Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - December 2011


FDI Policy in Multi Brand Retail
The policy cleared by Union Cabinet on 24th November stipulates that FDI in multi brand retail will be allowed upto 51% foreign equity through the government approval route, subject to adequate safeguards for domestic stakeholders. The policy rollout will cover only cities with a population of more than 1 million (As per 2011 census, there are only 53 such cities whereas there are 7935 towns and cities in India). The policy mandates a minimum investment $ 100 million with at least half the amount to be invested in back end infrastructure, including cold chains, refrigeration, transportation, packing, sorting and processing. This is expected to considerably reduce the post harvest losses and bring remunerative prices to farmers. Sourcing of a minimum of 30% from Indian micro and small industry having capital investment of not more than $ 1 million has been made mandatory. This will provide the scales to encourage domestic value addition and manufacturing, thereby creating a multiplier effect for employment, technology upgradation and income generation. India has a federal structure of government . The FDI policy is an enabling framework and it remains the prerogative of the states to adopt it. But last week, Goverment halted the process due to intense opposition from TC and other parties.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - November 2011


India Smart Grid Task Force & India Smart Grid Forum
For the systemic growth of the Smart Grid in the country, India Smart Grid Task Force and India Smart Grid Forum have been set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Power. The main functions of the Smart Grid Task Force is  to ensure awareness, co-ordination and integration of the diverse activities related to  Smart Grid technologies, practices and services for Smart Grid Research and Development; Co-ordinate and integrate other relevant inter-governmental activities, Collaborate on interoperability frame work, Review and validate the recommendations from Smart Grid Forum etc. It is an Inter-Ministerial Group and will serve as Government’s focal point for activities related to smart grid.

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Current Affairs India November 2011 | Access to Justice for Marginalized People


Access to Justice for Marginalized People
The Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India is implementing a Project on ‘Access to Justice for Marginalized People’ with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Project, being implemented in 7 states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh), aims to strengthen access to justice for the marginalized - particularly women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and minorities - by supporting strategies and initiatives that seek to address the barriers they face. The Project focuses, on the one hand, on improving institutional capacities of key justice service providers to enable them to effectively serve the poor and disadvantaged and on the other hand, on directly empowering the poor and disadvantaged men and women to seek and demand justice services. The Project, started in 2009, has completed two years of implementing activities.

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Current Affairs India November 2011 | Indian Current Affairs Short Notes


Longest Polio Free Period Ever Seen in India
Only one polio case has been detected so far this year in the country making it the longest polio-free period ever since eradication efforts were launched. The only case of polio reported this year has been from Howrah district in West Bengal on 13th January 2011 as compared to 39 cases in the country in the same period of 2010. A new communication campaign personalizing the message for polio immunization from ‘Har bachcha har bar’ (every child every time) to ‘mera bachcha har bar’ (my child every time) has been rolled out. The new campaign encourages all parents to take action to protect their children against polio. These measures are in addition to the intense efforts already being made in the polio endemic states of UP and Bihar to ensure that the children living the highest risk areas and specially the youngest children, the newborns, are rapidly protected.

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Current Affairs India November 2011 | Indian Current Affairs Short Notes


Mother & Child Tracking System
The Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) is designed to collate information of all pregnant women and infants so as to ensure delivery of maternal and child health services from conception till 42 days after delivery in the case of pregnant women and up to five years of age in the case of children so as to ensure that all pregnant women and all new born receive full maternal and immunization services. MCTS was started by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last year as an e-governance initiative. The total number of pregnant women registered has crossed the one crore mark on 28 October, 2011. The number of children registered in the system is also expected to cross 50 lakh by the end of this month. The project is being implemented in the Mission Mode and a dedicated unit has been established in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for coordinating and collaborating with States/Union Territories for the implementation of the project. The information generated through the system is also being used for planning maternal and child health services at the grass roots level by the female health worker in association with village level volunteers like ASHA and Aanganwadi Worker. 

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Current Affairs India October 2011 | Indian Current Affairs Short Notes


India and Germany sign Social Security Agreement
A comprehensive Social Security Agreement (SSA) was signed between India and Germany in Berlin. This is the 60th year of diplomatic relationship between India and Germany. There are about 68,500 Indians in Germany most of whom are working as professionals and self-employed. Both India and Germany reaffirmed that the bilateral trade should reach US$ 20 billion by 2012. There is a huge potential for Indian for Indian workers to take employment in Germany. India has signed similar agreements with Belgium, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Denmark, Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea and Norway. 

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Current Affairs India October 2011 | Indian Current Affairs Short Notes



Draft National Policy on Electronics, 2011 Released
The proposed National Policy of Electronics, 2011 envisions creating a globally competitive Electronics Systems and Design Manufacturing (ESDM) industry including nano-electronics to meet the country`s needs and serve the international market. The draft policy sets out to achieve a turnover of about USD 400 Billion by 2020 involving investment of about USD 100 Billion. It also aims at ensuring employment to around 28 million in the sector by 2020. The policy also proposes setting up of over 200 electronic manufacturing clusters. Another important objective of the policy is to significantly upscale high-end human resource creation to 2500 PhDs annually by 2020 in the sector. 

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Indian Current Affairs - October 2011 | Current Affairs India Notes


National Highway Development Programme
The National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) envisages six-laning of 6,500 kms, four laning of 24,700 kms and upgradaing of 20,000 kms of National Highways, besides development of 1,000 km of expressways. Under this programme, a length of about 15,000 km has already been completed and about 10,000 km is under construction. Over the next three years, it is proposed to take up new sections of about 25,000 km, through a combination of PPP (Public Private Partnership) and EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction). The National Highways, with a total length of 70934 km, serve as the arterial network of the country. The Government has set an ambitious target of upgrading 20 km of National Highways per day.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - October 2011


India - the 4th largest producer of crude steel
India has now become the 4th largest producer of crude steel in the world in 2010 as against the 8th position in 2003. India is expected to become the 2nd largest producer of crude steel in the world by 2015. India also maintained its lead position as the world’s largest producer of direct reduced iron (DRI) or sponge iron. The steel sector contributes to nearly 2% of the GDP and employs over 5 lakh people. The per capita steel consumption during the last six years has risen from 38 kg in 2005-06 to 55 kg in 2010-11. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is the leading steel-making company in India. It is a fully integrated iron and steel maker, producing both basic and special steels for domestic construction, engineering, power, railway, automotive defense industries etc. SAIL is also among the five Maharatnas of the country’s Central Public Sector Enterprises.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011

Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)
Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation is implementing Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) throughout the country, aimed at providing gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under-employed poor, through encouraging the setting up of self employment ventures by the urban poor living below the poverty line, skills training and also through providing wage employment by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. The scheme has been comprehensively revamped with effect from 2009-2010. 

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


Problem areas of MGNREGA
What distinguish MGNREGA from all previous rural public shemes - provides legal entitlement to work and it promises work on demand.If you are not provided work within 15 days of application, you will be provided unemployment allowance.A couple of problem areas are identified by the government in this flagship programme.
Problem areas
1. Demand for work is not collected by Grama Panchayats even though MIS has the facility to record that.
2. Since workers has little idea abiut when work will open, they have no option but to migrate. This can be mitgated by the preparation of true Labour Budget that reflects the anticipated quantum of demand of work.
3. Delays in payment to workers
4. Redarding the quality of assets reated under MGNREGA. For meeting this challange,Govenrment has decided that at least two-thirds of all work shall focus on development of land and water resources to result in sustainable increase in productivity
5. Inadequate grievences readdressal mechanisms.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


Herbal Care Product for Leucoderma Launched by DRDO
Leucoderma or Vitiligo is a skin disease characterized by white spots and patches on the skin  caused by fungus. The world wide incidence of leucoderma has been reported 1-2%. In India, its incidence is around 4-5% in some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat it is very high more than 5-8%. This skin disorder is considered as social stigma in our country and people confuse it with leprosy. The affected individuals are always remain in constant depression with the feeling of being socially outcast. DRDO has developed a herbal product called Lukoskin for this disease. This herbal product would be a new hope and boon to the vitiligo affected person.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


South Asian Free Trade Area
The Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is an agreement reached in 2004 at the 12th SAARC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan. It created a free trade area of  Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The seven foreign ministers of the region signed a framework agreement on SAFTA to reduce customs duties of all traded goods to zero by the year 2016.Indian Government said that it will meet its commitment of reducing tariff lines under sensitive list by 20% for all by next month. This will fulfil a critical requirement of the SAFTA agreement signed by SAARC member countries. India’s trade with SAARC stands at mere US$ 13 billion at a time when our global trade has expanded to cross US$ 600 billion. Indian companies have stepped out and engaged in foreign shores investing over US$ 100 billion and more than 90% of this investment has been outside South Asia. India investment flows into SAARC have been around US$ 10 billion.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


Regional Trade Policy Courses
Regional Trade Policy Courses (RTPCs) are three-month courses for government officials from developing countries/separate customs territories, LDCs, economies in transition, and countries in the process of accession to the WTO. They are organized and run by the WTO in partnership with institutions of higher learning in different regions of the world. The RTPC in 2011 for Asia – Pacific Region is being organized jointly by the WTO and the Centre for WTO Studies, IIFT New Delhi, during 5 September – 25 November 2011.During this 3-month programme, the participants will be given an in-depth exposure to WTO and international trade issues. The RTPC will seek to enhance the participants understanding of their regional environment and how it relates to trade-policy making; develop a good understanding of the WTO, including the Agreements; improve their analytical and negotiating skills; learn how to use effectively the relevant information and documentation on trade-related issues; and establish and/or strengthen a network of contacts between participants and with the trainers/experts. 

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


Agreements signed between India and Bangladesh
This post details the various aspects of major agreements signed between India and Bangladesh recently

Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development
The Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development signed by the two Prime Ministers on September 6, 2011 in Dhaka provides the template for future cooperation between India and Bangladesh. The Agreement lays down the framework for enhancing mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas. These include - promotion of trade, investment and economic cooperation; connectivity; water resources; management of natural disasters; generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, including from renewable or other sources; promotion of scientific, educational and cultural cooperation; people to people exchanges; environmental protection and responding to challenges of climate change through adaptation; sub regional cooperation in the power sector, water resources management, physical connectivity, environment and sustainable development; and enhancing cooperation in security.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - September 2011


National Manufacturing Policy within September
The National Manufacturing Policy aims at augmenting the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% within a decade and creates 100 million additional jobs. The key focus of the policy is to improve the business environment enable easy technology acquisition and development, provide access to capital for SMEs and enhance the role of the private sector in skill development. The focus shall be on minimizing the role of Government and creating an environment of self-regulation as far as possible.Protectionism will only Deepen Recession; Anand Sharma Tells US & German Legislators

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Intensification of Forest Management Schemes


The National Forest Policy 1988 aims for 33% of the country’s geographical area under the forest cover for ecological and environmental security. While aiming to expand the forest cover in the country, it is equally important to improve the state and quality of existing forests and protect them against various threats and drivers of degradation. The threats to forests include encroachments, forest fires, illicit felling for timber and firewood, grazing, diseases and incursion of weeds and other invasive species, etc. The staffs also face threats of illegal felling of trees from organized forest smugglers / timber mafia and encroachments form land mafia.

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Increasing Concern of Air Pollution in South-East Asia

Increasing Concern of Air Pollution in South-East Asia
Male Declaration is considered as an example for sub-regional cooperation. It provides the frame work for South Asia to cooperate not only on air pollution issues but also on environment security. With increasing urbanisation and economic growth, and having a quarter of the world’s population, air pollution is an increasing concern in South Asian countries. In 1998, UNEP together with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) drew attention to the possibility of the impacts of transboundary air pollution in South Asia. This initiative led to the adoption of the ‘Male Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution. The initiative was funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) as part of the Regional Air Pollution in Developing countries (RAPIDC) programme. Participating countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Currently, the Male Declaration is at the IV phase (2010 - 2012), which is focusing on strengthening the basis of the Male Declaration. Commitments from participating countries are encouraging. Phase IV will continue to assist the member countries enhance their regional cooperation, monitoring impact assessment; strengthen the initiatives started in the first three phases and to initiate new ones.

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Low Temperature Thermal Desalination Technology


Abnormal Weather Pattern-Recent Phenomena
In recent years, India is witnessing variability of the weather phenomena and development of abnormal weather pattern like drought, flood, flash flood, cyclone, rain induced landslides, heat and cold waves, etc. on a continuous basis. Records of past weather events show that extreme values in respect of heavy rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures, seasonal rainfall etc.Variability of the weather phenomena and development of abnormal weather pattern like drought, flood, flash flood, cyclone, rain induced landslides, heat and cold waves, etc. on a continuous basis. Records of past weather events show that extreme values in respect of heavy rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures, seasonal rainfall etc.India 
Meteorological Department (IMD) is enhancing its observational network under the modernization plan by installing a network of Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) , Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), Automatic Rain Gauge Station (ARGS), etc. for monitoring abnormal weather patterns and upgrading its forecasting capabilities., so that advance warning can be provided to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) , Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture to tackle the impacts of the adverse and extreme weather phenomena.

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Indian Current Affairs | Current Affairs India - August 2011


Ozone Layer Hole 
As per the scientific studies, it is expected that the ozone layer will be fully recovered to the pre-1980 level by 2050. Although, the production and consumption of major Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) responsible for depletion of ozone layer have already been phased-out, still some of these chemicals which were released globally earlier are still active in the stratosphere because of their long atmospheric life, thus this necessitates some time for complete recovery of the ozone layer. The size of Antarctic ozone layer hole measured in October 2010 was 22.2 million square kilometer, while the size reported in 2009 and 2008 were 24 million square kilometer and 27 million square kilometer respectively. This clearly indicates that the global efforts made including by India through the Montreal Protocol for the protection of the ozone layer are in the right direction and the Ozone Layer is on the path of recovery. 

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