1. The National Advisory Council of India is an advisory body set up to monitor the implementation of the UPA government's manifesto, the Common Minimum Programme(CMP). It was set up on 4 June 2004 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Number of members:11
The members are:
economist-activist Jean Dreze,
Right to Information campaigner Aruna Roy,
Retired bureaucrat N.C. Saxena and
Economist A.K. Shiva Kumar
women's rights and minority rights activist Farah Naqvi,
businesswoman and philanthropist Anu Agha,
agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan,
Planning Commission member, the former Reserve Bank of India economist and noted Dalit writer Narendra Jadhav,
social worker Deep Joshi,
ecologist Madhav Gadgil and
former bureaucrat-turned-rights activist Harsh Mander.
2. NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND
RESEARCH BILL, 2010:
AN ACT to provide for the determination, co-ordination, maintenance of standards in,
and promotion of, higher education and research, including university education,
technical and professional education other than agricultural [and medical] education,
and for that purpose, to establish the National Commission for Higher Education and
Research.
Recently proposed amendments to the bill:
(a) Constituttion of a general council for giving wider representation to the States and educational and research institutions across different areas.
(b) Every decision of the proposed commission will have to be placed before the general council for approval.
3. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has granted $5 million to the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) to strengthen the National Tobacco Control Programme in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, over a three-year period (2009-2012).
Project name: Strengthening of Tobacco Control Efforts Through Innovative Partnerships and Strategies (STEPS)
4. New species of bird discovered in the western Andean montane cloud forests of Colombia:
Name: The Fenwick's Antpitta - Named after American Bird Conservancy President George Fenwick
Area inhabited:a highly restricted area of montane cloud forest in Colombia which is rich in gold, copper. Hence it is perennially under danger from human interference. It is also one of the biodiversity hot spots in the world.
Features: “medium-sized, cinnamon and gray colored, thrush-like bird”
5. Perestroika - is the Russian term (now used in English) for the political and economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Its literal meaning is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system
Perestroika is often argued to be one reason for the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and for the end of the Cold War.
6. Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) measurement of GDP: India's economic growth measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated to 8.6 per cent during the last quarter of the 2009-10 fiscal helped by increased spending despite a spike in inflation
7. Bangladesh has blocked access to Facebook as the website featured satirical images of prophet Muhammad and the country's leaders
8. World's smallest transistor with just 7 atoms:Scientists have literally taken a leap into a new era of computing power by making the world's smallest precision-built transistor - a "quantum dot" of just seven atoms in a single silicon crystal. Despite its incredibly tiny size - a mere four billionths of a metre long - the quantum dot is a functioning electronic device, the world's first created deliberately by placing individual atoms.
9. While India struggles to provide every citizen with an identity card, its erstwhile colonist and political tutor the United Kingdom is doing away with the system of personal IDs altogether
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tiger Conservation
Tiger Conservation:
Why is it so important? Why is it that we see countless ads on the number '1411' in the TV with top sport persons and movie stars batting for the saving tigers in India? Why so much fuss about this!!After all tigers are a group of dangerous animals..they prey on deers, boars..they don't even leave humans when they are provoked by them..then why on earth there are efforts made to conserve them? Will try to answer some of these intriguing questions below:
Why tigers need to be conserved?
Tigers form a key component of the forest ecosystem. Existence of tigers and forests is mutually exclusive. One can't survive without the other. In short, the health of forest ecosystem can be gauged by the number of tigers living in it. I'd like to draw a parallel between the number of tigers in a forest with a laptop battery which indicates the life of a laptop. Needless to say the importance of existence of forests for all of us. India is host to the largest population of tigers in the world. Unfortunately the the population is on a rapid decline. Reason: human greed which undoubtedly is the the primary reason for causing the worst of the crises that the world has ever seen..starting from the sub prime crisis in the world of finance which brought the world to its knees to the poaching of tigers in the world of wild life.
What threatens the tigers?
Poaching by human beings. Why do they poach? To make money out of exporting tiger parts to China where there is a huge demand for those. Apparently body parts of a tiger are used to make certain medicines in China. I won't be surprised to know if that is the secret behind the population explosion of China!
What are the bottlenecks in the way of tiger conservation in India?
- Dearth of forest personnel to man the tiger reserves. To cite a few numbers on forest personnel vacancy - karnataka has a vacancy of 27%, WB- 31%, Orissa - 36%, Jharkhand - 59%
- Lack of able leadership..wild life conservation being a state subject in India,the onus lies with the chief minister of the state to lead from the front to combat the menace of tiger poaching
- Lack of proper training..u can't afford to have a guard manning the tiger reserve with a lathi while the poachers would be definitely better armed than him.
- Tourism invading into the habitat of tigers. We simply can't afford to have a horrendous site of 10 jeeps surrounding one tiger which currently is quite a familiar site in many tiger reservoirs in India
- Penalty imposed on poachers is not commensurate with the gravity of the crime committed
Need of the hour:
- Fill forest personnel vacancies in the next 6 months
- Able political leadership to show the way for curbing this menace
- Proper training of forest personnel
- Notify all buffer zones and strike a balance between tourism and wild life conservation
- Villages in the core areas to be relocated fairly i.e. adequate compensation should be given to them for relocating to a new place
- Crackdown on poaching and speedy conviction
Last and the most important need of the hour is for the government to get its act together in terms of expediting the implementation of its policies towards conservation of tigers. Going by how GoI works, the really have to work in a way which is pretty much uncharacteristic of them to pull off the much needed task of saving tigers.
P.S.:Please leave a comment or two while you read through!
Why is it so important? Why is it that we see countless ads on the number '1411' in the TV with top sport persons and movie stars batting for the saving tigers in India? Why so much fuss about this!!After all tigers are a group of dangerous animals..they prey on deers, boars..they don't even leave humans when they are provoked by them..then why on earth there are efforts made to conserve them? Will try to answer some of these intriguing questions below:
Why tigers need to be conserved?
Tigers form a key component of the forest ecosystem. Existence of tigers and forests is mutually exclusive. One can't survive without the other. In short, the health of forest ecosystem can be gauged by the number of tigers living in it. I'd like to draw a parallel between the number of tigers in a forest with a laptop battery which indicates the life of a laptop. Needless to say the importance of existence of forests for all of us. India is host to the largest population of tigers in the world. Unfortunately the the population is on a rapid decline. Reason: human greed which undoubtedly is the the primary reason for causing the worst of the crises that the world has ever seen..starting from the sub prime crisis in the world of finance which brought the world to its knees to the poaching of tigers in the world of wild life.
What threatens the tigers?
Poaching by human beings. Why do they poach? To make money out of exporting tiger parts to China where there is a huge demand for those. Apparently body parts of a tiger are used to make certain medicines in China. I won't be surprised to know if that is the secret behind the population explosion of China!
What are the bottlenecks in the way of tiger conservation in India?
- Dearth of forest personnel to man the tiger reserves. To cite a few numbers on forest personnel vacancy - karnataka has a vacancy of 27%, WB- 31%, Orissa - 36%, Jharkhand - 59%
- Lack of able leadership..wild life conservation being a state subject in India,the onus lies with the chief minister of the state to lead from the front to combat the menace of tiger poaching
- Lack of proper training..u can't afford to have a guard manning the tiger reserve with a lathi while the poachers would be definitely better armed than him.
- Tourism invading into the habitat of tigers. We simply can't afford to have a horrendous site of 10 jeeps surrounding one tiger which currently is quite a familiar site in many tiger reservoirs in India
- Penalty imposed on poachers is not commensurate with the gravity of the crime committed
Need of the hour:
- Fill forest personnel vacancies in the next 6 months
- Able political leadership to show the way for curbing this menace
- Proper training of forest personnel
- Notify all buffer zones and strike a balance between tourism and wild life conservation
- Villages in the core areas to be relocated fairly i.e. adequate compensation should be given to them for relocating to a new place
- Crackdown on poaching and speedy conviction
Last and the most important need of the hour is for the government to get its act together in terms of expediting the implementation of its policies towards conservation of tigers. Going by how GoI works, the really have to work in a way which is pretty much uncharacteristic of them to pull off the much needed task of saving tigers.
P.S.:Please leave a comment or two while you read through!
29th May, Current Affairs
1. Kshemendra Paul - appointed as the head of an agency that facilitates the sharing and access of terrorism-related information within various wings of the U.S. government.
Other Indian-Americans holding key positions in Obama adminstration:
a) Arun Majumdar: Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy in the US Department of Energy
b) Vivek Kundra: Federal Chief Information Officer
c) Farah Pandith: US Special Representative to Muslim communities
d) Richard Verma: Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the State Department
e) Vinai Thummalapally: US envoy to Belize
f) Aneesh Chopra: First Chief Technology Officer
g) Rajiv Shah: Undersecretary for research, education and economics and chief scientist in the Agriculture Department
h) Anju Bhargava: Member, Faith-based advisory council
i) Rajen Anand: Executive Director, Policy USDA Center for Nutrition and Promotion
j) Ro Khanna: Deputy Assistant Secretary for domestic operations of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration
k) Preet Bharara: US attorney for Southern District of New York
l) Subash Iyer: Special Assistant to Karen Mills, administrator of the US Small Business Association
2. International ratings agency Fitch downgraded Spain's credit rating, a day after the country launched an austerity drive. The Spanish parliament has approved a $15 billion euro spending cut following similar measures by Greece, Portugal and Italy. The euro is down nearly 8 per cent versus the US dollar in May,while gold hit a record high earlier this month.
3. Luoyang - temple built by India touted as one of India's biggest diplomatic initiatives. The seeds for this were sown in April 2005 when Premier Wen Jiabo visited India, a bilateral MoU on constructing the temple was signed.Luoyang, which falls in the province of Henan, and where the famous White Horse temple is located, is widely regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilisation
4. Tungurahua - means "Throat of Fire" in the local language. It is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua
5. India- Pakistan Permanent Indus Water Commission:
Points of contention:
Pakistan's objection to the following projects carried out by India:
- Uri-II hydel project over Jhelum is in Baramullah,
- the 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo on Indus river and
- the 44 MW Chutak hydel project on river Suru ( a tributary of Indus in Kargil)
6. Highest civilian award of the Goa State — Gomant Vibhushan Award
It was presented to Anil Kakodkar.
7. ‘Karmayogi’, a documentary film based on the life of Dr Anil Kakodkar,
8. Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. A.R. Kidwai, former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana and former Chairman of UPSC, organised by the Institute of Objective Studies
9. Interesting fact about A.R.Kidwai - According to part XIV of constitution the chairman of UPSC, on ceasing to hold office, is not eligible for further employment in the GoI or state. A.R Kidwai is the only exception to this rule. In 1979, the SC upheld the validity of appointment of A.R.Kidwai, a former chairman of UPSC, as the governor of Bihar. It ruled that the office of the governor is a 'constitutional office' and not an employment under government.
9. Person of Indian Origin Dolar Amarshi Popat - nominated by Prime Minister David Cameron to the House of Lords.He worked as a waiter after arriving in England from Uganda in 1971 and went on to a build a multi-million pound business empire
10.A child born out of a live-in relationship is not entitled to claim inheritance in Hindu ancestral coparcenary property and can only claim a share in the parents' self-acquired property, if any, the Supreme Court has held. In view of the legal fiction contained in Section 16 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (legitimacy of children of void and voidable marriages), the illegitimate children, for all practical purposes, including succession to the properties of their parents, have to be treated as legitimate.
11.An American adventurer [Jonathan Trappe] crossed the English Channel on Friday, carried by a bundle of helium balloons, ending a quiet and serene flight by touching down in a French cabbage patch.
12.A 13-story mosque and Islamic cultural center is planned to replace the WTC that was damaged by airplane debris on Sept. 11, 2001.
Thanks Vishnu for provoding the points I missed. The oli-for-loan deal has already been covered in my post on 27th May.
Other Indian-Americans holding key positions in Obama adminstration:
a) Arun Majumdar: Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy in the US Department of Energy
b) Vivek Kundra: Federal Chief Information Officer
c) Farah Pandith: US Special Representative to Muslim communities
d) Richard Verma: Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the State Department
e) Vinai Thummalapally: US envoy to Belize
f) Aneesh Chopra: First Chief Technology Officer
g) Rajiv Shah: Undersecretary for research, education and economics and chief scientist in the Agriculture Department
h) Anju Bhargava: Member, Faith-based advisory council
i) Rajen Anand: Executive Director, Policy USDA Center for Nutrition and Promotion
j) Ro Khanna: Deputy Assistant Secretary for domestic operations of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration
k) Preet Bharara: US attorney for Southern District of New York
l) Subash Iyer: Special Assistant to Karen Mills, administrator of the US Small Business Association
2. International ratings agency Fitch downgraded Spain's credit rating, a day after the country launched an austerity drive. The Spanish parliament has approved a $15 billion euro spending cut following similar measures by Greece, Portugal and Italy. The euro is down nearly 8 per cent versus the US dollar in May,while gold hit a record high earlier this month.
3. Luoyang - temple built by India touted as one of India's biggest diplomatic initiatives. The seeds for this were sown in April 2005 when Premier Wen Jiabo visited India, a bilateral MoU on constructing the temple was signed.Luoyang, which falls in the province of Henan, and where the famous White Horse temple is located, is widely regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilisation
4. Tungurahua - means "Throat of Fire" in the local language. It is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Central of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua
5. India- Pakistan Permanent Indus Water Commission:
Points of contention:
Pakistan's objection to the following projects carried out by India:
- Uri-II hydel project over Jhelum is in Baramullah,
- the 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo on Indus river and
- the 44 MW Chutak hydel project on river Suru ( a tributary of Indus in Kargil)
6. Highest civilian award of the Goa State — Gomant Vibhushan Award
It was presented to Anil Kakodkar.
7. ‘Karmayogi’, a documentary film based on the life of Dr Anil Kakodkar,
8. Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. A.R. Kidwai, former Governor of Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana and former Chairman of UPSC, organised by the Institute of Objective Studies
9. Interesting fact about A.R.Kidwai - According to part XIV of constitution the chairman of UPSC, on ceasing to hold office, is not eligible for further employment in the GoI or state. A.R Kidwai is the only exception to this rule. In 1979, the SC upheld the validity of appointment of A.R.Kidwai, a former chairman of UPSC, as the governor of Bihar. It ruled that the office of the governor is a 'constitutional office' and not an employment under government.
9. Person of Indian Origin Dolar Amarshi Popat - nominated by Prime Minister David Cameron to the House of Lords.He worked as a waiter after arriving in England from Uganda in 1971 and went on to a build a multi-million pound business empire
10.A child born out of a live-in relationship is not entitled to claim inheritance in Hindu ancestral coparcenary property and can only claim a share in the parents' self-acquired property, if any, the Supreme Court has held. In view of the legal fiction contained in Section 16 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (legitimacy of children of void and voidable marriages), the illegitimate children, for all practical purposes, including succession to the properties of their parents, have to be treated as legitimate.
11.An American adventurer [Jonathan Trappe] crossed the English Channel on Friday, carried by a bundle of helium balloons, ending a quiet and serene flight by touching down in a French cabbage patch.
12.A 13-story mosque and Islamic cultural center is planned to replace the WTC that was damaged by airplane debris on Sept. 11, 2001.
Thanks Vishnu for provoding the points I missed. The oli-for-loan deal has already been covered in my post on 27th May.
Friday, May 28, 2010
28th May - Current Affairs
Politics
1. Treaty of Pelindaba - It establishes a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Africa.
The treaty was signed in 1996 and came into effect with the 28th ratification on 15 July 2009. It is also known as African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty.
Salient features:
6. Space shuttle Atlantis retires. The Atlantis was the fourth operational Space Shuttle to be constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California, and she was delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida in April of 1985.
1. Treaty of Pelindaba - It establishes a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Africa.
The treaty was signed in 1996 and came into effect with the 28th ratification on 15 July 2009. It is also known as African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty.
Salient features:
- The Treaty prohibits the research, development, manufacture, stockpiling, acquisition, testing, possession, control or stationing of nuclear explosive devices in the territory of parties to the Treaty and the dumping of radioactive wastes in the African zone by Treaty parties
- It prohibits African nations from nuclear commerce with countries that have not signed the NPT
2. Jacob Zuma's Delhi visit Agenda:
- Discussion on permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council
- Discussion on closer defence ties and expansion of the Brazil-Russia-India-China grouping
- Launch a book From Dutch South Africa to the Republic of South Africa, 1652-1994 written by Prof. Daleep Singh
Miscellaneous:
1. 4 new countries which have joined OECD are : Chile,Israel, Estonia and Slovenia. With this Chile becomes the first member from S.America to join OECD.
Membership extension debate:
There has been discussion of increasing the number of permanent members. The countries who have made the strongest demands for permanent seats are Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan. Japan and Germany are the UN's second and third largest funders respectively, while Brazil and India are two of the largest contributors of troops to UN-mandated peace-keeping missions. But this is being opposed by a group called Uniting for Consensus.
Uniting for Consensus (UfC): is a movement (nicknamed the Coffee Club) that developed in the 1990s in opposition to the possible expansion of the United Nations Security Council. Recently revived by Italy, it now has about 40 members aiming to counter the G4 nations' bids for permanent seats. The leaders are Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Argentina and Pakistan
2. Scientists have discovered a giant flying dinosaur with a wingspan of six metres that lived in the Sahara region of Africa, when it was a lush green paradise, some 95 million years ago
3. Quetzalcoatlus - the largest animal ever to fly
4. Indian Monsoon :
- usual arrival dates: Kerala - 1st June, Mumbai - 10th June, Calcutta - 7th June
- There are two branches of the S-W monsoon:the Bay of Bengal branch and the Arabian sea branch. Both these branches meet in and around Agra.
- The Arabian sea branch is more powerful than the BoB branch because 1. the Arabian sea is larger than the BoB 2. the entire Arabian sea current advances towards India whereas the BoB current enters India, the remainder proceeding to Myanmar, Thailand and Malayasia
- Lowest duration of stay of the monsoon: Punjab plains
- Highest duration of stay of the monsoon: Coromandel coast
- Highest frequency of cyclones occur during October- November
- I always wonder why is Chennai given a raw deal by nature when it comes to rains due to S-W monsoon? The answer lies in the fact that the TN coast lies in the rain shadow area of the Arabian sea branch and is parallel to the BoB branch. To explain it a bit more, any monsoon current can cause rain only when it meets with an obstruction like mountain e.g. the Arabian sea branch meeting the Western Ghats. Since it is parallel to the coast it doesn't cause any rain in Chennai.
5. What is Top Kill?
A "top kill" consists of pumping huge amounts of mud and cement into the leak in hopes of stopping it. BP is using a “top kill” procedure to stop the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The mud and cement will be pumped at high pressure from barges down 5,000 feet.The challenge will be to pump the mud at sufficient downward pressure to counteract the upward pressure of the gushing oil.6. Space shuttle Atlantis retires. The Atlantis was the fourth operational Space Shuttle to be constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California, and she was delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida in April of 1985.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
27th May Current Affairs
Science and Technology
- STEREO Spacecraft from NASA: STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull further ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This will enable stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.
- Biodiversity hotspot:A biogeographic region with a reservior of biodiversity that is under threat from humans. India hosts three biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, and the hilly ranges that straddle the India-Myanmar border
- Who coined the term Biodiversity hotspot?: Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist”
- The Alaotra Grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus), also known as Delacour's Little Grebe or Rusty Grebe, was a grebe endemic to Lake Alaotra and surrounding lakes in Madagascar. The last sighting (which may have been a hybrid with the Little Grebe) was in 1985 and the species was confirmed extinct in 2010
The grebe was a bird of about 10 inches (25 cm) in length. Its ability to fly is believed to have been affected by its small wings.
General Awareness:
- Countries which have not signed NPT:India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel
Countries which have not signed CTBT:India, North Korea and Pakistan - Kazakhstan has emerged as the world's biggest supplier of uranium
- Jessica Watson - youngest to sail around the world solo
- Jordan Romero - youngest ever to reach Everest : He broke Temba Tseri's record
- Arjun Vajpayee - youngest Indian to reach Everest
- Peter Hebler - first person to climb Everest without oxygen
Business:
- Apple overtakes Microsoft as largest tech company
- 'Store Your Cells' in Mumbai- first dental stem cell bank in India. Dental stem cells are easy to obtain and can be stored for as long as required
- China signs $10-billion 'oil-for-loan' deal with Brazil: Asia's largest crude refiner, China's state-owned Sinopec and China Development Bank (CDB) have signed a $10-billion 'oil-for-loan' trilateral agreement with Brazilian oil giant, Petrobras . Under this agreement the state-owned China Development Bank would lend $10-billion at low-interest rates to the Brazilian state-run oil company in return for a guaranteed supply of 7 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2010, to Sinopec
- Disinvestment of PSUs:
The government has targeted to mop up Rs.40,000 crore through divestment during the current fiscal and among the major PSUs that are to be lined up for stake sale are
- Coal India Ltd.,
- Indian Oil Corporation,
- MMTC,
- RINL,
- Shipping Corporation,
- Hindustan Copper,
- Power Grid Corporation and
- Manganese Ore India Ltd. - Pakistan and Iran signed a deal for the construction of a pipeline that would allow Iranian gas to be pumped into Balochistan and Sindh. The pipeline will begin from Iran's Assalouyeh Energy Zone in the South and stretch over 1,100 km through the country before it enters Pakistan. The initial capacity of the pipeline will be 22 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum. It is expected to be later raised to 55 billion cubic metres.
- IBM is buying AT&T’s Sterling Commerce unit, which makes software that helps businesses buy and sell to each other, for $1.4 billion .The deal would be IBM’s largest acquisition since it bought business software maker Cognos in 2008.