NATIONAL JULY 2014
- Rhinos find new home in UP’s Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
(Rhinos, Dudwha Tiger Reserve, another rhino sanctuary)
Dudhwa tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district has been made ready to be new home for rhinoceros. At present the entire rhino population of the reserve is sheltered in a fenced 27 sq km area in Sonaripur range of the reserve.
There are at least 30-odd rhinos in Dudhwa. Some of these rhinos can now be shifted to a new 14 sq km fenced area in the adjacent range of the reserve. Proposal to shift some of them is a part of Dudhwa management plan and has been pending for a long time. Putting all rhinos in one place puts them at risk of being wiped out in a single calamity. Sources said young ones will be transferred to the new location.
About Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is a protected area in Uttar Pradesh that stretches mainly across the Lakhimpur Kheri andBahraich districts and comprises the Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary. It covers an area of 1,284.3 km2 (495.9 sq mi) and includes three large forest fragments amidst the matrix dominated by agriculture. It shares the north-eastern boundary with Nepal, which is defined to a large extent by the Mohana River. The area is a vast alluvial floodplain traversed by numerous rivers and streams flowing in south-easterly direction. It ranges in altitude from 110 to 185 m (361 to 607 ft). - India’s nuclear capacity could jump three fold by 203-24: Modi
(India, Nuclear capacity, India’s nuclear capability increases)
During his four-hour visit to BARC, Modi praised the contribution of nuclear scientists in the successful implementation of India’s three-stage nuclear programme Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21st July said the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) should strive to meet the target of increasing nuclear capacity threefold from the present level of 5,780 MW by 2023-24, within the projected cost.
India’s nuclear capacity targets- India has a flourishing and largely indigenous nuclear power program and expects to have 14,600 MW nuclear capacity on line by 2020. It aims to supply 25% of electricity from nuclear power by 2050.
- Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which has hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009.
- Due to these trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.
- Now, foreign technology and fuel are expected to boost India's nuclear power plants considerably. All plants will have high indigenous engineering content.
- India has a vision of becoming a world leader in nuclear technology due to its expertise in fast reactors and thorium fuel cycle.
Electricity demand in India is increasing rapidly, and the 1052 billion kilowatt hours gross produced in 2011 was more than triple the 1990 output, though still represented only some 750 kWh per capita for the year. With huge transmission losses – 222 TWh (21%) in 2011, this resulted in only about 774 billion kWh consumption. Gross generation comprised 836 TWh from fossil fuels, 33 TWh from nuclear, 131 TWh from hydro and 53 TWh from other renewable. Coal provides 68% of the electricity at present, but reserves are effectively limited* – in 2013, 159 million tonnes was imported, and 533 million tonnes produced domestically. Gas provides 15%, hydro 12%. The per capita electricity consumption figure is expected to double by 2020, with 6.3% annual growth, and reach 5000-6000 kWh by 2050, requiring about 8000 TWh/yr then. There is an acute demand for more and more reliable power supplies. One-third of the population is not connected to any grid.
India has five electricity grids – Northern, Eastern, North-Eastern, Southern and Western. All of them are interconnected to some extent, except the Southern grid. All are run by the state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCI), which operates more than 95,000 circuit km of transmission lines. In July 2012 the Northern grid failed with 35,669 MWe load in the early morning, and the following day it plus parts of two other grids failed again so that over 600 million people in 22 states were without power for up to a day.
Nuclear power supplied 20 billion kWh (3.7%) of India's electricity in 2011 from 4.4 GWe (of 180 GWe total) capacity and after a dip in 2008-09 this is increasing as imported uranium becomes available and new plants come on line. Some 350 reactor-years of operation had been achieved by the end of 2011. India's fuel situation, with shortage of fossil fuels, is driving the nuclear investment for electricity, and 25% nuclear contribution is the ambition for 2050, when 1094 GWe of base-load capacity is expected to be required. Almost as much investment in the grid system as in power plants is necessary.
The target since about 2004 has been for nuclear power to provide 20 GWe by 2020, but in 2007 the Prime Minister referred to this as "modest" and capable of being "doubled with the opening up of international cooperation." However, it is evident that even the 20 GWe target would require substantial uranium imports. In June 2009 NPCIL said it aimed for 60 GWe nuclear by 2032, including 40 GWe of PWR capacity and 7 GWe of new PHWR capacity, all fuelled by imported uranium. This 2032 target was reiterated late in 2010 and increased to 63 GWe in 2011. But in December 2011 parliament was told that more realistic targets were 14,600 MWe by 2020-21 and 27,500 MWe by 2032, relative to present 4780 MWe and 10,080 MWe when reactors under construction were on line in 2017.*
the XII Plan proposals are being finalized which envisage start of work on eight indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), two 500 MW Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), one 300 MW Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) and eight Light Water Reactors of 1000 MW or higher capacity with foreign technical cooperation. These nuclear power reactors are expected to be completed progressively in the XIII and XIV Plans.”- The rapid growth and expansion of economies across the world has made it imperative that there be sources for meeting the increasing demands for power and electricity. The requirement for nuclear power in developing countries like India was well-explained by Yukiya Amano, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), while delivering the Indian Nuclear Society Silver Jubilee lecture in Mumbai on March 12, 2013.
- Globally, nuclear power looks set to continue to grow steadily although slowly than we expected before the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011. There are 437 operating nuclear power reactors in the world today and recent projections by IAEA suggest that the number could increase by 80 or 90 in the next 20 years.
- At the moment, there are 66 new reactors under construction and seven of them are in India. The production can increase by 100 per cent in high scenario in which very rapid expansion of nuclear power plants will take place where countries give serious consideration to climate change.
- Other than India, China and Russia also have significant expansion plans.
- Besides, a number of countries have taken the decision to introduce nuclear power including Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Poland, Turkey and Vietnam. Also, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has started building a nuclear power plant.
- India Nuclear Energy 2013 will serve as the platform for the civil nuclear energy industry to meet, interact and work towards the fulfillment of the power and electricity requirements of the economies.
BARC
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India's premier nuclear research facility based in Trombay, Mumbai. BARC is a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas. - DRDO develops first low cost bridge for civilian use
(DRDO, low cast bridge, civilian use, military bridge)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed a low-cost bridge which can be used by civilians to cross small streams and rivulets. The technology will be especially useful to people in Uttarakhand. According to a rough estimate, nearly 500 small bridges were washed away by the floods last year in the state.
Rajagopala Chidambaram, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government, on 21st July inaugurated the first low-cost bridge developed by the DRDO on the river Asan at Shuklapur village. Costing Rs 6.5 lakh, the 13.5-metre prefabricated steel bridge can be put into use within two hours. The purpose to develop a low-cost bridge came soon after last year's deluge in the state.
Back Ground
The bridge is an adaption of 35 m man-portable 'Mountain Foot Bridge' (MFB) developed for the armed forces for bridging dry/wet gaps up to 35 m long, with a pathway of 0.8m width especially for inaccessible high altitude regions. After Uttarakhand disaster in 2013, during a visit of PSA and SA to RM at R&DE(E), Pune, it was proposed to develop suitable foot bridges similar to mountain footbridge but in steel to keep the cost of the bridge low. The 13.5 m steel bridge for civil applications has a 1.5 m wide pathway, is launched using the launching system of 35 m Mountain Foot Bridge (MFB) and is deployable within 2 to 3 hrs. Its launch does not require accesses to far-bank or elaborate site preparations and is therefore ideal in disaster situation.
The original bridge successfully developed and realized by DRDO for the armed forces to suite rapid deployment in mountainous regions is capable of bridging gaps up to 35 m. The components of military bridge made of high-strength aluminium alloy are man-portable and weigh less than 18 kg each. The bridge is design to withstanding conditions prevailing in glacial regions. Its man-portable launching system allows bridge to be constructed from near-bank without any access to far-bank. The joints of the bridge facilitate easy assembly in cold conditions and a 35m bridge can be launched in about one hour. Though it is designed to prevent any appreciable accumulation of fresh snow, it has been designed for accumulation of up to 250 mm of fresh snow having density up to 200 kg/m3. The military bridging system has successfully completed user assisted technical trials in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. - Shah Panel on Illegal mining
(Shah panel, Illegal mining, shah commission)
The Justice MB Shah Commission on illegal mining in Jharkhand has blamed the State Government for allowing miners to operate for long periods — decades even — without proper permission. The panel said 40 iron and manganese ore mines in the state have been operating under a “deemed extension”, which means that the stamp duty payable at the time of renewal of lease has not been paid, causing a huge revenue loss to the State.
The deemed extension was the result of the lack of timely decisions to renew the mining leases. The mining leases belong to, among others, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Tata Steel, Rungta Mines, Singhbhum Minerals Co, Orissa Manganese and Minerals Pvt Ltd, General Produce Ltd, and Rameshwar Jute Mills. The report also says that 18 of the 40 leases were being operated without any environmental approvals.
According to the norms set by the Ministry of Mines in 2011, “deemed extensions” require fresh green approvals (environmental and forest clearances). - Kerala tops in spending of construction cess
(Kerala, construction cess, spending cess)
Spending of construction cess collected by States continues to be dismal. According to the Labour Ministry, 35 States and Union territories together collected Rs 14,099 crore up to March 31, 2014 as cess for construction workers’ welfare, but used only Rs 2,382 crore.
Kerala once again emerged as the best State in terms of spending the cess. The southern State, which houses about 2.21 million workers, collected Rs 954.5 crore and spent ?888.1 crore up to March 31. The cess, which constitutes one per cent of the construction cost, is supposed to be collected and used for the welfare of construction of workers by State Governments and worker welfare boards, for which registration of workers is a must. - UN WOMEN report on Indian woman status
(UN report, Indian woman status, UN women)
According to UN WOMEN, female foeticide is very much common practice in India. And the report revealed a lot of facts that shows that yet degradation is happening for women in India.- Girls are often seen as a liability with families having to dig deep for a substantial dowry to ensure a desirable match. In a culture that views pre-marital sex as bringing shame to the girl's family, parents also worry about their safety.
- India's 2011 census showed that while the overall female-to-male ratio has improved marginally since the last census a decade ago, fewer girls were born than boys and the number of girls younger than six plummeted for the fifth straight decade.
- Activists blame ultrasonography for the rise in abortions, saying the technology is used for sex determination.
- But the crime is tough to check, they add, resulting in few convictions. There were 221 cases of foeticide reported in 2013, up from 210 in 2012, the National Crime Records Bureau says.
- U.N. officials said India's economic and social progress had failed in the area of sex selection, and the unbalanced sex ratio was contributing to crimes such as rape, abduction and trafficking.
- The entire social structure will have to change, with a battle waged against the root causes of a preference for sons, said Lise Grande, the U.N. resident coordinator in India.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for the empowerment of women. UN Women became operational in January 2011.
What is female foeticide?
Female foeticide is the act of aborting a foetus because it is female. The frequency of female foeticide is indirectly estimated from the observed high birth sex ratio, that is the ratio of boys to girls at birth
Reasons for female foeticide in India
Cultural importance (In India it is believed that male babies provide manual labour and family lineage)
Availability resources (Some of the variation in birth sex ratios and implied female foeticide may be due to disparate access to resources.)
Government initiatives to control female foeticide- India passed its first abortion-related law, the so-called Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971, making abortion legal in most states
- The Government passed the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PNDT) in 1994. This law was further amended into the Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) (PCPNDT) Act in 2004 to deter and punish prenatal sex screening and female foeticide. However, there are concerns that PCPNDT Act has been poorly enforced by authorities
- A few state governments have started special scheme to encourage girl child.
- Immunisation against Japanese Encephalitis
(Immunisation, Japanese Encephalitis, AES)
The Centre has launched a major war against Japanese encephalitis; Japanese encephalitis is caused by a mosquito-borne virus. Eastern India is the most-affected region by this killer disease, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam. However, more than 17 States are reporting cases of JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which has high mortality and morbidity rates. Since the virus attacks the brain of the child, the chances of the child becoming mentally retarded are high. Uttar Pradesh reports 500-600 JE deaths every year while just last month, over 100 children died of the disease in Bihar. The World Health Organisation put the JE toll at over 1,000 in 2013. - Training for Teachers
(Training, for teacher, pilot project)
Himachal Pradesh selected for the pilot project under sponsored programmes of the Union Government. This project is to train Principals and Headmasters of government schools. Apart from Himachal Pradesh other 3 states were also selected for this project. Those states were Rajasthan, Tamilnadu and Gujarat.
The training will provide education quality and improvement in the overall system. The programme has been prepared by the National University of Education, Planning and administration (NUEPA).
About NUEPA
The National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India , is a premier organization dealing with capacity building and research in planning and management of education not only in India but also in South Asia. In recognition of the pioneering work done by the organization in the field of educational planning and administration, the Government of India have empowered it to award its own degrees by way of conferring it the status of Deemed to be University in August, 2006. Like any Central University, NUEPA is fully maintained by the Government of India. - India’s HID increased
(HID, India’s HID, Human Development Index)
India got 135 rank in Human Development Index, released by United Nations Development Programme on 24th July. The Human Development Index is a composite index that measures income, education (average years of education completed by adults, and expected years of education for children entering school) and health (life expectancy). Since 1990, the UNDP has calculated an HDI for every country in the world and ranked them.
India’s human development index has improved very slightly but remains among the median countries in terms of human development, just seven places above Bangladesh
Important points- India HDI value is 0.586, out of a maximum possible 1
- India is 135 India’s human development index improved slower in the 2000s than it did in the 1980s despite much faster economic growth, the report shows.
- The improvement in the 2000s was better than in the 1990s.
- When inequality is factored in, India loses nearly 30% of its HDI value.
- India’s human development indicators are also substantially different for men and women
- The HDI for men alone is much higher at 0.627, while the HDI for Indian women alone is just 0.519.
- The report further said that none of the Brics countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—were in the high human development category and India remained at the bottom with lowest HDI value among them.
- Among the Brics countries, Russia secured the highest rank at 57, followed by Brazil at 79 and China at 91. South Africa and India secured 118th and 135th position, respectively.
- The HDI reflects long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human lives—a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. In 2013, the study covered 187 countries, the same as in 2012 and 2011.
- The report said that based on the data available on 15 November 2013, there were few countries with changed in ranks between 2012 and 2013.
- In India, 10.9% of parliamentary seats are held by women, and 26.6% of adult women have reached at least some secondary education compared with 50.4% of their male counterparts.
- India’s 55.3% of population were multi-dimensionally poor, while an additional 18.2% were near multi-dimensional poverty, the report said.
- Introducing a new index, Gender Development Index (GDI), which is ratio of female to male HDI, in 2013 female HDI value for India stood at 0.519 in contrast with 0.627 for males. The GDI was calculated for 148 countries.
- In the two decades since the early 1990s when India liberalised its economy, countries like Nepal and Bangladesh have improved their human development indicators at a faster clip than India.
- Though India ranks marginally higher than many of its South Asian neighbours in the 2014 UNDP Human Development Report, the country has fallen behind most of its immediate neighbours on key health and quality of life indicators, an analysis of health indices from nearly two decades of HDI numbers reveal.
- For example, in 1995, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan were languishing far behind India in infant mortality. However, by 2010, all of them except Pakistan had caught up and surpassed India’s figure of 48 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Every other country in the region (except Pakistan) also spends a higher proportion of its national income on public health care. After Bangladesh surpassed India on a range of health indicators in 2003, India’s public expenditure on health actually fell. The UPA-I government kept health allocation at or less than one per cent of the GDP for the next five years.
- In the meantime, private expenditure on healthcare shot up. A 2011 analysis by the medical journal The Lancet found that out of pocket expenditure on health in India is close to 78 per cent — in stark contrast with the Maldives (14%), Bhutan (29), and Sri Lanka (53%).
- Among the seven SAARC nations (data for Afghanistan is unavailable), an average Indian is least likely to be vaccinated as a child, most likely to suffer from malnutrition (nearly half of those under 5), and has the lowest life expectancy.
- Somewhat unsurprisingly, India also has the worst gender inequality in the region (sharing the 127th place with Pakistan). The gulf between workforce participation of men and women is one of the widest in India among the seven countries.
- What the human development reports show in essence is India’s failure to properly utilise the wealth created by its expanding economy, which doubled twice in the last two decades.
- This is reflected in the supplementary surveys carried in the 2014 report, which indicates that among SAARC nations Indians are least satisfied with the standard of living (only 47% are satisfied).
- However, their trust in the national government is quite healthy (with 54% answering yes).
- The Human Development Index (HDI) was created by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and the Indian economist Amartya Sen in 1990 and was published by the United Nations Development Programme.
- In the 2010 Human Development Report a further Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) was introduced.
- While the simple HDI remains useful, it stated that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (accounting for inequality)" and "the HDI can be viewed as an index of "potential" human development (or the maximum IHDI that could be achieved if there were no inequality)"
- The origins of the HDI are found in the annual Development Reports of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
- United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations global development net work.
- Its headquarters are at in New York City. It formed in 1985. At present its head is Helen Clark
- HRD ordered to include third Gender
(HRD, third gender, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has advised all States and Union Territories (UTs), barring Jammu and Kashmir, to take appropriate action for the inclusion of “third gender’’ children among socially and educationally backward classes for admission in educational institutions under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to universalise elementary education. This is in keeping with the Supreme Court order of April 15, 2014, to treat and grant legal recognition to the “third gender”. - India against to WTO agreement
(WTO agreement, India refused wto, easier customs rules)
The government on 25th July refused to yield to pressure from developed countries to accept easier customs rules without its food subsidy concerns being addressed, putting at risk a likely deal at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Developed countries have stepped up the pressure on India saying failure to strike a deal on trade facilitation would stall global trade reforms and deal a massive blow to the WTO by undoing the work done by trade ministers at Bali.
India is demanding that the new agreement, which is to be implemented a year later, should be finalized only after WTO members accept the demand from several developing countries, led by India, to change the rules on government food subsidies. Currently, the government has to cap food subsidy at 10% of the value of the production but the value is based on prices prevalent in 1986-88, which have increased up to six times since then. A breach of the cap will limit the ability of developing countries to maintain public stockholding of food grains, which not just benefits farmers but also helps in combating price fluctuations.
In contrast, government officials argued, the developed countries devised rules in a way that their subsidies are not reduced.
In December, WTO members had agreed to address India's concerns in Bali but they had drafted the deal in a way that the trade facilitation agreement is finalized by July-end, while a final decision on food security and issues of concern to the least developed countries (LDCs) was deferred for a later data.
Since then officials said that the WTO members, led by the developed countries have shown little interest in finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding, which is evident from three meetings on the issue, compared to over 20 for trade facilitation.
India now realizes this will result in developed countries asking for more concessions in return to agreeing to the demands of the poorer countries.
As a result, India now wants the WTO to postpone a final decision by a few months and convene a special session of the agriculture committee to address the food security concerns.
But the developed countries are accusing India of blocking a deal and saying that in the absence of trade facilitation agreement, the entire trade reforms agenda will be derailed. - Special Counsel for Coal Scam
(Special counsel, coal scam, Supreme Court, coal blocks)
On the lines of the 2G scam case, the Supreme Court on 25th July appointed senior counsel R.S. Cheema as the special public prosecutor in the case relating to alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks before a special CBI judge.
The court gave the authorities two week time to issue notification for the setting of special court to be presided over by Parashar and the appointment of Cheema, who practices in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as special public prosecutor. The court also directed that all the matters pending in different court relating to coal blocks allocation scam would stand transferred to the special court.
The apex court July 18 had decided to set up a special court to try cases arising from coal block allocation scam and also appoint a special public prosecutor to lead the prosecution cases before the special court. The chief justice of the Delhi High Court had been asked to name a judge to preside over the special court.
About Scam
Coal allocation scam or Coalgate, as referred by the media, is a political scandal concerning the Indian government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In a draft report issued in March 2012, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the Government of India of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner during the period 2004–2009. - Good Governance platform inaugurated
(Good governance, platform inaugurated, PM Narendra Modi)
To promote concept of good governance and also to interact directly with people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an online platform mygov.nic.in. It engages citizens in the task of good governance. It’s a technology driven platform. It gives an opportunity the people participation, for good governance. The platform - MyGov - presents an opportunity to the citizens to both ‘Discuss’ and ‘Do.’- National Informatics Centre (NIC), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) would implement and manage the platform “MyGov” which would facilitate Citizen Engagement in Good Governance.
- Groups and corners are an important part of MyGov. The platform has been divided into various groups namely Clean Ganga, Girl Child Education, Clean India, Skilled India, Digital India, Job Creation.
- India failed to achieve MDG
India’s fight against poverty, child mortality and open defecation, among other key areas, needs to be intensified, says UN’s Millennium Development Goals report 2014. According to the report, “In 2010, one-third of the world’s 1.2 billion extreme poor lived in India alone.”
The World Bank also predicts that, by 2015, 40 per cent of the estimated 970 million people living on less than $1.25 a day will be from Southern Asia.
In another depressing statistic, the UN report said, “India had the highest number of under-five deaths in the world in 2012, with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday.”
This is despite the fact that globally the mortality rate for children under-five has dropped by almost 50 per cent in 2012.
Sanitation is another area which brings woe for India. It retains its infamous status as having the biggest population without access to proper toilets. “Close to 60 per cent of the one billion people practising open defecation live in India,” the UN report notes.
Though the UN’s MDG report is more region specific, these references have been made specifically to India, which is the largest country of the South Asia region. This region itself has fared poorly on most parameters of development.
For example, the report notes that in 2012 the prevalence of under-nutrition of children was highest in South Asia, with 30 per cent of under-five children being underweight. The region also accounted for 24 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2013.
Millennium development goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 189 United Nations member states at the time (there are 193 currently) and at least 23 international organizations committed to help achieve the following Millennium Development Goals by 2015:- To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- To achieve universal primary education
- To promote gender equality and empower women
- To reduce child mortality
- To improve maternal health
- To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- To ensure environmental sustainability
- To develop a global partnership for development
Each goal has specific targets and dates for achieving those targets. To accelerate progress, the G8 Finance Ministers agreed in June 2005 to provide enough funds to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to cancel $40 to $55 billion in debt owed by members of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) to allow them to redirect resources to programs for improving health and education and for alleviating poverty. - India’s urban population increased
According to Urban Development Minister Venkaia Naidu, India’s urban population increased from 27.80 per cent of the total population in 2001 to 31.10 per cent in 2011. Southern States and Union Territories (UTs) are leading the pack in the country’s urbanization.
Four Southern States and six Union Territories along with Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura have led this growth.
As against the national average, the urban population increased by 21.70 per cent in Kerala, 6.10 per cent in undivided Andhra Pradesh, 4.70 per cent in Karnataka and 4.40 per cent in Tamil Nadu.
In UTs, apart from Pondicherry which reported 1.70 per cent higher urbanization, all others saw growth higher than the national average.
Other States which surpassed national average include Goa (22.40 per cent), Sikkim (14.10 per cent), Nagaland (10.70 per cent), Haryana (6.0 per cent), Gujarat (5.20 per cent), Uttarakhand (4.50 per cent), West Bengal (3.90 per cent) and Punjab (3.60 per cent). - TRAI Bill gets President’s assent
A bill to remove legal hurdles in the appointment of former TRAI chief Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister has now become an Act with President Pranab Mukherjee giving his assent. The President gave his assent to the Telecom Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2014 on July 17, officials said.
The Procedure of Bill becoming an Act
A Bill is a draft Act of Parliament presented to either House by one of its Members. Before a Bill can become an Act and therefore the law of the land, it must pass through a number of similar stages in each House, and then receive Royal Assent.
There are three 'readings' of a Bill in its progress through each House.
Introduction and First Reading
A Member's request for leave to introduce a Bill appears on the Notice Paper on the next sitting day. On the day it is to be considered the Member concerned seeks leave which is usually agreed to without discussion. The Member then presents to the House a copy of the Bill, which is 'read' a first time.
One special class of Bills must be mentioned. These are 'Money Bills': Bills which appropriate revenue or other public money, or deal with taxation, or the raising, guarantee or repayment of any loan. These must be introduced in the House of Assembly first, as the Legislative Council has restricted powers in relation to money matters.
Second Reading
After the first reading in the Originating House, the second reading may be moved immediately or be taken into consideration on a future day.The second reading is acknowledged to be the most important stage of a Bill, for it is here that the principles of the Bill are agreed to or rejected. To commence the second reading stage the Minister or private Member in charge of the Bill will rise and move 'That this Bill now be read a second time'. The Member will then proceed to make their main speech in favour of the Bill. This is known as the second reading speech. The Member will explain the reasons for introducing the Bill and outline the principles of the Bill and its benefits to society in general.
The second reading debate is closed when the Mover replies to the debate. The question is then put 'That this Bill be now read a second time' and submitted to the House by the Presiding Officer for its decision. If agreed the House of Assembly may proceed directly to the third reading but if there are tabled amendments or if Members wish to raise questions about the Bill, it goes through a Committee stage first.
Committee Stage
The common conception of a committee is that of a small group appointed by a larger group. But when the Houses are 'in Committee', it means all the Members. When a Bill is to be considered in a Committee of the whole House of Assembly, the Speaker leaves the Chair
The purpose of the Committee stage is to examine the Bill in detail, and make amendments where considered by the majority to be necessary.
Third Reading
The third reading is also an important stage of the Bill, because Members now decide whether the Bill agreed to in the Committee stage should be finally approved. Often the third reading stage is just a formality with little if any debate because the details have been clarified and agreed at the second reading or Committee stages.
The rules governing the third reading are similar to those which apply to the second reading. However, the debate on the third reading of a Bill is more restricted and cannot go beyond what is actually contained in the Bill as it emerged from the Committee stage. Agreement to the third reading completes the passage of the Bill through the House.
When a House has agreed to the Bill, it is sent by written message signed by the Presiding Officer to the other House for its concurrence. The Bill again goes through three readings, with a Committee stage between the second and third readings, before being passed.
When a Bill has finally passed both Houses, 'Royal Arms' copies are printed, certified by the Presiding Officer and the Clerk of the House in which the Bill originated, and then presented by that Presiding Officer to the Governor for assent. The Governor assents to Bills in Executive Council in the name, and on behalf, of the Sovereign.
The Governor's signature and the impress of the public seal of the State are necessary formalities which represent the final stages in converting a Bill into an Act of Parliament. TRAI Bill, initially promulgated in the form of Ordinance and later it became Law- TRAI bill came through Ordinance
- By promulgating an Ordinance, a few mandals in Khammam district of Telangana were merged in Andhra Pradesh
- In recent times, the NIrbhaya Act and Food Security, initially came into existence through Ordinance
Under the Constitution, the power to make laws rests with the legislature. However, in cases when Parliament is not in session, and ‘immediate action’ is needed, the President can issue an ordinance. An ordinance is a law, and could introduce legislative changes. After the ordinance is framed it is to be laid before Parliament within 6 weeks of its first sitting once the ordinance is laid in Parliament, the government introduces a Bill addressing the same issue. This Bill is supposed to highlight the reasons that necessitated the issue of the Ordinance. Thereafter, the Bill follows the regular law making process.- President promulgates Ordinance under article 123
- Governor of a state promulgates Ordinance under Article 213
- UNAIDS report on AIDs
64 per cent of people living with HIV in India have no access to treatment, says a new report by UNAIDS, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. India has around 2.1 million people with HIV, which is the third largest number for any single country. More than half of all AIDS-related deaths in Asia are from India. Globally, three of every five people infected with HIV are not accessing antiretroviral therapy, says the UNIADS report. The proportion of people without access to treatment is as high as 80 per cent in Nigeria.
However, India saw a 38 per cent decline in AIDS-related deaths between 2005 and 2013, largely due to the scaling-up of access to HIV treatment, says the report. More than 7,00,000 people in the country were on antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2013, which is the second largest number of people on treatment among all countries. - Poor Health Care ups private spending
The per capita private expenditure on health is three to four times higher than per capita public expenditure in major states of country, there may be exception being Northeastern states and J & K, according to the ninth edition of the National Health Profile, 2013, released. According to Central Bureau of Health Intelligence under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare- The expenditure on health in 2000 is 4.3% of GDP
- The expenditure on health in 2010 is 3.7% of GDP
Other points of report mentions that- Funds flow for health sector is maximum by Private which stands at 71.62% as per 2008-09 estimates, where as public funds had accounted only for 26.70%
- Madhya Pradesh reported the maximum number of foeticide and infanticide cases, with Uttar Pradesh in the second position followed by Maharashtra.
- Morbidity due to non-communicable diseases accounts for a large share of the disease burden in India.
- The number of cases of diabetes was estimated to be 3.1 crore in 2005 and expected to reach 4.6 crore in 2015.
- In 2013, there were 3,94,982 accidental deaths and 1,35,445 suicides and the maximum number of suicide cases 46,635 was reported between the age group 15-29 years.
- Medical education infrastructure has shown rapid growth in the last 20 years. There are 381 medical colleges and 19,817 hospitals with 6, 28,708 beds in the country.
- River linking needs 10 years: Union Minister
According to Union Minister for water resources, the interlinking of rivers can be achieved in 10 years
Interlinking
Interlinking is aimed transferring surplus water to deficit areas in the country. Interlinking helps to flood-prone areas and drought prone zones.
Interlinking of rivers was first proposed by Britain engineer Arthur Cotton
After India achieved independence in 1970, K.L. Rao proposed National water grid.
Need of interlinking- India receives about 4,000 cubic kilometers of rain annually, or about 1 million gallons of fresh water per person every year.
- The nation sees cycles of drought years and flood years, with large parts of west and south experiencing more deficits and large variations
- Despite abundant rains during July-September, some regions in other seasons see shortages of drinking water. This excess-scarcity regional disparity and flood-drought cycles have created the need for water resources management. Rivers inter-linking is one proposal to address that need
- Interlinking also helps for navigation. India needs infrastructure for logistics and movement of freight. Using connected rivers as navigation is a cleaner, low carbon footprint form of transport infrastructure, particularly for ores and food grains
- India slipped in Global Innovation Index
India’s rank slipped in Global Innovation Index jointly published by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization. At present India stood at 76th position, a slip of 10 places from last year, in the annual Global Innovation Index (GII) survey for 2014.
The survey was made in 143 economies around the world, using 81 indicators to gauge innovation capabilities and results.
India is the worst performer among BRICS nations, with all the others improving their positions from that of the last year. China was the best among BRICS nations at 29th position, an improvement of six places. Russia went up 13 places at 49th rank. South Africa ranked 53rd, went up five places, while Brazil at 61st position, moved up three places.
Singapore (7th), Hong Kong(10th) and South Korea (16th ) are the only Asian economies in the top 20 in this year's Global Innovation Index, headed by Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, the United States, among others.
The India Chapter notes that the country scores with quality of its universities, IT services exports, and export of creative goods, but these are outweighed by weaknesses in its institutional pillars such as political stability, ease of starting a business, as well as human capital and research.
In fact, earlier this year in World Bank's "Doing Business Report" for 2014, India slipped three notches to 134th spot in a survey among 189 countries. - Special Court for coal scam: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on 18th July asked the chief justice of the Delhi High Court to select a judge from the higher judicial service to act as a special court in the coal allocation scam and related cases. The cases will involve the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Money Laundering Act, economic and other offences. The high court will communicate the name to the Supreme Court next Friday. It is the high court which has the power to select a special judge.
The Bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha also asked Common Cause, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other parties in the case to name a special public prosecutor, similar to the arrangement made in the 2G spectrum scam a few years ago. One of the names proposed by the judges was former solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium, who almost made it to the Supreme Court bench recently.
Coal allocation scam or Coalgate, as referred by the media, is a political scandal concerning the Indian government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In a draft report issued in March 2012, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the Government of India of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner during the period 2004–2009. Over the summer of 2012, the opposition BJP lodged a complaint resulting in a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into whether the allocation of the coal blocks was in fact influenced by corruption - CAG points to gaps in petroleum pricing
In its audit report on public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs), the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on July 18th said the government’s methodology for pricing petroleum products had led to undue benefits to private refiners. In 2011-12, Reliance Industries and Essar Oil had benefited to the tune of Rs 667 crore on diesel alone, it estimated.
The CAG report said, benefited by Rs 26,600 crore through the pricing of products at the refinery gate. However, this cost advantage wasn’t adequately translated into an improvement in refining margins, optimization of production costs and an improvement in yields.
The auditor also found three of the six refineries audited, including Indian Oil Corporation’s Haldia refinery and the Mumbai refineries of Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation had considerable scope of improvement, in terms of gross refinery margins.
The CAG recommended appropriate checks to prevent the likely diversion of cheaper subsidized fuel, which would dilute the positive impact of market pricing for bulk customers on under recoveries. The share of bulk high-speed diesel (HSD) in total HSD sales had declined to about 10 per cent in August 2013 from annual average of 18 per cent in 2011-12, the report said.
CAG Where find mistake- Rs 667 cr: Estimated undue benefit to RIL and Essar Oil in 2011-12
- Rs 1,428 cr: Benefit to standalone PSU refineries in 2011-12
- Rs 2,10,676 cr: The under recovery on LPG and kerosene for 2007-12, against the 2002 Budget provision of Rs 14,121 crore
- 10%: The share of bulk high-speed diesel (HSD) in total HSD sales in August 2013
On Mumbai airport- 4-year delay more than doubled cost to Rs 12,380 cr in 2011, against Rs 5,826 crore estimated in 2006
- Financing risks not effectively transferred to concessionaire
- Outsourcing of cargo business and hotel operations by MIAL led to a fall in AAI's revenue share
- Modified approach for VMPL-gauge conversion project without CCEA approval led to additional financial burden of Rs 128 crore
- 15-month delay in formation of SPV led to 100% cost overruns for HPRCL (new line project), amounting to Rs 218 crore
- Pending liability of Rs 79 crore on HMRDC-gauge conversion project; no clause for payment of sub-ordinate debt
Report on PPP projects
The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) has picked holes in the way the Public Private Partnership (PPP) was handled in two vital infrastructure sectors during the tenure of the previous government.
The CAG’s adverse comments on the Mumbai airport and several Railways projects come at a time when the National Democratic Alliance Government is pinning its hopes of using the PPP route to build infrastructure in several sectors.
CAG
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India under Chapter V, who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government.
The CAG is mentioned in the Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in Indian order of precedence.
The current CAG of India is Shashi Kant Sharma, he is the 12th CAG of India.
The first CAG of India is Narahari - Jaipur Foot to open centre in Mauritius
The world famous Jaipur Foot will launch a centre in Mauritius. The centre will be located at Port Louise in collaboration with Global Rainbow Foundation, an organization that works for the disadvantaged and the physically-challenged, and provides them with medical aid.
D.R. Mehta, founder and chief patron of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata (BMVSS), an organisation for the physically-challenged, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Sunday to start the centre in Mauritius. The GRF will launch its two-phase Jaipur Foot project which would be called “gift of mobility.”
Jaipur Foot
The Jaipur Foot, also known as the Jaipur Leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. Although inferior in many ways to the composite carbon fibre variants, its variable applicability and cost efficiency make it an acceptable choice for prosthesis. Ram Chander Sharma designed and developed it in 1968 - Mercy petitions rejected
Mercy petitions of six death row convicts including Surendra Koli, found guilty in the sensational Nithari serial rapes and killings, have been rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee. Besides Koli, mercy pleas of Renukabai and Seema Rajendra Pralhadrao Wasnik (Maharashtra), Jagdish and Holiram Bordoloi (Assam) have been rejected following recommendations of the Home Ministry - Fatwas have no legal standing: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on 7th July ruled that fatwas issued by shariat courts or muftis had no legal sanctity, asserting that the defiance of fatwas will have no civil or criminal consequences. The court said it would be illegal to impose these religion-based opinions on personal issues on citizens in violation of their fundamental rights.
The court cited the stand of Deoband Dar-ul-Uloom's stand to emphasize the deep psychological impact of fatwas. The Deoband Dar-ul-Uloom had said, "The persons who are god-fearing and believe that they are answerable to the almighty and have to face the consequence of their doings/deeds, such are the persons who submit to fatwa."
What is Fatwa?
Fatwa is an Arabic word, and it literally means "opinion". Related words in Arabic are "afta", which means to give an opinion, and "yastafti", which means to ask for an opinion. In all Arabic countries, an opinion poll is called an "istifta", which is simply a different form of the same word. - Delhi most populous city after Tokyo
Delhi has become the world's second most populous city in 2014 after Tokyo, more than doubling its population since 1990 to 25 million, according to a UN report.
The 2014 revision of the World Urbanisation Prospects launched on 10th July said that India is projected to add the highest number of people to its urban population by 2050, ahead of China. The Indian capital is expected to retain the spot of the world's second most populous city through at least 2030, when its population is expected to rise swiftly to 36 million.
Tokyo topped UN's ranking of the most populous cities in 2014 with 38 million inhabitants and while its population is projected to decline, it will remain the world's largest city in 2030 with 37 million people.
Mumbai, which ranks sixth on the list of the world's most populous cities in 2014, is projected to become the fourth largest city in 2030 when its population would grow to 28 million from the current 21 million. Tokyo and New Delhi were followed by Shanghai with 23 million, and Mexico City, Mumbai and Sao Paulo, each with around 21 million inhabitants in 2014.
The report said that the largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria between 2014 and 2050, with the three countries accounting for 37 per cent of the projected growth of the world's urban population.
By 2050, India is projected to add 404 million urban dwellers, way more than China's projection of 292 million. Nigeria will add 212 million to its urban population. India's current urban population is 410 million people and this will grow to 814 million by 2050. China currently has the largest urban population of 758 million.
Other Important Points:- India and China account for 30 per cent of the world's urban population.
- The two Asian giants along with the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan and Russia currently account for more than half of the world's urban population.
- About 54 per cent of the world's population currently lives in urban areas and this proportion is expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050, with the maximum increase taking place in the urban areas of Africa and Asia.
- The world's urban population is now close to 3.9 billion and is expected to reach 6.3 billion in 2050, according to the UN report.
- The rural population of the world has grown slowly since 1950 and is expected to reach its peak in a few years. Approximately 3.4 billion people currently live in rural areas around the world.
- However, sometime after 2020, the world's rural population will start to decline and is expected to reach 3.2 billion in 2050.
- India currently has the largest rural population at 857 million, followed by China (635 million).
According to UN report despite a view that India is rapidly urbanising, it will have just half of its population in cities even in 2050. In 2050, India will be one of the least urbanised major countries, with Sri Lanka, Uganda, Cambodia, Nepal, Kenya and Ethiopia for company, while China will be 76% urban.- In 2050, the world will have 9.55 billion people and India with 1.62 billion people will be the most populous country in the world, the numbers show, its population still growing.
- China, on the other hand, will have hit its peak of 1.45 billion in 2030 and have declined to 1.38 billion people by 2050.
- India will add 400 million urban residents between now and 2050, and will account for a third of all urban growth with China and Nigeria.
- However, the pace is not as fast as had been earlier imagined. The world’s rural population will hit its peak in a few years and is expected to decline to 3.1 billion by 2050.
- While India has the world’s largest rural population now (857 million), the number of rural residents is expected to decline by 52 million by 2050, as opposed to an upcoming decline of 300 million rural residents in China.
- India will account for a quarter of the world’s rural population in 2050, as it does now.
- Delhi, the world’s 12th largest city in 1990 but its second largest city now (after Tokyo), will remain the second largest in 2030 with a projected population of over 36 million people in the entire urban agglomeration. From two megacities (cities with over 10 million residents) – Mumbai and Kolkata – in 1990, India has three in 2014 – Delhi (25 million), Mumbai (21 million), Kolkata (15 million). By 2030, it will add four more – Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
- Prevalence of TB reduces, Says WHO
According to World Health Organization, prevalence of Tuberculosis per lakh population in India has reduced from 465 in the year 1990 to 230 in year 2012. Tuberculosis mortality per lakh population has reduced from 38 in the year 1990 to 22 in year 2012.- The estimated proportion of Multi-Drug Resistant TB cases is not increasing. It is less than 3 percent among new TB cases and between 12-17 percent among re-treatment TB cases.
- The detection of MDR-TB cases has been increasing due to availability of more diagnostic facilities for MDR TB and coverage of the entire country by management of Drug Resistant TB in the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), between 2007 and 2013.
- With effective anti-TB Drug regimens administered under the globally acclaimed DOTS strategy, RNTCP has been consistently achieving more than 85 percent treatment success rates among New Smear Positive Patients since the year 2001.
Central Ground Water Board and IIRS signed MOU
Central Ground Water Board and Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) on 9 July 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate a collaborative study to assess the impact of ground water abstraction on land subsidence in Northern India.
The study involves use of state of art technologies such as Space borne Geodetic observations on land subsidence, predictive modelling, inter-comparison of land subsidence, ground water depletion and space based gravity anomaly etc. The Project results include land subsidence information for selected cities of northern India and regional groundwater depletion scenario along with recharge assessment. - India logged 248 new species in 2013
The Zoological Survey of India has discovered 248 new animal species in different parts of the country in 2013. Of them, 162 are insects, 19 are arachnids, 36 are fish, five are amphibians and two are reptiles. Of the 1.4 million animal species that had been found across the world till December 2013, India, with over 96,000 finds, was home to 7 per cent
Among the new finds, the most interesting is a shieldtail snake, Rhinophis goweri, found in the Bodamalai hills of Tamil Nadu. Of the five species of amphibians, three are found in the north-east — two in Arunachal Pradesh, one in Meghalaya, one in the Eastern Ghats and one from Maharashtra.
The frog found in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Raorchestes ghatei, is a new species of shrub frog which inhabits semi-evergreen forests and scrub patches. Of the 36 species of fish, at least 18 are found in the north-eastern States, four in West Bengal and eight in Kerala.
Scientists at the ZSI have also spotted 54 species earlier found in other parts of the world, for the first time in India. Of these 11 are fish and 21 are insects. - India vetoed TFA Protocol
India on 3rd July refused to ratify the trade facilitation agreement (TFA) that was discussed during the ninth ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia. India has said that developed nations pushing for TFA that will help them in pushing more of their produce into the markets of developing and poorer countries.
India’s ambassador to WTO Anjali Prasad has also told the committee there is growing disenchantment against Bali package which he said “subordinated to the might of the developed world”.
Prasad said the Bali ministerial decision, which was arrived at in December 2013, on public stockholding for food security purposes under the Agreement on Agriculture is increasingly getting 'sidelined'. Apparently, the US and European Union are not allowing the talks on agriculture to progress.
They are pushing for TFA, which leads to relaxation of customs rules on the borders and reduction in red-tape, as that will help them in pushing more of their produce into the markets of developing and poorer countries. - What is Bali accord?
The Bali Accord is a trade agreement resulting from the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization in Bali, Indonesia on 3–7 December 2013. It is aimed at lowering global trade barriers and is the first agreement reached through the WTO that is approved by all its members. The package forms part of the Doha Development Round, which started in 2001.
India has made it clear that it would not agree to the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) unless there is a "tangible and credible evidence of movement" on arriving at a permanent solution on safeguards to run food security programmes of developing nations without attracting any penalty and a package for LDCs
This comes at a time when India is already grappling with soaring food prices, while the prices of essential food items hit the roof. It seems India has been once again isolated on the issue. The initial cooperation from the African countries seems to be fading away even as others such as China and Brazil are maintaining a steely silence.
During the Bali ministerial meeting, it was agreed that developing countries like India can continue to offer food subsidies in the form of minimum support price, which is otherwise not allowed under global trading rules.
About WTO- The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade.
- The organization officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.
- NSA surveillance on BJP
America’s top spy agency was authorized by a US court in 2010 to carry out surveillance on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with five other political organizations across the globe, including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Pakistan People’s Party, according to a classified document. The BJP figures in the list of foreign political parties along with Lebanon’s Amal, the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator of Venezuela, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian National Salvation Front and the Pakistan People’s Party for whom the National Security Agency (NSA) had sought permission to carry out surveillance, says the document made public by The Washington Post on 30th June. - Surveillance of USA
PRISM is a clandestine mass electronic surveillance data mining program launched in 2007 by the National Security Agency (NSA), with participation from an unknown date by the British equivalent agency, GCHQ. PRISM is a government code name for a data-collection effort known officially by the SIGAD US-984XN. The Prism program collects stored Internet communications based on demands made to Internet companies such as Google Inc. under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to turn over any data that match court-approved search terms. The NSA can use these Prism requests to target communications that were encrypted when they traveled across the Internet backbone, to focus on stored data that telecommunication filtering systems discarded earlier, and to get data that is easier to handle, among other things. - Rail link to Katra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4th July flagged off the train linking Katra — the base camp for pilgrims going to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine nestled in the Trikuta hills. Suggesting that the train be named ‘Shree Shakti Express’ Train connectivity to Katra is part of the Kashmir rail link project that will connect the Valley with the rest of the country. The last link between Katra and Banihal pass is expected to be completed by 2018. The 25-km-long Udhampur-Katra line, commissioned after prolonged delays, has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,132.75 crore.
The train will traverse through seven tunnels and over 30 small and large bridges. There will be a small station — Chakrakhwal — between Udhampur and Katra.
Trains will be able to reach Katra directly as the 53-km-long Jammu-Udhampur rail line is already operational. This would enable lakhs of pilgrims going to the revered Vaishno Devi shrine to travel directly to the base camp at Katra. - Katra
Katra or Katra Vaishno Devi, as it is popularly known, is a small town in Reasi district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir situated in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, where the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi is located. It is located 42 km from the city of Jammu. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, one of the leading technical universities of India, is also located here
