cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
National
*Court of inquiry ordered into Mangalore
air crash: A court of inquiry has been
appointed to inquire into the May 22 crash of
an Air India Express aircraft at the Mangalore
airport, in which 158 people, including a six-
member crew, were killed. Air Marshal
(Retd.) Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale will hold
the investigation.
Tropical cyclone Phet was the third
named cyclone of the 2010 North
Indian Ocean cyclone season. The low
pressure area in the Arabian Sea was
converted into a Tropical Cyclone on
31 May.
It initially moved to the northwest
direction near Oman but later turned
more towards the North before
reaching the Arabian Peninsula and
later to a northeastern track onto
Pakistan.
It lashed the coastal areas and some
other parts of Gujarat late on June 6.
*India committed to n-liability regime:
Assuring the US of India's commitment to a 60 and is not meant for children, pregnant
nuclear liability regime, External Affairs women and those allergic to eggs.
Minister S M Krishna has invited American
companies to invest in India and make a robust *Code of conduct for safe and honourable
partnership with two-way trade in advanced tourism unveiled: It was conceptualised and
technology products. Krishna, who leads the
first India-US strategic dialogue at the
ministerial level with US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, said encouraging innovation
and entrepreneurship by engaging the medium-
sized companies in the US and India is another
priority.
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
Ajaat movement - anti-caste social reform
movement
The ajaat was a bold social movement of the
1920s and '30s that at its peak had tens of
thousands of committed followers in what
are present-day Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It was led by
social reformer Ganpati Bhabhutkar better
known as Ganpati Maharaj. Apart from the
usual anti-liquor and anti-violence norms of
such movements, he attacked caste frontally.
Many stopped idol worship at his call. He
pressed for gender equality and even railed
against private property. And, in the 1930s,
he and his followers declared themselves as
‘ajaat.'The movement waned over years, as
some followers left on the caste issue, and
with its Gurus's death in 1944.
* Vaxiflu-S: India launched its first
indigenously manufactured anti-influenza
vaccine that will protect people against the A
(H1N1) flu, which has killed over 1,500 people
in the country since the pandemic broke out last
year. Manufactured by Zydus-Cadila
Healthcare, Vaxiflu-S is a monovalent single-
dose vaccine will be effective for one year. It
can be used only by people in the age group 18-
drafted by Ministry of Tourism in association
with the Indian chapter of Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA), Save the Children - India,
an NGO, United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crimes (UNODC) and Equitable Tourism
Option (EQUATIONS).
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
• The code has been evolved keeping in mind said that 'relatives' included not only male but
the objectives such as encouraging tourism also female members of a family.
activities with respect for basic rights like
* Indo- France air exercise Garuda-IV: at
dignity, safety and freedom from
Istres airbase in France. The joint air exercise
exploitation of both tourist and local
‘Garuda’ was started in February 2003 at the
residents. Indian Air Base of Gwalior. The exercise
• The other aspects covered by this code are commences biennially to foster relationship
prevention of prostitution, sex tourism and between both the countries.
forms of sexual exploitations in tourism,
*Himachal Pradesh - paying for the
and enhancing prevention of activities like
procurement of plastic waste: Himachal
forced or involuntary drug use, manipulated
Pradesh had emerged the first state in the entire
and incorrect information, cultural and Asian sub-continent which was paying for the
social intolerance which could increase procurement of plastic waste and using the
vulnerability to crime. same for constructive activities like road
mettling.
* Wage Board term extended: The term of the
Wage Board for Working Journalists and Non- * Finance Ministry Constitutes Technical
Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees Advisory Group for Unique Projects:
has been extended till December 31. The TAGUP Committee has been constituted in
board's term, under the chairmanship of pursuance of the Finance Minister’s Budget
Justice G.R. Majithia, ended on May 23. Speech 2010-11 wherein he proposed to set up
a Technology Advisory Group for Unique
Justice Majithia had sought an extension up to
December 31 to submit his report. Projects under the Chairmanship of Shri
Nandan Nilekani for an effective tax
* Meghalaya to have winter capital: Tura, administration and financial governance system
district headquarters of West Garo Hills, is through creation of IT projects which are
about 340 km from from Shillong. reliable, secure and efficient.

*Domestic Violence Act scope widens, * (26th) Sainik School to be set up in

woman can be prosecuted: A woman can be
prosecuted under the Domestic Violence Act as
failure to bring charges against women
involved could encourage the men to instigate
the female members of a family to commit
violence, the Delhi High Court has ruled.
Interpreting the provisions the Act, the court
Mizoram: A Sainik School is going to come up
in Mizoram at Chhingchhip in Serchhip district.
It will be the 26th such institution in India and
the fourth in the northeast. Assam, Manipur and
Nagaland have Sainik Schools. Sainik Schools
were conceived in 1961 by then defence
minister V.K. Krishna Menon to rectify the

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
regional and class imbalance amongst the the 184-ft high grand white structure, Victoria
officer cadre of the military and prepare Memorial, in Kolkata.
students for entry into the National Defence
Academy (NDA) and the Indian Naval *Centre approves scheme to deal with
Academy. human trafficking: The scheme includes:
1. Establishment of Integrated Anti-Human
*First of 6 Bamboo Bazaars launched at
Trafficking Units (IAHTU) in 335 police
Chennai: The Handicrafts Development Wing
districts.
of the Union Textile Ministry has planned to
organize 6 “Bamboo Bazaars” in various parts 2. Training of trainers, who would eventually
of the country in this year. These Bazaars train 10,000 police officers.
provide an opportunity for artisans to display
their talent. On June 4, 2010, the first in this *Centre approves CPMF scholarship scheme
series was launched at Valluvar Kootam,
to attract young medicos: to serve in Central
Chennai by Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi
paramilitary forces (CPMF). Central
Maran.

It is a 10 day exhibition and artists from paramilitary forces will provide special
North East States are participating who scholarship of Rs 10,000 per month to 25
have been trained by experts from medical students from the next academic
Indonesia. The remaining 5 Bamboo session who are willing to serve in the forces
Bazaars will be conduced in other state after completion of their studies. The scheme is
capitals.
aimed at attracting talented medicos to CPMF

Green hiker campaign medical services. The CPMFs –Assam Rifles,

In collaboration with the Ministry of
Tourism, the World Wildlife Fund
launched its Green Hiker Campaign
2010, which focuses on spreading
awareness about the vulnerability of the
Himalayan ecosystem that needs to be
addressed by tourists, trekkers and
mountain-lovers themselves. (Arjun
Bajpayee, the youngest Indian to
scale Mount Everest).
*Tata Steel unveiled its new nation-wide
campaign "Greenfection" to raise awareness
among the citizens to save the environment.
The launch was marked by the green lighting of
BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBPF, SSB and NSG have
a vast network of 39 composite hospitals and
about 550 unit or training institution hospitals
to provide health care coverage.
* Smriti Manjusha - The Time Capsule of
Gujarat: On June 7, 2010, the Chief Minister
of Gujarat Narendra Modi seals a 90-kg Time
Capsule called "Kaal Sanduk" or Smriti
Manjusha". This time capsule inscripts the
progress of the state since its formation on May
1, 1960. It was lowered it under the ground for
posterity at the site of Mahatma Mandir at
Gandhi Nagar. The scripts are written on a 100-

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
feet long, three-feet wide special paper mixed waste in an environment friendly manner and
with plastic. They have been written in subsequent power generation for captive and
Gujarati, Hindi, English and Sanskrit. It should merchant use.
last 1,000 years. It contained 29 audio-visual • Majority of the fuel used in the plant will be
compact discs prepared by the Government of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) derived from
Gujarat. solid waste, which is considered a better
replacement for coal with lesser emissions.
*The first World Classical Tamil Conference • The power plant is scheduled to be
got off to a rousing start in Coimbatore on June operational by March 2011 and will have the
23rd 2010. capacity to produce 15 Mw power.
• a2z Infrastructure, a subsidiary of A2Z
*Artifacts dating back to Harappan era Maintenance and Engineering Services
unearthed in Jharkhand: Artifacts dating Limited, has been awarded the project by
back to the Harappan era have been unearthed Kanpur Municipal Corporation (KMC).
in Kabra Kala village in Jharkhand’s Palamu • A2Z, (Amit Mittal, chairman and managing
District. Kabra Kala village is situated on a director) plans to set up 10-15 Mw capacity
mound, and is spread over a radius of 600 to power plants in various cities, depending on
700 meters. the availability of processed solid waste.
Javier Moro’s latest novel, The Red Saree, is the
Museum of Moving Images (MoMI), tale of the Nehru-Gandhi family told through the
Mumbai story of Sonia Gandhi.
MoMi or Museum of Moving Images
was planned by the Government of India to be
set up in Mumbai on a 25 acre campus. It is * Civil aviation safety advisory council set
slated to be third largest museum in the world up: The Government has set up a Civil
after the similar ones in New York and
London. This museum had to come up by 2010. Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC)
The process for setting up the project was
with the view of strengthening the aviation
started by the Films' Division in the 10th Plan
and was continuing with hardly any progress in safety environment through synergisation of
the 11th Plan. An amount of Rs. 42 crores was
earmarked for the 11th plan Period for this available expertise. The Council has been set
project. up under the Chairmanship of Director General
MoMI Mumbai is first ever of its kind
in Asian Region, the museum has been of Civil Aviation. The council comprising of 28
visualized with a view to giving impetus to the members drawn from various aviation sub-
movement of showcasing the history of Indian
Cinema and its global impact. sectors such as airlines (both public and
private), flight operations, air worthiness,
*India's first integrated waste mgmt plant operations etc has been constituted for a period
coming up in Kanpur: Infra firm a2z of one year.
Infrastructure will set up India’s first integrated
municipal solid waste management plant in * India has 'negligible risk' for mad cow
Kanpur. The project touted to be Asia’s largest disease: India has received 'the most secure
would comprise management of the city’s solid status' for the deadly mad cow disease, which

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
means the country has a 'negligible risk' for the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
illness. (TSE).
• 'The World Organization for Animal Health,
at its 78th general session held in Paris * India’s first Smoke Free State is
recently, recognized India as having ‘SIKKIM’: In a landmark development
'negligible risk' for mad cow disease, known towards converting itself into the healthiest
technically as Bovine Spongiform state in India within the next five years, Sikkim
Encephalopathy (BSE). This category was declared as a ''Smoke Free State'' on the
represents the most secure status of a World No Tobacco Day on May 31. Claiming
country with reference to BSE. that Sikkim had made great progress in
• The World Organization for Animal Health implementation of Smoke free Laws which was
(OIE) is an international inter-governmental well appreciated by different international
organization responsible for improving organizations, the state Health Minister DN
animal health worldwide. Thakarpa said the declaration was based on
• With this recognition, India joins an objective assessment of smoke free status as per
exclusive group of 12 other countries which the norms laid in the National Level Review of
includes Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Smoke Free Status held at Goa last year.
Norway, Sweden and Finland.
• BSE or mad cow disease is a fatal disease of *Andhra Pradesh first to launch mobile
the nervous system of cattle. It has acquired adalat: The Andhra Pradesh cabinet okayed
the 'mad cow' name as one of its common launching of mobile lok adalat at three places in
symptoms is aggressive behaviour in the the state on a pilot scheme. It happens to be the
affected animals. country's first mobile lok adalat to reach
• BSE was first diagnosed in cattle in the specifically rural poor to settle litigations at
United Kingdom (UK) in 1986. The disease their doorstep without any cost to them. The
then occurred in Europe, Asia, the Middle mobile lok adalat, one in each of the region,
East (Israel) and North America. will be initially in Ranga Reddy district
• The infectious protein is resistant to (Telangana), Kadapa (Rayalaseema) and
commercial inactivation procedures such as Visakahapatnam (Coastal Andhra Pradesh).
heat, which means that it may not be Commonwealth Express
'Commonwealth Express' will promote the sporting event
completely destroyed in the rendering to he hosted in the national capital Delhi in October this
process. year. The exhibition train will showcase information
about sports and Information Technology for the people
• The infectious agent in BSE is believed to be and specially youngsters. The train will make its first stop
at Amritsar where the Queen's Baton will arrive on the
a specific type of misfolded protein called same day.
a prion. Those prion proteins carry the
*Global Peace Index 2010 - Inda Ranks 128:
disease between individuals and cause
The GPI, which gauges ongoing domestic and
deterioration of the brain. BSE is a type of
international conflict, safety and security in

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
society and militarization in 149 countries,
registered overall increases in several
indicators, including the likelihood of violent
demonstrations and perceptions of criminality.
This is the fourth edition of the Global Peace
Index (GPI). It has been expanded to rank 149
independent states and updated with the latest-
available figures and information for 2008-09.
The top three countries are New Zealand,
Iceland, and Japan. The bottom three
countries are Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq.
*New litigation policy to reduce court cases:
The policy would be implemented from the
beginning of July 2010 and comes within a year
of its national consultation for reducing
pendency and delays in court cases in October
last year.

Under the new litigation policy the
government would cease to be "a
compulsive" litigant and expressed the
hope that the state governments too would
follow the centre's example and would
come up with their own policy of this sort
to reduce the number of cases pending in
courts. Of the over two crore cases pending
in courts, 70 per cent of them involved the
government as either petitioners or
respondents.

The government would appoint
empowered committees, to be chaired at
the national level by the Attorney General,
to monitor implementation of the policy
and to fix accountability of the government
departments to follow the principles laid
down by the policy.

Unnecessary and frequent adjournments
by government lawyers will be frowned
upon and infractions dealt with seriously.
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010

The policy also provides that in service
matters, no appeal would be filed in cases
where the matter pertains to an individual
grievance without any major repercussion
or where the matter pertains to a case of
pension or retirement benefits without
involving any principle and without setting
any precedent or financial implications.

An appeal would not be filed in service
matters merely because the order of the
Administrative Tribunal affects a number
of employees and appeals would not be
filed to espouse the cause of one section of
employees against another. Challenges to
orders of Tribunals would be an exception
rather than a matter of routine.
CHA CHA
It is a complicated dance which begins with the
second beat, involves coordinated steps like a a
step back for every forward step, and, there is no
leading partner — both dancers play equally
important roles. It is of Cuban origin. A dance
of this sort began when Indian Foreign Secretary
Ms. Nirupama Rao met with her Pakistani
counterpart, Mr.Salman Bashir, on June 24.
* Recommendations made by the Group of
Ministers (GoM) on the Bhopal gas tragedy
(Union home minister P Chidambaram, who
chaired the nine-member team): It has
recommended a compensation of Rs10 lakh for
the next of kin of the deceased, Rs5 lakh for
those with permanent disability, and Rs2 lakh
for those with renal disease and cancer. As
many as 30,000 persons would be covered
under all these categories, and the total payout
could be to the tune of Rs1,500 crore.

However, there is no recommendation for
the bulk of 5.58 lakh victims who are
covered under the injured category.
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010

It also proposes a government take-over states like Maharashtra and Gujarat have
of the Bhopal Memorial Hospital Trust shown almost no improvement".
and an action plan worth Rs982 crore.
The UN report cites big gains in getting

The GoM has recommended the toxic children into primary schools in many poor
waste lying at the plant site should be countries, especially in Africa, strong
cleaned-up by the state government with interventions in addressing AIDS, malaria
all technical and financial support from the and child health and a good chance to reach
central government. This would be done the target for access to clean drinking
under the supervision of a joint task force water.
headed by the Union minister for
Lack of access to sanitation is another area
environment. of concern where sufficient progress has

The legal matters would be jointly handled not been made.
by the state and central governments and
curative petitions regarding the ‘meagre’ *Shakir Hussian to be Haj Committee’s new
civil and criminal liability would be filed. CEO: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)
appointed Dr. Shaik Shakir Hussian as new
*India's poverty rate may 'fall' to 24% by Chief Executive Officer, Haj Committee of
2015: India is expected to reduce its poverty India, Mumbai. Hussain is a Indian Revenue
rate from 51 per cent in 1990 to 24 per cent in Service (IRS) officer and currently serving as
2015, slashing the number of extremely poor by Additional Director of Income Tax) in
188 million. But progress in the rest of South Hyderabad. [Haj Committee of India is a
Asia is not sufficient to halve the level of committee in India formed under Haj
poverty by that target date, according to a Committee Act 2002, for making
United Nations report on the Millennium arrangements for the pilgrimage of Muslims
Development Goals for 2010. [The rate of of India for Haj. A special Hajj passport is
poverty in China is expected to fall to issued for this purpose.]
around five per cent by 2015.]

The report suggests that while the *CIC to challenge Delhi high court order in
economic crisis took a heavy toll of jobsSupreme Court: The Central Information
Commission will move the Supreme Court
and an income around the world, its impact
against a decision of the Delhi high court
does not threaten to derail the MDG target
of cutting extreme poverty by 50%. scrapping the procedures being followed by the

In the field of child mortality rate, India
panel in disposing of appeals.
witnessed improvement but it was slow and
The commission, while deciding to move the
highlighted disparity. "Two states -- Tamil apex court, took note of a Patna high court
Nadu and West Bengal -- have reduced ruling which had allowed Bihar's state
the child mortality rate by 70 to 56 % information commission to frame its own
respectively but economically better off rules for the conduct of its business.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010

"There seems to be a contradiction between appeals has clearly violated the provisions of
the Patna high court and Delhi high court the RTI Act," the court added.
decisions. We have decided to approach the
Concern was also expressed by one
Supreme Court so that the matter could be information commissioner that the high court
clarified," chief information commissioner ruling impinged upon the functional
Wajahat Habibullah said. autonomy of the panel.

A decision by the Supreme Court will also
"Not only autonomy in the functioning of the
bring uniformity in the functioning of the CIC has thus been impinged upon, but the
information commissions across the country, future course of action, in respect of
he said. protecting the rights of information seekers,

The commission, meanwhile, has decided to has been halted at the cost of jeopardising
continue with its routine business and the RTI movement launched by the civil
conduct daily hearings. society and strongly supported by the UPA

The Delhi high court had last month struck government," MM Ansari said.
down the rules framed by the chief
According to Ansari, the implication of the
information commissioner on the procedure high court order was that a single or division
for deciding appeals before the panel under bench cannot decide an appeal before the
the Right to Information (RTI) Act, saying commission.
the commissioner had no power to enact
such regulations under the transparency law. * New guidelines aimed at reducing

The order was passed on a plea of the DDA maternal mortality: to meet India's
(Delhi Development Authority) seeking commitment to the Millennium Development
quashing of the Central Information Goal of reducing MMR to less than 100 deaths
Commission (Management) Regulations, by 2015. At present, MMR in India is as high
2007, drawn up by the commissioner to as 254 deaths per 100,000 live births.
decide the procedure for special appeals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are
before the panel. eight international development goals that all 192

"The chief information commissioner has no UN member states agreed to achieve by the year
powers to make rules under the RTI Act," a 2015. They are eradicating extreme poverty and
hunger, achieving universal primary education,
bench of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and promoting gender equality and empowering
justice Veena Birbal had said. women, reducing Child Mortality Rate,
improving maternal health, combating

Both the "appropriate government" and the HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensuring
"competent authority" have been empowered environmental sustainability and developing a
global partnership for development.
by the rules to make rules to carry out
provisions of the Act," the bench said.
According to the new guidelines, the health

"The CIC by formulating the regulations and workers, now called Skilled Birth
prescribing the procedure for deciding Attendants (SBA), will possess technical
competenceto administer routine care, and

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
identify and manage complications arising about information technology in remote areas
during pregnancy and childbirth. and small towns.

They will also assist delivery at home and A strategic lawsuit against public participation
during the post-partum period. (SLAPP) aims to intimidate and silence critics by
compelling them to join a legal battle and restrain

As per this new initiative, the government them from expressing a view similar to the one
will empower the Auxiliary Nurse that invited the SLAPP. This was in news in
relation to Khusboo case.
Midwives (ANM), Lady Health Visitors
(LHVs) staff nurse and Multipurpose
*India’s first BPO to come up in
Health Worker to undertake certain life
Hyderabad’s Cherlapally Central Jail:
saving measures like allowing them to
India’s first Business Process Outsourcing
dispense uterotonic drugs to prevent
(BPO) facility in jail will become a reality with
Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH), a
the Andhra Pradesh government giving its nod
major cause of death during child birth, and
to the proposal.
administering drugs during emergency to

As part of jail reforms and to provide
stabilise the patient prior to referral .
income generating opportunities to

The guideline has been prepared keeping in
prisoners, the government decided to allow
mind that these workers would be
private industry including BPOs to set up
providing care at the sub-centre level or in
their units in prisons.
a domiciliary setting.

Under the public-private partnership,

The SBAs will be capable of handling
Bangalore-based Radiant Info Systems Ltd
common obstetric and neonatal
will set up the unit, to be manned by
emergencies and in time detect situations
educated convicts.
beyond their expertise , in which case they
will refer the mother and the child to an The dubious Pakistan-bound ship, MV
appropriate facility. Aegean Glory, was brought to Kolkata port by the
Coast Guard and the Calcutta Port Trust

Delay in recognising complications , authorities. The ship was carrying rocket
reaching the health facility and receiving launchers, sophisticated arms and ammunition and
anti-aircraft guns for the United Nations
treatment are the main causes of maternal Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia.
and infant mortality that the new guide
seeks to address.
*Haryana first with web portal for public

The module can also be used by the non-
grievances: Haryana became the first Indian
governmental organisations and private
state to launch a web portal for quickly
sector health facilities.
addressing public grievances. Haryana has
launched this web portal through a centralised
*Technology Express to popularize IT: The
computer-based system. It has been branded as
train, named Technology Express will be
‘Harsamadhan’, which is a combination of
launched from Kharagpur (West Bengal) after
two words ‘har’ (everyone) and ’samadhan’
the Commonwealth Games to raise awareness
(solution).
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
*India's first (first of India’s six C-130J
Super Hercules airlifters) Super Hercules
air-lifter: Purchased from the US in a $1
billion deal, the tactical transport "aircraft now
enters flight test in preparation for delivery at
the end of the year.

The C-130J primarily performs the tactical
portion of an airlift mission. The aircraft is
capable of operating from rough, dirt strips
and is the prime transport for air dropping
troops and equipment into hostile areas.

The flexible design of the Super Hercules
enables it to be configured for many
different missions, allowing for one aircraft
to perform the role of many. Much of the
special mission equipment added to the
Super Hercules is removable, allowing the
aircraft to quickly switch between roles.
*Pak-bound vessel with military hardware,
explosives detained: A Karachi-bound cargo
vessel (S G Zyat) from Bangladesh with
military hardware and explosives was recently
detained by the police at Diamond Harbour in
West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district.
*Allahabad farmers protest against
acquisition of lands for power project:
Members of the farming community in
Allahabad staged a mass protest against the
acquisition of their agricultural lands for a
proposed power project. The farmers also
alleged that Jaypee Group, which is
executing this project, has illegally grabbed
their lands sans any proper compensation. The
farmers complained that the government is not
doing justice to the owners and tillers of
agricultural lands and that they would
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
continue their protest till the authorities do
justice to them.
*Rohtang tunnel project: The Rs. 1493 crore
tunnel has been designed to provide easy
access between Himachal Pradesh’s Keylong
and Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh district. When
completed in 2015, the 8.8 kilometre-long is
also set to become the world longest tunnel
at an altitude between 3053 and 3080 metres.
*New bill will treat all khap members as
accomplices: Alarmed by the steep rise in
suspected honour killings, the central
government has decided to bring a new bill
providing for the prosecution of the entire
khap panchayat for ordering violent
punishment for young couples marrying
against their diktats. According to Moily,
under the new law, members of khap
panchayat, who order the killing of the
couples who dare to go against the dictates of
these panchayats will be treated as
accomplices in the crime. Such cases would
be tried by fast track courts to provide speedy
justice to the victims.
* India Says Global Climate Accord Must
Include Principle of Carbon Budget: A
global climate accord must include the
principle of a climate budget that is shared
between nations based on their historical
emissions. India cannot and will not accept
any international agreement in which equity is
absent, in which equitable access to global
atmospheric space is absent. China, South
Africa and Brazil support India on this
concept. The United Nations is aiming to
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
broker a global climate treaty in December in
The rising importance of the 17 rare earth
Copenhagen. The agreement should ensure elements, which are crucial to a range of
carbon-dioxide output peaks by 2015 and are green technologies from hybrid cars and
cut to half the 1990 levels by 2050, the
wind turbines to solar cells, has seen a
scientists said in a two-page memorandum.
proliferation of illegal mines in China.

The mining of rare earths has also resulted
International
in severe environmental damage in China's
*China tightens control on rare earth south, prompting the government to
elements: Rare earths are a select group of 17 consider tighter regulations. Many countries
elements that are crucial to many of the world's have abandoned projects to mine the
most advanced technologies. They also happen
elements.
to be found widely in China, which is estimated

The illegal mining and unregulated trade
to account for more than 95% of their global
supply. [Rare earth elements or rare earth has, however, also resulted in keeping in
metals are a collection of seventeen chemical check the prices of the elements for foreign
elements in the periodic table, namely companies.
scandium, yttrium, and the fifteen lanthanides.
The move to more tightly regulate the
Scandium and yttrium are considered rare
mining of rare earths has sparked concern
earths since they tend to occur in the same ore
abroad. Several countries, including the
deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar
United States, are heavily dependent on
chemical properties.]

The Chinese government is now China for rare earth elements.
considering tightening its control over the Flotilla incident
UN Security Council recently condemned the
production and export of the valuable Israeli attack on a flotilla of six ships carrying aid and
pro-Palestine activists to the Gaza Strip while seeking a
minerals, by restricting private companies' "full explanation" from the Jewish state and an
impartial investigation into the incident. The Security
access to their mines and their license to Council statement called for lifting the Gaza blockade,
release of the ships, and allowing detained civilians
trade. access to their consulates.

China's State Council, or Cabinet, is
examining a proposal that calls for limiting *Multiracial Trinidad and Tobago elects a
the production of rare earths to a select woman of Indian origin to the post of Prime
group of State-run enterprises, a move that Minister: The Caribbean island nation of
would give the government almost Trinidad and Tobago ushered in a new era on
complete control over both the destinations May 24 by electing its first woman Prime
of export and a much greater say in Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, a person of
regulating supply and prices. Indian origin. She defeated three-term Prime

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Minister Patrick Manning in a closely fought • The four countries have clarified that the
election. The coalition of parties led by Kamla BASIC is a forum for discussion and not a
Persad-Bissessar had stressed its multiracial, negotiating group. This could explain the
reason behind a session on “science and
“inclusive” character during the campaign to
possible scenarios”. This exercise takes on
break out of Trinidad's usual style of politics,
additional importance due to the inclusion of
which is centered on the two dominant ethnic 1.5 degrees threshold in the latest text on the
groups. Bali track. For these countries, this exercise

Facing a no-confidence motion on the is important to determine the future
grounds of corruption, Manning took the trajectory of negotiating position on the
political gamble of calling midterm temperature threshold. In Bonn, India and
elections in the hope of catching the China did not object to a demand for a
opposition parties unprepared. However, technical paper by the Alliance of Small
Island States that was blocked by Saudi
Kamla Persad-Bissessar, leader of the
Arabia and other oil producing countries.
United National Congress (UNC), was able
to stitch together a coalition of the five
* Ukraine drops NATO membership plans:
main opposition parties. She brought the
Ukraine has officially taken NATO
Congress of the People, the National Joint
Action Committee (NJAC), the Movement membership off its agenda in a volte face on
for Social Justice and the Tobago policy ardently pursued by the previous
Organization of the People into a united President, Viktor Yushchenko.
coalition for “People's Partnership”.
The Ukrainian Parliament recently
approved in first reading a Bill that
*Rio BASIC meet in July-end to invite other amends a 2003 national security law to

developing nations: Ahead of the August exclude the goal of “integration into Euro-
Atlantic security and membership in
round of negotiations at Bonn, the BASIC
NATO”. The Bill submitted by President
(Brazil, South Africa, India and China)
Viktor Yanukovych commits Ukraine to
countries will meet in Rio de Janeiro in late
“a non-bloc policy which means non-
July. This will be the third quarterly meeting of
participation in military-political
the four countries. It is expected that the other
alliances”.
developing countries will be invited to take part

Kiev formally applied to join NATO in
in the deliberations. This is a part of the 2008, and even though the alliance failed
agreement that the four countries agreed to at to immediately give the green light to the
their May meeting in Cape Town. Ukrainian bid, Mr. Yushchenko vowed to

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
win NATO membership as the only way to Around 137 people associated with the
“safeguard Ukrainian sovereignty”. Taliban are on this list.

A severe flood burst in RIVER DIKE in south-eastern

* National Consultative Peace Jirga: The China's Jiangxi province.
National Consultative Peace Jirga comprising
around 1,600 delegates issued at the end of its
*Naoto Kan is Japanese Premier: Naoto
deliberations, a 16-article non-binding
Kan, famous for his lack of political lineage,
declaration advocating peace talks with armed
was elected Japan's Prime Minister. He
opposition groups.
succeeds Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned
• The Taliban has vehemently opposed the
citing his failure to stay in step with the
Jirga and has stressed that it would
participate in reconciliation efforts only after people's wishes.

the exit of foreign forces from Afghanistan.

• Analysts point out that the government's * Schengen at 25: The Schengen area, now
primary aim at present is to draw Taliban comprising 22 of the 27 EU states besides
foot-soldiers away from the cycle of Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway, entails the
militancy, by offering them amnesty and absence of internal barriers in a territory along
other incentives. The hard-core militants can a 42,673 km external sea and 7,721 km land
be integrated, provided they completely de- borders. The freedom of movement thus
link from Al-Qaeda and accept allegiance to guaranteed to more than 400 million people
the Afghan constitution.
constitutes one of the EU's founding goals,
• As a goodwill gesture, the declaration urged
complementary to the other objectives related
Afghan and NATO-led forces to release
to the movement of goods and services. During
Taliban prisoners who had “unknowingly
the early days of the elimination of national
chosen the wrong path and those prisoners
boundaries, the Benelux three [Belgium,
where [there] is no evidence against them.
Netherlands, Luxembourg] decided to
• The resolution highlighted that the
dispense with border checks in the 1960s.
international and Afghan forces should
refrain from house searches, night raids and Their attempt blossomed into something more
stop air strikes that can kill innocent substantial when the big two EU founder
civilians. members, France and Germany, joined forces
• The conference recommended that those in the historic agreement at the Belgian town of
who participate in the proposed peace Schengen in 1985. When the Schengen
process should be taken-off a U.N. blacklist. Convention entered into force a decade later,
Spain and Portugal had already been roped in.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
• Schengen is a small wine-making village Irish-owned Rachel Corrie from the sea and
and commune in far south-eastern did not meet any resistance.
Luxembourg, near the point where the
borders of Germany, France, and *Pak court orders ban on Google, Yahoo,
Luxembourg meet. The village became Hotmail, 6 other websites: A Pakistani court
famous, on June 14, 1985, when the has reportedly ordered a ban on nine leading
Schengen Agreement was signed. websites, including Google and Hotmail, for
• The Schengen rules were absorbed into allegedly posting blasphemous material.
European Union (EU) law by the Pakistani authorities had blocked popular social
Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, although the networking website Facebook in May over the
area includes three non-EU member states: holding of a competition on blasphemous
Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. All EU caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.
members except Ireland and the United
Kingdom are required to implement *Emergency declared in Honduras: A state
Schengen and – with the exceptions of of national emergency has been declared in
Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania – have Honduras over dengue outbreak. 10 deaths due
done so. The area currently covers a to dengue and over 11,000 infections have been
population of over 400 million people and reported so far across the country. [Aedes
an area of 4,312,099 square kilometres Aegypti - the mosquito which transmits
(1,664,911 sq mi). dengue].

*Dhaka blaze: Bangladeshi firefighters said *The way forward in Nepal: A political and
that an illegal chemical warehouse had fuelled a constitutional crisis of sorts was averted in
toxic blaze that ripped through one of Dhaka's Nepal when Nepal’s three major political
most densely populated areas, killing nearly parties [Unified Communist Party of Nepal-
120 people. Maoist (UCPN-Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC)
and Communist Party of Nepal- Unified
*Israel diverts Gaza aid ship Rachel Corrie Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML)] inked a
to Ashdod: An aid ship intercepted by the compromise deal, an hour before the expiry of
Israeli military while trying to break the the Constituent Assembly’s (CA’s) tenure, and
blockade of Gaza has arrived in the Israeli port voted in favor of a bill proposing extension of
of Ashdod. Israel says its soldiers boarded the its term by a year, thus saving the country’s
four-year-old peace process from breaking

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
down. Under the interim statute adopted after *Pakistan increases defence budget by 17 %:
the overthrow of the monarchy, the CA's term Pakistan increased its defence budget by
was set to expire on May 28, 2010, the 16.935% by allocating Rs 442.173 billion for
assumption being that two years was sufficient 2010-11. This reflects a marginal increase of
time to write the new constitution. around 5% in real terms in defence spending if
• The Assembly, which had a two-year the inflation rate of 12 per cent is taken into
mandate to write a new constitution, could account. This increase in the defence budget of
not finish its task because of differences around Rs 64 billion was considered as “a
between the political parties on a number of must” given the intensified battle against the
issues necessitating a term extension. Taliban insurgents.
• The extension of the CA term may have
Gary, Indiana, United states is the place where the
saved the peace process but the real Michael Jackson museum is coming up. Father of the pop
legend, Joe has signed a deal to create a $300 million
challenge begins now as the parties have to worth museum dedicated to his late son.

sit down together and settle many

contentious issues. *Canada announces new economic sanctions
• At this sensitive juncture, Indian policy on Iran to discourage nuclear weapon
towards Nepal needs to avoid the development: Canada announced a new round
misjudgments and mistakes of the past: the of economic sanctions against Iran aimed at
best course will be to endorse the three- dissuading the Tehran government from
point agreement calling for the resignation, pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.
without delay, of Mr. Nepal, and the speedy Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon
establishment of a national consensus said Canada was following the United Nations'
government. lead. The U.N. Security Council approved a
resolution recently to strengthen sanctions and
*EU offers to extend GSP+: The European
called on individual countries and blocs of
Union is reportedly impressed with the post-
nations to expand their own sanctions regimes
war development in Sri Lanka, especially in the
against Iranian individuals and organizations.
former conflict-affected areas and has decided
to extend its tariff concession to Sri Lanka for
*G-8 Muskoka Accountability Report: The
another six months. The European Union citing
Accountability Report takes stock of the G-8
Sri Lanka's alleged human rights violations has
progress in meeting its recent development
decided to suspend the GSP+ tariff concession
commitments. The report is a major step
in February 2010.
forward in assessing the extent to which the G-

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
8 has lived up to its promises. Its findings Russia and the US, with the European Union
demonstrate the G-8’s leadership in catalyzing as a permanent observer.
action, influencing policy and mobilizing
resources to address global development * France paralyzed by general strike: France
challenges. This report shows that Canada has was paralyzed on June 25, 2010 by a crippling
a strong record on delivering on G-8 general strike in protest at the government's
commitments in health, education, food decision to rise the retirement age from 60 to
security, peace and security, and to Africa. 62. The strike call was given by the country's
eight major trade unions and 200
* Australia's first woman Prime Minister: demonstrations across the country brought forth
Australia appointed its first woman Prime an estimated two million persons. Although
Minister, Julia Gillard, who vowed to end France's retirement age of 62 is still lower than
division over a controversial mining tax, in many neighboring nations, an attempt to hike
resurrect a carbon trade scheme and call it breaks a significant taboo here, where many
elections within months. see retirement at 60 — introduced by a
Socialist government in 1983 — as their right.
SAARCPOL
The ministerial-level meeting of the South Asian Cheonan
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) held The sinking of Seoul's warship Cheonan fuelled tensions
in June 2010 covered aspects like anti-terrorism with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The
campaigns, modification in immigration laws, DPRK envoy accused the U.S. and South Korea of
prevention of drug and human trafficking, relaxation aggravating the situation. The Cheonan corvette was
in visa laws, maritime security and other matters of sunk on March 26 near the border between the Koreas.
mutual interest. The next SAARC conference will South Korea and an international team of investigators
be held in Madives in 2011. Pakistan’s Interior blamed North Korea for sinking the ship with a
submarine-fired torpedo, killing 46 sailors.
Minister Rehman Malik said there should be a
SAARC-pol, just like Interpol, to facilitate
exchange of regional information.
*Kyrgyzstan votes on Constitution:
Kyrgyzstan held a referendum to try to create
Central Asia's first parliamentary democracy,
*G8 pledges $7.3 bn to reduce child with more than half of voters turning out
mortality in poor countries: World leaders despite political turmoil and ethnic bloodshed.
and donor groups have pledged $7.3 billion in • The referendum calls on voters to
aid by 2015 to reduce child mortality and save support changes to the constitution that would
women in poor countries from dying in devolve power from the president to a prime
childbirth. The G8 members are Britain, minister, paving the way for parliamentary
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, elections in October and diplomatic
recognition for the interim government.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
• Under the new charter, Ms Otunbayeva
- the only woman ever to lead a Central Asian
republic - would remain interim president
until the end of 2011, before stepping aside.
• Parliamentary elections would be held
every five years and the president limited to a
single six-year term in office.
• The referendum was supported by
the UN, the US and Russia, as a step
towards restoring democracy.
• Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet
Union before its independence in 1991. Both
the US and Russia have military bases in the
country.
*G-20 nations for balanced approach to
growth, fiscal deficit: With the global
economy on its way to recovery amid debt
crisis in some European nations, the G-20
countries called for striking a balance
between stimulus measures to sustain
economic expansion and reducing fiscal
deficit to tackle the mess of government
finances.
• Advanced economies have committed to
fiscal plans that will halve deficits by 2013
and stabilize or reduce government debt by
2016.
• India reiterated its opposition to a single
global bank tax to create a corpus for future
bailouts of banks if any, even as the UK has
just imposed a tax on banks and some other
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
G-20 countries might also autonomously ask
their banks to pay such a levy.
• The bloc, considered better representative
body than rich nations grouping of G-8,
resolved to continue with free international
trade and refrain from protectionist
measures.
• While growth is returning, the recovery is
uneven and fragile, unemployment in many
countries remains at unacceptable levels, and
the social impact of the crisis is still widely
felt. Strengthening the recovery is the key.
To sustain recovery, there is a need to follow
through on delivering existing stimulus
plans, while working to create the conditions
for robust private demand.
• Calling for prudential norms for financial
sectors, the declaration said implementation
of the Basel norms will raise the amount and
improve the quality of capital.
• Asserting that corruption threatens the
integrity of markets, the bloc agrees to set up
a working group to make recommendations
on how to fight this menace.
• The bloc also talked of addressing the issue
of tax havens, money laundering and terror
financing.
• The G20 nations also took note of the recent
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and called for
sharing best practices to protect the marine
environment, prevent accidents related to
offshore exploration.
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
*Petr Necas appointed as new Czech Economic Survey, Pakistan will have a total
premier: Necas is leader of the Civic Democrat population of 210.1 million in 2020. As of June
Party, the biggest of three parties that won a 2009, Pakistan was the sixth most populous
majority in May 28-29 elections. country in the world, with an estimated
• The election’s winners, the Social population of 169.9 million at the end of June
Democrats, were not able to find coalition 2009.
partners to form a majority government.
• According to the constitution, the
India and World
government must ask the legislature for a * Israel regrets naming India to explain
confidence vote within 30 days of the killings off Gaza: Israel expressed regret for
cabinet being appointed. having bracketed India with other violence-hit
• Necas has said that he aims to finish the countries while explaining its position on the
coalition agreement by July 7 and have his firing on peace activists in the sea off Gaza.
cabinet in place by mid-July, so it can
prepare its own budget for 2011. His *US backs India's involvement in
potential cabinet is expected to promise to Afghanistan: The United States has strongly
introduce public finance reforms and anti- backed India's involvement in Afghanistan,
corruption measures. saying New Delhi's "critical and positive role"
there was a key part of the war-torn nation's
* Russian objections to EU’s fresh sanctions future success. India has provided USD 1.2
against Iran: The fresh EU sanctions include a billion in aid to Afghanistan since the ouster of
ban on investments, technical assistance and the Taliban regime in 2001 in the US-led
technology transfers to Iran's key oil and gas campaign. But Pakistan is deeply suspicious of
industry. India's role in Afghanistan.
• Russia has slammed unilateral measures
against Iran by the European Union (EU) * Pak for neutral determination of India’s
and the United States following the recent power projects: After seeking World Bank’s
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) arbitration to settle the dispute over the
vote for a fourth round of sanctions against Kishenganga Hydro-Electric Project in
Tehran. Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan threatened to
seek determination by neutral experts for
* Pak to become fourth most populous another power plant of India. Islamabad also
nation by 2020: According to the Pakistan asked New Delhi to compensate it with 200,000

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
Million Acre Feet of water for the loss it claims
to have incurred due to filling of Baglihar Dam
in J&K.

The 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo project in Leh
district of J&K is being developed by the
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation
on the river Indus. The project is likely to
be ready for commissioning by next
August. Pakistan’s stance is that it would
significantly lessen the quantum of water
flow in Indus and Suru in Pakistan and
destroy the agriculture sector in the *India
August 2010
* South Asian University to start
functioning in August:

The South Asian University (SAU) [it will
use a temporary campus at Akbar Bhawan,
India. Its permanent campus will be at
Maidan Garhi in South Delhi, India]
will begin its first academic session from
August 2010 with 50 students.

They will be taken from the eight member
States of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
keen on joining Shanghai

country’s Sindh Province. Cooperation Organization (SCO): The

The India’s stance is that Nimoo Bazgo is government had asked the missions in four
a run-of-the-river project. According to the central Asian countries, Russia and China to
IWT, India could build as many run-of-the- explore the nature of rule changes for joining
river projects on the western rivers of Indus the SCO that are under way. India would take a
Basin as it wants. “All that India needs to view on joining the SCO after the criteria are
do is to provide information to Pakistan adopted. India's inclination comes amid the
about the projects six months in advance. SCO's plan to take into its fold more countries
Pakistan needs to convey its objections, if from the near neighbourhood, including
any, within three months of the receipt of Pakistan and possibly Iran. The rules for
information from us. India does not need enrolment are expected to be unveiled around
to take any formal clearance from the next SCO summit, scheduled for June in
Pakistan for such projects. India already Tashkent.
provided Pakistan with information about
An entry into the SCO will allow India to

Nimoo Bazgo and 32 other projects it is play a greater role in the region, besides

building or has plans to build on Chenab, helping to narrow down the differences

Jhelum and Indus. Indian officials with its neighbours towards a solution in

reiterated to their Pakistani counterparts Afghanistan. In fact, Afghanistan will be

that none of its projects would result in one of the core issues at the SCO summit,

substantive reduction in quantum of water with Uzbekistan likely to highlight the

flowing across the Line of Control. insufficient involvement of countries like

Iran and India.
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -

Politically, the SCO will give India a fuller
Asian identity than is the case at present.
Most of the regional groupings of which it
is a member are inclined eastward.
Politically and economically, India (along
with Pak and Afghanistan) can serve as a
second bridge between east and the central
parts of Asia, with the first bridge being
China.

The SCO membership will also enable
India to diversify its relationship with
China by extending cooperation to anti-
terrorism and security-related issues.

By joining the grouping, India will also get
an opportunity to interact with countries in
the region that are interested in tackling the
Iran issue.

On the negative side, it will become yet
another forum where India and Pakistan
will sit across the table. However, their
exposure to wide Asian geopolitics could
help them narrow down their differences.

Founded in 1996 as Shanghai Five with
Russia, China, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan, the organisation was renamed
SCO five years later, with Uzbekistan
coming on board. India, Iran. Pakistan and
Mongolia are observers.
*India, South Africa sign three pacts: India
and South Africa signed three agreements,
including an air services pact, to ramp up their
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
business ties and agreed to jointly work to
reform the UN Security Council.

The two sides signed three agreements
including a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) on agricultural cooperation, an air
services pact and an MoU between the
Foreign Service Institute of India and the
Diplomatic Academy of South Africa.

South African President Jacob Zuma and
India's Commerce and Industry Minister
Anand Sharma launched the India-South
Africa CEOs Forum on June 3rd 2010.
India is South Africa's largest trading
partner in south and south-east Asia and
one of South Africa's top ten trading
partners globally.

The newly-launched CEOs forum would be
headed by Ratan Tata from the Indian
side and Patrice Motsepe, executive
chairman, Africa Rainbow Minerals, from
the South African side.
*India pushes for expansion of permanent
seats in UNSC: India, which is seeking a
permanent berth in the UN Security Council,
has said that expansion of only non-permanent
seats does not constitute reform of the world
body and demanded that membership, be
increased in both categories. "There cannot be
any reform without expansion in both the
categories of membership," Hardeep Singh
Puri, India's envoy to the UN, said. "Equally,
expansion only in the non-permanent category
20
cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
or any of its other variants does not constitute about 128 counties saying 'yes' to New
reform and is merely the perpetuation of the Delhi's presence in the Security Council.
current inefficiency by the same ineffective *India to help Burkina Faso set up first call
means in vogue since 1963," he said. centre: Burkina Faso - the small land-locked

India along with Japan, Germany, South country in west Africa will soon get its first call
Africa and Brazil is seeking permanent center - with support from India.
membership of the Security Council.

In 2009, member states of the UN had *EU keen on closer security ties: India and
finally abandoned the 'Open Ended the European Union exchanged notes for a
Working Group' (OEWG) on the issue closer security partnership in intelligence
that had dragged on for 15 years without sharing and anti-piracy operations during EU
yielding any substantive results. In March High Representative for foreign affairs and
last year, the old talks were replaced by the security policy Catherine Ashton's two-day
new "inter-governmental negotiations." interaction with top Indian policy makers.

At the meeting in the UN headquarters,
India also underlined the need for equitable *India gets help in drugs piracy fight: A
geographical distribution. number of developing countries from East Asia,

"India supports a Charter-based Latin America and Africa have extended their
distribution of seats that addresses the lack support to India in its fight against an attempt
of representation of African, Latin by developed countries to narrow the difference
American and Caribbean countries and the between fake medicines and counterfeits.
lack of adequate representation of Asian • The attempt by the developed countries
countries in the permanent membership," could adversely affect exports of generics
Puri said. from India worth Rs 30,000 crore annually.

This year, India is also running for a non- Counterfeits are drugs produced in

permanent seat of the Council for which violation of intellectual property

agreements.
elections will be held in October.
• Countries such as Thailand and Indonesia

Earlier this year, Kazakhstan's withdrew
supported India’s position at the recent
from the electoral race leaving India with a
world health assembly, an annual gathering
clean slate for 2010-11.
of 193 members of the World Health

To win, India needs two-thirds of the
Organisation (WHO), in Geneva. India had
General Assembly vote, which adds up to
submitted that its genuine generic
medicines were seized at European ports

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
because EU followed intellectual property circumvent the more liberal guidelines of the
laws that went beyond the international WIPO and WTO treaties, ostensibly to protect
Trips agreement and this should not be intellectual property and copyrighted material,
allowed to become the norm. but perhaps to ensure that royalties stay exactly
• The Indian drugs that were seized at where they belong. Some have even gone so far
European airports were off patent both in
as to call it an “international piracy pact”.
India and the countries where they were
being exported to, but there were
• Many developing nations have voiced their
companies in Europe that held patents to
displeasure against the formulation the
variants of these medicines.
ACTA, and some have even formed a
• The international health assembly decided
coalition to try to break it, or at least
that WHO should convene an
intergovernmental working group, which weaken the stringent terms. According to

will look at its role in ensuring availability
of good-quality, safe, efficacious and
affordable drugs, and also look at its
relationship with the controversial
International Medical Products
Counterfeiting Taskforce.
• International Medical Products Anti-
Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) was
launched by WHO in 2006, but it allegedly
represents the interest of multinational
pharmaceutical firms. WHO, in partnership
with IMPACT, has been actively
considering using the term counterfeit to
define fake and spurious medicines.
the English Club, ACTA will try to
implement a variety of major provisions,
from the criminalization of peer-to-peer
engine development, to thought crime (such
Anti- as imminent infringement), and the seizure
of international pharmaceutical shipments –
even those that just past through a
stentorian country’s port.
• In 2007, the EU and a number of other
WTO members began work on a new
international agreement – the Anti-
Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
The EU's objective with ACTA partners is
to have a new plurilateral treaty improving

* India mobilizing forces against Anti- global standards for the enforcement of

Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA): IPR, to more effectively combat trade in

The ACTA, or the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade counterfeit and pirated goods.

Agreement, is now widely acknowledged as a • It is feared that it could hamper India’s

controversial way that some of the wealthier trade in a number of areas including

nations (U.S., EU, Canada, Japan, and pharmaceuticals and IT products. Therefore

Australia) and corporations are trying to use to India and China have decided to rake up the

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
issue at the World Trade Organization financed through a credit from the
(WTO). There are serious concerns that International Development Association
ACTA will limit access to medicine (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary
hamper diffusion of green technology lending arm, and has 35 years to maturity
needed to fight climate change in the and a 10-year grace period. It is
software sector, give holders of huge patent complemented with $64 million from the
portfolios the possibility to eliminate Indian government's budget.
competition from start-ups, smaller sized
companies and open source projects *Kanishka Bombing Inquiry Commission
introduce Internet monitoring and three blames Canadian govt for its failure in
strikes out Internet disconnection policies terror attack:
hamper competition, innovation and trade
The final report into the 1985 Air India
create a captive institution. Kanishka bombing recommended ex-gratia
payment to the families of 329 victims,
*India to set up panel for boosting economic mostly of Indian origin. It also blamed the
ties with U.S.: India will set up a high-level Canadian government for its failure to
committee to identify areas for expanding prevent the country’s worst terrorist attack.
economic ties with the US, from where it
Justice John Major, the head of the
expects an estimated investment of $ 250-300 Kanishka bombing inquiry commission in a
billion in infrastructure space. The committee, live press conference in Ottawa said that
to be set up under Planning Commission the Canadian authorities should have
Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, known that Air India Flight 182 was a
would coordinate with various ministries and terrorism target. The failure of the Royal
prepare a roadmap before US President Barack Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and
Obama’s India visit in November 2010. Canada’s spy agency Canadian Security
and Intelligence Services (CSIS) to prevent
*World Bank loan to help India battle the tragedy is inexcusable.
natural disasters: The World Bank has
Justice Major's report also makes clear that
approved $255 million assistance to India to Air India was grossly negligent in its own
help mitigate the risks and vulnerability of responses, relying on screening equipment
people to natural disasters. that frequently malfunctioned, explosives

The first phase of India's National detection machines it knew did not work,
Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme is and staff untrained in using them.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
*Nikki Haley wins Republican governor from Beijing and has conveyed its reservations
nomination in South Carolina: If elected in to influential countries of the Nuclear Suppliers
the November elections, Ms. Haley would be Group (NSG). China has confirmed that
the first Indian American female and also the Chinese and Pakistani officials have signed an
first ever female governor of South Carolina. agreement to finance the construction of two
Ms. Haley, who was born Nimrata Randhawa, nuclear reactors to be built by the China
starts as a favourite against Democrat Vincent National Nuclear Corporation at the Chashma
Sheheen as South Carolina has strongly site in Pakistan. China earlier built two
favoured the Republican. The state has never reactors for Pakistan before it joined the NSG
voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2004.
since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
The NSG forbids transfer of nuclear
materials to the countries who have not
nd
*India-US CEO FORUM (2 meet in June signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
2010, The first meeting in November 2009 Treaty (NPT).
suggest $ 10 bn debt fund for India): for
It, however, made one-time exception for
development of infrastructure. They presented India in September 2008 by clearing the
recommendations to both governments in four India-US nuclear deal in view of New
core areas: Delhi's flawless non-proliferation record.
(i) Infrastructure;
While New Delhi is reasonably confident
(ii) Clean Energy; that the China-Pakistan nuclear deal will
(iii) Education and not pass muster at the 45-nation NSG due
(iv) e-Health/Biotechnology. to Islamabad's dubious proliferation record,
Reconstituted last year with 12 CEOs from there are apprehensions that Beijing will try
India and the USA nominated by Prime to hard-sell it by using its growing global
Minister Manmohan Manmohan Singh and clout.
President Barack Obama respectively, the
The Obama administration has decided to
forum is co-chaired by Ratan Tata, Chairman, object to a China-Pakistan civilian nuclear
Tata Sons and Dave Cote, CEO of Honeywell deal for establishing two atomic reactors in
Corp. Pakistan.

*India taps NSG over China-Pakistan n- *India, Canada sign civil nuclear deal: The
deal: Concerned about the China-Pakistan deal provides for cooperation in civil nuclear
nuclear deal, India has sought more details on it energy including import of uranium and

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
equipment from Canada. The deal also water ecosystem after Chilka in Orissa, is
envisages cooperation in fields of nuclear waste facing an ecological crisis with its area
management and radiation safety. The shrinking and fish dwindling due to silting and
agreement assumes significance in the context indiscriminate fishing, a study has found.
of Canada’s strong attitude in the past when it • The lake in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district
slapped sanctions against India after the is home to 160 different fish species and
Pokhran I and II tests in 1974 and 1998 more than 110 varieties of terrestrial and
respectively. aquatic birds and small mammals and
Science & Technology reptiles.
Ecology, Defence News • The lake area, which once extended to 460
square km, has reduced to 350 square km in
* SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket: Falcon 9 a new
a few decades, leading to a huge reduction in
private enterprise rocket with High Earth
Orbit (HEO) [A High Earth Orbit is a geocentric aquatic population. This was due to rapid
orbit whose apogee lies above that of a shrinking of the water spread area mainly
geosynchronous orbit (35,786 km)]. capability. It due to silting in the lake's northern part.
can also be used to launch heavier payloads
Earlier the lake's depth used to be four
into Low Earth Orbit (LEO - Low Earth Orbit
(LEO) refers to a satellite which orbits the earth metres, but now it is 1.5 metres. This has
at altitudes between 160 - 2,000 km (100 - 1,240 led to "lower aquatic life".
miles) above the Earth's surface.) such as
• The study has demanded setting up of an
resupply missions to the International Space
Station. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket achieved independent organisation on the lines of the
Earth orbit nine minutes into the flight as Chilka Lake Development Authority in
planned on June 3rd 2010. SpaceX's brand new Orissa for managing Pulicat. Global Nature,
rocket soared off its launch pad into thin clouds
a German-based NGO, which deals with
at mid-afternoon, carrying a mock-up of the
protection of environment and nature, has
company's spacecraft, named Dragon. The goal
was to put the capsule into a 250-kilometre- described Pulicat Lake as "Threatened Lake
high orbit, which it did. of the Year 2010".

* Bengaluru International Airport (BIA): on

June 3rd 2010 announced the launch of a five-
day green carnival, ‘Hasiru Habba’ to
commemorate ‘World Environment Day’ on
June 5.
*Pulicat lake facing ecological crisis: Pulicat
lake, the country's second largest brackish
Call: us: 09884554654
*Massive decline in butterflies in Himalayas:
The lofty western Himalayas are being slowly
robbed of their butterflies, with at least 50
percent of the species showing a massive
decline in less than a decade due to human
interference.
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
*Bacteria that can clean up oil spill
NASA plans ICESCAPE Arctic voyage identified: "NY3" bacteria has an
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration unveiled details of its first
"extraordinary capacity" to clean up some of
Arctic oceanographic research voyage on the oil spill by breaking up the oil by producing
June 4.
• The mission, named "Impacts of compounds called rhamnolipids. These
Climate on Ecosystems and compounds can help break polycyclic aromatic
Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific
Environment" or ICESCAPE, will hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are thought to
study the climate change in the Arctic,
ice conditions, and the altered ocean's be very toxic to the human body.
ability to absorb carbon from the • The rhamnolipids, which is non-toxic to
atmosphere.
• The voyage will last five weeks has microbial flora, human beings and animals,
begun on June 15.
can help degrade polycyclic aromatic
• It will depart from Dutch Harbor,
Alaska on the U.S. Coast Guard hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogenic and
icebreaker Healy.
• One of its goals is to collect mutagenic compound released with the oil
observations to compare to NASA's spill.
satellite views of ocean biology and
sea ice in order to improve the
understanding of this key component
on Earth's climate system. *Naro-1: previously designated Korea Space
• ICESCAPE will involve more than 40 Launch Vehicle or KSLV is South Korea's
scientists who plan to sample the
physical and chemical characteristics first carrier rocket, which made its maiden
of the ocean and sea ice, as well as the flight on 25 August 2009. It is built by KARI,
biological characteristics of the
microscopic plant and animal life that the national space agency of South Korea, and
regulate the flow of carbon into and
out of the sea. Korean Air, with the first stage provided by
• NASA plans to send a second voyage Khrunichev (Russia). It was twice launched
in 2011.
from the country's new spaceport, the Naro
• Lofty bath, a medium-sized white butterfly Space Center, but both launches ended in
with black streaks, once common in the failure. A second launch was scheduled for 9
alpine regions, is now spotted only in some June 2010 but the launch was scrubbed due to a
pockets of Ladakh. Other species like large malfunction of a fire protection system.
green underwing, the dusky green
underwing, common meadow blue, white *Fern's Evolution gives Arsenic Tolerance
blue linen and violet meadow blue, which that may clean toxic land: Researchers have
are typical high-altitude butterflies also need identified a gene that allows a type of fern to
to be conserved. tolerate high levels of arsenic and hope it can
help create plants that can clean up soil and
water contaminated by the poison, especially in
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
parts of India’s West Bengal and neighbouring
Bangladesh.
• Pteris vittata, a fern, can tolerate 100 to
1,000 times more arsenic than other plants. It
actually sucks the arsenic out of the soil and
puts it in the fronds”. “It’s the only multi-
cellular organism that can do this.”
* Dye-sensitised solar cell: The prestigious
2010 Millennium Prize was recently awarded to
Michael Grätzel for his invention and
development of dye-sensitized solar cells,
known as "Grätzel cells".
• Grätzel's innovation, the dye solar cell
(DSC), is a third generation photovoltaic
technology. Often described as "artificial
photosynthesis", dye solar cells are made of
low-cost materials and do not require
elaborate manufacturing equipment.
• Dye sensitised solar cells could prove to be
an inexpensive alternative to silicon solar
cells currently used in most solar panels.
• DSC cells separate the harvesting of light
from charge carrier transport, mimicking
the principles of solar energy conversion in
natural photosynthesis that occurs in plants.
In plants, sunlight is absorbed in the leaf by
chlorophyll, which converts carbon dioxide
and water into oxygen and glucose,
providing energy for the plant.
• In DSC cells the leaf structure is replaced
by a porous titanium oxide nanostructure,
and the chlorophyll is replaced by dye
molecules. A layer of the 10-micrometer
thick material is sandwiched between two
glass plates or embedded in plastic.
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
• Dye sensitised solar cell technology uses
readily available materials that are relatively
non-toxic. Titanium dioxide, used instead
of expensive high purity silicon as a
semiconductor, is a cheap white pigment
used in paints.
• The cells can be manufactured as flexible
sheets in a low-cost, roll-to-roll process
with production equipment is similar to
manufacturing lines used by the printing,
coating and packaging industries.
• Dye-sensitised solar cells used in larger solar
panels such as those in residential solar
power systems have only achieved 8–9 %
efficiency to date, well below the 13% and
upwards of polycrystalline and
monocrystalline silicon based solar panels.
However, Gratzel says in real working
conditions the difference shrinks. DSC cells
capture more power in low light or even
rainy conditions, meaning the cells give a
better performance over the whole day, even
if they are less efficient under ideal
conditions.
*China has world’s fastest supercomputer:
The Nebulae supercomputer has a theoretical
peak performance of 2.98 petaflops, and China
now runs 24 of the top 500 computers in the
world. But America’s Jaguar machine still has
the fastest actual performance.
• The latest list of the world’s 500 fastest
supercomputers places a Chinese computer
based in Shenzhen second when measuring
actual performance, and first in terms of its
theoretical maximum.
• The world’s fastest computer is based at the
American Department of Energy’s Oak
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
Ridge Leadership Computing Facility,
Tennessee. Called Jaguar, its record is 1.75
petaflop/s and it has a theoretical peak
capability of 2.3 petaflop/s. One petaflop/s
refers to one quadrillion calculations per
second.
• Nebulae is located at the newly built
National Supercomputing Centre in
Shenzhen, and have already achieved 1.271
PFlop/s running the same benchmark as that
used to test Jaguar. In part due to graphics
accelerators, Nebulae reports a theoretical
peak capability of almost 3 petaflop/s, which
is the highest ever on the TOP500.
* World's largest oceanography: As part of a
partnership between Google, the University of
California and the UC San Diego Libraries, the
100,000 volumes from the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography Library, the world's largest
oceanography library, have been digitized and
are being made accessible to public.
*Blue green bacteria may help generate
'green' electricity”: Using blue-green bacteria,
researchers have for the first time developed a
way to convert sunlight directly into electricity
in a CO2-free manner.
• The study illustrates that the electrogenic
workings of cyanobacteria is an important
conduit of solar energy into the biosphere,
said associate professor, Ms Ilia Baskakov,
PhD. Center for Biomedical Engineering and
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
Technology at the University of Maryland
Baltimore (UMB).
• The UMB researchers discovered that
cyanobacteria possess a natural light-
dependent electrogenic activity. The
bacteria can generate and transfer high-
energy electrons--generate electricity to the
external environment under illumination.
• Cyanobacteria fix within themselves an
estimated 25 Giga tons of carbon, in the
form of CO2 per year and account for 20-30
percent of Earth’s total photosynthetic
productivity.
• There exists a diversity of different species
of cyanobacteria all over the world, from
temperate ponds to some of the most
inhospitable environments imaginable such
as the Sahara desert or the Antarctic glaciers.
• Colonies of cyanobacteria can form
filaments, sheets or even hollow balls. On a
global scale, the amount of solar energy that
is harvested by cyanobacteria exceeds more
than 25 times the energy consumed by
humans.
• Cyanobacteria utilize the energy of sunlight
to drive photosynthesis, a process where the
energy of light is used to split water
molecules into oxygen, protons and
electrons.
• While most of the high-energy electrons
derived from water are utilized by the
cyanobacterial cells for their own needs,
scientists at the University of Maryland
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
BioMET laboratories found that a fraction of
these electrons are donated to the external
environment.
• To harvest those electrons from
cyanobacteria, the scientists developed a
photosynthetic microbial fuel cell, or
PMFC, that serves as both a growth
chamber for cyanobacteria and an electron
harvester. Inside the transparent PMFC, the
cyanobacteria grow in direct contact with a
conductive surface, called the anode.
• When exposed to light cyanobacteria were
found to produce an electrical current, where
the electrons are moving directly from the
cyanobacteria to the anode.
*World's smallest, lightest telemedicine * Moon has more water than Great Lakes:
microscope invented: Aydogan Ozcan, an
engineer, has created a miniature microscope;
the world's smallest and lightest for
telemedicine applications.
• The microscope builds on imaging
technology known as LUCAS (Lensless
Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitoring Array
platform based on Shadow imaging).
• Instead of using a lens to magnify objects,
LUCAS generates holographic images of
microparticles or cells by employing a light-
emitting diode to illuminate the objects and a
digital sensor array to capture their images.
• The lensless microscope, in addition to being
far more compact and lightweight than
conventional microscopes, also obviates the
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
need for trained technicians to analyze the
images produced images are analyzed by
computer so that results are available
instantaneously.
• Samples are loaded using a small chip that
can be filled with saliva or a blood smear for
health monitoring. With blood smears, the
lensless microscope is capable of accurately
identifying cells and particles, including red
blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
• The technology has the potential to help
monitor diseases like malaria, HIV and
tuberculosis in areas where there are great
distances between people in need of health
care and the facilities capable of providing it.
• Scientists have found Moon's minerals may
have at least 100 times more water than
previously indicated by remote sensing data
from the Indian spacecraft Chandrayaan-1
and other lunar sample analysis.
• In March 2010, a US space agency NASA
radar experiment aboard Chandrayaan-1,
India's first lunar spacecraft launched by the
Indian Space Research Organization in
October 2008, found thick deposits of water-
ice near the Moon's North Pole.
• Scientists at the Carnegie Institution's
Geophysical Laboratory in Washington now
estimate that the volume of water molecules
locked inside minerals in the Moon's interior
could exceed the amount of water in the Great
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Lakes on the US-Canada border that hold 20 "listen to the data" and pick out the Higgs
percent of the Earth's surface fresh water. particle if and when they finally detect it.
• The origin of the Moon is now commonly • The scientists believe that finding the Higgs
believed to be the result of a Mars-size object boson --also known as the God particle -- will
that impacted the Earth 4.5 billion years ago. provide an insight into the nature of all
This impact put a large amount of material matter.
into Earth's orbit that ultimately compacted to • Scientists are hoping that new sub-atomic
form the Moon. particles will emerge, revealing insights into
• The lunar magma ocean that is thought to the nature of the cosmos.
have formed at some point during the • Atlas is one of the experiments at the LHC.
compacting process, began to cool. During An instrument inside Atlas called the
this cooling, water either escaped or was calorimeter is used for measuring energy and
preserved as hydroxyl molecules in the is made up of seven concentric layers.
crystallizing minerals. • Each layer is represented by a note and their
• The identification of water from multiple pitch is different depending on the amount of
types of lunar rocks that display a range of energy that is deposited in that layer. The
incompatible trace element signatures process of converting scientific data into
indicates that water may be at low sounds is called sonification.
concentrations but ubiquitous within the
Moon's interior, potentially as early as the *Israel to build world’s biggest seawater
time of lunar formation and magma ocean desalination plant: The 300,000-sq-metre
crystallization. Sorek desalination facility, to be constructed
near the coastal city of Ashkelon, will supply
*Scientists create sound of 'God' particle at 150 million cubic metres annually, a quarter of
LHC: Scientists have simulated the sounds set the country’s needs.
to be made by the subatomic 'God' particle at
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s *Gut-residing bacteria trigger arthritis in
largest and highest energy particle accelerator genetically susceptible individuals: Our gut,
designed to shed light on fundamental like that of most mammals, is filled with
questions in physics. thousands of species of bacteria, many of which
• The LHC Sound project aimed to allow are helpful and aid in the development of a
physicists at the European Organisation for normal, healthy immune system. Gut-residing
Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva to bacteria can also play a role in disorders of the

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
immune system, especially autoimmune
disorders in which the body attacks its own
cells. It turns out that rheumatoid arthritis is one
such disorder.
'Universe of Particles'
The "Universe of Particles" exhibition,
installed in the Globe of Science and Innovation,
was previewed to the media on 25 June. The
purpose of the "Universe of Particles" exhibition
is for visitors to confront the great questions of
contemporary physics, currently being explored
by the CERN via the LHC and other
accelerators.
The exhibition's innovative design
plunges the visitor into the fascinating world of
particles, from the infinitesimally large to the
infinitesimally small, from the Big Bang to the
present day. The bewildering environment is
designed to force visitors to abandon
conventional ideas and contemplate a field of
research beyond their common experience.
August 2010
Simian immunodeficiency viruses
(SIV), also known as the African Green Monkey
Virus, are retroviruses that are found in over 40
species of African primates. The closest simian
relatives of HIV-1 and HIV-2 have been found in
the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the
sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys), respectively,
and phylogenetic evidence indicates that
lentiviruses from these species (SIVcpz and
SIVsm, respectively) have been transmitted to
humans.
Because humans come in frequent
contact with primates in many parts of sub-
Saharan Africa, additional zoonotic transfers of
primate lentiviruses from species other than
chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys are possible.
The risk for acquiring SIV infection would be
expected to be highest in persons who hunt
primates and prepare their meat for consumption,
as well as in persons who keep primates as pets.
First recognized in the early 1980s,
AIDS represents the endstage of infection with
one of two lentiviruses, termed Human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) or type 2
(HIV- 2) (1,2). HIV-1 has spread to most parts of
the world, while HIV-2 has remained largely
restricted to West Africa.

*Hayabusa reached an asteroid called

*Japanese Space Capsule (Hayabusa
Itokawa in 2005. After taking photo images
explorer) Recovered in Australia: The
from all angles of the 1,640-foot (500-meter) -
Hayabusa explorer is back on Earth after seven
long asteroid, Hayabusa landed on it twice in
years of journey covering 4-billion mile (6-
late 2005.
billion kilometer). The spacecraft has created
• The Japanese space agency said the aim of
history by landing safely on the earth after its
the $200 million project was to understand
tryst with the asteroid.
the origin and evolution of the solar system,
• Seiichi Sakamoto of the’ Japan Aerospace
as well as paving the way for future sample
Exploration Agency’ had launched the
return missions.
explorer in 2003. It was the first time a
• Hayabusa was originally due to return to
spacecraft successfully landed on an
Earth in 2007 but a series of technical glitches
asteroid and returned to Earth.
- including a deterioration of its ion engines,
• Helicopters took scientists to the capsule's
broken control wheels, and the
landing site in the Woomera Prohibited Area,
malfunctioning of electricity-storing batteries
a remote military zone 300 miles (485
- forced it to miss its window to maneuver
kilometers) northwest of the South Australian
into the Earth's orbit until this year.
state capital of Adelaide.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
• If Hayabusa is indeed carrying asteroid care, sciences, sustainability, ethics, law,
samples, it would be only the fourth space planning, management, engineering, justice,
sample return in history - including moon etc.; ecology, global warming, ozone,
matter collected by the Apollo missions, sustainable development, pollution, climate
comet material by Stardust, and solar matter change, water quality, indoor air quality,
from the Genesis mission. biodiversity, desertification, species
* K. Jayakumar Committee report: on the migration, oil spills, acid rain, hazardous
ecological damage caused by the Hindustan wastes, biological diversity, etc.
Coca-Cola Beverages Company at Plachimada
in Palakkad district, Kerala. The 14-member * EMILY Is The Enticing New Robot
Jayakumar committee has suggested Lifeguard On The American Beach: EMILY
constitution of a tribunal by the State is an acronym for EMergency Integrated
government under Article 323 B of the Lifesaving lanYard. EMILY is already in force
Constitution or formation of an authority by the at the Zuma beach in California. EMILY is an
Centre under the Environment (Protection) Act instrument that has been constructed for two
as has been done in the case of tanneries in principal purposes. One of the objectives is to
Tamil Nadu. A formal decision in the matter spurt out to a swimmer in difficulty and
has to be taken by the Cabinet.

XINGYUN, the fastest super computer

* Global Council on Environment: A new developed in China
This super computer can perform one quadrillion
global environment advocacy organization has calculations, that is one thousand million million
calculations per second.
been launched to "preserve, protect and better
The computer works at almost three times
speed as compared to the previous super
the universe around us". computer named ‘TIANHE-1’ during its peak
performance. TIENHE -1 was developed in
• Named "Global Council on Environment" October 2009 at ‘National University of
Defence Technology’. The normal
(GCE), it aims to raise the environment performance is almost double that of
TIANHE-1. When compared with a dual core
standards of the world. Headquartered in processor of a personal computer, it can be
said that the one day work of the dual core
Nevada (USA), religious statesman Rajan processor will be done in 1 second by this all
new super computer developed by the
Zed is its president while environmental Chinese.

XINGYUN is now the server of ‘Dawn 6000’
advocate Jim Meiklejohn is secretary. which has been jointly developed by Dawning
Information Industry Co. Ltd, Chinese
• According to Zed, Council will seek to Academy of Sciences Calculation Institution
and the South China Supercomputing Centre.
mobilize world opinion and increase It has been developed for DNA sequencing
and for cloud computing.
awareness on the issues concerning
environment, including its preservation, anticipate assistance. The other objective is to
conservation, protection, economy, history, pull the swimmer back to the shoreline. EMILY
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
is an instrument that has a radio that permits the concerns about prospective environmental
‘real’ lifeguard to communicate with the hazards on local economy and biodiversity.
individual swimmer having problems. Ecologists say the project area has significant
conservational importance due to abundant of
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment forests, aquatics life and presence of many
(GRACE)
GRACE - a joint mission of NASA and the German species of wild life, which have been declared
Space Agency has been making detailed
measurements of Earth's gravity field since its endangered globally.
launch in March 2002.
• Gravity is determined by mass. By measuring • The project will also have serious impact on
gravity, GRACE shows how mass are
distributed around the planet and how it varies the habitat of various rare species considered
over time. GRACE data are important tools for
studying Earth's ocean, geology, and climate.
on the verge of extinction.
• The US National Aeronautics and Space
• Indian plan is to divert water through a 21
Administration (NASA) extended the Gravity
Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) KM long tunnel before it enters Pakistani
space mission, operated jointly with the
German aerospace centre here, to 2015 from Administered Kashmir; and release the water
2012.
• The mission measures changes in sea-floor into Bonar Madumati Nullah - a tributary of
pressure and shows how the mass of the oceans
change. It also measures and monitors ice the Jhelum River. The diverted water would
sheets and changes in the storage of water and
be used for generating electricity and feeding
snow on the continents.
the Wullar Lake in the process. (i.e) after the
completion of this project, the water of
* Neelam Jhelum Hydroelectric Project - an
Neelam River or Kishen Ganga will join
environmental disaster: Neelam Jhelum
River Jhelum at Bandipore on the Indian side
Hydroelectric Project is located near
of LOC instead of its present convergence at
Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani
Domel in Muzaffarabad, Pakistani
Administered Kashmir. It aims to dig a tunnel
Administered Kashmir.
and divert water of Neelam River from Nauseri,
• Pakistan has serious objections to this
about 41 KM East of Muzaffarabad.
project, as they feel this project will reduce
• River water and natural springs are main
flow of water in the Neelam River when it
source for drinking and irrigation of land; and
enters Pakistani Administered Kashmir; and it
this diversion of river will have serious water
will have severe impact on their project:
shortage, which will make life miserable for
Neelam-Jhelum Hydro Electric Project.
the local people.
• The government of Pakistan wishes to resolve
• The project will have very serious impact on
this issue bilaterally, but there is also talk of
environment of the area, as it plays a key role
invoking the arbitration process enshrined in
in the configuration of Himalayan ecosystem.
the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.
Environmental groups have expressed their
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010

The Oil-for-Food Programme, established by the

Economy
* Damodaran heads RBI panel on improving
customer services: The committee, Chaired by
the former Securities and Exchange Board of
India Chairman, Mr M. Damodaran, will study
the structure and efficacy of the customer
grievance redress system now in place in banks
and suggest measures for expeditious resolution
of complaints. It may also lay down a suitable
time-frame for disposal of customer
complaints. The panel will also examine
international experiences in this regard. In
2006, RBI had introduced the Code of
Bank’s Commitment to Customers.
* Chinese Bank unveils worlds 'biggest' IPO:
United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council
Resolution 986) and terminated in late 2003, was
established with the stated intent to allow Iraq to sell oil
on the world market in exchange for food, medicine,
and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens
without allowing Iraq to boost its military capabilities.
The programme was introduced by United States
President Bill Clinton's administration in 1995, as a
response to arguments that ordinary Iraqi citizens were
inordinately affected by the international economic
sanctions aimed at the demilitarization of Saddam
Hussein's Iraq, imposed in the wake of the first Gulf
War. The sanctions were discontinued on November 21,
2003 after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the
humanitarian functions turned over to the Coalition
Provisional Authority.
Trafigura - a Swiss-based multinational company
was named in the Iraq Oil-for-Food Scandal. The
company was reported to be behind the Côte d'Ivoire
toxic waste dump in 2006. The dump was a health crisis
in Côte d'Ivoire in which a ship registered in Panama,
the Probo Koala, chartered Trafigura Beheer BV,
disposed of toxic waste in the Ivorian port of Abidjan. It
was more than 500 tonnes of a mixture of fuel, caustic
soda, and hydrogen sulfide transported from Europe as
toxic waste. The Dutch prosecutors have accused
Trafigura of illegally exporting hazardous waste to
Ivory Coast in 2006. The prosecutors say that "the
waste is thrown over the fence, dumped in a third world
country". On June 1, 2010, the trial of Trafigura for
illegally exporting hazardous waste to Ivory Coast in
2006 begins in Amsterdam.

The Agricultural Bank of China (ABC)

*Pitroda - India Food Bank: Knowledge and
announced its huge dual listing in Shanghai
telecommunication evangelist Sam Pitroda,
and Hong Kong, which could be the world's
currently advisor to the Prime Minister on
largest-ever initial public offering. ABC, the
Public Information Infrastructure and
biggest bank in China by customers, plans to
Innovations, is on a new mission - to make
sell as many as 22.24 billion A shares in its IPO
India hunger-proof and food-reliant.
in Shanghai and another 25.4 billion shares in
• He is working on a draft to set a countrywide
Hong Kong.
network of private food banks - resource
pools he calls them - that will work as a
*RIL makes Seventh oil discovery: Reliance
parallel distribution system to disburse food
Industries Limited (RIL) announced its seventh
and allied infrastructure to people living on
oil discovery in exploration block CB-ONN-
the edge of the poverty line and below in the
2003/1 (CB 10 A and B) near Ahmedabad in
vast Indian heartland.
Gujarat, awarded under the NELP-V round of
• Pitroda will put his project, India Food Bank,
exploration bidding.
in place by the end of 2010 with the help of a

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Chicago-based international organization, is the highest award given by the Indian
Global Food banking Network, a Stanford government to individuals or organizations in
University think-tank that provides food aid recognition of exceptional & outstanding
to 30 nations. contribution to environmental conservation and
• The United Nations World Food Programme awareness generation.
paints a more alarming picture saying nearly
350 million of India's population - roughly *Mac Gregor Memorial medal: Veteran
35% - is considered food insecure, mountaineer and former Army officer Col
consuming less than 80 percent of the total Narinder Kumar has been decorated with
energy requirements. prestigious Mac Gregor Memorial medal.

Mac Gregor memorial medal was instituted
*Dehradun emerging as new sword market: by the United Services of India in 1888, in
Swords manufactured here are not available in the memory of Major General Sir Charles
the Indian local markets. Dehradun swords are Metcalfe Mac Gregor to recognize
made on order and exported to the European exemplary service in the fields of Military
countries and the US. reconnaissance, expeditions, river rafting,
world cruises, polar expeditions, running and
Awards and Honours
trekking across Himalayas and adventure
* Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar for flights.
2008: Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru
Colonel Narinder Kumar has led multiple
Jaggi Vasudev, is getting the Indira Gandhi expeditions in the Siachen area, between
Pariavaran Puraskar for the year 2008 in 1978 and 1981 and gained highly valuable
recognition of Isha Foundation’s massive terrain and enemy information, which has
ecological initiative, called ‘Project Green been instrumental in safeguarding our
Hands’ to prevent and reverse environmental borders on there.
degradation and to enable sustainable living.
Project Green Hands is a massive people’s *Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Classical Tamil
movement to raise the green cover of Tamil Award: at the inauguration of the World
Nadu by 10%. In the last 5 years, over 300,000 Classical Tamil Conference, Asko Parpola,
Isha volunteers across Tamil Nadu and Professor-Emeritus of Indology, Institute of
Pondicherry have raised 8.2 million trees for World Cultures, University of Helsinki,
plantation. The goal is to mobilize the entire Finland.
population of Tamil Nadu to plant an additional
106 million trees within the next 10 years. This
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
*L and T Infotech wins 'Service Supplier' achievement as a cricketer, the IAF had mooted
award: Leading IT service company L and T the proposal to bestow an honorary rank and
Infotech has been honored with the the President of India, in her capacity as the
'Distinguished Service Supplier' Award for the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces,
past year by Freescale Semiconductor, a US- gave her assent.
based semiconductor design and manufacturing
Till date the government has granted
company. The Award is given to a company honorary ranks to 21 persons including noted
that demonstrates superior service. industrialists and aviation enthusiasts J.R.D.
Tata and Vijaipat Singhania.
*Wipro wins Microsoft country partner
As per the IAF records, former ruler of
award: Wipro has won the 2010 Microsoft Jawhar, Yashwant Rao Patangshah
country partner of the year award for delivering Vikramshah Mukane was the first to be
market-leading customer solutions built on granted the honorary rank of Flight
Microsoft technology. Lieutenant on September 30, 1944. The list
includes rulers of a number of erstwhile
*Benazir Bhutto Democracy Award for Suu princely States.
Kyi: Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung
J.R.D Tata was first made an honorary
San Suu Kyi has become the first recipient of Group Captain in 1948, later promoted as
the new Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Award for Air Commodore in October 1966 and finally
Democracy presented by a committee set up by made the honorary Air Vice Marshal in
the ruling party in Pakistan. 1974.

Mr. Singhania, was the last to be granted the
*3-G solar cells inventor Gratzel wins honorary rank in October 1990 after he flew
Millennium Technology Prize: The 2010 round-the-globe in a micro-light aircraft.
Millennium Prize Laureate Michael Grätzel is
the father of third generation dye-sensitized
Sports
solar cells. Grätzel cells, which promise
electricity-generating windows and low-cost *French Open: Paes loses in doubles final:
Leander Paes of India and Lukas Dlouhy of
solar panels, have just made their debut in
the Czech Republic were defeated by Daniel
consumer products.
Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of
Serbia, who claimed their first French Open
*IAF confers honorary Group Captain rank
men's doubles title.
on Tendulkar: In recognition of his glorious

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
*Nadal lifts his fifth French Open crown: Relay (QBR) arrived in India from Pakistan
The win, Nadal's fifth since 2005, put him through the historic Wagah Border on June 25,
second on the all-time list of French Open 2010. The QBR, which was launched by Queen
winners, one behind Bjorn Borg whose last Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace in
title here came in 1981. It was also the second London on October 29 last year in the presence
time he had won the French Open title without of Indian President Pratibha Patil, will now
dropping a set, having first achieved that feat in start a 100-day national tour which would
2008. culminate in New Delhi for the Games from
October 3 to 14. With this, the baton is nearing
* Longest tennis match in history: the end of its 190,000-km journey, covering 71
(American John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut of nations and territories across the world.
France) John Isner won a three-day battle as he
finally brought an end to the longest ever tennis * India beat Sri Lanka comprehensively to
match with his defeat of Nicolas Mahut at lift Asia Cup Title: A 15-year-old title drought
Wimbledon. came to an end as India won the Asia Cup
tournament after crushing defending champions
*Italy eliminated, Slovakia advance with Sri Lanka by 81 runs. This was India's first
historic win: For the first time in World Cup Asia Cup triumph since Mohammad
history, both finalists of the previous Azharuddin had led them to the title in Sharjah
championship failed to advance from the first in 1995. On that occasion also, India had beaten
round as reigning champions Italy were Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final.
eliminated from South Africa 2010 with a 2-3 D.Karthik was declared Player of the Match
loss against Slovakia, who used their first ever his match winning 66 runs off 84 balls.
World Cup victory to advance to the Round of S.Afridi was declared Player of the Series.
16. Italy became just the fourth title-holder to
fail to advance from the first stage following * Saina Nehwal wins Indonesian Open:
they themselves in 1950, Brazil in 1966 and Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal won the
France in 2002. (Róbert Vittek - a Slovak third Super Series title in a row by registering a
football player). thumping victory in Indonesian Open final.
Nehwal put behind a nervous start to rout
*Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in India: Japan’s Sayaka Sato 21-19, 13-21, 21-11 at the
Starting the 100-day countdown to this year’s Indonesian Open final.
Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Baton

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
(deteriorates) and disintegrates by means of
ARTICLES
photolysis (decomposition by sunlight) and
Oil spills in the marine environment biodegradation (decomposition due to
microorganisms). The rate of biodegradation
Oil wastes that enter the ocean come
depends on the availability of nutrients,
from many sources, some being accidental
oxygen, and microorganisms, as well as
spills or leaks, and some being the results of
temperature.
chronic and careless habits in the use of oil and
Oil Spill Interaction with Shoreline
oil products. Most waste oil in the ocean
If oil waste reaches the shoreline or
consists of oily storm water drainage from
coast, it interacts with sediments such as beach
cities and farms, untreated waste disposal from
sand and gravel, rocks and boulders, vegetation,
factories and industrial facilities, and
and terrestrial habitats of both wildlife and
unregulated recreational boating.
humans, causing erosion as well as
Oil Spill Behavior
contamination. Waves, water currents, and
When oil is spilled in the ocean, it
wind move the oil onto shore with the surf and
initially spreads in the water (primarily on the
tide.
surface), depending on its relative density and
Beach sand and gravel saturated with oil
composition. The oil slick formed may remain
may be unable to protect and nurture normal
cohesive, or may break up in the case of rough
vegetation and populations of the substrate
seas. Waves, water currents, and wind force the
biomass. Rocks and boulders coated with sticky
oil slick to drift over large areas, impacting the
residue interfere with recreational uses of the
open ocean, coastal areas, and marine and
shoreline and can be toxic to coastal wildlife.
terrestrial habitats in the path of the drift.
Damage to Fisheries, Wildlife, and
Oil that contains volatile organic
Recreation
compounds partially evaporates, losing between
Oil spills present the potential for
20 and 40 percent of its mass and becoming
enormous harm to deep ocean and coastal
denser and more viscous (i.e., more resistant to
fishing and fisheries. The immediate effects of
flow). A small percentage of oil may dissolve
toxic and smothering oil waste may be mass
in the water. The oil residue also can disperse
mortality and contamination of fish and other
almost invisibly in the water or form a thick
food species, but long-term ecological effects
mousse with the water. Part of the oil waste
may be worse. Oil waste poisons the sensitive
may sink with suspended particulate matter,
marine and coastal organic substrate,
and the remainder eventually congeals into
interrupting the food chain on which fish and
sticky tar balls. Over time, oil waste weathers

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
sea creatures depend, and on which their
reproductive success is based.
Long-term ecological effects that
contaminate or destroy the marine organic
substrate and thereby interrupt the food chain
are also harmful to the wildlife, so species
populations may change or disappear.
Coastal areas are usually thickly
populated and attract many recreational
activities and related facilities that have been
developed for fishing, boating, snorkeling and
scuba diving, swimming, nature parks and
preserves, beaches, and other resident and
tourist attractions. Oil waste that invades and
pollutes these areas and negatively affects
human activities can have devastating and long-
term effects on the local economy and society.
Property values for housing tend to decrease,
regional business activity declines, and future
investment is risky.
Cleanup and Recovery
The techniques used to clean up an oil
spill depend on oil characteristics and the type
of environment involved; for example, open
ocean, coastal, or wetland. Pollution-control
measures include
• Long, buoyant booms which float on the
water and a skirt that hangs below the water
contain the slick and keep the oil from
spreading out. This makes it easier to skim
oil from the surface, using boats that suck
or scoop the oil from the water and into
containment tanks. A slick like this may
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
also call for sorbents -- large sponges that
absorb the oil from the water.
• Bioremediation: use of microorganisms
(like Pseudomonas) or biological agents to
break down or remove oil. Fertilizers like
phosphorus and nitrogen are spread over
the oil-slicked shoreline to foster the
growth of microorganisms, which break
down the oil into natural components like
fatty acids and carbon dioxide. Other forms
of biological agents can also be used in
marine -- or open sea -- spills.
• Controlled burning can effectively reduce
the amount of oil in water, if done properly.
But it can only be done in low wind and
can cause air pollution.
• Often, oil spills in tropical areas are
handled with dispersants -- chemicals
which break down oil much more quickly
than the elements can alone. Dispersants
break the oil slick apart, allowing oil
droplets to mix with water and be absorbed
into the aquatic system more quickly.
These chemicals pose their own danger,
however. This broken-down oil can be
absorbed by marine life and into the food
chain. But the dispersed oil droplets
infiltrate into deeper water and can lethally
contaminate coral. Recent research
indicates that some dispersants are toxic to
corals.
39
cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SURVEY knowledge to make agriculture more
OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 2010 - Sustaining environmentally resilient. But countries will
Recovery and Dynamism for Inclusive
also need to make agriculture more socially
Development
Survey 2010 explores of inclusive by returning ownership of land and
ways
increasing aggregate demand and supply – resources to farmers, especially women, and
establishing the region on a more inclusive and economically empowering the poor.
sustainable path of development and boosting 3. Supporting new engines of growth:

regional connectivity. For this purpose it green innovations - Green Growth emphasizes
proposes an agenda with five prongs. environmentally sustainable consumption and

1. Strengthening social protection - production that foster low-carbon, socially

By serving as automatic stabilizers, systems of inclusive development. For this purpose,
social protection not only support households at countries can take an industrial policy approach
times of crisis but also enhance opportunities – encouraging strategic collaborations between
for individual development. Rather than using government and industry to promote
short-term measures, interventions need to investments in environmentally-friendly

sustain a trajectory from poverty to security, as technologies and products. Because of market
basic rights. failures such investments may not be

2. Promoting agriculture and rural immediately profitable; so many

development: fostering a second green environmentally-friendly technological

revolution - In Asia and the Pacific the innovations will initially need government
majority of poor people live in the rural areas support.
and derive most of their income from 4. Enhancing financial inclusion - A

agriculture – so are likely to benefit from well functioning financial system is crucial to
agricultural growth. Since the 1970s such economic growth, but this will not be enough to
growth was based largely on the Green ensure expanded aggregate demand. If the poor
Revolution which helped the region achieve are to release their pent-up demand they will
significant yield increases – though the high need access to a more diverse and appropriate
input intensity also caused well documented range of financial products and services. This
problems. Now, as the region aims for more would include savings, credit and insurance
balanced economic growth, it needs a second, products tailored to their requirements – on
more knowledge-intensive green revolution that more favourable terms and with less stringent
combines advances in science and agricultural demands for collateral. This has been shown to
engineering with the region’s unique traditional have clear benefits. Governments will need to

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
ensure an institutional and regulatory amount of garbage. The compost produced
environment that fosters an inclusive, fairer and from composting is a kind of organic fertilizer
more efficient banking system and expands and which can be used instead of chemical
safeguards the options for the poor. fertilizers and it is better, especially when used
5. Evolving a regional framework for for growing vegetables. It has the capacity to
cooperative action - With some of the world’s withhold moisture content in the soil and makes
largest and fastest-growing economies, Asia the soil easier to cultivate. It supplies part of the
and the Pacific can become an even greater 16 essential elements needed by the plants and
economic powerhouse if it develops a more helps to reduce the adverse effects of excessive
integrated regional market. But this should be alkalinity, acidity. It helps to keep the soil cool
on the basis of a new development paradigm in summer and warm in winter. It aids in
that is more inclusive and sustainable. preventing soil erosion by keeping the soil
Developing countries like India covered. It prevents water evaporation due to
generate more putrescible waste as compared to heat.
developed countries. The putrefying nature of
Bio-Bin Composting
the waste makes it less viable for storage and
transportation. It also hinders the recovery of The concept of composting gave rise to
recyclable materials. Limited land resource a system known as ‘Bio-bin’ which is an in-
available for dumping of waste which is ever vessel composting. Bio-Bin is the innovation to
increasing with increase in population has lead find a better way to dispose off the putrescible
India to think over techniques of reducing waste and turn it into compost on site in a
waste at the source itself. relatively short time. It is now being used at
Composting is one such and the most various trial sites, expanding from greengrocer
viable technique to serve the purpose. waste to becoming an effective vessel for the
Composting is a biological process in which collection and disposal of Putrescible Food
micro-organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, Waste.
convert fast degradable organic waste into The Bio-bin process involves
humus like substance, which is high in carbon circulation of oxygen into the Bin. Ammonia
and nitrogen. It is an excellent medium for and the high temperatures combine to kill off
growing plants that recycles the nutrients and disease causing pathogens. Nowadays micro-
returns them to the soil. organism culture known as BTM (Bio Trigger
Apart from being clean, safe and Mechanism) is also added to the content of Bio-
economic, composting significantly reduces the bin so as to accelerate the process of

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
composting. The use of this technique not only greenhouse gases to trap heat in the
eliminates foul odour but also minimizes the atmosphere. GWPs are based on the heat-
risk of diseases in the environment due to flies absorbing ability of each gas relative to that of
and mosquitoes. carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as the decay rate
Usage of Bio-bin: of each gas (the amount removed from the
1. The Bio-bin can be used on a small scale in atmosphere over a given number of years).
kitchens.
Clathrates are also called host-guest
2. On medium scale, Bio-bins can be brought complexes, inclusion compounds, and adducts
(chiefly in the case of urea and thiourea). They used to
into practice in buildings, housing- societies
be called molecular compounds. Methane clathrate
etc. (methane hydrate, hydromethane, methane ice or "fire
ice") is a solid clathrate compound in which a large
3. Gardens, shopping centers, malls, canteens amount of methane is trapped within a crystal
structure of water, forming a solid similar to ice. The
of commercial & industrial places, hotels & massive stock of greenhouse gas held in the Arctic
permafrost and in undersea deposits called methane
restaurants, institutions like colleges, schools clathrates poses a serious threat.
One of the most frightening potential
etc. are the places where composting can be sources of greenhouse gas comes from special
carried out on large scale using Bio-bins. concentrated compounds of methane called clathrates.
They are found in frozen tundra regions in the
All the generated waste should be permafrost layer, but mostly on the ocean seabed.
Although it is very difficult to estimate global
segregated at source and then only it can be quantities of methane clathrates, it is estimated that
there are more than 24,000 gigatones of carbon stored
transferred to a Bio-bin for composting. It in the oceans alone. These are stable at low
temperatures, however with the prospect of global
should be noted that putrescible waste, which warming it is possible that there might be a positive
feedback mechanism, whereby rising temperatures
can be degraded fast, only goes to Bio-bin. The
lead to the melting of clathrates and the subsequent
organics which takes considerable time to release of methane, thereby increasing temperatures
further. This could theoretically lead to exponential
degrade like paper, wood, cardboard etc. should temperature increase with very dramatic global
consequences.
not make their way to Bio-bin as the process of
composting can become prolonged & takes
By assigning a GWP value it allows
more days to obtain final compost product.
policy makers to compare the impacts of
Besides it also alters the quality of the final
emissions and reductions of different gases. For
compost product.
instance, methane is a significant contributor to
Global Warming Potential the greenhouse effect and has a GWP of 21.
GWP is the global warming impact that This means methane is approximately 21 times
a GHG would have over a 100-year timeframe. more heat-absorptive than carbon dioxide per
All greenhouse gases have what is called a unit of weight.
Global Warming Potential (GWP). This value Nitrous oxide is 310 times more
is used to compare the abilities of different absorptive than carbon dioxide, and can linger

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
in the atmosphere for over a hundred years. 2005, under which the industrialized countries
However, through sheer quantity carbon will reduce their collective emissions of
dioxide is the most problematic of greenhouse greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year
gases, although if the Earth warms too rapidly, 1990 (but note that, compared to the emissions
methane emitted from permafrost areas could levels that would be expected by 2010 without
outweigh carbon dioxide. the Protocol, this target represents a 29% cut).
The aim is to lower overall emissions of six
Carbon Credits in India greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs
Our earth is undoubtedly warming. This
(Hydrofluro Carbon), and PFCs - calculated as
warming is largely the result of emissions of
an average over the five-year period of 2008-
carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases
12. National targets range from 8% reductions
(GHG’s) from human activities including
for the European Union and some others to 7%
industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and
for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and
changes in land use, such as deforestation etc.
permitted increase of 8% for Australia and 10%
Addressing climate change is not a simple task.
for Iceland.
To protect ourselves, our economy, and our
The Clean Development Mechanism
land from the adverse effects of climate change,
(CDM) is an arrangement under the Kyoto
we must reduce emissions of carbon dioxide
Protocol allowing industrialized countries with
and other greenhouse gases. To achieve this
a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to
goal the concept of Clean Development
invest in emission reducing projects in
Mechanism (CDM) has come into vogue as a
developing countries as an alternative to what is
part of Kyoto Protocol. The objective is the
generally considered more costly emission
“stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations
reductions in their own countries. Under CDM,
in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
a developed country can take up a greenhouse
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
gas reduction project activity in a developing
climate system”.
country where the cost of GHG reduction
Kyoto Protocol is an agreement made
project activities is usually much lower. The
under the United Nations Framework
developed country would be given credits
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
(Carbon Credits) for meeting its emission
The treaty was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in
reduction targets, while the developing country
December 1997, opened for signature on March
would receive the capital and clean technology
16, 1998, and closed on March 15, 1999. The
to implement the project.
agreement came into force on February 16,
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Carbon credits are certificates issued to developing countries, are known as non-Annex-
countries that reduce their emission of GHG I countries. They currently number 145.
(greenhouse gases) which causes global Annex I countries such as United States
warming. Carbon credits are measured in units of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New
of certified emission reductions (CERs). Each Zealand, Canada, Australia, Austria, Spain,
CER is equivalent to one tonne of carbon France, Germany etc. agree to reduce their
dioxide reduction. Its rate stood at 22 Euros in emissions (particularly carbon dioxide) to target
April, fell to below 7 Euros, before stabilizing levels below their 1990 emissions levels. If
at 12-13 Euros. Under IET (International they cannot do so, they must buy emission
Emissions Trading) mechanism, countries can credits from developing countries or invest in
trade in the international carbon credit market. conservation. Countries like United States of
Countries with surplus credits can sell the same America, United Kingdom, Japan, Newzealand,
to countries with quantified emission limitation Canada, Australia, Austria, Spain etc are also
and reduction commitments under the Kyoto included in Annex-II.
Protocol. Developed countries that have Developing countries (non-Annex I)
exceeded the levels can either cut down such as India, Srilanka, Afghanistan, China,
emissions, or borrow or buy carbon credits Brazil, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia,
from developing countries. Pakistan, Phillippines, Saudi Arabia, Sigapore,
The UNFCCC divides countries into South Africa, UAE etc have no immediate
two main groups: A total of 41 industrialized restrictions under the UNFCCC. This serves
countries are currently listed in the three purposes:
Convention’s Annex-I, including the relatively a) Avoids restrictions on growth because
wealthy industrialized countries that were pollution is strongly linked to industrial growth,
members of the Organization for Economic Co- and developing economies can potentially grow
operation and Development (OECD) in 1992, very fast.
plus countries with economies in transition b) It means that they cannot sell emissions
(EITs), including the Russian Federation, the credits to industrialized nations to permit those
Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern nations to over-pollute.
European States. The OECD members of c) They get money and technologies from
Annex-I (not the EITs) are also listed in the the developed countries in Annex II.
Convention’s Annex-II . There are currently 24 Indian scenario:
such Annex-II Parties. All other countries not India comes under the third category of
listed in the Convention’s Annexes, mostly the signatories to UNFCCC. India signed and

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
ratified the Protocol in August, 2002 and has Of the above three sources the
emerged as a world leader in reduction of emissions from the paddy fields can be reduced
greenhouse gases by adopting Clean through special irrigation strategy and
Development Mechanisms (CDMs) in the past appropriate choice of cultivars; whereas enteric
few years. fermentation emission can also be reduced
According to Report on National Action through proper feed management.
Plan for operationalising Clean Development
Bioremediation
Mechanism(CDM) by Planning Commission,
Bioremediation is the use of living
Govt. of India, the total CO2-equivalent
organisms, primarily microorganisms, to
emissions in 1990 were 10, 01, 352 Gg
degrade the environmental contaminants into
(Gigagrams), which was approximately 3% of
less toxic forms. It uses naturally occurring
global emissions. If India can capture a 10%
bacteria and fungi or plants to degrade or
share of the global CDM market, annual CER
detoxify substances hazardous to human health
revenues to the country could range from US$
and/or the environment.
10 million to 300 million (assuming that CDM
The microorganisms may be indigenous
is used to meet 10-50% of the global demand
to a contaminated area or they may be isolated
for GHG emission reduction of roughly 1
from elsewhere and brought to the
billion tonnes CO2, and prices range from US$
contaminated site. Contaminant compounds are
3.5-5.5 per tonne of CO2). As the deadline for
transformed by living organisms through
meeting the Kyoto Protocol targets draws
reactions that take place as a part of their
nearer, prices can be expected to rise, as
metabolic processes. Biodegradation of a
countries/companies save carbon credits to
compound is often a result of the actions of
meet strict targets in the future.
multiple organisms. When microorganisms are
India is well ahead in establishing a full-
imported to a contaminated site to enhance
fledged system in operationalising CDM,
degradation we have a process known as
through the Designated National Authority
bioaugmentation.
(DNA). Other than Industries and
For bioremediation to be effective,
transportation, the major sources of GHG’s
microorganisms must enzymatically attack the
emission in India are as follows:
pollutants and convert them to harmless
• Paddy fields
products. As bioremediation can be effective
• Enteric fermentation from cattle and buffaloes
only where environmental conditions permit
• Municipal Solid Waste
microbial growth and activity, its application
often involves the manipulation of

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
environmental parameters to allow microbial Geobacter sufurreducens bacteria can
growth and degradation to proceed at a faster turn uranium dissolved in groundwater into a
rate. non-soluble, collectable form.
Examples of microbes used for Dehalococcoides ethenogenes bacteria
bioremediation: are being used to clean up chlorinated solvents
Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria that have been linked to cancer. The bacteria
have been genetically modified to digest are naturally found in both soil and water and
solvents and heavy metals, as well as toluene are able to digest the solvents much faster than
and ionic mercury from highly radioactive using traditional clean up methods.
nuclear waste.
Bioremediation for Marine Oil Spills: Degradation of oil by microorganisms is one of
the most important long-term natural processes for removal of oil from the marine environment.
Many species of microorganisms: bacteria, yeasts, and fungi obtain both energy and tissue-
building material from petroleum. The fuel-eating bacteria, known as Pseudomonas, have
evolved a taste for hydrocarbons, the major component of fossil fuels.

Note:- Pseudomonas putida has been found to be useful in the detection of certain
chemicals, such as land mines. On the grand scale, a linkage between the bacteria's ability to
degrade TNT and the explosive compound found in land mines has inspired research to utilize P.
putida as a way of detecting land mines from soil content.
Advantages of bioremediation
• Bioremediation is a natural process and is therefore perceived by the public as an acceptable
waste treatment process for contaminated material such as soil. Microbes able to degrade the
contaminant increase in numbers when the contaminant is present; when the contaminant is
degraded, the biodegradative population declines. The residues for the treatment are usually
harmless products and include carbon dioxide, water, and cell biomass.
• Theoretically, bioremediation is useful for the complete destruction of a wide variety of
contaminants. Many compounds that are legally considered to be hazardous can be

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
transformed to harmless products. This eliminates the chance of future liability associated
with treatment and disposal of contaminated material.
• Instead of transferring contaminants from one environmental medium to another, for example,
from land to water or air, the complete destruction of target pollutants is possible.
• Bioremediation can often be carried out on site, often without causing a major disruption of
normal activities. This also eliminates the need to transport quantities of waste off site and the
potential threats to human health and the environment that can arise during transportation.
• Bioremediation can prove less expensive than other technologies that are used for clean-up of
hazardous waste.
Limitations
• Like other technologies, bioremediation has its limitations. Some contaminants, such as
chlorinated organic or high aromatic hydrocarbons, are resistant to microbial attack. They are
degraded either slowly or not at all, hence it is not easy to predict the rates of clean-up for a
bioremediation exercise; there are no rules to predict if a contaminant can be degraded.
• Biological processes are often highly specific. Important site factors required for success
include the presence of metabolically capable microbial populations, suitable environmental
growth conditions, and appropriate levels of nutrients and contaminants.
• Bioremediation often takes longer than other treatment options, such as excavation and
removal of soil or incineration.

PHYTOREMEDIATION

Phytoremediation, an emerging cleanup technology for contaminated soils, groundwater, and

wastewater is defined as the engineered use of
green plants (including grasses,
Leaves accumulate metals
and are harvested to prevent
forbs, and woody species) to
soil recontamination.
remove, contain, or render
harmless such environmental contaminants as

Roots take up metals from heavy metals, trace elements,

contaminated soils and organic compounds, and
transport the metals to
stems and leaves. radioactive compounds in soil
or water.
Phytoremediation takes advantage of the

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
unique and selective uptake capabilities of plant root systems, together with the translocation,
bioaccumulation, and contaminant storage/degradation abilities of the entire plant body.

The rhizosphere is the zone of soil surrounding a plant root where the biology and chemistry of the soil are influenced by
the root. This zone is about 1 mm wide, but has no distinct edge. Rather, it is an area of intense biological and chemical
activity influenced by compounds exuded by the root, and by microorganisms feeding on the compounds.

The phytoremediation concept is based on the well-known ability of plants and their
associated rhizospheres [The rhizosphere is the zone of soil surrounding a plant root where the
biology and chemistry of the soil are influenced by the root.] to concentrate and/or degrade
highly dilute contaminants. Root exudates - complex root secretions, which "feed" the
microorganisms by providing carbohydrates, also contain natural chelating agents (citric, acetic,
and other organic acids) that make the ions of both nutrients and contaminants more mobile in the
soil.
Large green plants have the capability to move large amounts of soil solution into the plant
body through the roots and evaporate this water out of the leaves as pure water vapor in a process
called transpiration. Plants transpire water to move nutrients from the soil solution to leaves and
stems, where photosynthesis occurs, and to cool the plant. During this process, contaminants
present in the soil water are also taken up and sequestered, metabolized, or vaporized out of the
leaves along with the transpired water.
Low water use is a trait considered desirable in most economically important plants.
However, some plants are notoriously poor at water conservation, usually because they normally
grow in moist environments (e.g., hybrid poplars, willows, bulrush, marsh grasses). Such species
are good candidates for phytoremediation plants because they take up and "process" large
volumes of soil water.
Some examples of plants used in phyoremediation practices are water hyacinths (Eichhornia
crassipes), poplar tress (Papulus spp), amongst others.
1. Indian mustard Brassica juncea are used to extract the heavy metal lead from contaminated
soil.
2. Thlaspi caerulescens accumulates upto 26,000 ppm of cadmium or zinc from the
contaminated soil, while a normal plant accumulates around 100ppm of heavy metal.
3. Ipomea alpina accumulates around 12,000 ppm of copper from contaminated soil.
4. Haumaniastrum robertii accumulates around 10,200 ppm of cobalt from the contaminated
soil surface.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
5. Astragalus racemosus is used to accumulate 10,000 ppm of heavy metal selenium from the
contaminated soil
6. Sebertia acuminata is used to extract heavy metal nickel from the contaminated soil.
Advantages of Phytoremediation:
1. Phytoremediation is conducted at the site of contamination that is in situ
2. Low cost when compared to other chemical procedures
3. Transfer id faster than natural attenuation
4. Well suited for large fields or large contaminated sites
5. Fewer or very less water and air emission
6. Soils are in place and they can be used for cultivation after phytoremediation
7. Compatible with engineered technology
8. Phytoremediation is environment friendly method
demand and supply in Economics. When used
EF accounting (ECOLOGICAL
together, they form the EF/BC accounts.
FOOTPRINT AND
“EF/BC accounting” is frequently referred to
BIOCAPACITY)
only as “EF accounting”.

It measures how much land and water area a When the EF is larger than the BC the

human population requires to produce the renewable resource accounting results in a

resource it consumes and to absorb its wastes, deficit. A national ecological deficit can be
using prevailing technology. Since the late compensated through trade with nations that
1970s, humanity has been in ecological process ecological reserves or through
overshoot with annual demand on resources liquidation of national ecological assets. In
exceeding what Earth can regenerate each year. contrast, the global ecological deficit cannot be
The ecological footprint (EF) measures how compensated through trade, and is therefore
much bioproductive area (whether land or equal to overshoot.
water) a population would require to produce It now takes the Earth one year and five

on a sustainable basis the renewable resources months to regenerate what we use in a year.
it consumes, and to absorb the waste it We maintain this overshoot by liquidating the
generates, using prevailing technology. Earth’s resources. Overshoot is a vastly
Biocapacity (BC) measures the bioproductive underestimated threat to human well-being and
supply that is available within a certain area the health of the planet, and one that is not
(e.g. of arable land, pasture, forest, productive adequately addressed.
sea). EF and BC are tantamount to the concepts

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
By measuring the Footprint of a population— Constitution (No person accused of any offence
an individual, city, business, nation, or all of shall be compelled to be a witness against
humanity—we can assess our pressure on the himself) protects an individual's choice
planet, which helps us manage our ecological between speaking and remaining silent,
assets more wisely and take personal and irrespective of whether the subsequent
collective action in support of a world where testimony proves to be inculpatory or
humanity lives within the Earth’s bounds. exculpatory.
Conceived in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel
NHRC guidelines
and William Rees at the University of British The NHRC's guidelines are as follows:
1. No lie detector tests should be administered except
Columbia, the Ecological Footprint is now in on the basis of consent of the accused. An option
should be given to the accused whether he wishes to
wide use by scientists, businesses, avail himself of such test.
2. If the accused volunteers for a lie detector test, he
governments, agencies, individuals, and should be given access to a lawyer, and the physical,
emotional and legal implication of such a test should
institutions working to monitor ecological be explained to him by the police and his lawyer.
3. The consent should be recorded before a judicial
resource use and advance sustainable magistrate.
4. During the hearing before the magistrate, the person
development. alleged to have agreed should be duly represented by
a lawyer.
India represents approximately 6 per cent of 5. At the hearing, the person in question should also be
told in clear terms that the statement that is made
the world’s Ecological Footprint, 4 per cent of shall not be a “confessional” statement to the
magistrate but will have the status of a statement
the world’s biocapacity, and 17 per cent of the made to the police.
6. The magistrate shall consider all factors relating to
world’s population. Focusing on individual the detention, including the length of detention and
the nature of interrogation.
consumption, India’s Ecological Footprint in 7. The actual recording of the lie detector test shall be
done by an independent agency (such as a hospital)
2003 was 0.8 global hectares per person, and conducted in the presence of a lawyer.
8. A full medical and factual narration of the manner of
significantly lower than the world average of the information received must be taken on record.

2.2 global hectares, and ranking India 125th

among 152 countries. At the same time, Narco analysis technique involves the
because of population growth India’s total intravenous administration of sodium
national Footprint has doubled since 1961, pentothal, a drug which lowers inhibitions on
contributing to the degradation of its natural part of the subject and induces the person to
capital. talk freely. The other two techniques measure
changes in aspects such as respiration, blood
Constitutionality of narcoanalysis
pressure, blood flow, pulse and galvanic skin
The Supreme Court declared that forced
resistance. The truthfulness or falsity on part of
narco-analysis, brain-mapping tests and
the subject is assessed by relying on the records
polygraph tests are violative of Article 20(3) of
of the physiological responses.
the Constitution of India. Article 20 (3) of the
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Forcible interference with a person's The judgment read Article 20 into
mental processes is not provided for under any Article 21. In the process it declared the
statute and it most certainly comes into conflict impugned tests to be unconstitutional even in
with the right against self-incrimination. respect of civil proceedings. In the context of
The results obtained through the Article 21 of the Constitution (which
involuntary administration of either of these guarantees that no person shall be deprived of
tests come within the scope of ‘testimonial his life or personal liberty except under the
compulsion,' thereby attracting the protective procedure established by law), the court held
shield of Article 20 (3). The Supreme Court that a person's right to make a statement or
made a distinction between “physical remain silent involves the exercise of the right
evidence” and “testimonial evidence”. While to privacy. Thus, compelling a person to make
bodily substances such as blood, semen, a statement would amount to a contravention of
sputum, sweat, hair and fingernail clippings Article 21 as well. It thus broadened the
could be readily characterised as physical understanding of the terms “privacy” and
evidence, the same could not be said for the “personal liberty” under Article 21.
techniques in question. Taking this logic The court rejected the argument of
forward, the court broadened the understanding “compelling public interest”, especially
of “testimonial evidence” to include not only against terror suspects. It held Articles 20 and
statements or gestures but also physiological 21 to be non-derogable and under the
responses, which are “communicative” in Constitution they could not be suspended even
nature as well. during a state of emergency. Thus, it held that
The court held that in a polygraph test the impugned tests could not be conducted on
and a brain-mapping test, the subject makes a terror suspects against their consent.
mental effort, which leads to a physiological
Kyrgyzstan's referendum
response. Thus the person ends up imparting
personal knowledge about relevant facts, which Kyrgyz citizens have voted

brings these techniques within the purview of overwhelmingly in favour of a new

the ban imposed by Article 20(3) of the constitution, in a referendum that international
Constitution. Therefore, the court held that the observers said was largely transparent and
results of these tests should be treated as peaceful. The changes mean the leader of the
testimonial acts for the purpose of invoking the interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, will
right against self-incrimination. now serve as president until the end of 2011
and the Constitutional Court will be abolished.
[The provisional government, led by Roza
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express -
Otunbayeva, came into power after an uprising
in April 2010 that deposed President
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is in self-exile in
Belarus.] The new constitution paves the way
for Kyrgyzstan to be declared a parliamentary
republic, with a president's powers being
largely devolved to parliament.
Proposed changes in the Constitution

Under the new constitution, the president
will serve a single six-year term in office
rather than a maximum of two five-year
terms.

The maximum age limit for a serving
president will be increased by five years to
70. Roza Otunbayeva will remain interim
president until 31 December 2011, but will
not be entitled to run for president again.

The number of seats in parliament will
increase from 90 to 120. No single political
party will be allowed to win more than 65
seats. Nobody will face criminal action for
criticizing officials. Opposition will no
longer need official permission to hold
protests outside administrative buildings and
central squares across the country.

The Constitutional Court will be abolished
and its powers will be transferred to the
Supreme Court.
The referendum was held just two
weeks after violent clashes between Kyrgyz Proliferation Treaty Review Conference held at
and Uzbek ethnic groups in the southern cities the U.N. headquarters in New York
of Osh and Jalalabad.
Call: us: 09884554654
August 2010
Recent crisis
 Tensions have been high in the area since
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in
an uprising on 7 April 2010. His stronghold in
the south became the centre of instability.
 Among the Kyrgyz population, pro-Bakiyev
elements organised resistance to the interim
government by seizing government offices and
taking officials hostage. The sizeable Uzbek
community displayed sympathy to the new
government in Bishkek.
 As Roza Otunbayeva, the interim president,
struggled to control the south, well-established
criminal elements and drug dealers exploited
the power vacuum. The communal violence
was sparked by a clash between Kyrgyz and
Uzbek gangs in the southern city of Osh.
 Osh is situated in a fertile plain known as the
Fergana Valley. The Fergana Valley is an area
of largely devout Muslims as well as the
recruiting ground for Islamist movements.
 The minority Uzbek population makes up 15%
of Kyrgyzstan's five million people. In Osh,
Uzbeks are in the minority. In some areas of the
Fergana Valley, they outnumber the Kyrgyz
population.
 Many local Kyrgyz fear the Uzbeks want to
grab Kyrgyz lands and join Uzbekistan. This
seems to be a significant factor in the violence
of recent weeks.
The referendum was supported by the
UN, the US and Russia, as a step towards
restoring democracy.
However, Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev said a parliamentary system could
be too weak for Kyrgyzstan, and fuel further
instability and "extremism".
NPT Review Conference
The just-ended Nuclear Non-
unanimously adopted a final report that
includes a 64-point action plan. Although
negotiations ran into difficulties over
conflicting interests between nuclear powers
52
cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
and non-nuclear states, the parties managed to If it is difficult to immediately start
prevent the talks from stalling, which is what negotiations among the nuclear powers, why
happened in 2005 when they last met. While not set up a meeting of experts for a policy
the final document is a product of compromise, dialogue to prepare for the 2014 meeting?
we need to urgently make the most of the For the first time, the adopted final
numerous policy points it incorporates. document made reference to the idea of "a
For example, the parties agreed to report treaty to ban nuclear weapons" proposed by
on progress toward nuclear disarmament when nongovernmental organizations. The
they meet in 2014 for the preparatory meeting International Commission on Nuclear Non-
for the 2015 NPT review conference and to Proliferation and Disarmament, which is a
discuss follow-up measures at the review Japanese-Australian joint initiative, also
conference. published a proposal last year-end that called
The hopes of many non-nuclear for a reduction in nuclear arsenals around the
countries were dashed when the conference world to 2,000 or less by 2025. It also called for
could not agree on a road map for the work to begin on drawing up a nuclear weapons
abolition of nuclear weapons. But in a major ban treaty.
step forward, the conference strengthened its Prospects for the signing of the treaty
function to check nuclear disarmament efforts. have yet to take shape. It will also take time to
The NPT regime will not work unless parties, create the climate for that to happen. Still, the
aside from tackling nuclear nonproliferation, world will eventually need a comprehensive
also ratchet up successes directed at the international law to support steps to rid the
abolition of nuclear weapons. Nuclear powers planet of nuclear weapons. We urge the parties
need to squarely face this weighty reality. to gather wisdom from around the world to
Traditionally, nuclear reduction talks expedite this vision.
have centered on the United States and Russia. North Korea, India and Pakistan have
There is now a need to seek a multilateral conducted nuclear tests. Iran is suspected of
framework that includes Britain, France and developing nuclear weapons and Israel is a de
China. The agenda of talks among the five facto nuclear power. These countries developed
nuclear powers will cover, among other things, nuclear weapons because of deep-rooted
conventional forces and missile defense regional confrontation. It is also reality that
systems, in which the United States has an unless confidence-building and negotiations for
overwhelming advantage. peace-building and arms control are promoted
to solve regional problems, nuclear risks cannot

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
be dispelled. Security policy that does not rely has threatened to abandon the government unless
on nuclear weapons is affected not only by the base is moved out of Okinawa.
disarmament among nuclear powers but also by In November 2009, President Barack
Obama agreed the two sides could discuss the
the future of regional confrontation.
Futenma issue at a cabinet-level working group, but
Japan is advocating the abolition of
there has been no apparent progress.
nuclear weapons. In addition to approaching the
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
nuclear powers, it also needs to hone its
has announced his resignation after just eight
diplomatic initiative to ease regional
months in office on June 2, 2010. It comes after he
confrontations more positively. broke an election pledge to move an unpopular US
The final document is described as a military base away from the island of Okinawa.
“watered down” version of what was originally
EU-INDIA RELATIONS
intended to push nations towards universal
disarmament and strengthen the non- 1. Introduction

proliferation regime. EU-India relations date back to the early

1960s when diplomatic relations were

US-Japan split in Okinawa base established. It was however the 1994

dispute Cooperation Agreement (which is still the

current legal framework for cooperation) that

Okinawa is the focal point of the security opened the door to the broad political dialogue
treaty between the US and Japan which has that has since evolved, notably through annual
balanced military power in north-east Asia since Summits since 2000, and through regular
World War II. ministerial and expert-level meetings.
Under the pact, Japan - which is prevented In recognition of both sides’ political
from maintaining a war-ready army by its and economic importance the EU-India
constitution - subsidises the US military presence
Strategic Partnership was created in 2004 to
while the US guarantees Japan's security.
enable the partners to better address complex
The issue is the U.S. Marine Corps
international issues in the context of
Futenma Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. In 2006,
globalisation. To underpin the Strategic
Japan and the United States agreed to move the air
base elsewhere in Okinawa. Residents and local Partnership, leaders at the 2005 Summit
politicians want the base off the island entirely, and adopted the EU-India Joint Action Plan (the
during last year’s campaign, Prime Minister Yukio ‘JAP’) which defined common objectives and
Hatoyama and his Democratic Party of Japan proposed a wide range of supporting activities
promised to revisit the matter if elected. Their in the areas of political, economic, and
smaller coalition partner Social Democratic Party development cooperation.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
The Joint Action Plan was reviewed at (“Atalanta”cooperation on anti-piracy), peace
the 2008 Summit which has since focused on building and peace keeping and regional issues
promoting four priorities: peace and within the South Asian region (primarily a
comprehensive security, sustainable specific dialogue on Afghanistan and possibly
development, research and technology, and on Sri Lanka).
people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Human rights issues are addressed in
In 2006, the Summit endorsed a the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue held in
proposal to prepare for the negotiation of a Free Delhi on an annual basis.
Trade Agreement, negotiations for which are 3. Economic and Trade Relations
still under way. The EU is India’s most important
2. Political Cooperation trading partner. Trade in goods between both
Political cooperation with India is partners more than doubled from €25.6 billion
embedded in an institutional framework that in 2000 to € 61 billion in 2008, though there is
has continued to be strengthened in recent still much potential for trade growth.
years. Annual Summits have delivered EU FDI inflow into India amounted to
significant outcomes, not only on political €0.9 billion in 2008. Many reputed European
issues but also in the areas of trade and companies are investing in India in diverse
investment, science and technology, and areas such as energy, civil aviation, ports,
economic and development cooperation. In Information Technology, automobiles,
addition to the Summits, the political dialogue pharmaceutical, financial services and retail.
is reflected in a number of other forums which The EU is also becoming a prime
include regular Ministerial meetings, Senior destination for India’s outward investment in
Officials Meetings, meetings of Political and sectors which include steel, pharmaceuticals,
Geographical Directors, and the EU-India automobiles, IT and energy. In 2008, Indian
Security Dialogue. investments into the EU reached €2.4 billion.
Essential political themes in the EU Financial institutions and banks play a
relationship are the fight against terrorism (EU crucial role in funding most major European
Coordinator de Kerchove visited India in acquisition by Indian companies.
October last year to explore possible bilateral The completion of the FTA negotiations
cooperation; and in parallel a possible remains a strategic objective for both sides.
agreement between Europol and India), non- 4. Sectoral Dialogues and
proliferation, crisis management, and in Exchanges
particular maritime security

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Joint Working Groups have been set up covered through regular meetings in Delhi of
to facilitate exchanges on subjects as diverse as the EU-India Working Group on Visa and
Agriculture, Telecommunications and Consular Issues. Ways to strengthen
Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals and cooperation on migration related issues are
Biotechnology, Food Processing, and being explored.
Environment. A Joint Customs Cooperation 5. Scientific Cooperation
Committee serves to strengthen dialogue on a Research cooperation between the EU
wide range of issues in that field. The increased and India started in the mid-1980s and the first
importance given to Climate Change mitigation EU-India Science and Technology (S&T)
and related cooperation activities was reflected Agreement was signed in 2001 and extended in
when the 2008 Summit in Marseilles adopted a 2009.
Joint Work Programme on Energy, Clean India has become the fourth largest
Development and Climate Change. Follow-up international partner for the EU under the 7th
activities were confirmed at the Summit in (2007-2013) EU Framework Programme for
November 2009, when the EU and India agreed Science and Technological development (FP7).
to expedite cooperation activities on Climate Indian organisations are participating in
Change mitigation, clean energy (clean coal research projects in various technological areas
technology, nuclear energy) energy efficiency of which health, environment, food agriculture
and renewable energy (in particular solar biotechnologies and ICT are the most
energy). prominent. India has become a full partner in
Negotiations to secure the conclusion of the International Thermonuclear Experimental
an EU-India Maritime Agreement are ongoing, Reactor (ITER) nuclear fusion project.
and a horizontal, EU-wide Civil Aviation A Joint EU-India Call for Proposals on
Agreement was signed in 2008. Solar Energy Research was launched in 2009
On the basis of a mandate granted to it with €5 million contributions from each side.
in 2009 by the Member States, the European 6. The EU-India Cooperation
Commission is negotiating a civil nuclear Programme under the Development
energy (fission) research agreement with India. Cooperation Instrument
A separate agreement on nuclear fusion The main objectives of the EU-India
research cooperation was signed at the 2009 Cooperation Programme are to contribute
Summit. towards India’s achievement of the Millennium
Migration is becoming an increasingly Development Goals (MDGs) and to provide
important subject in the relationship and is

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
support for the implementation of the EU-India EBTC office is located in New Delhi but three
Joint Action Plan (JAP). regional centres in Mumbai, Kolkata and
The first Multi-annual Indicative Bangalore will open later this year.
Programme (MIP) under the 2007-2013
Fragile X syndrome (FXS)
planning period allocated a total of €260
million for the above activities over the four
years from 2007-2010. It the most common cause of inherited

Following a Mid-term Review exercise mental impairment. This impairment can range
conducted in 2009 the second MIP (2011-13) from learning disabilities to more severe
allocates an indicative total of €210 million to cognitive or intellectual disabilities. (Also
the same sectors as previously, but with an referred to as mental retardation.)
increased allocation for the social sectors.
7. Preparatory Actions
Financing under the Community budget
for ‘Preparatory Actions’ in India was
introduced by the European Parliament in 2007
to promote EU interests in business and
research exchanges. Under the Preparatory
Action for India, a European Business and
Technology Centre (EBTC) has been
established in New Delhi as a one-stop shop to FXS is the most common known cause
provide EU companies with information on of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors.
rules, regulations, standards, key market Symptoms also can include characteristic
barriers, and general trade and investment- physical and behavioral features and delays in
related matters. The EBTC will also promote speech and language development.
the establishment of research networks between It results from a change, or mutation, in
Europe and India and will support EU-India a single gene, which can be passed from one
dialogues in various sectors. generation to the next. Fragile X appears in
The Centre is focusing primarily on families of every ethnic group and income
energy, transport, the environment and biotech, level.
promoting climate change as a general cross- Symptoms of Fragile X syndrome occur
cutting issue, and sustainable technologies in because the mutated gene cannot produce
which Europe has considerable experience. The enough of a protein that is needed by the body's

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
cells, especially cells in the brain, to develop symptoms, while a person with very little or no
and function normally. The amount and normal FMRP has more severe symptoms.
usability of this protein, in part, determine how The mGluR theory of fragile X mental
severe the effects of Fragile X are. retardation
The most noticeable and consistent “mGluR (Metabotropic glutamate receptor)
effect of Fragile X is on intelligence. More than theory” was put forward by M.F. Bear and
80 percent of males with Fragile X have an IQ others in 2004. According to them, the lack of
(intelligence quotient) of 75 or less. The effect FMRP synthesis and the regulation of signal
of Fragile X on intelligence is more variable in transmission by it result in exaggerated
females. Some females have mental signalling in certain communication pathways
impairment, some have learning disabilities, that involve the mGluRs, and this is responsible
and some have a normal IQ. for many of the symptoms of FXS and probably
People with Fragile X syndrome also autism too. In particular, a subclass of these
share certain medical problems as well as many mGluRs, called mGluR5, is implicated in the
common physical characteristics, such as large abnormally high signalling involved in FXS.
ears and a long face. In addition, having Fragile This suggested that mGluR5 blockers could be
X is often associated with problems with potential therapeutic agents for FXS. One such
sensation, emotion, and behavior. potential drug is the chemical compound called
The underlying cause of Fragile X is a MPEP.
change in a single gene, the Fragile X Mental Recent developments - synaptic defect in
Retardation 1 (FMR1) gene, which is found brain area involved in Fragile X syndrome
on the X chromosome. Fragile X occurs Researchers at India's National Centre
because the FMR1 gene is unable to make for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and New York
normal amounts of usable Fragile X Mental University's Center for Neural Science have
Retardation Protein, or FMRP. FMRP plays identified novel synaptic defects in an area of
a critical role in the development of the the brain that is involved in the debilitating
connections between nerve cells (neurons), or emotional symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome
the synapses, which are important for (FXS).
transmitting nerve signals. Neuroscientists from NCBS and NYU
The amount of FMRP in the body is one studied how neurons and synapses in the
factor that determines how severe the effects of amygdala—a small, almond-shaped part of the
having Fragile X are. A person with nearly brain known to mediate emotion's influence
normal levels of FMRP usually has mild or no on memory—are affected in FXS model mice.

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
Using electrophysiological recordings Khap Panchayats are the self proclaimed
from neurons in the amygdala, Sumantra arrangement of caste lords in a village and enjoy
Chattarji, a professor at NCBS, and Aparna full legitimacy and authority among the sections of
their caste - community. Among their briefs - the
Suvrathan, an NCBS graduate student,
most primal of which is the custodianship of
determined that there were defects on both
"honour", is to order brutal maiming, lynching or
sides of synapses in the amygdala—that is, its
even killing couples who marry either in the
neurons were not properly communicating with
same gotra (there can be numerous gotras within
each other. NYU Professor Eric Klann and
a caste) or who "indulge" in inter caste
Charles Hoeffer, a former postdoctoral fellow marriage. While in the former, that is marrying in
in the Center for Neural Science and now at same gotra, the "logic" purported is that the couple
NYU School of Medicine, identified the are in fact "brother and sisters" (of the same gotra)
molecular correlates of these defects, giving and therefore their marrying each other is an assault
the researchers a firm understanding of where on their honour (in some cases of this kind, the wife
the breakdown occurs. Together, these deficits was forced to tie Rakhi on her husband - a simple
way to declare a married couple- brother and sister).
impair the ability of neurons in the amygdala to
In the latter kind of honour breach, the punishment
communicate and encode information.
is generally simply that of death. The breach of
honour is of more serious kind here. The only thing
Khap Panchayat in India
which is left for the Khaps here is, is to discuss the
ways to deliver this death to the transgressor.
What are Khap Panchayats? What is
It is this latter sphere - the absence of
their role? sanction to inter-caste marriage - which forms the
A Khap is a fairly old system of social bed rock of our village society and in its final
administration in the villages of Northwestern India analysis gives the material conditions for the
covering Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, ‘institution’ like caste/khap Panchayat to survive.
Haryana, NCR, and parts of Western Uttar Pradesh. These caste panchayats are the logical outcome of
A unit of khap takes care of the social affairs of the caste relations in rural society which derives its
almost 84 villages from the same caste. It has also authority from defending the honor of a caste group
been mentioned in some news reports that Khaps which in turn necessitates the cohesiveness of the
Panchayat plays an important role in regulating the same.
society, for example in some instances Khaps have
Izzat and women - Honour or izzat is
been able to prohibit consumption of liquor. They
the central reason for the functioning of these caste
help in regulating the society in a ‘certain’ way
panchayats. In the popular perception of rural
which keeps the traditions intact and thus helps in
society and as well as in the Hindu scriptures,
strengthening the ‘bhaichara’ (brotherhood) among
women are the repositories of this izzat of a
the community.
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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
community. The greatest danger to this ideology of were given the death sentence, sent shock waves
izzat comes from the woman. In the warped logic of among caste panchayat leaders, as it reminded them
the caste system that dictates terms of life in that they were not above the Constitution. The court
villages, a female "dishonours" her family/clan/ took serious note of the fact that the policemen
caste and community by her "shameful conduct". deployed for the security of Manoj and Babli
Thus, it is the woman who holds the key to actually facilitated the accused in perpetrating the
the honour of a caste group and it is by not letting crime.
the woman to marry beyond the fold of her own After the judgment in the Manoj-Babli case,
caste (in various instances in the same gotra) that however, a congregation of caste panchayats
these caste panchayats maintain strict endogamy representing the Jat neighbourhoods from Haryana,
and thus the honour of their caste group and the Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan was called at
"purity" of caste itself. Kurukshetra on April 13. It was decided that
Recent issues panchayats would now fight for legal status to
A sad example of the gotra row is that of legitimately maintain the “social order.” One of the
Ved Pal Moan, brutally beaten to death last year main agendas of this sarv-khap panchayat was to
when he tried to secure his wife who was confined push for amendments to the Hindu Marriage
by her parents at Singhwal village in Jind district. Act, 1955 that would ban marriages within the
He was escorted by a police party and a warrant same gotra (clan within which men and women
officer of the High Court. Ved Pal had married are considered siblings and hence cannot marry).
neither within his gotra nor within the same village. Under this Act, marriages between certain lineages
In this case, another absurd code was invoked by from the paternal and maternal sides are already
the khap: that the couple violated the custom of not barred.
marrying in the neighbouring village as it forms part Ordinary citizens are caught in the
of bhaichara (brotherhood). A khap congregation contradiction between two sets of values — the
held in March 2009 publicly pronounced the death blind consumerism of the neo-liberal dispensation,
sentence for Ved Pal, and it succeeded in executing and the outdated feudal values represented by the
it in June. As couples are selectively targeted, it is khaps. The first is no replacement for the second,
clear the real motive is to control women's sexuality and indeed, pseudo-modernism only strengthens the
to ensure that property remains within the forces of revivalism. The alternative to both types
patriarchal caste domain (mainly Jats in Haryana). of distortions lies in the spread of healthy and
The sarv khap panchayat also called for progressive values that can be unleashed through
social boycott of individuals who raised their voice only a new social reform movement in the entire
against the caste panchayats. Hindi belt.
A recent landmark judgment by the Conclusion
Additional Sessions Court at Karnal in the Manoj- The khaps must clearly be told both by the
Babli “honour” killing case, in which five accused law enforcement agencies and elected

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cracking IAS academy’s - IAS Express - August 2010
representatives that no one has any quarrel with partial democratization in village society. But
upholding traditions. But when under guise of doing despite this drive of democratization in Villages of
so, they are threatening the constitutionally India, there are certain questions which really
guaranteed right to life of people, they must face the perplex one such as, why is the case that the elected
appropriate punishment. No one should have the panchayats had a very limited or no role to play in
licence to run a parallel judiciary. The disregard for the matters of governance that are otherwise
the due process of law on the part of the khaps usurped by Khap Panchayats?
threatens the constitutionally guaranteed right to life It can be stated that Khaps are the classic
of people. example of patron - clientele nature of Indian
The younger generation must stand forth as politics, where these panchayats have been given
responsible social activists and lead the struggle for political patronage and thus have become immune
change in an otherwise feudal society that lives by to constitutional framework of law and order. In
the dictum “Jiski lathi uski bhains” (the powerful Haryana, for example, khaps are the crucial
call the shots). channels to galvanise caste based political
Thus, it’s a vicious circle of caste relations, mobilisation which becomes so very central to the
polity, and the absence of anti caste movements in functioning of every political party, that instead of
the first place which gives life to khap panchayats questioning the very existence of khaps, the Khaps
and proves to us that without the actualization of controls the lever of political stability. However,
broader social change monsters like Khaps will not there is some resistance to khaps as well, though in
only smile on the face of ‘emerging’ India but will minimalist sense but the resistance is growing. The
thrive and be defended by the gatekeepers of Indian role of increasing democratisation and opening of
Polity. new economic opportunities has brought a gradual
Now, the crucial thing is to understand what shift in the power dynamics (an example of this can
hold this archaic set of laws together with set of be seen in rural Haryana) between different caste
modern and formal institutions like Panchayati Raj, groups. The rising assertiveness of Dalits – owing
Judiciary, Police and the larger State. In India the to their socio-political movement as well as sections
institution of Panchayati Raj or the third tier of the of them coming up as confident, modern individuals
government was introduced with lots of hopes in – is inevitably leading up to various cases of inter
order to further decentralise the governing process. caste marriages and ultimately stiff and violent
The larger objective was to give the power to the resistance on the parts of caste panchayats. This
last person and make him/ her participate in the section of young people are consistently challenging
governing process. In many states this institution is the idea of such archaic laws and eventually
quite vibrant and the enthusiasm of the people from questioning the whole edifice of caste panchayats
lower rungs has been visible and effective. This by defying and discarding the dubious notions of
decentralization of the government at the grass root "honour".
level, if not entirely, has certainly brought the

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