Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
Transcript of Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
-
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
1/87Copyright 2011 | WW W.UPSCPORTAL.COM 1
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
2/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 2
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Join us at FaceBook :http://www.facebook.com/upscportal.original
Follow us at Twitter :http://twitter.com/upscportal
Join UPSCPORTAL.COMs Google Groups : http://groups.google.co.in/group/upscportal
Join UPSCPORTAL.COMs Official Forum: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/forum
Buy Books & Study Material Online: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-books
Get IAS, UPSC Daily Updates in your E-mail:http://upscportal.com/civilservices/newsletter
Articles:
8 Lokpal Bill
8 Libyan Crisis
Cirrent Affairs:
8 National Issues
8 International Issues
8 Economy
8 India & The World
8 Science & Technology
8 Sports
8 Awards & Prizes
8 Persons in News
Special Study Material
8 Bank Solved Paper (S.B.I.) P.O. Held on 18.04.2010
CONTENTS
http:/ / upsc porta l.c om/ c ivilservic es/ a lert/ ias-mains-test-series-2011
Issues
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.facebook.com/upscportal.originalhttp://twitter.com/upscportalhttp://groups.google.co.in/group/upscportalhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/forumhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/newsletterhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/alert/ias-mains-test-series-2011http://upscportal.com/civilservices/alert/ias-mains-test-series-2011http://upscportal.com/civilservices/newsletterhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/forumhttp://groups.google.co.in/group/upscportalhttp://twitter.com/upscportalhttp://www.facebook.com/upscportal.originalhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
3/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 3
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
The word Lokpal means an ombudsman in India. The word has been
derived from the Sanskrit words "loka" (people) and "pala" (protector/
caretaker). So the word Lokpal means 'protector of people'. The con-
cept of Lokpal has been drawn up to root out corruption at all levels in
the prevailing Indian polity.
The Lokpal will be a three-member body with a chairperson who is or
was a chief justice or Supreme Court judge, and two members who are
or have been high courts judges or chief justices.Implementation ofthe Lokpal bill will hopefully reduce corruption in India. The basic
idea of the Lok Pal is borrowed from the office of ombudsman, which
has played an effective role in checking corruption and wrong-doing in Scandinavian and other nations.
In early 1960s, mounting corruption in public administration set the winds blowing in favour of an
Ombudsman in India too.
The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) set up in 1966 recommended the constitution of a
two-tier machinery - of a Lokpal at the Centre, and Lokayukta(s) in the states.the Lokpal has to com-
plete the inquiry within six months.
Duties of Lokpal are as follows:
1. To judge the cases and make jurisdictions against corruption cases with the Lokpal.
2. To judge whether a case is legal or whether a fake complaint has been made.
3. To potentially impose fines on a fake complaint, or even a short span of jail time, if the case is not
proved to be legally true.
In India, the Jan Lokpal Bill (also referred to as the citizens' ombudsman bill) is a proposed anti-
corruption law designed to effectively deter corruption, redress grievances and protect whistleblowers.
The law would create an ombudsman called the Lokpal; this would be an independent body similar to
the Election Commission of India with the power to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without prior
government permission.
A compromise bill, merging the Government's version and that of the civil group's version (Jan Lokpal),
is being drafted by a committee of five Cabinet Ministers and five social activists. As of July 2011, the
most current version of the bill is version 2.3, according to the government website. For 42 years, the
government-drafted bill has failed to pass the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India.The
first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, in 1969 but stalled
in the Rajya Sabha. Subsequent Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998,
2001, 2005 and 2008 but all failed to pass.
LOKPAL B ILL
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
4/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 4
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Latest Developments
Anna Hazare, a Gandhian rights activist, had
started a fast unto death at Jantar Mantar in New
Delhi demanding the passing of the bill. Hazare
called off his hunger strike on the 9th of April,2011 bringing to an end his 98-hour protest after
the government issued a gazette notification con-
stituting a 10-member Joint Committee of govern-
ment ministers and civil society activists, includ-
ing him, to draft a bill for the creation of an effec-
tive Lokpal.
Drafting Committee
The drafting committee was officially formed on8 April 2011. It consists of ten members, includ-
ing five from the government and five drawn from
society.
Chairmen
The Government of India accepted that the com-
mittee be co-chaired by a politician and an activ-
ist, non-politician. It is reported that Pranab
Mukherjee, from the political arena, and Shanti
Bhushan, from civil society, will fill those roles.
Government representation (Five Cabinet min-
isters )They are:
Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister, Co-Chair-man;
P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home Affairs; Veerappa Moily, Minister of Law and Justice; Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications andInformation Technology; and
Salman Khursid, Minister of Water Resources.
Civil society representation (Five leading social
activists). They are:
Shanti Bhushan, Former Minister of Law andJustice, Co-Chairman;
Anna Hazare, Social Activist; Prashant Bhushan, Lawyer;
N. Santosh Hegde, Lokayukta (Karnataka); and Arvind Kejriwal.
Thousands of people from all over India, especially
the youth, supported Anna Hazare's cause by candle
light marches and online campaigns through so-
cial media.Recently Yoga guru, Swami Ramdev,was on a fast for this cause for 9 consecutive days
from 4 June - 12 June 2011. He wanted the Gov-
ernment of India to accept various demands which
mainly included those related to the Lokpall
bill.Anna Hazare on the 8th of June, 2011, declared
that he will restart his fast unto death on the 16th
of August if the Lokpal bill is not passed by the
Parliament of India by 15 August, which is the
Inependence Day of India.On the 16th of June, the
civil society reported that only 15 points of total
71 that they recommended have been agreed to bythe Joint Committee consisting of five central min-
isters. Following differences with the Civil Soci-
ety, the team of five central ministers decided to
forward two drafts of the Lokpal Bill to the Cabi-
net, one from each side.
The Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill)
is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by promi-
nent civil society activists seeking the appointment
of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would
investigate corruption cases, complete the inves-
tigation within a year and envisages trial in the
case getting over in the next one year. Drafted by
Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court
Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka),
Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and
Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill en-
visages a system where a corrupt person found
guilty would go to jail within two years of the com-
plaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being
confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpalto prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without
government permission.
Salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:
1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and
LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up.
2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission,
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
5/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 5
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
they will be completely independent of the gov-
ernments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able
to influence their investigations.
3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on
for years anymore: Investigations in any case will
have to be completed in one year. Trial should be
completed in next one year so that the corrupt poli-
tician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two
years.
4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the gov-
ernment will be recovered at the time of
conviction.
5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work
of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any
government office, Lokpal will impose financialpenalty on guilty officers, which will be given as
compensation to the complainant.
6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration
card or passport or voter card is not being made
or if police is not registering your case or any other
work is not being done in prescribed time.
Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time.
You could also report any case of corruption to
Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor qual-ity roads been constructed or panchayat funds be-
ing siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its
investigations in a year, trial will be over in next
one year and the guilty will go to jail within two
years.
7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and
weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be
possible because its members will be selected by
judges, citizens and constitutional authorities andnot by politicians, through a completely transpar-
ent and participatory process.
8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes cor-
rupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta
will be completely transparent. Any complaint
against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated
and the officer dismissed within two months.
9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption
agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-
corruption branch of CBI will be merged into
Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and
machinery to independently investigate and pros-
ecute any officer, judge or politician.
10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide
protection to those who are being victimized for
raising their voice against corruption.
Some people have opined that the Jan Lokpal Bill
is 'Nave' in its approach to combating corruption.
The Lokpal concept was criticized by the Human
Resource Development (HRD) minister Kapil
Sibal because of concerns that it will lack account-
ability, oppresively, and undemocratically.Theclaim that the Lokpal will be an extra-constitu-
tional body has been derided by Hazares closest
lieutenant, Arvind Kejriwal. He states the Jan
Lokpal Bill drafted by civil society will only in-
vestigate corruption offences and submit a charge
sheet which would then tried and prosecuted,
through trial courts and higher courts. Kejriwal
further states that the proposed bill also lists clear
provisions in which the Supreme Court can abol-
ish the Lokpal.Although Kejriwal has stated that
all prosecutions will be carried out through trialcourts, the exact judicial powers of LokPal is rather
unclear in comparison with its investigative pow-
ers.
The bill requires "...members of Lokpal and the
officers in investigation wing of Lokpal shall be
deemed to be police officers". Although some sup-
porters have denied any judicial powers of
Lokpal,the government and some critics have rec-
ognized Lokpal to have quasi-judicial powers.Thebill states that "Lokpal shall have, and exercise the
same jurisdiction powers and authority in respect
of contempt of itself as a High court has and may
exercise, and, for this purpose, the provisions of
the Contempt of ourts Act, 1971 (Central Act 70
of 1971) shall have the effect subject to the modi-
fication that the ref rences therein to the High Court
shall be construed as including a reference to the
Lokpal." Review of proceedings and decisions by
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
6/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 6
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Lokpal is prevented in the bill, stating "...no proceedings or decision of the Lokpal shall be liable to be
challenged, reviewed, quashed or called in question in any court of ordinary Civil Jurisdiction." With-
out judicial review, there is concern that Lokpal could become a extra-constitutional body with inves-
tigative and judicial powers whose decisions cannot be reviewed in regular courts.
Whether or not to include the Prime Minister and higher judiciary under the Lokpal remains as one of
the major issues of dispute. Although Hazare proposed Justice Verma, the former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, as the Chairman of the Lokpal Bill panel,Justice Verma later expressed his constitu-
tional objections for including the Prime Minister and higher judiciary under Lokpal, stating "this
would foul with the basic structure of the constitution".
India is a country where honesty and integrity in public and private life have been glorified andupheldin great epics such as the Vedas, Upanishads and in the books and practices of everyreligion practiced
here.Yet, India today is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.Bringing public servants under a
scanner which makes them strictly accountable is the start of amovement against corruption in India.
And one significant step in attacking the spectre ofcorruption in India will be the implementation of the
lok pal bill.
In the regular dispensation of government there are implicit and explicit ways that citizens canvoice
their grievances and demand change. But these are often difficult. Within administrative departments,
for example, any decision of one official can be appealed to a higher official, all the way up to the head
Lokpal will have no power to initiate suo motuaction or receive complaints of corruption fromthe general public. It can only probe.
Complaints forwarded by the Speaker of theLok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Lokpal will only be an Advisory Body with arole limited to forwarding reports to a "Compe-
tent Authority".
Lokpal will have no police powers and no abil-ity to register an First Information Report or pro-
ceed with criminal investigations.
The CBI and Lokpal will be unconnected.
Punishment for corruption will be a minimumof 6 months and a maximum of up to 7 years.
Lokpal will have powers to initiate suomoto action or receive complaints of corrup-tion from the general public.
Lokpal will have the power to initiateprosecution of anyone found guilty.
Lokpal will have police powers as well asthe ability to register FIRs.
Lokpal and the anti corruption wing of theCBI will be one independent body.
Punishments will be a minimum of 5 yearsand a maximum of up to life imprisonment.
Jan Lokp al Bill(Citizen's Ombudsman Bill)Draft Lokp al Bill (2010)
Differenc e Between Draft Lokp al Bill 2010 and Jan Lokp al Bill
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
7/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 7
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
of a department. However, this mechanism has inherent flaws.But it can be said that Lokpal is the need
of the hour and it will have to be implemented first ,then only we can decide whether it is fruitful or not.
LATEST BOOKS BY UPSCPORTAL.COM
ORDER ONLINEhttp:/ / upsc portal.c om/ c ivilservices/ order-books
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
8/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 8
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Following a spate of protests in countries around the region,
protests broke out in several areas of Libya challenging Col.
Muammar Qaddafis 42-year rule. In late February, as the
governments response to these protests turned increasinglyviolent, the UN Security Council responded by passing
Resolution 1970 to impose sanctions on Qaddafi and refer the
situation in Libya to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In
early March, the UN General Assembly suspended Libyas
membership to the Human Rights Council.On March 17th, the
UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973 calling for a no-fly zone to deter the bombardment of
civilian targets by government forces. Resolution 1973 marks the first time the Security Council passed
a resolution to authorize the use of force with an explicit reference to the responsibility to protect.An ad
hoc coalition composed of the US, France, and the UK began implementing the no-fly zone immediately
after the adoption of Resolution 1973. On March 27th, NATO assumed command of the military operation
in Libya. NATO follows Resolution 1973 in banning all flights in Libyan airspace, except those for
humanitarian and aid purposes, to make sure that civilians and civilian populated areas cannot be
subjected to air attack by Qaddafi forces.NATO should develop a civilian casualty tracking, analysis
and response mechanism with personnel in both Naples and in Benghazi. In addition to cataloguing all
available known data, the cell would also recognize and investigate all allegations of civilian casualties,
in anticipation of future development of an amends system.
France announced its official recognition for theLibyan National Councilas the
sole representative of the Libyan people and became the first western country to
do so. France also handed over the building of the former Libyan Embassy to
Paris to the Council. It also announced to send an ambassador to Benghazi (Libyassecond largest city) which is the seat of Libyan National Council.The President of
France, Nicholas Sarkozy had presented the global plan on the Crisis in Libya at
an emergency summit of European Union heads of government in Brussels on 11
March 2011. European nations took actions to isolate the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi
with France officially recognising the rebel group in Libya. Britain pressed for the imposition of a no-
fly zone and Germany freezed assets worth billions. Foreign ministers from the G8 failed to reach any
agreement on military intervention in Libya during the two-day summit in Paris. Despite France pushing
for a no-fly zone, G8 nations couldnt reach consensus on the establishment of a no-fly zone against
LIBYAN CRISIS
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
9/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 9
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Qadhafis forces in Libya. International conference
called by UK and held at London urged Muammar
Qadhafi to resign as the ruler of Libya. The London
conference in its resolution called for an immediate
ceasefire and to stop all attacks on civilians and
providing full humanitarian access to needy people.
The London conference made a declaration that
the NATO-led military operations would continue
in Libya until the above mentioned requirements
were met.
Russian Angle
The air campaign against Colonel
Gaddafis forces in Libya has had
an unexpected consequence far
from the front lines: it has resulted
in the first distinct manifestation of disagreementwithin Russias ruling duo. And the evident
difference in position between President Dmitry
Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has
revealed a fork in the road for Russias foreign
policy. When questions of war and peace are being
decided, powers that aspire to a global role should
occupy a clear position either for, or against. In
the case of Libya, Russia abstained from voting
on the UN Security Council resolution. Abstention
under President Medvedev contradicts Russiasprior strict adherence to a single foreign policy
principle: opposition of foreign interventions in
internal affairs.These days, the Kremlin remains
neutral, although the case of Libya is far more
urgent. As for the real goal of the military
campaign, there should be no illusions: the aim is
regime change. Any scenario that leaves Muammar
Gaddafi in power would be a moral and political
defeat for the West and West-friendly regimes in
the region.
To Moscow, Col Gaddafi is just one of many
partners, and for Russia to jeopardise the current
positive dynamic in relations with the US and the
EU for the sake of Tripoli makes no sense.
Deliberations about lost contracts in Libya are a
waste of breath: given the situation there now, there
would be no more business as usual with the
Libyan ruler anyway. The geopolitical purpose of
Operation Odyssey Dawn for Washington is to stop
the erosion of its influence in the Middle East,
while for Europe it is to prevent the definitive loss
of its international role. If they put a quick end to
the Gaddafi regime they will have achieved their
aim, at least for a while. But if the operation drags
on and requires more than air strikes, which looks
probable, the effect may be just the reverse:
Western influence may plummet in the region. Arab
regimes that supported the action will also be in a
vulnerable position. After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, Moscow was at pains for a long time to
assume or at least imitate the status of a global
power, partici- pating in all decisions on the
international stage. But towards the end of the last
decade, Russia began to see itself not as a likeness
of the former Soviet Union, but as a major and
influential, although regional, power whose vitalinterests have definite geographical contours. To
defend its interests, Moscow is ready to use force,
as it did in South Ossetia.Both approaches have
the right to exist, but it would be advisable to pick
one of them and stick to it. Simultaneously
declaring both puts the country in a weak and
ambivalent position, indicating that the Russian
leadership has no mutual understanding and no co-
ordinated policy. This is especially dispiriting at a
time when chaos is only increasing around the
world.
Indias Interests
Along with Russia and China, India
has been critical of the ongoing
western air strikes launched against
Libya on the ground that ordinary
Libyans would be affected and the air attacks
would prove counterproductive to the US
purported humanitarian objective. The ExternalAffairs Minister, Mr S. M. Krishna, has urged the
western nations, which have imposed a no fly
zone over Libya, to ceasefire and called upon the
Gaddafi regime and the rebel forces to abjure
violence and talk to each other. From an Indian
national security and foreign policy perspective,
the regime in Tripoli needs to be a friendly one
since Libya is an oil rich country and an eternal
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
10/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 10
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
shock western air attacks or civil war could
affect Indian industrial investments and energy
security interests there. New Delhis stand that air
attacks on Libya must cease is, therefore, grounded
in rational choice and Waltzian realism: Every big
or aspiring power weighs the costs and benefits of
the use of force and that their position on particular
matters in world politics is guided by self-interest.
In Indias case, it was protection of its vital interest
Libyan oil.
Indias national interests in Libya are essentially
economic in nature. Considering an estimated
18,000 Indians who work in that country, it is a
considerable contribution to the remittance
economy and adds to our foreign exchange kitty.
Otherwise, Indian companies, especially in the
hydrocarbon, power, construction and IT sector,have several ongoing projects in Libya. Besides,
Indian oil majors Indian Oil, Oil India and
ONGC Videsh are increasingly involving
themselves with the Libyan hydrocarbon sector
both in upstream and downstream. Also, BHEL
has successfully completed execution of the
prestigious Western Mountain Gas Turbine Power
Project. Similarly, i-flex Solutions is implementing
a project on core banking solutions with the Central
Bank of Libya and five other banks. Also, over the
past three decades, Indian companies haveexecuted several projects there. These included
building hospitals, houses, schools, roads, power
plants, airports, dams, transmission lines etc. The
presence of Indian companies in Libya has risen
significantly in the last five years.
This includes major PSUs such as BHEL, OVL,
IOC, Oil India, and private companies such as Punj
Llyod, Unitech Ltd, KEC, Dastur Engineering,
Shapoorji Pallonji International, SECON Pvt Ltd,Global Steel Ltd (Ispat Group Co.), NIIT, Sun
Pharma, Simplex Projects and Simplex
Infrastructure Ltd. The bilateral trade figures for
2009-10 were at $844.62 million, showing a
significant upward trend since 2004-05, peaking
to $ 1,366.65 million in 2007-08 compared to
$29.12 million in 2003-04.
Today, the western limited liability intervention in
Libya minus boots-on-the-ground aims to provide
the rebels a level-playing field against the more
organised military muscle of Gaddafis forces.
Perhaps, some level of western covert para-military
support like special forces/commandos may be
operationally deployed to advice the rebels on
tactics to adopt against the regimes forces.
Otherwise, the only advantage that the regimes
forces have would be in terms of some superior
weaponry such as shoulder fired rocket propelled
grenades/missile launchers.
Apart from this infantry-support weaponry, the
qualitative difference would be in terms of
command and control of the regimes forces that
in a sense would amount to a force multiplier vis-
a-vis the motley groups of rebels who lack such acoordinated approach to combat. he ostensible
logic of the US-led western powers to embark on
this two-dimensional military adventure from the
air and sea was only to prevent a carnage of the
rebel forces through neutralisation of Gaddaffis
airpower, tanks and artillery by aerial and naval
bombardment. The opposition to western air strikes
is solely on the grounds that collateral damage
would ensue and innocent citizenry would be hurt
due to flaws in military target acquisition
procedures based on inaccurate intelligence inputs.
India abstained from voting in the UNSC and did
not go along with the NATO-EU and Arab League
countries. Clearly, the US anti-dictator policy over
Libya is a contradiction considering Washington
adopted a pro-dictator stance on Bahrain and
supported the Saudi Arabian force deployment to
quell the opposition to the entrenched monarchy
there. Similarly, India also was equally inconsistent
by voting with the western industrial democraciesagainst Iran in 2009 at the UN, but not doing so
now. But foreign policy and consistency are not
always synonymous with each other; instead,
foreign policy and national interests have to be in
tune with each other.
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
11/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 11
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ order-books
ORDER ONLINE:
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
12/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 12
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Expansion ofCentral List of OBCs
The Union Cabinet of India approved inclusion of
the names of some castes and communities in the
Central list of other backward classes. The Union
Cabinet gave this approval on the advice of Na-
tional Commission for backward Classes which
asked for amendment in the list of backwardclasses. These caste and communities belong to
14 states namely Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal
Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West
Bengal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra
Pradesh and two union territories- Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.The Union Cabi-
net of India also approved a payment security
scheme to make sure that financial closure of
projects under phase-1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission.
Legislation to CurbHonour Killings
The Law Commission headed by Justice P.
Venkatrama Reddi approved the proposed draft
legislation, The Endangerment of Life and Liberty
(protection, prosecution and other measures) Act,
2011 to prosecute persons or a group involved in
honour killings. Law commission memberR.Venkatramni drafted the proposed
legislation.The draft legislation prohibits village
elders to interfere with the life and liberty of young
couples who marry as per their choice even if they
belong to the same gotra. According to the legisla-
tion, village elders cannot place these couples in a
hostile environment in the village concerned.As
per the draft legislation, the act of endangerment
of life and liberty will mean and include measures
such as social boycott, forcing people to leave their
homes in the locality and deprivation of the means
of livelihood. However, the law commission
turned down the demand for introducing a clause
in Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code to bring
honour killings under its ambit (Section 300).The
act drafted by the law commission to curb honur
killings was necessary becuase Article 21 of the
Constitution of India clearly states that no personshall be deprived of his life or personal liberty ex-
cept according to procedure established by law.
Khap Panchayats can't impose their dictats on
young couples.
Remote SensingData Polic y
The Union government unveiled a new remote
sensing data policy called the Remote Sensing DataPolicy 2011(RSDP2011) which allows all data of
resolutions up to 1 metre to be distributed on a
non-discriminatory basis. The new policy replaced
the 2001 policy.Apart from opening up the remote
sensing sector, the RSDP 2011 will remove restric-
tions to facilitate more users to get high resolution
data for developmental activities. Restrictions as
per the earlier 2001 policy, was removed. Now
there is no bar on publishing of high resolution,
remote sensing data of up to one metre
resolution.However, the RSDP stated that all data
of better than 1 metre resolution shall be screened
and cleared by the appropriate agency before dis-
tribution. According to the RSDP2011, the Na-
tional Remote Sensing Centre will be vested with
the authority to acquire and disseminate all satel-
lite remote sensing data in India both from Indian
and foreign satellites for the purpose of develop-
NATIONAL ISSUES
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
13/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 13
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
ment activities. The RSDP-2011 comes into ef-
fect immediately.
Critic isism of State Governmentsfor Misusing Provisions of Land
Acquisition
|A Supreme Court bench including Justice GS
Singhvi and Justice AK Ganguly refused to stay
the Allahabad High Court order quashing the no-
tifications for land acquisition in the area adjoin-
ing New Delhi and NCR. The court slammed state
governments for misusing provisions of Land Ac-
quisition Act to divest farmers of their agricultural
land and giving it to builders. The court even ques-
tioned building of hotels, malls and commercial
complexes on land acquired for public purpose.The
bench made an observation that a sinister campaign
has been launched by many state governments to
take advantage of the law against the poor people
for taking away the land and giving it to builders
where multiplexes, malls, posh residential com-
plexes are developed which are beyond the reach
of common men. The bench questioned the change
in land use by Uttar Pradesh government in Greater
Noida.
Extension ofthe RSBY Sc heme
The Union Cabinet approved extension of the
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to all
the registered domestic workers in India. The
scheme will likely cover approximately 47.50 lakh
domestic workers in the country. The RSBY will
provide for smart card based cashless health in-
surance cover of Rs.30000 per annum to BPL
workers (a unit of five) in unorganised sector in
any empanelled hospital anywhere in India. More
than 2.34 crore smart cards were issued on 31 May
2011. The health insurance cover, available to do-
mestic workers in the 18-59 age bracket, will en-
title the beneficiary to cashless treatment at
empanelled hospitals. The beneficiaries will have
to get identification certificates from two of the
four eligible institutions namely- employer, resi-
dents welfare association, registered trade union
or the local police.The scheme has since then been
extended to building and other construction work-
ers registered with Welfare Boards constituted
under the Building and Other Construction Work-
ers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of
Service) Act, 1996, street vendors, beedi workers
and such MNREGA workers who have worked for
more than 15 days during the preceding year.
National Mission for JusticeDelivery and Legal Reforms
Union Cabinet of India approved of a proposal of
the law ministry for a National Mission for Justice
Delivery and Legal Reforms, providing for fast
track courts to clear the backlog in the judicial
system.The objective of the Mission is to increase
access to justice by reducing delays and arrears inthe system and enhance accountability through
structural changes and by setting performance stan-
dards. The objectives are to be achieved in a time
bound manner by 2015-16 through a mission mode
approach. The Mission is planned to have a Mis-
sion Directorate, an Advisory Council and a Gov-
erning Council for overseeing the implementation
of the Mission.
Areas covered : Policy and legislative changes,re-engineering of procedures, human resource de-
velopment, leveraging ICT and improve physical
infrastructure of subordinate courts. Infrastructure
development is a much needed requirement of the
subordinate judiciary. It aimed to increase access
to justice by reducing delays and arrears and en-
hanced accountability through structural changes
and by setting performance standards. The focus
was on infrastructure development in the courts
through computerisation, improving physical in-
frastructure and human resource development.
The salient features:
The National Mission would comprise of Advi-sory Council, Governing Council, National Mis-
sion Leader and the Mission Directorate.
The Advisory council is to advise on the goals,objectives and strategies of the National Mission
and the Action Plan and its implementation and
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
14/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 14
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
performance of the Mission in meeting its objec-
tives and would be chaired by the Minister for Law
and Justice and would have membership from Par-
liament, State Governments, Jurists & senior of-
ficers of Government of India.
The Governing Council would facilitate imple-
mentation, give policy directions and oversee thework of the Mission and would be headed by the
Minister for Law and Justice.
The Secretary, Department of Justice would bethe National Mission Leader.
A Mission Directorate would be constituted toimplement and monitor the various initiative/pro-
gram of the National Mission. It would be headed
by an officer of the rank of the Joint Secretary who
would act as the Mission Director.
An Action Plan has been drawn up which wouldof course be subjected to change once the Gov-
erning Council meets to set out the agenda.
Inadequacy of infrastructure facilities in Dis-trict and Subordinate courts has remained a major
bottleneck in the judicial system largely contrib-
uting to the accumulation of arrears. So, a pre-
liminary assessment of requirement of infrastruc-
ture for subordinate courts from the States was also
made.
High-powered Task Forc e ofDefence Management
The Union government decided to set up a high-
powered task force to review the unfinished tasks
and make further suggestions for implementation
with a view to revamp of defence management in
India. The government arrived at the decision ten
years after the Kargil Review Committee and a
Group of Ministers attempted the first major
revamp.The 14-member task force will be headedby Naresh Chandra, a former bureaucrat who has
held top administrative jobs in the Ministry of
Defence and Prime Minister's Office. Task force
members include Air Chief Marshal (retd.) S.
Krishnaswamy, Gen. (retd.) V.R. Raghavan, the
former Department of Atomic Energy chief Anil
Kakodkar, Admiral (retd.) Arun Prakash, the
former R&AW head K.C. Verma, the former Union
Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, G. Parthasarathy,
former diplomat, and senior journalist Manoj
Joshi.The panel is expected to start its work on 14
July and has six months to complete its report.The
Naresh Chandra committee will contemporarise
the Kargil Review Committees (KRC) recommen-
dations in view of the fact that 10 years have passed
since the report was submitted. It is also expected
to examine why some of the crucial recommenda-
tions relating to border management and restruc-
turing the apex command structure in the armed
forces have not been implemented. It will look at
the reasons why the post of first among equals
among the three service chiefs in the form of a
Chief of Defence Staff was never created.The for-
mation of the task force marked the first compre-
hensive attempt at reviewing the entire gamut of
defence preparedness and management in a decade.
Salwa Judum is Illegaland Unconstitutional
Sudershan Reddy and Justice SS Nijjar declared
Salwa Judum as illegal and unconstitutional. The
court ordered the immediate disarming of tribal
youths who are deployed as Special Police Offic-
ers- either as Koya Commandos, Salwa Judum or
any other force- in the fight against the Maoistinsurgency. The court gave the ruling in response
to writ petition filed by social anthropologist
Nandini Sundar and others. The ruling given by
the court indicted the Chhattisgarh state for vio-
lating Constitutional principles in arming youth
who had passed only fifth standard and conferring
on them the powers of police.The bench held that
the policy of the Chhattisgarh state violated the
rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution
of those who were employed as SPOs and used in
counter-insurgency measures against Naxalites aswell as of citizens living in the concerned areas.The
bench asked the state of Chhattisgarh to recall all
firearms issued to any of the SPOs. The word fire-
arm means all forms of guns, rifles, launchers etc.
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
15/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 15
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
India International Institute ofDemoc rac y and Elec tion
Management
The Election Commission of India launched the
India International Institute of Democracy andElection Management, IIDEM in New Delhi. It is
an advanced resource centre of learning, research,
training and extension for participatory democracy
and election management. The institute is set to
be a national and international hub for exchange
of good practices in election management. It was
inaugurated by the Chief Election Commissioner
Dr. S Y Quraishi at Nirvachan Sadan 17 June
2011.IIDEM is to work for enhancing voter edu-
cation, and developing human resource for effi-cient conduct of free and fair elections in India.
Along with this it is also set to develop mutually
beneficial partnership with other countries. The
institute has four components. These are (1)
Training and Capacity Development, (2) Voter
Education and Civic Participation, (3) Research,
Innovation and Documentation and (4) Interna-
tional Projects and Technical Collaboration.
Centre for
Social Research Report
The Centre for Social Research (CSR) recently
released a report- Gender dimensions of interna-
tional migration from India and Bangladesh: Im-
pact on the families left behind on 5 August 2010.
The report was based on the study of the socio-
economic impact of migration on 1000 families
from migration pockets of India and Bangladesh
in 2009. In both these countries poverty, better pay
packets, employer relocation, landlessness, aban-donment/divorce, husband's premature death, edu-
cation and children's dowry payment were the rea-
sons that compelled people mostly women to mi-
grate. Among the total number of people who mi-
grated only a handfull used formal government
migration channels while the majority relied on
informal channels like dalaals and agents. The
study showed that in India, United Arab Emirates
was the most favoured destination of male and fe-
male migrants, followed closely by Saudi Arabia.
Whereas in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia was the most
preferred, followed by UAE and Kuwait.
India Signed Three Agreem ents
with the World Bank forCleaning the ang a River
India signed three agreements with the World Bank
for cleaning the Ganga River on 14 June 2011.
Besides this, the agreement also held for strength-
ening Rural Livelihoods and Biodiversity Conser-
vation of India. The World Bank agreed to pro-
vide one billion US Dollars (approximately Rs
4,600 crore) for the Ganga river cleaning project.
It also agreed for a credit worth approximately 24
million dollars for the two projects, i.e. strength-
ening Rural Livelihoods and Biodiversity Conser-
vation of India. The agreements for the Biodiversity
Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement
Project were signed by Mr. Venu Rajamony, Joint
Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Min-
istry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of
India, and Mr. Roberto Zagha, World Bank Coun-
try Director in India in presence of Mr Jairam
Ramesh, Minister Environment and Forests, Gov-
ernment of India.The Ganga faces great challengesfrom expanding population, urbanization and in-
dustrial growth. To stop the flow of untreated mu-
nicipal sewage and industrial effluent into the
Ganga river by 2020 is the objective of Ganga
project. The World Bank has been a major finan-
cier of biodiversity projects globally. With the as-
sistance of the World Bank, an empowered and
collaborative body of the Central and state gov-
ernments, National Ganga River Basin Authority
(NGRBA) decided to implement the National
Ganga River Basin Project. The focus of the projectis on (1) building and strengthening the National
Ganga River Basin Authoritys (NGRBA) related
institutions at the Central and state level; (2) es-
tablishing a world-class Ganga Knowledge Cen-
tre; (3) enhancing river basin management; and (4)
financing select priority investments to reduce
point-source pollution in a sustainable manner. A
complete new model of managing the protected
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
16/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 16
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
areas while safeguarding the livelihoods of local
communities is set to put in place in two protected
areas, one each in Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
Pension Age-limitfor BPL to 60
The Union Cabinet of India lowered the age limit
for the purpose from 65 to 60 years. The decision
taken by the cabinet will be effective from 1 April
2011. It is like to benefit an additional 72.32 lakh
people in the age-group of 60-64 years. The deci-
sion would lead to an additional expenditure of
1736 crore rupees.In 2007, the government had
launched the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pen-
sion scheme to provide assistance to senior citi-
zens falling in the Below Poverty Line (BPL)
category.The Union Cabinet also decided to raisethe rate of pension to persons of 80 years and above
from 200 rupees to 500 rupees.
Navodaya Vidyalayas outsidethe ambit of RTE Ac t
The Union Law Ministry decided to keep the
Navodaya Vidyalayas in the country outside the
ambit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The
decision was reached by the Law Ministry afterhearing out the logic of Human Resource Devel-
opment Ministry and consultation with the Attor-
ney General (AG). The two key provisions of the
RTE Act are- no screening and 25% reservation
for economically weaker sections will not be ap-
plicable to 444 Navodaya Vidyalayas across the
country. The RTE Act states that no screening test
of either children or their parents can be conducted
for admission in any school. Every school will have
to reserve 25 percent seats for the children belong-
ing to economically weaker section. However en-
trance examination is the basis for admission in
Navodaya Vidyalayas, which had refused to admit
children under RTE. Following the refusal of the
Navodaya Vidyalayas to abide by the prescribed
admission procedures, National Commission for
Child Protection had issued notice to Navodaya
Vidyalaya to cancel admission on the basis of en-
trance test.
There are a number of reasons for letting
Navodaya Vidyalayas off the RTE hook:
Navodaya Vidyalayas start from class VI andnot class I.
These schools, located in all districts, have 75%seats reserved for rural children. Seats are also re-
served for children from SC and ST communitiesin proportion to their population in the district, but
not less than the national average.
One-third of the seats are for girl students and3% of the seats are for disabled children.
Till class IX there is no fee, and from IX to XII,Rs 200 is charged per month.
CCS Gave Nod forNational Intelligenc e Grid
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its nod for
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).
NATGRID would be a repository of information
ranging from train and air journey to Income Tax
and bank accounts of individuals. NATGRID will
facilitate sharing of such kind of information with
law enforcement agencies to combat terror
threat.The NATGRID will have access to 21 cat-
egories of database like air travel, railway, bank
account details, income tax, credit card transac-tions, visa and immigration records.
Following the Mumbai terror attack on 26 Novem-
ber 2008, Home ministry had proposed a blue print
for countrys internal security, which included the
formation of NATGRID.
Janani-ShishuSuraksha Programme
The UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched the
Janani-Shishu Suraksha Programme at Mewat in
Haryana. Janani-Shishu Suraksha programme was
sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare. The programme was launched for preg-
nant women with the objective to effectively ad-
dress the problem of maternal and child
mortality.Under the Janani-Shishu Suraksha
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
17/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 17
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
programme, pregnant mothers can avail govern-
ment health institutions for free deliveries. Both
the mother and her child will get free treatment,
free drugs and consumables, diagnostics, user
charges besides free provision of blood and
transportation.The free facilities will comprise
delivery including C-section, special diet, diagnos-
tics etc.
MPLAD Sc hemeRevised
As part of an effort to ensure timely and effective
implementation of works proposed under the
Member of Parliament Local Area Development
Scheme (MPLADS), the Union Government de-
cided to raise the amount to be released in the first
instalment. The MPLADS allow MPs to suggestworks to the Head of District to be taken up in
their constituency.Projects implemented by gov-
ernment agencies would now be provided 75 per
cent of the project cost as the first instalment, while
the ones implemented by non-governmental agen-
cies would be provided 60 per cent. Currently only
50 per cent of the estimated cost is released as the
first instalment, irrespective of the nature of the
project, which led to complaints of delays in
completion.According to Union Minister for Sta-tistics and Programme Implementation M.S. Gill,
the governments decision is likely to improve the
working of the Scheme as a whole. Conditions
were further relaxed for smaller projects costing
less than Rs.2 lakh. For such small projects the
entire amount would be released at one go.To en-
sure that funds were not spread too thinly, the gov-
ernment decided against sanctioning project cost-
ing less than Rs.1 lakh.The Centre aims at ensur-
ing that the MPLADS funds were utilised fruit-
fully for the benefit of the grassroots, therefore thebasket of works that could be taken up under the
scheme had been widened to include projects such
as the purchase of books for libraries, and ambu-
lances and hearse vans that would be owned and
controlled by district authorities.The scope and ex-
tent of the physical monitoring of completed
projects would also be expanded to cover 400 more
districts.
Highlights of revised MPLADS:
Projects implemented by government agencieswould now be provided 75 per cent of the project
cost as the first instalment.
Conditions relaxed for smaller projects costingless than Rs.2 lakh.
Projects costing less than Rs 1 lakh will not tobe sanctioned. Basket of works that could be taken up underthe scheme had been widened to include projects
such as the purchase of books for libraries.
MPs would be allowed to spend up to Rs.10lakh a year on projects in any State or Union Terri-
tory.
Limit of Rs.50 lakh per annum was imposed oncontributions to trusts and societies.
Scope & extent of the physical monitoring ofcompleted projects expanded to cover 400 moredistricts.
Sec urity Auditof Nuc lear Stations
The Union government of India ordered security
audit of all important installations comprising
nuclear stations, military bases and oil refineries
across the nation. The order was issued after a high-
level meeting held by the Union Home Ministry
following the terrorist attack on a naval base in
Pakistan. A joint-team of local security heads and
Intelligence Bureau will survey and assess the level
of security of the important installations. The se-
curity audit will cover all nuclear plants, oil refin-
eries, Indian Space Research Organisation instal-
lations, military camps and airports.
20 More Districts in the
Naxal-hit states
The Union government of India decided to bring
20 more districts in the Naxal-hit states for declar-
ing more districts as extreme Left Wing
Extremism(LWE) affected districts. If these dis-
tricts included in the list of LWE-hit distrcts, these
areas will receive special Central funds for infra-
structure and security- related expenses under the
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
18/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 18
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Security Related Expenditure scheme. Under this
scheme, districts of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkahnd
and Orissa will be benefitted. A proposal regard-
ing this was sent by the Union Ministry of Home
Affairs to the Planning Commission. At present,
60 districts receive 25 crore rupees each for the
scheme earmarked by a committee chaired by dis-
trict collector. It has been a long-time demand of
the Naxal-affected states that more districts be
declared LWE.
Diesel is dea rer by Rs 3 a litre& Kerosene by Rs 2 a litre
The Union government on 24 June 2011 decided
to increase the price of diesel by Rs. 3 a litre, kero-
sene by Rs. 2 a litre and domestic LPG by Rs.50 a
cylinder. The government also slashed the Cus-toms duty on crude oil and all other petroleum
products by five percentage points. The excise duty
on diesel was reduced from Rs. 4.60 a litre to Rs.
2 a litre. As a result of the government decisions a
revenue loss of Rs Rs.49,000 crore was
entailed.The hike in the prices of the three com-
modities will lead to a revenue gain of Rs. 21000
crore to the oil marketing companies (OMCs), that
are currently suffering huge under-recoveries that
are being projected at Rs.170140 crore in 2011-12. The under-recoveries will now come down to
Rs.1.20 lakh crore.The Trinamool Congress had
opposed any increase in the prices of petroleum
products, especially those of kerosene and
LPG.However Pranab Mukherjee described the
increase in fuel prices as modest. Mukherjee ex-
pressed the hope that the State governments would
reduce their taxes to provide relief to consumers.
Grievance Redressal Portal for
Insurance Policy Holders
SK Sharma, Secretary, Department of Financial
Services, Ministry of Finance launched an online
grievance redressal portal for insurance policy
holders in New Delhi. The portal would offer in-
tegrated grievance management system (IGMS).
The government launched this portal with the ob-
jective of putting in place a proper regulatory
mechanism to protect the interest of insurance
policyholders.Integrated Grievance Management
System (IGMS) is a comprehensive solution which
not only provides a centralized and online access
to the policyholder but also completes access and
control to Insurance Regulatory Development
Authority (IRDA) for monitoring grievance dis-
posal by insurance companies. The system will be
able to assign, store and track unique complaint
IDs and also enable intimation to various stake
holders as needed.
NAC d irec ted the Tribal AffairsMinistry to c onsult Jarawa s
The National Advisory Council (NAC) directed
the Tribal Affairs Ministry consult the Jarawas, a
primitive tribal group in the Andaman and NicobarIslands who are threatened with extinction, before
drafting a policy on their future. The question on
their future revolves around whether they should
continue to live in their pristine habitat, in splen-
did isolation, or be allowed to mingle with the lo-
cal population.NACs concern was raised follow-
ing a recommendation made by the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands administration that as the Jarawas
have already begun mingling with the local popu-
lation, the policy of isolation should end. Earlierin 2011, the NAC itself had sent an official to the
island to check whether the Jarawas were being
adversely affected by the droves of tourists. There
have been fears of exploitation, including sexual
exploitation of the Jarawas.Sonia Gandhi headed
NAC wanted a full-fledged discussion on the is-
sue regarding the future of Jarawas. Lieutenant
Governor of the Islands, Lt.Gen. (retd.) Bhopinder
Singh, made a presentation on the Jarawa policy
adopted by the government in 2004 and the cur-
rent status of the threatened tribal group.
The Survey o f Ind ia ReportSubmitted
The Survey of India report was submitted to the
submitted to the Supreme Court on 30 April 2010.
The report deals with the mining activities of the
Andhra Pradesh- Karnataka border that involved
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
19/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 19
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
the Karnataka Cabinet ministers- the Reddy brothers. The report recommended the Andhra Pradesh
government to redraw the leases of all their four mines and continue with the ban on their mining
activities until the demarcation is complete. The report became a cause of concern for the Reddy broth-
ers whose Obulapuram Mining Company has three mining leases and their partnership firm Anantapur
Mining Corporation has one lease in Andhra Pradesh. The boundary pillars in the Reddys mines were
reported missing. Reddys mines extended into Karnataka and overlapped with the mine of rival miner
Bellary Iron Ores Pvt Ltd, belonging to S K Modi.
http:/ / upsc porta l.c om/ c ivilservic es/ a lert/ ias-mains-test-series-2011
(IMP) Get UPSCPORTAL, IAS, Jobs,Results, Notification ALERTS in Email.
Step -1: Fill Your Email address in LINK below. You will ge t a c onfirmationem ail within 10 min.
Step-2: Verify yo ur em ail by c lic king on the link in the ema il.IMP: (chec k Inbox and Spa m folders)
Step -3: Done ! Now you will reg ular Alerts on your em ail.
Click Below Link to get Free Newsletter:http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/newsletter
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/alert/ias-mains-test-series-2011http://upscportal.com/civilservices/newsletterhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/newsletterhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/alert/ias-mains-test-series-2011http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
20/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 20
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
Germany to Shut itsNuc lear Plants
Germany announced its decision to phase out its
all the nuclear plants by 2022. This decision,
prompted by Japans Fukushima nuclear disaster,
will make Germany the first major industrialized
nation to go nuclear-free.People of Germany are
strongly opposed to nuclear power and took to
streets after Fukushima to urge the government to
shut down all reactors as soon as possible.Germany
(Europes largest economy) is determined to re-
place its nuclear power with renewable energy re-
sources. Energy from wind, solar and hydroelec-
tric power at present produces about 17 percent of
the countrys electricity.The decision taken by the
Germany suggests that there is no such compul-
sion on an industrialised society to meet the en-
ergy needs of economic growth and rising living
standards.
Amendm ents toSwiss Banking Sec rec y Laws
Swiss parliament gave approval to Switzerlands
amendments to tax treaties with other countries,
including India. This makes easier access for In-
dia, to collect information about the illegal funds
held by the Indian nationals in Swiss private banks.
The Swiss parliament endorsed amendments to
double-taxation agreements (DTAAs) in line with
internationally applicable standards. The benefi-
ciaries from the new amendments include India,
Germany, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Greece,
Turkey, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, and Poland. These
countries are secured with easy legal assistance and
information. This also allows the countries to iden-
tify an account holder from their own territories
by providing an IBAN number or social security
number. It agreed to adopt its tax code, agreeing
to share information in cases involving tax which
is not a crime under Swiss law.The new amend-
ments to Swiss banking secrecy laws are however
be challenged by a popular referendum within 100
days from its announcement.
Frenc h Na tiona ls to Sue Sarkozyover Crimes in Libya
Two French lawyers have said that they are plan-
ning to sue French President Nicolas Sarkozy
against the Humanity crimes over the military cam-
paign in Libya that was led by NATO. Jacques
Verges and Roland Dumas two of the French law-
yers have decided to represent the families of the
victims during the military campaign. It was said
that the military campaign that was initiated as a
means to protect the civilians was in fact respon-
sible for their killings. The two lawyers said themilitary campaign as an inhuman assault against
the common man and a sovereign country, and that
they have decided to defend the victims of the
military campaign. It was said that the two law-
yers have decided to defend the victims of the
NATO bombings because they themselves saw the
aftermath consequences of the bombings when
they visited Libya. Though the western government
has denied any civilian casualties caused during
the NATO bombings, Verges and Dumas have said
that they had seen several such casualties at vari-ous such hospitals and there are almost 20,000 such
victims.
Constitution (15th Amendment)Bill, 2011 passed in Bang lad esh
The Parliament of Bangladesh, the Jatiyo Sangsad,
passed the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill,
INTERNATIONAL
ISSUES
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
21/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 21
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
2011 on 30 June 2011 to amend its constitution
under which the caretaker government system for
holding general elections was scrapped. The bill
which contained 15 proposals was passed by divi-
sion vote with a majority of 291-1. However,
amendments moved by ruling alliance opposing
Islam as the state religion and religion-based poli-
tics were rejected. Islam has been retained as the
state religion alongwith Bismillahi-Ar-Rahman-
Ar-Rahim.The Constitutional amendments incor-
porate strict provisions against military takeovers.
It treats military takeovers as treachery and a sub-
versive act. Parliament has been given power to
hand down maximum penalty to those usurping
state power.The caretaker system was introduced
in 1996 under the 13th amendment to the consti-
tution of Bangladesh. Since then, the general elec-
tions were overseen by non-partisan caretaker gov-ernments.
10th SCO Summit
The six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) celebrated its 10th anniversary on 15 June
2011 in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, by
summing up its achievements and outlining its
future direction. The six-nation SCO member
states are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. India, Pakistan and Iran
are with Observer status in the SCO. Indian Ex-
ternal Affairs Minister, SM Krishna attended the
summit.
SCOs Joint Declaration:
The joint declaration of the summit included (1)
establishing an inseparable international security
community to guard information security, (2)
fighting the three evil forces of terrorism, separat-
ism and extremism, and (3) combating drug traf-ficking. aims they desire in the region for Afghani-
stan i.e. the Afghanistan becomes a geo-strategic
bridge as well as a terror-free zone.
About SCO:
SCO was founded on 15 June 2001. The SCO was born of the need of sharing themember countries growing desire to enhance mu-
tual trust, carry out mutually beneficial coopera-
tion and address challenges through joint efforts.
UN launched Drivefor Sustainable Sanitation
The United Nations launched a drive, Sustainablesanitation: The Five-Year-Drive to 2015 to accel-
erate progress towards the goal of halving the
proportion of the population without access to ba-
sic sanitation by 2015. The drive was established
by the General Assembly in a resolution adopted
in December 2010 that called on Member States
to redouble efforts to close the sanitation gap, one
of the eight Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) that world leaders have pledged to achieve
by 2015.The UN had recognised access to sanita-
tion as a human right, a basic service required tolive a normal life. However despite the recogni-
tion, some 2.6 billion people or half the popula-
tion in the developing world still lack access to
improved sanitation.Sanitation is an unpopular
subject though it is an extremely sensitive issue.
The UN resolution of December 2010 had called
for an end to open defecation, the most dangerous
sanitation practice for public health and one prac-
tised by over 1.1 billion people who have no ac-
cess to facilities
Pakistan gets ChineseAid Against the US Raids
After the killing of the deadly terrorist Osama Bin
Laden, US have accused Pakistan Government for
harbouring the deadly terrorist for many years.
Now by doubling its military attacks on Pakistan
the US wants to enter into the sphere thats influ-
enced by the Chinese Government. But in retalia-
tion to the Obama Administration the Chinese gov-
ernment has again lend a helping hand towards
Pakistan by providing air arsenal and even warned
the US government that any sort of attack on Pa-
kistan would considered as an inhuman and un-
friendly attack on the Chinese government too. The
Chinese government has clearly said that any at-
tack on Pakistan will be considered as an attack
against China which will not be tolerated. This is
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
22/87
-
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
23/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 23
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
US Decided to pull-outTroops from Afghanistan
US President Barack Obama set in motion a sub-
stantial withdrawal of American troops in an ac-
knowledgment of the shifting threat in the region
and the political and economic challenges in a war-weary America. He announced that the United
States had largely achieved its goals in
Afghanistan. Obama announced plans to withdraw
10000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011.
The remaining 20000 troops from the 2009 surge
would leave by 2012 summer, amounting to about
a third of the 100000 troops in the country. The
pullout will continue at a steady pace until secu-
rity is handed over to Afghan authorities in 2014.
The withdrawals would signal the end of the
militarys counterinsurgency strategy adopted 18months ago.
Syria's PresidentRec ommended Reforms
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad proposed hold-
ing of a national dialogue that will recommend
sweeping reforms aimed at transforming the po-
litical landscape.It was declared that people from
all walks of life would participate in the nationaldialogue, organised around committees, and rec-
ommendations would be made within 30 to 60
days.The Syrian President pledged his commitment
to fundamental reforms, including the drafting of
a new Constitution. The changes would cover the
political arena and would create greater media
freedoms.While speaking on the on-going protests,
Assad said the demonstrations comprised three
core sets of people: those who were peaceful and
had legitimate demands, those who were vandals
and outlaws and radical and blasphemous intel-
lectuals.
Germany Announc ed Easing ofExport Control Laws for India
Germany announced easing of export control laws
for India. The new laws$allow India, accessing
dual use items, marking a major development that
is beneficial in the expansion of the nuclear en-
ergy sector. Previously India was removed from
the list of countries subject to national export con-
trol restrictions.
The new norms allow Germany to treat India just
like any other EU countries. India had approached
Germany in 2010 to relax export control laws to
allow high technology trade with it. And in May
2011 Germany modified its export control legisla-
tion vis--vis India. Germany repealed their restric-
tions for the export of goods for nuclear power
plants in the same announcement.
App rova l of theConstitutiona l Reforms Moroc o
People of Morocco approved the constitutional
reforms which is expected to bring democratic re-
forms in the country.According to an official esti-
mate, 98 percent of voters on the day of referen-
dum voted to approve the constitutional reforms,
with a 72 percent of the 13 million registered vot-
ers casting their votes.King of Morocco,
Mohammed VI had announced his proposed re-
forms in June 2011 according to which his power
would be limited while strengthening the primeministers office and the parliament.However, the
critics said the new constitution has not limited
the power of Mohammed because he can still
choose the Prime Minister from the party that won
the elections and continue to oversee the Moroccos
judiciary, security apparatus and religious matters.
The UN-HABITAT Report
According to the UN-HABITAT report on the State
of the World Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Ur-ban Divide, Governments across the world worked
collectively to lift 227 million people out of slum
conditions, surpassing the Millennium Develop-
ment target by 2.2 times. India was applauded for
bettering the lot of 59.7 million, therefore the pro-
portion of people living in slum conditions came
down from since 2000 from 41.5 per cent in 1990
to 28.1 per cent in 2010 in India.
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
24/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 24
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
The World in 2050 Report
According the report, The World in 2050 by PricewaterhouseCoopers, India can be expected to be the
fastest growing large economy in the world over the period to 2050. Indias share of global GDP,
measured at market exchange will rise to around 13 per cent, from 2 per cent in 2009. India will
overtake all G7 countries except the US, to become the world's third largest economy with a projected
GDP of $31313 billion. China, currently the world's third largest economy is estimated to move to theNo. 1 spot by 2040, with an estimated GDP of $51180 billion by 2050. PwC however warned that India
will only achieve this performance if it maintains a prudent fiscal policy as well as continues to open up
to foreign trade and investment, and further invest in transport and energy infrastructure, and
education.India's growing young population will spur its growth while China's rapidly aging popula-
tion will lead to its rate of gain. The Chinese economy will be 35 per cent larger than the US by 2050.
Russia will also be adversely affected by its shrinking working age population, and will be the slowest
of the E7 countries.The World in 2050 report provides a strikingly gloomy picture for the G7 nations of
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, US and Canada. The combined economies of the so-called E-7
group of countries, comprising India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Indonesia and Turkey is expected
to be 64 per cent larger than the G7 by 2050. Dependence on European and American export markets
will pose a problem for the G7 nations.Among the countries likely to see the biggest falls is Australia,which could fall off the top 20 ranking. Also Britains ranking will dip from sixth to ninth position
(measured by MER) will be accentuated by its over-dependence on the EU and US as trading partners.
Useful LinksUPSC Papers:http://upscportal.com/civilservices/PAPERS
UPSC Tips: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/TIPS
FREE CHAT: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/CHAT
UPSC Toppers: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/TOPPERS
UPSC Interviews: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/interviews
UPSC QUIZ: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/QUIZ
Current Affairs: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs
Online Forum: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/forum
UPSC Books: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/BOOKS
Free NCERT Books:http://upscportal.com/civilservices/ncert_books
UPSC Syllabus: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/Syllabus
UPSC Results: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/Results
UPSC Coaching: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/coaching/civil-services-coaching-center-list
GOVT Jobs: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/JOBS
Notification: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/ias-civil-services-india/notifications
Civil Services
IAS: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/IASIES: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/IES
IPS: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/IPS
IFS: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/IFS
CDS: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/cds-combined-defence-services-examination
SSC: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/ssc
SCRA: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/scra-special-class-railway-apprentices-examination
RRB: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/rrb
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/PAPERShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/TIPShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/CHAThttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/TOPPERShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/interviewshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/QUIZhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/forumhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/BOOKShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/ncert_bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/Syllabushttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/Resultshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/coaching/civil-services-coaching-center-listhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/JOBShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/ias-civil-services-india/notificationshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IAShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IEShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IPShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/IFShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/cds-combined-defence-services-examinationhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/sschttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/scra-special-class-railway-apprentices-examinationhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/rrbhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/rrbhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/scra-special-class-railway-apprentices-examinationhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/sschttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/cds-combined-defence-services-examinationhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/upsc-services/IFShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IPShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IEShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/IAShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/tag/ias-civil-services-india/notificationshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/JOBShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/coaching/civil-services-coaching-center-listhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/Resultshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/Syllabushttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/ncert_bookshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/BOOKShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/forumhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/QUIZhttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/interviewshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/TOPPERShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/CHAThttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/TIPShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/PAPERShttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://www.upscportal.com/ -
8/4/2019 Civil Services Mentor July 2011 Www.upscportal.com.Unlocked
25/87
Copyright 2011 | WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 25
UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs :http:/ / upscportal.com/ civilservices/ current-affairs
India-Malaysia CECA
The India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic
Cooperation Agreement (CECA) will be effective
from 1 July 2011. India-Malaysia CECA is Indias
fourth bilateral Comprehensive Economic Coop-
eration Agreement, after Singapore, Japan and
South Korea. The CECA envisages liberalization
of trade in goods, trade in services, investments
and other areas of economic cooperation.Under
India-Malaysia CECA, the items on which India
has got market access from Malaysia include
basmati rice, mangoes, eggs, trucks, motorcycles
and cotton garments, which are all items of con-
siderable export interest to India. At the same time,
India has provided adequate protection for sensi-
tive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, textiles,
chemicals, auto, etc.The India-Malaysia CECA
also facilitates cross-border investments between
the two countries. The CECA creates favourableconditions for the business communities of both
countries to increase bilateral trade and
investment. Trade between India and Malaysia
reached 10 billion US dollars in 2010-11, an in-
crease of 26 percent from the year 2009-10.
Chinese Currenc yRenminbi in Srilanka
The Sri Lankan Central Bank Monetary Board on
27 June 2011 announced that Chinese Renminbi
would be included in the list of designated curren-
cies permitted for international transactions
through banks in Sri Lanka. People can now trans-
act in Renminbi (for cross-border transactions)
with banks authorized for such transactions. The
other currencies in the designated list are Cana-
dian dollar, Australian dollar, New Zealand dol-
lar, US Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Singapore dol-
lar, Danish kroner, Euro, Norwegian kroner, Brit-
ish pound sterling, Swiss franc, Swedish kroner
and Japanese yen.The Sri Lankan Monetary board
reasoned that China was a leading player in inter-
national trade had economic connections with
many countries. Recently, the Renminbi has
evolved as a globally acceptable currency. Besides,
Sri Lanka too has an increasing volume of trade
and investment transactions with China.
Christine Lagardeis Chief of IMF
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde was the first
woman ever to become minister of Economic Af-
fairs of a G8 economy, and is the first woman to
ever head the IMF. She is a notable antitrust and
labour lawyer.Lagarde first made history as the first
female chair of the international law firm Baker &
McKenzi. Her personal interest in European af-fairs led her to open the European Law Centre, an
office of Baker & McKenzie in Brussels exclu-
sively dedicated to the practice of European Union
law.On 16 November 2009, The Financial Times
ranked her the best minister of finance of the
Eurozone. In 2009, Lagarde was ranked the 17th
most powerful woman in the world by Forbes
magazine. Lagarde became president of the glo-
bal strategic committee in 2004.
Golden Peac oc k EnvironmentManagement Award
for 2011 to SAIL
Maharatna Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)
received the prestigious Golden Peacock Environ-
ment Management Award for the year 2011. The
award was presented to SAIL in recognition of its
ECONOMY ISSUES
http://www.upscportal.com/http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairshttp://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affa