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Print the following format on a A4 sheet and do practice by placing that paper in front of the
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From Ankit Pandey.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z.
z y x w v u t s r q p o n m l k j i h g f e d c b a.
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z.
The quick brown fox jumps right over the little lazy dog.
Lazy dog little the over right jumps fox brown the quick.
The quick brown fox jumps right over the little lazy dog.
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
It may appear baffling why the deal has taken so long to negotiate. The
main sticking point has been India's refusal to sign the NPT, as it considers the
treaty unfair to the developing world. This is why New Delhi is keen on
ensuring that in the haste to seal the deal by the time Prime Minister. (2028)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
But there is a long way to go. We have set an ambitious target of skilling
50 million people in the 12th Plan period, including 9 million in 2013-14. We
have to pull out all stops to achieve this objective. Funds will be released by
the National Rural Livelihood Mission and the National Urban Livelihood
Mission to be spent on skill development activities. 5 percent of the Border
Area Development Programme Fund, 10 percent of the Special Central
Assistance to the Scheduled Caste sub plan and the Tribal sub plan, and some
other funds will also be used for skill development.
The fact that the Centre did such a hasty U-turn on the CMB while
making its submission in the Supreme Court suggests that political factors may
have been at play. The Assembly election in Karnataka, where the BJP has high
stakes, is less than two years away. In contrast, Tamil Nadu, where the BJP has
no real base, has recently concluded its election. If there is a good legal
argument against the setting up of the CMB, it is that a larger, three-judge
Bench of the Supreme Court is already seized of the matter. (2034)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
India's ascent to the number one position in Test rankings offers some
cause for cheer given the tumult off the field, with the R.M. Lodha Committee
and the Board of Control for Cricket in India still sparring over administrative
reform. India's 178-run victory over New Zealand in the second Test at Kolkata,
paving the way for a series triumph, secured the lead billing. This is the fourth
instance of India securing the top slot in the International Cricket Council's
rankings since it was introduced in 2003. It is significant that out of the four
stints, irrespective of the time frame, three have been over the past year. For a
squad evolving from the pangs of transition and with big shoes to fill, from
those of Sachin Tendulkar to those of Anil Kumble, it has done remarkably well.
The combined numbers of the playing XI at Kolkata were 28.54 years in age
and 27.54 in the average number of Tests played-for such a young team to
register dominance, under Virat Kohli's captaincy, is no mean achievement.
When India first secured the number one ranking in 2009, it was a team
packed with contemporary greats, including Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S.
Laxman, Virender Sehwag, M.S. Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will clearly leave no stone unturned in
giving his prohibition policy a legislative punch. Within days of the Patna High
Court striking a blow to the "total prohibition" regime in the State, the
government notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, and
approached the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court order. The haste
throws some light on Mr. Kumar's political strategy, which is aimed at
distinguishing himself in a crowded landscape. Prohibition was his main
campaign outreach to women voters in the 2015 Assembly elections. Having
won the votes of women in earlier elections on schemes such as bicycles for
schoolgirls, prohibition gave his Janata Dal (United) an added moral aura-he
was fighting a no-hold-barred election against his former ally, the BJP, and he
was fighting in alliance with Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal. In the event, he
was returned to the Chief Minister's post, but with the RJD getting a greater
number of MLAs than the JD(U). Mr. Kumar's natural claim to the big post
draws from his personal credibility, seen to be more potent than his party's.
This connect with a wide cross-section of the public, as a politician empathetic
to aspirations for a dignified, socially and educationally empowered life, had
him in the fray for a larger national role during his BJP-allied days, and so too in
his current anti-BJP politics.
The revival of the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014, and
the Union Cabinet's approval for provisions that make discrimination against
people living with the virus punishable, are positive steps. Such laws, however,
can only deliver benefits within the overall constraints imposed by an
underfunded public health system. Where the legislation can make some
difference, with active monitoring by HIV/AIDS support groups, is in ensuring
that acquiring the infection does not mean an end to education, employment,
access to housing and healthcare due to discrimination. The success of the
anti-discrimination aspects hinges on the readiness of governments to accept
the inquiry findings of ombudsmen, to be appointed under the law, and
provide relief. Since the new law is intended to both stop the spread of the
disease and help those who have become infected get antiretroviral therapy as
well as equal opportunity, it will take a high degree of commitment to provide
effective drugs to all those in need. In August, the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare put the number of people getting free treatment nationally at
9,65,000, of which 53.400 are children. This must be viewed against the most
recent estimate last year, that 2.1 million people live with HIV in India, of
whom 7,90,000 are women. Regional variations in access to diagnosis and
treatment must be addressed.
In a long year of war and strife, it is a silver lining that the Nobel
Committee in Oslo was spoilt for choice in deciding upon the recipient of the
2016 Peace Prize. A landmark nuclear deal brought a peaceful closure to Iran's
purported nuclear weapon ambitions and paved the way for better relations
between Tehran and the West, making the key negotiators leading contenders
for the Prize. The yeoman efforts of the White Helmets of Syria, a group of
local volunteers in Aleppo and other parts of war-ravaged Syria who help
rescue people injured or stranded in bomb attacks in war zones, merited
recognition. But the ending of one of the longest-running civil wars was the
achievement that got the highest recognition by the Committee. The Nobel
Peace Prize for 2016 has been awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel
Santos after his government painstakingly concluded negotiations by signing
an accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), winding
down hostilities in a 52-year-old civil war. The accord, signed on September 26,
2016, provided for the disbanding of FARC militants and for the rebels to join
the political process as a routine political party, besides conceding demands by
FARC to address inequities in Colombia's rural areas through development
programmes and land distribution. FARC also agreed to dismantle drug
production facilities in areas in its control which had helped finance the war
against the Colombian government. This was a landmark accord that provided
an opportunity not just for peace but also for better prospects in the war
against drug production and trade in Colombia.
Then came the times when Women got to the space of equality in the
work place, achieving their own dreams, and becoming equal financial
contributors within their households. Now I believe it is time for them to lead
the way forward this New Year. (2004)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
India needs a different approach to grow its economy and must remove
bottlenecks so that foreign investors can operate in the country just as its own
corporates expand their global footprint, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong said during his India visit last week. His remarks may appear out of sync
with the official discourse on India's recent economic performance, especially
the liberalisation of foreign direct investment and record inflows clocked since
the Modi government was sworn in. Mr. Lee's concerns, however, don't stem
from FDI policy per se, but two intertwined reform showpieces of the NDA -
one abandoned after hot pursuit in its first year and another that remains a
work in progress. These are amendments to the land acquisition law and
improvements in the ease of doing business, respectively. Indian officials told
business leaders accompanying the Singapore Prime Minister that they are
free to invest in India if they can, on their own, acquire the land to set up shop
on. As Mr. Lee pointed out, that makes investing in India virtually impossible -
industrial parks that Singapore had proposed in the past remain non-starters.
The Centre may not be used to such public plain-speaking, even from Western
leaders with longer reform wish lists, but it must take the Prime Minister's cue
for introspection and course correction.
The work in microeconomic theory for which Oliver Hart and Bengt
Holmstrom have received this year's Economic Nobel Prize goes back to the
1970s and 1980s when the foundations of contract theory were being firmed
up. Their work has provided economists the tools to understand interactions
between entities in a range of fields, such as the design of performance
incentives in firms and schools, corporate governance, privatisation,
constitutional law, and entrepreneur-investor relationships. The Royal Swedish
Academy of Sciences highlighted that their contributions to understanding
"real-life contracts and institutions, as well as the pitfalls when designing new
contracts" were crucial. Mr. Holmstrom, in 1979, published a theoretical model
and result that significantly enhanced the understanding of risk and incentives
in employer-employee relationships. This was called the informativeness
principle, which said performance should be linked to all variables or outcomes
that provide information on the actions taken by an agent, such as a firm's
manager, and not just the outcomes she can effect. Remunerating a manager
based on just the share price of her firm will reward and punish her for factors
beyond her control, and a better contract would therefore link managerial
compensation to the firm's share price relative to the share prices of other
comparable firms. Mr. Hart's key contribution to contract theory has been the
notion of incomplete contracts. Not all information is available ex ante; how
does a contract allow principals (such as employers) and agents (such as
employees) to negotiate unforeseen situations? The work by Mr. Hart and his
colleagues in this area was cited by the Academy for its breakthrough nature.
Over the last century, the Nobel Prize in Literature has sprung its fair
share of surprises. In 1950, for instance, the prize went to the philosopher
Bertrand Russell, who quickly followed this up with two books of awkward and
astoundingly pedestrian short stories, written and published almost as if they
were intended to justify the award. The trend has since persisted, with the
Swedish Academy picking writers across genres and geographies. They include
Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer in 2011, the oft-banned Chinese Mo Yan in
2012, Canadian short story writer Alice Munro in 2013, French novelist Patrick
Modiano in 2014 and Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich, who has mined
oral histories extensively for her non-fiction work on life in the Soviet Union,
last year. Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, a long shot in the Nobel sweepstakes
for years, is this year's delightfully idiosyncratic choice, for "having created new
poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".
While the purists might be aghast, what possibly clinched it for the 75-
year-old is that he isn't just another musician with a five-decades-plus career.
His lyrics - almost bordering on the philosophical when he asks some weighty
questions about peace and war in his 1962 hit, 'Blowin' in the Wind' -
chronicled Sixties America's angst, marking him out as a counterculture icon
although Dylan himself would later deny having lent his voice to a generation.
Like his contemporary Leonard Cohen, Dylan also wrote in a manner that made
listeners, almost contradictorily, both engage and distance themselves from
the music. In his hands the music and the lyrics merged and separated, urging
us to respond to his songwriting as melody and rhythm, at one level, and as
sheer poetry at another. His role as an influential modern ‘English poet’ has
been underrated, despite his profoundly personal odes about war, peace, love
and closure. So has been his contribution to the evolution of modern music
forms – few, for instance, would trace rap music’s. (2037)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
But the government's reasons for creating new districts morphed from
administrative to political. The decision to increase the number of districts
Jangaon, Sircilla and Gadwal. Undivided Andhra Pradesh had fewer districts.
Alongside the benefits in terms of ease of governance of smaller districts, there
are costs to be borne: creation of additional administrative infrastructure,
transfer of personnel, and replication of paperwork. The Rs. 1 crore sanctioned
for each district for initial arrangements will hardly suffice. (2039)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
This is not the first time that aspects of Muslim personal law have come
up for judicial adjudication. On triple talaq, courts have adopted the view that
Islam does not sanction divorce without reason or any attempt at
reconciliation, and that talaq would not be valid unless some conditions are
fulfilled. There are judgments that say the presence of witnesses during the
pronouncement of talaq, sound reasons for the husband to seek a divorce and
some proof that an attempt was made for conciliation are conditions
precedent for upholding a divorce by the Supreme Court. (2017)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
After losing Tikrit in April 2015 and Fallujah in June 2016, the Islamic
State has been left with little territory under its control in Iraq. Mosul, the
country's second largest city, is its last significant bastion. It was where its
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a "caliphate" in June 2014. And it was
the ability of the IS to establish territorial control and run an administration
that qualitatively separated it from other radical jihadi groups such as al-
Qaeda. The capture of Mosul symbolised its effectiveness in combat against a
weakly organised Iraqi army and a sectarian Iraqi state, then under Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki. When a coalition of Iraqi armed forces, the Kurdish
Peshmerga, Shia militia groups supported by U.S.-led air strikes and other
special forces marched on Mosul on Monday, the long-planned offensive to
defeat the IS decisively was finally put into action. The plan is for the
Peshmerga and the militias to barricade the city from the east and south,
respectively, while counter-terrorism forces and police enter the city, engage
in street battles and secure it, leading to final capture. It will not be easy, even
if the IS is a much weakened force compared to what it was in 2014.
This is because Riyadh sees this war as part of its rivalry with Iran. It
considers the Houthis to be agents of Iran, and does not want Tehran to have a
proxy presence in its backyard. But Saudi Arabia cannot be allowed to destroy
Yemen further to defend its narrow geopolitical ambitions. Washington
supports the campaign through intelligence. (2001)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The outcomes of the latest meeting of the Council tasked with steering
the Goods and Services Tax regime are worrying. For one, it leaves the Centre
hard-pressed to meet its intended deadline for the new indirect tax regime,
April 1, 2017. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had set a November 22 target to
resolve all operational issues with State representatives in the Council so that
the rates and implementation modalities could be codified into law and passed
by Parliament in the winter session. When it met for the first time in late
September, things appeared to be on track, with the Council agreeing almost
unanimously on technicalities such as the turnover thresholds for firms to be
covered under the GST and the division of administrative control over tax
assessees between the Centre and the States. A time-bound road map to
finalise remaining details, such as the tax rates, compensation for States. A
time-bound road map to finalise remaining details, such as the tax rates,
compensation for States in case of revenue loss under the new system, as well
as the legislative actions required in Parliament and the State Assemblies, was
also agreed upon.
What began last month with a handshake and visible warmth between
two very different U.S. presidential candidates degenerated into disrespectful
interruptions, unashamed baiting, and abrasive name-calling as the third and
final debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump
came to a frosty end. With less than three weeks to go before the election, the
campaigns saw explosive revelations about both candidates. This included
disturbing evidence of Mr. Trump boasting about groping women without their
consent, allegations of such behaviour and sexual assault by at least nine
women, and an avalanche of confidential emails of Ms. Clinton's campaign
released by WikiLeaks that underscored her proximity to deep-pocketed Wall
Street donors. Yet, even as these damning facts have tumbled into the public
domain and the degree of hostility has soared, they have probably done little
to swing the election dramatically in either direction. Ms. Clinton was leading
by a little over two percentage points across an average of major head-to-head
polls around the time of the first debate. Her margin grew to over 6.5 per cent
after the "Access Hollywood" tapes of Mr. Trump's offensive remarks. Most
poll simulation models predict she is well-positioned to capture the minimum
of 270 electoral college votes that are necessary to secure the presidency,
principally owing to her likely success in the swing States.
A big foreign policy challenge awaiting the next U.S. President is the
frosty relationship with an angry, resurgent Russia. Talk about a post-Cold War
partnership between the world's two greatest military powers is now a thing of
the past. It looks like a throwback to the Cold War days with Russia and the
U.S. fighting a proxy war in Ukraine, leading two competing military operations
in Syria and raising allegations and counter-allegations on a host of issues,
ranging from human rights violations and breaking international norms to
interfering in each other's domestic politics. Tensions came to a head this
month when the U.S. pulled out of talks with Russia over the Syria conflict. This
was immediately after President Vladimir Putin abandoned a key nuclear
disarmament treaty with Washington, demanding the removal of sanctions on
Moscow. If the belligerence and intransigence both countries display are any
indication, international politics is set to get a lot more murky. There could be
several triggers for this escalation, but the real problem is that the Cold War-
era mistrust between Washington and Moscow was never really buried.
Friction has been increasingly evident on the watch of President Putin, as he
pursues an aggressive foreign policy framed around what he regards as Russian
interests. This happened in Georgia in 2008, Ukraine in 2014 and Syria the year
after. In turn, the Obama administration's coercive diplomacy in dealing with
Russia's aggression has widened the rift. The suspension of Russia from the G8
moved Moscow farther away from the West, while sanctions negated the
goodwill built, since the 1990s, between Moscow and the West.
To be sure, Russia is a shadow of what the Soviet Union was at its peak.
Its economy is struggling in the wake of the slump in oil prices. Its currency is in
a free fall. Its geopolitical influence is largely limited to the Central Asia and
Caucasus. And its foreign policy doesn’t have any high moral ground—the
interference in Ukraine was a direct threat to the modern international system.
(2065)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Given how little the Congress stands to lose in the elections to the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly, the defection of its former State unit chief, Rita Bahuguna
Joshi, to the Bharatiya Janata Party should not have caused a flutter. She had
already been ignored by the party's new team in leading the election campaign
in the State. Even in her glory days, she had drawn her power from little more
than her proximity to the Gandhi family. What she brings to the BJP, besides
embarrassing the Congress, is therefore uncertain. In fact, the Congress will be
watched less for the organisational loss her switch may cause and more for the
manner in which it responds to her 'betrayal'. In diverse ways, all four political
parties in the fray are being compelled to clarify the organising principles that
set them apart. For the Congress, as it picks up the gauntlet with little
expectation of electoral success but an overriding ambition to use to the stage
to demonstrate its capacity to influence the electoral debate, Ms. Joshi's flight
poses the questions: What weight do Gandhi family loyalists carry in party
affairs? What is the Congress willing to do to show that it can democratise
itself and loosen the hold of the "high command"?
The latest GDP data from China show the world's second-largest
economy seemingly in good health. Third-quarter growth was 6.7 per cent,
reflecting the government's continued pump priming by way of increased
spending, and a robust property market. That the headline number came in
exactly at the same reading as the previous two quarters also signals a level of
almost unnatural stability in the economy's performance as expansion has
hovered around 7 per cent or very close to it for the last nine quarters,
ensuring that there has been no hard landing as the key global growth engine
slows. Earlier this decade the Chinese government began a 'rebalancing' of the
economy by shifting the focus away from a production and export-led model
to an increasingly domestic consumption and services reliant one; it has had
some success in this with consumption contributing 71 per cent of GDP growth
in the first three quarters of 2016. Still, the high level of government spending
and the mounting debt - core debt as a percentage of GDP exceeded 250 per
cent in the first quarter according to data compiled by the Bank for
International Settlements - are causes for concern. With the state leading
investment in infrastructure as a means to stabilise growth, public spending
climbed 12.5 per cent in the nine-month period, widening the nation's fiscal
deficit. But it is the pace and size of the overall credit expansion that have set
alarm bells ringing, including at the International Monetary Fund.
In a fresh blow to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, his close
aide and MLC Udayveer Singh was expelled from the Samajwadi Party on
Saturday, just days after he shot off a stinging letter to party supremo
Mulayam Singh, alleging that Mr. Akhilesh's stepmother was conspiring against
the Chief Minister. Mr. Udayveer Singh had earlier this week announced that
he and other Akhilesh loyalists would boycott the SP's silver celebrations in
November, protesting against the expulsion of many of their colleagues by Mr.
Mulayam Singh and his brother Shivpal Yadav. Mr. Udayveer Singh was
expelled from the SP for six years for indulging in "anti party activities",
"indiscipline" and "working against the principles and policies" of the party,
said Deepak Mishra, SP spokesperson and close aide of Mr. Shivpal Yadav. The
resolution against the young MLC was passed unanimously in the party's State
executive meeting held here, where his "objectionable, undignified and
derogatory remarks" against the party supremo were "condemned", Mr.
Mishra said.
The military fraternity has reacted with outrage at MNS chief Raj
Thackeray's attempt to browbeat film producers who have employed Pakistani
actors, to contribute to the Army Welfare Fund. Former Army chief General
Shankar Roy Choudhary told The Hindu that the Indian Army has nothing to do
with the local politics of Maharastra and should be left out of it. Several others
from the fraternity called it "extortion money." Seeking to settle the
controversy surrounding the release of Karan Johar's latest film Ae Dil Hai
Mushkil, Mr. Thackeray held discussions with the team on Saturday and
announced that they pay a "penance" of Rs. 5 crore for employing Pakistani
actors.
"All the producers who have Pakistani artists in their film will as penance
have to pay some money. I suggested Rs.5 crore per film... and give the money
to the Army welfare fund," he said in Mumbai. A decorated veteran of 1971
war Major Chandrakant Singh, VrC said that he was offended and hurt by the
issue. "The Army will not accept such a thing," he observed.
"The Army belongs to the people and not to any particular segment. It
does not need the funds, it only needs respect," Former Chief of Integrated
Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Anil Chait said. Ex-servicemen and citizenry alike took to
micro blogging site Twitter to express their disappointment. "I served four
decades in uniform and never did I live on extorted money. What's this
happening in my country?," Air Vice Marshal (retd.) Manmohan Bahadur,
distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies expressed his anguish
on Twitter. "Why should the armed forces be made a part of this extortion? By
accepting this money they would become a 'receiver' of tainted money," he
said in another tweet. Several senior serving officers too questioned the logic
of the Services being dragged in to the issue. "Why do they drag the armed
forces into such issues if not to gain political mileage," one senior serving
officer said while another officer observed "The Army will never accept it."
(2023)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Thanks to the five raid points Sheykh won in the first half, including a
super raid execution, Iran led 18-13 at half time. India took the field with Anup
Kumar, Manjit Chillar, Thakur, Pardeep Narwal, Sandeep Narwal, Surjeet and
Surender Nada. After two empty raids from either side, Sandeep Narwal.
(2018)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The success of the debt issue, oversubscribed with orders totalling $67
billion, is due to three main factors. First, despite the high price of the bonds
and the long-term economic and geopolitical risks associated with Saudi
Arabia, the yields looked attractive in the context of low interest rates in
developed economies. Second, oil prices have increased since the beginning of
the year and are in the region of $50 a barrel. Third, the kingdom's salesmen
are reported to have made a solid pitch on the bond roadshow, addressing
investors’ concerns over the undiversified economy. (2000)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The data breach at 19 Indian banks that has led to more than 32 lakh
debit cards being blocked or recalled is a wake-up call for the banking industry.
While the actual number of complaints received so far, 641, and the sum of
money that appears to have been fraudulently withdrawn, Rs.1.3 crore, are
both small relative to the scale of the potential data theft, it is disconcerting
that it has taken almost six months for the system to officially acknowledge the
incidents and initiate steps to address them. It is all the more galling since the
Reserve Bank of India and its top officials have been urging bankers for quite
some time to accord urgent priority to cyber security. A private bank appears
to have been a point of entry for the data criminals who, according to reports,
may have infiltrated using malware at ATMs operated by a third-party
payment services vendor. The National Payments Corporation of India has
been coordinating investigations into the incident, and a forensic audit is
expected to reveal preliminary findings soon. For the government and the
banking regulator, much is at stake as the two have sought to move in concert
to harness the digital revolution to advance socio-economic policy objectives.
These include increasing financial inclusion, better targeting of subsidies
through the direct benefit payments model, improving economic efficiency be
lowering transaction costs, and moving toward a cashless economy so as to
reduce the circulation of black money and curb tax evasion.
Several subtypes and strains of avian influenza viruses are now found
around the world, some of them capable of causing death among humans and
others inflicting serious losses on poultry farmers. The latest bird flu scare in
New Delhi and elsewhere has been triggered by the death of some free living
birds in the city's A.N. Jha Deer Park, and 15 painted storks in the Gwalior zoo.
Worrying as it is, early detection and identification of the virus subtypes helps
in launching containment measures. As a major agricultural nation with a large
poultry industry, India has implemented an action plan formulated by the
Centre's Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries to deal with
avian influenza. It incorporates a clear protocol for preventive checks and
testing, for reporting an outbreak, removing farmed birds from an affected
area and compensating farmers. The outbreaks in Kerala and Karnataka over
the past two years have tested the efficacy of the intervention strategy. It
came as a relief when on September 5 India declared itself free of the H5N1
virus, identified by the World Health Organisation as the animal influenza virus
of greatest concern for human health. Considering that the virus is endemic in
parts of Asia and mutates quickly, the need for vigilant monitoring against its
reintroduction and spread cannot be overstated.
The Delhi government's finding that the virus associated with the bird
deaths in the capital is the H5N8 type hints at the possible role of migratory
water fowl, which are known to carry this virus to wintering grounds. Zoos
across the country are at risk, since they often have waterbodies within or
nearby, attracting winter visitors. A more recent cause for concern has been
the virus strain H7N9 that caused serious illness in people mostly in China, but
not in birds. On the positive side, the national plan to combat avian influenza
relies on a broad-based periodic testing system for farmed birds and wet
markets, and upgrading of apex scientific institutions. (2028)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Peacemaking may well have been the intent behind Samajwadi Party
patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav's summons to his warning son and brother at a
party meet in Lucknow on Monday. But the gathering soon lapsed into a
tawdry spectacle of blame-calling and weepy confessional, with all three airing
their grievances petulantly in full view of the assembled party faithful. Since
September 13, when Mr. Yadav replaced son Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief
Minister of Uttar Pradesh, with his brother Shivpal Yadav as the SP's Stare unit
chief, the party has been hurtling inexorably towards a split, in a blaze of
sackings and accusations. The occasional restoration of one or the other of the
dramatis personae to a lost post has failed to check the feud. Monday's
developments have all but foreclosed the possibility of any resolution that
could put the SP back together again in time for the Assembly elections in a
dangerously polarised landscape. Ever since he became Chief Minister in 2012,
Akhilesh Yadav has functioned in the shadow of his father and "uncles" -
relatives and party stalwarts. This has cut both ways for the young Chief
Minister. He has had to field questions about his authority with charges that
U.P. in effect had "four and a half CMs" - but it also allowed him to separate
himself from the SP's worst instincts. Their overbearing presence allowed his
government an alibi for failing to maintain law and order. Their continuance
served as a reminder of the generational shift he effected, from their
traditional resistance to English education and computers, and their "boys will
be boys" excuse-making for the politics of patronage and rent-seeking.
Till the meltdown over the last couple of months, it seemed that all the
SP was headed towards was a final transition from the old guard towards a
more aspirational politics. A convincing transition is now all but impossible,
and the timing of Akhilesh Yadav’s next steps could determine his future in
public life. It is ironic that Mulayam Singh Yadav. (2015)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Not too long ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had identified the
Maoist movement as the biggest internal security threat. Buoyed by the
unification of various Naxalite outfits into one party in 2004, they had
consolidated themselves in some districts, taking advantage of the weak
presence of the welfare and administrative agencies. But by subordinating
political activism to militarism they have done little for tribal empowerment.
(2025)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
For its part, the government has argued that the Bank only focusses on
two big cities while reforms are happening across States. But that, in fact,
frames a larger problem because with an eye on the index officials had
focussed on simpler procedures in Mumbai and Delhi. By May this year, an e-
biz platform allowed investors to apply for 20 Central government services
online, along with two services in Delhi and 14 each in Odisha and Andhra
Pradesh. In Maharashtra, a $5-billion investment announced by Foxconn
remains on paper. (2046)
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This resurgence of terror has new security dimensions. First, the site of
the violence this time is Quetta. In recent years, Balochistan has been the focus
of Pakistan's counter-terror operations as the province is expected to play a
major role in the $46-billion economic corridor China is building, connecting
Gwadar to Xinjiang. Second, if the only major terror group the Pakistan army
had been fighting till a few years ago was the TTP, an increasing number of
groups and offshoots have made the fight more complex. This week's Quetta
attack, for instance, has been claimed by three groups - a faction of the TTP;
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a sectarian militant group, and the Islamic State. The
Lashkar claims it cooperated with the IS to carry out the assault. If true, this
opens the possibility for the IS to operate in Pakistan, where it does not have a
strong organisational. (2027)
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Unless the order is challenged in the higher courts, the path is clear for
Mr. Yeddyurappa to lead the BJP's campaign in Karnataka, shutting out rivals
within the party. For the BJP too, which publicly swears by clean governance,
the verdict removes all doubts about making him its political mascot for 2018.
Karnataka is the only State in the south where it has a reasonable chance to
form a government, and the party would not like to make a mess of its political
options ahead of the Assembly election. With the possible exception of Ananth
Kumar. (2033)
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Mr. Maduro does not wield the king of charismatic sway that Chavez, his
mentor, did, but the problem goes deeper than this. The continued fall in
global petroleum prices under Mr. Maduro's watch has put the country's social
welfare model under severe strain. In Chavez's heyday, the government
leveraged the country's immense petroleum reserves to fuel a welfare
economy and spend heavily on subsidies. This model resulted in several
structural flaws in the economy - corruption in state enterprises, heavy
dependence on imported consumer goods due to meagre incentives for
production in a highly subsidised economy, and artificial price and exchange
controls that resulted in a black market for foreign currency, national currency
and persisting inflation. (2011)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The Centre's coercive method has worked. Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the
two States that were holding out against pressure from New Delhi to
implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA), have also fallen in line. By
threatening to raise the price at which it was allocating food grains if they did
not implement the law, the Centre has managed to get these two States to
agree to the implementation of the Act would have had to pay Rs.22.54 a kg
for rice for their monthly allocations under the 'above poverty line' (APL)
category, as against the Rs.8.30 a kg they are paying now. For Tamil Nadu, it
would have meant an additional expenditure of Rs.2,730 crore, over and above
the Rs.2,393 crore it is spending on its universal public distribution system
(PDS). The State says it will implement the Act and also continue its universal
PDS coverage. In the bargain, it will have to maintain a uniform supply of 5 kg
of rice per person as stipulated in the NFSA, and protect the existing
entitlements of PDS beneficiaries. The resultant increase in off take would
result in additional expenditure of Rs.1,193 crore for Tamil Nadu. Kerala
maintains an APL-BPL distinction in its PDS. However, its concerns over the
implementation of the Act related to the possibility that many beneficiaries of
PDS consumers into 'priority households' and others.
Over the last year or so, Kerala and Tamil Nadu had been warming to the
idea of joining the NFSA, but sought time to do so. They wanted to complete
end-to-end computerisation of their PDS and the process of seeding Aadhaar
numbers with family cards. One clear advantage of joining the national food
security system now is that the computerisation and Aadhaar seeding process
may result in the elimination of bogus cards and beneficiaries. Tamil Nadu’s
case for such a clean-up is glaring as the number of people covered by its
family cards is about 7.81 crore while the State’s population is 7.21 crore.
There are lessons for both the Centre and the States in this conflict. (2018)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The former grand wizard of the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan,
David Duke, cautioned his (presumably white) radio listeners that voting for
anyone besides Donald Trump would "be treason to [their] heritage". He
further stated that Mr. Trump has made it acceptable to talk about the
"incredible concerns of European Americans today". Without a doubt, the
defining characteristic of Donald Trump's presidential campaign has been an
unapologetic endorsement of nativism.
It is almost four months since the unrest in Kashmir began following the
killing of Hizbul Mujahideen 'commander' Burhan Wani. Protests, intermittent
violence and long stretches of curfew have continued to put normal life on
hold. Delegations of civil society representatives as well as politicians have
attempted to reach out to separatists and find a way to bring calm to the
streets, but to little avail. In fact, the opposite is happening with increasing
mindless arson attacks on schools over the past two months. By one count, 27
schools, most of them government-run, have been set afire so far in the Valley
over this period. No one has yet claimed responsibility for these attacks. The
government has blamed the separatists for encouraging the arson. In turn, the
separatists charge the administration of failing to protect the schools. Amidst
all this blame-shifting, it is disturbing that separatist leaders such as Syed Ali
Shah Geelani have not condemned the acts of violence outright. Their
equivocation must be called out, even as the Jammu and Kashmir High Court
has directed the government to reopen all the schools despite the separatists'
shutdown call.
It is an irony that the national capital and several other cities suffer
crippling pollution in the post-monsoon and winter months partly due to
biomass burning, when demand for fodder is rising and the surplus material
could be used productively. Pilot projects to produce power using biomass
demonstrated in Rajasthan, and mechanised composting and biogas
production units of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute could be scaled
up, and farmers given liberal support to deploy such solutions. Given the twin
benefits of pollution abatement and better productivity, conservation
agriculture needs to be popularised. This would encourage farmers to use
newer low-till seeding technologies that allow much of the crop residues to
remain on site, and curb the release of a variety of pollutants. (2017)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The big issue is PMR, as it has consequences for the armed forces that go
beyond extra pension money. The Centre's OROP notification said "personnel
who opt to get discharged henceforth on their own request" will not be
entitled to its benefits. This made a distinction between those who opted for
PMR in the past and those who may do so in future. There is still no clarity on
the criteria of PMR, which has created confusion in the rank and file,
particularly among those who are looking to leave the service after completing
the pensionable service or have been superseded and have no further chances
of promotion. It is debatable whether officers opting to leave the service on
their own for better prospects and drawing regular pension should be given
the additional benefit of OROP. However, there needs to be clarity to the PMR
criteria. (2005)
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An employment tribunal ruling in London last week that Uber drivers are
"workers" and not "self-employed", and therefore entitled to a minimum wage
and paid leave, could have implications not only for Britain's 40,000 Uber
drivers but for others associated with the 'gig economy' in Britain and beyond.
Uber's business model is predicated on calling itself a platform that connects
those who want transportation services to those who provide them. The ruling
held that connects those who want transportation services to those who
provide them. The ruling held that Uber sells rides, not software, despite its
legal and corporate structure and licensing agreements attempting to suggest
otherwise. The gig economy is driven by algorithms and technology. It extends
beyond ride-sharing applications to food delivery, car rental and hosting
services. Earning money as an independent contractor - that is, through a gig -
is not new. But the changing nature and growth of such business models and
their inextricable linkages to technology, often via a smartphone app, is making
it hard for regulators to keep up. From the consumer's perspective, app-based
transportation services have been beneficial: increased clarity on pricing,
speedy redress of complaints, decreased waiting times via efficient driver-
passenger match algorithms, and so on. The business model has brought more
drivers into the workforce by offering flexible hours and gigs to anyone who
meets certain criteria. From the service provider's perspective, the ability to
work flexible hours can be a way to earn supplementary instruments cannot
circumvent basic work-related rights. Thus it has begun the overdue process of
determining the producer's obligations.
In India, with its vast unorganised labour force and patchy social
protection, piecemeal work, such as that offered through apps in the for-hire
transport market, holds the possibility of earning a livelihood that is above the
minimum wage. The issues in India, for now. (2000)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. These
words will echo in the hearts of 324 million Americans today, some shell-
shocked and downcast, others delirious with joy. The sheer divergence of
emotions over the surprise result is a poignant signal of how deeply divided
the nation is, after a polarising two-year election campaign. Bigotry, patriarchy
and racist rancour, which reared their ugly heads throughout this season of
incivility, may find no welcome catharsis with the apotheosis of Mr. Trump.
According to the exit polls, 58 per cent of whites and 21 per cent of non-whites
and 74 per cent of non-whites votes for his Democratic opponent Hillary
Clinton. He also scored higher with men than women, and with those voters
who did not have a college degree. In other words, bluecollared white men and
women thronged to Mr. Trump in droves, angry about their perceived
impoverishment and disenfranchisement inflicted by the country's political and
financial elites. It had left them with only one option: to throw a metaphorical
grenade at these power centres.
At the heart of the shock result is the shock itself, which stemmed from
what most analysts have been calling the vote of the "silent majority". Why did
the U.S. media and pollsters fail to see which way the wind was blowing? They
apparently did not suspect, when poll results suggested that Ms. Clinton was
the more acceptable candidate, that some of the respondents to these polls
may have been unwilling to admit to being supporters of Mr. Trump. It is likely
for instance that women, 42 per cent of whom voted for Mr. Trump, were
reluctant to reveal their preference after Mr. Trump was exposed for boasting
about sexual assault and faced allegations of the same. What was not taken
proper note of was that in almost every swing State, there were between 11
and 18 per cent "undecided" voters in late October - a significant number of
people that tilted the election in favour of Mr. Trump. Insofar as this election
reflected. (2020)
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With Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, it is difficult to say who needs the
other more. Indeed, it is not clear whether the party is shielding him from the
risk of electoral failure or whether it is looking to him for political leadership
and guidance. In any case the seemingly never-ending wait for his ascension as
the president of the party was not doing either him or the Congress any good.
If the decision of the Congress Working Committee to ask Mr. Gandhi to take
up the top post was a surprise, it was only in its timing. Ever since the Lok
Sabha election of 2014, Mr. Gandhi was being prepared for this very job; also,
his mother and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had not been keeping good
health. But two factors stood in the way. Members of the party's old guard
were unsure of his leadership skills, or were apprehensive of being left out if
the order changed. More important, Mr. Gandhi himself wanted time. He
wanted to make sure he did not appear to be hankering after power and
position, and he did not get blamed for electoral defeats that were, by any
reckoning, inevitable. But just as the seniors in the party reconciled themselves
to the changing times, Mr. Gandhi too seems to have become more responsive
to the requirements of an organisation such as the Congress: that he would
have to deal with the party as it is, and that he would not be able to readily
mould it to the form he would like it to take.
Quite possibly, Mr. Gandhi would not have had a shot at becoming the
party president were it not for his lineage. But the nature of the faction-ridden
Congress is such that it needs a leader whose right to lead is not questioned at
every step. Mr. Gandhi meets this requirement. While the fractious nature of
the party grants him greater legitimacy as a leader, it also makes his task more
difficult. At the CWC meeting, he expressed his willingness to take on the
assigned role of party president to "fight for the preservation of the idea of
India". This is a phrase that the Congress. (2018)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The SDF is certain to face strong resistance. Raqqa is one of the first
cities the IS captured; it has in place a ferocious, ideologically charged and
battle-ready team to build a strong defence. As the ongoing Mosul battle
shows, breaching the IS defence lines will take time and also lives. Raqqa has a
population of about 2.2 lakh. Major air-borne campaigns to help the SDF
advance on the ground advances of enemies. But the most pressing challenge
the SDF faces is the response from Turkey. Raqqa is a Sunni-populated town.
Turkey is opposed to the SDF taking over Raqqa as a major constituent of the
coalition is the Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). (2037)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
India and the U.K. have many reasons to have close relations. They are
two pillars of the Commonwealth, sharing democratic values and a world view
on many political issues including terrorism. The Indian community that has
settled in Britain has helped deepen ties. Today India is the third largest
investor in the U.K., and the U.K. is the largest G20 investor in India. It stands
to reason that for her first foreign visit outside Europe after taking over as
Prime Minister, Theresa May chose India. As long as British courts don't stand
in her way, she will work to engineer the U.K.'s exit from the European Union
in early 2017, and her visit to India was seen as a way of exploring a trade path
outside of the EU, with preliminary talk expected on reviving negotiations for a
free trade agreement that were first started in 2007. For the past few months,
British ministers, including key advisers to Ms. May, have emphasised that the
Brexit movement would benefit India-U.K. ties. Given this backdrop, it remains
a mystery why, in the event, Ms. May's visit turned out to be devoid of any
substantial measures that would put India-U.K. ties on a new trajectory.
The two MoUs signed in the presence of Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi
and Ms. May, on improving the ease of doing business and on intellectual
property rights, did little to add any shine to the lacklustre visit. Worse, Ms.
May seemed more comfortable with her previous role as U.K. Home Secretary
when she had announced strictures on immigration and student visas that
have led to a 50 per cent drop in Indian students enrolling in British
universities. Just three days before her visit to India, London announced new
restrictions on overseas students, including two-tier visa rules based on the
"quality of courses", and a crackdown on work visas to control migration. Quite
oblivious of the impact of these measures on her hosts, Ms. May chose to
announce during her first day in Delhi that not only could she not consider
India’s demands for relaxation. (2023)
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As Punjab heads for the Assembly election, this issue has already led to
posturing by all major parties on which among them is the best protector of
the State's interests. This attitude leads to a disturbing tendency among States
to be judges in their own cause, especially when it comes to water disputes.
Political parties in power increasingly resort to legislation or Assembly
resolutions rather than negotiation. The Opposition parties collaborate in this
with equal zeal, lest they be seen to be wanting in passion for the cause.
Punjab may well have had legitimate grievances, historically, in the sharing of
waters. This was, in fact. (2001)
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It is too far-fetched to see any cultural angle, as the writer does, in the
introduction of Devanagari numerals in the notes. Notes have 'Reserve Bank of
India' written in Hindi, for instance. Does that also constitute a cultural attack?
The situation is not as smooth as claimed by some people in this space. Many
are suffering. Some banks are refusing to exchange money, saying they are
short of funds. Common people feel that the economy will no longer be
tainted and feel like they are contributing to cleaning up the mess. But the
government must explain what it has done to catch the big sharks.
In Bengaluru where I live, most ATMs and cash deposit machines are out
of order. This needs to be sorted out without any delay as this crisis is causing
long queues. Also, separate queues for deposits and exchanges would make it
easier.
This master stroke will eliminate the counterfeit notes in circulation and bring
black money-holders under the scanner to a large extent. It will also help us
move towards a cashless economy. People are thronging banks to exchange
and make deposits. (2001)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
"I was born like this, I had no choice. I was born with the gift of a golden
voice," wrote Leonard Cohen in "Tower of Song", suggesting he was sentenced
to a life of imprisonment in music. It was a life in which he fused pain and
passion, blended the sacred with the profane. Among the greatest of the
singer-song-writers to emerge from the sixties, Cohen spoke of extreme
passions in liturgical phrases and with biblical references. The Canadian
troubadour, who found inspiration in Greece and fame in the U.S., was a
successful novelist and a poet before turning to lyrics "to slash your wrists by",
rendered almost conversationally in a brooding and arrestingly sensual bass.
Unlike other musicians, he didn't fade away as he grew older, or when "he
ached in the places where he used to play". His last two albums were suffused
with witty, self-deprecatory humour and intimations of his own mortality.
Cohen also remained a spiritual seeker in his verses all his life, his songs often
deviating from the narrative to ask questions about the divine, as he wandered
from Zen Buddhism to Advaita Vedanta while staying Jewish by faith.
Along with Bob Dylan, who called him "No.1 to his Zero", Cohen blurred
the line between poetry and lyric in the sixties and seventies. They spoke the
language of the time using words of rebellion and spirituality. The words of
"Suzanne" and "Closing Time" dive into religion and morality, cutting just as
deep without the music. "Bird on the Wire" was where he hit peak, the
simplicity of the rhyme serving to ram home the complexity of the emotion. He
retained his edge even in his last album, speaking with the same voice and
shifting only in theme to death and leave-taking. Cohen used chords sparsely,
not allowing the music to drown the words. However, his music was no lesser a
feat. The rises and falls of "Hallelujah" draw listeners to emotions of
accomplishment and dejection in the gap of a few notes; the soft sensuality of
"Dance Me to the End of Love". (2001)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
When India conducted its nuclear tests in 1998, Japan was the country
that took it the hardest: it put all political exchanges with India on hold, froze
aid and announced economic sanctions within hours. A thaw in ties didn't
come until 2001, when sanctions were lifted. And then, in 2009, the two
countries began an annual strategic dialogue. This has now come to fruition
with the signing of the nuclear cooperation agreement in Tokyo during Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's visit. The deal is critical to India's renewable energy
plans. Japanese companies that produce cutting-edge reactor technology were
previously not allowed to supply parts to India. In addition, Japanese
companies have significant holdings in their U.S. and French partners
negotiating for nuclear reactors now, and that would have held up the deals.
This is Japan's first nuclear deal with a non-signatory to the Non Proliferation
Treaty, and it recognises India's exemplary record in nuclear prudence. It is
indeed a much-needed moral boost as New Delhi strives for membership in the
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The move will boost the meagre, and dipping,
bilateral trade of $15 billion, and lift the strategic military and defence
relationship.
There are several riders to this rosy prognosis, however. First, the
nuclear deal has to be approved by Japan's Parliament. This will not be aided
by unhelpful references such as those made recently by Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar, about revisiting India's no-first-use nuclear weapons policy.
In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may face criticism that he extracted too
few assurances from India on a nuclear test ban. In India, Mr. Modi may be
criticised for giving in too much, as a note slipped into the agreement now
accepts an emergency suspension of the deal if India tests a weapon. The clock
is ticking, and Mr. Abe must bring the deal to Parliament in early 2017 to
ensure that the commercial agreement for Westinghouse's six reactors in
Andhra Pradesh that is due in June 2017 comes through. (2035)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
From the demand side, there are four elements that we need to
examine: private consumption expenditure, government expenditure
particularly on investment, private investment particularly corporate
investment, and external demand. As far as private consumption expenditure
is concerned, a major factor contributing to a push is the implementation of
the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. Government's salary
and pension expenditures are expected to rise by 20 per cent. As those
recommendations were made effective only from August 2016, the impact on
the production of consumption goods will be seen only in the second half.
There is evidence of some sectors like two-wheelers growing fast. The impact
of the good monsoon on rural demand may also show up in the second half.
Total Central government expenditures in the first half were 52.0 per
cent of the budgeted expenditures for the year. This is only a shade higher
than previous year. Capital expenditures have shown a rise of 4.6 per cent over
the previous year. Increase in capital expenditures is welcome as they lead to
greater investment. In September 2016, capital expenditures grew by 20 per
cent on year-on-year basis. However, this was mainly due to the increase in
loans disbursed. It is to be noted that the bulk of the public investment comes
from public sector enterprises. As of now, there is no information how much
additional investment has been made by PSUs. Roads and railways seem to be
doing well.
On the reforms front, there has been some improvement. Initially, there
was the amendment to the Insurance Act to facilitate larger foreign
investment. The Bankruptcy Act has been enacted. The real estate sector now
has a regulator. Finally, the goods and services tax is becoming a reality. All of
these are enabling legislations. The impact of these legislations on the
economy will take some time to come. But they are moves in the right
direction.
Chief Justice Thakur has been quite vocal and unsparing in his criticism
of the delay on the part of the executive in filling up vacancies. In open court as
well as in public forums, he has highlighted the grim situation as the judicial
branch is grappling with an enormous work burden, on the one hand, and an
exploding docket on the other. The executive feels it is being blamed for delays
that are not entirely of its making, and contends that high courts have
contributed to this situation by letting vacancies lie unattended. Another
possible undercurrent is that the Centre is unhappy over the Supreme Court
collegium. (2029)
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Mr. Trump's initial stab at West Wing appointments is off to a start that
could be characterised as astute yet polarising. In picking Reince Priebus as his
Chief of Staff, Mr. Trump has signalled to House Speaker Paul Ryan his desire
to put the nastiness of the campaign behind them. Mr. Priebus and Mr. Ryan
are Wisconsin politicians who go back two decades. As the longstanding head
of the Republican National Committee, Mr. Priebus walked a tightrope over
the fraying ties between Mr. Trump and party heavyweights during the darkest
days of the campaign. Having thus proved his organisational acumen and
loyalty to Mr. Trump, it is fitting that Mr. Priebus will soon be tasked with
negotiating with Congress, executive branch agencies, and external political
groups to implement Mr. Trump's agenda. The other high-profile choice will be
harder to swallow for many: Steve Bannon, the CEO of the Trump campaign.
(2013)
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In the 67th year of the Republic and 70th year of freedom, we find
ourselves engaged in a heightened debate on the imperatives of preserving the
constitutionally ordained jurisdictional equilibrium between the legislative,
executive and judicial branches of the Indian state even as we celebrate the
expansion of constitutional freedoms and the resilience of our democracy. At
the heart of this debate is the reach of judicial review power exercised by the
Supreme Court. Given the tenuous relationship between the executive and
judiciary, the subject is increasingly relevant to the functioning of our
constitutional democracy. While the sterling contribution of the court in
asserting the inviolability of and expounding the right to dignity as the core
constitutional value has been universally acclaimed, questions recur about the
rightful limits of judicial intervention in the matter of policy choices in the
executive and legislative domains.
After a long summer when too many children were caught in the
crossfire, with some killed or blinded due to the security forces'
unconscionable persistence with pellet guns, a curtailed syllabus for
examinations must serve as a reminder of the risks to the aspirations of yet
another generation. To bring back calm, more needs to be done to use the
tenuous calm on the street to normalise the daily transactions among local
communities. If anger spilled over on to the streets in unexpected and
disturbing ways after Wani's death, as the weeks and months passed it led to
maximalist rhetoric on the part of the separatists, expectedly, and the
government, unnecessarily. It is bewildering, for instance, why Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar. (2034)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
A year and a half after China and Pakistan announced plans for an
Economic Corridor, the CPEC, to connect "Kashgar to Gwadar", the two
countries operationalised the trade route this week, with the first shipment
moving to Gwadar port and on to the Gulf and Africa. Many of the
infrastructure and energy projects that are part of CPEC, worth an estimated
$46 billion, are already under way. Of this, $35-38 billion is committed in the
energy sector, in gas, coal and solar energy across Pakistan, with the combined
expected capacity crossing 10,000 MW. This is roughly double the current
shortfall the country experiences. In addition, the 3,000-km rail and roadway
project is expected to generate 700,000 jobs by 2030. While Pakistan sees
CPEC as a game changer, there are many challenges. There are some
misgivings domestically, with critics questioning the project's viability, and
some accusing China of launching a second "East India Company". There are
the security challenges too, especially in the western areas near the key
Gwadar port, where militants ranging from Baloch nationalists to the Taliban
and the Islamic State have carried out attacks. Systemic challenges include
project delays in the CPEC's first year, which the World Bank warns could prove
to be an impediment to Pakistan's overall growth. Pakistan-India tensions,
unless contained, too could endanger sectors of the project where Pakistani
troops are engaged in providing security. Finally, the economic slowdown in
China and the political instability in Pakistan could impact the project's future
as well.
With the current cash flow deficit, people are being forced to make
digital payments. Without proper precautions and security policies, the highly
reactive nature of cybersecurity leaves us vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Over the past week, digital payments have hit record transactions:
PayTM said there was a 200 per cent increase in its mobile application
downloads and a 250 per cent increase in overall transactions; MobiKwik said
its user traffic and merchant queries increased by 200 per cent within a few
days of the government's announcement. Companies such as Oxigen and PayU
have also seen a rise in their service usage.
PayTM, for instance, is certified under the Payment Card Industry Date
Security Standard (PCI DSS) 2.0 certification, which is the current industry
security standard. (2017)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
When 86 per cent of currency notes in a country of 1.3 billion people are
rendered illegal tender in a matter of hours, it is bound to create a short-term
disruption in daily lives. Particularly so, since much of India's economic activity
still takes place in the informal sector with no cheque payments, resulting not
just in widespread direct and indirect tax evasion but also an inability to assess
the true state of the economy. For instance, while farmers' income is not
taxed, most of them now have a Kisan Credit Card, first launched in 1998, and
no-frills bank accounts whose creation has been scaled up by the present
government. But the agricultural economy is still controlled by middlemen and
traders who only make cash payments to farmers while repaying a profit from
the difference in prices from farm-gate to fork. The introduction of the Goods
and Services Tax will make it tougher for such intermediaries to remain below
the tax radar, though foodgrains will be zero-rated under the tax regime. Just
as paying taxes on their profits is uncharted territory for such traders, the
government too is navigating uncharted waters with the demonetisation drive,
necessitating adjustments on the go.
Rural Indians, like their urban peers, may be in a tizzy for now over the
currency swoop and face challenges in transactions, but there doesn't seem to
be a threat to the rabi crop as the Opposition has sought to suggest. By last
Friday, the total area sown was significantly higher than at the same time last
year, except for coarse cereals. The latest relaxation, allowing farmers to
withdraw Rs.25,000 a week, should assuage any concerns on this front.
However, the Reserve Bank of India and the Central government were clearly
not prepared for the cash crunch in bank vaults and post offices, that has
become evident a week after the demonetisation. So, even soiled Rs.100 notes
have been brought back into circulation to tide over the scarcity. Given our
abysmal public health infrastructure, (2007)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The 2003 ceasefire on the Line of Control has clearly now ceased to hold,
with daily exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers. The DGMO
channel has failed to quell exchanges that include artillery and mortar fire.
There are no bilateral talks today at any level, and the only contact between
the governments in Islamabad and New Delhi is when one county's foreign
ministry summons the other's High Commissioner to issue a demarche about
the growing casualties along the International Boundary and the LoC in Jammu
and Kashmir. The two countries have even dispensed with routine niceties:
Pakistan is yet to condemn the Uri attack in which 19 soldiers were killed, and
India has not put out a statement on the spate of terror attacks in Balochistan.
Meanwhile, fears about the LoC firing spiralling out of control have grown. In
Pakistan, that worry has increased because of the impending decision on who
will be the next army chief, and owing to tensions between Army Headquarters
and the Nawaz Sharif government. India, having announced its 'surgical strikes'
as a new red-line of response post-Uri, is concerned about a terrorist build-up
across the LoC, with 18 infiltration attempts reported in the past week.
All these aspects have indeed been widely debated. And it was eagerly
anticipated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was away on a visit to
Japan, would address these issues on his return. Some were even hoping that
he might roll back the move to ease the pain, at least until the logistics are in
place.
Instead, the rhetorical turn in his speeches the day after his return took
everyone by surprise. Addressing public functions in Goa, Belgavi and Pune on
Sunday, he sought to turn the entire narrative about demonetisation into one
about himself, his political career, and the unfairness of being persecuted by
powerful enemies. "I know what kind of forces and what kind of people are
against me now... They will not leave me alive. They will destroy me," he said.
In other words, the one who truly deserves sympathy in the present scenario is
not the mass of daily wagers, street vendors, and farmers whose already
precarious livelihoods have been disrupted, but Mr. Modi. (2029)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
It is no surprise that the Supreme Court has declined to review its 2014
judgment banning jallikattu, the popular bull-taming sport held alongside
annual harvest festivities in rural Tamil Nadu. The original judgment had drawn
on sound legal principles to conclude that the need to prevent cruelty to
animals overrides the consideration that conducting the sport was necessary
to preserve culture and tradition. More particularly, the court had found that a
2009 State law that sought to regulate jallikattu was repugnant to the 1960
central legislation to prevent cruelty towards animals. The former Act did
contain stringent provisions, but animal rights activists contended that the
element of cruelty could not be eliminated altogether. Despite evidence that
the game caused distress and pain to the animals, and even led to injuries and
occasional fatalities, political leaders in the State and sections of the public
often make the claim that jallikattu has cultural and religious significance for
the Tamil community. Jallikattu is construed as a macho sport in which intrepid
young men demonstrate their valour by pouncing on fleeing bulls. it is also
associated in the popular imagination with cultural pride. Over the years, the
tradition was kept alive in many villages under the belief that not conducting
jallikattu would invite divine wrath. As a result, the bull-baiting sport was
invested with religious significance too.
It was unlikely that the court would have entertained a review merely on
a claim that popular sentiment favoured the conduct of jallikattu and that its
purported religious and cultural significance would provide constitutional
protection to it. The Bench has rejected attempts to invoke the right of
religious freedom guaranteed in Article 25 of the Constitution. It was
unfathomable that there could be a connection between jallikattu and
religious freedom, the court said. And it was held mainly for human
entertainment at the expense of the animal. Apart from the state
government's review plea, (2037)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
There is a new swing in Dalit politics today. Its signs are palpable in the
way Dalits have reacted to atrocities on them, the modes of struggles devised,
the kind of alliances forged, and the nodal concepts and norms invoked for
action. While old ways of doing Dalit politics - paternalism, quotas, sub-caste
appeal, conversion, bahujan (including sarvajan) - are still around, more in a
client-patron mode, Dalits are increasingly taking charge of affairs in their own
hands.
A few features of this turn are noteworthy: caste is back into reckoning;
the use of social media to network and communicate has proliferated; Left
politics and its limitations are under scrutiny; Babasaheb Ambedkar has
reinforced his presence as the flagpole; there is a highly literate Dalit
leadership deeply aware of historical injustice and electorally decisive numbers
in support; a thick notion of Brahmanism is highlighted as the enemy; a search
for a new civil society-state axis is on; and a new body of concepts and slogans
are being deployed as the battle cry. Dalits have begun to dig deep into layers
and layers of folklore and alternative nationalist imagery to forge skilful use of
signs, symbols and representations.
While one can say that all these features were part of the Dalit
movement at one time or the other, it is their combinatory which is proving
itself lethal. Above all, this stir is situating itself on the terrain of India's distinct
democratic politics, employing its resources as much as possible. There is no
single political party at the head of this movement although many political
parties will have much at stake in it.
The social relations in which Dalits are caught calls upon them to
struggle not merely against external dominance, be it capital, caste or power,
but also against denial of their very humanity. The latter forms of struggle are
pitted against subtler forms of human degradation and enslavement of one's
very self.
The new turn in Dalit politics is precisely calling for a widening of the
terrain of struggle rather than merely restricting it to political power or
religious conversion. Given this task, there are new instrumentalities in place in
Dalit struggles: the social media does not become merely a site to network, but
also to inform, to criticise, to assess as well as redefine concerns. In fact the
social media has emerged today as the backbone of the new Dalit awakening
as could be seen in the solidarity movement with Rohith Vemula across the
country, in 'Azadi Koon' (March for Freedom) from Ahmedabad to Una in
Gujrat, or the 'Udupi Chalo' walk that brought thousands of Dalits from
different parts of Karnataka to the temple town, Udupi.
The great marches and rallies winding across distant villages and small
towns and uniting people around a set of core demands are connecting people
physically and emotionally. There are slogans asserting pride in being a Dalit,
with a sub-caste enumeration as an add-on, not infrequently. There is a
resurgence of folklore, sites of atrocities have become places of pilgrimage,
traditional musical instruments of Dalits have thrown up fusion with rhythmic
dances of great power and poise, and broadsheets, songs and street plays,
evocative posters and imaginative slogans challenge dominant perception and
sensitivity. Women and men are found shoulder to shoulder with one another
in this 'long march', something that the late Sharmila Rege portrayed in her
writings. Ambedkar makes a rich and exemplary presence across such
performances, and there is almost none beside him in stature. Today, sites of
Dalit rallies are crowded with a rich display of books and publications. (2030)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The slogans that resound in the Dalit movement today indicate such a
thaw: The banners read, and slogans echo: 'choice of food', 'right to land',
'Swabhiman' and 'Atmabhiman' (self-respect), 'Azadi' (freedom) and 'dignity'.
They pronounce death knell to historic oppression, and freedom to define their
own self-hood. Dalits also proudly announce the equality of women and their
right to choose the kind of life they wish to live and denounce the surveillance
of Hindutva brigades on them. The dragging out of Mohammad Akhlaq from
his house and his killing by a local Hindu mob on the charge of storing beef at
his house in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, has become an important issue in Dalit
struggles, woven around the right to food. As a result, we find the bonding
together of a large number of associations of these groups and communities.
The registry of norms that are invoked by the current Dalit movement to
explain and justify its objectives and actions has much to distinguish it from its
earlier expressions. It is increasingly human dignity and worth, and the capacity
to be what one can be, that occupy the high ground. The reduction of freedom
to one's birthmarks. (2030)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Donald Trump's surprise win in the U.S. presidential elections has lent
the dollar new wings. It has soared against most currencies, including the
rupee, in the expectation that his economic policies will spur growth and
inflation in the world's largest economy. The prospect of the Federal Reserve
raising interest rates provided an up draught that helped the dollar extend a
record appreciating streak against the euro last week and pushed the rupee
past 68 to a dollar. In Congressional testimony last week, Fed Chair Janet Yellen
signalled that the central bank was close to a decision to raise rates again.
Some economists predict U.S. GDP growth could see appreciable acceleration
in 2017 - with one projection positing even a doubling of the pace by the
fourth quarter - if the new administration delivers on some of its promises,
including tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending. In fact, with a
Republican majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Mr.
Trump could benefit from smoother Congressional backing for policy initiatives
to boost economic activity. U.S. stocks and bonds have also reflected the
optimism over the outlook for U.S. growth and prospects that increased fiscal
spending will help reflate the economy, with the S&P 500 Index adding gains
for the second straight week and benchmark bond yields climbing in
anticipation of faster inflation.
For the rupee, which has slumped 2.3 per cent from its 66.62 a dollar
close on November 8, the flight of capital from emerging market assets has
inflicted significant pressure that has been exacerbated by the Centre's
decision to withdraw higher denomination currencies. Foreign institutional
investors have sold more than $2.5 billion of Indian equity and debt holdings
so far this month, compared with the about $1.5 billion they offloaded through
October. With the demonetisation move infusing a surge of liquidity into the
banking system, domestic interest rates are expected to decline, making the
rupee less attractive. (2027)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
His second postulate is: "Find out what people want. Discover the truth.
Then articulate. Don't think you know better and you will 'tell' them. Listen to
them first. They would have told you about Trump." Journalism's attempt at
discovering truth is not a populist exercise but a rigorous analysis of facts and
figures, and it cannot be reduced to an opinion poll. Then, he comes up with
this unsubstantiated statement: "If the media were more balanced about
Trump, and then brought out his follies, they would have had more impact and
credibility. Instead, their hate only created sympathy for Trump." (2009)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Volumes have been written these past few days on the success of
Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential elections. Less has, however, been said
about the reasons for Hillary Clinton's eclipse. Democracies, perhaps, need to
take somewhat greater note of what actually caused the Clinton 'meltdown',
which was contrary to all optimistic forecasts.
These may not be the 'best' of times. Nor, however, are they the 'worst'
of times. Technology and the economy have outstripped policies in recognising
the value of disruptive ideas, and how if properly channelised, they could lead
to spectacular results. Politics continued to lag behind, though in certain
countries political parties had begun to discern the 'winds of change'. The
Indian elections of 2014 are a case in point. Older democracies in the West,
nevertheless, continued to remain inured to 'new age politics'.
The question arises whether the Lodha Committee should have named
G.K. Pillai, a former Union Home Secretary, as the observer. As it is up to the
Supreme Court to decide whether an observer is needed, the recommendation
of a specific name was both unnecessary and puzzling. While the time may
have come to enforce the norms accepted by the Supreme Court, any
suggestion that the Committee favours drastic action rather than appealing to
reason should be avoided. It is apparent that some unsavoury developments
have upset the panel. These include the BCCI taking decisions out of sync with
the panel's recommendations at its Annual General Meeting in September.
(2011)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The World Health Organisation has declared that the Zika virus no longer
constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. This brings to
an end the heightened global focus on the virus that has caused about 2,300
confirmed cases of microcephaly (a birth defect manifesting in a smaller head
size) since May 2015. The WHO had declared the Zika virus a public health
emergency on February 1, considering the high number of neurological
disorders reported in Brazil and a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014.
Among the reasons cited were the unknown causal link between the virus and
microcephaly and neurological complications, the possibility of its global
spread, lack of vaccines and diagnostic tools, and the lack of immunity to the
virus in newly affected countries. The link between Zika and microcephaly was
established in May, the hunt for a potent vaccine and reliable diagnostic tool
has begun, and scientists have been able to find the routes of transmission.
However, the global risk assessment has not changed. The spread of Zika to 67
countries and territories is a grim reminder of the lack of immunity against the
virus and the abundance of mosquito vectors. A dozen countries have reported
local transmission.
Despite the link between the Zika virus infection and microcephaly being
well established, the entire spectrum of challenges posed by the disease is not
known. The WHO Emergency Committee has called for sustained research and
dedicated resources to address the long-term challenges posed by babies born
with microcephaly, but signalling the end to the global search for effective
vaccines and diagnostic tests, and creating awareness about the risk of sexual
transmission. For instance, it is not clear why more babies were born with
microcephaly in northeast Brazil compared to the rest of the country or why
the country had a higher case-load than others. This information is crucial to
understanding the link between Zika infection and microcephaly. (2001)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Waiting for her child outside the school, she says she is thrilled that he
can speak English. "My husband who is a driver studied only till Class X and I
studied till Class XII as the circumstances at home forced both of us to
discontinue our studies," she says.
But "big" schooling has come with a deeper and disturbing reality.
"Aunty, English ma'am says he doesn't read properly!" shouts one of her son's
classmates as the children run towards their parents.
The innocent comment of her son's classmate wipes the smiles away
from Uma Devi's face. "I work overtime and pay Rs.900 for his tuition classes.
What more can I do?" she asks helplessly. Her child has to "compete" with
children from well-to-do families and she simply cannot afford expensive
birthday parties, picnics or even tuitions.
The discrimination begins thus: children from the RTE quota and their
parents are often left feeling small because the spirit of equality seems to be
lost in monetary disparity, and this is not just the story of Uma Devi.
As the most powerful and cohesive power in the region, India needs to
chart a road map to restore the ceasefire on the Line of Control. The brutal
killing of three Indian soldiers, one of them beheaded, in the Machhil sector in
Jammu and Kashmir must alert both India and Pakistan to the danger of the
retaliatory cycle spinning out of control. After decades of hostilities, the formal
ceasefire of November 2003 had come as a big boost to peace at a time when
India was grappling with militancy, state-sponsored terrorism and political
disaffection. Starting that winter, the guns fell silent along the International
Boundary and the LoC, thousands of residents of border villages on both sides
returned to their farms, and India was able to complete its fence along the LoC.
Militancy in J&K declined significantly, and normalcy gradually returned to the
Valley. It is a matter of debate if the ceasefire was a contributing factor in the
reduction in militancy in Kashmir, but cover fire provided by Pakistani military
posts along the border had been regularly used by militants to sneak into India.
This is reportedly how the terrorists who killed Indian soldiers on Tuesday
managed to get across the LoC.
It is clear now that the ongoing, almost daily, exchange of fire has
rendered the ceasefire meaningless. Ever since the terrorist attack on an Army
camp in Uri in September, tensions have bubbled over. Ceasefire violations
have become routine, and thousands of villagers have shifted to safer
locations. Small arms, light machine guns, various kinds of mortars and artillery
are being used by both sides. In the fog of hostilities, it is not easy to
distinguish who is the guilty, and who started the firing. What is clear is that
this race to the bottom could get out of hand. Contributing to the uncertainty
is the power struggle in Pakistan, with the civilian government of Nawaz Sharif
trying to hold its own vis-a-vis the army. The expected exit of Army chief
Raheel Sharif may add to the confusion. (2014)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
What is surprising this time is the silence of the government led by Aung
San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Ms. Suu Kyi, the country's de
facto ruler, has not said much about the military operation in Rakhine, or
spoken for the Rohingya cause. When her party took power in April, ending
decades of military rule, many had hoped that it would signal the dawn of a
new era of peace and democracy in Myanmar. But the government has been
largely ineffective in tackling internal security and humanitarian issues. The
operation in Rakhine shows the change of guard in government hasn't brought
any meaningful difference to Myanmar's most disadvantaged sections. True,
the army still remains a powerful institution. It controls the security, defence
and border ministries besides wielding considerable economic power. (2089)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Further restrictions on civil liberties ensure that this state of affairs goes
unchallenged. Student politics is banned. International human rights
organisations such as Amnesty International and the United Nations Human
Rights Council are not allowed to visit Kashmir. Local human rights activists are
also on a short leash - the arbitrary detention of Khurram Parvez during the
last two months is the latest warning that they should not go too far. Similarly,
when Kashmir Reader (one of Kashmir's leading dailies) was banned on
September 30, other media outfits "got the message", to quote a prominent
Kashmiri editor. Kashmir, in short, has been turned into a kind of open jail.
When all forms of dissent are banned, the line between peaceful protest
and armed resistance becomes blurred. The main difference, it may appear, is
that violent deeds receive more attention. Everyone in India has heard of
stone-pelting, but daily acts of peaceful protest - or attempted protest - in
Kashmir have been ignored. (2031)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The rule that the Speaker can recognise as LoP only the leader of the
principal opposition party that has 10 per cent of the total number of Lok
Sabha seats is based on precedent. It was a ruling by Speaker G.V. Mavalankar,
cited in the 'Directions for the Functioning of the Lok Sabha', with respect to
recognising a group as a 'parliamentary party'. The only legal provision defining
the 'Leader of the Opposition'. (2021)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
Since the dawn of the nuclear age in 1945 there has been an ongoing
debate centred on defining an appropriate role for nuclear weapons.
Everybody agrees that these weapons are enormously destructive and should
not be used. The question is whether the best way to prevent their use is to
consider these as weapons for war fighting (just like conventional weapons but
only more destructive), or to see them as qualitatively different, meant
exclusively for deterrence. Different countries possessing nuclear weapons
have evolved their doctrines based on the historical experiences shaping their
world views, their threat perceptions and security obligations.
The two key elements - a "credible minimum deterrent" and "no first
use" - were first articulated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in
Parliament on May 27, 1998, days after India had undertaken a series of five
nuclear tests in Pokhran and declared itself a nuclear weapon state. Mr.
Vajpayee stated that India did not see nuclear weapons as weapons of war;
that their role was to ensure that India is not subjected to nuclear threats or
coercion; that India will not engage in an arms race; and that India believes in a
"no first use" policy and remains ready to discuss this with other countries.
(2014)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
The amendments to the Income Tax law passed by the Lok Sabha now
offer those with unaccounted cash a last shot at amnesty. They can pay half
their cash as tax and deposit a quarter into a new Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan
Yojana. Those who fail to do this voluntarily for bank deposits made since
November 8 would end up retaining about 15 per cent of the total amount if
they cannot establish a legitimate source for the funds. There is a Robinhood-
esque edge to the PMGKY approach, directly linking the war on black money to
welfare of the poor. Essentially an extension of the recent Income Disclosure
Scheme that cleaned up about Rs.65,000 crore of undeclared income by
levying 45 per cent tax, the December 30 deadline for bank deposits in
demonetised notes gives a more purposeful push to the effort to clean out all
the cash in the grey economy. The scheme for disclosing foreign assets last
year had yielded just about Rs.2,400 crore in taxes, so a tougher approach was
perhaps necessary to instil real fear among habitual tax evaders. Since the
demonetisation of currency notes worth an estimated Rs.14.18 lakh crore,
nearly Rs.8.45 lakh crore has been brought back into the system. If the
proportion of notes deposited or exchanged is in line with their circulation
prior to November 8, about Rs.2.56 lakh crore in Rs.1,000 notes and Rs.3.17
lakh crore worth of Rs.500 notes (that can be spent on exempted categories till
December 15) is still out there.
Many clever ploys have been attempted to subvert this drive and
convert black money into white: hiring people to exchange currency; tapping
cash-in-hand entries of firms to launder illicit cash; pumping funds into bank
accounts for the poor; purchasing goods in bulk where old notes are still
allowed; even tipping off the taxman to conduct search-and-seizure operations
on one's own premises to avail of a provision that allows individuals to pay a
mere 10 per cent penalty on such income if they admit to it. The government is
trying to close the door on such ingenuity. (2036)
Typing Book by AKII PANDEY
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