India, World Bank signs US$ 100 Million agreement for Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization
Union and Karnataka Government on 24 May 2016 signed 100 million US dollar loan and project agreement with World Bank to support ‘Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization project’.
Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) is the implementing agency of the project.
The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years.
Objective of the project
It aims at providing city-wide access to a continuous piped water supply in the eligible cities in Karnataka
It also seeks to strengthen the water service delivery arrangements at the city level
About the project
• The project will be implemented over a period of six years, initially in the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad, with provision for other eligible cities to join the project at a later date.
• Under the project, the Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation has hired a professional water supply operating company for improving the water supply system, as also to manage the refurbished system through a 12-year contract in accordance with strict performance criteria.
• The municipality will retain ownership of the water supply assets and control of the service delivery set up.
• The project will help the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation set up a city-level water utility that will take over water supply operations from the professional operating company at the end of its contract period.
• The project will benefit about one million residents of the Hubballi-Dharwad, including estimated 160000 slum dwellers.
The project would have four broad components:
(i) Capital Investment Program
(ii) Institution Building
(iii) Technical Assistance for Sector Development
(iv) Project Management
Hubballi-Dharwad, the second largest urban center in Karnataka, will become one of the first Indian cities to provide citywide, continuous, piped water supply to its residents.
Lieutenant General SK Saini takes over as 46th Commandant of Indian Military Academy
Lieutenant General SK Saini in third week of May 2016 took over as the 46th Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.
Who is Lieutenant General SK Saini?
•Lt Gen Saini is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
•He was commissioned into the 7th Battalion of the Jat Regiment in June 1981.
•He has held various staff, instructional and command appointments.
•He has commanded his battalion, a mountain brigade and a counter insurgency force in Jammu & Kashmir.
•His staff experience includes appointment of Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade, GSO1 (Operations) of an Infantry Division, BGS of a Corps, Director, Military Operations and other key appointments at the Army Head Quarters.
•He has also been senior directing staff at the National Defence College (NDC) and a weapon instructor in the National Security Guards Training Centre.
•He is a graduate of the Army Command and staff course at the Staff College, Camberley, in the UK and has studied at the Royal College of Military Science, Shrivenham, UK.
•He has been awarded including the Chief of Army Staff Commendation, the Army Commander Commendation, the Yudh Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.
About Indian Military Academy
•The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun is the officer training Academy of the Indian Army.
•It was established in 1932.
•The academy is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, about 8 km west of Dehradun in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.
•Brigadier L.P. Collins was the first Commandant of IMA.
•Brigadier Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO, was appointed the first Indian Commandant of the academy.
•Brigadier M.M. Khanna, MVC was the first IMA alumni to be appointed Commandant of the IMA.
Pink Panther star Burt Kwouk passes away
Renowned Pink Panther star Burt Kwouk passed away on 24 May 2016. He was 85. He is survived by his wife Caroline Tebbs and a son.
He was best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's manservant Cato in the Pink Panther films.
About Burt Kwouk
• Born in Warrington, Cheshire in 1930, Kwouk was raised in Shanghai until he was 17.
• Kwouk started acting when he returned to England in 1954 after 1949 revolution.
• His big break came 10 years later when director Blake Edwards offered him the part of Cato Fong, opposite Peter Sellers's Inspector Clouseau.
• He appeared in seven Pink Panther films opposite Peter Sellers as Clouseau's servant who regularly attacked his employer to keep him alert.
• Kwouk also appeared in three James Bond films including Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice.
• He also starred in BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 2002 to 2010.
• Kwouk had a long TV career, appearing in numerous TV shows including The Avengers and Doctor Who.
• He also played Major Yamauchi in the 1980s wartime television drama Tenko.
• He joined long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine as electrician Entwistle - a part that was written with him in mind.
• He was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2011 New Year Honours List.
Veteran CPI (M) leader K Anirudhan passes away
Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan passed away on 22 May 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 92.
Anirudhan was suffering from age-related ailments for some time.
Who is K Anirudhan?
•Anirudhan was known for his significant contribution to build the Communist party movement in southern parts of the state.
•He was elected to the state assembly in 1963, 1965, 1979 and 1980.
•He was also an active trade union leader.
•He had represented the then Chirayinkeezhu constituency in Kerala in Lok Sabha after defeating former Chief Minister R Sankar in the 1967 elections.
•He was known as the giant killerin electoral politics in the state.
•He attended St Joseph's School and SMV School in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottar Kavi Mani Desavinayakam Pillai School in Kanyakumari district.
•However, he was forced to join a school in nearby Kanyakumari district as he was expelled from both St Joseph School and SMV School for participating in the freedom struggle.
•Later, he joined University College and obtained his degree in politics.
UNODC launches inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 24 May 2016 launched its inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report. The report highlights how the poaching and illegal trade of thousands of different species across the globe present real environmental dangers.
The report also urges shared responsibility in tackling this crime given how products made from illicit flora and fauna such as fashion items, furniture, food, and pets, may be hidden in plain sight.
The report is a part of UNODC's ongoing Global Programme on Wildlife and Forest Crime.
The report was developed by UNODC with data provided by partner organizations under the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), including the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
Key highlights of the report
•Wildlife and forest crime is not limited to certain countries or regions, but is a truly global phenomenon.
•Nearly 7000 species have been seized, including not only mammals but reptiles, corals, birds, and fish. No single species is responsible for more than 6% of the seizure incidents.
•Illegal wildlife markets do not correspond neatly to biological categories. Some markets make use of multiple species, while some species feed multiple distinct markets.
•In some cases, it appears that a large share of the illegally acquired wildlife is ultimately sold in a legal market. By introducing illegal products into licit markets, traffickers have access to a much broader pool of potential buyers.
•Certain markets are vulnerable to the infiltration of illegally sourced or trafficked wildlife: (a) Where there is no international regulation; (b) At wild source; (c) Farm laundering; (d) Trafficking between two legal markets; (e) Under cover of fraudulent paperwork.
•The World Wildlife Crime Report sheds light on seven specific areas which best illustrate the scale of wildlife and forest crime. They are seafood; pets, zoos and breeding; food, medicine and tonics; art, décor and jewellery; cosmetics and perfume; fashion; and furniture.
•The report additionally highlights how gaps in legislation, law enforcement and criminal justice systems present serious issues.
•It does not provide a dollar amount estimate for the annual value of illicit wildlife trade.
BJP forms NEDA to boost development agenda in North-East India
NEDA: North East Democratic Alliance
The abbreviation NEDA standing for North East Democratic Alliance was in news as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 24 May 2016 formed NEDA to boost development agenda in North-Eastern states of India.
This alliance can be termed as non-Congress alliance of parties willing to join of Chief Ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim.
The main objective of the NEDA, which is part of the NDA, will be all-round development of North East and better co-ordination among the states and central government.
The decision to form the alliance was taken at a meet in Guwahati in the presence of BJP President Amit Shah, BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and Chief Ministers of Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
BJP leader and Cabinet Minister in newly formed Assam government Himanta Biswa Sarma will be Convener of the alliance.
Comment
Assam is the first North Eastern state of India that is governed by BJP, which wants to utilise the opportunity as the gateway to North-East India. At present, Congress runs three north-eastern states.
Apart from this, this region sends 25 Member of Parliament (MP) to Lok Sabha. At present, BJP have eight lawmakers from the region in Lok Sabha, of which seven are from Assam (14 seats available) and 1 from Arunachal Pradesh (2 seats available).
A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve by Mother Teresa
A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve: Mother Teresa
The book titled A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve was in news on 25 May 2016. The book is a collection of previously unreleased writings by Mother Teresa.
The material in the book offers Mother Teresa’s profound yet accessible wisdom on how we can show mercy and compassion in our day-to-day lives.
The book was compiled by the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, who has led the case for Mother Teresa’s sainthood.
It will be released in August 2016 weeks before the late Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be canonized.
Islamic Development Bank announced to open its first branch in India at Ahmedabad
Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in May 2016 announced to open its first branch in India at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. IDB is headquartered at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The plans to set up the branch at Gujarat is part of MoU signed between India’s EXIM Bank and IDB during Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April 2016. As part of the MoU a 100 million dollar line-of-credit was to be given to facilitate exports to IDB's member countries.
Besides, it also announced to provide 30 medical vans as part of IDB’s social sector initiatives. These vans will be used for the tribal areas of Chhota Udepur, Narmada and Bharuch in Gujarat, in the first phase.
This plan is part of 55 million dollar pact signed between IDB and Rashtriya Institute of Skill and Education (RISE) to provide medical care to rural poor in India. As part of it, IDB will provide 350 fully-equipped medical vans (mobile clinics) to India
The IDB is also keen at investing in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Gujarat and in executing a project on Wakf properties in different countries.
Other than IDB, the government of Saudi Arabia is planning to set up BPOs for Saudi women with the support of India.
About Islamic Development Bank
• The Islamic Development Bank is an international financial institution was established in 1975.
• It was established in pursuance of the Declaration of Intent issued by the Conference of Finance Ministers of Muslim Countries held in Jeddah in December 1973.
• IDB's main objective is to foster the economic development and social progress of member countries as well as the Muslim community in accordance with principles of Shariah (Islamic law).
• The bank has 56 Islamic countries as its members.
United Nations World Humanitarian Summit concluded in Istanbul
The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit concluded on 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The summit was organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
More than 50 heads of state and government attended the summit, which commenced on 23 May 2016. However, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced his disappointment at the absence of world leaders from G7 countries.
The World Humanitarian Summit’s main achievement was the Grand Bargain, which is the name for a set of 51 commitments to reform humanitarian financing to make emergency aid finance more efficient and effective.
In the summit, a New charter for Persons With Disabilitieswas also endorsed. The charter aims at improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities during emergencies.
About World Humanitarian Summit
•Ban Ki-moon, in his Five-Year Action Agenda, released in January 2012, set out his vision to develop a humanitarian system that was more global, accountable and robust.
•A key aspect of his agenda was convening a World Humanitarian Summit to help share knowledge and establish common best practices among the wide spectrum of organizations involved in humanitarian action.
•The summit’s goal was to fundamentally reform the humanitarian aid industry to react more effectively to today’s many crises.
•In November 2015, Antoine Gerard was announced as the head of the World Humanitarian Summit. The position was previously held by Jemilah Mahmood from April 2014 to November 2015.
New charter for Persons With Disabilities endorsed at UN Humanitarian Summit
A New charter for Persons With Disabilities was on 24 May 2016 endorsed at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.
This new charter is aimed at improving the living conditions of persons with disabilities during emergencies.
Five Principles of humanitarian actions
The Charter urges government representatives as well as leaders of non-governmental organizations to ensure that their future humanitarian actions will be inclusive of people with disabilities, based on five principles:
• Non-discrimination and recognition of the diversity of people with disabilities;
• Involvement of people with disabilities in developing humanitarian programs;
• Ensuring services and humanitarian assistance are equally available for and accessible to all people with disabilities;
• Implementation of inclusive global policies; and
• Cooperation and coordination among humanitarian actors to improve inclusion of people with disabilities.
What does the Charter call for?
Non-discrimination:Condemn and eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities in humanitarian programming and policy by guaranteeing protection.
Participation:Promote meaningful involvement of persons with disabilities in the needs assessment, design, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian preparedness.
Inclusive policy:Engage with all relevant States, other stakeholders and partners to ensure protection for persons with disabilities as required by international law.
Inclusive response and services:Ensure that emergency and preparedness planning are designed to take into account the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.
Cooperation and coordination:Foster technical cooperation and coordination among authorities and all humanitarian actors and representative organisations of persons with disabilities.
Union Cabinet approved National Capital Goods Policy 2016
The Union Cabinet on 25 May 2016 approved the National Capital Goods Policy 2016. This is first ever policy for Capital Goods sector with a clear objective of increasing production of capital goods from 2.3 lakh crore rupees in 2014-15 to 7.5 lakh crore rupees in 2025.
It also seeks to raise direct and indirect employment from the current 8.4 million to 30 million by 2025.
Features of National Capital Goods Policy 2016
• Vision:To increase the share of capital goods contribution from present 12 to 20 percent of total manufacturing activity by 2025
• Mission:To become one of the top capital goods producing nations of the world by raising the total production to over twice the current level
• To raise exports to a significant level of at least 40 percent of total production and thus gain 2.5 percent share in global exports of capital goods
• To improve technology depth in Indian capital goods from the current basic and intermediate levels to advanced levels
• Objectives:Increase total production to achieve total production in excess of 5 lakh crore rupees by 2025 from the current 2.2 lakh crore rupees
• To increase the share of domestic production in India's capital goods demand from 56 percent to 80 percent by 2025 and in the process improve domestic capacity utilization to 80-90 percent
• To improve skill availability by training 50 lakhs people by 2025
• To improve 'technology depth' in capital goods sub-sectors by increasing research intensity in India from 0.9 percent to at least 2.8 percent of GDP
• Programmes: To achieve the above objectives the policy proposed a new scheme Heavy Industry Export & Market Development Assistance Scheme (HIEMDA) on pilot basis, Technology Development Fund under PPP model, start-up centre for capital goods sector.
• In addition, the policy recommended for strengthening the existing Scheme on Enhancement of Competitiveness of Capital Goods and modernize the CG manufacturing units, especially SMEs.
Nine-point action plan:The policy has proposed a comprehensive set of policy actions which would enable the achievement of the objectives for the sector and had recommended a set of nine new initiatives and policy actions and they are:
1) Devising a long term, stable and rationalized tax and duty structure to ensure cost competitiveness of the sector
2) Drafting a comprehensive public procurement policy with amended qualifying criteria and introducing special provisions in contracts for domestic value addition
3) Promoting development of new technology through indigenous sources
4) Providing Technology Upgrade Fund Support across all capital goods sub-sectors
5) Creating a level playing field vis-à-vis imports by restricting imports of second hand machinery and mitigating duty disadvantages
6) Supporting availability of short and long term of financing at competitive rates to capital goods manufacturers
7) Enabling skill development by setting up sub-sector specific Skill Councils.
8) Enabling higher participation of India in standard creation and developing support system to improve compliance.
9) Developing manufacturing clusters with shared facilities especially for SMEs
Governance Mechanism: The policy proposes a governance mechanism for smooth implementation and effectiveness of the policy. The mechanism will be in the form of inter-ministerial and inter-departmental committees at the highest level to ensure due consideration of the interests of all stakeholders.
Periodic Review of Policy:The capital goods sector operates in a dynamic local and global environment and it is imperative for the policy to undergo a periodic review and revision to maintain its relevance.
The National Capital Goods Policy 2016 will be reviewed every five years and revised appropriately to take account of progress in implementation and emerging trends in the national and international environment.
Telangana Government, Eclat Health Solutions signed MoU to invest $15 million
The Government of Telangana and the US-based healthcare tech firm Eclat Health Solutions on 24 May 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Under the MoU, the Eclat will invest 15 million US dollars in Tier II cities of Telangana.
Besides, another agreement was signed between the Government and Monif Matouk, Chairman, Genesis Pharmaceuticals and Afi Hasan, CEO Safye Holdings.
The MoUs were signed in Indianapolis, the USA in the presence of Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao.
He is on a 2-week trip to the USA to attract investments into the State.
Pinarayi Vijayan sworn-in as Chief Minister of Kerala
Veteran CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn-in as 12th Chief Minister of Kerala on 25 May 2016. Governor P Sathasivam administered his oath of office and secrecy along with other 18 ministers in Thiruvananthapuram.
He won the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate for Dharmadom constituency.
Of those who were sworn on the occasion are 12 ministers from CPI-M including Pinarayi Vijayan. While 4 ministers are from CPI, 3 others are from Congress(S), NCP and JD(S). Eight of those who were sworn on the occasion became ministers for the first time.
Earlier on 19 May 2016, the CPI (M)-led left Democratic Front (LDF) came back to power in Kerala after 5 years, winning 91 seats in the 140 member Assembly, while UDF won 47 seats.
For the first time in the history of Kerala Assembly, BJP has opened its account winning 2016 Kerala assembly election from Nemom seat.
Pinarayi Vijayan
• He is a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and currently a member of its Politburo. He was elected to the politburo of the CPI(M) in 2002.
• He was Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from 1998 to 2015.
• He was the longest serving secretary in the party's history.
• He also served in the government of Kerala as Minister of Electric Power and Co-operatives from 1996 to 1998.
• He entered politics in 1964 by joining the Communist Party.
• Before that, he was a student union activist at Govt Brennen College, Thalassery.
• He became Kannur district secretary of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), which later became the Students Federation of India (SFI).
• He went on to become the state secretary and subsequently the state president of KSF.
• He then moved on to Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF), which later became the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
• He became the president of the state committee.
• During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and a half years.
• Later, he was elected as the president of the Kerala state co-operative bank.
• He became the Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) when M.V. Raghavan left the party over the ‘alternative document' row.
• Within three years, he became a member of the State secretariat.
• He was elected to the Assembly in 1970, 1977 and 1991 from Koothuparamba and in 1996 from Payyannur.
Union Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to Amendments in Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 May 2016 gave the ex-post facto approval to the amendments in the Constitution (Schedule Tribes) Order, 1950.
The approval was given to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in respect of five States, namely, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Tripura
Besides, it also seeks to identify new communities in the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Modified List in respective States/UTs
|
State/Union Territory |
Inclusion/Exclusion/ |
Community |
|
Assam |
Inclusion |
(i) Boro, Boro Kachari, Bodo, Bodo Kachari (ii) Karbi (Mikir) |
|
Chhattisgarh |
Inclusion |
(i) Bhuinya, Bhuiyan, Bhuyan (ii) Dhanuhar/Dhanuwar (iii) Kisan (iv) Saunra, Saonra (v) Dhangad |
|
Jharkhand |
Inclusion |
(i)Bhogta, Deshwari, Ganjhu (Dwalbandi), Patbandi, Raut, Maajhia, Khairi (Kheri) (ii) Puran |
|
Tamil Nadu |
Inclusion |
(i) Malyali Gounder (ii) Narikoravan, Kurivikkaran |
|
Tripura |
Inclusion |
(i) Darlong |
|
Puducherry |
Identification |
(i)Irular (including Villi and Vettaikaran) |
After the Bill becomes an Act, members of the communities included in the list of Scheduled Tribes will be able to derive benefits meant for Scheduled Tribes under the existing schemes.
Further, existing entries in list of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in case of Jharkhand and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) /Most Backward Classes (MBCs) of Central /State lists would be modified.
Identification/Inclusion of Schedule Tribe
Under Article 342 of the Constitution of India certain privileges/concessions to the members of Scheduled Tribes has been provided.
President of India after consultation with the concerned State Governments notifies and issues the First list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to a State or Union Territory.
Clause (2) of Article 342 provides for any subsequent inclusion in or exclusion from the list of Scheduled Tribes through an Act of Parliament.
As per the approved Modalities of June 1999, later modified in June 2002, any proposal for inclusion/exclusion by the concerned State Government/UT Administration shall be in concurrence with the both the Registrar General of India (RGI) as well as the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
India, Japan MoU on sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power development approved
The Union Cabinet on 25 May 2016 gave ex-post facto approval to the MoU between Indian and Japan for promoting sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power development in India.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will help India in formulating suitable policies and developing technologies involved in producing sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power.
The agreement will support Clean Coal Technology (CCT) for thermal power plants such as Ultra Super Critical (USC) and other environmental technologies.
It will also explore possibilities for acquisition of carbon credits with bilateral or multilateral offset schemes that are anticipated to be materialized in the future as a result of low-carbon power development.
26 may
Union Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to MoU between India and Maldives for cooperation in field of tourism
The Union Cabinet, presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 25 May 2016 granted ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives.
The MoU was signed to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism.
The MoU with Maldives will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this important source market. In recent years, Maldives has also emerged as an important tourism generating market for India.
Key objectives of the MoU:
•To expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector
•To exchange information and data related to tourism
•To encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders, including hotels and tour operators
•To establish exchange programme for cooperation in Human Resources Development
•To invest in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors
•To exchange visits of Tour Operators/Media/Opinion Makers for promotion of two-way tourism
•To exchange experiences in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management
•To participate in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other’s country
•To promote safe honourable and sustainable tourism
Union Road Transport Minister Gadkari launches safety feature-rich Nirbhaya buses
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on 25 May 2016 launched 20 Nirbhaya buses of Rajasthan State Transport Corporation (RSTC). These buses are fitted with multiple safety measures to better protect women passengers.
The 20 buses launched as a pilot project under the NIRBHAYA scheme include 10 luxury and 10 ordinary roadways buses.
Features of Nirbhaya bus
• Nirbhaya bus security measures include Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), CCTV and panic buttons on every seat.
• The VTS and the panic buttons will enable the police to know the exact location of the bus and provide prompt assistance.
• Once the emergency signal is triggered, the CCTV cameras will start displaying live footage of the bus at the central control room.
Apart from this, Gadkari said on 2 June 2016, the ministry will issue a notification mandating public vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 23 seats to fix closed-circuit television, VTS and panic buttons. Vehicles below 23 seats will be asked to install VTS and emergency buttons.
Besides, he said that directions in this regard will be given to other states in due course of time, adding that buses in the future should be manufactured with such safety features to contain anti-social elements.
Union Cabinet approves takeover of Hindustan Steel Works Construction Limited by NBCC
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 May 2016 approved for financial restructuring of Hindustan Steel Works Construction Limited (HSCL). It also approved its takeover by National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) to takeover HSCL.
The decision will benefit in economies of scale for NBCC and would assist in better manpower utilization. NBCC and HSCL will benefit from each other’s resources and expertise. HSCL will be able to fulfill its commitments of execution of projects and the orders.
Key features in financial restructuring of HSCL
• The existing paid up equity capital of the HSCL is 117.1 crore rupees.
• Under the proposal, Uni0on Government non-plan loan and plan loan along with accumulated interest thereon and outstanding guarantee fee worth 1502.2 crore rupees.
• It will be converted into equity and equity capital of the company will be raised to that extent.
• The paid up equity capital of the company will become 1619.3 crore. Against this as on 31 March 2015, the accumulated losses of 1585 crore rupees will set off.
• After writing off of the accumulated losses, the equity and paid up capital of HSCL will become 34.3 crore rupees.
Takeover of HSCL by NBCC
• NBCC will infuse funds of 35.7 crore rupees as equity into HSCL.
• HSCL will become subsidiary of NBCC with NBCC holding 51 percent equity holding.
• The shareholding of Government of India in HSCL will be reduced to 49percent.
• The equity and paid up capital of HSCL will become 70 crore rupees.
Background:
• HSCL was established in 1964 for construction of modern integrated steel plants.
• It diversified into other civil infrastructure construction projects over the years.
• HSCL started incurring losses since 1978-79 mainly due to absorption of large workforce of several PSUs and private companies increasing the workforce from 4100 in 1970 to 26537 in 1979.
• The revival package for HSCL approved by Union Government in 1999 and further attempts for financial restructuring the company were not successful.
UNEP releases report titled Actions on Air Quality
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 24 May 2016 released the report titled Actions on Air Quality. The report was released during the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2).
As per the report, with the decline of the global air quality, action in some air quality areas points to political will to tackle this global public health emergency although current efforts still fall short.
Highlights of the report
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global urban air pollution levels increased by 8 percent between 2008 and 2013.
• More than 80 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits, threatening lives, productivity and economies.
• The report found improvements in some areas such as access to cleaner cooking fuels and stoves, renewables, fuel sulphur content and public transport - pointing to a growing momentum for change.
• However, action in other areas is less impressive and will not halt the increase in air pollution that is threatening to claim many more lives.
• While policies and standards on clean fuels and vehicles could reduce emissions by 90 percent, only 29 percent of countries worldwide have adopted Euro 4 vehicles emissions standards or above.
• Less than 20 percent of countries regulate open waste burning, which is a leading cause of air pollution.
• On the positive side, 97 countries have increased the percentage of households that have access to cleaner burning fuels to more than 85 percent.
• At least 82 countries out of 193 have incentives that promote investment in renewable energy production, cleaner production, energy efficiency and pollution control equipment.
• The report, which looks at attempts to control Beijing's air pollution over a 15-year period, finds that steady improvements are being made.
• More than three billion people still use solid fuels and inefficient cook stoves, but the Seychelles was able to improve indoor air quality by transitioning the whole country from solid fuels to LPG.
• Only a quarter of countries have advanced fuels and vehicles standards, which can significantly reduce small particulate matter pollution, especially in cities.
• Electric cars have been on the increase, with strategies being developed in many countries around the world. One-third of all cars bought in Norway are now electric.
• Some countries and cities have been able to increase waste recycling, reducing the need to burn waste.
• The majority of countries around the world have now put in place national air quality standards. India, with major air quality challenges in many cities, has established air quality laws and regulation.
• Coal use fell from a peak of 9 million tonnes in 2005 to 6.44 million tonnes in 2013, while the 2013 levels of carbon monoxide dropped by 76 percent compared to 1998.
About UNEA
• The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the world's most powerful decision-making body on the environment, and responsible for tackling some of the most critical issues of our time.
• The assembly holds the power to dramatically change the fate of the planet and improve the lives of everyone, impacting everything from health to national security.
US engineer Frances Arnold becomes first woman to win Millennium Technology Prize
Technology Academy Finland (TAF) on 24 May 2016 declared American innovator Frances Arnold as winner of the 2016 Millennium Technology Prize.
The 1 million euro prize is awarded biennially and Arnold is the first female winner in its 12-year history.
Biochemical engineer Arnold received the 2016 Millennium Technology Prize in recognition of her discoveries that launched the field ofdirected evolution, which mimics natural evolution to create new and better proteins in the laboratory.
Who is Frances Arnold?
•Frances Hamilton Arnold is an internationally recognized American scientist and engineer.
•She pioneered methods of directed evolution to create useful biological systems, including enzymes, metabolic pathways, genetic regulatory circuits and organisms.
•She obtained her BS in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University in 1979.
•She earned her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
•Her work has been recognized by many awards, including the 2011 Draper Prize and a 2013 National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
About Millennium Technology Prize
•The Millennium Technology Prize is one of the world's largest technology prizes.
•It is awarded once every two years by Technology Academy Finland, an independent fund established by Finnish industry and the Finnish state in partnership.
•The prize is presented by the President of Finland.
•The aims of the prize are to promote technological research and Finland as a high-tech Nordic welfare state.
•The prize was inaugurated in 2004.
•Stuart Parkin was the winner of the 2014 Millennium Technology Prize.
Union HRD Minister launches Bharatavani Portal at Lucknow
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Zubin Irani on 25 May 2016 launched the multilingual knowledge portal www.bharatvani.in at Lucknow. With its launch, Bharatavani became the largest online repository of dictionaries in India.
The portal has been launched in 22 scheduled languages, which eventually will be extended to 100 more languages. It will help the government to showcase the Indian culture and heritage to the world.
This project is in line with the HRD Ministry’s efforts to not only ensure universalization of education but also towards creation of a knowledge society in the digital age.
Key features of Bharatavani Portal
Aim:It aims at brining in people of India under one portal and establishes itself as a single point online window to knowledge in and about Indian Languages, dictionaries, language IT tools and textbooks.
Goal: Its goal is to bridge the Digital and language divide, with the idea to publish as well as involve people in the Open Knowledge movement.
One Point language resource: It is the first knowledge portal of its kind in India which focuses on becoming a single point source for multiple language learning, content and technology.
Window to language diversity: It will help the government to protect, preserve and include all Indian languages through technological development without discrimination. It will also allow government to take all measures required to develop the spread of Indian languages across communities and cultures.
Fostering National Integration:It is a multilingual and cross-lingual learning tool and aims at fostering integration by providing many cross-lingual grammar books, learning courses and others. It will also allow their transliteration.
Implementation:The project is being implemented by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru.
Content Published on Bharatvaani Portal
The Bharatavani Portal would publish the content in the following main sections:
• Paa Thyapustaka Kosha: Textbooks by various authorities
• Jnana Kosha: Encyclopedic Knowledge base in all languages
• Shabda Kosh: Dictionaries, Glossaries, Terminologies
• Bhasha Kosha: Language learning books
• Suchanaa Praudyogikii Kosha:It tools (right now linked to TDIL)
•Bahumaadhyama Kosha:Multimedia content
More than 130 Dictionaries, Glossaries and Terminology books have been posted on the web portal.
These dictionaries are available in text and PDF formats and its content is protected by fair usage clauses under the Indian Copyright Act.
Bharatavani App
Smriti Irani also launched Bharatavani Multi-lingual App called Bharatavani. It will enable users to search for one language text in another language as well as get meanings in different languages.
Currently the App has 35 multilingual Dictionaries and MHRD aims to extend it to 250 dictionaries in a year’s time. On the day of its launch, the app also became India’s first and largest multilingual dictionary.
Draft Model Rules 2016 under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 released
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on 25 May 2016 released Draft Model Rules 2016 to repeal the existing rules for effective implementation of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The new rules will repeal the Model Rules, 2007.
Rules are based on the philosophy of reformation, rehabilitation and social integration, rather than retribution.
It lays procedures for the functioning and composition of Juvenile Justice Boards, adoption, determining the age of the child wherever a claim of juvenility is raised, and offences against children among other things.
Features of the Draft rules of Juvenile Justice Act 2015
• No child between 16 and 18 years of age in conflict with law will be handcuffed or sent to jail or lock-up.
• Proper medical and legal aid will be provided to juvenile criminals and their parents and guardians will be duly informed.
• It asks every state government to set up at least one place of safety for the rehabilitation of such children.
• Determination of Age: It also prescribes time bound procedures for determination of age.
• Whenever a claim of juvenility is raised, it has to be done within 30 days from the date of submission of application.
• All government hospitals will be required to constitute permanent medical boards for this purpose.
• If the medical board gives a range of age, the age of the child on the lower side will be considered to give benefit to the child.
• Welfare Officer: It provides for one child welfare officer to be deployed in child care institution as rehabilitation-cum-placement officer to ensure the development of the child.
• The task is to identify the skills and aptitude of children, and facilitate financial support for their self-employment.
•Rehabilitation Card: It is provided for detailed follow-up for regular monitoring of the rehabilitation-cum-development of the child.
• Aftercare Schemes: State governments to prepare such scheme for providing accommodation, education, employment to children who turn 18 and leave institutional care.
• Offences:The draft also includes new offences against children like
a) Sale and procurement of children for any purpose
b) Corporal punishment in child care institutions
c) Use of child by militant or adult groups
d) Giving children intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug or psychotropic substance or tobacco products
• Juvenile Justice Board: It provides for composition and function of the Juvenile Justice Board or Juvenile Justice Committee.
• The Board will determine the age of the child within 30 days from date of submission of application.
• It will make preliminary assessment with regard to the child’s mental and physical capacity, ability to understand the consequences of the alleged offence and the circumstances is conducted within a period of three months.
• The rules provides for an appeal to the children’s court for those aggrieved by the order of the JJ board.
The JJ Bill 2015 was earlier passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 7 May and 22 December 2015, respectively. It came into effect on 15 January 2016.
Comment
The JJ Act, 2015 covers almost all the offences against children, which were not covered in the JJ Act, 2000.
The Act of 2000 covered limited offences against children like cruelty, employment for begging, giving intoxicating liquor or narcotic drugs to children.
The Act of 2015 covers offences like sale and procurement of children for any purpose including illegal adoption; corporal punishment in child care institutions and offences against disabled children.
India’s first ever Passenger Satisfaction Survey conducted at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
The finding of the first of its kind survey conducted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai were released by the Research Team of L.N.Welingkar Institute of Management (WE School) in May 2016 at Mumbai Customs House.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) engaged a WE School to conduct a survey of Passenger Satisfaction levels of customs clearance process at the Mumbai International Airport.
The scope of the Survey was to assess Passenger Satisfaction levels with the Customs Clearance Process, focusing on three aspects. Those three aspects were Information, Behaviourand Process.
A research team comprising of faculty members and research associates of WE School conducted the survey over a week on 24x7 basis in May 2016.
Key findings of the survey:
• Overall Satisfaction level at Mumbai Airport
The passengers were asked to rate their experience of Mumbai Customs vis-a- vis other international Airports across the world.
69% rated their experience with Mumbai airport customs as better as or somewhat better than other international airports.
15% rated on par.
About 16% felt that it was worse .
• Respondents appreciated the improvements in customs clearance processover the years. 35% of the respondents mentioned that clearance process has drastically improved while 37% mentioned that there is marginal improvement.
• Three areas where major improvement is expectedby passengers are: (a)Access and availability of information, (b) Speed of processand (c) Greater transparency of duty assessment process.
• Customs assessment for TV and jewellery appeared to be less widely knownand are two commodities causing maximum discord.
•The manner of payment of assessed duty amountat the designated bank’s counter (SBI) and lack of alternative facility to pay duty by Debit/Credit card/ Cash Card & Foreign exchange rate differential vis-à- vis others exchange operators was another cause of Passenger dissatisfaction.
•The study found that lack of information awareness has a direct bearing on passenger satisfaction levels.
• Only 27% were Fully Aware of the Indian customs rules and regulationswhile the vast majority was either partly aware or unaware of the legal requirements. Only 17% of the passengers were found to be accessing Indian Customs website for information, while the rest relied on various other sources, which may not be fully authentic and reliable.
• 43% of the passengers preferred medium of mobile phone for seeking information. Only 50% of passengers were aware that the Baggage Declaration Forms had been withdrawn, which was a major simplification undertaken recently, with 68% welcoming the move as a positive initiative.
•The study has identified specific actions to address the information awareness gaps, prominent among them being Web promotion and optimisation, mobile App based information dissemination and increased use of social media.
• 77% of the passengersstated that they did not face any difficulty or harassment.
•The study revealed that passengers are sensitive to the time they spend on the entire Customs Clearance Process.
•In the case of Green Channel passengers, threshold time is up to 15 minuteswhile in the case of Red Channel Passengers, threshold time appeared to creep in the 15 to 29 minutestime interval.
Union Cabinet gives nod for incorporation of Six new IITs; Upgrades Indian School of Mines to IIT
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 May 2016 gave its ex-facto approval to the Amendment to The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 for incorporation of six new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
These six new IITs will come up at following places:
• Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh
• Palakkad in Kerala
• Dharwar in Karnataka
• Bhilai in Chhattisgarh
• Goa
• Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir
IMS Dhanbad upgraded to IIT
The above Amendment is also for conversion of Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad into an IIT by bringing it into the ambit of the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 and also declaring it as an institute of national importance.
NIT at Andhra Pradesh
The cabinet also gave ex post facto approval to set up NIT, Andhra Pradesh which has been registered as a Society under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2001. The approval will give a legal entity to the NIT.
Veteran Communist leader KC Mathew died
Veteran communist leader KC Mathew died on 24 May 2016 at a private hospital in Kochi. He was 92.
He was the prime accused in the attack on the Edappally police station in February 1950, which resulted in a witch-hunt of the communists by the police.
He was born in North Paravur in 1924 and graduated from UC College in Aluva and was drawn to the communist ideals right from the college days.
He was known as a true Communist, who never compromised on the fundamental principles of Communism. He was genuinely motivated to fulfill the interests of the common man.
China signed agreements with Sudan to build 600-megawatt atomic reactor
China signed agreements on 23 May 2016 with Sudan to build 600-megawatt atomic reactor. It was the first of its kind in the African country.
The agreements were signed during a three-day visit to Sudan by a Chinese delegation led by Nur Bekri, head of the National Energy Administration and deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Salient Features of the Agreements
• State-owned China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) signed two agreements with Sudan on nuclear power development which includes building a 600-megawatt atomic reactor.
• The agreements may involve a blueprint for nuclear power development in the next ten years for Sudan and building the first nuclear power station in Sudan.
• China already had a nuclear cooperation with Pakistan as it has built several nuclear power reactors and is currently building two 1100 mw reactors in Karachi.
• The contract value or the type of nuclear technology to be used for the reactor was not disclosed.
China in Nuclear Production
• China is looking to popularise nuclear technology at home and abroad and plans to develop the experience into nuclear exports.
• Chinese nuclear companies are making huge inroads in global nuclear markets, including Britain and Argentina.
• CNNC has clinched deals with Argentina to build two nuclear reactors, while CGN, another domestic energy giant, partnered with Electricite de France to build three reactors in Britain.
Background
Sudan faced power shortages in recent years and is seeking to build two 600-mw pressurised water reactors to meet the growing demand for electricity, with construction on the first one starting in 2021.
The agreements reviewed all energy issues faced in Sudan and will provide solutions for all projects including the newer ones.
India emerges as 5th largest producer of e-waste in world: ASSOCHAM-KPMG study
India emerged as the fifth largest producer of e-waste in the world, but the second largest mobile market with 1.03 billion subscribers as per the ASSOCHAM-KPMG joint study that was published on 25 May 2016.
Highlights of the study
• India discards roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year with telecom equipment alone accounting for 12 percent of the e-waste.
• Over 100 million handsets have been manufactured last year.
• The unorganised sector in India is estimated to handle around 95 percent of the e-waste produced in the country.
• In the last 15 months alone, operators have invested over 30 percent of the cumulative investment made in 20 years prior.
Recommendations of the Study
• With more than 100 crore mobile phones in circulation, nearly 25 percent of mobiles end up in e-waste annually.
• It is suggested that e-waste collection targets are implemented in a phased manner with lower and practically achievable target limits.
• The detailed implementation of procedures for collection of e-waste from the market needs to be followed.
• The phased manner for implementation of e-waste collection targets needs to be introduced.
• The steps should be taken to rationalize the various audits being conducted by various authorities, to ensure that same areas are not audited on a repeated basis.
• The guidelines should be issued by Department of Telecom (DoT) with respect to locations of tower and clearance requirements should be adopted across states to smoothen tower set up process.
United Nations' Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report
As per the Global E-Waste Monitor 2014 report by United Nations, India was the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world at that time as well. The report was compiled by UN think tank United Nations University (UNU).
In 2014, India discarded 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment.
Modi@2: Key initiatives, Achievements and Challenges
Narendra Damodardas Modi completed two years as the Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2016. The ascendance of Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Government’s (NDA) to power is of significance to the India politics because of two reasons:
i. The Government came into power at a juncture where India needed a decisive leadership that is free of corruption, policy paralysis and coalition compulsions.
ii. High expectations from the ruling party as it was for the first time in the last 30 years that a single party could garner majority seats in the Lok Sabha. Previously, Rajiv Gandhi won 404 seats in the 1984 elections that were conducted in the aftermath of assassination of Indira Gandhi.
To fulfill the poll promise of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, the government unveiled new policies and set up new institutions. Against this backdrop, it is pertinent to examine the key initiatives, achievements and challenges before the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government.
Key initiatives
1. Make In India:The campaign was launched to make India as a world-class hub of manufacturing by leveraging demographic dividend and attracting foreign directing investment by way of improving ease of doing business.
To make this campaign successful, the government came up with a slew of plans and programmes including Skill India campaign, National Capital Goods Policy 2016, Start Up India, MUDRA Bank Yojana, etc.
2. Agriculture: The stated objective of the government is to double the farm income by 2022. For this, a slew of initiatives including Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Soil Health Card scheme, etc were launched.
3. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: The Clean India Mission was launched in October 2014 to mark the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The objective of the campaign is to make India clean by 2019 by constructing toilets, improving waste management and launching massive awareness campaigns.
The campaign seeks to underscore the importance of sanitation in achieving key health objectives as nearly 21% of communicable diseases in the country are related to unsafe water and India is home to 24% of global under-5 deaths out of which 90% occur due to diarrhea.
4. Digital India:The campaign was approved in August 2014 to create digital infrastructure, deliver e-government services and improve digital literacy. The scheme aims to leverage opportunities offered by the digital economy, improve transparency and reduce corruption.
5. JAM Trinity: It seeks to leverage the opportunities provided by interconnecting three platforms – Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile number. The objective of this initiative is to bring financial inclusion, efficiency in the execution of schemes, targeted subsidies and mobile governance.
6. NITI Aayog:It is one the key reforms as it replaced the decades old Planning Commission that commanded greater influence in the socio-economic policy sphere. In it’s over 16-months of existence NITI Aayog emerged as the primary advisory body of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.
At the core of NITI Aayog’s creation are two hubs – Team India Hub and the Knowledge and Innovation Hub that reflect the two key tasks of the Aayog. While Team India Hub is aimed at nurturing cooperative federalism, Knowledge Hub builds think tank capabilities.
7. External relations: It has been one of the priority areas of the government for the last two years. The thrust on building the existing bilateral and trilateral relations has been primarily aimed at meeting the ‘mundane’ objectives of investments, economic growth and development rather than pursuing ‘altruistic’ or ‘idealistic’ agenda.
Among other things, Act East Policy has been implemented with vigour and thrust. This policy builds upon the Look East Policy of the PV Narsimha Rao Government and in sync with the Pivot to Asia doctrine of Barack Obama that mandates pro-active engagement with the Asia Pacific region.
8. Infrastructure: To sustain the present growth momentum and to achieve the desired over 10% growth rate in the near term, it is necessary for India to upgrade the social and economic infrastructure.
To this end, the government came up with a number of initiatives including Smart Cities Mission, Rurbar Mission, Sagar Mala, Setu Bharatam, National Smart Grid Mission, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, etc.
9. Welfare: A slew of initiatives were launched to address the needs of SC, STs, minorities and BPL population. Major programmes include Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Padhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, USTAAD, Stand Up India, etc.
10. Administrative reforms:In the last 2-years the emphasis of the administration has been on ‘Minimum Government and Maximum Governance'. A series of steps to achieve this goal have been initiated that include simplification of procedures, identification and repeal of obsolete/archaic laws/rules and leveraging technology to bring in transparency in public interface.
Some of the key initiatives in this segment are Digital India Plan, JAM Trinity, Task force on rationalising government staff, BS Baswan committee on civil services exam and GARV application among others.
Achievements
1. Economy: As per the Economic Survey 2015-16, the growth rate of GDP at constant market prices was projected to increase to 7.6% in 2015-16 from 7.2% in 2014-15.
It was a significant achievement considering the fact that India grew by 5% and 4.7% in 2012-13 and 2013-14 respectively.
As per the World Economic Outlook of the IMF, India will retain its position as the fastest growing major economy in 2016-17 growing at 7.5%, ahead of China. This development is of significance for India because the world economy is expected to grow at 3.2% in 2016 and 3.5% in 2017.
2. Foreign investments and Ease of doing business:In 2015, India was for the first time emerged as the leading country in the world for FDI. It surpassed the USA and China that attracted $59.6 billion and $56.6 billion investment respectively.
As per the World Bank’s Doing Business 2016 report, India could improve its ease of doing business ranking by 12 places to 130 rank among 180 countries surveyed.
Besides, India emerged as the largest remittance receiving country in 2015 with an estimated 72 billion US dollars.
3. Human development: In the 2015 HDR, India, with a score of 0.609, was ranked 130 out of 188 countries in terms of Human Development Index (HDI). In the 2014 report, India was ranked 135 out of 187 countries.
The incidence of poverty declined from 37.2 per cent in 2004-5 to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 for the country as a whole with a sharper decline in the number of rural poor.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2015 of World Economic Forum placed India at the 108th position in terms of Gender Gap Index. Compared to the 2014 report, it accumulated 0.020 points and improved ranking by 6 places.
4. Fiscal deficit:The fiscal deficit for 2015-16 was within the targeted 3.9 per cent of GDP which gives enough leverage for the government to focus on socio economic development with increased capital expenditure.5. External relations:Considerable achievements were made by the NDA Government in the last 2 years. Foreign visits of Narendra Modi resulted in signing of various agreements covering economic, security, technology spheres.
Most important among them are India, US Logistics Exchange Agreement, Agreement to develop Chabahar port in Iran, civil nuclear cooperation agreements with Australia and Japan.
Key challenges
1. Black Money:Despite the initiatives like Income declaration scheme, formation of Justice MB Shah-headed Special Investigation Team and revision in Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements with various countries progress in recovering block money is not on expected lines.
At the end of September 2015, undisclosed foreign assets worth only 3770 crore rupees were recovered compared to billions of dollars of unaccounted money.
2. Security threats: India has been facing security threats from multiple sources including cross border terrorism, left wing extremism, etc. The Global Terrorism Index 2015 of the Institute for Economics and Peace declared India as the 6th most affected State by terrorism in 2014.
3. Relations with neighbours: Though bilateral relations with Bangladesh improved to a large extent with the signing of Land Boundary Agreement, relations with Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka have become tricky and needed a great push.
4. Socio-economic development:Employment creation is one of the biggest challenges for the economy. Though the growth rates were pegged at over 7%, the Ministry of Labour’s 27th Quarterly Employment Survey estimated that there were 43000 job losses in the first quarter of FY 2015-2016 in eight employment intensive industries.
As per the Global Report on Urban Health 2016 of the UN, urbanization and its associated lifestyle changes have triggered a health transition in favour of non communicable diseases (NCDs) in India.
As per the World Health Statistics 2016, global life expectancy for children born in 2015 was 71.4 years (73.8 years for females and 69.1 years for males), while in India it was 68.3 (66.9 for males and 69.9 for females).
As per the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2015-16, India slipped 11 places to rank 89th compared to its 78th rank during 2014-15. This Index was prepared by INSEAD and measured ability of 109 to countries to retain talent.
5. Banking sector: Indian banking sector is facing a huge challenge in terms of non-performing assets (NPAs). If restructured assets are taken into account, stressed assets will be accounted for 10.9 percent of the total loans in the system. As per the International Monetary Fund (IMF), around 37 percent of the total debt in India is at risk.