Introduced in:1999-2000 replacing the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme which was in operation since 1985
Implementing Authority:General Insurance Corporation on behalf of Ministry of Agriculture
Beneficiaries:All farmers including sharecroppers and tenants
Covered crops:All
Objective: To insure every farmers against loss of food crops,To help stabilize farm incomes, particularly in disaster years,To encourage the farmers to adopt progressive farming practices, high value in-puts and higher technology in agriculture.
Special feature:50% subsidy on premium for small and marginal farmers.This subsidy is shared equally by Central and state/UT governments.The scheme has an area based approach. For loanee farmers it is compulsory while for non-loanee farmers it will be optional
Premium rates:2.5-3.5% during kharif and 1.5-2% during ravi seasons
The Mega Food Park Scheme, initiated by the Centre, aims to encourage public-private partnership in creating rural infrastructure in food processing sector. The scheme, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in September 2008, envisages setting up 10 mega foods parks in India i.e. Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu), Mandya (Karnataka), Pune-Satara region (Maharashtra), Jangipur (West Bengal), Guwahati (northeast), Rae Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Hardwar (Uttarakhand) and Ludhiana-Jalandhar region (Punjab).The scheme is under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.The government will divide the stipulated Rs 500 Cr among the ten food parks.
For instance, Unity Infraprojects Ltd, Mumbai, is developing the mega food park near Jalandhar at a cost of around Rs 360 crore. The facility will be established on around 100 acres and will consist of 30-35 food processing units.Western Agri Food Park established in Satara is Western India's first food park and based on 75 acres of land.
Such food parks will help in
Reducing post harvest losses
Maintainance of the supply chain in sustainable manner
Value Addition
Additional income generation for the farmers
shifting the farmers to more market driven and profitable farming activities.
Project Antariksha, a pioneering effort at networking Kerala through an array of satellite-based automatic weather stations, intends to bring out a weather and climate atlas of the State in the near future.It is a collaborative project among the Indian Space Research Organisation,(ISRO) the Kerala State Planning Board(KSBP) and the Centre for Monsoon Studies of the Cochin University for Science and Technology (Cusat).
Two years into implementation, the project has seen 58 automatic weather stations being set up over Kerala and two on the Lakshadweep Islands.
Project Antariksha seeks to reach real-time data, including rainfall, on a Web-based system to reach the user groups. Advisories on precipitation and temperature anomalies are being issued to the State Government.Farm advisories on irrigation, pest infestation and yield prediction for major crops would be provided to specific user groups through KSPB. Local weather advisories are being sent through the Village Resource Centres.
Proper knowledge about the nature of rainfall, humidity, wind speed/direction and solar radiation will help them arrive at preventive measures as well as initiate judicious plans for raising production and controlling pest incidence and diseases with minimum costs.The data From the AWSs is - expected to help people extrapolate the extreme weather conditions to the larger global warming and climate change scenarios. However the real success of the ambitious project depends on how the user groups, i.e, mostly local rural bodies can use the available data by making them publicly available and educate them on how to take effective preventive measures.
G-8 Summits provide global leaders an opportunity to review economic and political along with socio-cultural conditions prevailing across the world.This year the 35th G-8 Summit was held at L'Aquila, Italy from 8th to 10th July.Apart from the existing members of G-8, leaders of the five Emerging Economies of the world namely India, China,Brazil, Mexico and South Africa also attended the Summit and it came to be known as G8+5 Summit.
The main agenda of the Summit included Climate change,global financial crisis,Energy security and nuclear energy,millennium development goals,poverty in Africa,Intellectual property rights among others.The main decisions taken by the leaders are as follows
Industrial nations to avoid protectionism and ensure credit flows
Joint commitment to provide resources to international financial institutions
Call for a balanced conclusion to the Doha round of talks
Participants to refrain from introducing any barriers to trade and investment
WTO and other international agencies to monitor financial stability and the situation and report publicly on quarterly basis
Commitment towards clean energy technology and reduction of Green House gas emissions
Bridge the gap before the next G20 summit
Next climate change summit in Copenhagen
The contentious issues at the summit were
Reduction of emission of GHGs
Funding and technology transfer for clean energy technology.The developed nations want IP protected clean energy technology to be transferred to developing nations at minimum or no license fee.
Despite recent hype over the Right to Education Bill making it mandatory for the Central, state and local bodies to provide free and compulsory education to all the children in the 6-14 years age group, the real scenario of elementary education in India is pathetic.Below are some of issues which make free and compulsory education in India a mammoth task.
1. Inadequacy of Financial Provision:Due to over expenditure in defense,foreign debt,meeting natural disasters among others, the expenditure for education in the central level comes down.
2. Poverty Among Parents:Education in undeveloped areas still considered as a luxury because of financial constraints of the parents.
3.Indifference of Parents:An illiterate parent is generally averse to education.Again, children from educated families climb the educational ladder more successfully than those from uneducated families.This develops antipathy in uneducated parents towards education.
4.Inappropriateness of Curricula:The primary school curricula vary from State to State.The school curriculum in each of the States is almost centrally-controlled. There are prescribed syllabi, textbooks etc., irrespective of diversities in languages and dialects spoken by the people and geographical differences. Besides, such curricula do not give independence to teachers to make variations depending on local needs, which makes them ineffective.
5.Ineffectiveness of Teachers:Lack of effectiveness among teachers takes root at the time of teacher training. In spite of the known effects of teacher training on efficiency of teachers, most developing countries have poor teacher training programmes.Such training programmes in India are also farcical in nature.
6.Inertia in Administrative and Supervisory Machinery:The inertia prevailing among administrators and supervisors has its origin in a faulty recruitment system.The inertia prevailing in the system is responsible for ill-distribution of available resources. Such problems get further accentuated because of the multitude of languages and dialects.
Universalization of primary education is intimately connected with the development of living conditions of the people. When a significant number of citizens are below the poverty line, the attempts made to provide free and compulsory education to children in the age group 6-14 cannot be successful in the near future. There are, in addition, certain educational and administrative bottlenecks that have been decelerating the process.Efforts therefore are to be made for complete revamping of the system both at micro and macro levels, so as to make free education a reality and not a myth in India.
Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur.The term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and their relative abundance.The biodiversity found on earth consists of millions of biological species as a result of 3.5 billions years of evolution.
Extinction is a natural event and, from a geological perspective, routine.In the modern era, due to human actions, species and ecosystems are threatened with destruction to an extent rarely seen in earth history. Probably only during the handful of mass extinction events have so many species been threatened, in so short a time.Below are the reasons.
Over-hunting has been a significant cause of the extinction of hundreds of species and the endangerment of many more, such as whales and many African large mammals. Most extinctions over past several hundred years are mainly due to over-harvesting for food, fashion, and profit.Commercial hunting, both legal and illegal (poaching), is the principal threat.
Habitat loss/degradation/fragmentation is an important cause of known extinctions. As deforestation proceeds in tropical forests, this promises to become the cause of mass extinctions caused by human activity.All species have specific food and habitat needs. The more specific these needs and localized the habitat, the greater the vulnerability of species to loss of habitat to agricultural land, livestock, roads and cities. In the future, the only species that survive are likely to be those whose habitats are highly protected, or whose habitat corresponds to the degraded state associated with human activity
Pollution from chemical contaminants certainly poses a further threat to species and ecosystems. While not commonly a cause of extinction, it likely can be for species whose range is extremely small, and threatened by contamination. Several species of desert pupfish, occurring in small isolated pools in the US southwest, are examples.A changing global climate threatens species and ecosystems. The distribution of species (biogeography) is largely determined by climate, as is the distribution of ecosystems and plant vegetation zones (biomes) . Climate change may simply shift these distributions but, for a number of reasons, plants and animals may not be able to adjust.
By no means a complete set of examples, the following illustrate some of the issues:
In the Gulf War and Kosovo crisis, the US and UK used depleted Uranium which have environmental consequences as well.
In the Vietnam war, the US used Agent Orange to defoliate the entire Vietnamese rainforest ecosystem. The effects are still being felt.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, various forces often kill gorillas and other animals as they encroach upon their land.
In Okinawa, the large US military bases also affect the environment for the local population.
Consequences
Food Security:Biodiversity ensures our food security.Thus indiscriminate hunting of animals leads to food crisis.This in turn affects human health as well because of lack of resources for a balanced diet for many communities due to over exploitation of the species.
Natural Disasters: Loss of biodiversity has resulted in increasing natural disasters in the last few decades or so.Various mangroves or coral reefs act as excellent natural buffers to protect the lands from floods or storms.Thus loss of coastal biodiversity makes the coastal communities prone to natural disasters.
Energy security: Even today people of many communities and countries depend upon traditional woods for fuel needed for cooking, heating and other purposes.Unavailability of such fuel resources due to loss of biodiversity creates severe problems and leads to malnutrition,high infant mortality and death.Zambia is a classical case where human problems are mostly due to over exploitation of natural resources.
Water scarcity: Loss of rain forests and watersheds reduces the quality and availability of water resources for drinking and agriculture which in turn produces irreversible impacts on human life.
Social impacts: Eco systems play a great role in binding human beings with socio cultural or religious bonds.Destruction of biodiversity thus changes the social fabric and encroaches upon human relations.The Chipko movement was the manifestation of popular discontent over such social damage caused by loss of biodiversity.
The role of the United States over the years in India-Pakistan relation has been dubious.There has been much expectation from both the sides, but practically other than giving lip services or creating confusion by changing stance, US so far has not done anything major to play the role of a responsible mediator between the two nations,often hostile at each other.
Pakistan has often enjoyed leverage over India so far relation with USA is concerned.In the cold war era, it received US support by becoming an active member of the US backed South East Asian Treaty Organization(SEATO).India on the other hand, was often criticized for not being a party to American ambitions during the cold war phase.NAM,of which India was a party, was often criticized as being tantamount to non commitment and non involvement.The relationship worsened during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.The traditional friendship of the then USSR and India, kept India aloof from criticizing her traditional friend.On the other hand Pakistan joined hand with US to combat USSR invasion of the Afghan soil.It is only recently that India has been in the "Good Book" of USA and getting a treatment often enjoyed by Pakistan,courtesy the much talked about"Nuclear Deal".
US despite declaring war against international terrorism has been unusually silent when question came over branding Pakistan as a breeding ground of terrorism, a notion perceived by most of the nations.The so called "Four Pillar of US Policy on Kashmir" gives Pakistan an edge as it talks about Indian government's role in addressing the grievances of the Kashmiri people, whereas POK does not find any inportance at all in the policy.
The ambivalent attitude of the US after Mumbai blast of 1993 or even after 26/11 incident reflects its policy of "escapism" when its own interests are not at stake.Thus the only thing US reiterates after all the mych hyped visits of the high profile diplomats to these two nations is that US wants the Kashmir issue to be solved by these two nations themselves through dialogues.And even after verifying evidences suggeting Pakistan's role in spreading terrorism on Indian soil,it reiterates its faith in Pakistan's role in combatting terrorism.Sounds ludicrous but unfortunately the unipolarity of the world with US being the only superpower, does not allow India to give vent to her anger to such dualism.
Conflicts often get exacerbated due to duslism of the mediator.That is exactly what is happening in case of US role in India -Pakistan.US must come out of shell and present itself in a more responsible manner if it really wants peace in South East Asia.Rather than complicating the already gloomy situation,US must become a responsible communicator and strive for bringing peace among these nations.It is often very difficult to call a spade a spade, but responsibility brings with it difficulties, always.
Our dear friend Ram is doing a nice job by providing various important download links in his blog.Do visit his blog for materials like IGNOU notes,India Year Book, Frontline and other important documents and resources.Wish u all the best Ram.Carry on the good work.
Here is the URL of his blog. http://learnwithme-target-ias.blogspot.com/
Use of Information technology to facilitate government functions is known as e governance.In the present decade much effort has been put to maximize the benefits of information technology to ensure good governance in central, state, district and even block level.Experience from successes as well as failures of the government projects is helping to shape up the e governance strategy of the government.
The benefits of Information Technology in governance are plenty.It not only speeds up the service delivery procedure but also enhances the efficiency of administration.Moreover in increases transparency in the government wings and reduces communication cost and time.E governance is here to stay and with digitization of most of the government records and documents, the future of e governance in India looks to be bright.
The e governance projects of the government are being implemented through National E governance Plan.To make the services more effective and citizen centric the Department of Information Technology has set up Center for E Governance(CEG).SWAN or State Wide Area Network is an ambitious programme og the government to connect as many as 742 Points of Presence(PoP) with connection speed upto 2 mbps.Almost all the states in the country have their e governance portals.Portals like Bhoomi,E-seva,Lok Mitra have already earned much accolades for their effective role in ensuring good governance.
Information kiosks are being developed in the block level so as to provide make the necessary informations available at the fingertips of the rural people and to reduce the digital divide.A thoroughly checked Treasury Management System has been developed to make government transactions more transparent and less time taking.The election procedure has been made simple by using Information Technology.Communiction cells are being run with to act as interface between government and the citizens.
It is too early to prepare a score card of the government on the progress of e governance.It must be remembered that e governance is not about hardware,software or internet as popular perception goes.Rather it is a strategy, it is about people and processes, government and services.The success of such ambitious strategy can be ensured only with peoples participation,better initiative and thorough training which might take a long time to materialize.
Nuclear agriculture is the safe application of nuclear technology in the various phases of agriculture with different objectives ranging from increasing the yield to processing foodstuff to modifying the genetic make-up of pests.
Below are given the application of nuclear technology in agriculture and food processing
1)Increase crop production: Exposing plants to small doses of radiation helps change the genetic make-up of plants and lead to improved varieties.
2)Develop hundreds of varieties of hardier, more disease-resistant crops— improve the nutritional value of some crops.
3)Irradiation is one of the most promising and effective treatments for many types of food preservation. It can reduce food losses (due to insect damage, disease and premature sprouting of tubers) increase the possibilities of expanding intra-regional and international food trade.
4)Many countries are looking at the advantages to be gained with irradiating 'high value/low volume crops' such as spices and fruits. Irradiation improves the hygiene quality of spices so that the strict controls imposed by big importers, such as the US and EU, can be met.
5)Irradiation also plays an important role in reducing the risk of transfer of pests and diseases from one country or region to another. Food products contaminated by soil, such as cassava tubers, are often infested with insects or nematodes. These are difficult to kill without the use of intensive chemical fumigation,irradiation is an effective alternative, rendering the pests sterile so that they are unable to breed and establish themselves in a new location.
6)In addition, the risk of food-borne diseases caused by Salmonella and E.coli pathogens can also be reduced with irradiation. This technology is ideally suited for foods of animal origin, especially those to be consumed raw or minimally processed. Rather like thermally pasteurising milk, irradiation can ensure the hygiene quality of meat and seafood products without significantly changing quality, taste or texture.
7)Protecting land and resources: isotopes measure soil, water and nutrient storage, soil erosion, and fertilizer and pesticide waste; they enable farmers to keep closer track of their operations and use vital resources more sparingly and effectively.
8)Increasing livestock production: scientists use isotopes to study hormones and learn more about reproduction cycles, which helps in areas such as the timing of artificial-insemination programmes.
To help developing countries progress in irradiation technology, international organisations such as FAO and IAEA are able to provide support in the training of irradiation personnel to meet international standards.
In India BARC is the regulating and co-ordinating agency.
PLEASE READ IT AS MY OWN POINT OF VIEW, NOT AS A MODEL ANSWER TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC.YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH MY VIEWS BUT I WOULD SINCERELY ASK YOU TO USE THIS FORUM TO SHARE YOUR VIEWS AS WELL,SO THAT WE CAN COME TO A CONCLUSION ON THIS DEBATE.
The uproar over the passage of Women Reservation Bill in India presents a gloomy scenario of the condition of women in India.While the vehement opposition from the politicians to pass the bill for years depicts the true picture of male chauvinism prevailing in the country, the bigger question remains, why is such a bill important?Does not that itself tell how miserably we have failed to secure equal rights for the women?
Ever since the Bill was introduced in the Parliament in 1996, it has aroused wide protests from a group of politicians and every time after much hype and public attention it goes where it was thirteen years back.Reservation although a very favorite topic of our revered politicians, has boomeranged in this issue to themselves as this time their personal interest is at stake.Who would want to lose their own seats if 33% of the seats in LokSabha or State Assemblies are reserved for the women?That's why they can even accept "death" to stop the bill from being passed by the Parliament.It is high time that these politicians present themselves in a responsible manner and not create any mockery of such a serious issue.The indomitable, indefatigable,invincible( You know why I am stressing so much) spirit that was visible when reservation of castes was concerned, must be brought back.
Reservation itself is an indication of the failure of the state in any particular issue.We reserve seats only for those for whom we have so far done nothing good or who have the potentials of becoming our trump card in the vote bank.True, by reservation we acknowledge our failure but has this acknowledgment so far done any justice for those for whom we are reserving.Our record answers the negative.
So, before we think about reservation for women in the constitutional forums, we must empower women at the very grass root level.We have to provide them proper education, at least what their male counterparts are "entitled to" by virtue of their being men in the male chauvinist society.We must protest dowry which is still widely prevalent in many parts of this country.We must ensure social protection and safety of women.Unless these are done, the Women Reservation Bill if passed will be another mere hollow act, lacking any substance or relevance.
In the fight against injustice and discrimination, there need not be any discrimination between caste and creed. Women power needs to be viewed as a single entity and bifurcating women on the basis of caste and class is not going to serve the purpose.It is high time that we throw away such"Kinder, Kuche,Kirche" mentality and make women an integral part of our nation building process.
Amnesty International is a non governmental international organization with the objective of prevention of violation of human rights and demanding justice for those whose rights have been violated.Headquartered in London, it was established in 1961 by Peter Benenson.It has received Nobel Prize for Peace in 1977 and UN Human Rights Prize in 1978.Presently Irene Khan is the Secretary General of the organization.
Of the many activities of Amnesty International, most noteworthy is its role in protesting human rights violation in various prisons across the world, especially in camps like Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp or AbuGhraib.It has argued constantly in favor of abolition of Death penalty and punitive actions like "Code Red".Its role in securing the rights of the children and women also have earned accolades.It vehemently opposed the apartheid regime in South Africa.It has over the years raised concerns over the socio-cultural and economic impacts of globalisation.It has also done a commendable job in securing the rights of the refugees.Most recently it has been vocal in protesting against the conducts of Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Despite many of the good deeds done, Amnesty International very often faces criticism especially from USA and the allies for biased approach towards various political or economic issues.Moreover, it is often accused of supporting the causes of the criminals and terrorists.It has faced harsh criticism from the Catholic Church for its stance on abortion.
Plastic is a synthetic substance produced by chemical reactions.Almost all types of plastics are produced from petroleum except a few experimental resins prepared from corn or other sources.Plastic is widely used in packaging materials or for preparing bags or containers.Its easy availability and cost effectiveness make it a popular choice for various purposes.However the hazards associated with plastics are plenty.
Hazards:
The "use and throw away" culture associated with plastics causes its improper disposal and is one of the cardinal reasons for unclean, unhygienic environment
Improper disposal of plastics causes blockage in the drainage system,unclean water and water borne diseases
They remain in the soil for long period and cause infertility of soil.
Certain plastics when burnt produces carcinogenic substances and Green House Gases
The littering of plastic reduces rain water percolating and causes low ground water level
Consumption of plastic by animals and fishes causes death or other health hazards.
Exposure to the chemicals in plastic produces toxicological effects on human health.The circulatory,endocrine, reproductive and urinary systems are most affected.
Remedies:
Educating people on proper disposal of plastics
More R& D activities to produce cheap bio degradable plastics
Subsidizing bags or containers made from traditional materials
Taxation on the use of plastics
Penalties for improper disposal of plastics
It must be noted that plastics have become part and parcel of the modern material culture.It has uses in almost every sphere of human activities.It is therefore almost impractical to do away with this valuable material.Thus the quest for bio degradable, environment friendly plastics has become the need of the hour.
Hydrogen—nature’s bounty, which is available in abundance—has the potential to help resolve the global energy crisis. India has already joined the global quest to find ways to harness this valuable resource for large-scale commercial application.
The advantages of Hydrogen fuel are many
Its available in plenty.It is present in water.So no chances of its scarcity or being exhausted like fossil fuels.It is the most abundant element in the universe, constituting about 93% of all atoms.
When combusted with Oxygen, it is converted into water.So no chances of pollution and other curses like Global Warming
It can be used in running motors,producing electricity or in domestic uses.It is used in space programmes as well
It yields three times more energy than ordinary fossil fuels.
The fuel cells are compact and lightweight--not overly bulky or heavy,thus light weight vehicles may be produced
The other side of the coin
High Cost:Initial technology involved is costly.It costs around $1 million to produce a Hydrogen fulled car.
Lack of a hydrogen refueling network:The refueling option is difficult due to scarcity of Hydrogen fuel stations
Initial response:It is difficult for the manufacturers to convince the consumers to switch over to this newly developed technology.
There have been several demonstration and pilot projects around the world that have proved the efficacy of hydrogen energy and fuel cell technologies, but most of these are suitable for small-scale operations. The challenge before the world is to harness this natural bounty for commercially viable large-scale operations, which includes production, safe storage, transportation and delivery etc.
Intelligence is the ability to get informations which have been concealed by the opposite party.It is a key determinant of any nation's foreign policy as the availability of informations makes it easier for one nation to know about the hidden forces operating against its interest.Accordingly it can take necessary action or counteract the opposite forces.
In the present context spurt in terrorist activities has made "Intelligence" even more important in a nation's policy making.Moreover the need to survive and have an edge in the competitive economic market has also raised its importance.It is widely believed that the Kargil war was a failure of India's intelligence,as a result of which India could not take timely measures to prevent the intrusion.
The role of intelligence in building diplomatic relations is time tested.On the basis of it a nation can prioritize its foreign policy agenda.Failure of intelligence thus produces catastrophic effects on a nation's international image.The Iraq invasion by USA can be cited as one such example.Intelligence agencies of the super powers had much to do with the mounting international tension during the cold war era.
Putty Putty Capital:The capital which can be transformed into durable goods and then can be brought back to flexible capital again.
Amortization:The running down or payment of a loan by installments. An example is a repayment mortgage on a house, which is amortized by making monthly payments that over a pre-agreed period of time
Autarky:The idea that a country should be self-sufficient and not take part in international trade. The experience of countries that have pursued this Utopian ideal by substituting domestic production for imports is an unhappy one.
Backwardation:When a commodity is valued more highly in a spot market (that is, when it is for delivery today) than in a futures market (for delivery at some point in the future).
Economic Cannibalism:Firms are reluctant to produce new articles in place of an already existing one which is doing good in market as that would cannibalize business or eat one's own business.
Catch Up Effect:In any period, the economies of countries that start off poor generally grow faster than the economies of countries that start off rich. As a result, the NATIONAL INCOME of poor countries usually catches up with the national income of rich countries. New technology may even allow DEVELOPING COUNTRIES to leap-frog over industrialized countries with older technology. This, at least, is the traditional economic theory. In recent years, there has been considerable debate about the extent and speed of convergence in reality.
Complimentary goods:Goods without which some other goods can not function.Example-a computer can not run without software.
Crony Capitalism:Economic nepotism.Form of corruption.Giving financial benefits to near and dear ones.
CAPM:Capital; Asset Pricing Model.Valuing assets to calculate capital.Needed for safe investment.
Gearing:A company's debt expressed as a percentage of its equity.Also known as leverage.
Gini Coefficient:An inequality indicator. The Gini coefficient measures the inequality of income distribution within a country. It varies from zero, which indicates perfect equality, with every household earning exactly the same, to one, which implies absolute inequality, with a single household earning a country's entire income. Latin America is the world's most unequal region, with a Gini coefficient of around 0.5; in rich countries the figure is closer to 0.3.
Regionalism has been an abiding factor in Indian polity, sometimes positive but mostly a negative one.In fact the growth of coalition politics which has become a predominant feature of our political system, owes its origin to regionalism.The increasing separatist politics in India including the demand for separate states also has much to do with such regionalization of the political system.
The plurality of language,religion,culture,social customs is the main factor behind the growth of regionalism in India.Diversity of India is proverbial.With over one billion population,twenty eight states, numerous tribes, languages and religions, the probability of socio cultural oneness in India is very thin.The general differences prevailing between the Norther, Eastern, Western or Southern states depicts such regionalism.Long term deprivation in terms of development ,too has attributed to its growth.The case of North Eastern part of India presents a perfect example of such kind of regionalism.Petty politics of some selfish political leaders to capture popular sentiments to entrench themselves is another factor behind the growth of regionalism.Moreover the flexibility of the Indian Constitution in creation of states and in provisions like the Sixth Schedule also helped in the growth of regionalism in India.
The consequences of regionalism in India has not always been positive.True it has resulted in the grievances of the underdeveloped regions or sections of the society being heard in much better way, but that the growth of secessionist trends is rooted in it can hardly be ignored.This has led to insurgency all over the nation with secessionists resorting to violence to secure their demand or making their grievances heard.
Moreover, it has made the political system more complex with the growth of regional politics.This has in turn made the political system unstable.External forces too have capitalized the regional sentiments in India to spread terrorism on our soil.Over the years occurrences of ethnic or communal clashes have increased.Not only that,the inter state clashes are taking place more frequently these days and the role of regionalism in such clashes can not be ruled out.The unfair treatment upon the outsiders in Maharashtra can be viewed as a classic example.
It is high time that we, the people understand the importance of national integrity.For a nation which is surrounded by as many as seven countries,unity and integrity are the most important factors for national security.But at the same time homogeneity of development must be ensured so that the genuine grievances of the people do not go unaddressed.
Biopiracy is the theft or usurpation of genetic material especially of plant or other biological origin by using the patent process.In simple, practical term its is the theft of genetic material or traditional knowledge of the biodiverse third world countries by the western nations by using their money power.A classic example would be the use of turmeric for healing wounds.This has been in use in India from the ancient age.However in 2003 two US based people weregranted the patent of using turmeric for using against wounds.It was simply an introsion into our cultural tradition and theft of our traditional knowledge to enrich the pockets of a few.
The Texmati case where a strain of Bsmati, a native of India was crossed with a semi dwarf variety of rice by Rice Tech, a US based company is another example of Bio Piracy.This way Basmati which traditionally has been a communal property of the Sub Himalayan region of India has been"Hijacked" by the patent process by USA and poor Indian farmers have been left at the receiving end.Use of Kala Jira or Kalaunji,Jamun, Methi have been pirated by the West by using the patent process and this has left thousands of Indian farmers impoverished.
The basic logic behind patents is that it is a mechanism to promote innovation, by ensuring that the "inventor" would have the exclusive right to sell and distribute the "product"s he has "invented".Unfrtunately the Western corporates have resorted to unethical practices of swindling our very own knowledge or genetic resources to entrench their own pockets in the most unethical way.
To ensure that there are legal mechanisms in place to ensure that this knowledge is not freely appropriated, the Indian government is in the process of finalising a law titled the Biological Diversity Bill. The bill contains various provisions for regulating access to biological resources, patent claims, and indigenous knowledge protection.This bill is a beginning, though inadequate.What we must understand is our right to our resources-genetic,human or knowledge.Awareness of the common people along with proper legislation and international cooperation can curb this menace.
Today my, ooops ,sorry ,our blog is three months old.Its good to see that everyone loves this baby.Yet I must say that its still a toddler and its only your help which can make it learn walk on its feet.So just don't be an avid reader of the blog, contribute and help it to grow faster.
We all share the same dream ,the dream of making our nation, our loving motherland a better place to live in.I publish many articles here to support all my fellow aspirants.But the bigger objective is to develop a forum of some good human beings who transcend the barriers of orthodoxies, social obligations,who are not bound by the rotten social systems existing in our nation,who shed off all the prejudices -political or personal to develop a character which will guide the generation into nation making.
Everyday when I go to my work place and see the plight of the poor people, my heart bleeds.Being a "Civil Servant", I check my emotions and deal according to the procedure of the law.But deep down inside the eyes of my heart moisten to see the poverty, the grievances of the people.Those who are not aware of the existing systems, will laugh at me if I say that there are many people who are working in contractual basis in the government systems,earn a meager Rs 900/ per month to run their family.I met one such person who runs a family of 6 with this salary.I fought against all the odds so that he gets at least what he deserves.And you know what, his entire family came to touch my feet and seek my blessings.I could do nothing but to rub my eyes so that none could see what was going on beneath the dry, "bureaucratic" eyes.
I am saying all these things because personally I would hate to have any follower of this blog, who once becomes a bureaucrat forgets these realities and bask in the glory that the service provides.I know, I don't have much so called "authority" to say all these things as I am still a state civil servant and not yet an IAS.But I am saying all these things because I want all of you to be good human beings first.Once you are that, your dream will surely be materialized. I strongly believe that we all together will help the nation find its lost glory one day.Jai Hind.
Any agriculture system has a duty towards feeding the earth and it has to fulfill this responsibility using safe and sustainable methods and technologies. Organic farming is a set of simple practices which bring into picture a diverse, healthy and sustainable crop production system, without the use of poisonous chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers. It is a responsible way of farming which ensures that healthy, chemical-free food is produced without harming the environment.
It is a fallacy that organic farming leads to loss in productivity - it is proven that after a short period of a drop in yields, organic farming is more productive than chemical farming. Organic farming is also cheaper to practice than chemical agriculture. It is turning out to be the only way to farm, taking into account farmer conditions, environmental conditions and the health needs of the consumer.
In India there are some negative fallouts of traditional way of farming.These are
Loss of seed diversity
· 2. Contamination of water resources by pesticides - the twin controversies in 2003 regarding pesticide content in bottled drinking water and aerated beverages in India hardly came as a surprise to many working with the environment and in farming. Even if we blame beverage manufacturers (and rightly-so) for allowing pesticide residue in their products and treating human health so cheaply, the fact remains that pesticides got into the water supply in the first place only because of the agriculture system which uses them
3.Falling ground water levels - agricultural chemicals require plenty of water to respond, hybrids also usually need more water compared to local varieties
· 4. Greater dependence of farmers for external inputs, and increased risks incurred by them on account of higher crop production expenses and lower net returns
According to the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), about 2.5 million hectares of land was under organic farming in India in 2004. Further, there are over 15,000 certified organic farms in India. India, therefore is one of the most important suppliers of organic food to the developed nations. No doubt, the organic movement has again started in India
In the comments section please post topics which you find important(Especially from Sc & Tech section, which so far I have not covered much here).Soon there will be a different blog for discussion on the topics.I will separately publish articles on some of the topics,too.By the way, I need a good article on Nuclear Agriculture to publish here.You can send that to my mail id by Wednesday.It will be published here on Thursday.
The most popular definition of cyber terrorism is that " It is the premeditated use of disruptive activities, or the threat thereof, against computers and/or networks, with the intention to cause harm or further social, ideological, religious, political or similar objectives, or to intimidate any person in furtherance of such objectives."
The increased reliance on the Internet by business, government and society has made it a prime target for terrorist intent on disrupting our economy and way of life.Security professionals have expressed their increasing concern over not only the increase in frequency of attacks against the Internet, but also the increase in the level of sophistication of these attacks.
The intention of a cyber terrorism attack could range from economic disruption through the interruption of financial networks and systems or used in support of a physical attack to cause further confusion and possible delays in proper response.Although cyber attacks have caused billions of dollars in damage and affected the lives of millions, we have yet witness the implications of a truly catastrophic cyber terrorism attack.
One example of cyberterrorists at work was when terrorists in Romania illegally gained access to the computers controlling the life support systems at an Antarctic research station, endangering the 58 scientists involved.In May 2007 Estonia was subjected to a mass cyber-attack in the wake of the removal of a Russian World War II war memorial from downtown Talinn.ven more recently, in October 2007, the website of Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko was attacked by hackers.Other examples include "Love Bug" or "Millennium Bug" virues.
The effects of cyber terrorism can be summed up as
Secret information appropriation and data theft Privacy violation Demolition of e-governance base which in turn can harm (1) International relations; (2) National security (including defiance) and public safety; (3) Investigation, detection and prevention of crime; (4)Information received in confidence from a source outside the Govt; (5) Information about scientific discoveries". Tarnishing the image of individuals Network damage and disruption
In India The Information Technology Act ,2000 has given some ways to combat such form of terrorism.It must be noted that the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been designated as the single authority for issuing of instructions in the context of blocking of web sites.
Some suggested ways to combat cyber terrorism • Global consensus on this menace and enacting comprehensive international laws to curb it • Enhancing public awareness • The judiciary must come forward with novel ideas to curb the menace • The government sector must institute tougher penalties for cyber crimes and increased funding for law enforcement efforts to fight it. Easier said than done.This must be accomplished with a high degree of collaboration globally.
PS: PLEASE SUGGEST SOME MORE WAYS TO COMBAT CYBER TERRORISM
The so called "Racial" attack on the Indians by the Australians presents a perfect case where much energy is wasted in blame game and debating while very less is used in action.Over the last few months there has been much debate over whether such attack is racial or not and analyzing the history of Australia to add more spices in the story line,while very few people have come up with constructive suggestions on what ought to be done.
The Government of India has done what it should have done.Criticizing the act while asking their Australian counterpart to take necessary action to check further occurrence of such untoward incident.However, we must not forget the fact that India has a lot of leverage in her diplomatic relation with Australia.Presently India is the fourth largest export market of Australia.Moreover, the defense and strategic tie between the two nations have also seen positive changes in the recent past.India therefore has to be a bit sharper in her tone while asking Australia to take immediate action to curb the menace.
The government of Australia too has to be pro active rather than just giving lip service.It must initiate some dialog process with the protesters there in Australia and come up with some ideas to arrange for the security of the Indian students therein.
However what disgusts an educated mature Indian is the role of Indian media in handling the situation.Our media has yet to learn to present news items in mature way.Very often news items are presented very much in the manner of a "Saas Bahu" serial with over dramatization of the events.The emotional quotient in most of the presentation is so high that audience is very often deprived of the real flavor of any incident.The media has been over zealous in presenting this event in such a way as if it is a war between India and Australia, especially because racism (since Shilpa Shetty-Jade Goody episode) and war are two most favorite topics of our media .It is indeed a serious issue and should be handled with more caution and sensitivity.,without any bias or prejudice as that would leave millions of Indians misinformed.and misguided.Blaming the entire nation for the mistakes of a few thugs tantamounts to foolishness to the highest extent.
Last but not the least, the incident presents before us an opportunity to introspect.It is when our students are being beaten up in a foreign land, we are awakening and protesting in every nook and corner of the country.Where was this sympathy when our students were being beaten up in our very own country, in state like Maharashtra?If we don't realize our folly and don't care for our integrity, our very own people, India might go down the history as a nation that failed as it did not care for the endearing values.
Note:This should be read as my opinion on the topic, not as an answer to any probable question.if any question on this topic is asked , I would suggest you to be bit more polite in your tone.Regards, Saptarshi.
The victory of the west backed coalition party in Lebanon, led by Sa'adHariri, son of the assassinated politician and business tycoon RafiqalHariri presents yet another clear picture of how the United States of America wants to influence the politics of West Asia.The west had branded the election as proxy fight over Iran for influence over Lebanese politics.The electoral results came as a surprise for the world as Hizbollah bloc, the main opposition and political ally of Iran in Lebanon was expected to achieve a thumping victory because of their popularity after their success in the war against Israel and for their reputation of effective governance.
However the west led by US maneuvered the political game well to ensure a victory for the March 14 Coalition( named after the day in 2005 when massive demonstration was held in Beirut against Syrian influence in Lebanese politics, shortly after the assassination of RafiqHariri).Prior to the election the US Vice President Joe Biden went to the tiny nation to display US solidarity with the March 14 coalition.The US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had warned Lebanon people of the possible implications if they failed to elect the west backed coalition.The apprehensions of losing US finances produced a strong psychological impact on the Lebanese voters.Moreover, US has been aggressive in criticizing Hizbollah for the past few years and has even branded as a"Terrorist Organization".The Lebanese expatriates flew to Lebanon to exercise their voting rights just prior to the election.Nearly $ 20 million was spent for their air tickets.The source of such funding still remains a mystery though it is widely believed that it was done by US to secure votes for their prote'ge.
Though US has been successful in wining the first round of the diplomatic war in Lebanon, the real challenge lies ahead.Hizbollah even after failing to gain a majority has retained its traditional seats.It still retains the veto power to influence major decisions.The "Party of God" has shown a nice gesture by conceding the defeat graciously and promising to help the victorious coalition for the betterment of the nation.If they show such level of maturity, US may not hold its influence over Lebanese politics for long.It is thus now a waiting game for Lebanon, for coming out of the external influence and build an independent domestic and foreign policy.For US, it will be a tough task to continue propping up the puppet party against Iran.
Crisis is a window of opportunities.India proved that with sheer brilliance after the Gulf Crisis in 1990 and started economic reforms which for the next decade or so put Indian economy into a commanding position.The present global financial crisis is of no difference.It has provided us two alternatives-to shine or to perish.It is how well we handle the crisi, will set the fortune of our economy for the coming years or so and will provide the world an answer to the doubt whether or not India truly has the potentials to become a global superpower in future.
The present task ahead of India is to undertake economic reforms considering twin objectives of our economy from the present shock and avoiding further financial turmoil.The means to do so may be summed up as below
Moving to an Inflation targeted monetary policy so that external influences on inflation can be minimized
Ensuring timely and adequate availability of credit for the priority sectors so as to ensure square growth of the economy.
Moving to a full capital account convertibility to bring back the sense of competition in the financial sector
Establishing a strong regulatory architecture so as to protect the irregularities in the financial market.
Restructuring the banking industry to make it competitive in the global scenario
We must understand inaction is no solution to the problem.We must not be jubilant as the impacts of the recession to our economy have not been as hard as to the developed nations' economies.Rather we must seek opportunities in danger and work harder for financial sector reforms and come up with flying colors while the developing nations continue do some firefighting to save themselves from th wrath of global recession.
EU has always been an economic power house. The members of EU are important for India both individually as well as collectively. India’s relations with EU have grown exponentially covering all areas of interaction. The EU is India’s largest trade partner and bilateral trade crossed Rs 2, 70,000 crore in 2006. India and EU are also important investment partners with significant two-way flows. 24% of FDI inflow comes from EU. Indian investment has also been growing steadily in UK, Germany and Italy.
The first India-EU Summit in Lisbon in June 2000 marked a watershed in the evolution of this relationship. Since then the summits are being held annually. The relationship has matured into a strategic partnership and a joint action plan has been drawn up. The 9th EU summit was held in Marseille on September 29,2008.
There is sometimes a tendency on the part of the EU to inject non-economic issues into the economic dialogue, which perhaps is driven by certain sections of the Brussels bureaucracy. At other times, this may be a reflection of concern over issues within India, such as the religious freedom issue on which the European Parliament explicitly expressed its concern in a text on the Indo-EU summit, adopted on September 24. India on its side has concerns over xenophobia and discrimination meted out to Indian origin citizens of the EU. Several EU countries have been tardy in implementing by January 2006 the EC Directive of 2003 which requires member states to grant permanent residency to third country nationals who have resided legally in a EU country for over five years.
Another irritant is the lack of an appropriate visa regime for Indian professionals employed by Indian companies delivering technical and professional services to clients in the EU. Both sides need to deal with such issues in a mature fashion, through constructive dialogue
Both sides need to put in place a specific joint mechanism for implementing the decisions of the India-EU summits within an agreed time-frame. There is a clear disparity in the levels of engagement of various EU members with non-member countries such as India. For example, the UK has had the deepest level of engagement with India, with the other big players such as France, Germany and Italy catching up.
The other EU members have relatively lower levels of engagement with India. Therefore India-EU relations will be important for some of the EU members, while others will be content to assume a more passive role.
The increasing lethargy of the EU’s decision-making process as it expands and gets more muscle-bound has important implications. Progress on major new initiatives, internal to the EU as well as external, such as the India-EU free trade agreement, can get blocked by positions taken by a few small countries, which might be more concerned with protecting their narrow and short-term interests.
Most EU governments are overloaded with the growing complexities of an expanding and deepening EU, the numerous working groups and meetings in Brussels, the proliferation of complex EU directives and compliance processes. This puts a big strain on the smaller countries that have little capacity left to give enough attention to non-EU countries, except in crisis situations. At the same time public euro-scepticism is growing, and the Brussels-based EU bureaucracy is seen as remote and aloof from national problems.
Strengthening engagement with the smaller EU countries will, therefore, require India to take greater initiative, and this will necessitate greater investment in terms of diplomatic and political effort directed towards these countries.
Highlights of EU-India summit 08
a revised Joint Action Plan extending the strategic partnership of 2005 to new areas
a joint work programme on energy,clean development and climate change
Launch of a European Bussiness and Technology Centre in India
