UPSC Magazine Vol 20 December 2010 WWW - Upscportal

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Editorial
Our thoughts influence our lives and

our life circumstances
Dear Aspirants, it is the time, when you should be serious about
your goal. If you serious, things will take a shape in a way that
success will be yours. But it is true that often-ordinary people
lose their confidence, when it is very important to do achieve
something. But you should be very clear that Civil Services is not
for ordinary people, it is for the best, so you should have every-
thing best in you. It may be strategy, confidence, perseverance
and hard work and intellect-each of this must be of best quality
in you. So at this juncture, when you are at the opening gate of
success, do not lose confidence. Confidence comes from right
thinking. So now have a positive attitude and it comes from right
thinking.
On this point Orison Swett Marden is correct in some extent. He
believed that our thoughts influence our lives and our life circum-
stances. So I would like to quote him -“The finding of the larger
possibilities of man, the unused part, and the undiscovered part
is the function of the New Philosophy. It may be covered under
all sorts of debris—doubt, lack of self-confidence, timidity, fear,
worry, uncertainty, anxiety, hatred, jealousy, revenge, envy, self-
ishness. These may all be neutralized by right thinking.”
He further says “How often it happens that people who have long
been “down-and-out,” who have been considered “nobodies,”
“good-for-nothings,” not well balanced, have changed suddenly, as
though touched by a magic wand, and have quickly become men or
women of power, inspirers, and helpers of others! Something hap-
pened that quickened their spirit, and from miserable liabilities
they have suddenly been converted into valuable assets to their
community.”
In this 20th Volume of UPSC PORTAL Magazine, we have pre-
sented the Articles India-America Relation, G-20 Seoul summit
2010, Burmese General Election, XVI Asian Games 2010, Strategy
for Civil Services Preliminary Examination, Indo-Afghan Relation
and in the section of Hot topics Malawian President Visit to India,
India - Japan Annual Summit. Also Current Affairs and Sports &
awards are included. And for the best preparation of Civil Serv-
ices Pre examination 2011 we have presented very special package
for India and Relation with Neighbour’s.
So dear aspirants have a right thinking and do the best. UPSC
PORTAL Magazine is with you. Before conclude I would like to say
all of you a very happy New Year.
Ram Kumar Pandey And
UPSCPORTAL Team.
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Featured Article
India-America Relation
American President Barak Obama Visit to India
Ram Kumar Pandey
U
S President Barack Obama Donilon and 200 business lead- The two leaders welcomed
arrived in India on 6 Nov, ers, the largest such delega4on the deepening rela4onship be-
2010, on a three-day visit ever. tween the world’s two largest
during which about 18 announce- democracies. They commended
ments has been made on a wide the growing coopera4on be-
range of areas covering economy, Joint Statement tween their governments, ci4-
security and poli4cal spheres in- Reaffirming their na4ons’ shared zens, businesses, universi4es and
cluding possible easing of export values and increasing conver- scien4fic ins4tu4ons, which have
controls on dual use items. gence of interests, Prime Minister thrived on a shared culture of
Obama, the sixth US Presi- Manmohan Singh and President pluralism, educa4on, enterprise,
dent to visit India and the third in Barack Obama resolved in New and innova4on, and have bene-
10 years, arrived along with his Delhi to expand and strengthen fited the people of both coun-
wife Michelle, cabinet colleagues, the India-U.S. global strategic tries.
Na4onal Security Adviser Tom partnership. Building on the transforma-
Vol. - 20 WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 3
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4on in India-U.S. rela4ons over President Obama reiterated that region and the Pacific region and
the past decade, the two leaders India and the United States, as commi5ed to work together, and
resolved to intensify coopera4on global leaders, will partner for with others in the region, for the
between their na4ons to pro- global security, especially as India evolu4on of an open, balanced
mote a secure and stable world; serves on the Security Council and inclusive architecture in the
advance technology and innova- over the next two years. The region. In this context, the lead-
4on; expand mutual prosperity leaders agreed that their delega- ers reaffirmed their support for
and global economic growth; 4ons in New York will intensify the East Asia Summit and com-
support sustainable develop- their engagement and work to- mi5ed to regular consulta4ons in
ment; and exercise global leader- gether to ensure that the Council this regard. The United States
ship in support of economic con4nues to effec4vely play the welcomes, in par4cular, India’s
development, open government role envisioned for it in the leadership in expanding prosper-
and democra4c values. United Na4ons Charter. Both ity and security across the region.
The two leaders reaffirmed leaders underscored that all The two leaders agreed to
that India-U.S. strategic partner- states have an obliga4on to com- deepen exis4ng regular strategic
ship is indispensable not only for ply with and implement UN Secu- consulta4ons on developments in
their two countries but also for rity Council Resolu4ons, including East Asia, and decided to expand
global stability and prosperity in UN sanc4ons regimes. They also and intensify their strategic con-
the 21st century. To that end, agreed to hold regular consulta- sulta4ons to cover regional and
President Obama welcomed 4ons on UN ma5ers, including on global issues of mutual interest,
India’s emergence as a major re- the long-term sustainability of including Central and West Asia.
gional and global power and af- UN peacekeeping opera4ons. As The two sides commi5ed to
firmed his country’s interest in the two largest democracies, intensify consulta4on, coopera-
India’s rise, its economic prosper- both countries also reaffirmed 4on and coordina4on to promote
ity, and its security. their strong commitment to the a stable, democra4c, prosperous,
UN Democracy Fund. and independent Afghanistan.
The two leaders have a shared vi- President Obama appreciated
A Global Strategic sion for peace, stability and pros- India’s enormous contribu4on to
Partnership perity in Asia, the Indian Ocean Afghanistan’s development and
Prime Minister Singh and Presi-
dent Obama called for an effi-
cient, effec4ve, credible and
legi4mate United Na4ons to en-
sure a just and sustainable inter-
na4onal order. Prime Minister
Singh welcomed President
Obama’s affirma4on that, in the
years ahead, the United States
looks forward to a reformed UN
Security Council that includes
India as a permanent member.
The two leaders reaffirmed that
all na4ons, especially those that
seek to lead in the 21st century,
bear responsibility to ensure that
the United Na4ons fulfills its
founding ideals of preserving
peace and security, promo4ng
global coopera4on, and advanc-
ing human rights.
Prime Minister Singh and
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welcomed enhanced Indian assis- Department of Homeland Secu- challenges such as terrorism and
tance that will help Afghanistan rity and agreed to further deepen piracy, and contributed to the de-
achieve self-sufficiency. In addi- opera4onal coopera4on, counter velopment of the strategic part-
4on to their own independent as- -terrorism technology transfers nership between India and the
sistance programs in Afghanistan, and capacity building. The two United States. The two Govern-
the two sides resolved to pursue leaders also emphasized the im- ments resolved to further
joint development projects with portance of close coopera4on in strengthen defense coopera4on,
the Afghan Government in capac- comba4ng terrorist financing and including through security dia-
ity building, agriculture and in protec4ng the interna4onal fi- logue, exercises, and promo4ng
women’s empowerment. nancial system. trade and collabora4on in de-
They reiterated that success In an increasingly inter-defense equipment and technology.
in Afghanistan and regional and pendent world, the stability of, President Obama welcomed
global security require elimina- and access to, the air, sea, space, India's decision to purchase U.S.
4on of safe havens and infra- and cyberspace domains is vital high-technology defense items,
structure for terrorism and for the security and economic which reflects our strengthening
violent extremism in Afghanistan prosperity of na4ons. Acknowl- bilateral defence rela4ons and
and Pakistan. Condemning terror- edging their commitment to will contribute to crea4ng jobs in
ism in all its forms, the two sides openness and responsible inter- the United States.
agreed that all terrorist networks, na4onal conduct, and on the The two leaders affirmed that
including Lashkar e-Taiba, must basis of their shared values, India their countries’ common ideals,
be defeated and called for Pak- and the United States have complementary strengths and a
istan to bring to jus4ce the per- launched a dialogue to explore shared commitment to a world
petrators of the November 2008 ways to work together, as well as without nuclear weapons give
Mumbai a5acks. Building upon with other countries, to develop them a responsibility to forge a
the Counter Terrorism Ini4a4ve a shared vision for these cri4cal strong partnership to lead global
signed in July 2010, the two lead- domains to promote peace, secu- efforts for non-prolifera4on and
ers announced a new Homeland rity and development. The lead- universal and non-discriminatory
Security Dialogue between the ers reaffirmed the importance of global nuclear disarmament in
Ministry of Home Affairs and the mari4me security, unimpeded the 21st century. They affirmed
commerce, and free- the need for a meaningful dia-
dom of naviga4on, in logue among all states possessing
accordance with rele- nuclear weapons to build trust
vant universally and confidence and for reducing
agreed principles of in- the salience of nuclear weapons
terna4onal law, includ- in interna4onal affairs and secu-
ing the United Na4ons rity doctrines. They support
Conven4on on the strengthening the six decade-old
Law of the Sea, and interna4onal norm of non-use of
peaceful se5lement of nuclear weapons. They expressed
mari4me disputes. a commitment to strengthen in-
The transforma4on in terna4onal coopera4ve ac4vi4es
India-U.S. defense co- that will reduce the risk of terror-
opera4on in recent ists acquiring nuclear weapons or
years has strength- material without reducing the
ened mutual under- rights of na4ons that play by the
standing on regional rules to harness the power of nu-
peace and stability, en- clear energy to advance their en-
hanced both coun- ergy security. The leaders
tries’ respec4ve reaffirmed their shared dedica-
capaci4es to meet hu- 4on to work together to realize
manitarian and other the commitments outlined at the
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April 2010 Nu- the Chemical and discussed the need for Iran
clear Security India reaffirmed Weapons Con- to take construc4ve and immedi-
Summit to its unilateral and ven4on. Both ate steps to meet its obliga4ons
achieve the voluntary moratorium on countries af- to the IAEA and the UN Security
goal of secur-
nuclear explosive testing. firmed their Council.
ing vulnerable shared com-
nuclear mate- The United States reaf- mitment to
rials in the firmed its testing morato- promo4ng the Technology, Innova-
next four rium and its commitment to full and effec- tion and Energy
years. Both ratify the Compre- hensive 4ve imple- Recognizing that India and the
sides ex- menta4on of United States should play a lead-
pressed deep Test Ban Treaty and bring the CWC. ership role in promo4ng global
concern reit into force at an The two nonprolifera4on objec4ves and
garding illicit early date. leaders ex- their desire to expand high tech-
nuclear traf- pressed regret nology coopera4on and trade,
ficking and at the delay in Prime Minister Singh and Presi-
smuggling and resolved to star4ng nego4a4ons in the Con- dent Obama commi5ed to work
strengthen interna4onal cooper- ference on Disarmament for a together to strengthen the global
a4ve efforts to address these mul4lateral, non-discriminatory export control framework and
threats through the IAEA, Inter- and interna4onally and effec- further transform bilateral export
pol and in the context of the Nu- 4vely verifiable treaty banning control regula4ons and policies
clear Security Summit the future produc4on of fissile to realize the full poten4al of the
Communiqué and Ac4on Plan. material for nuclear weapons or strategic partnership between
The two sides welcomed the other nuclear explosive devices. the two countries.
Memorandum of Understanding India reaffirmed its unilateral Accordingly, the two leaders
for coopera4on in decided to take mu-
the Global Centre tual steps to expand
for Nuclear En- U.S.-India coopera4on
ergy Partnership in civil space, defense,
being established and other high-tech-
by India. nology sectors. Com-
Both sides ex- mensurate with India’s
pressed deep nonprolifera4on
concern about record and commit-
the threat of bio- ment to abide by mul-
logical terrorism 4lateral export control
and pledged to standards, these steps
promote interna- include the United
4onal efforts to States removing Indian
ensure the safety en44es from the U.S.
and security of bi- Department of Com-
ological agents and toxins. They and voluntary moratorium on nu- merce’s “En4ty List” and realign-
stressed the need to achieve full clear explosive tes4ng. The ment of India in U.S. export
implementa4on of the Biological United States reaffirmed its test- control regula4ons.
and Toxin Weapons Conven4on ing moratorium and its commit- In addi4on, the United States in-
and expressed the hope for a suc- ment to ra4fy the Compre- tends to support India’s full mem-
cessful BWC Review Conference hensive Test Ban Treaty and bring bership in the four mul4lateral
in 2011. The United States wel- it into force at an early date. export control regimes (Nuclear
comed India’s destruc4on of its The leaders reaffirmed their Suppliers Group, Missile Technol-
chemical weapons stockpile in ac- commitment to diplomacy to re- ogy Control Regime, Australia
cordance with the provisions of solve the Iranian nuclear issue, Group, and Wassenaar Arrange-
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ment) in a phased manner, and to ated their commitment to build
consult with regime members to The possibility strong India-U.S. civil nuclear en-
encourage the evolu4on of of cooperation ergy coopera4on through the
regime membership criteria, con- between the par4cipa4on of the U.S. nuclear
sistent with maintaining the core two nations in space, to energy firms in India on the basis
principles of these regimes, as advance scientific of mutually acceptable technical
the Government of India takes knowledge and human and commercial terms and condi-
steps towards the full adop4on of welfare, are without 4ons that enable a viable tariff
the regimes’ export control re- boundaries and limits. regime for electricity generated.
quirements to reflect its prospec- They commended their They noted that both countries
4ve membership, with both space scientists for had enacted domes4c legisla-
processes moving forward to- launching new initia- 4ons and were also signatories to
gether. In the view of the United tives in climate and the Conven4on on Supplemen-
States, India should qualify for weather forecasting tary Compensa4on. They further
membership in the Australia for agriculture, naviga- noted that India intends to ra4fy
Group and the Wassenaar tion, resource mapping, the Conven4on on Supplemen-
Arrangement according to exist- research and develop- tary Compensa4on within the
ing requirements once it imposes ment, and ca- coming year and is commi5ed to
export controls over all items on pacity building. ensuring a level playing field for
these regimes’ control lists. U.S. companies seeking to enter
Both leaders reaffirmed the con4nuing discus- the Indian nuclear energy sector,
assurances provided in the le5ers sions on and seek ways to collab- consistent with India’s na4onal
exchanged in September 2004 orate on future lunar missions, and interna4onal legal obliga-
and the End-Use Visit Arrange- interna4onal space sta4on, 4ons.
ment, and determined that the human space flight and data India will con4nue to work
two governments had reached an sharing, and to reconvene the with the companies. In this con-
understanding to implement Civil Space Joint Working Group text, they welcomed the com-
these ini4a4ves consistent with in early 2011. They highlighted mencement of nego4a4ons and
their respec4ve na4onal export the just concluded Implemen4ng dialogue between the Indian op-
control laws and policies. The Arrangement for enhanced mon- erator and U.S. nuclear energy
Prime Minister and President soon forecas4ng that will begin to companies, and expressed hope
commi5ed to a strengthened and transmit detailed forecasts to for early commencement of com-
expanded dialogue on export farmers beginning with the 2011 mercial coopera4on in the civil
control issues, through fora such monsoon rainy season as an im- nuclear energy sector in India,
as the U.S.-India High Technology portant example of bilateral sci- which will s4mulate economic
Coopera4on Group, on aspects of en4fic coop-
capacity building, sharing of best era4on advancing
prac4ces, and outreach with in- economic devel-
dustry. opment, agricul-
The possibility of coopera4on ture and food
between the two na4ons in security.
space, to advance scien4fic The two lead-
knowledge and human welfare, ers welcomed the
are without boundaries and lim- comple4on of
its. They commended their space steps by the two
scien4sts for launching new ini- governments for
4a4ves in climate and weather implementa4on of
forecas4ng for agriculture, navi- the India-U.S. civil
ga4on, resource mapping, re- nuclear agree-
search and development, and ment. They reiter-
capacity building. They agreed to
Featured Article
growth and mate Change prosperity and s4mula4ng global
sustainable de- Prime Minister (UNFCCC) in economic recovery and growth.
velopment and Singh and Presi- Mexico and They emphasize innova4on not
generate em- dent Obama cele- a ffi r m e d only as a tool for economic
ployment in brated the recent growth their support growth and global compe44ve-
both countries. in bilateral trade and infor the ness, but also for social transfor-
Just as vestment, characterized Copenhagen ma4on and empowerment of
they have by balanced and rapidly A c c o r d , people.
helped de- growing trade in which should Prime Minister Singh and
velop the goods and serv- contribute President Obama celebrated the
knowledge ices. posi4vely to recent growth in bilateral trade
economy, India a successful and investment, characterized by
and the United States resolved to outcome in Can- balanced and rapidly growing
strengthen their partnership in cun. To that end, the leaders wel- trade in goods and services. They
crea4ng the green economy of comed enhanced coopera4on in noted posi4vely that the United
the future. To this end, both the area of climate adapta4on States is India’s largest trading
countries have undertaken joint and sustainable land use, and partner in goods and services,
research and deployment of welcomed the new partnership and India is now among the
clean energy resources, such as between the United States and fastest growing sources of foreign
solar, advanced biofuels, shale India on forestry programs and in direct investment entering the
gas, and smart grids. The two weather forecas4ng. United States. The two leaders
leaders also welcomed the pro- agreed on steps to reduce trade
mo4on of clean and energy effi- barriers and protec4onist meas-
cient technologies through the Economic ures and encourage research and
bilateral Partnership to Advance Cooperation innova4on to create jobs and im-
Clean Energy (PACE) and ex- The two leaders stressed that prove livelihoods in their coun-
panded coopera4on with the pri- India and the United States, an- tries.
vate sector. They welcomed the chored in democracy and diver- They also welcomed expand-
conclusion of a new MoU on as- sity, blessed with enormous ing investment flow in both direc-
sessment and explora4on of enterprise and skill, and endowed 4ons. They noted growing 4es
shale gas and an agreement to with synergies drawn from India’s between U.S. and Indian firms
establish a Joint Clean Energy Re- rapid growth and U.S. global eco- and called for enhanced invest-
search Center in India as impor- nomic leadership, have a natural ment flows, including in India’s in-
tant milestones in their rapidly partnership for enhancing mutual frastructure sector, clean energy,
growing clean energy coopera-
4on.
The leaders discussed the im-
portance of working bilaterally,
through the Major Economies
Forum (MEF), and in the context
of the interna4onal climate
change nego4a4ons within the
framework of the UNFCCC to
meet the challenge of climate
change. Prime Minister Singh and
President Obama reiterated the
importance of a posi4ve result
for the current climate change
nego4a4ons at the forthcoming
conference of the United Na4ons
Framework Conven4on on Cli-
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energy efficiency, avia4on and mocra4zing access to informa4on their mee4ng is a historic mile-
transporta4on, healthcare, food and energizing civic engagement, stone as they seek to elevate the
processing sector and educa4on. support global ini4a4ves in this India-U.S. strategic partnership to
They welcomed the work of the area and share their exper4se a new level for the benefit of
U.S.-India CEO Forum to expand with other interested countries. their na4ons and the en4re
coopera4on between the two This will build on India’s impres- mankind. President Obama
countries, including in the areas sive achievements in this area in thanked President Pa4l, Prime
of clean energy and infrastruc- recent years and the commit- Minister Singh, and the people of
ture development. They also en- ments that the President made to India for their extraordinary
couraged enhanced engagement advance an open government warmth and hospitality during his
by Indian and American small and agenda at the United Na4ons visit. The two leaders looked for-
medium-sized enterprises as a General Assembly. The President ward to the next session of the
cri4cal driver of our economic re- and Prime Minister also pledged U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue in
la4onship. They looked forward to explore coopera4on in support 2011.
to building on these develop- of efforts to strengthen elec4ons
ments to realize fully the enor- organiza4on and management in India-U.S. trade
mous poten4al for trade and other interested countries, in- transactions
investment between the two cluding through sharing their ex- As part of the Na4onal Export Ini-
countries. per4se in this area. 4a4ve, President Obama noted
Taking advantage of the global that India — with its tremendous
nature of their rela4onship, and economic growth and its large
Partnership for recognizing India’s vast develop- and growing middle class — is a
Democracy and ment experience and historical key market for U.S. exports.
Development research strengths, the two lead- Those exports are genera4ng jobs
Consistent with their commit- ers pledged to work together, in in every corner of the United
ments to open and responsive addi4on to their independent States and across every major
government, and harnessing the programmes, to adapt shared in- sector. These involve some of our
exper4se and experience that the nova4ons and technologies and country’s largest companies, but
two countries have developed, use their exper4se in capacity also an increasing number of
the leaders launched a U.S.-India building to extend food security small and medium-sized enter-
Open Government Dialogue that to interested countries, including prises.
will, through public-private part- in Africa, in consulta4on with On the margins of the Presi-
nerships and use of new tech- host governments. dent’s trip, trade transac4ons
nologies and innova4ons, Prime Minister Singh and were announced or showcased,
promote their shared goal of de- President Obama concluded that exceeding $14.9 billion in total
value with $9.5 billion in U.S. ex-
port content, suppor4ng an es4-
mated 53,670 U.S. jobs. These
cross-border collabora4ons, both
public and private, underpin the
expanding U.S.-India strategic
partnership, contribu4ng to eco-
nomic growth and development
in both countries. Notable exam-
ples include:
L Heavy Transport Aircra :
The Boeing Company and the
Indian Air Force have reached
preliminary agreement on the
purchase of 10 C-17 Globe-
master III military transport
Featured Article
aircra$, and are now in the
process of finalizing the de-
tails of the sale. Once all have
been delivered, the Indian Air
Force will be the owner and
operator of the largest fleet of
C-17s outside of the United
States. Boeing, headquar-
tered in Chicago, Illinois, is the
aircra$ manufacturer. Boeing
reports that each C-17 sup-
ports 650 suppliers across 44
U.S. states and that this order
will support Boeing’s C-17
produc4on facility in Long
Beach, California, for an en-
4re year. This transac4on is
valued at approximately $4.1
billion, all of which is U.S. ex- fini4ve agreement for the sale ment from 240 suppliers
port content, suppor4ng an of 30 B737-800 commercial across the United States—an
es4mated 22,160 jobs. aircra$. SpiceJet currently op- es4mated 14 percent of
L Engine Sale for the Light erates 22 Boeing aircra$ and which are small- and
Combat Aircra : On October has several 737 deliveries re- medium-sized enterprises—
1,the General Electric Com- maining from previous agree- for every 9FA gas-fired tur-
pany, headquartered in Fair- ments. This new agreement bine, which are assembled in
field, Connec4cut, was will enable SpiceJet to offer Greenville, South Carolina.
declared the lowest bidder more domes4c routes and to The combined equipment
and selected to nego4ate a begin offering interna4onal and maintenance contracts
contract to provide the Indian flights to neighboring coun- are valued at approximately
Aeronau4cal Development tries. This transac4on is val- $750 million, with an es4-
Agency with 107 F414 en- ued at approximately $2.7 mated $491 million in U.S. ex-
gines to be installed on the billion, based on catalogue port content, suppor4ng an
Tejas light combat aircra$. prices, with an es4mated $2.4 es4mated 2,650 jobs.
Upon finalizing the contract, billion in U.S. export content, L Reliance Power and U.S. Ex-
General Electric’s facility in suppor4ng an es4mated Im Bank Agreement: Reliance
Lynn, Massachuse5s, and 12,970 jobs. Power Ltd., the flagship com-
other sites across the United L Gas and Steam Turbine Sale: pany of the Reliance Anil
States will be posi4oned to The General Electric Com- Dhirubhai Ambani Group, and
export almost one billion dol- pany, headquartered in Fair- the Export – Import Bank of
lars in high technology aero- field, Connec4cut, was the United States announced
space products. This selected to supply six ad- a Memorandum of Under-
transac4on is tenta4vely val- vanced class 9FA gas turbines standing (MOU). This MOU
ued at approximately $822 and three steam turbines for will indicate Ex-Im Bank’s will-
million, all of which is U.S. ex- the 2,500-megawa5 Samalkot ingness to provide up to $5
port content, suppor4ng an power plant expansion to be billion in financial support to
es4mated 4,440 jobs. constructed by Reliance Reliance Power for the pur-
L Commercial Aircra Sale : Power Ltd., a division of the chase of U.S. goods and serv-
Boeing Company, headquar- Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Am- ices to be used in the
tered in Chicago, Illinois, and bani Group, one of the largest development of up to 8,000
SpiceJet, a leading private air- conglomerates in India. Gen- megawa5s of gas-fired elec-
line in India, concluded a de- eral Electric purchases equip- tricity genera4ng units and up
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to 900 megawa5s of renew- the United States announced Jaiprakash Associates, a large
able (solar and wind) energy the approval of more than infrastructure conglomerate,
facili4es. $900 million in export finance the Robbins Company is al-
L Diesel Locomo)ve Manufac- guarantees to Sasan Power ready supplying high technol-
turing Venture : The United Ltd., a subsidiary of Reliance ogy tunnel-boring machines
States has worldwide leaders Power Ltd., suppor4ng the and technical assistance to
in diesel locomo4ve manufac- sale of U.S. mining equipment bore some of the longest un-
turing, and the Indian Min- and services from Bucyrus In- derground tunnels in the
istry of Railways announced terna4onal of South Milwau- world underneath a pro-
the prequalifica4on of the kee, Wisconsin, and other tected 4ger sanctuary in
sole two bidders—GE Trans- U.S. vendors, in associa4on Andhra Pradesh, which will in-
porta4on (Erie, Pennsylvania) with the 3,960-megawa5 crease irriga4on for the pro-
and Electro-Mo4ve Diesel (La- coal-fired Sasan power plant duc4on of co5on and other
Grange, Illinois)—for a ven- in Madhya Pradesh, India. agricultural products. The
ture to manufacture and This financial commitment Mumbai contract alone is val-
supply of 1,000 ued at $10 mil-
diesel locomo- lion, with $7
4ves over 10 million in U.S.
years. The es4- export content,
mated U.S. con- suppor4ng an
tent of this es4mated 35
contract is ex- jobs.
pected to exceed L Maha-
$1B. rashtra Home-
L Motorcycle As- land Security
sembly Plant: Pilot Projects :
Harley-Davidson Palan4r Tech-
Motor Company, nologies, a
headquartered in small Silicon
Milwaukee, Wis- Valley so$ware
consin, anno- development
unced that firm, an-
prepara4ons are underway to supports $641 million in U.S. nounced a strategic partner-
open a new plant in India for export content, suppor4ng an ship agreement with the
the assembly of Harley-David- es4mated 3,460 jobs. Maharashtra State Police, a
son motorcycles from U.S.- L Tunneling Equipment for Un- law enforcement agency in
built “complete knock-down” derground Water Channel : India, to conduct a pilot pro-
kits. This investment by the On July 22,Robbins Company, gram, whereby Palan4r’s end-
company entails job crea4on headquartered in Solon, Ohio, to-end analy4cal so$ware
in both the United States and announced an agreement pla3orm will be used on a
India, and it will allow the with UNITY-IVRCL, a large in- trial basis to iden4fy and alert
company to reduce the tariff frastructure engineering and authori4es to security threats
burden on its motorcycles for construc4on conglomerate, in order to help keep the ci4-
sale in the Indian market, to provide tunnel-boring ma- zens of Mumbai and Maha-
driving sales growth by mak- chines, conveyer equipment, rashtra safe.
ing its motorcycles more ac- and associated technical serv- L Medanta Duke Research In-
cessible to Indian consumers. ices for the construc4on of s)tute (MDRI) : Duke Medi-
L Sale of U.S. Mining Equip- tunnels to convey water for cine, located in Durham,
ment and Related Support the city of Mumbai. Sepa- North Carolina, one of the
Equipment : On October 21, rately, through a contract leading academic health sys-
the Export – Import Bank of signed in 2008 with tems in the United States, and
Featured Article
Medanta Medicity, located in mercializa4on is expected to communica4ons available for
Gurgaon, Haryana, a hospital result in licensing revenue for people who either could not
and medical research com- Duke Medicine. afford service or who live in
plex, are announcing a joint L Long-range Antenna System areas that lack coverage. The
venture agreement to launch for Rural Telecommunica- value of the ini4al trial equip-
the MDRI, a proof-of-concept )ons : SPX Communica4on ment is expected to generate
clinical research facility within Technology, a division of SPX approximately $1 million,
Medanta’s hospital. Duke Corpora4on opera4ng out of with 100 percent U.S. export
Medicine will provide scien- Raymond, Maine, is in the content, suppor4ng an es4-
4fic and opera4onal leader- final phase of the pilot de- mated 5 jobs.
ship, while Medanta will ployment of its long-range an- The pace of trade between
contribute financial resources tenna system with two the United States and India is ac-
and clinical and opera4onal leading Indian mobile opera- celera4ng. Between 2002 and
services. Duke Medicine also tors. This innova4ve technol- 2009, U.S. goods exports to India
will be partnering with Jubi- ogy has been shown to offer a quadrupled, growing from $4.1
lant Life Sciences, headquar- significantly greater coverage billion to more than $16.4 billion.
tered in U5ar Pradesh, to area. Once implemented, it is Through the first eight months of
conduct research studies and expected to create significant 2010, U.S. merchandise exports
co-develop promising discov- economies of scale, thereby to India totaled $12.7 billion, up
eries, with significant funding improving the economic via- 18 percent from the same period
and in-kind support provided bility of rural wireless net- in 2009. With economic growth
by Jubilant. Subsequent com- works and making wireless es4mates at about 9.7 percent in
12 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Featured Article
2010, India is a key market for the technologies. But Mr. Froman items, membership of these clubs
Obama Administra4on’s Na4onal said the U.S. would “encourage — “which will come in a phased
Export Ini4a4ve, which aims to the evolu4on of a membership manner” — will give New Delhi a
double U.S. exports in five years. criteria of these regimes consis- say in their rule-making process.
U.S., India ‘construc4ng paradigm tent with maintaining their core Under the terms of the NSG's
beyond Nuclear Non-Prolifera- principles.” 2008 waiver, India is today in the
4on Treaty' Asked how the United States anomalous posi4on of being obli-
In commi6ng itself to sup- and India hoped to square the cir- gated to abide by
por4ng India's full membership in cle of compulsory membership of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Nuclear Non-Prolifera4on The pace of
other mul4lateral export control Treaty that the NSG and other trade between
regimes, the Obama administra- cartels insist on, a senior Indian the United
4on has finally opened a door for official told The Hindu: “We are States and India is ac-
the country to transcend the legal construc4ng a paradigm beyond
celerating. Between
confines of a treaty that has de- the NPT.”
fined global a6tudes towards nu- Though President Barack 2002 and 2009, U.S.
clear weapons for over four Obama and his senior officials goods exports to India
decades: the NPT. had upset India over the past quadrupled, growing from
The American decision to year by signing on to calls at the $4.1 billion to more than
support India's membership in United Na4ons and elsewhere for $16.4 billion. Through
the NSG, the Missile Technology the universality of the NPT, Wash-
the first eight months of
Control Regime, the Australian ington is acutely aware that
Group and the Wassenaar India's accession to a treaty 2010, U.S. merchandise
Arrangement was made public on which would require it to give up exports to India totaled
Saturday by Deputy Na4onal Se- its nuclear weapons is an impos- $12.7 billion, up 18 per-
curity Adviser Mike Froman and sibility. It is in this light that Mr. cent from the same pe-
is condi4onal on these clubs de- Froman's reference to new mem- riod in 2009. With
ciding, by consensus, to change bership criteria acquires enor- economic growth esti-
their rules on who can join. mous significance.
mates at about 9.7 per-
“As the membership criteria of The Bush administra4on's ini-
these four regimes evolve,” said 4a4ves from 2005 to 2008 saw cent in 2010, India is a
Mr. Froman, “we intend to sup- the U.S. helping to peel away ex- key market for the
port India's full membership in port restric4ons that were never Obama Administration’s
them. And at the same 4me, originally a part of the NPT itself. National Export Initia-
India will take steps to fully adopt That is why the NSG was able to tive, which aims to dou-
the regime's export control re- give India an exemp4on from its
ble U.S. exports
quirements to reflect its prospec- export restric4ons without get-
4ve membership.” 4ng into the trickier issue of what in five years.
The current membership India's legal status in rela4on to
rules of the NSG, though not for- the treaty actually was. But with future guidelines that
mally stated, require adherence NSG membership essen4ally 4ed NSG and even MTCR members
to the Nuclear Non-Prolifera4on to the NPT, any new joining crite- may adopt without being part of
Treaty or a regional nuclear ria will effec4vely establish for their formal decision-making
weapons free zone (which in turn nuclear-armed India — in clearer process. The MTCR deals the ex-
requires NPT membership). And legal terms than anything else so port of missiles with a range
the same treaty requirement ap- far has done — a parallel status greater than 300 kilometres while
plies in the case of the MTCR and equivalent to that of the five nu- the Australian Group regulates
the Wassenaar Arrangement — a clear weapons states which are the export of materials that could
cartel of 40 states which governs part of the NPT. be used for manufacturing chem-
the export of conven4onal Apart from easing Indian ac- ical and biological weapons. ˜
weapons and dual-use goods and cess to sensi4ve high technology
Article
G-20 Seoul Summit 2010

G-20's Role in the
Post-Crisis World
U
Dr. Divya
The 2010 G-20 Seoul Sum- strengthen global financial safety strengthen global financial safety
mit was the fi%h mee4ng nets and financial sector reform, nets through four measures, in-
of the G-20 heads of gov- according to the joint commu- cluding the enhancement of the
ernment, to discuss the global fi- nique. Flexible Credit Line (FCL), the cre-
nancial system and the world "Strengthened global finan- a4on of the Precau4onary Credit
economy, which took place in cial safety nets can help countries Line ( PCL) as a new preventa4ve
Seoul, South Korea on November to cope with financial vola4lity, tool, the improvement of global
11–12, 2010. Korea was the first reducing the economic disrup4on capacity to cope with shocks of a
non-G8 na4on to host a G-20 from sudden swings in capital systemic nature, the dialogue to
Leaders Summit. The theme of flows and the perceived need for enhance collabora4on between
the summit was "G-20's Role in excessive reserve accumula4on," regional financing Arrangements
the Post-Crisis World." said the communique. and IMF.
The G20 leaders agree to The G20 countries will As the global economy be-
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Article
came more interconnected and tainable, and balanced global resenta4ves from other na4ons
integrated, the size and vola4lity growth and regional organiza4ons were
of capital flows increased signifi- L Strengthening the interna- invited to take part in the sum-
cantly. The increased vola4lity 4onal financial regulatory sys- mit.
was a source of instability during tem The South Korean govern-
the financial crisis. It even ad- L Modernizing the interna4onal ment declined to invite the
versely affected countries with financial ins4tu4ons Netherlands, which had been in-
solid fundamentals and the ef- L Global financial safety nets vited to a5end all four previous
fects were greater on those with L Development issues G20 summits. A Korean
more open economies. L The risk of a currency war spokesman said that "a certain
The G20 Summit also deliv- Representa4ves met in ad- region had been over-repre-
ered the core elements of the vance of the leaders' summit. sented" in the past; and for this
new financial regulatory frame- These sherpas were tasked to Asian summit, Singapore was in-
work to transform the global fi- dra% a closing statement for the vited.
nancial system. The G20 summit. The debate over cur- This was the first summit at
endorsed the landmark agree- rency exchange rates and imbal- which there were four women
ment reached by Basel Commit- ances was reported to have been among the leaders. In addi4on to
tee on Banking Supervision "heated." President Kirchner of Argen4na,
(BCBS) on the new bank capital Prime Minister Gillard of Aus-
and liquidity framework, which tralia, and Chancellor Merkel of
increases the resilience of the Attendance Germany, the president-elect of
global banking system. Par4cipants of the summit gather Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, accompa-
The leaders reaffirmed that for a conven4onal "family photo" nied her na4on's delega4on.
no firm should be too big or too The par4cipants of the Seoul The was the first G-20 summit for
complicated to fail and that tax- summit included the leaders and Australia's Prime Minister Gillard,
payers should not bear the costs representa4ves of core members who was only elected shortly be-
of resolu4on. Collec4vely, the G- of the G-20 major economies, fore the Toronto summit. This
20 economies comprise 85 per- which comprises 19 countries was also the first opportunity for
cent of global gross na4onal and the European Union which is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
product and 80 percent of world represented by its two governing of Singapore to listen and to
trade, including EU intra-trade. bodies, the European Council and make his voice heard at the G-20
A5ending the two-day Seoul the European Commission, Rep- leaders' mee4ngs.
Summit were leaders from the
G20 member countries, the Euro-
pean Union, the IMF, the World
Bank, the UN, the World Trade
Organiza4on, the OECD, the
African Union, and the Interna-
4onal Labor Organiza4on, as well
as from five non-G20 countries --
Ethiopia, Malawi, Singapore,
Spain, Vietnam.
Agenda
The summit leaders addressed
several mid- and long-term policy
issues, including
L Ensuring global economic re-
covery
L Framework for strong, sus-
Article
first half of next year on how to global financial crisis, and agree-
manage their current account ments to create a global financial
Legacies of the G20 surpluses or deficits, which would safety net, seek macroeconomic
Seoul Summit offer a solu4on to the currency policy coordina4on among differ-
The G20 Seoul Summit drew to a dispute. Although they managed ent countries, and get the ball
close on Nov. 12, 2010 with world to take one step further from the rolling on economic support for
leaders adop4ng a communiqué points agreed in Gyeongju, con- developing countries.
that contained new guidelines on crete agreements have been put Regarding a coopera4ve sys-
sustainable and balanced growth. off. tem for "sustainable and bal-
Agreements were reached on For Korea as the host, the re- anced growth" as agreed at the
various agenda items, but the sults leave something to be de- G20 Summit in Pi5sburgh last
search for a resolu4on to the cur- sired. But solving the currency year, world leaders included in an
rency dispute, which was the dispute and se6ng guidelines for annex to the communiqué policy
most important issue, was post- current account balances were pledges by individual countries
poned un4l the next G20 Summit not the only goals of the summit. for currency, trade, fiscal budgets,
in Cannes, France next year. Milestones were set by 4ghtened financial reforms and structural
The communiqué only says regula4ons to prevent another changes. Individual countries
G20 member countries vowed to
start "moving toward more mar-
ket-determined exchange rate
systems, enhancing exchange
rate flexibility to reflect underly-
ing economic fundamentals, and
refraining from compe44ve de-
valua4on of currencies." While
reconfirming the agreements
made at the G20 Finance Minis-
ters and Central Bank Governors
Mee4ng in Gyeongju last month,
it added a new pledge to enhance
"exchange rate flexibility."
The world leaders agreed to
come up with guidelines by the
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Article
have embarked on coopera4ve crisis and a sense of urgency perts.
efforts to correct the imbalances among G20 countries are dimin- While the Seoul declara4on
of the global economy. Policy rec- ishing. may fall short of expecta4ons in
ommenda4ons were made to The Seoul Summit was the the Western Hemisphere, with
4ghten regula4ons governing first G20 summit hosted by a some media calling it "toothless,"
large banks. country not in the old G7 that en- those in the emerging market
There was notable progress compassed the U.S., Japan, Ger- group seem to be rela4vely sa4s-
in the crea4on of a global finan- many, France, the U.K., Italy and fied with it.
cial safety net and providing sup- Canada. The foreign press said Adding some 12 more states
port for developing countries, the event was a "coming-of-age to the exis4ng G7 governance,
which had been proposed by ceremony" for Korea in the global the G20 structure was shaped to
Korea. World leaders fine-tuned arena. It was an historic event for be5er reflect a change in global
the Interna4onal Monetary a country that rose from the governance, be5er serving the in-
Fund's loan system so it can pro- ashes of war and colonial occupa- terest of emerging countries.
vide emergency rescue funds be- 4on to be able to provide the set- On the back of their be5er-
fore financial crises break out, 4ng for the discussion of global than-ever performance in terms
and they also agreed to boost co- economic policies. of economic and financial dimen-
opera4on between the IMF and Korea also demonstrated sions, emerging countries sought
regional financial safety nets. leadership by media4ng and fine- a bigger say in the global commu-
The first-ever G20 Business tuning conflic4ng issues between nity, which contributed to the
Summit was another notable major countries. It showed the birth of the G20 and further to
event. It was a5ended by 120 top world that it can play a central the Seoul Declara4on.
CEOs from around the world, and role in global diplomacy and was Despite some harsh cri4que
brought poli4cal leaders and a huge confidence builder. Those on the communiqué, it is hard to
business execu4ves under one are probably the biggest legacies deny agreements in Seoul is good
roof to discuss the direc4on the of the G20 Seoul Summit. news to emerging countries in
global economy should take. IMF Highlights of G20 Seoul Declara- many ways, or "big progress" as
stake reforms that were agreed in
Gyeongju last month are being
hailed as the first step toward
remapping the global power
structure.
The communiqué dubbed the
Seoul Declara4on contains meas-
ures to realize the agreements
reached during four G20 summits
that were held since November
2008, when the first summit was
held in Washington just a%er the
global financial crisis erupted.
While reflec4ng changing global
economic condi4ons since the fi- 4on the South Korean President has
nancial crisis, it also contains The long-awaited commu- put it.
measures aimed at embracing a niqué of the G20 Seoul Summit is
majority of the world's emerging announced, but didn't get to put
and developing countries. off controversies around the
Restructuring IMF
But it remains to be seen globe. Governance :
whether the G20 will truly be- Rather, the conflict over Changes Spread to
come the world's top economic major agenda items now evolved Substructure
decision-making body, because to contradictory evalua4ons over Achieving at the latest ministerial
consensus about the economic the outcome by media and ex- mee4ng a quota share shi% and a
Article
change in board composi4on, the governance, the recent IMF re- The currency standoff, de-
G20 got to guarantee emerging form indicates that the mood spite the official's comments, did
market and developing countries began to spread to the substruc- not seem to end even a%er the
with quota shares of over 6 per- ture from the top level," Yoon Gyeongju mee4ng, with the
cent and two seats at the Execu- said, evalua4ng the change as a quan4ta4ve easing of the U.S.
4ve Board. posi4ve sign. pumping more hot money into
In line with such moves, the Possibly with the help from a global financial markets and caus-
IMF's doubling quota was also renewed IMF, enabled by the ing vola4le moves in small-sized
agreed upon in Gyeongju, allow- G20's ac4ve interven4on, emerg- emerging markets.
ing the Fund with greater power ing economies are eyeing to Thus, the leaders con4nued
than ever. speak out in the global commu- the heated debate in Seoul,
Meanwhile, making the nity and to add more inputs in which gave birth to a new agree-
agreement more concrete, the terms of policy coordina4on. ment "to enhance exchange rate
G20 financial leaders were also flexibility to reflect underlying
specified a 4meline, recommend- economic fundamentals and re-
ing a review of the quota formula Forex Rate to Remain frain from compe44ve devalua-
by January 2013 and the next as Key Issue 4on of currencies."
general review by January 2014. Held amid a deepening conflict Although leaders once con-
All the amendments were en- over currency debates, the templated the controversial
dorsed at the IMF's board meet- Gyeongju mee4ng reached a phrase of "undervalua4on," the
ing, held a week ahead of the compromise on the exchange wording was changed at the last
Seoul Summit, brightening the rate issue, crossing out the term minute as its advocates seem-
process of IMF reform discussion "market-oriented exchange rate" ingly gave into requests from
on the summit discussion table. from the Toronto communiqué those who opposed the under-
Accordingly, on the Seoul and instead inser4ng a fresh term valua4on theory, local media re-
communiqué, more provisions of "market- determined exchange ports said.
were se5led regarding the issue,
recommending the IMF to report
on the progress to period G20
ministerial mee4ngs.
Concluding the Gyeongju
mee4ng, IMF Managing Director
Strauss- Kahn told reporters it
was the biggest-ever change the
Fund met with.
The chairman's remarks can
be interpreted in various view-
points, including that of global
governance.
"Over a long period of 4me,
the core of the global governance
has been dominated by advanced
na4ons," Yoon Deok-ryong, sen- rate." As for all the more controver-
ior research fellow and head of "Although changes seem triv- sial issue, indica4ve guideline, the
G20 research team at the Korea ial to many stakeholders, it is a Seoul communiqué stated that it
Ins4tute for Interna4onal Eco- dras4c change if seen from an should be composed of a range of
nomic Policy (KIEP), told Xinhua. economic perspec4ve," Lee indicators "to serve as a mecha-
"While the launch of the G20 Chang- yong, vice-chief of the nism to facilitate 4mely iden4fi-
system reflects that the growing G20 prepara4on commi5ee, ex- ca4on of large imbalances that
power of emerging countries plaining it narrowed room for au- require preven4ve and correc4ve
started being reflected in global thori4es to intervene. ac4ons," without clarifying the
18 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Article
components, or even possible According to
candidates. the Seoul Ac-
One important step forward 4on Plan,
over the issue can be the 4me emerging mar-
frame, making it mandatory for a ket economies
working group to develop more with "adequate
concrete versions of the guideline reserves and in-
and report it to the finance minis- creasingly over-
ters and central bank governors valued flexible
by the first half of 2010. exchange rates"
In light of such points, it may are allowed to
seem as if the Seoul communiqué conduct policy
does not contribute to ending the responses, in-
currency war or lead to any vir- cluding "care-
tual outcome at all, contrary to fully designed
what South Korean President told macro pruden-
the public in his closing remarks. 4al measures."
"The biggest harvest of the Earlier in
Seoul Declara4on is that we the day, at a
started linking the exchange rate briefing before
issue with trade imbalance, the release of
which is broader in scope and ad- the commu-
dresses the core of the problem," niqué, Shin
Lee Chang-yong told reporters, Hyun-song,
opposing against such views. senior advisor to the president, addresses countries with 'over-
"Unless we came up with the emphasized "macro pruden4al valued flexible exchange rates,'
idea of indica4ve guidelines re- policy frameworks to mi4gate the expanding the issue from ex-
garding trade imbalance, the cur- impact of excessive capital change rates to capital market
rency debate may have ended in flows," hin4ng that a major stability," added Lee.
a disrup4ve way," added Lee, change will be added to the state-
highligh4ng the currency debate ment regarding the issue.
can now be solved in a more The talks on macro pruden4al
macroeconomic approach policy frameworks regarding cap-
Emerging Market
through con4nued dialogue. ital overflows were brought to Friendly Korea
Whatever ra4onale is used to the discussion table in order to Initiatives
evaluate the results, it seems ob- address the perspec4ve of "South Korea, as chair, wants
vious the G20 leaders s4ll has a emerging countries in financial to be a representa4ve of emerg-
long way to go before it finally regulatory reforms, Shin said. ing countries," Sakong Il, presi-
hits a breakthrough in the debate Shin, however, warned that dent of the prepara4on
- either it is of exchange rate or the new recommendatory regu- commi5ee, repeatedly told re-
trade imbalance. la4on has li5le to do with capital porters before the Summit
control, but is more dealing with started.
financial market stabiliza4on, The chairman also pointed to
Macroprudential par4cularly of emerging markets. agenda items categorized as the
Policies Allowed in "The clause has reflected so- called Korea Ini4a4ves, devel-
Financial Market greater voice from the emerging opment and global financial
Added to the exchange rate market group," Lee Chang-yong safety nets (GFSN), through
clause on the Seoul Declara4on is said, pu6ng stress on the which the chair country sought to
a new concept of "macro pruden- change. reflect emerging countries' needs
4al measures," to which not "This clearly is 'shocking in the global agreements.
much a5en4on has been given. news' and a radical change, as it With respect to develop-
Article
system. It studies, reviews, and
promotes discussion (among key
industrial and emerging market
countries) of policy issues per-
taining to the promo4on of inter-
na4onal financial stability, and
seeks to address issues that go
beyond the responsibili4es of any
one organiza4on. With the G-20
growing in stature since the 2008
Washington summit, its leaders
announced on September 25,
2009, that the group will replace
the G8 as the main economic
council of wealthy na4ons.
The heads of the G-20 na-
4ons have met semi-annually at
ment, the leaders endorsed the emerging countries will con4nue G-20 summits since 2008. The
Seoul Development Consensus to be advocates of the G20 most recent was held in Seoul on
for Shared Growth and its Mul4- framework, with more power and November 11–12, 2010. Star4ng
year Ac4on Plan on Develop- benefits given to them through in 2011, G-20 summits will be
ment, both of which addresses the Seoul communiqué. held annually.
leaders' will to strengthen and
leverage development efforts.
Also, as for GFSN, the leaders G-20 Major Summits
accepted the mandate to en- Economies The G-20 Summit was created as
hance the exis4ng Flexible Credit The Group of Twenty Finance a response both to the financial
Line (FCL), while crea4ng the Pre- Ministers and Central Bank Gov- crisis of 2007–2010 and to a
cau4onary Credit Line (PCL) as a ernors (G20, Group of Twenty) is growing recogni4on that key
new, ex-ante tool. a group of finance ministers and emerging countries were not ad-
Newly added during the central bank governors from 20 equately included in the core of
Seoul talks was a provision to economies: 19 countries plus the global economic discussion and
allow " synchronized approval of European Union, which is repre- governance. The G-20 Summits
the FCLs for mul4ple countries, sented by the President of the of heads of state or government
by which a number of countries European Council and by the Eu- were held in addi4on to the G-20
affected by a common shock ropean Central Bank. Their heads Mee4ngs of Finance Ministers
could concurrently seek access to of government or heads of state and Central Bank Governors who
FCL." have also periodically conferred con4nued to meet to prepare the
While there has been opposi- at summits since their ini4al leaders' summit and implement
4on among some advanced mee4ng in 2008. Collec4vely, the their decisions. A%er the debut
countries, who argued the G-20 economies comprise 85% of summit in Washington, D.C. dur-
change may provoke a problem global gross na4onal product, ing 2008, G-20 leaders met twice
of moral hazard, South Korea 80% of world trade (including EU a year in London and Pi5sburgh
pushed through the deal, achiev- intra-trade) and two-thirds of the in 2009, Toronto and Seoul in
ing results obviously more bene- world popula4on. 2010.
ficial to small-sized, open The G-20 was proposed by Beginning in 2011, when
economies, officials said at a former Canadian Finance Minis- France will chair and host the G-
closed-door briefing. ter Paul Mar4n (later, Prime Min- 20, the summits will only be once
It is true some stakeholders ister) for coopera4on and a year. Mexico will chair and host
may not welcome the news from consulta4on on ma5ers pertain- the leader’s summit in 2012. ˜
Seoul, but one thing is clear: ing to the interna4onal financial
20 - 18
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Burmese General Election

Article
Now Burma is on Track of Democracy

Sant Prasad Gupta
Mul2-party general elec2ons countries have condemned the but since her husband is de-
were held in Burma (officially elec2ons as fraudulent. ceased, she would not appear to
Myanmar) on 7 November 2010, be barred on this basis. The
in accordance with the new con- United Na2ons, members of
s2tu2on which was approved in a Background ASEAN and Western na2ons have
referendum held in May 2008. Ar2cle 59F of the new cons2tu- insisted that the elec2ons will not
The date of the elec2on, 7 No- 2on bars from the Presidency be credible without the par2cipa-
vember, was announced by the (not public office in general) peo- 2on of Suu Kyi.
SPDC on 13 August. ple who are married to ci2zens of The Na2onal League for Democ-
The general elec2on forms states other than Myanmar. racy (NLD) had set a number of
the fi#h step of the seven-step Some commentators claim that condi2ons for par2cipa2ng in the
"roadmap to
democracy" pro-
posed by the State
Peace and Devel-
opment Council
(SPDC) in 2003,
the sixth and sev-
enth steps being
the convening of
elected represen-
ta2ves and the
building of a mod-
ern, democra2c
na2on, respec-
2vely. However,
the Na2onal
League for
Democracy boy-
co3ed the elec-
2on.
The Union Sol-
idarity and Devel-
opment Party
declared victory,
a#er at least two
opposi2on par2es conceded. The this means Aung San Suu Kyi will poll, including changes to the
United Na2ons and Western be unable to contest the elec2on, cons2tu2on to reduce the army's
Article
influence, interna2onal supervision for
free and fair polls, and freeing all po-
li2cal prisoners including Suu Kyi. Sen-
ior General Than Shwe, leader of the
ruling military junta, has pledged to re-
lease poli2cal prisoners in an amnesty
before the elec2on, though he has not
stated when this would occur. On 11
August 2009, Suu Kyi was sentenced to
imprisonment for three years with
hard labour over a trespass incident.
This sentence was commuted by the
military rulers to further house arrest
of eighteen months. The NLD later an-
nounced they would not take part in
the elec2on due to the elec2on laws.
Key ministries including jus2ce, de-
fence and the interior will remain
under the control of the military and
under the 2008 cons2tu2on, a quarter
of the 440 parliament seats will be re-
served for the military officials. People
holding military posi2ons are not per-
mi3ed to contest the elec2on; as such,
20 members of the junta, including
Prime Minister Thein Sein, re2red
from their posts to par2cipate in the
elec2on.
New election laws

The first of five elec2on laws was an-
nounced in March 2010, concerning
the crea2on of an elec2on commis-
sion. The Union Elec2on Commission
Law states that the military government will ap-
point all members of the commission and have
the final say over the elec2on results. Members
of the commission must be "an eminent person,
to have integrity and experience, to be loyal to
the state and its ci2zens". A 17-member elec2on
commission was later named, headed by a for-
mer military officer.
The second law bans anyone currently
serving a prison term from belonging to a poli2-
cal party, and therefore over 2,000 poli2cal pris-
oners will not be able to par2cipate, possibly
including Aung San Suu Kyi (depending on
whether her house arrest is deemed to fall under
the defini2on of "serving a prison term"). The Po-
li2cal Par2es Registra2on Law also bars members
22 - 18
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Article
of religious orders, members of boyco3 would play into the Five former members of the New
insurgent groups 'as defined by hands of the government. Mon State Party (NMSP) and five
the state' and foreigners from The government has estab- members of Mon Na2onal Demo-
joining poli2cal par2es. This sep- lished the Union Solidarity and cra2c Front (MNDF) together
ara2on of Buddhism and poli2cs Development Party, the succes- with five other Mon elites, who
is a long-standing feature of sor to the mass organiza2on make up the new party, founded
Burmese poli2cs, da2ng back to Union Solidarity and Develop- a 15-member commi3ee and
before independence, and was ment Associa2on, which claims later announced that they are not
incorporated in the 1947 inde- to have around half the popula- going to par2cipate in the up-
pendence Cons2tu2on at the re- 2on as members. The Na2onal coming elec2on.
quest of the monkhood. Unity Party, which contested the The Shan Na2onali2es
The other laws s2pulate that 1990 elec2on as the main pro- League for Democracy, a Shan po-
anyone currently serving a prison government party and won 10 li2cal party that came second in
term is barred from running or seats, has also registered to run. the 1990 elec2on, is par2cipa2ng
vo2ng in the elec2ons for the Reuters es2mates that six par2es in the elec2on as the Shan Na-
upper and lower houses. A 224- in total are allied to the govern- 2onali2es Democra2c Party.
member House of Na2onali2es ment. The SPDC has not answered
will have 168 elected candidates The new Democra2c Party, opposi2on calls to amend the
and 56 nominated by the military established by Mya Than Than 2008 cons2tu2on or state clearly
chief, while the 440-member Nu, the daughter of former Prime how the electoral process will be
House of Representa2ves will Minister of Burma, U Nu and Nay managed and the terms that new
have 330 elected civilians and Ye Ba Swe, the daughter of for- poli2cal par2es can organise. In a
110 military representa2ves. At mer Prime Minister Ba Swe, is speech to military re2rees, Than
the same 2me, the results of the aiming to take part in the elec- Shwe said that the transi2on to a
1990 elec2ons were annulled as 2on. Mya Than Than Nu will run parliamentary system meant var-
they did not comply with the new as General Secretary of the party. ious par2es with different opin-
elec2on laws. Media coverage of the party has ions would appear, but he
The new laws have been de- been banned by the military gov- warned that the new par2es
scribed as a "farce" by the Philip- ernment. should "avoid anything that leads
pines and a "mockery" by the Another new party is being to harming state interests".
United States. formed comprising members of a The cons2tuencies available for
ceasefire group and a party that contes2ng are 330 civilian seats
won seats in the 1990 elec2ons. in the House of Representa2ves
Political Parties
Par2es are required to have at
least 1,000 members to par2ci-
pate in the elec2on and had to
register by 6 June. 40 par2es have
been approved by the Electoral
Commission to contest the elec-
2ons, some of which are linked to
ethnic minori2es.
The Na2onal League for
Democracy, which overwhelm-
ingly won the previous 1990 elec-
2ons but were never allowed to
take power, decided not to par2c-
ipate. Nonetheless, some senior
members have formed the Na-
2onal Democra2c Force to con-
test the elec2ons, claiming that a
Article
Monitors
Burma barred for-
eign observers and
the interna2onal
media from the elec-
2on. The elec2on
commission chief,
Thein Soe, did add,
however, that diplo-
mats and represen-
ta2ves from UN
organisa2ons in the
country would be al-
lowed to observe
the elec2on. He jus-
2fied the decision
saying "We are hold-
ing the elec2on for
this country. It's not
(out of 440) and 168 civilian seats The Chinese Foreign Ministry for other countries
in the House of Na2onali2es (out spokeswomen, Jiang Yu, com- ... We will have credibility a#er
of 224). The remaining seats are mented on the elec2on during holding the elec2on in front of all
designated for military officials Than Shwe's visit to China. "The the people."
and to be selected by the military interna2onal community can pro-
chief. vide construc2ve help and refrain
During an East Asian summit from any nega2ve impact on the Election
in Vietnam, Foreign Minister domes2c poli2cal process of The elec2on was held amid 2ght
Nyan Win confirmed Than Shwe Myanmar and on regional peace security. Ini2al reports pointed to
would not be running in the elec- and stability." a light turnout across the country,
2on. The following day, US Secre- possibly as low as 20% in some
tary of State Hillary Clinton spoke areas, and the possibility of irreg-
to the US Senate Appropria2ons ulari2es. The Guardian reported
External Political Commi3ee Subcommi3ee on that independent local observers
Responses State and Foreign Affairs where were repor2ng "widespread
The United Na2ons has ex- she men2oned that the trial voter in2mida2on and bribery" in
pressed concern about the fair- against Aung San Suu Kyi was al- the elec2on.
ness of the elec2on and United legedly "baseless charges." She The Union Solidarity and De-
Na2ons Secretary-General Ban Ki- also added that the government velopment Party (USDP) took 80
moon expressed "grave concern" was "con2nuing resistance to a percent of the seats that were up
that Aung San Suu Kyi would not free and open electoral process. for elec2on. The two largest op-
be released before the elec2on If they stay on the track they're posi2on party, the Na2onal Dem-
and thus it would "lack credibil- on, their elec2ons in 2010 will be ocra2c Front and the Democra2c
ity." He accused the government totally illegi2mate and without Party (Burma) conceded defeat,
of being "slow and incomplete" any meaning in the interna2onal however, along with four other
to meet poli2cal commitments, community." UK Foreign Minister opposi2on par2es, filed formal
and said it was "deeply frustrat- William Hague said that "holding complaints about fraud with the
ing" that the government would flawed elec2ons does not repre- elec2on commission.
not hold talks with the "interna- sent change." On November 11, state radio
2onal community." announced the results for 147
24 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Article
a week a#er the south-east Asian
na2on's first general elec2on in
two decades?" One such reason
was because the NLD's boyco3
may have failed if it does not play
the right cards in dealing with at
least a semblance of an elected
opposi2on in a "semi-legi2mate"
parliament. Pending her release
from jail, the poli2cal atmos-
phere would have changed be-
cause of a new military
leadership that may not be as
"cosmopolitan" and "prac2cal" in
cons2tuencies in the Lower Myanmar in implemen2ng the dealing both with her and exter-
House, with the USDP winning seven-step road map in the tran- nal players. The Bri2sh ambassa-
133. The USDP won 81 of 86 si2on to an elected government, dor to Myanmar, Andrew Heyn,
races newly announced for the and thus is welcome." also said: "What they [the junta]
Upper House. India was conspicuously do when Suu Kyi is released will
The new and previously an- silent with segments of the In- send a message. She is well in-
nounced results show the USDP dian media ques2oning if princi- formed and commi3ed and
gained majori2es in both houses ple gave way to expediency. wants to stay involved."
of parliament: 190 out of the 219 Russian Foreign Minister
(86%) seats announced for the Sergey Lavrov welcomed the vote
330-seat lower house, and 95 out and characterized it as a "step Key facts about
of 107 (88%) seats announced for forward in the democra2sa2on of Myanmar
the 168-seat upper house. Burmese society."
During a speech to the Indian Myanmar's military rulers freed
parliament, US President Barack long-detained Nobel Peace Prize
Reactions Obama said of the elec2on that laureate and democracy cam-
Than Nyein, the chairman of the "When peaceful democra2c paigner Aung San Suu Kyi on Nov
Na2onal Democra2c Force, movements are suppressed – as 13, 2010 a#er her house arrest
claimed the elec2on was marred in Burma – then the democracies term expired.
by irregulari2es. "We have our of the world cannot remain silent Here are some key facts
evidence. Some candidates com- ... It is unacceptable to steal an about Myanmar, a resource-rich
plained ... because there was elec2on as the regime in Burma former Bri2sh colony that has
vote chea2ng." Khin Maung Swe, has done again for the world to spent most of its post-indepen-
the leader of the opposi2on Na- see." dence history under authoritar-
2onal Democra2c Force alleged: ian military dictatorships.
"We took the lead at the begin- COUNTRY NAME: It was
ning but the USDP later came up Analysis changed last month to the Re-
with so-called advance votes and The relevance of Aung San Suu public of the Union of Myanmar.
that changed the results com- Kyi was ques2oned in light of the Previously it was the Union of
pletely, so we lost." elec2on. Prior to the elec2on, she Myanmar, having been changed
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- was regarded to be "the icon of from the Union of Burma in 1989
moon claimed vo2ng condi2ons the country's struggling democ- in what the junta said was to ap-
had been "insufficiently inclusive, racy movement" outside the pease minority non-Burman eth-
par2cipatory and transparent." country. It was asked that follow- nic groups. A new flag and
The People's Republic of ing the elec2on: "How much na2onal anthem were also intro-
China's Foreign Ministry said the power and reach would she s2ll duced last month.
elec2on was "a cri2cal step for have to rally her followers barely POPULATION: About 50 mil-
Article
lion: es2mates vary from 48 mil- tary one of Asia's largest a#er tary have le# Myanmar with neg-
lion to 58 million. The biggest China and India. The military re- ligible growth, rampant infla2on
ethnic group is Burman (about 68 lies mostly on older Russian and and a currency, the kyat, consid-
percent), followed by Shan (9 Chinese technology and enjoy a ered worthless outside the coun-
percent) and Karen (7 percent). huge slice of the na2onal budget. try. Myanmar has undergone a
The popula2on is mostly Ther- ECONOMY : Long-isolated big sell off of hundreds of state
avada Buddhist (89 percent), the Myanmar joined the Associa2on assets in recent months, but the
rest being Chris2an, Muslim, of South East Asian Na2ons process has been highly opaque
Hindu and animist. (ASEAN), comprising its major and it appears most have ended
AREA : At approximately trade partners, in 1997. It em- up in the hands of junta cronies.
678,000 sq km (261,800 sq barked on a market economy in POLITICS : Myanmar has
miles), it is the second largest 1988 a#er 26 years of central faced poli2cal and economic iso-
country in Southeast Asia. Less planning. Though impoverished, la2on since the military refused
than two percent of land is under Myanmar is rich in natural re- to recognize the results of a dem-
permanent crops and pasture. sources, including petroleum, ocra2c elec2on in 1990, won by
About 15 percent is arable. natural gas, 2mber, 2n, zinc, cop- Suu Kyi pro-democracy Na2onal
Forests make up nearly 50 per- per and precious stones. The League for Democracy.
cent. economy relies heavily on the ex- It held its first elec2on since
BORDERS : Myanmar has port of natural gas, agricultural, then. The parliamentary poll was
borders with Bangladesh (193 marine and forest products and won convincingly by the military-
km, 120 miles), China (2,185 km, tex2les. Its biggest trade partners backed Union Solidarity and De-
1,360 miles), India (1,463 km, 910 are Thailand, China and India. velopment Party, whose victory
miles), Laos (235 km, 145 miles) The country's proven gas re- will ensure the armed forces has
and Thailand (1,800 km, 1,120 serves doubled in the past control of the new legislature.
miles). It also has nearly 2,000 km decade to 570 billion cubic me- Cri2cs say the poll was hugely
(1,240 miles) of coastline on the ters, equivalent to almost a fi#h flawed and the poli2cal process is
Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. of Australia's, according to the BP a facade of democracy that will
CAPITAL : Naypyitaw. In 2005, Sta2s2cal Review. Revenues from bring no real change to the status
the military government moved those reserves are 2ghtly held quo.
the capital 390 km (240 miles) among the ruling military elite Foreign donors are reluctant
north from colonial-era Yangon whose cronies dominate other to help Myanmar, saying its
(formerly known as Rangoon) to businesses. human rights record is abysmal.
remote, purpose-built Naypyitaw. There are few accurate eco- Many Western countries, includ-
However, Yangon remains the nomic sta2s2cs available and the ing members of the European
economic hub. country has a large black-market Union, the United States and Aus-
ARMED FORCES : Ac2ve economy. Independent econo- tralia, maintain economic and
forces es2mated at 375,500 in mists say decades of corrup2on military sanc2ons on the country,
2006, making the country's mili- and mismanagement by the mili- but they could be reviewed now
that Suu Kyi, who has reversed
her pro-sanc2ons stance, has
been released.
Neighboring China is its
biggest poli2cal and economic
ally and has capitalized on the
West's reluctance to trade with
the junta. It relies heavily on
Myanmar for its energy needs
and has ensured the regime has
its backing in the interna2onal
arena. ˜
26 - 18
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XVI
Asian
Games
2010 eat sports event
Asi an gr
s ful l y e n de d
succ e s
T
Avadhesh Kumar Pandey
he 2010 Asian Games, have enforced new hos4ng rules Guangzhou was awarded the
also known as the XVI for future games, beginning with right to host the Games on July 1,
Asiad, is a mul4-sport the 2014 Games. 2004, as the sole bidding city. This
event in Guangzhou, China that came a%er the withdrawal of sev-
began on 12 November and fin- eral ci4es, Amman, Kuala Lumpur
ished on 27 November 2010. and Seoul. The games were also
Guangzhou is the second Chinese be co-hosted by Dongguan, Fos-
city to host the Games, a%er Bei- han and Shanwei, the three
jing in 1990. A total of 476 events neighbouring ci4es.
in 42 sports have been contested
by athletes, making it the largest
event in the history of the Organisation
Games. It was also be the last it- Bid
era4on of the Games to have fea- On July 1, 2004, The Guangzhou
tured such big events, as the was awarded the right to host the
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Games; the decision was an-
Article
nounced
in Doha, Qatar. This
decision came a%er several other
ci4es withdrew due to separate Yangyang ,
reasons. Seoul withdrew a%er and are a play on
considering the short span of Guangzhou's nickname, "City of
4me between 2002 and 2010, ex-
Goats". Moreover, the Chinese penditure at
because South Korea hosted the character "yang," or "goat," is
2002 Games eight years before in about US$420 million and
also an auspicious symbol be- revenue at US$450 million.
Busan. Kuala Lumpur was forced cause, when read together, the
to withdraw its bid a%er it was On October 13, 2010, Mayor of
Chinese names of the five rams Guangzhou Wan Qingliang offi-
boyco5ed by the cabinet due to are a message of blessing, liter-
the high cost of hos4ng the cially revealed in a press confer-
ally meaning "harmony, bless- ence that the total cost of staging
Games, leaving Guangzhou as the ings, success and happiness".
sole bidder. the Asian Games and Asian Para
Games is about ￥122.6 billion
($17 billion), with ￥109 billion
Costs
Marketing Several statements were made
spent on infrastructure, ￥6.3 bil-
The 2010 Asian Games' official lion on the venues and some
prior to the official statement ￥7.3 billion spent on Games' op-
emblem was unveiled at Sun Yat- about the cost. On March 11,
sen Memorial Hall on November era4on.
2005, Lin Shusen of the
26, 2006. It is a stylized goat, Guangzhou Municipal Commi5ee
which, in Chinese tradi4on, is a
blessing and brings people luck. It
of the Communist Party of China Venues
(CPC) said the Games "will not There were 53 compe44on ven-
is also a representa4ve symbol of cost more than ￥2 billion", in
the host city Guangzhou, which is ues and 17 training venues avail-
stark contrast to an earlier report, able for the Games, with four
called the "City of Rams" or "City which had claimed that the cost
of the Five Rams". venues held outside the
could exceed ￥200 billion. Guangzhou. These include the
Five sporty rams, dubbed "Le In March 2009, the director of
Yangyang," will serve as the mas- Asian Games Town, which con-
the marke4ng department of the sists of the Athletes' Village, Tech-
cots of the Games. They were un- Games, Fang Da’er, claimed that
veiled on April 28, 2008 at the nical Officials' Village, Media
the Games were short of funds, Village, Main Media Center and
Guangzhou Baiyun Interna4onal due to lack of sponsorship and
Conven4on and Exhibi4on Cen- Interna4onal Broadcast Center.
the global financial crisis. An in- Organisers revealed that the total
ter. The five rams are named A formal es4mate put the Games'
Xiang, A He, A Ru, A Yi and Le investment is over ￥15 billion.
28 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Article
two other ci4es Sports
off Guangdong Compared to the 28 events in the
are 30 days. The Olympic Games, the 2010 Asian
flame of the Games were featured 42 events
torch was lit in throughout the 16 days of the
the Great Wall compe44on, with added disci-
of China on Oc- plines in some events. 28 and five
tober 9, 2010, gold medalists are emerged dur-
and travelled ing the opening day and final day
around the respec4vely, while a total of 48
Temple of gold medalists have been
Heaven in Bei- awarded on November 25, 2010,
jing. 21 ci4es the most in single day.Twenty20
were present in cricket was among the debutant
On April 19, 2009, organisers the list of relay, sports, with dance sport, dragon
chose Haixinsha Island, along with 2,010 torchbearers expected boat, weiqi and roller sport
with the Pearl River, as the venue to carry it from October 12 to No- added as unique to the Games.
for the opening and closing cere- vember 12, 2010; however, two Bodybuilding was dropped due to
monies, the only venue which not ci4es were added later in the judging controversy in the 2006
serve as purpose for compe44on. route for a single day on October Games.
The official theme song was 15, 2010, the host of 2007 Asian
released on September 30, 2010, Winter Games and 2012 Asian
and is called "Reunion" (in Chi- Beach Games, making the num- Participation
nese, "Chongfeng"), and was ber of torchbearer increase to All 45 members of Olympic Coun-
composed by Wu Liqun, with 2,068 people. cil of Asia par4cipated in the
lyrics wri5en by Xu Rongkai, The relay in Harbin was held Games. All Na4onal Olympic
while the English version was in the main venue of the 1996 Commi5ees were ordered to
translated by Chen Ning Yang, a Asian Winter Games, the Harbin have submi5ed their entry before
Chinese-American physicist, and Ice Hockey Rink, while the relay September 30, 2010. Organisers
his wife, Weng Fan. The song was allow each
also performed by Sun Nan and NOC to submit
Bella Yao. Sun Nan then per- addi4onal en-
formed it again with Mao Amin tries and in-
for a music video. j u r y
replacements
a%er the dead-
Torch relay line. A%er the
Two torch designs were short- final registra-
listed in September 2009 for the 4on deadline,
2010 Asian Games. A design some 9,704
named The Tide was chosen over athletes, as
one named Exploit by the organ- well as some
isers as the torch of the Games. 4,750 team of-
The Tide weighs 98g and is 70 cm ficials, took part in the Games, an
long, and is tall and straight in on October 22, 2010 was affected increase of 184 athletes from pre-
shape, while dynamic in terms of by Typhoon Megi as it was held vious Asian Games in Doha. Ac-
image. under the rain. The relay from cording to the Games' official
The torch relay route was un- November 6–8 was acted as website, Kuwai4 athletes par4ci-
veiled on March 4, 2010. For fi- demonstra4on relay. pated the Games under the
nancial reasons, the torch relay Olympic flag because the Kuwait
dura4on around Guangdong and Olympic Commi5ee was sus-
Article
pended due to poli4cal interfer-
ence in January 2010.
Cricket Absences
Cricket was among the five debu-
tant sports in the Games. How-
ever, India, despite its historical
record, decided not to send its
cricket team to the Games. Ac-
cording to the Board of Control
for Cricket in India, the decision
was due to earlier "interna4onal
commitments". However, its
main rivals, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka, confirmed their par4cipa-
4on.
HISTORY
mutual understanding. During
the 1948 Summer Olympics in
London, a conversa4on between
Asian Games Prior Formation sportsmen from China and the
The Asian Games, officially Before the Asian Games were Philippines raised the idea of
known as Asiad, is a mul4-sport held, there was a gathering restoring the Far Eastern Games.
event held every four years known as the Far Eastern Games However, the Indian Interna4onal
among athletes from all over which was first mooted in 1912 Olympic Commi5ee representa-
Asia. The Games were regulated between Empire of Japan, the 4ve Guru Du5 Sondhi thought
by the Asian Games Federa4on Philippine Islands and China. The that the restora4on of the Games
(AGF) from the first Games in first Games were then held in would not be sufficient to show
New Delhi, India, un4l the 1982 Manila in 1913 and ten further the spirit of unity and level of
Games. Since the 1982 they have gatherings were held un4l 1934. achievement in Asian sports, so
been organised by the Olympic However, against the backdrop of proposed to sports leaders the
Council of Asia (OCA), a%er the the second Sino-Japanese War in idea of having discussions about
break up of the Asian Games Fed- 1934, in the face of Japan's insis- holding a wholly new compe4-
era4on. The Games are recog- tence on including Manchu Em- 4on — the Asian Games. This
nised by the Interna4onal pire as compe4tor na4on in the gave rise to the agreement to
Olympic Commi5ee (IOC) and are Games, China announced its form the Asian Athle4c Federa-
described as the second largest withdrawal from par4cipa4on. 4on. A preparatory commi5ee
mul4-sport event a%er the The Games scheduled for 1938 was set up to dra% the charter for
Olympic Games. were cancelled and the organisa- this new body. On 13 February
Thailand has hosted four 4on was discon4nued therea%er. 1949, the Asian Athle4c Federa-
Asian Games, more than any 4on was formally inaugurated in
other na4on, a%er twice having New Delhi, alongside the name
secured the Games from crisis. In Formation Asian Games Federa4on, with
its history, only nine na4ons have A%er World War II, a number of New Delhi announced as the first
hosted the Asian Games. 46 na- Asian countries became inde- host city of the Asian Games
4ons have par4cipated in the pendent. Many of the newly in- which were scheduled to be held
Games, including Israel, which dependent Asian countries in 1950.
was excluded from the Games wanted to see a new type of com- In the event, the planned first
a%er their last par4cipa4on in pe44on where Asian dominance Asian Games were delayed un4l
1974. would not be shown by violence 1951 due to prepara4on prob-
but would be strengthened by lems. However, they were suc-
30 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Article
cessfully organised from 4-11 land to administer the Games governing bodies protest the ban,
March 1951 with 489 athletes again in Bangkok using funds like IAAF, threaten to barred the
from 11 countries taking part. transferred from South Korea. par4cipated players from 1980
The Games grew from one meet- Prior to the Games, Japan was Summer Olympics, this cause
ing to the next. In 1958, the asked to host the Games, but de- several teams withdrew prior to
mo5o "Ever Onward" was offi- clined due to Expo '70 in Osaka. the Games.
cially announced as the official This edi4on also marked the first Following this series of crises,
slogan of the Games. 4me the Games have a television the Na4onal Olympic Commi5ee
broadcas4ng throughout the in Asia decided to revise the con-
world. In 1974, the Games for- s4tu4on of the Asian Games Fed-
Crisis, Reorganisa- mally recognized the par4cipa- era4on. A new associa4on,
tion, Expansion 4on of China, North Korea and named the Olympic Council of
Star4ng in 1962, the Games were Mongolia. Israel was allowed to Asia, was created in November
hit by several crises. First, the par4cipate despite the opposi- 1981 with the exclusion of Is-
host country Indonesia, refused 4on from Arab World, while Tai- rael.[19] India was already sched-
to permit the par4cipa4on of Is- wan was permi5ed to take part uled to host the 1982 Games and
rael and the Republic of China despite its status was abolished in the OCA decided not to drop the
due to poli4cal and religious is- general mee4ng on November old AGF 4metable. The OCA for-
sues. As a result, the IOC re- 16, 1973 by Games Federa4on. mally supervised the Games
moved its sponsorship of the The last is 1978, Singapore star4ng with the 1986 Asian
Games and terminated Indonesia dropped its plan to the Games in Games in South Korea. In the suc-
as one of the IOC members. The 1973 due to financial problems. ceeding Games, Taiwan (Republic
Asian Football Confedera4on And then Islamabad also dropped of China) was re-admi5ed, but
(AFC), Interna4onal Associa4on its plan to host the Games in compete with the name Chinese
of Athle4cs Federa4ons (IAAF) 1975 due to financial crisis and Taipei.
and Interna4onal Weightli%ing poli4cal issues. 1978 Asian In 1994, the Games were first
Federa4on (IWF), also removed Games was in jeopady of dying. 4me included the na4ons of for-
their recogni4on of the Games. Thailand offered to help and the mer Republics of the Soviet
In 1970, South Korea Games were once again held in Union of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan,
dropped its plan to host the Bangkok. However once again, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and
Games declined due to na4onal like in 1962, Taiwan and Israel Tajikistan. Also to note it is the
security crisis, however the main were refused the par4cipa4on by first 4me that the Games were
reason was due to financial crisis, Games Federa4on, amid poli4cal held outside the capital city of
forcing the previous host Thai- issues and security fears. Several host country. However, Iraq was
suspended from the Games due
to Gulf War in 1990, while North
Korea boyco5ed the Games due
to rela4on problems. It is also
marred by the death of Nepalese
delega4on Nareshkumar Adhikari
during the Games's opening cere-
mony. The 1998 Games marked
the fourth 4me held in Bangkok,
Thailand in history. Differ to De-
cember 6 as opening ceremony
date to previous three occasions
on December 9, the Games were
closing on same day all 4me, De-
cember 20, while all opened by
Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Article
Future Changes
The number of compe44on
events is scheduled to shrink
down to just 35 sports at the
2014 Games to be held in In-
cheon, South Korea. 2014 will
also see the Games hosted in
even-numbered year, as the
Olympic Council of Asia pushed
the subsequent Games to just
one year ahead of the Olympic
Games. This means the 18th
Asian Games which were origi-
nally planned for 2018 will be
pushed to 2019.
the organisers due to incident in In 2007, the President of OCA,

Participation 1972 Summer Olympics. Israel is Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-
All 45 members affiliated to now a member of the European Ahmed Al-Sabah, rejected the
the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Olympic Commi5ees (EOC). proposal to allow Australia to
are eligible to take part in the Due to its con4nuing ambigu- par4cipate in the Games. He
Games. In history, 46 Na4onal ous poli4cal status, Taiwan has stated that while Australia would
Olympic Commi5ees (NOCs) par4cipated in the Games under add good value to the Asian
have sent compe4tors to the the flag of Chinese Taipei since Games, it would be unfair to the
Games. Israel has been excluded 1990. Macau is allowed to com- other NOCs in Oceania.
from the Games since 1976, the pete as one of the NOCs in Asian Only seven countries, namely
reason cited as being due to se- Games, despite not being recog- India, Indonesia, Japan, the
curity reasons. Israel requested nised by the Interna4onal Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore
to par4cipate in the 1982 Games, Olympic Commi5ee (IOC) for par- and Thailand have competed in
but the request was rejected by 4cipa4on in the Olympic Games. all edi4ons of the games. ˜
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Strategy for Civil Services

Article
Preliminary Examinaon
Changes in syllabus and pa0ern from 2011
By: Dr. Sachchidanand
A
s per the decision of Gov- brought to the no/ce of the - Physical, Social, Economic
ernment of India, there prospec/ve candidates intending geography of India and the
shall be change in the syl- to appear at the Civil Services Ex- World.
labus and pa0ern of the Prelimi- amina/on (CSE) in 2011 onwards: L Indian Polity and Governance
nary Examina/on from 2011 in – Cons/tu/on, Poli/cal Sys-
the scheme of the Civil Services tem, Panchaya/ Raj, Public
Examina/on. The Preliminary Ex- Paper I - (200 marks) Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
amina/on shall now comprise of Duration: Two Hours L Economic and Social Develop-
two compulsory Papers of 200 L Current events of na/onal ment – Sustainable Develop-
marks each and of two hours du- and interna/onal importance ment, Poverty, Inclusion,
ra/on each. Detailed below is the L History of India and Indian Demographics, Social Sector
new syllabus and pa0ern of the Na/onal Movement Ini/a/ves, etc.
Preliminary Examina/on, which is L Indian and World Geography L General issues on Environ-
Article
mental ecology, Bio-diversity focus on general studies. It re- need for studying an op/onal
and Climate Change - that do quires early prepara/on and a re- subject has been dispensed with
not require subject specializa- laxed approach. for the preliminary. But they have
/on The recent announcement of the to complete two op/onal sub-
L General Science. new syllabus for Civil Services jects for the mains. So balancing
Paper II- (200 marks)

Duration: Two hours
L Comprehension
L Interpersonal skills including
communica/on skills;
L Logical reasoning and analy/-
cal ability
L Decision making and problem
solving
L General mental ability
L Basic numeracy (numbers
and their rela/ons, orders of
magnitude etc.) (Class X
level), Data interpreta/on
(charts, graphs, tables, data
sufficiency etc. -Class X level) Preliminary Examina/on 2011 by the main and prelims in the com-
L English Language Compre- the Union Ministry of Personnel, ing months will be the challenge
hension skills (Class X level). Public Grievances and Pensions is before them.
L Ques/ons rela/ng to English likely to create ji0ers among as-
Language Comprehension pirants.
skills of Class X level (last item A closer look at the syllabus Analysis of the
in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will and pa0ern of the examina/on changes in IAS
be tested through passages men/oned in the text only Exams Syllabus
from English language only stresses the need for more focus Paper I is worth 200 marks and
without providing Hindi on general studies and revision of has been allo0ed two hours. Ear-
transla/on thereof in the mathema/cs learned at the sec- lier the pa0ern was 150 marks for
ques/on paper. ondary school level. Aspirants an- the general studies. In paper I,
L The ques/ons will be of mul- alyzing recent ques/on papers of candidates will be tested on their
/ple choice, objec/ve type. other examina/ons conducted by knowledge of current events of
L The prospec/ve candidates the UPSC will have a be0er un- na/onal and interna/onal impor-
are advised to note that no derstanding of the new pa0ern tance. Emphasis will be on Indian
changes are being introduced and syllabus. history, Indian na/onal move-
at this stage in the Civil Serv- According to Union Ministry ment, Indian and world geogra-
ices (Main) Examina/on and of Personnel, Public Grievances phy, including the physical, social
Personality Test in the and Pensions, the Civil Services and economic geography of India
scheme of Civil Services Ex- Preliminary examina/on will con- and the world.
amina/on (CSE). sist of two papers with a total of The candidates can start
400 marks. This is different from prepara/on as soon as possible
the earlier pa0ern that had one by reading newspapers and other
What strategy should op/onal subject paper along with periodicals to enrich their knowl-
be adopted? a general studies paper. edge of current affairs. Ques/ons
Modifica/on made to the new Herea er, the civil services on current affairs are likely to play
syllabus of Civil Services Prelimi- aspirants can be much more re- a key role in scoring the required
nary Examina/on 2011 has more laxed in their approach as the marks in the new pa0ern. Ques-
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Article
/ons will also be asked on Indian demographics and social sector though the previous ques/ons
polity and governance as well as ini/a/ves. NCERT books will pro- asked by the UPSC for other ex-
the Cons/tu/on, the poli/cal sys- vide a chunk of answers to ques- amina/ons such as NDA, par/cu-
tem, panchaya/ raj, public policy /ons pertaining to general issues larly those conducted recently.
and rights issues. on environmental ecology, bio-di- Spending at least six hours a
Apart from NCERT books, the versity, climate change and gen- day for solving such ques/ons is
Union government publica/ons eral science. Candidates are crucial. Analysing the previous
that have informa/on on latest advised to revise the class X Eng- ques/ons of examina/ons con-
developments on these subjects lish language books for English ducted by Reserve Bank of India
are also important. India 2011 language comprehension skills of and other banks is also likely to
year book published by the Publi- Paper II. Appropriate IGNOU throw light on the new pa0ern of
ca/on Division, Ministry of Infor- study material on interpersonal examina/on.
ma/on and Broadcas/ng may skills, including communica/on
con/nue to be of use to answer a skills may be useful.
large number of ques/ons. The Study material used by aspi- What has not
new system is going to iden/fy rants of banking services are changed in the new
the comprehensive knowledge of enough to tackle ques/ons on syllabus?
an aspirant and his / her ability to logical reasoning and analy/cal Some things which many candi-
apply it in decision making. The ability, decision making and prob- dates for the IAS exam were fear-
focus will be more on tes/ng the lem solving as well as general ing have fortunately remained
personality of the candidate. mental ability. Class X books of untouched. Here is a short list.
NCERT should be studied in detail Age limit remains 30 yrs. Older
for solving ques/ons on basic nu- candidates can heave a sigh of re-
Study Material meric skills such as numbers and lief. Number of a0empts have not
Candidates will have to prepare their rela/ons, orders of magni- been reduced. So those on the
for ques/ons on economic and tude and data interpreta/on. 3rd and 4th a0empts can rejoice.
social development, sustainable Solving the paper is likely to IAS mains exam pa0ern has not
development, poverty, inclusion, be easy for the aspirants who go been changed from 2011 but will
be changed a er a
few years most
probably.
The name of the
exam. This is the
biggest joke.
Everyone roo/ng
for CSAT and all
those who started
web sites on this
/tle might be curs-
ing themselves
now. General
Studies paper or
Paper 1 is more or
less the same.
Only thing is that
mental ability has
now been in-
cluded in Paper 2
instead.
Article
papers with more
ques/ons in less
/me (just two
hours). So /me
management will
be the most crucial
factor in IAS pre-
lims from now on.
Also, the second
paper will be
tougher for those
who ignored men-
tal ability and were
never too keen on
data analysis and
logical reasoning.
These cannot be
skipped any longer
but will need to be
a0empted in order
to clear the IAS
prelims. Candi-
Benefits ference now than in the past dates from non-English back-
Candidates who were against where op/onals could be cracked ground will face a tough
UPSC's scaling system due to vari- simply by mugging up the coach- challenge as there will be English
able difficulty level of op/onal ing class notes. Now paper 2 will comprehension passages and no
papers can feel happy now as op- require individual efforts rather transla/on will be provided for
/onals have been removed from than coaching notes. the same so they need to be read
2011 IAS prelims. As both papers in English only. Ques/ons on
will be common to all, there will inter-personal skills and commu-
be fair play and equal opportu- Challenges nica/on skills will test a candidate
nity to all candidates. From now GS has always been a tough further and only those who are
on what you score is what you paper to clear and now candi- good at both can now answer
see in terms of final results dates will have to clear two GS ques/ons confidently. ˜
(whether qualified or not for IAS
mains). Candidates who could
not mug up or rote will also cheer
the changed IAS syllabus as now
wide studies on different topics is
required and second paper will
focus on decision making, logical
reasoning, mental ability, English
comprehension.
None of these can be
mugged up but have to be prac-
/ced, understood, tackled using
common sense and presence of
mind but not mugging up. Finally,
candidates who haven't taken
coaching can also feel relieved as
coaching will make less of a dif-
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Article
Indo-Afghan
Relation
Reaching out to Afghanistan
Dr. Sachchidanand
I
ndia and Afghanistan are mul2ethnicity and pluralism and peaceful and stable Afghanistan
building a partnership be- the common quest of our peo- is in India’s interest, as also the in-
tween the world’s largest ples for peace and development. terests of the region and the
and most recent democracies. India has been one of World. The trauma and the de-
Both countries are composed of Afghanistan’s foremost develop- struc2on Afghanistan faced in the
myriad tradi2ons and are joined ment partners since end-2001. 1990s requires a comprehensive
together by history and civilisa- India shares the collec2ve effort to rebuild and reconstruct
2onal contacts. Their close rela- commitment of the interna2onal a war torn society and economy.
2ons are based on cultural community to the unity, integrity India as a close neighbour and
affini2es, the shared values of and prosperity of Afghanistan. A friend has sought to play its role
Article
in this effort. ples for peace and development by war.
India’s expanding partnership have ensured that the rela2on- With the fall of the Taliban
with Afghanistan has grown into ship between our two peoples re- regime, India immediately
mul2-sectoral ac2vi2es in all mains warm and friendly. A prime reached out to the friendly peo-
parts of Afghanistan. India’s re- example of India’s partnership ple of Afghanistan involving itself
construc2on and developmental with the people of Afghanistan is with its civilian prowess: helping
programmes in Afghanistan fol- the construc2on of a 218-km Afghanistan reconstruct itself, re-
low priori2es of the Afghan Gov- road between Delaram in build its sha3ered economy, in-
ernment and people. These Afghanistan to Zaranj on frastructure and ins2tu2ons, help
encompass educa- Afghans find a place
2on, medical services, for themselves, free
transport, telecom- of externally-imposed
munica2ons, civil avi- extremist religious
a2on, agriculture, ideology. As a large,
irriga2on, power gen- diverse, mul2cultural
era2on, industry, and and mul2-ethnic
rural development. country with a millen-
India is building in nia-old ethos of toler-
Afghanistan struc- ance, India supported
tures from public toi- the Afghans in mak-
lets to transmission ing their own reli-
lines. gious, social and
A strong poli2cal economic choices.
rela2onship under- Over the years,
writes this partner- India has become the
ship. Afghanistan’s border with Iran sixth largest donor in
One of India’s important in- which began in 2005. The road Afghanistan, with a bilateral assis-
frastructure projects in South- was an ambi2ous project and tance programme of $1.3 billion.
Western Afghanistan, the would link up to the “garland” The bo3omline for Indian proj-
highway from Zaranj to Delaram, highway stretching all the way to ects is that they have to benefit
was inaugurated by President Kabul. The road would be the common man, and benefit all
Hamid Karzai and India’s External Afghanistan’s “lifeline” to Iran, sec2ons of the society.
Affairs Minister Pranab Mukher- giving the land-locked country an
jee on 22nd January, 2009. Built extra avenue to reach out.
at the cost of precious Afghan Over the next few years, India Go to school,
and Indian lives lost in the course and Afghanistan to3ed up a grim beat the hunger
of its construc2on, the highway is sta2s2c: roughly one human life The Indian assistance programme
a symbol of India’s commitment was lost to Taliban a3acks for can be broadly classified into four
to Afghanistan. every 1.5 km of road built. But categories. The first is humanitar-
when Pranab Mukherjee, then ian, which includes medical and
External Affairs Minister, handed food assistance. Among the first
India in Afghanistan over the road to Afghan President things that India sent to
India and Afghanistan are not just Hamid Karzai in January 2009, Afghanistan in the winter of
neighbours, joined together by India kept the faith with almost a 2001-2002, was protein-for2fied
history and civilisa2onal contacts dozen Indians and 130 Afghans biscuits. These were high-protein
stretching over the millennia, but who sacrificed their lives during biscuits sent via the World Food
also strategic partners. Our close the project. Programme, which had the salu-
rela2ons are based on cultural It was the strongest tes2- tary effect of sending children,
affini2es, the shared values of mony to India’s commitment to par2cularly girls, back to school in
mul2ethnicity and pluralism and helping Afghanistan find its feet various parts of Afghanistan, be-
the common quest of our peo- a#er decades of being ba3ered cause these biscuits provide chil-
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Article
dren the necessary nutrients to because India’s efforts in those be3er off to make the trek
prevent short-term hunger and Afghanistan are not aimed at un- to India for further, more sophis-
encourage school a3endance. dermining anybody. The bo3om- 2cated treatment. In 2009, over
Every day, over 2 million chil- line for India’s involvement 310,000 Afghans, par2cularly
dren get a supply of 100 gms of remains the fact that India con- women and children have
these for2fied biscuits under the siders extremist ideologies to be trekked long distances to avail of
WFP’s School Feeding Pro- very dangerous and a na2onal se- free medical treatment.
gramme. It started, ironically, curity threat. To that extent, India The Indira Gandhi Ins2tute
with a resource crunch by the wants to u2lize its development for Child Health (IGICH) in Kabul
WFP - India suggested conver2ng programme in Afghanistan to is a unique treasure - the largest
its wheat dona2on into high-pro- (deny such ideologies space to pediatric hospital in Afghanistan.
tein biscuits. It was done by an In- grow) help Afghanistan stabilize With a three-storied surgical
dian biscuit company, and started and emerge as an economic hub block (completed in 2005), a
a trend. By 2008-09, 32,000 tons linking South and Central Asia polyclinic and now a diagnos2c
of biscuits were supplied to chil- through a network of trade and block with CT scan and MRI facil-
dren in 33 out of 34 provinces in transit linkages that would bene- i2es, this is an important part of
the country. fit the people of the en2re re- Kabul’s health infrastructure. To
In January 2009, as gion. the extent that Kabul doctors
Afghanistan ba3led with a food (many being trained by the All
crisis, India announced assistance India Ins2tute of Medical Sci-
of 250,000 metric tons of wheat, Humanitarian ences) actually asked Indian engi-
of which 150,000 tons would add Assistance neers to change the colour of the
to Afghanistan’s strategic re- In 2002, when Afghanistan was walls from the standard issue
serves. The grain could not be s2ll in the throes of war, India had pale green to a bright and happy
transported overland through rushed across 13 doctors and pink!
Pakistan because of that coun- paramedics,
try’s intransigence, even in a hu- which went on
manitarian ma3er of this nature. to give ar2ficial
Transporta2on proved to be a lo- limbs to war-
gis2cs nightmare, because the wounded and
only alternate route would have landmine vic-
involved movement by sea to Iran 2ms throughout
and then overland to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, by the same road Since then, 5 In-
that India built. dian medical
Foreign secretary, Nirupama missions have
Rao elaborated on the ra2onale been at work in
behind India’s assistance to Kabul, Herat,
Afghanistan. “India is engaged in Jalalabad, Kan-
developmental and humanitarian dahar and
work to assist the Afghan people Mazar-e-Sharif
as they build a peaceful, stable, a3ending to pa-
inclusive, democra2c and plural- 2ents and giving
is2c Afghanistan. The landscape out medicines
of destruc2on must change. India to over 30,000
neither sees Afghanistan as a bat- pa2ents every
tleground for compe2ng na2onal month. They
interests nor assistance to Afghan target the poor-
reconstruc2on and development est sec2ons of
as a zero sum game.” society, even as
It is an important statement, they facilitate
Article
Afghans understand their na2on land prices there have gone up
and future best. now, while the popula2on of
Security imperatives Zaranj town increased from
Foreign Secretary Rao stressed 55,000 in 2004 to over 100,000
the security impera2ves that un- Roads to a better today. Buses and taxis are always
derline India’s development assis- future on the road, and the journey,
tance in Afghanistan. “The The Zaranj-Delaram highway will which was comparable to a bone-
security of Afghanistan and what be a true logis2cal boon when it crushing ride of over 12 hours,
happens there impacts us, as a connects up to the Chahbahar now takes barely more than a
country in the region, as a close port in Iran. That will give couple of hours. Trucks and con-
neighbour whose 2es with the Afghanistan a shorter access to tainers are the heaviest users, as
Afghan people stretch into an2q- the sea, increase its a3rac2ve- was expected, averaging over 50
uity. A stable and se3led ness as a trade and transit hub as trucks a day, which also means
Afghanistan, where the higher customs rev-
rank and file of the Tal- enues at Zaranj.
iban has given up vio- As External Af-
lence against the fairs Minister S.M Kr-
government, and the ishna said in January,
people, cut all links “Afghanistan should
with terrorism, sub- emerge as a trade,
scribe to the values of transporta2on and
the Afghan Cons2tu- energy hub linking
2on and its laws, and together the coun-
where development is tries of the region,
the hard ra2onale, is from Central to
what we seek and South Asia. Unfet-
quest for. It is impor- tered transit and
tant also that for such transport linkages
a structure to be b e t w e e n
durable and enduring, Afghanistan and the
Afghanistan’s neigh- countries of SCO and
bours, and regional SAARC could provide
partners, will need to larger markets for
be in the picture – Afghan products.
both by consulta2on Growing economic
and by adherence to interdependence
the principle of non-inter- could catalyze peace
ference in the country’s affairs, well. and prosperity in the region at
ensuring that it thrives as a trade But quite apart from the large and in Afghanistan in par2c-
and transit hub for the region, highway, Indian teams have built ular.”
and by eradica2ng transna2onal 58 km of inner-city roads, 40 km
terrorism.” in Zaranj, 10 km in Gurguri and 8 Powering lives
Underlining the Indian pres- km connec2ng Gurguri to Razai. In 2005, India began construc2on
ence is India’s strong poli2cal The road building itself was a of an ambi2ous project – a 220
partnership with the Afghan gov- huge exercise in logis2cs: 339 en- KV double circuit transmission
ernment. India has stood solidly gineers and workers from India line (202 km) from Pul-e-Khumri
behind the government, under- and many more in Afghanistan to Kabul and a sub-sta2on in
taking its development projects were involved. But they kept Chimtala near Kabul. The line tra-
only in consulta2on with the Gov- costs down – the project cost a versed heavily snowed-in areas
ernment and as per the wishes of mere $150 million. and passes over the Salang range
its people. India is convinced that As a result of the highway, at a height of 4000 m. The project
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Article
had been turned down as being changes, studies etc with the In- olence - Kunar, Nangarhar, Pak2a,
too difficult by other countries, dian Elec2on Commission. Pak2ka, Khost, Nimroz, Nooris-
but it took intrepid engineers tan, Badakshan, Balkh and Kanda-
from India to step up to the task. With the people, har.
Kabul was lit up with electricity by the people The first Mughal emperor
from Uzbekistan with this project The most innova2ve assistance Babur’s tomb in Kabul is a special
in summer of 2009. External Af- projects by India are not the big tourist draw. India responded to
fairs Minister SM Krishna said, dams or highways. Its the “small requests from two specific NGO-
“This is an outstanding example and community-based develop- supported projects each catering
of regional and interna2onal co- ment projects” or SDPs that India to different socio-economic
opera2on in Afghanistan.” has spread out across some of needs.
Meanwhile, a#er being re- the worst militancy-affected dis- With the Turquoise Mountain
quested by the Afghan govern- tricts in Afghanistan. Founda2on, India is contribu2ng
ment, India started construc2on Started in 2005, these are to renegera2on of Murad Khane,
of the Salma Dam Power project small-scale, quick-impact projects the oldest surviving part of the
on river Hari Rud east of Herat. in sectors like agriculture, rural historic city on the north bank of
This will be commissioned in development, educa2on, health, the Kabul river. It is a unique ef-
2011 and will provide 42 MW voca2onal training, with budgets fort to preserve Afghanistan’s
electricity. of less than $1 million. This is past because this area contains
A#er the presiden2al elec- how they work: let’s say, a village some of the finest surviving 18th
2ons of 2004, the Afghan cons2- wants a school building, or five and 19th century homes in Kabul,
tu2on struck roots and the need tube wells, or a small bridge. including the Ziarat of Abu Fazl.
was felt to build a parliament These projects are based on what This should not only help to pre-
building that would be the ex- the local people want and o#en serve Afghan history and culture
pression of Afghan’s democra2c executed by local contractors. but also provide avenues for in-
processes. In 2005, Zahir Shah, India funds them and provides come through tourism.
Baba-e-Millat laid the founda2on technical assistance. This means In Balkh, India is sharing its
stone of the building. Among the development ini2a2ves are or- best prac2ces in micro-finance
art that will decorate the building ganic and villagers take owner- though self-help groups, which is
will be examples of Gandhara ship of both concep2on, and helping to mobilise rural people
school of Buddhist art, emphasiz- execu2on. into common interest groups to
ing Afghanistan’s ancient histori- These are designed as quick- promote savings and build entre-
cal moorings. The design was impact projects typically taking preneurship based on the experi-
approved by Afghan designers, not more than between 6-12 ences in Tamil Nadu and Madhya
but the contours are clear: the months. Most of these projects Pradesh. At the end of the project
Kabul building, unlike the one in have been undertaken in the period, over 75000 people should
Delhi, the Kabul building will have provinces worst hit by terrorist vi- have been mobilised and 15,000
three blocks, housing two houses jobs created.
of parliament and a secretariat. SEWA (Self Em-
The Wolesi and Meshrano Jir- ployed Women’s
gas have maintained regular con- Associa2on),
tacts with the Indian parliament, India’s largest
while officials are being trained in union of self-em-
India’s Bureau of Parliamentary ployed women is
Study and Training. impar2ng voca-
In fact, as India’s coopera2on 2onal training to
with Afghanistan matures, India 1000 women in
is now turning to assist building the Community
ins2tu2ons within the country. Learning and Busi-
For instance, the Afghan Elec2on ness Resource
Commission has regular ex- Centre at Bagh-e-
Article
Zanana in Kabul. how Afghans
Most of the women being saw the
trained are war widows, illiterate world. India is
and des2tute. They are being by far the
trained in making garments, em- most popular
broidery, building nurseries, plan- country in
ta2ons, greenhouse plants and Afghanistan.
food processing. Interes2ngly More re-
they are being trained, not by In- cently, an-
dians, but by 32 Afghan master other opinion
trainers who have been trained poll commis-
by SEWA. sioned by the
Since 2007, Indian civil ser- BBC, ABC and
vants have been deputed to ARD found
Afghan government departments programmes in agriculture and that India had the highest cache
to assist in capacity building of related areas.” across all ethnic groups in
professional bureaucra2c skills in India is now a favoured des2- Afghanistan. India topped the list
public administra2on. They guide na2on for Afghan students, which of countries viewed favourably by
and develop training modules for is helped by Indian assistance to- Afghans at 71% outstripping
Afghan administrators - they nei- wards Afghan capacity building. other countries and organiza2ons
ther advise nor perform line func- More than 1300 scholarships
2ons - thereby maintaining under the ITEC programme and
India’s resolve that the develop- the ICCR are being offered annu- Security imperative
ment be Afghan-led and Afghan- ally to Afghans in different disci- for development
owned. India has also conveyed plines for capacity building. As analysts see it, India at present
its strong support to depu2ng In- provides the crucial second 2er of
dian experts as part of UNDP’s a counter-insurgency strategy of
Na2onal Ins2tu2on Building Proj- Hear Afghans say it “clear, hold, build and transfer,”
ect in Afghanistan (NIBP). (or sing it!) with India providing the last two.
It would be impossible to talk of But all of this is being done at
India building equi2es in India’s own expense, without
Continue Support Afghanistan without acknowledg- being part of an interna2onal
In April, 2010, Prime Minister ing the influence of India’s music, consor2um, and within India’s
Manmohan Singh told Afghan films and TV soaps, which are means. India reckons this will be
President Karzai that India was quite popular in Afghanistan. It the most important facets of re-
“ready to augment its assistance was the Amir Khan starrer Bolly- building Afghanistan, and be3er
for capacity building and for skills wood blockbuster, Lagaan, that a integra2on with SAARC.
and human resources develop- post-war Afghanistan asked for. Ul2mately, of course, this de-
ment to help strengthen public India shipped over numerous velopment can only bear fruit if
ins2tu2ons in Afghanistan.” copies of the movie which the interna2onal community ad-
In January, 2010, at the Lon- restarted Afghanistan’s love affair equately assists the Afghans in
don Conference, External Affairs with India’s films and then moved addressing the challenge of secu-
Minister Krishna announced India over to Indian soap operas. The rity and stability. The principal
would provide 100 fellowships Afghan version of the wildly pop- problem here is that Taliban are
“every year for the next five years ular TV reality show, American coming from an unending well of
for Afghans to pursue Masters Idol, has Afghan par2cipants militants, funded, armed and
and PhD programmes in Indian singing Hindi songs! given sanctuary outside
universi2es (in agriculture stud- In November 2009, Gallup Afghanistan. That’s the core prob-
ies). We will also support sending Survey polled Afghans for their lem that the world needs to ad-
200 fresh students to India each opinions on a variety of subjects, dress. ˜
year, for five years, for degree but what was most revealing was
42 - 18
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Article
Malawian President
visit to India
A
t the invita2on of the of Vice-President Hamid Ansari in Malawi. Malawi had opened its
President of India Smt. January 2010. Mission in Delhi in February,
Pra2bha Devisingh Pa2l, Both the countries planned on 2007.
the President of Malawi His Excel- measures to boost bilateral trade The Malawian side recalled
lency Ngwazi Prof. Bingu wa that currently stands at 185 mil- the recent visit of the Vice-Presi-
Mutharika undertook a State Visit lion US dollars. dent of India, Shri Hamid Ansari,
to India from November 2 - 7, to Malawi in January 2010. That
2010. H.E. Prof. Mutharika was visit served to revitalise India’s re-
accompanied by Madame Callista Joint Statement la2onship with Malawi by estab-
Mutharika & 6 ministers and a During the visit, both sides lishing high level poli2cal contact,
45-member business delega2on. agreed to strengthen the histori- increasing development cooper-
During the visit H.E. Prof. cal and friendly rela2ons be- a2on and crea2ng a larger matrix
Mutharika held frui1ul discus- tween India and Malawi. The of economic engagement. Grants
sions with the President of the Indian Prime Minister announced of US $ 5 million offered at that
Republic of India, the Vice Presi- the reopening of the Indian mis- 2me to support Malawi’s devel-
dent Shri Hamid Ansari, and the sion in Lilongwe. The Malawian opment of the social sectors are
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan side welcomed this ini2a2ve of under u2lisa2on. Projects under
Singh. During talks, the two sides India and saw in it the manifesta- the line of credit of US $ 50 mil-
discussed issues of mutual inter- 2on of a clear desire to enhance lion have been iden2fied and a
est- bilateral as well as regional engagement between India and loan agreement could be signed
and interna2onal.
Mutharika and Pa2l
have discussed a wide
range of subjects of bilat-
eral interest covering eco-
nomic coopera2on, trade
and investment, infrastruc-
ture, mining, coal, agricul-
ture, micro, small and
medium enterprises, and
human resource develop-
ment. India provided a line
of credit of 30 million US
dollars to Malawi in 2008
that was used for irriga2on,
grain storage and tobacco
threshing.
Another line of credit of
50 million US dollars was
announced during the visit
Article
soon. A protocol for Consulta- special grant of US $ 5 million for
2ons between the Ministry of capacity building in Malawi in-
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of cluding the establishment of a
Malawi and the Ministry of Exter- small industry incubator.
nal Affairs of the Republic of India The Indian Prime Minister
was signed to strengthen diplo- stated that he was happy to note
ma2c rela2ons between the two that Malawi had acceded to the
countries. Consulta2ons under Duty Free Tariff Preference
this were held between the two Scheme offered by India for 33
Foreign Ministries in October Least Developed Countries in
2010. Africa to provide greater market
The Indian leaders felicitated access. Malawi welcomed this
the President of Malawi for his opportunity to enhance her ex-
successful leadership of the ports. It was par2c-
African Union. India commi3ed
itself to con2nue to enhance co- cisions of India-Africa Forum India supports
opera2on and support the devel- Summit. India commi3ed itself to human resource
opment of Africa. The Malawian further expansion of such facili- development and
2es in the future.
side noted with sa2sfac2on the capacity building in Malawi
India supports human re-
strengthening of 2es between through the ITEC/SCAAP
source development and capacity
India and the African Union, es-
building in Malawi through the Programme. After the
pecially a"er the India Africa
ITEC/SCAAP Programme. A"er India-Africa Forum Sum-
Forum Summit -2008. The Indian
the India-Africa Forum Summit mit 2008, India enhanced
Prime Minister emphasised that
India looks forward to the next 2008, India enhanced the training the training slots for
India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) slots for Malawi from 15 to 30 in Malawi from 15 to 30 in
to be held next year in Africa. The 2008-09 and subsequently to 36 2008-09 and subsequently
Malawian President welcomed in 2010-11. Since 2002-03, over to 36 in 2010-11.
the ini2a2ve and its next summit 100 Malawian na2onals have
in Africa. He noted that India’s ca- availed of the civilian training fa-
pacity building support to Africa cili2es in India, including through ularly noted that Malawi
was contribu2ng to the develop- the Special Courses organised had increased its capacity to pro-
ment of Africa’s future and the during IAFS-2008. India has also duce pulses which were finding
growing economic engagement offered several new scholarships greater market access in India. It
for mutual benefit was widely to Malawi under the decisions of was agreed to pursue sustainable
welcomed in Africa. It was also the India Africa Forum Summit trading rela2onships by finding
noted that India has offered to for use by Malawian students. complementari2es among our
establish 20 capacity building in- Malawi thanked India for ex- economies.
s2tu2ons in Africa including 4 Pan tending two lines of credit to- The bilateral trade between
African ins2tu2ons. talling US $ 80 million so far to India and Malawi in 2009-10 has
India and Malawi a3ach great support its developmental goals. increased by almost 100 per cent
importance to the expansion of It was using the credit for devel- since 2008-09. Imports from
opportuni2es for human re- oping agriculture, the greenbelt Malawi to India have shown a re-
source development in Africa. ini2a2ve and the one-village-one- markable growth during this pe-
Malawi welcomed the doubling product schemes which have riod, increasing from US $ 7
of scholarships, the increase in contributed to the fulfilment of million in 2008-09 to US $ 103
India Technical and Economic Co- Malawi’s development goals. million in the year 2009-10. Both
opera2on (ITEC) training posi- India has offered a special credit sides reiterated the need to fur-
2ons, the introduc2on of C.V. line of US $ 100 million to further ther increase trade between the
Raman Science Scholarship support Malawi’s developmental two countries as well as expand
Scheme emana2ng from the de- priori2es. India has also offered a the trade basket of products and
44 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Article
to increase bilateral trade to $ Hospital, Lilongwe and Tele-edu- interna2onal terrorism, Climate
300 million by 2013. ca2on facility at the Chancellor Change, WTO, reform of interna-
The Malaw-
ian side com-
mended the Pan
Africa e-Network
Project of Gov-
ernment of India
to facilitate tele-
educa2on, tele-
medicine and
video-conferenc-
ing facili2es be-
tween India and
Africa. This proj-
ect has been
completed in
Malawi at three
sites - VVIP Video
Conferencing fa-
cility in Lilongwe,
Tele-medicine fa-
cility at the Ka-
muzu Central
College, Zomba. The project was 2onal financial ins2tu2ons, com-

The bilateral officially launched on 16 August, ba2ng diseases, eradica2on of
trade be- 2010. hunger and poverty and promo-
tween India Leaders on both sides noted 2on of inclusive democra2c soci-
and Malawi in 2009-10 with sa2sfac2on the strengthen- e2es and poli2es.
has increased by almost ing of the growing partnership The Indian Prime Minister ex-
100 per cent since between the two countries with pressed his gra2tude to Malawi
2008-09. Imports from the signing of the following Bilat- for its support to India for the
Malawi to India have eral Agreements / MoUs during non-permanent UNSC seat for
shown a remarkable the visit: the 2011-2012 term and for
growth during this pe- a) General Coopera2on Agree- India's candidature for a perma-
riod, increasing from ment; nent seat in the expanded UNSC.
US $ 7 million in 2008- b) MOU on Coopera2on in the Both India and Malawi under-
09 to US $ 103 million field of Mineral Resources lined that terrorism cannot be
in the year 2009-10. Development; jus2fied in any form, commi3ed
Both sides reiterated c) MOU on Coopera2on in the by whomever, wherever and for
the need to further in- field of Rural Development; whatever purposes. The two
crease trade between d) MOU on Coopera2on in the sides agreed on the need for
the two countries as field of Health and Medicine. greater coopera2on among
well as expand the Both sides noted that in a states in the fight against terror-
trade basket of prod- rapidly changing world, an impor- ism. In this context, the two sides
ucts and to increase bi- tant dimension of India-Africa urged for early finaliza2on of
lateral trade to Partnership is our mee2ng of Comprehensive Conven2on on
$ 300 million minds on pressing global issues. Interna2onal Terrorism, which is
by 2013. These issues include the reform under discussion at the UN since
of the United Na2ons, comba2ng 1996. ˜
Hot Topic
India - Japan
Annual Summit
A
The Prime Minister of ment in both countries cu3ng alogue and policy coordina1on at
India, Dr. Manmohan across party lines and popular de- all levels. They posi1vely evalu-
Singh visited to Japan for sire for upgrading bilateral rela- ated Ministerial-level annual dia-
the Annual Summit of the Prime 1ons, and valued their logues and exchanges between
Ministers on 24-26 October 2010 coopera1on for sustained peace Foreign Minister, Defense Minis-
at the invita1on of the Prime and prosperity in a changing and ter and Minister of Economy,
Minister of Japan, Mr. Naoto Kan. dynamic Asia and the world. In Trade and Industry of Japan and
The two Prime Ministers held ex- this context, they expressed their External Affairs Minister, Defense
tensive talks on bilateral, regional common desire to further consol- Minister, Commerce and Industry
and global issues of shared inter- idate, enhance and expand the Minister and Deputy Chairman of
est on 25 October 2010. Strategic and Global Partnership the Planning Commission of India
The two Prime Ministers reit- between them through the sec- and noted that all these ex-
erated the fundamental iden1ty ond decade of the 21st Century. changes were successfully ac-
of values, interests and priori1es The two Prime Ministers ex- complished in 2010. They also
between Japan and India. They pressed sa1sfac1on at the steady supported the establishment of a
reaffirmed the poli1cal commit- growth of poli1cal exchanges, di- Ministerial Level Economic Dia-
46 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Hot Topic
sa1sfac1on the
progress on the Phase
II of the Corridor with
the signing of the Ex-
change of Notes for
the Engineering Serv-
ices for Phase II in July
2010. They expressed
their desire to acceler-
ate progress on the
Delhi-Mumbai Indus-
trial Corridor (DMIC).
Prime Minister Kan ex-
pressed his inten1on
to enhance Japan’s in-
volvement to DMICDC
(Delhi-Mumbai Indus-
trial Corridor Develop-
ment Corpora1on)
logue between India and Japan to contribute to mutual prosperity. through the efforts of
give strategic and long-term pol- They hailed CEPA between these related organiza1ons such as
icy orienta1on to their bilateral two leading economies of Asia as JETRO (Japan External Trade Or-
economic engagement, taking an important step for @ re- ganiza1on) and AOTS (Associa-
into account the regional and gional integra1on. They noted 1on for Overseas Technical
global context and to coordinate with sa1sfac1on the recent Scholarship).
economic issues of cross-cu3ng growth in Japanese foreign direct The two Prime Ministers pos-
nature, including infrastructure investment (FDI) into India and i1vely appraised the efforts from
development and financing. They hoped that CEPA and the Memo- both sides to develop the Corri-
welcomed the launch of the ‘2 randum on Simplifying Visa Pro- dor in an eco-friendly manner as
plus 2’ dialogue at Subcabinet / cedures, the la2er signed today, “Smart Communi1es” and wel-
Senior Official level and the will further facilitate the presence comed the progress of coopera-
launch of a dialogue on Africa at of Japanese businesspersons in 1on in the field of urban
the official level in 2010 as a re- India. development. They took note of
flec1on of wider policy consulta- The two Prime Ministers un- the poten1al of the DMIC project
1on and coordina1on on foreign derlined the vital importance of to enhance physical connec1vity
policy and security issues. economic coopera1on, including across Asia. They encouraged
The two Prime Ministers wel- Japan’s Official Development As- greater investment from Japan
comed the successful conclusion sistance to India and Special Eco- into India including in the infra-
of nego1a1ons on a balanced nomic Partnership Ini1a1ves, in structure sector over the next
and mutually beneficial India - strengthening India-Japan part- decade to realize this vision, and
Japan Comprehensive Economic nership. Prime Minister Singh ex- asked their respec1ve sides to
Partnership Agreement (CEPA). pressed his apprecia1on to the engage in dialogues on public-pri-
They directed their relevant au- Government and the people of vate partnership on DMIC. Prime
thori1es to work towards early Japan for Japan’s generous role in Minister Singh appreciated
entry into force of CEPA and its India's development. The two Japan’s decision on the extension
smooth implementa1on. They Prime Ministers aimed for early of the period of technical cooper-
expressed op1mism that India- comple1on of both phases of the a1on programme, Visionary
Japan CEPA will deepen their eco- Western Dedicated Freight Corri- Leaders for Manufacturing
nomic engagement, in terms of dor in India in a parallel manner (VLFM) Programme. The two
trade in goods and services, in- with Japan’s financial and techni- Prime Ministers hoped that this
vestment and coopera1on and cal assistance, and noted with programme will contribute to the
Vol. - 18
20 WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM 47
Hot Topic
development of manufacturing Nuclear Energy in June 2010. sistance and disaster relief and
sector in India. They affirmed that coopera1on in response, inter alia, through bi-
The two Prime Ministers wel- this sector will open up new op- lateral and mul1lateral exercises,
comed India-Japan coopera1on portuni1es for further developing informa1on sharing, training and
in development of new and re- the India-Japan Strategic and dialogue. In this context, they
newable energy, and clean coal Global Partnership. They encour- welcomed the launch of India-
technology and enhancing en- aged their nego1ators to arrive at Japan Shipping Policy Forum and
ergy efficiency in India’s power a mutually sa1sfactory agree- mutual exchange of schedules of
sector and encouraged the India- ment for civil nuclear coopera1on escort opera1ons by the Indian
Japan Ministerial Level Energy Di- at an early date. Navy and Japan Self-Defense
alogue to facilitate pragma1c and The two Prime Ministers wel- Forces in the Gulf of Aden. They
mutually beneficial coopera1on comed the progress made in instructed relevant authori1es to
in other related areas to further 2010 on facilita1on of trade in realize the full poten1al of the Ac-
strengthen energy security. In this high technology between the two 1on Plan to advance Security Co-
context, they also welcomed the countries. They asked the rele- opera1on signed in 2009, based
establishment of a Nuclear En- vant authori1es to maintain dia- on the Joint Declara1on on Secu-
ergy Working Group under the logue on high technology trade rity Coopera1on between India
Energy Dialogue in April 2010 to including respec1ve export con- and Japan.
exchange views and informa1on trol systems and realize its full po- The two Prime Ministers con-
on their respec1ve nuclear en- ten1al keeping in mind the demned terrorism in all its forms
ergy policies from the energy, strategic partnership between and manifesta1ons, commi2ed
economic and industrial perspec- the two countries. by whomever, wherever and for
1ves. They further welcomed the The two Prime Ministers de- whatever purpose. Prime Minis-
exchange of informa1on be- cided to steadily expand security ter Kan condemned terrorist at-
tween the nuclear energy indus- and defense coopera1on be- tacks in and against India, such as
tries of the two countries tween India and Japan. They the bomb blast in Pune on 13
including through business mis- aimed to cooperate to enhance February 2010 and in Kabul on 26
sions. The two Prime Ministers their capacity in responding to se- February 2010, in which Indians
recognized the importance of curity challenges such as mar- as well as other na1onals were
promo1ng coopera1on between i1me security which entails safety targeted. They decided to en-
the two countries’ industries in and freedom of naviga1on and hance greater coopera1on in
expanding bilateral energy coop- counter-piracy, humanitarian as- comba1ng terrorism through in-
era1on on a commercial basis, in-
cluding through the New Energy
and Industrial Technology Devel-
opment Organiza1on (NEDO).
Recognizing the importance of
rare earths and rare metals for fu-
ture industries, the two Prime
Ministers decided to explore the
possibility of bilateral coopera-
1on in development, re-cycling
and re-use of rare earths and rare
metals and in research and devel-
opment of their industrial subs1-
tutes.
The two Prime Ministers wel-
comed the commencement of
nego1a1ons between India and
Japan on an Agreement for Coop-
era1on in the Peaceful Uses of
48 - 18
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Hot Topic
going exchanges between IITH
and Japanese academia and in-
dustry, including the visits of the
students and young professors of
IITH to Japan within the frame-
work of Japan-East Asia Network
of Exchange for Students and
Youths (JENESYS) programme and
the kick-off of Informa1on Net-
work for Natural Disaster Mi1ga-
1on and Recovery under Science
and Technology Research Part-
nership for Sustainable Develop-
ment (SATREPS). They also
welcomed the fact that the col-
labora1on for the development
forma1on-sharing and counter- ICT regulatory policy talk”. They of the Indian Ins1tute of Informa-
terrorism training as well as u1- shared the view that they will fur- 1on Technology, Design and Man-
lizing the India-Japan Joint ther enhance business 1e-ups, ufacturing Jabalpur is enhanced
Working Group on Counter-Ter- R&D collabora1ve ac1vi1es and with the coopera1on of Japanese
rorism. They recognized the ur- policy coopera1on in the field of universi1es and companies.
gent need to finalize and adopt informa1on and communica1on The two Prime Ministers de-
the Comprehensive Conven1on technology through close bilat- cided to celebrate the 60th an-
on Interna1onal Terrorism in the eral coopera1on. niversary of the establishment of
United Na1ons and called upon The two Prime Ministers rec- diploma1c rela1ons between
all States to cooperate in resolv- ognized the importance of India and Japan in 2012 in a befit-
ing the outstanding issues expe- strengthening cultural, academic 1ng manner. They directed their
di1ously. Japan welcomed India’s and people-to-people exchanges officials to bring out a calendar of
membership of the Financial Ac- between India and Japan to re- exchanges and events, aimed at
1on Task Force (FATF) and India flect their strategic partnership bringing the two na1ons closer,
appreciated Japan’s support to- and popular goodwill. They to mark this important anniver-
wards this. hoped that the signing of the sary.
The two Prime Ministers wel- Memorandum on Simplifying The two Prime Ministers reaf-
comed the progress made in Sci- Visa Procedures will further facil- firmed their support for the East
ence and Technology co- itate the movement of people be- Asia Summit (EAS) as an open, in-
opera1on, including the India- tween India and Japan. Prime clusive, transparent and outward-
Japan Coopera1ve Science Pro- Minister Kan appreciated India’s looking forum, striving to
gramme. In order to realize full provision of the Visa on Arrival fa- strengthen global norms and uni-
poten1al of coopera1on in this cility for Japanese tourists in India versally recognized values and
field, they encouraged their re- on experimental basis for 2010. promo1ng peace, stability and
spec1ve authori1es to promote They reiterated their commit- prosperity across East Asia, of
the coopera1ve research in the ment to collabora1ng in the de- which India and Japan are key
strategic and high technology velopment of the Indian Ins1tute members. In this context, they
areas such as Green Innova1on of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH) welcomed the recent decision of
and Life Innova1on. The two through various contribu1ons the ASEAN Foreign Ministers to
Prime Ministers welcomed the from Japan including through Of- invite the United States and the
establishment and the holding of ficial Development Assistance Russian Federa1on to join as
“Commi2ee on India-Japan ICT and encouraged @the relevant members of the EAS. They also
(Informa1on and Communica1on authori1es to work towards early supported exis1ng achievements
Technology) strategy for eco- crea1on of physical infrastructure such as Comprehensive Economic
nomic growth” and “India-Japan for IITH. They welcomed the on- Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA)
Hot Topic
and its three-pillar approach for Minister Singh emphasized the 1onal coopera1on with a view to
regional coopera1on. They wel- importance of strengthening and addressing the challenges of nu-
comed Japan’s Concept Paper adequate training of the Afghan clear terrorism and clandes1ne
“Ini1al Steps towards Regional Na1onal Security Forces so that prolifera1on and expressed sa1s-
Economic Integra1on in East Asia: they can defend the sovereignty fac1on with the outcome of the
A Gradual Approach”. They also and independence of Nuclear Security Summit of April
welcomed ERIA’s “Comprehen- Afghanistan. They concurred that 2010, including the establish-
sive Asian Development Plan”, the process of reintegra1on ment by Japan of the Integrated
and recognized the importance of should not deviate from the prin- Comprehensive Support Center
hard infrastructure and industrial ciples expressed in the Kabul for Nuclear Non-Prolifera1on and
policy in the Mekong-India Corri- Conference. The two Prime Min- Nuclear Security to be estab-
dor Study, whose implementa- isters pledged to explore oppor- lished in Japan and the Global
1on could be further discussed tuni1es for consulta1on and Centre for Nuclear Energy Part-
between relevant authori1es and coordina1on on their respec1ve nership to be established by
en11es. They discussed ways for civilian assistance projects, in- India. The two Prime Ministers
enhancing greater economic inte- cluding those projects imple- reaffirmed their commitment to
gra1on and connec1vity between mented in the neighboring working together for immediate
India and the East Asian region. countries, that advance Afghan commencement and an early
They encouraged their officials to leadership and ownership and conclusion of nego1a1ons on a
examine studies undertaken by build civilian capacity. non-discriminatory, mul1lateral
ERIA and other think-tanks in the The two Prime Ministers reaf- and interna1onally and effec-
East Asia region rela1ng to trans- firmed their shared commitment 1vely verifiable Fissile Material
port and industrial development to the total elimina1on of nuclear Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) in the Con-
corridors in the peninsular region weapons. Prime Minister Kan ference on Disarmament. They
of India. Prime Minister Singh stressed the importance of bring- further reiterated that nuclear
noted with apprecia1on Japan’s ing into force the Comprehensive disarmament and nuclear non-
ini1a1ve for an East Asian Com- Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) at prolifera1on are mutually rein-
munity, in which India is expected an early date. Prime Minister forcing processes. They also
to play an important role. Prime Singh reiterated India’s commit- underscored the importance of
Minister Kan welcomed India’s ment to a unilateral and volun- peaceful uses of nuclear energy
ini1a1ve to revive Nalanda Uni- tary moratorium on nuclear and of further strengthening the
versity and expressed Japan’s explosive tes1ng. They supported nuclear non-prolifera1on efforts.
con1nued support to this ini1a- the strengthening of interna- They decided that both countries
1ve which will strengthen the cul-
tural and civiliza1onal bonds
between the countries in Asia.
The two Prime Ministers ex-
pressed their commitment to as-
sis1ng Afghanistan to become a
stable, democra1c and pluralis1c
na1on free of terrorism and ex-
tremism. They emphasized the
importance of a coherent and
united interna1onal commitment
to Afghan-led ini1a1ves. Prime
Minister Kan expressed that such
a commitment encompasses se-
curity assistance, including assis-
tance towards Afghan Na1onal
Police, reintegra1on of insur-
gents, and development. Prime
50 - 18
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Hot Topic
will enhance coopera1on in nu- of the Protocol on Access and be instrumental in economic re-
clear disarmament and non-pro- Benefit Sharing. As prospec1ve covery. They reaffirmed that a
lifera1on through close host of the next mee1ng of COP prompt, ambi1ous and balanced,
dialogues, including at regularly on Biodiversity in 2012, India as well as successful conclusion
held bilateral nuclear disarma- looks forward to a close working of the DDA would bolster the
ment and non-prolifera1on rela1onship with Japan during its credibility of the mul1lateral trad-
mee1ngs as well as at the Confer- Presidency and beyond Nagoya. ing system. They appreciated the
ence on Disarmament. The two Prime Ministers reaf- momentum to rejuvenate the
The two Prime Ministers reit- firmed their resolve to realize a DDA nego1a1ons and resolved to
erated the importance of a posi- comprehensive reform of the work together towards bridging
1ve result for the current climate United Na1ons (UN) Security the remaining nego1a1ng gaps.
change nego1a1ons at the forth- Council, especially its expansion The two Prime Ministers reaf-
coming conference of the United in both permanent and non-per- firmed the role of the G-20 as the
Na1ons Framework Conven1on manent categories which has premier forum for interna1onal
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in commanded the maximum sup- economic coopera1on and reiter-
Mexico, and reaffirmed their de- port from UN member states in ated their commitment to work
termina1on to work together to- the text-based intergovernmental together and with other partners
wards this conference. They nego1a1ons in the UN General to pursue urgent and effec1ve
stressed that implementa1on of G-20 Summit
the outcome decisions. They reaffirmed the
should be importance of their coopera1on
reached in an for the Framework for Strong,
inclusive and Sustainable and Balanced
transparent Growth. They expressed their
manner and commitment to reform financial
should effec- sector so as to prevent recur-
1vely address rence of financial crisis. They ex-
the challenge pressed support for the reform of
of climate the interna1onal financial ins1tu-
change in ac- 1ons (IFIs) including IMF within
cordance the interna1onally recognized
with the prin- 1me frame to enhance their legit-
ciples and provisions of the UN- Assembly They shared their view imacy, credibility and effec1ve-
FCCC. They decided that the that both countries would par1c- ness. The two Prime Ministers
Copenhagen Accord should con- ipate ac1vely in these nego1a- reaffirmed their commitment to
tribute posi1vely to such an out- 1ons and decided to accelerate eschewing protec1onism in all its
come. The two Prime Ministers their efforts, bilaterally as well as forms covering trade in goods
also reaffirmed the importance of in close coopera1on with the G4 and services as well as invest-
strengthening bilateral discus- and other like-minded countries, ment and financial flows.
sions on climate change on vari- to achieve a meaningful result Prime Minister Singh ex-
ous occasions, including a during the current session of the pressed his apprecia1on for the
possible establishment of a General Assembly , so as to make warm welcome and hospitality of
framework of comprehensive bi- the Security Council more repre- Prime Minister Kan. Prime Minis-
lateral coopera1on. senta1ve, legi1mate, effec1ve, ter Singh extended an invita1on
Prime Minister Singh congrat- and responsive to the reali1es of to Prime Minister Kan for the
ulated Japan for hos1ng the 10th the interna1onal community in next Annual Bilateral Summit in
mee1ng of the Conference of the 21st century. India in 2011 at a mutually con-
Par1es (COP) on Biodiversity in The two Prime Ministers rec- venient date to be decided
Nagoya on 18th-29th October ognized that a posi1ve outcome through diploma1c channels.
2010 and wished it a successful of the WTO Doha Development Prime Minister Kan accepted the
outcome, including the adop1on Agenda (DDA) of trade talks will invita1on with pleasure. ˜
Current Affairs
CURRENT
AFFAIRS
National Af fairs
Na/onal Green also consist of other members,
Tribunal No/fied who are experts in the field of en-
vironmental and related sciences,
The Na7onal Green Tribunal has been empowered to issue di-
(NGT) was officially no7fied on rec7ons for the compensa7on
October 19, 2010 with its Chair- and res7tu7on of damage caused
person, Jus7ce Lokeshwar Singh from ac7ons of environmental
Panta taking charge of his office. negligence.
The tribunal is exclusively dedi- This is the first body of its its report. According to it, India’s
cated to environmental issues. kind that is required by its parent obsession with tobacco con7nues
Established by an Act of Par- statute to apply the “polluter despite laws to tell the users of its
liament (the Na7onal Green Tri- pays” principle and the principle lethal consequences. Though 64
bunal Act of 2010), it will have of sustainable development. per cent of all adults believe to-
circuit benches across the coun- The erstwhile Na7onal Envi- bacco leads to heart a8acks, 35
try to try all ma8ers related to ronment Appellate Authority had per cent (one-third) con7nue to
and arising out of environmental ceased to exist with the launch of consume tobacco in some form
issues. The tribunal, which shall the NGT. or the other.
Tobacco India Re- Highlights of the report

port
L 52 percent adults exposed to
Global Adult Tobacco Sur- second hand smoke at home,
vey (GATS) for India, 2009- highest in J&K (68%), lowest
10, conducted on 99.9 per in Chandigarh (15%); 29 per-
cent of India’s popula7on cent exposed in public places.
in 29 States, UTs of L Cigare8e smokers’ monthly
Chandigarh and expense is Rs 400, as against
Puducherry has submi8ed Rs 94 for bidi smokers.
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Current Affairs
L Monthly cigare8e expendi- of a nuclear accident and has
ture is highest in Arunachal been signed by 14 countries.
(Rs 1,265), lowest in Jhark- However, only four countries—
hand (Rs 181.70). USA, Argen7na, Morocco and Ro-
L Mizoram has highest tobacco mania—have ra7fied it so far.
use (67%), while Goa (9%), Upon entry into force, the
Punjab (12%), and Chandi- conven7on would establish a uni-
garh (14%) have lowest. form global regime for compen-
L Mizo women are most ad- sa7on to vic7ms in the event of a
dicted (62% use tobacco) as nuclear accident. The CSC pro-
against least addicted in Pun- vides for the establishment of an
jab (under 1%), Chandigarh, interna7onal fund to increase the
Himachal and Goa (under amount available to compensate
5%). vic7ms and allows for compen- held their fire during the 12-day
L Most tobacco use is in East sa7ng civil damage occurring event, stepped up their demand
(45%), Northeast (44%), and within a State’s exclusive eco- for thorough probe into corrup-
lowest use is in North (19%). nomic zone, including the loss of 7on charges so that those guilty
tourism and fisheries-related in- can be brought to book.
come.
India signs Conven/on It also sets parameters on a
on Supplementary nuclear operator’s financial liabil-
Indian Language Tech-
Compensa/on at IAEA ity, 7me limits governing possible nology Prolifera/on De-
legal ac7on, requires that nuclear ployment Centre
On October 27, 2010, India operators maintain insurance or Launched
signed the Conven7on on Supple- other financial security measures
mentary Compensa7on (CSC) at and provides for a single compe- Former Union Minister for Com-
the IAEA in Vienna that will en- tent court to hear claims. munica7ons and IT A Raja and
able the country to undertake nu- All States are free to par7ci- Minister of State for Communica-
clear commerce. pate in the conven7on regardless 7ons and IT Sachin Pilot on Nov
The conven7on sets parame- of their involvement in exis7ng 12 launched the Indian Language
ters on a nuclear operator’s fi- nuclear liability conven7ons or Technology Prolifera7on and De-
the presence of nuclear installa- ployment Centre (ILTP-DC).
7ons on their territories. Notably, Speaking at the launch of the
India is the only country to have ILTP-DC, at the Na7onal e-gover-
such a provision, which was nance Advisory Group Mee7ng,
added a'er wide poli7cal pres- Mr Raja said the ILTP-DC would
sure. open the doors to a new phase in
language technology develop-
ment where the general public
CWG Corrup/on Probe will not only be the primary ben-
eficiaries, but they would play an
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh important role in driving the
nancial liability in the event of a has appointed a high-level com- focus of the research ini7a7ves.
nuclear accident. mi8ee headed by a former Such public par7cipa7on will
The conven7on was adopted Comptroller and Auditor General, encourage and enhance the via-
in September 1997 and opened V.K. Shunglu, to go into allega- bility of language technologies
for signature at Vienna a few days 7ons of corrup7on related to the and their absorp7on among the
later at the 41st General Confer- Commonwealth Games held in masses, the Minister added.
ence of the IAEA. The conven7on New Delhi in October 2010. The ILTP-DC portal was also
provides for compensa7on in The developments came as launched during the event. The
case of transna7onal implica7ons opposi7on par7es, which had ILTP-DC will also offer a forum for
Current Affairs
re p o s i to r y through this system have a wide
for all the range spetrum-- from radio
excellent re- waves to infrared light, visible
search work light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and
carried out gamma rays. The synchrotron
by premier light is used for measurements in
research in- basic research and technological
s7tu7ons in development all over the world,”
India. This explained M. K. Sanyal, director
will go a long of SINP.
way towards The facility will boost indige-
ensuring nous research in various areas
that lan- like drug development, automo-
researchers and members of the guage technology tools as well as bile, nano technology, environ-
general public to converge on a advanced natural language pro- ment pollu7on, arsenic
common pla6orm to fill the gaps cessing technologies will be easily mi7ga7on and preserva7on of
that researchers need to address. available to members of the gen- artefacts and heritage architec-
Mr Raja said this ini7a7ve eral public and the research com- ture. “The presence of a third
would be accepted by the mem- munity. genera7on state-of-art high-en-
bers of the public and only their ergy synchrotron facility in India
ac7ve par7cipa7on will ensure its will provide beams of light with
success. Rs 6000-cr nuclear outstanding brilliance and stabil-
Developed under the Tech- research centre soon ity for inves7ga7on of materials
nology Development for Indian ranging from medical applica-
Languages (TDIL) Programme of Saha Ins7tute of Nuclear Physics 7ons to nano technology. For
the Department of Informa7on (SINP) will soon join the premier India, which is perceived as the
Technology (DIT) in the Ministry club of five top na7ons by se9ng future economic leader, develop-
of Communica7ons and Informa- up a high-energy third genera7on ing this key technology is ex-
7on Technology (MC and IT), in synchrotron source, which will fa- tremely important,” said Helmut
associa7on with premier partner- cilitate cu9ng edge state-of-art Dosch, director general,
ing ins7tutes such as IITs, IITs, cross-disciplinary scien7fic re- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchro-
Centre for Development of Ad- search. The project will cost Rs tron (DESY), Hamburg, Germany,
vanced Compu7ng (C-DAC) etc, 6,000 crores. which will be helping India in set-
the primary objec7ve of the ILTP- “Synchrotron is the process 7ng up the facility.
DC is to promote the usage of In- of moving a par7cle through an While several countries all
dian languages across mul7ple electromagne7c field in such over the world have synchrotron
ver7cals, and boost R and D in speed that it provides us photons sources, only Japan, USA, Ger-
language technology by providing or lights. The photons produced many and European Union
poten7al researchers with the (Switzer-
necessary tools and resources. land) have
Under this mandate, the ILTP- the high-en-
DC will offer a host of services to ergy third
users through its portal such as genera7on
English to Indian Languages Ma- synchrotron
chine Transla7on (8 Language source.
Pairs), Indian Language to Indian “India will be
Language Machine Transla7on the fi'h na-
(18 Language Pairs), as well as lin- 7on to have
guis7c resources and tools for re- this facility.
search purpose. On Novem-
The ILTP-DC will act as a ber 11 we
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Current Affairs
had a mee7ng with the directors minister will have to step down. by the companies. Officials sus-
of third genera7on synchrotron pect the culprits of the 2008
source of the four countries. They Mumbai terrorist a8ack, in which
have agreed to help us setup the
BlackBerry to allow In- 116 people died, used encrypted
facility which would be executed dian government to BlackBerry devices.
over the 12th and 13th plan pe- monitor messages Last month RIM escaped a
riod,” said Sanyal. ban on the BlackBerry communi-
Bhabha Atomic Research BlackBerry maker Research In ca7ons of its 500,000 customers
Centre, Tata Ins7tute of Funda- Mo7on (RIM) is ready to allow In- in the United Arab Emirates,
mental Research, Indira Gandhi dian authori7es access to the while Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and
Centre for Atomic Research, Vari- emails and messages of its most Lebanon have also raised con-
able Energy Cyclotron Centre and cerns about the Canadian com-
Raja Ramanna Centre for Ad- pany's security policies.
vanced technology will help SINP The chief concern of India,
in se9ng up the facility. which is the world's second
largest mobile phone market be-
hind China, surrounds communi-
A Raja submits ca7on passed between corporate
resigna/on to PM BlackBerry devices using Enter-
over 2G scam prise servers. Organisa7ons using
BlackBerry Enterprise Servers
Telecom Minister A Raja, at the (BES) host their own server and
centre of the 2G spectrum alloca- encryp7on key – which only it can
7on scam that has stalled pro- use to unscramble encrypted
ceedings in Parliament for the emails and messages – thereby
last two days and triggered con- offering a higher level of security.
siderable popular outrage, has fi- RIM has publicly remained
defiant, insis7ng that it would not
offer special deals to specific
high-profile corporate customers. countries and that security meas-
The secure communica7ons ures for its Enterprise customers
of India's 400,000 BlackBerry would not be compromised.
owners could soon be lawfully ac- Informa Telecoms & Media
cessed by government officials, forecasts that there will be more
the unnamed interior minister than 600,000 BlackBerry sales in
said, adding that RIM is preparing India this year and that India's
for "providing live access" to cus- smartphone market will have
nally resigned on Nov 15, 2010. tomers' encrypted servers. reached approximately 12m – a
The Opposi7on has made it However, the threat of a figure forecast to grow to 40m by
clear that it wants the govern- blackout for the 400,000 Black- the end of 2015.
ment to ins7tute a joint parlia- Berry owners in India s7ll looms The increasing popularity of
mentary commi8ee (JPC) probe a'er months of terse, but largely smartphones running Google's
to look into not only the 2G spec- fruitless, nego7a7ons between Android opera7ng system has
trum alloca7on scam, but also RIM and India's telecoms min- eroded RIM's grip on the corpo-
the CWG and Adarsh Housing So- istry. rate communica7ons market in
ciety scandals. The Delhi government has 2010. RIM's most recent smart-
Mr Raja and the DMK leader- opened up a front against phone release, the Bold 9780,
ship saw the wri7ng on the wall Google, Skype and the many mo- has failed to make an impression
a'er a determined Congress bile carriers opera7ng in the on consumers or traders since its
leadership made it clear to its country, ci7ng security fears over launch in October.
Tamil Nadu ally that the telecom the level of encryp7on employed
Current Affairs
grievances and pensions and par- The study was conducted by
Prithviraj Chavan as liamentary affairs ministries. the Registrar General of India
Maharashtra CM Chavan (64) has won three (RGI) and co-authored by the
Lok Sabha elec7ons from Karad in Centre for Global Health Re-
Former minister of state for sci- Maharashtra's Satara district. He search (CGHR), and health ex-
ence and technology Prithviraj became a Rajya Sabha MP in perts from public health
Chavan was on Nov 11, 2010, 2002. ins7tutes worldwide.
sworn in as the 22nd chief minis- Covering over 6.3 million
ter of Maharashtra, while Na7on- people in the country, the study
alist Congress Party (NCP) leader Curable diseases caused was carried on the basis of
Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy 1.5 million child deaths household inves7ga7ons, sur-
chief minister. in India veys, and hospital-based registra-
Maharashtra Governor K 7on system by the RGI.
Sankaranarayanan administered Five curable diseases accounted Substan7al differences in
the oath of office and secrecy to for nearly 1.5 million child deaths child mortality rates were also
them at the Raj Bhawan. in India in the year 2005, a study found because of gender and re-
Both Chavan and Pawar met said on Nov 13. gion. "In children aged 1-59
T h e months, girls in central India had
study, pub- a roughly five 7mes higher mor-
lished in an on- tality rate (per 1,000 live births)
line journal, from pneumonia as compared to
said: "Most the boys in south India," the
deaths in India study revealed.
occur at home The authors said in a release:
and without "Our results suggest that almost
medical a8en- half of India's neonatal deaths are
7on. Five caused by birth asphyxia and
avoidable birth trauma, sepsis, pneumonia,
causes of and tetanus - most of which can
death, that is be avoided by increases in deliv-
curable dis- ery and postnatal care."
eases, were re- Expanded neonatal and ob-
sponsible for stetric care, case management of
nearly 1.5 mil- diarrhoea and pneumonia, and
lion child the addi7on of new vaccines to
Governor Sankaranarayanan and deaths in the country in 2005." immunisa7on programmes could
staked a claim to form the new The causes of deaths in chil- substan7ally reduce child deaths
government in the state. dren were pneumonia, diar- in India, the authors suggested in
Chavan's name was formally rhoea, neo-natal or birth-related the study.
announced a'er he met Con- complica7ons such as low According to a report by the
gress president Sonia Gandhi. UN, nearly 2.35 million children
Chavan held several key assign- died in India in 2005.
ments in the Union Cabinet.
He was closely involved in the
passage of the Indo-US nuclear Unique Iden/fica/on
deal, was monitoring important Authority of India
Central Bureau of Inves7ga7on
(CBI) cases and was currently The Union Cabinet has cleared a
minister of state not only in the new law providing for strict penal
PMO, but also in the science and weight, asphyxia or breathing ac7on and he'y fines going up to
technology, personnel, public problems, and infec7ons. Rs 1 crore to guard against mis-
56 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
use of data collected for allot- struc7on, informa7on technology would provide a pla6orm for the
ment of a Unique Iden7ty Card or and IT-enabled services, and ed- young minds to showcase their
a Aadhar number to Indian ci7- uca7on, training and consul7ng. innova7ve ideas for solving the
zens. Real estate and construc7on problems of the economy.
The proposed legisla7on, 7- leads with the highest growth in Set up by Prime Minister
tled the Na7onal Iden7fica7on number of people employed. It Manmohan Singh, the council is
Authority of India Act, seeks to also expects growth in average aimed at energising innova7on
give statutory powers to the salary by about four per cent, fol- ini7a7ves so as to make them
Unique Iden7fica7on Authority lowed by pharma (3.5 per cent) part of the na7onal effort aimed
of India (UDAI), created as an at- and healthcare (3.4 per cent) dur- at reducing poverty, improving
tached office under the Planning ing the third quarter. governance and making develop-
Commission. The es7mated propor7on of ment more inclusive.
The decision to enact a legis- experienced workforce is the The aim of NIC is to herald a
la7on was taken a'er fears were highest in the pharma sector, 87 mindset change and create a
expressed over the privacy and per cent. Healthcare is es7mated push at the grassroots level so
security of data collected by the to have the highest percentage of that more and more people are
UDAI. In addi7on, several civil freshers,at 38 per cent. Kolkata involved in shaping a na7onal-
rights groups had also pointed has the highest es7mated per- level innova7on strategy.
out that ac7ons of the UDAI centage of experienced work- The council’s mandate also
could well be ques7oned in the force, at 82 per cent, and New includes formula7ng a roadmap
absence of a legal framework. Delhi the highest es7mated per- on innova7on for the 2010 to
This scheme of providing centage of freshers (35 per cent). 2020 period, focusing on inclu-
unique iden7ty number to the sive growth.
ci7zens of the country took off on
September 29 when Prime Minis- Fund to Boost
ter Manmohan Singh presented Innova/on Munda sworn in as
the first such number at a func- Jharkhand Chief Minister
7on in the tribal district of Nan- The Na7onal Innova7on Council
durbar in Maharashtra. (NIC), a body to promote new On September 11, 2010, BJP
ideas for inclusive development, leader Arjun Munda became the
has announced the se9ng up of eighth Chief Minister of the 10-
Job scenario in India a Rs 1,000 crore fund to encour- year-old Jharkhand State, as
improves age innova7on. leader of a coali7on with, among
“A major por7on of the fund others, the Jharkhand Muk7
According to the Ma Foi Randstad will come from
Employment Trends Survey, there the private sec-
is op7mism in the economic sce- tor and not the
nario across all sectors of India government,”
and most of the new jobs have the chairman of
been created are in services. Con- the council, Sam
ducted among 650 companies Pitroda, said.
across 13 industry segments that One of the
included eight Indian ci7es, the council mem-
survey revealed 418,000 jobs bers and
were created between January renowned film-
and June, 2010, with the health- maker, Shekhar
care sector crea7ng 121,000 jobs, Kapur, also
and another 63,000 in the hospi- mooted the
tality sector. The top five sectors idea of star7ng
leading the boom are healthcare, a television real-
hospitality, real estate and con- ity show that
Current Affairs
Morcha. Munda, who is having a Singh, India and Mozambique safety and security of sea lanes in
go at the top job for the third inked three pacts and a credit line the Indian Ocean, Guebuza as-
7me, will have two depu7es — of $500 million was extended to sured to provide all possible as-
Sudesh Mahato of the All Jhark- that country for infrastructure sistance to protect them.
hand Union and JMM patriarch projects, agriculture and energy.
Shibu Soren's son, Hemant Soren. The two countries have also
Although the func7on at the decided to create a partnership Dhaka okays crucial
Governor's house showed the based on greater poli7cal en- highway link to Kolkata
deep ri' in the BJP over the 7e- gagement, deepening of eco-
up with the JMM—the BJP's part- nomic coopera7on, strength- In major development,
ner last 7me in a government ening of defence and security co- Bangladesh has finally agreed to
that lasted only for five months— opera7on, specially to secure sea start the construc7on of a high-
Munda said he would focus on lanes against piracy, and cooper- way that will not only provide
strengthening the party's grass- a7on in capacity building and transit facili7es, ensuring easy
root level. human resource development. movement of goods, but also
India would also support es- dras7cally shorten the circuitous
tablishment of training and plan- route—crucial from the military
Visit of President of ning ins7tu7ons in Mozambique point of view—between north-
Mozambique to support capacity building in eastern States and the port city of
the coal industry, besides sup- Kolkata.
On September 30, 2010, during a por7ng capacity building for the The project—to be primarily
mee7ng between President of defence and police forces of that financed by India—is part of the
Mozambique Armando Guebuza country, the Prime Minister said. larger Asian Highway network
and Prime Minister Manmohan Expressing concern over the project connec7ng the Asian na-
7ons. The highway proj-
ect between India and
Bangladesh had been
hanging fire for more
than five years, with
Dhaka stalling it for one
reason or the other—pri-
marily due to pressure
from Pakistan and China.
The change came a'er
the Sheikh Hasina Gov-
ernment came to power
and in July 2009 Indian
nego7ators managed to
push Bangladesh to ink
the inter-governmental
agreement.
The first route will enter
from Bengal into
Bangladesh at the exist-
ing Benapole land port
on the border and run
across eastwards via Jes-
sore and Dhaka; passing
through Sylhet, located
on the north-eastern
edge of Bangladesh, it
58 - 18
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Current Affairs
will enter Assam/Meghalaya. Memorandums of Under- visit to Warsaw in April for a
The second axis will start standing were signed following a mee7ng of the joint working
from North Bengal and enter 90-minute discussion between group (JWG) on defence coopera-
Bangladesh at Panchgarh and run high-level delega7ons led by De- 7on between the two countries.
southwards via Srirajganj to fence Ministers, AK Antony and A tank recovery vehicle is a
Dhaka and further southeast to Kim Tae-young, respec7vely. This type of armoured figh7ng vehicle
Cox Bazar and Chi8agong before was the first-ever visit of an In- used to repair ba8le or mine
entering into Myanmar. India will dian Defence Minister to South damaged as well as broken down
be able to use both routes. Korea. vehicles during combat opera-
Once ready, the highway will 7ons, or to tow them out of the
solve India’s major problem of danger zone for more extensive
moving goods into north-eastern Visit of Polish Prime repairs.
States of Nagaland, Tripura, Mizo- Minister Apart from making these ve-
ram and Manipur. At present, it hicles available to India, Poland
can take up to five days for a Polish Prime Minister Donald has shown interest in providing to
truck from Kolkata to reach these Tusk visited India on September New Delhi its sophis7cated mili-
areas, adding up to the costs, be- tary hardware up-
sides the 7me delay. grada7on and
maintenance tech-
nology. It is also in-
Crucial military pact with terested in joint
South Korea ventures with In-
dian companies.
Signalling a drama7c change in its Poland can also
strategic posi7oning, especially help India upgrade
vis-à-vis China, India, on Septem- Indian T-72 tanks,
ber 3, 2010, entered into a crucial BMP II infantry
joint research and manufacturing combat vehicles
agreement with South Korea to and a variety of air
co-develop and co-produce mili- defence systems
tary equipment. purchased from
Both countries are neigh- the former Soviet
bours of China and have a rather Union.
testy and tense rela7onship with But more than
it. defence 7es, it is
On the military front the im- 7, 2010. The Indo-Polish defence the prospect of a quantum jump
portance of the agreement can coopera7on figured prominently in economic 7es with Poland that
be gauged from the fact that during talks between the visi7ng excites New Delhi. Poland, a key
India has such agreements for co- dignitary and Prime Minister member of the European Union
developing and co-producing mil- Manmohan Singh. (EU), is considered by India as a
itary equipment with its Since most of the Indian mili- gateway to Europe and Central
tradi7onal “friend” Russia and tary hardware was acquired in Asia.
other ally, Israel. It also has prod- the 1970s from the then Soviet
uct-based coopera7on for joint Union, Poland, which was a key
produc7on of key military equip- ally of former USSR, has the Babri Masjid-Ram
ment with the French and Ital- spares and the technology for up- Janambhoomi dispute
ians. Following the agreement, grading the equipment with the
experts have placed India-South Indian forces. On September 30, 2010, the
Korea military rela7ons at par Poland is keen to sell tank re- much-awaited judgement of the
with Indian rela7ons with Russia covery vehicles to India. The pro- Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad
and Israel. posal was made during Antony’s High Court unanimously ruled
Current Affairs
that the idols of ‘Ram Lalla’ in the party may be compensated by al-
makeshi' temple at the disputed lo9ng some por7on of the ad- Historical Background
site in Ayodhya cannot be re- joining land,” observed Jus7ce
moved. Khan. The ‘first 7tle suit’ was filed on
The three-judge Bench of Jus- The area under the erstwhile January 19, 1885. It was submit-
7ces S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal central dome where the idols are ted by Mahant Raghubirdas in
and Dharamveer Sharma sepa- placed in the makeshi' temple the court of Faizabad sub-judge,
rately delivered the historic ver- has been allo8ed to the Hindus. seeking permission for “puja”
dict. In a 2-1 majority verdict, The inner courtyard has been (worship) rights over a “cha-
Jus7ces Khan and Agarwal de- given to both the communi7es bootra” (pla6orm) in front of the
creed that the 2.7-acre land com- “since it was being used by both mosque which he claimed was
prising the disputed site should since decades and centuries”, Ram’s birthplace.
be divided into three equal parts noted Jus7ce Aggarwal. In his February 24, 1885,
and be given to Sunni Waqf The ‘Ram Chabootra’, ‘Sita order, the judge said: “It (cha-
Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the Rasoi’ and ‘Bhandar’ area in the bootra) was so close to the exist-
party represen7ng ‘Ram Lala Vi- outer courtyard will go to the Nir- ing masjid that it would be
rajman’ (Ram deity). mohi Akhara. The outer court- contrary to public policy to grant
However, the third judge Jus- yard is once again to be shared by a decree authorising plain7ff to
7ce D.V. Sharma ruled that that the Nirmohi Akhara and the Mus- build a temple as desired by him.”
the disputed site is the birth place lim par7es. Sub-Judge Hari Kishan said:
of Lord Ram and that the dis- “It is most unfortunate that a
puted building constructed by masjid should have been built on
Mughal emperor Babur was built Highlights land specially held sacred by the
against the tenets of Islam and Hindus, but as the event occurred
did not have the character of the L 2.7 acre disputed site to be 356 years ago, it is too late now
mosque. The Bench directed divided in three equal parts. to remedy the grievance. All that
maintenance of status quo at the L Two por7ons to be handed can be done is to maintain the
site for three months and invited over to Hindus, Muslims will status quo. In such a case as the
sugges7ons from all the par7es get one. present one any innova7on could
for demarca7on of the land. L All three par7es—Muslims cause more harm and derange-
The judges also dismissed the (Sunni Waqf Board), Nirmohi ment of order than benefit.”
claims of the Sunni Central Waqf Akhara and the par7es repre- Then Raghubirdas moved to
Board over the Babri Mosque due sen7ng ‘Ram Lalla Viraj- the Faizabad district judge,
to limita7on or becoming 7me man’—declared joint 7tle- Colonel J.E.A. Chambier, who,
barred as well as the claim of the holders. a'er a spot inspec7on, dismissed
Nirmohi Akhara. L The por7on below the cen- the appeal on March 17, 1886, on
With a 2-1 majority, the tral dome, where the idol of the same grounds.
Bench held that all the three par- Lord Rama is presently kept Raghubirdas then filed an ap-
7es, namely Muslims, Hindus and in makeshi' temple, belongs peal before the Oudh Judicial
Nirmohi Akhara were joint 7tle- to Hindus. Commissioner, W. Young, who
holders of the property in dis- L All three par7es may u7lise also declined his plea in his judg-
pute. Both Jus7ces Sudhir the area to which they are ment of November 1, 1886.
Aggarwal and SU Khan made it en7tled to by having separate Young observed: “This spot is
clear that the share of the Mus- entry for egress and ingress situated within the precincts of
lim par7es shall not be less than of the people without dis- the grounds surrounding a
one third of the total area of the turbing each other’s rights. mosque erected some 350 years
premises. “...If while allo9ng The par7es may approach ago, owing to the bigotry and
exact por7ons some minor ad- Centre which shall act in ac- tyranny of the emperor who pur-
justment in the share is to be cordance with the direc7ons posely chose this holy spot, ac-
made then the same will be and also as contained in the cording to Hindu legend, as the
made and the adversely affected SC verdict. site of his mosque.” ˜
60 - 18
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Current Affairs
International Events
Greek 10-year debt over German developing countries and transfer
EU bows to German call equivalents rose to 813 basis 6 percent of votes to them.
for debt mechanism points. German bonds advanced
as investors sought safer assets, India is world’s third
German Chancellor Angela paring their weekly drop. largest carbon emi0er
Merkel has won European Union
backing for a rewrite of EU India is now world’s third biggest
trea7es to create a permanent G-20 raises developing carbon dioxide emi9ng na7on
debt-crisis mechanism by 2013, na/ons’ quota in IMF a'er China and the US. The new
to prevent a repeat of the emission data from the United
Greece-led shock that jolted the The Group of 20 Finance leaders Na7ons was a cause of worry for
Euro. As the biggest contributor struck a landmark deal on Octo- India’s climate nego7ators at the
to Euro 860 billion ($1.2 trillion) ber 22, 2010, to boost developing next round of talks in Tianjin in
countries’ power in China, held in October 2010.
the Interna7onal China, in 2009, moved to the
Monetary Fund, top posi7on while contribu7ng
even as they failed 23 per cent of the total global
to set targets for a emissions and India, in 2010, sur-
wide-ranging global passed Russia to take the third
economic rebalanc- posi7on with five percent.
ing. The IMF deal The saving grace is that the
was hailed by fund difference in total carbon emis-
MD Dominique sions between the US (22 per
Strauss-Kahn as a cent) and India is s7ll huge. Rus-
‘historical’ moment sia's emissions have been falling
that will see Euro- because of economic slowdown.
in loans and pledges to stem peans give up two seats on its 24- India's per-capita carbon
2010-s debt crisis, Germany strong board to powerful emission is s7ll lowest in the
wants to spare taxpayers the world (about 4.5 tonnes)
costs of any future opera7ons to but the demand for energy
rescue financially distressed is rising, especially among
States. the middle-class.
Bonds in Greece, saved from The pressure on India
the brink of default by EU and In- and China to reduce emis-
terna7onal Monetary Fund loans sions is rising. US chief cli-
in May, led a decline by so- called mate nego7ator Todd Stern
peripheral European securi7es as told a mee7ng of major
Germany’s triumph spurred con- economies forum that a
cern that the EU mechanism will legally binding climate
force bond holders to bear the treaty was not possible un7l
costs of future bailouts. The extra India and China take “obliga-
yield investors demand to hold 7on” to reduce emissions.
Current Affairs
them. "Mother, mother", cried vious incarcera7on by allowing an
ASEAN Summit one young woman, tears stream- uninvited US na7onal to swim to
ing down her face. her lakeside home.
The 17th ASEAN Summit was The Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi, 65, is the daughter of
held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Octo- and pro-democracy icon, who has Myanmar independence hero
ber 28-30, 2010. The mee7ng spent 15 of the past 20 years in Aung San. Myanmar's junta chief,
was considered a success, with all deten7on, promised to talk to her Senior General Than Shwe, is the
members agreeing to cooperate supporters. A'er briefly address- only person empowered to order
her release.
There were doubts the coun-
try's unpredictable generals
would grant freedom to Suu Kyi,
who con7nues to pose a threat to
their grasp on power which has
now been cemented by the re-
sults of a general elec7on held on
Nov 7 - the first in two decades.
Ini7al results from the polls
show that the Union Solidarity
and Development Party (USDP),
the proxy party of the regime, has
won by a landslide, albeit
through dubious means.
The USDP, packed with ex-
with one another in solving the ing the crowd she returned to her military men and government
region’s economic downturn. compound for a mee7ng with the ministers, is set to dominate the
The 17th ASEAN Summit fo- execu7ve commi8ee of the Na- next three-chamber parliament
cused on the contents of building 7onal League for Democracy when it is set up three months
the community and implement- (NLD) opposi7on party, which she from now, essen7ally perpetuat-
ing the ASEAN Charter, external leads. ing the regime rule in a country
rela7ons and key role of the body, Suu Kyi was serving an 18- that has been under military dic-
sustainable development and months of house arrest imposed tatorships since 1962.
coping with global challenges. by a criminal court in July 2009 "They probably concluded
for breaking the terms of her pre- that Suu Kyi is no longer in a posi-
7on to rock the boat," analyst
Myanmar Junta releases Maung Zarni said. "But the junta
Aung San Suu Kyi may be overes7ma7ng the way
things are going." He said it was
Myanmar's junta on Nov 13, re- highly unlikely that the junta,
leased opposi7on leader Aung fresh from its electoral victory,
San Suu Kyi from house arrest, al- would consider opening a poli7-
most a week a'er staging a gen- cal dialogue with Suu Kyi.
eral elec7on widely cri7cised by Suu Kyi has the support of
the interna7onal community for western democracies, who have
being neither free, fair, nor inclu- already wri8en off the elec7on
sive. results as being neither free, fair
Suu Kyi appeared briefly out- nor inclusive. There have been
side her house looking happy and widespread accusa7ons that the
relaxed, promp7ng her elated USDP tampered with advance
supporters to break out in a joy- votes, bribed and in7midated
ous rendi7on of the na7onal an- people into vo7ng for their candi-
62 - 18
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Current Affairs
dates. Though the government had al- pendent Union of Burma is
Suu Kyi was barred from par- lowed Suu Kyi to visit him in UK, established.
7cipa7ng in the polls because she she chose to stay back as she L 1960: Daw Khin Kyi appointed
was under house arrest. Her feared that she won't be allowed Burma's ambassador to India.
party, which won the 1990 polls re-entry into her country. Suu Kyi accompanies mother
by a landslide but was blocked The last 7me they met was to New Delhi.
from power for the past 20 years, during Christmas in 1995 when L 1960-64: Suu Kyi at high
decided to boyco8 last week's Michael had visited Myanmar. school and Lady Sri Ram Col-
vote. Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel lege in New Delhi.
China and Myanmar's South- Peace Prize in 1991. The decision L 1964-67: Oxford University,
east Asian neighbours have, in of the Nobel Commi8ee men- B.A. in philosophy, poli7cs
general, accepted the polls as a 7ons: and economics at St. Hugh's
tenta7ve step forward. "The Norwegian Nobel Com- College (elected Honorary
"The junta may be giving mi8ee has decided to award the Fellow, 1990).
China and ASEAN (Associa7on of Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Bri7sh "parents" are Lord
South-East-Asia Na7ons) some- Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar Gore-Booth, former Bri7sh
thing to work with by releasing (Burma) for her non-violent ambassador to Burma and
Suu Kyi but the West will not be struggle for democracy and High Commissioner in India,
fooled," Zarni opined. human rights. and his wife, at whose home
The interna7onal community "Suu Kyi's struggle is one of Suu Kyi meets Michael Aris,
has been calling for her release - the most extraordinary examples student of Tibetan civiliza-
along with that of 2,100 other po- of civil courage in Asia in recent 7on.
li7cal prisoners languishing in decades. She has become an im- L 1969-71 : She goes to New
Myanmar jails. portant symbol in the struggle York for graduate study, stay-
US President Barack Obama against oppression. "In awarding ing with family friend Ma
welcomed her release and called the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Than E, staff member at the
for more of the country's poli7cal Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian United Na7ons, where U.
prisoners to be freed. Nobel Commi8ee wishes to hon- Thant of Burma is Secretary-
our this woman for her unflag- General. Postponing studies,
ging efforts and to show its Suu Kyi joins U.N. secretariat
Profile of Aung San support for the many people as Assistant Secretary, Advi-
Suu Kyi throughout the world who are sory Commi8ee on Adminis-
striving to a8ain democracy, tra7ve and Budgetary
A leader of interna7onal repute, human rights and ethnic concilia- Ques7ons. Evenings and
Suu Kyi had entered the poli7cal 7on by peaceful means." weekends volunteers at hos-
arena at home following the Au- pital, helping indigent pa-
gust 8, 1988, mass uprising across 7ents in programs of reading
Myanmar, demanding establish- Biography and companionship.
ment of a democra7c govern- L 1972 (January 1) : Marries
ment, which was violently 1945 (June 19): Aung San Suu Kyi Michael Aris, joins him in Hi-
suppressed, leaving behind thou- born in Rangoon, third child in malayan kingdom of Bhutan,
sands death. family. "Aung San" for father, where he tutors royal family
She has since then been "Kyi" for mother, "Suu" for grand- and heads Transla7on De-
figh7ng for the democra7c rights mother, also day of week of birth. partment. She becomes Re-
of her countrymen, spending 1947 (July 19): General Aung San search Officer in the Royal
more than 15 of the last 20 years assassinated. Suu Kyi is two years Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
in prison or under house arrest. old. Daw Khin Kyi (Suu Kyi's L 1973 : They return to England
The junta rulers denied entry mother) becomes a prominent for birth of first child Alexan-
visa to her ailing husband public figure, heading social plan- der in London.
Michael Aris, who died of pros- ning and social policy bodies. L 1977 : Birth of second son,
trate cancer on March 27, 1999. L 1948 (January 4): The Inde- Kim at Oxford.
Current Affairs
While raising her children, extended for another year, hung Parliament in nearly 70
Suu Kyi begins wri7ng, re- which is illegal under both in- years.
searches for biography of fa- terna7onal law and Burma's Labour now controls 76 seats
ther, and assists Michael in own law. in Parliament’s 150-member
Himalayan studies. L 2009 (11 August): House ar- House of Representa7ves, with
L 1985-86 : Visi7ng Scholar, rest extended for 18 more the opposi7on Coali7on of Lib-
Center of Southeast Asian months because of "viola- eral party leader Tony Abbo8
Studies, Kyoto University, re- 7on" arising from the May having 74 seats.
searching father's 7me in 2009 trespass incident. Gillard said her minority gov-
Japan. Kim with her, Alexan- ernment would be held to higher
der with Michael, who has standards of accountability as a
fellowship at Indian Ins7tute Gillard manages to result of the deal struck with the
of Advanced Studies at Simla retain power in Australia independents. She added that
in northern India. elec/ons her government will spend $9.9
L 1988 (March 31) : Informed billion on development projects
by telephone of mother's se- On September 7, 2010, ending as part of the deal with the rural
vere stroke, she takes plane weeks of poli7cal uncertainty, independents.
next day to Rangoon to help
care for Daw Khin Kyi at hos-
pital, then moves her to fam- US and
ily home on University Britain differ
Avenue next to Inya Lake in over Afghan
Rangoon. Periods under de- combat
ten7on exit in 2014
L 1989 (20 July) : Placed under
house arrest in Yangoon Nato leaders
under mar7al law that allows agreed a plan to
for deten7on without charge end the West’s
or trial for three years. war in
L 1995 (10 July): Released from Afghanistan over
house arrest. the next four
L 2000 (23 September): Placed years, pledging to
under house arrest. make the Afghans
L 2002 (6 May): Released a'er responsible for
19 months. their own secu-
L 2003 (30 May): Arrested fol- rity.
lowing the Depayin massacre, The Prime Minis-
she was held in secret deten- ter, David
7on for more than three Cameron, said the
months before being re- transi7on deal
turned to house arrest. would “pave the
L 2007 (25 May): House arrest way for Bri7sh
extended by one year despite combat troops to
a direct appeal from U.N. Sec- be out of Afghan
retary-General Kofi Annan to Australia’s first woman Prime by 2015.”
General Than Shwe. Minister Julia Gillard staked claim The alliance’s plan to build up
L 2007 (24 October): Reached to form a new government a'er the Afghan army and police and
12 years under house arrest, two king-maker independent give them responsibility for secu-
solidarity protests held at 12 MPs extended support to her rity will be bolstered by a new
ci7es around the world. Labour party, giving it a wafer- Nato co-opera7on deal with Rus-
L 2008 (27 May) : House arrest thin one-seat majority in the first sia.
64 - 18
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Current Affairs
Under an agreement signed port helicopters in Afghanistan. Cons7tuent Assembly failed for
in Lisbon between Nato and the However, the White House the eighth 7me, during the past
Afghan government, Nato will warned that US domes7c poli7cs four months, to elect a new
start handing over control of could yet hamper the Nato-Russ- Prime Minister. The deadlock
Afghan provinces next year, aim- ian deal. con7nues, partly because other
ing to complete the “transi7on” Mr Obama wants to ra7fy a mainstream par7es do not trust
process by the end of 2015. new nuclear-arms treaty with the single, largest party, Unified
Western troops have been in Russia, but Republican senators Communist Party of Nepal
Afghanistan since 2001. A total of are threatening to delay any (Maoist), because it con7nues to
345 Bri7sh service personnel agreement. put its faith in one-party rule and
have died there, 100 of them this con7nues to threaten it would re-
year. sume armed struggle.
Yet even as alliance leaders Poli/cal Crisis in Nepal The last 20 years have seen
hailed the plan as the start of a Con/nues Nepal move from a Hindu king-
“new phase” in the Afghan cam- dom to a democra7c and secular
paign, there were signs of a po- On September 26, 2010, Nepal's republic. The 239 year old monar-
ten7al difference between Britain
and America about what they do
the year a'er transi7on is due to
be completed.
Mr Cameron insisted he
would s7ck to a pledge to take
Bri7sh forces off the frontline be-
fore the next general elec7on.
By contrast, US officials in-
sisted that the Nato transi7on
plan did not guarantee an end to
American combat opera7ons. US
forces could go on figh7ng the
Taliban in Afghanistan even a'er
transi7on, they said.
As well as the Afghan
7metable, the Nato summit also
agreed to deepen Nato/Russia
co-opera7on. Moscow was in-
vited to par7cipate in a US-led
missile defence programme in-
tended to intercept long-range
a8acks launched from Iran.
The agreement will also have
implica7ons for the Afghan cam-
paign, because Russia will allow
greater use of its territory for
transpor7ng Nato supplies for
Afghanistan.
An exis7ng supply route deal
will be expanded, increasing the
range of goods that Nato can
move across Russian territory.
Under the Nato deal, Russia
will also help fund more trans-
Current Affairs
chy was cast aside in 2006 and ber 19, 2010, and promised grounds. It had argued that self-
people voted for a Cons7tuent tough counter-measures a'er a determina7on should be outside
Assembly and an interim govern- Japanese court extended the de- the purview of the conven7on. It
ment in 2008. Maoists emerged ten7on of a Chinese captain had also insisted that interna-
as the largest single party but fell whose trawler collided with two 7onal humanitarian laws should
short of a majority. Japanese coastguard ships. be taken into account while final-
In the 601-member House, The spat between Asia’s two ising the text of the conven7on.
two seats are vacant and if the largest economies has flared Both these objec7ons were seen
Speaker and the Deputy Speaker since Japan arrested the captain, as aimed at embarrassing India
are excluded, it has an effec7ve accusing him of deliberately strik- on Jammu and Kashmir since Is-
strength of 597 members. The ing a patrol ship and obstruc7ng lamabad has been demanding
break-up is as follows : Unified public officers near uninhabited the right to self-determina7on for
CPN (Maoists): 237, Nepali Con- islets in the East China Sea. Bei- Kashmiris and seeking interna-
gress: 114, UML: 108, four Mad- jing viewed the deten7on as il- 7onal interven7on on the issue.
hes based par7es: 82, smaller legal and invalid. The opposi7on to the con-
par7es & others: 56. ven7on had also come from the
Unified CPN (Maoist) con7n- US and Israel with the la8er in-
ues to say it has no faith in parlia- UN conven/on on sis7ng that ac7ng against terror-
mentary democracy, believes in terrorism moves a step ists indulging in killing innocent
one-party rule and insists on ab- forward people be brought under its
sorbing its underground mili7a purview.
into the Nepalese Army. It also Rocked by a wave of audacious The global treaty seeks to
tried to take arbitrary decisions terrorist a8acks in the last two criminalise all forms of interna-
and sought the removal of the years, Pakistan has finally realised 7onal terrorism and deny terror-
President and the Army Chief. the fu7lity of opposing the pro- ists, their financers and
Other par7es are not sure it posed Comprehensive Conven- supporters access of funds, arms
would change its spots. 7on on Interna7onal Terrorism and safe havens.
The Cons7tuent Assembly (CCIT) just because India was in he situa7on has considerably
has failed to finalise the Cons7tu- the forefront of ini7a7ng it at the changed with just a handful of
7on as mandated. The Assembly United Na7ons in 1996. countries s7ll not convinced why
extended its own life by one year Pakistan, along with some they should back it. “Most coun-
to complete the task. But differ- other Organisa7on of the Islamic tries are now in favour of the
ences persist. In the absence of a Conference (OIC) countries, had early adop7on of the conven7on
consensus between par7es, led the campaign against the pro- but there is a small number of
there is a caretaker government posed conven7on on various holdouts, may be 10 to 15…ef-
with few powers. forts are on to
Having failed to sack the then convince them
Army Chief over the integra7on also to sup-
of the armed Maoist guerrillas, port it so that
Prachanda resigned as Prime Mi- a strong mes-
noster and Maoists pulled out of sage goes out
the government in 2009; then to all terrorist
they forced the next government organisa7ons
headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal that the inter-
of UML to also quit. na7onal com-
munity is
united and de-
China-Japan spat termined to
jointly fight
China suspended high-level ex- the menace of
changes with Japan on Septem- terrorism. ˜
66 - 18
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Current Affairs
Science Technology
& Environment
tres per second in several tens of Now, using the data from
Scien/sts unveil secrets minutes. STEREO, new research by scien-
of exploding plasma CMEs are closely related to 7sts at the Naval Research Labo-
clouds on Sun solar flares and, when they im- ratory (NRL), has demonstrated
pinge on the Earth, can trigger for the first 7me that the ob-
Scien7sts have shed light on the spectacular auroral displays. served mo7on of erup7ng
explosion of plasma clouds on They also induce strong elec- plasma clouds driven by mag-
the Sun. The Sun sporadically ex- tric currents in the Earth's plasma ne7c forces can be correctly ex-
pels trillions of tons of million-de- atmosphere (i.e., the magnetos- plained by a theore7cal model.
gree hydrogen gas in explosions phere and ionosphere), leading The theory is based on the
called coronal mass ejec7ons to outages in telecommunica- concept that an erup7ng plasma
(CMEs). 7ons and GPS systems and even cloud is a giant "magne7c flux
Such clouds are enormous in the collapse of electric power rope," a rope of "twisted" mag-
size and are made up of magnet- grids if the disturbances are very ne7c field lines shaped like a par-
ized plasma gases, so hot that hy- severe. In 2006, an interna7onal 7al donut.
drogen atoms are ionized. twin-satellite mission called The findings will be pre-
CMEs are rapidly accelerated STEREO was launched to con7n- sented at the 52nd Annual Meet-
by magne7c forces to speeds of uously observe the erup7ng ing of the APS Plasma Physics
hundreds of kilometres per sec- plasma structures from the Sun Division.
ond to upwards of 2,000 kilome- to the Earth.
Large Hadron Collider

recreates 'mini Big Bang'
Researchers at the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) have succeeded in
recrea7ng the Big Bang on a
miniature scale.
The Telegraph reports that
the collisions were produced by
firing lead ions - atoms with their
electrons removed - at incredible
speeds in opposite direc7ons
around the LHC's underground
tunnel at CERN, the European Or-
ganiza7on for Nuclear Research,
near Geneva.
The heavyweight par7cle col-
lisions follow seven months of
earlier experiments crashing pro-
Current Affairs
tons - which are 200 7mes lighter their magne7c fields to an iron and premature uptake by cells
than lead ions - at near-light core that is at least partly molten. higher up the gastrointes7nal
speeds. But a simula7on of super-Earths tract.
The reac7on created temper- between a few 7mes and 10 Being able to deliver a drug
atures a million 7mes ho8er than 7mes Earth's mass suggests that by mouth has several benefits
the centre of the Sun, which have high pressures will keep the core over injec7on or suppository:
not been reached since the first solid, according to Guillaume ease of dosing, for instance, and
billionths of a second following Morard of the Ins7tute of Miner- be8er pa7ent compliance. Vari-
the Big Bang. This was expected alogy and Physics of Condensed ous methods have been tried, in-
to cause atomic par7cles such as Ma8er in Paris, France, and his cluding coa7ng drug molecules
protons and neutrons to melt, team. with a polymer shell.
producing a 'soup' of ma8er in a Without a magne7c field, the However, Kevin P. O'Donnell
state previously unseen on Earth. planets would be bathed in harm-
Scien7sts, including Bri7sh ful radia7on, and their atmos-
par7cle physicists, will now study pheres would be eroded away by
the par7cles in the hope of dis- par7cles streaming from their
covering what holds atoms to- stars. So life would have trouble
gether and gives them their ge9ng started on super-Earths,
mass. even if they lie in the habitable
The latest experiment at zone around their stars.
CERN went ahead despite warn- However, Vlada Stamankovic
ings by a group called Heavy Ion of the German Aerospace Center
Alert that it could trigger a cata- in Berlin said it was too early to
strophic chain reac7on that might rule out molten iron cores - and
destroy the Earth. magne7c fields - for super-Earths.
"Their interiors might get hot
enough to melt iron. Actual tem-
Earth-like planets 'may peratures could be much larger and Robert O. Williams III of the
not be life-friendly' than assumed - we simply do not University of Texas, reviewed the
know," he said. various techniques on offer and
A new study has revealed that suggested that encapsula7ng a
planets like the Earth that we drug molecule within nanopar7-
thought could support life, might Nanotechnology could cles offers the best op7on for
not be life-friendly, and lack a help smuggle drugs into controlling drug delivery and tar-
protec7ve magne7c field. the gut ge7ng the colon.
According to New Scien7st, The Texas team reviewed the
Super-Earths lack what makes life Nanotechnology can be used to state of the art in nanotechnol-
in Earth possible, a protec7ve deliver drugs to intes7nal target, ogy for delivery of therapeu7c
magne7c field. according to a new study. agents to the colon.
There are several drugs that They explained that advances
would have more beneficial ther- in par7cle engineering tech-
apeu7c effects if they could be niques have recently made it pos-
targeted at absorp7on by the sible to make drug products on
lower intes7ne. the nanoscale. Techniques such
However, in order to target as spray drying, an7solvent meth-
the colon for trea7ng colon can- ods, dialysis methods, emulsion
cer for instance, medica7on de- methods and cryogenic methods
livered by mouth must surmount are all now available for drug for-
several barriers including stom- mula7on.
ach acidity, binding to mucus lay- Conver7ng a drug powder
Planets are thought to owe ers, rapid clearance from the gut, into nanopar7cles can o'en ren-
68 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
der a compound that is poorly ploit is an advance towards re- organ is in the offing. The first
soluble in water soluble or in- placing today’s clumsy robots and prototype of the device unveiled
crease bioavailability simply ar7ficial arms with smarter, by the US researchers could do
through an increase in the sur- touch-sensi7ve upgrades.
face area to volume ra7o. The “e-skin” comprises a ma-
Smaller par7cles mean a big- trix of nano-wires made of ger-
ger surface area to interact with manium and silicon rolled onto a
absorbing surfaces in the gas- s7cky polyimide film. The re-
trointes7nal tract. Indeed, fa8y searchers then laid nano-scale
but solid nanopar7cles of the transistors on top, followed by a
compound querce7n (a health flexible, pressure-sensi7ve rub-
supplement) are absorbed al- ber. The prototype, measuring 49
most 6 7mes more effec7vely by square cen7metres, can detect
the gut in nanopar7cle form than pressure ranging from 0 to 15
the common drug suspension kilopascals, comparable to the
formula7on. force used for such daily ac7vi7es
The researchers explained as typing on a keyboard or hold- away with the need for dialysis or
that nanopar7cle drug delivery ing an object. donor organs.
could be par7cularly beneficial The achievements are “im- The device comprises thou-
for pa7ents suffering from in- portant milestones” in ar7ficial sands of microscopic filters to re-
flammatory bowel diseases in- intelligence. In the search to sub- move toxins from the blood and
cluding Crohn's Disease, a bio-reactor to mimic the meta-
ulcera7ve coli7s and irritable bolic and water-balancing roles of
bowel syndrome, all which o'en a real kidney.
require long-term treatment. The implant is being devel-
However, they also added oped jointly by engineers, biolo-
that because there are no diges- gists and physicians led by Shuvo
7ve enzymes in the colon and its Roy at the University of Califor-
neutral pH it is a prime target for nia, San Francisco.
the delivery of therapeu7c pro- The treatment has already
teins, pep7des, viral vectors, and been proven to work for the sick-
nucleo7des for a wide range of est pa7ents, using a room-sized
disease not simply those associ- external model.
ated with the colon. s7tute the human senses with The process relies on the
The findings are published in electronics, good subs7tutes now body's blood pressure to perform
the Interna7onal Journal of Nan- exist for sight and sound, but lag filtra7on, without needing pumps
otechnology. for smell and taste. Touch, or an external electrical power
though, is widely acknowledged supply.
to be the biggest obstacle. Even Tissue engineering will be
Scien/sts develop rou7ne daily ac7ons, such as used to grow renal tubule cells to
‘e-skin’ brushing one’s teeth, turning the provide other biological func7ons
pages of a newspaper or dressing of a healthy kidney. This would
Biotech wizards have engineered a small child would easily defeat remove the need for immune
electronic skin that can sense today’s robots. suppressant medica7ons a'er it
touch, in a major step towards
next-genera7on robo7cs and
prosthe7c limbs. The lab-tested Ar/ficial kidney to be a
material responds to almost the reality soon
same pressures as human skin
and with the same speed. Impor- An ar7ficial kidney implant that
tant hurdles remain but the ex- would work as well as a natural
Current Affairs
was implanted, allowing the pa- centres of the brain of an epilep- gines for the Light Combat Air-
7ent to live a more normal life. 7c pa7ent who had part of his cra' MK-2 (LCA MK-2 or Tejas
skull removed for another opera- MK-2). The aircra' is being devel-
7on. oped by the DRDO with the Hin-
Mind reading machine Using the electrodes, the sci- dustan Aeronau7cs Limited (HAL)
on its way en7sts recorded brain signals as being the implemen7ng agency
the pa7ent repeatedly read each for the project.
Scien7sts who claim to have dis- of 10 words that might be useful Installa7on of the new engine
covered a way of transla7ng peo- to a paralysed person: yes, no, will pave the way for acquisi7on
ple’s thoughts into words are hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, hello, of the indigenous mul7-role
soon coming out with a mind goodbye, more and less. Then fighter jet by the IAF.
The necessity for
a new engine arose
a'er the LCA’s pres-
ent engine, also sup-
plied by GE (GE F404
IN20), failed to meet
the IAF require-
ments.
Installa7on of
the new engine will
necessitate major
modifica7ons to the
LCA, especially the
fuselage. The ADA ex-
pects the Tejas MK2
to fly in 2014.
IAF launches
AFNET for bet-
ter communica-
/ons
reading machine. An interna- they got him to repeat the words
7onal team, led by Prof Bradley to the computer and it was able The Indian Air Force, in a signifi-
Greger of Utah University, has to match the brain signals for cant development, launched on
been able to translate, for the each word 76 per cent to 90 per September 14, 2010, its state-of-
first 7me, brain signals into cent of the 7me. the-art digital informa7on system
speech using sensors a8ached to that will provide real 7me data,
the brain. voice and images to commanders
The experimental break- GE Engines for Tejas on the ground, as well as to pilots
through, which is up to 90 per in the air.
cent accurate, offers a way to GE Avia7on of USA has bagged It will connect all IAF’s, fight-
communicate for paralysed pa- the contract for supplying en- ers, choppers, transport planes,
7ents who cannot speak and satellites and UAV’s with ground
could eventually lead to being and command sta7ons which will
able to read anyone thoughts. in turn have the posi7on of the
The team achieved the exper- ground-based air defence guns
imental breakthrough when it at- deployed at airbases. The new
tached two bu8on sized grids of system will make the IAF network
16 7ny electrodes to the speech centric force.
70 - 18
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Current Affairs
The Air Force Network
(AFNET) has replaced the IAF’s
old communica7on network set-
up using the “tropo-sca8er” tech-
nology that was first devised in
the 1950s.
New series of horned di-

nosaurs found in Utah
Fossil hunters have uncovered
the remains of an ancient beast
that can lay claim to the dubious
7tle of the horniest animal ever
to walk the Earth. The creature
lived 76 million years ago in the
warm, wet swamps of southern
Utah and was remarkable in
bearing 15 full-sized horns on its
head. The animal, named Kosmo-
ceratops, had one horn over its
nose, one over each eye, one pro-
truding from each cheek bone
and a row of ten across the frill at
the back of its head. As opposed
to earlier belief, many palaeontol- the rice yield in the country. be 8-10% more rainfall in India
ogists now believe that di- IITM is one of the ins7tutes and, the temperature will in-
nosaurs’ horns were o'en more involved in forecas7ng climate crease between 1 and 1.5 degree
for sexual display. change for NATCOM. The ins7- Celsius by 2030, Kumar added.
tute provided inputs for the re- Kumar said that rainfall pa8erns
port Climate Change Assessment will undergo change. For exam-
Climate change will for 2030,' which was released by ple, if a place receives 60 cm sea-
make India ho0er, bring the minister of environment and sonal rainfall in 30 days, climate
heavier rain forests Jairam Ramesh recently. change can ensure that the same
IITM scien7st Krishna Kumar, amount of seasonal rainfall oc-
By 2030, India can expect a 1 to who leads the team, said a re- curs in 20-25 days resul7ng in an
1.5 degree Celsius rise in temper- gional climate model was used to increased intensity of rainfall on
ature and more intense spells of assess the future climate. any rainy day.
rain. However, the number of "The UK meteorological of- "Hence we have to change
rainy days will be fewer. fice's regional climate model PRE- the way we conserve water. It has
This phenomenon will di- CIS (providing climate to be fine-tuned as the present
rectly impact water conserva7on inves7ga7on studies) was used. prac7ce may not be enough,''
making it a necessary prac7ce, Unlike global models, this re- Kumar said.
experts from the Indian Ins7tute gional model can capture the It was also observed that
of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), orography (forma7on and relief night temperature rise is more
Pune have said. of mountains) be8er. It took compared to day temperature
It was also observed that them nine months to come up over the last 20-30 years. The In-
over the last 30-40 years, night with these model simula7ons," dian Agricultural Research Ins7-
temperature has gone up and he said. tute (IARI) study observed that
such condi7ons have damaged These indicate that there will high night temperature in Punjab
Current Affairs
and Haryana has affected the garding manufacture, use and documen7ng prescrip7on pat-
quality of Basma7 rice grown misuse of an7bio7cs in the coun- terns and establish a monitoring
there. try and was expected to submit system for the same.
"We have to see whether its report by the month-end. “An7bio7c resistance is a uni-
there will be any change in the In a wri8en reply, the minis- versal evolu7onary phenome-
tracks of monsoon depressions or ter informed Parliament that a non, as bacterias are surviving
in the onset of the monsoon. We task force was cons7tuted to rec- both in environment and human
must also assess the impact of cli- ommend specific interven7ons bodies. Within the human body,
mate change on socio-economy and measures such as ra7onal due to prolonged use of an7bi-
fronts too,'' said Kumar. use of an7bio7cs and an7bio7cs o7cs, bacteria may start various
But there are many uncer- policies in hospitals which can be defensive mechanism like muta-
tain7es in the projec7ons. "One implemented as early as possible. 7on, conjuga7on, transduc7on or
has to assume the amount of He said that the task force would transforma7on. so that it can
emissions in future. Hence, pro- also recommend the design for counter the assault of an7bio7c,
jec7ons in climate change will crea7on of a Na7onal Surveil- resul7ng in an7bio7c resistance.
also have uncertain7es. It is obvi- lance System for an7bio7c resist- ˜
ous that there is going to be cli- ance and would ini7ate studies
mate change, the ques7on is,
how can we mi7gate it?" Kumar
said.
"Reducing emissions, captur-
ing carbon and storing it or by
changing the albedo (reflec7vity)
of the atmosphere can help.
Many geo-engineering methods
involving mi7ga7on techniques
are being explored now, but we
should assess their likely impact
on our monsoon climate,'' he
said.
Global climate change has al-
ready begun to affect the envi-
ronment. Glaciers have shrunk,
ice on rivers and lakes is breaking
up earlier, plant and animal
ranges have shi'ed and trees are
flowering sooner, according to
the US-based Na7onal Aeronau-
7cs and Space Administra7on.
Surveillance system for

an/bio/c resistance
The Centre has decided to put in
place soon a Na7onal Surveil-
lance System for an7bio7c resist-
ance. Union Minister for Health
and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi
Azad said that a task force was re-
viewing the current situa7on re-
72 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
India & World

years, which would offer many The India-ASEAN Trade in
opportuni7es for trade and in- Goods (TIG) Agreement was
India-ASEAN Summit vestment. signed in Bangkok on August 13
"Our experience of imple- last year a'er six years of nego7-
Keen on India's deeper and en- menta7on shows that we need to a7ons and it came into force on
hanced integra7on with South work very hard at all levels if we January 1 this year.
East Asia, Prime Minister Man- have to accelerate the pace of en- Seen as the world's largest
gagement FTA, covering a market of almost
as outlined 1.8 billion people with a com-
in the 'Plan bined GDP of USD 2.8 trillion, the
of Ac7on', India-ASEAN pact envisages tariff
he told the liberalisa7on of over 90 per cent
leaders of of products traded between the
10 ASEAN two dynamic regions. Tariffs on
members over 4,000 product lines will be
assembled eliminated by 2016, at the earli-
here for est.
the annual Services and Investments
Summit. could not be included in that free
The Plan trade agreement as the two sides
of Ac7on failed to reconcile their differ-
mohan Singh pressed for early contains 82 points iden7fied for ences in 7me and it was decided
comple7on of free trade agree- implementa7on to tap the vast to have a separate pact on these
ment in Services and Investment poten7al in various fields. sectors.
and implementa7on of such a Describing it as an "ambi7ous
pact on Goods signed last year. roadmap" for implementa7on of
Singh also announced visa- 'partnership of peace, progress India, Rwanda to
on-arrival facility to na7onals of and shared prosperity' between cooperate in health care
Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines the two sides, Singh said it shows
and Laos from January next year the desire to develop a mul7- India and the eastern African na-
and a slew of other measures like faceted India-ASEAN rela7onship. 7on of Rwanda on Nov 12 signed
se9ng up of a Centre for Tracking " India believes that ASEAN is
and Data Recep7on and an Imag- the core around which the
ing facility for the ASEAN coun- process of economic integra7on
tries. of the Asia-Pacific region should
Speaking at the India-ASEAN be built," he said.
Summit which came out with a "The conclusion of a Services
five-year 'Plan of Ac7on' outlining and Investment Agreement will
roadmap for enhanced mul7- be an important step in our goal
faceted coopera7on, Singh said of comprehensive economic co-
India's economy was expected to opera7on," the Prime Minister
witness a sustained growth rate said about the pact nego7a7ons
of 9-10 per cent in the coming for which are going on.
Current Affairs
a memorandum of understanding ogy (DBT), Government of India 7ve is es7mated to be Pound 20
(MoU) on coopera7on in the and the Indian Council of Agricul- million over a period of five years.
fields of health and medicine. tural Research (ICAR) have en- This fund will be used to support
The MoU, signed by Health tered into a Memorandum of the development of scien7fic
and Family Welfare Minister Ghu- Understanding (MoU) with knowledge and the building of
lam Nabi Azad and his Rwandan Biotechnology and Biological Sci- sustainable research capacity
counterpart Richard Sezibera, ence Research Council (BBSRC), that will benefit emerging
covers mul7ple fields like inte- U.K. and Dep8. for Interna7onal economies and the developing
grated disease surveillance, med- Development (DFID). world.
ical research, emergency relief, The MoU was signed by The le8er of intent will subse-
drugs, laboratory and diagnos7cs, M.K.Bhan, Secretary, Dep8. of quently be followed up by a joint
and pharmaceu7cal products and Biotechnology in the presence of call for proposals on sustainable
tradi7onal medicine. Minister of Science and Technol- crop produc7on which will be
According to an official state- ogy Kapil Sibal and the visi7ng open for research proposals from
ment from the health ministry, U.K Science Minister David Wil- interna7onal teams of scien7sts
the coopera7on will also extend le8s. from India, U.K, South-Asia and
to fields like hospital manage- The le8er of intent to launch Sub-Sahara Africa.
ment, health tourism, telemedi- a new ini7a7ve on "Food secu- Kapil Sibal and David Wille8s
cine and training of human rity: Sustainable crop produc7on reiterated the commitment of
resource. research for interna7onal devel- their respec7ve countries to-
"The coopera7on is likely to opment" also agreed to establish wards closer coopera7on and a
take form of collabora7on in ex- a joint funding ini7a7ve with the cohesive rela7onship in this area.
change of informa7on in the field aim of underpinning scien7fic They hoped that the collabo-
of health and medicine, exchange knowledge that will increase food ra7on on global food security
of experts in the field of health, security and alleviate poverty. would harness the exper7se
health manpower development The ini7a7ve is expected to available in U.K, India, sub-Saha-
in the field of epidemiology and forge produc7ve global partner- ran Africa and the south-east
outbreak, diagnos7c laboratory ships between scien7sts in the Asian region for providing global
support through tes7ng clinical U.K, India and other developing solu7ons to the formidable chal-
samples during outbreak situa- countries to leverage high quality lenge of food security.
7on training in the mutually biological and biotechnological They also hoped that this
agreed iden7fied areas, deputa- research for sustainable crop pro- would create a founda7on for fu-
7on of experts to a8end interna- duc7on in South Asia and Sub-Sa- ture collabora7ons in this area. ˜
7onal mee7ngs held in either haran Africa.
country, technical support in es- The total value of the ini7a-
tablishing laboratories/ hospitals
and research in mutually iden7-
fied areas," a health ministry offi-
cial said.
The Rwandan minister is on a
short visit to India. The MoU
comes as part of the growing bi-
lateral 7es between the two
countries.
DBT signs MoU With

UK's Bio-Technology
Council
The Department of Biotechnol-
74 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
Economy
top receiver of remi8ances in billion from the 2009 figure of
India to receive $55 2010, as inflows of $51 billion to $307 billion.
billion remi0ances in China keeps it a place down, with The top remi9ng countries in
2010 Mexico at third spot, expec7ng 2009 were United States ($48.3
$22.6 billion from its overseas billion), Saudi Arabia ($26 billion)
Indian expatriates are ex- popula7on. and Switzerland ($19.6 billion).
pected to remit about $55 billion The World Bank in its 'Migra- Remi8ances remained a re-
into the country this year as the 7on and Remi8ances Factbook silient of external financing dur-
number of emigrants from the 2011' report said worldwide in- ing the recent global financial
na7on is likely to clock 11.4 mil- flows are expected to reach $440 crisis and were steady despite the
lion, a new World Bank report billion by the year end, with re- pangs of financial reconstruc7on
said. mi8ances to developing na7ons in the developed world, the re-
India is likely to stay as the are likely to reach a record $325 port said.
Current Affairs
As high-income countries re- lion).
main the main source of remit- The top immigra7on coun- RBI’s mid-term review
tance flows, migra7on to the tries rela7ve to popula7on are
developed economies grouping Qatar - 87%, Monaco - 72%, UAE The RBI, in its first mid-quarter re-
saw an increase. - 70%, Kuwait - 69% and Andorra view of its monetary policy, in-
India ranks second in the top - 64%. creased repo and reverse repo
three emigra7on countries with rates leaving the cash reserve
11.4 million of its popula7on ra7o (CRR) unchanged as it bat-
chose overseas des7na7ons. 30th India Interna/onal tles to contain infla7on.
Mexico tops the chart with 11.9 Trade Fair The central bank noted that
million figure and Russia ge9ng food infla7on has risen to 15.10
third posi7on having 11.1 million Union Minister for Commerce per cent for the week ending Sep-
people working in other coun- and Industry Anand Sharma inau- tember 4, thus making it neces-
tries. gurated the 30th edi7on of India sary to rein in liquidity. As a
India-UAE is among the top Interna7onal Trade Fair (IITF) in result, RBI raised short-term bor-
10 migra7on corridors with 2.2 the na7onal capital on Nov 14, rowing rate (reverse repo) by
million migrants. Mexico-US is ex- 2010 at the Praga7 Maidan. 0.50 percentage points to 5 per
pected to be the largest migra- This year at least 23 countries cent and lending rate (repo) by
7on corridor in the world, including China, Japan, Korea and 0.25 percentage points to 6 per
followed by Russia-Ukraine, several western and eastern cent. The increased rates aim to
Ukraine-Russia and Bangladesh- countries showed their products make financing costly thus curb-
India. in the fortnight long trade fair. ing consump7on.
World Bank said majority of This year the theme of this fa- However, the RBI said that in-
expatriates in the Gulf hail from mous annual trade fair to be held fla7on rates have reached a
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, between (November 14 to 27) plateau. The apex bank also sig-
Philippines, Bangladesh, Yemen, was 'Clean and Energy Efficient nalled banks to raise fixed deposit
Iran and Sudan. Technology, Products and Serv- rates and also noted that the gov-
According to the Factbook ices'. Japan and Uganda were ernment was on target to contain
2011, the top migrant des7na7on par7cipated for the first 7me. the fiscal deficit.
country remains
the United States
that kept 42.8
million immi-
grants, followed
by Russia (12.3
million), Ger-
many (10.8 mil-
lion, Saudi Arabia
(7.3 million),
Canada (7.2 mil-
lion), United
Kingdom (7.0 mil-
lion), Spain (6.9
million), France
(6.7 million), Aus-
tralia (5.5 mil-
lion), India (5.4
million), Ukraine
(5.3 million), Italy
(4.5 million) and
Pakistan (4.2 mil-
76 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
Miscellaneous
There are 25 students in each mar, the Indian government has
CBSE to introduce ap/- course. Of the total 50 students, okayed two new naval bases on
tude test 36 were from India and 14 from the eastern coast—Paradip (Odd-
five other SAARC countries—Pak- isa) and Tu7corin (Tamil Nadu).
In order to assess the ability of istan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan These will be the first major naval
students, the CBSE will introduce and Sri Lanka. As of now, there is bases other than Vizag on the
a psychological ap7tude test for no student from the rest of the eastern coast. The Navy has
two SAARC na7ons, the war-af- smaller sta7ons but no big bases
fected Afghanistan and the Mal- that typically provide all logis7cs
dives. support like supplies, replenish-
The present faculty includes ment, repair and maintenance.
Bangladeshi na7onals as well as China has announced its in-
Australian na7onals of Indian ori- ten7on to build a deep sea port
gin. The faculty would be gradu- at Sonadia near Cox Bazar
ally increased when courses in Bangladesh. It is also building
other disciplines are launched ports in Myanmar. All these are in
class X on the lines of similar from the next academic year be- the Bay of Bengal and face India.
exams held in other parts of the ginning in July 2011. Most of country’s missile
world. The test will be known as Though the university, the tests are conducted off the east
Students Global Ap7tude Index first of its kind in the region, has coast. India’s “look east” policy
(SGAI). The main aim of holding been allo8ed land in the capital aims at engaging smaller navies
the exam is to know about the for its campus, classes for the first that are east of India. For them
students' interest, their psychol- session are being held at the this will be a huge morale booster
ogy and their skill levels. This Jawaharlal Nehru University as all of them regularly conduct
exam is based on a scien7fic (JNU). exercises with India.
index. The concept of a world-class
university in South Asia was ini7-
ated by the Indian Prime Minister Rustom: Unmanned
South Asian University during the 13th SAARC Summit at aerial vehicle
becomes opera/onal Dhaka in 2005, while a formal
agreement for establishing the in- The Defence Research and Devel-
With the visa issue concerning s7tute was signed in April 2007 opment Oganisa7on (DRDO), has
Pakistani students having been during the 14th Summit in New successfully flown the indige-
se8led, the South Asian Univer- Delhi. nously built Unmanned Aerial Ve-
sity (SAU), a dream project of hicle (UAV), named Rustom. It is
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a medium al7tude long en-
has finally taken off. The univer- Two Naval Bases okayed durance UAV, developed by the
sity launched its first academic Aeronau7cal Development Estab-
session on August 26, 2010, start- In an apparent bid to counter lishment (ADE), a lab of the
ing two courses—MA in Develop- China’s growing presence in the DRDO. The ADE specialises in
ment Economics and Masters of Bay of Bengal, especially its new UAVs and flight control systems.
Computer Applica7ons. forays in Bangladesh and Myan- The subsequent flights of the
Current Affairs
Rustom will test and demonstrate before studying literature and law
capabili7es like controlling the in Lima and Madrid.
UAV through GPS satellites. The In 1959, he moved to Paris World’s longest tunnel
Rustom has been designed for where he worked as a language completed
endurance of 12-15 hour, with a teacher and as a journalist for
25,000-' al7tude ceiling and 75 Agence France-Presse and the A giant drilling machine punched
kg payload of cameras and sen- na7onal television service of its way through a final sec7on of
sors. The data link for this has France. Alpine rock on October 15, 2010
been developed by DEAL, an- He has lectured and taught at to complete the world’s longest
other DRDO laboratory; a private a number of universi7es in the tunnel, a'er 15 years of construc-
Indian company has built the air- US, South America and Europe. 7on. In a stage-managed break-
frame. through, a8ended by some 200
dignitaries 30 km inside the tun-
Xiaobo, Liu nel and broadcast live on Swiss
Llosa, Mario Vargas television, engineers from both
Jailed Chinese pro-democracy ac- sides shook hands a'er the bore
Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, one 7vist Liu Xiaobo has won the had pummelled through the final
of the most acclaimed writers in Nobel Peace Prize, 2010, “for 1.5 metres of rock.
the Spanish-speaking world who decades of non-violent struggle The 57 km high-speed rail
once ran for President in his for human rights”. link, which will open in 2017, will
homeland, has won the 2010 Liu was jailed for 11 years in form the lynch-pin of a new rail
Nobel Prize in literature. December 2009, for subversion network between northern and
He has wri8en more than 30 nov- of State power, a year a'er being south-eastern Europe and help
els, plays and essays, including arrested as lead author of Charter ease conges7on and pollu7on in
Conversa7on in the Cathedral 08, a manifesto issued by Chinese the Swiss Alps.
and The Green House. In 1995, intellectuals and ac7vists, calling It is the third tunnel to be
he was awarded the Cervantes for free speech and mul7-party built through the snowbound St
Prize, the Spanish-speaking elec7ons. Go8hard area and is 3 km longer
world’s most dis7nguished liter- than a rail link between two
ary honour. Japanese islands, the current
His interna7onal break- record holder at 53.8 km.
through came with the 1960s
novel The Time of The Hero,
which builds on his experiences Flower has world’s
from the Peruvian military acad- longest genome
emy Leoncio Prado. The book
was considered controversial in Researchers at London's Kew
his homeland and a thousand Gardens say they've discovered
copies were burnt publicly by of- the longest genome in the world
ficers from the academy. Vargas and that it belongs to a rather or-
Llosa is the first South American dinary-looking white flower. The
winner of the pres7gious prize Liu, a former literature pro- scien7sts say the Paris japonica
since it was awarded to Colom- fessor, had risen to prominence has a gene7c code 50 7mes
bian writer Gabriel Garcia Mar- as a strike leader during the longer than that of a human
quez in 1982. protests at Tiananmen Square in being and edges out its nearest
Born in Arequipa, Peru, Var- 1989. He was later jailed for 20 compe7tor, the marbled lungfish.
gas Llosa grew up with his grand- months and then spent three A genome is the full comple-
parents in Bolivia a'er his years in a “labour re-educa7on” ment of an organism's DNA, com-
parents divorced. The family camp during the 1990s, as well as plex molecules that direct the
moved back to Peru in 1946 and months under virtual house ar- forma7on and func7on of all liv-
he later went to military school rest. ing organisms.
78 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Current Affairs
home-grown firm is ready to offer strength of steel and tougher
a similar service with that prob- than diamond. It conducts elec-
China launches un- lem removed. tricity be8er than copper and is
manned lunar probe BharatBerry, dubbed as “an excellent at dissipa7ng heat.
India compliant end-to-end serv- Graphene will help in replac-
On October 1, 2010, China ice” is a venture started by Ajay ing the silicon chip and allow
launched its second unmanned Data,36, from Rajasthan. Bharat- computers to become smaller
lunar probe to test so'-landing Berry service (in which handsets and more powerful for decades
technologies as part of its ambi- are not made by the firm) aims to to come. Graphene transistors
7ous plans to put a man on the address one million BlackBerry will run at far higher speeds and
moon in 2013, the same year users if Research In Mo7on fails cope with much higher tempera-
when India plans to launch Chan- to comply with government re- tures than now. It is also more
drayaan-II. quirements that it must allow in- suitable for touch screens, light
terven7ons to help law enforcers panels and solar cells. It can also
trying to check abuse of confi- be used as composite material in
den7al corporate mail by terror satellites, air-planes and cars.
groups. Graphene has been discov-
It might not be quite the ered by Andre Geim, 51, and Kon-
thing for mul7-na7onals with a sta7n Novoselov, 36, for which
global foot-print, but the afford- they have been awarded the
ability makes it quite Indian as it Nobel Prize 2010 for Physics.
is available for monthly fee that is Novoselov is the youngest
A'er a text book launch of a frac7on of base-level Black- Nobel laureate since 1973. Geim
the probe Chang'e II on the coun- Berry offers. and Novoselov were both born in
try’s 61st Na7onal Day, the rocket “We have tested the service Russia and collaborated as Ph.D.
successfully placed the lunar or- thoroughly on all BlackBerry supervisor and student in the
biter in its intended orbit in 20 models and it works well with all Netherlands before moving to
minutes. of them. It is a completely secure, Manchester University, one of
The Chinese satellite was fully tested and totally reliable Britain's top physics ins7tutes.
launched by a 54.84-metre long service for as low as Rs 250 a The scien7sts’ breakthrough
March 3C rocket, weighing about month,” Data said. came from a decep7vely simple
345 tonnes, from Xichang Satel- experiment in 2004 that involved
lite Launch Centre in Sichuan a block of carbon and some
Province. Graphene: 21st Cen- Scotch tape. The two used the
Chang'e II, named a'er Chi- tury’s Silicon tape to strip off layers of carbon
nese mythical moon goddess, will that were only one atom thick.
orbit 100 km above the moon, Graphene is a form of carbon that These thin wafers of carbon,
compared with 200 km of its comprises a single layer of atoms known as graphene, were found
predecessor Chang'e I, the first arranged in a honeycomb-shaped to have extraordinary proper7es.
lunar probe launched by China in la9ce, the thinnest substance in Graphene consists of carbon
2007. existence. atoms held together in a flat lat-
7ce like chicken wire. Drawing a
pencil across a sheet of paper
BharatBerry: India’s produces thin sheets of graphite,
answer to BlackBerry but Geim and Novoselov man-
aged to find a way to reliably sep-
If BlackBerry creates problems for arate these sheets into wafers
corporate e-mail users on the only a single atom thick. There
move because it cannot comply are around three million sheets
with the security monitoring Though chemically simple, it of graphene in a millimetre-thick
norms of the government, a is incredibly strong—200 7me the graphite layer. ˜
Sports
final frame to beat his opponent from

Myanmar, Nay
Advani wins India's first gold at Thway.
Asiad 2010 Thway won the
first frame 33-100
Defending Asian Games billiards cham- but lost the second
pion Pankaj Advani made it a Super Sun- 100-61, before win-
day for India in Guangzhou by winning ning the third hand-
the first gold of the Asian Games 2010 somely with a
for his country in the English Billiards 12-101 margin.
Singles event Nov 14, 2010. Advani, though,
Advani came back from 1-2 down con4nued to fight to
to first even the match at 2-2 and then clinch the clinch the one-sided
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Sports
fourth frame 101-4, before taking ver medal ensured Deepika her Kings, led ably by Mahendra
the gold 100-45 by winning the maiden place in the grand final in Singh Dhoni, defeated the War-
deciding fi%h frame. Edinburgh. riors of South Africa by eight
Earlier on Sunday, Advani wickets to win the Airtel Champi-
stormed into the final with an ons League, played in South
iden4cal 3-2 victory over another Mary Kom wins World Africa.
Myanmar challenger Kyaw. Ad- Championship
vani beat Kyaw 100-28, 0-100,
100-77, 11-100, 101-0 in the India’s woman boxer MC Mary J.P. Atray Trophy
semifinal. Kom claimed a historic fi%h suc-
Advani's opponent in the cessive world championship 4tle ONGC posted a six-wicket victory
final, Thway, came into the gold- over Air India to win
medal match by upse6ng Singa- the 17th J.P. Atray Me-
pore's veteran Peter Gilchrist morial Cricket tourna-
102-39, 101-71, 93-100, 43-100, ment.
102-4.
England-Pakistan
One-Day series
India wins gold in fourth England defeated Pak-
leg of World Cup istan by 121 runs in
the fi%h and final
The Indian men's recurve team of match to win the se-
Jayanta Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai ries3-2.
and Rahul Banerjee won gold in on September 18, 2010, bea4ng
the fourth leg of the World Cup Steluta Duta of Romania 16-6.
archery in Shanghai. The trio This mother-of-two from Ma- DLF Masters
whipped Japan, who had beaten nipur remains the only boxer to
the formidable Koreans in the have won a medal in each edi4on Ashok Kumar won the DLF Mas-
ters Golf. Gaganjeet Bhullar won
the second spot.
Women’s World Cup

Argen4na defeated reigning
World and Olympic champions
Netherlands 3-1 to win their sec-
ond field hockey world 4tle. They
had earlier won the 4tle in 2002
in Australia. The championship
was held at Rosario, Argen4na.
Ronjon shoots gold at

semi-final. of the world championship. ISSF World Cup
Talukdar won bronze in the
individual event defea4ng Athens India’s Ronjon Sodhi clinched a
Olympic champion Marco Gali- T20 Champions League, gold at the double trap in the ISSF
azzo of Italy 7-3. 2010 World Cup finals in Izmir, Turkey
Deepika Kumari lost the with a stunning score of 195 out
women’s recurve final, but the sil- IPL champions Chennai Super of 200.
Sports
US Open, 2010 scrip4ng a sensa4onal 3-2 win
over Brazil. The matches were XIX Commonwealth
Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated played in Chennai. Games, New Delhi
Conven4onal fervour, gli5er, gai-
ety and a rich cultural bonanza
climaxed into a magnificent cere-
mony that brought curtains down
on the Commonwealth Games at
the massive Jawahar Lal Nehru
Stadium on October 14, 2010. It
was real Chak De India as music
of universal love made the sta-
dium reverberate to some of the
best Bollywood beats and the
theme song by A.R. Rahman. Un-
like conven4onal ceremonies that
leave many athletes and officials
with moist eyes, Delhi bade a joy-
ous farewell to all par4cipants.
Athletes and officials de-
parted to meet againin 2014 at
Glasgow. Members of the 2014
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) to win
the men’s singles 4tle. The win Sushil becomes first In-
gave him his first US open 4tle dian to win World Cham-
and was his ninth Grand Slam pionship gold
win.
Kim Clijsters of Belgium de- Wrestler Sushil Kumar has be-
feated Vera Zvonareva (Russia) to come the first Indian to win a
take the women’s singles 4tle. gold medal in the World
The men’s doubles 4tle was Wrestling Championships, held in
won by Mike and Bob Bryan of Moscow. He defeated Alan
USA who defeated Indo-Pak team Gogaev in the 66-kg freestyle cat-
of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul- egory.
Haq. Commonwealth Games, in a
The women’s doubles 4tle brief, but impressive flag han-
was won by Vania King (USA) and dover ceremony, extended an
Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhistan) open invita4on to all to enjoy the
while the mixed doubles 4tle was next edi4on of the fes4val of the
won by Liezel Huber (USA) and Commonwealth.
Bob Bryan (USA). President of Sri Lanka was
among the dignitaries who
watched the nearly three-hour
India enters Davis Cup long ceremony, along with Vice-
World Group President Ansari, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and the UPA
In a stunning turnaround, President Sonia Gandhi.
Somdev Devvarman and Rohan The music of universal love
Bopanna powered India to the ended with a pyro burst that lit
elite Davis Cup World Group by up the sky in colour. Before the
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Sports
Hindi with a sprinkling of English
words.
India’s performance
Indian compe4tors came out
with flying colours. A record
medal haul of 38 gold, 27 silver
and 36 bronze medals, the best-
ever harvest for the country in
the Games history, helped India
climb to the record-high second
posi4on and end the mul4-disci-
pline event on a thumping note.
The main haul of these 101
music blast, an amazing laser medals. India was followed by medals came from the shoo4ng
show held the audience spell- England, Canada and South range, wrestling mat, boxing ring,
bound. Singer Shaan came with Africa. archery range and, to everyone's
Shera, the mascot of the games, surprise, the track and field
to bid goodbye and touch an events.
emo4onal chord with the audi- Mascot Rifle-shoo4ng ace Gagan
ence. Vande Matram was sung by Narang scooped up four gold
school children of Delhi and musi- The official mascot for the 2010 medals, but could not achieve the
cal band display by pipe and brass Commonwealth Games was feat of overhauling five-gold hero
bands of the defence forces gave Shera, an anthropomorphised of the 2006 Melbourne Games—
an immaculate start to the cere- 4ger. Samresh Jung.
mony. Teenage woman archer
Earlier, on October 3, 2010, Deepika Kumari, daughter of an
Delhi gave full-throated vent to Official song auto-rickshaw driver, who held
its pleasure to usher in the 19th her nerves even as the more sea-
Commonwealth Games, which The official song of the 2010 soned Dola Banerjee wilted, to
were declared open by Britain’s Commonwealth Games was Jiyo come up with a golden double in
Prince Charles, at a packed Jawa- Utho Bado Jeeto. It was com- the women's recurve event.
harlal Nehru Stadium. Immedi- posed and performed by the A. The track and field events
ately a%erwards, President R. Rahman. The song's 4tle was witnessed India's first gold medal
Pra4bha Pa4l said: “Let the based on the slogan of the in 52 years when Krishna Poonia
Games begin.” games, "Come out and play". The led a clean sweep of the women's
A total of 6,081 athletes from song was penned by Mehboob in discus throw, Harwant Kaur and
71 Commonwealth na4ons and Seema An4l won the silver and
dependencies competed in 21 bronze. The women's 4x400m
sports and 272 events. It was the relay squad struck an unexpected
largest interna4onal mul4-sport gold with a superb display that
event to be staged in Delhi and pushed Nigeria and England to
India, eclipsing the Asian Games second and third places.
in 1951 and 1982. The women shu5lers, led by
Australia topped the medals Saina Nehwal, brought two gold
tally, with 74 gold, 55 silver and medals to bring down the cur-
48 bronze medals. India was sec- tains on the country's compe4-
ond on the medals tally list with 4ve show with a bang. Those two
38 gold, 27 silver and 36 bronze gold medals in badminton were
Sports
vital to help India push England to Harwant Kaur and Seema
the third place by the skin of their An4l bagged silver and
teeth. bronze, respec4vely.
Saina Nehwal created history Poonia also became the
by becoming the first Indian first Indian woman to bag a
woman to win the singles gold in Commonwealth Games
badminton at the Common- gold a%er 'Flying Sikh'
wealth Games. Legendary Milkha Singh won the
Prakash Padukone (1978) and the men's 440 yards race in
late Syed Modi (1982) were the 1958 edi4on in Cardiff,
two men players to win the sin- Wales.
gles gold in the Games. Jwala two silver and a bronze medal to The women's 4X400m relay
Gu5a and Ashiwni Ponnappa show their supremacy in the team of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose,
scripted history by becoming the freestyle category. Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep
first Indian pair to win the gold at The trio of Alka Tomar, Geeta Kaur added another gold in a
Commonwealth Games. and Anita won their final bouts memorable race, bea4ng strong
with ease, while Babita Ku- teams like Nigeria and England.
mari and Nirmala Devi missed Fancied fis4cuff exponents
out on gold, losing their final Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar
rounds, but their perform- were ousted early but Indian box-
ance drew praise from all. ers s4ll delivered a historic golden
Geeta became the first Indian punch to come up with their
women wrestler to bag a gold best-ever campaign in the Games
medal in the Commonwealth history. With a hat-trick of gold
Games. plus four bronze medals, the In-
India achieved unprece- dian ring stylists recorded their
dented success in athle4cs by best medal haul at the quadren-
bagging 12 medals, including nial mul4-discipline sports event,
The men's hockey team, be5ering the 2006 campaign at
whose fortunes are followed Melbourne by two.
closely by the sports fans of the Ashish Kumar of India cre-
country, made history by making ated history by winning a bronze
it to the final for the first 4me be- medal in Gymnas4cs, the first
fore coming a cropper against ever medal in gymnas4cs for
world and defending champions India in the Commonwealth
Australia in the summit clash. The Games.
8-0 defeat was huge and one of
the biggest suffered by the coun-
try. World Championship
Wrestling con4ngent also did
very well, winning 19 medals in Bobby Singh of Imphal, a clerk at
the 21 designated event. Among the North Fron4er Railway,
the 19 medals, there were 10 scripted history by becoming the
gold, five silver and four bronze two gold. India's 12 medals were world champion at the second
medals. Sushil Kumar literally two more than the number it
walked his way to gold, while the won in all the earlier edi4ons.
women wrestlers, par4cipa4ng in Krishna Poonia created his-
the Games for the first 4me, stole tory by breaking India's 52-year-
the show with a memorable per- old Commonwealth Games gold
formance. In the six events for medal jinx by winning the gold
women, India won three gold, medal in women's discus throw.
84 - 18
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Sports
WBPF World Bodybuilding Cham-
pionship, held at Varanasi. India India-Australia One Day Series
has won a world Bodybuilding
Championship a%er 22 years. India won the three-match series 1-0 a%er the third and final ODI
was abandoned because of rain. The first match also had to be
abandoned because of rain. This was the first one-day series victory
Anand regains Number over Australia in over two decades.
One Spot India beat Australia by wickets in the second ODI. The highlight
of the match was the match-winning 118 runs by Virat Kohli.
World Champion Viswanathan
Anand played out a hard-fought

draw with Magnus Carlsen of
Norway to finish second in the
Bilbao Final Masters chess tour-
nament. The silver lining for the
Indian ace was the fact that he
dethroned Carlsen from the num-
feated Australia by seven wickets
ber one ranking in Live ra4ng list
for the first 4me since January
India-Australia in the second and final Test,
2010 and ended up as the top
Test Series played at Bangalore, to sweep
the series, win the Border-
player in ra4ngs too.
Debutant Cheteshwar Pujara Gavaskar trophy and consolidate
Vladimir Kramnik of Russia
struck a sparkling 72 as India de- their world number one status.
won the Final Masters a%er set-
tling for an easy draw with Alexei
Shirov of Spain.
Bangladesh -
New Zealand
One Day Series
Rubel Hossain grabber four wick-
ets as Bangladesh completed a
sweep with a thrilling three-run
victory in the fi%h and final one
day match. The 4-0 series win is
Bangladesh’s first sweep against
a major team.
Sports
Man of the series Sachin Ten-
dulkar followed up his first in- Ryder Cup Golf, 2010
nings double century with an
unbeaten 53 to help India chase The 38th Ryder Cup Golf
down the 207-run target. matches were held at the
Earleir, India won the first Cel4c Manor Resort in the
Test at Mohali by one wicket. A city of Newport, Wales. It
81-run ninth wicket stand be- was the first 4me the com-
tween V.V.S. Laxman and Ishant pe44on was staged in
Sharma set up the opening win. Wales. With the USA as the
Laxman scripted an unbeaten 73 defending Cup holder the
runs and Ishant Sharma chipped event was played on the
with a contribu4on of 31 runs. newly-constructed Twenty
10 course, specifically de-
Sachin first to make signed for the Ryder Cup.
14,000 runs in Tests Team Europe won the com-
pe44on.
Sachin Tendulkar has become the
only player to make 14,000 runs
in Test cricket. At 12,178 runs,
Surjit Hockey
Australian skipper Ricky Pon4ng
Tournament
remains his nearest rival.
Indian Oil, Mum-
bai, have clinched
the overall trophy
in the 27th Indian
Oil Surjit Hockey
tournament.
They defeated Air
India, Mumbai via
4e-breaker.
ICC Awards
Indian ba6ng icon Sachin Tendulkar has bagged his
maiden ICC Cricketer of the Year trophy along with the
People's Choice Award, while compatriot Virender Se-
hwag has been named the Test Cricketer of the Year.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named
captain of the ICC's World Test XI, while Australia was
chosen as the best ODI team of the period between
August 2009 and 2010.
South African AB de Villiers clinched the ICC ODI
Player of the Year award.
England fast bowler Steven Finn, who played in six Test matches in the vo4ng period and took 27
wickets at an average of 21.85, won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year Award.
New Zealand swashbuckler Brendon McCullum's blistering 56-ball unbeaten 116 against Australia in
Christchurch was adjudged the ICC Twenty20 Interna4onal Performance of the Year.
Spirit of the Game Award went to New Zealand and Aleem Dar of Pakistan won the ICC Umpire of
the Year trophy.
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Awards
conferred the Dayawa1 Modi Art, Council for Cultural Rela1ons.

Dayawa# Modi Art, Cul- Culture and Educa1on Award. The award is given by the
ture and Educa#on The award carries a cash prize of Modi group in the memory of its
Award Rs.201,000, a scroll of honour founder's late wife Dayawa1
and a silver shield. Modi.
Former ambassador to the US Singh has wri2en 20 books
and MP Karan Singh has beeen on subjects ranging from poetry
to poli1cs. Indian industries
He is currently awarded innova#on
the chairman, awards
ethics commi2ee,
of the upper Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd
house of parlia- (BHEL), Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd,
ment. He also Council of Scien1fic and Industrial
heads the govern- Research (CSIR) and Na1onal In-
ing body of the s1tute of Immunology (NII) have
Auroville Founda- been awarded for their innova-
1on and is presi- 1on in research and development
dent of the Indian in India.
Awards
year of opera1on. BOB Capital, long poems like ‘Ujjayini’ and
the investment banking arm, has ‘Swayamvaram’.
also been revived. Refurbished Born in 1936 in a Muslim Ra-
branches under 'BarodaNext' are jput family in U2ar Pradesh’s
expected to touch 34 na1onwide. Bareilly district, Shahryar shaped
During Financial Year 2009- himself as an “intellectual poet”,
10, the bank was fourth biggest in whose poetry strongly expresses
India by total assets, fourth most an “ideological non-commit-
profitable, third by total business, ment”. His roots lie in his desire
and fourth by advances. for self-realisa1on and his at-
BHEL bagged the award for All its 3,200 branches are tempt to understand modern
hi-tech corporate category while core banking solu1on-enabled, problems. Among his famous
CSIR won the hi-tech academic with plans to add another 350 composi1ons is: “Seene Mein
award. NII and Ranbaxy Laborato- branches by March 2011. Jalan, Akhon Mein Toofan Sa
ries Ltd won pharma academic Kyon Hai”.
and pharma corporate awards re-
spec1vely. Jnanpith Award, 2007
All enterprises headquar- and 2008 57th Na#onal Film
tered in India are considered for Awards
the award. The recipients were Eminent Malayalam li2erateur
selected by analysing their inno- O.N.V. Kurup has been chosen for Best feature film: Ku2y Srank
va1on patented technology as the 2007 Jnanpith award. Noted (Malayalam).
recorded in Thomson Reuters Urdu poet Akhlaq Khan Shahryar
patent informa1on services. has been chosen for the 2008 Best Director: Rituparno Ghosh
The criteria included the award. for Abohoman (Bengali).
number and impact of patents, Born in 1931 in Kerala’s Kol-
the efficiency and effec1veness lam district, Kurup is a leading Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan
of research and the impact of in- voice among the contemporary for Paa (Hindi).
nova1on as measured by patent Malayalam poets. He has rein-
cita1ons. vented the narra1ve transi1on of Best Actress: Ananya Cha2erjee
Malayalam poetry through his for Lahore (Hindi).
Business India's ' Best
Bank' Award Best suppor#ng actor: Farooque
Sheikh for Lahore (Hindi).
Bank of Baroda (BOB) was pre-
sented the 'Business India Best Best suppor#ng actress: Arund-
Bank 2010' award by Union Min- ha1 Naag for Paa (Hindi).
ister for Road Transport and High-
ways, Kamal Nath. Indira Gandhi award for best
M D Mallya, Chairman and debut film of a director: Lahore
Managing Director, Bank of Bar- (Hindi) by Sanjay Puran Singh
oda, accepted the Award on be- Chauhan.
half of the bank.
BOB has entered new ver1- Best popular film providing
cals like insurance and invest- wholesome entertainment: 3 Id-
ment banking. Its recent foray, iots (Hindi).
into the insurance space resulted
in over 100,000 policies sold in Nargis Du$ award for best fea-
nine months of opera1on, and ture film on na#onal integra#on:
plans to collect new business pre- Delhi 6 (Hindi).
mium of Rs 700 crore, in the first
88 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Awards
Best film on social issues: Well The industry veteran, who and explores what it means to be
Done Abba (Hindi). entered the film world in 1963 Jewish today. Said to have “some
with "Anuragam", is listed as the of the wi3est, most poignant
Best Music Director: Amit Trivedi most prolific producer with 110 and sharply intelligent comic
for Anurag Kashyap's “Dev-D”. films by the Guinness Book of prose in the English language”,
Records. He has the dis1nc1on of The Finkler Ques1on has been
Best Lyrics: ‘Beh1 hawa sa tha producing movies in Hindi, Ben- described as “wonderful” and
woh’ from “3 Idiots”, wri2en by gali, Oriya, Assamese, Malayalam, “richly sa1sfying” and as a novel
Swanand Kirkere. Tamil, Kannada, Gujara1, Marathi of “full of wit, warmth, intelli-
and Bhojpuri. gence, human feeling and under-
Best playback singer (male): Some of his well-known films standing”.
Rupam Islam, for his rendering of are “Premanagar”, “Dildar” and
‘Kolakata’ in the Bengali film “Bandish” in Hindi, “Srikrishna
“Mahanagar”. Tulabharam”, “Preminchu” and Dewang Mehta Award
“Ramudu Bheemudu” in Telugu
Best playback singer (female): and “Asukh” and “Sudhu Ekbar Lt-Gen Dr D.D.S. Sandhu, Vice-
Nilanjana Sarkar, for Bengali Bolo” in Bengali. Chancellor of Kurukshetra Uni-
movie “Houseful”. versity, has been selected for the
Dewang Mehta Award for his out-
Best children’s film: Shared by Man Booker Prize, 2010 standing contribu1on to educa-
“Putaani Party” in Kannada and 1on.
“Keshu” in Malayalam. Howard Jacobson has been The Dewang Mehta Award is
named the winner of the £50,000 conferred upon outstanding edu-
Best child actor: Jeeva and Anba ca1onists and administrators who
Karaus share the award. have made significant contribu-
1on in the field of leadership in
Dada Saheb Phalke educa1on and management.
Award, 2009
Indira Gandhi Award for
Telugu film actor-producer D. Ra- Na#onal Integra#on,
manaidu has been selected for 2009
the pres1gious Dada Saheb
Phalke Award for 2009 for his Music maestro A.R. Rahman and
outstanding contribu1on to In- Man Booker Prize for Fic1on for Chha3sgarh-based Ramakrishna
dian cinema. The Finkler Ques1on, published Mission have been given the
The award comprises of a by Bloomsbury. award for their services in pro-
Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs London author and columnist mo1ng and preserving na1onal
one million and a shawl. Howard Jacobson has been long- integra1on in India.
listed twice for
the prize, in
2006 for Kalooki
Nights and in
2002 for Who's
Sorry Now, but
was never
short-listed.
The Fin-
kler Ques1on is
a novel about
love, loss and
male friendship,
Special
Special Study Package

India and Rela8on with Neighbour’s
Since their independence, the resulted in a severe blow to the

India-Pakistan two countries have fought three ongoing India-Pakistan peace
relations major wars, one undeclared war talks.
Rela8ons between India and Pak- and have been involved in nu-
istan is defined by the violent par- merous armed skirmishes and
88on of Bri8sh India in 1947, the military standoffs. The Kashmir Seeds of conflict
Kashmir dispute and the numer- dispute is the main center-point About half a million Muslims and
ous military conflicts fought be- of all of these conflicts with the Hindus were killed in communal
tween the two na8ons. excep8on of the Indo-Pakistan riots following the par88on of
Consequently, even though the War of 1971 which resulted in the Bri8sh India. Millions of Muslims
two South Asian na8ons share secession of East Pakistan (now living in India and Hindus and
historic, cultural, geographic, and called Bangladesh). Sikhs living in Pakistan emigrated
economic links, their rela8onship There have been numerous in one of the most colossal trans-
has been plagued by hos8lity and a9empts to improve the rela8on- fers of popula8on in the modern
suspicion. ship — notably, the Shimla sum- era. Both countries accused each
A(er the dissolu8on of the mit, the Agra summit and the other of not providing adequate
Bri8sh Raj in 1947, two new sov- Lahore summit. Since the early security to the minori8es emi-
ereign na8ons were formed — 1980s, rela8ons between the two gra8ng through their territory.
the Union of India and the Do- na8ons soured par8cularly a(er This served to increase tensions
minion of Pakistan. The subse- the Siachen conflict, the intensi- between the newly-born coun-
quent par88on of the former fica8on of Kashmir insurgency in tries.
Bri8sh India displaced up to 12.5 1989, Indian and Pakistani nu- According to the Bri8sh plan
million people, with es8mates of clear tests in 1998 and the 1999 for the par88on of Bri8sh India,
loss of life varying from several Kargil war. Certain confidence- all the 680 princely states were
hundred thousand to a million. building measures — such as the allowed to decide which of the
India emerged as a secular na8on 2003 ceasefire agreement and two countries to join. With the
with a Hindu majority popula8on the Delhi–Lahore Bus service — excep8on of a few, most of the
and a large Muslim minority were successful in deescala8ng Muslim-majority princely-states
while Pakistan was established as tensions. However, these efforts acceded to Pakistan while most
an Islamic republic with an over- have been impeded by Pakistan's of the Hindu-majority princely
whelming Muslim majority popu- alleged involvement in various states joined India. However, the
la8on. terrorist ac8vi8es in India. The decisions of some of the princely-
Soon a(er their independ- 2001 Indian Parliament a9ack al- states would shape the Pakistan-
ence, India and Pakistan estab- most brought the two na8ons on India rela8onship considerably, in
lished diploma8c rela8ons but the brink of a nuclear war. Addi- the years to come.
the violent par88on and numer- 8onally, the 2008 Mumbai at-
ous territorial disputes would tacks (which was carried out by
overshadow their rela8onship. Islamic terrorists from Pakistan)
90 - 18
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Special
Home Minister, felt that if Juna- help. However, the Cons8tu8on
Junagadh Dispute gadh was permi9ed to go to Pak- of India barred the Indian Armed
Junagadh was a state on the istan, it would create communal Forces' interven8on since Kash-
southwestern end of Gujarat, unrest across Gujarat. The gov- mir did not come under India's ju-
with the principali8es of Man- ernment of India gave Pakistan risdic8on. Desperate to get
avadar, Mangrol and Babriawad. 8me to void the accession and India's help and get Kashmir back
The Arabian Sea stood between it hold a plebiscite in Junagadh to in his own control, the Maharaja
and Pakistan. The state had an pre empt any violence in Gujarat. acceded Kashmir to India (which
overwhelming Hindu popula8on Samaldas Gandhi formed a gov- was against the will of the major-
which cons8tuted more than 80% ernment-in-exile, the Arzi Huku- ity of Kashmiris), and signed the
of its ci8zens, while the ruler of mat of the people of Junagadh. Instrument of Accession. By this
the state was a Muslim. On Au- Patel ordered the annexa8on of 8me the raiders were close to the
gust 15, 1947, the ruler of the Junagadh's three principali8es. capital, Srinagar. On October 27,
state, Nawab of Junagadh Maha- 1947, the Indian Air Force air-
bat Khan acceded to Pakistan. dropped Indian troops into Srina-
Pakistan confirmed the accept- Kashmir Dispute gar and made an interven8on.
ance of the accession in Septem- Kashmir was a princely state, The Indian troops managed to
ber 1947. India did not accept the ruled by a Hindu king, Maharaja seize parts of Kashmir which in-
accession as legi8mate. Hari Singh. The Maharaja of Kash- cluded Jammu, Srinagar and the
The Indian point of view was mir was equally hesitant to join Kashmir valley itself, but the
that since Junagadh was a state either India–, because he knew strong and intense figh8ng,
with a predominantly Hindu pop- his Muslim subjects would not flagged with the onset of winter,
ula8on it should be a part of like to join a Hindu-based and made much of the state impassa-
India. Addi8onally, since the state Hindu-majority na8on or Pak- ble. A(er weeks of intense fight-
was encircled by Indian territory istan– which as a Hindu he was ing between Pakistan and India,
it should have been a part of personally averse to. Pakistan Pakistani leaders and the Indian
India. Indian poli8cians also coveted the Himalayan kingdom, Prime Minister Nehru declared a
stated that by giving Pakistan a while Indian leader Mahatma ceasefire and sought U.N. arbitra-
predominantly Hindu region to Gandhi and Indian PM Jawaharlal 8on with the promise of a
govern, the basis of the two na- Nehru hoped that the kingdom plebiscite. Sardar Patel had ar-
8on theory was contradicted. would join India. Hari Singh gued against both, describing
The Pakistani point of view signed a Stands8ll Agreement Kashmir as a bilateral dispute and
was that since Junagadh had a (preserving status quo) with Pak- its accession as jus8fied by inter-
ruler and governing body who istan, but did not make his deci- na8onal law. In 1957, north-west-
chose to accede to Pakistan, they sion by August 15, 1947. ern Kashmir was fully integrated
should be allowed to do so. Juna- Rumours spread in Pakistan into Pakistan, becoming Azad
gadh, having a coastline, could that Hari Singh was trying to ac- Kashmir (Pakistan-administered
have maintained mari8me links cede Kashmir to India. Alarmed Kashmir), while the other por8on
with Pakistan. Addi8onally, Pak- by this threat, a team of Pakistani was acceded to Indian control,
istani poli8cians stated that the forces were dispatched into Kash- and the state of Jammu and Kash-
two na8on theory did not neces- mir, fearing an Indian invasion of mir (Indian-administered Kash-
sarily mean a clear division of the region. Backed by Pakistani mir) was created. In 1962, China
land and absolute transfer of paramilitary forces, Pashtuns in- occupied Aksai Chin, the north-
popula8ons as the sheer magni- vaded Kashmir in September eastern region bordering Ladakh.
tude of such a proceeding would 1947. Kashmir's security forces In 1984, India launched Opera-
wreak havoc upon millions. were too weak and ill-equipped 8on Meghdoot and captured
Neither of the ten states to fight against Pakistan. Troubled more than 80% of the Siachen
were able to resolve this issue by the deteriora8ng poli8cal Glacier.
amicably and it only added fuel to pressure that was being applied Pakistan maintains Kashmiris'
an already charged environment. to Hari Singh and his governance, rights to self-determina8on
Sardar Patel, India's then the Maharaja asked for India's through a plebiscite in accor-
Special
dance with an earlier Indian garding the Baglihar Dam being and East Pakistan. East Pakistan
statement and a UN resolu8on. built over the River Chenab in was occupied mostly by Bengali
Pakistan also points to India's fail- Jammu and Kashmir. people. In December 1971, fol-
ure of not understanding its own lowing a poli8cal crisis in East
poli8cal logic and applying it to Pakistan, the situa8on soon spi-
Kashmir, by taking their opinion Bengal refugee ralled out of control in East Pak-
on the case of the accession of crisis istan and India intervened in
Junagadh as an example (that the In 1949, India recorded close to 1 favour of the rebelling Bengali
Hindu majority state should have million Hindu refugees, who populace. The conflict, a brief but
gone to India even though it had flooded into West Bengal and bloody war, resulted in an inde-
a Muslim ruler), that Kashmir other states from East pendence of East Pakistan. In the
should also righ7ully and legally Pakistan(Now Bangladesh), war, the Pakistani army swi(ly fell
have become a part of Pakistan owing to communal violence, in- to India, forcing the independ-
since majority of the people were 8mida8on and repression from ence of East Pakistan, which sep-
Muslim, even though they had a authori8es. The plight of the arated and became Bangladesh.
Hindu ruler. Pakistan also states refugees outraged Hindus and In- The Pakistani military, being a
that at the very least, the prom- dian na8onalists, and the refugee thousand miles from its base and
ised plebiscite should be allowed popula8on drained the resources surrounded by enemies, was
to decide the fate of the Kashmiri of Indian states, which were un- forced to give in.
people. able to absorb them. While not
India on the other hand as- ruling out war, Prime Minister
serts that the Maharaja's deci- Nehru and Sardar Patel invited Li- Simla Agreement
sion, which was the norm for aquat Ali Khan for talks in Delhi. Since the 1971 war, Pakistan and
every other princely state at the Although many Indians termed India have made only slow
8me of independence, and sub- this appeasement, Nehru signed progress towards the normalisa-
sequent elec8ons, for over 40 a pact with Liaquat Ali Khan that 8on of rela8ons. In July 1972, In-
years, on Kashmir has made it an pledged both na8ons to the pro- dian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
integral part of India. This opinion tec8on of minori8es and crea8on and Pakistani President Zulfikar
has o(en become controversial, of minority commissions. Al- Ali Bhu9o met in the Indian hill
as Pakistan asserts that the deci- though opposed to the principle, sta8on of Simla. They signed the
sion of the ruler of Junagadh also Patel decided to back this Pact for Simla Agreement, by which India
adhered to Pakistan. Due to all the sake of peace, and played a would return all Pakistani person-
such poli8cal differences, this dis- cri8cal role in garnering support nel (over 90,000) and captured
pute has also been the subject of from West Bengal and across territory in the west, and the two
wars between the two countries India, and enforcing the provi- countries would "se9le their dif-
in 1947 and 1965, and a limited sions of the Pact. Khan and Nehru ferences by peaceful means
conflict in 1999. The also signed a trade agreement, through bilateral nego8a8ons."
state/province remains divided and commi9ed to resolving bilat- Diploma8c and trade rela8ons
between the two countries by eral disputes through peaceful were also re-established in 1976.
the Line of Control (LoC), which means. Steadily, hundreds of
demarcates the ceasefire line thousands of Hindus returned to
agreed upon in the 1947 conflict. East Pakistan, but the thaw in re- Afghanistan crisis
la8ons did not last long, primarily A(er the 1979 Soviet war in
owing to the Kashmir dispute. Afghanistan where Soviet Union
Other Territorial military Occupied Afghanistan,
Disputes new strains appeared in Indo-
Pakistan is locked in other territo- 1971 Bangladesh Pakistani rela8ons. Pakistan ac-
rial disputes with India such as Liberation War 8vely supported the Afghan
the Siachen Glacier and Kori Pakistan, since independence, resistance against the Soviet
Creek. Pakistan is also currently was geo-poli8cally divided into Union, which was a close ally of
having dialogue with India re- two major regions, West Pakistan India, which brought opposing
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poli8cal opinions. account. It however refuses to Pakistan including food, blankets
The Taliban regime in abide by the previous part of the and medicine. Large Indian com-
Afghanistan was strongly sup- resolu8on, which calls for it to va- panies such as Infosys have of-
ported by Pakistan - one of the cate all territories occupied. fered aid up to $226,000. On
few countries to do so - before In September 1997, the talks October 12, an Ilyushin-76 cargo
the September 11 a9acks. India, broke down over the structure of plane ferried across seven truck-
on the other hand, firmly op- how to deal with the issues of loads (about 82 tons) of army
posed the Taliban and cri8cised Kashmir, and peace and security. medicines, 15,000 blankets and
Pakistan for suppor8ng it. Pakistan advocated that the is- 50 tents and returned to New
sues be treated by separate Delhi. A senior airforce official
working groups. India responded also stated that they had been
Agreements, talks, that the two issues be taken up asked by the Indian government
and confidence build- along with six others on a simul- to be ready to fly out another
ing measures taneous basis. In May 1998 India, similar consignment. On October
In the following eight years, India and then Pakistan, conducted nu- 14, India dispatched the second
voiced increasing concern over clear tests. consignment of relief material to
Pakistani arms purchases, U.S. A(er Manmohan Singh be- Pakistan, by train through the
military aid to Pakistan, and a come prime minister of India the Wagah Border. The consignment
clandes8ne nuclear weapons Punjab provincial Government included 5,000 blankets, 370
programme. In an effort to curtail declared it would develop Gah, tents, 5 tons of plas8c sheets and
tensions, the two countries his place of birth, as a model vil- 12 tons of medicine. A third con-
formed a joint commission to ex- lage in his honour and name a signment of medicine and relief
amine disputes. In December school a(er him. There is also a material was also sent shortly af-
1988, Prime Ministers Benazir village in India named Pakistan, terwards by train. India also
Bhu9o and Rajiv Gandhi con- despite occasional pressure over pledged $25 million as aid to Pak-
cluded a pact not to a9ack each the years to change its name the istan. India opened the first of
other's nuclear facili8es. Agree- villagers have resisted. three points at Chakan Da Bagh,
ments on cultural exchanges and in Poonch, on the Line of Control
civil avia8on were also ini8ated. (LoC) between India and Pakistan
In 1997, high-level Indo-Pak- 2001 Gujarat Earth- for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake
istan talks resumed a(er a three- quake in India relief work. (Rediff) Such gener-
year pause. The Prime Ministers Pakistani President Pervez ous gestures signalled a new age
of Pakistan and India met twice Mushrraf sent a plane load of rein confidence, friendliness and
and the foreign secretaries con- lief supplies to India from Islam- coopera8on between both India
ducted three rounds of talks. In abad to Ahmedabad. That carried and Pakistan.
June 1997, the foreign secretaries 200 tents and more than 2,000
iden8fied eight "outstanding is- Blankets. Furthermore the Presi-
sues" around which con8nuing dent called Indian PM to express
talks would be focused. The dis- his 'sympathy' over the loss from 2007 Samjhauta Ex-
pute over the status of Kashmir, the earthquake. press bombings
(referred by India as Jammu and The 2007 Samjhauta Express
Kashmir), an issue since Inde- bombings was a terrorist a9ack
pendence, remains the major 2005 Earthquake in targeted on the Samjhauta Ex-
stumbling block in their dialogue. Pakistan press train on the 18th of Febru-
India maintains that the en8re India offered generous aid to Pak- ary. The Samjhauta Express is an
former princely state is an inte- istan in response to the 2005 interna8onal train that runs from
gral part of the Indian union, Earthquake. Indian and Pakistani New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pak-
while Pakistan insists that UN res- High Commissioners consulted istan, and is one of two trains to
olu8ons calling for self-determi- with one another regarding coop- cross the India-Pakistan border.
na8on of the people of the era8on in relief work. India sent
state/province must be taken into 25 tonnes of relief material to
Special
On March 21, 1997, 7 Kash- Jammu and Kashmir's then
2008 Mumbai attacks miri Pandits were killed in educa8on minister Ghulam
The 2008 Mumbai a9acks by ten Sangrampora village in the Nabi Lone. No Terrorist group
terrorists killed over 173 and Budgam district. claimed responsibility for the
wounded 308. The sole surviving • Wandhama Massacre: In Jan- a9ack.
gunman Ajmal Kasab who was ar- uary 1998, 24 Kashmiri Pan-
rested during the a9acks was dits living in the city
found to be a Pakistani na8onal. Wandhama were killed by Is- Terrorist activities
This fact was acknowledged by lamic terrorists. elsewhere
Pakistani authori8es. In May • Qasim Nagar A9ack: On July The a9ack on the Indian Parlia-
2010, an Indian court convicted 13, 2003, armed men be- ment was by far the most dra-
him on four counts of murder, lieved to be a part of the ma8c a9ack carried out by
waging war against India, conspir- Lashkar-e-Toiba threw hand Pakistani terrorists. India blamed
acy and terrorism offences, and grenades at the Qasim Nagar Pakistan for carrying out the at-
sentenced him to death. market in Srinagar and then tacks, an allega8on which Pak-
India blamed the Lashkar-e- fired on civilians standing istan strongly denied and one
Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant nearby killing twenty-seven that brought both na8ons to the
group, for planning and execu8ng and injuring many more. brink of a nuclear confronta8on
the a9acks. Islamabad resisted • Assassina8on of Abdul Ghani in 2001-02. However, interna-
the claims and demanded evi- Lone: Abdul Ghani Lone, a 8onal peace efforts ensured the
dence. India provided evidence in prominent All Party Hurriyat cooling of tensions between the
the form of interroga8ons, Conference leader, was assas- two nuclear-capable na8ons.
weapons, candy wrappers, Pak- sinated by an uniden8fied Apart from this, the most no-
istani Brand Milk Packets, and gunmen during a memorial table was the hijacking of Indian
telephone sets. Indian officials rally in Srinagar. The assassi- Airlines Flight IC 814 en route
demanded Pakistan extradite sus- na8on resulted in wide-scale New Delhi from Kathmandu,
pects for trial. They also said that, demonstra8ons against the Nepal. The plane was hijacked on
given the sophis8ca8on of the at- Indian occupied-forces for December 24, 1999 approxi-
tacks, the perpetrators "must failing to provide enough se- mately one hour a(er take off
have had the support of some of- curity cover for Mr. Lone. and was taken to Amritsar airport
ficial agencies in Pakistan". • July 20, 2005 Srinagar Bomb- and then to Lahore in Pakistan.
ing: A car bomb exploded A(er refueling the plane took off
near an armoured Indian for Dubai and then finally landed
Terrorism in Jammu Army vehicle in the famous in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Under
and Kashmir Church Lane area in Srinagar intense media pressure, New
Terrorist a9acks on Jammu & killing four Indian Army per- Delhi complied with the hijackers'
Kashmir State Assembly: A car sonnel, one civilian and the demand and freed Maulana Ma-
bomb exploded near the Jammu suicide bomber. Terrorist sood Azhar from its cap8vity in
and Kashmir State Assembly on group Hizbul Mujahideen, return for the freedom of the In-
October 1, 2001, killing 27 people claimed responsibility for the dian passengers on the flight. The
on an a9ack that was blamed on a9ack. decision, however, cost New
Kashmiri separa8sts. It was one • Budshah Chowk a9ack: A ter- Delhi dearly. Maulana, who is be-
of the most prominent a9acks rorist a9ack on July 29, 2005 lieved to be hiding in Karachi,
against India apart from on the at Srinigar's city centre, Bud- later became the leader of Jaish-
Indian Parliament in December shah Chowk, killed two and e-Mohammed, an organisa8on
2001. The dead bodies of the ter- le( more than 17 people in- which has carried out several ter-
rorists and the data recovered jured. Most of those injured rorist acts against Indian Security
from them revealed that Pakistan were media journalists. Forces in Kashmir.
was solely responsible for the ac- • Murder of Ghulam Nabi Lone: On December 22, 2000, a
8vity. On October 18, 2005 sus- group of terrorists belonging to
• 1997 Sangrampora massacre: pected Army man killed the Lashkar-e-Toiba stormed the
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famous Red Fort in New Delhi. incident. blamed the Pakistani military for
The Fort houses an Indian mili- providing cover-fire for the ter-
tary unit and a high-security in- rorists whenever they infiltrated
terroga8on cell used both by the Alleged Human into Indian territory from Pak-
Central Bureau of Inves8ga8on rights violations istan. Pakistan has in turn has
and the Indian Army. The terror- by India also blamed India for providing
ists successfully breached the se- A report by the Human Rights support for terrorist groups inside
curity cover around the Red Fort Watch, stated two main reasons Pakistan such as the MQM
and opened fire at the Indian mil- for the improving human rights In 2005, Pakistan's informa-
itary personnel on duty killing condi8on in the region: First, sin- 8on minister, Sheikh Rashid, was
two of them on spot. The a9ack cere efforts were made by the alleged to have run a terrorist
was significant because it was new Jammu and Kashmir state training camp in 1990 in N.W.
carried out just two days a(er the government headed by Mu(i Fron8er, Pakistan. The Pakistani
declara8on of the cease-fire be- Muhammad Sayeed to inves8- government dismissed the
tween India and Pakistan. gate cases of human rights charges against its minister as an
Two Kashmiri terrorists be- abuses in the state and to punish a9empt to hamper the ongoing
longing to Jaish-e-Mohammed those guilty including Indian sol- peace process between the two
raided the Swami Narayan tem- diers. More than 15 Indian army neighbours.
ple complex in Ahmedabad, Gu- soldiers were convicted by the In- Both India and Pakistan have
jarat killing 30 people, including dian government in 2004 for car- launched several mutual confi-
18 women and five children. The rying out human rights abuses in dence-building measures (CBMs)
a9ack was carried out on Sep- the state. Second, the decrease in to ease tensions between the
tember 25, 2002, just few days cross-border infiltra8on into India two. These include more high-
a(er state elec8ons were held in by armed insurgents. level talks, easing visa restric-
Jammu and Kashmir. Two iden8- 8ons, and restar8ng of cricket
cal le9ers found on both the ter- matches between the two. The
rorists claimed that the a9ack Developments since new bus service between Srina-
was done in retalia8on for the 2004 gar and Muzaffarabad has also
deaths of thousands of Muslims Violent ac8vi8es in the region de- helped bring the two sides closer.
during the Gujarat riots. clined in 2004. There are two Pakistan and India have also de-
Two car bombs exploded in main reasons for this: warming of cided to co-operate on economic
south Mumbai on August 25, rela8ons between New Delhi and fronts.
2003; one near the Gateway of Islamabad which consequently A major clash between Indian
India and the other at the famous lead to a ceasefire between the Security Forces and militants oc-
Zaveri Bazaar, killing at least 48 two countries in 2003 and the curred when a group of insur-
and injuring 150 people. Though fencing of the LOC being carried gents tried to infiltrate into the
no terrorist group claimed re- out by the Indian Army. More- Indian-administered Kashmir
sponsibility for the a9acks, Mum- over, coming under intense inter- from Pakistan in July 2005. The
bai Police and RAW suspected na8onal pressure, Islamabad was same month also saw a Kashmiri
Lashkar-e-Toiba's hand in the compelled to take ac8ons against militant a9ack on Ayodhya and
twin blasts. the militants' training camps on Srinagar. However, these devel-
In an unsuccessful a9empt, its territory. In 2004, the two opments had li9le impact on the
six terrorists belonging to countries also agreed upon de- peace process.
Lashkar-e-Toiba, stormed the Ay- creasing the number of troops Some improvements in the rela-
odhya Ram Janmbhomi complex present in the region. 8ons are seen with the re-open-
on July 5, 2005. Before the terror- Under pressure, Kashmiri mil- ing of a series of transporta8on
ists could reach the main dis- itant organisa8ons have made an networks near the India–Pakistan
puted site, they were shot down offer for talks and nego8a8ons border, with the most important
by Indian security forces. One with New Delhi, which India has being bus routes and railway
Hindu worshipper and two po- welcomed. lines.
licemen were injured during the India's Border Security Force An Indian man held in Pakistani
Special
prisons since 1975 as an accused in Agra; Pakistani President Per- The MEP Saj Karim is of Pak-
spy walked across the border to vez Musharraf turned up to meet istani origin. He is a member of
freedom March 3, 2008, an un- Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari the European Parliament Friends
condi8onal release that Pakistan Vajpayee. The talks fell through. of India Group, Karim was also re-
said was done to improve rela- On June 20, 2004, with a new sponsible for opening up Europe
8ons between the two countries. government in place in India, to free trade with India. He has
In 2006, a "Friends Without Bor- both countries agreed to extend given his full support to the In-
ders" scheme began with the a nuclear tes8ng ban and to set dian government for a death sen-
help of two Bri8sh tourists. The up a hotline between their for- tence to be given to Ajmal Kasab,
idea was that Indian and Pak- eign secretaries aimed at pre- who was involved in the 2008
istani children would make pen ven8ng misunderstandings that Mumbai a9acks.
pals and write friendly le9ers to might lead to a nuclear war.
each other. The idea was so suc- As of early 2005, both coun-
cessful in both countries that the tries are commi9ed to a process Afghanistan–India
organisa8on found it "impossible of dialogue to solve all outstand- relations
to keep up". The World's Largest ing issues. Baglihar Dam issue
Love Le9er was recently sent was a new issue raised by Pak- Bilateral rela8ons between the
from India to Pakistan. istan in 2005. Republic of India and the Islamic
In April 2010 a high profile Pak- State of Afghanistan have been
istani cricketer, Shoaib Malik mar- tradi8onally strong and friendly.
ried the Indian tennis star Sania Sporting ties While the Republic of India was
Mirza. The wedding received Cricket and hockey matches be- the only South Asian country to
much media a9en8on and was tween the two (as well as other recognise the Soviet-backed
said to transfix both India and sports to a lesser degree such as Democra8c Republic of
Pakistan. those of the SAARC games) have Afghanistan in the 1980s, its rela-
o(en been poli8cal in nature. 8ons were diminished during the
During the Soviet invasion of Afghan civil wars and the rule of
Kargil crisis Afghanistan Generah Zia-ul Haq the Islamist Taliban in the 1990s.
A9empts to restart dialogue be- traveled to India for a bout of India aided the overthrow of the
tween the two na8ons were "cricket diplomacy" to keep India Taliban and became the largest
given a major boost by the Febru- from suppor8ng the Soviets by regional provider of humanitar-
ary 1999 mee8ng of both Prime opening another front. Pervez ian and reconstruc8on aid. In the
Ministers in Lahore and their Musharaff also tried to do the a(ermath of the 2008 Indian em-
signing of three agreements. same more than a decade later bassy bombing in Kabul, the
These efforts have since been but to no avail. Afghan Foreign Ministry quoted
stalled by the intrusion of Pak- India as a "brother country" and
istani forces into Indian territory the rela8onship between the two
near Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir Diasporic relations as one which "no enemy can
in May 1999. This resulted in in- Indians and Pakistanis living in hamper". While the Gilgit-
tense figh8ng between Indian the Britain are said to have Bal8stan region of Kashmir which
and Pakistani forces, known as friendly rela8ons with one an- borders Wakhan is under Pak-
the Kargil conflict. Backed by the other. There are various ci8es istani control, it is claimed by
Indian Air Force, the Indian Army such as Birmingham, Blackburn India as a border between the na-
successfully regained Kargil. A and Manchester where both 8ons.
subsequent military coup in Pak- communi8es live alongside each
istan that overturned the demo- other in peace and harmony.
cra8cally elected Nawaz Sharif Both Indians and Pakistanis living History
government in October of the in the UK fit under the category India has been ruled by Afghan
same year also proved a setback of Bri8sh Asian. The UK is also kingdoms in the past, before the
to rela8ons. home to the Pakistan & India Mughal era although these
In 2001, a summit was called friendship forum. Afghan kingdoms were chiefly
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Special
iden8fied as Pashtun, contrary to Taliban regime was recognised
the current defini8on of the de- Background only by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
nonym "Afghan" now. India holds Afghanistan borders the North- and the United Arab Emirates
Indian Muslims of Pashtun origin, West Fron8er Province (NWFP) (UAE). The rise of Islamism in
used to iden8fy themselves as which prior to 1947 was part of Afghanistan and the prolifera8on
Indo-Afghans. Some Pathans of Bri8sh India and dominated by of Afghan mujahideen in the mil-
India, including the Rohillas iden- the Indian Congress party, it con- itancy in Indian-administered
8fy their ancestral roots to pres- tains a significant Pashtun popu- Kashmir turned the Taliban and
ent day Afghanistan, such as la8on that par8cipated Afghanistan into a security threat
Kabul, while others iden8fy their extensively in the Indian inde- for the Government of India. The
roots such as Peshewar and con- pendence movement. Everything destruc8on of the Bamiyan Bud-
sidered themselves Afghan be- changed and a(er 1947 the dha monuments by the Taliban
fore the Durrand agreement. NWFP became a part of Pakistan, led to outrage and angry protests
Many prominent Indians iden8- the Republic of India and the by India, the birthplace of Bud-
fied themselves chiefly as modern State of Afghanistan dhism. In 1999, the Indian Air-
"Afghans" but considered the his- maintained significant cultural lines Flight 814 hijacked by
torical Pashtun defini8on, not the and economic links. Films and Pakistani Muslim ISI agents
later ci8zenship-like defini8on of music of India are widely popular landed and stayed in Kandahar in
Afghans today which included in Afghanistan and Afghan prod- Afghanistan and the Taliban and
afghanistan inhabi9ants and ex- ucts such as carpets, nuts and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelli-
cludes Pashtuns not indegenous fruit are exported to India. For gence (ISI) were suspected of
to the present borders of most of their independent his- suppor8ng them. India became
Afghanistan. Such are Shah Rukh tory, both na8ons have enjoyed one of the key supporters of the
Khan, a well known celebrity who tradi8onally friendly rela8ons an8-Taliban Northern Alliance.
is Afghan(Pashtun) by ethnicity. and have cooperated over re-
even though establishing claims, spec8ve conflicts with Pakistan.
some Indian Muslims being to- Since April 2007, Afghanistan is Post-2001
tally from ancestral regions such eighth member of SAARC a(er During the U.S.-led invasion of
Peshawar which is not part of India endorsed Afghan full mem- Afghanistan in 2001, India offered
Afghanistan anymore, would bership. intelligence and other forms of
iden8fy as Indo-Afghans, from support for the Coali8on forces.
historical folktales preceding par- Civil wars and A(er the overthrow of the Tal-
88on of Afghanistan. Taliban iban, India established diploma8c
The Suri dynasty and the The Republic of India was the rela8ons with the newly-estab-
Khilji dynas8es were 2 known dy- only South Asian na8on to recog- lished democra8c government,
nas8es from India, that ruled dur- nise the Soviet-backed Demo- provided aid and par8cipated in
ing the middle-ages as Islamic cra8c Republic of Afghanistan the reconstruc8on efforts. India
states, and were chiefly iden8fied and the Soviet Union's military has provided US$ 650-750 million
as Afghan/Pashtun, un8l over presence in Afghan territories, in humanitarian and economic
ruled by Mughals. Eventually, the and provided humanitarian aid to aid, making it the largest regional
last dynasty was the Durrani em- the country. Following the with- provider of aid for Afghanistan.
pire, which had bi9er rela8on- drawal of the Soviet armed forces The Indian Army's Border Roads
ships with the Mughals, ceased to from Afghanistan in 1989, repub- Organisa8on is construc8ng a
power, a(er being overrun by the lic of India and the interna8onal major road in the remote Afghan
Sikh Empire during an a9empt to community supported the coali- province of Nimroz. India's sup-
annex Amritsar, causing the Dur- 8on government that took con- port and collabora8on extends to
rand agreement by the Bri8sh trol, but rela8ons and contacts rebuilding of air links, power
Empire, leaving Afghanistan in it's ended with the outbreak of an- plants and inves8ng in health and
present state a(er failed at- other civil war, which brought to educa8on sectors as well as help-
tempts to colonize further into power the Taliban, an Islamist ing to train Afghan civil servants,
Afghanistan. mili8a supported by Pakistan. The diplomats and police. India also
Special
seeks the development of supply suicide car bomb - the deadliest them.
lines of electricity, oil and natural a9ack in Kabul since the fall of Migra8on from India to
gas. the Taliban in 2001. The bombing Afghanistan occurred during the
Both na8ons also developed killed 58 people and wounded last several centuries, mainly
strategic and military coopera8on 141. Senior Indian Army officer from the Punjab region. The em-
against Islamic militants. Owing Brigadier Ravi Da9 Mehta was igrants mostly belonged to the
to the killing of an Indian na8onal entering the embassy gates in a category of retail shopkeepers
by Taliban militants in November car along with V. Venkateswara and general merchants dealing in
2005, India deployed 200 soldiers Rao when the a9ack took place. clothes and consumer items.
of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Both were killed in the blast. The They se9led down in various
(ITBP) to provide security for In- Afghan government had claimed parts of Afghanistan, in par8cular
dian na8onals and the projects that Pakistan's ISI was involved in Kabul and Jalalabad. In 1990, it
supported by India. Afghanistan the a9ack.This claim has been was es8mated that there were
strengthened its 8es with India in bolstered by the recent leaks of 45,000 persons of Indian descent
wake of persis8ng tensions and classified informa8on by Wik- in Afghanistan and most of them
problems with Pakistan, which ileaks. had become naturalised Afghan
was suspected of con8nuing to During the 15th SAARC sum- ci8zens.
shelter and support the Taliban. mit in Colombo, India pledged an- From the take over of the Tal-
India pursues a policy of close co- other USD $450 million along iban, most residents fled to
opera8on in order to bolster its with $750 million already neighbouring countries and only
standing as a regional power and pledged for ongoing and forth- a mediocre popula8on of 1,000
contain its rival Pakistan, which is coming projects. In August 2008, was le(, 600 of these in Jalalabad
suppor8ng Islamic militants in Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the remaining 400 in Kabul.
Kashmir and other parts of India. visited New Delhi. This visit fur- Many of the Afghan Hindus and
Three MoUs (memorandum ther strengthened bilateral rela- Sikhs were historically of Indian
of understanding) for strengthen- 8ons, and Prime Minister Singh origin and were se9led in
ing coopera8on in the fields of pledged further aid for Afghanistan as a result of their
rural development, educa8on Afghanistan. ancestors' migra8on to the land.
and standardiza8on between the On 18 October 2009, the In- They had moved out of
Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS) dian Embassy in Kabul was at- Afghanistan prior to the Septem-
and Afghan Na8onal Standardiza- tacked again by a car bomb, li9le ber 11 a9acks into Pakistan and
8on Authority were signed be- more than a year a(er the previ- some had a desire to migrate to
tween India and Afghanistan ous a9ack. The a9ack killed at India.
during Hamid Karzai's visit to least 17 people.
India during 9–13 April 2006. An Burma–India
agreement providing $50 million relations
to promote bilateral businesses Indians in
between India and Afghanistan Afghanistan Bilateral rela8ons between
was signed during the visit of the Indians in Afghanistan consist of Burma (Union of Myanmar) and
Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. professionals working in various the Republic of India have im-
Spanta between 29 June – 1 July construc8on projects, as part of proved considerably since 1993,
2006. During the same year, India India's strategic ventures in the overcoming strains over drug
raised its aid package to development of Afghanistan. trafficking, the suppression of
Afghanistan by $150 million, to These workers are es8mated to democracy and the rule of the
$750 million. India also sup- be anywhere between 3,000 and military junta in Burma. Burma is
ported Afghanistan's bid to be- 4,000. In recent 8mes, Indians situated to the south of the states
come a member of the South have faced increasing security of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland
Asian Associa8on for Regional threats in the country with kid- and Arunachal Pradesh in North-
Coopera8on (SAARC). nappings and many a9acks, such east India. The proximity of the
On 7 July 2008 the Indian em- as the February 2010 Kabul at- People's Republic of China gives
bassy in Kabul was a9acked by a tack, directly intended towards strategic importance to Indo-
98 - 18
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Special
Burmese rela8ons. The Indo- par8cipa8on and influence in India which connects South Asia
Burmese border stretches over Southeast Asia and to counteract with Southeast Asia.
1,600 kilometers. the growing influence of the Peo-
ple's Republic of China.
Development of
Background strategic ties
India was one of the leading sup- Commercial relations India's move to forge close rela-
porters of Burmese independ- India is the largest market for 8ons with Burma are mo8vated
ence and established diploma8c Burmese exports, buying about by a desire to counter China's
rela8ons a(er Burma's independ- USD 220 million worth of goods growing influence as a regional
ence from Great Britain in 1948. in 2000; India's exports to Burma leader and enhance its own influ-
For many years, Indo-Burmese stood at USD 75.36 million. India ence and standing. Concerns and
rela8ons were strong due Burma is Burma’s 4th largest trading tensions increased in India over
previously having been a partner a(er Thailand, China and China's extensive military cooper-
province of India, due to cultural Singapore, and second largest ex- a8on and involvement in devel-
links, flourishing commerce, com- port market a(er Thailand, ab- oping ports, naval and
mon interests in regional affairs sorbing 25 percent of its total intelligence facili8es and indus-
and the presence of a significant exports. India is also the seventh tries, specifically the upgrading of
Indian community in Burma. most important source of a naval base in Si9we, a major
India provided considerable sup- Burma’s imports. The govern- seaport located close to the east-
port when Burma struggled with ments of India and Burma had set ern Indian city of Kolkata. India's
regional insurgencies. However, a target of achieving $1 billion engagement of the Burmese mil-
the overthrow of the democra8c and bilateral trade reached USD itary junta has helped ease the
government by the Military of 650 million U.S. dollars by 2006. regime's interna8onal isola8on
Burma led to strains in 8es. Along The Indian government has and lessen Burma's tradi8onal re-
with much of the world, India worked to extend air, land and liance on China. Both na8ons
condemned the suppression of sea routes to strengthen trade sought to cooperate to counter-
democracy and Burma ordered links with Myanmar and establish act drug trafficking and insurgent
the expulsion of the Burmese In- a gas pipeline. While the involve- groups opera8ng in the border
dian community, increasing its ment of India's private sector has areas. India and Myanmar are
own isola8on from the world. been low and growing at a slow leading members of BIMSTEC and
Only China maintained close links pace, both governments are pro- the Mekong-Ganga Coopera8on,
with Burma while India sup- ceeding to enhance coopera8on along with Vietnam, Laos, Cam-
ported the pro-democracy move- in agriculture, telecommunica- bodia and Thailand, helping India
ment. 8ons, informa8on technology, develop its influence and 8es
A major breakthrough oc- steel, oil, natural gas, hydrocar- amongst Southeast Asian na-
curred in 1987 when the then-In- bons and food processing. The bi- 8ons. India was slow and hesitant
dian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi lateral border trade agreement of in reac8ng to the 2007 Burmese
visited Burma, but rela8ons wors- 1994 provides for border trade to an8-government protests that
ened a(er the military junta's be carried out from three desig- had drawn overwhelming inter-
bloody repression of pro-democ- nated border points, one each in na8onal condemna8on. India
racy agita8ons in 1988, which led Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. also declared that it had no inten-
to an influx of Burmese refugees On February 13, 2001 India and 8on of interfering in Burma's in-
into India. However, since 1993 Burma inaugurated a major 160 ternal affairs and that the
the governments of the Indian kilometre highway, called the Burmese people would have to
Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road, achieve democracy themselves.
Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee built mainly by the Indian Army's This low-key response has been
changed course and began cul8- Border Roads Organisa8on and widely cri8cised both within India
va8ng 8es with Myanmar, as part aimed to provide a major strate- and abroad as weakening India's
of a wider foreign policy ap- gic and commercial transport creden8als as a leading demo-
proach aimed to increase India's route connec8ng North-East cra8c na8on.
Special
ship". China and India con8nue to dhism from India to China. Trade
Sino-Indian strengthen their rela8ons. Trade rela8ons via the Silk Road acted
relations between China and India con8n- as economic contact between the
ues to grow. Many have agreed two regions.
Sino-Indian rela8ons, also called that Sino-Indian rela8ons have China and India have also had
Indo-China rela8ons, refer to the entered maturity period. some contact before the trans-
8es and rela8ons between the mission of Buddhism. References
People's Republic of China and to a people called the Chinas,
the Republic of India. The eco- Geographical now believed to be the Chinese,
nomic and diploma8c impor- overview are found in ancient Indian litera-
tance of China and India, which China and India are separated by ture. The Indian epic Mahab-
are the two most populous states the formidable geographical ob- harata (c. 5th century BC)
and the world's fastest growing stacles of the Himalayan moun- contains references to "China",
major economies, has in recent tain chain. China and India today which may have been referring to
years increased the significance share a border along the Hi- the Qin state which later became
of their bilateral rela8onship. malayas and Nepal and Bhutan, the Qin Dynasty. Chanakya (c.
Rela8ons between China and two states lying along the Hi- 350-283 BC), the prime minister
India date back to ancient 8mes. malaya range, and ac8ng as of the Maurya Empire and a pro-
China and India are two of the buffer states. In addi8on, the dis- fessor at Takshashila University,
world’s oldest civiliza8ons and puted Kashmir province (claimed refers to Chinese silk as "cinam-
have coexisted in peace for mil- by Pakistan) borders both the suka" (Chinese silk dress) and
lennia. Trade rela8ons via the Silk PRC and India. As Pakistan has "cinapa9a" (Chinese silk bundle)
Road acted as economic contact tense rela8ons with India, Kash- in his Arthashastra.
between the two regions. How- mir's state of unrest serves as a In the Records of the Grand
ever, since the early 1950s, their natural ally to the PRC. Historian, Zhang Qian (d. 113 BC)
rela8onship has been character- Two territories are currently and Sima Qian (145-90 BC) make
ized by border disputes, resul8ng disputed between the People's references to "Shendu", which
in military conflict (the Sino-In- Republic of China and India: Aksai may have been referring to the
dian War of 1962, the Chola inci- Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. Indus Valley (the Sindh province
dent in 1967, and the 1987 Arunachal Pradesh is located in modern Pakistan), originally
Sino-Indian skirmish). near the far east of India, while known as "Sindhu" in Sanskrit.
Both countries have in recent Aksai Chin is located near the When Yunnan was annexed by
years successfully a9empted to northwest corner of India, at the the Han Dynasty in the first cen-
reignite diploma8c and economic junc8on of India, Pakistan, and tury, Chinese authori8es re-
8es, and consequently, the two the PRC. However, all sides in the ported an Indian "Shendu"
countries' rela8ons have become dispute have agreed to respect community living there.
closer. Today, China is India's the Line of Actual Control and
largest trading partner, and has this border dispute is not widely
recently reverted its stance on seen as a major flashpoint. Middle Ages
India's bid for a UNSC seat, a(er A(er the transmission of Bud-
Chinese assistant Foreign Minis- dhism from India to China from
ter Kong Quan formally declared Early history the first century onwards, many
that China will back India's UNSC Indian scholars and monks trav-
bid. Today, India is a main seller Antiquity elled to China, such as Batuo (fl.
of Iron ore to China, and fills the India and China had rela8vely lit- 464-495 AD)—founder of the
desperate need of natural re- tle modern poli8cal contact be- Shaolin Monastery—and Bodhid-
sources for the na8on. fore the 1950s. However, both harma—founder of Chan/Zen
Today, China and India both countries have had extensive and Buddhism—while many Chinese
have close economic and military close historical cultural contact scholars and monks also travelled
8es. In 2005, China and India an- since the first century, especially to India, such as Xuanzang (b.
nounced a "strategic partner- with the transmission of Bud- 604) and I Ching (635-713), both
Vol.
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Special
of whom were students at Na- Ming dynasty annexed Ladakh into the state of
landa University in Bihar. Xuan- Between 1405 and 1433, the Jammu in 1834. In 1841, they in-
zang wrote the Great Tang Ming Dynasty China sponsored a vaded Tibet with an army and
Records on the Western Regions, series of seven naval expedi8ons. overran parts of western Tibet.
an account of his journey to India, Emperor Yongle designed them Chinese forces defeated the Sikh
which later inspired Wu to establish a Chinese presence, army in December 1841, forcing
Cheng'en's Ming Dynasty novel impose imperial control over the Sikh army to withdraw from
Journey to the West, one of the trade, and impress foreign people Tibet, and in turn entered Ladakh
Four Great Classical Novels of in the Indian Ocean basin. He also and besieged Leh, where they
Chinese literature. might have wanted to extend the were in turn defeated by the Sikh
tributary system, by which Chi- Army. At this point, neither side
nese dynas8es tradi8onally rec- wished to con8nue the conflict,
Tang and Harsha ognized foreign peoples. as the Sikhs were embroiled in
dynasties Admiral Zheng He was dis- tensions with the Bri8sh that
During the 7th century, Tang Dy- patched to lead a series of huge would lead up to the First Anglo-
nasty China gained control over naval expedi8ons to explore Sikh War, while the Chinese was
large por8ons of the Silk Road these regions. The largest of his in the midst of the First Opium
and Central Asia. Wang Xuance voyages included over 317 ships War with the Bri8sh East India
had sent a diploma8c mission to and 28,000 men, and the largest Company. The Chinese and the
northern India, which was em- of his treasure ships were over Sikhs signed a treaty in Septem-
broiled by civil war just following 126.73 m in length. During his ber 1842, which s8pulated no
the death of Emperor Harsha voyages, he visited numerous In- transgressions or interference in
(590–647). A(er the murder of dian kingdoms and ports. On the the other country's fron8ers.
30 members of this mission by first three voyages, Zheng He vis-
usurper claiments to the throne, ited southeast Asia, India, and After independence
Wang fled, and returned with al- Ceylon. The fourth expedi8on Jawaharlal Nehru based his vision
lied Nepali and Tibetan troops to went to the Persian Gulf and Ara- of "resurgent Asia" on friendship
back the opposing claimant. With bia, and later expedi8ons ven- between the two largest states of
his forces, Wang besieged and tured down the east African Asia; his vision of an interna8on-
captured the capital, while his coast, as far as Malindi in what is alist foreign policy governed by
deputy Jiang Shiren captured the now Kenya. Throughout his trav- the ethics of the Panchsheel,
usurper and sent him back to Em- els, Zheng He liberally dispensed which he ini8ally believed was
peror Tang Taizong (599-649) in Chinese gi(s of silk, porcelain, shared by China, came to grief
Chang'an as a prisoner. and other goods. In return, he re- when it became clear that the
During the 8th century, the ceived rich and unusual presents two countries had a conflict of in-
astronomical table of sines by the from his hosts, including African terest in Tibet, which had tradi-
Indian astronomer and mathe- zebras and giraffes that ended 8onally served as a geographical
ma8cian, Aryabhata (476-550), their days in the Ming imperial and poli8cal buffer zone, and
were translated into the Chinese zoo. Zheng He and his company where India believed it had inher-
astronomical and mathema8cal paid respects to local dei8es and ited special privileges from the
book of the Trea8se on Astrology customs, and in Ceylon they Bri8sh Raj.
of the Kaiyuan Era (Kaiyuan Zhan- erected a monument (Galle Trilin- However, the ini8al focus of
jing), compiled in 718 AD during gual Inscrip8on) honouring Bud- the leaders of both the na8ons
the Tang Dynasty. The Kaiyuan dha, Allah, and Vishnu. was not the foreign policy, but
Zhanjing was compiled by Gau- the internal development of their
tama Siddha, an astronomer and respec8ve states. When they did
astrologer born in Chang'an, and Sino-Sikh War concentrate on the foreign poli-
whose family was originally from In the 18th to 19th centuries, the cies, their concern wasn’t one an-
India. He was also notable for his Sikh Confederacy of the Punjab other, but rather the United
transla8on of the Navagraha cal- region in India was expanding States of America and the Union
endar into Chinese. into neighbouring lands. It had of Soviet Socialist Republics and

Special
the alliance systems which domi- 8on efforts in ending the Korean quent and serious.
nated by the two superpowers. War (1950–1953). In January 1959, PRC premier
Meanwhile, India was the Zhou Enlai wrote to Nehru, re-
16th state to establish diploma8c jec8ng Nehru's conten8on that
1950s rela8ons with the People's Re- the border was based on treaty
On October 1, 1949 the People’s public of China, and did so on and custom and poin8ng out that
Libera8on Army defeated the April 1, 1950. no government in China had ac-
Kuomintang (Na8onalist Party) of In April 1954, India and the cepted as legal the McMahon
China in a civil war and estab- PRC signed an eight-year agree- Line, which in the 1914 Simla
lished the People's Republic of ment on Tibet that set forth the Conven8on defined the eastern
China. On August 15, 1947, India basis of their rela8onship in the sec8on of the border between
became an independent domin- form of the Five Principles of India and Tibet. The Dalai Lama,
ion under Bri8sh Commonwealth Peaceful Coexistence (or Panch spiritual and temporal head of
and became a federal, demo- Shila). Although cri8cs called the the Tibetan people, sought sanc-
cra8c republic a(er its cons8tu- Panch Shila naive, Nehru calcu- tuary in Dharmsala, Himachal
8on came into effect on January lated that in the absence of either Pradesh, in March 1959, and
26, 1950. Mao Zedong, the Com- the wherewithal or a policy for thousands of Tibetan refugees
mander of the Libera8on Army defense of the Himalayan region, se9led in northwestern India,
and the Chairman of the Commu- India's best guarantee of security par8cularly in Himachal Pradesh.
nist Party of China viewed Tibet was to establish a psychological The People's Republic of China
as an integral part of the Chinese buffer zone in place of the lost accused India of expansionism
State. Mao was determined to physical buffer of Tibet. and imperialism in Tibet and
bring Tibet under direct adminis- Thus the catch phrase of throughout the Himalayan re-
tra8ve and military control of India's diplomacy with China in gion. China claimed 104,000 km²
People’s Republic of China and the 1950s was Hindi-Chini bhai- of territory over which India's
saw Indian concern over Tibet as bhai, which means, in Hindi, "In- maps showed clear sovereignty,
a manifesta8on of the Indian dians and Chinese are brothers". and demanded "rec8fica8on" of
Government's interference in the Up un8l 1959, despite border the en8re border.
internal affairs of the People’s Re- skirmishes and discrepancies be- Zhou proposed that China re-
public of China. tween Indian and Chinese maps, linquish its claim to most of
The PRC sought to reassert Chinese leaders amicably had as- India's northeast in exchange for
control over Tibet and to end sured India that there was no ter- India's abandonment of its claim
Lamaism (Tibetan Buddhism) and ritorial controversy on the border to Aksai Chin. The Indian govern-
feudalism, which it did by force of though there is some evidence ment, constrained by domes8c
arms in 1950. To avoid antagoniz- that India avoided bringing up the public opinion, rejected the idea
ing the People's Republic of border issue in high level meet- of a se9lement based on uncom-
China, Nehru informed Chinese ings. pensated loss of territory as
leaders that India had neither po- In 1954, India published new being humilia8ng and unequal.
li8cal nor territorial ambi8ons, maps that included the Aksai
nor did it seek special privileges Chin region within the bound-
in Tibet, but that tradi8onal trad- aries of India (maps published at 1960s
ing rights must con8nue. With In- the 8me of India's independence
dian support, Tibetan delegates did not clearly indicate whether Sino-Indian War
signed an agreement in May the region was in India or Tibet). Border disputes resulted in a
1951 recognizing PRC sovereignty When an Indian reconnaissance short border war between the
but guaranteeing that the exist- party discovered a completed People's Republic of China and
ing poli8cal and social system of Chinese road running through India in 20 October 1962. The
Tibet would con8nue. Direct ne- the Aksai Chin region of the PRC pushed the unprepared and
go8a8ons between India and the Ladakh District of Jammu and inadequately led Indian forces to
PRC commenced in an atmos- Kashmir, border clashes and In- within forty-eight kilometres of
phere improved by India's media- dian protests became more fre- the Assam plains in the northeast
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Special
and occupied strategic points in between Lhasa and India through and the Chinese. 62 Indian sol-
Ladakh, un8l the PRC declared a the Nathula Pass, an offshoot of diers, from the 2nd Grenadiers
unilateral cease-fire on 21 No- the ancient Silk Road in the then and the Ar8llery regiments were
vember and withdrew twenty Indian protectorate of Sikkim was killed. Brigadier Rai Singh Yadav,
kilometers behind its contended also severed. However, the bi- the Commanding Officer, was
line of control. weekly postal network through awarded the MVC and Capt PS
At the 8me of Sino-Indian this pass was kept alive, which ex- Dager was awarded a VrC
border conflict, a severe poli8cal ists 8ll today. (posthumous) for their gallant ac-
split was taking place in the Com- 8ons.The extent of Chinese casu-
munist Party of India. One sec8on al8es in this incident is not
was accused by the Indian gov- Later Skirmishes known.
ernment as being pro-PRC, and a In the second, on 1 October
large number of poli8cal leaders Indian Skirmish 1967, a group of Indian Gurkha
were jailed. Subsequently, CPI In late 1967, there were two skir- Rifles soldiers (from the 7th Bat-
split with the le(ist sec8on form- mishes between Indian and Chi- talion of the 11th Regiment) no-
ing the Communist Party of India nese forces in Sikkim. The first 8ced Chinese troops surrounding
(Marxist) in 1964. CPI(M) held one was dubbed the "Nathu La a sentry post near a boulder at
some contacts with the Commu- incident", and the other the the Chola outpost in Sikkim. A(er
nist Party of China in the ini8al "Chola incident". Prior to these a heated argument over the con-
period a(er the split, but did not incidents had been the Naxalbari trol of the boulder, a Chinese sol-
fully embrace the poli8cal line of uprising in India by the Commu- dier bayoneted a Gurkha
Mao Zedong. nist Naxalites and Maoists. rifleman, triggering the start of a
Rela8ons between the PRC In 1967 a peasant uprising broke close-quarters knife and fire-
and India deteriorated during the out in Naxalbari, led by pro- fight, which then escalted to a
rest of the 1960s and the early Maoist elements. A pronuncia- mortar and HMG duel. The Chi-
1970s as Sino-Pakistani rela8ons 8on by Mao 8tled "Spring nese troops had to signal a cease-
improved and Sino-Soviet rela- Thunder over India" gave full fire just a(er three hours of
8ons worsened. The PRC backed moral support for the uprising. figh8ng, but later scaled Point
Pakistan in its 1965 war with The support for the revolt 15450 to establish themselves
India. Between 1967 and 1971, marked the end for the rela8ons there. The Gurkhas ou7lanked
an all-weather road was built between CPC and CPI(M). Naxal- them the next day to regain Point
across territory claimed by India, bari-inspired communists organ- 15450 and the Chinese retreated
linking PRC's Xinjiang Uyghur Au- ized armed revolts in several across the LAC. 21 Indian soldiers
tonomous Region with Pakistan; parts of India, and in 1969 they were killed in this ac8on. The In-
India could do no more than formed the Communist Party of dian government awarded Vir
protest. India (Marxist-Leninist). However, Chakras to Rifleman Limbu
The PRC con8nued an ac8ve as the naxalite movement disin- (posthumous) and ba9alion com-
propaganda campaign against tegrated in various splits, the PRC mander Major K.B. Joshi for their
India and supplied ideological, fi- withdrew its poli8cal support and gallant ac8ons. The extent of Chi-
nancial, and other assistance to turned non-commi9al towards nese casual8es in this skirmish is
dissident groups, especially to the various Indian groups. also not known.
tribes in northeastern India. The On 11 September 1967,
PRC accused India of assis8ng the troops of the Indian Army's 2nd
Khampa rebels in Tibet. Diplo- GRENADIERS were protec8ng an 1970s
ma8c contact between the two Engineering Company that was In August 1971, India signed its
governments was minimal al- fencing the North Shoulder of Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and
though not formally severed. The Nathula, when Chinese troops Coopera8on with the Soviet
flow of cultural and other ex- opened fire on them. This esca- Union, and the United States and
changes that had marked the lated over the next five days to an the PRC sided with Pakistan in its
1950s ceased en8rely. The flour- exchange of heavy ar8llery and December 1971 war with India.
ishing wool, fur and spice trade mortar fire between the Indians By this 8me, the PRC had just re-

Special
placed the Republic of China in meant to delineate the McMa- lay. In 1986 and 1987, the nego8-
the UN where its representa8ves hon Line. The Sumdorong Chu a8ons achieved nothing, given
denounced India as being a "tool valley "seemed to lie to the north the charges exchanged between
of Soviet expansionism." of the McMahon line; but is the two countries of military en-
India and the PRC renewed south of the highest ridge in the croachment in the Sumdorung
efforts to improve rela8ons a(er area, and the McMahon line is Chu Valley of the Tawang tract on
the Soviet Union invaded meant to follow the highest the eastern sector of the border.
Afghanistan in December 1979. points" according to the Indian China's construc8on of a military
The PRC modified its pro-Pakistan claims, while the Chinese did not post and helicopter pad in the
stand on Kashmir and appeared recognize the McMahon Line as area in 1986 and India's grant of
willing to remain silent on India's legi8mate and were not prepared statehood to Arunachal Pradesh
absorp8on of Sikkim and its spe- to accept an Indian claim line (formerly the North-East Fron8er
cial advisory rela8onship with even further north than that. The Agency) in February 1987 caused
Bhutan. The PRC's leaders agreed Indian team le( the area before both sides to deploy new troops
to discuss the boundary issue, the winter. In the winter of 1986, to the area, raising tensions and
India's priority, as the first step to the Chinese deployed their fears of a new border war. The
a broadening of rela8ons. The troops to the Sumdorong Chu be- PRC relayed warnings that it
two countries hosted each oth- fore the Indian team could arrive would "teach India a lesson" if it
ers' news agencies, and Mount in the summer and built a Heli- did not cease "nibbling" at Chi-
Kailash and Mansarowar Lake in pad at Wandung. Surprised by nese territory. By the summer of
Tibet, the mythological home of the Chinese occupa8on, India's 1987, however, both sides had
the Hindu pantheon, were then Chief of Army Staff, General backed away from conflict and
opened to annual pilgrimages K.Sundarji, airli(ed a brigade to denied that military clashes had
from India. the region. taken place.
Chinese troops could not A warming trend in rela8ons
move any further into the valley was facilitated by Rajiv Gandhi's
1980s and were forced to move side- visit to China in December 1988.
In 1981 PRC minister of for- ways along the Thag La ridge, The two sides issued a joint com-
eign affairs Huang Hua was in- away from the valley. By 1987, muniqué that stressed the need
vited to India, where he made Beijing's reac8on was similar to to restore friendly rela8ons on
complimentary remarks about that in 1962 and this prompted the basis of the Panch Shila and
India's role in South Asia. PRC many Western diplomats to pre- noted the importance of the first
premier Zhao Ziyang concurrently dict war. However, Indian foreign visit by an Indian prime minister
toured Pakistan, Nepal, and minister N.D. Tiwari and Prime to China since Nehru's 1954 visit.
Bangladesh. Minister Rajiv Gandhi travelled to India and the People's Republic of
In 1980, Indian Prime Minis- Beijing over the following months China agreed to broaden bilateral
ter Indira Gandhi approved a plan to nego8ate a mutual de-escala- 8es in various areas, working to
to upgrade the deployment of 8on. achieve a "fair and reasonable
forces around the Line of Actual A(er the Huang visit, India se9lement while seeking a mutu-
Control to avoid unilateral redefi- and the PRC held eight rounds of ally acceptable solu8on" to the
ni8ons of the line. India also in- border nego8a8ons between De- border dispute. The communiqué
creased funds for infrastructural cember 1981 and November also expressed China's concern
development in these areas. 1987. These talks ini8ally raised about agita8on by Tibetan sepa-
In 1984, squads of Indian sol- hopes that progress could be ra8sts in India and reiterated
diers began ac8vely patrolling the made on the border issue. How- China's posi8on that Tibet was an
Sumdorong Chu Valley in ever, in 1985 the PRC s8ffened its integral part of China and that
Arunachal Pradesh (formerly posi8on on the border and in- an8-China poli8cal ac8vi8es by
NEFA), which is north of the sisted on mutual concessions expatriate Tibetans was not to be
McMahon Line as drawn on the without defining the exact terms tolerated. Rajiv Gandhi signed bi-
Simla Treaty map but south of the of its "package proposal" or lateral agreements on science
ridge which Indian claims is where the actual line of control and technology coopera8on, on
Vol.
104 - 18
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Special
civil avia8on to establish direct air Substan8al movement in re- Talks were held in New Delhi
links, and on cultural exchanges. la8ons con8nued in 1993. The in February 1994 aimed at con-
The two sides also agreed to hold sixth-round joint working group firming established "confidence-
annual diploma8c consulta8ons talks were held in June in New building measures" and
between foreign ministers, and to Delhi but resulted in only minor discussing clarifica8on of the
set up a joint ministerial commit- developments. However, as the "line of actual control", reduc8on
tee on economic and scien8fic year progressed the long-stand- of armed forces along the line,
coopera8on and a joint working ing border dispute was eased as and prior informa8on about
group on the boundary issue. The a result of bilateral pledges to re- forthcoming military exercises.
la9er group was to be led by the duce troop levels and to respect China's hope for se9lement of
Indian foreign secretary and the the cease-fire line along the the boundary issue was reiter-
Chinese vice minister of foreign India-China border. Prime Minis- ated.
affairs. ter Narasimha Rao and Premier Li The 1993 Chinese military
Peng signed the border agree- visit to India was reciprocated by
ment and three other agree- Indian army chief of staff General
1990s ments (on cross-border trade, B. C. Joshi. During talks in Beijing
As the mid-1990s approached, and on increased coopera8on on in July 1994, the two sides agreed
slow but steady improvement in the environment and in radio and that border problems should be
rela8ons with China was visible. television broadcas8ng) during resolved peacefully through "mu-
Top-level dialogue con8nued the former's visit to Beijing in tual understanding and conces-
with the December 1991 visit of September. A senior-level Chi- sions." The border issue was
PRC premier Li Peng to India and nese military delega8on made a raised in September 1994 when
the May 1992 visit to China of In- six-day goodwill visit to India in PRC minister of na8onal defense
dian president R. Venkataraman. December 1993 aimed at "foster- Chi Hao8an visited New Delhi for
Six rounds of talks of the Indian- ing confidence-building measures extensive talks with high-level In-
Chinese Joint Working Group on between the defense forces of dian trade and defense officials.
the Border Issue were held be- the two countries." The visit, Further talks in New Delhi in
tween December 1988 and June however, came at a 8me when March 1995 by the India-China
1993. Progress was also made in press reports revealed that, as a Expert Group led to an agree-
reducing tensions on the border result of improved rela8ons be- ment to set up two addi8onal
via confidence-building meas- tween the PRC and Burma, China points of contact along the 4,000
ures, including mutual troop re- was expor8ng greater amounts of km border to facilitate mee8ngs
duc8ons, regular mee8ngs of military matériel to Burma's between military personnel. The
local military commanders, and army, navy, and air force and two sides also were reported as
advance no8fica8on of military sending an increasing number of "seriously engaged" in defining
exercises. Border trade resumed technicians to Burma. Of concern the McMahon Line and the line
in July 1992 a(er a hiatus of more to Indian security officials was the of actual control vis-à-vis military
than thirty years, consulates re- presence of Chinese radar techni- exercises and preven8on of air in-
opened in Bombay (Mumbai) and cians in Burma's Coco Islands, trusion. Talks in Beijing in July
Shanghai in December 1992, and, which border India's Union Terri- 1995 aimed at be9er border se-
in June 1993, the two sides tory of the Andaman and Nicobar curity and comba8ng cross-bor-
agreed to open an addi8onal bor- Islands. Nevertheless, movement der crimes and in New Delhi in
der trading post. During Sharad con8nued in 1994 on troop re- August 1995 on addi8onal troop
Pawar's July 1992 visit to Beijing, duc8ons along the Himalayan withdrawals from the border
the first ever by an Indian minis- fron8er. Moreover, in January made further progress in reduc-
ter of defence, the two defense 1994 Beijing announced that it ing tensions.
establishments agreed to de- not only favored a nego8ated so- Possibly indica8ve of the fur-
velop academic, military, scien- lu8on on Kashmir, but also op- ther relaxa8on of India-China re-
8fic, and technological exchanges posed any form of independence la8ons, at least there was li9le
and to schedule an Indian port for the region. no8ce taken in Beijing, was the
call by a Chinese naval vessel. April 1995 announcement, a(er

Special
a year of consulta8on, of the provement in Sino-Indian rela- of the evolving Sino-Indian rela-
opening of the Taipei Economic 8ons following Indian Prime Min- 8onship is based on the energy
and Cultural Center in New Delhi. ister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's requirements of their industrial
The center serves as the repre- landmark June 2003 visit to expansion and their readiness to
senta8ve office of the Republic of China. China officially recognized proac8vely secure them by in-
China (Taiwan) and is the coun- Indian sovereignty over Sikkim as ves8ng in the oilfields abroad - in
terpart of the India-Taipei Associ- the two na8ons moved toward Africa, the Middle East and Cen-
a8on in Taiwan; both ins8tu8ons resolving their border disputes. tral Asia. On the one hand, these
have the goal of improving rela- 2004 also witnessed a gradual im- ventures entail compe88on
8ons between the two sides, provement in the interna8onal (which has been evident in oil
which have been strained since area when the two countries pro- biddings for various interna8onal
New Delhi's recogni8on of Beijing posed opening up the Nathula projects recently). But on the
in 1950. and Jelepla Passes in Sikkim other hand, a degree of coopera-
Sino-Indian rela8ons hit a low which would be mutually benefi- 8on too is visible, as they are in-
point in 1998 following India's nu- cial to both countries. 2004 was a creasingly confron8ng bigger
clear tests in May. Indian Defense milestone in Sino-Indian bilateral players in the global oil market.
Minister George Fernandes de- trade, surpassing the $10 billion This coopera8on was sealed in
clared that "China is India's num- mark for the first 8me. In April Beijing on January 12, 2006 dur-
ber one threat", hin8ng that India 2005, Chinese Premier Wen Ji- ing the visit of Petroleum and
developed nuclear weapons in abao visited Bangalore to push Natural Gas Minister Mani
defense against China's nuclear for increased Sino-Indian cooper- Shankar Aiyar, who signed an
arsenal. In 1998, China was one a8on in high-tech industries. In a agreement which envisages
of the strongest interna8onal crit- speech, Wen stated "Coopera8on ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and the
ics of India's nuclear tests and is just like two pagodas (temples), China Na8onal Petroleum Corpo-
entry into the nuclear club. Rela- one hardware and one so(ware. ra8on (CNPC) placing joint bids
8ons between India and China Combined, we can take the lead- for promising projects elsewhere.
stayed strained un8l the end of ership posi8on in the world." This may have important conse-
the decade. Wen stated that the twenty-first quences for their interna8onal
century will be "the Asian century rela8ons.
of the IT industry." The high-level On July 6, 2006, China and
2000s visit was also expected to pro- India re-opened Nathula, an an-
With Indian President K. R. duce several agreements to cient trade route which was part
Narayanan's visit to China, 2000 deepen poli8cal, cultural and of the Silk Road. Nathula is a pass
marked a gradual re-engagement economic 8es between the two through the Himalayas and it was
of Indian and Chinese diplomacy. na8ons. Regarding the issue of closed 44 years prior to 2006
In a major embarrassment for India gaining a permanent seat when the Sino-Indian War broke
China, the 17th Karmapa, Urgyen on the UN Security Council, on his out in 1962. The ini8al agreement
Trinley Dorje, who was pro- visit, Wen Jiabao ini8ally seemed for the re-opening of the trade
claimed by China, made a dra- to support the idea, but had re- route was reached in 2003, and a
ma8c escape from Tibet to the turned to a neutral posi8on on final agreement was formalized
Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. Chi- the subject by the 8me he re- on June 18, 2006. Officials say
nese officials were in a quandary turned to China. In the South that the re-opening of border
on this issue as any protest to Asian Associa8on for Regional trade will help ease the economic
India on the issue would mean an Coopera8on (SAARC) Summit isola8on of the region. In Novem-
explicit endorsement on India's (2005) China was granted an ob- ber 2006, China and India had a
governance of Sikkim, which the server status. While other coun- verbal spat over claim of the
Chinese s8ll hadn't recognised. In tries in the region are ready to north-east Indian state of
2002, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji consider China for permanent Arunachal Pradesh. India claimed
reciprocated by visi8ng India, membership in the SAARC, India that China was occupying 38,000
with a focus on economic issues. seems reluctant. square kilometres of its territory
2003 ushered in a marked im- A very important dimension in Kashmir, while China claimed
Vol.
106 - 18
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM
Special
the whole of Arunachal Pradesh tary, and various other issues. rely on the same Simla Accord
as its own. In May 2007, China Un8l 2008 the Bri8sh Govern- that Britain's prior posi8on on
denied the applica8on for visa ment's posi8on remained the Tibet's sovereignty was based
from an Indian Administra8ve same as had been since the Simla upon.
Service officer in Arunachal Accord of 1913: that China held In October 2009, Asian Develop-
Pradesh. According to China, suzerainty over Tibet but not sov- ment Bank formally acknowledg-
since Arunachal Pradesh is a ter- ereignty. Britain revised this view ing Arunachal Pradesh as part of
ritory of China, he would not on 29 October 2008, when it India, approved a loan to India for
need a visa to visit his own coun- recognised Chinese sovereignty a development project there. Ear-
try. Later in December 2007, over Tibet by issuing a statement lier China had exercised pressure
China appeared to have reversed on its website. The Economist on the bank to cease the loan,
its policy by gran8ng a visa to stated that although the Bri8sh however India succeeded in se-
Marpe Sora, an Arunachal born Foreign Office's website does not curing the loan with the help of
professor in computer science. In use the word sovereignty, offi- the United States and Japan.
January 2008, Prime Minister cials at the Foreign Office said ‘it China expressed displeasure at
Manmohan Singh visited China means that, as far as Britain is ADB for the same.
and met with President Hu Jintao concerned, 'Tibet is part of China. In April 2010, the second
and Premier Wen Jiabao and had Full stop.’ This change in Britain's BRIC summit was held in Brasilia.
bilateral discussions related to posi8on affects India's claim to its
trade, commerce, defense, mili- North Eastern territories which

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