merged_document(1)

From India to Myanmar on road:-

The road is known as Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo (kale), otherwise known as Friendship
road

Religion:-

Over 80 percent of Myanmar embraces are Theravada Buddhism. There are Christians, Muslims, Hindus
and some animists.

Burma or Myanmar:-

In English, the country is popularly known as either “Burma” or “Myanmar” . Both these names are
derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group. Myanmar is considered to be
the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from “Bamar”, the colloquial form of the
group’s name. Depending on the register used, the pronunciation would be “Bama” or “Myamah”. The
name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century.

In 1989, the military government officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to
Burma’s colonial period or earlier, including that of the country itself: “Burma” became “Myanmar”.

History:-
Myanmar has a long history and its greatness dates back to the early 11th Century when King Anawrahta
unified the country and founded the First Myanmar Empire in Bagan more than 20 years before the
Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
King Alaungpaya founded the last Myanmar Dynasty in 1752 and it was during the zenith of this Empire
that the British moved into Myanmar Wars in 1825. During The Second World War, Myanmar was occupied
by the Japanese from 1942 till the return of the Allied Forces in 1945. Myanmar becomes a sovereign
independent state in January 1948 after more than 100 years of colonial administration.
Bagan City:-

Culture:-
Myanmar lies on the crossroad of two of the world’s great civilizations – China and India – but its culture is
neither that of India nor that of China exclusively, but a blend of both interspersed with Myanmar native
traits and characteristics. Buddhism has great influence on daily life of the Myanmar. The people have
preserved the traditions of close family ties, respect for the elders, reverence for Buddhism and simple
native dress. Myanmar people are contented and cheerful even in the face of adversities and known for
their simple hospitality and friendliness.
Currency:-
The local currency is the “Kyat” which is divided into 100 pyas.
Politics :-

Historically, Burma was a monarchy ruled by various dynasties prior to the 19th century. The British
colonised Burma in the late 19th century, and it was under the jurisdiction of the British Raj until

1937

Burma was ruled as a British colony from 1885 until 1948.

Burma was granted its independence from Great Britain in 1948. By granting independence to
Burma, the British government gave the new ruler, Aung San.

From the time of the signing of the Burmese Constitution in 1948, ethnic minorities have been
denied Constitutional rights, access to lands that were traditionally controlled by their people and
participation in the government. The various minority ethnic groups have been consistently
oppressed by the dominant Burman majority, but have also suffered at the hands of warlords and
regional ethnic alliances. Religion also plays a role in the ethnic conflicts that have taken place.

In 1962, General Ne Win led a coup d’état and established a nominally socialist military
government that sought to follow the “Burmese Way to Socialism.” The military expropriated
private businesses and followed an economic policy of autarky, or economic isolation.

There were sporadic protests against military rule during the Ne Win years and these were almost
always violently suppressed.

Aung San Suu Kyi :- The light house of democracy in Burma

Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese opposition politician and chairman of the National League
for Democracy (NLD) in Burma. In the 1990 general election, the NLD won 59% of the
national votes and 81% (392 of 485) of the seats in Parliament.She had, however, already
been detained under house arrest before the elections. She remained under house arrest
in Burma for almost 15 of the 21 years from 20 July 1989 until her most recent release
on 13 November 2010, becoming one of the world’s most prominent political
prisoners.

Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19 June 1945 in Rangoon (now named Yangon).Her father,
Aung San, founded the modern Burmese army and negotiated Burma’s independence from
the British Empire in 1947; he was assassinated by his rivals in the same year.

When Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988, the long-time military leader of Burma
and head of the ruling party, General Ne Win, stepped down. Mass demonstrations for
democracy followed that event on 8 August 1988 (8–8–88, a day seen as auspicious), which
were violently suppressed in what came to be known as the 8888 Uprising.

Influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and more specifically by
Buddhist concepts, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped
found the National League for Democracy on 27 September 1988.

One of her most famous speeches was Freedom From Fear, which began: “It is not
power that corrupts, but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear
of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it”

In the recently held elections,her party made a historic win. With her win , Myanmar
seeks a smooth transition to true democracy.

India Connection :-

India had long historical relationship with Myanmar since antiquity, cultural exchanges included
Buddhism and the Burmese script, which was based on the Indian Grantha script (somewhat
related to Tamil & Malayalam Script)

India is the largest market for Burmese exports.

Mandalay – Tilak was sent to Mandalay prison by British.

India and Myanmar have agreed to a 4-lane, 3200 km triangular highway connecting India,
Myanmar and Thailand. The route, which is expected to be completed by sometime during 2016,
will run from India’s northeastern states into Myanmar, where over 1,600 km of roads will be built or
improved.The route begins from Guwahati in India and connects to Mandalay in Myanmar, route
continues to Yangon in Myanmar and then to Mae Sot in Thailand, which then continues to
Bangkok.

The first phase connecting Guwahati to Mandalay is set to complete by 2016. This will eventually be
extended to Cambodia and Vietnam under Mekong-Ganga Cooperation within the wider framework
of Asian Highway Network. This is aimed at creating a new economic zone ranging from Kolkata on
the Bay of Bengal to Ho Chi Minh City on the South China Sea.

India and Myanmar share a long land border of over 1600 km and a maritime boundary in the Bay of
Bengal. A large population of Indian origin (according to some estimates about 2.5 million) lives in
Myanmar. India and Myanmar signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1951.

India and Myanmar signed a border trade agreement in 1994 and have two operational border
trade points (Moreh-Tamu and Zowkhatar –Rhi on the 1643 km long border. A third border trade
point is proposed to be opened at Avakhung-Pansat/Somrai

Myanmar became a member of ASEAN in July 1997. As the only ASEAN country which shares a
land border with India, Myanmar is a bridge between India and ASEAN.

Myanmar became a member of BIMSTEC in December 1997. Myanmar is a signatory to the
BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement. Myanmar is the lead country for the energy sector. Myanmar
trades mostly with Thailand and India in the BIMSTEC region.Myanmar’s major exports to India are
agricultural products like beans, pulses and maize and forest products such as teak and hardwoods.
Its imports from India include chemical products, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances and
transport equipment.

Myanmar is a member of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) since its inception in November
2000. MGC is an initiative by six countries – India and five ASEAN countries namely, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – for cooperation in the fields of tourism, education,
culture,transport and communication. The chairmanship of MGC is assumed by member countries
in alphabetical order

Apart from the regional importance , Myanmar is strategically important to India, given the
,secessionist and insurgency presence of North-East region.Myanmar acts as a base for the
insurgent groups and thick jungle becomes their safe haven.Hence Myanmar co-operation in
counter-insurgency operation is vital.

12 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE
1)Project Loon:- Balloon-Powered Internet For Everyone

What is Project Loon? :-
Many of us think of the Internet as a global community. But two-thirds of the world’s
population does not yet have Internet access. Project Loon is a network of balloons traveling
on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill
coverage gaps, and bring people back online after disasters

The technology

Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and the weather. In the
stratosphere, there are many layers of wind, and each layer of wind varies in direction and speed.
Loon balloons go where they’re needed by rising or descending into a layer of wind blowing in the
desired direction of travel. By partnering with Telecommunications companies to share cellular
spectrum we’ve enabled people to connect to the balloon network directly from their phones and
other LTE-enabled devices. The signal is then passed across the balloon network and back down to
the global Internet on Earth.
Project Loon began in June 2013 with an experimental pilot in New Zealand, where a small group of
Project Loon pioneers tested Loon technology. The results of the pilot test, as well as subsequent
tests in New Zealand, California’s Central Valley and in Northeast Brazil, are being used to improve
the technology in preparation for the next stages of the project.



What is the importance of Loon from India’s Point of View :-
From Indian perspective project of this magnitude is important, the reasons are simple:-
For “Digital India” initiative it gives immense opportunities that can be realized in a very short span

of time.The alternative to this is physical /broadband connectivity that needs physical infrastructure.
Physical infrastructure takes time to build and includes high maintenance cost.It is easy to float a
thousand balloons than to build lakhs of kms of digital infrastructure.The only challenge is the the
demand of sophisticated engineering of higher order needed for Project Loon.

It is also poses serious questions of it’s geopolitical implication .Google is dominant in the internet
arena and the invasion of “Right to Privacy” is a serious concern.This balloon can act as the eye
on the sky owned by a particular private organization. And, in the age of “Data” , project of this
magnitude should be understood and analyzed properly , else in the garb of science we might
loose our edge on National security and our National interest might be subjugated.Hence for a
project of this nature , while one can happily embrace science , one must be cautious about it’s
future implications , and then there is the larger question of cyber terrorism – which has potential to
bring a country to it’s knees .

We know that blocking river water , putting economic sanctions or withdrawing diplomatic support
has been the way of exercising geopolitical power , however , in the age of data – it will be of no
wonder , if internet blackout is used as tool of geopolitics and this project and implication , thus
needs a holistic understanding from various arena – policy maker, cyber expert, scientist, physicist,
climate engineers etc.

2)BIS elects Raghuram Rajan as its vice-chairman:-

Raghuram Rajan has been elected vice-chairman of the Bank of International Settlement (BIS). Mr.
Rajan will have a three-year term as vice-chairman of the BIS.

BIS:-

The mission of the BIS is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster
international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.(For e.g.- The way RBI in
India looks after monetary policy and liquidity , in the same way , in a globalized and interconnected
economy, which has few reserve currency and most payments are made in dollar , it is necessary to
have an institution such as BIS , which looks after global liquidity and stability of global monetary policy.

The BIS has 60 member central banks, representing countries from around the world that together make
up about 95% of world GDP

This bank was created as part of ” Treaty of Versailles“*

*Treaty of Versailles:-

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of
war between Germany and the Allied Powers.The condition of this treaty was too harsh upon the German
(huge monetary penalty was imposed on German to pay to other countries , for being an aggressor
) and many historians claim that the seeds of World War II and rise of Hitler were sown with the imposition
of this treaty.

To read about Reserve Currency :- Click Here

3)India Signs MoUs with six countries in the International Civil Aviation Negotiations :-

Note – Largely news of this nature is mostly fodder material for other recruitment exams and not for UPSC.
However , the burden of UPSC aspirant is to know everything , if not in detail , at least in principle.As many
aspirants rely upon us, we can’t discredit news like this , even though we believe it may not be as useful.
We request you to go through the literature at least once. One never knows how it might help. If it does not
help in prelims, it might help in adding points to your Mains answer, as in this case for Indian Aviation
sector .

ICAN (International Civil Aviation Negotiations),2015 was held in Antalya, Turkey from 19 th to
23rdOctober,2015. The Conference was attended by 106 countries out of ICAO membership of 191
countries
The Indian delegation representing Ministry of Civil Aviation participated in the Conference and
negotiated with the delegations from 11 countries. During these negotiations,“Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU)” was signed with six countries namely Finland, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
Sweden, Norway &Denmark, Oman and Ethiopia and “Agreed Minutes”with Serbia, Greece,
European Commission and “Record of Discussions” with Brunei Darussalam and Qatar.

4)Environment Minister Launches New Website on Climate Change :-

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched a new website –
www.justclimateaction.org
The website is launched in the run up to upcoming “Paris Conference”.

The in-depth analysis of “India-Climate Change- INDC and Paris Conference” has already been covered
by us :- Click Here

5)Agriculture Revival:-

Y S P Thorat (Former NABARD head) and R Gopalakrishnan has suggested few reforms that may
help in Agriculture sector:-

Reforms proposed:-

Holistic Plan to be based on 5 Pillars:- Technology, Risk, Institutions, Policy and
Skills (TRIPS)
Krishi Aayog should be created on the lines of NITI Aayog
Key features should be promoting innovative research, funding projects and capacity
building, focus on products or solutions for specific agricultural problems, thrust on
networking and meaningful collaborations, between the public and private institutions,
outcome-oriented, coupled with measurable milestones, leveraging the state’s
extension machinery to promote modern technologies and streamlining of current
responsibilities
Rules and regulations governing the exchange of plant parts and tissues, and export
of research material, including seeds, need to be clear.
Strengthening agriculture financing and risk institutions

Crop Insurance:-The new crop insurance scheme should be based on a financially
sustainable model. It should gain farmers’ trust through science-based, fast and
affordable crop insurance. For this to be effective, farmers’ land records should be
digitised through handheld GPS, leveraging technologies like drones, radar-based
sensing and low earth orbits to monitor and assess crop damage in real-time, plus
crop modelling for each block on the basis of weather parameters. The insurance
product should cover market risks for all crops.

National Agriculture Policy, with a focus on productivity-linked growth. It should
propagate a new approach to all areas – fertiliser, pesticides, marketing,
mechanisation, extension services, foodgrain management and so forth

A national agriculture market would be there, guaranteeing unfettered access to an
integrated, regulated and transparent pan-India market. All wholesale markets would
be linked through national commodity exchanges, via electronic platforms

There is an urgent need to actively promote farmer-producer organisations or
FPOs and start a concept of Agriculture Technical Training Institutions on the
lines of Industrial training Institutes (it is) to train rural youth in modern practices and
in entrepreneurship.

Use IT for agriculture, wider dissemination of crop insurance, rapid financial inclusion
can go a long way in risk mitigation.

Mind Map:-





13 NOV 2015 _Dr.Kalam Chronicles

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UPSCTREE

1)‘Women of India’ Exhibition’:-

The Union Minister of Women and Child Development inaugurated the first of its kind Women of
India Exhibition with the theme ‘Women and organic Products’ at ‘Dilli Haat, in New Delhi .
The ‘Women of India Exhibition’ is a special initiative of WCD Ministry for women’s empowerment
under which it invites the women, meets their travel and local accommodation costs, but allows
them to keep all the proceeds recovered from the sale of organic produce.
For the first time in India, over 500 women artisans /entrepreneurs across the country have come
together with their organic products, such as tribal and ethnic foods, pickles and preserves, rice,
pulses, spices, vegetables and fruits, fabrics, dyes and dresses, cosmetics and household products,
in the exhibition.
Another unique feature of the exhibition will be ‘Forgotten Foods’ like millets such as jhongora,
ragi, kuttu, bajra, amaranth, etc which were earlier regarded as healthy foods eaten by all but
have lost their popularity over time.
The main aim of the Exhibition is to support and encourage women and women-led groups which
promote organic farming thus supporting local community’s economy, creating jobs and keeping
farmers thriving in addition to spreading awareness about the benefits of organic products with the
motto “Eat Healthy Live Healthy”.
Forgotten Foods :- These foods are of immense importance in people’s live and they were nutrient
diverse.However with the green revolution and emphasis on few specific crops , compounded with
the incentive of Minimum Support Price , many staple foods have lost relevance today, which is
worrisome. This is one of the criticism how a policy skewed in favor of certain elements may harm
the necessary vital elements.

2) ‘Taxpayers’ Lounge’ at the India International Trade Fair – 2015

The Income Tax Department will be setting-up a ‘Taxpayers’ Lounge’ at the India International Trade
Fair (IITF) – 2015 in New Delhi.
The theme of the Taxpayers’ Lounge this year would follow the theme of IITF 2015 i.e. ‘Make in
India’ and aims to generate awareness in the public about the various taxpayer-friendly initiatives
taken by the Department. Besides it, various tax payers services would also be provided at the
Taxpayers’ Lounge for the benefit of people at large including e-filing of returns, viewing of tax credit
through 26AS, applications for PAN and services of Tax Return Prepares among others

The Lounge will also highlight the contribution of taxes and the Income Tax Department to nation
building. Activities such as Nukkad Natak, Drawing Competition and Quiz Contest will be carried-out
to engage with school children and youth, who are potential taxpayers of the future.

3)Indra-2015:-
The 14 days India Russia military exercise is progressing at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, in
Rajasthan

4) Dr Kalam and his Legacy :-
*Note:- The life of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is an embodiment of ethical values , inspiration and positivism.
Hence we are providing a short article on his sayings that can be used while writing Ethics (GS IV) paper
answers or Essay .It is always good to write answers linking it to the current context, if one can , as it
makes the examiner easy to comprehend and relate to it.

“Don’t read success stories, you will only get a message. Read failure stories, you will get
some ideas to get success”.(This particular quote is specifically holds true for Civil Service
Aspirants)

Geopolitics and Pursuit of power – “Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect
us. In this world, fear has no place only strengths respects strength.”

Motivational – “Difficulties in your life do not come to destroy you, but to help you realize
your hidden potential and power, let difficulties know that you too are difficult.”

Secularism – “For great men, religion is a way of making friends; small people make religion
a fighting tool.”

Attitude :- All Birds find shelter during a rain. But Eagle avoids rain by flying above the
Clouds.Problems are common, but attitude
makes the difference!!!

Virtue :- Courage is the most important of all virtues because without courage you cannot
practice any other virtue consistently.

Feminism :- If Women can succeed only by emulating men, I think it is a great loss .The aim

is not only for women to succeed but also to keep feminine essence and let that influence
society.

Leisure :- Sometimes, it’s better to bunk a class and enjoy with friends, because now, when
I look back, marks never make me laugh, but memories do.

Goodness and Greatness :- See the flower, how generously it distributes perfume and
honey. When it’s work is done, it falls away quietly. Try to be like the flower, unassuming
despite all it’s qualities.

Indian History:- Indians have been both afflicted and enriched by centuries of migrations.
Loyalty to different rulers has dulled our capacity for a single allegiance. Instead, we have
developed an extraordinary ability to be compassionate and cruel, sensitive and callous,
deep and fickle, all at the same time. To the untrained eye, we may appear colourful and
picturesque; to the critical eye, we are but shoddy imitations of our various masters.

Inter-connection :- The sweetness we taste in a piece of sugar is neither a property of the
sugar nor a property of ourselves. We are producing the experience of sweetness in the
process of interacting with the sugar

Sensitivity :- Praise publicly, but criticize privately

Dedication:- Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but
synthetic happiness

14 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE

1)Maareech –Advanced Torpedo Defence System of Indian Navy :-

SMB (Seakeeping and Manoeuvring Basin) facility is one of its kind in the country, set up as a joint
effort of DRDO and Indian Navy. The facility puts India among the few nations in the world having
the capability to undertake comprehensive hydrodynamic model testing of naval platforms and
weapon systems. SMB would help to design and build state-of-the-art naval combatants such as
submarines, ships, torpedoes, etc.
Maareech, a joint project of Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi and
NSTL, Visakhapatnam is a state-of-the-art indigenous system for torpedo detection and
countermeasures. This system offers a complete solution to detect and locate the incoming torpedo
and to apply countermeasures to protect naval platform against torpedo attack. Two production
grade Maareech systems have been developed and user evaluation trials completed onboard two
Indian Navy ships.

2)Children’s day and Legacy of Nehru:-

Nehru was the foremost architect of India, his contribution is unparalleled from bringing India out of the
clutch of Colonial masters to an Independent India as we see today. His policy of non-alignment has
created the necessary space for our foreign policy makers. His intellect of not giving into any particular
power bloc in his heydays , gave India its Independent foreign policy. As he wisely said , the modern
temples of India are not the one people go to pray ,but the one where people go to work – He saw the
Industry as the temple of modern India. His achievements are well-known and so his philosophy. He is
best described by the foremost architect of Singapore – Lee Kuan Yew , who observed that ” Nehru is
the demigod who chose not to be a dictator” . As the nation celebrates his birthday, we have complied
the saying of the first Prime minister of this great country :-

On life:- “Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is
free will.”
On Peace :- “Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a
serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace
can come only to peaceful people”
On Capitalism :- “The forces in a capitalist society, if left unchecked, tend to make the rich richer
and the poor poorer.”
On Culture :- “ Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit“
On Democracy :- “ Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse”
Empowering People :- “The man who has gotten everything he wants is all in favor of peace and

order.”
On Democracy and Adult franchise:-
In 1951 Dec 20th, Nehru, while campaigning for the first democratic elections in India, took a short
break to address a UNESCO symposium in Delhi. Although he believed democracy was the best
form of governance, while speaking at the symposium he wondered loud…
“The quality of men who are selected by these modern democratic methods of adult
franchise gradually deteriorates because of lack of thinking and the noise of
propaganda….He[the voter] reacts to sound and to the din, he reacts to repetition and he
produces either a dictator or a dumb politician who is insensitive. Such a politician can
stand all the din in the world and still remain standing on his two feet and, therefore, he gets
selected in the end because the others have collapsed because of the din ”

3)Rajiv Khel Abhiyan:-

It is a centrally sponsored scheme. It was launched in 2014 in place of erstwhile Panchayat Yuva Krida
aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA).

Objective :-

To provide universal access to sports in rural areas and promote sports culture among both boys
and girls.
To harness available and potential sporting talent among rural youth, through a well-designed
competition structure from the block level.
To put in place an effective mechanism to identify and nurture sporting talent in rural areas.

News:- Karwar district in Karnataka is gearing up to host various games under the State-level Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Abhiyan. State-level competitions in Kho Kho, Kabaddi, Judo and Table Tennis will be conducted
under the scheme.

4)Terrorist Strike at Paris:-

A set of shootings and explosions hit Paris late on Friday, killing at least 129 people and injuring more than
350 in one of the city’s densest districts on a Friday night. The identity of the terrorists and their motives
are still unknown; ISIS claimed responsibility, but the veracity of the group’s claim is unclear

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, citing France’s “crusader campaign” in an apparent reference to
the country’s role in air strikes against the group in Syria and Iraq. But the veracity of the claim remains
unclear, although President Hollande blamed ISIS, as well.

5) Transparency International :-

Note:- This institution and its ranking has been mentioned by Prime Minister of India in his Wembley
Stadium address while in UK visit.

Transparency International (TI) is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes
corporate and political corruption in international development. Originally founded in Germany in May 1993
as a not-for-profit organization, Transparency International is now an international non-governmental
organization.

It publishes an annual Global Corruption Barometer and Corruption Perceptions Index, a comparative

listing of corruption worldwide

India’s Ranking :-

Corruption Perceptions Index (2014) Rank: 85 /175

Significance:- India is ranked less corrupt than China in 18 Years.India jumped 10 places to rank 85 out of
175 countries and China dropped 20 places to rank 100, according to Wall Street Journal.

Criticism :- This being a NGO , it’s ranking was challenged from time to time and criticized for having
vested interest.

Analysis:- Though the index is a good news for India, yet , the ranking by NGO instead of a governmental
platform such World Bank should be treated with due care and due diligence.And this principle of caution
applies for any other NGO as they are not inter-governmental engagements.

16 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE

1) National Press Day and President’s address to Press club : –

Note:- We would not have picked this news , if it was a different year. However the Press itself has been in
news for the wrong reasons. The insensitive coverage of Indian Media during Nepal earth quake or
Jammu & Kashmir floods has been severely criticized in the social media – such as Twitter , Quora etc.
The whole ethics of media is a matter of concern and has been in focus , especially this year .This reflects
in the President’s Speech too . He goes great length from evolution of India media , its ingenuity to
drawing a word of caution and advising self-restraint to media. Hence , this has a greater significance from
examination point of view too.

Evolution of Indian Media :-

The growth of newspapers and agencies in our country has its roots in our freedom struggle. The
press in India has evolved, not through the aegis of the Government but due to the commitment of
individuals who used it as a tool to fight the exploitative and oppressive policies of the colonial
Government. Newspapers became the platforms for social reform movements across the country. It
is a matter of pride that between 1780 until India’s Independence in 1947, more than 120
newspapers and periodicals were launched in almost every Indian language. Each of these
publications carried the ideals of freedom to the doorsteps of our people and spread the message of
an independent India.

The first newspaper in India was the ‘Hickey’s Gazette’ or ‘Bengal Gazette’ started on January
29, 1780 by an Irishman, James Augustus Hickey. This weekly political and commercial paper
declared itself as ‘‘open to all parties but influenced by none’’ and its content included criticism of
the British East India Company.

James Silk Buckingham, the Editor of the ‘Calcutta Journal’’ established in 1818, was a social
reformer and close associate of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Samachar Darpan in Bengali founded in 1818 was the first regional language newspaper. The
Times of India was born on November 3, 1838 as ‘‘The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
It’s Editor, Robert Knight used to upbraid British officials for their nastiness towards Indians and for
doing precious little to eradicate India’s poverty

The Amrita Bazar Patrika was founded on February 20, 1868 as a Bengali weekly by Sisir Ghosh
and Moti Lal Ghosh. It became instantly popular because of its campaign against injustice and
inequality. It overnight turned into an English weekly from March 21, 1878 in order to escape the
provisions of the oppressive Vernacular Press Act.

The Hindu was founded in Madras in 1878 by the Triplicane Six – a group of law students and
teachers; Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Kesari in 1881; Dadabhai Naoroji
established the Voice of India in 1883.

Bande Mataram was published in 1906 by Bipan Chandra Pal and edited by Aurobindo Ghose.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Hitavadini 1911; Tribune was started by Dayal Singh Majithia
in 1881.

Motilal Nehru started the Independent in 1919 and Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian Opinion in
1904 in South Africa and Navjeevan and Young India in 1919 in India as well as the Harijan in
1932. These trailblazers became the conscience keepers of the country and through their
relentless campaigns gave voice to the struggle for independence.

Word of Advise to Media:-

Today, the influence, credibility and quality of our media is well recognized all over the world. The
Indian media has grown in scale, reach and revenues over the years. Its significance has further
increased with higher literacy levels and the revolution in communication technologies. New media
has brought about a convergence between traditional, audio-visual, digital and social media. It has
become a powerful means for shaping the ideas, aspirations and behaviour of our people, even in
the remotest corners of our country.

This entrusts media with an additional responsibility. They must act as a watchdog of public
interest and give voice to the marginalized. Journalists must bring to public notice the array of ills
and deprivations that continue to beset large number of our people. They must shape and influence
public opinion even as they provide objective and balanced coverage of news.

Gloom and dark alone should not dominate news coverage. A conscious effort should be made to
show what is noble and good in the society. It must highlight the positive and inspire change for the
better. The power of the media should be used to reset our moral compass and promote liberalism,
humanism and decency in public life.

Emotions should not overrun reason and disagreement should be expressed through
debate and discussion. We must, as proud Indians, have confidence in the idea of India and the
values and principles enshrined in our Constitution. India has always been able to self-correct
whenever such a need has arisen.

The media has an important role to play in cleansing public life. For that, the conduct of the media
itself should be above board. Independence and integrity are two sides of the same coin and it
goes for every one of us including the media. Sensationalism should not substitute for
objective, accurate and dispassionate reporting. While opinion is free, facts should be
sacred.

Caution should be exercised in passing judgements, especially on matters where the due
process of law is yet to be completed. We must never forget that careers and reputations
take years to build but only minutes to demolish.

It is said accusations appear in headlines, denial in small print and contradictions are
hidden away amidst cheap advertisements. The media must realise that it remains always
accountable to its readers and viewers and through them, to the entire nation.

Conclusion:-

The media recognized as the fourth estate serves as a facilitator, protector and enabler of
democratic institutions and processes. It is an important component in the fabric of a functional
democracy. As India marches forward into the 21st century, it is extremely important that the free
press of India remains strong and vibrant.

The media fraternity of India are not only providers of news, but also educators who empower our
citizens and strengthen the democratic framework of our country.

2)Doyang Lake in Nagaland : –

The Centre will develop the Doyang lake in Nagaland – famous for the world’s longest travelling
raptors Amur falcons – as an eco-tourism spot.

Amur falcons come to Doyang every year in millions. They come to roost here during their flight
from Mongolia to South Africa, making this beautiful area in India’s northeast a bird-watchers’
paradise

The lake area had come to limelight when two of three falcons, tagged with satellite device in 2013
to understand their migratory behaviour, had returned to the lake twice after taking rounds from
Mongolia to South Africa via Nagaland.

Trivia – These two falcons – named Naga and Pangti – have once again returned to the lake in
Nagaland this year

The world has recognized Pangti village in Nagaland as the world’s Amur Falcon capital, as more
than one million birds can be seen in just 30 minutes. It is a very rare and exciting sight

According to environment ministry, Naga tribesmen until recently used to hunt thousands of Amur
falcons for meat. But last year, after a vigorous campaign by wildlife activists, they pledged to
protect the bird and since then, not a single bird has been hunted in the area .

3)Government declares NSCN (K) as terrorist organization under UAPA :-

The Government has declared the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang), NSCN (K), all
its formations and front organizations as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967.

NSCN (K) :-

The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga nationalist paramilitary group
operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor activities in Northwest Myanmar

The main goal of the organisation is to establish a sovereign state, “Nagalim”

Nagaland (NSCN) was formed on 31 January 1980 by Isak Chishi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and
S.S. Khaplang opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with
the Government of India. The name of the Government is called, “The People Republic of Nagaland
(Nagalim)”. Later, a disagreement surfaced within the outfit leaders over the issue of commencing
dialogue with the Indian Government. On 30 April 1988, the NSCN split into two factions; the
NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang, and the NSCN-IM, led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.
The split was accompanied by a spate of violence and clashes between the factions

4) Sector Mentor Committees :-

In a significant effort to create a unified system for development of curricula and courses for skill
development trainings in the country, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,
Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy has approved the creation of “Sector Mentor Committees” that would act as
integrated committees for creating model curricula for skill training courses, both long-term and
short-term, in each sector.

With the establishment of Sector Mentor Committees, all existing curricula in short-term and long-
term skill competency based courses would be aligned with corresponding National Occupation
Standards (NOSs), Qualification Packs (QPs) and National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).
The NOSs define the standards of the particular skill that an individual needs to possess in order to

carry out a function in the workplace and a group of such standards makes a QP. The NSQF
organizes these qualifications according to series of levels of knowledge, skills and aptitude.

5)AMRUT Action Plans for 81 cities approved with total project outlay of Rs.5,748 cr :-

81 cities in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram will invest Rs.5,748 cr to
enhance basic infrastructure including water supply and sewerage connections under AMRUT
action plans for the year 2015-16.

AMRUT:-Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation

The Mission focuses on the following Thrust Areas:-
i. Water Supply,
ii. Sewerage facilities and management,
iii. Storm Water drains to reduce flooding,
iv. Pedestrian, non-motorized and public transport facilities, parking spaces, and
v. Enhancing amenity value of cities by creating and upgrading green spaces, parks and recreation
centers, especially for children.

17 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE

1) G20 :-

News:- G20 summit now underway in Turkey. Once the meeting is over and concrete document are out,
we will publish the take away from Turkey.Meanwhile :-

The Group of Twenty (also known as the G-20 or G20) is an international forum for the
governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.
The members include 19 individual countries—Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States—along with the European Union (EU).
The G-20 was founded in 1999 with the aim of studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level
discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability
It seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization
Collectively, the G-20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of
world trade (or, if excluding EU intra-trade, 75%), and two-thirds of the world population
Criticism:-

The G-20’s transparency and accountability have been questioned by critics, who call
attention to the absence of a formal charter and the fact that the most important G-20
meetings are closed-door.
Although the G-20 has stated that the group’s “economic weight and broad membership
gives it a high degree of legitimacy and influence over the management of the global
economy and financial system,its legitimacy has been challenged. With respect to the
membership issue, U.S. President Barack Obama has noted the difficulty of pleasing
everyone: “everybody wants the smallest possible group that includes them. So, if they’re the
21st largest nation in the world, they want the G-21, and think it’s highly unfair if they have
been cut out.”

2)“Swayam” Initiative :-

Launching the “Swayam” initiative of “Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry”
(FICCI) women wing in Guwahati today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the unique advantage of any
women initiative is that it has a wider social and public impact, also because a woman holds stake
for at least three generations, that is, the generation of her parents and in-laws, the generation of
her husband and brothers, and the generation of her children.
Appreciating the “Swayam” initiative by FICCI women, he said, it has already been launched in
Delhi and other places, resulting in successful engagement of women from all sections, in big and
small self-employed vocations and observed that the arrival of “Swayam” in Guwahati will open a
new chapter in the growth of Northeast and at the same time also open new vistas of opportunity,
not only for women alone but for the entire population of the eight North Eastern States.

3)Schemes Related to Agriculture:-

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY):-

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (Traditional Farming Improvement Programme) has been
launched by Government of India to support and promote organic farming and thereby
improving soil health. This will encourage farmers to adopt eco-friendly concept of cultivation
and reduce their dependence on fertilizers and agricultural chemicals to improve yields
This is a cluster base programmee.
Groups of farmers would be motivated to take up organic farming under Paramparagat Krishi
Vikas Yojana (PKVY). Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster having 50 acre land to take up
the organic farming under the scheme.
In this way during three years 10,000 clusters will be formed covering 5.0 lakh acre area
under organic farming. There will be no liability on the farmers for expenditure on certification.
Every farmer will be provided Rs. 20,000 per acre in three years for seed to harvesting of
crops and to transport produce to the market.
Organic farming will be promoted by using traditional resources and the organic products
will be linked with the market.

Integrated Plant Nutrient Management:Soil Health Card :-

Soil health card to farmers with establishment of soil testing facility can help farmer
customize their crop according to the soil test result there by enhancing productivity and
ensuring financial sustainability for farmers.

Per Drop More Crop :-

This is rather a concept or a theme to best utilize the available water resource and reducing
wastage .
Agriculture takes 70% of our total water consumption.Hence method like drip irrigation ,
sprinkler irrigation etc can help in reducing the wastage of water used in agriculture.
Produce more in less land, less water and without any substantial top layer quality loss of
soil.

Pradhanmantri Gram Sinchai Yojana :-

This scheme envisages to provide irrigation for agriculture in the villages through multipronge
approach.

4)Porous Liquid:-Can capture Co2

Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast have devised a class of liquids that feature permanent
holes at the molecular level, in a development that could help manipulate gases in new and effective
ways
Porous materials are a jack-of-all-trades of the engineering world. Their larger surface area, lighter
weight and filtering abilities are used to create high-performance batteries and supercapacitors,
build lighweight supermaterials, or filter out CO2 before it leaves factory smokestacks.

When it comes to carbon sequestration in particular, scientists have already come up with plenty
of readily available materials – including clay and coffee grounds – to do the job. But while
effective and inexpensive, such solid-state materials are not easily retrofitted to existing plants.
To create a porous liquid, the scientists simply designed hollow cage molecules to place in a
solvent. The solvent is chosen so its molecules are too big to enter the cages, leaving those spaces
available for an external gas to fill. The resulting concentration of empty cages is about 500 times
greater than in similar solutions

5)Mega Food park:-

News – A new foodpark is opened in Telengana
What is Food Park:-

The Mega Food Park is an inclusive concept which is aimed at establishing direct linkages
from the farm to processing and on to the consumer markets, through a network of collection
centres and Primary Processing Centres. Efficient logistics facilities will connect the
collection centres to the primary processing centres, which in turn will be connected to a
central processing centre.
The Mega Food Park will have a Central Processing Centre (CPC) as the nuclei of all value
addition activities facilitated by Primary Processing Centres, which will act as point of
aggregation and primary handling to provide ready to use raw materials to be processed
further in the units to be set up in the CPC.

Why Food Park:-

By processing the food , the shelf life of the food increases. The food which could easily be
wasted in few days after processing can stay longer and thus reducing wastage in food.

Challenges :-

Majority of the food park challenges are akin to other infrastructure project challenges ,
prominent being Land acquisition.
Unlike other societies , for eg – USA and Europe , were processed food is consumed heavily.
Indian society shows resilience in adapting to processed food. The resistance arises from the
socio-cultural milieu . Processed food sells mostly in urban areas , but India lives in its
villages and yet to be urbanized fully. Moreover the penchant for fresh food is quite strong in
India.
Indian corporate interest in food sector and especially food processing has not been very
promising.One of reason why we have few successful Indian brands such as Brittania.

6)Aditya – India’s first dedicated scientific mission to study the sun :-

The ambitious solar mission will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the
chromosphere, collect data about coronal mass ejection and more, which will also yield
information for space weather prediction
It now aims to put a heavy satellite into what is called a halo orbit around the L1 point between the
Sun and the Earth. This point is at a distance of about 1.5 million km from the earth. With the
excitement about the Mars Orbiter Mission yet to settle down, this could be the next most

complicated feat that ISRO has carried out till date.

In a three-body problem such as this – with the earth and sun engaged in an elliptical orbit and a
relatively very light, call it massless in comparison, satellite being placed in between – there are five
so-called Lagrangian points in space where the light, third body — in our case, the satellite — may
be placed so that it can maintain its position with respect to the two others. One of these is the L1
point, which is about 1.5 million km from the earth.

A halo orbit would be a circular orbit around the L1 point. The satellite will have to use its own power
(spend energy) to remain in position within in this orbit without losing its way. Such orbits have not
been attempted too often

Significance:-

Solar storms and space weather affect satellite operations. They may interfere with
electronic circuitry of satellites and also, through enhanced drag (friction effects), impact
satellite mission lifetimes. They also impact the positional accuracy of satellites and thus
impact GPS navigational networks. Space weather also impacts telecommunications,
satellite TV broadcasts which are dependent on satellite-based transmission. Hence the
study of sun is significance in this regard.

18 NOV 2015 _ Indo-Nepal Relations

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2)Swachh Delhi app :-

The Delhi Govt. has launched Swachh Delhi App , where people can immediately take pictures of a
garbage mound or heap and through this application it will be directly communicated to Delhi
Municipal , which will help them to take real time action. This has been done keeping the broader
interest of Swachh Bharat Mission.
This kind of initiative should also be launched at a national level and state level , which can really
help the municipal of the region to clean up the city in real time.

3) Justice T.S. Thakur has been appointed as the Chief Justice of India :-

Justice Thakur, who is the seniormost judge after the Chief Justice, will take over after Chief Justice
retires on December 2, 2015. It is a convention that the present CJI recommends to the government
the name of his successor. After the Law Ministry clears his name, the file would travel to the Prime
Minister’s Office and finally reach the President. His Warrant of Appointment would be issued after
the President gives his approval.
Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the manner of appointing judges to the Supreme
Court. Though no specific provision exists in the Constitution for appointing the Chief Justice, who,
as a result, is appointed like the other judges, conventionally, the outgoing CJI recommends the
name of the senior-most judge (i.e. by date of appointment to the Supreme Court) for appointment
by the President, as his successor.However, this convention has been breached on a number of
occasions, most notably during the premiership of Indira Gandhi, who appointed A.N. Ray
superseding three judges senior to him allegedly because he supported Gandhi’s government,
during the Emergency, a time when her government was becoming increasingly mired in a political
and constitutional crisis

4)National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research (NARF) :-

Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Health Research in the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare for setting up of a National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research (NARF) at
Genome Valley in Hyderabad by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
The institution will be the first of its kind for quality laboratory animals for basic and applied
biomedical research in the country.
It will be developed as a world-class facility for breeding and housing of animals such as primates,
cabines and other specialized models such as transgenic and knockout rodents required for testing
of various R&D products. The facility will create, develop and provide access to a range of
laboratory animals and related technological resources for advancement of biomedical research in

the country, mainly to facilitate research in medical colleges, research and academic institutions,
universities and Biotech/Bio-pharma companies

5)IFSO- In-Flight Security officers :-

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, gave its ex-post facto
approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of the Interior
Germany and the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India for carriage of In-flight Security Officers (IFCOs)
on board the flight.
What is important is that , IFSO should be availed in all the flights . This can help fight any
hijackers on board and can act as the security of last resort.

6)UN confers Shri Kiren Rijiju with Disaster Risk Reduction Asia Champion honour :-

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, has been designated as the Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) Champion for the Asia Region by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction (UNISDR).

Shri Rijiju is the first regional champion for DRR after the Sendai Agreement. He is also the first
Indian to be conferred with this honour.

Sendai Framework:-

The “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 ” was adopted during the Third
UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in 2015.
It has seven targets and four priorities for action. It has a 15 yr framework.
It is a voluntary and non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has the primary role to
reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local
government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
It succeeds Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 .
The implementation of the Sendai Framework involves adopting integrated and inclusive
institutional measures so as to work towards preventing vulnerability to disaster, increase
preparedness for response and recovery and strengthen resilience.

7 Targets:-

1. Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030, aiming to lower average per 100,000 global
mortality rate in the decade 2020-2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.

2. Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030, aiming to lower average global
figure per 100,000 in the decade 2020 -2030 compared to the period 2005-2015.

3. Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.
4. Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services,

among them health and educational facilities, including through developing their resilience by 2030.
5. Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction

strategies by 2020.
6. Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and

sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of this Framework by
2030.
7. Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and
disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.

4 Priorities for Action :-

1. Understanding disaster risk
2. Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
3. Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
4. Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery,

rehabilitation and reconstruction

19 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE

1)Center Seeks Memorandum from the States for Providing Drought Assistance :-

News :-

In view of sustained dry spell during the last Kharif season, as also in the early Rabi period in some
part of the country, the Center has asked the affected states to submit memorandum for drought
assistance immediately.
In a communication to the state Government of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Telagana
and Ander Pradesh, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare has urged the states to
intimate immediately number of drought affected districts in the state and whether drought has been
declared in these area or not. States have also been asked to submit the financial memorandum for
assistance from National Drought Relief Fund (NDRF).

Drought:-

Drought is one of the most frequently occurring national disasters in India. With its increased
frequency and expanded coverage in the recent years, about one third of the
country is either drought prone or under desert areas.
These areas are lagging behind in agriculture and also in overall economic growth. They
experience wide year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production and incomes and have a
relatively high incidence of poverty.
The poor in these regions are highly vulnerable to a variety of risks due to their low and fluctuating
incomes, high indebtedness and low human development. Helping the poor to come out of
vulnerability and poverty and integrating the drought prone areas into the mainstream of
development is a serious challenge faced by policy makers at present.

The History of Drought in India:-

Droughts and famines have received attention of rulers in India right from the 13th and 14th century.
Muhammad Tughlakh was perhaps the first Sultan to take systematic steps to alleviate efforts of
droughts by distributing grains to drought affected people in Delhi in 1343 AD.
This approach was followed and improved upon by Mughals and many other kings and rulers later
on.
During the British period also efforts were made to provide relief to droughts / famine affected
people by organizing relief works and food distribution, distribution of fodder, loans to farmers to
start cultivation in the next season etc.The first Scarcity Manual was prepared by the British
Government in 1883, which was followed by other manuals by some provincial governments.
The Royal Commission on Agriculture in 1928 recommended promotion of dry land farming to
promote agriculture in famine affected regions. However, the efforts were
scanty and there was an alarming increase in the frequency of during the British period.

After Independence government has adopted a three pronged strategy to face droughts:

(1) providing relief to drought hit population under scarcity relief programmes

(2) designing special area development programme for drought prone areas and desert areas (DPAP –
drought prone area programme and DDP – desert development programme) and

(3) promoting dry farming agriculture as a part of agricultural policy.

Somehow this approach has not worked very well, as is evident from the increasing drought prone areas
in the country and the relatively high poverty and vulnerability of
people living in these areas.The new opportunities of globalization are likely to bypass these regions if
adequate steps are not taken to integrate them into the mainstream economy.

Long term impacts of drought :-

Its long term impact on agriculture in terms of farmers’ adjustment to uncertain rainfall and uncertain
agricultural prospects

poor performance of agriculture and of the overall economy

impact on environmental resources like water, forest, land etc and biodiversity including damages to
animal and plant species, which tend to raise the frequency
and intensity of droughts in the long run and which affect the life and livelihood of people adversely.

income poverty, vulnerability, and human poverty, which tend to raise the incidence of chronic
poverty and of vulnerability of the poor.

What is Drought :-

According to IMD (Indian Meteorological Department) drought is a situation when the rainfall is less than
25 percent of the normal rainfall. The meteorological definition,
however, need not coincide with the hydrological or agricultural definition of drought.

Hydrological drought: Hydrological drought is a situation when the surface and ground water levels fall
below the average levels and are affected not only by precipitation but also by infiltration and evaporation.
Hydrological dimension of drought refers to the water distribution on land surface after precipitation has
reached the ground. Major
indicators of hydrological drought are low reservoir storage, inadequate stream flows, aggregate runoff
less than long term average runoff and precipitation at high elevation. Its
frequency is defined on the basis of its influence on river basin: SWSI (surface water supply index) is
mostly used to measure hydrological drought.

Agricultural drought: Agricultural drought refers to shortage of water for crop growth or consistently high
soil moisture deficiency over the growing season. Major indicators of agricultural drought are shortage of
precipitation – departure from the normal, abnormal evaporation, deficiency of sub-soil moisture etc. Its
intensity depends on the difference.between plants water demand and water availability. Crop moisture
index (CMI) is used to measure agricultural drought.

Ecological drought: Ecological drought occurs when primary productivity of natural or (managed)
ecosystem declines significantly owing to reduced precipitation. Socioeconomic drought incorporates
features of all the above types of droughts. It occurs when precipitation is not sufficient to meet needs of
human activities.

Socio-economic droughts are the aggregate of all the above droughts when precipitation is not adequate

to meet the needs of human activities.

Though meteorological drought is mainly a natural phenomenon, a natural disaster, the intensity of its
impact on hydrological, agricultural and ecological droughts can be
reduced by appropriate interventions, which, in turn, can also impact on socio-economic droughts. The
crux of drought policy is to reduce this impact so as to reduce the adverse
impact of droughts on human well-being. The impact of droughts varies with the time scale of droughts.
The longer the period of drought and the larger the number of
consecutive droughts, the greater will be its impact on agriculture, ecology and economy. The regions,
which are subjected to frequent droughts, therefore need careful attention of policy makers.

Drought Prone areas of India:-

Drought Prone Area Programmee:-

The basic objective of the programme is to minimise the adverse effects of drought on
production of crops and livestock and productivity of land, water and human resources
ultimately leading to drought proofing of the affected areas. The programme also aims to
promote overall economic development and improving the socio-economic conditions of the
resource poor and disadvantaged sections inhabiting the programme areas.

How to Fight Drought :-

Drougth is a climatic phenomenon, hence it can only be fought as a long term strategy.

Short-term:- The short-term drought fighting mechanism is to reduce the socio-economic impact of
drought. This is essentially bringing the vulnerable from out of imminent danger .

Long – Term:-The long term requires a integrated approach :-

Integrated watershed development
Ground water recharge programmes
Afforestation to contain loss of moisture
Desert development programmee- Fighting the aridity and restricting new regions getting
decertified.
River valley Projects

2)Launch of Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) under National Manufacturing
Policy (NMP) :-

Technology Acquisition and Development Fund (TADF) under National Manufacturing Policy being
implemented by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion(DIPP)
TADF is a new scheme to facilitate acquisition of Clean, Green & Energy Efficient Technologies, in
form of Technology / Customised Products / Specialised Services / Patents / Industrial Design
available in the market available in India or globally, by Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs)

The Scheme is conceptualised to catalyse the manufacturing growth in MSME sector to contribute
to the national focus of “Make in India”. Under the Scheme which would be implemented through
Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA), a joint venture company, support to MSME units
is envisaged by the following:

Direct Support for Technology Acquisition- Proposals from Indian industry will be invited
for reimbursement of 50% of technology transfer fee or Rs. 20 lakhs, whichever is lower
In-direct Support for Technology Acquisition through Patent Pool- Financial support will
be provided in acquiring of technology/Patent from across the Globe based on applications
received from MSMEs. Technology/Patent will be licensed to selected companies, with a
mutually agreed value and the selected companies will get a subsidy of 50% of the mutually
agreed value or Rs. 20 lakhs
Technology / Equipment Manufacturing Subsidies: The fund will support, via subsidies,
manufacturing of equipment / machines / devices for controlling pollution, reducing energy
consumption and water conservation. The manufacturing units will be provided with a
subsidy of up to 10% of capital expenditure incurred on new plant & machinery subject to a
maximum of Rs. 50 lakhs
Green Manufacturing – Incentive Scheme: The scheme will facilitate resource
conservation activities in industries located in NIMZ through the introduction of
incentive/subsidy schemes for energy/ environmental/ water audits, construction of green
buildings, implementation of waste treatment facilities and implementation of renewable
energy projects through financial support under the TADF

*The amounts are not required to be remembered as such but the components are important.

3)Highlights of Recommendations of Seventh Central Pay Commission :-

Recommended Date of implementation: 01.01.2016

Minimum Pay: Based on the Aykroyd formula, the minimum pay in government is recommended to be
set at ₹18,000 per month.

Maximum Pay: ₹2,25,000 per month for Apex Scale and ₹2,50,000 per month for Cabinet Secretary and
others presently at the same pay level.

Financial Implications:

The total financial impact in the FY 2016-17 is likely to be ₹1,02,100 crore, over the expenditure as per the
‘Business As Usual’ scenario. Of this, the increase in pay would be ₹39,100 crore, increase in allowances
would be ₹ 29,300 crore and increase in pension would be ₹33,700 crore

In percentage terms the overall increase in pay & allowances and pensions over the ‘Business As Usual’
scenario will be 23.55 percent. Within this, the increase in pay will be 16 percent, increase in allowances
will be 63 percent, and increase in pension would be 24 percent.

Fitment: A fitment factor of 2.57 is being proposed to be applied uniformly for all employees.

Annual Increment: The rate of annual increment is being retained at 3 percent.

Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) :

Performance benchmarks for MACP have been made more stringent from “Good” to “Very Good”.

The Commission has also proposed that annual increments not be granted in the case of those employees
who are not able to meet the benchmark either for MACP or for a regular promotion in the first 20 years of
their service.

No other changes in MACP recommended.

Military Service Pay (MSP): The Military Service Pay, which is a compensation for the various aspects of
military service, will be admissible to the Defence forces personnel only. As before, Military Service Pay
will be payable to all ranks up to and inclusive of Brigadiers and their equivalents.

4)Inter-Linking of River :-

Government has taken up Interlinking of River (ILR) programme under National Perspective Plan
(NPP) on a high priority
The Detailed Project Reports (DPR) of Ken – Betwa Link Project, Damanganga – Pinjal Link
Project and Par-Tapi-Narmada link project have been completed.
In addition to NPP links, National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has taken up the proposals
of Intra-State links in a vigorous manner.Intra-State link projects namely (i) Burhi Gandak-Noon-
Baya-Ganga and (ii) Kosi-Mechi have already been prepared and submitted to Government of
Bihar.
The Interlinking of Rivers Programme is critical for enhancing water and food security of the country
especially in the water short, drought prone and rainfed farming areas

5)Special Mahila Police Volunteers :-

The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi briefed the
Committee members about scheme of Special Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs), an initiative for
facilitating Police force through community volunteerism and other initiatives taken by the
Government for women’s welfare such as One Stop Centre for women affected by violence,
Women Helpline across the country with the single number 181 to meet women’s emergency
and non-emergency needs and Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.

20 NOV 2015

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UPSCTREE

1) Birth of a new Planet:-

Astronomers have observed for first time a planet taking shape out of microscopic dust particles 450
light years from Earth The primordial process that turns enormous clouds of cosmic dust into
newborn planets over millions of years has been observed directly for the first time.

Astronomers caught sight of a planet in the making around a young star in the neighbourhood of
Taurus 450 light years from Earth.

The discovery is a boon for scientists who have never before had a real star system against which
they can check theories of how the universe came to be dotted with different worlds.

Covered in a haze of dust particles, the planet-in-the-making was spotted near LkCa 15, a two-
million-year-old star 450 light years away.

2) Pushtimarg and Bhakti tradition:-

A unique exhibition in Chicago showcases the private devotions of the Pushtimarg sect of
Hinduism.
This sect of Hinduism is little known even within India due to its closed and private devotions. Even
today, phones and cameras are not allowed within the precincts of the main temple at
Nathdwara(Rajasthan). Outside the sect, there is little appreciation of its unique traditions that
have been preserved and elaborated upon since the 16th century.
Pushtimarg:-

Vallabhacharya is one of the five main Acharyas of the Bhakti tradition of Hinduism. (The
other four being Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhavacharya and Shri
Nimbarkacharya.) He propagated the philosophy of Shuddhadvaita which forms the basis of
Pushtimarg devotional practice. These acharyas have made significant contribution to the
bhakti movement and led to the medieval rise in popularity of the Hindu Religion. The
devotional movement is based on the idea that love of God should be seen as an end in
itself, not as a means to something else
Shuddhadvaita:-

Shuddadvaita is the “purely non-dual” philosophy propounded by Vallabhacharya
(1479-1531 CE), the founding philosopher and guru of the Vallabhā sampradāya
(“tradition of Vallabh”) or Puśtimārg (“The path of grace”), a Hindu Vaishnava tradition
focused on the worship of Krishna. Vallabhacharya’s pure form (nondualist)
philosophy is different from Advaita. The Shrinathji temple at Nathdwara, and
compositions of eight poets (aṣṭachap), including Surdas, are central to the worship
by the followers of the sect.

The formal initiation into Pushtimarg is called Brahmasambandha. The absolute and
exclusive rights to grant “Brahmsambandh” in the path of grace, in order to transform an
Ordinary jiva (soul) into a Pushti “Jeev” lie only with the descendants of
Vallabhacharya, known as Goswami Balaks – Vallabhkul (The word “Goswami” literally
means – the one who has control over all the senses), who Vallabh Vaishnavas respectfully
and lovingly refer to as: “Goswami”,”Bawa” or “Jai Jai”. They are the actual and direct
descendants of Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu. Goswamis are responsible for the
“pushti”(literally means spiritual nourishment) of all the disciples initiated by them.

Philosophical Concepts:-

Pushti Marg Because the Lord is accessible only through His own grace. The Lord cannot be
attained by a given formula – He is attainable only if He wants to be attained !
Rudra Marg Because Shri Vallabh won the great debate on the shastras at Vijaynagar,after the
kanakabhishek ceremony, Vishnuswami humbly offered Shri Vallabh his seat and it was accepted
by him. And also as the knowledge in this line was first given to Rudra i.e. Lord Shiva and it has
come down from Him in disciplic succession.
Shuddha-Advaita Pure Monism where there is no difference between the creator and the created.
Bhrahmavada Brahman, the source and cause of all that is in the Universe, IS the universe. Purest
form of monism anywhere, in any religion. Uniquely, this is the only philosophy that states,
categorically, that everything, absolutely everything, is perfect just the way it is. Everything is
imbibed with the sprite of the Lord and as the Lord is eternally perfect, everything is perfect !

3)Drop in public and private investments top concerns:-

India’s central bank chief Raghuram Rajan said Asia’s third-largest economy is being hampered by
a drop in public and private investments, but held out hope that strong foreign capital flows will help
rectify this weakness
Weak capital investment has been a hurdle in India’s quest to realise its growth potential and with
factories running 30 percent below capacity, private companies are in no rush to invest in new
projects.
Despite the slowdown in growth and investments, Rajan said strong foreign direct investment and
some traction in infrastructure development may encourage private investments.

4) Antibiotic Resistance:-

World Health Organisation (WHO) survey conducted in 12 countries has said that most people don’t
understand how to keep antibiotic resistance from growing
The WHO survey points out some of the practices, gaps in understanding and misconceptions that
contribute to this phenomenon.

5) CCEA approves d isinvestment of 10 percent paid up equity capital in Coal India Limited :-

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, has approved the disinvestment of 10 percent paid up
equity capital of Coal India Limited.
Disinvestment:-

The action of an organization or government selling or liquidating an asset or subsidiary. Also
known as “divestiture”
A reduction in capital expenditure, or the decision of a company not to replenish depleted
capital goods.
A company or government organization will divest an asset or subsidiary as a strategic move
for the company, planning to put the proceeds from the divestiture to better use that garners
a higher return on investment.
A company will likely not replace capital goods or continue to invest in certain assets unless it
feels it is receiving a return that justifies the investment. If there is a better place to invest,
they may deplete certain capital goods and invest in other more profitable
assets.Alternatively a company may have to divest unwillingly if it needs cash to sustain
operations.

6)Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, partners ICRC for Enable Makeathon

The union ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has partnered with the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) for Enable Makeathon.

What is Enable Makethon?

The Enable Makeathon is a project initiated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
and its partners to help create new assistive devices for persons with disabilities living in rural
areas across the world.
It is motivated by the spirit of broad collaboration with the government, the private sector, the
academia as well as other interested individuals.
It is a 60-day programme by the end of which participants – including technology and design
experts, persons with disabilities and mentors – would have developed solutions and products for
persons with disabilities in the form of prototypes.

7)Housing For All :-

News:-2,28,000 houses for urban poor cleared under Housing for All Mission

It is scheme which proposes to build 2 crore houses across the nation by 2022.

The components of the scheme are as follows:

Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a
resource.
Promotion of affordable housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy.
Affordable housing in partnership with Public & Private sectors.
Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement.

Details of the scheme:

The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme except the credit linked subsidy
component, which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.
The scheme prescribes certain mandatory reforms for easing up the urban land market for housing,
to make adequate urban land available for affordable housing.
Houses constructed under the mission would be allotted in the name of the female head of the
households or in the joint name of the male head of the household and his wife.
A Technology Sub-mission under the Mission would be set up to facilitate adoption of modern,
innovative and green technologies and building material for faster and quality construction of
houses. The Technology Sub-Mission will also facilitate preparation and adoption of layout designs
and building plans suitable for various geo-climatic zones. It will also assist States/Cities in
deploying disaster resistant and environment friendly technologies.
The Technology Sub-Mission will coordinate with various regulatory and administrative bodies for
mainstreaming and up scaling deployment of modern construction technologies and material in
place of conventional construction. The Technology Sub-Mission will also coordinate with other
agencies working in green and energy efficient technologies, climate change etc.
In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Mission will provide flexibility to States for choosing best

options to meet the demand of housing in their states.

8) IBSA-India, Brazil,South Africa :-

News:- The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of the Tripartite Agreement among India, Brazil
and South Africa (IBSA), on the IBSA Fund for the Alleviation of Poverty and Hunger.

The IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil, South Africa) is an international tripartite grouping for
promoting international cooperation among these countries. It represents three important poles for
galvanizing South-South cooperation and greater understanding between three important
continents of the developing world namely, Africa, Asia and South America. The forum provides the
three countries with a platform to engage in discussions for cooperation in the field of agriculture,
trade, culture, and defence among others.

Objective:-The IBSA Dialogue Forum aims to promote South-South cooperation and build
consensus on issues of international importance. It also aims at increasing the trade opportunities
among the three countries, as well as facilitate the trilateral exchange of information, technologies
and skills to complement each other strengths. Subsequently, it promotes the international poverty
alleviation and social development with main focus being on equitable development. It also aims to
explore avenues to promote cooperation in broad range of areas, which include agriculture, climate
change/global Warming, culture, defence, education, energy, health, information society, science
and technology, social development, trade and investment, tourism and transport.

21 NOV 2015 _ ASEAN, Raman Effect, Gujral
Doctrine,Blue Revolution.

upsctree.com /2015/11/21/21-nov-2015-_-asean-raman-effect-gujral-doctrineblue-revolution/

UPSCTREE

1) ASEAN-India Summit :-

News:- ASEAN-India Summit is underway in Malaysia .

ASEAN :-

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organization of ten Southeast
Asian countries. It was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
(Burma), and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural
evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member
countries to resolve differences peacefully.

The ASEAN Way:-

The ‘Asean Way’ refers to a methodology or approach to solving issues that respects the cultural norms of
Southeast Asia. Masilamani and Peterson summarise it as: “…a working process or style that is informal
and personal. Policymakers constantly utilise compromise, consensus, and consultation in the informal
decision-making process…it above all prioritizes a consensus-based, non-conflict way of addressing
problems. Quiet diplomacy allows ASEAN leaders to communicate without bringing the discussions into
the public view. Members avoid embarrassment that may lead to further conflict.”

India’s Perspective : –

ASEAN forum has been a success management tool for conflict of the region. Diversity and Dispute
management is the pillar of strength of this region.
It is vital for India’s ACT EAST policy to embolden economic, cultural and political ties.This region
sends a huge no. of Buddhist pilgrimage to India.
India has troubled west , and it can’t afford a troubled east, hence ASEAN engagement is vital . It
also helps in countering cross-border insurgency ,terrorism and smuggling.
This forum provides platform for amicable solution to South China Sea disputes.
This region particularly important for strengthening India’s naval presence and act as a geopolitical
strength in case of a conflict.

2) Blue Revolution Scheme: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries:-

Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries
Focused approach of this nature shall lead to ushering in Blue Revolution through an integrated
development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector and would ensure sustained
acceleration and intensification of fish production beyond the projected annual growth rate.

Fisheries are an important sector. Fisheries supports livelihood of almost 1.5 million peoples in our
country. India is one of the leading producers of fish in the world, occupying the second position
globally in terms of production.The contribution of Indian fish to the food basket of the world has
been substantial.

The export from fisheries earnings of Rs. 33,441 crore in 2014-15 (US$ 5.51 billion), equaled about
18% of the export earnings from the agriculture sector.

India is the second largest producer (42. 10 lakh tonnes) of fish from aquaculture which
contributes about 6.3 per cent to global aquaculture production. Keeping the recent
developments and trends in fish production in view, and the previous Plan periods, it is expected
that a growth rate of about 8.0 per cent can be achieved in the inland sector. The future
demand for fish and fishery products has to be mostly sourced from aquaculture and culture based
capture fisheries in reservoirs.

India has over 8000 Km. of coastal line and nearly 2 million Sq Km of EEZ and half a million Sq
Km. of Continental Shelf. From these marine resources, India has an estimated fisheries
potential of 4.11 million tons. Similarly, 3.0 million hectares of reservoirs, 2.5 million hectares
of ponds and tanks, 1.25 million hectares of brackish water area, cold water resources of
hilly states and all other inland fishery resources offer a production potential of about 15
million tons. Against this potential, the production from inland sector was 6.58 million tonnes
during 2014-15. In this context, optimum utilization of resources becomes pivotal to achieve the
targeted production.

While the required financial support is being provided to the farmers, fishermen and entrepreneurs
connected with the fisheries sector through various ongoing programs namely, Centrally Sponsored
Schemes, National Fisheries Development Board, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana etc. still,
enhancement of productivity and production are the key challenges in achieving the targeted
production

The Blue Revolution, encompassing multi-dimensional activities, focuses mainly on increasing
production from aquaculture and fisheries resources, both inland and marine. The vast fishery
resources offer immense opportunities to enhance fish production through aquaculture-system
diversification, species diversification, proper management, introduction of new and advanced
technologies in both marine and inland sector, adoption of scientific practices and application of
suitable fish health management strategies etc.

3)First Passenger Carrying Train Between Silchar – Guwahati Through The Newly Constructed
Broad Gauge Section Lumbding –Silchar in Assam –

The 210km Lumding-Silchar GC project was sanctioned in the year 1996-97 at an initial cost of
Rs.648 crores. Declared as a National Project in 2004, the project connects the Barak Valley of
Assam by broad gauge track fulfilling a longstanding demand of the people of this area

Connection of Silchar by BG railway line would not only benefit the people of Barak Valley, but
would lead to opening of new vistas in connection to the hitherto isolated states of Tripura, Mizoram
and Manipur

4) Raman Effect :-

Raman Research Institute, set up by C.V. Raman, who passed away 45 years ago, remains
testimony to his love for science .

At the start of the Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe, many people, including eminent Jewish
scientists, were dislodged from their homes and were seeking a country to adopt. Herein, C.V.
Raman saw an opportunity to attract the best of community towards Indian Institute of Science — a
fledgling institute where the Nobel laureate had just been made the first Indian director in 1933.
Quantum physicist Max Born was brought to India by Raman.

With discontent brewing after the appointment of Raman, the Irving committee, which was set up to
look into the functioning of the institute, found the scientist had “not done enough” to reduce the
expenditures of the institute — a reference to the intensive gardening on IISc. campus and the
appointment of Born. The report saw Raman leave IISc., while, Born left for England — a beautiful,
heartfelt send-off letter from his “admirers and students” of the IISc. was recently found by the RRI
Trust. The quantum physicist eventually won the Nobel Prize in the U.K

Timeline: Raman’s Life

November 7, 1888: Born in present-day Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu

March 16, 1928: For a programme at Central College in Bangalore, C.V. Raman was invited as the
chief guest. He announces the phenomenon discovered by him, the Raman Effect.

1930: Wins the Nobel Prize for his discovery; first from Asia to win the prize for sciences

1933: Becomes the director of the Indian Institute of Science. During his term, he undertakes
extensive planting on the campus and attempts to bring in fleeing Jewish scientists from Nazi
Germany.

1934: Founds the Indian Academy of Sciences (now on C.V. Raman Road). Starts to raise funds for
what is now the Raman Research Institute.

1938: Irving committee reviews and removes C.V. Raman as IISc. director owing to his “inability to
contain expenditure” on gardening and on a German scientist.

1943: Forms manufacturing companies, to fund the RRI

1948: On retirement from IISc., he forms the RRI. He remains its director till his death.

November 21, 1970: Dies in Bengaluru. His body is cremated in front of the Raman Research
Institute main building.

Achievements:-

During a voyage to Europe in 1921, Raman noticed the blue colour of glaciers and the
Mediterranean sea. He was motivated to discover the reason for the blue colour. Raman carried out
experiments regarding the scattering of light by water and transparent blocks of ice which explained
the phenomenon.

Raman also worked on the acoustics of musical instruments. He worked out the theory of
transverse vibration of bowed strings, on the basis of superposition velocities. He was also the first
to investigate the harmonic nature of the sound of the Indian drums such as the tabla and the
mridangam.

Raman’s work on acoustics was an important prelude, both experimentally and conceptually, to his
later work on optics and quantum mechanics. He also investigated the propagation of sound in
whispering galleries

5)UN approves resolution urging action against IS:-

UNSC members vote on a French-sponsored counter terrorism resolution aimed at Islamic
extremist on Friday at United Nations headquarters. The Security Council unanimously approved
the resolution, calling on all nations to redouble and coordinate action to prevent further attacks by
Islamic State terrorists and other extremist groups.

The measure is the 14th terrorism-related resolution adopted yesterday by the UN’s most powerful
body since 1999.

This does not constitute an authorisation for military action, however, because the resolution is not
drafted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter which is the only way the United Nations can give a
green light to the use of force.

6)Gujral Doctrine and India’s Neighbourhood:-

News:- Recently few editorials came that claim India-Nepal relationship deteriorated and most of the
editorials tried to base their assessment on Gujral Doctrine.In this context , it is necessary to Understand
the strength and weaknesses of Gujral Doctrine.

The Gujral Doctrine is considered to have made a substantial change in the manner in which India’s
bilateral relations were conducted with its immediate neighbours, especially the smaller ones. The
latter too welcomed the doctrine and had a positive attitude towards the principles it spelt out

The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India’s
immediate neighbours as spelt out by I.K. Gujral, first as India’s foreign minister and later as
the prime minister. Among other factors, these five principles arise from the belief that India’s
stature and strength cannot be divorced from the quality of its relations with its neighbours.

It, thus, recognises the supreme importance of friendly, cordial relations with neighbours.

These principles are:-

Neighbours like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India does not
ask for reciprocity, but gives and accommodates what it can in good faith and trust

No South Asian country should allow its territory to be used against the interest of
another country of the region

No country should interfere in the internal affairs of another

All South Asian countries must respect each other’s territorial integrity and
sovereignty

Settle all disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiation

According to Gujral , these five principles, scrupulously adhered to, would achieve a fundamental
recasting of South Asia’s regional relationships, including the difficult relationship between India and
Pakistan. Further, the implementation of these principles would generate a climate of close and mutually
benign cooperation in the region, where the weight and size of India is regarded positively and as an asset
by these countries.

Analysis and Criticism of the Doctrine:-

An important question that arises is whether it is easy to implement these principles . It is
evident that these principles not only reflect India’s attitude towards its neighbours, but also express

the attitude which India would like its neighbours to adopt in conducting relations with India in
particular and the countries of South Asia in general.

Thus, it is a package as a whole whereby India has stated in one go what it will do on its part and
similarly what it expects its neighbours to do. Those who agree, will have to adhere, fully and
completely, to all the principles and not in parts, to one of the principles in isolation or in exception to
the others.

In this sense, it is implied that, to a great extent, the principles of the Gujral Doctrine can be
successful only in a specific environment whereby the neighbours too perceive them as being
beneficial to their country and the region as a whole. What follows from this, which is unstated, is
that beyond a particular point whereby the neighbours do not adhere to these principles, India in its
national interest may also not be able to adhere to them.

Surely, India cannot continue to stick to its principle of non-reciprocity if any of the
neighbouring countries believe either in internationalising bilateral issues or supporting
elements inimical to India’s interests. Further, these principles are open to different
interpretations as each country views them.

The principle that all the disputes be settled through peaceful bilateral negotiations is a known
stand which India has held for long. On the other hand, India’s neighbours have on many
occasions internationalised bilateral disputes. The principle that none should interfere in the
internal affairs of the others becomes difficult to define because the South Asian region has many
similarities in terms of culture, language and other factors.

23 NOV 2015 _Zero TB Cities Project,Graphene,East
Asia Summit,Teju,Public health Infra

upsctree.com /2015/11/23/23-nov-2015-_zero-tb-cities-projectgrapheneeast-asia-summittejupublic-
health-infra/

UPSCTREE

1) Zero TB Cities project:-

Chennai has been chosen as one of two cities in the world where the Zero TB Cities project will try
to create an “island of elimination”; Lima in Peru is the other city.
The project will be implemented by the Municipal Corporation of Chennai with the Chennai-based
REACH and the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) assisting it
In India, there is evidence that transmission of TB is much higher in cities, and cities are often the
source of infection for rural communities. So, getting to zero in cities will eliminate important
reservoirs of TB

2)Rising oil, auto, power demand point to strong revival: report

Good growth in oil, power and auto demand for the past two months points to a reviving economic
momentum,” Swiss brockerage Credit Suisse has said in a report
Given the government focus on bottom-up growth rather than top-down, it believes the first signs of
recovery are likely to come from broad-based indicators. Good growth in oil, power and auto
demand for the past two months points to a reviving economic momentum,
Demand growth in oil, which hit an 11-year high in September and October, coupled with rising
consumption of power and auto sales point to a strong economic revival that was missing for many
years
Demand for plastics has hit a 10-year high at 54 per cent against a 4 per cent fall in the past two
years.
A 54 per cent rise in bitumen consumption points to road construction doing well. Demand growth
supports restart and ramp-up of Haldia Petrochemicals and explains some of the naphtha growth
and strong plastics demand, the report has said.

3)Regenerating bones through nanoparticles:-

A recent study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru suggests that ‘3D
scaffolds’ of graphene composites can be used for bone tissue regeneration as they mimic the
environment of the bone
The researchers from the department of Materials Engineering went about ‘strengthening’
Polycaprolactone (PCL) — a biodegradable polymer — by adding graphene, a two-dimensional
hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms.

Though PCL is biodegradable, it is considered too soft to be used as a bone template.
However, graphene has a strength that is more than 200 times that of steel.
The addition of graphene dioxide was found to have increased the strength of PCL by 22 per
cent and its capacity to resist deformation by 44 per cent — enough to sustain bone growth,
while also being biodegradable
Arrangement of cells in 3D scaffolds is similar to what is seen inside bone tissue.The purpose of
the scaffold is to provide only a temporary home for the regenerating cells. The scaffold should
degrade slowly over time allowing for healthy tissue to eventually replace the scaffold

4)East Asia Summit :-

The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the
East Asian and South East Asian region. Membership expanded to 18 countries including the
United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN
leaders’ meetings. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
PM attends East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, unveils Statue of Swami Vivekananda, addresses
Indian Community.PM at East Asia Summit: The shadow of terrorism stretches across our societies
and our world
Areas of Engagement :-

Environment and Energy Cooperation
Education Cooperation
Finance Cooperation
Cooperation on Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases
Cooperation on Natural Disaster Management
Cooperation on ASEAN Connectivity
Food Security Cooperation

Institutional and Financial Arrangements for the Implementation of this Plan of Action:-

The initiatives mentioned in this Plan of Action will be implemented through existing regional
frameworks and mechanisms of ASEAN, in close consultation with and support from EAS
participating countries, and with appropriate support and from relevant regional and
international organizations, including Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), World Bank, and
Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

5)India revives its eastern-most airfield at Teju:-

Teju is part of the six strategic airfields that were planned for Arunachal Pradesh. Five more
airports are underway at Tawang, Daparizo, Anini, Koloriang and Hollangi . But the Teju airfield
which will increase air connectivity with the region is unique as it is the easternmost landing strip
in the country.

6)Public Heath Infrastructure – Lesson from Odisha:-

It has been two months since news and reports of the deaths of 40 infants at Shishubhawan,
the largest paediatric care centre in eastern India, broke. The facility is for critically-ill children
from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. By the end of September, 56 deaths were reported in a
span on 12 days.

The bad news first: it is not the hospital’s fault. It was not medical negligence. Nor was it due to a
sudden outbreak of infection. What happened at the hospital is symptomatic of how deep the rot is
in India’s crumbling public health infrastructure.

This was a worst case scenario at an ill-equipped hospital with overworked doctors making a bad
case a bit worse. And everyone agrees. Yes, the hospital needs more hands. Yes, the laboratory
closed too soon. Yes, the children were brought in too late. Yes, the media parachuted in, misread
the situation and began screaming cold-blooded murder.

Shishubhawan, officially known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of
Paediatrics, does not deserve the bad press. The centre is an extramural hospital, which means
that every baby admitted was born elsewhere but referred there after complications.

Unlike private hospitals that refer dying patients to government hospitals and keep their mortality
rates clean, Shishubhawan cannot refer the patients anywhere, hence mortality is obviously
high.Many of the babies reach too late to the hospital.

As things stand, Odisha has one doctor per 9,729 population as against the national average
which by itself is bad.

With a population of around 4 cr the State has only 19,188 registered doctors, allopathic and
AYUSH [Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy] practitioners included. It
is a sign of desperation that a State struggling to find doctors, has fired such a large number of
doctors en-masse to cleanse the system from bad doctors.

The shortage of anaesthesiologists in Odisha is so severe that the State is giving our general
practitioners a crash course to allow caesarean section operations. And yet, these 408 doctors had
to be fired. All these doctors were on leave for years and were within the system, so we
could not hire more doctors for these posts, as they were technically not vacant.

24 NOV 2015 _ Guru Nanak, SAADMEx ,Smart
Cities, AMRUT,Stridhan

upsctree.com /2015/11/25/24-nov-2015-_-guru-nanak-saadmex-smart-cities-amrutstridhan/

UPSCTREE

1) Guru Nanak :-

News:-The President of India sent his greetings to fellow countrymen on the eve of birthday of Guru Nanak
Devji.

About :-

Founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was associated the Bhakti Movement .
Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at Rāi Bhoi Kī Talvaṇḍī (present day Nankana Sahib, Punjab,
Pakistan) near Lahore
Nanak’s teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, as a vast collec tion of
revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.
Guru Nanak emphasized that all human beings can have direct access to God with no need of
rituals or priests
He also rejected the path of renunciation and emphasized the leading of householder’s life,
while being unattached to gross materialism.
Nanak’s teaching is understood to be practised in three ways:
Vaṇḍ Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need
Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud
Naam Japna: Meditating on God’s name to control the five weaknesses of the human personality.

2)Torana Gate in Kuala Lumpur

News:-Prime Minister of India and Kuala lumpur inaugurated Torana gate.

The intricately carved Torana, inspired by the Toranas of the great Buddhist sculpture of Sanchi, has
carvings and relief work representing ancient Indian art as well as the Islamic art form.
Toranas, built by the great Mauryan dynasty ruler, Ashoka, in first century BC, essentially depict
symbols related to Buddhism. There is the Bodhi Tree, the lotus flowers, the jatakas tales and many
other such illustrations

3)SAADMEx- 2015

On the initiative of the Government of India, first “South Asian Annual Disaster Management
Exercise (SAADMEx)” -2015 is being organized in New Delhi and NCR region from November 23-