8th Dec 2014

Renewable power installed capacity as on October 31, 2014, has reached 33 GW.
Wind energy accounts for 70 %, followed by biomass power 4.2 per cent, small
hydropower 3.9 GW and solar power 2.8 GW
India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted by the National Council for
Applied Economic Research (NCAER)
12th Dec
Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS)
Corruption is also to blame for lack of safety for women in India. Critically
comment.
The UBER Rape incident has exposed the many chinks in the armor of the
administration.
There are instances of policemen, who are not associated with either the clearance
process or with day-to-day policing, issuing character certificates, without any checks,
to an applicant for a price.
Several specialised background-check agencies confront many stumbling blocks in
the form of bureaucratic indifference and hostility.
Reasons
Unlike many other countries in the West, India does not have a single national
database of crimes and criminals.
The much-touted Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System, which would
have served the purpose, has remained a dream.
Solution
Mechanisms to track criminals
we can have a dependable database that can be quickly accessed online.
National Crime Records Bureau and the State Crime Rerecords Bureaus to upgrade
their capacity quickly, for issuing clearance certificates to individuals for a prescribed
fee.
A national register of sex offenders also needs to be built immediately and maintained
by the NCRB to serve as a reference point for all employers, both private and
government.
Building deterrence with more stringent laws can help only a little. What is also
required is a calculated denial of opportunities to predators, both in public places and
in homes, where, incidentally, a large number of sexual assaults by close friends or
relatives go unpunished.

Indian Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) of 2010

15th Dec 2014
Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme
Serious Notes.
16th Dec 2014
Indian Ocean Zone of Peace (IOZOP) and issues
The idea came in 1964 at Cairo Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Cairo Conference declared that the Indian Ocean should not be a battleground for the
big powers.
The Lusaka Declaration (1970) refined the idea further and it led to the UNGA
resolution 2832 (XXVI).
U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution declared the Indian Ocean as a zone of
peace, and which called upon the great powers not to allow an escalation and an
expansion of military presence in the Indian Ocean.
It also envisaged universal collective security in the region without military alliances.
Chopra Committee Report
In the backdrop of the 2013 Uttarakhand flood, the Supreme Court had directed the
Union Environment Ministry to constitute an expert body to assess whether
hydroelectric projects have contributed to the environmental degradation in the State
and, if so, to what extent, and also whether it has contributed to the disaster.
In the same order, the Supreme Court also ordered the Ministry to examine whether
the 24 projects mentioned by the Wildlife Institute of India in its report are causing
significant impact on the biodiversity of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basins.
Chopra Committee report elucidated the catastrophic role played by the hydroelectric
projects during the deluge.
The Chopra Committee Report presents a strong case against projects between 2,200
and 2,500 metres above the sea level paraglacial regions.
These regions have loose glacial debris (moraines) which when carried downstream
can be disastrous, as was witnessed in the Vishnuprayag project, during the 2013
deluge.
Some of the projects among the 24 lie in the paraglacial regions.
The report states that intensive debris was brought to the hydropower projects along
with the river water due to flash floods.
Internationalization of higher education

 India under invests in its universities and colleges.

The establishment of Nalanda University and SAARCs South Asian
University are some small initiatives in the right direction.
Local students + international consciousness and knowledge = important for
employment as well as citizenship in a globalizing economy
International students to local classrooms = future cooperation, economic ties,
earning, diversity promotion
USA, China, Australia, Japan all have national programmes to attract foreign
students.
The Saudi Arabia government sponsors a massive scholarship programme to
send its students abroad to study.
The German Academic Exchange Service offers similar programmes.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations offers scholarships to foreign students,
its scope is very limited.
India hosts around 30,000 international students compared to the 2,00,000
Indians studying abroad.
Japan and China each have more than 1,00,000 international students, and the
U.S. hosts more than 8,00,000.
Most of Indias international students are from South Asia;
The large majority of non-Indian students study in private universities;
Manipal University stands first
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Hyderabad University, and Tata Institute of
Social Sciences facilitate the short-term incoming student visit programmes.
Host universities need to change some of the regulations with regard to credit
transfer.
University of Kerala issue academic transcripts similar to overseas
universities; it could be a model for other universities.
Other facilities to be provided Good orientation programmes, excellent
hostel facilities, remedial courses, healthcare facilities, visa facilitation
Indian branch campuses functioning abroad have also increased.
Manipal University is in Malaysia and Amity operates campuses in the U.S.,
U.K., China and Singapore.

 India does not have a national policy governing the entry or operation of
foreign higher educational institutions.
Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill
was introduced in the Indian Parliament in 2010 and lapsed.
New private universities and colleges are very active in promoting
internationalisation through the adoption of foreign curriculum, twinning
programmes, etc. but revenue generation is more important than educational
quality.
National Offset Policy (NOP)
Foreign companies selling goods worth over Rs.300 crore to the government or public
sector undertakings would have to source part of their supplies from domestic
manufacturers.
The minimum value of the offsets obligation will be 30 per cent of the estimated cost
of the import.
The policy is aimed at boosting manufacturing sector growth.
It would help in Attracting investments;
Transfer and acquisition of new technology;
Acquisition of raw material and assets;
Improving balance of payment;
Increasing capacity for R long-term supply pacts; and
Enhancing exports
Sectors which will be covered under the NOP include civil aerospace, power,
fertilizer, railways and other transportation, ports and shipyards, mining, medical
equipment, medicine and telecom.
However sectors including defence, atomic energy and space would not be covered
under the policy.
For smooth operation of the NOP, a 10-member National Offsets Authority (NOA) is
also proposed.
The Cabinet Secretary would head it.
17th Dec 2014
BRICS and Emerging Economies Rankings 2015 for Universities

China, Turkey, Taiwan, Russia, Brazil and South Africa among Top 10.

There is not a single Indian university in the top 20 universities.

Only the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, ranks 25 on the list.

Russian Initiatives

Project on Competitiveness Enhancement of Leading Russian Universities

Among Global Research and Education Centres.

Project 5-100 to support the best universities in Russia

India has 11 universities in the top 100 but climbing down in rankings.

Indian universities need a transformational change for them to become

relevant in the context of global rankings of universities.

Reforms and policy initiatives

1 - Treat the Universities differently depending on the kind of contribution they are
making.
Differentiation should be based on quality, performance and contribution.
2 Focus should be on multiple areas rather than on research and universities should
be measured for their quality and excellence.
3 - Taking inspiration from the Project 5-100 initiative, India could consider
empowering 50 of its top universities to seek global excellence.
Classification can be into 1) Central 2) State 3) private 4) deemed and 5) institutions
of national importance.
4 - seek a complete overhaul of the regulatory framework.
Universities in India need to be made more autonomous; they need freedom.
5 - increase the amount of funding on research work.
Disburse research grants without delay.
Incentivize research and publications among faculty members.
6) Need to focus on internationalisation of faculty members and students within
Indian universities.
Transformational change needs to take place at every level of policymaking,
regulation and governance in higher education if Indian universities are serious about
seeking global excellence and achieving higher rankings.
Debating the right to die

India has the highest suicide rate in the world after China.
Tamil Nadu tops the list followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra
Pradesh.
Reasons for Suicide disappointments, unmet expectations of achievement.
Delete section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. Justified or not
Right to Die Justifications
As freedom of speech includes right to silence, freedom to do business
includes freedom not to do any business. Similarly the right to life includes the
right not to live. (But in future, a person may exercise all such rights except
right to die).
Suicide is considered a private affair, which in no way can cause damage to
others. (But a person may be the sole breadwinner).
Removing section 309 of IPC would lead in rapid increase in suicide rates in
general and that of dowry deaths in particular.
We should certainly have a law permitting euthanasia, but not suicide.

18th Dec 2014

Chinas dominating Oil Companies

Last year, in oil-rich Kazakhstan, Indias Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
Videsh (OVL) was closing in on a coveted stake in the Kashagan project.
But before it could seal the deal, China National Petroleum Corporation
(CNPC) entered the scene and outbid OVL.
Drawing on sizeable capital from Chinas policy banks is one of the biggest
advantages of Chinese national oil companies abroad.
Chinas national oil companies also have plenty of cash to spend overseas.
China remains the worlds fourth largest oil producer at over four million
barrels per day in production.
Indias leading company, the (ONGC), produces a fraction of that amount at
home.
Indias oil firms also do not have the same political power as Chinese national
oil companies wield at home.
In China, oil executives are often high-ranking members of the Communist
Party and have more say in policies being implemented.
Chinese national oil companies command a large variety of oil service and
construction subsidiaries. They engage in from well drilling to road
construction to even catering services.
Chinese national oil companies are now shouldering high debt levels and
engaged in fewer international ventures in 2014.
There is a political dimension to this decline in international activity among
Chinese national oil companies.
President Xi Jinpings widespread anti-corruption campaign has discouraged
all Chinese state-owned enterprises from making large overseas acquisitions.

Chinas national oil companies are some of the main targets of the corruption
probe.
Former CNPC boss Zhou Yongkang was detained earlier this year for serious
disciplinary violations.
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (2010)
20th Dec
Learning from the Ernakulam experiment

In 1991, 80 per cent of couples in Kerala were using family planning

methods as against 43 per cent in India as a whole.
The figures for Kerala for general fertility rate, gross reproductive rate
and total fertility rate are the lowest in India.
In Kerala, the majority of births occur with an interval of 36 months
and above, which is the second best in India following Assam.
The birth rate in the State is 40 per cent below that of the national
average.
Factors responsible for States successful performance
Family planning, literacy, womens empowerment, access to health
services, social welfare measures, the public distribution system,
nutritional security and poverty alleviation
State-level intensive campaign in Ernakulam from 1970 to 1973, which
emphasised on male sterilisation.
This achieved dramatic results. In a month-long camp held in
Ernakulam Town Hall, 64,000 vasectomies were performed safely in a
festive atmosphere.
One of the key aspects towards improving the national family planning
programme is the involvement of the district Collector and Panchayati
Raj institutions in its implementation.
The Panchayati Raj system is a huge grassroots-level mechanism,
which will help in mobilizing people for the programme throughout the
country.
Collectors and Panchayati Raj systems combined efforts were
responsible for the outstanding success of the Ernakulam campaigns.
At present, 97 per cent of sterilisations per year are sterilisations of
women; only three per cent are male.
The active cooperation and participation of men is vital for ensuring
programme acceptance.
The strategy should be to make vasectomies popular again.
The annual national achievement could then become 12.5 million.
Set up an inbuilt precautionary mechanism to avoid any possibility of
mismanagement and possible excesses in a campaign approach
One, all campaigns should be supervised by a team of officials and nonofficials including voluntary workers and representatives of the Central
and State governments.

Two, a detailed compendium of instructions on how to organise an

intensive campaign in a district and Community Development Block
can be prepared.

22 December 2014
The Brahmaputra is called Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan. In India, it is Siang in
Arunachal Pradesh and Dihang in the plains of Assam.
1)

Critically discuss the problems faced by cotton cultivators in India.

How does the centre and state governments have sought to address
these problems?

Poor government supports

Improper method of sale

Location of banks

Poor quality of packing materials

Non-existence of Agmark Lab

Insufficient pledge loan facility

Price fluctuation

Poor post storage facilities

Lack of market information

Unscientific weighing machines

Delay in unloading services

High marketing cost

Unauthorized Deductions

Poor customer relationship

Insufficient godown facility

High Input Costs

The cost of cultivation is high.

Input costs rose by nearly 30 per cent, but cotton prices dropped over
the past 2 years.
The cost of the fertilizer diammonium phosphate has shot up from Rs.
300 to Rs. 1,200 for one sack of 50 kg in two years.
Price of Monocrotophos, a pesticide used by farmers, increased.
Labour wages, seeds, power and fertilizers have seen similar steep
hikes.
Storage Issues - loss of weight, damage by rats, Wastage during handling, wet
due to rain, poor maintenance

Solutions
Announce a farm relief package to waive half of the power bills and
interest on agriculture loans.
Reasons for cultivating cotton for a long time by the farmers

Highly profitable

traditional crop

better marketing facilities

less labour work

Able to store for a longer period

Able to wait for a better price

23rd Dec
What do you understand by replacement levels of fertility? Should India attain
it? Explain why.

Total fertility ratethe average number of children born per woman

during her lifetime.

Replacement level fertility is the total fertility rate at which a

population replaces itself from one generation to the next, without
migration.
This rate is roughly 2.1 children per woman for most countries,
although it may modestly vary with mortality rates.
Reductions in fertility rates reflect expectations of increasing
urbanization, expected declines in child mortality, and increases in
income.

Achieving replacement level fertility - benefits.

Alleviate poverty;
Increase social equality;
Reduce agricultures pressure on ecosystems, climate, and water.
Avoid agricultural expansion into remaining natural terrestrial
ecosystems and relieve pressure on overstrained fisheries
Reduce food demand and would significantly contribute to food
security.
Economic benefits through a demographic dividend.
Help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to
levels consistent with stabilizing the climate
Reduce the need to withdraw more water from aquifers or add
more agricultural chemicals that may pollute water bodies.

Approachesto achieve replacement level fertility

Advance gender equity,

Give people more control over their lives
Increase educational opportunities for girls;
Increase access to reproductive health services, including family
planning
Reduce infant and child mortality.
Civil society organizations can help as well by raising awareness,
generating resources, delivering services, and monitoring performance.

Why some states are given special status by the Union government? Examine
the criteria stipulated to get the special status and its benefits. Do you think
this mechanism is antithetical to federalism? Comment. (200 Words)
Special Category Status is a classification that allows states to get significant
level of resources necessary for development.
Criteria - It is granted on grounds of

Hilly and difficult terrain;

Low population density;

Strategic location along international borders;

Economic backwardness;
Non-viable State finances.
Sizeable share of tribal population
Geographical isolation
Remoteness to larger market

Currently, 11 states have been given the Special Status and Special Category
Status.

There is a huge difference between the terms Special Status and

Special Category Status.
Special status is guaranteed by the Constitution of India through an Act
passed by the two-third majority in both houses of the Parliament, as in
the case of Jammu and Kashmir.
Special Category Status is granted by the National Development
Council

The benefits that a state gets under the provision of being a 'special state' are

Preferential treatment in getting Central funds assistance

Concession on excise duty, this attracts industries to the state
Significant 30% of the Centres gross budget goes to the Special
category states
These states avail the benefit of debt swapping and debt relief schemes
In centrally sponsored schemes and external aid, special category states
get it in the ratio of 90% grants and 10% loans, while other states get
30% of their funds as grants.
Opposed to Federalism

Asymmetry in terms of inter-state differences in geography, demography, and

economy.