45 years will be stakeholders. 2. All stackeholders will earn Rs. 15,000 to Rs . 20,000 per month as their income. 3. LPG will be supplied through a pipeline f rom the nearest depot to the filling station which will be common for a constell ation of 4 to 5 villages. (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 1 and 2 (D) Only 1 and 3 (E) All 1, 2 and 3 41. A n individual going to Bangladesh will be required to make all his/her payments i n which of the following currencies ? (A) Rial (B) Dinar (C) Taka (D) Rupee (E) Dollar 42. Mr. Najib Tun Razak, who was on a visit to India a few months back, i s the (A) President of Iran (B) Prime Minister of Iran (C) President of Malaysia (D) Prime Minister of Malaysia (E) None of these 43. The construction of a dam o n which of the following rivers in Arunachal Pradesh has become a 37. Which of the following films was adjudged as the Best Feature Film in 56th Nat ional Film Awards, announced recently ? (A) Antaheen (B) Fashion (C) Jogva (D) B ioscope (E) None of these 38. Who amongst the following Indian Players won the M ixed Doubles of the Australian Open Tennis 2010 ? PD/February/2011/1475

matter of concern as some people feel that it will damage the socio cultural env ironment of the State ? (A) Brahmaputra (B) Teesta (C) Gandak (D) Padma (E) None of these 44. India recently provided a US $ 1 billion credit to which of the fo llowing countries in its neighbourhood so that bilateral trade with it can be im proved ? (A) China (B) Pakistan (C) Bangladesh (D) Myanmar (E) None of these 45. Which of the following regulatory fiscal bodies is celebrating its Platinum Jub ilee this year ? (A) NABARD (B) SEBI (C) IRDA (D) AMFI (E) RBI 46. As we all kno w the Govt. of India had launched Look East Policy a few years ago so that it can have better relations and trade with South East Asian counties. Which of the fol lowing nations is considered or called the Door of South East Nations ? (A) Bangla desh (B) Myanmar (C) China (D) Afghanistan (E) None of these 47. Which of the fo llowing countries is going to host SAARC summit next year ? (A) Bangladesh (B) I ndia (C) Pakistan (D) Nepal (E) Bhutan 48. As per the reports published in vario us newspapers, the Union Minister of Corporate Affairs is planning to introduce a system where two firms may audit accounts of every company. Which of the follo wing may be the impact of this dual audit system, when implemented ? 1. This wil l bring transparent, independent and objective assessments of the functioning of the companies. 2. 3. This will create a warning or alarming system so that Satyam like episodes can b e averted. This will give an opportunity to auditors to learn more about the insi de activities of the companies and also a better understanding of the business ta ctics, the companies adopt to beat their competitors. 3. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Only civil suits related to the property of Rs. 5,00,000 and above will be dispo sed off in this way. Only 1 Only 2 Only 3 Only 1 and 2 All 1, 2 and 3 Answers with Hint (A) Only 1 (B) Only 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 (E) None of these 49. Some f inancial experts and business leaders feel that the present policies of the RBI may result in hardening of the interest rates further. Besides this hardening of the rupee in international markets is also possible. If it happens, what will be its impact on the market ? 1. More and more Indian firms would like to borrow f rom global markets instead of domestic ones. 2. Companies may have to suspend th eir plans of raising capital needed for extension of business for sometime. 3. M ore and more Indian companies would like to open their offices/branches in forei gn nations so that they can approach foreign investors easily. (A) Only 1 (B) On ly 2 (C) Only 1 and 2 (D) Only 2 and 3 (E) None of these 50. Which of the follow ing is/are true about the Gram Nyayalayas ? 1. These courts will be mobile courts and will function at Panchayat level. The Magistrate of these courts will go to the villages in their area of coverage and will dispose off cases of the village s there itself. P.Darpan Continued from Page 1424 South Asia Free Trade Area The agreement on the South Asia Free Trade Area is an agreement reached at the 1 2th SAARC Summit in Islamabad in January 2008. It creates a framework for the cr eation of a free trade in the member countries. The seven foreign members of the

region signed a framework agreement on SAFTA with zero customs duty on the trad e of practically all products in the region by the end 2016. The new agreement i .e., SAFTA came into force in January 2006 and will be operational following the ratification of the agreement by the seven agreements. In the final five year p hase ending 2012 the 20% duty will be reduced to zero in a series of annual cuts . The least developed nations in South Asia consisting of Nepal, Bhutan, Banglad esh and Maldives have an additional three years to reduce tariff zero. India and Pakistan have signed but not ratified the treaty. P.Darpan 2. PD/February/2011/1476

Solved Paper BANK OF INDIA PROBATIONARY OFFICERS EXAM., 2010 (Held on 31-10-2010 ) General Awareness Test-III (Based on Memory) 1. The Business Correspondence Model being adopted by the banks provides Banking facilities to which of the following ? (A) Only Corporate borrowers (B) Only We aker sections the society and people of small villages (C) Only those who are ta king housing loans (D) All (A), (B) and (C) above (E) None of these 2. The conce pt of Carbon Credit is associated with which of the following areas ? (A) Protecti on of environment (B) Women empowerment (C) Development of rural infrastructure (D) Development of coal mines (E) None of these 3. As we all know Government is paying much attention to improve Public Distribution System (PDS) in our country . Which of the following have been the achievements of the PDS uptill now, owing to which Government wants to further improve it ? [Pick up correct statement(s) .] 1. After implementing PDS in India, no famine was reported. PDS was always th ere to give people at least the bare minimum to survive. 2. A drought of 1987 wa s worst in this century but PDS played a vital role in overcoming the drought. 3 . Now PDS is feeding the poorest of the poor in this country. (A) Only 1 (B) Onl y 2 (C) Only 3 (D) All 1, 2 and 3 are correct (E) None of these 4. Global Micro Credit Summit-2011 will be organized in which of the following countries ? (A) B ritain (B) South Africa (C) Spain (D) Italy (E) None of these 5. Many times we r ead about SHGs in financial newspapers. What is the full form of the term ? (A) Small Help Groups (B) Self Help Groups (C) Small Hope in Growths (D) Self Hope G roups (E) None of these 6. Whenever newspapers talk about the performance of cor e industries, which of the following is not considered among them ? (A) Petroleu m (B) Automobile (C) Mining (D) Steel (E) Cement 7. Which of the following agenc ies/ organizations in India maintains the Micro Finance Development and Equity F und which was in news recently ? (A) Confederation of Industries in India (CII) (B) Indian Banks Association (IBA) (C) Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) (D) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) (E) National Bank for Agriculture and R ural Development (NABARD) 8. As per recent newspaper reports UK based Cairn Ener gy is in the process of selling its stake to which one of the following companie s of Indian base ? (A) ONGC Videsh (B) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (C) Vedanta Resources (D) Posco India (E) None of these 9. Which of the following bi lls presented in the Parliament will bring some changes in existing tax regime ? (A) Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill (B) Foreign Exchange Management Regulatory Bil l (C) Companies Act Bill (D) Salaries and Perks for MPs Bill (E) Finance Bill 20 10-11 10. Under Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), the ben efits are available to the people having minimum age of . (A) 50 years (B) 55 year s (C) 65 years (D) 60 years (E) 70 years 11. Mr. Katsuya Okada who was on a visi t to India few months back is the Foreign Minister of (A) South Korea (B) Myanmar (C) Japan (D) Thailand (E) None of these 12. Govt. of India has decided to revi ew its Foreign Direct Investment Rules twice in a year. This will be done from (A ) 2015 (B) 2012 (C) 2014 (D) 2011 (E) None of these 13. Many times we read about Hawala transactions in newspapers. Hawala in India is prohibited under the provis ion of which of the following Acts ? (A) Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Manage ment Act (B) Banking Regulation Act (C) Financial action Task Force Act (D) Fore ign Exchange Management Act (E) None of these PD/February/2011/1477

14. India recently reviewed its trade relation policy with Russia. What are the main exports from India to Russia ? 1. Pharmaceuticals 2. Apparel and Clothing 3 . Tea and Coffee (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Only 1 Only 2 All 1, 2 and 3 Only 2 and 3 O nly 1 and 2 recipient of loans from the World Bank during 2009-10 ? (A) Bangladesh (B) Pakis tan (C) Brazil (D) China (E) India 19. Which of the following has been fixed as the target for fiscal deficit 2010-11 ? (In terms of percentage of GDP) (A) 3% ( B) 35% (C) 4% (D) 5% (E) 55% 20. As per news in various newspapers kfw Group release d another instalment of its financial aid to India. kfw is an organization/bank based in (A) France (B) Japan (C) Italy (D) China (E) Germany 21. Which of the fo llowing countries has become the main supplier of Defence goods to India and has replaced Russia ? (A) Canada (B) USA (C) Israel (D) France (E) None of these 22 . As per existing policy, new foreign investments in manufacturing of which of t he following is not allowed ? (A) White cement (B) Plastic goods (C) Cigarette a nd Cigars (D) Polythene bags (E) Pesticides 23. The Mixed Double of which of the following Lawn Tennis tournaments was won by Leander Paes along with Cara Black in 2010 ? (A) Wimbledon (B) US Open (C) Australia Open (D) Dubai Open (E) None of these 24. Which of the following is not amongst the Prime Ministers new 15 poi nt programme ? (A) Enhanced Credit Support for economic activities (B) Modernizi ng Madarsa Education (C) Improvement in condition of slums inhabited by minoriti es (D) Free train journey unemployed youths for (E) Rehabilitation of victims of communal riots 25. The Summit of Shanghai Coope ration Organisation was held in June in which of the following places ? (A) Shan ghai (B) Moscow (C) Tashkent (D) Astana (E) None of these 26. Indias political re lations with its neighbouring countries are a critical part of its . (A) Industria l policy (B) Trade policy (C) Foreign policy (D) Development policy (E) None of these 27. Which of the following organizations of Indian Origin is helping Sri L anka in rehabilitation of its war widows ? (A) Khadi and Village Commission (B) SEWA (C) Action for Food Production (D) Adhar (E) Aasha 28. Who amongst the foll owing became the first Cricketer to take 800 wickets in Test Cricket ? (A) Kumar Sangakkara (B) Saqlain Mustaq (C) Anil Kumble (D) Muttiah Murlitharan (E) None of these 29. Which of the following agencies/ organizations has decided to make major changes for ULIPs ? (A) IRDA (B) RBI (C) AMFI (D) FRBI (E) None of these 3 0. The 16th SAARC Summit was organized in Thimpu. The declaration of the Summit was named as (A) Towards Green and Happy South Asia (B) Silver Jubilee of SAARC ( C) Let us meet again in Delhi (D) SAARC : The Future of South Asia (E) None of t hese 15. As we all know DIPP is the nodal agency in the field of foreign investments in India. What is the full form of DIPP ? (A) Department of Industrial Policy an d Promotion (B) Department of Industrial Procedures and Promotions (C) Directora te of Industrial Procedures and Promotions (D) Directorate of Industrial Policy and Publicity (E) None of these 16. Israel and Palestinians open talks was the hea dline in some major newspapers. As we all know both the nations were not coming for the talks since 2008. Which of the following is the main dispute between the se two nations ? (A) Membership of World Trade Organisation (B) Membership of G20 (C) Selecting Syria, one of the major trade partners by Israel. Palestine is dead against it (D) Redefining the boundaries as a major glacier between them ha s erased the same (E) None of these 17. Many times we read about the performance of Asian Markets in various financial newspapers. Which of the following is not included in Asian Market ? (A) Japan (B) China (C) Hong Kong (D) South Korea (E ) Brazil 18. As per the figures released by the World Bank, which of the followi ng countries was the largest

PD/February/2011/1478

31. Which of the following is the name of the programme launched by the Govt. of India to help lonely women by providing vocational training to make them self d ependent ? (A) Apnalaya (B) Prayas (C) Abhiyogyata (D) Swadhar (E) Swawlamban 32 . Which of the following terms is not used in the game of Cricket ? (A) Doosra ( B) Century (C) Bouncer (D) Love (E) Ashes 33. Which of the following countries w on the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament 2010 held in Sri Lanka ? (A) Sri Lanka (B) In dia (C) Pakistan (D) Bangladesh (E) None of these 34. Mr. James Alix Michael who was on a visit to India recently is the President of (A) Australia (B) New Zeala nd (C) Colombia (D) Seychelles (E) None of these 35. Trupti Murgunde whose name was in news recently is a (A) Badminton player (B) Golf player (C) Lawn Tennis pl ayer (D) Table Tennis player (E) Cricket player 36. Which of the following is no t a financial term ? (A) Acid Test (B) Double Fault (C) Gross Profit (D) Depreci ation (E) Cash flow 37. In the terms of economics, the recession occurring two t imes with a small gap in between is known as (A) Double Deflation (B) Deflation ( C) Deep Recession (D) Double Dip Recession (E) None of these 38. Saina Nehwal was in Paris recently to play in World Championship. She lost h er match against whom amongst the following players ? (A) Le Chong Wei (B) Shixi an Wang (C) Taufik Hidayut (D) Jung Eun (E) None of these 39. Union Cabinet rece ntly cleared 15000 crore Sukhoi deal. Sukhoi is (A) Battle tank (B) Fighter plane (C) Submarine (D) Radar system (E) None of these 40. Who amongst the following is the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award-2010 announced recently ? (A) Pankaj Adwani (B) Leander Paes (C) Sania Mirza (D) M. S. Dhoni (E) None of t hese 41. Which of the following terms is not used in Economics ? (A) Balance of Payment (B) Call Money (C) National Debt (D) Elasticity of Demand (E) Boyles law 42. Which of the following ministries /departments operates the Village Grain Ban ks Schemes ? (A) Ministry of Tribal Welfare (B) Department of Food and Public Dist ribution (C) Department of Social Welfare (D) Ministry of Forest (E) None of the se 43. Which of the following countries recently conducted general election and became the first Parliamentary Democracy of Central Asia ? (A) Turkmenistan (B) Uzbekistan (C) Kyrgyzstan (D) Kazakhstan (E) None of these 44. Which of the following books is written by Chetan Bhagat ? (A) The Golden Ga te (B) Journey to Ithaca (C) Fore on the Mountain (D) The inheritance of Loss (E ) 2 States : The Story of My Marriage 45. Which of the following nations is the recent one to join NonAligned Movement (NAM) ? (A) Fiji (B) Cuba (C) Sri Lanka ( D) Colombia (E) Egypt 46. Hiroshima Day is observed on which of the following da tes ? (A) 6th August (B) 16th August (C) 6th September (D) 16th September (E) 26 th July 47. Who amongst the following is the Chairperson of the Human Rights Comm ission of India at present ? (A) Prof. M. S. Swaminathan (B) Justice K. G. Balak rishnan (C) Justice A. R. Lakshmanan (D) Justice P. V. Reddi (E) None of these 4 8. Booker Prize is given in the field of (A) Literature (B) Social service (C) Film s (D) Science (E) Sports 49. Which of the following games/ sports is not include d in the list of Commonwealth Games 2010 ? (A) Table Tennis (B) Hockey (C) Weigh t lifting (D) Golf (E) Boxing 50. Dronacharya Awards are given to a person assoc iated with (A) Education (B) Social service (C) Journalism (D) Sports (E) Films Continued on Page 1499 PD/February/2011/1479

Solved Paper I.D.B.I. ASSISTANT MANAGER EXAM., 2010 (Held on 14-11-2010) General and Financial Awareness (Based on Memory) 1. The is (A) (C) (E) present Cash Reserve Ratio 5% (B) 55% 6% (D) 65% None of thes e (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Sanction of loans Enhancement of loan limits Recovery of l oans All the above None of above 13. Normally Bank accept Fixed Deposits for a m aximum period of (A) 5 years (B) 3 years (C) 10 years (D) 20 years (E) Any number of years 14. Code of banks commitment to Micro and Small enterprises is prepare d by (A) RBI (B) SEBI (C) FEDAI (D) BCSBI (E) Ministry of Small and Medium Enterp rises 15. Which one of the following is not a salient feature of debit card ? (A ) No bad debts to banks and no suits for recovery (B) No interest earning for ba nks (C) Works like a normal withdrawal (D) All the above (E) 45 dayes credit is given to the card holder 16. IFRS stands for (A) International Financial Reportin g standards (B) Indian Financial Rating Standards (C) International Financial Ra ting Standards (D) All the three above (E) None of the above 17. What is the pre sent Repo Rate ? (A) 5% (B) 55% (C) 6% (D) 65% (E) None of these 18. There are cer tain financial instruments whose prices are derived from the price of the underl ying currency of interest rate or stocks etc. These are known as (A) Derivatives (B) Securitisation (C) Leasing (D) Factoring (E) Venture Capital Funding 2. One of the objectives of KYC (Know Your Customer) norms is (A) to give boost t o bank deposits (B) to safeguard banks advances (C) to monitor transactions of s uspicious nature (D) to help income tax authorities to collect income tax (E) No ne of these 3. Contribution to Prime Minister s relief fund enjoys Income Tax be nefit up to (A) 50% under section 80G (B) 75% under section 80G (C) 100% under se ction 80 G (D) 100% under section 88 (E) No exemption is available 4. Which of t he following activities are expected to be performed by the Business corresponde nts ? (A) Disbursal of small value credit (B) Collection of small value deposits (C) Sale of micro insurance / mutual fund products (D) All the three above (E) Only (B) and (C) above 5. Tax at source by banks is deducted on interest paid on term deposits in the interest amount in a financial year exceeds (A) 3,000 (B) 5 ,000 (C) 10,000 (D) 15,000 (E) There is no such provision 6. Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of security Interest Act rela tes to 7. MSMED Act is applicable to (A) Smalls enterprises only (B) Medium enterprises only (C) Micro enterprises only (D) Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (E) All enterprises irrespective of their size engaged in manufacturing activity 8. Mone y Laundering refers to (A) Conversion of assets into cash (B) Conversion of Money which is illegally obtained (C) Conversion of cash into gold (D) Conversion of gold into cash (E) None of the above 9. The Monetary and Credit Policy is review ed by the RBI after a gap of (A) one year (B) one month (C) two years (D) five ye ars (E) None of these 10. PPF account is opened for a period of (A) 5 years (B) 1 0 years (C) 15 years (D) 20 years (E) None of these 11. Yuan is the currency of ( A) Japan (B) China (C) Indonesia (D) Myanmar (E) None of these 12. National savi ngs certificate matures at the end of (A) Six years (B) Three years (C) Six and h alf years (D) Five years (E) Five and half years PD/February/2011/1480

19. What is the full form of ASBA ? (A) Allotment supported Blocked Amount (B) A pplication supported Blocked Amount (C) Application supported Bank Amount (D) Al lotment supported Bank Account (E) None of the above by by by by 25. Financial Action Task Force has an office in India at which place ? (A) Mumb ai (B) Chennai (C) Kolkata (D) New Delhi (E) All the above places 26. Bridge loa ns refer to (A) Loans granted to contruction companies for construction of bridge s (B) Loan granted to PWD for construction of bridges over Rivers (C) Interim fi nance allowed by banks to their customers pending disbursement of term loans by financial institutions (D) All of the above (E) None of the above 27. Payment of Demand Draft can be stopped by (A) Payee (B) Holder (C) Purchaser (D) All of the se (E) None of these 28. Can any one file an appeal against the order passed by the Banking Ombudsman ? If so who is the Appellate Authority ? (A) The Chairman of concerned Bank (B) The Deputy Governor RBI (C) Governor of RBI (D) Finance Mi nister (E) None of the above 29. For which one of the following reasons, the Gov ernment has approved a plan to infuse 15,000 crore capital into PSBs ? (A) To bo ost capacity their lending prices or output in the real economy (D) It refers to various channels through w hich the fiscal policy of the Government alters prices or output in the real eco nomy (E) None of these 31. On which one of the following issue IMF has supported monetary policy of India ? (A) Tightening of monetary policy (B) Stimulus for a griculture sector (C) Concessions for foreign investment (D) Introduction of GST (E) None of these 32. The advantage of convenience in credit card operations is for (A) Customer (B) Members Establishments (C) Banks (D) All the above (E) None of the above 33. Under provisions of which one of the following Acts, CAs/CS ha ve been told to report all suspicious fund trasnfers ? (A) RBI Act (B) Banking R egulation Act (C) Indian Companies Act (D) Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (E) None of these 34. Bancassurance is (A) an insurance scheme to insure bank dep osits (B) an insurance scheme exclusively for the employees of banks (C) a compo site financial service offering both bank and insurance product (D) a bank depos its scheme exclusively for employees of insurance companies (E) None of the abov e 35. In the term STRIPS, the first letter S denotes (A) Separate (B) Small (C) Spe cial (D) Savings (E) None of these 36. Which of the following organizations, pro vide credit history of the borrowers ? 20. Reverse Repo is used by RBI to (A) Inject liquidity (B) Absorb liquidity (C) Increase the liquidity with banking system (D) Keep the liquidity at one level ( E) None of the above 21. Which of the following is not considered as lending und er infrastructure sector ? (A) A Highway project (B) Construction of Educational Institution (C) Construction of Hospital (D) Laying down of petroleum pipelines (E) None of the above 22. KYC guidelines have been framed on the recommendation s/as per guidelines of (A) Reserve Bank of India (B) Ministry of Finance (C) Indi an Banks Association (D) Financial Action Task Force (E) Ministry of Home affair s 23. The term Power of Attorney refers to (A) Power of a person (B) An authority t o operate a Bank account (C) An instrument by which a person is empowered to act for another person (D) All of the above (E) None of the above 24. What is the a mount of compensation to be paid per day, as per RBI directives in case of faile d ATM transactions ? (A) 50 (B) 100 (C) 200 (D) 500 (E) It is at the discretion of each Bank (B) To maintain minimum CRAR as per Basel II norms (C) To maintain NPA provision coverage ratio (D) To strengthen the Balance Sheet of banks (E) None of these 3 0. What is monetary policy transmission ? (A) It refers to monetary policy of Ce ntral Bank (B) It refers to fiscal policy of Government (C) It refers to various channels through which the monetary policy of a Central Bank alters PD/February/2011/1481

(A) CIBIL (C) RBI (E) IBA (B) SEBI (D) CRISIL 37. Loans/advances to farmers is treated as (A) Personal Loans (B) Priority Secto r Loan (C) Business Loan (D) Corporate Loan (E) None of these 38. Which one of t he following Organisations maintains CRR ? (A) RBI (B) SEBI (C) NABARD (D) IBA ( E) None of these 39. When the loan is granted for purchase of white goods it is called (A) Consumption loan (B) White goods loan (C) Consumer durable loan (D) Al l the above (E) None of the above 40. Which one of the following is the objectiv e of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ? (A) To provide 100 days employment to people in rural areas (B) To provide employment to educated youth (C) To provide employment under KVIC schemes (D) To create more valuable r ural assets (E) None of these 41. Structure of Basel II is based on how many pil lars ? (A) Two (B) Three (C) Four (D) Eight (E) Six 42. With which one of the fo llowing Channel Financing is associated ? (A) Retail Lending (B) Corporate Lending (C) SME Lending (D) Supply Chain Finance (E) None of these 43. Expand the term FRBM (A) Financial Responsibility and Business Management (B) Fiscal Responsibili ty and Business Management (C) Financial Responsibility and Budget Management (D) Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (E) None of these 44. A customer can approach Banking ombudsm an if he does not get satisfactory response to his grievance from the bank withi n how many days ? (A) 10 days (B) 20 days (C) 8 days (D) 30 days (E) 60 days 45. Which one of the following country is in talks with EU and International Moneta ry Fund, to exit from debt crisis ? (A) Spain (B) Turkey (C) Portugal (D) Greece (E) Finland 46. For achieving 85 percent GDP growth in fiscal 2010-11, which one of the following should be percent growth in farm sector ? (A) 20 (B) 25 (C) 30 (D ) 40 (E) None of these 47. According to a report submitted by IMF in its World Ec onomic Outlook, which one of the following countries will have highest percent G DP growth rate in 2011 ? (A) China (B) India (C) Brazil (D) Russia (E) None of t hese 48. Which one of the following has given Aadhaar as its new brand name ? (A) UIDAI (B) Sports Ministry, GOI (C) Ministry of Tourism, GOI (D) NHAI (E) None of these 49. Which of the following will help poor to come out of their poverty ? 1. Good Health Service 2. Freedom from illiteracy 3. Optimum Sex Ratio (A) (B) ( C) (D) (E) Only 1 Only 2 Only 1 and 2 Only 3 All 1, 2 and 3 50. Which one of the following is per cent Bank Rate ? (A) 40 (B) 45 (C) 5 (D) 333 (E) None of these Answers with Hints P.Darpan Continued from Page 1426 P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1482

FORTHCOMING CIVIL SERVICES (Pre.) EXAM., 2011 CSAT Mock Test (Continued from the Last Issue) Dharmendra Mittal leaving the rest in capitals, w hich of the following represents the second month after June ? ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP QRSTUVWXYZ (A) AugusT (C) augusT (B) AUgUsT (D) August PART-V General Mental Ability 86. John started walking towards east and walked 10 m before turning to his righ t. Then he walked 15 m and turned to his left and after walking 20 m, he again t urned to his right and walked 10 m. He again turned to his right and walked 30 m and finally he turned to his right and walked 25 m to reach the point F. At wha t distance and in which direction is he now from the starting point ? (A) 10 m t o the East (B) At the starting point (C) 15 m to the West (D) 20 m to the South Directions(Q. 87-88) Read the given information and carefully answer the followin g questions. A started from point P and went 2 km east; he turned right and cove red 3 km. At the end of third km his bicycle got punctured. He left it with the mechanic and turned right and went 1 km. Then he turned left and went 1 km and f inally he turned right and after walking 1 km reached his destination. Now answe r the following questions ? 87. How far is A s destination from P (shortest dist ance in km) ? (A) (C)

90. Nisha told Sheetal, "The girl I met yesterday night in the party was the you ngest daughter of the brother-in-law of my friend s mother". How is the girl rel ated to Neha s friend ? (A) Daughter (B) Niece (C) Aunt (D) Cousin 91. In a cert ain code language PAINT is written as ZBVSK and COPE is written as WARJ . How NOTI s written in that code ? (A) SAKVWJ (B) SAUVWJ (C) SRKVWJ (D) SAKVXJ 92. In a co de language TIME is written as JUFN and MOTHER is written as UPNSFI. How BOTH is n that language ? (A) ANUI (B) PCIU (C) PCGS (D) NAIU 97. WAIT is related to WEIGHT as INDICT is related to (A) Predict (B) Indite (C) Depict (D) Lick 98. SUCCESS is related to FAILURE as HAPPY is related to (A) Rejo ice (B) Bliss (C) Disappointed (D) Sad Directions(Q. 99-100) In the question belo w some numbers are given in rows A, B, C and D. In three rows the numbers are re lated to each other while the numbers in one row hold no relation. Identify that row (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) (B) (C) (D) 0.5, 2, 1, 4 1, 4, 2, 8 0.25, 1, 0.5, 2 2, 4 , 6, 8 1, 3, 5, 7 0.5, 1, 2, 1.5 0.25, 0.5, 1, 0.75 1, 2, 4, 3 32 + 2 2 42 + 2 2 (B) 42 + 3 2 93. Four of the following five are similar in relation to their position in the English alphabet and 99. hence from a group. Which one does not belong to the gr oup ? (A) BDHN (B) FHLR (C) QTYC (D) JLPV 100. 94. Four of the following five ar e alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which is the one that does not bel ong to that group ? 101. (A) 1995 (B) 1998 (C) 1991 (D) 1996 (D) 4 Replace the question work by choosing the correct response. 88. What is the total distance covered by A ? (A) 6 km (B) 8 km (C) 7 km (D) 9 k m 89. Introducing Shyamlal, Reshma said, He is the only son of my mother s mother. How is Reshma related to the Shyamlal ? (A) Reshma is the daughter of Shyamlal (B) Reshma is the sister of Shyamlal (C) Reshma is the cousin of Shyamlal (D) Re

shma is the niece of Shyamlal 8 16 32 95. Shyama remembers that her husband s birthday is after 19th 16 32 8 b ut before December 22. Where 32 ? 16 as her mother-in-law remem(A) 8 (B) 10 bers that the birthday of her only son is after 20th but before 24th (C) 12 (D) 16 D ecember. If both of them are 102. Pick up the missing number true, which day is Shyama s from the answer choice. The husband s birthday ? other numbers will giv e a clue to (A) December 23 the pattern (B) December 22 (C) December 21 (D) Decem ber 20 96. If the alternate letters in the following alphabet starting from hanged into small letter (A) 3 (C) 4 (B) 2 (D) 6 PD/February/2011/1483 A

are c

partners. P faces towards North. (A) Sock (B) Gloves If M faces towards West, th en (C) Coat (D) Spectacles who faces towards South ? 118. Four of the following five are (A) O alike in a certain way and so form (B) N a group. Which is the on e that (C) P does not belong to the group ? (D) Data inadequate (A) TW (B) DG 10 4. Anemia is related to Blood in 112. Kanny started walking towards (C) NR (D) OR th e same way as Anarchy is East. After moving a distance of 119. How many 7 s not im mediately related to 1 km, he turned southwords and preceded by 4 but immediately (A) Disorder walked 5 km. Again, he turned followed by 2 are there in the (B) M onarchy to East and walked 2 km. Finally, following series ? he turned to the No rth and (C) Government 34728729471357299772 walked 9 km. How far is he from (D) Lawlessness 514723 his starting point ? (E) Democracy 103. A one rupee coin is p laced on a plain paper. How many coins of the same size can be placed round it s o that each one touches the central and adjacent coins ? (A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 7 (D) 6 (A 7 km (B) 5 km (A) 1 (B) 2 Directions(105109) Each of (C) 4 km (D) 3 km (C) 3 ( D) 4 the question given below contains three elements. These elements may 113. I ntroducing a girl, Ramprasad 120. In a row of boys, Anand is or may not have som e intense said, "Her mother is the only eleventh from the left and linkage. Each group of elements may daughter of my mother-in-law". Deepak is fifteenth from t he fit into one of the diagrams lettered How is Ramprasad related to the right. When Anand and Deepak (A), (B), (C), (D) or (E). You have to girl ? interchange their positions indicate the diagram in which the Anand will be fifth from the l eft. (A) Father group of elements fits correctly ? Which of the following will b e (B) Husband Deepak s position from the right (C) Brother after rearrangement? (A) (D) Cannot be determined (A) Seventh 114. Malti is the mother of Rohan. (B) Seventeenth Sameer is the father of Ajit. Ajit is (C) Eleventh (B) the brother o f Rohan and Dipu. (D) Ninth Which of the following statements of not true ? PART -VI (A) Malti is the mother of Dipu Basic Numeracy and (C) (B) Sameer is the hus band of Data Interpretation Malti 121. Reena is the thrice as old as Dev. (D) (C ) Sameer has three children Seema will be twice as old as (D) Ajit is the daught er of Malti Reena 6 years hence. Six years 105. Teachers, Saints, Human beings. ago Dev was 5 years old. What is 115. If rain is called water, water is 106. Swe ets, Oranges, Fruits. Seemas present age? called air, air is called cloud, 107. F ather, Mother, God. (A) 28 years (B) 42 years cloud is called sky, sky is called 108. Person, Philosopher, Writer. sea, sea is called road, where do (C) 60 year s (D) 72 years 109. Clerks, Educated Persons, the airplanes fly ? 122. A discoun t of 15% offered after Government servants. (A) Air (B) Sky increasing the price by 15% is 110. Nishant remembers that his (C) Cloud (D) Sea equivalent to brothe r Rajesh s birthday is (A) A discount of 2.25% on certainly after 11th but befor e 116. In a certain code BACTERIA is original price written as AJSFUDBB. How is 15th October, while his uncle PROTOZOA written in that (B) No discount remembers that Rajesh s birthday code ? (C) A hike of 2.25% on original is certainly befo re 17th but after price 12th October. If both of them are (A) APAQUPTP correct, on which date of October (D) A discount of 5.75% (B) BPAPUPSP is the birthday of Rajesh ? (C) APAPUPSP 123. A sold a cooker to B at a profit of (A) 13th 10% who sold it to C at a loss of (D) None of these (B) 14th 5% who sold it to D at a p rofit of 117. Four of the following five items (C) 12th 20% who sold it to E at a profit of mentioned below are similar in (D) Either 13th or 14th 1% who sold i t to F at a loss of some respect and so form a 10%. If F paid Rs.113.98 for it, A group. Which one is not a part of 111. Four friends M, N, O and P are the grou p ? had purchased it for (Rs.) playing cards. M and N are PD/February/2011/1484

(A) 9265 (C) 50 (B) 100 (D) 110 (A) 1500 (C) 1000 (B) 1200 (D) 1600 124. If x : y :: 5 : 2, the value of 8x + 9y 130. What is the compound interest : 8x + 2y is on Rs. 5,000 for 4 years if the rate (A) 22 : 29 (B) 29 : 22 of inte rest is 10% p.a. for the first 136. Two customers borrowed the (C) 61 : 26 (D) 2 6 : 61 2 years and 20% p.a. for the next same amount of money, one at compound i nterest and the other 2 years ? 125. A, B and C invest Rs. 4,000, Rs. at simple interest. If after two 5,000 and Rs. 6,000 respectively, (A) Rs. 2,320.50 years, the interest payable by one in a business. A gets 25% of (B) Rs. 3,712 was Rs. 220 and the other Rs. profits for managing the business (C) Rs. 3,745 200, then what was the principle and the rest of the profit is money lent to each one of t hem ? (D) Rs. 5,368 divided by A, B and C in the proportion to their investment. If 131. What is the number of numbers (A) Rs. 450 in a year A gets Rs. 100 less than (B) Rs. 500 between 400 and 500 if both the B and C together, what was the numbers are counted ? (C) Rs. 550 profit that year ? (A) 101 (B) 100 (D) None o f these (A) Rs. 500 (B) Rs. 750 (C) 99 (D) 102 137. How many bricks are required to (C) Rs. 1,000 (D) Rs. 1,200 Directions(Q. 132 and 133) build a wall of 15 met ers length, 126. Two pipes A and B can fill a tank Refer to the data given below and 12 meters height and 20 cm in 15 hours and 20 hours res- answer the questio ns that follow. thickness if the brick is 36 cm pectively while a third pipe C l ong, 25 cm wide and 10 cm A class of 30 students comprises can empty the full ta nk in 25 thick ? hours. All the three pipes are of boys who can play Cricket, Ho ckey (A) 2000 opened in the beginning. After and Football. 3 boys play only Cric ket, (B) 4000 10 hours, C is closed. The time 3 boys play only Hockey and 2 play (C) 12000 taken to fill the tank is only Football. 4 boys could play all (D) Non e of these (A) 35 hours three games, while 11 could play Foot(B) 12 hours ball a nd Cricket, and 10 boys could 138. A certain type of bacteria 1 play Football an d Hockey. reproduce itself at the rate of 10 (C) 132 hours every 5 minutes. In h ow many 132. How many boys played Cricket (D) 18 hours minutes will the number d ouble and Hockey but not Football ? 127. Two pipes P and Q fill a tank in itself ? (A) 1 (B) 2 24 and 30 minute respectively. (A) 20 minutes (C) 3 (D) 5 But due to the presence of an (B) 30 minutes exhausting pipes it takes 20 133. How many boys can play at least (C) 40 minutes two games ? minute to fill the tank, when all (D) None of these the three are working simul(A) 16 (B) 18 taneously. How l ong will it take 139. What is the present value (in (C) 10 (D) 22 for the exhaus ting pipes to empty lakhs Rs.) of an income of Rs. 2 134. Two taps can fill a ta nk in 20 the filled tank ? lakh in 2 years if the rate of minutes and 30 minutes res(A) 40 minute interest is 5% ? pectively. There is an outlet tap (B) 50 minu te (A) 181 at exactly half level of the (C) 30 minute (B) 167 rectangular tank whi ch can (D) 60 minute (C) 22 pump out 50 litres of water per (D) None of these min utes. If the outlet tap is open, then it takes 24 minutes to fill an 140. Two gr oups of students , whose empty tank. What is the volume average ages are 20 year s and 30 of tank ? years, combine to form a third (A) 1200 (B) 1500 group whose average age is 23 years. What is the ratio of the (C) 1800 (D) 2400 number of st udents in the first 1 135. A tells B, if you give me Rs. 400 (B) 333 metre group to the number of students then I shall have 5/4 times as (C) 25 metre in the sec ond group ? much as you have. B tells A, if (D) 30 metre (A) 5 : 2 you give me Rs. 200, then I shall 129. The radius of a circular wheel is (B) 2 : 5 have three an d half times as 3 1 4 m. How many revolutions it (C) 7 : 3 much as you have. How much (D) None of these does B have ? has to make in travelling 11 km ? 128. A ca n run a kilometre in 4 minute 50 second and B can run in 5 minute. How many metr es start A has to give to B in a km race so that they end in a dead heat ? (A) 4 0 metre

(A) (B) (C) (D) Rs. 1200 Rs. 900 Rs. 800 Rs. 1600 PD/February/2011/1485

141. The average weight of 8 men is 147. What is the average foreign exchange ea rning per foreign increased by 1.5 kg when one of tourist in India in 2003 ? the men who weights 65 kg is (A) Rs. 62,000 replaced by a new man. The (B) Rs. 6,30 ,000 weight of the new man is (C) Rs. 63,600 (A) 76 kg (B) 76.5 kg (D) Rs. 62,00 (C) 76.7 kg (D) 77 kg 148. The average annual percentage 142. The area of rectan gle gets growth for 1998-2003 of foreign reduced by 9 square units if its touris t arrivals in India is length is reduced by 5 units and (A) 05% (B) 09% the breadth is increased by 3 (C) 11% (D) 125% units. If we increase the length by 3 units an d breath by 2 units, 149. The highest average forex earning per foreign tourist in India the area is increased by 67 square was highest during the years units. F ind the length and (A) 2003 (B) 2002 breadth of the rectangle (C) 2001 (D) 2000 ( A) 12; 7 (B) 17; 9 (C) 11; 21 (D) None 18000 16000 14098 14126 (A) The average spend per foreign tourist increased in 2002 (B) The number of ri ch tourists increased while the number of budget travellers decreased (C) The va lue of the dollar with regard to the rupee had increased (D) None of these Direc tions(Q. 153 to 155) The following pie chart shows the marks obtained by a studen t in an examination, who scored 540 marks in all English 63 Hindi 60 Science 75 Maths 90 Social Science 72 (A) 2760 (C) 2245 (B) 2670 (D) 2345 12000 10000 14238 14344 14419 14000 17500 143. Find the sum of 30 terms of the series 5 + 11 + 17 + 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 1 1 1 2 144. Simplify the 2 of 1 1 2 4 2 8 5 153. The subject in which the stude nt Forex Earning (Rs. crore) scored 108 marks is 1 1 (A) 7 (B) 5 5 5 150. The per centage fall in tourist (A) Science 1 1 arrivals in 2002 was (B) Hindi (C) 7 (D) 5 8 8 (C) English (A) 615% (B) 655% 145. The sum of all three digit num(D) Social Science (C) 545% (D) 575% bers which leave a remainder 2 154. The subject in which the student when divided by either 7 or 5 151. If $ 1 = Rs. 46, how many millio n 2 scored 16 % is dollars did India earn foreign is 3 exchange on account of fore ign (A) 14179 (B) 14157 (A) Social Science tourists, in 2001 ? (B) Hindi (C) 150 11 (D) 14171 (A) 300 (B) 3100 (C) English 3 4 (C) 31,180 (D) 3187 x (D) Science

146. If 8. = 2x then is equal 4 2 152. In 2002, the foreign exchange 155. The m scored in Hindi and to earnings increased marginally Mathematics differ from the but the number of foreign tourists (A) 1 (B) 0 marks scored in English, Science fell. Which of the following, if 1 1 and Social Science by (D) 2 (C) 6 true, woul d not explain this 2 (A) 90 (B) 72 anomaly ? (C) 85 (D) 61 Data Interpretation D irections(Q. 156 to 160) Study the following table and answer the Directions(Q. 14 7152) Study questions given below : graph given below and answer the questions th at follow Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India 2800000 2700000 2600000 2500000 2400000 2300000 2200000 2100000 Year-wise and Discipline-wise Number of Candidates Selected in an Industry Year Discipline Science Commerce Arts Agriculture Engineering Others Total 1981 16 08 04 01 0.5 0.5 30 1982 20 12 08 03 01 01 45 1983 25 12 8.5 3.0 10 0.5 50 198 4 15 11 10 2.5 1.0 0.5 40 1985 14 15 11 1.0 0.5 0.5 42 1986 16 13 13 20 0.5 0.5 4 5 2607000 2623500 2649400 2538000 2002 2382400 1998 1999 2000 2001 PD/February/2011/1486 2003 2750000 2003 Study the graph and answer the questions 153-155 given below.

The correct answer to the (A) it is appearing 156. The number of selected candie xample is (B). dates of which discipline is (B) its appearance increasing every year ? (C) are appearing 161. The principle of a rocket motor is (A) Science sim ple, rockets are very (D) to appear (B) Engineering complicated machines. 168. peri allowing the (C) Agriculture flourishing of mammals. (A) large and powerful (D) Arts (A) Dinosaurs which (B) but large, powerful (B) Then dinosaurs 157. Approx imately what per cent of (C) large although powerful (C) Among dinosaurs candida tes of science discipline (D) so large, powerful were selected for the given (D) When dinosaurs 162. No other object in the sky 169. The sense of smell is extraor diperiod ? the Crab Nebula, a shell of gases (A) 38 (B) 42 narily precise and sens es. with a complex structure. (C) 42.3 (D) 45 (A) most of all direct the (A) loo ks like 158. If all the class graduates were (B) all direct the most of (B) as i s eligible to apply, which of the (C) the most direct of all (C) or In following inferences is probably (D) direct most of all the true? (D) except for (A) Amon g the applicants the 163. very common to find stars 170. With any vaccine or drug, p ssibility of severe reactions or number of science discipline in pairs. even dea th exists. candidates is the largest (A) It is (A) a (B) there is a (B) If writt en test was given for (B) Being selection the test was biased (C) so a (D) that a (C) Nor is it towards science discipline Directions(Q. 171 to 185) In (D) That is (C) The industry required each of the following sentences, four science disci pline graduates more 164. Some areas of the moon are so words or phrases have be en bold. in its personnel full of craters an extre- You should choose the one word o r mely rough surface. (D) All of these phrase that would not be appropriate (A) that they present in standard written English. Mark 159. In which year is the pe rcentage of your choice on the answer sheet. (B) presenting Agriculture discipli ne candidates the highest? (A) 1982 (C) 1984 (B) 1983 (D) 1985 (C) which present (D) to present 165. James Cook, , also discovered the Hawaiian Islands. (A) by ex ploring the South Sea he reached Australia (B) explored the South Sea and reachi ng Australia. (C) who explored the South Sea and reached Australia (D) he explor ed the South Sea before reaching Australia Example : The average age at which pe ople begin to need eye(A) (B) glasses vary considerably. (C) (D) Is incorrect in standard written English. 171. Following the success of the (A) early satellite s, scientists quickly (B) foresee the likelihood of further (C) (D) space probes . 160. In which year for the first time did the Arts discipline candidates constit ute more than 25 per cent of selected candidates? (A) 1982 (B) 1983 (C) 1984 (D) 1985 PART-VII English Language Comprehension Skills Directions(Q. 161 to 170) In 166. , but also it filters out harmful sun rays ? Part A each problem consists of an 172. Sugar provides man with quick incomplete sent ence. In the following (A) The atmosphere gives us air (A) sentence, there are f our choices, to breathe energy, but it has neither vitamarked (A), (B), (C), and (D). You (B) Not only the atmosphere (B) should find the one choice that best g ives us air to breathe mins, minerals, and other bodycompletes the sentence. Mar k your (C) (D) (C) The atmosphere which gives choice on the answer sheet. us air to breathe building material. Example : Because the United (D) Not only does th e atmos- 173. Archeological evidence shows States has little tin, produced in pher e give us air to breathe (A) (B) the rest of the world. (A) tin is used that the Egyptians were organi167. One of the most obvious characzed, civilized, and ski ll in using (B) it uses tin teristics of the moon is the way (C) (D) in which it continuously (C) uses of tin Changes (D) uses tin crafts. PD/February/2011/1487

(A) tired (B) weak 174. Although tea drinking is a 182. Even in ancient times, i ts impor(A) (A) (B) (C) timid (D) blind considerably old custom in the tance of the sun was recognized 188. In America, there is no alterna(B) (C) tive; the Pre sident must approve Far East, this custom first in sustaining life on earth. the bill if Congress passes it. (C) (D) (A) chance of agreement reached Europe for the first time (B) doubt 183. William Pitt urged that the (D) (C) other choice ( A) in the seventeenth century. (D) mistake English colonists were given the 175. A virus, which is too small to be (B) 189. It is futile to argue with him (A) ( B) same rights to which other once he has made up his mind. seen except with a p owerful (C) (A) unpleasant (C) English subjects were entitled. (B) encouraging m icroscope, is causing measles. (D) (C) helpful (D) (D) useless 176. The Mediterr anean, a large sea 184. Dermatologists warning that (A) 190. He hurled the statu e to the floor surrounded by land, is a mile with such force that it shattered. tanning salons are often run by (A) (B) (C) (A) dropped (B) pulled deep and more than 2,000 miles (B) (C) operators who lack knowledge (C) pushed (D) threw (D) length. 191. He is the most intrepid explorer (D) of the dangers of radiation. i n the present century. (A) successful 177. The findings of Gregor Mendel 185. Si r Winston Churchill, as the (A) were published in 1866, but (B) fearless (A) (C) reliable British Prime Minister, leads his little attention was paid to it for (B) (D) fearsome (B) (C) (D) country to victory despite near 192. It is not easy to remain tranquil half a century. (C) (D) when events suddenly change defeat. 178. People of the Middle Ages were your life. willing to pay a high price for ( A) superior (B) serious Directions(Q. 186 to 195) Each (A) (B) (C) severe (D) ser ene problem in Part A consists of a spices because disguised, the sentence in wh ich one word or phrase 193. One symptom of the disease is a (C) high fever. has been bold. From the four choices bad taste of spoiled food. given, you should ch oose the one (A) symbol (B) sign (D) word or phrase which could be sub(C) cause (D) pain 179. When a spider catches an insect, (A) it releases some poison into an (B) (C) insect with its fangs. (D) 180. Storm clouds of modest size (A) produ ces a few flashes a minute (B) (C) and a power of a few hundred (D) mega watts. stituted for the bold word or phrase 194. He was greatly vexed by the new withou t changing the meaning of the and unexpected development. sentence. Mark your ch oice on the (A) astonished answer sheet. (B) annoyed Example : The frown on the (C) enlightened man s face showed that he was dis(D) contented pleased. 195. The clerk had been insolent to (A) look of fear his superior once too often; now (B ) look of anger he is without a job. (C) look of delight (A) affectionate (D) lo ok of surprise (B) rude The best answer is (B) (C) dishonest 186. The two compan ies are going to (D) sly merge by the first of the year. Directions(Q. 196 to 200 ) The (A) become one sentences given in each question, (B) divide into two when properly sequenced, form a (C) dissolve coherent paragraph. Each sentence is (D) change owners labeled with a letter. Choose the most logical order of sentences from among the given choices to construct a coherent paragraph. 181. The stars can be classified by (A) their various characteristics, such (B) as size, temperature, colour, and (C) 187. The old woman is too feeble to bright . cross the street without, her nephew s help. (D) PD/February/2011/1488

196. 1. 2. Branded disposable diapers are available at many supermarkets and drug stores. I f one supermarket sets a higher price for a diaper, customers may buy that brand elsewhere. By contrast, the demand for private-label products may be less price sensitive since it is available only at a corresponding supermarket chain. 3. To say what they feel they have to say, they appear to be denying or ignoring pa rt of what they know. So, with ambassadors as with other expatriates in black Af rica, there appears at a first meeting a kind of ambivalence. They do a speciali zed job and it is necessary for them to live ceremonial lives. 23541 25143 (B) 2 5413 (D) 23451 3. The length of one-degree arc would be less near the equatorial latitudes than at the poles. One way of doing that is to determine the length of the arc along a chosen longitude or meridian at one degree latitude separation. While it was gen erally known that the earth was not a sphere but an oblate spheroid , more curv ed at the equator and flatter at the poles, the question of how much more was yet to be established. (B) 25431 (D) 52431 4. 4. 3. 5. 5. 4. 5. 6. (A) So, the demand for branded (C) diapers at any particular store may be quite price 199. 1. sensitive. For instance, only Savon Drugs stores sell Savon Drugs diapers. Then, stores should set a higher incremental margin 2. percentage for p rivate-label diapers. (B) 123546 (D) 154236 "This face off will continue for several months given the strong convictions on either side," says a senior functionary of the high-powered task force on drough t. (A) 25314 (C) 54132 (A) 123456 (C) 142356 197. 1. 2. Having a strategy is a matter of discipline. It involves the configuration of a tailored value chain that enables a company to offer unique value. 3.

4. 5. 6. It requires a strong focus on profitability and a willingness to make tough trad eoffs in choosing what Not to do. Strategy goes far beyond the pursuit of best p ractices. A company must stay the course even during times of upheaval, while co nstantly improving and Extending its distinctive positioning. When a company s a ctivities fit together as a self-reinforcing system, any competitor wishing to i mitate a 200. 1. strategy must replicate the whole system. (B) 132456 (D) 123546 During the past week-andhalf, the Central Government has sought to deny some of the earlier apprehensions over the impact of drought. 3. The recent revival of t he rains had led to the emergence of a line of divide between the two. 4. The st ate governments, on the other hand, allege that the Centre is downplaying the cr isis only to evade its full responsibility of financial assistance that is requi red to alleviate the damage. 5. Shrill alarm about the economic impact of an ina dequate monsoon had been sounded by the Centre as well as most of the states, in late July and early August. (A) 52341 (B) 42135 (C) 24315 (D) 53241 This fact w as established in the 1730s by French survey expeditions to Equador near the Equ ator and Lapland in the Arctic, which found that around the middle of the earth the arc was about a kilometer shorter. One of the unsettled scientific questions in the late 18th century was the exact nature of the shape of the earth. Answers with Explanations (A) 135426 (C) 432561 198. 1. 2. As officials, their vision of a country shouldn t run too far beyond that of the local people with whom they have to deal. Ambassadors have to choose their word s. 2. PD/February/2011/1489

Solved Paper HOTEL MANAGEMENT, AURANGABAD EXAM., 2010 (Held on 7-3-2010) Logical Ability (Based on Memory) Directions(Q. 15) In each question given below, there is a statement followed by t wo assumptions numbered I and II . An assumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the statement and the following assumptions an d decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement. Give answers (A) If only assumption I is implicit. (B) If only assumption II is implicit. (C) If neither I nor II is implicit. (D) If both I and II are implicit. 1. Statement : The cotton crop continues to be poor even after the introduction of improved var iety of cotton seeds. Assumptions : I. The yield of cotton was expected to incre ase after introduction of improved variety of seeds. II. The yield of cotton was adequate before the introduction of new variety of seeds. 2. Statement : No bud getary provision for the purpose of appointing additional faculty would be made in the context of institutes changed financial priorities. Assumptions : I. Appoi ntment of requires funds. faculty improved unless office building is repaired. I I. Repairing and painting of office building require funds. 4. Statement : An op portunity to carry out reforms in elections to the Parliament and State Legislat ures has been lost when we rejected most of the recommendations of Goswami Commi ttee for partisan reasons. Assumptions : I. Goswami Committee made certain good recommendations to improve the existing election system. II. Most of the decisio ns in our country are taken with partisan considerations. 5. Statement : Shri Ro y, retired IAS official has taken over as the new Director of the All India Nucl ear Research Institute. It is now expected that the administration of the instit ute will improve. Assumptions : I. The Institute had no Director before Shri Roy . II. Director is supposed to look after the administration of the Institute. Di rections(Q. 610) At an Electronic Data Processing Unit, five out of the eight prog ram sets P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W are to be operated daily. On any one day, exc ept for the first day of a month, only three of the program sets must be the one s that were operated on the previous day. The program operating must also satisf y the following conditions (i) If program P is to be operated on a day. V cannot be o perated on that day. (iii) If R is to be operated on day, V must be one of the progr ams to be operated after R. (iv) The last program to be operated on any day must b e either S or U. 6. Which of the following is true of any days valid program set oper ation ? (A) P cannot be operated at third place (B) Q cannot be operated at third pl ace (C) R cannot be operated at fourth place (D) U cannot be operated at fourth plac e 7. If the program sets R and W are to be operated on the first day, which of the f ollowing could be the other programs on that day ? (A) Q, T, V (B) T, S, V (C) Q , S, V (D) T, S, U 8. If the program sets operated on a day is P, Q, W, T, U, ea ch of the following could be the next days program set except (A) Q, R, V, T, U (B ) Q, T, V, W, S (C) W, R, V, T, U (D) W, T, S, P, U 9. Which of the following co uld be the set of programs to be operated on the first day of a month ? (A) P, R , V, S, U (B) Q, S, R, V, U (C) T, U, R, V, S (D) U, Q, S, T, W 10. If R is operat ed at third place in a sequence, which of the following cannot be the second pro gram in that sequence ? (A) Q (B) S (C) T (D) U II. There are areas other than appointment of faculty which require more financi al attention. 3. Statement : The office building needs repairing just as urgentl y as it needs internal as well as external painting. Assumptions : I. Efficiency of people working in the office cannot be (ii) If Q is to be operated on a day, T must be one of the programs to be operated a fter Q. PD/February/2011/1495

Directions(Q. 1115) In each question below are given three statements followed by four conclusions numbered I, II, III and IV. You have to take the three given st atements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known fact s. Read all the conclusions and then decide which of the given conclusions logic ally follows from the three given statements, disregarding commonly known facts. 11. Statements : Some apples are watermelons. All watermelons are fresh. Some p otatoes are fresh. Conclusions : I. Some apples are fresh. II. Some potatoes are apples. III. Some watermelons are potatoes IV. Some watermelons are apples. (A) Only I (B) Only I and II (C) Only I and IV (D) Either II or III and I 12. State ments : All pens are pencils. Some pens are erasers. Some erasers are clips. Con clusions : I. Some clips are pens. II. No clip is a pen. III. Some erasers are p encils. IV. No eraser is a pencil. (A) Only I and II (B) III and either I or II (C) IV and either I or II (D) Only III 13. Statements : Some books are papers. S ome papers are plastic. No plastic is black. Conclusions : I. Some papers are no t black. II. All papers are not black. III. Some papers are black. IV. Some book s are black. (A) Only I (B) Only I and IV (C) I, III and IV (D) Either II or III 14. Statements : Some doors are windows. All windows are black. Some black are b rown. Conclusions : I. Some windows are brown. II. All doors are black. III. Som e doors are black. IV. No window is brown. (A) Only III (B) Either I or IV, and III (C) Only II (D) Only IV 15. Statements : All teachers are doctors. All docto rs are engineers. All engineers are typists. Conclusions : I. Some typists are t eachers. II. All doctors are typists. III. Some engineers are teachers. IV. All doctors are teachers. (A) Only I and II (B) Only I and III (C) Either II or IV ( D) Only I, II and III Directions(Q. 1620) In each question below is given a statem ent followed by two courses of action numbered I and II. A course of action is a step or administrative decision to be taken for improvement, follow-up or furth er action in regard to the problems, policy, etc. on the basis of the informatio n given in the statement. You have to assume everything in the statement to be t rue, then decide which of the given suggested courses of action logically follow s for pursuing. Give answers (A) If only I follows. (B) If only II follows. (C) I f neither I nor II follows. (D) If both I and II follow. 16. Statement : Air exp ort volumes have increased substantially over the past decade causing back logs and difficulties for air cargo agents because of increased demand for space and service. Course of Action : I. Airlines and air cargo agents should jointly work out a solution to combat the problem. II. The reasons for the increase in the volume of air export should be found out . 17. Statement : The world conference on Education of All took place in Thailand in 1990. Widely attend conference endorsed the Framework for Action for Meeting the Basic Learning Needs of all Children. Course of Action : I. India should sui tably implement the Action points of this conference. II. India should also imme diately organise this type of conference. 18. Statement : About 30 to 40% of chi ldren who are enrolled, do not attend school on any given day. Course of Action : I. More schools should be started. II. Reasons for their absenteeism should be found out. 19. Statement : Although the Indian economy is still heavily depende nt on agriculture, its share in global agricultural trade is less than the share of agricultural exports to total exports. Course of Action : I. Efforts should be made to increase our agricultural production. II. The exports of non-agricult ural commodities should be reduced. 20. Statement : Huge amount of resources are required to develop tourist places in a country like India which is endowed wit h vast coastal lines, rivers, forests, temples, etc. Course of Action : I. More tourist-resorts along the coastal line only should be started. II. The tourist-p otential of India should be exploited. Directions(Q. 2125) Each of the questions b elow consists of a question and two statements marked P and Q given below it. Yo u have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to a nswer the question. Read both the statements and give answers PD/February/2011/1496

(A) If the data in statement P alone are sufficient to answer the question, whil e the data in statement Q alone are not sufficient to answer the question. (B) I f the data in statement Q alone are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in statement P alone are not sufficient to answer the question. (C) If the data even in both the statements P and Q together are not sufficient to answer the question. (D) If the data in both statements P and Q together are needed to answer the question. 21. How many daughters does L, have ? P. Rs father has three d aughters. Q. T is Rs sister and daughter of L. 22. Who is the brother of C ? P. D i s the daughter of M. Q. M is the father of C. 23. A library contains only Englis h, Hindi and Telugu novels. How many Telugu novels are there in the library ? P. Of the one thousand novels in the library, fifty per cent novels are in English and Hindi. Q. The number of Hindi novels is double the number of English novels . 24. You must renew your driving licence within ten days from the date of expiry. What is the exact date before which the licence must be renewed ? P. The statem ent was uttered on 17th February. Q. It was a leap year. 25. The area of a playg round is 484 sq metres. What is its perimeter ? P. It costs Rs. 912 to put a fen ce around the playground. Q. The playground is a perfect square. 26. Three of th e following four are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which one of th e following does not belong to the group ? (A) Ear (B) Lung (C) Heart (D) Kidney 2 7. Raman starts walking towards West. After walking 10 metres he turns towards N orth. After walking 20 metres he turns towards East and walk 10 metres. How far is he from his original position and in which direction ? (A) (B) (C) (D) 20 met re, North 10 metre, North 10 metre, South 20 metre, South (A) (B) (C) (D) A is taller than E and D C is taller than B A is taller than D E is taller Directions(Q. 3135) In each of these questions, a situation has been explained thr ough statements 1 and 2 followed by probable reasons RI and RII. Your task is to find out which is the reason for the situation. Mark your answer (A) Only RI is right. (B) Only RII is right. (C) Either RI could be right or RII. (D) Neither R I nor RII is right. 31. Statements : 1. According to an authentic report, severa l militants were hiding in area X. 2. In spite of a through search, they could n ot be found. RI. The locals were providing them with a cover. RII. When they cam e to know about the search, they moved onto another area. 32. Statements : 1. Ma ny officers were transferred at a very short notice by the Chief Secretary. 2. O nly those officers, who kept the Chief Secretary in good humour were not transfe rred. RI. The Chief Secretary is a jolly person. RII. The transfers were based o n personal feelings of the Chief Secretary. 33. Statements : 1. Party X lost elect ions in a certain area. 2. Lack of enthusiasm in the party workers was very noti ceable. RI. The party workers play a major role during election campaign. RII. H ad the workers been the devoted type, the party was sure to win the elections. 3 4. Statements : 1. Only those buildings fell down during heavy rains which had f aulty designs or inferior material. 28. Anxiety causes ulcer. However, some who are happy-go-lucky type also suffer from ulcer. Which of the following would strengthen the association of anxiety a nd ulcer ? (A) Peptic ulcer is caused by either excessive anxiety or spicy food (B) Anxiety is more harmful than ulcer (C) About 90% of the women suffer from ul cer (D) About 65% of the ulcer patients were found to be high on anxiety 29. Rol e conflict and ambiguity are the most widely examined source variable in manager ial stress research. Research in this area is extremely homogeneous, as anywhere from 50% to 85% of this literature employs scales developed by APA. Based on th e above information, which of the following can be concluded ? (A) 50% to 85% of the studies on stress are related to role conflict and ambiguity (B) In this ar ea only one scale developed by APA is available (C) Role conflict is the only ca use of stress (D) There is dearth of research in the field of managerial stress

30. A is taller than B, C is taller than D. D is taller than E. To determine wh is the tallest, which of the following further information, if any, is required ? PD/February/2011/1497

2. The heavy rains wiped a whole colony. RI. The houses in the colony had faulty de signs. RII. An inferior kind of building material was used during construction. 35. Statements : 1. If a person dies while he is in police custody, the policema n are summoned by the Court. 2. If atrocities are proved, they are punished by l aw. RI. Law is very considerate for the criminals. RII. No person can die a natu ral death while he is in police custody. Directions(Q. 3640) Each question contain s six statements followed by four sets of combinations of three. Choose the set in which the statements are logically related. 36. (a) No wealthy persons are va grants. (b) All lawyers are wealthy persons. (c) Some lawyers are vagrants. (d) Some wealthy persons are not vagrants. (e) No lawyers are vagrants. (f) All lawy ers are vagrants. (A) abc (C) abf 37. (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (A) (C) (B) bed (D ) abe 39. (a) All students are the people who saw the game. (b) All persons who saw th e game are persons who were at dance. (c) Some students were persons who were at the dance. (d) Some persons who saw the game are students. (e) Some students ar e not the persons who saw the game. (f) No one who was at the dance saw the game . (A) bdc (B) abc (C) acf (D) cda 40. (a) Some intellectuals are shy and retirin g people. (b) Some shy and retiring people are successful politicians. (c) No in tellectuals are successful politicians. (d) All shy and retiring people are inte llectuals. (e) Some successful politicians are intellectuals. (f) No shy and ret iring people are successful politicians. (A) cfa (C) fae (B) cdf (D) cbd Answers with Hints All voters are residents. Some voters are citizens. All citizens are residents. No citizen is a resident. All voters are citizens. Some residents are voters. ce a (B) acb cef (D) aed 38. (a) Some preachers are persons of unfailing vigor. (b) Some intellectuals ar e persons of unfailing vigor. (c) No preacher is an intellectual. (d) Some perso ns of unfailing vigor are not preachers. (e) All preachers are persons of unfail ing vigor. (f) Some intellectuals are not preachers. (A) cba (B) cbd (C) abd (D) cbe PD/February/2011/1498

Some economists think India will grow faster than any other large country over t he next 25 years. Rapid growth in a country of 1.2 billion people is exciting, t o put it mildly. Although various international assessments differ on when exactl y India becomes the fourth or thirdlargest global economybecause of the varying a ssumptions used in the analysesthey all reach the conclusion that India will beco me an international power of consequence before 2050. In other words, India will certainly shift from being a thirdworld country to plausibly becoming the worlds third-largest economy well within the lifetimes of those already born in the Un ited States. In addition to these economic synergies strong bilateral ties betwe en them are providing/ought to provide diplomatic and strategic strength to two biggest democracies in the new emerging multi-polar World order. This potential dimension should give more hope and tonic to bilateralism than speculated hype a s antipodal political analysts do prophase. After all, building a global partner ship with India is ultimately in the strategic interests of the United States. F or India, the nurturing of the relationship with the US has been the most import ant foreign policy priorities in the recent years. P.Darpan P.Darpan Continued from Page 1409 largest economic power in the world among states (and the fourth largest among p olitical entities) by the middle of this century. Interestingly, the National In telligence Council using a composite measure that integrates gross domestic produ ct, defense spending, population, a nd technology growth for individual stateshas concluded that India will hold the fourth largest concentration of power in the international system much earlier by 2026. These assessments are certainly plau sible. Despite the current global economic crisis, India has chalked up growth r ates of about 8 per cent and most estimates suggest that, based on current trend s, it will grow at rates of 9 per cent or higher for at least another two to thr ee decades. In large measure, this is because Indias economic model, which is dri ven by domestic demand rather than trade, is likely to be more sustainable over the long term than Chinas current approach, which centers on investment-driven, e xport-centered growth. As the Economist recently concluded, despite the headline, India is doing rather well It has a long way to go before it is as rich as Chinat he Chinese economy is four times biggerbut its growth rate could overtake Chinas b y 2013, if not before. Continued from Page 1479 Answers with Hint P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1499

Solved Paper SYNDICATE BANK PROBATIONARY OFFICERS EXAM., 2010 (Held on 29-8-2010)

Reasoning (Based on Memory) 1. Which of the following expressions is correct if the expression Z > Y W < V is definitely correct ? (A) V > Y (B) W < Z (C) Z > V (D) Y V (E) None of these 2. Which of the following figures represents the relation between Sparrows, Birds and Cr ows ? (A) (C) (E) 3. A Tumbler is related to Empty in the same way as a Seat is rela to . (A) Occupied (B) Person (C) Chair (D) Sitting (E) Vacant 4. Four of the followi ng five are alike in a certain way and hence form a group. Which one does not be long to the group ? (A) Long (B) Tall (C) High (D) Short (E) Dim 5. Army is relate d to Land in the same way as Navy is related to . (A) Ships (B) Battle (C) Water ( ral (E) Defence 6. How many such pairs of letters are there in the word RETURNS, each of which has as many letters between them in the word (in both forward and backward directions) as they have between them in the English alphabetical seri es ? (A) None (B) One (C) Two (D) Three (E) More than three 7. If each alphabet in the word FRACTION is arranged in alphabetical order (from left to right), (B) (D) and then each vowel is changed to next letter in the English alphabetical s eries and each consonant is changed to previous letter in English alphabetical s eries, which of the following will be fourth from the right side of the new arra ngement thus formed ? (A) M (B) J (C) P (D) E (E) Q 8. Town D is 13 km towards t he East of town A. A bus starts from town A, travels 8 km towards West and takes a right turn. After taking the right turn, it travels 5 km and reaches town B. From town B the bus takes a right turn again, travels 21 km and stops. How far a nd towards which direction must the bus travel to reach town D ? (A) 13 km towar ds South (B) 5 km towards West (C) 21 km towards South (D) 5 km towards South (E ) None of these 9. What will come in place of question-mark (?) in the following series ? HK JM ? NQ PS (A) NL (B) LO (C) KN (D) KO (E) None of these 10. A dise ase would always necessarily have (A) Medicine (B) Bacteria (C) Cause (D) Cure (E ) Fever Directions(Q. 1117) Study the following information carefully and answer t he given questions Seven friends A, B, C, D, E, F and G studied in colleges X, Y and Z and are currently in different professions namely, Medicines, Fashion desi gning, Engineering, Business, Acting, Teaching and Architecture (not necessarily in the same order). At least two and not more than three friends had studied in the same college. C is an architect and studied in college Y. E is not a busine ssman. Only G amongst the seven friends studied in college X along with E. F is an engineer and did not study in college Y. B is an actor and did not study in t he same college as F. A did not study in college Z. Those who studied in college X are neither Fashion Designers nor teachers. None of those who studied in coll ege Y is a teacher. 11. Which of the following groups represents the students of college Y? (A) C, E, G (B) A, C, D (C) A, B, C (D) D, B, C (E) None of these 12 . Who amongst the following is in the profession of Medicines ? (A) E (B) G (C) A (D) D (E) None of these 13. Who amongst the following is a teacher ? (A) A (B) D (C) E (D) G (E) None of these 14. What is the profession of A ? (A) Teaching (B) Medicines (C) Business (D) Fashion Designing (E) None of these 15. Which of the following combination of person, college and profession is definitely correc t ? (A) E X Fashion Designing (B) F X Engineering (C) A Y Businessman (D) D Z aching (E) None of these PD/February/2011/1500

16. Who amongst the following have studied in college Z ? (A) B, A (B) C, F (C) B, D, F (D) A, D (E) D, F 17. What is the profession of F ? (A) Engineering (B) Business (C) Medicines (D) Acting (E) None of these Directions(Q. 1822) In each qu estion below are three statements followed by two conclusions numbered I and II. You have to take the three given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts and then decide which of the given conclus ions logically follows from the three statements disregarding commonly known fac ts. Give answers (A) If only conclusion I follows (B) If only conclusion II follo ws (C) If either conclusion I or conclusion II follows (D) If neither conclusion I nor conclusion II follows (E) If both conclusion I and conclusion II follow 1 8. Statements : All districts are cities. All states are cities. Some cities are countries. Conclusions : I. Some states are districts. II. Some countries are s tates. 19. Statements : All keys are locks. No lock is a door. All doors are win dows. Conclusions : I. No key is a door. II. Some windows are locks. 20. Stateme nts : All books are pages. All libraries are books. All words are pages. Conclus ions : I. All words are books. II. All libraries are pages. 21. Statements : Som e clouds are ashes. Some ashes are particles. All particles are elements. Conclu sions : I. No particle is a cloud. II. Some elements are ashes. 22. Statements : All ships are aeroplanes. All trucks are ships. All cars are tr ucks. Conclusions : I. Some ships are not cars. II. All cars are aeroplanes. Dir ections(Q. 2330) Study the following information carefully and answer the given qu estions Eight friends Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y and Z are sitting around a circular tab le, facing the centre. There are three males and five females in the group of fr iends. No two males are immediate neighbours of each other. V sits second to the right of his wife. S sits third to the right of V. W sits second to the right o f her husband Z. Z is not an immediate neighbour of Vs wife. T is a male and Y is not an immediate neighbour of V. R sits second to the right of Q. 23. Who among st the following sits exactly between V and Y ? (A) Q (B) W (C) R (D) T (E) Z 24 . Which of the following is not true regarding T ? (A) T is an immediate neighbo ur of Zs wife (B) No male is an immediate neighbour of T (C) Q sits second to rig ht of T (D) The one who sits third to the left of T is a male (E) All are true 2 5. Which of the following statements regarding S is definitely correct ? (A) S i s one of the male members of the group (B) Both the immediate neighbours of S ar e females (C) S sits third to the left of T (D) W i s a n immediate neighbour of S (E) S sits second to the right of Q 26. Which of the following pairs represen ts the immediate neighbours of T ? (A) RQ (B) WZ (C) YV (D) WY (E) None of these 27. What is the position of T with respect to Z ? (A) Second to the left (B) Imm ediately to the right (C) Third to the left (D) Second to the right (E) Third to the right 28. Who amongst the following is Vs wife ? (A) Q (C) R (B) Y (D) T (E) None of these 29. Who amongst the following has a male sitting to the immedi ate left and the right ? (A) Y (C) Q (B) R (D) S (E) None of these 30. How many people sit between V and S when counted in anticl ock-wise direction ? (A) None (C) Two (E) Four Directions(Q. 3135) In each questio n below is given a statement followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. An a ssumption is something supposed or taken for granted. You have to consider the s tatement and the following assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is im plicit in the statement. Give answer (A) If only Assumption I is implicit. (B) If only Assumption II is implicit. (C) If either Assumption I or Assumption II is implicit. (D) If neither Assumption I nor Assumption II is implicit. (E) If both Assumptions I and II are implicit. 31. Statement : Give adequate job related tr aining to the employees before assigning them full fledged work. Assumptions : I . Training helps in boosting the performance of employees. (B) One (D) Three II. Employees have no skill sets before training is provided to them. PD/February/2011/1501

32. Statement : Take a ferry or a boat instead of a bus to reach the Kravi islan ds faster. Assumptions : I. The islands being in remote location are not easily accessible. II. Ferries and boats are available to travel to Kravi islands. 33. Statement : The government has decided to run all commercial vehicles on bio-fue ls in order to save the depleting fossil fuel reserves. I. It is possible to swi tch over from fossil fuel to bio fuels for vehicles. II. Sufficient amount of bi o-fuel can be produced in the country to run all commercial vehicles. 34. Statem ent : To save the environment enforce total ban on illegal mining throughout the country. Assumptions : I. Mining which is done legally does not cause any harm to the environment. II. Mining is one of the factors responsible for environment al degradation. 35. Statement : Banks should always check financial status befor e lending money to a client. I. Checking before lending would give a true pictur e of the clients financial status. II. Clients sometimes may not present the corr ect picture of their ability to repay loan amount to the bank. Directions(Q. 3640) In each question below a statement is given followed by two courses of action n umbered I and II. A course of action is a practicable and feasible step or admin istrative decision to be taken for follow-up, improvement, or further action in regard to the problem, policy, etc. On the basis of the information given in the statement, you have to assume every thing in the statement to be true, and deci de which of the suggested courses of action logically follow(s) for pursuing. Gi ve answers (A) If only I follows (B) If only II follows (C) If either I or II fol lows (D) If neither I nor II follows (E) If both I and II follow 36. Statement : An increasing number of farmers prefer to avail loans from local moneylenders instead of the banks owing to complicated paperwork involved in ba nks. Courses of action : I. Local moneylenders who charge interest rates lower t han the banks should be punished. II. Banks should simplify the procedure to ava il loans so as to suit the farmers. 37. Statement : Indigenous tribes living nea r Amazon forests are cutting down trees to cover their basic needs, thus severel y affecting the ecological balance in the area. Courses of action : I. All the t ribes living near the Amazon rainforests should be forced to shift to urban area s of the country. Courses of action : I. All those who dumped garbage and sewage into the river sh ould be penalized. II. The government should modify the sewage system and find a n alternate way to dump citys waste. 39. Statement : Water table in most parts of the State has gone down to such a level that its extraction for irrigation purp oses is not economical any more. Courses of action : I. Extraction of ground wat er for any purpose in the State should be banned for some time in order to reple nish the water table. II. The Government should make provisions for alternative methods of irrigation so that the farmers are not compelled to use ground water. 40. Statement : A university librarian reported increased cases of II. The tribe s should be allowed theft of books from the library. to continue doing so as the y Courses of action : cut down trees for their basic I. Stricter security arrang ements needs and not for commercial should be put in place in purposes. order to prevent such inci38. Statement : A major river in the dents. city was reduced t o a polluted II. All the students in the univerand dirty canal after tonnes of s ity should be made to pay a sewage made way into it over hefty fine in order to replace the years. the lost books. Directions(Q. 4150) In each of the questions gi ven below which one of the following five answer figures on the right should com e after the problem figures on the left, if the sequence were continued ? Proble m Figures Z O E V P V P T D T D S A S A Z B Z B Answer Figures B A Z B A Z B 41. E

(A) 42. BROWN DNROW WSDRO OWPSR ROWVP (B) (C) (D) (E) LROWC PROWV VROWC CROWV VROWP (A) 43. (A) A (B) (C) (D) (E) (B) (C) (D) A (E) 44. (A) 45. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (B) (C) (D) (E) PD/February/2011/1502

46. (A) 47. 3 (B) (C) (D) (E) (A) 48. (A) 49. (A) 50. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (B) (C) (D) (E) (B) (C) (D) (E) (B) (C) (D) (E) Answers with Hints PD/February/2011/1503

P.Darpan Test Your Knowledge Answers with Hints Continued from Page 1427 P.Darpan 22. Retail Investors can now apply for higher amounts in IPOs as per latest dire ctives of SEBI. What is the new limit ? (A) 1 lakh (B) 15 lakh (C) 2 lakh (D) 3 l akh 23. As of September-end 2010, Indias tele-density reached (A) 6099 (B) 5963 (C) 5805 (D) 5786 24. Which department of the government has completed its 150 years i n 2010 ? (A) Income Tax (B) Customs Excise Duty (C) Post and Telegraph (D) Telev ision and Broadcasting 25. The regulator of Micro Finance in India is (A) Finance Ministry (B) Reserve Bank of India (C) State Bank of India (D) None of these Answers P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1504

Solved Paper BANK OF INDIA PROBATIONARY OFFICERS EXAM., 2010 (Held on 31-10-2010) Quantitative Aptitude (Based on Memory) Directions(Q. 15) What will come in place of the question-mark (?) in the followin g questions ? 12 1. of 25% of 1020 = 120 + ? 17 (A) 60 (B) 40 (C) 80 (D) 120 (E) None of these 2. 4321 9241 + 5642 + 3220 = ? + 1203 (A) 2649 (B) 2769 (C) 2639 (D) 2749 (E) None of these 3. 5 2 26 169 32 = ? 42 (A) 65 (B) 57 (C) 55 (D) 67 E) None of these 4. 9. + = ? 2642 1156 459 (A) 50 (B) 90 (C) 40 (A) (C) (E) 91 51 301 599 = ? 140 (B) 120 60 (D) 80 110 16. I. II. 17. I. II. 18 . I. II. 19. I. II. 20. I. x 2 1200 = 244 y + 122 = 159 14x 25 = 59 7x y + 222 6 81 = 144x2 16 = 9 12y + 4 = 49 x 2 9x + 20 = 0 y 2 Directions(Q. 1115) What will come in the place of the question mark (?) in the fo llowing number series ? 11. 11, 15, 31, 67, 131, (?) (A) 233 (B) 221 (C) 243 (D) 231 (E) None of these 12. 483, 471, 435, 375, 291, (?) (A) 183 (B) 184 (C) 185 (D) 186 (E) None of these 13. 5, 7, 13, 25, 45, (?) (A) 67 (B) 75 (C) 65 (D) 55 (E) None of these 14. 4, 11, 25, 53, 109, (?) (A) 221 (B) 234 (C) 212 (D) 222 (E ) None of these 15. 15, 21, 33, 51, 75, (?) (A) 113 (B) 103 (C) 105 (D) 115 (E) None of these Directions(Q. 1620) In the following questions two equations numbere d I and II are given. You have to solve both the equations and give answer, If : (A) x > y (B) x y (C) x < y (D) x y (E) x = y or the relationship can not be es tablished. 54 5 + 150 + 21 = (?)2 (A) 21 (C) 441 2 (E) 441 (B) 21 (D) 441

( (D) 3 13y

x 1 x 3 + = 10 5 x 10 2 II. = 4 y y y Directions(Q. 2125) Each of nsists of a question and two statements numbered I and II given below it. You ha ve to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answe r the question. Read both the statements and give answer (A) If the data in State ment I alone are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in Statement II alone are not sufficient to answer the question. (B) If the data in Statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question, while the data in Statement I a lone are not sufficient to answer the question. (C) If the data in Statement I a lone or in Statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question. (D) If the data in both the Statements I and II are not sufficient to answer the question. (E) If the data in both the Statements I and II together are necessary to answer the question.

5. 7 2 492 = 7? 343 (A) 4 (B) 3 (C) 6 (D) 2 (E) None of these Directions(Q. 610) W hat approximate value will come in place of the question-mark (?) in the followi ng questions ? (You are not expected to calculate the exact value.) 6. 46584 + 76 486 21199 = ? (A) 1100 (B) 1080 (C) 1000 (D) 1020 (E) 1060 7. 1499% of 1499 + 1499 = ? (A) 375 (B) 400 (C) 350 (D) 425 (E) 450 8. 3001 749 1001 1399 = ? (A) 650 (B) 700 (C) 950 (D) 850 (E) 1000 21. In how many days will five women complete a work ? PD/February/2011/1505

I. II. Two women, five boys and three men together complete the work in eight days. Six women complete the same work in sixteen days. 22. What is Sonu s monthly income ? I. Rita s monthly income is 5,000 more than Sonu s monthly income. II. Sonu s monthly income is 8,000 more than Sohan s mont hly income. 23. What will be Pravin s age after 4 years ? I. The ratio between P ravin s and Shekhar s present age is 2 : 3 respectively. II. Shekhar is six year s older than Pravin. 24. What is the area of a circle ? I. The radius of the cir cle is equal to length of a rectangle. II. The breadth of the rectangle is equal to 22 cm. 25. What is the average speed of a car ? I. Average speed of the car is four times average speed of a truck which covers 220 km in 11 hours. II. Aver age speed of the truck is half the average speed of a train whereas the average speed of a jeep is 40 km/hr. 26. A man sold a wristwatch for 2,400 at a loss of twenty-five per cent. At what rate should he have sold the wristwatch to earn a profit of twenty five per cent ? (A) 3,600 (B) 4,000 (C) 3,500 (D) 3,800 (E) Non e of these 27. The average of five numbers is 56. If the average of first four n umbers is 54, what is the value of the fifth number ? (A) 68 (B) 72 (C) 56 (D) 6 4 (E) None of these 28. If a number is added to sevenninth of thirty five per ce nt of 900, the value so obtained is 325. What is the number ? (A) 60 (B) 120 (C) 90 (D) 180 (E) None of these 29. The ratio between the three angles of a quadrilateral is 1 : 4 : 5 respectiv ely. The value of the fourth angle of the quadrilateral is 60. What is the differ ence between the value of the largest and the smallest angles of the quadrilater al ? (A) 120 (B) 90 (C) 110 (D) 100 (E) None of these 30. What least number shoul d be subtracted from 1740, so that it will be completely divisible by 88 ? (A) 1 56 (B) 68 (C) 58 (D) 146 (E) None of these (A) 278 (B) 232 (C) 238 (D) 272 (E) None of these 33. What is the difference bet ween the number of flights cancelled in Assam in the year 2007 and the total num ber of flights cancelled in Rajasthan in the year 2005, 2007 and 2008 together ? (A) 200 (B) 230 (C) 210 (D) 240 (E) None of these 34. In which state the number of flights cancelled continuously increased during the years 2004 to 2009 ? (A) Punjab (B) Haryana Directions(Q. 3135) Study the fol lowing table carefully to answer the questions that follow :

Number of Flights (in hundreds) Cancelled in Five Different States During Six Di fferent Years States Years 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Punjab 14 13 05 27 14 27 Haryana 32 41 1 13 Rajasthan 03 07 02 18 22 21 Assam 11 08 13 27 13 14 West Bengal 15 21 35 31. What was the respective ratio between the number of flights cancelled in Raj asthan in the year 2006 and number of flights cancelled in West Bengal in the ye ar 2009 ? (A) 1 : 6 (B) 15 : 2 (C) 1 : 30 (D) 30 : 7 (E) None of these 32. What was the average number of flights cancelled in all the states together in the ye ar 2008 ? (C) Rajasthan (D) Assam (E) West Bengal 35. Number of flights cancelled in Harya na in the year 2004 was what per cent of the total number of flights cancelled i n Punjab over all the years together ? (A) 12 (B) 32 (C) 36 (D) 24 (E) None of t hese Directions(Q. 3640) Study the following graph carefully and answer the questions t hat follow :

Water level of Four major Rivers (in metres) in Four Different Months Water Leve l of Four Rivers River - A Water level (in metres) 205 River - B 224 210 200 River - C 230 230 234 211 River - D 212 207 219 196 202 196 184 146 A B C D June A B C D A B C D August July Months A B C D September PD/February/2011/1506

36. What was the respective ratio between the level of RiverC in September and th e water level of RiverB in June ? (A) 91 : 101 (B) 94 : 101 (C) 51 : 103 (D) 31 : 101 (E) None of these 37. If the danger level of all the four rivers is above 215 m, which river has not crossed the danger level in August but has crossed th e danger level in July ? (A) RiverA (B) RiverB (C) RiverC (D) RiverD (E) None 38. Wh at is the average water level of RiverA in all the four months together ? (A) 2245 0 m (B) 21225 m (C) 21075 m (D) 22225 m (E) None of these 39. In which river and in which month respectively the water level is highest ? (A) RiverC in August (B) R iverD in September (C) RiverB in July (D) RiverD in August (E) None of these 40. If the water level of RiverA in July is decreased by 20 per cent, then what will be the water level of RiverA in July ? (A) 156 m (B) 162 m (C) 164 m (D) 152 m (E) None of these Directions(Q. 4145) Study the following graph carefully to answer th e questions that follow : 41. What is the respective ratio between the percentage of marks of StudentB in B .Sc. and StudentC in ClassX ? (A) 7 : 5 (B) 7 : 6 (C) 35 : 26 (D) 35 : 23 (E) None of these 42. Performance of which student has consistently decreased from ClassX II to M. Phil ? (A) Only A (B) Only B (C) Only C (D) Only A and C (E) None 43. T o get admission for Ph.D. course one has to consistently score more than 60 per cent of marks in each of the five Classes. Which student will be able to get adm ission for Ph.D. course ? (A) Only A (B) Only A and B (C) Only C (D) Only B (E) None 44. Which one of the following sets of students got highest percentage of m arks in M.Sc. and lowest percentage of marks in ClassX respectively ? (A) B and C (B) B and A (C) C and A (D) A and C (E) A and B 45. Percentage of which student increased from ClassX to M.Sc. but decreased from M.Sc. to M.Phil. ? (A) Only A (B) Only B (C) Only C (D) Only A and B (E) None Directions(Q. 4650) Study the foll owing information carefully to answer the questions that follow : In a school th ere are 800 students who have visited five different cities viz. Delhi, Ajmer, V aranasi, Mumbai and Jodhpur. Fifty-four per cent of the total students are boys. Onefourth of the total number of girls visited Mumbai. Twenty-five per cent of the total number of girls visited Delhi. Number of girls who visited Jodhpur is half the number of girls who visited Delhi. Five-sixth of the remaining girls visited Ajmer. Total number of students who visited Mumbai is 192. One-fourth of the total number of boys v isited Varanasi. 101 boys have visited Ajmer. Twothird of the remaining number o f boys have visited Delhi. 46. What is the respective ratio between the number o f girls who visited Delhi and number of boys who visited Mumbai ? (A) 23 : 24 (B ) 23 : 50 (C) 23 : 25 (D) 50 : 23 (E) None of these 47. What is the average numb er of boys who visited Delhi, Varanasi and Jodhpur together ? (A) 82 (B) 77 (C) 86 (D) 76 (E) None of these 48. What is two-third of the total number of girls w ho visited Jodhpur and Varanasi together ? (A) 46 (B) 48 (C) 54 (D) 58 (E) None of these 49. Total number of students who visited Jodhpur is approximately what per cent of number of girls who visited Ajmer ? (A) 90 (B) 81 (C) 66 (D) 70 (E) 76 50. What is the total number of students who visited Varanasi ? (A) 121 (B) 1 43 (C) 111 (D) 153 (E) None of these Percentage of Marks of Three Different Students in Five Different Classes Student - A Student - B Student - C 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 (in this Graph, 1 block = 2 Percentage) Answers with Hints Percentage of Marks B.Sc. Class-XII Class-X

M.Sc. Classes PD/February/2011/1507 M.Phil

Solved Paper PUNJAB AND SIND BANK PROBATIONARY OFFICERS EXAM., 2010 (Held on 16-5-2010) Computer Knowledge (Based on Memory) 1. OCR stands for (A) tion (B) (C) ing (D) (E) 2. Optical Character RecogniOptic al CPU Recognition Optimal Character RenderOther Character Restoration None of t hese 7. (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Template Workbook Active cell Label None of these 12 . The manual tells you how to use a software program. (A) documentation (B) progr amming (C) technical (D) user (E) None of these 13. What disk is used to cold bo ot a PC ? (A) Steup disk (B) System disk (C) Diagnostic disk (D) Program disk (E ) None of these 14. The tells the computer how to use its components. (A) utility (B) network (C) operating system (D) application program (E) None of these 15. A contains buttons and menus that provide quick access to commonly used commands. (A) menu bar (B) toolbar (C) window (D) action bar (E) None of these 16. Number s in table columns are usually (A) right-aligned (B) left-aligned (C) justified ( D) centered (E) None of these 17. The of software ontains lists of commands and o ptions. (A) menu bar (B) title bar (C) formula bar (D) tool bar (E) None of thes e 18. To access a mainframe or supercomputer, users often use a If a new device is attached to a computer, such as a printer or scanner, itsmust be installed before the device can be used. (A) Buffer (B) Driver (C) Pager (D) Se rver (E) None of these The software that allows users to surf the Internet is ca lled a/an (A) Search engine (B) Internet Service Provider (ISP) (C) Multimedia ap plication (D) Browser (E) None of these Which of the following is a popular programming language for developing multimed ia web pages, websites, and web-based applications ? (A) COBOL (B) JAVA (C) BASI C (D) Assembler (E) None of these Compilling creates a(n) (A) program specificati on (B) algorithm (C) executable program (D) subroutine (E) None of these A CD-RW disk (A) has a faster access than an internal disk (B) is a form of optical disk , so it can only be written once (C) holds less data than a floppy disk (D) can be erased and rewritten (E) None of these 8. 3. 9. 4. A tuple is a (A) Column of a table D) Key of a table (E) None of these a records in a file are arranged in s known as the (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) ned method Sequential access method 5. 10. The first page of a Web site is called the (A) Homepage (B) Index (C) Java Sc ript (D) Book mark (E) None of these 11. A word in a web page that, when clicked , opens another document (A) Anchor (B) URL (C) Hyperlink (D) Reference (E) None of these 6. IN Excel, contains one or more worksheets. (B) Two dimensional table (C) Row of a table ( The method of file organization in which dat a specified order according to a key field i Direct access method Queuing method Predetermi None of these

PD/February/2011/1509

(A) terminal (B) node (C) desktop (D) handheld (E) None of these 19. By default, your documents print in mode. (A) Landscape (B) Portrait (C) Page Setup (D) Prin t View (E) None of these 20. What characteristic of read-only memory ROM makes it useful ? (A) ROM information can be easily updated (B) ROM provides very large amounts of inexpensive data storage (C) Data in ROM is nonvolatile, that is, it remains there even without electrical power (D) ROM chips are easily swapped bet ween different brands of computers (E) None of these 21. What are .bas, .doc, an d .htm emaples of ? (A) extensions (B) domains (C) protocols (D) databases (E) N one of these 22. ctrl, shift and alt are called keys. (A) adjustment (B) function (C) modifier (D) alphanumeric (E) None of these 23. Which type of file is creat ed by word processing programs ? (A) database file (B) storage file (C) workshee t file (D) document file (E) graphical file 24. Personal computers can be connec ted together to form a (A) server (B) supercomputer (C) network (D) enterprise (E ) None of these 25. A modem (A) translates analog signals from a computer into di gital signals that can travel along conventional telephone lines (B) transaltes digita l signals from a computer into analog signals that can travel along conventional telephone lines (C) demodulates digital signals from a computer (D) modulates s ignals from an analog telephone line (E) None of these 26. Which of the followin g menu types is also called a drop-down menu ? (A) fly-out (B) cascading (C) pop -up (D) pull-down (E) None of these 27. Data (information) is stored in computer s as (A) files (B) directories (C) floppies (D) matter (E) None of these 28. the central processing unit contains which of the following as a component ? (A) Me mory Regulation Unit (B) Flow Control Unit (C) Arithmetic Logic Unit (D) Instruc tion Manipulation Unit (E) None of these 29. Memory unit is one part of (A) Cont rol unit (B) Central Processing Unit (C) Input device (D) Output device (E) None of these 30. The process of writing out computer instructions is knows as (A) a ssembling (B) compiling (C) executing (D) coding (E) None of these 31. A Web sit e address is a unique name that identifies a specific on the Web. (A) Web browser (B) PDA (C) Web Site (D) Link (E) None of these 32. A character of information is represented by a(n) (A) byte (C) field (B) bit (D) attribute (E) None of these 33. An example of a telecommunications device is a (A) keyboard (B) mouse (C) printer (D) modem (E) None of these 34. is a procedure that require s users to enter an identification code and a matching password. (A) Paging (B) Logging on (C) Time-sharing (D) Multitasking (E) None of these 35. Which deivce is used as the standard pointing deivce in a Graphical User Environment ? (A) Ke yboard (B) Mouse (C) Joystick (D) Track ball (E) None of these 36. The simultane ous execution of two or more instructions is called (A) sequential access (B) red uced instruction set computing (C) multiprocessing (D) disk mirroring (E) None o f these 37. Multiprogramming systems (A) Are easier to develop than single progra mming systems (B) Execute each job faster (C) Execute more jobs in the same time period (D) Use only one large mainframe computer (E) None of these 38. Which de vice can understand difference between data and programs ? (A) Input device (B) Output device (C) Memory (D) Microprocessor (E) None of these PD/February/2011/1510

39. Which of the following devices have a limitation that we can only read it bu t cannot erase or modify it ? (A) Tape Drive (B) Hard Disk (C) Compact Disk (D) Floppy Disk (E) None of these 40. Which of the following is not an output device ? (A) Plotter (B) Printer (C) Monitor (D) Touch Screen (E) None of these 41. Da ta that is copied from an application is stored in the (A) driver (B) Clipboard ( C) terminal (D) prompt (E) None of these 42. Every component of your computer is either (A) sofware of CPU/RAM (B) input devices or output devices (C) applicatio n software or system software (D) hardware or software (E) None of these 43. A c ollection of interrelated records is called a (A) management information system ( B) spread sheet (C) database (D) text file (E) None of these 44. Which of the fo llowing is the storage area whit in the computer itself which holds data only te mporarily as the computer processes instructions ? (A) The hard disk (B) Main me mory (C) The control unit (D) Read-only memory (E) None of these 45. Codes consi sting or bars or lines of varying widths or lengths that are computer-readable a re known as (A) a bar code (B) an ASCll code (C) a magnetic tape (D) a light pen (E) None of these 46. A contains specific rules and words that exp ress the logical steps of an algorithm. (A) programming language (B) programming structure (C) syntax (D) logic chart (E) None of these 47. is a set of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans can c ommunicate the instructions to be executed by a computer. (A) A computer program (B) A programming language (C) An assembler (D) Syntax (E) None of these 48. Th e general term peripheral equipment is used for (A) any device that is attached to a computer system (B) large-scale computer systems (C) a program collection (D) other office equipment not associated with a desktop computer (E) None of these 49. If a memory chip is volatile, it will (A) explode if exposed to high temperat ures (B) lose its contents if current is turned off (C) be used for data storage only (D) be used to both read and write data (E) None of these 50. is the process of finding errors in software code. (A) Compiling (B) Assembling (C) Interpreti ng (D) Debugging (E) None of these P.Darpan Continued from Page 1423 2. The Minimum Wages Actto safeguard the interests of workers mostly in unorganiz ed sector was enacted in the year (A) 1947 (B) 1948 (C) 1950 (D) 1955 3. The Plan tations Labour Act, 1951, framed for the welfare of labour and regulates the con ditions of work in plantations and it was re-introduced as Plantation Labour (Am endment) Bill in the year (on October 21). (A) 2000 (B) 2004 (C) 2008 (D) 2009 4. The CBWE (Central Board for Workers Education) under Ministry of Labour and Empl oymentML&E, GOI) established in 1958 as a tripartite Society for Workers Educatio n Programmes in the country, has its headquarters (Hq.) at (A) Nagpur (B) Bhopal (C) Chennai (D) Guwahati 5. Indian Institute of Workers Education under CBWE (Ce ntral Board for Workers Education) an aplex level training Institute, with its He adquarters (Hq.) at Mumbai, was established in the year (A) 1965 (B) 1968 (C) 197 0 (D) 1985 6. VVGNLI (V. V. Giri National Labour Institute)a premier Institute of Research, Training and Education in the area of labour (Under ML&E, GOI) was se t-up in July (A) 1974 (B) 1980 (C) 1990 (D) 2000 Answers Answers P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1511

Essay Contest Human Rights Through Ages Dr. S. Purvaja Open your newspaper any day of the week and you will find a report from somewhere in the world of someone being imprisoned, tortured or executed because his opin ions or religion are unacceptable to his government. Peter Benenson Founder, Amnes ty International Human Rights are rights which are inherent to all human beings whatever their nationality, place of residence, sex, ethnic origin, colour, reli gion, language or any other status. They are one of the fundamental aspects of a civilized society. The recognition of the Universal Human Rights is a pre- Dr. S. Purvaja requisite for ensuring peace and harmony in the world. The concept of rights has existed in history for long. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle h ad clear ideas about rights and had used a term, to dikaion meaning a just claim, of property and participation in public affairs, in his works. In the 18th and 19t h centuries, philosophers like Thomas Paine, John Stuart Mill and G.W.F. Hegel d eveloped the philosophy of Human Rights. In the 19th century, slavery became the key issue of concern for reformers such as William Wilberforce of Britain. Fina lly, slavery was fully abolished in Britain by 1833. In the United States, Abrah am Lincoln who became the President in the year 1860 had campaigned against slav ery. The American Civil War (1861 to 1865) broke out between the southern states , in favour of slavery, known as the confederacy and the other free states of the Union which had abolished slavery. During the period of reconstruction following the war, various amendments were made in the American Constitution by which sla very was banned and civil rights were granted to all the citizens of the country . Many Human Rights groups and movements cropped up in the 20th century which st rove hard to bring about social changes, such as the labour unions, Womens rights movements and the National liberation movements. However the concept of Univers al Human Rights in the modern sense came to the fore as an aftermath of the holo caust that took place during the World Wars. There were human casualties on a la rge scale and gross abuses of basic human rights during these wars. At the end o f the First World War, The League of Nations was established according to the Treat y of Versailles with the primary goal of disarmament. A mandate to promote human rights were enshrined in its charter. This organisation however, had a short lif e span and the Second World War broke out in 1939 and lasted till 1945. After th e end of the war, at the Yalta Conference in 1945, the decision to establish an international body called the United Nations was taken. It was this organisation w hich had played a pioneering role in the creation of the International Human Rig hts. The rights espoused in the UN Charter were codified in the International Bil l of Human Rights comprising the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Inter national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant o n Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. On the December 10, 1948, the United Nat ions General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human R ights. Following this historic Act, the Assembly called upon all the member count ries to publicize the text of the Declaration and to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational inst itutions, without distinction based on the political status of the countries or territories. Independent organisations like the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty I nternational have taken up the task of defending and protecting human rights. By focussing international attention to those places where human rights are violate d, they give voice to the oppressed and hold the oppressors accountable for thei r crimes. They garner the support of the public and the international community for the cause of Human Rights for all. The Asian Centre for Human Rights is another organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of Human Rights and fund amental freedoms in the Asian region. It provides timely information and complai nts to the National Human Rights Institutions, the United Nations bodies and mec hanisms as appropriate and conducts investigation, research, campaigning and lob bying on country situations or individual cases. It also increases the capacity of human rights defenders and civil society groups through relevant training on the use of national and international human rights procedures and provides input

into international standard-setting processes on human rights. Further, it prov ides legal, political and practical advice according to the needs of human right s defenders and civil society groups and secures the economic, social and cultur al rights through a rights based approach to development. In the Indian context, from the ancient period till about the middle of 19th century, the concept of mi ght enjoyed predominance over the concept of rights. The powerful world rule and th e extent to which the subjects enjoyed their liberty was heavily dependent on th e benevolence of the monarch. Arthashastra, the oldest treatise on polity written by Kautilya in around 300 B.C., while describing the ideal features of a welfare state, has PD/February/2011/1512

not mentioned anything about rights for the subjects of the Kingdom. It places t he well-being of the people at the mercy of the crown. The concept of rights crept into the Indian society during the nationalist struggle for independence. Under the British rule in India, the basic human rights of the natives were many a ti me suppressed. After the Indian Independence, the founding fathers of our Consti tution have, therefore, created a Part III dealing exclusively with Fundamental R ights for the citizens of the country. In addition, the Indian Parliament has ena cted the Protection of Human Rights Act in 1993 which provides for the setting up of a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), States Human Rights Commissions in states and Human Rights Courts for better protection of Human Rights and to loo k into matters connected therewith. This Act stands as amended in 2006. Human Ri ghts Activism, in India, started gaining recognition and interest in the last qu arter of the 20th century. It took roots in the denial of right to life and pers onal liberty guaranteed by Article 21 during the Emergency in 1975-77. Civil liberties moveme nts and womens movements came up. In the late seventies and early eighties, the S upreme Court devised an institutional mechanism called Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under which any person could move the court on behalf of a class of person s who due to indigence, illiteracy or incapacity of any kind, are unable to reac h out for their rights. In the recent years, in addition to those for civil libe rties and womens rights, there are groups and movements which fight for environme ntal rights and against the displacement of locals, movement for forest dwellers rights, against child labour and so on. Despite the Constitution of India provid ing for Right to Equality (Articles 14-18) and other Fundamental Rights, the Nat ional and the State Human Rights Commissions and the voluntary organisations wor king for the protection of Human Rights, its abuse in various forms still go on in our country. Custodial violence, caste discrimination, encounter killings, child abuse, sexual harassment at work place , rape, domestic violence and project displacement are some of the common forms of Human Rights violation. The reported murder of the four members of a family b elonging to a dalit community in a village called Khairlanji, in Maharashtra, is a case in point. The protection of basic human rights is an absolute necessity fo r the fullest development of an individual. If the proposed bills called Protecti on of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010 and Protection of Ch ildren from Sexual Offences Bill, 2010 materialise into laws, they can go a long way in the protection of Human Rights of women and children from abuse. In addit ion, the various movements by groups of people by way of voluntary organisations offer a ray of hope towards individual empowerment leading to a holistic develo pment of our nation. P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1513

CONCENTRIC QUIZ (Modern History of India Special) 1. In Mughal history, Ali Gauhar was the son of (A) Alamgir II (B) Shah Alam II ( C) Akbar II (D) Bahadur Shah II 2. When was Nizam-ul-Mulk appointed the Wazir of the Mughal Empire ? (A) 1722 (B) 1723 (C) 1744 (D) 1732 3. Treaty of Aix La Cha ppell is associated with (A) First Anglo Mysore War (B) First Carnatic War (C) Se cond Carnatic War (D) Third Carnatic War 4. Who was responsible for blackhole tr agedy in modern history of India ? (A) Shiyauddaula (B) Sirajuddaula (C) Ali Var di Khan (D) None of the above 5. Who ended the dual system of government in Beng al as established by Lord Clive ? (A) Warren Hastings (B) Lord Dalhousie (C) Lor d Irwin (D) Lord Wellesley 6. The Treaty of Salbai was signed in (A) 1785 (B) 178 2 (C) 1790 (D) 1795 7. Who is also known as Earl of Moira ? (A) Lord Cornwallis (B) Lord Minto (C) Lord Hastings (D) Lord Dalhousie 8. Madhavrao and Narayanrao were the sons of (A) Peshwa Balajirao (B) Mahadji Scindia (C) Nana Phadanvis (D) Balaji Baji Rao 9. Under the civil administration of Maharaja Ranjit Singh which of the following departments was related to the accounts of pay and other emolu ments in the various governmental services ? (A) Daftar-i-Mawajib (B) Daftar-i-T aujihat (C) Daftar-i-Roznamcha-iIkhrajaj (D) None of the above 10. Which of the following is called the builder of British Empire ? (A) Lord Hardinge (B) Lord D alhousie (C) Lord Irwin (D) Lord Hastings 11. Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler of Oudh ascended the throne in (A) 1844 (B) 1845 (C) 1847 (D) 1850 12. Who said, Ever y Indian is corrupt ? (A) Lord Cornwallis (B) Lord Wellesley (C) Lord Hastings (D ) Lord Dalhousie 13. Vellore Mutiny took place in the year of (A) 1764 (B) 1806 ( C) 1857 (D) 1935 14. The name of the commission to enquire into Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was (A) Simon Commission (B) Hunter Commission (C) Raymond Commission ( D) Linlithgo Commission 15. Which court was considered as the highest criminal c ourt of appeal during East India Company rule ? (A) Circuit Court (B) Provincial Court (C) Sadar Diwani (D) Sadar Nizamat 16. In which Session did Congress dema nd Poorna Swaraj ? (A) (B) (C) (D) Lucknow Session 1916 Calcutta Session 1917 Ka npur Session Lahore Session 17. By which Act, did the Rule of East India Company end in India ? (A) Regulati ng Act 1773 (B) Pitts India Act 1784 (C) Government of India Act 1858 (D) Morley Minto Act 1909 18. In 1908 which of the following Acts was passed ? (A) Indian P ress Act (B) The Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act (C) Indian States (Prot ection) Act (D) Press (Objectionable Matter) Act 19. The post of the Collector w as created in (A) 1772 (B) 1860 (C) 1919 (D) 1935 20. The aim of Poona Pact was (A ) Hindu-Muslim Unity (B) Representation to the depressed classes (C) Special rig ht to the native states (D) Review of Dyarchy P.Darpan PD/February/2011/1514

(Modern History of India Special) Pratiyogita Darpan Last date for sending February 15, 2011 Name Mr./Miss/Mrs. ....................................................... Full Address ....................................................................... ................................................................................ .............. ................................................................. ............................. State ........................... Pin Code No. Age .................. Academic Qualification.......................... Competition examination for which preparing ................................................ ............................................. How would you rate our magazine on a scale of 1 to 5 ? Topics/Features you would like to see in forthcoming issues ............................................................................... .......... ..................................................................... .................... Q. No. A 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. B C D Q. No. A 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 1 7. 18. 19. 20. B C D I have read and understood the rules of Concentric Quiz of Pratiyogita Darpan an d agree to abide by them. ................................... (Signature) All students or those appearing in competitive examinations can take part in thi s contest. Candidates taking part in quiz contest will necessarily have to send their entries by a fixed date. Entries are to be sent by ordinary post. Please m ark your envelope QuizPratiyogita Darpan on the top left hand side. Answers giv en only on the Entry Form of the magazine will be admissible. In the form there are four squares against each question number. Contestants should put a Tick ( ) in the square for the answer they think is correct. Giving more than one answer to a question will disqualify it. Contestants should essentially write the numb er of questions they have solved. Marks will be deducted for wrong answers. The candidate sending the maximum number of correct answers will be given Rs. 800 as first prize. Next two candidates after that will get Rs. 600 and Rs. 400 as sec ond and third prize respectively. If there are more than one candidate eligible for a prize, the amount will be equally distributed among them. The decision of the editor will be final and binding in all cases, and will not be a matter for consideration of any court and no correspondence will be entertained in this con cern. Names of prize winners of Concentric Quiz alongwith the answers will be pu blished in next issue of Pratiyogita Darpan. Pratiyogita Darpan reserves the rig ht to terminate or extend the period of quiz, or to accept or reject any or all the entries at their absolute discretion without assigning any reason. Pratiyogi ta Darpan is not responsible for any postal delays, transit losses or mutilation of entries. Last date for the receipt of the entries of CONCENTRIC QUIZ in the office of Pratiyogita Darpan, 2/11A, Swadeshi Bima Nagar, Agra282 002 (U.P.) is F ebruary 15, 2011. PD/February/2011/1515

1. Somdev Devvarman is a famous player of (A) Tennis (B) Billiards (C) Snooker (D ) None of the above 2. Who won the World Snooker Title in May 2010 ? (A) Pankaj Advani (B) Neil Robertson (C) Cliff Thorburn (D) None of the above 3. The Wenloc k is the mascot of (A) The Commonwealth Games 2014 (B) The Olympic Games London 2 012 (C) 17th Asian Games (D) None of the above 4. Arun Bajpayee is the youngest Indian to mount (A) K 2 Godwin Austin (B) Mount Everest (C) Dhaulagiri (D) Kanche ndzunga 5. Romancing with Life is a book written by (A) Dilip Kumar (B) Debasheesh Dutta (C) Dev Anand (D) Hemamalini 6. Phylloquenone is the chemical name of (A) V itamin D (B) Vitamin E (C) Vitamin K (D) Vitamin C 7. B. C. Roy Trophy is associ ated with (A) Cricket (B) Football (C) Chess (D) Hockey 8. Which Indian player wa s named Rookie of the year for 2009 ? (A) Rashid Khan (B) Anirban Lahiri (C) Gag anjeet Bhullar (D) C. Muniyappa 9. Which of the following organizations has its headquarters in Rome ? (A) World Food Programme (B) Food and Agriculture Organization (C) International Labour O rganization (D) European Free Trade Association 10. The Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act 2008 came into force in (A) January 2010 (B) January 2009 (C) Jan uary 2008 (D) None of the above 11. Dakar is the capital of (A) Romania (B) Seneg al (C) Syprus (D) Mozambique 12. Theorphrastus is called the father of (A) Botany (B) Zoology (C) Anatomy (D) Astrology 13. National Youth Day is observed on (A) January 15 (B) January 12 (C) January 20 (D) January 28 14. Which of the followi ng cities is famous for Tobacco industry ? (A) Jharia (B) Khetri (C) Firozabad ( D) Guntur 15. Who was the first scholar to use the term Indus Civilization ? (A) John Marshall (B) Rakhal Das Bannerji (C) R. S. Bist (D) Dayaram Sahni 16. The recommendations of 11th Finance Commission covered the period (A) April 1, 2002 t o March 31, 2007 (B) April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2005 (C) April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2012 (D) None of the above 17. Uranium Corporatio n of India is located in (A) Mumbai (B) Delhi (C) Thiruvananthapuram (D) Jadugoda 18. The provision of Contingency Fund of India has been made under (A) Article 2 66 (B) Article 265 (C) Article 267 (D) Article 268 19. Who is known as the fathe r of Sanskrit Grammar ? (A) Panini (B) Patanjali (C) Kalidas (D) None of the abo ve 20. Which movie won the Palm d Or (Best Feature Films) Award at the 63rd Can nes Film Festival in May 2010 ? (A) Of Gods And Men (B) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Re call His Past Lives (C) On Tour (D) Our Life 21. Padma Bhushan Award is (A) Galla ntry Award (B) Bravery Award (C) Civilian Award (D) Literary Award 22. National Law Day is observed on (A) 26th January (B) 15th August (C) 26th May (D) 26th Nov ember 23. Who is the author of My Experiments with Truth ? (A) Nehru (C) Gandhi (B ) Tagore (D) Jinnah PD/February/2011/1517

24. DNA refers to (A) Di-oxyribo Nucleic Acid (B) Di-oxide Nucleic Acid (C) Diffe rent Nucleic Acid (D) None of these 25. The last session of the existing Lok Sab ha after a new Lok Sabha has been elected is called (A) Lame-duck Session (B) Rem aining Session (C) Essential Session (D) Last Session 26. LG ICC Cricketer of th e Year 2010 is (A) M.S. Dhoni (B) Sachin Tendulkar (C) Virender Sehwag (D) None o f the above 27. Miss World 2010 is (A) Alexandria Mills (B) Adriana Vasini (C) De nise Perrier (D) None of the above 28. Mwai Kibaki is the President of (A) Kenya (B) Mozambique (C) South Africa (D) None of the above 29. Which country recently overtook Japan to become No. 2 Economic Power ? (A) China (B) Russia (C) India (D) S. Korea 30. Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra was appointed recently the Na tional Ambassador of (A) UNICEF (B) UNO (C) FAO (D) WHO 31. The 18th Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award has been conferred on (A) Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (B) Shabana A zmi (C) Aruna Roy (D) Swami Agnivesh 32. A.H.M. Noman Khan who is one of the rec ipients of the 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Award is from (A) Pakistan (B) Maldives (C) I ndia (D) Bangladesh 33. Miss Universe 2010 is Jimena Navarrete whose country is (A) Venezuela (B) Mexico (C) Austria (D) Argentina 34. The Masque of Africa is the book written by (A) V. S. Naipaul (B) Raghav Bahl (C) Nelson Mandela (D) Jacob Z uma 35. Which day was observed as World Habitat Day in 2010 ? (A) October 4, 201 0 (B) October 15, 2010 (C) October 8, 2010 (D) October 9, 2010 36. ICPS stands f or (A) International Community Protection Service (B) Integrated Community Protec tion Scheme (C) Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) (D) None of the above 37. Santosh Trophy is associated with (A) Football (B) Cricket (C) Chess (D) None of the above 38. Saraswati Samman is an award given for excellence in the field of (A) Sports (B) Social Service (C) Literature (D) Science and Technology 39. U sain Bolt is a famous (A) Cricket player (B) Athlete (C) Footballer (D) None of t he above 40. Alberto Contador famous (A) Tennis player (B) Cyclist (C) Chess play er (D) Snooker player is world RESULT Essay Competition Topic : Human Rights through the Ages Winners First Prize Winner Dr. S. Purvaja Jalahalli, Bangalore Karnataka560 013 Second Prize Winner Mahesh Kumar C/o Chiman Lal Jugal Kishore, Mahaveer Marg, Narnaul Haryana123 001 Third Prize Winner Miss Sweta Jalan Guwahati Assam781 001 41. Who won the French Open Womens Singles title for 2010 ? (A) Samantha Stosur ( B) Francesca Shiavone (C) Serena Williams (D) Venus villiams [For Answer See Pag e 1504] PD/February/2011/1518

Indian Economy : Salient Indicators Indias GDP 89% in Second Quarter 2010-11 The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) on November 30, 2010 released the GDPs data for the Q2 (i.e., July-September) 2010-11, placing countrys GDP growth at f actor cost with 89 per cent. This growth rate stood the fastest in the last 11 qu arters period. Indias growth rate during this quarter puts the country as the sec ond fastest growing economy after China, which has registered a growth of 96 per cent in September quarter of 2010. CSOs latest released statistics also upped the GDP growth of first quarter (April-June) 2010-11 to 888 per cent. This revision is on account of the new base year adopted in the circul ation of inflation and industrial output. India s GDP Growth Projections by Various Agencies IMF CMIE ADB Govt. of India . RBI PMEAC . CRISIL 97% 92% 85% 2010 2010-11 2010 2010 -11 2010 IMF Forecasts Highest GDP Growth for India Among Various Projections International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected India s GDP growth rate at 97% fo r the calendar year 2010 and 84% for 2011 due to better macro-economic performanc e and strong industrial growth. According to World s Economic Outlook Report of IMF, growth in emerging Asia economies stand at about 95% with robust demand from China, India and Indonesia benefiting other Asian economies. Asian Development Bank (ADB) on September 28, 2010 had raised its India s GDP forecast from 82% to 85%. IMF in its report highlights that India s macroeconomic performance has been vigorous, with industrial production at a two-year high. Moreover, the leading indicators of the economy show a steady improvement which makes IMF s projection for India s growth stronger. } 85% 81% PMEACs Economic Outlook 2010-11 Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) onomic Outlook 2010-11. The salient highlights of the year 2010-11 are Indian economy is expected in 2011-12 compared to 74% growth in 2009-10. To cus is required on containing inflation, improving the large physical infrastructure deficit. Rising nt would be main promoters of higher growth rate. on July 23, 2010 released the Ec this review of the economy for to expand by 85% in 2010-11 and 90% sustain a growth rate of 90%, fo farm productivity and closing Domestic savings and investme

GDP Growth Second Quarter 2009-10 Vs. 2010-11 (in %) Sector Agriculture and Allied Mining and Querring Construction Electricity, Gas and Water Supply Manufacturing Trade, Transport and Communication Finance, Insur ance and Other Service Social and Private Services GDP at Factor Cost 2009-10 09 101 84 77 83 82 113 140 87 2010-11 44 80 98 34 88 121 83 73 89

Gross Domestic Product (Growth in%) GDP GDP at Factor Cost GDP at Market Price 564 662 1028 1056 2009 Q1 633 Q2 868 Q1 8 2010 Q2 889 PD/February/2011/1519

Base Year of Wholesale Price Index Changed to 2004-05 The new series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) with 2004-05 as its base year has replaced the series with base year 1993-94 with effect from September 14, 2010. The number of commodities included in the new series stands at 676 while it was only 435 in old series with base year 1993-94. In total included 676 commodities , the members of primary articles, fuel and power and manufactured products stan d at 102, 19 and 555 respectively. Base Year for Wholesale Price Index shifts to 2004-05, number of commodities and price quotations increased, and relative weights in index undergo minor change The base year for the Wholesale Price Index has been moved from 1993-94 to 200405. The basket of commodities has been increased from 435 to 676 with the number of price quotations substantially stepped up from 1,918 to 5,482. Relative weig hts in the index for the various components has also changed marginally. WPI for August 2010 released recently is based on the new series index. Base Year 197071 Number of Commodities Food sub group of Primary Articles Primary Articles Fue l and Power Manufactured Products All Commodities Number of Price Quotations Foo d sub group of Primary Articles Primary Articles Fuel and Power Manufactured Pro ducts All Commodities Relative Weight in WPI Food sub group of Primary Articles Primary Articles Fuel and Power Manufactured Products All Commodities 39 80 10 2 70 360 264 411 30 854 1295 29799 41667 8459 49874 100 1981-82 44 93 20 334 447 320 5 19 73 1779 2371 17386 32295 10663 57042 100 1993-94 54 98 19 318 435 340 455 72 1391 1918 15402 22025 14226 63749 100 2004-05 55 102 19 555 676 431 579 72 4831 5482 1433 7 20118 14910 64972 100 12) could exceed 81 per cent, against 77 per cent recorded during the 10th plan (2 00207). The 11th plan original annual growth target was put at 9 per cent at the beginning of the plan but due to the impact of the global economic crisis during 2008-09 and 2009-10, the target of 9% annual growth was found unattainable and it was cut down to 81 per cent in plans mid-term review. The growth rates of the f irst three years of the plan i.e., 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 stood at 9%, 67% and 74% respectively and for 2010-11 it is expected to grow at 85%. Taking the not e of these growth rates, Planning Commission had recommended it to cut down to 81 per cent average annual growth from targeted 9% growth which National Developme nt Council in its meeting on July 24, 2010 had given its approval. Planning Comm ission projects growth rates for 2010-11 and 2011-12 at 85% and 90% respectively.

Indian Rupee gets Identity Symbol Indian rupee has been given an identity symbol. Rupee will now have a distinct i dentity like US dollar, British Pound, EUs Euro and Japanese Yen. Among more than 3,000 entries, scrutiny and scanning was made and finally the entry of D. Udai Kumar got the approval for Indian Rupees identity. The approved symbol of Indian rupee is a blend of Ra in Devnagari script and R in Roman. Two parallel lines crossi ng this Ra or R denote the symbol is equal to one Indian rupee. The space between two horizontal lines signifies the Tricolour with the Ashok Chakra and the bold para llel lines stand for equal to sign. The symbol will standardize the expression for Indian Rupee. It will not be printed or embossed on currency notes and coins, b ut would be included in the Unicode Standard and major scripts of the world. O/o Economic Adviser, Deptt. of Ind. Policy and Promotion.

Current Account deficit estimated at 27% of GDP in 2010-11 and 29% of GDP in 201112. Inflation rate projected at 65% by March 2011 due to expected normal monsoon combined with the base effect. High buoyancy in direct and indirect tax collecti ons. Agriculture growth rate for 201011 has been pegged at 45 per cent on a expec tation of a strong rebound in foodgrains output on the back of good monsoon. For the entire 11th five year plan period (200712), average annual

growth for the farm sector has been projected 3% which is lower to the target of 4%. Country is likely to fall short of the power generation target of 78740 MW by the end March 2012 and it would stay on 62000 MW power generation level.

Planning Commission Expects 11th Plan Growth Rate to Exceed 81% Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia has expressed an optimistic view that the average economic growth during the 11th plan (2007

PD/February/2011/1520

Tax Collection of Union Government AprilSeptember 2010 ( Crore) Indirect Tax AprilSept. 2009 Custom Duty Excise Duty Service Tax Total Indirect Tax 39907 432 37 23191 106335 AprilSept. 2010 63229 60834 26623 150686 % Increase 668 407 148 444 Direct Tax Fiscal Highlights DTC Bill Tabled in Parliament The Direct Tax Code Bill (DTC Bill) has been tabled in the Parliament on August 30, 2010. The Cabinet had approved this DTC Bill on August 26, 2010. The Bill, p laced before the Parliament proposes some relief to both individuals and compani es. The new DTC Bill proposes to increase the exemption limit from 16 lakh at pre sent to 20 lakh. Till now women tax payers seeking additional exemption limit has been withdrawn i.e., individual tax payers both men and women will now face the same slabs for calculating their income tax. The new Direct Tax Code which will replace 50-year old Income Tax Act 1961, will be operational from April 2012, a year later than the stated deadline. Insurance and Tuition Fees upto 50000 only. Interest upto 15 lakh on home loans r etained as tax-free. Additional concession on education loans. Special rebates t o disabled. 30% Corporate tax. MAT will be 20% of book-profit. Dividend distribu tion tax proposed at 15%. SEZs to continue having profitbased tax concessions. T hree slabs in short-term capital gain. STT to continue. (B) For Companies Corporation Tax Income Tax Wealth Tax Securities Transaction Tax (STT) Total Dir ect Tax 100572 51897 222 3207 122433 59053 263 2874 217 137 184 103 152625 181758 190 Govt. to Study Black Money Estimates After a span of 25 years, the government has decided to estimate the size of bla ck money in the economy with the reasons of its generation. For this very task t he government has invited proposals from our National institutions namely, Natio nal Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), the National Council for App lied Economic was conducted in 1985 wherein NIPFP had estimated black money to b e between 31584 crore and 36786 crore in 1983-84 which was 1653 per cent of the I ndian economy at that time. (C) For Investor Tax Collections in First Half 2010-11 Show Rise As per the data released by the Finance Ministry, the centres tax revenue has inc reased by 284 per cent to 332444 in crore the first half of 2010-11. Indirect tax revenue during April-September 2010 registered 444 per cent rise with 668 per cen t growth in custom duty and 407 per cent growth in excise duty. The third partner

of the indirect tax club i.e., service tax could th in the first half of 2010-11. With the support e and service tax, the total indirect tax revenue t the level of 106335 crore obtained in the first

register only 148 per cent grow of these rise in custom, excis climbed to 150686 crore agains half of 2009-10.

Highlights of the New DTC Bill Placed in the Parliament are : (A) For Individual Tax Payer No tax on income upto 2 lakh. Senior citizen tax ex emption raised to 25 lakh. Additional exemption limit for women withdrawn. Tax ex emption investment limit in government approved funds stands at 1 lakh. Tax reba te limited on investments in Life Insurance, Health Banking RBI to Issue Coins with Commonwealth Theme Reserve Bank of India has announced to issue new coins of 5 and 2 to commemorate the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in October 2010.

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RBI has decided to put into circulation coins of 5 and 2 with the theme XIX Commo nwealth Games 2010-Delhi. Both the newly planned coins of 5 and 2 denomination wi ll be of circular shape and have a diameter of 23 millimeter and 27 millimeter r espectively. RBI also announced that the existing 5 and 2 coins will also contin ue in circulation. Budget Mannual Released Union Ministry of Finance on September 26, 2010 released the Budget Mannual showin g the entire budget process of the country. It is for the first time when this t ype of mannual ment of all 82 RRBs to enable them to have capital adequacy ratio of at least se ven per cent by March 31, 2011, and nine per cent from March 31, 2012. Other 42 regional rural banks will not require more capital. Besides, the committee sugge sted an additional amount of 700 crore for regional rural banks in eastern and n ortheastern region. It recommended that the authorised capital be raised from 5 crore to 500 crore. Soil and Moisture Conservation to an estimated half-million hectares of land. Wi th the current sanction, the total credit under RIDF during 201011 has already t ouched 1,310 crore. RBI Divests Stake in NABARD to Government Reserve Bank of India has divested its 715 per cent stake, aggregating to 1430 cr ore, to the government in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. T his disinvestment makes RBI s holding down in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to only one per cent while it raised government s hol ding to 99 per cent. Following this changed holding structure in NABARD, the gov ernment now holds a greater control in NABARD s decisions with more say and flex ibility to issue the directions to NABARD for meeting its credit objectives set for the priority sector. NABARD Extends 687 crore Credit National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended a cred it of 687 crore to Uttar Pradesh for various projects under the Rural Infrastruc ture Development Fund (RIDF). The largest chunk of 463 crore had been sanctioned for 146 Integrated Rainwater Management projects in 71 districts of the state. It would provide RBIs Review Monetary and Credit Policy 2010-11 on November 2, 2010 (A) Key Objectives : Sustain the anti-inflationary thrust of recent actions and outcomes in the face of persistent inflation risks . Maintain an interest rate r egime consistent with price, output and financial stability. Actively manage liq uidity to ensure it remains broadly in balance, with neither a surplus diluting monetary transmission, nor a deficit choking fund flows. (B) Monetary Measures : Bank rate retained at 6%. Repo rate increased 25 basis points (bps) under liqui dity adjustment facility from to 625%. Reverse repo rate raised under LAF by 25 b ps from 5% to 525%. Cash reserve ratio of scheduled banks retained at 6%. Pranab Mukherjee is officially released. While releasing this mannual, the Finan ce Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee extended the hope that a transparency in variou s issues and making of budget will be established with this Budget Mannual. Indi an Constitution though mentions budget and grants-in-aids etc. but does not prov ide any detail. The new Budget Mannual, on the other hand, gives detailed budget making process. RRBs Need 2200 crore Recapitalisation by 2011-12 According to the committee headed by RBI Deputy Governor K. C. Chakrabarty, 40 o ut of the 82 Regional Rural Banks will need 2200 crore capitalisation by 2011-12 . The committee has recommended to release the capitalisation fund of 2200 crore

in two instalments 1338 crore in 2010-11 and 863 crore during 2011-12. The comm ittee carried out an assessment of the capital requireNote : On December 16, 2010 RBI in its review of Monetary Policy made no change in Bank Rate, Repo Rate, Reverse Repo Rate and CRR. Only SLR is reduced from 25% to 24%. PD/February/2011/1522

Despite the As per the the mandate n the board

change in the holding structure, NABARD s board will not be changed. official declaration of the NABARD, there will not be any change in of bank after the stake transfer. At present RBI has three members o of the bank.

ICICI Bank-BoR Merger Becomes Effective After the final approval of Reserve Bank of India, the merger of Bank of Rajasth an (BoR) with ICICI Bank has become effective and operative with effect from Aug ust 13, 2010. All branches of Bank of Rajasthan has started functioning as branc hes of ICICI Bank. It is worthnoting that on May 25, 2010 ICICI Bank and Bank of Rajasthan had decided the merger with the swap ratio of 1 : 472 and now after RB Is sanctioning of the scheme of, amalgamation of BoR with ICICI Bank, BoRs branche s have got converted into branches of ICICI Bank. Bank of Rajasthan had a market capitalisation of 2811 crore on August 12, 2010. In terms of assets, ICICI Bank is around 25 times as large as Bank of Rajasthan. In branch network BoR with 46 3 branches is less than a fourth of ICICI Bank. Parliament Passes SBI (Amendment) Bill 2010 The both houses of the Parliament has passed a bill for reducing the minimum lev el of governments shareholding in equity of State Bank of India from 55 per cent to 51 per cent. Lok Sabha on August 2, 2010 and the Rajya Sabha on August 12, 20 10 have passed this bill, known as State Bank of India (Amendment) Bill 2010. Ev en with this reduced equity share, State Bank of India will remain and continue as a bank of public sector. This bill raises equity base of State Bank from 1000 crore to 5000 crore. SBI can now raise additional capital through equity/ prefe rence/bonus shares. It i s worthnoting that at present governments shareholding i n SBIs equity stands at 5941 per cent. Capital Market SEBI Raises Retail Investors Investment Limit The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has raised the investment application limit for retail investors to 2 lakh from 1 lakh at prese nt. However, SEBI has not made any changes in the quantum of shares reserved for retail investors in public issues. In SEBIs board meeting held on October 25, 20 10, some important decisions taken are 1. Enhances retail application limit to 2 lakh from 1 lakh across all issues. 2. Disclosures of risk factors specific to I POs by insurance companies. 3. SEBI also exempted insurance companies from discl osing the disclaimer clause of IRDA in the offer document and appointing a monit oring agency. 4. Tightens preferential allotment framework for promoters. 5. Man datory for companies to preannounce dates for dividend payment and bonus shares. 6. QIB status to insurance funds set up by Department of Posts. SEBI Allows Mobile Trading Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has taken a bold step to give a bi g boost to equity trading by allowing mobile trading and Smart Order Routing (SO R) between stock exchanges. With the permission of mobile trading the stock mark et investors will have no need to call up a broker or log on to a computer to bu y or sell shares. An internetenabled mobile phone holder has to access a trading terminal from their broker to buy or sell shares or transfer funds from their b ank accounts for the purpose. This move launched by SEBI for mobile trading will increase the volume of share trading because mobile holders number in the count ry is very large. According to July 2010 statistics, over 470 million people hol d mobile connections while demat account (required for share trading) holders nu mber is only 106 million. Primary Sector Minimum Support Prices for Rabi 2010-11 Announced After the approval of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

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(CCEA), the government on October 20, 2010 announced minimum support prices (MSP ) for Rabi crops 2010-11. For wheat the MSP gets only a marginal hike of 20 a qu intal. The MSP of wheat, a major Rabi crop was 1100 per quintal in 2009-10 seaso n which has gone upto 1120 per quintal for 2010-11. The support prices of pulses such as masoor and gram dals have been raised sharply by 380 and 340 per quinta l respectively to encourage farmers to produce more pulses so as to curb import bill on pulses. The MSPs of the masoor dal and gram dals have been fixed at 2250 per quintal and 2100 per quintal respectively for the year 2010-11. the year 2010-11. Better monsoon this year helped Kharif crops to get increased to 11463 million tonne in 2010-11. This estimated production level may be called satisfactory as it was only 10384 million tonne in 2009-10. Coal Indias IPO Raised Rs. 15,000 crore from Disinvestment Coal India Ltd. s initial public offerings (IPO)the biggest float in India s corp orate history was opened on October 18, 2010. With this biggest public issue, go vernment has raised 15000 crore. While launching the IPO, Union Government had f ixed the price band at 225-245 per share. On October 25, 2010, government declar ed Coal India Ltd. IPOs price at 245 per share, the upper ceiling of the early of fered range. Retail investors and Coal India Employees were given 5 per cent dis count. Coal India Ltd. has offered 6316 million shares at a face value of 10 each in the offer. The issue got closed on October 21, 2010. The issue was listed on November 4, 2010 with a supportive premium given to shareholders. Coal India s IPO was floated in the public after government s decision to sell 10 per cent of its current 100 per cent stake in the company. Secondary Sector Industrial Growth Touches 16-Month Low Level of 44 per cent Industrial growth continued its declining path also in September 2010 and regist ered the 16-month low level of 44 per cent. All the three sectoral components of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) show declined growth rates in September 201 0 on an annual, as well as on a sequential basis. Septembers IIP growth in 2010 Minimum Support Prices for Rabi Crops of 2010-11 Season to be Marketed in 201112 ( per quintal) Commodity MSP fixed for 2009-10 season 1100 750 1760 1870 1830 1680 MSP approved for 2010-11 season 1120 780 2100 2250 1850 1800 Change in MSP over 2009-10 seas on 20 30 340 380 20 120 IIP Growth Path in 2010-11 April May June July August September 176% 115% 71% 138% 56% 44% Wheat Barley Gram Masur (Lentil) Rapeseed /Mustard Safflower is the lowest expansion since May 2009. Except July 2010, all the months of 2010 -11 experienced declining growth path in IIP. TUF Scheme for Textile Sector to be Reintroduced Technology Upgration Fund (TUF) scheme for the textile sector is being reintrodu ced by the Textiles Ministry. TUF is a financial incentive scheme for the sector extended through banks in which the government subsidises a portion of interest on loans, exchange rate fluctuations and capital equipment on a case-tocase bas is. For small and medium enterprises of capital investment up to 2 crore, the pr oposed special incentive package entails capital subsidy instead of 10 per cent capital subsidy and five per cent interest rate subsidy. As per the declaration made by the Textile Ministry, a new salient feature will be included in the rein troduced TUF scheme. A new segment of synthetic and technical textiles will also be included in the sphere of TUF scheme, provided the proposal entailed in the National Fibre Policy is approved by the government.

First Advance Estimates of Kharif Crops 2010-11 Released Ministry of Agriculture on September 24, 2010 released the first advance estimat es of Kharif crops for Sectoral Growth September 2009 Vs. September 2010 Sector Mining Manufacturing Electricity IIP September September 2009 2010 74 83 75 82 52 45 17 44 PD/February/2011/1524

REC gets Infra Financier Status Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has been granted the status of an infras tructure finance company (IFC) by the Reserve Bank of India. With this financier status, REC can now take an additional lending exposure of up to 5 per cent of its owned funds in case of a single borrower and up to 10 per cent of its owned funds for a group of borrowers. The total permissible exposure will now be 40 pe r cent of owned funds in case of a group of borrowers. The firm has also become authorised to issue infrastructure bonds and raise funds up to $ 500 million thr ough external commercial borrowing in a year. REC is the second company after Po wer Finance Corporation (PFC) to be accorded the IFC status by RBI. Power Financ e Corporation (PFC) was accorded the status in July. level of 1568 points attained in the last quarter of 2009-10. This is the first d ecline in the business confidence level in the last one year. NCEARs survey measu res business confidence on the basis of four indicators which areoverall economic conditions six months from now, financial-position of firms six months from now , investment climate and level of capacity utilisation. Energy Government Launches NELP-IX Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry on October 15, 2010 has launched the ninth ro und of bidding under the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP). 34 blocks have been put up for the auction under NELPIX of the blocks offered in the ninth round, eight are deep water, seven in shallow water and 19 blocks on shore. The Ministry has extended the hope to arrange investment of around $ 14 billion in t his ninth round of auctioning. Government had launched the 8th round of NELP in the midst of the global economic slowdown which resulted a very poor response. 3 4 out of 70 blocks could not attract any response and half the awarded blocks we nt to government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). This poor respons e of the 8th round of NELP could manage only $ 11 billion. Government has so far awarded 235 blocks under various rounds of NELP, launched in 1999. As per the de claration of the Ministry, the exploration coverage of India s sedimentary basin has expanded from 11 per cent to 58 per cent after the introduction of NELP reg ime and the discoveries made under NELP have resulted in in-place hydrocarbon re serve accretion of a staggering 642 million tonne of oil and oil equivalent gas. plants in the states of Orissa and Uttar Pradesh and also a wind mill in Tamil N adu. As per the declaration made by the government in the Parliament, Neyveli Li gnite Corporation (NLC) proposes to set up coalfired power plants of 2000 MW cap acity each in Orissa and Uttar Pradesh and also to set up a 50 MW wind power pla nt at Trinelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Coal-fired power plants would cost NLC as much as 20000 crore while the proposed wind mill will cost 313 crore as per e stimates of the mini ratna public sector company Neyveli Lignite Corporation. IOC s Paradip Refinery to Start Output by March 2012 Paradip refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation has been scheduled to start comme rcial production by March 2012 and become fully operational November 2012. This Paradip refinery unit has a refining capacity of 15 million tonne per year. The estimated cost of the project is around 320 billion. The first stage of the plan t will be commissioned in January 2012. The refinery will have a complexity fact or of 13, allowing it to process and refine very low quality of crude or crude w ith high sulphur content. A proposal of building a petrochemical plant near Para dip refinery is also under consideration of Indian Oil Corporation and the decis ion will be taken within the next three-four months. Indian oil sources also ann ounced that everything produced in Paradip refinery will be for domestic consump tion and none of its product will be exported. 20 per cent Disinvestment in MOIL The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has made disinvestment in state -run Manganese Ore India Ltd. (MOIL), in which the Centre has devolved 10 per ce

nt equity, while Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments would divest 5 per c ent each. The government was holding 8157 per cent, Maharashtra 962 per cent and M adhya Pradesh has 881 per cent equity in the Nagpur-based company. Following the disinvestment, the Government of India shares in the company has come down to 715 7 per cent. MOILs IPO was listed in the share market on November 15, 2010 with a high premium. Sasan UMP Project gets $ 917 million Loan from US EXIM Bank The American EXIM Bank has cleared $ 917 million (about 4300 crore) to Anil Amba nis power project in Madhya Pradesh. Reliance-Powers Sasan Ultra-Mega Power Projec t (UMPP) has got the clearance from US EXIM Banks board which earlier had reserva tions over environmental considerations for issuing the loans. Green activists h ad raised objections on this ultra-mega power project due to CO2 emissions from this coal-fired Business Confidence Index Declines Marginally The Survey made by NCEAR (National Council of Applied Economic Research) shows t hat the Business Confidence Index (BCI) in India during April-June 2010 quarter registered a marginal decline. This index came down to 1559 points in first quart er of 2010-11 from the peak Coal-fired Power Plant to be Set up in U.P. and Orissa by NLC Neyveli Lignite Corporation of the public sector has proposed to set up 4000 MW Coal-based power PD/February/2011/1525

project. But after seeking assurance from Reliance-Power to develop green-energy projects near the plant site, the Board of the US EXIM Bank at last became sati sfied and cleared the sanction of $ 917 million loan to Anil Ambani Group. This is the largest funding support by US EXIM Bank to any Indian company. As per the declaration made from oil marketing companies side, the three OMCs wi ll maintain a uniform price for three months and thereafter decide prices based on competition. 12 months and the first phase will be completed by 2014-15. The new Navi Mumbai airport will be developed on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis, with the pr ivate sector partner getting 74 per cent equity while Airport Authority of India and the Maharashtra government through City and Industrial Development Corporat ion (CIDCO) holding 13 per cent each. Transport Revival of Vayudoot Proposed National Aviation Company of India Ltd., the operator of Air India, is planning to revive Vayudoot to increase its connectivity with smaller cities in the country . Earlier Vayudoot brand was under consideration to sell-off. Vayudoot was origi nally launched as a subsidiary of Indian Airlines in January 1981 to serve the n orth-east region of the country. NHDC to set-up 100 MW Wind Power Plant Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation (NHDC), which is a joint venture b etween National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) and Madhya Pradesh government, is going to set up a wind power plant of the capacity 100 MW in Kukru village of B etul district. This wind power plant will be one of the largest such plants in t he country. On capacity utilisation front in wind power, it stands at hardly 1822 per cent in Madhya Pradesh. NHDC has come forward with an optimistic project pl an and appointed a consultant C-wet to prepare a detailed report in this regard and conduct a survey. On the basis of this project, NHDC shows its confidence in ensuring optimum utilisation of wind power with the plant to be installed in Be tul. Adani to Develop Terminal at Hazira Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ) Ltd. , a part of the Ahmedabad bas ed Adani Group has signed an agreement with Hazira Port Private Ltd. (HPPL) and the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for developing non-LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) cargo handling facilities at Hazira in Southern part of Gujarat. The agreement w as signed by Adani Hazira Port Pvt. Ltd. (AHPPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of M PSEZ. The investment envisaged for the project is about 2000 crore. According to the company sources, Adani group will develop bulk, break-bulk, container and l iquid cargo terminals at Hazira Port. Vayudoot Past Vs. Future Highlights Launched as subsidiary of erstwhile Indian Airlines in January 1981 to increase connectivity with smaller cities. Merged with IA due to financial crisis, Operat ions stopped in1997. Now revival has been planned to bring traffic from smaller towns to the bigger cities. To connect small towns to destinations abroad or oth er locations. To operate four types of planes depending on demand. To lease airc rafts also planned.

Deregulated Petrol Prices to be Reviewed Every Month On June 25, 2010 Union Government raised prices of petroleum products petrol, die sel, kerosene and LPG cylinder and also announced to deregulate petrol prices an d made it market driven as suggested by Kirit Parikh Panel. After governments dec ision to deregulate petrol prices the government controlled oil marketing compan

ies (OMCs) have decided to review the petrol price on a monthly basis. Though Oi l Marketing Companies have decided to review petrol prices on a monthly basis, b ut the three OMCsIndian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation have not yet decided the mechanism for arriving at the market price s. Besides, OMCs also did not specify the date on which the next price review wi ll take place.

Orissa to Develop a Port in Puri Orissa government has signed a concession agreement with Navayuga Engineering Co mpany to set up a port with a capacity of 25 mtpa, at an investment of 6,500 cro re in Puri district. This agreement was signed almost two years after concluding a memorandum of understanding with the Hyderabad-based developer Navayuga on De cember 12, 2008. As per the agreement, the port will be developed at Astarang in Puri district. The port would be operational within four years of land acquisit ion. According to the official sources, Astaranga port would be full-fledged all weather multi-user port on BOOST (build, own, operate, share and transfer) basi s. Though the initial capacity of the port will be 25 mtpa, it would reach 70 mt pa to export cargo like iron ore, thermal coal, coking coal, coke and break bulk cargo.

Navi Mumbai Airport Project Cleared The Environment Ministry has given its clearance to a new international airport in Navi Mumbai. The airport which had in-principle approval from the Cabinet sin ce July 2007, will make Mumbai the first city in the country to have two operati onal international airports. With this new project, the two airports in Mumbai w ill create a capacity to handle 50 million passengers annually by 2015, with an additional 10 million coming from the new airport. The plan is to extend the cap acity of Navi Mumbai airport to 40 million by 2030 with an investment of 9970 cr ore. The airport project will be awarded in 10 to PD/February/2011/1526

Railway to Convert Trains Number in 5-digit Indian Railways has initiated a plan to convert the numbers of trains into 5-dig it. At present, trains numbers are of 4-digit. As per the official report of Ind ian Railways, one additional digit will be pre-fixed in the existing 4-digit num bers of the trains under this newly proposed train number system. Shatabdi, Rajd hani, Duranto, Sampark Kranti, Jan Shatabdi, Garib Rath and other Mail / Express / Superfast trains number will be added number 1 at the beginning of the existi ng number. Passenger trains numbers will get number 5 as additional digit in exi sting number while MEMU and DEMU trains will get additional number 6 and 7 respe ctively. 3G Spectrum Allocated Sticking to its September 1 deadline, the government on September 1, 2010 alloca ted 3G spectrum to seven winning bidders after amendments to the license terms a nd conditions. Idea Cellular, however, was not given spectrum for the Punjab cir cle due to pending regulatory clearances of its acquisition of mobile firm Spice . Each Operator has been given 5 M Hz of 3G Spectrum for each Licensed Circle Major Ports to Follow Monopoly Policy In its notification, the shipping Ministry has asked all major ports of the coun try to follow its monopoly policy to check the private sector monopoly in ports wi th immediate effect. The notification directs all the 13 major ports to follow t he monopoly policy while awarding projects to private parties through PublicPriv ate-Partnership (PPP). The monopoly policy approved by the Law Ministry States t hat if there is only one private terminal operator in a port for a specific cargo , the operator of that berth or his associates would not be allowed to bid for t he next berth for handing the same cargo in the same port. Telecommunication Fixed-line Phones to have 10-digit Number The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has given its recommendation to use 10-digit number for fixed-line phones by December 2011. Currently fixed-lin e phones bear 8-digit number which will now be changed to 10-digit number. Mobil e phones already possess 10-digit number. TRAI in its recommendations on Efficien t Utilisation of Numbering Resources in India has suggested to complete all preparation by September 30, 2011 and to h ave actual migration to the integrated scheme by December 31, 2011. Foreign Trade Trade Deficit Scenario in April-September 2010 In September 2010, Indias exports increased by 23 per cent which took Indias expor ts to the highest level in the nearly two years. This supportive growth in expor ts made trade deficit shrunk to $ 912 billion. According to the data released by Commerce Ministry exports grew by 232 per cent in September to $ 1802, while imports rose by 261 per cent to $ 2714 billion. As a result, trade deficit shrunk to $ 912 billion compared to $ 1306 billion in August , which was a 23-month high. During the first six months of 2010-11 i.e., AprilSeptember 2010 exports went up by 276 per cent to $ 1033 billion. On the other han d, imports clocked 30 per cent growth during the April-September period 2010 rea ching $ 1665 billion. PD/February/2011/1527

Taking the note of this encouraging scenario of countrys exports, government has extended hope of achieving export target of $ 200 billion for the year 2010 desp ite the recent appreciation of the Indian rupee. India s Trade April-September 2010 (in billion $) Export Import Trade Deficit 1033 1665 632 + 276% + 303% which provides a big financial boost to safeguard the interest of exporters in t he phase of weak economic revival at the world level. Besides providing financia l package to export sector, the review announces steps to reduce the transaction cost by at least 40 per cent. Annual EXIM policy review extended the ambit of v arious export promotion schemes. Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme which is a dut y refund tool, has been extended till June 30, 2011. among developing countries and the worlds poorest nations. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and IDA are two lending arms of World Ban k which during 2009-10 provided $ 93 billion financial assistance to India. IBRD provided $ 67 billion to India during 2009-10 which is 151 per cent of its total l ending. Mexico has been the second highest recipient after India with financial aid amounting to $ 64 billion. Soft loan window of World Bank i.e., International Development Association (IDA) provided $ 26 billion concessionary aid to India d uring 2009-10 which is about 15 per cent of the total assistance granted by IDA during the entire year to the worlds poorest countries. The statistics of 2008-09 also show that even in terms of actual disbursement, India was the largest reci pient of World Banks financial assistance with a total of released asistance of $ 47 billion; $ 34 billion from IBRD and $ 13 billion from IDA. Foreign Debt India Becomes Largest Recipient of World Bank Loans in 2009-10 World Bank group of institutions have extended maximum financial aid in the form of loans to India, both EXIM Policy Review Provides Big Package to Exporters Commerce and Industry Ministry on August 23, 2010 released the annual review of Foreign Trade Policy World Banks Aid to India Shows 320% Increase in 2009-10 During the financial year 2009-10 (ended in June 2010), World Bank provided aid of $ 93 billion to India which shows an increase of over 320 per cent compared to last year. In rupee terms this aid stands at Rs. 42780 crore. This aid includes $ 26 billion (around Rs. 10,856 crore) interest-free credits by the Internationa l Development Association (IDA) and $ 67 billion (around Rs. 30,820 crore) longte rm, low-interest loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Develo pment (IBRD). According to the World Bank, aid to India traditionally averaged a bout $ 25-3 billion a year. The increased lending to India is the result of an in fluence of G-20 during its November 2008 summit and huge demands of Indias fast-g rowing economy that needs sustained growth of 810 per cent to lift some 400 milli on people out of poverty. PD/February/2011/1528

ADB to Lend $ 132 million to Bihar and $ 120 million to Assam Manila-based Asian Development Bank has approved $ 132 million (over 585 crore) loan for upgrading electricity system in Bihar and also a loan package of $ 120 million (about 532 crore) to Assam towards efforts to combat flooding and erosio n. $ 132 million loan to Bihar is being granted to Power System Improvement Proj ect to upgrade electricity system in the state. The funds have been assigned to be used to install new transmission lines and to renovate and modernise transmis sion and distribution facilities to improve the quality and reliability of the s tate s electricity supply network. ADB has also decided to extend a technical as sistance grant of $ 3 lakh to improve project and financial management in Bihar state Electricity Board. Besides, ADB has also approved a loan package of $ 120 million to Assam as assistance in combating flooding and erosion in the state. The second project has been formulated by the Indian government to support stati stical reforms in the country. FDI Inflows Register 60% Decline Data released by industry department show that the Foreign Direct Investment (FD I) in August 2010 took a dip of about 60 per cent to $ 133 billion which is the l owest in the financial year 2010-11. The FDI inflow in August 2009 was $ 326 bill ion. Despite the smart recovery in the domestic economy and a rebound in exports , overseas investment in the form of equity inflows have been declining since Ju ne 2010. The overseas investment in June 2010 was at $ 138 billion while that in July 2010 was $ 178 billion. The FDI in the first two months of financial year 20 10-11 i.e., April and May 2010 stood at $ 217 billion and $ 221 billion respective ly. Cummulatively, in the first five months of the financial year 2010-11 i.e., April to August 2010, the FDI inflows declined by 35 per cent to $ 888 billion, c ompared to $ 1376 billion in the same period of 2009. Foreign Direct Investment India Worlds Second-Best Favourite FDI Destination : UNCTAD World Investment Prospect Surveys 2010-12, published by United Nations Conferenc e on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has extended the view that India, after Chin a, will be the second-best favourite destination in the world for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) over the next two years. China has been ranked as the best-fav ourite destination for FDI in the world, followed by India, Brazil, the United S tates and the Russian Federation. All the four BRIC nations for the first time h ave been ranked in the top-five places for FDI inflows. Besides, developing nati ons of Asia have been placed as the mostsought place for FDI (with six nations i n the top 15). North America and European Union are also attract high interest i n FDI inflows. The survey, aimed at the largest global non-financial transnation al companies (TNCs), national investment promotion agencies and location experts , explores coming trends in global FDI over the next 3 years in the wake of the financial crisis. World Bank to Lend $ 407 million for Microfinance and Statistical Projects The World Bank has signed two agreements with India for a total loan of $ 407 mi llion to scale up microfinance services in unbanked areas and improve capacity t o generate quality statistics. As per official sources, the assisted projects ar e Scaling up Sustainable and Responsible Microfinance Project ($ 300 million loan) and India Statistical Strengthening Project ($ 107 million loan). The objective o f the project is to scale up access to sustainable microfinance services to the financially excluded, particularly in underserved areas of India. The project wi ll be implemented by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) over a period of 5 years. SIDBI will use the funding for onlending to microfinance i nstitutions (MFIs). The funding, among other things, will enable MFIs to leverag e private commercial funds to on-lend larger amounts to the under-served. Indias Overseas Investments Decline by 367% Indias overseas investments during 2009-10 faced a sharp decline as a result of g

lobal financial crisis. During 2009-10, Indias actual outward foreign direct inve stment (FDI) in joint ventures and subsidiaries slipped down by 367% and reached the level $ 103 billion from the level $ 163 billion achieved during 200809. As pe r the data released in RBIs study, though investment financed through loans regis tered a growth during 2009-10, investments financed through equity registered a sharp decline. China, India to have Top FDI Inflows Till 2012 : UNCTAD According to the estimates of United Nations study. The worlds biggest companies will enter with their investments over the next two and three years in major eme rging economies. China, India and Brazil are the top three nations which will at tract these investments US economy has been placed at fourth rank in attracting FDI inflows in the study made by UNCTAD (i.e., United Nations Conference on Trad e and Development). The conclusions of UNCTADS study were based on a survey of th e FDI climate among 236 leading multinational corporations and 116 investment pr omotion agencies. Global investment flows slumped in 2008-09 as a result of the economic downturn but are expected to recover slowly in 2011 and 2012. International Reports Human Development Report 2010 UNDP on November 4, 2010 released its 20th Human Development Report with the the me The Real Wealth of Nations : Pathways to Human Development. PD/February/2011/1529

According to this Human Development Report 2010, India is one of the fastest pro gressing country in the world in terms of its exponential economic growth. India has been classified in the medium human development category, placed at 119th r ank out of 169 countries. India scores HDI value above average amongst South Asi an countries, but below average among other medium human development countries s uch as China, Sri Lanka and Thailand. India s HDI value in 2010 report has been 0519, compared to the average of 0592 for medium development countries. It has inc reased steadily through the years, from 032 in 1980, 044 in 2000 and 0482 in 2005. Between 1980 and 2010, Indias life expectancy at birth increased by nearly nine y ears, mean years of schooling grew by close to three years and expected years of schooling increased by four years. Indias gross national income per capita grew by 254 per cent during that time frame. The top five countries in 2010 Human Dev elopment Index (HDI) rankings of 169 countries are Norway, Australia, New Zealan d, The United States and Ireland while the bottom five are Mozambique, Burundi, Niger, Congo and Zimbabwe. the mortality rate of children. The GHI aims to raise awareness of regional and country differences in hunger and trigger action to eliminate hunger. The index ranks countries on a 100-point scale, with 0 being the best score (no hunger) an d 100 being the worst. Values less than 50 reflect low hunger, values between 50 a nd 99 reflect moderate hunger, values between 100 and 199 indicate a serious problem, va lues between 200 and 299 are alarming, and values of 300 or higher are extremely al arming. Global Gender Gap Report Puts India on Poor Front The World Economic Forum s Global Gender Gap Report assesses gender equality in 134 countries looking at economic participation and 67th Rank to India in Global Hunger Index The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool adapted and further developed by the Int ernational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to comprehensively measure and track global hunger. The GHI incorporates three interlinked hunger-related indi catorsthe proportion of undernourished in the population, the prevalence of under weight in children, and Ranking of India and Neighbouring Nations in Global Hunger Index-2010 Nation China Sri Lanka Pakistan Nepal India Bangladesh Ranking 9 39 52 56 67 68 The Global Gender Gap 2010 Ranking Top 5 Nations Nation Iceland Norway Finland Sweden New Zealand BRIC Nations Braz il Russia India China Pakistan Sri Lanka Bangladesh Nepal 85 45 112 61 South Asi a Nations 132 16 82 115 Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Indias HDI Indicators for 2010 Relative to Selected Countries and Region HDI value India Bangladesh Pakistan South Asia 0519 0469 0490 0516 HDI rank 119 129 125 Life expectancy at birth 644 669 672 651 Expected years of schooling 103 81 68 NI per capita (PPP US $) 3,337 1,587 2,678 3,417 Source : Human Development Report 2010, UNDP. PD/February/2011/1530

opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, health and survival. The report examines both men and women s access to resources and opportunities rather than the levels of resources and opportunities available in a country. India Slips Down in Global Business Competitiveness Index According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2010 released by the World Econom ic Forum, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, United States and Germany are the top five nations in the ranking list of global business competitiveness in the year 2010. India has slipped down its rank to 51st from 49 in 2009 due to poor health , education and infrastructure facilities.

Global Competitiveness Report 2010 Rank Report Card Top 5 Switzerland Sweden Singapore US Germany Rank 2009 1 4 3 2 7 Rank 2010 1 2 3 4 5 Change 0 2 0 2 2 BRIC Brazil Russia India China 56 63 49 29 58 63 51 27 2 0 2 2 Other Asian Economies Sri Lanka Indonesia Vietnam 79 54 75 62 44 59 17 10 16

Miscellaneous Uttar Pradesh launches BPL has launched Uttar Pradesh oviding financial aid to 31 identified BPL family under

families financial aid scheme Uttar Pradesh government Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojana for pr million families living below the poverty line. Every this scheme will be paid 300 per month.

Every female head of the identified BPL family will get this aid in her bank acc ount every after six months. Fifty per cent of the identified beneficiaries of t he scheme will belong to SC/ST families. As per the declaration of the governmen t, this scheme will include only those BPL families which had not been covered u nder other pro-poor schemes. In the first phase, the newly introduced scheme wil l cover 15 million people belonging to 31 million BPL families. In the next phase , the remaining BPL families will be covered. The newly launched scheme would en tail an additional annual burden of 1116 crore to the exchequer of the state in the first phase. Govt. to create Innovation Fund with 5,000 croreThe government h as decided to constitute an innovation fund of 5,000 crore to promote new talents and their innovation tendencies. This fund will be functional within six months with the initial capital of 1,000 crore. This fund will finance the promotional activities of new innovations. The governments share in this fund will be 20 per cent and the remaining 80 per cent will be mobilised from the private sector. Th is fund will be operated by National Innovation Council, headed by Sam Pitroda. This fund is a new attempt made by the government to provide incentives to new t alents in the direction of strengthening Inclusive and New India. India Tops Globa l Confidence Index ListNielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index in September 2010 falls due to consumers opinion that the economies of the United States and Europ e are still in recession. India in Nielsen Company survey stays at the top of th e list with the highest score of 129, unchanged from the June survey. Despite be ing at top, the Indias score is well below the countrys record 137 index score rea ding obtained in the second half of 2006. This Indias reading has been the highes t for any country

since the Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index was launched in 2005. Three Indian L adies in Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women ListIn the Forbes list of 100 most power

ful women in the world, three Indian women have been included. Indra Nooyi, CEO PepsiCo, Shikha Sharma CEO, Axis Bank and Chanda Kochhar MD and CEO, ICICI Bank have been placed at 6th, 89th and 92nd 6th Indra Nooyi PepsiCo CEO 89th Shikha 92nd Chanda Sharma Kochhar Axis Bank ICICI Bank CEO MD&CEO

ranks respectively in this prestigious list. The first lady of United States Mic helle Obama has topped this list of 100 most powerful women in the world. Govt. forms 16-member panel on infra-financeThe government has constituted a Highlevel Committee on Financing of Infrastructure under former Reserve Bank of India Depu ty Governor Rakesh Mohan. Government constituted this committee recognising the need for a policy to enable flow of resources for infrastructure. The committee will assess the investment to be made by the Centre, the state governments, publ ic sector undertakings (PSUs) and the private sector in the 10 physical infrastr ucture sectors during the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17). The 16-member commit tee will have representatives from banks, the Pension, Fund Regulatory and Devel opment Authority, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), among others.

PF interest raised to 95 per cent The Provident Fund trustees has decided to give a higher interest rate of 95 per cent for 2010-11 on the retirement savings of em ployees in the public and private sector. PD/February/2011/1531

Nobel Economics 2010 Awarded to Three Economists for Labour Market Theory Peter A. Diamond of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dale Mortensen of Nor th Western University and Christopher Pissarides from London School of Economics are the three economists who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics for resea rch into the difficulties of matching supply and demand, particularly in the lab our market. As per the declaration of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences whic h selects the Nobel laureates, Peter A. Diamond has analysed the foundations of search markets. Date Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides have expanded the theo ry and have applied it to the labour market. The models developed by these Nobel laureates help in understanding the ways in which unemployment, job vacancies a nd wages are affected by regulation and economic policy.

Nobel Laureates Economics-2010 refinance in the wake of monetary policy review undertaken by Reserve Bank of In dia. RBI in its review of monetary policy had raised key short-term lending and borrowing rates by 25 basis points as part of steps to rein in inflation. Cabine t Approves Identification Authority BillThe Union Cabinet has granted its approva l to the proposed National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010 which env isages to make the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) a statutory body. The Bill will now be introduced in Parliament for approval. The Bill propo ses to constitute a statutory authority to be called the National Identification Authority of India and lays down the powers and functions of the authority, the frame-work for issuing unique identification (Aadhaar) numbers, major penalties and other r elated matters, through an Act of Parliament. The draft National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, proposes a slew of penalties on offences ranging from impersonation, giving wrong biometrics, unauthorised access to data, among other things, with the highest punishment being 1 crore fine and three years of imprisonment. Among the major offences mentioned in the draft Bill is the attemp t to impersonate another person by providing any false demographic information o r biometric information. This offence shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with a fine of up to 10,000 or both. (From left) Peter A. Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides

The steep 1-percentage point increase has taken the interest on PF deposits of 4 ,71,000 organised sector workers to a five-year high from the current level of 85 per cent. The decision to raise the interest rate was taken by the central boar d of trustees, the highest policy-making body of the Employees Provident Fund Or ganisation (EPFO). NABARD raises refinance interest rateNational Bank for Agricul ture and Rural Development (NABARD) has made longterm finance to farmers through cooperative and regional rural banks costlier by raising interest rate on refin ance by 50 basis points (bps). With this revision, the interest rate on refinanc e is now pegged at 825 per cent on year for cooperative banks and 875 per cent for commercial banks. NABARD has taken this step of raising interest on PD/February/2011/1532

Mukesh Ambani Richest Indian. : ForbesForbes India declares Mukesh Ambani as the richest Indian with a net worth of $ 27 billion ( 1,20,980 crore). Laxmi Mittal and Azim Premji stood at second and third in the list with net worths of $ 261 bi llion and $ 176 billion respectively. Anil Ambani who was at third rank in 2009 w ith $ 175 billion slipped down to sixth rank in 2010 with declined capital worth $ 133 billion. As per Forbes estimates, the collective net worth of the 100 wealt hiest Indians stood at $ 300 billion while it was at $ 276 billion in 2009. The four richest Indians have combined worth of $ 86 billion which is much short of $ 180 billion level, achieved by them in 2007. Indias Richest Club Net Worth ( $ BN) 2009 2010 Rank Rank Name 2009 2010 manner by September after the Population Enumeration phase (to be conducted in F ebruaryMarch) of the Census 2011 is over. According to the cabinet decision, a s uitable legal regime for collection of data on castes would be formulated in con sultation with the law ministry. The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner would conduct the field operations of the caste enumeration. The ce ntral government has decided to constitute an expert group to classify the caste /tribe returns after the enumeration is completed. Pilot Project of Subsidised L PG for BPL Families Launched The government has launched an ambitious programme f or providing subsidised LPG connections to below poverty line families. The prog ramme has initially been launched as a pilot project by Minister of State for Pe troleum Jitin Prasada in his Dhaurehra parliamentary constituency in Kheri distr ict of Uttar Pradesh. In the opening function, LPG connections to the heads of 1 00 selected BPL families were distributed at highly subsidised rates. As per the declaration of the government, the scheme of providing subsidised LPG connections will be rolled out on a country-wide basis by the oil PSUs from Oct ober 2, 2010 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The government has earmarked a b udget of 490 crore for the programme. 2,86,607 BPL families will be benefitted f rom the programme. Oberoi Vanyavilas gets best hotel awardIn Travel + Leisures 201 0 Worlds Best Awards readers poll, the hotel Oberoi Vanyavilas Ranthambore has bee n ranked as the best hotel in the world. Besides, three other hotels of Oberoi g roupOberoi Amarvilas and Oberoi Rajvilas, both in Jaipur and Udaivilas in Udaipurh ave been placed in top 15 hotels in the world, getting 5th, 13th and 15th ranks respectively in the list of best hotels. These top hotels of oberoi group have a lso been ranked at top four places in Asias list of hotels. The main features tak en into consideration while deciding ranking of hotels are location of the hotel , luxurious characteristics of the rooms, service, restaurants, food quality etc . P.Darpan 1 2 4 5 7 3 10 6 8 9 1 Mukesh Ambani 2 Lakshmi Mittal 3 Azim Premji 32 30 270 261 149 176 4 Shashi & Ravi Ruia 136 150 5 Savitri Jindal 6 Anil Ambani 7 Gautam Adani 8 Kusha l Pal Singh 9 Sunil Mittal 10 Kumar Birla 12 144 175 133 64 107 135 82 78 92 86 85

Source : PTI/Forbes

Cabinet Approves Caste Census ProcessThe government has finally decided to add ca ste in the ongoing census process of 2011. The union cabinet has approved the re commendations of the Group of Ministers that the caste of all people as reported by them will be incorporated in the census 2011. It is also decided that the ca ste enumeration would be conducted as a separate exercise from June 2011 and com pleted in a phased PD/February/2011/1533

India, South Africa Sign Three Pacts India and South Africa in summit meet in New Delhi in the first week of June, 20 10 agreed to step up their bilateral cooperation in different fields. They signe d three pacts and agreed to support each others candidature in the elections to t he rotating non-permanent seats of the United Nations Security Council. During t his meeting Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the visiting South African Pre sident Jacob Zuma on June 4, 2010 also resolved to step up bilateral cooperation as well as greater coordination at multilateral fora. Both sides decided to con tinue discussing resumption of full-fledged defence ties which suffered a setbac k after the blacklisting of a major South African firm from defence tenders. The y also agreed on the need to expand the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) group t o include South Africa. The three agreements which the two countries signed pert ain to air services agriculture and contacts between their think tanks. Nag Missile Test-fired Successfully Anti-tank missile Nag on June 13, 2010 was successfully test-fired from the Armys Firing Range at Shamirpet near Hyderabad. This time it hit a moving target. On June 6, it had destroyed a stationary target and proved its capability of destro ying a target at a close range of 500 metres in three seconds. On June 13, 2010 Nag smashed the moving target in 32 seconds after its launch, an official Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. The test-firing was conducte d by missile scientists from the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DR DL) after the Army requested for a close range launch on a moving target. The mi ssile punched a hole as it pierced through the target, which was specially devel oped by Hyderabad-based Delta Technologies in collaboration with the DRDL. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksas Visit to India : Seven Pacts Signed Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited India in the second week of June 2010. During this visit India and Sri Lanka on June 9, 2010, decided to extend t heir ties to areas such as defence, space and energy security besides strengthen ing the existing bonds through restoration of transport links, setting up additi onal consulates and initiating cooperation in the power sector. This was reflect ed in the seven pacts signed by the two sides and a joint declaration issued aft er talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sri Lankan President Mahi nda Rajapaksa. India and Sri Lanka decided to revive the joint commission mechan ism, which will be headed by the two Foreign Ministers, and step up exchange of high level defence officials. They agreed on an extensive aid package for northe rn and eastern Sri Lanka that include a project to construct 50,000 houses and r estoration of the railway infrastructure, a port and an airport. In the joint de claration, Mr. Rajapaksa expressed his resolve to continue implementing the rele vant provisions of the Constitution to strengthen national amity and reconciliat ion through empowerment. He shared his ideas on conducting a broader dialogue wi th all parties involved, Dr. Singh expressed Indias constructive support for effo rts of building peace and reconciliation among all communities in Sri Lanka. Verdict on Bhopal Gas Leak Case comes after 26-years At long last a court in Bhopal on June 7, 2010 announced its verdict and convict ed all the eight accused, including the former Chairman of Union Carbide, Keshub Mahindra, in the much-vexed Bhopal gas tragedy case and awarded them a maximum of two years imprisonment. They were later released on bail. The verdict came 26 years after the tragedy on the night of December 2-3, 1984, which ravaged the ci ty, killing over 15 thousand people and incapacitating even more. Dozens of tonn es of poisonous methylisocyanate gas leaked out from the Union Carbide, India li mited (UCIL) a multinational concern of the USA and killed thousands of people. Interestingly, Warren Anderson, then Chairman of the US-based Union Carbide grou p, who was accused in the tragedy was absconding throughout the trial period, Su rprisingly, the court did not mention his name in its verdict. India Plans to Raise Commitment to IMF As multilateral lending agency International Monetary Fund (IMF) may need more f

unds to help countries facing a sovereign debt crisis in Europe, India plans to pledge additional support of $ 4 billion to the fund. This would increase Indias total commitment to the IMF to $ 14 billion, as it had already pledged $ 10 bill ion in March this year for countries facing a financial crisis India is likely to contribute up to $ 10 billion to the IMF, a senior finance ministry official discl osed. National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) The government has approved the establishment of a National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency with the aim of building a Rs. 74,000 crore market for energyPD/February/2011/1534

efficient products. The initiative will help save nearly 23 million tonnes of oi l equivalent (MTOE) and reduce greenhouse gases emissions of 9855 million tonnes. It is estimated that this will unlock new and innovative forms of market for en ergy efficiency estimated at Rs. 74,000 crore. The Mission is one of the eight m issions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Ajay Mathur, Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has also been designated the mission director. Besides the efficiency trading mechanism, the mission also includes an Energy Efficiency Financial Platform (EEFP), which will provide fiscal tools in aid of projects that work to reduce demand of energy. New Delhi, Ottawa Sign Nuclear Agreement India and Canada on June 28, 2010 signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement d uring Indian PM Dr. Manmohans stay in Toronto in connection with G-20 nations summ it. Both countries resolved to ratify the accord and complete all remaining step s. This is the next step before Canada starts selling nuclear reactors to India. Canada said that the agreement will provide access for Canadas nuclear industry to Indias expanding nuclear Breaking the Barrier : Prime Minister market. Manmoha n Singh and his Canadian Indian Prime counterpart Stephen Harper witness Ministe r said that the signing of a civil nuclear agreement both nations agreed in Toro nto. to try and take the bilateral trade up to $ 15 billion in the next five yea rs, up from the current level of around $ 5 billion. A comprehensive economic co operation agreement was also being envisaged and the initial work on it was on. A Milestone : Prithvi-II lifting off from a mobile launcher at the Integrated Te st Range at Chandipur, off the Orissa Coast on June 18, 2010. With a maximum range of 350 km. Prithvi-II is capable of carrying a payload of 5 00 kg. The test-firing of the surface-to-surface missile, which has already been inducted into the armed forces, was a users trial by the Armys specialised group Strategic Force Command (SFC), the sources said. Prithvi, the first ballistic missi le developed under the countrys prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) is propelled by liquid propulsion twin engine. With a length of nine metres and one metre diameter, Prithvi-II uses an advanced inertial guid ance system with manoeuvring trajectory. Prithvi-II achieves high degree of accu racy, and meets all mission objectives. Prithvi now has two variants Air Force ve rsion (Prithvi-II) and Naval (Dhanush) both having a range of 350 km. NSIC Signs MoU with Botswana During the visit of Lieutenant General Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe, Vice-President of Botswana in the third week of June 2010, an agreement of mutual cooperation w as signed between National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Local Enterpr ise Authority (LEA) of Botswana for the development of micro, small and medium e nterprises in both the countries. The MoU was signed by Dr. H. P. Kumar, CMD, NS IC and Dr. T. T. K. Matome, CEO, LEA, Botswana, in the presence of S. K. Sinha D irector, NSIC and Ravindra Nath, director (finance) NSIC. Indian Rupee gets Distinct Symbol India has finally got a symbol for the Rupee, denoting the strength of the econo my, and joined the select club of countries whose currencies have a unique ident ity. The Union Cabinet has approved the symbolan amalgam of the Devnagiri Ra and th e Roman capital R without the stem and two parallel lines running at the top. The parallel lines symbolise the equal to sign. With the gaining of the symbol, the In dian rupee joins the club of US dollar, The symbol is British pound, European eu ro and a mix between Japanese yen that currently have their Devnagiri Ra and Roman R own symbols. The symbol was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, who is with the Departm ent of Design at IIT Guwahati. My design is based on the Tricolour with two lines at the top and white space in between. I wanted the symbol for the Rupee to repr esent the Indian flag, said Kumar. Prithvi-II Test-fired Successfully

India on June 18, 2010 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed, nucle ar capable, ballistic missile Prithvi-II from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur about 18 km from Balasore of the Orissa coast. The missile mounted on a mobile launcher was blasted off from the launch complex-3 in the ITR at aroun d 650 a.m. PD/February/2011/1535

Navy Launches Two Water Jet-Propelled Cabinet Clears National Health Plan Fast A ttack Craft With Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) emerging Andhra Pradesh Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan launched two water jetpropelled fast attack craft, INS Cankarso and INS Kondul at the naval jetty in Vasakhapatnam on June 29, 2010. INS Cankarso and INS Kondul, named after two islands off Goa and in Nicobar, have a displacement of 325 tons each and reach a speed of 35 knots. as the leading cause of death in India, accounting for over 42% of all deaths, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the National Progr amme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and stroke (NPCDCD) for implementation of its various components during the remaini ng period of 11th Five Year Plan. The estimated outlay of Rs. 1,230.90 crore wil l be shared by the centre and the states at the ratio of 80 : 20. The committee also approved the interusability of funds from one component to another within t he same group of diseases, limited to a ceiling of 10% in order to impart operat ional flexibility in the implementation of these programmes. Transfer of funds f rom one component to the other beyond this limit would be decided by the Empower ed Programme Committee (EPC) and Mission Steering Group (MSG). Approval has also been given to empower the MSG and EPC set up under the National Rural Health Mi ssion to approve financial norms in respect of all components of the programme. PSLV-C15 Launched Successfully In a text book launch, ISRO s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) on July 12, 2010 successfully placed into orbit remote-sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites. PSLV puts 5 satellites in orbit in one go. At the end of a 51-hour countdown, the 44.4m tall four stage PSLV-C15 costing Rs. 260 crore, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota into clear skies. The most successful launch by any standards demonstrated its reliability and robust ness. It was a flawless mission all the way, with the ignition and separation of the rocket s four stages taking place on time, the heat shield protecting the s atellites falling off on schedule and the satellites flying out of the fourth st age at a velocity of 27,000 km an hour. The on-board computers worked perfectly. This was the 16th consecutive successful flight of the PSLV. The five satellite s launched were : ISRO s 694-kg Cartosat-2B; 116-kg Alsat-2A of Algeria; 6.5 kg nano satellite named NLS6.1AISSAT-I of the Space Flight laboratory of the Univer sity of Toronto, Canada; one-kg nano satellite NLS 6.2 TISAT-1, built by the Uni versity of Applied Science Sciences of Switzerland; and tiny Studsat, built by 3 5 students of seven engineering colleges in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. With t he most successful launch of the PSLV-C15 India really has touched milestone in satellite launching. Interceptor Missile Successfully Test-fired India on July 26, 2010 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed interc eptor missile capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast. Aimed at de veloping a full-fledged multilayer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, the t rial was carried out from two launch sites of the ITR off the Orissa coast, the defence sources said. The whole exercise is to achieve the desired result with p recision, said a senior defence scientist. The target missile, a modified surfac e-to-surface Prithvi was first lifted off from a mobile launcher at 10.05 a.m. fro m the launch complex 3 of the ITR at Chandipur on-sea, 15 km from Balasore. The supersonic interceptor missile Advanced Air Defence (AAD), positioned at Wheeler Island, about 70 km across sea from Chandipur, after getting signals from radar s tracked it a few minutes later and intercepted at a definite altitude in mid-a ir over the sea and destroyed it. The debri that fell into the sea was tracked b y radars located along the coast. The first phase of the BMD shield would be ope rational in 2012 and the second phase in 2016. Approval for Rs. 50,000 crore Submarine Project With the Indian Navy trying to expedite a new production line for the next gener ation diesel-electric submarines, the Defence Ministry has given its nod to a Rs

. 50,000 crore project for building six vessels. But as things behave, they have yet to identify a private shipyard to take up the responsibility. At a recent D efence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting, chaired by Defence Minister A. K. Anto ny, the urgency in having the second production line was discussed with all seri ousness and the nod for the project, code named Project 751 was given, as a seni or Defence ministry official stated in New Delhi on July 11, 2010. Among the shi pyards that could be considered to build the submarines are the MDL, Visakhapatn am-based Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) acquired by the Defence Ministry last year from the Shipping Ministry and few private shipyards including the L&T, the official stated. Government Scheme Clears Funds for UID The Union Government on July 22, 2010 sanctioned funds for the second phase of t he ambitious scheme to allocate Unique Identity Numbers to 10 crore of the count rys population. The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India , at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the commencemen t of phase II of the scheme at an estimated cost of Rs. 3,02301 crore. PD/February/2011/1536

The estimated cost includes project components for issue of 10 crore unique iden tity UID numbers by March 2011 and recurring establishment costs for the entire project phase of five years ending March 2014. The first set of 10 crore UID num bers are expected to be issued between August 2010 and March 2011. Thereafter, 6 00 million UID numbers are expected to be issued within the next three years. Th e UID project would provide unique numbers to all residents of India. The UIDAI proposes to collect the demographic and biometric attributes of residents throug h various agencies of the Central and State governments and others, who in norma l course of their activities interact with the residents. The Phase I proposal w as approved in November 2009. The UIDAI has since established its headquarters a t New Delhi. projects. Scaling up sustainable and responsible microfinance project for a loan of nearly Rs. 1,400 crore ($ 30 million) and India statistical strengthening pr ojects for a loan of about Rs. 500 crore ($ 107 million). The agreements were si gned by Joint Secretary (M1) of finance Ministry, World Bank s country director (India) and Deputy Managing Director on behalf of Small Industries Development B ank of India. Government Nod for National Innovation Council Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on August 16, 2010 gave the green signal for t he setting up of a National Innovation Council headed by Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations, to giv e shape to the governments decision to observe the current decade (20102020) as th e Decade of Innovation. The Council will have a mandate to evolve an Indian mode l of innovation that focuses on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate eco -system conducive to fostering inclusive innovation. The 17-member panel include s Planning Commission members K. Kasturirangan and Arun Maira, former DirectorGe neral of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) R. A. Mashelk ar, former President of the National Association of Software and Services Compan ies Kiran Karnik, Executive Director of Tata Sons R. Gopalakrishnan, and Biocon Chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. India, America Sign Anti-Terror Initiative India and the United States on July 23, 2010 signed a Counter Terrorism Initiati ve that includes steps to check financing of terror activities, joint probe in c ases of bomb blasts besides cooperation in cyber and border security. The agreem ent seeks to further enhance the cooperation between the two countries in counte r terrorism as an important element of their bilateral strategic partnership. Th e initiative provides for strengthening capabilities to effectively combat terro rism; promotion of exchanges regarding modernisation of techniques; sharing of b est practices on issues of mutual interest; development of investigative skills and promotion of cooperation in forensic science laboratories. Union Cabinet Clears Bill to Protect Whistle Blowers The Union Cabinet on August 9, 2010 cleared a Bill to protect whistle blowers by providing for severe punishment to those exposing the identity of people disclo sing information about cases of corruption. The Public Interest Disclosure and P rotection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010 provides the Central Vigil ance Commission with powers of a civil court to hand down harsh penalty to peopl e revealing the identity of whistle blowers, said the official sources. The Bill , which has provisions to prevent victimisation or disciplinary action against w histle blowers, will cover Central, State and Public sector employees. The Bill is expected to encourage disclosure of information in public interest and people who expose corruption in government. It aims at empowering the CVC significantl y, making it the competent authority with all ministries and institutions coming under its ambit. Since the whistleblower who provides inside information will b e at grave risk, the CVCs directions in protecting the identity of the person as well as the person himself will have an over-riding effect. It means that no oth er government directive will be able to supersede the CVCs order in this regard.

British PM Camerons Visit to India : Deal Signed Between India and Britain British Prime Minister David Cameron came to India on an official visit in the l ast week of July 2010. He led what Downing Street described as the largest UK tr ade delegation in living memory. On July 28, 2010 he was in Bangalore where he w itnessed the signing of an agreement at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. s facility fo r the supply of 57 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force an d the Navy. The tripartite agreement involving HAL, BAE Systems and Rolls Royce was signed on behalf of HAL by P. Soundara Rajan, Director, Corporate Planning a nd Marketing Guy Griffith, Group Managing Director, BAE Systems, and by Christop her John Awde, Commercial Director, Rolls Royce. Under the terms of the contract , BAE systems will supply products and services to enable HAL build the Hawk und er license from it for Rs. 3,640 crore. BAE Systems will provide specialist engi neering services, raw material and equipment necessary for airframe production a nd also the support package for the Indian Air Force and the Navy. The deal is v alued at Rs. 1460 crore. Centre to Expand PDS Cover As per press reports, the central government plans to expand the coverage of Bel ow Poverty Line (BPL) population under the Public Distribution System (PDS) to 80 7 crore from the current 652 crore based on the acceptance India, World Bank Sign Agreement Indian government and the World Bank have signed the Legal Agreements for two Wo rld Bank-assisted PD/February/2011/1537

of the Tendulkar Committees poverty projections for 2011 by the Planning Commissi on. There will be no revision of quota per family or of the central issue prices . This will entail an out go of about 34 million tonnes of foodgrains annually a nd a food subsidy of about Rs. 54,000 crore annually on BPL account alone. providing common facilities for legal research for a group of law schools or for national law universities in general. The centres will maintain adequate linkag es and institutionalised interaction with law schools and universities and serve as a think-tank for advising the government in national and international fora. It will promote academic excellence, including continuing legal education for f aculty, by providing refresher courses on various aspects of higher legal educat ion and research. It may recalled here that the recommendation for establishing the centres for Advanced Legal Studies and Research was made on the basis of the National Knowledge Commission. On August 15, 2010 Manmohan Became Third Longest Running PM Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on August 15, 2010 reached a milestoneto the envy o f many within and outside his party. With his seventh Independence Day speech fr om Red Fort on August 15, Singh addressed the nation and hoisted the tricolour f rom the iconic monument for the third highest number of times. He not only surpa ssed his predecessor, the NDAs Atal Behari Vajpayee, who made the speech six time s, he also positioned himself third, only after Jawaharlal Nehru (17) and Indira Gandhi (16). Singh, an economist-turned-bureaucrat-turned-ministerpolitician, b ecame Prime Minister on May 22, 2004. Russia Hands over Akula N-Submarine to India Russia has handed over a new nuclear powered submarine armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles to India and the vessel set sail in the second week of August fo r home with a mixed crew of Indian and Russian sailors. The Akula class nuclear attack submarine on a ten year lease to the Indian Navy left its base on the pac ific coast, bound for India. With the expected induction of Nerpa by year end, i t will be after 19 years that the Indian Navy would have a nuclear submarine in its fleet. Indias indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant is presently undergoin g sea test trials. However, an official of the shipyard said that the submarine was still under-going final sea trials. Reports said that the Nerpa submarine wh ich has been rechristened INS Chakra leased at a cost of $ 650 million is accomp anied by Russian instructors, who will help Indian naval crew to bring it to the new port of deployment. The poor would continue to get 35 kg of wheat at the subsidised rate of Rs. 415 a kg or rice at Rs. 565 a kg. The 25 crore poorest of the poor (Antyodaya Anna Yoja na) beneficiaries will also continue to get their entitlement of wheat at Rs. 2 a kg or rice at Rs. 3 a kg. The move to provide more foodgrains to the poor has assumed urgency after the Supreme Courts observation that the government distribu te grains to the poor rather than allow them to be damaged for lack of adequate storage. GoM Approval for Caste-Based Census As per press reports, ending months of fractious debate across the political spe ctrum, a Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukhe rjee, gave its seal of approval to the enumeration of caste in Census 2011 on Au gust 11, 2010. The GoM has recommended that the caste head count should be done at the biometric stage. Most significantly it will not be just an OBC head count , but a comprehensive head count, with every citizen being asked which caste he or she belonged to. This data will be tabulated and analysed later to arrive at figures of different castes in the country. The biometric phase will cover photo graphing, finger printing and iris mapping of all citizens over the age of 15 fo r the National Population Register (NPR). Enhances Salary and Perks MPs Enhanced

The Union Cabinet on August 20, 2010 approved a 300 per cent salary hike from Rs . 16,000 to Rs. 50,000 for Members of Parliament. The parliamentary panel on the issue had recommended Rs. 80,001, one rupee more than what a cabinet secretary gets. The parliamentary affairs ministry suggested raising it to Rs. 50,000 as a gainst the Rs. 80,001 recommended by a parliamentary panel. Besides salary, an M P gets an allowance of Rs. 1,000 for each day the parliament is in session or fo r taking part in House committee meeting. This has been doubled raising it to Rs . 2,000. A member is also entitled to constituency allowance of Rs. 20,000 a mon th and an office expense allowance of Rs. 20,000 a month. These perks have been doubled to bring them to Rs. 40,000 each. Constituency allowance and office expe nse Allowance were further raised later by Rs. 5,000 each bringing them to Rs. 4 5,000 each. Government to Set-up Five Centres for Advanced Legal Studies As per reports emanating from a section of the press, the union Law Ministry pro poses to establish five regional centres for advanced legal studies and research . According to the draft of the Centres for Advanced Legal Studies and Research Bill, 2010, prepared by the Law Ministry, the intention is to establish an auton omous networked centre for Advanced Legal Studies and Research in each region wi th the objective of carrying out cutting-edge research on various aspects of law , with the thrust on new and emerging areas. It is also aimed at Union Cabinet Clears Educational Tribunals Bill The Union Cabinet on August 23, 2010 cleared a Bill seeking to create a mechanis m to provide for speedy resolution of matters relating to disputes in institutio ns of higher education. PD/February/2011/1538

The Educational Tribunals Bill 2010 was given a goahead at a cabinet meeting cha ired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Bill proposes to set up a two-tier st ructure of Educational Tribunals at the national and state level to adjudicate o n the entire gamut of disputes that arise in the higher education system. The Tr ibunals will act as forums for fast-track and speedy resolution of issues in ins titutions in order to build an effective system of checks and balances in higher education. The State Tribunals will adjudicate on matters concerning teachers, employees and students of institutions in the respective states. The National Tr ibunal will deal with all matters concerning regulatory bodies in higher educati on and also matters involving institutes located in two or more states. The Bill also provides for imprisonment upto three years or fine of Rs. 10 lakh or both to those who fail to comply with the orders of the State or The National Educati onal Tribunals. Lok Sabha Adopts Nuclear Liability Bill The Lok Sabha on August 25, 2010 passed the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage B ill, 2010 to open up the countrys $ 150 billion nuclear power market after the go vernment agreed to tougher accident liability provisions and higher compensation . Rejecting the charge that the Bill was aimed at advancing US interests, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the accusation was far from truth and hist ory will be the best judge. He said that nuclear power was an option which the c ountry could not ignore. Ending weeks of wrangling, the Bill was adopted by the House by a voice vote after it rejected a CPM amendment that sought to fix the l iability cap on suppliers in case of accidents at Rs. 10,000 crore instead of th e Rs. 1,500 crore proposed in the measure. The government walked more than half way to come to an agreement with the opposition by deleting the contentions inten t word from the clause dealing with suppliers liability. While introducing the Bil l, Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the PMO described the Bill as the nex t step after the 2008 nuclear deal with the United States, that paved the way fo r Indias participation in international civil nuclear commerce. He divulged that 28 nuclear power generating countries had the liability law but India and Pakist an were the only two countries which did not have such a law. The present Bill f illed that gap. Allahabad High Court Verdict on Ayodhya Sixty years after the matter first went into litigation Lucknow Bench of the Hig h Court of Allahabad ruled in a majority judgement on September 30, 2010 that th e disputed land in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid stood until it was demolished in 1992 shall be divided into three parts : One-third part of the disputed land should be given to the Sunni Waqf Board. One-third part should be given to the N irmohi Akhara, and One-third part should be given to the party for Ram Lalla. How the Bill Finally Adds up Section 6(2)Nuclear operators to be strictly liable for damages resulting from an accident but their liability is capped at Rs. 1,500 crore, unless a higher amou nt is notified by the government. In earlier draft, the cap was Rs. 500 crore. B eyond this cap, government assumes responsibility for damages. Bill also specifi es maximum liability of 300 million SDRs, approximately Rs. 2,100 crore. Section 1 7(b)If accident has resulted as a consequence of an act of supplier or his employe e, which includes supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services, the operator shall have a right of recourse, i.e., can sue the supplier for recovery of any damages paid. There is no need for the supp lier to agree to this in a contract or to have intentionally caused an accident, as earlier drafts proposed. Section 1(3A)Only government or government company can benefit from the liability cap but the latter is defined as one where the Centr al government has not less than 51 per cent ownership. This paves the way for the liability burden of any private sector partner to be subsidised by the taxpayer. Section 18(b)Increases the time period for filing claims in case of personal inj ury from 10 to 20 years. Section 16(1)Claims for damages must be disposed of with in three months of application. Section 35Victims can approach the High Court and

the Supreme Court for review of compensation amounts. Section 46Government says victims can file tort claims but wording is ambiguous. The Court ruled that the place where the idol of Ram was kept was the birthplace of the deity and the idols should not be removed. The entire bench was of the v iew that the central dome of the disputed structure goes to Hindu Mahasabha, whe re the idols were installed in 1949 and again in 1992 after the demolition of th e Babri Masjid. The Sita Rasoi and Ram Chabootara have been given to Nirmohi Akh ara. The Bench which delivered the much-awaited verdict consisted of Justice Dha ram Vir Sharma, Justice S. U. Khan and Justice Sudhir Agrawal. The Bench dismiss ed the suit filed by the Sunni Waqf Board for possession of the Babri Masjid bec ause it was time-barred. The Bench also directed maintenance of status quo for t hree months and invited suggestions from all the parties for demarcation of the land. The Waqf Board said that it would file an appeal in the Supreme Court agai nst the judgement. The Ramjanambhumi Nyas President also said that the Hindu sid e was expected to approach the Supreme Court.

PD/February/2011/1539

President Pratibha Patils Visit to Laos and Cambodia Indian President was on a ten days state visit to South East Asian countries Dem ocratic Republic of Laos and Cambodia from September 9 to 18, 2010. During her v isit to Laos, which began on September 9, India extended a line of credit with U SD 7255 million to finance the two power projects in the country. A Cultural Exch ange Agreement for the year 2011-13 was also signed between the two nations. Lao s underlined its deep appreciation for Indias continued assistance and support fo r its developmental efforts through loans and assistance in the field of human r esource development, hydro power and irrigation schemes in particular. The Presi dent stated that she was informed that the National Assembly of Laos had already approved the IndianASEAN Agreement on Trade in Goods and only some administrati ve formalities remained prior to its notification. The Indian President and her husband Devi Singh Shekhawat were accorded a warm welcome at Cambodian capital P hnom Penh when they arrived on September 13, 2010 in Cambodia for the second leg of the 10-day tour. On September 14, Patil was given a ceremonial reception by King Norodom Sihamoni. A MoU for cooperation between the comptroller and Auditor -General and the National Audit Authority of Cambodia was signed. A US D 15 mill ion credit Line Agreement between the EXIM bank on behalf of India and the Cambo dian government was signed for phase II of the Stung Tassal Water Development Pr oject. It may be mentioned that India has not done any castewise enumeration after Inde pendence. The last castewise collection of data took place in the 1931 census. India, South Korea Sign Two MoU on Defence Indias Defence Minister A. K. Antony visited South Korea in the first week of Sep tember. The visit was part of Indias policy of strengthening bilateral relations with the South East Asian nations in the context of its Look-East Policy. Mr. An tony held talk with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Tae-young on a wide range of regional and global security issues. He stated that India thought itself as a n integral part of east Asia and as a founder of the East Asia Summit, looked at the emerging architecture in east Asia as open and inclusive. Heralding a new c hapter in the history of defence cooperation and boost the strategic partnership s, both countries signed two landmark Memoranda of Understanding. The MoUs were signed at the end of delegation level talks led by Mr. Antony, who became the fi rst Indian Defence Minister to visit South Korea. The first MoU envisages exchan ge of defence related experience and information; exchange of visits by military personnel and experts, including civilian staff associated with defence service s; military education and training; exchange of visits of ships and aircraft; an d conduct of military exercises. It also envisages cooperation in humanitarian a ssistance and international peace keeping activities. The other MoU between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and South Koreas Defence Acq uisition and Procurement Agency (DAPA) will be operational under the overarching umbrella of India-South Korea Defence Agreement. The MoU aims at identifying fu turistic defence technology areas of mutual interest and pursuing R&D. It furthe r envisages co-development and co-production of defence products with Indian ind ustry through the DRDO. Centre Clears Caste in Census 2011 On September 9, 2010, after five months of wrangling among political parties, fi rst on whether to undertake caste enumeration or not, and then on the method for doing it, the Union Cabinet, after considering the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee gave its approva l, paving the way for caste being included in Census 2011. Home Minister P. Chid ambaram told the journalists that after considering various options, that option that we have approved is based on the responses of various political parties : t hat caste must be convassed and the integrity of the head count must not be affe cted. He added that every point of view was accommodated and the time table drawn up. Sources in the government point out that this would be a focussed exercise. He stated that since the enumerators would be working on a verified data baseThe

NPRthe integrity of the data would be maintained. Those being enumerated would b e asked to name their caste, but they would have the option to say No Caste, if th ey so wish. Later, the raw data collected would be analysed by an expert group, set up by the Centre. The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissione r would be legally empowered to collect caste data by putting in place a suitabl e legal regime and would hand over the details of the castes/tribes to the propo sed expert group. India Drops to 51st Position in Global Competitiveness India has slipped by two places to 51st in the World Economic Forums (WEF) global competitiveness rankings, while rival China has managed to improve its standing to 29th. As per the WEFs Global Competitiveness Report 2010-11, released in the second week of September 2010, Switzerland is No. 1 in the world in terms of its ability to provide the most competitive environment on several fronts. Sweden, another technology powerhouse in Europe, ranks 2nd, followed by Singapore and th e United States, which both fell by two positions from their ranking last year. The African nation Chad figures at the bottom of the list of 139 countries. The global competitiveness rankings are viewed as a barometer of the business climat e in 139 countries and PD/February/2011/1540

mirrors the assessments of leading businessmen on a range of political, social, and economic parameters. India has been pushed down to 51st position from 49th d ue to its poor performance in a range of social sector areas such as education, health and infrastructure. India Signs Pipeline Deal with Turkmenistan India on September 20, 2010 signed initial agreements for laying a pipeline to w heel gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan, though there is cyn icism around in the context of unstable political situation in the region. The f our countriesIndia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistansigned the Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFA) that will lead to the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (G SPA), in Turkmenistans Capital Ashgabat. Indias Minister of State for Petroleum Ji tin Prasada led the Indian delegation at the signing. Government Launches Pension Scheme India Elected to Security Council as Nonfor U norganised Sector Workers Permanent Member The Union Finance Minister Pranab Muk herjee on September 26, 2010 launched a pension scheme for workers in the unorganised sect or, who do not have access to the social security net. I launched the scheme to c oincide with the 78th birthday of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. This scheme will help those who are not covered under any social security scheme, Mr. Mukher jee said after unveiling the programme at a function at Jangipur, in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. Under the schemewhich is named Swabalamban subscribers wou ld get Rs. 1,000 from the government each year for a subscription amount of Rs. 12,000 per year. The scheme will remain valid for this financial year and for th e next three consecutive fiscals. Mr. Mukherjee had already allocated Rs. 100 cr ore for the scheme in the budget for 2010-11. It will be managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India. In a development, which has alarmed officials, Beijing is simultaneously working on bringing its rail link right up to Nyangtrilocated on the border with Arunach al Pradesh and an area that China claims as its own. Nyangtri is also the site w here the Brahmaputra is proposed to be diverted northwards by the Chinese. The C hinese claim that the Nyangtri or Nyingchi prefecture includes some parts of Aru nachal Pradesh. China proposes to build the largest dam in the world at this spo t. While the line to Xigaze near Tibet s border with Nepal will extend south-wes t from Lhasa, the line to Nyangtri will extend towards Arunachal in the southeas t. China proposes to build as many as six big dams in the region on the Brahmapu tra in addition to a dozen or so it has already constructed. The Great Bend is t he place, where the Brahmaputra takes a decisive turn and flows towards India. India, Japan Sign Economic Agreements India and Japan in second week of September 2010 concluded the final round of ne gotiations on a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement. It was revealed by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on September 12, 2010. Mr. Sharma s aid that his Ministry was for making a presentation to Defence Minister A. K. An tony on the need to raise FDI cap in defence sector to 49 per cent. After 19 years, India was elected on October 12, 2010 to the United Nations Secu rity Council as a non permanent member. India secured the backing of 187 of the 191 member states in the General Assembly. One member abstained from the vote. T he position will help India push more aggressively for the Security Council refo rms. A founding member of the U.N. India has been on the Security Council six ti mes earlier, but not since 1992. In 1996, India lost to Japan by 100 votes. This time, however, it has taken over the Asia seat from Japan. It was the sole cand idate from the region, with Kazakhstan having pulled out earlier this year. In t he run-up to the vote, India s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who was i n New York for more than a week in September itself met leaders of 56 countries on the margins of the General Assembly s annual session. In February, India s ca ndidature was endorsed by the Asian group, but it still had to muster the suppor

t of 128 countries, two-thirds of the 192-member General Assembly. The other clea n slate candidates included South Africa that got the Africa seat, replacing Ugan da with the backing of 182 members, and Colombia, which secured the seat for the group of Latin American and Caribbean states, replacing Mexico. Chinese Constructing Rail Link upto Arunachal Pradesh The Chinese fling surprises in international politics in a manner that the world feels aghast. They are inured to a way of life that is clouded by clandestine a nd surreptitious activities defying proper comprehension. The latest Chinese mov e vis-a-vis India is its design of constructing rail link upto Arunachal Pradesh . We here quote a press report detailing the same : China recently started work on extending its rail link in Lhasa to its border with Nepal, but for India it m ight just be a red herring. Enforcement Directorate Decides Disclose Black Money in Swiss Banks In a major development towards bringing transparency in the probe into black mon ey stashed in swiss banks, the Central Information Commissioner (CIC) has direct ed the ED to make public an estimate of the total amount of such money involved in its investigation. Rejecting the contention of the directorate that it has be en exempted from making disclosures under the RTI Act, the commission has held a ll such matters now investigated by ED come within the definition of allegations of corruption and, hence, should be disclosed. The bench, however, exempted the directorate from disclosing the nature of such investigations and names of part ies involved. PD/February/2011/1541

India, Scotland Education Sign Four MoU on In a bid to strengthen educational links between the two countries, India and Sc otland on October 12, 2010 signed four MoU in various fields that will also prom ote student and faculty exchange and encourage joint degree development. The MoU s were signed by directors of institutes from the two countries in the presence of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Scotland s First Minister Alex Salmond in New De lhi. Bill on Judicial Accountability Approved The Union Cabinet on October 5, 2010 approved a bill providing for a mechanism t o deal with complaints against judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill sets judicial standards and makes judges accountable for their lapses. It will also mandate the judges of the Hig h Courts and the Supreme Court to declare their assets and liabilities, includin g those of their spouses and dependents. The Bill to replace the Judges Inquiry Act retains its basic features, contamplates the setting up of a national oversi ght committee with which the public can lodge complaints against erring judges, including the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justices of the High Courts. At present, there is no legal mechanism for dealing with complaints against judg es who are governed by Restatement of Values of Judicial Life, adopted by the judi ciary as a code of conduct without any statutory sanction. The five member commi ttee will be headed by a retired Chief Justice of India, appointed by the Presid ent, and have a serving judge of the Supreme Court and a serving judge of a High Court, both nominated by the Chief Justice of India; the Attorney-General; and an eminent person nominated by the President. This marks a change from the earli er proposal in which the committee was to be headed by the Vice-President and to have the Chief Justice of India, a High Court Judge and two distinguished juris ts not involved in regular practice of law. The government also recently inked the first contract to acquire 15 fast-interce ption craft (FICs) or patrol boats for the new Sagar Prahari Bal (SPB) being rai sed by Navy in the 26/11 aftermath. The 15 boats, which can effectively patrol a lmost up to 200 nautical miles, was signed with French shipyard Chantier Naval C ouach. These boats will be in addition to the 80 FICs approved at a cost of over Rs. 320 crore for SPB, the creation of which was one of the measures announced after 26/11, which will be ordered in the coming months. With 1,000 well-armed p ersonnel, the specialized SPB will be tasked with protection of naval and other assets, bases and harbours on both west and east coasts. But it will take some t ime to take concrete shape. For one, the training of the first batch of 200 SPB personnel began only last January. For another, deliveries of the 80 FICs are li kely to begin only by 2012-2013 at the earliest. Similarly, only Phase-I of the critical coastal surveillance network will be up and running by 2011 under a Rs. 350 crore project. This will include 46 stations, with coastal radars, cameras, AIS (automatic identification systems) and other sensors mounted atop old light houses to dynamically locate and track vessels. Yudhoyono is Chief Guest at Republic Day Parade 2011 Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the chief guest at this year s Republic Day parade in Delhi, according to official sources. Both countries will seek to build on the joint declaration on a new strategic partnership signed by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Yudhoyono during the latter s visit t o India in 2005. The two sides will also attempt to expand economic relations bi laterally and under the aegis of the Association of South East Asian Nations (AS

EAN) of which Indonesia is a founder member. Rustom 1 Test Flown Successfully Rustom 1 a medium-altitude and long-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), dev eloped by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) was s uccessfully test flown at Bangalore on October 16, 2010. As per an official stat ement, Rustom 1 was flown from the Taneja Aerospace and Aviation airfield at Hos ur near Bangalore. The aircraft took off even in inclement weather condition for a first flight, flew for 12 minutes and landed successfully, meeting all its ob jectives. According to a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sp okesperson Rustom 1 followed the two other UAV developed by the ADELakshya and Ni shant. While Lakshyaa drone that is remotely piloted by a ground control stationpr ovides aerial sub-targets for live fire training, Nishant is a surveillance airc raft primarily tasked with intelligence gathering over enemy territory. The firs t full flight of Rustom 1 on October 16 was under the command of Lt. Col. V. S. Thapa of the Army, an experienced External Pilot for UAVs who was positioned at the edge of the runway. The statement said Indian Navy gets Fast Attack Craft to Secure Coast As part of measures underway to strengthen the country s coastal security after the 26/11 terror strikes, the Indian Navy on October 14, 2010 inducted its lates t fast-attack craft (FAC) at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi. The FAC, INS K alpeni, propelled by three powerful waterjets, can reach speeds in excess of 35 knots. It is the seventh of the 10 FACs, each of which has a crew of three offic ers and 38 sailors, being built at Kolkata-based Garden Reach shipyard. INS Kalp eni, an improved version of Bangaram-class FAC, has been conceived, designed and built indigenously. The FAC s main armament is the 30mm CRN 91 gun, apart from also being equipped with 11 machine guns and shoulder launched IGLA surface to a ir missiles to neutralize aerial threats. PD/February/2011/1542

that he controlled it without any difficulty throughout its flight, which includ ed the pilot-assisted take-off flight in air and a copy book style landing. The aircraft has many auto-features such as GPS controlled Way Point Navigation and Get U Home included even in its first flight, but will be exercised in subsequen t flights. India Signs Social Security Agreement with South Korea A reciprocal Social Security Agreement (SSA) and protocal that will benefit a hu ge number of Indians particularly those working in the fields of Information Tech nology, medicine and financewas signed in Seoul, S. Korean capital on October 19, 2010. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi and Korean Minister for Trad e Kim Jong-hoon signed the pact. An official release said that a number of India ns were working in S. Korea, most of them professionals and self-employed person s. There was huge potential for the employment of Indians in Korea owing to a la rge gap in market labour supply. An SSA with S. Korea would enhance the movement of professionals, and investment, between the two countries. climate change and the intensification of economic and defence ties. After the t alks, Suresh Kumar Goel Director-General of the Indian Council of Cultural Relat ions, and Thomas Goetz Director-General, Culture and Science, The German office, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and celebrating a year of Germany in India in 2011-12 and a year of India in Germany in 2012-13. The celebrations wi ll mark 60 years of Indo-German diplomatic partnership. India and Germany have b een elected non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2011-2012. Prime Ministers Visit to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam Indian Prime Minister was on a seven-day visit to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam in the last week of October 2010. On October 25 in Tokyo, India and Japan decided to extend their cooperation to areas such as joint ventures in rare earth minera ls, some hitherto unexplored areas in defence, and transport and industrial corr idors in South India. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan, resolved to continue talks on a civil nuclear agreement. They instru cted the officials to ensure the smooth implementation of the Comprehensive Econ omic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and accelerate discussions on the reform of th e United Nations Security Council, to which both countries are aspirants as perm anent members. From Japan the Prime Minister dashed to Malaysia where he arrived at Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2010. In Kuala Lumpur, India and Malaysia signed six pacts, with the accord for implementing the Comprehensive Economic Cooperat ion Agreement (CECA) from July 1, 2011 being the centrepiece. The agreements wer e signed at a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Ma laysian counterpart Mohd. Najib. An agreement between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the UNIK of Malaysia on Research and Developm ent Collaboration will witness the setting up of a Joint Innovation Accelerator Centre in Malaysia to carry out research in green technology, water treatment an d medicinal and aromatic plants. From Malaysia Dr. Manmohan Singh reached Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam on October 28, 2010 to attend the 5th East Asia Summit a nd the 17th ASEAN Summit. In Hanoi the Prime Minister interacted with several re gional leaders and exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral matters. The mo st significant was Dr. Manmohans meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. In this meeting which materialised on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations Summit and the East Asia Summit both leaders covered the enti re gamut of relations, including the issue of China issuing stapled visas to peo ple domiciled in Jammu and Kashmir and the consequent pause in the high-level de fence exchanges. In their 10th meeting in six years, they took a broad view of t he strategic significance of India-China ties and expressed satisfaction at the development of relations. Government Approves Amendments to Enemy Property Law The Union Government on October 20, 2010 approved amendments to a four-decade ol

d law that proposes to allow Indian legal heirs to inherit the properties of rel atives who migrated to Pakistan after partition. However, as per the amendment t o the Enemy Property Act of 1968 only transactions that have been effected befor e July 2, this year will have legal sanction. The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2010 introduced says. According to the amendments, if the enemy property was diverted from the Custodian before 2nd July, 2010, it shall stand transferred to and vest or continue to vest in the custodian. Through an Act in 1 968, the government had declared the properties left behind by people who migrat ed to Pakistan during partition as enemy properties. The proposal for fresh amendm ents provide for ensuring that the enemy property shall continue to vest in the custodian till it is divested by the central govern-ment and the enemy property could be divested only to the owner or his lawful heir. It means a Muslim citize n of India who is a legal inheritor of such property is able to retain ownership even if the deceased had gone to Pakistan after partition, but he will have to legally prove his or her inheritance. India, Germany Ink Cultural Accord India and Germany on October 18, 2010 imparted fresh momentum to their joint eff orts for expansion of the U.N. Security Council and discussed ways to deepen cou nter-terror cooperation. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna held talks with his German counterparts Guido Westerwelle that focussed on UN reforms, enhanced counter-terror cooperation, PD/February/2011/1543

Nuclear Deal with South Korea India and South Korea have reached an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, ma rking the ninth such pact Delhi has finalised since getting the Nuclear Supplier s Group waiver in 2008. The announcement came after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Oct. 29 in Hanoi, Vietnam on the si delines of the Asean Summit. We have finalised agreement on cooperation in civil uses of nuclear energy, which is now awaiting signature, national security advise r Shivshankar Menon said. US Eases Control on Hi-Tech Exports The US on Nov. 8 decided to relax its export controls of high-tech equipment to India, particularly in the defence and scientific areas, while agreeing to push Delhis membership in some key strategic multilateral institutions and work closel y towards global energy security. The formal announcement came during a joint pr ess conference addressed by PM Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama afte r their one-on-one meeting in New Delhi at the Hyderabad House, followed by dele gationlevel talks. On his part, the US President said the major trade deals anno unced in Mumbai on Nov. 6, worth some $ 15 billion, was an important step in ele vating India to one of Americas top trade partners. India, Bangladesh Sign $ 1 billion Line of Credit Agreement India has decided to export 5 lakh tonnes of rice and wheat to Bangladesh despit e ban on outward shipments of the foodgrains. Both countries also agreed in the third week of October to establish Border Haats along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh bor der and open the Chittagong and Mongla ports to boost trade ties. The two countr ies have signed $ 1 billion Line of Credit agreement and some important pacts fo r power transmission. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma met his Bangladesh counterpart in New Delhi on October 23, 2010. With US President Mr. Obama on his side Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Novembe r 8 underlined his commitment to pursue peace with Pakistan but made it clear th at as long as terror machine was active against India it would be difficult to k eep on talking. You cant simultaneously talk and have at the same time terror machi nery active ever before, said the Prime Minister. Issues relating to Pakistani ori gin of terrorism and terror groups active in the region figured prominently in r estricted discussions between Manmohan Singh and Obama, said sources. The major gain out of Obamas visit to India was the expression of support for Indias bid for a UNSC permanent seat. Mr. Obama, on November 8, said that the US would support Indias bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Barack Obama made this announcement during his address to the joint session of P arliament. Obamas announcement of US support for Indias bid for permanent seat in the UNSC was not liked by Pakistan. In a statement Pakistan said that by support ing Indias claim to UNSC permanent seat Obama has made the process of UN reform m ore complex. The statement described the US gesture as a hasty step. During Obam as visit to India not less than six pacts were signed, mostly relating to energy, weather fore casting, gas extraction and the establishment of global Disease De tection Centre in India. Both parties issued a joint statement which touched upo n all subjects referred to above and many others. January 25 to be National Voters Day January 25 will hereafter be celebrated as National Voters Day, Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi said on October 9, 2010. The date marks the foundati on day of the Election Commission of India. On that day, young voters, who attai n the age of 18 years on January 7, will be given Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPIC). President Barack Obamas Visit to US President Barack Obamas visit . He landed in Mumbai on November wing day. During his 26-hour stay India to India materialised from November 6 to 9, 2010 6 and from there he arrived at Delhi the follo in Mumbai his focus was on business and econom

ic issues. In Mumbai, Obama addressed a town hall interaction with students, whe re fielded questions ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to why US was fighting shy of d eclaring Pakistan a terrorist state were asked. He said his administrations forei gn policy had been to engage aggressively with Pakistan to communicate that they wanted nothing more than a stable, prosperous and peaceful Pakistan. In Delhi P resident Obama was accorded a rousing welcome. The Obamas were treated to a slic e of emerging India as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted a private dinner on the lawns of 7 RCR on November 7. He shared the high table with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee besides the PM and his wife. India and the US are th e worlds largest democracies sharing certain values and their relationship will be a defining one in the 21st century, President Barack Obama said after receiving a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on November 8. President Obama later paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat and went into talks wi th Dr. Manmohan Singh. Indo-US Defence Deal : $ 41 billion C-17 Aircraft Deal to be Expanded The biggest Indo-US defence deal in the pipeline, the $ 41 billion for 10 C-17 Gl obemaster-III gigantic strategic airlift aircraft, could get even bigger. India may well order another six C-17s after the first 10 for which the deal has alrea dy been struck. The gigantic C-17s are capable of carrying a payload of 164,900 pounds after taking off from a mere 7,000 feet airstrip. These four engine aircr aft, manufactured by Boeing, can transport tanks and combat-ready troops over 2, 400 nautical miles. This came shortly after Barack Obama while addressing the me dia with Dr. Manmohan Singh, said. PD/February/2011/1544

As Air Chief Marshal (ACM) P. V. Naik said C-17s would significantly augment Ind ias ability to move troops and combat systems, as also humanitarian aid and disas ter relief, over large distances. At present, Indian Air Force (IAF) has just a dozen Russian origin IL-76 Gajraj aircraft with its medium-lift fleet comprising 1 04 Russian AN-32 aircraft. The C-17s have short-landing capabilities, which will be crucial in the future, Mr. Naik said. The contract for 10 C-17s, with all it s final costs, offsets training packages. India is buying the Globemasters under US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme in a direct government-to-government deal. Armys Strategic Forces Command Tests Agni-I The Strategic Forces Command of the Army on November 25, 2010 Test-fired Agni-I, the surface-tosurface missile, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) on Wheeler Island, off Damra village on the Orissa coast. The flight was successful with th e missile travelling its full range of 700 km. Fired in the morning the missile followed its trajectory and reached the designated target area in the Bay of Ben gal. Agni-I, which can carry nuclear warheads, is a product of the Defence Resea rch and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), a DRDO facility at Hyderabad, developed it. The Strategic Forces Command is in c harge of the nuclear delivery systems. Judge Soumitra Sen Found Guilty of Corruption A three-member committee formed by the Rajya Sabha to enquire into an impeachmen t motion against Calcutta High Court Judge Soumitra Sen has held him guilty. The panel, constituted by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, was headed by Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy and comprised Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and noted legal expert Fali Nariman. Its report was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on November 10, 2010. The panel said that Justice Sen was gu ilty of misappropriation of large sums of money which he received in his capacity as receiver appointed by the High Court of Calcutta and making false statements. Sen also misrepresented facts with regard to the misappropriation of money before t he High Court of Calcutta, the panel said. The report says that charges have bee n duly proved. In view of the findings the inquiry committee is of the opinion tha t Justice Soumitra S e n of the Calcutta High Court is guilty of misbehaviour, t he report said. If the impeachment motion is approved by both houses of Parliame nt, Sen will be the first sitting judge in India to be removed in this matter. A n impeachment motion was moved against Sen in February 2009 after a notice signe d by more than 50 Rajya Sabha MPs was submitted by Communist Party of IndiaMarxi st leader Sitaram Yechury to Ansari, who then constituted the three-member probe panel. Jammu and Kashmir off from UN Disputes List An annual report of the UN Security Council to the UN General Assembly has once again dropped mention of Jammu and Kashmir, in keeping with a trend that started in 2006, leaving Pakistan diplomats crying foul. On November 15, Pakistans envoy Amjad Sial told the General Assembly debating the annual report of the UNSC tha t the absence of the J&K issue was inadvertent. However, while welcoming the UNSC report, Indian diplomats said that the issue has not been part of any UNSC repor t since 2006. In 2005, the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan declared that th e plebiscite issue could not be enforced or self-implemented. In other words, Indi an officials said, it was a dead letter. The India-Pakistan issue has not been d ebated in the United Nations Security Council since 1965. But it was after Annans remark, made in the context of resumption of IndianPakistan dialogue in 2005, t hat the UNSC dropped reference to the dispute. President Pratibha Patils Visit to UAE and Syria Indias President Pratibha Patil had her first official visit to the Gulf and the West Asia region in November 2010. She journeyed to the United Arab Emirates and Syria which reaffirmed Indias interest to strengthen ties with countries in thes e regions. She visited the UAE at the invitation of his Highness Sheikh Khalifa

bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. He met with a wide crosssection of th e UAE polity and society during her visit. Besides visiting Abu Dhabi, she also visited Dubai and Sharjah. During her visit, she also interacted with the busine ss community, both Indian and local in the UAE. Indias bilateral trade which stoo d at a modest figure of around US Dollars 180 million in the early seventies now trade at present is valued at US $ 43 billion. In the second segment of her tou r, she visited Syria which was the first Presidential visit from India. India an d Syria enjoy traditionally friendly ties and cooperate actively in the UN and N AM. Significantly, Syria has expressed support for Indias Permanent Membership of the UNSC. India, too, on its part, has always supported all just Arab causes, a nd has consistently supported the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, which re mains P.Darpan occupied by Israel since 1967. Indian Scientific Team Reaches South Pole An eight member Indian scientific team reached the South Pole on November 22, 20 10 and hoisted the tricolour there. Speaking to journalists through satellite ph one, Rasik Ravindran, head of the team and Director of the National Centre for A ntarctic and Ocean Research said : We are feeling at the top of the world standing at the bottom of the world. The temperature outside was minus 70 degrees celcius. The team, consisting of five scientists including Dr. Ravindran, a doctor, and two vehicle engineers, reached the South Pole after a gruelling nine-day travers e across Antarctica. Starting from the Indian research station Maitri, 2,350 km from the South Pole, on November 13, the team travelled in four specialised Arct ic trucks designed to handle not only harsh weather conditions but also icy and crevasse infested terrain. The team was to stay at the South Pole for short dura tion to conduct more research. PD/February/2011/1545

PERSONS IN THE NEWS Justice N. Santhosh Hegde In a sudden turn of events, Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santhosh Hegde on July 3, 201 0 decided to withdraw his resignation submitted to Governor H.R. Bharadwaj on Ju ne 23, 2010. Earlier BJP leader L. K. Advani had requested Mr. Hegde to withdraw his resignation. Mr. Advani assured Mr. Hegde that the government would act on his demands. Justice Rekha Manharlal Doshit President Pratibha Patil has appointed Justice Rekha Manharlal Doshit of the Guj arat High Court as Chief Justice of Patna High Court. She succeeds Justice Deepa k Misra, transferred to Delhi High Court as Chief Justice. Ashok Kumar Attri Ashok Kumar Attri has been appointed Ambassador of India to Denmark. Now ConsulGeneral in Chicago, he will succeed Yogesh Kumar Gupta. Philippe Croizon A frenchman, Philippe Croizon, whose arms and legs were amputated swam across th e English Channel in the second/third week of September 2010 using leg prosthese s that had flippers attached. Chistiana Figueres Chistiana Figueres has been appointed new executive secretary of the United Nati ons Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in place of the present secr etary Yoes de Boers who resigned after the failure to reach an agreement in Cope nhagen in December 2009 but was persuaded to complete his four year term ending in June 2010. Priti Kumar Priti Kumar (34) is the first motorwoman of western railway. October 13 was a hi storic day for the Western Railway (WR) when the first suburban train driven by a motorwoman chugged out of Churchgate station in Mumbai amidst a great receptio n from commuters who gathered at the station to witness the memorable moment. Chistiana Figueres O. P. Bhatt Elected IBA Chairman State Bank of India Chairman O. P. Bhatt has been elected the new Chairman of th e Indian Banks Association (IBA) for 2010-11. Mr. Bhatt takes charge from M. V. N air, Chairman and Managing Director of Union Bank. V. Radhakrishnan Eighty one year old Professor V. Radhakrishnan, eminent radio astronomer and Tru stee of the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, is one of the few Indians who h ave been criss-crossing the oceans in a yacht, that too designed by him. The son of Sir C. V. Raman, he is on a mission to learn more on his chosen field on his yacht Eldemer. Yogesh Agrawal Former banker Yogesh Agrawal has been appointed Chairman of interim pension regu lator PFRDA. Yogesh Agrawal took over the charge of the Chairman interim Pension Fund and Regulatory and Development Authority on June 7, 2010. Marisol Valles Garcia The 20-year old Marisol Valles Garcia has become the Police Chief in Mexico in t he borderland where drug gangs have killed public officials and terrified many c itizens into fleeing. S. K. Khanna

Brigadier S. K. Khanna assumed office as Chief Engineer (Naval works) at the Sou thern Naval command in Kochi. The Chief Engineer (Navy) heads the Military Engin eer Services (MES) in Kochi and has jurisdiction over the establishments of the Southern Naval Command across the country. Commissioned into the Corps of Engine ers of the Indian Army on June 8, 1985, Brigadier Khanna is a graduate in Civil Engineering. APPOINTMENTS/ELECTION Y. P. Singh Yogendra Pratap Singh has been appointed the first Ambassador to the Republic of Niger. The earlier appointment of Vinod Kumar Sachdev has been cancelled. Chandra Shekhar Verma Chandra Shekhar Verma has taken charge of the office of Chairman, Steel Authorit y of India Ltd. (SAIL). Prior to his appointment, Mr. Verma was director (Financ e) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur President Pratibha Patil has appointed Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, Judge of the Delhi High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court. He succeeds C hief Justice R. S. Garg, who retired in mid June, 2010. PD/February/2011/1546

Three Chief Justices Appointed The Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Mohit Shantilal Shah has been appo inted new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Justice Shah will succeed Just ice A.R. Dave, who has been elevated as a Supreme Court Judge. F. I. Rebello, Ju dge of the Bombay High Court has been appointed Chief Justice of the Allahabad H igh Court. J. N. Patel, acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court has been a ppointed Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. Priyanka Chopra Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was appointed on August 10 UNICEF National Amb assador for promoting child rights and adolescence. She follows the foot steps o f Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore in supporting the UNICEFs work in India an d abroad. Justice Barin Ghosh Justice Barin Ghosh has been appointed Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court. He was sworn in Dehradun on August 12, 2010. Saina Nehwal To promote Andhra Pradesh as an attractive tourist destinations, the state gover nment has decided to rope inace badminton star Saina Nehwal as its new brand amb assador. Nisha Desai Biswal The Obama government has nominated yet another Indian-American, Nisha Desai Bisw al, to a senior position within its administration. Ms. Biswal has been nominate d to the post of Assistant Administrator for Asia in the United States Agency fo r International Development (USAID). Justice Bhagwati Prasad Justice Bhagwati Prasad was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Cour t on August 22, 2010. D.R.S. Chaudhary In an attempt to streamline its interaction with the media, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on July 20, 2010 appointed D.R.S. Chaudhary, Additional Secretary , as its spokesperson. Justice Nissar Ahmed In a departure from its more than two decades old practice, the Supreme Court has recommended the appointment of Justice Nissar Ahmed Kakru, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, as the Chief Justice of the State s High Court. Quraishi New Chief Election Commissioner President Pratibha Patil has appointed Election Commissioner (EC) Shahabuddin Ya qoob Quraishi as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) under clause 2 of th e Article 324 of the Constitution. Mr. Quraishi (63) takes the place of Navin Ch awla who retired in July itself. Mr. Quraishi, a former IAS officer of the 1971 batch from Haryana cadre, will S. Y. Quraishi be in charge of holding the Assemb ly elections in Bihar this year and in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Puducher ry and Assam next year. Born on June 11, 1947 Mr. Quraishi is a post-graduate in history from St. Stephens College, Delhi. He became Election Commissioner on Jun e 30, 2006. Prior to that, he was Union Secretary, Youth Affairs and Sports. P. J. Thomas P. J. Thomas was sworn in as Central Vigilance Commissioner in the first week of September, 2010. Mr. Thomas, the Telecom Secretary till now, was administered t he oath of office by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi .

Kevin Rudd The former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has got the Foreign Affairs por tfolio in Julia Gillard s new Minority government in Australia. Mr. Rudd ceased to be Prime Minister when Ms. Gillard toppled him in a political coup within the ruling Australian Labour Party several weeks before seeking a mandate for herse lf in a snap general election on August 21, 2010. The election produced the coun Elena Kagan try s first hung Parliament in nearly Elena Kagan, Solicitor General in the Obama adminisKevin Rudd seven decades. tration and former Dean of Harvar d Law School, has been confirmed by the Senate as an Associate Supreme Court Sus hil Koirala Justice. The 12th convention of the Nepali Congress (NC) has The vot e, 6337 along party lines, made Ms Kagan the third woman justice in the court and the fourth in the elected veteran leader Sushil Koirala, a member of the influe ntial Koirala family, as its new President. courts history. More than 3,000 party delegates voted in the polls. Naina Lal Kidwai Mr. Koirala bagged 1,652 votes, defeating his nearest Naina Lal Kidwai, who heads rival, the former Prime Minist er, Sher Bahadur Deuba, HSBCs operations in India has been who obtained 1,317 vot es. The third candidate Bhim inducted into the Asia-Pacific board of Bahadur Tam ang obtained 78 votes. the global banking major. Kidwai has R. Chandrashekhar be en with HSBC since 2002 and is currently the country head of HSBC in R. Chandras hekhar has been appointed as the new Naina Lal Kidwai India. Telecom Secretary. Mr. Chandrashekhar who was till now PD/February/2011/1548

Secretary in the Department of Information and Technology has been given the cha rge of Department of Telecom, following the appointment of his predecessor P. J. Thomas as Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). Mr. Chandrashekhar assumed charge on September 24, 2010. became a Permanent Judge on October 24, 2001. He has been the Administrative Jud ge of the MP High Court and Chairman of the Legal Service Authority in that Stat e. Prithviraj Chavan Minister of state in the Prime Minister s Office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan was sel ected as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, following the resignation of Mr. Ashok Chavan in the wake of the Adarsh Housing Society scam. Chavan, who replac es Ashok Chavan said that he was highly honoured and humbled that the Congress l eadership had chosen him to undertake the responsibility of heading the governme nt of Maharashtra at this important juncture. Shashikant Sharma The current Director General in the Ministry of Defence, will be the new secreta ry of the department of Information and Technology. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Somalias President on October 14, 2010 appointed a Somali-American diplomat Moham ed Abdullahi Mohamed as his Prime Minister, filling a post vacant for almost two months. A. P. Singh takes over as New CBI Chief Amar Pratap Singh, seniormost Special Director in the Central Bureau of Investig ation (CBI), on November 30, 2010 took over as the new Director of the CBI. He s ucceeded Ashwani Kumar, who retired after completing his 27 monthlong tenure. Mr . Singh belongs to the Jharkhand cadre of the 1974 batch of IPS. He has earlier held several positions in the investigating agency between 1987-1995. It may be added here that he had been associated with the investigations of a Amar Pratap Singh New CBI Chief number of sensitive cases, including the Harshad Mehta scam in 1992. He has also served in the Border Security Force (BSF) as Additional Dir ector-General. He joined the CBI as Special Director in April 2009. K. Vijay Kumar K. Vijay Kumar, Director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (NPA) , Hyderabad has been appointed the new Director-General of the Central Reserve P olice Force (CRPF) headquartered in New Delhi. Xi Jinping Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping has been promoted to Vice-Chairman of a key Co mmunist Party military committee, state media reported on October 18, 2010. Part y leaders also pledged to make vigorous yet steady efforts to promote political restructuring. Xi Jinping Dilma Rouseff In Dilma Rouseff s election as Brazil s new President the Worker s Party has see n Lula da Silva, the most popular Brazilian President again maintaining his powe rful influence in Brazilian politics. On November 1, 2010 Dilma won 56 per cent votes to beat her social democrat rival Jose Serra and created history by becomi ng Brazil s first woman President. She swept the polls in Brazil s poorer areas, proving that she was Lula s true inheritor. Dilma, who takes over from Lula on January 1, 2011 is affectionaltely called by him the mother of all Brazil. DEATHS

Manohar Malgonkar Manohar Malgonkar, the author, died in Jagalpet in Karnatakas Uttara Kannada dist rict on June 14, 2010. He was 97. Edith Shain Edith Shain, who became something of a celebrity decades after World War-II, ass erting that she was the nurse kissed by a sailor in Life magazines memorable phot ograph of V-J Day in Times Square, died on June 20, 2010 at her home in Los Ange les. She was 91. Mahinda Rajapaksa Sri Lanka s President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in for a second term on Novemb er 19, 2010, official sources divulged. The ceremony took place at the President ial Secretariat before Chief Justice Ashoka de Silva. Jose Saramago Nobel literature prize winner Jose Saramago, who left his native Portugal after arguing with his countrys government died on the Canary island Lanzarote. He was 87. New Rajasthan Chief Justice takes Oath Justice Arun Kumar Mishra took oath as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High C ourt on November 26, 2011. Governor Shivraj Patil administered the oath to Justi ce Mishra, who has been till now the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Justice Mishra, who was transferred to Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur on S eptember 12 this year became the Acting Chief Justice on November 1. The 1955-bo rn Justice Mishra, who joined as the Additional Judge of the High Court of Madhy a Pradesh on October 25, 1999 Robert Byrd U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, who evolved from a segregationist to a civil rights ad vocate in becoming the longest serving member ever of the Congress, died on June 28, 2010. He was first elected to the Congress in 1952. Mr. Byrd was 92. Robert Byrd PD/February/2011/1549

Digvijay Singh Digvijay Singh, Former Union Minister and a sitting Lok Sabha M.P. from Bihar di ed in London on June 24, 2010 following a brain haemorrhage. He was 55. Mr. Sethna has been suffering from lung fibrosis for the last several years. Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Thomas, a key figure in the anti-segregation civil rights movement in the US. died in Columbus, Ohio on September 7, 2010. He was 67. Mr. Thomas was m ost known for being a member of the so-called Little Rock Nine group of students, who integrated Central High School in Little Jefferson Thomas Rock, Arkansas, ba ck in 1957. Victor Longer Victor Longer, a former Defence Ministry spokesman, who had played an important role in developing information set-up in the armed forces, died in New Delhi on July 18, 2010. He was 92. David Warrent David Warrent, the Australian scientist who invented the flight data recorder fa mously known as the Black Box to help investigate aircraft accidents died at the age of 85 late in July 2010. Dilip Roy Well-known Bengali actor and director Dilip Roy died in Kolkata on September 2, 2010 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 79. In his later years, Mr. Ro y acted in a popular genre of Bengali theatre known as Jatra. S. Krishnamurthi S. Krishnamurthi, adviser (Research and Planning, Cancer Research Institute, Ady ar died in Chennai on July 2, 2010. He was 90. Claude Chabrol French film maker Claude Chabrol, who helped start the New Wave Movement in the 1950s and created some of the darkest portrayals on the silver screen, died in S eptember. He was 80. Milon Kumar Banerjee Milon Kumar Banerjee, the former Attorney-General of India passed away on July 2 0, 2010. He was 82. Mr. Banerjee was born in a distinguished Brahmo Samaj family . His father, Professor A.C. Banerjee, IES, was a Wrangler and Owst Prize holder at Clare College, Cambridge, Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad University and the Pr esident of the Indian Science Congress. Mr. Banerjee had the unique privilege of being Law Officer during the Milon K. Banerjee times of five different Prime Mi nisters as Additional SolicitorGeneral (197986), Solicitor-General (19861989), Att orney General (1992-1996 and 20042009). He was awarded the second highest nationa l award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2005. Dame Joan Sutherland Australian opera legend Dame Joan Sutherland was hailed as La Stupenda and voice of the century on October 10, 2010 after she died following an illness aged 83, lea ving behind an extraordinary legacy. Solomon Burke Soul singer Solomon Burke, who wrote Everybody Needs Somebody To Love and recover ed the hit Cry to Me used in the movie Dirty Dancing died at Amsterdam s Schirphol a irport. He was 70. Patricia Neal Actress Patricia Neal, who rebuilt a troubled career to win an Academy Award onl

y to face a more desperate battle for survival when three strokes left her paral ysed, has died. She was 84. Neal who had lung cancer died at her home in Edgarto wn, Massachusettes on Aug. 8, 2010. Soundara Kailasam Eminent Tamil poet and writer Soundara Kailasam, who is the mother-in-law of Uni on Home Minister P. Chidambaram passed away on October 16, 2010 at her residence in Chennai. She was 83. Farooq Leghari Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, Pakistans eighth President died on October 19, 2010 af ter a prolonged illness. He was 70. Mr. Leghari was President from November 14, 1993 to December 2, 1997. V. Narayanan V. Narayanan the former Chairman of Goodyear India and Founder Trustee of Chenna i Willingdon Corporate foundation, passed away on September 14, 2010. He was 92. Swarnalatha Noted South Indian playback singer and National Award winner Swarnalatha died at a private hospital in Chennai on September 12, 2010 following lung infection. S he was 37. K. E. Eapen K. E. Eapen, a pioneer in journalism and communication education in the country passed away in Bangalore on October 23, 2010. He was 87. Professor Eapen was act ively associated with journalism for over 50 years, having set up three universi ty departments of journalism and communication, and many organisations connected with the field. Dr. Homi Sethna Former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Dr. Homi Nusserwanji Sethna, an important figure in India s nuclear programme, passed away in Mumbai on Septembe r 12, 2010. He was 86. K. E. Eapen PD/February/2011/1550

RESIGNATION/DISMISSAL Swaraj Puri The Madhya Pradesh government has removed former Director-General of Police, Swa raj Puri, who had played a key role in the release of the former Union Carbide C hief Warren Anderson, from the state-run Narmada Valley Development Authority. I t may be recalled that Mr. Puri was the Superintendent of Police at the time of the Bhopal gas tragedy. AWARDS AND PRIZES/HONOURS IIFA Awards 2010 given away The 11th IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards presentation ceremony w as held in Colombo on June 5, 2010. The movie 3 Idiots emerged as the big winner of IIFA Awards. Kareena Kapoor for 3 Idiots and Vidya Balan for Paa shared the Best Actress Award Vidya Balan Kareena Kapoor trophy jointly. Micromax IIFA 2010 Awards Winner List : Best Film : Vidu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots. Best Direction : Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots. Best Performance in a Leading Role ( Male) : Am itabh Bachchan for Paa. Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female) : Kareena Ka poor for 3 Idiots and Vidya Balan for Paa. Best Performance in Supporting Role ( Male) : For Sharman Joshi for 3 Idiots. Best Performance in Supporting Role (Fem ale) : For Divya Dutta for Delhi 6. Best Performance in a Comic Role : Sanjay Du tt for All the Best. Best Performance in a Negative Role : Boman Irani for 3 Idi ots. Debut of the Year (Male) : Omi VaidyaJackie Bhagnani. Debut of the Year (Fem ale) : Jacqueline Fernandez Mahie Gill. Best Music Direction : Pritam for Love Aa j Kal. Best Story : Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidu Vinod Chopra for 3 I diots. Best Lyrics : Swanand Kirkire for 3 Idiots. Best Playback Singer (Male) : ShaanBehti Hawa Sa Tha Who for 3 Idiots. Best Playback Singer (Female) : Kavita SethEk Tara for Wake Up Sid. Outstanding Achievement by an Indian Internationally : Anil Kapoor. Technical Awards Winners : Best Editing : Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots. Best Screenplay : Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots. Best Cinematography : C. K. Muraleedharan for 3 Idiots. Best Dialogue : Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi for 3 Idiots. Best Background Score : Sanjay W andrekar, Atul Raninga, Shantanu Moitra for 3 Idiots. Best Sound Recording : Bis hwadeep Chatterjee, Nihal Ranjan Samel for 3 Idiots.

Ramchandra Gowda Karnataka Medical Education Minister Ramchandra Gowda resigned on September 12, 2010 following allegation of his involvement in the illegal recruitment of 350 p eople for two new medical colleges in the state. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa was under intense pressure from the High Court to act in the matter. Ashok Chavan Ashok Chavan resigned as Maharashtra Chief Minister on November 9, 2010 followin g a directive from Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi in the wake of the Adarsh Housing Society scam. Chavan had on October 30 offered to resign during a meeting with Sonia Gandhi after it emerged that three of his relatives were members of the ho using society in South Mumbai, built for the families of soldiers killed in the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan. A. Raja The Central Minister for Communication A. Raja submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister on November 14, 2010 in the wake of 2G scam controversy on account of which the proceedings of the Parliament had been stalled for a number of day s, with the opposition persistently demanding resignation from him holding him p ersonally responsible for more than Rs. one lakh crore worth of 2G spectrum scan

Lawrence H. Summers According to White House sources, the Chief architect of President Barack Obama s economic policy Lawrence H. Summers would leave the post at the end of 2010. H is stepping down continues the exodus of top level advisers of President Obama a t a time when his popularity is dipping.

dal. Initially Mr. A. Raja had refused to resign and the government too appeared to be shielding him. But the pressure of the opposition proved to be a turning point. It may he recalled that Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) ha d indicted the minister for not distributing 2G spectrum in a transparent manner resulting in a revenue loss of Rs. 140 lakh crore to the government besides auth or Rs. 36,000 crore for allocating additional spectrum to existing cellular oper ators. Lord Swaraj Paul Lord Swaraj Paul on November 2, 2010 resigned from the position as the Deputy Sp eaker of the U. K. Parliament s Upper House, the House of Lord. The move followe d Paul s unhappiness over his 4-month suspension from the House of Lords over pa rliamentary expenses claim. PD/February/2011/1551

Best Song Recording : Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Sachi K. Sanghvi for 3 Idiots. Best Sound Re-recording : Anup Dev for 3 Idiots. Best Choreography : Bosco Martis, C aesar Gonsalves for Love Aaj Kal. Best Costume Designing : Anahita Shroff Adajan ia, Dolly Ahluwalia for Love Aaj Kal. Best Art Direction : Sabu Cyril for Aladdi n. Best Special Visual Effects : Charles DarbyEyecube Labs for Aladdin. Best Acti on : Shyam Kaushal for Kaminey. Best Make up Artist : Christien Tinsley, Domini Till for Paa. Arundhati Roy and Indira Nooyi Named among 30 Most Inspiring Women India-born head of PepsiCo Indira Nooyi and social activist and writer Arundhati Roy have been named among the worlds 30 most inspiring women in Forbes magazines list which was recently released. Ms. Arundhati Roy comes in third on the list w hile Ms. Indira Indira Nooyi Nooyi has been ranked Arundhati Roy tenth in the li st. The list also features Mother Teresa, media Mogul Oprah Winfrey and United S tates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The 30 utterly Inspiring Role Models li st has been compiled by Forbes Women. Others named in the list are actor Angelina Jolie, the former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, First Lady Michelle O bama and J.K. Rowlingauthor of Harry Potter. G. D. Birla Awards Presented Vice-President Hamid Ansari presented on June 21, 2010 the G.D. Birla Internatio nal Awards to four awardees for their outstanding achievement in different field s. The award for Humanism was conferred on Ms. Zokhumi Vankungan eminent social a ctivist from the North-East who has made a significant contribution for the bene fit of spastic and handicapped children and to empowerment of women by helping i n creation of an instruction called Gilead Special School and working for the bet terment of those needing humanitarian assistance. The couple P.V. Dhananjayan an d Ms. Shanta Dhananjayan who have propagated Indian dances was honoured with the award for preservation of Indias cultural Heritage. Dr. Percy Barnevik, a Swedis h national, was presented the award in the category of rural upliftment who devo ted his life and retirement funds to transforming the socio-economic environment in rural and remote areas of Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu. Prem Bhatia Award for Ritu Sarin The Prem Bhatia Awards for the year 2010 were announced in the last week of July 2010. The Prem Bhatia Award for Best Political Reporting has been given to Ritu Sarin of the Indian Express for her in-depth analysis of key issues and events. Sarin heads the investigative team at the Indian Express. Bhopal Post editor Ra jkumar Keswani has won the award for best reporting on environmental issues for his coverage and reporting of the Bhopal Union Carbide disaster. R. P. Goenka Honoured with ICC Lifetime Achievement Award Mr. R. P. Goenka, Chairman Emeritus of the RPG Group, received the Lifetime Achi evement Award by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) on July 2, 2010 in Kolkata . Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2010 for Saina Nehwal Indias ace shuttler Saina Nehwal was in August 2010 selected for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2010the countrys highest sporting honourfor her outst anding achievements on the badminton court. National Sports Awards selection com mittee headed by PT Usha decided to bestow the Khel Ratna on Saina Nehwal after considering her brilliant performance in recent months. Besides, Hockey Coach A. K. Bansal has been chosen for the Dronacharya Award. L. Ibomcha Singh (boxing), Subhash Agarwal (billiards and Winner of Rajiv snooker), A. K. Kulty (athletics ) and Gandhi Khel Captain Chan Roop (wrestling) have also Ratna Award 2010 been picked for the Dronacharya Award. Saina Nehwal. The Arjuna Awards 2010 have been conferred on 15 sportspersons. They include Krishna Punia (athletics), Joseph A braham (athletics), Dinesh Kumar (boxing), Parimarjan Negi (chess), Jhulan Goswa mi (cricket), Deepak Mandal (football), Sunil Chettri (football), Rajiv Tomar (w restling), Sandeep Singh (hockey), Jasjit Kaur (hockey), Jajseer Singh (paralymp

ics), Dinesh Kumar (kabaddi), Kapil Dev (volleyball), Rehan Poncha (swimm ing) a nd Sanjeev Rajput (shooting). The Dhyan Chand Awards 2010 have been conferred on Satish Pal (athletics), Kuldeep Singh (wrestling) and Anita Chanu (weightliftin g). Sheila Dikshit Honoured with Tilak Award Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has been honoured with Lokmanya Tilak Award this y ear. The award is given by the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust and carries a Gold Medal, a memento, a citation and Rs. 1 lakh. The award was established in 1 983. Sheila Dikshit Bombay Sisters Get Sangita Kalanidhi Award Bombay Sisters C. Saroja and C. Lalitha have been selected for the prestigious S angita Kalanidhi award of the Madras Music Academy. The award is considered the highest award in Carnatic Music. The Committee which selects these award also de cided to confer the Sangita Kala Acharya Awards on Saguna Vardachari vocalist an d Radha dance guru. Besides, vocalist Manakkal S. Rangarajan and Parassala Ponna mmal will receive T.T.K. Award. PD/February/2011/1552

Ashok Chakra for Major Jyotin Singh The Ashok Chakra (the countrys highest peace time gallantry award) has been confe rred on Major Laishram Jyotin Singh (Posthumously) who laid down his life in Feb ruary terror attack this year. The Kirti Chakra announced by the Defence Ministr y has been given to Captain Davinder Singh Jass and Superintendent of Police Vin od Kumar Chaubey. It may be added here that the Ashok Chakra has been awarded to an officer for an act of bravery while on a foreign land. The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy, has been bagged by the Non-Formal Educa tion Centre in National Literacy Campaign. The second award of the UNESCO Confuc ius Prize for Literacy has been given to the Governorate of Ismailia in Egypt fo r its programme Females for Families. Finally, the committee decided to award th e Honourable Mention of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy to the Coalition of Women Farmers (COWFA) in Malawi for the Womens Land Rights Project (WOLAR). Maulana Wahiduddin Khan gets Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award Rajiv Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete is Miss Universe 2010 Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete (22) was crowned Miss Universe 2010 on August 24, 2 010 in Las Vegas. She was followed by Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillips while Miss Aus tralia Jenista Campbell was the second runnerup at the 59th annual pageant. Eminent Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has been bestowed with the 18th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill in New Delhi in August 201 0. The previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, Ustad Bismillah K han, Hiteshwar Saikia and Subhadra Joshi (jointly), Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Kapila Vatsyayan, Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander (jointly). The 2010 Announced Ramon Magsaysay Awards The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) in first we ek of August 2010 announced this year seven individuals from Bangladesh, China, Japan and the Philippines the winners of Asias premier prizethe Ramon Magsaysay Aw ard. The awardees include Tadatoshi Akiba (Japan), Christopher Bernido and Ma Vi ctoria Carpio Bernido (the Philippines), Huo Daishan (China), A.H.M. Noman Khan (Bangladesh), and Pan Yue and Fu Qiping (China). Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete after being crowned Miss Universe 2010. Ratan Tata : Businessman of the Decade Maharashtra Governor K. Shankarnarayanan conferred the Businessman of the Decade Award on Ratan Tata August 13, 2010 in Mumbai. The award was given to him on be half of the Federation of Indo-Israeli Chambers of Commerce. Lauding the efforts of the Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce for promoting closer busi ness-tobusiness ties between India and Israel, Sankarnarayanan said relations be tween the two countries had witnessed a rapid growth across a broad spectrum sin ce diplomatic ties between the two Ratan Tata countries were established in 1992 . Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award Announced The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced Tenzing Norgay National Adven

ture Award for the year 2009 in second week of August 2010 to recognize the achi evements of persons in the field of adventure. The four persons selected for the adventure awards for the year 2009 include HC Kamlesh Kumar Boiunthiyal (Land A dventure), Wg. Com Jai Kishan (Air Adventure), Shri Sufyan Sheikh (Water Adventu re) and Ms. Chandraprabha Aitwal (Lifetime Achievement). UNESCO Literacy Prizes Announced The six laureates of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes for 2010 were anno unced in August 2010. One of two awards of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize supported by the Republic of Korea has been won by the General Directorate of A dult Training in Cape Verde. The second award of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize was conferred on the State Institute for Teacher Training and School Deve lopment in Hamburg, Germany for the Family Literacy Project (FLY). Bhasha Samman for Gurudev Singh and K. Sriramamurthy A noted Punjabi scholar Gurudev Singh and a Telugu veteran K. Sriramamurthy have been chosen for Bhasha Samman by the Sahitya Akademi for their contributions in the field of classical and medieval literature. Gurudev Singh has been chosen f or the honour from the Northern region while Telugu researcher-critic Korlapati Sriramamurthy has been selected from the Southern region. PD/February/2011/1553

Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2009 for D. Ramanaidu Veteran film maker D. Ramanaidu has been conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Pha lke Award 2009 by the Government of India. The announcement was made on Septembe r 9, 2010. D. Ramanaidu is India s most prolific film producer who has entered t he Guinness Book of World Records for producing the maximum number of films (130 ) but also doing it in the maximum number of languages. Talking of this accompal ishment, he saidI have produced films in almost all D. Ramanaidu major Indian lang uages, except Punjabi. I plan to do that soon. His debut Ramudu Bheemudu in the 6 0s with legendary NTR, was a blockbuster. Negeswara Rao-starrer Premnagar (1971) established him in the industry : If Ramudu Bheemudu was the seed (for my succes s), Premnagar was the tree, he famously said. LG ICC Awards Given Away : Sachin is Cricketer of the Year Sachin Tendulkar emerged winner at the LG ICC Awards on October 6, 2010 in Banga lore after receiving two awards simultaneously. The List of the awardees : Sir G arfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year : Sachin Tendulkar, LG Peoples Choice Award : Sachin Tendulkar; Womens Cricketer of the Year : Shelley Nitschke (Australia); Test Player of the Year : Virender Sehwag; ODI Player of the Year : A. B. de Sac hin Tendulkar Villiers (South Africa); Spirit of Cricket : New Zealand; Umpire o f the Year : Aleem Dar (Pakistan); Emerging Player : Steven Finn (England); Asso ciate and Affiliate Player : Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands); Twenty-20 Interna tional Performance of the Year : Brendon McCullum (of New Zealand for his unbeat en 116 against Australia at Christchurch of February 28, 2010). Inductees into t he ICC Hall of Fame : Bishan Singh Bedi, Joel Garner, Courtney Walsh and Rachael Heyhoe Flint. ICC Test World XI : M. S. Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Simon Katich, Sachin Tendulkar, Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Dale Steyn and Doug Bollinger. ICC ODI World XI : Ricky Ponting (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, A. B. de Vill iers, Paul Collingwood, M. S. Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Daniel Vettori, Stuart Broad , Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris. Surjit Patar Honoured with Saraswati Samman Eminent Punjabi poet Surjit Patar has received the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2009 for his collection Lafzan Di Dargah. The award has been instituted by the K . K. Birla Foundation and carries prize money of Rs. 75 lakh. It was conferred on Mr. Patar by the Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal in New D elhi in third week of September 2010. The Saraswati Samman recognises an outstan ding literary work in any of the 22 Indian languages and published during the la st 10 years. Pride of India Award for UK s First Asian Judge Sir Mota Singh, who is the United Kingdom s first Sikh and Asian judge and was k nighted by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year, received the Pride of India Awar d 2009, Instituted by the India International Foundation (IIF). Malayalam and Urdu Writers Selected for Jnanpith Awards Malayalam litterateur O.N.V. Kurup and Urdu poet Akhlaq Khan Shaharyar were on S eptember 24, 2010 selected for the Jnanpith Award for 2007 and 2008 resWorld Statesman Award for Dr. Manmohan Singh The Appeals of Conscience Foundation based in the USA has honoured Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with the 2010 World Statesman Award. He was honoured in absentia in September 2010 in New York. Tehelka Magazine Selected for IPI India Award Weekly magazine Tehelka has been selected for IPI India Award for excellence in Jo urnalism 2010. The magazine has been honoured for its outstanding journalistic w ork. The IPI (International Press Institute) award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a trophy and a citation. The jury headed by former Chief Justice of Ind ia A. S. Anand chose the report of Teresa Rahman (of Tehalka) on the brutal exec

ution of a youth by security forces in broad daylight in Manipur on July 23, 200 9 and selected it for the award from among the entries. O.N.V. Kurup (Jnanpith Award winner for 2007) Akhlaq Khan Shaharyar (Jnanpith Award winner for 2008) pectively. ONV Kurup is a leading voice among contemporary Malayalam poets while Shaharyar is considered as an intellectual Urdu poet. The selection board chair ed by Oriya writer and Jnanpith winner Sitakant Mahapatra made these choices for the awards. ONV now has 20 collections of poetry and six works of prose to his credit. The trust notes about Akhlaq Khan Shaharyar (a leading urdu poet). 57th National Film Awards Announced : Amitabh gets Best Actor Award The 57th National Awards were announced on September 15, 2010 by the Directorate of Film Festivals. PD/February/2011/1554

57th National Film Awards Name of the Award Best Feature Film Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration Best Film on Social Issues Best Ch ildrens Film Best Direction Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Su pporting Actress Best Child Artist Best Male Playback Singer Best Female Playbac k Singer Best Cinematography Best Screenplay Name of the Film Kutty Srank (Malay alam) Lahore (Hindi) : DirectorSanjay Puran Singh Chauhan 3 Idiots (Hindi) Delhi 6 (Hindi) Well Done Abba (Hindi) Putaani Party (Kannda) and Keshu (Malayalam) Ab ohoman (Bengali) : Rituparno Ghosh Paa (Hindi) : Amitabh Bachchan Abohoman (Beng ali) : Ananya Chatterjee Lahore (Hindi) : Farooque Sheikh Paa (Hindi) : Arundhat i Naag Pasanga (Tamil) : Film Characters Jeeva and Anba Karasu Mahanagar@Kolkata (Bengali) : Rupam Islam Houseful (Bengali) : Neelanjana Sarkar Kutty Srak (Mala yalam) : Cameraman : Anjuli Shukla Kutty Srank (Malayalam) Kanasemba Kudureyaner i (Kannada) Pasanga (Tamil) : Screenplay Writer (Original) " P.F. Mathews and Ha rikrishna, Screenplay Writer (Adapted) : Dialogues : Pandiraj Kaminey (Hindi), K erala Varma Pazhassi Raja Malayalam), 3 Idiots (Hindi) Abohoman (Bengali) : Argh yakamal Mitra Delhi 6 (Hindi) : Samir Chanda Kutty Srank (Malayalam) : Jayakumar Paa (Hindi) : Christein Tinsley and Dominie Till Dev D (Hindi), Kerala Verma Pa zasi Raja : Music Director (Songs) : Amit Trivedi Music Director (Background Sco re) : Ilayaraja 3 Idiots (Hindi) : Swanand Kirkire Behti Hava Sa Tha Woh Kaminey (H indi) and Kutty Srank (Malayalam) and Kerala Verma Pazhassi Raja (Malayalam) : S reekar Prasad Magadheera (Telugu) : R. Kamal Kannan Magadheera (Telugu) : K. Siv a Shankar Basundhara Abohoman Paa Kanasemba Kudureyaneri Palatadcho Munis Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja Natarang Passanga Padmapriya Best Audiography Best Editing Best Production Design Best Costume Designer Best Make-up Artist Best Music Direction Best Lyrics Special Jury Award Best Special Effects Best Choreography Best Assamese Film Best Bengali Film Best Hindi Film B est Kannada Film Best Konkani Film Best Malayalam Film Best Marathi Film Best Ta mil Film Special Mention Non-Feature Films Name of Award Best Non-Feature Film Best Debut Non-Feature Film of a Director (S haring) Best Compilation Film Best Environment Film Including Agriculture Best F ilm on Social Issues Special Jury Award Short Fiction Film Best Cinematography B est Audiography Best Editing Best Narration/Voice Over Special Mention Name of F ilm The Postman : Bilal Vaishnav Jan Toh, Ekti Kaktaliyo Golpo) Pancham Unmixed In for Motion Mr. India Kelkkunnundo : Child artisitAasna Aslam Boond Gaarud : Ca meraman : Deepu S. Unni, Laboratory : Adlabs Gaarud : Re-recordist (final mixed trade) : Lipika Singh Darai In CameraTarun Bhartiya In Camera : Ranjan Palit VILA YCinematographer : Nitika Bhagat Best Writing on Cinema Name of Award Best Book on Cinema Special Mention Best Film Critic Name of Film Cinemma Yaana (Kannada)Publisher : Hasiru Prakashana, Author : Dr. K. Puttaswamy Eka Studioche Atmavrutta : Prabhakar Pendharkar C. S. Venkiteswaran (Malayalam) PD/February/2011/1555

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards Announced 2010 Three women have figured in the list of nine scientists chosen for the prestigio us Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2010. It is for the first time that three women have been named for these prestigious awards. The award for S&T Innovations for Rural Development 2009 has been received by the Indian Oil Corporations Research and Development Centre in Faridabad. The awardees for Biological Sciences inclu de Sanjeev Galande of the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune and Shubha Tole of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. The others awardees incl ude Swapan K. Pati, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Ba ngalore; Sandeep Verma, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; G.K. Ananthasure sh, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, Indian St atistical Institute, Kolkata (Engineering Sciences); Mitali Mukerji, Institute o f Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, Umesh Vasudeo Waghmare, Jawaharlal Ne hru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore and Kalobaran Maiti, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai (Physical Sciences). This year no awa rd is being given in Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences and Mathema tical Sciences. The awards were announced on September 26, 2010 to mark the foun dation day of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Lula da Silva Honoured with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Devel opment for 2010 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the outgoing President of Brazil has been chosen for t he Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010. This was announced in release issued by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. The release no tesMr. Lula has championed the cause of global south, and worked to strengthen bon ds among developing countries His priority from the start was inclusive growth an d Luiz Inacio Lula the consolidation and expansion of da Silva social programmes . Jamnalal Bajaj Awards Presented President Pratibha Patil on October 28, 2010 presented the Jamnalal Bajaj Awards for 2010 for outstanding contributions in social development. Chewang Norphel, a 74-year-old civil engineer from Ladakh, was presented the award for applicatio n of science and technology for rural development. His artificial glacier has help ed farmers in the dry and difficult regions of Ladakh get water supply in April and Maythe most crucial period of sowing. Chunnibhai Vaidya, a nonagenarian from Ahmedabad, was given the award for outstanding contribution in the field of cons tructive work. Mr. Vaidya has been active in many movements in Gujarat and Rajas than for betterment of the poor and the marginalised. The award for development and welfare of women and children was given to Shakuntala Choudhary, a nonagenar ian from Assam. Wei Zhang Wins SASTRA Ramanujan Prize Wei Zhanga Benjamin Pierce instructor at the Department of Mathematics. Harvard U niversity (USA) has been honoured with the 2010 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize. As per a recent release from the Shanmugha Arts, Sciences, Technology, Research Academy (SASTRA) University. Dr. Wei Zhang has been recognised for making a profound inf luence at the young age of 29 in a wide range of areas of mathematics. It may be mentioned here that SASTRA Ramanujan Prize was established in 2005 and is given annually for outstanding contribution by very young mathematicians in areas inf luenced by Indian mathematician Srinivasan Ramanujan. Miss USA Alexandria Mills Crowned Miss World 2010 Miss USA Alexandria Mills was crowned the 60th Miss World 2010 on October 30, 20 10 in Chinas Sanya City. Miss Botswana Emma Wareus was named the first runner-up while Miss Venezuela Adriana Vasini was named the second runner-up. Indian beaut y Manasvi Mamgai even failed to find a place in the top 20. The jury included fo

rmer Miss World winners Denise Perrier Lan franchi (1953), Ann Sidney (1964), Ma ry Stavin (1977) Agbani Darego (2001) and Miss World 2010 Alexandria Mills Maria Julia Mant. Howard Jacobson : Winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction British writer and journalist Howard Jacobsons novel The Finkler Question has won t he 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The Finkler Question is the semi-autobiogr aphical comic take on his Jewish identity. Jacobson who was born in Manchester c urrently lives in London. He won this prestigious prize after beating Tom Mc Car thys C and Emma Donoghues Room. The Finkler Question is described as a novel Howard Jacobson about love, loss and male friendship and explores what it means to be Jew ish in todays age. A. S. Chandhiok Honoured with Sikh of the Year Award Additional Solicitor General and Delhi High Court Bar Association President A. S . Chandhiok has been PD/February/2011/1556

NOBEL PRIZES 2010 The Nobel Prizes for 2010 were announced in October 2010. Medicine British scientist Robert Edwards has been selected for the 2010 Nobel Prize for Medicine. He has been given this award for his pioneering work in in-vitro-ferti lization (IVF). It was Robert Edwards whose pioneering research with his late co lleague Patrick Steptoe (who died in 1988) led to the birth of the worlds first t est tube baby. The Nobel Assembly at Swedens Karolinska Institute which awarded t he prize (worth ten million Swedish Kronor) described his work as a milestone of modern medicine. It said in a statementHis work has made possible the treatment o f infertilitya medical condition that affects a large proportion of humanity incl uding more than 10% of couples worldwide Edwards along with his late colleague St eptoe founded the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgewhich is the worlds first In-Vetro -Fertilization Centre. Robert Edwards Physics Russian born Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novoselov of Manchester University were named joint winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics for 2010. They have been best owed with the award for their groundbreaking work on experiments with graphenea n ew form of carbon. Professor Geim is Dutch citizen. The Prize Committee saidSince it is practically transparent and a good conductor, graphene could be used for p roducing transparent touch screens, light panels and may be even solar cells. Thu s graphene has immense possibilities. As a material graphene is completely new a nd almost completely transparent yet so dense that not even helium (the smallest gas atom) can pass through it. Professor Konstantin Novoselov (left) and Professor Andrei Geim, winners of the 2010 Nobel Physics Prize Chemistry Three scientistsAkira Suzuki and Ei-ichi Negishi from Japan and Richard F. Heck f rom United States of America have won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 2010 in October 2010. They have been awarded the Nobel Prize for inventing new ways to b ind carbon atom with uses that range from fighting cancer to producing thin comp uter screens. Akira Suzuki, Ei-ichi Negishi and Richard Heck shared the prize fo r the development of palladiumcatalysed cross coupling. The Nobel Committee for Che mistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statementPalladiumcatalys ed cross coupling is used in research worldwide as well as in the commercial pro duction offor example, pharmaceuticals and molecules used in the electronics indu stry. The winners of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (From left) Akira Suzuki, Ei-i chi Negishi and Richard F. Heck. Literature PeruvianSpanish author and one of the most renowned novelists of his generation M ario Vargas Llosa (74) has won the Nobel Prize for Literature for 2010 for his Ca rtography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individuals resi stance, revolt and defeat. In the words of Peter England Permanent Secretary of th e Swedish AcademyMr. Llosa is one of the great Latin American storytellersa master of dialogue who has been searching for the elusive concept known as the total no vel and who believes in the power of fiction to improve upon the world. Mario Var gas Llosa Mr. Llosas first major international breakthrough came in 1963, with th e publication of the novel The 2010 Nobel Prize The Time of the Hero. Winner for Literature His other profoundly influential novel was The Feast of the Goat (20 00). Other well known works include Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter (1977), The War of the End of the World (1981) and, more recently, Death in the Andes (1993)

. Conversation in the Cathedral published in 1969 was his monumental work. Peace Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo (aged 54) who is in the jail has been awar ded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010. The Norwegian Nobel Committee which gives th e award saidMr. Liu has been given the award for his calls for political reform, f or his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights Liu Xiaobo in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close conne ction between The 2010 Nobel Prize human rights and peace it said in a statement. Such rights are a prerequisite for the fraternity between Winner for Peace natio ns of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will. Economics Three economistsPeter Diamond and Dale Mortensen of USA and BritishCypriot Christo pher Pissarides have won the 2010 Nobel Economics Prize. They have been awarded for their work on why supply and demand do not always meet in the labour market and elsewhere. The jury lauded the trio for their analysis of markets with searc h frictions which helps explain how unemployment, job vacancies, and wages are a ffected by regulation and Christopher Pissarides, Peter Diamond and Dale economi c policy. It is important to mention that as per traditional theory labour Morte nsen : The Nobel Prize Winners of Econo- market should work on their own, with j ob seekers finding available job and mics for 2010 thereby creating balance. But the DiamondMortensenPissarides or DMP modeldeveloped by the three show that market s do not always work in this way. The jury also noted that the trios work in sear ch theory can also be applied to other areas including housing markets and publi c economics besides labour markets. PD/February/2011/1557

honoured with the Sikh of Year 2010 award. He has been given this award for his outstanding achievement in the legal field and working for betterment of society . The award which includes a citation and a memento has been instituted by the S ikh Forum International. The Forum presents the award every year to a distinguis hed person for his/her achievement in different fields. Past recipients include Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Praneet Kaur, Sikh historian Patwant Singh and former Ar my Chief General J. J. Singh. of 19 projects announced in May 2010. A total of 401 projects were presented for consideration for the 2010 award. It is noteworthy that Aga Khan Award for Arch itecture was established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan with a view to enh ancing the understanding and appreciation of Islamic culture as expressed throug h architecture. Lin Dan is Most Valuable Player of 16th Asiad 2010 Chinas Lin Dan has been named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Guangzhou Asi an Games. Lin Dan was selected from five finalists for the Samsung MVP Award. He won two gold medals in the mens team and individual badminton events. As Chinas b adminton ace, Lin, the Beijing Olympic gold medalist and twotimes world champion , also completed a career grand slam by being crowned the games singles champion . The winner of the award at the 2006 Doha Asian Games was swimmer Park. Lin Dan of China Indira Gandhi Ranked 9th Most Powerful Woman of the Century in Time List Indias Indira Gandhi, worlds longest serving woman Prime Minister, has been ranked by the Time magazine as the 9th most powerful woman of the past century, a list that also included Mother Teresa. The list of 25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century is topped by Jane Addams, an outspoken advocate for womens suffrage, who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Secretary of State Hi llary Clinton is ranked sixth on the list. Indira Gandhi Besides Indira and Moth er Teresa, 19-11-191731-10-84 who is ranked 22nd, no other woman from the sub-con tinent has figured in the Time magazine list which was released on November 19, 2010. Vasudha Award Jointly given to Niyamgiri and Kaippad Short films on environmental issues Niyamgiri You Are Still Alive, directed by Sum a Josson, and Kaippad, directed by Babu Kambrath, were declared joint winners of The Vasudha Award, the countrys only government award for an environmental film, on N ovember 30, 2010. It may be noteworthy that the award instituted by the Short Fi lm Centre (SFC) at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) carried a cas h prize of Rs. 3 lakh. Extinction-II directed by Fernando Uson Fornies, Spain won T he Golden Lamp Tree Award and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh in the international sec tion of short films. The Silver Lamp Tree Award with prize money of Rs. 1 lakh went to Kusum , a film directed by Shumona Banerjee. Special Jury Mention Awa rd with a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh was awarded to Charulata A sequel of the Lif e Untold , directed by Sangeeta Padmanabhan and Certificate of Appreciation fro m the Jury went to In curable India directed by Umesh Aggarwal. Rudisha, Vlasic IAAF Athletes of the Year 2010 Kenyas running sensation David Rudisha and Croatias high jump star Blanka Vlasic w ere named male and female athletes of the year respectively on November 21, 2010 by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) which is sports governing body. Rudisha, 21, broke the longstanding 800 metres world record twic e this season while 27-yearold Vlasic won both the European outdoors and world i ndoors titles. Rudisha is the youngest athlete ever David Rudisha and Blanka Vla sic to win the presti- with Awards/Trophies gious award having first broken the record in Berlin in August with a time of 1 minute 4109 seconds before bettering that mark with 1:4101 in Rieti, Italy, a week later. PLACES IN THE NEWS

Kolar District The countrys biggest grid-connected solar power plant has been set up at Yelesand ra village in Bangarpet taluk of Kolar district and was commissioned on June 17, 2010. Aga Khan Awards Announced The 2010 Aga Khan Awards were presented on November 24, 2010 in Doha Qatar. The winning five projects include Wadi Hanifa Wetlands, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Re vitalisation of the Hypercentre of Tunis Tunisia, the Madinat Al Zahra Museum Co rdoba, Spain, the Ipekyol Textile Factory, Edrine, Turkey and the Bridge School Xiashi, Fujian, China. The winning projects were selected by an independent Mast er jury from a short list Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Mexico hogged the headlines of newspapers recently because of what might be the most serious setback to date in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis. It has been estimated that 17 million gallons of oil have been flowing out of the ru ptured well of the BP owned Deepwater Horizon Offshore rig daily with flow rate of 40,000 barrels per day. PD/February/2011/1558

Coimbatore The First World Classical Tamil Conference was held in Coimbatore in last week o f June 2010. The five days conference was inaugurated by President Pratibha Pati l. Thanjavur Big Temple The ceremony to mark the completion of the 1000th year of the Thanjavur Big Temp le constructed by Raja Raja Chola I will be held in Thanjavur from September 25 to 26, 2010. The Tamil Nadu government announced this in August 2010. 3600-year-Old Egyptian City Unearthed Austrian archaeologists have located an underground Egyptian city believed to be Avaris, the capital used by Hyksos who ruled 3,600 years ago, culture ministry said. The Austrian mission identified parts of Avaris in the Nile Delta near the modern town of Tal al-Dabaa. Ayodhya Ayodhya once again became the topic of discussion and debate and hogged the head lines of newspapers when the honourable the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court pronounced the long-awaited judgement over the vexed issue of the Ramjanam bhoomi-Babri Masjid a site located in Ayodhya on September 30, 2010 on the conte nding title claims to the disputed site made by the Muslim Waqf Board and Hindu Dharm Sansad. Mt. Everest Basanta Kumar Singha Roy, a PNB employee posted at Circle Office Kolkata along w ith his team recently scaled Mount Everest and hoisted the PNBs flag on the summi t. The expedition was planned and executed by the Mountaineers Association of Kr ishna Nagar (MAK). Christchurch A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck much of New Zealand devastating Chris tchurchthe second largest city in first week of September 2010. Birbhum District At least 69 people were killed and more than 150 injured in one of the decades wo rst train accidents in India at the Sainthia Station in West Bengals Birbhum dist rict on July 19, 2010. San Jose Mine 33 miners were rescued from Chilean mineSan Jose Mine after being trapped in that mine for more than two months in second week of October, 2010. The 33 miners ca ught in a collapse on August 5, 2010 spent 17 days in isolation before being loc ated by drillers on August 22, 2010 and later rescued. South Pole India will mount its first scientific expedition to the South Pole in November 2 010 to mark the centenary of the first successful expedition to the southern end of the world by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Johannesburg Johannesburg is a city of South Africa where 19th edition of World Cup Football was organized in June-July 2010 in which Spain emerged victorious. Kalaikunda Air Force Station (West Bengal) A joint exercise by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom of the United Kingdom was held at the Kalaikunda Air Force st ation in West Bengals Paschim Midnapur district in October 2010. The Exercise was named Indradhanush.

Nalanda The Union Cabinet has cleared the Nalanda University Bill 2010 paving the way fo r the establishment of Nalanda University at Nalanda in Bihar at an estimated co st of Rs. 100, 5 crore. Dehradun The inaugural South Asian winter Games will be held in Dehradun in Uttarakhand i n January 2011. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are expected to take part in the Games. Jaipurs Jantar Mantar The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Brasilia in the first w eek of August 2010 has inscribed Jantar Mantar in the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisations World Heritage List. Hambantota Port Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened the newly built port in Hambantota on November 18, 2010. The port costing $ 15 billion was built with Chinese assis tance and is being marketed by Sri Lanka as a mega infrastructure project. Petermann Glacier An ice Island four times the size of Manhattan broke off from one of Greenlands t wo main glaciersone of them is the Petermann Glacier. It is the biggest such even t in the Arctic in nearly 50 years. Panaji The 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was organised in Goan capit al Panaji. The festival was inaugurated by Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee on No vember 22, 2010 whereas Ajay Devgan was the guest of honour at the festival. The 10-day festival provided an opportunity for Indian film industry to compete wit h best of the world. Hyderabad The International Congress of Mathematicians was recently held in August 2010 in Hyderabad. Leh Hundreds of people were killed in Leh as flash floods caused by torrential rains hit Leh town and adjoining villages on August 6, 2010. Several important buildi ngs were also washed away in the floods. Jaitpur The 9,900 megawatt Jaitpur power project to be set up in collaboration with a Fr ench firm Areva in Maharashtra on November 28, 2010 received clearance PD/February/2011/1559

from the Environment Ministry which prescribed 35 conditions and safeguards. NTP C (Nuclear Thermal Power Corporation) along with French firm Areva will develop the plant. or deprivations at the household level from education to health outcomes, to asset s and services. An analysis by MPI creators reveals that there are more MPI poor p eople in eight Indian States (421 crore in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) than in the 26 poore st African countries combined (41 crore). Guangzhou 16th Asiad Games were held in Guangzhou, China in November 2010 in which China l ed the medals tally followed by South Korea and Japan. Sikkim has the Highest Suicide Rate According to a regional representative of the World Health Organisation on suici de prevention and founder of SNEHA, a non-governmental organisation, Sikkim has dislodged the usual top ranker Kerala as the State with the highest suicide rate in the country. Sikkim, with a suicide rate of 48.2 per lakh of population, and Puducherry, with a rate of 46.9 per lakh, presented a new and worrying trend of an escalation of suicides in smaller States. Kerala dropped to the fourth posit ion with a suicide rate of 25 per lakh, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ra nked third with a rate of 34.5 per lakh. REPORTS India, China have Maximum Stunted Children : WHO Report A WHO (World Health Organisation) report reveals that India is home to the maxim um number of stunted or low-height-for-age children in the world. While twothird s of the total child population across the world is affected by stunting, the ma ximum of 48 per cent are in India, followed by China with 22 per cent. These fin dings have been unveiled by the WHOs Countdown to 2015Taking stock of maternal, new born and child survival report. India has 60,000 plus children who are stunted, w orking out to a 312 per cent share of the total affected children among the devel oping countries. According to WHO, stunting or low-height-for-age is a particular ly important health indicator as it reflects long term nutritional deficiencies with implications for growth and development of children now and in future gener ations. Indias Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) Declines, Yet it is on the Top Women dying from complications during pregnancy and child birth fell 34 per cent from 5,46,000 in 1990 to 3,58,000 in 2008, says a UN report released on Septemb er 15, 2010. Of these, 78,000 child birth related deaths took place in India. Th e declineabout 2.3 per cent annuallyfell short of the 55 per cent needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75 per cent between 1990 and 2015. Every day in 2008, about 1,000 women died due to these complications. Of the 1000, 570 lived in sub-Saharan Africa, 300 in South Asia and five in high income countries, said the report called Trends in Maternal Mortality, released by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Unite d Nations Population Fund and the World Bank. The risk of a woman in a developin g country dying from a pregnancy-related cause is 36 times higher than that of a woman in a developed country. India s maternal mortality ratio declined to 254 per 100,000 live births in 2004-06 from 301 per 100,000 live births during 200103, according to the Sample Registration System of the Registrar General of Indi a. Failed States of the World : Somalia Tops the List, Pak 10th, India 87th In the 2010 Failed State Index released by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazi ne, Somalia tops the list, followed by Zimbabwe, Sudan and Chad. Pakistan stands at 10th. India is ranked 87th in a list of 177 countries. Indias immediate neigh bour Myanmar has been placed at 13, Sri Lanka at 22, Nepal at 25. China is ranke

d at 57th place. Norway is ranked at the bottom of the list. The magazine said t hat Somalia saw yet another year plagued by lawlessness and chaos, with pirates plying the coast while radical Islamist militias tightened their grip on the str eets of Mogadishu, Somalias capital. Eight Indian States Poorer than Africas 26 Poorest : A Report Eight Indian States, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal together acc ount for more poor people than the 26 poorest African nations combined, a new mul tidimensional measure of global poverty has said. The Multidimensional Poverty In dex (MPI) was developed and applied by the Oxfort Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHDI) with the UNDP support and will feature in the forthcoming 20t h anniversary edition of the UNDP Human Development Report due late in October, 2010. The MPI, which supplants the Human Poverty Index, assesses a range of crit ical factors Indias Position Dismal in Global Hunger Index Times of India correspondent Rukmini Shrinivasan reports that India dropped two ranks to 67th among 84 developing countries in the International Food Policy Res earch Institutes annual Global Hunger Index for 2010. Even Sudan, North Korea and P akistan rank higher than India. While the report, released on October 11, 2010, shows that the proportion of the under nourished in India is declining, the wors ening ranking indicates that other developing countries have done better in tack ling hunger. PD/February/2011/1560

India is home to 42% of the under-weight children under the age of five in the w orld. It is an irony indeed that the policy makers in India who are still fighti ng over the need to have an expansive National Food Security Act are yet to look at the dismal figures. In 2005-06 about 44% of Indian children below five years were under-weight and nearly half-48%were stunted. Over 8 million Slum Dwellers in Mumbai by 2011 The country s financial capital Mumbai will have around 868 people living in slum s by next year, not withstanding the high growth economy and focus on inclusivene ss. Mumbai is followed by Delhi with 316 million people estimated to be living in slums by 2011 compared to 23 million in 2001, according to a news methodology ado pted by an expert panel appointed by the housing and urban poverty alleviation m inistry. Though Mumbai s slum population was 65 million in the 2001 census, the p anel s methodology estimated it at 68 million. The expert committee set up to est imate reliable urban slum population, said the country s slum population had grown by 178 million people in the last decade. The committee headed by Pranab Sen, pr incipal adviser to the Planning Commission and former chief statistician, projec ted the slum population in 2011 at 9306 million, up from 7536 million in 2001 as p er the new methodology. The 2001 census figures pegged the slum population at 524 0 million. MCZMAThe Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority. MMRCAMedium Multi Role Com bat Aircraft. MPIMulti-dimensional Poverty Index. MTAMultirole Transport Aircraft NCDCNational Centre for Disease Control. NCHRHNational Council for Human Resource in Health NGRBANational Ganga River Basin Authority. NIASNational Institute of Adv anced Studies. NLDNational League for Democracy. NMEEENational Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency. NPCDCSNational Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer , Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke. PFRDA Pension Fund and Regulatory and Development Authority. SCOPEStanding Conference of Public Enterprises. SMTASt andard Material Transfer Agreement. SOJNMSSchool of Journalism and New Media Stud ies. UAVUnmanned Aerial Vehicle. BOOKS AND AUTHORS 1. International Criminal Law and Human Rights Edited by Manoj Kumar Surha 2. Que st for Participatory Democracy Towards Understanding the Approach of Gandhi and Jaya Prakash Narain. Edited by Anand Kumar and Manish Tiwari 3. Aftershock : Resh aping the World Economy After the Crisis By Philippe Legrain, Littee Brown 4. Fau lt Lives : How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy Raghuram Rajan, Princeton University Press 5. The Beijing Consensus : How Chinas Authoritarian Mo del will Dominate the Twenty-first Century By Stefan Halper 6. The Party : The Se cret World of Chinas Communist Rulers By Richard McGregor, Harper 7. Securing the State By David Omand Columbia, University Press USA 8. The Fragrance of Forgotten Years By Bikees Latif Published by Rupa and Co., New Delhi 9. Before Memory Fade s An Autobiography : Fali S. Nariman 10. Islam in A Globalised WorldNegotiating Fa ultlines Edited by Mushirul Hasan 11. Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay : Assessing the economic rise of China and India By Pranab Bardhan ACRONYMS AHRCAsian Human Rights Commission AIDWAAll India Democratic Womens Association AISAu tomatic Identification Systems. ATGMAnti-Tank Guided Missile. BSFBenefit Sharing F und. CCICabinet Committee on Infrastructure. CDCPCentre for Disease Control and Pr evention. CICAConference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. CSRCentre for Social Research. CWGCommonwealth Games. DASADirect Admission of Stud ents Abroad DEALDefence Electronics Application Laboratory. FACFast Attack Craft. FICFast Interceptor Craft. GDDGlobal Disease Detection. HINDRAFHindu Rights Action Force. IFFIInternational Film Festival of India IGMDPIntegrated Guided Missile Dev elopment Programme. INTACHIndian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. IT PGRFAInternational Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. PD/February/2011/1561

12. Keeping the Faith : Memoirs of a Parliamentarian By Somnath Chatterjee 13. In dian Origins of Arab-Islamic Scientific and Literary Heritage By Abdul Ali, MD Pu blications, New Delhi 14. The Tryst BetrayedReflections on Diplomacy and By Jagat S. Mehta Development 15. Outlines of the Protohistoric Chronology of Western Asi a By Kesari Balakrishna Pillai 16. Foundations of Tilaks NationalismDiscrimination, Education and Hindutva By Parimala Rao 17. Ecological MeltdownImpact of unchecked Human Growth on the Earths Natural Systems. By Asheem Srivastav and Suvira Srivas tava 18. A Rift in Time : Travels with My Ottoman Uncle By Raja Shehadeh 19. The Arabs and the Holocaust : The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives By Gilbert Achcar, M etropolitan Books 20. Superpower ? The Amazing Race Between Chinas Hare and Indias Tortoise By Raghav Bahl 21. The Masque of Africa By Indian-Origin Nobel Laureate V. S. Naipaul 22. A Journey An autobiography by former British Prime Minister Ton y Blair 23. Science and Sustainable Food Security Selected Papers of Dr. M.S. Swa minathan 24. Climatopolis : How our Cities will Thrive in the Hotter Future By Ma thew Kahn, Basic Books 25. Turned out Nice : How the British Isles will Change a s the World Heats up By Marek Kohn Faber & Faber 26. BesiegedVoices from Delhi 185 7. By Mahmood Farooqui New Delhi 27. The Grand Design By Stephen Hawking and Leona rd Mlodinow 28. There is Power in a Union : The Epic Story of Labor in America By Philip Dray 29. Of Thee I Sing : A Letter to My Daughters By Barack Obama 30. Ob ama s War By Bob Woodward 31. State and Foreign Policy in South Asia Edited by Jiv anta Schottli and Siegfried O. Wolf, Published by Sanskriti, New Delhi 32. Muham mad : A Story of the Last Prophet By Deepak Chopra 33. Conversations with Myself B y Nelson Mandela 34. The Feast of the Goat By Mario Vargas Llosa a Nobel laureate 35. Harmony By Prince Charles of Britain 36. War on Terrorism or American Strate gy for Global Dominance By Manzoor Alam P.Darpan Edited, Printed and Published by Mahendra Jain for M/s Pratiyogita Darpan, 2/11A , Swadeshi Bima Nagar, Agra-2 and Printed by him at Pratiyogita Darpan Printing Unit, 5 & 6 Bye Pass Road, Agra.