Maoist

Introduction : 

Naxalites of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), or Maoists in short, founded in September 2004, is the largest and most lethal Naxalite outfit in India having a presence –– intense to nominal –– in 20 states, spread across 203 districts.

To run a war machinery of this size the outfit requires large amounts of funds.

Financial Policy Adopted by them : 

At the 9th/Unity Congress, held in 2007 January, the CPI (Maoist) adopted a document entitled “Our Financial Policy”. This document enumerates the Maoists’ financial policy, identifies sources of finances, mentions areas of expenditure and issues guidelines to avoid wrong, wasteful expenditure.

Actors : 

Through a consultative process involving various levels the Central Committee fixes the annual amount to be collected at the all-India level. The Zonal Committee appears to be the basic unit responsible for conveying the decision on the amount to be collected from each source.

Match Fixing

1. The present raging controversy over “spot-fixing” in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has occupied a major part of the news coverage over the past two weeks. Given the cult status of the game here, one is not surprised by the anger against the avaricious personalities who brought disrepute to the game


2. The arrest of players belonging to Rajasthan Royals by the Delhi police during the final days of the IPL season six blew the lid.


3. Then came a series of events: the infamous exit of Lalit Modi, the drama of the formation of the Kochi team and the exit of Shashi Tharoor from the Union Cabinet, Shashank Manohar’s promise to clean up the mess, the court cases between A.C

Coal Scam

INTRODUCTION :

India is one of the largest producers of coal in the world.
The coal-rich region in India includes huge swathes of eastern states like Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and pockets in the central and southern parts of the country.

More than half of India's commercial energy needs are met by coal. It is the main fuel for generating power and making steel and cement.
Coal allocation scam or Coalgate, as referred by the media, is a political scandal concerning the Indian government's allocation of the nation's coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies. In a draft report issued in March 2012, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the Government of India of allocating coal

Land Acquisition Bill

Land Acquisition BIill

Economic growth and job creation require efficient usage of land resources. It is important that a fair and transparent process for purchase and for acquisition of land is followed. For the purchase of land, a key concern is the authenticity of land titles, and the government has drafted a Land Titling Bill for this purpose.

End uses Projects permitted to acquire 

It defines public purpose to include infrastructure projects (as defined by the finance ministry, with some exclusions);projects related to

Edward Snowden

1. Edward Snowden, an employee of defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton at the National Security Agency, arrives in Hong Kong from Hawaii. He carries four laptop computers that enable him to gain access to some of the U.S. government’s most highly-classified secrets.


2. The Guardian publishes its first exclusive based on Snowden’s leak, revealing a secret court order showing that the U.S. government had forced the telecom giant Verizon to hand over the phone records of millions of Americans.


3. A second story reveals the existence of the previously undisclosed programme Prism, which internal NSA documents claim gives the agency “direct access” to data held by Google,

Desertification

Desertification 

It is a type of land degradation  in which a relatively dry land becomes increasingly arid , typically losing  its bodies of water as well as  vegetation and wildlife.

Causes : 

Number of factors which work individually or in combination causing desertification. The immediate cause is the removal of most vegetation. This is driven by a number of factors such as:

• Drought


• Climatic shifts

MSME Sector

Classification of MSME 

MSME sector are classified into 2 classes with the following criteria:

1. Manufacturing or production enterprises

Enterprises	Investment in plant & machinery
Micro Enterprises	< Rs.25 lacs
Small Enterprises	> Rs.25 lacs and < Rs.5 crores
Medium Enterprises	> Rs.5 crores and < Rs.10 crores

2. Service enterprises

Enterprises	Investment in equipments
Micro Enterprises	< Rs.10 lacs
Small Enterprises	> Rs.10 lacs and < Rs.2 Crores
Medium Enterprises	> Rs.2 Crores and < Rs.5 Crores

Contribution of MSME sector to Indian Economy

Farmer Club

                                            

Definition : 

• Grassroot level informal forums of farmers


• Such Clubs are organized by rural branches of banks with the support and financial assistance of NABARD for the mutual benefit of the banks concerned and the village farming community/rural people.


• All Institutional Agencies (Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks) and all grassroot level organisations (NGOs, PRIs, State Agricultural Universities, KVKs, ATMA, Post Offices etc.) are eligible to form Farmers’ Clubs.

Nitaqat

Nitaqat 

• The Nitaqat  is a new policy being placed by the Saudi government in order to reduce the unemployment rate among Saudi citizens.


• This policy makes it mandatory for Saudi Companies to reserve 10 percent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

Need

• Saudi Arabia’s economy depends heavily on the existence of a large proportion of expatriates working for various establishments in the private and public sector.

Media

Pack Journalism / Journalism  

1. According to an essay in the Global Media Journal of Purdue University, Pack Journalism “is a phenomenon by which large groups of reporters from different media outlets collaborate to cover the same story. They cite or draw from the same sources, simultaneously, with the same purpose and employing the same methods. They move in a swarm where they observe carefully what the others are doing. Their main goal is

Espionage

1. Oct 2013 : National Security Agency boss General Keith Alexander conceded that the Agency recently ran a programme that entailed the collection of Americans’ mobile phone location data.


2. The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other U.S. internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by The Guardian.


3. The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed programme called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live

India's Mars Mission

Introduction : 

India’s first interplanetary probe, the Mars Orbiter Mission, has left home on the first leg of a voyage of scientific discovery. Once again, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation performed its task with impeccable ease.

Facts : 

• ISRO’s next focus is Chandrayaan 2 and GSLV
• Mars orbiter mission would continue till 2015.
• India's Mars orbiter will travel 300 days through space to reach the orbit of Mars

Journey : 

A long and difficult trek now lies ahead of the spacecraft. It will circle Earth for the rest of this month, repeatedly firing an onboard liquid-propellant engine to gain velocity. Shortly after

Open Government Data

Open Data Index

Introduction : 

Opening up government data to free public access is a global trend that aims to foster better governance by improving transparency. India makes official data available through its portal launched about a year ago, but it has been ranked low in the just-published Open Data

Higher Education

Introduction

India has a huge pool of potential young population as compared to other countries of the world but still on a sad demise its been a fact that only every seventh children went to college.Also nation has both crippling quality as well as quantity in terms of higher education.

For instance :

• In QS World University Ranking 2013, Indian university is not able to make its place in top most 200 colleges / universities of the world.


• India is at second position in terms of enrollment in higher education institutions (25 million in 2011-12)but still  has poor Gross Enrollment Ratio(GER) .In 2011-12 it is just 17.9 % as compared to average 30% across the world.US,Russia,Australia to name a few has GER as high as 85%.Highest being the Finland having around 95%.For this India's Human Resources and Development Ministry has set a target to achieve GER to 30% by 2020.

Classification of HE

1. Form of presence (Universities,colleges,diploma granting institutions).


2. Field of study (General courses , Professional Courses)


3. Mode of Delivery (Classroom edu , Distance Learning).


4. Level of Study (UG ,PG , PhD , Diploma)

Challenge

• Expansion :
  
  
  
  • India has around 144 million population in the age group of 15-24.Of this around 25.9 enrolled in 2011-12 which is around 17.9 % GER.For achieving target of 30% enrollment should be around 45 million.
  
  
  • For today to accommodate around 25.9 million students there are in total 659 universities having 28% contribution of private institutions.Around 33 thousand colleges having 60% contribution by private players.
  
  
  • For achieving the target we need around 508 universities , 25 thousand colleges/institutions .


• Excellence : 
  
  
  
  • Faculty shortage
  
  
  • Less Accredited Institutions


• Equity 
  
  
  
  • There is wide disparity in the GER of higher education across states and the GER in urban and rural areas, and gender- and community-wise.

Cause of Deterioration condition

• Lack of private participation and lack of interest shown from government side is the root cause of this problem.


• Only 3% increase in percentage of pvt institutions in India between  2007-2012.

Achievements

• The private sector has played an instrumental role in this growth, with private institutions now accounting for 64% of the total
  number of institutions and 59% of enrollment in the country, as compared to 43% and 33%, respectively, a decade ago.


• The Government has planned expenditure of INR 1,107 billion on higher education during the Twelfth Five
  Year plan, 1.3 times higher than the planned expenditure in Eleventh plan.

Achievements in 11th Five Year Plan

In the Eleventh Plan, the planned expenditure on higher education was pegged at INR849.43 billion, a nine- fold increase over the Tenth Plan outlay of INR96 billion. However, actual expenditure on higher education was 45.6% (INR396.47 billion) of the planned expenditure

Access

1. Increase in GER


2. Increase in number of institutions


3. Increase in pvt institution

Equity :

1. Additional opportunities for minorities / low-income families


2. Support for backward areas

Quality

1. Overcoming some faculty shortages


2. Infrastructure development


3. Strengthening research and development activity.

Bills :

1. Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011 : The Bill aims to consolidate multiple regulations and improve transparency by the creation of a single super regulator, the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, in the place of existing regulators such as the UGC and AICTE.


2. The National Academic Depository Bill, 2011:The Bill seeks to establish a national database of academic awards in electronic format through an identified and registered depository.


3. The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 : The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill aims to make accreditation and rating of all higher education institutions mandatory in India.


4. The Educational Tribunal Bill, 2010 : The Educational Tribunal Bill aims to expedite and enable more effective litigation involving students, teachers, employees and the management of institutions.


5. Foreign Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 : The Foreign Education Institutions Bill aims to regulate the entry and operation of foreign institutes in India. The Bill is a key legislation to encourage private sector participation in India, given the absence of any regulatory framework for FEIs.
   

12th Year Plans 

Excellence :

1. The Twelfth Plan emphasizes on leveraging technology for inter-institutional collaboration,innovation and faculty development to address challenges relating to infrastructure and faculty in India’s higher education system


2. A dynamic and international approach will be adopted by redesigning curricula, focusing on technical knowledge, initiating employability programmes, and aligning Indian education with international standards


3. Promotion and enhancement of research and innovation is a key focus area of the Twelfth Plan, to align research with the national development agenda and better serve the needs of industry and society.

Expansion : 

1. Government’s initiatives will focus on strengthening the infrastructure of Central and state institutions and on establishing research-based institutions.


2.  Private sector participation in the higher education system will be encouraged to provide greater financial flexibility through the relaxation/introduction of laws and regulations. Furthermore, there would be a focus on expanding the realm of higher education through ODL and skill-based programmes

Equity :

1. The Twelfth Plan proposes schemes and initiatives targeted at disadvantaged groups to address equality-related issues. The Plan has a flexible approach to embrace diversity and learning in Indian languages.

Governance :

1. Institutional differentiation, greater autonomy to institutions, decentralization of responsibility, and enhanced transparency in higher education are the key tenets of governance in the Twelfth Five Year Plan

Financing ,Implementing and Monitoring

1. The Plan provides for more public funding, sustainable levels of tuition fees and a more conducive environment for institutes to tap alternative sources of revenue and endowments.


2. Evaluation and monitoring systems will be strengthened by the creation of new institutional mechanisms and national databases.

EPCG Scheme

History

• The Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme was one of the several export-promotion initiatives launched by the government in the early '90s. The basic purpose of the scheme was to allow exporters to import machinery and equipment at affordable prices so that they can produce quality products for the export market.


• The import duty on capital goods — like all other items — was high during that period, inflating the cost of capital goods nearly 50%, so the government allowed exporters to import capital goods at only 25% import duty. For waiver of the remaining portion of import duty, exporters were supposed to undertake an 'export obligation' (a promise to export) which was worked out on the basis of the duty concession obtained.


• Exporters were given eight years to carry out their commitment to export. Once the 'export obligation' was fulfilled, the owner of the capital goods concerned could sell them or transfer them to another facility. Till the promised export materialised, the owners of the machinery or equipment were barred from even moving the goods concerned out of their manufacturing unit.

Did liberalisation of imports have an impact on EPCG?

• Gradual reduction in import duties, particularly in the case of capital goods, has been rendering EPCG scheme less attractive. However, till last year, EPCG was preferred by many since the exemption also included 4% special additional duty of customs (SAD) which has been abolished now.

Two windows

• The first change was the introduction of two windows — the first one attracting 15% duty while the second one attracted 25%. Those who preferred to pay higher duty under the second window had a lower export obligation. In '95, the government offered duty-free imports under the first window while the duty under the second was 15%. This was the first time duty-free imports were made available under EPCG.


• Since the purpose of the scheme was to allow exporters compete internationally, it was decided to allow them to buy machinery at internationally-competitive rates. The pent-up demand for imported machinery had peaked at this point and the domestic industry's initial trouble with competing imports had come to an end. Thereafter, the government even reduced the import duty on capital goods under the second window to 10% while the first remained duty-free. Subsequently, the policy was changed in '00 to merge the two windows into one — import capital goods by paying 5% and undertake uniform export commitment.

Swap Funds

• In finance, a swap is a derivative in which counterparties exchange cash flows of one party's financial instrument for those of the other party's financial instrument.


• Swaps were first introduced to the public in 1981 when IBM and the World Bank entered into a swap agreement

Types of Swaps 

Interest Rate Swap

• The most common type of swap is a “plain Vanilla” interest rate swap. It is the exchange of a fixed rate loan to a floating rate loan. The life of the swap can range from 2 years to over 15 years. The reason for this exchange is to take benefit from comparative advantage.


• Some companies may have comparative advantage in fixed rate markets, while other companies have a comparative advantage in floating rate markets.


• A swap has the effect of transforming a fixed rate loan into a floating rate loan or vice versa.


• In this only INTEREST on predetermined principal at predetermined rate (variable or fixed) is exchanged / swap.


• For example, party B makes periodic interest payments to party A based on a variable interest rate of LIBOR +70 basis points. Party A in return makes periodic interest payments based on a fixed rate of 8.65%.

Currency Swaps

• A currency swap involves exchanging principal and fixed rate interest payments on a loan in one currency for principal and fixed rate interest payments on an equal loan in another currency.


• Just like interest rate swaps, the currency swaps are also motivated by comparative advantage.


• Currency swaps entail swapping both principal and interest between the parties, with the cashflows in one direction being in a different currency than those in the opposite direction.

Credit Default Swaps

• A credit default swap (CDS) is a contract in which the buyer of the CDS makes a series of payments to the seller and, in exchange, receives a payoff if an instrument, typically a bond or loan, goes into default (fails to pay).


• Less commonly, the credit event that triggers the payoff can be a company undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or even just having its credit rating downgraded.


• CDS contracts have been compared with insurance, because the buyer pays a premium and, in return, receives a sum of money if one of the events specified in the contract occur. Unlike an actual insurance contract the buyer is allowed to profit from the contract and may also cover an asset to which the buyer has no direct exposure.

Acid Attack

Regulation on sale of ACID

• The Home Ministry has asked the State governments to ban over-the-counter sale of acids as directed by the Supreme Court in its July order to curb growing incidents of attacks on women.


• Sale of acid now comes under The Poisons Possession And Sales Rules, 2013, thereby including at least a dozen acids in the list of poisons to curb their sale.


• Atleast a dozen of acids namely : acetic acid, phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, perchloric acid, formic acid, oxalic acid, perchloride of mercury (corrosive sublimate), sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrocyanic acid, nitric acid, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, that would have restricted sale.


• The Ministry has asked the States to impose a fine of Rs.50,000 on sellers who do not maintain a register on personal information about buyers.

Water

1. Companies that use the natural resource for profit pay no charge or royalty for the raw water they use — only a nominal ‘cess’ varying from State to State (a few paise per kilolitre).


2. The BIS(Bureau of Indian Standard) has to ensure that any company or individual seeking quality certification for using groundwater as raw material has a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the CGWB(Central Ground Water Board)


3. The 14 States that have adopted the Central Model Ground Water Regulation Bill are free to give permission to beverages and bottled water companies for extraction of groundwater and more often than not, with little monitoring. For the States that do not have the Act in place, permission is taken from the Centre. Again, no permission is required or taken for drawing river, canal or natural spring water for bottling or use in soft drinks


4. Most water sources are contaminated by sewage and agricultural run-off.


5. Rising population, sprawling cities, and an enormous and thirsty farm belt have jeopardized a feeble, ill-kept public water and sanitation network.

Environment Realted

1.  The study was conducted in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund For Nature (WWF) and Wildlife Institute of India for counting of Bengal Tiger in SunderBans and the counting came out to be 103.

Terrorism

1. NCTC(National Counter Terrorism Center) opposed by Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu), Narendra Modi (Gujarat), Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh) and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.Even Congress Chief Ministers Prithviraj Chavan (Maharashtra), Siddaramaiah (Karnataka) and Tarun Gogoi (Assam) have expressed reservations to the revised proposal of NCTC.