Global Ethic vs National Interest

Current Affairs 17th June 2011

17 June:

• Pakistani human rights activist Ansar Burney a key role in negotiations with the Somali pirates for safe return of captured maritime professionals.
• Russia China sign deals in oil, nuclear, coal, electricity and renewable energy. The prices disagreement over gas didn't let the Gas supply (from Russia to China) deal be signed.
• India to extend assistance in constructing a cultural centre in Jaffna. China has helped for constructing a national centre for performing arts.
• Current round of India & Pak Foreign Secy talks do NOT include Terrorism. They include: J&K, peace and security, promotion of friendly exchanges.
• Kayani is fighting to keep his job and is facing seething anger from Generals since Abottabad raid. Taliban has also gotten bolder in Pak raid.
• Iran hopes India will revive Peace Pipeline aka IPI Pipeline. It argues that TAPI passes through not just Pakistan but also Afganistan making it less safe for gas transport. It also argues that nuclear energy plans have taken a hit after Fukushima and fossil energy has become even more important!
• Zangmu project on Brahmaputra is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project and thus is not a matter of concern for India: SM Krishna.
• India in SCO: Terrorism from Af & Islamic extremism, Af situation after ISAF withdrawal in 2014, Economic deliberations (RIC), Linking SCO with Arabian Sea, Platform to talk and cooperate with Pak with less hesitation because of regional format, garner support for J&K's terrorism, another platform to link with China (apart from Climate change), counter US hegemony in Central Asia. SCO 10th Summit: Astana (Kazak capital). India's bid for permanent seat is on the table since 2010. Pak since 2006. Iran excluded because of SCO clause to keep out nations having UN sanctions. SCO current members: 6, observers: 4, dialogue partners: 2 (Belarus & SLanka)
• LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. Its the transverse equivalent of SONAR.
  
• Read Nepal's peace process report card:
  http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article2110362.ece
  
• Read P. Sainath's "The discreet charm of civil society":
  http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2110433.ece

Environment Quiz

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY QUIZ

TIEA and DTAA

However, in the absence of a bilateral treaty with Liechtenstein, India cannot seek any administrative assistance or details on Indian clients of the LGT Bank. If it goes for a TIEA, information would be exchanged relating to a specific criminal or civil tax investigation or civil tax matters under investigation. In DTAA, on the other hand, there are agreed rates of tax and jurisdiction on specified types of income arising in a country to a tax resident of another country. India has completed negotiations of 10 new TIEAs with Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Monaco, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Argentina and Marshall Islands out of 22 identified jurisdictions.

Negotiations with four countries are under progress and the response is awaited from another four, who want to sign DTAA instead of TIEA.

India has DTAAs with 79 countries. It has initiated process of negotiation with 65 countries to broaden the scope of article of exchange of information to include exchange of banking information. Negotiations and re-negotiations of DTAAs with 23 countries have been completed.

Should read in General Studies-Prelims

Coastal Zone Regulation/Management
Biosphere, O2, N2, H2O etc cycles, Food Chain, Ecosystem basics.
Climate Change, Ozone depletion, Smog, Acid Rain, Pollution & its types
Vision and lens & mirrors, latest Nobel Prize related basics, Common sense logical understanding of Light, sound and other waves.

Some particular diseases & their causative agents, symptoms and carriers etc. which include:
Vector borne- Malaria, Filaria, Kala Azar, Japanese Encephalitis, Dengue, Chikungunya.
Vaccine preventable- Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles and Tuberculosis.
Others- Leprosy, various Influenza (eg: Swine Flu, Bird Flu)

Bioethanol, biodiesel- their plants etc
Economic Survey- Poverty, Social, Human Development related chapters + Industry, Commerce, Economic Data
Fundamentals of the Economy- Fiscal & Monetary Policy
WTO, IMF, World Bank &WBGroup, UN Agencies, recent UN resolutions, FATF, EU, ASEAN, SAARC, APEC, GCC, Arab League, African Union, BRICS, BASIC, IBSA, RIC, BIMSTEC, NATO, CIS. [Read atleast the wikipedia pages of these organizations and on that atleast the data in the table on the right of the page and the background.]

Egypt. Libya. Yemen. Sudan. Somalia. Tunisia.

Vitamins, Organ Systems (only basics and not ultra-deep nomenclature) especially Digestive, Nervous, Respiratory & various hormones, proteins, fats & fatty acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals.
Photosynthesis, agricultural plants- their required climatic & soil conditions, and their GM or hybrid varieties that have been in recent news, Hybridization.

World Heritage Sites especially in India. New additions, if any.
Buddhism (especially because Tibetan Buddhism was in news this year), Jainism, Indus Valley Civilization.

Conventions & Protocols:
Ramsar, CITES 1973, Bonn, Montreal, Cartagena, UNFCCC, Kyoto, Copenhagen, Cancun, Basel, REDD & REDD+, Nagoya, Doha Development Round, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Vienna, CTBT, UN Conventions that have been making news eg: UN Convention against Corruption which was ratified by India in May 2011.
visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_environmental_agreements

Biosphere Reserves in India-those that are of international importance, National Parks, Project Tiger & Tiger Reserves, Project Elephant. Read about endangered species of India and their locations.

India's Military Exercises of the past year.
ISRO's recent launches & activities.
Defence - New achievements, missiles etc.

Some peak events in Sport in the last year, especially Tennis Opens. Records broken. Indians performance at different events. Indian sportspersons names who won medals in the last year, especially those that grabbed attention or created history. Arjuna Awardees.

Chemical & other such things the recent news. eg: Endosulphan, BT cotton, BT brinjal. Go into the basics that connect these to everyday life apart from technical stuff & the factual aspects.

Polity- Election Commission, Judiciary, 243-243ZG, FRs, DPSPs, Duties, Emergencies of different types, CAG, CVC, CIC, CBI, Lokpal, Recent Bills/Acts/Amendments.

Schemes of the Govt especially those of the last few years and the Flagship schemes.

Geography- River Systems, Vegetation, Soil types.

Wildlife in India and National Parks

About 80 National Parks and 441 Sanctuaries have been created to protect this life from the onslaught of urbanization and rapidly increasing population.

Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks

There are a number of wildlife sanctuaries, and National parks all over this vast country which are well preserved. They cover hundreds of square kilometres and the varied wildlife can be observed here in their natural habitat.
Apart from this, the Government of India initiated Project Tiger in 1973. This has helped in increasing the numbers of tigers, over the years.


Some of the major wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in India are located in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Mount Harriet National Park in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands hosts the Andaman wild pig, saltwater crocodile, turtle and robber crab. The best time to visit is January and February. There is also the Saddle Peak National Park famous for bird and the Andaman teal. Best time to visit is November to April. The Andamans also have Marine National Park.

Kaziranga National Park in Assam is famous for the one-horned rhinos, of which the park has a sizeable number. Apart from this, there are tigers, wild buffaloes, elephants, barasingha, hog deer, wild boars, leopards and leopard cats, and a large variety of birds. The best time to visit Kaziranga is October to March.

Hazaribagh National Park in Bihar showcases the tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, and wild boar and the best time to visit is October to March.

Palaman(Betla) National Park in Bihar, is also a Tiger Reserve and is best between October and May. It was once the homeland of the now extinct Indian cheetah, but you can still view the tiger, leopard, wolf, wild dog, jungle cat and the barking deer, here.

Bhagwan Mahavir National Park spread across Goa houses the gaur, sambar, mouse deer, barking deer, flying squirrel, and porcupine. Best time to visit is October to March.

Spreading over a large area in Gujarat, the Gir National Park (also a Lion Sanctuary) is best visited from October to June for a view of the Asiatic lion, panther, sambar, and the four-horned antelope.

The Velavadar National Park also in Gujarat hosts the blackbuck and the wolf. Best time to come here is October to May.

The Nal Sarovar Sanctuary in the state of Gujarat is known for its flocks of flamingoes and other birds which abound from October to February.

The Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh houses the snow leopard, mountain goat, yak cranes, and brown & black bears. The best time to view them are from April to June and from September to October.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has two national parks namely Dachigain and Kishtwar. While Danchigam is famous for its endangered Kashmir Stag called Hangul, it also has the Himalayan black bear, brown bear, leopard, hill fox, jungle cat, Himalayan weasel, and long - tailed marmot among others. The best time to visit in August to December. The Kishtwar National Park is best visited from May to October and includes snow leopard, antelope,wild yak and the Tibetan ass.

The Bandipur National Park, adjoining the Madhumalai sanctuary in Karnataka welcomes you all the year round with its inhabitants comprising the tiger, elephant, gaur, chitals, wild dog and sloth bear.

The Nagarhole Park also in Karnataka welcomes visitors all the year round and has a host of elephants, tigers, panthers, chitals, sambars, sloth bears, and the gaur.

The small state of Kerala has three major national parks:
The Eravikulam Park is open throughout the year and houses elephants, gaurs, sambars, lion-tailed macaque, and the famous Nilgiri tahr.
The Periyar Park has a large number of elephants, gaurs, wild dogs, sambars and can be best viewed from September to May.
The Silent Valley National Park houses elephants, wild boars, panthers, sambars, and the lion-tailed macaque which can be seen from September to March, best.

In the state of Madhya Pradesh there are three national parks namely Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench and the best time to visit them is November to June.
The Bandhavgarh Park spreads over 32 hills and is one of the best places to white tigers, and panthers, apart from the chitals, gaurs, sambars and the nilgai.
The Kanha park spreads over 1,945 sq. kms and is famous as the tiger land. Apart from the tiger it is home to panthers, barasingha, black buck, barking deer, mouse deer, nilgai, wild dog, chital and sambar.
The Pench National Park is also a good place to watch the tiger, panther, gaur, chital, sambar and nilgai.

Orissa also has three major wildlife habitats, out of which one is a National Park and two sanctuaries. While Chilka is an all year round destination, the Similipal National Park and Satkosia gorge sanctuary are best visited from November to May .
Spreading over 900 sq. kms of lakes, shore and hinterland, Chilka is part of a large lagoon, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a strip of sand. It is India's largest salt lake and home to a large number of migratory and other birds like flamingoes, duck, bar-headed goose, sandpiper, plover, ruddy shelduck, gulls, terns, and white-bellied sea eagle.

The Similipal Park, best time between November and June, is home to the tiger, elephant, gaur, leopard, mouse deer, flying squirrel, and the mugger crocodile.

The Satkosia Sanctuary houses the gharial, tiger, sloth bear and the leopard.

Rajasthan boasts of four National Parks.
The Desert National Park shelters the stately Great Indian Bustard. Apart from this are the Blackbuck, Chinkara, wolf, desert fox, hare, and desert cat, and is open all the year round.

The Keoladeo Ghana National Park welcomes tourists round the year for viewing its inhabitants which comprise as many as 350 species of birds including its winter visitors from Central Asia and Siberia. The rare Siberian crane traverses more than 6000 kms every year to reach here in winters. The best time to watch birds here is early morning or late evening. Some of the major species spotted here apart from the Siberian crane are, the cormorant , egret, heron, painted stork, spoonbills, ibis, pelican, barheaded goose, etc.. The mammals found here include the wild boar, sambar, chital, blackbuck, fishing cat, mongoose, and also the python and monitor lizard among the reptiles.

Nutrient Based Subsidy

The new nutrient-based subsidy policy is finally effective from April 1, 2010. The subsidy will be admissible for the three macro nutrients — nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) — one secondary nutrient — sulphur (S) — and two micro nutrients — zinc and boron — on actual weight of the nutrient in the fertiliser. The scheme will be applicable on controlled fertilisers other than urea, but including diammonium phosphate (DAP), monoammonium phosphates (MAP), triple superphosphate (TSP), muriate of potash (MoP), ammonium sulphate, single superphosphate and 12 other complex fertilisers.

Earlier, the heavy subsidy on urea led to its overusage and smuggling to neighbouring countries.

The objective of shifting from product-based subsidy (PBS) to nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime was to restore soil health by addressing the nutrient imbalances of NPK and the lack of secondary and micro nutrients through use of fertilisers on specific soil-moisture conditions and crop needs. Also, price decontrol is supposed to incentivise innovation in fertiliser products. The NBS regime, like the earlier PBS regime, does not address the government's fiscal concerns if the issue price of fertilisers to the farmers is to be maintained. The NBS regime, as notified, seems to be old wine in new bottle. It is administered, and not market determined, and, therefore, will fail to ensure nutrient use as per soil health and crop requirements. Cheap urea will continue to be overconsumed. Deficiencies of other nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese and molybdenum remain unaddressed.

But in the last one year since the start of the NBS scheme last April, there were huge increases in the global price of non-urea fertilisers . That has meant increased pressure on urea, a controlled fertiliser and therefore the cheapest and most used by farmers. Not freeing up its farm gate price for any longer will mean higher reliance on already high priced imports to the immense disadvantage of domestic units, something a government already struggling to get the math right on soaring subsidies right, can ill afford. But this remains a politically sensitive issue.

It will also defeat the very basic objective of balanced fertilisation espoused by the NBS. Under the nutrient-based subsidy regime, fertiliser companies will get the freedom to set prices on nutrientbased fertilisers leaving the government to decide a fixed annual per tonne subsidy on nutrients.