January 2013 Current Affairs - Part I

8/18/2019 January 2013 Current Affairs - Part I

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JAN 2013 CURRENT AFFAIRS

murugesansenthil.blogspot.com


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Padma Awards 2013

EC: National Awards

Krishi Karman Awards

PART (I)

AWARDS / HONOURS


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Noted physicist Yash Pal and space scientist Roddam Narasimha

were chosen for this year’s Padma Vibhushan while yesteryear filmactors late Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore and cricketer RahulDravid were selected for Padma Bhushan.

Renowned sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra and painter S. HaiderRaza were chosen for Padma Vibhushan as the government came outwith a list of 108 Padma awardees that included actress Sridevi, actorsNana Patekar and Malayalam star Madhu of Chemmeen fame andOlympians Mary Kom, Yogeshwar Dutt and Vijay Kumar.

In all four personalities were awarded Padma Vibhushan, 24Padma Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri. Of the awardees 24 are women,11 belong to the category of foreigners, NRI, PIOs and posthumous.

Nobody was named for Bharat Ratna for this year too. The lastawardee was late Bhimsen Joshi in 2008.

Here is the complete list of the award winners:-

PADMA VIBHUSHAN AWARDS 2013

S.NO NAME DISCIPLINE STATE/DOMICILE

1. Shri RaghunathMohapatra

Art Odisha

2. Shri S. HaiderRaza

Art Delhi

3. Prof.Yash Pal Science andEngineering

Uttar Pradesh

4. Prof.RoddamNarasimha

Science andEngineering

Karnataka

Note:* Indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/PIOs/ Posthumous

# indicates Duo Case.

PADMA AWARDS 2013


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PADMA BHUSHAN AWARDS 2013

S.NO NAME DISCIPLINE STATE/DOMICILE

1. Dr. RamanaiduDaggubati

Art Andhra Pradesh

2. Smt.SreeramamurthyJanaki

Art Tamil Nadu

3. Dr.(Smt.) Kanak Rele Art Maharashtra

4. Smt. SharmilaTagore

Art Delhi

5. Dr. (Smt.) Saroja Vaidyanathan

Art Delhi

6. Shri Abdul RashidKhan

Art West Bengal

7. Late Rajesh Khanna Art Maharashtra #

8. Late Jaspal SinghBhatti

Art Punjab #

9. Shri Shivajirao

Girdhar Patil

Public Affairs Maharashtra

10. Dr. ApathukathaSivathanu Pillai


Delhi

11. Dr.Vijay KumarSaraswat


Delhi

12. Dr. Ashoke Sen Science andEngineering

Uttar Pradesh

13. Dr. B.N. Suresh Science andEngineering

Karnataka

14. Prof. Satya N. Atluri Science andEngineering

USA*

15. Prof. Jogesh ChandraPati


USA *


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16. Shri RamamurthyThyagarajan

Trade andIndustry

Tamil Nadu

17. Shri Adi Godrej Trade andIndustry

Maharashtra

18. Dr. NandkishoreShamrao Laud

Medicine Maharashtra

19. Shri MangeshPadgaonkar

Literature &Education

Maharashtra

20. Prof. GayatriChakravorty Spivak


USA*

21. Shri Hemendra SinghPanwar

Civil Service Madhya Pradesh

22. Dr. Maharaj KishanBhan

Civil Service Delhi

23. Shri Rahul Dravid Sports Karnataka

24. Ms. Mary Kom Sports ManipurNote:* Indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs/ Posthumous

# indicates Duo Case.

PADMA SHRI AWARDS 2013

S.NO NAME FIELD STATE/DOMICILE1. Shri Gajam Anjaiah Art Andhra Pradesh2. Swami G.C.D. Bharti

alias Bharati Bandhu Art Chhattisgarh

3. Ms. B. Jayashree Art Karnataka4. Smt. Sridevi Kapoor Art Maharashtra5. Shri Kailash Chandra

Meher

Art Orissa

6. Shri Brahmdeo RamPandit

Art Maharashtra

7. Shri VishwanathDinkar Patekar aliasNana Patekar

Art Maharashtra

8. Shri Rekandar Art Andhra Pradesh


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Nageswara Rao9. Shri Lakshmi

Narayana Sathiraju Art Tamil Nadu

10. Smt. Jaymala

Shiledar

Art Maharashtra

11. Shri SureshDattatray Talwalkar

Art Maharashtra

12. Shri P. MadhavanNair alias Madhu

Art Kerala

13. Shri Apurba KishoreBir

Art Maharashtra

14. Shri GhanakantaBora Borbayan

Art Assam

15. Smt. Hilda MitLepcha Art Sikkim

16. Smt. Sudha Malhotra Art Maharashtra17. Shri Ghulam

MohammadSaznawaz

Art Jammu and Kashmir

18. Shri RameshGopaldas Sippy

Art Maharashtra

19. Ms. Mahrukh

Tarapor

Art Maharashtra

20. Shri Balwant Thakur Art Jammu & Kashmir21. Shri Puran Das Baul Art West Bengal22. Shri Rajendra Tikku Art Jammu & Kashmir23. Shri Pablo

Bartholomew Art Delhi

24. Shri S. Shakir Ali Art Rajasthan25. Sh. S.K.M

MaeilanandhanSocial Work Tamil Nadu

26. Ms. Nileema Mishra Social Work Maharashtra27. Ms. Reema Nanavati Social Work Gujarat28. Ms. Jharna Dhara

ChowdhurySocial Work Bangladesh *

29. Late Dr. RamKrishan

Social Work Uttar Pradesh #


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30. Late Manju Bharat Social Work Delhi #31. Prof. Mustansir

BarmaScience andEng

Maharashtra

32. Shri Avinash

Chander

Science and

Eng

Delhi

33. Prof. Sanjay GovindDhande

Science andEng

Uttar Pradesh

34. Prof. (Dr.) SankarKumar Pal

Science andEng

West Bengal

35. Prof. Deepak B.Phatak

Science andEng

Maharashtra

36. Dr. MudundiRamakrishna Raju

Science andEng

Andhra Pradesh

37. Prof. Ajay K. Sood Science andEng Karnataka

38. Prof. Krishnaswamy Vijayraghavan

Science andEng

Karnataka

39. Dr. Manindra Agrawal

Science andEng

Uttar Pradesh

40. Dr. JayaramanGowrishankar

Science andEng

Andhra Pradesh

41. Prof. Sharad

Pandurang Kale

Science and

Eng

Maharashtra

42. Smt. Vandana Luthra Trade andInd

Delhi

43. Ms. Rajshree Pathy Trade andInd

Tamil Nadu

44. Shri HemendraPrasad Barooah

Trade andInd

Assam

45. Shri Milind Kamble Trade andInd

Maharashtra

46. Ms. Kalpana Saroj Trade andInd Maharashtra

47. Dr. Sudarshan K. Aggarwal

Medicine Delhi

48. Dr. C. Venkata S.Ram alias Chitta

Venkata Sundara

Medicine Andhra Pradesh


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Ram49. Dr. Rajendra Achyut

BadweMedicine Maharashtra

50. Dr. Taraprasad Das Medicine Orissa

51. Prof. (Dr.) T.V.Devarajan Medicine Tamil Nadu

52. Prof. (Dr.) SarojChooramani Gopal

Medicine Uttar Pradesh

53. Dr. Pramod KumarJulka

Medicine Delhi

54. Dr. Gulshan RaiKhatri

Medicine Delhi

55. Dr. Ganesh Kumar

Mani

Medicine Delhi

56. Dr. Amit PrabhakarMaydeo


57. Dr. SundaramNatarajan


58. Prof. KrishnaChandra Chunekar

Medicine Uttar Pradesh

59. Dr. Vishwa KumarGupta

Medicine Delhi

60. Prof. (Capt.) Dr.Mohammad Sharaf-e- Alam

Literature &Education Bihar

61. Dr. RadhikaHerzberger


Andhra Pradesh

62. Shri J. Malsawma Literature &Education

Mizoram

63. Shri Devendra Patel Literature &Education

Gujarat

64. Dr. Rama KantShukla Literature &Education Delhi

65. Prof. Akhtarul Wasey Literature &Education

Delhi

66. Prof. Anvita Abbi Literature &Education

Delhi

67. Shri Nida Fazli Literature & Madhya Pradesh


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Education68. Shri Surender Kumar

SharmaLiterature &Education

Delhi

69. Dr. Jagdish Prasad

Singh

Literature &

Education

Bihar

70. Late Shaukat RiazKapoor Alias SalikLakhnawi


West Bengal #

71. Prof. NoboruKarashima


Japan *

72. Shri ChristopherPinney


UK *

73. Smt. Premlata

Agrawal

Sports Jharkhand

74. Shri Yogeshwar Dutt Sports Haryana75. Shri Hosanagara

NagarajegowdaGirisha

Sports Karnataka

76. Subedar Major VijayKumar

Sports Himachal Pradesh

77. Shri NgangomDingko Singh

Sports Maharashtra

78. Naib SubedarBajrang Lal Takhar Sports Rajasthan

79. Ms. Ritu Kumar FashionDesigning

Delhi

80. Dr. Ravindra SinghBisht

Archaeology Uttar Pradesh

Note:* Indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs/ Posthumous # indicates Duo Case.


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S. Janaki rejects the award:- Ms. Janaki, winner of four National Awards, stirred up a new controversy when she rejected the PadmaBhushan Award conferred on her describing it as “too late”. The singersaid to mediapersons that, she deserved Bharat Ratna for having sungthousands of songs in various languages. She added that thegovernment should show some more consideration to artists from southIndia in recognizing their talents and contributions.

Long since these Padma awards have lost any merit. Thepractice of awarding posthumously had diluted its worth tozero. It is really surprising why Bharat Ratna was everawarded posthumously, to Mahatma Gandhi or Netaji Bose or

Sardar Patel or even Jhansi ki Rani! Because no longer theycount for vote banks! We, as a country know how to spoilanything, instituted by us or borrowed from others!What Janaki said about the rejection of the award?

http://murugesansenthil.blogspot.in/2013/01/i-deserve-much-more-s-janaki.html


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The former secretary of the Department of Ocean Development, A.E. Muthunayagam, will receive the prestigious Aryabhatta award,

instituted by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), for 2010 and V.K.Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, will receive theaward for 2011. They have been selected for their achievements inrocketry.

The ASI awards for rocket and related technologies will go to G.Satheesh Reddy, associate director of the Research Centre, Imarat,Hyderabad, for 2010 and P. Kunhikrishnan of the Vikram SarabhaiSpace Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO),Thiruvananthapuram, for 2011.

The awards for spacecraft and related technologies will go to P.Chakraborty of the Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS),ISRO, Bangalore, (for 2010) and Yateendra Mehta, ISRO SatelliteCentre, Bangalore (for 2011). Several other awards under variouscategories have been won by ISRO engineers and scientists.

Dr. Muthunayagam was the director of the Liquid PropulsionSystems Centre, ISRO. In 2011, the Department of Atomic Energyappointed him as head of a committee to look into safety issues relatedto the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu.

Dr. Saraswat, who is also the director-general of DefenceResearch and Development Organisation (DRDO), is an architect of theinterceptor missile programme, the Agni and Prithvi programmes.

Mr. Reddy is a specialist in navigation systems and he developedthe avionics, including the ring-laser gyroscope-based navigationsystem, in the target missile (Prithvi) of the DRDO’s interceptorprogramme and the fibre-optic gyroscope-based inertial navigationsystem in the interceptor. Mr. Kunhikrishnan has been the missiondirector of several Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles.

The Election Commission awarded Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh andWest Bengal for best electoral practices and election management forthe year 2012. The awards were received by their respective chiefelectoral officers.

ARYABHATTA AWARD

EC: NATIONAL AWARDS


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IIT-Madras alumnus, M.G. Venkatesh Mannar is one of 91persons who have received the Order of Canada, one of the highest

civilian honours of the Canadian government. The distinguishedchemical engineer was given the awarded for his leadership in theglobal fight against malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency.

For nearly 40 years, Dr. Mannar has been working to reducedebilitating micronutrient deficiencies amongst the world’s mostvulnerable populations. He is the president of the Ottawa-basedMicronutrient Initiative (MI). As a sixth-generation salt processor inIndia, he became interested in salt iodisation, given that iodine isextremely important for brain development.

The process of adding nutrients to salt, without changing itscolour, texture or taste and not complicating its manufacture, is noteasy, but Dr. Mannar has not only developed different technologies todo so, but has also spearheaded the movement in different countriesacross the world. Dr. Mannar helped establish salt iodisation in over 50countries and today, nearly 4 billion people have access to iodised salt.Dr. Mannar has also been associated with the State government’sinitiative to offer double-fortified salt to school students as part of thenoon meal scheme. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where many childrensuffer from dehydration, Dr. Mannar has been developing dispersiblezinc tablets that need to be placed on the tongues of children for themto develop resistance.

He said that, the problem of iron deficiency is the worst insouthern states of India, where people mostly rely on rice-based dietswhich comprise heavily polished rice and starch. He also said thesituation of malnourishment in India was grave, and even worse thanin Bangladesh and several African countries. Dr. Mannar also said thatthese days the double burden of nutrition has been a cause of concerntoo, with cases of lifestyle disorders and obesity increasing. Studieshave shown that when undernourished children eat unhealthy food,

their bodies tend to absorb them disproportionately.

ORDER OF CANADA


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Kerala-born writer Jeet Thayil was named the winner of theprestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for his debut novel

‘ Narcopolis ’.Thayil, who was at the centre of a controversy last year for

reading excerpts from ‘The Satanic Verses’ after Salman Rushdie’s visitto the Jaipur Literature Festival was cancelled, is the first Indian towin the prize . The award carrying a prize money of $50,000 was givento Thayil for his novel which has a Mumbai setting and deals with thelesser known aspects of drugs and its effects. The author who firstmade his mark as a poet said it was natural for him to choose the topicfor ‘ Narcopolis ’ as he had lived the life

Eminent nuclear scientist, Dr Anil Kakodkar, will be therecipient of the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award for 2011-12. Theannouncement was made by the Chief Minister, Mr Prithviraj Chava.

The award, instituted in 1997 by the Maharashtra Governmentto recognise distinguished work and achievements of eminent personsfrom the state, representing different walks of life, carries a cash prizeof Rs 5 lakh and a citation. The State Government has been seekingguidance from Dr Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic EnergyCommission, on the issue of Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastalKonkan.

He has also conducted interactive sessions with state legislatorsto inform them about the benefits of the nuclear project.

Noted Indian scientist Dr C N R Rao has been conferred withChina's top science award for his important contributions in boostingSino-India scientific cooperation. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

gave its 2012 Award for International Scientific Cooperation to threescientists from India, Germany, and Russia.

Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for AdvancedScientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award withHerbert Jaeckle of Germany's Max Planck Society and Russian spacephysicist G A Zherebtsov.

DSC PRIZE FOR SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE

MAHARASHTRA BHOOSHAN AWARD

CHINA’S AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION


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The awards are given every year by the CAS, which is China'stop academic and research institution for natural sciences. It has so farhonoured 17 international scientists for their contributions in Sino-Foreign research cooperation, since the prize was instituted in 2007.

State-run Xinhua news agency quoted that, Rao is devoted to theresearch of solid-state and structural chemistry. He was awarded forhis important contributions in boosting scientific cooperation betweenChina and India, as well as raising the scientific capabilities ofdeveloping countries.

Rao has won various prestigious awards. He is currently theHead of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister.

German scientist Jaeckle specialised in the fields of moleculardevelopmental biology. He has actively promoted scientific cooperationbetween China and Germany. He has explored and put into practice

approaches that integrate a Max Planck management model with theCAS's scientific research system, as well as set up an internationalteam of researchers.

Zherebtsov has actively promoted the construction of a Sino-Russian weather research centre and is currently working to get Russiainvolved in a CAS space science programme.

Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh gave the lifetime

achievement awards of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to fourof its veteran scientists. The scientists who were presented the lifetimeachievement are:

R.B. Grover, who played a key role in negotiating the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal

K. Balaramamoorthy, who developed non-destructivetesting techniques

Mathematician R. Balasubramanian S.K. Sikka, a key player in the nuclear tests of 1974 and1998.

Known as India’s leading nuclear diplomat, Dr. Grover played akey role in opening ensuring India became a part of the internationalnuclear trade which was shut after the peaceful nuclear experiment of1974. He was also in the forefront of talks that resulted in India's entryinto the pioneering International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactorproject to tap fusion energy to meet future global power needs. Amongother things, he conceptualised and set up the Homi Bhabha National

ATOMIC ENERGY’S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD


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Institute to meet the human resources requirements of the nuclearprogramme.

Dr. Balaramamoorthy, aformer Chief Executive of theNuclear Fuel Complex, washonoured for his pioneeringcontribution to the development ofnon-destructive testing techniquesand outstanding work in the fieldof nuclear fuel and nuclearcomponents fabrication.

Dr. Balasubramanian, whois the Director of the DAE’sChennai-based Institute of

Mathematical Sciences, was conferred the award for his outstandingcontribution to the field of higher mathematics, cryptology andtheoretical computer science.

Dr. Sikka was honoured for his contribution to condensed matterphysics and to the strategic programme of the department of atomicenergy.

President Pranab Mukherjee awarded the “Krishi Karman”

awards to 18 States for excellence in production of foodgrains.President said the country could achieve the 12 Plan growth target offour cent through crop diversification, developing high-yield disease-resistant seeds, improvement in water management practices andpromotion of balanced use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Among the new States to be recognised this year for “exemplaryperformance” were Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu,Nagaland and Manipur.

States awarded for enhancing production/productivity of aparticular commodity included,

Uttar Pradesh (coarse cereals) Bihar (rice) Jharkhand (pulses) Haryana (wheat)

Ten states namely, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal,Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram andHimachal Pradesh received commendation awards.

KRISHI KARMAN AWARD


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From the eight awards winning states, for the first time one maleand one female farmer were also awarded for their outstandingperformance.

States awarded for enhancing total foodgrains production are

given a trophy, citation and Rs. 2 crore each, while those recognised inindividual crops are given a trophy, citation and Rs. 1 crore each. Therest are given Rs. 25 lakh each, while individual farmers are given Rs.1 lakh, a citation and a trophy.

Total Food grains Category-I (production over 10MT)

State Production (Lakh

Tonnes)

Productivity

(Kg/ha)

Previous Highest in

last Five years

2011-12 %

increase

1. Madhya

Pradesh

160.16

(2009-10)

190.46 18.91

2. Punjab 278.66

(2010-11)

283.52 1.74

3. Rajasthan 188.32

(2010-11)

189.63 0.70


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Total Food grains Category-II (production between 1 and 10 MT)

State Production (Lakh Tonnes) Productivity

(Kg/ha)

Previous highest in last five years 2011-12 % increase

1. Tamil Nadu 82.63 (2006-07) 96.41 16.67

2. Gujarat 83.42 (2010-11) 90.66 8.68

3. Uttarakhand 18.16 (2010-11) 18.53 2.06

Total Food grains Category-III (production below 1 MT)


(Kg/ha)


1. Manipur 4.22 (2007-08) 5.93 40.52

2. Nagaland 5.14 (2008-09) 5.68 10.52

3. Arunachal

Pradesh

3.09 (2009-10) 3.34 8.02

4. Tripura 6.479 (2009-10) 7.124 9.96

5. Mizoram 0.624 (2009-10) 0.668 7.05


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Rice


(Kg/ha)


1. Bihar 55.9 (2008-09) 72.01 28.81

Wheat


(Kg/ha)


1. Haryana 116.30 (2010-11) 126.84 9.07

2. Himachal

Pradesh

5.473 (2008-09) 5.958 8.86

Pulses


(Kg/ha)


1. Jharkhand 3.296 (2010-11) 4.923 49.34

2. Assam 0.701 (2010-11) 1.08 54.06

3. West

Bengal

1.761 (2010-11) 1.878 6.63


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Coarse Cereals


(Kg/ha)


1. Uttar

Pradesh

32.18 (2010-11) 35.49 10.30

About Krishi Karman Awards:-The award was instituted in the year 2010-11 for recognizing the

meritorious efforts made by the states in production of food grains. The Awards include a trophy, a citation and a cash reward of 2 crore rupeesfor total food grain production and 1 crore rupees for each of the fourindividual crops. For commendation award winner the cash prizedeclared is of 25 lakh rupees and for individual farmers the prizeamount is 1 lakh rupees, with a citation and a trophy.

The awards are presented in two different sets and they are onefor the total food grain production and second for the production ofindividual food grains that includes rice, wheat, pulses and coarsecereals.

The awards were finalized and the states were selected by aselection committee that was headed by the secretary of agricultureand cooperation that accessed the performance of states followingcertain fixed criteria, which took into account the outcomes ofproduction, implementation of programmes for crop production as wellas the innovative approach adopted for delivery of effective services.


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Steven Spielberg’s political biopic Lincoln is leading this year’sOscars race with 12 nominations, while the tally for Ang Lee’s Indiandrama Life of Pi rose to 11, including in the ‘Best Picture’ and ‘BestDirector’ categories. Here is some of the list of 85th Annual Academy

Award nominations,

Category Nominations Amour ArgoBeasts of the Southern WildDjango UnchainedLes Miserbales

Life of PiLincolnSilver Linings Playbook

Best Picture

Zero Dark ThirtyBradley Cooper ( Silver Linings Playbook )Daniel Day-Lewis ( Lincoln )Hugh Jackman ( Les Miserables )Joaquin Phoenix ( The Master )

Best Actor

Denzel Washington ( Flight )Jessica Chastain ( Zero Dark Thirty )Jennifer Lawerence ( Silver Linings Playbook )Emmanuelle Riva ( Amour )Quvenhzhane Wallis ( Beasts of the Southern Wild )

Best Actress

Naomi Watts ( The Impossible ) Alan Arkin ( Argo )Robert De Niro ( Silver Linings Playbook )Philip Seymour Hoffman ( The Master )Tommy Lee Jones ( Lincoln )

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz ( Django Unchained )

Amy Adams ( The Master )Sally Field ( Lincoln ) Anne Hathaway ( Les Miserables )Helen Hunt ( The Sessions )

Best Supporting Actress

Jacki Weaver ( Silver Linings Playbook )

COUNTDOWN TO OSCAR 2013


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Michael Haneke ( Amour )Benh Zeitlin ( Beasts of the Southern Wild )

Ang Lee ( Life of Pi )Steven Spielberg ( Lincoln )

Best Direction

David O Russell ( Silver Linings Playbook ) Amour – Austria Kon-Tiki – Norway No – Chile A Royal Affair – Denmark

Best ForeignLanguage Film

War Witch – CanadaChris Terrio ( Argo )Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin ( Beasts of the SouthernWild )David Magee ( Life of Pi )

Tony Kushner ( Lincoln )

Adapted Screenplay

David O Russell ( Silver Linings Playbook )Michael Haneke ( Amour )Quentin Tarantino ( Django Unchained )John Gatins ( Flight )Wes NAderson, Roman Coppola ( Moonrise Kingdom )

Original Screenplay

Mark Boal ( Zero Dark Thirty ) Brave Frankenweenie ParaNormanThe Pirates! Band of Misfits

Animated Film

Wreck-It RalphDario Marianelli ( Anna Karenina )

Alexandre Desplat ( Argo )Mychael Danna ( Life of Pi )John Willimas ( Lincoln )

Original Score

Thomas Newman ( Skyfall ) Before My Time… (Chasing Ice ) – J Ralph Everybody Needs a Best Friend… (Ted ) – WalterMurphy and Seth MacFarlane

Pi’s Lullaby… ( Life of Pi ) – Mychael Danna andBombay JayashriSkyfall… (Skyfall ) – Adele Adkins and PaulEmpworth

Original Song

Suddenly… ( Les Miserables ) – Claude-MichelSchonberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boubill


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How is the Oscar shortlist decided? The nomination process kicks off in November, 2013 when about

6000 odd members of the Academy start viewing the entries The Academy is split into 15 branches, or professions within the

film industry Each branch votes for nominees within their own category Nominees for Animated Feature Film and a Foreign Language

Film Categories are voted for by committees of mixed branches Every member votes for the Best Picture Members Started to vote on Dec 17, 2013 The deadline was extended this year due to the controversial

electronic voting system Votes are then sent to PricewaterhouseCoopers to be counted,

verified and secured until the day of the announcementL i f e o f P i

to inspire “Land of Pi” campaignSeeking to cash in on the worldwide popularity of Life of Pi ,which has been shot in Puducherry and Munnar in Kerala, the UnionTourism Ministry has decided to launch a full-fledged “Land of Pi’’campaign. Union Tourism Minister, Mr. K Chiranjeevi said that, thegovernment would soon unleash the campaign across all media,including print, online, electronic and outdoor, to promote Puducherryand Munnar as major tourist destinations.

Luxury buses plying between Chennai and Puducherry and Kochiand Munnar will carry ‘Land of Pi’ slogan. Special tours and walking

trails will be organised for tourists visiting Puducherry and Munnar.Short films on tourist attractions in Puducherry and Munnar, asdepicted in the film, have been created and they will be put on Youtubeand other social media networks.

The Minister said the campaign will be undertaken in English aswell as in French, German, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese languages.‘Land of Pi’ posters, produced by Tourism Ministry, will be exhibitedworldwide through India tourism offices overseas. These would also beput on the Incredible India website and the websites of the Puducherryand Kerala Tourism Departments.

The Ministry will also organise road shows to promote Indiandestinations in China and Taiwan. Director Lee is of Taiwanese origin.T-shirts and caps branding the two destinations will also bedistributed.The Ministry has already announced special National Tourism

Awards for Ang Lee, Director, and Yann Martel, author of thebook ‘Life of Pi.’


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Rangarajan Panel

Manipur Killings

Verma Panel

PART (II)

COMMITTEES/COMMISSIONS


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The Prime Minister-appointed Rangarajan Committee hassuggested mandating a price of domestically-produced naturalgas at an average of international hub prices and cost ofimported LNG instead of the present mechanism of marketdiscovery . The panel, in its report made public, suggested first takingan average of the U.S., Europe and Japanese hub or market price andthen averaging it out with the netback price of imported liquefiednatural gas (LNG) to give the sale price of domestically-produced gas.

The panel headed by C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said the PSC provided forarm’s length pricing and prior government approval of the formula orbasis for gas pricing, subject to policy on natural gas pricing.

The committee recommended deriving one price from “thevolume-weighted netback price to producers at (LNG) exportingcountry well-head for Indian imports for the trailing 12 months.Simultaneously, the volume-weighted price of U.S.’ Henry Hub, U.K.’sNBP and Japan Custom Cleared prices for the trailing 12 months becalculated. The arm’s length price thus computed as the average of thetwo price estimates would apply equally to all sectors.

The suggested formula will apply to pricing decisions made infuture, and can be reviewed after five years. On the future explorationcontracts, it said “a close scrutiny of costs becomes critical for the

government since there is incentive for contractors to book as costexpenses that do not reflect the true economic cost to the contractor (forexample, through transfer pricing)”.

Audit is prerogative of CAG and so the power of audit remainswith CAG. The comments come in the backdrop of intense bickeringover the scope of CAG audit of Reliance Industries’ spending on theflagging eastern offshore KG-D6 gas fields. RIL has argued that whileit is open to CAG doing a financial scrutiny as provided, the productionsharing contract does not provide a performance audit by the officialauditor.

Dr. Rangarajan said blocks with low value could be audited bypanel of auditors formed by CAG and for high value blocks, the officialauditor should audit directly. The CAG had the power to decide thevalue of the block that would be audited by it directly .

In its report, the Rangarajan Committee has suggested shunningthe present cost recovery model that allows operators like RIL to firstrecover all their investment before sharing profits with the

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government. This model had come in for criticism from CAG which saidit encouraged companies to keep raising cost to defer higher profit forthe government. For the future, the panel suggested bidding out theblocks based on the highest production share offered.

A committee was set up to suggest measures to lower the highcosts of Air India’s operations andimprove utilisation of resources in linewith best global practices to help thestate-run carrier achieve the goals ofits turnaround and financialrestructuring plans. A five-membercommittee, headed by IIM-

Ahmedabad’s Prof Ravindra H.Dholakia , was set up by Civil

Aviation Minister Ajit Singh after areview meeting of the ailing nationalcarrier’s functioning.

Though the panel has beengiven two months to submit its report,it has been asked to give interim

recommendations without waiting for its final report so that thesecould be implemented by Air India immediately. With improvements in

Air India’s performance in recent months, the airline is likely to endthis financial year with a positive cash flow or earning before interest,taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) positive. Expressingconcern over the projected net shortfall of Rs.404 crore a month, theMinister had recently asked Air India to cut redundant costs andoptimally utilise its resources to meet the annual financial projectionsenvisaged in the Financial Restructuring Plan (FRP).

Other members of the committee are: Prabhat Kumar, JointSecretary in the Ministry; Rajesh Agrawal, Director Finance ofICRISAT; S Mukherjee, former Director Commercial and InflightServices of Air India; and Nasir Ali, Joint Managing Director of theairline. It would go into the expenses, identify loopholes in thecompany’s existing structure and functioning leading to wastefulexpenditure and recommend measures to plug them.

PANEL SET UP TO SUGGEST STEPS FOR AI TURNAROUND


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The Supreme Court appointed a commission headed by theformer Supreme Court judge, Santosh Hegde; the former CEC,J.M. Lyngdoh; and a senior police officer to probe the fakeencounter killings in Manipur . A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam andRanjana Prakash Desai passed a formal order to this effect aftergetting consent from Justice Hegde and Mr. Lyngdoh. It was hearing apetition by Manipur-based Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families

Association that sought a special investigation team probe into theextra-judicial killings by the Army and other security forces.

The Bench said the Commission would initially probe six caseswhere the magisterial inquiry had raised questions on the genuinenessof encounter and security forces had “unlawfully” killed people,

including a 12-year-old boy. The Bench was upset at the stand of theManipur government when it questioned the motives of the petitioner.The Bench observed that, nationalism is not a monopoly of the State.Simply because you represent the State, you don’t have the authority toimpute motives on others.

Questioning as to why petitioner families should establish theircredentials as nationalists, the Bench said that, these are theallegations that drive people to anti-national activities. Justice Desaitold Ranjit Kumar that, government talk about insurgency butdon’t point fingers at them .

Under fire for delaying clearances to infrastructure projects, theMinistry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has set up a committeeunder Dr K Kasturirangan , former ISRO chairman and PlanningCommission member, to review the existing rules.

The committee will examine the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notifications issued for projects like highways, SEZ

projects, and high-rises in 2006. The move appeared to be prompted bythe recent pull out by private companies such as GMR and GVK fromhighway projects citing delays in getting forest clearances. While GMRwas building the 5,387 crore Kishangarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad project,GVK had exited the 332 km Shivpuri-Dewas project over similarconcerns.

PANEL TO PROBE MANIPUR FAKE ENCOUNTER KILLINGS

PANEL – TO CLEAR INFRA PROJECTS


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Noted technocrat Sam Pitroda will head a panel set up by the UnionInformation &Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to redefine the role ofthe national broadcaster -- Prasar Bharati -- and itsrelationship with the Centre . And the committee which was formedwill review the public broadcasting role of the body that controls boththe Doordarshan (DD) and the All India Radio (AIR) which now faceintense competition from over 800 private channels.

The need to set up a panel has been prompted by the fact thatdespite being an autonomous body, the Prasar Bharati has had achequered relationship with the government of the day, which controlsits functioning.With a none-too-modest yearly budget of Rs. 1,500crore,the Prasar Bharati is dependent on the government to fulfil its public

service role. And a whopping 70 per cent of the I&B Ministry’sbudgetary outlay is used to fund the mammoth body which has around38,000 employees on its rolls.

A group of ministers (GoM) is already reviewing the functioning ofPrasar Bharati. Recently, the Centre started refurbishing the DD newsto take on the private news channels. The terms and reference of thePitroda panel also include redefining the role of the public broadcasteras its monopoly of being the sole broadcaster has long been demolished.

Unlike the BBC -- funded by the public exchequer and Queen’scharter -- whose programmes have effectively countered the private

channels, the DD has not been able to compete with the private playerson the Indian market.Pitroda, who is currently the adviser to the Prime Minister on Public

Information Infrastructure and Innovations, will study and recommendways of using the new media to deliver digital content -- both in thebroadcast mode (DTH) and in a demand-based mode -- using socialmedia like YouTube, and on payment via IPTV.

The other members of the committee include Shekhar Kapur,director and member of the National Innovation Council; AshaSwaroop, former Secretary; B K Gairola, Mission Director (e-

Governance); M P Gupta, IIT Delhi; Jitendra Shankar Mathur, Additional Secretary and Jawhar Sircar, CEO Prasar Bharati.

Moreover, the panel has been asked to study means by which thePrasar Bharati’s role as a public broadcaster can be sustained,strengthened and amplified. It will also study the previous reports onPrasar Bharati like those submitted by the Sengupta Committee, theBakshi Committee and the Narayanamurthy committee.

SAM PITRODA PANEL


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The Justice Verma Committee formed to look into crimes againstwomen ruled against recommending the death penalty even in therarest of the rare rape cases, and also did not favour lowering the age ofa juvenile from 18 to 16.

The committee, which was tasked with suggesting legal reformsto deal with sexual assault cases, however said the minimum sentencefor a rapist should be enhanced from 7 years to 10 and that lifeimprisonment must always mean jail for ‘the entire natural life of theconvict’. It has also recommended forming a new constitutionalauthority like the CAG for dealing with issues related to education andnon-discrimination of women and children.

Presenting the report on ‘Amendments to Criminal Law’ , Mr.

Verma said at a time when there were talks of abolishing the deathsentence, the committee has “enhanced the punishment to mean theremainder of life”. An overwhelming majority of scholars and women’sorganisations told the committee they were strongly against deathpenalty. After the gangrape and death of the para-medical student inDelhi last month that led to a nationwide uproar, Union Home MinisterSushilkumar Shinde had said that the government favoured deathsentence in the rarest of the rare rape cases.

He had then announced formation of a three-member committeeheaded by the former Chief Justice of India, with former Chief Justice

of Himachal Pradesh Justice Leila Seth and former Solicitor General ofIndia Gopal Subramaniam as its members. The Committeerecommended that, according to the Working Group on Human Rights,the murder rate has declined consistently in India over the last 20years despite the slowdown in the execution of death sentences since1980. Hence we do take note of the argument that introduction of deathpenalty for rape may not have a deterrent effect.

The Committee also said that in the proposed Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2012, the minimum sentence for punishment for rapeshould be enhanced to a minimum of 10 years (currently it is 7 years)

with maximum punishment being life imprisonment.The Committee said castration would be unconstitutional and

inconsistent with basic human rights treaties to expose any citizenwithout their consent to potentially dangerous medical side effects.

On the issue of reducing the age of a juvenile from 18 to 16, Mr. Verma said, assuming that a person at the age of 16 is sent to life

VERMA PANEL


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imprisonment, he would be released sometimes in the mid-30s. There islittle assurance that the convict would emerge a reformed person.

The Committee has criticised lack of reformatory andrehabilitation policies in jails and juvenile homes.

Comments in social network site about the panel report:- It seems the juvenile gets more protection as per this report. The

report is a total failure as it denied public opinion on hanging andeven wasted others time by collecting opinions. Please tryunderstand a bit the sufferings of those victims and their familiesand make a reasonable report.. Rapists should be hanged, if itsproved.

NO death penalty to rapists..!! Juvenile age not reduced to 16, just a solitary confinement of 20 years..!...Huh..Why just a

normal jail life, provide them with a T.V, radio set, fridge, wificonnection, a laptop too.. Why the committee isn't making it clear that what it means by

"rarest of rare". Isn't the Delhi gang rape issue come under that?Going to the practical running of society can we ask whether themajority of scholars and women organization give safety towomen as they are against capital punishment. All rape may notbe come under capital punishment but "brutal rape and murder"deserves that. The committee shouldn't dilute such heinous crimewith such light penalty.

Some of the highlights of the report:

New offenses have been created and stiffer punishment has beensuggested by the panel. The new offenses include disrobing awoman, voyeurism, stalking and trafficking.

It has recommended enhancing the duration of punishment to upto 20 years in jail for rape leading to death or the victim beingreduced to a vegetative state and life for gang rape. In case ofgang rape leading to death, the person should be imprisoned forlife. The present law provides for imprisonment to rapistsranging from seven years to life.

The panel sought amendments to Section 100 of the Indian PenalCode dealing with the right of private defense, which extends tocausing death.


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The committee rejected the suggestion of chemical castration ofrapists as it considered handing down such a punishment wouldviolate human rights and that mutilation of the body is notpermitted under the Constitution.

The committee has also touched upon marital rape and safety ofwomen in conflict zones suggesting a review of the Armed ForcesSpecial Protection Act (AFSPA) that can be used by the forces forexploiting women in areas of conflict.

According to the report the judiciary has the primaryresponsibility of ensuring fundamental rights throughconstitutional remedies. The CJI can take suo motu cognizance;social activists should assist the court. The Chief Justice of thehigh court of every state should device appropriate machinery foradministration and supervision of these juvenile homes in

consultation with experts in the field. All marriages in the country — irrespective of the personal lawsunder which such marriages are solemnized — shouldmandatorily be registered in the presence of a magistrate and themagistrate will ensure that the marriage has been solemnizedwithout any demand for dowry having been made and that themarriage has taken place with the full and free consent of bothpartners.

Medical examination of victims of sexual assault which wereprepared on the basis of the best practices advised by global

experts in the field of gynaecology and psychology. Trafficking of minor children must be made a serious offense.Trafficking must be punished with rigorous imprisonment for aterm which shall not be less than seven years, but which mayalso extend to 10 years.

There is also a suggestion to bar elected representatives fromholding office or for candidates to file nomination for election if acourt has taken cognizance of the charge-sheet filed by theinvestigating agency.

The panel also recommended for Scraping ‘two-finger test’ for

rape victims.


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The panel rapped Union Home Secretary Mr. R K Singh forshowering praise on Delhi Police Commissioner Mr. Neeraj

Kumar in the aftermath of the Delhi gangrape. He said that hewas shocked to see instead of an apology, appreciation is given. The panel criticised the lathicharge on peaceful demonstrations.The lathicharge has scarred the democracy

There is a need to review the appointment of DGPs who failed toappear or did not respond to the panel request for suggestions.

Exempt disabled women from coming to police stations


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Gujarat Lokayukta – SC upholds

Cauvery Tribunal Award & SC

No more statues, idols in roads

PART (III)

COURT JUDGMENTS


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The Supreme Court directed all State governments and UnionTerritories not to grant permission to erect statues or for constructionof any structure at public places, pavements, sidewalks or on any otherpublic utility, which obstructs traffic movement. A Bench comprising

justices R M Lodha and S J Mukhopadhyaya said the right of citizensto move freely cannot be taken away.

The Bench said that, public interest must be paramount. Publicroad is nobody’s property. Each and every citizen has a right to movefreely on roads. That right cannot be taken away by putting statues,temples, mosques, churches etc... Such a practice must be done awaywith.

The Bench further asked that, instead of glorifying theleaders, why don’t you use the funds for the upliftment of thepoor? Why do you want to use public funds meant for people ofIndia?

The Bench was hearing an application opposing the Keralagovernment’s permission for erecting a statue of late Congress leader NSundaram Nadar on the traffic island at Neyyattinkara junction on anational highway in Thiruvananthapuram district. The application wasfiled in a pending petition in which the apex court had already directedall state governments to remove unauthorised constructions, includingplaces of worship, from roads and public places, without disturbing the

law and order situation.The Bench also clarified that this order would not apply forinstallation of traffic utility structures like streetlights, which facilitatesmooth traffic movement.

The Supreme Court banned tourists from taking the AndamanNicobar Trunk Road that passes through the area where the Jarawaslive. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave. The court has

already banned all commercial and tourism activities within a five-kmradius of the Jarawa Tribal Reserve on the Andaman and NicobarIslands.

A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and H.L. Gokhale passed theorder, taking on record the Andaman and Nicobar Administration’sJanuary 17 notification to comply with the court directives issued lastyear. Except 30 villages notified in the schedule, the notification

SC: NO MORE STATUES, IDOLS ON ROADS

SC BANS TOURSITS IN J ARAWA AREA


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declares a buffer zone of an area up to a five-km radius, adjacent andcontiguous to the Jarawa Tribal Reserve Area — starting from theConstance Bay in South Andaman to Lewis Inlet Bay in Middle

Andaman. No person shall operate any commercial or touristestablishment directly or indirectly in the buffer zone. Furthermore, noone shall carry out any activity, which may be prejudicial to the safety,security and interests of the Jarawas in any of the settlement villages.

The Bench directed that only government officials, personsresiding in the reserve and vehicles carrying essential commodities forthe Jarawas would be allowed on the Trunk Road.

The Bench directed the Andaman and Nicobar Administration tofile an affidavit, along with a detailed map indicating the areas ofJarawas and settlement of others. The October 30, 2007 notification,imposing the ban, was quashed by the Calcutta High Court. On an

appeal, the Supreme Court, stayed the order and asked theadministration to strictly enforce the notification till it was consideredby the court.

Who are the Jarawas?Tribe indigenous to Andamans. Other tribes are Onges,

Sentinelese, Andamanese. Of all the tribes in the islands,Jarawas have had the least contact with the outside world. Asper 2001 census, there are 240 Jarawas.

The Supreme Court held that the State of Kerala had no jurisdiction to investigate into the `Italian marines shooting incident’on February 15, 2012 in which two fishermen were killed and said onlythe Union of India had jurisdiction to proceed with the investigationand trial of the two marines. A Bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabirand J. Chelameswar in two concurring judgments therefore directed

the Centre, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, to set up aSpecial Court to try the two marines Massimilano Latorre andSalvatore Girone cited as accused in this case.

The Bench after the pronouncement of the judgment in a brieforder in the afternoon said that, the order passed by the Kerala HighCourt restricting the movement of the petitioners is lifted, but the sameconditions will stand reinstated. As and when the petitioners come to

SC: SPECIAL COURT TO TRY ITALIAN MARINES


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Delhi, they shall not leave the precincts of Delhi without the leave ofthe Court. Instead of reporting to the Police Station at CityCommissioner at Kochi, they will now report to the Station HouseOfficer of the Chanakayapuri Police Station, New Delhi, once a week,subject to further relaxation, as may be granted. Once the saidpetitioners have moved to Delhi, they shall upon the request of ItalianEmbassy in Delhi, remain under their control. The Italian Embassy, inDelhi, also agrees to be responsible for the movements of thepetitioners and to ensure that they report to the trial court, as andwhen called upon to do so. Since their passports had been surrenderedto the trial court in Kollam, the same is to be transferred by the saidcourt to the Union Home Ministry. The two marines will be under thecustody of this court.

The Bench directed the special court {to be set up} to dispose of

the matter in accordance with the provisions of the Maritime Zones Act, 1976, the Indian Penal Code, the Cr.P.C. and most importantly,the provisions of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS) 1982, where “there is no conflict between the domestic lawand UNCLOS 1982.”

The Bench said this would not prevent the petitioners frominvoking the provisions of Article 100 of UNCLOS 1982 and thequestion of jurisdiction of the Union of India to investigate into theincident and for the Courts in India to try the accused. It said that, if itis found that both the Republic of Italy and the Republic of India have

concurrent jurisdiction over the matter, then these directions willcontinue to hold good.In his judgment the CJI said “while India is entitled both under

its Domestic Law and the Public International Law to exercise rights ofsovereignty upto 24 nautical miles from the baseline on the basis ofwhich the width of Territorial Waters is measured, it can exercise onlysovereign rights within the Exclusive Economic Zone for certainpurposes.

The incident of firing from the Italian vessel on the Indianshipping vessel having occurred within the Contiguous Zone, the Union

of India is entitled to prosecute the two Italian marines under thecriminal justice system prevalent in the country. However, the same issubject to the provisions of Article 100 of UNCLOS 1982.”


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The Supreme Court held that, not only an MLA but anyinterested person is entitled to bring to the notice of the Speaker thefact that a member has incurred disqualification under the TenthSchedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law) and the presidingofficer is bound to take action on the complaint.

A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and JusticesJ. Chelameswar and Vikaramait Sen said that, on receipt of suchinformation, the Speaker would be entitled to decide under paragraph 6of the Tenth Schedule whether the member concerned had, in fact,incurred disqualification and to pass appropriate orders on his findings.

Writing the judgment on an appeal filed by Odisha Speaker, theCJI said that, in a case such as this, where all four members electedfrom the Nationalist Congress Party had changed their allegiance tothe Biju Janata Dal, there would be no one to bring the fact to thenotice of the Speaker and ask for their disqualification. After the fourMLAs crossed over to the BJD, the president of the NCP, UtkarKeshari Parida, who was not an MLA, filed an application to theSpeaker seeking their disqualification. As no action was taken on thecomplaint, he moved the Orissa High Court, which held that the writpetition was maintainable.

Dismissing the Speaker’s appeal against this order, the Supreme

Court said that, although disqualified under paragraph 2(1) (a) of theTenth Schedule, in the absence of any application for disqualification tothe Speaker, they [the four MLAs] would continue to function asmembers of the Assembly, which was not the object sought to beachieved by the 52nd Amendment, by which the Tenth Schedule wasintroduced in the Constitution. The Bench said that, the Statement ofObjects and Reasons of the Bill, which finally became the Constitution[52 Amendment] Act, 1985, indicated that the evil of political defectionhad become a matter of national concern and if it was not checked, itcould very well undermine the very foundation of our democracy and

the principles which sustain the same. In such an event, if theprovisions of the Tenth Schedule are interpreted to exclude the right ofany person interested to bring to the notice of the Speaker of the Housethe fact that any or some of its members had incurred disqualificationon any of the eventualities indicated in paragraphs 2 and 4 therein, itwould render the inclusion of the Tenth Schedule in the Constitutionotiose and defeat the objects and intent of the 52nd Amendment.

A NON-MEMBER CAN MOVE FOR SPEAKER FOR DISQUALIFICATION - SC


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The appointment of Justice (retd.) Chandrashekaraiah asKarnataka UpaLokayukta was set aside by the Supreme Court. The

court held that the Chief Minister should have consulted the ChiefJustice of the High Court in the selection process.

The Supreme Court issued notices to the CBI and BSNL on aplea for inquiry against DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran for allegedlymisusing public office by setting up a exchange in his Chennai houseand routing 323 lines to his family-owned Sun TV Network officesduring his tenure as telecom minister.

A bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam sought responses of theCBI and BSNL on plea against Maran by a journalist, who alleged thatthe agency has "buried" the case under political pressure despite itsinquiry revealing a loss of Rs 440 crore to the exchequer in the case.The petitioner said that, the fraudulent arrangement was executed tofacilitate and satisfy the data transfer requirements of Sun TVNetwork and has caused, on the estimates provided by the CBI in itspreliminary inquiry a whopping loss of Rs 440 crores to BSNL andnational exchequer. The petition, filed through advocate Bina Gupta,said despite adverse findings in preliminary inquiry, neither the CBInor the Centre has taken any step to pursue the matter.

The petitioner also said that he had sent letter to the CBIdirector along with evidence in his possession but no further step wastaken in the case. He also alleged the agency had recommended actionin the case to telecom secretary in 2007 but the department had notgiven its nod.

The Supreme Court directed the Centre to file its response to apublic interest litigation petition challenging the constitutional validityof certain provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1951 whichallow convicted persons to contest elections to Parliament and the StateLegislatures six years after release from jail. A Bench of Justices A.K.Patnaik and Gyan Sudha Misra said this.

SC SET ASIDE THE APPOINTMENT OF UPALOKAYUKTA

SC ISSUES NOTICE TO CBI ON MARAN CASE

WHY ALLOW CRIMINALS IN FRAY? - SC


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The Supreme Court pulled up the Centre for dilly-dallying onnotifying the final decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal

(CWDT) dated February 5, 2007, even though it informed the court onDecember 5, 2012 that it would notify the decision by the end ofDecember. When Additional Solicitor General Harin P. Raval soughtmore time for the Centre to take a decision whether to notify the ‘finaldecision’ or not, a Bench of Justices D.K. Jain and Madan B. Lokur toldthat, it is strange.

Supreme Court said that, the Cauvery MonitoringCommittee (CMC) in its order dated December 7 has alsorecorded that the final decision will be notified by the end ofDecember. Then what is the difficulty? Is it governmentargument that government is not bound by the CMC order?Produce the file, SC want to see it .

Mr. Raval said the Water Resources Ministry had approved thenotification and it was sent to the Legislative Department in theMinistry of Law and Justice for vetting. The Law Ministry took theview that since there was an earlier decision not to notify the ‘finaldecision,’ the matter required further consideration. He also drew thecourt’s attention to a letter written by Karnataka Chief MinisterJagadish Shettar asking the Centre not to notify the final decision.

Mr. Justice Jain told senior counsel Fali Nariman, appearing forKarnataka that, SC don’t want this ‘hide-and-seek’ game fromKarnataka of telling something in court and taking a differentstand outside the court . Mr. Nariman, reiterated the stand thatthere was no objection in notifying the final decision without prejudiceto the rights of the State.

Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir inaugurated the first of thefive newly announced fast-track courts set up in New Delhi to try casesrelated to sexual offence against women. Chief Justice of India AltamasKabir said he appreciated people’s anger over rape but warned againstletting it overwhelm the due process of law.

WHAT’S DIFFICULTY IN NOTIFYING CAUVERY TRIBUNAL AWARD? - SC

FIRST FAST TRACK COURT FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES OPEN


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He said that, people’s reaction has been that do not send theaccused to trial. Hand them over to people, people will deal with themor hang them. But let us not get carried away. A swift trial should notbe at the cost of a fair trial. He added that let us not lose sight of thefact that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Appreciating the government for the fast-track courts, he said that it iswelcome that the government has woken up to the need for courtswhich would try such cases on a priority basis. The perpetrators of suchcrimes should be brought to justice as quickly as possible.

He said that while handling such cases one has to understand thetrauma of a rape victim. It is not a crime against the body but it is alsoa crime against the soul. Justice Kabir said that the gang-rape casecould have been averted had the Supreme Court guidelines on tintedglasses in vehicles been strictly imposed. Justice Kabir said the root of

the problem of sexual violence against women should be found. Blamegame will not serve anything.

The Narendra Modi government in Gujarat suffered a setbackwith the Supreme Court upholding the appointment of Justice R.A.Mehta as Lokayukta by the Governor, saying it was done inconsultation with the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.

Bench of Justices B.S. Chauhan and Ibhrahim Kalifulla saidthat, the facts make it clear that the process of consultation by theGovernor with the then Chief Justice stood complete, and in such asituation, the appointment of Justice Mehta cannot be held illegal andthus dismissing the State government’s appeal against a 2:1 majorityverdict of the High Court. It is pertinent to note that, in order to avoidan inquiry by the Lokayukta [anti-corruption ombudsman], an inquiry

SC UPHOLDS GUJARAT LOKAYUKTA APPOINTMENT


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commission was set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act by theState government, appointing Justice M.B. Shah, a former judge of thiscourt, Chairman.

Writing the judgment, Justice Chauhan said the case revealed a

very sorry state of affairs. The post of Lokayukta had been lying vacantfor more than nine years since November 24, 2003 after the resignationof Justice S.M. Soni. A “few half-hearted attempts” were made to fillthe post, but for one reason or another it could not be filled.SC criticised Governor:

However, the Bench also criticised Governor Kamla Beniwal who,it said, “ has misjudged her role and has insisted that under theLokayukta Act, the Council of Ministers has no role to play inthe appointment of the Lokayukta and she could therefore fillit in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court and

the Leader of the Opposition. Such an attitude is not inconformity or in consonance with the democratic set-up ofgovernment envisaged in our Constitution .”

The Bench said that, the appointment of the Lokayukta canbe made by the Governor, as head of the State, only with the aidand advice of the Council of Ministers, and not independentlyas a statutory authority .

The Supreme Court has reiterated that the Governor is bound toact on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, unless he acts aspersona designata i.e., eo nomine under a particular statute or acts in

his own discretion under the exceptions provided for in the Constitutionitself. It is evident that the Governor enjoys complete immunity under

Article 361(1) and that under this, his/her actions cannot bechallenged for the reason that the Governor acts only upon the aid andadvice of the Council of Ministers. If this was not the case, democracyitself would be in peril. The Governor is not answerable to either theHouse of the State or Parliament or even to the Council of Ministers,


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and his/her acts cannot be subject to judicial review. In such asituation, unless he/she acts upon the aid and advice of the Council ofMinisters, he/she will become all powerful, and this is an anti-thesis tothe concept of democracy.

Governor Kamla Beniwal’s version, stated in her letter, that shewas not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers andthat she had the exclusive right to appoint the Lokayukta “is mostcertainly not in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution”. It seemsthis was an outcome of an improper legal advice, and the opinionexpressed is not in conformity with the rule of law. The view of theGovernor was unwarranted and logically insupportable .

The Bench said that, the Governor consulted the Attorney-General of India for legal advice and communicated with the ChiefJustice of the Gujarat High Court directly, without taking into

confidence the Council of Ministers … Be that as it may, it is evidentthat the Chief Minister had full information and was in receipt of allcommunications from the Chief Justice, whose opinion is to be givenprimacy in such matters and can be overlooked only for cogent reasons.The recommendation of the Chief Justice, suggesting only one name,instead of a panel of names [for the post of Lokayukta], is inconsonance with the law laid down by this court, and we do not findany cogent reason not to give effect to the recommendation.

As for Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s objection that Justice Mehta

was affiliated to certain NGOs, the Bench agreed with the reasoninggiven by the then Chief Justice of the High Court for rejecting it. “On aclose scrutiny, the reasons discussed by the Chief Justice appearrational and based on facts involved. This establishes an application ofmind and a reasonable approach with hardly any element of perversityto invoke a judicial review of the decision-making process. The issueappears to have been dealt with objectively.”

Underlining the importance of the Lokayukta for having a checkon corruption, the Bench said that, corruption often results frompatronage of statutory/higher authorities and it erodes quality of life,

and it has links with organised crimes [and] economic crimes such asmoney-laundering etc., terrorism and serious threats to human securityto flourish. Its impact is disastrous in the developing world as it hurtsthe poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended fordevelopment. Corruption generates injustice as it breeds inequality andbecomes a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development…


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The Supreme Court rapped the Centre for its failure to stopillegal clinical trials of untested drugs by multinational companies andsaid such drug trials are causing havoc in the country and claiming thelives of many citizens. A Bench comprising justices R M Lodha and A RDave said the government seems to have gone into a deep slumber onthe issue and has failed to put in place a proper mechanism to stoprackets of multinational firms which are conducting illegal clinicaltrials. Advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for the petitioner, told theBench that in the 11,000-odd clinical trials between 2005 and 2011, as

many as 5,700 people had died. But, Additional Solicitor General (ASG)Siddhartha Luthra disputed the figure and said only 87 people haddied. Justice Lodha asked whether these clinical trials are essential.

Justice Lodha remarked, government has slipped into deepslumber. It pains us that children of the country are being uses asguinea pigs by the companies. Government does not have even respectof the Parliamentary Committee which has said that the companies arerunning racket and showing just draft rules.

The Judgesstrongly said that,committees areformed just to divertpublic attention .Government set upcommittees andcommissions so that

people’s attention is diverted. Supreme Court given government severalopportunities, but people are dying. Supreme Court asked why thegovernment is shying away from its responsibility. It also added that, itis very easy to form a committee or a commission. It is done just todivert people’s attention on the issue. It is the best way to divertattention on important issues.

SC RAPS GOVT ON ILLEGAL CLINICAL TRIALS


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Internet@30

Filipino cities gain in outsourcing

Red Planet & Black Beauty

PART (IV)

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


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Scientists said that a Martian meteorite containing 10 timesmore water than average could unlock clues to the Red Planet’sevolution from a warm, wet past to its current cold and dry state. Thenew meteorite, designated NWA (Northwest Africa) 7034 andnicknamed ‘ Black Beauty ’, is a dark, fist-sized rock that landed in theSahara Desert in 2011. Unlike most Martian meteorites, it is thoughtto be from the planet’s surface, not deeper inside, and to date from acrucial time in its evolution.

Many scientists think that Mars was warm and wet in its earlyhistory, but the planet’s climate changed over time. Scientists believeNWA 7034 was formed from lava from a volcanic eruption on Marsaround 2.1 billion years ago that cooled and hardened on the surface ofthe planet, possibly with the help of water.The abundance of water molecules in the rock — about 6,000 parts permillion, 10 times more than other known meteorites — suggest wateractivity persisted on the Martian surface at that time, known as the

Amazonian epoch. More than 100 Martian meteorites have beendiscovered on Earth to date.

The world is moving in Internet. 2013 marks the 30th birthdayfor Internet. Here’s the storyline: the computer network officially beganfunctioning when it fully substituted previous networking systemsJanuary 1, 1983. On that day, it was the first time the US Departmentof Defence-commissioned Arpanet network fully switched to use of theInternet protocol suite (IPS) communications system. This new methodof linking computers paved the way for the arrival of the World WideWeb (www).

Based on designs by Welsh scientist Donald Davies, the Arpanetnetwork began as a military project in thelate 1960s. It was developed at many

American universities, including theUniversity of California - Los Angeles(UCLA) and the Stanford ResearchInstitute. In 1973, work on the IPS andTransmission Control Protocol (TCP)technology began. The new systems were

designed to replace the more vulnerable Network Control Program

“BLACK BEAUTY” FROM RED PLANET

INTERNET TURNS 30


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(NCP) used previously, and made sure the network was not exposed toa single point of failure.

By Jan 1 1983, the substitution of the older system for the newInternet protocol had been completed and the Internet was born.British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee later used it to host asystem of interlinked hypertext documents in 1989, known as theWorld Wide Web.

Internet users by language:

Top 10 countries with the highest number of internet users:

# Country Penetration(% Population)

Users% World

1 China 40.1 22.42 USA 78.1 10.23 India 11.4 5,74 Japan 79.5 4.25 Brazil 45.6 3.76 Russia 47.7 2.87 Germany 83.0 2.88 Indonesia 22.1 2.39 UK 83.6 2.210 France 79.6 2.2


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Scientists claim that the first truly Earth-like alien planet is

likely to be spotted in 2013. Scientists said that the epic discoverywould cause humanity to reassess its place in the universe. Astronomers may have found a number of exoplanets over the last fewyears that share one or two key traits with our planet - such as size orinferred surface temperature - they have yet to bag a bona fide "alienEarth".

Astronomers discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-likestar in 1995. Since then, they have spotted over 800 worlds beyond oursolar system, and many more await confirmation by follow-upobservations. Nasa's Kepler Space Telescope, for instance, has flaggedmore than 2,300 potential planets since its March 2009 launch. Only100 or so have been confirmed to date, but mission scientists estimatethat at least 80% will end up being the real deal.

Here is an affirmation of one more Indian fact/stereotype —English communication is an urban phenomenon and that locallanguages are more popular in rural areas. According to the VernacularReport, 2012, of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI),

a higher percentage of rural people are aware of regional languagecontent than urban users.

In India, 45 million users access content in the local language. Around 64 per cent of rural Internet users (24.3 million active users outof a total 38 million) use the Internet in the local language. But only 25per cent of the total 84 million urban users browse the Net in regionallanguages (20.9 million).

By and large, the applications that are most used by regionallanguage users include emails, search engines and news content, textchat, matrimonial services and online banking services. In rural areas,the report shows a bias in favour of sites offering government services,land records and private initiatives such as eChoupal, which providesaggregated information of interest to farmers and facilitates sale offarm produce.

EARTH’S TWIN MAY BE FOUND IN 2013

ENGLISH IS PREFERRED LANGUAGE BY NET USERS


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Last March, Ministerof State for Communicationsand Information TechnologySachin Pilot, speaking at aconference on mobile webinitiatives, said the biggestchallenge that would have tobe addressed was the non-availability of online contentin regional languages.

According to the IAMAIreport, Internet non-usershave mentioned that lack ofcontent in local language as

one of the major reasons,along with lack ofinfrastructure.

With a low workingknowledge of English in India(according to the NationalReadership Survey, 2006,only 18.2% of the populationis English-literate; 34.2% inurban and 11.1% in rural

areas), Internet penetrationin India is only 12%, sincecontent is primarily available in English.

However, the report says a number of websites have startedoffering translation and transliteration services that only require inputof text in the phonetic equivalent of the local language in English.The study covered the top metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai andKolkata, the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune,and 12 smaller cities. Five non-metro towns and 10 small towns werealso included in the study. It was conducted by the e-Technology group

of the Indian Market Research Bureau and the IAMAI, an industrybody representing the online and mobile industry in India.


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The Philippines, led by its capital Manila and followed bysecondary cities such as Cebu, Mandaluyong and Taguig, has emergedas a key IT/ITeS destination, posing a challenge to India's outsourcingstory. The latest annual ranking of the top 100 global outsourcingdestinations by Tholons, an advisory firm for global outsourcing andresearch, places Manila at No. 3, up from No. 4 in last year's survey. Ithas pushed Delhi down to No. 4. Cebu City too went up one rank in thetop 10, pushing Dublin (Ireland) down. Indian dominance continuesthough, with six Indian cities in the top 10 and Bangalore still the top.

The critical factors that are addingmomentum to Philippines are its cultural andaccent similarities with the US, cost

competitiveness, and a strong positiveperception of BPO careers (they are not stop-gap careers like in India). The Philippinesgovernment is also keeping its focus firm onthe development of the industry throughgrants and infrastructure developments.

Salil Dani, practice director atoutsourcing advisory and research firmEverest Group, said the Philippines ischeaper by up to 70% for US companies. The

country is the leader in voice (call centres).But its non-voice story is still untold. A lot of Indian and global BPOs inthe financial, analytical, HR and people-based services are expandingin the country. The Philippines' current IT/ITeS market is $14 billion,of which IT is only $2 billion. But remember, a few years ago the totalmarket was barely $7 billion. Look at the way it's catching up. Ankita

Vashistha, managing director, Tholons, said costs are rising in India.Infrastructure and quality of life are also under pressure in Indiancities and these could impact growth in the future.

Convergys, a US-based customer management solutions

company, has 18 call centres in the Philippines. UnitedHealth, a US-based healthcare provider, has back-office operations in Taguig City.EXL is opening its third centre in Cebu City. IBM is planning to growits BPO services in the country, focusing on higher value analytics andhigh-value customer support services. Wells Fargo & Co is setting up abusiness support centre in Taguig City.

FILIPINO CITIES GAIN IN OUTSOURCING RANKS


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PART (V)

INDIA – PAKISTAN TENSE


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Indian bunker construction on the northern reaches of the Line of

Control — initiated after a grandmother crossed into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to be with her sons — sparked off a spiral ofviolence which culminated in the brutal killing of two soldiers. ( TheHindu said like this, saying highly placed military and governmentsources have told the newspaper)

The clashes, among the worst on the Line of Control since aceasefire went into place, have provoked fears that the ceasefire maymelt down. In India, news that the two soldiers (Naik Sudhakar Singhand Naik Hemraj) were beheaded has provoked widespread outrageand calls for large-scale military retaliation.

Why now tense in LoC?

Early in September, 70-year old Reshma Bi, left the village ofCharonda, near Uri, to live with her sons and grandchildren across theLine of Control. Ms. Reshma and her husband Ibrahim Lohar, a highly-placed military source said, had remained in Charonda after their sonscrossed into Pakistan-administered Kashmir several years ago, to

INDIA – PAKISTANLoC UNDER TENS


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escape police investigations of their alleged role in cross-bordertrafficking. Police officers contacted by The Hindu said that Ms.Reshma appeared to have left in the hope of living out her last yearswith her family.

Ms. Reshma’s September 11 flight, a senior Srinagar-basedmilitary official said, set off alarms at the Uri-headquartered 19infantry brigade. There, the incident was seen as highlightingvulnerabilities in defences along this stretch of the Line of Control.Charonda is located within metres of the Line of Control, outside of thethree-layer counter-infiltration fencing which runs along the frontier.

After Ms. Reshma’s departure, troops of the 9 Maratha LightInfantry began constructing observations bunkers around Charonda,seeking to monitor the movement of villagers. The construction work —barred by the terms of the Line of Control ceasefire which India and

Pakistan agreed on in 2003 — provoked furious protests from Pakistanitroops. Indian commanders, the military source said, conceded that theconstruction was in violation of the ceasefire.

However, they refused to stop work, arguing that the posts facedout towards the village, posing no threat to Pakistan. Early in October,tensions began to escalate. Pakistan even made announcements over apublic address system, demanding that Indian troops end theconstruction work. Following the announcement, shells followed.Pakistani troops fired mortar and high-calibre automatic weapons atIndian forward positions. The fire missed its intended target, but killed

three villagers, 25-year-old Mohammad Shafi Khatana, 20-year-oldShaheena Bano, and a ninth-grade school student, Liaqat Ali. In theweeks leading up to the New Year, military sources said, hardly a weekwent by without occasional shots being fired at troops headed to thenew observation posts. Finally, on January 6, matters came to a head.Following a low-grade exchange of fire that night, 19 Infantry Divisioncommander Gulab Singh Rawat sought and obtained permission foraggressive action against the Pakistani position from where his troopswere being targeted. Pakistan insists its post, Sawan Patra, was raidedby Indian troops. India has denied the allegation. Indian army

spokesperson said that, none of Indian troops crossed the Line ofControl. Either way, though, a Pakistani soldier was dead before theshooting ended — and another critically injured.

Another Army official in New Delhi said that, there was noformal permission to stage a cross-border raid to target Sawan Patra.However, in the heat of fighting, these things have been known to


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happen. Pakistan has done this, and our forces have done this, eversince fighting began in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990.

INDIA REJECTS PAKISTAN’S UN PROBEIndia has rejected Pakistan’s proposal for a United Nations (UN)

probe into the chain of killings along the Line of Control (LoC) and ledto the killing of two Indian soldiers. The Indian response was to aPakistani suggestion for investigating the incidents by the UN MilitaryObserver Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) which is present onboth sides of the LoC.


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But high-level sources said the brutality with which the Indiansoldiers were killed (soldiers were beheaded) will be taken up with

Pakistan through backchannels. After taking partin meetings of the UnionCabinet and the CabinetCommittee on Securitywhich was briefed byDefence Minister A. K.

Antony, Union FinanceMinister P. Chidambaramsaid that, India iscertainly not going toagree to internationalise

the issue or allow the UNto hold an inquiry. Thatdemand is obviouslyrejected out of hand, butIndia takes a seriousview of what happened.Whatever has to be donewill be done . He also addedthat the decapitation of anIndian soldier as brutal.

At another news conference, National Security Advisor ShivShankar Menon said there had been an increase in ceasefire violationsand infiltration attempts. In 2012 there was an increase overall over2011. That is a fact. Both India and Pakistan have denied theinvolvement of their troops. Meanwhile Pakistan summoned Indianenvoy Mr. Sharat Sabharwal and said to him that Pakistan isdisappointment with India’s continual violations on ceasefire in LoC.Flag meeting at LoC:-

While talking tough, India has suggested a flag meeting on theLine of Control with Pakistan to sort out the skirmishes that have led

to the death of four soldiers from both sides. The Army has suggested abrigadier-level meeting at Baloni in the Mendhar sector, one of the fourspots on the LoC where flag meetings are usually held. At first, therehas been no response from the Pakistani side so far. Later, Paksitanagreed to the flag meet. On the other hand, Defence Minister A.K.

Antony said that India had enough firepower on the

January 2013 Current Affairs - Part I

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Transcript of January 2013 Current Affairs - Part I