Vol 97 8th October 2015 to 14th October 2015

7/25/2019 Vol 97 8th October 2015 to 14th October 2015

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News from PIB & Various Sourcs

Indo-China Joint Military

Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2015The Indo-China Combined Military Training Exercise HAND-IN-HAND 2015 will

be conducted from 12 to 23 October 2015 at Kunming Military Academy, Yunnan, China.

The exercise will bring together troops of an Infantry sub-unit and a formation head-quarter of Indian Army and similar participation from the Chinese Army for the jointtraining. This will be the fifth exercise in the Hand-in-Hand series, which started in 2007.This exercise will strengthen and broaden interoperability & cooperation between boththe Armies as well as complement a number of other exchanges between the two forces.Over the years, the two countries have decided to progressively increase the scope and

content of the combined training. The twelve day exercise will lay emphasis on jointhandling of insurgency at sub-unit level and related issues, while the aspect of Humani-tarian Assistance and Disaster Relief will be discussed at formation headquarters level.

Commanders and Staff Officers of both sides will work in close coordination to re-ceive and collate intelligence and to issue suitable operational orders to the combinedfield training components, who in turn will execute these orders on ground. The exercisecurriculum has been planned progressively where the participants will initially be madeto get familiar with each others organisational structure, weapons, equipment and tacti-cal drills. Subsequently, under Joint Tactical Exercises Battle Drill of both the armies will

be rehearsed.

A Consolidation and Validation Exercise will be witnessed by senior officers andobservers of both Armies at the end of the Joint Training, in which troops of both nationswill carry out sub-unit level counter insurgency operation training.

BARC transfers key technology for strategic and non-

strategic applications to accelerate Make in India Mission

Rare Earth (RE) magnets, such as samarium-cobalt, find use in Atomic Energy, Spaceand Defence industries for a variety of strategic and non-strategic applications. Theseexhibit superior quality in terms of performance ability, device miniaturization capabil-

ity and stability at high operating temperatures. These are becoming increasingly indis-pensable components in high power motors, micro motors, alternators, couplers, bear-ings, and actuators etc. that cater to various non-strategic industries. The requirement ofRare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM) in the country is currently met by imports. Con-sidering the dual uses of these and the fact that India is a non-signatory to Non-prolifera-tion Treaty (NPT), the availability of the magnets has been scarce to the country. In viewof the above, there is a dire need for making indigenous effort to produce REPM.

Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) has set up facilities for producing separated highpure RE oxides from mixed RE chlorides produced from its 10000 tons per annum mona-zite processing plant. The major REs used in production of REPM are Neodymium (Nd)and Samarium (Sm). IREL has facilities to produce Nd, Praseodymium (Pr) and Sm ox-ide.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed a novel metallurgical pro-
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cess for making RE alloy powder using indigenous RE oxides prepared by IREL. Thetechnology for converting the RE alloys to magnets is available with Defence Metallurgi-cal Research Laboratory, Hyderabad. The magnets are then machined at BARC, magne-tized and characterized for the required application.

RE alloys are industrially produced by melting pure RE metal and the alloyingadditions at high temperatures. However, high melting temperature, very high cost ofpure RE metals and loss of RE at high temperature due to evaporation make the alloyproduct very expensive. Moreover, solid ingot requires further pulverization to yieldpowder, from which the magnets are made. All these processes are energy intensive. Onthe other hand, the process developed by BARC yields the alloy powders directly frominexpensive oxides at much lower temperature, thereby resulting in lower cost magnetsmade out of samarium available in Indian ore.

RE alloy powders thus prepared using BARC technology were converted to mag-nets by DMRL. Magnets of different shapes have been prepared and these have beenfound at par with imported magnets in terms of magnetic properties.

Based on the above mentioned indigenous efforts, IREL is considering to set up aplant for production of RE permanent magnets for use in the strategic sectors. BARC isnow transferring the technology to IREL.

Dr. R.K. Sinha, Chairman, AEC & Secretary, DAE, Dr. Sekhar Basu, Director, BARC,Dr. S.V. Kamat, Director, DMRL, Hyderabad, Dr. S. Pandian, DMRL, Hyderabad, Dr. R.N.Patra, CMD, IREL, Dr. J. K. Chakravartty, Director, Materials Group, BARC graced theoccasion.

Joint India-Sri Lanka Exercise Mitra Shakti-2015

CulminatesThe third India-Sri Lanka Joint Training Exercise Mitra Shakti-2015 culminated

today, 12thOctober, 2015 after a grand closing ceremony held at Aundh Military Camp,Pune. The 14-day joint training included understanding of transnational terrorism, de-veloping interoperability and conduct of joint tactical operations controlled by a JointCommand Post.

Brigadier Tapan Lal Sahof the Indian Army & Brigadier KP Aruna Jayasekera ofSri Lankan Army jointly reviewed the parade commanded by Major Ashish Kumar, ofIndian Army. The Reviewing Officers as well as the Sri Lankan participating contingentwere amazed when Major Ashish Kumar gave the report and sought permission to com-

mence the proceedings from Brigadier KP Aruna Jayasekera in chaste Sinhalese. Mar-tial skill display by Indian Army added colour to the impressive parade displayed bythe joint contingent.

Brigadier KP Aruna Jayasekera of the Sri Lankan Army after addressing the parade,declared the joint training closed. Observers of both the nations which included seniormilitary officials, were unanimous in their praise for the professionally conducted train-ing which has resulted in instilling confidence in each others capability to counter thecommon threat of terror. The exercise demonstrated the determination of the two Armiesin working closely with each other to eradicate the menace of terrorism in all its forms.

Green India Mission Plans of Four States ApprovedThe second meeting of National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Mission

for a Green India (GIM) held here recently, approved the Perspective Plans & Annual


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Plan of Operations (APOs) submitted by four States - Mizoram, Manipur, Jharkhand andKerala.

The Perspective Plans of all four States, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 90, 202.68lakh for a Plan period of 5 to 10 years were approved, along with APOs of Rs.11, 195.32lakh for this financial year. The total forest and non-forest area taken up in these fourStates under GIM during the total plan period will be 1, 08, 335 hectares (ha) out of which81, 939 ha will be improving the density of existing forests and 16, 396 ha will be newareas. For the current financial year, it will be 28, 250 ha and 7, 827 ha respectively. Ap-proval has been granted for alternative energy devices such as biogas, solar devices, LPG,

biomass-based systems and improved stoves for 27, 032 households for the current finan-cial year and 81, 233 households for the total plan period. This will help in reducingpressure on forests, gaining carbon benefits, along with health and other associated ben-efits.

GIM, one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on ClimateChange (NAPCC), acknowledges the influence that forests have on environmental ame-

lioration though climate change mitigation, food security, water security, biodiversityconservation and livelihood security of forest dependent communities. The mission hingeson decentralized participatory approach involving grass root level organizations andcommunity in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring with empha-sis on landscape approach and convergence with complementary schemes andprogrammes for better coordination in developing forests and their fringe areas in a ho-listic and sustainable manner.

The meeting, held on October 9, 2015, was attended by the members of NEC, inter-ministerial experts, Mission Director, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCFs) andState nodal officers from four States. The meeting was chaired by Secretary, Ministry of

Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), Shri Ashok Lavasa. The Secretaryappreciated the efforts being taken up by the States in working upon convergence oppor-tunities with complementary schemes/ programmes to ensure requisite investment andsaturation of the landscapes.

Report of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers onSwachh Bharat Abhiyaan submitted to PM

The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Ministerof Haryana, Shri Manohar Lal, and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Harish Rawat,today called on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, and submitted the final reportof the sub-group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.

The Prime Minister complimented the Chief Ministers for their efforts. He said thatthe task of accomplishing Swachh Bharat, though difficult, is not impossible to achieve.

The Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was constituted onMarch 24, 2015 pursuant to the decision taken in the first Governing Council Meeting ofthe NITI Aayog held on February 8, 2015. The Sub-Group consisted of Chief Ministers ofAndhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Sikkim,Uttarakhand and West Bengal as Members with Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh as theConvener of the Sub-Group. The Sub-Group met four times at New Delhi, Chandigarh

and Bengaluru where intense deliberations on the subject were held.The Terms of Reference of the Sub-Group included the following (i) To examine

financial requirements for comprehensive implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission


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and suggest measures for meeting budgetary needs; (ii) To recommend robust institu-tional mechanisms for effective implementation; (iii) To recommend measures for tech-nological support for different components of SBM, including solid and liquid wastemanagement in rural and urban areas; (iv) To examine models for private sector partici-pation in the Swachh Bharat Mission and to suggest ways for substantial improvement inparticipation of private sector and civil society organisations for effective implementa-

tion; (v) To recommend ways to make the SBM sustainable; and (vi) Any other measures.

The main recommendations of the report include bringing the behavior change andencouraging positive habits related to sanitation and cleanliness among the people. To

bring about this transformation, a professionally driven behaviour change communica-tion strategy and increasing the funding for the Information, Education and Communica-tion (IEC) component of the Mission, has been suggested. Including sanitation and clean-liness in school curriculum and formation of a team of students to be called as SwachhtaSenani in schools and colleges have been proposed to spread awareness about sanita-tion and cleanliness.

Given the scale and importance of the programme, it has been suggested that thesharing pattern of funds for this programme between Centre and States may be in theratio of 75:25, while for hilly States it may be kept at 90:10. To raise resources for theprogramme, Swachh Bharat bonds may be issued and a Swachh Bharat cess may be lev-ied by the Central Government on petrol, diesel, telecom services and also on accumu-lated waste produced by plants generating mineral waste like coal, aluminum, and ironore.

To provide guidance, support and monitoring of the programme, the report recom-mends setting up of a dedicated Mission for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, both at Na-tional and State Level. A National Technical Board has been recommended to handhold

the States and Local Bodies in identification, evaluation, selection and procurement oftechnologies. It has been recommended to reduce the subsidy on chemical fertilizer andincrease the subsidy on compost to encourage its use. In order to improve the viability ofwaste management activities, the report proposes provision of tax exemptions by theCentre and the State Government to the private sector.

The report recommends certain measures to attract private sector participation andPublic Private Partnership (PPP). It has been recommended that waste to energy plantsmay be set up on PPP mode in bigger municipalities and cluster of municipalities, whereas,composting method may be adopted for smaller towns and villages.

Measures for operation and maintenance of community and public toilets have beenproposed, including different measures for rural and urban areas. To resolve inter-sectoraland inter-departmental issues, a common platform may be provided by NITI Aayog. It isproposed that NITI Aayog may develop an objective assessment framework for assess-ing Open Defecation Free (ODF) and ODF plus.

Incentive measures have been proposed such as Swachh Bharat Grading/ Rating forall Gram Panchayats, Municipalities, Blocks, Districts and States, each year to promotecompetition among them. Further, it has been recommended that one day in each monthand one week each year (culminating with 2nd October) may be assigned for the activi-ties of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and to reward best performing Gram Panchayat, Block,ULB, District and State as per the ratings. The report proposes to enhance the assistancefor construction of one unit of individual household toilet in both urban and rural areasto Rs. 15,000/ -.


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The report recommends integration of rag pickers into the waste management sys-tem so that their livelihood is not adversely affected. Further, both Centre and Statesshould make efforts towards eradication of manual scavenging activity through strictenforcement of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Reha-

bilitation Act, 2013. All laws and rules on waste management need to be reviewed forensuring their strict enforcement.

Press Note on New Adoption Guidelines

The Ministry of Women and Child Development had notified the revised Guide-lines Governing Adoption of Children 2015 which have come into force with effect fromAugust, 1, 2015. The Guidelines, formulated after almost a year-long stakeholders con-sultation process are aimed at streamlining and speeding up the adoption process. Therevised guidelines coupled with the new IT enabled adoption system CARINGS, pro-vide a transparent process of adoption under which all the child care institutions of thecountry have been brought into an integrated system.

During the consultation process, a large number of organizations/ individuals hadgiven feedback based on which this system has been designed with the underlying objec-tive that a child with a child care institution must find a home as quickly as possible.Section 41(2) of the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 provides for a legal obligation on all childcare institutions to promote and undertake adoptions as per the guidelines laid down bythe Central Government. In case a child care institution is not able to work as per theguidelines, it has option to transfer the children to other child care institutions which areworking under the Central Government guidelines.

While releasing the new guidelines and launching CARINGS, the Ministry has alsosimultaneously started country-wide workshops to enable child care institutions under-

stand the new guidelines and work under the new IT environment. It is clarified that theearlier guidelines of 2011 also provided that single parents can adopt a child and theseprovisions have been retained in the 2015 guidelines.

The Ministry recognizes the good work done by organizations like Missionaries ofCharity. However, it is reiterated that the new guidelines, prepared after an elaborateconsultation process, have to be followed by all child care institutions involved in theprocess of adoption.


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National News

Centre approvesRs 500-crore project for war memorial, museum

Acceding to a long-pending demand of t he armed forces, the government on Wednesday approved

a Rs 500- crore project for building a National War Memorial and a National WarMuseum near

India Gate in memory of over 22,500 soldiers who laid down their lives post-Independence.

The total t ime for completion of the entire project at Princess Park in New Delhi is estimated to be

five years.

Post-Independence, more than 22,500 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in national

interests and in defence of the sovereignty and integrit y of the country.

However, even after 69 years of Independence, no memorial to commemorate the martyrs has

been constructed till date.

With the present decision of t he Cabinet, a long-pending demand of the armed forces has beenredressed, an off icial statement released after the Cabinet meet ing, chaired by Prime

Minister Narendra Modi, said.

It has been decided that the project will be monitored by an empowered Steering Committee

chaired by Defence Secretary and assisted by a dedicated project management team, to ensure

that the proposed project is completed within scheduled time- frame.

Post commissioning, a management body will be formed for maintenance of the National War

Memorial and the museum.

Missile Complex in

Hyderabad to be Named After Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Defence Minister Manohar Parr ikar will rename the countrys key missile complex in Hyderabad

after noted scient ist and former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his bir th anniversary on October

15, an official statement said.

The event will take place at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad on Thursday, marking

the 84th birth anniversary of Dr Kalam, who was popularly known as the countrys Missile Man.

Dr Kalam had joined the complex, which is under t he Defence Research and Development

Organisation, in 1982 and was part of i t for nearly two decades.

It comprises the Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Defence Research and Development

Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Cent re Imarat (RCI) which is considered to be the brain child of

Dr Kalam. As founder director, Dr Kalam conceived and steered RCI as a generator of cri tical missile

technologies.

Union law minister on Uniform civil code

A uniform civil code is necessary for national integration, but any decision to bring it can be taken

only after wider consultations, law minister DV Sadananda Gowda said on Tuesday, a day after the

Supreme Court asked the Centre whether it is will ing to bring in a common code.

The minister also said t hat he would consult the Prime Minister, his Cabinet colleagues and top law

off icers before government files its affidavit in the apex court.

...Even the Preamble of our Constit ution and Article 44 of the Constitution do say that thereshould be a uniform civil code.

For the interest of national integration, certainly a common civil code is necessary. But it is a very


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sensit ive issue.

It needs very wider consultation.

Even communities, even across the party line, even various organisations ... i t need to have a wider

consultation, Gowda said.


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International News

Nepal, biggest foreign policy challenge for India

Nepal has emerged as the Narendra Modi governments biggest foreign policy change, but worse

may still come. The hill-terai divide has already snowballed to dangerous proportions. The worst case scenario is

that if this goes on unchecked the hill-terai divide may sow the seeds of an East Pakistan versus

West Pakistan kind of situation in Nepal in foreseeable future.lei of AFP

The Indian strategic community will shudder to think of this kind of scenario becoming a reality

but the key to whether Nepal goes down this road or not lies solely with Nepal, not India.

As far as the Indian roadmap for the current Nepal crisis is concerned it is a two-pronged strategy:

encourage dialogue among all stakeholders in Nepal and ensure an inclusive approach that takes

care of all sections.

This is the policy and approach that India has adopted for years and this government too is following

the same policy. The ongoing agitation in Nepal over the controversial new const it uti on that the country

implemented last month, the resultant blockade by the Madhesis of supply of essential commodities

like petroleum products from India to Nepal and the ever-deepening chasm between the people

from terai (largely Madhesis and Tharus) and hi lls is a recipe for disaster.

Unfortunately, Nepal has shown unseemly hurry by rushing through its highly questionable and

divisive constitution.

Much of the report ing in Indian media has been f lawed and lop-sided which echoed just one

narrative that India has put a blockade and Nepal has no off icial or unofficial blockade.

The problem is Nepals internal one and it is trying to externalise it by deliberately involving India

and projecting a bogey that India is close to the Madhesis because of geographical contiguity.Nothing can be more untrue because the paharis (people from the hills) are actually closer to

India than the Madhesis.

It is Nepals problem, not Indias, if the Madhesis continue to be treated like second class citizens.

Til l 1989 they needed a passport and a permit to travel to the hills.

Suu Kyi Will Lead Government ifParty Wins Myanmar Polls

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Wednesday if her party wins upcoming elections

she will lead the country from behind the scenes - circumvent ing a clause in the constitution thatbars her from the presidency.

If the Nov. 8 vote is credible, most observers believe Suu Kyis National League for Democracy

party will win the most seats in the countrys parliament .

By forming a coalition with smaller parties, it could control a majori ty.

A clause in the 2008 constit ution, drafted when the countr y was under military rule, prevents Suu

Kyi from taking the top job because her late husband and two children are Bri tish nationals.

There are no obvious alternatives within her partys ranks.

Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 59 million people, began moving from a half-

century of mili tary rule toward democracy in 2011.

Though there are many concerns - including the exclusion of ethnic Rohingya Muslims from theprocess and irregularities in voting lists - most observers believe next months elections are the

countrys best chance in decades for relatively free and credible polls.


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Under the constit ution, however, the milit ary will hold 25 percent of the seats in parliament

regardless of the outcome.

It also will retain control of all port folios related to national securi ty.

Suu Kyi said in the interview, released ahead of its broadcast Wednesday night, that the constitution

needs to be amended to change that - a comment she acknowledged was likely to anger the still-

powerful mili tary.

Suu Kyi was under house arrest during 1990 elections that were swept by her party, but the militaryannulled the result s and refused to hand over power. The following year, she won the Nobel Peace

Prize, but the junta confined her to her home for much of t he next 20 years.

European Union targetsPeople smugglers on Mediterranean

The European Union launched a new operation Wednesday to intercept people smugglers on the

Mediterranean Sea in an effort to halt traff icking and prevent more deaths amid Europes ongoing

migrant and refugee crisis.

Operation Sophia will allow navy personnel to board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected ofbeing used for human smuggling or traff icking in international waters at least 12 nautical miles off

the Libyan coast. Many refugees and migrants are sailing to Italy from north Africa to escape

conflict and poverty in countries including Erit rea and Sudan.

The operation is led by an Italian aircraft carrier and includes five warships from Germany, Brit ain,

France and Spain, seven planes and some helicopters.

The EU launched the first phase of t he operation, called EUNAVFOR Med, in June, focusing on

surveillance and assessing smuggling and t rafficking networks.

Last week, the International Organization for Migration said a record 522,124 migrants and refugees

arrived in Europe by sea this year, more than double the previous high of 219,000 set in 2014.

An estimated 130,891 of them arrived in I taly after crossing the Mediterranean, while otherscrossed the Aegean Sea from Turkey, landing in Greece.

Some 2,621 migrants drowned or went missing in the central Mediterranean so far this year, IOM

said. Deaths have also started to increase in the Aegean, where many Syrians are heading from

Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande raised issues

including the migrant crisis during a rare joint address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg

on Wednesday.

The last time a German chancellor and French president made such a joint address was in 1989,

when Helmut Kohl and Francois Mitterrand addressed the European Parliament short ly after the

Berlin Wall fell.

US-Pak nuclear deal not like the one with India

The deal US is considering with Pakistan to limit its nuclear arsenal in exchange for free access to

nuclear material and supplies is very different from the one it has with India.

The US proposal, as reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, is to cap Pakistans

nuclear arsenal and delivery systems, tying them to the defence needs regarding India.

In other words, the deal seems designed to cover Pakistans nuclear arsenal the warheads

fissile material and production facili t ies, giving US access to them.

In return, the US will facili tate for Pakistan easier access to nuclear material and supplies from the

38-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, which doesnt trade with non-NPT countries. The US nuclear deal with India covers only civilian use facili ties, opening them to international

inspection. But it does not cover weapons and related processes at all.


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Pakistan has been seeking a nuclear deal l ike the one US has with India, arguing for a non-

discriminatory approach on nuclear issues, but hasnt had any success, not unt il now, it seems.

Now, however, the US seems to be moving towards using Pakistans desire of a deal to cap its

weapons programme and delivery systems that had long been an international concern.

The White House refused to confirm or deny the Washington Post column saying it doesnt typically

comment on internal discussions.

The columnist called the move a diplomatic blockbuster, but warned progress could be slow anddifficult as Pakistan prizes its nuclear program and it s not clear i f Islamabad would be wil ling

to accept the limitations that would be required.

Pakistan current ly has between 100 and 120 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, to Indias 80-100, but

is projected to become the worlds third largest in a decade, based on i ts production targets.

The US and Russia have the largest stockpile with an estimated 1,600 each. France, China and UK

are next with 300, 250 and 225 respectively.

A recent study by Carnegie and Stimson Center, both think tanks, suggested Pakistan could go up

to 350 in a decade based on its estimation of Indias stock of fissile material.

Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus Wins Fifth Term asPresident

Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, the authoritarian president of Belarus, who suffered the indignity last

week of seeing one of his sharpest critics win the Nobel Prize in Li terature, won a prize of his own

on Sunday: the presidency of Belarus, though that outcome had never been in doubt.

Mr. Lukashenko, a former collective farm director who has led Belarus for 21 years, got nearly

83.5 percent of t he vote, the Central Election Commission reported late Sunday, t rouncing three

token competitors and winning a fift h term.

Analysts of the countrys polit ical system said the results, like those of many elections in the old

Soviet Union, had been determined long before voters marked their ballots. The election, in fact, would not have drawn much attention but for the announcement on Thursday

that Svetlana Alexievich, a Belarussian journalist and nonfiction wri ter, had won theNobel Prize.

She has long been a prominent crit ic of Soviet and post-Soviet governments, including the one in

Belarus.

Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for 21 years, with his youngest son, Nikolai, at a

polling station in Minsk. CreditPool photo by Andrey Stasevich

Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Saturday, Ms. Alexievich, who has spent periods of her life in

exile, described Sundays election as a rigged contest that Mr. Lukashenko was sure to win, as

always.

Iran parliamentApproves nuclear deal bill in victory for Rouhani

Irans conservative-dominated parliament passed a bill on Tuesday approving its nuclear deal

with world powers, signaling victory for the government over hardline opponents who worry the

accord opens a door to wider rapprochement with the West.

Many conservative lawmakers opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that

President Hassan Rouhanis government agreed with the six powers on July 14, and the vote

which followed a bad-tempered, rowdy debate on Sunday lifts a significant hurdle to putting the

deal into effect.

With strong parliamentary backing, the bill is likely to be ratified by a clerical body called theGuardian Council.

The exact stance of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters


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of state, is not known. To date, he has neither approved nor rejected the agreement , but has

commended the work of Rouhanis negotiating team.

Provided Khamenei does not openly oppose it, many expect Iran will begin shutt ing down parts of

its nuclear program in coming weeks.

When completed, that process will result in most international sanctions, imposed on Iran since

2006 over concerns it was covertly seeking atomic bombs, being li fted.

The bill also calls on Irans government to impose strict curbs on U.N. nuclear inspectors access tomil itary sites, leaving the possibilit y that disagreements could stil l arise.

The bill was adopted with 161 votes in favor, 59 against and 13 abstent ions, the state news agency

IRNA said. It had passed a preliminary vote on Sunday by a smaller margin, after a chaotic debate

in the 290-seat chamber.

The bill will now be submitted to the Guardian Council, a clerical vetting body, that will eit her

suggest amendments to the text or pass it into law.

She added that Khamenei was now likely to support Rouhanis government in carrying out the

deal, while also highlighting parliaments insistence on limiting access to military sites for

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.

The bill stipulates that inspectors from the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, cannot visit such

sites without approval from a top Iranian securi ty organ.

ADOPTI ON DAY

Under the July 14 deal with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, Tehran

accepted strict limitations on its uranium enrichment program in exchange for relief from the

sanctions that have crippled its economy.

Iran is due to start implement ing the deal on October 18 or 19, known as Adoption Day under t he

terms of the JCPOA. Iranian technicians will decommission thousands of the centrifuges that

refine uranium, fil l t he Arak heavy water reactor with concrete and ship most of Irans stockpile of

enriched uranium abroad. Once the IAEA is satisfied Iran has met its obligations, which Tehran hopes to achieve by early

2016 but could take longer, the United States, United Nations and European Union wil l rescind

nuclear-related sanctions.

Some U.S. sanctions not related to the nuclear file wil l remain in place, but that has not deterred

foreign business delegations that have flocked to Tehran ahead of the expected opening of markets

in the oil-rich nation of 80 mill ion people.

China overtakes US,Now has worlds Largest Middle Class

Chinas middle class has overtaken the United States to become the worlds largest, Credit Suisse

said Tuesday in its latest report on global wealth.

Asia wil l be the scene for the greatest expansion of the worlds middle class, it predicted.

The Swiss bank said with 109 million adults this year, t he Chinese middle class for the first time

outnumbered that in the United States at 92 million.

While the number of middle class worldwide grew last year at a slower pace than the wealthy, it

will continue to expand in emerging economies overall, with a lions share of t hat growth to occur

in Asia, Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam said in a statement accompanying the banks

annual Global Wealth Report .

The report said size and wealth of the middle class was a key factor in economic development, andthe middle class was often at the heart of political movements and new consumption trends.

The report used a f loor for the middle class as having wealth double the annual medium income

for their country.


14/28



China says has not militarized South China Sea

China has not militarized the South China Sea, but there are certain countries which keep f lexing

their muscles who should stop hyping up the issue, Chinas Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comments at a daily news briefing after U.S.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said t he United States military would sail and f ly wherever

international law allowed, including the disputed South China Sea.


15/28

What you will Get (?)

General Studies (Paper I, II, III & IV) Online 100 % Reading Material of the

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Slides (For Giving Summary of Each Topics)

Categorized Unit and Sub-Unit Wise Question Papers of General Studies

Current General Studies Magazine (Indispensable Magazine for General Studies)

Daily Answer Writing Challenge for IAS Mains Contemporary Issues

It is full of tips on areas of emphasis, caution while reading and writing , how to

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Model Test Question Paper for General Studies - I, II, III and IV for Mains Exam

2015

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16/28



Business and Economy

ICICI Bank launchesmVisa-based mobile payment service

ICICI Bank has announced the launch of a service that enables customers to make electronic

payments from their smart phones at traditional stores, e-commerce sites, deliveries made at

home, radio taxi and utility bills among others.

To start with, this facili ty has been introduced in Bengaluru with 1,500 merchants. The bank said

it will shortly extend it to other cit ies as well.

The service is based on mVisa, a new mobile payment solution from Visa. ICICI Bank said it is the

first bank globally to launch a mobile app based mVisa solut ion for consumers and merchants.

With this service, users of Pockets app can make cashless payments from their smartphones using

their debit card by simply scanning a mVisa quick response (QR) code at a merchant location

without swiping the card at an EDC machine.

The service provides customers the convenience of speed to complete a transaction along with

enhanced security as the card remains in possession of the customer.

To use this facil ity, a customer is simply required to click on the mVisa icon on the home screen of

the Pockets app.

The app automatically activates the camera in the phone, allowing customers to scan the QR code

and enter their debit card PIN.

RBI move on loan-to-value ratio

The RBIs move to lower loan-to-value ratios and risk weights for individual housing loans can help

bring down interest rates on home loans by another 25-30 basis points over the next few months,says a report .

We expect interest rate on home loans to come down by another 25-30 bps over t he next few

months, triggered by RBIs move to lower risk weights on select home loans (up to Rs 75 lakh)

where borrowers are will ing to put in more money and thus lower the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio,

the report by rating agency Crisil said.AFP

On Thursday, the banking regulator said in t he case of individual housing loans falling under the

category of up to Rs 30 lakh, the LTV ratio would be up to 90 percent . Earlier, t he facili ty was

available only in cases where the cost was up to Rs 20 lakh.

A slew of banks, including State Bank of India, PNB, IDBI Bank and Bank of Baroda, Bank of India,

Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, have lowered their base rates after RBI on September 29 reduced its reporate by a hefty 50 bps to 6.75 percent .

The RBI has lowered risk weights on housing loans of up to Rs 75 lakh from 50 percent to 35

percent in cases where the borrower puts in at least 20 percent of the value of the home as own

equity for loans up to Rs 30 lakh; and, 25 percent of the value of the home as own equity for loans

between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 75 lakh.

The report said, theoretically, lower r isk weights should significant ly boost the return on equity

(RoE) of the mortgage port folio of banks.

Patanjali Ayurved enters big

Retail with Future Group tie-up Yoga Guru Ramdev has taken the plunge into big retail for the marketing of his Patanjali Ayurved

products which will jostle for space on the Future Group stores with the goods of mult inational


17/28



giants such as HUL.

Baba Ram Dev and Future Group chief Kishore Bayani on Friday announced the partnership

between the two companies in the Capital on Friday.

The partnership wi ll enable Ramdevs Rs 2,000 crore Patanjali empire to take the and small cities

to supermarkets in the metros and big cities to target upper middle class households.

Future Group expects the sales from Patanjali products to go up to Rs 1,000 crore in the next 20

months.

Patanjali also plans to a launch its noodles brand next week tot ake companies such as Nestle in this

segment . Ramdev said, Our effort is to promote swadeshi and give a tough fight to the MNCs.

We would launch our noodles in the market by October 15 and it would be available across India by

the end of this month.

He said Patanjali is also planning to launch products like pasta, oats, juices, muesli soon and is

targeting to achieve Rs 5,000 crore turnover this fiscal. In total we would have Rs 30-40 crore

business from Patanjali products in a month from our stores and later on i t would increase up to Rs

80 crore, Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said.

Kingfisher diverted bank loans to tax havens Kingfisher Airlines had allegedly diverted a substant ial chunk of Rs 4,000 crore in loans secured

from public sector banks to tax havens which has now come under the scanner of the CBI that has

expanded it s probe in the matter.Reuters

The material recovered during searches on Saturday indicated that the airlines, which stopped

f lights in October 2012, has allegedly diverted part of loans taken from 11 nationalised banks,

with total exposure of Rs 4,000 crore, to tax haven countries for different purposes not specified

in loan applications, sources claimed.

They claimed that the agency will be expanding the ambit of the probe from Rs 900 crore loan from

IDBI Bank to loans received from 10 other public sector banks as well which have total addit ional

exposure of Rs 3,100 crore to the company.

They said the allegations of diverting the loan amount from specified purposes to tax havens for

different reasons wil l also be probed by the agency.

The consort ium of 17 banks had an outstanding of over Rs 7,000 crore on loans to Kingfisher with

State Bank of India having the highest exposure of Rs 1,600 crore.

The 10 public sector banks whose loans have come under the scrutiny of CBI, besides IDBI, are

UCO bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Vijaya Bank, Bank of Baroda, Corporation

Bank, Bank of India, United Bank of India, State Bank of Mysore and Indian Overseas Bank.

The banks will have to explain reasons for extending the loan to the airlines, ignoring its own

internal report which has warned against such a move.

The sources remained tight lipped about t he countries where such transfers were made as they

feel i t might compromise the information that they might be seeking through Letters Rogatory,

judicial requests, from these countries.

African Development Bank to triple climate financingto $5 billion annually

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has announced that the

Bank would nearly triple its annual climate financing to reach $5 bil lion annually by 2020.

AfDBs climate spending would increase to 40 per cent of i ts total new investments by the targeted

date. Climate change is both an urgent threat and a unique opportunity, Dr Adesina said in the Climate

Finance Ministerial Meeting co-hosted by Peru and France in Lima as part of the World Bank and


18/28



the International Monetary Funds (IMF) annual conference.

AfDB, established in 1964 and headquartered in Abidjan, Cte dIvoire, is owned by the 54 African

countries and 26 non-African countries, aimed to spur sustainable economic development and

social progress in its regional member countries, thus helping to reduce poverty through mobilising

and allocating resources for investment, providing policy advice and technical assistance.

Half of the $5 billion would be dedicated to reducing Africas greenhouse gas emissions by unlocking

Afr icas enormous potent ial for renewable energy, especially solar, hydro, wind and geothermalpower.

The remaining half would assist Afr ican economies adapt to climate change through measures

such as investing in climate-resil ient crops, building sustainable infrastructure and improving

irrigation and access to water.

To this end, the Bank would also be integrating climate resilience into all of the infrastructure

projects it finances.

The Bank has commit ted almost $7 bill ion to support climate-resilient and low-carbon

development in Africa in the past four years.

Its energy investments last year would deliver power t hat is 90 per cent generated from renewable

sources.

The AfDB also supports the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative and the Africa Adaptation Initiative,

both endorsed by the African Union heads of state and government.


19/28



Sports

South Africa whitewash India take series 2-0

The third and final Twenty20 international between India and South Africa at Eden Gardens was

washed out without a ball being bowled, giving the tourists the series 2-0. No play was possible after a heavy evening shower left the ground water-logged.

The forecasted rain arr ived about an hour and a half before the scheduled start of play, and while

it did not last for more than 30 minutes the damage was enough to get the Eden Gardens ground

staff into overdrive mode.

The match referee and umpires convened several t imes to inspect the pitch and condit ions, but too

much water had seeped into various spots on the outfield and ultimately, after three official

inspections the decision was taken to call off the match soon after 9:30pm IST.

The teams now move into the five-match ODI series, the first of which is in Kanpur on Sunday.

Blatter fights ban asFIFA plans October 20 crisis talks

FIFA president Sepp Blatter appealed against t he 90-day ban that forced him out of office, his

lawyers confirmed Friday, as world footballs sleaze-tainted governing body headed into months

of t urmoil over how to f ind a new leader.

As the drama intensified Friday, FIFA announced that an extraordinary meeting of its executive

committee would meet in Zurich on October 20.

Some senior FIFA members had suggested the meeting could discuss postponing the election to

replace Blatter who has already announced he will stand down current ly slated for February

26. The row over Blatters suspension had already taken a fresh twist as FIFAs ethics watchdog rejected

the 79-year-olds claims he was not allowed to give evidence before he was banned, saying he was

given all his rights.

Blatters lawyers confirmed they had fi led an off icial appeal and asked for further hearings with

the ethics committee.

The New York Times earlier reported that Blatter had complained that he only found out about his

suspension after i t was made public.

But ethics committee spokesman Andreas Bantel said Blatter had been given the chance to put his

case on October 1.

Younis Khan set toPass Javed Miandads Test scoring record

Former Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan is poised to surpass compatriot Javed Miandad as the

teams greatest Test match run scorer, but he refuses to be considered the equal of a man he

describes as a legend and an idol.

The 37-year-old needs just 19 more runs in t he three-Test series against England starting in the

UAE on Tuesday to pass Miandads tally of 8,832 runs scored in 124 matches during an illustrious

career which stretched from 1976 to 1993.

Younis has so far scored 8,814 runs in 101 Tests, with a Pakistan record of 30 centuries. It would

be great to achieve the record. I never thought I would do it at the start of my career, said Younis.Passing Miandad would be great but I am in no way close to the great man who is a legend of

Pakistan cricket.


20/28



The veteran batsman is in great nick, having smashed a bril liant undefeated 171 in Pakistans last

Test against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in July. The knock helped Pakistan chase down their highest

target of 377 to win a Test. His score was the highest in the fourth innings of a Test by a Pakistani

batsman.

That century was also Youniss fif th in a fourth innings of a Test a new record in the history of

the game.

Indias Sunil Gavaskar, Australias Ricky Ponting, Ramnaresh Sarwan of the West Indies and SouthAfrican Graeme Smith have all scored four each.


21/28

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22/28

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23/28



Science & Tech

Melting of Antarctic ice shelves may double by 2050

The surface melting of Antarctic ice shelves may double by 2050 and surpass intensit ies associated

with ice shelf collapse by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the present rate, a newstudy has warned.

Ice shelves are the f loating extensions of the cont inents massive land-based ice sheets, researchers

said. While the melt ing or breakup of f loating ice shelves does not directly raise sea level, ice

shelves do have a door stop effect: They slow the f low of ice from glaciers and ice sheets into the

ocean, where it melts and raises sea levels.

Our results illustrate just how rapidly melt ing in Antarctica can intensify in a warming climate,

said Luke Trusel, lead author and postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

(WHOI) in US.

This has already occurred in places like the Antarctic Peninsula where weve observed warming

and abrupt ice shelf collapses in the last few decades, said Trusel. To study how melt ing evolves over time and to predict future ice sheet melt ing along the ent ire

Antarctic coastline, the scient ists combined satellite observations of ice surface melt ing with climate

model simulations under scenarios of intermediate and high levels of greenhouse gas emissions

until the year 2100.

The results indicate a strong potential for the doubling of Antarctica-wide ice sheet surface melt ing

by 2050, under either emissions scenario.

However, between 2050 and 2100, the models show a significant divergence between the two

scenarios.

Under the high-emissions climate scenario, by 2100 ice sheet surface melting approaches or exceeds

intensit ies associated with ice shelf collapse in the past.


24/28



Awards & Prizes

Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich winsLiterature Nobel

The Nobel Prize 2015 in Literature went to 67-year-old Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich.

The Nobel was awarded for her polyphonic wri tings, a monument to suffering and courage in our

time.

Ms. Alexievich is the 14th women Literature Laureate.

Ms. Alexievich used the skills of a journalist to create li terature chronicling the great tragedies of

the Soviet Union and its collapse- World War I I, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the 1986 Chernobyl

nuclear disaster and the suicides that ensued from the death of Communism.

The academys permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told that Swedish broadcaster SVT that she

reached the wri ter just before the announcement .

The daughter of two village schoolteachers, Alexievich studied journalism in Belarus, which at thetime was part of the Soviet Union.

She now lives in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, and like many intellectuals supports the polit ical

opponents of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is up for reelection on Sunday.

Last years literature award went to French wri ter Patrick Modiano.

This years medicine prize went to scient ists from Japan, the U.S. and China who discovered drugs

to fight malaria and other tropical diseases.

Japanese and Canadian scient ists won the physics prize for discovering that t iny particles called

neutrinos have mass.

The Nobel announcements continue with the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday and the economics

award on Monday.

Africas Nobel Peace Prize winners list

The winner is selected by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, on behalf of Swedish industrialist

Alfred Nobels estate, and awarded to whoever shall have done the most or the best work for

fraternity between nations, for the aboli tion or reduction of standing armies and for the holding

and promotion of peace congresses.

Over the years, 10 individuals from Africa have been honoured for their efforts:

1960South AfricasAlbert Lutuli, president of the Afr ican National Congress:The Nobel Commit tee for the second t ime chose a prize-winner who was being persecuted by his own

authorit ies

1978Egypts President Anwar al-Sadatshared with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin:After having taken the init iative in negotiating a peace t reat y between the two count ries

1984South Africas Desmond Tutu, secretary-general of the South African Council of Churches- now emeri tus Archbishop of Cape Town:

The Commit tee has attached importance to Desmond Tutus role as a unif ying leader figure in the campaign

to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa

1993South Africas anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who became the countrys firstdemocratically elected president , and apartheid President FW de Klerk:

Image captionNelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail under apatheidFor their work for the peaceful t ermination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundat ions for a

new democratic South Africa


25/28



2001Ghanas Kofi Annan, UN secretary general, shared with the United Nations:For their work for a bet ter organised and more peaceful world

2004Kenyas Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and founder of the Green Belt Movement:Image captionWangari Maathai was Africas first female peace laureate

For her contribut ion to sustainable development , democracy and peace

2005Egypt sMohamed ElBaradei, head of the UNs nuclear watchdog, shared with theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):

For their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that

nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way

2011Liberias President Ellen Johnson Sirleafand peace activist Leymah Gbowee, shared withTawakkol Karman from Yemen:

For their non-violent st ruggle for the safet y of women and for womens rights to full part icipation in

peace-building work

2015Tunisias National Dialogue Quartet, a group of four organisations: the Tunisian General

Labour Union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the TunisianHuman Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers:

For i ts decisive contribution to the building of a pluralisti c democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the

Jasmine Revolut ion of 2011.


26/28



Miscellaneous

Vodafone gets relief from

Bombay HC in transfer pricing case In a big relief for telecom major Vodafone India, the Bombay High Court set aside an order of

Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), which had ruled that the IT department had powers to raise

tax demand on the company in a Rs. 8,500 crore transfer pricing case.

The transfer pricing case dates back to 2008 relating to sale of one of it s call centres in Ahmedabad

in 2007.

Transfer pricing involves related ent ities dealing at arms length to ensure fair pricing of the asset

that is t ransferred.

Vodafone had appealed against the order of the Tribunal, which was admitted by High Court

division bench of Justices S.C. Dharmadhikari and Anil Menon.

The IT Appellate Tribunal had on December 10 last year, held that the company had structured the

deal with another India-based entity Hutchison Whampoa Properties with the intention to

circumvent the transfer pricing norms, even though it was an international transaction wherein

there was no arms length dealing between the two related ent it ies.

However, the Tribunal had referred the case back to the IT department asking it to revise the

amount to be recovered from Vodafone.

Vodafone pleaded in High Court that IT department had no jurisdiction in the transfer pricing

casebecause the said transaction was not international and did not attract tax.

The Tribunal had then ruled that the deal relating to sale of the call centre business was structured

with the motive to circumvent the transfer pricing provisions of t he Income Tax Act and was

essentially an international transaction between two related parties and thus would be subject to

the transfer pricing provisions.

The dispute relates to the sale of the Ahmedabad-based call centre business (Vodafone India

Services formerly known as 3 Global Services) for assessment year 2008-09.

The department slapped a tax demand on the company on October 31, 2012 under various sections

of the Income Tax Act.


27/28

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