Selected Articles From Various Newspapers Journals April May 2014 Www.upscportal.com

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Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & JournalsSelected Articles from Various Newspapers & JournalsSelected Articles from Various Newspapers & JournalsSelected Articles from Various Newspapers & JournalsSelected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals

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Telangana birth-pangsTelangana birth-pangsTelangana birth-pangsTelangana birth-pangsTelangana birth-pangs

By getting a resolution reject-ing the Andhra PradeshReorganisation Bill for creatingTelangana passed by the State As-sembly just before the deadline setby President Pranab Mukherjee toconsider the Bill ended on Thursday,Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddydid what little he could to protectwhat he saw as his political constitu-ency: those standing for a unitedAndhra Pradesh in the Rayalaseemaand Coastal Andhra regions. Neitherthe delay nor the ultimate rejectionof the Telangana Bill by the Assem-bly will have any bearing on the cre-ation of the new State if the Centrestands firm on its decision onTelangana. The Chief Minister, in rais-ing legal and technical objections tothe Bill, might have managed to con-vey the opposition of large sectionsof the people in Seemandhra to thedivision of Andhra Pradesh, but themanner in which the proceedings ofthe House were conducted from theday the Bill was introduced till theday it was rejected reflects badly onhis government and the democratictraditions of the legislature. SpeakerNadendla Manohar, who too is politi-cally opposed to Telangana, put theChief Ministers contentious resolu-tion to a voice vote amid noisy scenes,and declared the motion carried in amatter of two minutes. It was obvi-ous from the regional representationin the House that those opposed tothe Bill constituted a majority. The Billpresented a chance to address theconcerns raised by the proposal tobifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Instead,the time was used for political pos-turing and the reiteration of knownpositions by both sides. Pro-Telangana members, on their part,did not press for a division amid the

din, perhaps because they did notwant to expose their lack of numbers.The voice vote was, in effect, the onlymode of expression of the views ofthe legislature.

Now that the onus is on the Cen-tre to shepherd the Bill through Par-liament, the Congress must eschewany temptation to use this issue as partof any electoral strategy before theLok Sabha polls. With the nationalleadership of the party backing thecreation of Telangana, and the Stateunit divided on geographical lines,making this a campaign issue is any-way fraught with risks. No politicalconsensus on the Bill is possible atthis late stage, but the Centre canbring in amendments to the Bill toincorporate the concerns of otherparties and representatives ofRayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Asthe support of the Bharatiya JanataParty is necessary in the Rajya Sabha,the Congress will have to keep theBill open for amendments. The Statelegislature was robbed of a free, rea-soned debate on the issue, but hope-fully Parliament will consider all as-pects of the Bill before bringingTelangana into being.

Keeping people and tigersKeeping people and tigersKeeping people and tigersKeeping people and tigersKeeping people and tigerssafesafesafesafesafe

As conservation of wild speciesbecomes more successful, higher lev-els of human-wildlife conflict are be-ing reported in many parts of thecountry. The outcome of such en-counters is a distressing number ofhuman lives lost, and the tragic elimi-nation of the wild creatures involvedin the attacks. The man-eating tigerincident in Dodabetta in the Nilgiris,which ended in the gunning downof the cat, brings to the fore the di-lemma of ensuring a safe distancebetween wild animals and people.Evidently, there are no easy answers

to this question, not just in India butin several other countries that havewell-protected wildlife.

Two strategies often adopted toprevent conflict rely on modificationof human and animal behaviour. Farm-ers are encouraged to switch to cashcrops to avoid attracting elephants,while forest departments provide ac-cess to water within protected areasto stop animals from moving out. Wildcreatures in turn learn to avoid placesrendered inaccessible throughtrench-digging and building offences. Yet, these are by no meansfail-safe interventions. It is necessaryto identify areas for intensive protec-tion, and encourage forest-dwellingcommunities to move out ofcourse, with sufficient attention de-voted to their rehabilitation at a newlocation.

Removal of problem animals of-ten becomes unavoidable if there arehuman casualties and there is a pros-pect of more people being killed. Itwould appear ironic, but conserva-tion advice in such circumstances isusually to swiftly eliminate the loneanimal, such as the Dodabetta tiger,rather than attempt slow capture andrisk negative public attitudes to tigersas a whole. Unfortunately, it is noteasy to identify the individual tiger orleopard, and the conflict may con-tinue even after one animal is shotdead. In Chikmagalur district, for in-stance, 17 leopards had to be shot in1995 before the problem of attackson people stopped. Research evi-dence supports a strategy that relieson spatial separation of people andanimals as a more rewarding meansof conflict reduction. If isolated vil-lages and free ranging cattle aremoved out of the small land area thatmakes up Indias protected forests,the risk of an encounter with fiercecreatures can be brought down. Theproblem today is that successfully

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managed national parks and sanctu-aries are witnessing a rise in tiger andleopard numbers, leading to the dis-persal of old and injured animals to-wards habitations on the peripheryand even beyond. Future conserva-tion strategies would have to rely onwell-administered wildlife sanctuar-ies, and equally on a voluntary re-settlement programme for forest com-munities.

U.S. spied on 2009 climateU.S. spied on 2009 climateU.S. spied on 2009 climateU.S. spied on 2009 climateU.S. spied on 2009 climatesummitsummitsummitsummitsummit

The U.S. government spied ondelegates at the high-profile UN cli-mate summit in Copenhagen, Den-mark, in 2009, a document obtainedby some media houses via whistle-blower Edward Snowden has re-vealed.

The talks were spied on to getcritical prior information on the hostcountry and others negotiating posi-tions even as U.S. President BarackObama flew in to sign a deal withthem.

The summit saw the coming to-gether of more than 90 heads of stateand delegates from more than 180countries to hammer out a bindingglobal deal on climate change, butthe talks collapsed. A political agree-ment, The Copenhagen Accord,worked out by the U.S., taking thelead to negotiate with four other BA-SIC countries Brazil, India, Chinaand South Africa could not beadopted by consensus as a UN agree-ment. The document, an internal U.S.National Security Agency text, reads:Analysts here at NSA, as well as ourSecond Party partners, will continueto provide policymakers with unique,timely, and valuable insights into keycountries preparations and goals forthe conference, as well as delibera-tions within countries on climatechange policies and negotiating strat-egies.

It goes on to record, A late No-vember report detailed Chinas effortsto coordinate its position with India

and ensure that the two leaders ofthe developing world are workingtowards the same outcome. Anotherreport provided advance details ofthe Danish proposal and their effortsto launch a rescue plan to saveCOP-15. The Danish hosts preparedan alternative agreement that theyintended to float at the annual sum-mit. This after talks for a new dealfloundered through the year underimmense global scrutiny and civil so-ciety pressure to stitch up an ambi-tious climate deal. An early sketch ofthe elements of this draft was floatedby Denmark in a round of informalmeetings referred to in the climatenegotiations jargon as the pre-COP some weeks before the summit,but delegates were not allowed totake back copies of the documents.Delegates from the select countriesdid take notes as time permitted. Themedia reported on these elementsdays before the summit got off theground.

But the NSA document revealsthat the U.S. administration had gotearly access to the entire documentwhich helped it keep ahead of othercountries at the negotiations duringthe fortnight of talks. The NSA docu-ment, authored days ahead of thetalks, said, While the outcome of theCopenhagen Climate Change Confer-ence remains uncertain, signals intel-ligence will undoubtedly play a sig-nificant role in keeping our negotia-tors as well-informed as possiblethroughout the 2-week event.

For days the rumours of theDanish document floated at theCopenhagen talks, with many coun-tries expressing anger and anguish atthe opaque and covert operations ofthe hosts along with geopolitically-powerful countries. The climate talksare meant to be driven by consensusand transparency, but mistrustbrewed fast and led to the ultimatecrash of the negotiations in 2009. Thisdespite the U.S. being able to stitchtogether a non-binding political

agreement with a very low ambition something that suited its interests.Over subsequent years, the U.S. gotmany elements of the political dealembedded in the UN climate nego-tiations while the distrust got embed-ded in the talks trenchantly.

No South China Sea air zone,No South China Sea air zone,No South China Sea air zone,No South China Sea air zone,No South China Sea air zone,China assures ASEANChina assures ASEANChina assures ASEANChina assures ASEANChina assures ASEANcountriescountriescountriescountriescountries

China has rejected reports sug-gesting it was planning to set up anair defence zone over the disputedSouth China Sea, saying it was yet tofeel any air security threat from itsSoutheast Asian neighbours.

In November, China establishedits first Air Defence IdentificationZone (ADIZ) over parts of the EastChina Sea, amid an increasingly tensestand-off with Japan over the dis-puted Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. AnADIZ is a defined area in internationalairspace within which countries moni-tor and track aircraft heading towardstheir territory.

The setting up of the ADIZheightened tensions with Japan, as itoverlapped with Japans zone andincluded the disputed islands. Chinaat the time defended the move, point-ing out that Japan had established itsown ADIZ in 1969. After a Japanesenewspaper reported last week thatChina was considering setting up asecond such zone over the SouthChina Sea a move that would becertain to worry the half a dozen orso countries that have competingclaims over the seas waters and is-lands the Chinese Foreign Ministrywas quick to deny the report, andalso, at the same time, accuse Tokyoof attempting to fan tensions.

In a general view, the Chineseside has yet to feel any air securitythreat from the ASEAN countries andis optimistic about its relations withthe neighbouring countries and thegeneral situation in the South ChinaSea region, Foreign Ministry spokes-





person Hong Lei said in a statement.He blamed right-wing forces of

Japan for repeatedly clamor[ing]about the alleged plan of China toset up ADIZ over the South ChinaSea. We sternly warned these forcesnot to mislead public opinions withrumors and play up tensions for theirown selfish benefit, he said.

China-Japan relations havesoured over the past year over thedisputed islands, and issues relatingto wartime history and the Japaneseoccupation of China during the Sec-ond World War. China was especiallyangered by a visit by the JapanesePrime Minister Shinzo Abe to the con-troversial Yasukuni war shrine - a me-morial for Japanese who died duringthe war that also enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals which was the firstby a Japanese leader in seven years.The rising tensions with Japan havecoincided with an apparent diplo-matic outreach by China to otherAsian countries, ostensibly aimed atattempting to isolate Tokyo. Chinasties have warmed with South Korea,which was also angered by Mr. AbesYasukuni visit.

Last year, both President XiJinping and Premier Li Keqiang vis-ited ASEAN countries. A year afterChinese vessels had run-ins with shipsfrom both Vietnam and the Philip-pines near contested South China Seaislands, tensions with both countrieshave subsided. China recently signedan agreement for joint explorationwith Vietnam.

Mr. Hong said China andASEAN countries were working to-gether to implement the declarationon the conduct of parties in the SouthChina Sea in a comprehensive andeffective way to safeguard peaceand stability in the region.

He also hit out at the Japanesemedia report about the ADIZ as be-ing of ulterior motive and simplyaimed to shift international attentionfrom and cover up the plot to change

Japans pacifist constitution and ex-pand its military power.

U.S. warns Sri Lanka on paceU.S. warns Sri Lanka on paceU.S. warns Sri Lanka on paceU.S. warns Sri Lanka on paceU.S. warns Sri Lanka on paceof reconciliationof reconciliationof reconciliationof reconciliationof reconciliation

Voicing frustration over thepace of reconciliation in Sri Lanka fiveyears after the end of the war, a visit-ing official from the United States onSaturday warned that the patienceof the international community waswearing thin.

Assistant Secretary of State forSouth and Central Asian Affairs NishaDesai Biswal said deterioration in hu-man rights, transparency and gover-nance was taking a toll on democ-racy in Sri Lanka. We reiterated ourcommitment to Sri Lanka but con-veyed our concerns to senior govern-ment officials about the insufficientprogress in addressing justice, rec-onciliation, and accountability, Ms.Biswal said at a press conferencehere.

Ms. Biswal, who arrived in Co-lombo on Friday, met top governmentofficials, politicians in the ruling coa-lition and the Opposition includingNorthern Province Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran and civil society rep-resentatives. On Saturday, she trav-elled to Jaffna, and held meetingswith civil society representativesthere. Amid growing speculation ona strong U.S.-sponsored resolutionagainst Sri Lanka, she said: We areconcerned about the worsening situ-ation with respect to human rights,including continued attacks againstreligious minorities, as well as theweakening of the rule of law and anincrease in the levels of corruptionand impunity.

Only about a week ago did theNorthern Provincial Council pass aresolution calling for an internationalinquiry into the alleged war crimes.Asked if the U.S.-resolution was likelyto push for an international probe, Ms.Biswal who maintained that it wastoo early to comment on how it

would be worded said the U.S.always had a strong desire to have aSri Lanka-led reconciliation process,but the international community wasfrustrated and sceptical of the paceof the governments progress in thisregard.

Australia claims substantialAustralia claims substantialAustralia claims substantialAustralia claims substantialAustralia claims substantialprogress on reef protectionprogress on reef protectionprogress on reef protectionprogress on reef protectionprogress on reef protection

Australia said that it had madesubstantial progress on the U.N. re-quest for better protection of theGreat Barrier Reef and the world heri-tage site should not be listed amongin danger.

Environment Minister Greg Huntsaid there was genuine improvementin key reef indicators in regards todugongs, turtles, seagrass and coral.

Early indications are that theseare important and well received de-velopments internationally, he wasquoted as saying by The Age news-paper.

It is a permanent task for everyAustralian government to protect andmaintain the reef; nobody can everrest on that. But there should be noway the reef can and should be con-sidered in danger.

The World Heritage Committeehad threatened to put the reef on alist of world heritage sites consideredin danger after Great Barrier ReefMarine Park Authority approveddumping of dredging spoil inside themarine park.

In a progress report to the U.N.World Heritage Committee, the fed-eral and Queensland governmentshave said the natural values the reefwas protected for are still largely in-tact, although in parts such as in-shore areas south of Cooktown they are declining.

Australian Coral Reef Societypresident Peter Mumby referred toconcerns raised in past that the reefwas in the worst shape since moni-toring began and said the progressreport played down industrial devel-





opment threats.He said development already

on the table would add 14 milliontonnes a year of damaging sedimentto reef waters.

We have real concerns overdevelopments that have not been ad-dressed, he said.

University of Queensland coralreef ecologist Selina Ward said theAbbot Point decision was dangerousbecause the best modelling showeddumped sediment would drift toouter areas, hurting coral andseagrass.

The progress report said ex-treme weather events and climatechange were the biggest threats tothe reef. It also pointed to nutrientand sediment run-off from land clear-ing and agriculture, and associatedcrown-of-thorns outbreaks.

It said pollution from othersources, including port developmentand dredging, is minor but may behighly significant locally and overshort time periods.

Caught off guard by taperCaught off guard by taperCaught off guard by taperCaught off guard by taperCaught off guard by taper

The recent announcement bythe U.S. Federal Reserve of a furtherreduction in its monthly bond-buy-ing programme by $10 billion, to $65billion, seems to have caught emerg-ing market economies off-guard. Thisis quite in contrast to theirequanimous reaction in Decemberwhen the stimulus-reductionprogramme was launched. This is at-tributed to the fact that the an-nouncement of January 29 com-pletely ignored the concerns ofemerging- market countries. Many ofthem were under pressure even ear-lier and the announcement, withoutacknowledging the volatility that ithad already caused, offered no re-spite to a number of countries, fromArgentina to South Africa. Their cur-rencies weakened, in some cases pre-cipitously. Their stock markets fell in

conjunction and bond markets re-acted violently. Threatened with apossible choking of easy money, in-vestors started selling emerging mar-ket stocks and currencies to invest inthe developed countries that offerbetter risk-adjusted returns at thisjuncture. Predictably, many centralbanks of developing countries hikedinterest rates to stabilise their curren-cies, but with mixed results. India hasshown greater resilience this timecompared to many other similarlyplaced economies, and even in rela-tion to its record last Septemberwhen the news of a possible taper-ing sent global markets into a tizzy.Improved macroeconomic funda-mentals and the RBIs determinationto check inflation have boosted in-vestor confidence. However, giventhat growth rates are still sluggish andgiven the possibility of fiscal slip-pages, India will continue to faceschallenges. Over-reliance on short-term flows to bridge balance of pay-ments has been the bane of externalsector management, and at times likethis the policy shortcomings standexposed.

There are two broad lessons tobe drawn from the taper and the re-actions to it. RBI Governor RaghuramRajan has pointed out that policy co-ordination among countries has beena casualty. In the immediate post-cri-sis period, emerging economieshelped boost global demand throughwell-coordinated fiscal stimulusprogrammes. A completesynchronisation of monetary and fis-cal policies might not be possible inpractice but certain seminal policymeasures such as the U.S. taper dorequire wider consultation and coor-dination among countries. This hasbeen the consensus view at severalforums including the G-20 andIMF-World Bank meetings. Second,it needs to be noted that U.S. mon-etary policy is framed with referenceto the U.S. economy. The gradual

withdrawal of the stimulus is depen-dent on the U.S. economy reachingsome well defined milestones suchas reduction in unemployment. Theongoing taper signals a stronger U.S.economy, and that should be goodnews for India and other emergingeconomies at least in the long run.

C.N.R. Rao, Sachin conferredC.N.R. Rao, Sachin conferredC.N.R. Rao, Sachin conferredC.N.R. Rao, Sachin conferredC.N.R. Rao, Sachin conferredBharat RatnaBharat RatnaBharat RatnaBharat RatnaBharat Ratna

Renowned scientist C.N.R. Raoand former cricketer SachinTendulkar were on Tuesday con-ferred the Bharat Ratna, the highestcivilian award of the country for ex-ceptional contribution in any field ofhuman endeavour.

The award was presented byPresident Pranab Mukherjee at a briefceremony in the historic Durbar Hallof Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr. Tendulkaris the first sportsperson and sittingRajya Sabha member to receive theprestigious award.

Prof. Rao, Chairperson of theScientific Advisory Council to thePrime Minister, dedicated the awardto his mother and students. Mr.Tendulkar dedicated the feat to hismother and all the mothers who sac-rificed their wishes for their children.

It is the biggest honour for me.I will continue to bat for my country.Even though my cricket has stopped,I will try my best to give people ofIndia a reason to smile, he said afterthe function.

Mr. Tendulkar, dressed in a darkoutfit, was accompanied by his wife,Anjali, and daughter, Sara.

Rashtrapati Bhavan staff had aharrowing time controlling the guests,most of whom wanted to shake handswith the cricketer, who retired fromactive cricket last year, and take hisautograph.

Even security personnel wereseen jostling for a glimpse of the crick-eter, and many of them managed totake his autograph as well.

Prof. Rao, who has 1,400 papers





and 45 books to his credit, said: It isfantastic. It is more important thananything. Nothing comparable to In-dia honouring me. He hoped that hewould be able to accomplish some-thing important in the coming years.

Prof. Rao, who is the third sci-entist to receive the Bharat Ratna af-ter Nobel laureate C.V. Raman andformer President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam,said that while India was doing rea-sonably well in science, other coun-tries were doing better. South Koreaand China were spending more onresearch.

Prof. Raos contributions havebeen recognised by most major sci-entific academies across the worldby way of memberships and fellow-ships, and numerous national and in-ternational awards.

Both Prof. Rao and Mr. Tendulkarhave received the Padma Vibhushanearlier. The two join the club of 41eminent personalities who have beenhonoured with Bharat Ratna since itwas instituted in 1954.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Con-gress president Sonia Gandhi and ahost of Ministers were among thosepresent at the function.

UN delegation meets withUN delegation meets withUN delegation meets withUN delegation meets withUN delegation meets witharmed groups in Maliarmed groups in Maliarmed groups in Maliarmed groups in Maliarmed groups in Mali

The U.N. Security Council meton Monday with representatives ofarmed Tuareg groups active in north-ern Mali as part of an effort to accel-erate peace talks with the govern-ment, though participants said dis-agreements on conditions for the talkshad not been resolved.

Tuareg rebels launched a rebel-lion in northern Mali in early 2012 thatgave way to a military coup, allowingthem to take control of the countrysnorth. However, al-Qaeda-linked Is-lamic extremists later took over muchof the north, prompting France tolaunch a military intervention in early2013.

Though Mali held successfulpresidential and legislative electionslast year, security in the north remainsprecarious, and the National Move-ment for the Liberation of the Azawadin particular maintains a strong pres-ence in and around the northern cityof Kidal.

Despite the efforts of variousmediators, negotiations between thearmed groups in the north and thegovernment of President IbrahimBoubacar Keita have stalled. Lastmonth, Tuareg rebels withdrew fromnegotiations set to take place in Al-geria after concluding that their pushfor greater autonomy would not beaddressed. Authorities in Bamako areemphasizing a decentralization pro-cess that would bolster the Bamako-based governments presencethroughout the country.

One of the chief goals of the Se-curity Council visit, which ended onMonday, was to accelerate peacetalks with all groups in northern Mali.

The visiting U.N. delegation alsomet with local authorities and re-ceived briefings on the work of thecountrys U.N. peacekeeping mis-sion. On Sunday Frances U.N. am-bassador Gerard Araud said the mis-sion would reach its full operationalcapacity in July, one year after it tookover peacekeeping activities.

India better prepared to dealIndia better prepared to dealIndia better prepared to dealIndia better prepared to dealIndia better prepared to dealwith US Fed tapering: Rajanwith US Fed tapering: Rajanwith US Fed tapering: Rajanwith US Fed tapering: Rajanwith US Fed tapering: Rajan

India is better prepared to dealwith any further U.S. Fed tapering,but the country needs to remain vigi-lant to face eventualities, ReserveBank Governor Raghuram Rajan saidhere on Tuesday.

We have done a lot to make theeconomy robust and we are betterprepared (to deal with impact of ta-pering). (But) I will never say we arefully prepared for any eventuality. Wehave to be vigilant.

We are better prepared cer-tainly now than we were six months

ago and that is because of hard workby the government as well as regula-tors, Mr Rajan told reporters after theFSDC meeting.

Finance Minister PChidambaram had chaired the fullmeeting of the Financial Stability andDevelopment Council (FSDC) com-prising all financial sector regulators.

The meeting took place againstthe backdrop of tapering of Quanti-tative Easing (QE) in the U.S., andthe Reserve Bank revising the currentfinancial years growth projection toless than 5 per cent.

Last week, the U.S. Federal Re-serve decided to cut its bond pur-chases further by another USD 10billion. It has decided to purchaseUSD 65 billion per month of mortgagebacked securities and longer-termtreasury securities as against USD 75billion per month earlier.

Mr Rajan also said the new USFederal Reserve chief Janet Yellen isa very experienced central banker.

I have full faith that she will dowhatever is appropriate and she willbe very reliable central banker, theGovernor said.FSDC meetingFSDC meetingFSDC meetingFSDC meetingFSDC meeting

Referring to the FSDC meeting,he said the government and regula-tors discussed a broad set of issuesfacing the economy and decided tomove forward on some of issues, in-cluding non-performing assets.

As and when the precise mea-sures (on NPAs) are determined, wewill obviously announce them, MrRajan added.

Pressure on farmlandPressure on farmlandPressure on farmlandPressure on farmlandPressure on farmland

The government, it appears, isyet to find ways to address conflict-ing demands on land. Instead ofquickly charting a comprehensiveapproach to land utilisation, it con-tinues to speak in different voices andat cross purposes. The latest additionto the policy confusion is the moveto consider Foreign Direct Invest-





ment (FDI) in agricultural land boughtfor real estate purposes. Existing For-eign Exchange Management Actregulations prohibit the use of FDIfunds to buy farmland. However, realestate companies have tried to by-pass these restrictions. Last year, theEnforcement Directorate imposed afine of Rs. 8,600 crore on Emaar MGFfor allegedly using foreign funds tobuy agricultural land. The Ministry ofUrban Development now wants toease these restrictions, and the gov-ernment has constituted a three-member Cabinet committee to lookinto it. The reasoning behind thismove is that 100 per cent FDI is al-ready permitted in developing town-ships, housing and other infrastruc-ture projects. Hence, it would be onlylogical to extend it and allow thepurchase of agricultural land for con-struction purposes. The other argu-ments are that restrictions createbottlenecks and delay projects, andthat buying of agricultural land on theoutskirts of a city is inevitable andnecessary.

On the face of it, relaxing FDInorms may appear to be a rationalstep, but in the absence of a clear-cut land use policy and plans, it willhasten unrestricted acquisition andunplanned conversion of farmlandand lead to hoarding of land. In 2013,the Ministry of Rural Developmentpublished a draft National LandUtilisation Policy. It convincingly ar-gued that the shrinkage of per capitaownership of agricultural land and thedemand to produce more food 245 million tonnes in 2013 to 307million tonnes in 2020 necessitatesthe protection of fertile land. TheNational Policy for Farmers, an-nounced in 2007, insisted that thegovernment conserve productiveland and allow any change in use onlyunder exceptional circumstances.These two policies make no distinc-tion between foreign and local invest-ment. The government has not acted

on a recommendation to revive landuse boards, which could provideguidelines to State governments. Norhas it implemented the idea of delin-eating and integrating land utilisationzones under the development plans.These measures are necessary to mapthe availability of land and coordinatedemands for it. It is imperative to cor-rect any institutional deficiencies andstrengthen local level land-manage-ment plans to ensure an orderly pro-cess of urban development and pre-vent detrimental effects on agricul-ture and environment.

An unjustified delayAn unjustified delayAn unjustified delayAn unjustified delayAn unjustified delay

The interminable delay in re-solving the outstanding issues con-cerning the prosecution of two Ital-ian marines accused of killing twoIndian fishermen off the Kerala coastin February 2012 is becoming a dip-lomatic embarrassment to India. TheSupreme Court has been adjourningthe matter repeatedly in the hope thatthe Union government would find asolution, and in the latest instance ithas given the Centre one more weekto report a settlement. The main is-sue appears to be the National Inves-tigating Agencys insistence on invok-ing an anti-piracy law the Suppres-sion of Unlawful Acts against Safetyof Maritime Navigation and Fixed Plat-forms on Continental Shelf Act, 2002 which prescribes the death pen-alty for those causing death duringan act of violence against any ship orvessel. The NIA is ready with itscharge sheet, but is awaiting the out-come of proceedings in the SupremeCourt before filing it in a special court.While there may be genuine reasonsfor the delay in resolving the matter,the country cannot afford to be seenas the cause. Italian President GiorgioNapolitano has said Indian authoritieshave managed the case in contradic-tory and disconcerting ways. TheEuropean Union, which opposes thedeath penalty in all circumstances,

has also warned of a possible adverseimpact on trade relations with India.

It is particularly surprising thatIndias approach should be markedby doubt and uncertainty even afterthe Supreme Court mapped the con-tours of the proposed prosecution ina January 2013 verdict, in which itheld that only the Centre, and notKerala, would have jurisdiction to trythe case. The issue raised by the ma-rines is whether the anti-piracy andanti-terrorism law can be invokedagainst them after the court had di-rected that the proceedings be un-der the Maritime Zones Act, 1976, theIPC and the CrPC, and the provisionsof the UN Convention on the Law ofthe Sea, 1982. The wisdom of invok-ing the anti-piracy law in a case in-volving a crime that was possiblycommitted under the impression thatthe targets were pirates, is open toquestion. As the incident took placein Indias Contiguous Zone, the Su-preme Court had held that the Uniongovernment was entitled to pros-ecute the marines, but that it was sub-ject to Article 100 of UNCLOS 1982,which says all states shall cooperatein the repression of piracy. Caughtbetween national outrage againstwhat many here see as wanton killingby trigger-happy marines, and theimperative of according a fair trial tothe suspects, India seems to be fal-tering at both the diplomatic and le-gal levels. It needs to finalise a cred-ible and legally sustainable approachto avoid diplomatic setbacks or,worse, a judicial invalidation.

CCEA approves CAD plan forCCEA approves CAD plan forCCEA approves CAD plan forCCEA approves CAD plan forCCEA approves CAD plan forwomens safetywomens safetywomens safetywomens safetywomens safety

The Cabinet Committee on Eco-nomic Affairs (CCEA) has approvedthe proposal of the Ministry of HomeAffairs to establish an IntegratedComputer Aided Dispatch (CAD)platform. This is an emergency re-sponse system for women and othervulnerable groups who may face vio-





lence. The Geographical InformationSystem (GIS) based call-taking andGeographical Positioning System(GPS)-based police vehicle dispatchsystem will be able to respond to dis-tress calls and ensure speedy assis-tance to women.

Distress or emergency alarmsgenerated by panic buttons,landlines, mobiles through individualdevices pioneered by the Depart-ment of Information Technology(DIT) or mobile phone applicationswould be tracked and EmergencyResponse (ER) units will be dis-patched to attend the call. It will beintegrated with the existing Dial 100system for seamless operation and co-ordination between the two systems.

This project would obtain fund-ing from the Nirbhaya Fund. Theproject involves a total expenditureof Rs. 321.69 crore which includesan implementation cost (one time) ofRs.204.25 crore, recurring expendi-ture (operational cost for 5 Years) ofRs.102.12 crore and expenses for thecentral monitoring and evaluationproject management unit of approxRs.15.32 crore.

The initiative will provide 24hours and 24X7 helpline service towomen in distress and an efficient andeffective response system to attendto their calls as well as for alarms re-lated to other emergency servicessuch as medical and disaster (fireetc.) by other responders in an inte-grated manner. It will also help in pro-viding speedy assistance for helplesswomen/children of a defined area,who face any form of violence, suchas eve teasing, dowry demands,sexual assault, molestation or anyother abuse either in public or athome.

The proposed system wouldalso be integrated with Crime andCriminal Tracking and NetworkingSystem (CCTNS), and State ServiceDelivery Gateway (SSDG) and followthe DIT guidelines for scalability, andinteroperability. The project involves

setting up of city wise hi-tech Con-trol Rooms to cover 114 cities anddistricts in different states and unionterritories of India, as identified bythe Ministry of Women and Child De-velopment, which includes 71 citieshaving a population of more than amillion or which are headquarters ofthe State/UT as well as headquartersof 41 highly crime prone districts. The71 cities would cover a populationof over 231.23 million and the 43 dis-tricts would cover a population of160.27 million that is a total coverageof 32.6 per cent of the country.

New Indian Ocean exerciseshows reach of Chinas Navy

The Chinese Navy has con-ducted rare exercises in the LombokStrait in the Indian Ocean near Indo-nesia, with the drills seen by analystsas underlining Chinas expandingcapabilities in carrying out operationsin waters far beyond its borders.

A three-ship flotilla of the SouthSea fleet, which included the largeamphibious aircraft Changbaishanand two destroyers, conducted 10exercises, including anti-piracy,search and rescue, and damage con-trol drills, over a five-day exercise start-ing January 29, based out of theLombok Strait, a narrow strip of waterthat runs from the Java Sea, near In-donesia, and is north of Australia.

On Monday, the ships left theIndian Ocean for drills in the WestPacific Ocean, the officialXinhuanews agency reported. TheLombok drills also included simula-tions for warfare to test the responseof command systems and soldierscombat skills. The drills arentChinas first in the Indian Ocean: thePeoples Liberation Army Navy(PLAN) has carried out 16 drills, butmostly in the western Indian Oceannear the Gulf of Aden. As with theGulf of Aden exercises, the drills fo-cused on anti-piracy and search andrescue measures.

However, last weeks drills wereseen by analysts as being significantby breaking new ground in severalways. This was the first drill of thisnature in the Lombok Strait, and alsomarked the first time the PLAN had,in its drills, charted a new route fromthe South China Sea to the IndianOcean. In earlier drills, ships sailedup the much-traversed MalaccaStraits, a significant waterway for glo-bal trade that opens out near theAndaman Sea, and is a crucial linkbetween the Indian Ocean and EastAsia. This also marked the first deploy-ment of the Changbaishan, Chinaslargest landing ship which isequipped with advanced weaponssystems, in a drill of this kind.

Srikanth Kondapalli, an experton the Chinese military at JawaharlalNehru University, said the drill mayhave been a signal from China aboutthe dispute over the South China Sea,whose waters and islands are con-tested by a number of countries. Thedrill took place in Lombok, which isbeyond the nine-dotted line [thatreflects Chinas claims]. This is some-thing new, he said, and suggestedthat the PLAN may be demonstratingits capabilities to access the disputedregion from another direction frombehind.

A second signal was tied to theMalacca Straits, which are a key routefor Chinas energy imports. The de-pendence on the narrow strait ledformer leader Hu Jintao to warn ofChinas Malacca dilemma, trigger-ing fresh initiatives by Beijing to es-tablish alternate routes for imports,such as through ports in Myanmar andon-going projects in Bangladesh andPakistan. A third message, Profes-sor Kondapalli added, is that theycan come closer to the Andaman &Nicobar joint command throughLombok, and not just through Mal-acca.

He said the drill could be seenas a preliminary attempt by the





PLAN to see how they can fare inoperations far away from Chinas bor-ders in the Indian Ocean, where theylack bases for logistics and support.China has recently pushed commer-cial ties with several littoral states, andis also involved in port projects in anumber of countries neighbouringIndia.

Last year, a Chinese think-tankreleased a first blue book or policyadvisory on the Indian Ocean, stress-ing that Beijing should be driven bycommercial, rather than military, ob-jectives, considering the importanceof the Indian Ocean Region to its en-ergy security. At the same time, itcalled for a clear development strat-egy in the Indian Ocean Regionwhich would not only [be] a sign ofChinas self-confidence [but] also aclear demonstration of Chinas stra-tegic interests.

Green Tribunal bans tyreGreen Tribunal bans tyreGreen Tribunal bans tyreGreen Tribunal bans tyreGreen Tribunal bans tyreburning in publicburning in publicburning in publicburning in publicburning in public

The National Green Tribunal hasbanned the burning of tyres at pub-lic places, such as roads and areassurrounded by residential buildingsand also during protests by politicaland religious groups as it is likely tocause health hazard.

The Western Zone Bench ofNGT was hearing the petition againstthe Maharashtra Pollution ControlBoard (MPCB) and the State ofMaharashtra, filed by a group of 14lawyers who argued that burningtyres on the streets creates toxicsmoke and poses a serious threat tothe environment by increasing airpollution.

The petition had specificallysought relief through a ban on burn-ing tyres during agitations by politi-cal and religious groups.

There has been a complete ab-sence of any rule on environment pro-tection when it comes to burning oftyres on the streets, said AsimSarode, one of the petitioners, add-

ing that the NGT order is a positivestep in the direction of reducing airpollution.

As per the tribunals ad-interimorder, the local police shall take im-mediate cognisance of burning oftyres. Any dereliction in the direc-tions given as above may entail penalconsequences as enumerated in Sec-tion 26 of the National Green tribunalAct, 2010, said the order.

Under Section 26, a failure tofollow the order can result in a pen-alty of up to Rs 10 crore, which maybe extended to Rs 25 crore and/orimprisonment of three years.

U.S. issues penalties over viola-tions of Iran sanctions

The Obama administrationpenalised nearly three dozen com-panies and individuals in eight coun-tries on Thursday, accusing them ofevading sanctions on doing businesswith Iran.

It was the administrations mostextensive enforcement action to tar-get Iran since a temporary interna-tional agreement on that countrysdisputed nuclear program was com-pleted in November and put into ef-fect last month.

Announced by the TreasuryDepartment office that oversees sanc-tions enforcement, the punishmentswere at least partly devised to send amessage that the U.S. is not relaxingeconomic pressures on Iran, appar-ently to blunt an atmosphere of opti-mism that has resulted from the tem-porary nuclear agreement. This week,Secretary of State John Kerrycriticised France after it sent a largetrade delegation to Iran.

Todays action should leave nodoubt that those who seek to evadeour sanctions, support Irans nuclearprogram or assist in Irans promotionof international terrorism will con-tinue to be called to account, a se-nior Treasury Department official saidin a conference call with reporters.

A Treasury announcement saidthe enforcement action had singledout a diverse range of entities andindividuals located around the worldfor evading U.S. sanctions aimed atIran.

There was no immediate com-ment from the Iranian government.

Under U.S. sanctions laws andregulations, violators face severe pen-alties, including restrictions on doingbusiness in the United States and theseizure of any property under U.S. ju-risdiction.

Eighteen businesses and 14 in-dividuals were identified as violatorsin the Treasury announcement, in alist of countries that included Turkey,Spain, Germany, Georgia, Afghani-stan, the United Arab Emirates andLiechtenstein.

Some were accused of helpingIran circumvent U.S. sanctions on fi-nancial transactions and oil sales. Oth-ers were accused of involvement inwhat the U.S. regards as Irans illicitactivities in Afghanistan and Syria.

A Spanish company, AdvanceElectrical and Industrial TechnologiesSL, and its sole shareholder, PerePunti, were penalised for helping Iranprocure specialized nuclear equip-ment. A Turkish citizen, Ali Canko, waspenalised for helping an Iraniancompanys attempts to reverse-engi-neer an armed speedboat to be usedby Irans Islamic Revolutionary GuardsCorps. An Iranian-owned airline inthe United Arab Emirates, Blue SkyAviation, was accused of obscuringbanned financial payments for air-craft, engines and parts.

Moment of truth for IndiaMoment of truth for IndiaMoment of truth for IndiaMoment of truth for IndiaMoment of truth for India

For the first time in the historyof independent India, a high officialof its intelligence services stands in-dicted for cold-blooded killing in theservice of the Republic. ThursdaysCentral Bureau of Investigationcharge sheet against former Intelli-gence Bureau Special Director





Rajinder Kumar and his subordinatesfor the alleged extra-judicial execu-tion of Maharashtra residents IshratJahan Raza and Javed Sheikh, as wellas two alleged Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba operatives, marks an unprec-edented challenge for Indias na-tional security system. The CBIscharge sheet has blown the lid offthe comforting fiction that extra-ju-dicial killings are aberrations, crimescarried out by brutish policemen andvillainous provincial politicians. In thiscase, the Gujarat Police might haveplayed executioner, but the chargesagainst Mr. Kumar give reason to be-lieve that the death warrants weresigned, so to speak, in North Block.Loud and acrimonious political de-bate has broken out on whether thefour victims were linked to terrorismor not, which really is an irrelevant is-sue. Instead, political leaders mustintrospect on the role of governmentsin encouraging murder as a tool ofnational security, and demonstratethe legislative will needed to setwrongs right.

India is exceptional among de-mocracies in having no legal frame-work for its intelligence services, nora system of oversight and account-ability for covert operations. For indi-vidual officers, the absence of a regu-latory law for covert operations cre-ates perverse incentives for wrong-doing: who, after all, would want vic-tims of their criminal acts to tell thestory in court? In its absence, kidnap-ping has been substituted for legaldetention, torture for criminal inves-tigation, and the bullet delivered tothe back of the skull, for trial. Leadersof all parties, though, have been loathto change the system. For years now,figures like Union Minister ManishTewari, and former intelligencechiefs, have campaigned for the le-gal regulation of the intelligence ser-vices, arguing that the status quo willend up undermining national secu-rity. To continue to ignore these

voices will ensure the destruction ofthe intelligence services, andthreaten the security of the republicthey are charged with defending.

Divesting to bridge theDivesting to bridge theDivesting to bridge theDivesting to bridge theDivesting to bridge thedeficitdeficitdeficitdeficitdeficit

The Specified Undertaking ofUnit Trust of India (SUUTI, for short),formed specifically to take over theregular income schemes of the UnitTrust of India, has been in the newsrecently. Reversing an earlier decisionto form an asset management com-pany to take it over, the Cabinet Com-mittee on Economic Affairs recentlydecided to encash some blue chipshares held by it. The earlier proposal,while being technically and theoreti-cally sound, would be time-consum-ing and will not suit a government ina great hurry to raise money to bridgeits deficit by March, A divestment ofsome of SUUTIs prizedshareholdings, on the other hand, willbe a quicker way to meet fiscal tar-gets. The government holds throughSUUTI 20.72 per cent of Axis Bankwith a market value of over Rs.8,060crore. It also owns 11.3 per cent ofITC (Rs.19,800 crore) and 8.2 per-cent of L&T (Rs.6,640 crore). A saleof these would fetch the governmentover Rs.34,500 crore at current prices.Assuming that the modalities of thesale could be gone through in theremaining less-than two months of thecurrent fiscal year, the disinvestmenttarget of Rs.40,000 crore will be verynearly met. Though the 2G spectrumauctions are on course to exceed ini-tial expectations, the boost in disin-vestment proceeds will strengthengovernment finances and make thetarget of reining in fiscal deficit at lessthan 4.8 per cent of GDP that mucheasier.

That said, it is important tochoose the correct method of sellingthese shares. The objective is not onlyto meet financial targets but also ful-fil some of the broad objectives of

the disinvestment programme. Overthe years, the government hadadopted ingenious methods to meetits disinvestment targets, includingsale to state undertakings, buybacks,cross-holdings, special dividendsand setting up of exchange-tradedfunds. None of these benefit thecommon man. The disinvestmentprogramme has theoretically es-poused retail investors interests. Thevision statement of the Departmentof Disinvestment seeks to promotepeoples ownership of shares throughdisinvestment and spread the equityculture. Over the years, however, thegovernment has ignored retail inves-tors, offering them mere token incen-tives such as a small discount in thefew share offerings of public sectorcompanies. In contrast, large inves-tors have benefited substantially. Infact, the capital market regulator SEBIintroduced new schemes that com-pletely bypassed small shareholders.The government could recompenseretail investors by selling its shares inSUUTI exclusively to them. That way,retail investors will get to own someblue chips, and the capital market willget some depth.

US to announce trade actionUS to announce trade actionUS to announce trade actionUS to announce trade actionUS to announce trade actionagainst Indiaagainst Indiaagainst Indiaagainst Indiaagainst India

US Trade RepresentativeMichael Froman will announce a newtrade enforcement action with re-gard to India in Washington on Mon-day, the federal agency said, raisingconcerns that there could be anotherspike in tensions in the bilateral rela-tionship.

The upcoming announcementcomes in the wake of reports high-lighting the lobbying by industrial col-lectives such as the US Chamber ofCommerce, to get the Obama admin-istration to press India further over itsintellectual property rights (IPR) pro-tection.

Indian Commerce MinisterAnand Sharma however indicated





that the USTR had not given NewDelhi any advanced notice about thetrade enforcement action.

Other groups such as the US In-ternational Trade Commission havescheduled hearing this week to lookinto Indian trade and investment prac-tices.

In particular, the US Chamberof Commerce is said to be urging theUSTR to classify India as a PriorityForeign Country, described as a taggiven to the worst offenders when itcomes to protecting intellectualproperty, and potentially a tradesanctions trigger.

In its annual Special 301 Re-port on the adequacy and effective-ness of IP rights protection by US trad-ing partners, the USTR in 2013 noted,India remains on the Priority WatchList [after it made] limited progressin improving its weak IPR legal frame-work and enforcement system.

That report further emphasised,In many areas, however, IPR protec-tion and enforcement challenges aregrowing, and there are serious ques-tions regarding the future conditionof the innovation climate in Indiaacross multiple sectors and disci-plines.

The USTR said at the time thatWashington continues to urge Indiato reconsider how it can meet legiti-mate domestic policy objectives byfostering rather than underminingthat innovation climate.

Indias economic growthIndias economic growthIndias economic growthIndias economic growthIndias economic growthlikely to be below trend:likely to be below trend:likely to be below trend:likely to be below trend:likely to be below trend:OECDOECDOECDOECDOECD

Indian economys growth is ex-pected to be below trend even asneighbouring China and most of thedeveloped nations are expected tosee better prospects, according toParis-based think tank OECD.

The conclusions are based onComposite Leading Indicator (CLI),which are designed to anticipateturning points in economic activity.

In the emerging economies,the CLIs point to growth around trendin China, Brazil and Russia, and togrowth below trend in India, OECDsaid on Monday.

The Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development(OECD) is a grouping of mostly de-veloped nations. Indias CLI slippedto 97 in December last year from 97.2registered in November.

The countrys CLI has been fall-ing since August 2013 when it stoodat 97.7. It dropped to 97.5 in Sep-tember and then to 97.4 in October.

The OECD assessment comes ata time when the Indian economy isexpected to clock a growth of 4.9per cent in the current financial yearending March 2014, higher than 4.5per cent GDP expansion recordedin the year-ago period, as per ad-vanced estimates released from theCentral Statistics Office.

Meanwhile, OECD said most ad-vanced economies continue to showsigns of an improving economic out-look.

The CLIs continue to point toeconomic growth firming in theUnited States and the United King-dom and to growth above trend inJapan. In the euro area as a whole,and in France and Italy, the CLIs con-tinue to indicate a positive change inmomentum. In Germany, the CLIshows signs of firming growth, OECDsaid in a statement.

These readings also indicatethat a re-balancing is happening inthe global economy with bettergrowth anticipated in the developedworld than in the developing coun-tries.

A chance not to beA chance not to beA chance not to beA chance not to beA chance not to besquanderedsquanderedsquanderedsquanderedsquandered

The Bill now placed before Par-liament is the best chance yet to en-act a ground-breaking law for an esti-mated 70 million people with impair-ments an overwhelming majority

of whom, and their care-givers, livein conditions of abject poverty anddeprivation. The definition of disabil-ity in the Bill is a big departure: itmeans all long-term physical, mental,intellectual and sensory impairmentswhich, in interaction with barriers inthe environment, hinder persons ef-fective participation in society on anequal basis. As many as 19 impair-ments are sought to be accorded le-gal protection, as opposed to sevenunder the 1995 Persons with Disabili-ties Act. Correspondingly, the propor-tion of reservations is proposed to beincreased to 5 per cent from the ex-isting 3 per cent. The provision toensure that the disabled enjoy legalcapacity on an equal basis with everyother person is a strong protection,especially for people with mental re-tardation. And finally, the incorpora-tion of penal provisions to ensure ac-countability for law enforcement a lacuna in the current law couldpotentially bridge the gap betweenprofessed intentions and practice.

The issue of disabilities has sel-dom in the past been regarded as po-litically divisive and the Bill stands afair chance of mustering the supportof parties across the political spec-trum. Moreover, the constituents inthe Bharatiya Janata Party-led Na-tional Democratic Alliance govern-ment were instrumental in the incor-poration of the question on disabilityin the 2001 decennial populationcensus. This was a step that perhapshas permanently reversed the earlierexclusion of this segment from a cru-cial national exercise in post-Inde-pendence India. Similarly, the politi-cal parties of the Left had always sup-ported the passage of important so-cial legislation. Members of bothHouses should demonstrate a strongsense of purpose, urgency and sen-sitivity to make a new law a realityduring the current term of Parliament,overcoming the continuing impasseon various other counts. While the





concerns expressed by well-mean-ing non-governmental organisationsmay be valid in principle, they shouldweigh the huge practical gains to bemade from seeing through this Bill,rather than wait for eternity for theperfect piece of legislation. Parlia-ment could consider incorporating aprovision in the new law, mandatingthat revenues from the levy on cor-porate social responsibility be chan-nelled to promote employment forthe disabled. The disabled are saidto constitute the single largest minor-ity in society, as per the World HealthOrganization and the World Bank re-port of 2011. Legal protections wouldgo a long way to promote their fullparticipation in society as equal mem-bers.

Sri Lanka to sign landmarkSri Lanka to sign landmarkSri Lanka to sign landmarkSri Lanka to sign landmarkSri Lanka to sign landmarktrade pact with China soontrade pact with China soontrade pact with China soontrade pact with China soontrade pact with China soon

China has said it will take for-ward plans to boost maritime connec-tivity with Sri Lanka, where it is alreadybuilding a major port project, withboth countries this week also agree-ing to deepen economic links andsign a landmark Free Trade Agree-ment (FTA) before the end of theyear.

A push for closer economic tieswas emphasised during this weeksfour-day visit by Sri Lankan ForeignMinister G.L. Peiris to Beijing.

Mr. Peiris said on Thursday a fea-sibility study for the FTA was on theverge of completion.

It will be a landmark, historicachievement since the Rubber-RicePact in 1952, he told the state-runXinhua news agency.

The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministerhailed Chinas support, particularlyfollowing the end of the civil war in2009, saying it was among the na-tions contributing most to Sri Lankaseconomy in terms of developmentassistance.

China is now the biggest pro-vider of loans to Sri Lanka, overtaking

countries such as India and Japan thathad earlier been the largest sourceof financing for infrastructureprojects.

Today Beijing is involved inprojects ranging from roads and rail-ways to the massive port project inHambantota, with investmentsamounting to $4 billion according tostate media reports.

Both sides also discussed build-ing a 21st century maritime silk road,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesper-son Hua Chunying told reporters. Thiswould involve boosting maritimeinterconnectivity, besides workingtogether on disaster prevention andexpanding people-to-peopleexchanges.The visit of Mr. Peiris thisweek had been somewhat overshad-owed by next months United NationsHuman Rights Council meeting,where the United States is expectedto put forward a resolution criticisingthe countrys post-war right record.

The main objective of his trip toChina was seen by many analysts hereas aimed at reinforcing Chinese sup-port to Sri Lanka ahead of the UNHRCmeet.

China, which was among 14countries elected to serve on the 47-member UNHRC in November for athree-year term, has been among themost vocal backers of the Sri Lankangovernment amid increasing interna-tional criticism of the post-war rec-onciliation process and the humanrights situation.

Chinese Foreign Minister WangYi this week underlined that support,telling Mr. Peiris that China opposedsome countries interference, with-out directly naming the U.S., in theinternal affairs of Sri Lanka under thepretext of human rights issues.

Worlds largest solar powerWorlds largest solar powerWorlds largest solar powerWorlds largest solar powerWorlds largest solar powerplant opens in Nevadaplant opens in Nevadaplant opens in Nevadaplant opens in Nevadaplant opens in Nevada

A windy stretch of the MojaveDesert once roamed by tortoises andcoyotes has been transformed by

hundreds of thousands of mirrors intothe largest solar power plant of itstype in the world, a milestone for agrowing industry that is testing thebalance between wilderness conser-vation and the pursuit of green en-ergy across the American West.

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Gen-erating System, sprawling acrossroughly 5 square miles (13 sq. kilo-meters) of federal land near the Cali-fornia-Nevada border, formally openson Thursday after years of regulatoryand legal tangles ranging from relo-cating protected tortoises to assess-ing the impact on Mojave milkweedand other plants.

The $2.2 billion complex ofthree generating units, owned byNRG Energy Inc., Google Inc. andBrightSource Energy, can producenearly 400 megawatts enough powerfor 140,000 homes. It began makingelectricity last year.

Larger projects are on the way,but for now, Ivanpah is being de-scribed as a marker for the UnitedStates emerging solar industry. Whilesolar power accounts for less than 1percent of the nations power out-put, thousands of projects from large,utility-scale plants to small produc-tion sites are under construction orbeing planned, particularly across thesun-drenched Southwest.

The opening of Ivanpah is adawn of a new era in power genera-tion in the United States, said RhoneResch, president of the Solar EnergyIndustries Association, a trade group.We are going to be a global leaderin solar generation.

The plants dedication comes asgovernment continues to push for de-velopment of greener, cleanerpower.

President Barack Obama hasmounted a second-term drive tocombat climate change, proposingfirst-ever limits on carbon pollutionfrom new and existing power plants.His plan aims to help move the U.S.from a coal-dependent past into a





future fired by wind and solar power,nuclear energy and natural gas.

According to U.S. Energy Infor-mation Administration data, the costof building and operating a new so-lar thermal power plant over its life-time is greater than generating natu-ral gas, coal or nuclear power. It costsa conventional coal plant $100, onaverage, to produce a megawatt-hourof power, but that figure is $261 forsolar thermal power, according to2011 estimates. The figures do notaccount for incentives such as stateor federal tax credits that can impactthe cost.

Ken Johnson, a spokesman forthe solar association, said in a state-ment that solar systems have seendramatic price declines in the lastfew years.

Thats good for utilities in Cali-fornia, which must obtain a third oftheir electricity from solar and otherrenewable sources by 2020.

The Ivanpah site, about 45 miles(75 kilometers) southwest of Las Ve-gas, has virtually unbroken sunshinemost of the year and is near transmis-sion lines that carry power to consum-ers.

Using technology known as so-lar-thermal, nearly 350,000 com-puter-controlled mirrors roughlythe size of a garage door reflectsunlight to boilers atop 459-foot (140-meter) towers. The suns power isused to heat water in the boilerstubes and make steam, which drivesturbines to create electricity.

While many people are familiarwith rooftop solar, or photovoltaicpanels, these are a little bit differ-ent. This takes the suns rays and re-flects them onto towers, said NRGspokesman Jeff Holland.

The plant can be a startlingsight for drivers heading toward LasVegas along busy Interstate 15. Amidmiles of rock and scrub, its vast arrayof mirrors creates the image of anethereal lake shimmering atop the

desert floor. In fact, its built on a drylakebed.

Google announced in 2011 thatit would invest $168 million in theproject. As part of its financing,BrightSource also lined up $1.6 bil-lion in loans guaranteed by the U.S.Energy Department.

Ivanpah can be seen as a suc-cess story and a cautionary tale, high-lighting the inevitable trade-offs be-tween the need for cleaner powerand the loss of fragile, open land. TheCalifornia Energy Commission con-cluded that while the solar plantwould impose significant impacts onthe environment ... the benefits theproject would provide override thoseimpacts.

Such disputes are likely to con-tinue for years as more companiesseek to develop solar, wind and geo-thermal plants on land treasured byenvironmentalists who also supportthe growth of renewable energy. Atissue is what is worth preserving andat what cost, as California pushes togenerate more electricity from renew-able sources.

In 2012, the federal governmentestablished 17 solar energy zonesin an attempt to direct developmentto land it has identified as havingfewer wildlife and naturalresourceobstacles. The zones comprise about450 square miles (1,165 sq. kilome-ters) in six states: California, Nevada,Arizona, Utah, Colorado and NewMexico.

The Western Watershed Projectis continuing to push a lawsuit againstfederal agencies that reviewed theIvanpah project. Its California direc-tor, Michael J. Connor, said alterna-tives to the site were not consideredand serious environmental impacts,including fragmenting the tortoisepopulation, were ignored.

Challenges for a new IOAChallenges for a new IOAChallenges for a new IOAChallenges for a new IOAChallenges for a new IOA

For more than 14 months, theIndian Olympic Association (IOA)

stubbornly refused to listen to rea-son. It engaged in a no-win stand-off with the International OlympicCommittee (IOC), staking thecountrys Olympic future. It drewcontempt for its officials amidst apower struggle, before accepting theinevitable. Suspended by the IOC inDecember 2012 for violation of theOlympic Charter, the IOA eventuallybowed to every diktat of the formerin holding fresh elections on Febru-ary 9 under IOC-dictated rules. Thishas paved the way for Indias returnto the Olympic fold. What started offas a tussle between the Union gov-ernment and the IOA regarding theimplementation of the National SportsCode, ended up in a cleansing op-eration that kept out officials charge-framed by courts from the electionsordered by the IOC. The IOC advo-cates principles of good governancewhile the IOA has through the yearstried to hide behind the cloak of au-tonomy ordained in the Charter. Thegovernment, faced with criticismboth within and outside Parliamentabout poor administration of sportsin the country, had started tighten-ing the rules governing the IOA andthe national federations, when theIOC slapped the suspension on In-dia.

The quick response of the IOCin lifting the suspension to enable theIndian tricolour to be flown at the on-going Winter Olympics at Sochi, Rus-sia, showed that it was completelysatisfied with a repentant IOA. TheIOC might have managed to pushthrough more stringent clauses thanthat could have been possible inother times while demanding clarityto the IOA constitution. But problemareas still remain. The IOA could beexpected to bargain hard with thegovernment in order to retain what isleft of its autonomy and that of thenational federations when the draftNational Sports Development Bill isamended. The 25 per cent represen-





tation in the Executive to AthletesCommission members, as incorpo-rated in the draft, is far from reality.The continuation of State Olympicassociations as voting-members in theIOA, in a clear attempt to manipulatevote banks, is much against the pro-visions in the Olympic Charter, andthe wishes of the IOC and the gov-ernment. National federations in box-ing, fencing and taekwondo remainsuspended by the respective inter-national federations and were barredfrom voting in the recent IOA elec-tions. The IOA needs to facilitate theirquick return to international sports.Faction feuds within federationsshould be tackled urgently, and sotoo questions related to the demo-cratic functioning of the sports bod-ies that have come up in court cases.The IOA chief, N. Ramachandran,who represents a new phase and hastaken over in challenging circum-stances, has his task cut out

Spectrum of successSpectrum of successSpectrum of successSpectrum of successSpectrum of success

After the two relatively unsuc-cessful attempts to sell 2G spectrumin November 2012 and March 2013,it was a case of third time lucky forthe government as it hit pay dirt withthe latest round of auctioning thatended on Thursday. With all the spec-trum on offer in the 900 MHz bandsold out and 80 per cent of that of-fered in the 1800 MHz band sold fora total of Rs.61,162 crore which issubstantially higher than the reserveprice the government is pattingitself on the back for what it calls abig success. Yet, this has to beviewed in the backdrop of a coupleof issues. First, this auction was criti-cal for two of the biggest telecomoperators in the country, Bharti Airteland Vodafone, because their li-cences are set to expire later this year,and to continue in business they hadto pick up spectrum irrespective ofthe price. So, an element of despera-tion was built into the bidding fromthe moment it began, pushing up

valuations. With a new entrant in theform of Reliance Jio Infocommqueering the pitch by adding to thecompetitive element, it is not surpris-ing that the final values of the 900MHz spectrum for Delhi and Mumbaiwere 105 per cent and 72 per centmore than the reserve price. Ofcourse, it could be argued that this isexactly how markets work and as theowner of the spectrum the govern-ment is entitled to get the best price.

That brings us to the secondpoint. The auction can be trulytermed as successful only whentelecom services develop at afford-able prices for the consumer. If thehigh spending by operators in theauction forces them to raise tariffs, theobjective will be lost. This is exactlywhat happened in the 3G arenawhere companies outbid each otherpaying big bucks for spectrum, onlyto discover that the market was notwilling to absorb the high tariffs. Thenet result is that 3G services have nottaken off in a big way. The signals ontariff now are mixed, with the opera-tors complaining about the moneythey had to cough up for the spec-trum which they are bound to any-way but they have stopped shortof saying that tariffs will rise. The com-petition in the market will probablyensure that tariffs do not shoot upimmediately, at least for voice tele-phony. Groaning as they are underhigh debt levels, it is unlikely thattelecom companies will be able toconvince banks to lend more to themnow; banks are under pressure fromthe RBI anyway as they are over-ex-posed to the sector. It remains to beseen how these companies managetheir funds. Yet, all things considered,the bottomline is this: the auction andthe money put on the table by theoperators prove, yet again, the attrac-tiveness of the telecom market in thecountry, notwithstanding the fact thatit is already 900 million connectionsstrong.

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China does not see the risingthreats from terror groups as derail-ing its new economic corri

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Selected Articles From Various Newspapers Journals April May 2014 Www.upscportal.com