Wednesday, August 22, 2012

HEADLINES

• Sangma moves Supreme Court challenging Pranab Mukherjee's appointment as President on the ground that he held an office of profit
• India has approached U.S. and Saudi Arabia, seeking details of Internet addresses of websites and users who were behind the uploading of inflammatory content to incite communal tensions
• Parliament disrupted with the opposition demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister over the CAG report on the coal block allocations
• 11th conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, starting on October 1, 2012 will be held in Hyderabad

NATIONAL NEWS

• Prime Minister announces constitutional amendment for promotion quota
  • Prime Minister Singh announced that the Govt will amend the Constitution, if need be, to provide reservation in job promotions to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. This comes after a meeting of all parties at which most parties called for legally sustainable legislation in the backdrop of the Supreme Court striking down such a measure;
  • While no time frame was given as to when the constitution amendment Bill would be introduced, it was clear that the Govt’s proposal to bring it in the Rajya Sabha is posponed. Most parties have indicated support for the legislation. However the Samajwadi Party has said it will oppose it as there is no benefit for OBCs and minorities.
• Centre seeks Court's nod for review of tiger reserve norms
  • Under pressure from various States, the Central Govt has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking permission to review the guidelines issued under the Wildlife (Protection) Act for the States to ban all tourism activities in core areas of tiger reserve forests;
  • On July 24, a Supreme Court bench imposed the ban, when told that most of the States had not complied with the directions contained in the guidelines. The Central Govt is now asking the Court to permit it to give its inputs for reviewing the guidelines;
  • The Central Govt is arguing that the States have expressed concern that many local people depend on tourism for their livelihood, and hence stoppage of tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves would result in a loss of such income, leading to discontent which may be a threat to wildlife and forests;
  • It also says that the common citizen would be deprived of an opportunity to appreciate our natural heritage. Further, concerns have been expressed in various quarters at the process adopted by the States for notifying the buffer areas of the tiger reserves;
  • The National Tiger Conservation Authority, which has filed the affidavit on behalf of the Govt, has said that the guidelines, submitted in the context of ecotourism in and around protected areas, require a further review based on more consultations with all stakeholders, including the State governments and representatives of local, indigenous communities;
  • The Bench passed the ban order on a petition filed by conservationist Ajay Dubey seeking a direction to the States to notify the buffer areas of tiger reserves for prevention of tourism in the core areas. Subsequently, 10 States issued the notification. Read the article provided in the EDITORIALS, OPINIONS AND COLUMNS section below on this issue.
• What is the Coal scam that has been highlighted by the CAG?
  • In 2004, the CAG had warned the PMO that private companies would make windfall gains, but the PMO continued to delay the process of competitive bidding for coal blocks;
  • The delay in introducing competitive bidding meant that coal was alloted under existing opaque processes giving private companies windfall gains;
  • The process of competitive bidding was finally notified into force in 2012. Read the chronological events in this press article;
  • In preparing its report, the CAG took into account the average production cost per tonne of coal in the mines of Coal India Limited as well as the sale prices of coal to determine the financial gains which were received by the private mining companies (appeox 1.86 lakh cr);
  • Some of the companies which benefitted are: Tata Group, Reliance Power, Jindal Power & Steel, Abhijit Group, Bhushan Group, Electrosteel, Adhunik Group, S.R.Rungta Group, Sajjan Jindal, O.P. Jindal Group, Godavari Ispat, Jaiprakash Gaur, Goenka Group, etc.
• Gopal Kanda booked under Information Technology Act as well
  • Delhi Police has slapped penalties under Section 66(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, against former Haryana Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, who is accused of abetting the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma who hanged herself earlier this month. He is accused of forging several documents and sending them online and therefore this Section is being invoked against him;
  • According to Section 66(A), any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device, any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages is liable to punishment;
  • The Information Technology Act was amended in 2008-09 to be made more stringent, Section 66(A) being one of the important amendments. It is likely that a question on the Information Technology Act will arise this year given the importance of the amendment and the increased activity of cyber crimes in the country.
• New scheme launched for Kerosene-free Delhi
  • Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday distributed liquid petroleum gas (LPG) connection papers and stoves to 20 people at a function at Delhi Secretariat to mark the launch of a scheme that aims to make the Capital kerosene-free by December this year;
  • Under the scheme 3.56 lakh Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Jhuggi Ration Card (JRC) holders would be provided a free gas connection and a stove in lieu of their kerosene quota. The ambitious scheme is to ensure a cleaner environment and also help the women who work in kitchen by providing them a smokeless fuel instead of kerosene which used to damage their eyes and lungs.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Romania Court puts President back in office
  • Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that a referendum to impeach the country’s President was invalid, leaving Traian Basescu in power after months of political turmoil. Mr. Basescu, who has been suspended from the presidency, is now expected to return to his office to see out the rest of his second five-year term which started in 2009;
  • Romania’s ruling centre-left coalition USL headed by Prime Minister Victor Ponta last month launched a move to impeach centre-right rival Mr. Basescu, which led to a referendum that failed as voter turnout fell short of the required 50% threshold. The underlying reason seems to be the fact that Basescu was spearheading the austerity measures of Romania to stay as part of the Eurozone;
  • In the referendum an 87%, a huge majority of voters supported ousting Mr. Basescu, so the USL contested the electoral rolls after the ballot, forcing the top court to rule on its validity.
• Russia hopes India will refloat medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) tender
  • A top Russian arms trade official suggested that India may cancel the results of its tender for the purchase of 126 MMRCAs. The French Rafale aircraft won the MMRCA tender, whereas Russia’s MiG-35 did not even make it to the shortlist, which also included the European Eurofighter. News is that neither the Indian nor the French side were happy with the financial terms of the deal and the extent of technology transfer;
  • Russia revealed that a contract for the supply to India of additional 42 long-range multirole Su-30MKI fighters to India will be signed in the next few months. Russia is hoping that India will refloat the tender for MMRCA;
  • This happens at a time when the U.S. Apache Longbow had beaten Russia’s Mi-28 in the $1.4-billion Indian tender for the purchase of 22 heavy-duty attack helicopters.

EMINENT PERSONS IN THE NEWS

• Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi dead
  • Meles Zenawi (57), Ethiopia’s Prime Minister since 1995, died on Monday night after a protracted battle with an undisclosed illness in a hospital in Brussels. Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will head a transitional government while the ruling party chooses Mr. Meles successor, and Ethiopia’s Constitution allows the existing government to appoint a successor without holding elections;
  • Mr. Meles’s Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front seized power in 1991 following the collapse of the dictatorship of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam. He headed the transitional government and won elections in 1995, 2000, 2005 and in 2010, in a landslide election whose validity was questioned by Western observers and human rights groups;
  • Mr. Meles is credited with resurrecting the ruined economy he inherited in 1991. In the last 7 years, the economy has grown by about 11% annually due to investments in agriculture and infrastructure. He also forged closer trade ties with India, Turkey and China and supported U.S. military operations in strife-torn Somalia. His Govt also faced criticism for cracking down on journalists and political activists and for opening the sensitive farm sector to foreign direct investment. Read this detailed article about him.
• If you have time, read this article about G. Venkatasubbaiah, the famous Kannada littereratuer. Not important to read if time is a constraint

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Read this very good article on the problems of tiger reserves and the demarcation of core and buffer zones and violations of the same
• Read this article on how climate change issues should be part of India's long term economic policy
• Read this editorial about the recent boost to capital markets introduced by the SEBI