June 10, 2013

National Cyber coordination centre (NCCC) [proposed]

- monitoring the internet and the various threats posed by cyber attacks
- direct access to internet accounts emails, fb and other network data
- all govt spy agencies will be a part of the NCCC
- would take help of ISPs for round the clock monitoring
PRISM is a data-mining programme
The impact of PRISM on India:
- India is a strategic partner of the USA
- And also is 5th on the list of spying done by the NSA
- Breaks Indias privacy laws and trust
Now equador has given up its preferential trade pact. Says it is becoming the subject of blackmail by the US
*** everything that is demanded through peaceful agitations cant be fulfilled. And un-reasonable demands lead
to rejection
Syria
What happened?
- inspired from arab spring the rebels started demanding Assads overthrow
- it also has a sectarian angle: Assad is alwaite shia while majority is sunni
what did west do?
- they armed the rebels
- but could not enforce unilateral action because of vetoing and all by the Russians and the Chinese
- so the bloody war is on
Assad says its a nat sec problem
West says he should go coz hes autocratic
India: bhai yeh sab thik nahi hai jaanein jaa rahi hai logon ko itni dhikkat ho rhi hai. Aur haan we oppose any
external action :D
How a caste is identified to be in certain group?
- the state sends recommendations, the prez notifies etc.
a lot of middle level castes want their castes to be notified backwards and often the govts oblige: votein chahi na
bava
Minimum Public Shareholding [paid-up capital] in private listed companies: 25%
- before reforms it was 60%
**** how does it help investors man?
- for corporates its about having greater control over the decision-making
- for retail shareholder it means more chances of owning the shares and may lead to lesser stock
manipulation by the promoters and reduce volatility
The dismal condition of sports in India
- the NSD bill 2011 was also rejected by the cabinet
- it only wanted to bring in good governance in to these bodies w/o compromising their independence but
that wasnt to happen sad
GOLD inflation relation
Most of the investment options available to the middle class like PPF NSS etc are low returns while inflation is
close to 8-9%. Also the an average investor in india has not yet developed the trust for the shares and all. So the
only option that remains is in Gold.
Nepal
- khil raj regmi the PM who was CJ
- ram Baran yadav the prez
why is the deadlock?
- the 4 pearties are yet to decide on some question wrt the elections like:
- whether the criminals of big crimes during the national struggle be allowed to contest?

- Maoists and madhesi parties say yes Nepali congress and cpn Marxist oppose
- Plus regmi has been accused of corruption
- India and the west had advertised for a neutral CJ as Pm but now that also has turned on its back
What could be the effects of this in India?
In the early 1960s during Vietnam war, when Indira Gandhi staunchly criticized the war, the US prez Lyndon
Johnson hampered the wheat supplies to India
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/discomforts-with-china/1127044/0
[a brilliant brilliant brilliant article]
Q. Chinas recent adventurism (or inward looking policy also) opens up new opportunities for India. Comment.
[but we need to be prepared to face any adverse actions on their part]
Why would there be adventurism on chinas part?
- so far, it has kept their currency devaluated, controlled banks to fund public enterprises etc. to get huge
exports
- but now they have to look inwards and have to boost domestic consumption, create domestic market,
because the recent economic trends in the world have forced them to (?) their dream run of GDP growth
results have not been good off late and to salvage some pride they have now turned to military
adventurism promoting nationalismic pride etc. to be regional power, etc.
- [me also thinks its the next stage of their dreams that took off 4 decades ago. Military might.]
How would this benefit India?
- Japan and US wary of the rising nationalism may focus their energies to alternative destinations like
India.
- China has so far been the biggest recipient of the FDI
- Also the very low wages in china are now on the verge of rising with being one of the highest in the
region. So WAGES RISING. India is still more than Indonesia and all, but it has the advantage of having
a larger labour pool. Plus the demographic dividend.
- Yuan is likely to go up. Rupee, down.
- India with its IT expertise would come in handy for tech giants to make shielding infrastructure against
the Chinese hackers
Challenges:
- Their aggression and US Japan discontent alone can not bring for us the FDI, we need to ease our
policies. Also we need to focus on HRD to create a good skilled workforce.
- Their alignment with SL Pak Myanmar isolates us. So we on the one hand need to strengthen our ties with
the neighbours and also see if we can ally with the US and all [that will mean a shift from our policy of
non alignment]
- Our huge trade deficit with China is again a problem [we import capital goods, and SME born consumer
products like toys crackers, etc not good for our SMEs which have largest employer in manufacturing
sector] we export steel iron organic chemicals
- We need to relook at tariffs maybe, now lower than WTO limits even :O
Conclusion
China's rising military ambitions along with its aspirations for economic hegemony constitute both risks and
opportunities for India. To both guard against these risks and exploit the opportunities, a number of changes are
required in our economic and strategic policy. We have to reconsider our existing positions, such as nonalignment or free-trade, to ensure this.
Naxalism tribal rights etc.:
- Salwa judum: tribal youth brought in camps, given money and taught to use weapons etc. Played by the
forces and the naxalites against each other
- Naxalism and development is a chicken and egg problem. And it will require two pronged strategy of
development and security enhancement.
- Maoism is an ideology that suppoets lifting arms against the state, Naxalism may be called an Indian
version of Maoism that supports rebellion against lack of development in the backward regions. Terrorism
mainly deals with instilling fear, coercion without much specific cause but in a larger pursuit.
- Development work has to be carried out incessantly despite the odds because that is what in the long term
will be able to counter the growing extremism
- We talk of decentralization but even at the gram sabha level there is some politics, some are leaders and
not everyone is happy about the decisions made in gram sabha and development not necessarily means
compromising the FRAs.

There is no final solution to any violent conflict in a democracy other than through talks, and a final
accommodation.
Unlike JK and the NE, these people have no safe havens to move to and no external influence (???)
Plus the new huge group strategy of the naxals unlike in the past when they moved in small hit and run
ambush groups.
But tactical and logistic help of the military can be sought surely. Use helicopters, airplanes and tanks etc,
to get help to the forces in quick time to counter this new technique of theirs, let some of their missions
fail and turn a new leaf, block them out of options, and they will be ready to talk, and when they are, do
talk.
So, One Good solution is use hard power followed by soft power. Let them know that we are coming after
them but flex when they seem to be in control, talk.

June 11, 2013

Rupee depreciates:
- this could cause inflation because now petrol and all will become costly
- also not good for corporates that have un-hedged foreign currency loans
- foreign remittances will come in good
*** origin:
The US govt fiscal stimulus during slow growth meant more paisa in hand and lower interest rates. So this paisa
was invested where there could be more returns. Like India. Now they are strengthening [a good sign for Indian
enterprises actually, cause market.] and thus are withdrawing the stimulus. Basically, saling the bonds, which
people want to buy. And thus the rush. The foreign investments in India are so volatile. Foreign portfolio
investment and indias dependenc on it rather than FDI.
- point to note: Re. has depreciated even wrt euro Singaporean dollar and yen japan
Environment:
- Japans shift from nuclear energy has already started showing signs of rising CO2 emission
- USAs shale gas use instead of coal has reduced its emissions
- Govts are presently negotiating under the UN to reach a deal on emissions that would be signed in 2015
but would come in to force only in 2020 till then, most countries have their own voluntary goals to
reduce carbon emissions but this is too long we need something earlier
- Temperature rise of less than 2% of the pre-industrial levels is the safe limit that looks difficult to
achieve
June 12, 2013
Q. Examine the real estate regulation bill.
Intro:
- home-buying in India is a risky business with lack of transparency.
- Many cases of fraudulent practices
- Self-regulation has not proved very useful
- India ranked lowly 48th/97 in global real estate transparency
So there was a need of some regulation. So some of the major recommendations are:- setting up of a state real estate regulatory authority
- the developers will have to disclose the project details and approvals to the authority which will make
them public
- developers can advertise only after clearance
- 70% of the funds raised from the customers to be deposited in separate bank account to check misuse of
funds.
- Activities of agents also covered.
- Applicable to only residential projects.
Analysis:
Pros: as noted in the introduction
- will be beneficial to all
Cons:
- will make the time, cost and burden the buyers
anti point: no, because the bill is only about presale checking and clearance its not about any new practices or
so.

Conclusion: gains easily outweigh the costs.

Disturbance in Turkey
Beginning: a park in Istanbul was to be razed to raise a shopping mall. And the people protested.
The PM did not pay heed to the protestors and took offensive action. subsequently, people in other cities joined in
too.
- the PM has huge base in politics neednt worry his is 3rd term
- but he seems to have forgotten the democratic principles which led to his victory and filled with
majoritarian ego
- media is interfered with. 72 journalists in prison. Highest no. worldwide
- the violent methods led the simple protest against a park form into a major nationwide protest
Why the west wont interfere:
- there are Nato bases in turkey which he can affect thus crippling the wests impact on the Iran scene
- Turkey is a profitable business market for the west
Politics in India is a contradiction between the total votes gained and the FPTP drama.
Regional factors do dominate the national elections.
Pub Ad: India has a culture of unquestioned obedience to authority that is bred into us right from the childhood.
Q. Afghanistan is a test-case for Indias power aspirations in the region. Comment.
Intro: Afghanistan is at critical crossroads, it can emerge as sovereign stable democratic country or again
disintegrate into chaos.
Afghanistan:
Karzai says he wont participate in talks with Taliban unless they are led by the afghans. Doha mein office set kar
liya hai talibaniyon ne. they call it Islamic emirate of Afghanistan. Thus karzai is seriously p***ed off. He says
US playing a double game. Sharifs coming in power will be crucial. India so far has been a mere observer. But
now is the time to speak. G**nta kya speak???
- there are about 25000 afghan refugees in India. UNHCR recognizes and gives cards we acknowledge
that card.
Indias view: yeah man, they have this legitimate govt. recognized by all the world. You should not consider both
Taliban and afghan govt. on the same footing. Right they backed off.
The core group consisteing the US, afghan of course, and Pak had agreed that the Taliban must respect af consti,
rights of women and should cut their ties with the terrorist groups. Now similar statements from many other
countries like ind, chin, germ, russ say the same.
***Q. is naming the office in doha really that substantial? It was supposed to be the political bureau of afghan
taliban now it is office of the Islamic emirate of afghan.; is US not right? Because ek naam ke liye bas
pura peace process hamper karma hai kya?
Well, how can India have an influence?
Best bet is through development.
1. political: helping in the electoral process. India has a good history in doing this.
2. Economic: highly visible asset creation via infrastructure development has already raised our influence.
India can help it in social programmes like livelihood programmes and poverty, illiteracy elimination ones
Chinese gold miners in Ghana in threat. The greed?
Floods in Germany example in environment question
India attains the status of factory compliant country. This would help ready made garment exports. Orders from
many a corporate chains coming in like wallmart tommy nike sara lee old navy, etc
OVL. The sudan problem.
Belur and Halebid are hoysala architecture temples. The ASI may propose them for the WHS thingy.
June 13, 2013
Obamas statement on PRISM shows the contradiction of the USA when dealing with the rights and privacy of the
non-Americans. Kuchh bhi man. He had said that the USAians neednt worry and all.

Anyway this is not going to stop. They have a proper hegemony.

POLIO
- a case of vaccine derived polio virus VDPV detected in MH
What is it?
- it is different from wild type infection in that it is developed due to vaccine and because of incomplete
coverage in the area
- Injected Polio Vaccine IPV an alternative but is expensive [costs can be reduced if bulk ordered] over the
OPV
Forget it man there are too many things. Read this article. we are fighting a war against polio w/o a general
Issues with shale gas exploration:- it is I think better than coal as far as environmental damages are concerned
- but fracking of shale gas needs a lot of water resources
where in India is it found?
- sedimentary basins of cambay, KG basins and Cauvery basins
FB opens a new data centre in Sweden
- good for envo as the specialized cooling systems will not be required in the usually cold arctic nation. :D
Serious Fraud Investigation Office
- currently a non statutory body w/o powers to seize, arrest or search
Companies bill wants to make it statutory and let it start its own ability to start a prosecution when directed by the
govt.
Note:
Burma is now Myanmar
And Rangoon is now Yangon.
free from colonial influence wala point haha
The problem of anaemia
- poor nutritional status increases the vulnerability of death due to infectious diseases
- 25% of maternal deaths occur due to anaemia and 19% due to calcium deficiency
- Supplemental nutritional efforts are negated by superstitions about effect on unborn children
- PDS and NGOs will play a role in attaining nutritional security
The elction commission of India
Intro: - one of our most respected institution and has been dynamic to the changing needs of our democracy
Constitutional provisions for good elections:
- age old inequalities sought to be eliminated at one stroke by implementing the universal adult franchise
- undue influence in election is an electoral offence under the IPC
the problems of Indian elections:
- violence threats and intimidation
- villages of backward classes were intimidated not to vote
- thugs preventing them from going to vote
- votes cast by false proxies [others before they even reached the polling booth]
a new initiative by the ECI in around 2007: VULNERABILITY MAPPING
- the areas where a very low voter turn-out was identified, mapped etc, were mapped and then actions taken such
as polling booth placed in those areas so that they did not have to walk through an area where they could be
stopped or etc.
Sudan problem:
South sudan has oil, but the pipelines pass through sudan. OVL has significant investments in south sudan and has
invested in constructing a pipeline as well
Now sudan has asked companies to halt the transfer of oil. It accuses south of violating some security provisions.
Ethiopia has played a role in reconciliation.
- the shipments resume. Note that: china is the biggest buyer of this oil
BSNL stops telegram services.
Unions want it to stay as a heritage :D

Pub Ad
Websites of most of the political parties have very dismal disclosure of information.
June 14, 2013
Q. today the modus operandi and the demands of terrorists have become less differentiable. Comment.
Cabinet clears mental health bill
1. access to mental health care a right. Needs to be of good quality, affordable.
2. decriminalizes suicide
3. advance directive provision: pehle hi record karke rakhdo ki tumhare consent ke bina koi tumhe kisi
facility mein admit nahi kar sakta. And that will happen.
4. provision of nominating a representative to take decisions
5. govt has an obligation to provide caring centres and other such facilities
6. right to confidentiality and protection against inhuman treatment
7. bans electric convulsive therapy w/o anaesthesia
interview Q: do you support legalizing the LGBT marriages etc?
there will always be resistance to change.
But the political leadership has to do what is right.
***The proposed new Judicial Appointments Committee:
- a recent proposal [the draft not yet made public] by the law ministry propses a JAC consisting of CJI, 2 sr.
most judges of the SC, two eminent jurist (;)), law minister and the LOO.
***Why this new mood?
Because the collegium system has faced many criticisms like:
It is the current practice since last 20 years, wherein the advice of the collegium of the CJI and the 4 sr most
judges of the SC is binding
- non transparency
- prejudices and personal likes/dislikes of the judges in the collegium
- the consultation process is completely opaque and the public has no knowledge of the criteria etc.
- the vacancies in higher judiciary have not yet been filled up even after so many years
- complaints of some bar members that some meritorious judges not got in [but thye problem of identifying
merit? What criteria should there be? The no. of cases which they dispensed? No.]
anyway, there has been no significant criticism of selection of a political favourite.
through various judgements the final say of the executive has been hampered. There is a process of
mandatory consultation with the executive and all, though.
::::> the govt off late has been targeting the independence of many constitutional bodies like the CAG and the
CEC :D
In a way, judiciary is the only independent institution in current scenario.
*** Why this JAC should be opposed?
- the history is proof that if this happens then the eminent jurists appointed by the executive may affect
the independence of judiciary. It was evident during the times of emergency and all.
- Because independence after appointment may not fully be insulated from the effects of lack of it at the
time of appointment WELL, means there needs to be independence at both the stages.
- Also, it amounts to conflict of interest as SC and HC are involved in deciding cases involving the central
executive also, then how can you judge impartally those who have recommended appointing you.
Surely, the reform of the collegium system is needed but not by replacing with a tried and test-failed old system of
executive supremacy.
My opinion: this system has worked well in the past and it should be kept because it tries to eliminate the
arbitrariness to the greatest extent. But a lil more transparency will do no bad. Like short-listing of
candidates, then some debate by a committee and the judiciary can have a final say but the process should
be made better. Thats it.
Q. do you think there is a need to overhaul the system of appointments to the key constitutional posts?
- ek point : this has to come from the legislative, practically and theoretically.

Bajaj says: there shouldnt be an issue with Quadricycle. Why is there a need for the other competitors. Lekin
bhau unhe agar pata hota ki hum aisebhi bana sakte hai toh who bhi kuchh pichhe rhne walo mein se nahi the.
Iski permission toh tumhe pehle leni chahiye thin na?
- this is what: the entrepreneurs are afraid of what would happen if our product doesnt make it legal, this
hampers the entrepreneurial spirit.
June 15, 2013
US to provide weapons to the Syrian rebels: says it has evidence Assad regime used chemical weapons
ATM skimming: criminals use hidden electronics to steal information of a card inserted in an ATM, including its
PIN
Umeed: women empowerment in JK
Toda embroidery gets GI: Udhagamandalam, striking colours of embroidery
Given by the registrar of GIs
The Old
Intro: there will be 30 crore old in India by 2050, and the conditions of the old presently are not very good. Thus
we need to do something :D
Problems:
- economic: loss of incomes esp in unorganized sectors w/o SS
- health problems
- lack of safety/security
- a survey : 30% of the old subjected to some form of abuse/neglect
- it may be physical, verbal, financial, or EMOTIONAL abuse
solutions:
- govt has passed a bill in 2007 placing a legal obligation on the children & relatives to enable elderly to
live a normal and dignified life.
- Provision of maintenance tribunal to grieve and claim allowance from relatives or children
- But overall this legislation has not been effective mainly because 1. lack of awareness. 2. social obligation
of parents not to humiliate their relatives, etc.
- We need to make healthcare instis and old age homes etc meanwhile
- Affordable housing, social security, etc.
- Skill development for a dignified and productive life.
Reported rapes is not equal to actual rapes. So increase in reported rapes doesnt mean the actual rapes have
increased.
Indonesia: has generally been a secular country but off late there have been many issues. With pakistanisation of
Indonesia taking place. One of the reasons is increase in religious aspects of their life with bills like religious
education increase and no live-in bills etc.
Heritage fatgue: the familiarity with the structures so that we dont really care much for them
- ASI needs to be given more resources to protect the monuments [like littering on the premises can be
stopped if enough manpower is employed.]
- ASI needs to be more open to intervention by the common people and not like its colonial tradition of
treating people as unwelcome nuisance.
Nicargua planning a similar canal north of and to Panama canal. Joining the same : Caribbean sea and the Pacific.
It has lake nicargua for a long way but will have to cut too much. Seems unlikely coz the country is not so rich
and all.
Coaral bleaching: the corals will expel the algae living in their tissues when the temperatures get warm. This turns
them into white. But bleaching doesnt mean the corals are dead but they are surely more vulnerable. All
bleaching events are not due to warm water.

GDP at PPP gives us picture of how much stuff we can buy at home. GDP nominal is about how much we can buy
internationally. So bigger the GDP (Nominal), powerful a country is financially. While in case of GDP(PPP) we
cannot say with confidence that bigger the GDP (PPP) is, powerful a country is financially, because they may be
heavily-subsidizing it.
EU pressing for single European sky policy:
- will triple airspace capacity
- reduce distance and save amount spent on fuel
- reduce pollution also
may force some staff of ATCs and all into joblessness
June 18, 2013
Space Solar Power.
- Collection of solar power in space through satellites in space to collect and convert solar power into
electrical power
- benefits: higher energy because no loss through atmosphere longer energy collection because no
day/night in space
- hurdles: transmission. Wire not practical. Radiation. Micrometeoride damage.
- The satellites collect energy convert it to power some laser beams kindaa thingy to focus it on a certain
point etc.
National Testing Agency:
- it will formulate a uniform entrance examination for entry to various branches of higher education,
reducing the stress on students for giving multiple examinations.
- So, like the UPSC at +2 level?
Global Peace Index : India 141/162
Militarization, internal and external conflicts and corruption responsible.
Chinas Tianhe-2 is the worlds fastest computer
GOALS : Governance and Accelerated Livelihoods Security Project in naxal affected areas by the rural devpt.
ministry
- community participation in governance
- market linkages
B Raman:
An IPS, co-founder of RA&W, was an eminent personality in intelligence arena
Central Monitoring System [CMS]
- allow LEAs to monitor phone tappings from under one roof data transfers also?
- Bhayankar powers sms, mails, vido games also etc.
Issues:
- it is shrouded in mystery. No official information, yet about its structure etc.
- misuse possible on political opponents, corporate ceos, judges, HR activists, journalists, etc.
- metadata also supposedly included: metadata is data about data [huh???]
SC has passed judgements that limit the surveillance to:
1. nat sovereignity and integrity
2. relations with foreign nations
3. security
4. public order
Ben Franklin: any society that would give up little liberty to gain a little security deserve neither and lose both.
- dekho bhai everyone is talking of some safeguards but what kind of safeguards, koi toh bolo.
Currently, tapping ke liye home secy ka permission chahiye aur later reviewed by a panel of law secy and
telecomm secy. But so much work by so less people and accountability? The solution offered is that the victim
must be let known that he is being surveilled. Kuchh bhi man.
Note: Metadata is information generated as you use technology, and its use has been the subject of controversy
since NSA's secret surveillance program was revealed. Examples include the date and time you called

somebody or the location from which you last accessed your email. The data collected generally does not
contain personal or content-specific details, but rather transactional information about the user, the device and
activities taking place. In some cases you can limit the information that is collected by turning off location
services on your cell phone for instance but many times you cannot.
PESA mandates the state govts to devolve some admin and fin powers to the local govts elected by the people in
tribal areas.
- but PESA and also the 5th schedule have been poorly implemented
- therefore there is a demand from some quarters that the critical areas like Bastar should be brought in 6 th
schedule this will give them some exclusive legislative powers as well as grants in aids for those areas
Q. should intelligence agencies gather information through legal means only?
- there should be some parliamentary oversight. India is the only democratic country without parliamentary
oversight.
- but even when there is some, they can always be lied about as turned out in the US case
What will you do as a DM or an SP to stop kangaroo courts?
By pitching their political ambitions higher than the Sri Lankan constitutions existing provisions on
provincial autonomy under the 13th amendment, Tamil nationalists have played into the hands of Sinhalese
hardliners
- the 13th amendment was brought in after the indo-lanka accord of 1987.
- It attempts to resolve ethnic conflict in SL by giving some degree of autonomy to the minorities and
dispel majoritys fear of secession
- India : kya kare yaar? Sab humaari udaa rhe hai. Bhak saala.
A very informative article:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/dangerous-games-with-devolution/article4847181.ece
Iran: Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei
Nothing new the daily chubber chubber about the US should see rationale
http://www.slideshare.net/qzenith/quiz-18605387?from_search=29
http://www.slideshare.net/arupbhattacharjee9026/final-quiz-2013
June 19, 2013
Note: clean India campaign
TRAI is trying to create an institutional buffer between the corporate ownership and editorial operations aspects
of media. Including print also. That is the corporates will only have the ownership i.e., shares and no other
editorial involvement.
- the doubt regarding right to freedom:
- all robust democracies in the world have some restrictions on cross-media ownership and is needed to
maintain plurality and diversity of media
- The most difficult part yet is to answer what form will the buffer take.
Why is it needed?
- Media need money to survive. They do so by selling equity. But there must be regulation on how much a
corporate house can invest and in how many media houses.
- Editorial controls should not be compromised for revenue.
- Corporates dont get into media to make money. There aint much. They do so to control media through
indirect means of appointing a suitable editor, etc.
- A standard management practice of separation of ownership and management is missing in the media
business.
- Blurred lines between news, views and propaganda. And media has huge potential to influence the
political system.
Cyber security infrastructure in India:
- we have only 556 experts deployed in various agencies to address cyber security issues

- china has over 1.25 lakh incl. govt-supported hackers and US has over 90,000. Russia over 7000
So, now India is also setting up its own cyber security architecture that will include:
1. national cyber coordination centre NCCC : for threat assessment and information sharing
2. Cyber Operations Centre [COC] : threat management & mitigation
- will be run jointly by the NTRO and armed forces
- identified critical sectors and the defence
- civil aviation, railway passenger reservation systems, port management, co.s in petroleum, natural gas,
banking, finance, telecom etc.
- also, ISRO, PMO, police intelligence agencies etc., MoEA [passport database.]
- functionas: scanning and mitigation, system audits and forensics, certification and R&D, coordination,
etc.
Waking up from a deep slumber, the government has decided to recruit 4,446 experts to be deployed in six
organisations that would take care of Indias cyber security infrastructure. These are the Department of
Electronics and Information Technology (DEITy), which includes Indian-Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-In) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC); the Department of Telecom (DoT); the National Technical
Research Organisation (NTRO); the Ministry of Defence; the Intelligence Bureau (IB); and the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO).
TB drugs stock out:
- in india, more than 3 lakh people die of TB every year
- mortality rates have dropped from 28 pc in 93 to 4 pc now through the administration of DOTS directly
observed treatment short course
- but there has been shortage of drugs lately. Lack of contract renewal by the ministry of health [centre]
- latest even MDR tb drug the 2nd round also under crisis
why doses cant be fulfilled by medicines procured from outside?
- variable doses recommended for by pvt and govt docs
- pvt medicine shops dont keep them coz it is no longer financially viable as now govt gives them freely
NCRB data says:
More than 8ooo minors raped last year
Padmanabhapuram palace near nagercoil in TN may be involved in WH list
- wood-work, innovative design and mural paintings.
- 400 yr old. Home to kings of travancore.
- Admin still in kerala govt. maint cost shared equally by TN and KL
Process:
- every member country add monuments to a tentative list
- nominate a few when the special committee convenes
- independent experts assess the sites and the the WHC takes decision
the madras HC ruling:
pros:
- false promise of marriage cases: the cheating cases: women can claim benefits [are they nuts man???]
- rape cases where defendants say it was consensual, they may have to marry :P
- rather than stressing on meaningless [:O] rituals, it is good to put a legal stamp on something better. [like
sex??? Hahahaha :D]
cons:
- marriage in India is a societal concept in India
- documentary proof of sexual relationship???
- Marriage involves certain rights and responsibilities and should not be conferred only on the basis of
sexual relationship. This approach will limit the legal notion itself of marriage to just sexual union.
The judgement in the case can be right but to generalize it for once and for all is not good, man.
Agricultuaral workers move to hazardous industries in search of seasonal jobs and all. Brick kilns, etc.
- We have to lay the foundations for a better growth model not by stimulating the animal spirit of
domestic and foreign investors as our Prime Minister has often said, but by building a better economy for
the majority through h the creation of equitable institutions, and through the progressive redistribution of
gains from growth.
Bangladesh

Awami League: sheikh Hassina: ruling took opportunity in shahbagh square of showcasing its modernist
nationalist face
BNP: opposition:- claims to be representative of the Islam protectors
- both playing dirty politics
In reality, it is the undercurrent of elections that is beneath these chaotic scenario incidents.
There is a big question mark of how the neutral government to oversee the elections will be appointed
India can come into play??? [mann mein laddoo foota]
Jugaad not necessarily creates inferior products or services. What about kabaad se jugaad for waste management.
Lekin: it has promoted shortcut, short sightedness and in the search of an alternative but quick solution it has now
become an obstacle in India realizing its true potential.
Boycotts, bandhs:
Most of the times, the majority is in opposition to such things but are afraid to say anything
- today these things have become competitive. Just as a show of strength.
My opinion: the state should take all the necessary actions to stop this menace.
- how is it different from the bandhs that were organized during our independence struggle?

http://www.iitk.ac.in/ime/MBA_IITK/avantgarde/?p=161
Teachers need to be enthusiastic about teaching.
SR-Sam short range surface to air missile: [maitri missile project]: India and France:
Difference between approval and automatic route of FDI: so for ODI by Indians also???
The proposed immigration rule change in the USA:
- force Indian IT companies to remove professionals on H1-B work permits from on site client locations
- double visa application costs
- border surge enabling no. of patrol agents
- legalization of the migrants
Note: Indian IT industry gets 80% of its revenues from the US and European markets
Maldives anti graft watchdog gives clean chit to GMR deal
There is this thing of the local netas wanting to solve the problems of the people by doing their works in
government offices. Aint it another form of democracy huh??? [:D :P] the intermediaries
- They dont want the system to be transparent or else who will ask them?
- Technological changes can go only so far. But beyond that we need the image of the government to change from
being the maai-baap of the masses to that of the servant of the masses.
- top level netas speak of transparency and local ones are hehehehe
For INDIA,
Spying is not new. Neither is spying on friends.
We need to make sure that this can be tackled only by building capacity.
It is unclear what national interest will be served by involving in Syria.
Moreover, the US is caught in a classic doomed if you do, doomed if you dont situation. And so are other
world powers. Rather than being a point of internal conflict, Syria has actually become a playground for show of
strength by the western powers and also Russia.
Sugar beet better than sugar cane for sugar. Because: less harvesting period. 6 mnths act 10 mnths
More sugar content 40 pc act 15-20 pc. Less weight to be transportedResistant to pests less water
June 20, 2013
Carbon nanotube:
Nanofluids: nonotubes added to fluids [water] that healp in heat exchange
- because this fluid has much more heat trandfer efficiency.

Can save water in heat transfer application in steel industry and can reduce the size of radiator and other
components in automobiles
Other application: instead of silicon in microchips

Photodynamic therapy: for cancer

- normally a drug for cancer will stop cell growth not just of cancerous cells but also other cells like nails,
hair, etc. throat and stomach lining also.
- In this therapy the molecules get accumulated in cancer cells only and on exposure to specific wavelength
of light, release toxins which would destroy only the cancer cells
- Now Indian scientists have found molecule which are more effective and less dangerous to other body
organs because they work with IR light, les harmful to normal cells
Fracked shale gas found to have return value close to coal.
Return value: comparison of eventual fuel and the energy required to create the fuel
A study shows that crop yield will not be able to meet the global demand by 2050.
- increasing populations
- biofuels demand
=> reduce wastage, best management practices and efficient use of arable lands
Ru-Pay
- a payment network platform by the RBI on which the debit cards will be based.
- Like mastercard OR visa cards.
PSUs need to invest in CSR to get public goodwill.
Mali:
After the ceasefire between the rebels and the govt. the nation is gearing up for elections. India had contributed
500 crore rupaye for the nation building thingy
India-US relations off late? How have they been?
- emotional attitudes and prejudices affect public opinion but they should take a backseat as far as
diplomacy is concerned. It has to be all about National Interest.
- Now say for example, America. We know they are bad and condemning and all is good. But we should
base our policy towards them only by what harm or good can they do to us question.
- There are no friends in diplomacy. But may be enemies are there.
- Mutual benefit in Panchsheel means mutual tradeoff.
- Our relationship hasnt been of very much importance to them it seems. In the last 2-3 years, nothing
significant seems to have happened.
June 21, 2013
The UK floods problem:- Tehri dam useful in avoiding floods in rushikesh and haridwar. Most dams in UK have stopped power
generation due to silt but tehri continues to power up because it is reservoir type. Note: run of river
usually means diversion and not building a dam?
- Disaster management capabilities exposed, again.
- Land use planning in vulnerable areas
- Geology: Himalayas are young and still rising, making the area vulnerable to erosion and instability
- Expanding settlements and populations: pressure on land and increased vulnerability
- Hydropower projects and other construction activities are potential sources of slope weakening
- Pilgrims: led to mushrooming of cheap structures etc., unplanned
- Keeping check on pilgrim activities (really??? Is that possible)
- Buildings within a specific distance of river banks in certain areas should be banned
- Global warming: glaciers melting and greater capacity of air to carry moisture
- Poor soil stability on steep slopes
- Deforestation and unplanned construction .
- Better forecasting and dissemination

Official guidelines for tourists

Complains about only the tourists getting media coverage
We can use technology during rescue and planning and train our officers in countries where there are
better DM capacities
- There have been more rains all over India. UK got eight times normal rains in the fateful week.
- The aftermath for the locals is: starvation. And diseases.
- There is a need to develop a strong scientific consensus to see that development is not hazardous and
implement what so many scholars say.
- Dams, deforestation urbanization etc. they make the water holding capacity of soil less
- Google NDMA
- The world over the agencies work in cohesion, here in india we work in isolation
- We need a NatGrid for integrating various DM acticities
We can keep saying about all these reasons but natural disasters happen all around the world. These are just
random occurrences and we must be able to cope with it.
- Scientific river management techniques should be harnessed. Engineering embankments to defend against
floods are important. But setting up a see-saw between human activity and environmental protection does
not help either cause. They should be sensibly balanced, without bringing in unfounded fears about
human hubris and vengeful rivers.
Crisis mapping: the map made with info coming from those who can provide using net mobile messaging etc
to those who require it like the rescue forces and all. The info is systematically arranged and loaded onto an online
map that has info like rescued people, cleared areas, people stranded, relief camps, medical centres, road network,
etc. of course, can work only if the network still is functioning.
Patent issue to genes:
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes.
These are the genes, which when mutate in a certain manner, are responsible for breast cancer.
To study their effects they need to be isolated and then mutations studied etc. these guys at myriad had patented
these isolated genes. That means, only they could study them. Now since this is ruled out, anyone can isolate and
study it on their own and provide better ways to handling the problem. The ways to handle problem are patented
yet.
Compare the journey of India and China in the last 65 years.
Ranbaxy admitted in a US court of having sold out some substandard quality drugs.
This gains importance from the pov that India had opposed WHOs plans to launch a task force to fights usch
products. By doing so, India may think that we are saving the exports of our country but then after this incident
there will not be many countries ready to import from India.
June 22, 2013
Brazil:
The demonstrations are in opposition to transit fare hike. It has now been rolled back but yet they are protesting
now for many other reforms like in education sector, etc. and questioning the spending on stadiums and all.
- the general economic downfall and corruption have caused general anger.
- The emphasis on economic but not social development.
- Discontent in middle class because of price rise in cities housing etc.
The price of coal imported is higher. So freedom to power co.s to pass the burden onto consumers
WHO urges India to follow daily regime instead of intermittent regime since there are not many manufacturers
produce drugs for intermittent usage
Ccea clears sale of food grains from FCI stocks to contain retail price
Making use of the golden hour:
An SC ruling has made it clear that the doctors dont have to wait for confirming if there is a legal-criminal angle
to the vehicular accident before emergency care. Also, neither payment of fees or consent of relatives can be
ground for taking no action in emergency. [lekin hospitals cant just do this unless they are sure there will be

money coming in from somewhere so we need a mechanism to ensure that.] at least itna toll lete hai, usmein hi
cover kar do yaar insurance bhi.
Stats: about 1.42 lakhs deaths and over 5 lakh injuries in 2011 in accidents on road
- take help of tech to regulate traffic
- strict enforcement
- encouraging public transport by making it suitable
If the rise of China has the potential to destabilise the region, so does the Obama administrations Asia
pivot. Rather than divisiveness and containment, Asia needs a strategic architecture that is inclusive and
open.
Chulhas:
Nearly 75% rural and 22% urban households still use biomass for their daily cooking.
- The poorly ventilated spaces
- Affects health of already vulnerable women
- There has been a programme: national programme on improved chulhas. But these need to be made
commercially viable not as charity
June 24, 2013
diaspora bonds proposed:
- Mainly now they invest through the short term volatile portfolio investment route.
- This is to see to it that they invest in some long term options to boost infrastructure.
Prospects of AYUSH
- NRHM entered AYUSH for under insurance coverage.
- But not yet under RSBY
- The rich go to it as an alternative treatment
- The poor generally go for unorganized sector of treatment OR the conventional allopathy treatment in
govt. hospitals. Toh fir insurance ka fayda unko kaise hoga.
Six rajasthan forts declared WHS
- use of natural defences offered by the terrain
- chittorgarh, kumbhalgarh, ranthanmbore, gagaron (jhalawar), amber (jaipur)
June 24, 2013
Why Indian companies go for outward FDI, except of course for better earnings:
- better environment
- to meet global competition
- indias growth story instilling competition
- technological upgradation
operation Surya hope and operation rahat by army and air force respectively, in uttarakhand rescue ops.
The organ donation:
Due to huge demand supply gap, there is scope for corruption and all.
Afghanistan, the USA and India:
- karzai will eventually give in mostly after all he needs funds for security forces and general
administration
why US ready to talk with Taliban?
- when Taliban seized power in Kabul in 1996, US dint worry too much about it. They wanted to get oil
through Af-Pak from the central asia, so they needed stable Afghanistan for this
- in 1998 they turned hostile towards Taliban because osama attacked its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania
after developing a close nexus with Taliban and apparently the attacks were based out of Afghanistan.
- Meanwhile, originally, US dint pay heed to the fact that Taliban had been organizing training camps for
terrorists against India although the Taliban itself denied it.

- Now that osama is gone, US is essentially trying to revert to the pre 1998 approach.
But we must not let ourselves to be excluded out of the international diplomacy scene. We should let the US know
of our apprehensions about the Taliban and be ready to act to protect our interests in Afghanistan along with other
like-minded nations. Like what? Russia, Iran and some central asian countries???
- kerry had said in India that there wont be talks before the preconditions were met but the obama
adminstn has been that the conditions are outcomes not preconditions.
Note: the India-US relationship has seen some cold waves due to US engagement in Afghanistan and all
What is the status of cash transfer in other countries?
Prospects of Indian IT industry:
Positives:
- prospects look good with improved economic conditions in its biggest market: the USA
- the last year was not so good because of fall in expenditure in IT by the developed economies due to
sluggish growth
- cloud computing, mobility, social media, BFSI [banking, fin. Servc. And insurance] are emerging trends
for the IT
- European countries have been slow in adopting outsourcing but we are expanding our geographies.
- Sharp depreciation of rupee, will benefit industry
Negatives:
- We need to expand our markets, esp. in developing economies
- Profitability may be hit due to pressure on billing rates and wage hikes due to attrition rate due in fact to
improving industry fundamentals???
- Margins will also be affected due to increase in visa fees and local hiring. Restrictions on placing
employees on H1B and L1 visas will also hamper smooth functioning
- We need to learn top adapt quicker to changing market scenarios
India US and business ties:
American business lobbies have been complaining about:
- lack of IP protection
- preferential market access
- compulsory licensing
- retroactive taxation
the recent judgements by Indian courts wrt pharma co.s has had its effect on us pharma co.s as well:
- India is a thought leader among emerging economies and other countries also have been emulating indias
IP policies. This has worried their companies and they want to punish India through the means of visa
regulations. I dont think so. There must be other reasons as well
- India says our policies are well within TRIPs framework. And we need to think about our log also
But still our prospects look healthy because we have a healthy trade balance unlike both our trade with china and
this is good
June 25, 2013
Effecte of climate change on tea productions:
- high temperatures in assam and heavy rainfall
challenges before India shrimp industry:
- moderate growth in china, weak in Europe.
- Technical barriers by japan
- Continuing anti-dumping duty and possibility of countervailing duty
But frozen shrimp ke kaaran ache prospects hai
RBI has asked banks to implement certain security measures wrt to cards in the wake of misuse case in thefts and
cyber security features have been asked to boost up. The deadline now extended to November 30.
Kerry Khurshid meet [New Delhi]
- Indiane bargain kiya US ke saath. Tum humein NSG mein support karo, hum tumhe yaha par reactors set
up karne denge.
- Tume humein shale gas do hum tumhare projects ko clearance den eke deadline denge.

us asked for a bilateral investment protection agreement. India says. Thamba ho thode aamhi baghtoy
tyach kay karaych te.
Existing: sovereign guarantee for every investment. Proposed: no sovereign guarantees. Upar se
companies arbitration court mein nahi jaa sakte once you lost in civil courts.
Afghanistan mein humare concerns ke bare mein bhi humnei unhe suchit kiya.
Iran ke bare mein India bola: dekho bhai hum naye leadership ka kya khayal hai yeh jaanane ke baad hi
humara stand pakka karenge. Humein iran ke saath jo relations hai who valuable hai.

Arctic route:
- northern sea route along russias arctic coastline
- less time and less fuel. :D
- traffic is still negligible as compared to the suez canal and panama canal route.
- Most of the traffic is related to hydrocarbons, coal and iron.
- Sea barrents seaiska lng bikane ka mast chance hoga aur icebreakers
Ingestible computers, sensors as pills
- already used in space travel, fire fighters to monitor body characteristic levels.
- These pills actually contain tiny sensors and can be swallowed like a normal pill. They remain intact in
the stomach and are removed in about 24 hours.
- Once in, they transmit info about various body parameters like blood flow, body temperatures, etc. that
may help doctors in monitoring the patients or in other applications
- It can also be used in identification token application. You take the pill and dont have to enter password
etc.
- Can be used in physical as well as neurological problems
These are goods. And the bads.
- privacy. Insurance companies will not let you lie. ;)
the recent pollution in Singapore & malaysia was due to forest fires in Indonesia
Chhattisgarh special public security act (CSPSC):
Provisions:
- encouragement to disobedience of established law and its institution is an unlawful activity.
- Journalists asked to reveal their sources.
- This is used to deter journalists from publishing what the Maoists have to say, or propogate.
Implications:
- pahile to against the right
- then if we dont know what the Maoists want, how will we design strategies to deal with them
the problem of grasslands and the great Indian bustard
- the only habitat protection we have is forest conservation act of 1980
- the case is whether grasslands are forests
- the forest dept has been involved in over zealous attempts to convert everything that is even grasslands
into forests
- this has led to problems with many species that habitate in grasslands. Eg. The only species that went
extinct in independent India cheetah was a grassland guy.
- So is the problem with the great Indian bustard. Habitat: semi arid grasslands. Many consider this as
wastelands and dont pay heed to its conservation
- RJ (state bird), AP, GJ, MH, KA.
- It converges before monsoon for the breeding season but where does it go in non-breeding season is still a
mystery.
- We need to start counting and all etc. the centre has already started a CS conservation scheme for the GIB
TRAI sets ceilings on roaming charges.
Doing away with roaming not a good idea cause it will ultimately lead to the poor subsidizing the rich.
June 26, 2013
SEBI tightens buyback norms. Eases foreign investors ke liye ke norms. Pahila wala kyu bhai???
Angel investment ke liye bhi norms finalise kiye aur escrow accounts kya hai???

Typically, when a company announces a share buyback, investors tend to push up its stock to get a higher
price. Sebi suspected that some companies were announcing share repurchases merely to push up their
market value.
- An escrow account is where money is held by a party but does not belong to the party. Funds in an escrow
account should not be commingled with the funds of the person or entity that is holding the funds. In
some cases the person holding the funds in an escrow account is a completely independent third party
(called an "escrow agent"). In other cases, it is one of the parties to a transaction. There are several
reasons for using an escrow account. One main reason is to preserve the funds in the event of a
bankruptcy of the person holding the funds. The funds in an escrow account do not belong to the person
holding them and should not be able to be used to satisfy that person's own creditors. When an
independent escrow agent is used, the reason is typically to make sure that the funds are only paid out
when some specific conditions have been satisfied.
- Angel investor toh pata hi hai naye ideas ko khat paani dena.
Sebi has basically done away with a bunch of categories of foreign investors with just one category. Oh really?
This was basically in the wake of LPG when we wanted more regulations to ensure that the pvt sectors dont act
smart. Hehehe. Ab itna daroge toh bijness kaise karenge bhai?? Guru bhai guru bhai aavyachhe.
Will CBIs autonomy come true?
These are most likely things. Not any official word. Allegedly by the GoM formed by the PM in the wake of harsh
words of the SC where it called CBI a caged parrot
- 3 member committee of SC judges for complaints against the CBI
- Sanction to question a Jt Secy and above offcr to not have any interference from minister
- Financial powers to the CBI director at par with those of the heads of central police organizations
Acc. To the NCRB data over 1.35 lakh suicides last year
- social and economic causes.
- Also failure in exams and love are major reasons
- Income inequality and competition etc.
- Farmer suicides average over 16000 per annum in the last decade.
Cash Bonds by Britain:
- Aimed at preventing abuse of immigration rules as security against high risk individuals who are likely to
overstay the visa
- Countries will be chosen depending on the high volume of visitor visa applications and relatively high
levels of fraud and abuse
- Likely: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, SL, Ghana
- Only non white countries? They may result in counter measures by those countries.
- India may not be in the list. An official says agar rha bhi to bhi will be applicable only to first time
applicants if considered posing a risk of fraud.
- A cash bond of 3,000 pounds
The draft rejected by the PM who is trying to woo Indian investors.
PRS biotech reg autho of ind bill
Manipur transporters demand highway protection force.
About half of our graduates are found to be not employable for any industrial role.
Super earth?
- A super-Earth is an extrasolar planet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below the mass of the
Solar System's smaller gas giants Uranus and Neptune, which are both more or less 10 Earth masses. The
term super-Earth refers only to the mass of the planet, and does not imply anything about the surface conditions
or habitability.
The relation between media and the judiciary has generally been of a natural alliance.
- The courts ruling in favour of press freedom and the press always for the independence of judiciary.
- But the prior restraint and contempt of court have started straining it seems.
What is Prior Restraint?
The taking of legal action before an anticipated wrongdoing. Remedies to prevent a threatened illegality from
taking place include the use of injunction or prohibition and declaration.

The debate of history and sedition spreading hatred?

Normal rainfall: 96-104% of average long-range rainfall
The i.e. news foe the last few days:
Rupee deprcn is just a symptom of an underlying problem:
- lack of competitiveness
- ease regulations
- do away with useless subsidies
- structural reforms
June 27, 2013
The norm is qazis grant divorce to muslim couples. Only courts should be allowed to do that common there
should be codification of muslim personal law
The security forces threatening the extremists by harming there relatives? What do you think?
Social media is the new authentic expression of democratic energy. Comment.
Medical education article:
- wealthy before worthy practice is followed by doctors in treating patients
- Schools pvt and colleges govt. hehehe IMO there should be bhayankar number of government medical
colleges
Acc. to a WHO report, more than half of indias population still defecates in open.
- it is a DM problem. The disease outbreak angle.
- 1/3rd of the world popln still lacks sanitation and good drinking water
Do you support vertical growth of Indian cities?
Pros:
- optimal us of land
- reduces home prices
- creates compact cities
cons:
- does not always do the above. Moreover that will mean the open spaces will have to be compromised
because of the growing no. of people. After all, an average space a human needs must be same na???
Other measures need to be done.
- transport improvements, micro-apartments to address housing problem. Reduce GHGs hyan??/
the US migration bill:
- legalizing the so far unauthorized more than 1 crore migrants and sealing the borders [not so sure] to see
there are not more in case of satisfying certain criteria???
- Is it right and is it the same bill that restricts H1 B etc??? well yeah they are covered under the same bill.
Textile industry moots for a PS tag the benefits of financing and all. The request sent to RBI and Fin. Ministry.
S&T
-

Herbal medicine comes from seeing the use by various animals.

Brain can be trained to care for others????
The tendons and ligaments of the shoulder store elastic energy helpful in speed throwing [fastest motion
the body produces???]

IRNSS
- gps has 24 satellites to cover the whole earth. Irnss has 7 satellites to cover areas in and around India. 1.5k
kms from our borders
- a std gps receiver will not do. A different receiver is needed

gps 15m irnss 20 m and better

groundwork to constantly watch and make corrections of the signals the sats send needed
all 7 sats at 36k kms, 4 in geosynch [making an 8 as seen from earth] and 3 in geostat orbits ab. equators
*** navign sats periodically transmit their position in orbit along with the exact time at which the signals
are sent. These travel as microwave signals @ speed of light, it can be used to calculate their distance by
knowing the delay in transmission and reception by the device. With 4 sats data the position of the device
is calculated. Therefore a very precise clock is needed like the rubidium atomic clock used here.
- Thus the clocks need to be free from disruptions of temperature and vibration and EM interference.
- 2 types of services from the irnss: std and restricted [military and the govt.]
- Reduce our dependence on the gps in case of emergency
Applications:
-

The IRNSS-1A will provide accurate information on the position of cars/trucks, ships and aircraft vis-vis their destination, with the help of a receiver. It could be an independent receiver, or built into a mobile
phone, a car or a ship. The satellite can provide precise information when the aircraft is about to land on
the runway. The pilot will know how far he is from the runway or at what height he is above the runway,
with an accuracy of 20 metres. Unlike the Global Positioning System (GPS) which can be used anywhere,
this is called a regional navigation system because it is available to users in India and the surrounding
region. A highly accurate atomic clock is part of the navigation payload of the satellite. Thus, the IRNSS
applications include terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, tracking of vehicles,
guiding hikers and travellers, and visual and voice navigation for drivers.
Take that pic from the paper
Banihal Qazigund rail link:
- joins jammu with Kashmir valley that was usually cut off in winters
- tourism, connectivity
- katra banihal section incl. a high bridge to connect jammu to the rest of India.
Ahimsa messengers: spread legal awareness about legal provisions, rights, govt schemes amongst women. These
will incl. panchayat leaders, workers, ASHAs anganwadi workers etc.
Most critically acclaimed national award winning movies which have adult content: caught up: because DD wont
screen them cause theyre adult and if DD doesnt, who else will promote them.
- parental guidance role.
- Hyper morality and proactive nationalist tendency.
Ceylon frogmouth a bird spotted in kerala also called SL fm. Colours match that of its habitat on the trees and
difficult to find.
India US relationship: points of concern:
1. iran: sanctions: oil and uss being adamant
2. USs view towards Pakistan, esp. in light of US troop withdrawals with India fearing the terrorist
activities coming to surface
3. US-China leading to G-2? Farfetched man
4. trade, climate, non-proliferation and recently, the IPs
5. ideological differences wrt to hegemony
6. the recent privacy issues and internet rights
why would the US turn towards us?
- economic potential.
- To counter china
India needs to show that it is relevant on the world map, esp. by showing economic growth because Indias
importance can IMO be directly related to our economic growth in the last 2 decades. [N-test, SL Maldives ka
kya? Aur bangladesh liberation and all]
June 28, 2013
The privacy question:

if not govt then advertisers and marketers were already making use of the personal data that we enter on
the social networking sites for free. So it was not entirely unexpected of the govt to do that plus what
about UID?
- what is the fear if you are not doing anything wrong
there are some solutions though
- relaying and re routing data through a network of computers setup voluntarily by users across the world
and data being encrypted repeatedly so that the agencies can not find it.
NCLP national child labour project:
- as long as poverty remained there will; be problem of child labour so legal recourse is not a practical
solution
- child labours are withdrawn from work and sent to special schools for them. Stipend and all also given
along with some vocational education.
White label ATMs
- by corporates allowed by the RBI for financial inclusion and all
- dip machines: that dont swallow the card
dept of posts has applied for banking license
CAD
- portfolio investment

- short term debt flow

- gold

- US dollar strengthening

Vidya Bhaskar:
Hindi journalist a pioneer in developing interviews as an effective device in hindi journalism
Slack functioning of trial courts not the only reason for delay in disposal of cases
1. non appearance of parties: due to lack of financial resources, not enough transport to travel to even the
taluka place for hearing moreover even more difficult for a woman
2. failure of supporting machinery like local revenue officers, police and lawyers etc. with overburdened
local officials doing everything like the tehsildar has to see revenue, partition and even DVA
3. delay in service of summons. No acknowledgement from the receiving party and all.
4. inexperience of judges in filling up the huge vacancies. For eg. In MH, there is no bar on no. of years as a
practicing lawyer before becoming a judge
5. so strict directions to the lower courts will not be solely able to do justice. The change has to be better to
make justice more accessible.
Silk route as a precursor to modern internet in spreading ideas etc. Buddhism and islam became world religions.
- Today: association can be seen in: Hollywood, culinary, cyber interdependencies, medicines etc.
- In 2004, India becam signatory to along with 30 other nations, a joint project on trans asian transportation
network. China pushed ahead almost ignoring south asia. But India neglected that it could be an
opportunity dividend for the NW and NE
Tata sky planning to sue ISRO:
Did not give additional capacity in the form of transponders on its satellites as according to the contract. All other
DTH providers have leased on the foreign satellites. ISRO needs more satellites to cater to the needs.
The SC says: we cant ask parliament to enact an anti-snooping law in PRISM case because it is not in our
jurisdiction man.
DATA: an NSSO survey says that: the major topics discussed by the Gen Next on the social media are: Env, Soc
Work, Women Violence and child abuse in that order. No place for sanitation. Of course they are all better to do
with.
NIA was formed after 26/11: an investigative agency.
Gas prices hiked. It is the natural gas price that is hiked.
- Many of gas power plants and fertilizer plants are running below capacity and it is not economical. We
need gas. And to get that, we need companies to invest in our gas basins and extract it for us.

- may affect power and fertilizer price hike

- using prices of long term spot liquid gas, import contracts and international trading bench marks
- needed to attract investment in the oil and gas sector.
- Power and fertilizer sectors may get subsidized gas
- So linking with world prices and subsidization to power and fertilizers counter the price hike.
Lekin the co.s should not be allowed to incessantly increase prices and the prices should be capped wrt the
reasonable RoIs and ensure better regulation in seeing the technical parameters related to the production which for
eg. Reliance says are responsible for low production. And when these are addressed it will be necessary to see to
it that the prices also are systematically balanced.
National minimum wage. Why not good?
- most of the labour jobs created since LPG have been in informal sector and artificially raising wages will
mean more informalisation of the labour force.
- Most of the companies will pass the burden on the consumers. No extra production but extra cost means
inflation
- Agar informalisation ho gaya toh skill development kaise karenge?
- Reduced competition between states [???]
Like MGNREGS: high wages dont create productivity but are an outcome of it.
Pakistan:
They have not been able to consolidate civilian rule because of inherent weakness in their national parties and the
power that the military wielded due to support from US [as a cold war measure and then to stop terrorists]
thriving on anti-Indiaism. The good relations will only lead to diluting this aspect.
We talk of democratsation of the internet. And bringing it under the UN. Is it even possible? The only way is to
create an alternative infrastructure that can match the that of the USAs. and is that possible?
What do we need new banks for?
- competition?
- Efficiency to strike at the PSBs
- Financial inclusion. Check
- We have nice regulators to see that there is no fundebaazi by the pvts
A comprehensive article about shale gas revolution:
- balance the rising prices of crude oil now since a lot of countries have shale, there is less likelihood of
formation like OPEC
- India ke liye bhi same lekin humare paas utne zyaada bhi nahi hai ASSAM RJ AND some coastal areas
Environment:
- a lot of water needed for fracking
- gases emission and all
- no incentive will be left for improving green energy sources
international flight hunb in agartal and imphal is a very good idea but there is a need of good transit infrastructure
also like road and rail link. Beijing can reach arunachal earlier than delhi can.
- the long awaited rail corridor through Bangladesh will reduce rail distance to agartala to 550 kms from
the current 1700 [from where? Kolkata?]
This link would also be vital for the Trans Asian Railway Network (TAR), of which both India and Bangladesh
are members. As part of TAR, India has been constructing a 350km rail link from Jiribam (India) to
Moreh (Myanmar)a link Bangladesh can be benefitted from.
- presently only cargo. Will help businesses. Can unload at Chittagong from kolkata or Mumbai and then to
agartala through akhaura.

http://www.dhakatribune.com/development/2013/may/21/akhaura-agartala-rail-link-indobanglaofficials-meet-devise-plan-today
[Bengal is rail connected to bangladesh]
June 29, 2013
India will have to repay a debt of about 172 bn $ by the end of march 2014.

short term debt maturing this year= STD within 1 yr maturity period and long term debt maturing this
year
this is 60% of indias foresx reserves. In 2008 it was just 17%
also because of the LTDs that Indian corporates had taken after the boom in 2004
ECB accounts for 31% of indias total external debt

China says it is ready to break new grounds in boundary settlement. That after Depsang incident. Hyahayahya.
This round of talks stuff doesnt seem to mean anything to me. Only non-top representatives are sent and all.
India became the 1st Asian country to ban cosmetic tests on animals. Only non-animal tests permitted.
Bangladesh loses some of its trade privileges on account of poor conditions in its export industries. Huh.
India JBC meet: jt business council
Issues:
- the pending MFN status to India by the pak
- TAPI
- Air and rail connectivity
- relaxation of visa regime
- banking channels etc.
rp bhavan is grade 1 heritage building. That limits intervention.
Intach: Indian national trust for art and cultural heritage
conservation of natural, built and cultural
jt statement in India-us
not so convergent
- India not optimistic about Taliban talks and us says some red lines etc.
- Iran omitted :D
- It visas: bumped to the industry to see
Not so divergent
- East asian region coop: stresses the importance of ind us jap dialogue
- Nuclear afkors
Myanmar mein Qatar telecom ko mobile chalane ka tender mila toh waha ke log bol rhe ki yeh kya hai bhai?
Buddhist majority?
The labour internal migration
- not so different from the colonial one. It was initially slaved bu later on it was also bound by contract
agreement: Girmit or girmitiya labour
- now it is seen in India from eastern up and bihar to surat Mumbai Punjab noid haryan and around delhi
basically [no south???]
- they miss their culture and as the Indians outside celebrate our gods and festivals so dop the internal
migrants. Huge agony of separation. Haalaki abhi toh mobile shobile bhi aa gaye hai fir bhi.
- So we need to ensure about their good conditions in their place of work and see if we can create
opportunities in their places of home.
Remember dude: you are also a migrant :D
A brilliant article esp. for public administration: [cut]
Barefoot bureaucracy: the impact of bottom of pyramid services is much more because that is the first point of
contact between the govt and the public.
- dilution of bureaucracy will be needed
- teachers, nurses, docs working in rural India etc.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/one-barefoot-step-a-giant-administrativeleap/article4861967.ece
some amendments are planned in the atrocities act. PRS
- mainly because the old act doesnt seem to have been efficient enough.
- The conviction rate for atrocities crimes is very low.

Does nuclear power have a future in India?

- yes inspite of the opposition. Because. Well, we need it. The tragedy is we started so early but have not
been able to build capacity. What the other nations have moved on from, we are moving into.
- Challenges: indias position in the nuclear diplomacy. Two indias liability law. Places onus on the
supplier in case of damage.
- Aftereffects of fukushima due to which even the countries which swore by the nuclear power till date are
looking for alternatives.
- Trust deficit can be overcome by having in place inspection by international agencies, medical facilities
and DM readiness in case of an accident.
- The positives of nuclear power so far which have been less pollution and costs etc have been proven
wrong on accounts of actual implementation of the projects.
June 30, 2013
Veena Rao:
Publishes and edits magazine NRI PULSE from geotgia. Made it to the limca book of records as the first NRI
woman editor abroad
INS trikand new stealth frigate from Russia into IN. others are teg and tarkash
Civil Liability for nuclear damages act 2010 : the operator fully responsible for accident liability and a recourse
against the supplier if it thinks the accident is caused due to faulty equipment.
The national homestead bill can also help tackle the problem of nutrition along with source of income. So good.
- The challenge is that the land is a state subject so . There may be complications
- There need to be a cluster of common facilities in the vicinity of such lands.
Very high temperature means difficult for the aircrafts to take off because low pressure at ground, high above.
Various infra packages and schemes in Kashmir is good, but the comprehensive inclusion initiatives are lacking.
To kya kare bhai? Aur kaise inclusion laye?
The problems with CSSs
- They follow a centralized one size fits all approach
- They have now taken place of constitutional transfer of revenue like the grants and all
- CSS and addnl central assistance: 3.08 lac crores. Share arrangements and Grants: 3.66 lac crores
- Puts states under the centre. In the way that they cant design their own plans. They just have to implement
what the centre does.
- Multiplicity of implementation arrangements because each scheme has its own design implementation
methodology etc.
- So we need to trim CSSs. An expert committee on leveraging panchayats for development through CSSs
has also recommended the same
- CSSs could be designed as a whole sector grants for like drinking water, education, etc. rather than a
package scheme
- The centre and states should be goal setters and performance monitors rather than micro-managers
Cities all over the world exist on seas and rivers and they look a lot better than Indian cities.
Development has to be there. A planned one. So dont say development has led to this.