Vice-President Hamid Ansari visited oil-rich Kuwait
Safety of sea lanes an area of interest
KUWAIT CITY: India’s bid to draw its Gulf neighbours as reliable partners to accelerate growth has received fresh impetus with the arrival of Vice-President Hamid Ansari in oil-rich Kuwait.
Mr. Ansari has arrived at a time when Kuwait, despite the global economic recession, is seeking India’s help to diversify its economy beyond oil. India, on its part, is looking for Kuwaiti surplus funds to power its infrastructural development, the foundation for fulfilling its ambition of joining the league of developed nations.
Official sources pointed out that the Vice-President’s visit would help in drawing precise mechanisms to promote this objective. During the visit of Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Kuwait’s Emir, to India in 2006, both sides had identified information technology, energy, human resources development as well as trade, investment and finance as the pillars of their relationship.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sarkozy's Threat
April 2, Thursday
PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to walk out of the G20 summit and said on Wednesday he would not accept a compromise at the London summit if the final communiqué did not come up to his expectations, and especially if it failed to call for stricter regulation on tax havens.
On Tuesday he told aides: If things don't advance in London, there will be an empty chair. I'll get up and leave. And though Mr. Sarkozy did not explicitly repeat this threat on Wednesday he quite bluntly said he wouldnot agree to an unpalatable compromise.
Mr. Sarkozy said the draft of the final communiqué as it was circulating did not meet the expectations of either France or Germany. Though discussions were going forward, no joint position of the participating countries had been established. As things stand at the moment, these projects do not suit France or Germany, said Mr. Sarkozy.
The French President's threats were brushed aside by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during a joint press conference with U.S. President Barrack Obama. I am sure President Sarkozy will be with us not just for the meetings but also this evening for dinner, said Mr. Brown.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
What was there in the Budget 2009-10 ?
During the year 2008-09, there has been a dip in the growth rate of GDP from an average of over 9 per cent in the previous three fiscal years to 6.7 per cent. It has affected the pace of job creation in certain sectors of the economy and the investment sentiments of the business community. It has also resulted in considerably lower revenue growth for the government. Another feature of the year 2008-09 was a sharp rise in the wholesale price index to nearly 13% in August 2008 and an equally sharp fall close to 0% in March 2009. The economic recovery and growth is a cooperative effort of the Central and State Governments. That is why, for the first time, I held a meeting with Finance Ministers of States as part of the preparations for this Budget. I intend to make this an annual feature. Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), This scheme is intended to make the country slum free in the five year period With the recent find of natural gas in the KG Basin on the Eastern offshore of the country, the indigenous production of Natural Gas is set to double with natural gas emerging as an important source of energy Government proposes to develop a blueprint for long distance gas highways leading to a National Gas Grid.
Restoring Export Growth An adjustment assistance scheme to provide enhanced Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) cover at 95 per cent to badly hit sectors The Market Development Assistance Scheme provides support to exporters in developing new markets. To ensure balanced application of fertilizers, the Government intends to move towards a nutrient based subsidy regime instead of the current product pricing regime. It will lead to availability of innovative fertilizer products in the market at reasonable prices. In due course it is also intended to move to a system of direct transfer of subsidy to the farmers. The average public float in Indian listed companies is less than 15 per cent. Deep non-manipulable markets require larger and diversified public shareholdings. This requirement should be uniformly applied to the private sector as well as listed public sector companies. I propose to raise, in a phased manner, the threshold for non-promoter public shareholding for all listed companies
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) provided employment opportunities for more than 4.47 crore households convergence with other schemes relating to agriculture, forests, water resources, land resources and rural roads is being initiated work on National Food Security Act has begun in right earnest. This will ensure that every family living below the poverty line in rural or urban areas will be entitled by law to 25 kilos of rice or wheat per month at Rs.3 a kilo. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is one of the most successful programmes under Bharat Nirman The Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) is being restructured as the National Rural Livelihood Mission to make it universal in application, focused in approach and time bound for poverty eradication by 2014-15. Stress will be laid on the formation of women Self Help Groups (SHGs). Our objective is to enrol at least 50% of all rural women in India as members of SHGs over the next five years and link these SHGs to banks National Mission for Female Literacy, with focus on minorities, SC, ST and other marginalised groups. The aim will be to reduce by half, the current level of female illiteracy, in three years
The Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill, 2007 has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBYMore than 46 lakh BPL families in eighteen States and UTs have been issued biometric smart cards. This scheme empowers poor families by giving them freedom of choice for using health care services from an extensive list of hospitals including private hospitals Income Tax Act is riddled with a plethora of tax exemptions which substantially erode the tax base. The extent of this erosion is presented to this House in the form of a Revenue Foregone Statement. The growth in the direct tax revenue foregone is relatively higher than the growth in the direct tax revenues mat 15% of book profit, abolish FBT, CTT .
Restoring Export Growth An adjustment assistance scheme to provide enhanced Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) cover at 95 per cent to badly hit sectors The Market Development Assistance Scheme provides support to exporters in developing new markets. To ensure balanced application of fertilizers, the Government intends to move towards a nutrient based subsidy regime instead of the current product pricing regime. It will lead to availability of innovative fertilizer products in the market at reasonable prices. In due course it is also intended to move to a system of direct transfer of subsidy to the farmers. The average public float in Indian listed companies is less than 15 per cent. Deep non-manipulable markets require larger and diversified public shareholdings. This requirement should be uniformly applied to the private sector as well as listed public sector companies. I propose to raise, in a phased manner, the threshold for non-promoter public shareholding for all listed companies
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) provided employment opportunities for more than 4.47 crore households convergence with other schemes relating to agriculture, forests, water resources, land resources and rural roads is being initiated work on National Food Security Act has begun in right earnest. This will ensure that every family living below the poverty line in rural or urban areas will be entitled by law to 25 kilos of rice or wheat per month at Rs.3 a kilo. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is one of the most successful programmes under Bharat Nirman The Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) is being restructured as the National Rural Livelihood Mission to make it universal in application, focused in approach and time bound for poverty eradication by 2014-15. Stress will be laid on the formation of women Self Help Groups (SHGs). Our objective is to enrol at least 50% of all rural women in India as members of SHGs over the next five years and link these SHGs to banks National Mission for Female Literacy, with focus on minorities, SC, ST and other marginalised groups. The aim will be to reduce by half, the current level of female illiteracy, in three years
The Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill, 2007 has now been passed by both Houses of Parliament. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBYMore than 46 lakh BPL families in eighteen States and UTs have been issued biometric smart cards. This scheme empowers poor families by giving them freedom of choice for using health care services from an extensive list of hospitals including private hospitals Income Tax Act is riddled with a plethora of tax exemptions which substantially erode the tax base. The extent of this erosion is presented to this House in the form of a Revenue Foregone Statement. The growth in the direct tax revenue foregone is relatively higher than the growth in the direct tax revenues mat 15% of book profit, abolish FBT, CTT .
by
Bhushan Deshmukh, Faculty (TrademarkIAS)
Monday, May 11, 2009
General Studies : Some Questions
In the Statement type Qs. Mark a if 1 is correct, b if 2 is correct, c if both & d if none is correct.
In A & R type Qs, mark a if only A is correct, b if only R is correct, c if both A & R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A, d if both A & R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A.
1. 1: Vision 2020 has been prepared by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
2: The North East Council was constituted in 1971 through an amendment to the Constitution.
2: 1: In the 11th Five Year Plan, outlay on education has jumped to over 19% of GDP.
2: The Microfinance Bill designates the RRBs as the regulators for the Sector.
3. In how many ways can a teacher choose one or more students from 7 eligible students?
(a) 128 (b) 21 (c) 127 (d) None
4. A: Out of 22 operating or under construction Nuclear facilities, India will place 14 under IAEA
Safeguards. R: India has agreed to place civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards in perpetuity.
5. 1: Ethanol can be blended with Petrol for use in automobiles. 2: Ethanol can be produced from Sugarcane.
6. 1: Consumer Protection Act came into force in 1990.
2: Section 13 (3A) of this Act provides for expeditious disposal of cases.
7. 1: The post of Nyaya Adhikaris has been created by the Gram Nyayalaya Bill, 2008.
2: They shall be regarded as Judicial officers.
8. How many dice must be thrown so that there is a better than even chance of obtaining a six?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
9. 1: The malfunctioning of the anterior lobe of pituitary gives rise to Diabetes insipidus.
2: Pheromones are used as fungicides.
10. Name the object for which Bardeen and his collaborators won the Nobel Prize in 1956.
(a) Laser (b) Transistor (c) Zener Diode (d) Safety Razor
11. Under section 26 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 the presiding officers are appointed by:
(a) Election Commissioner (b) Returning Officer (c) District Election Officer (d) Chief Electoral Officer
12. BOD stands for: (a) basic oxygen demand (b) biochemical oxygen demand
(c) basic oxygen deficit (d) biological oxygen deficit
13. 1: In a LASER, the two levels of energy having respective atoms follow Maxwell Boltzman statistics.
2: Population inversion is a necessary condition for Lasing action.
14. Which of the following places is below the Tropic of Cancer?
(a) Rewa (b) Katni (c) Ujjain (D) Dhaka
15. Arrange the following from South to North:
1. Kolleru Lake 2. Shevaroy Hills c. Javadi Hills 4. Pulicat Hills.
(a) 1,2,3,4 (b) 2,4,3,1 (c) 4,3,1,2 (d) 2,3,4,1
16. 1: Punjab,2: Himachal Pradesh, 3: Uttarakhand, 4: Rajasthan Which of them have border with Haryana? (a) 1, 2 &4 (b) All (c) 2, 3, 4 (d) 1, 3, 4
17. A: Bongaigon 1: Tamil Nadu
B: Anta 2: Karnataka
C: Bhadra 3: Rajasthan
D: Bhavani Nagar 4: Assam
(a) A1, B3, C2 D4 (b) A 1 B2, C 3, D4 (c) A 4, B2,C3, D1
(d) A4, B3, C2, D 1
18. Which of the following National Parks/Wild life sanctuaries is/are NOT located in Assam?
1: Pabha 2: Orang 3: Garampani 4: Molen
(a) 1, 2, 3 (b) only 4 (c) 2 & 3 (d) only 1
19. Capitals Countries
A. Port Moresby 1. Papua New Guinea
B. Honiara 2. Solomon Islands
C. Suva 3. Fiji
D. Paramaribo 4, Surinam
(a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 (b) A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 (c) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 (d) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
20. Which of the following places is closest to Finland?
(a) Arkhangelsk (b) Vorkata (c) Murmansk (d) Perm
21. 1: Mukalla is a city in Oman 2: Kyoto lies in the Honshu Island.
22. “The river(s) float(s) through the plain in Walachia and flow(s) into the Black Sea.” It is/are:
(a) Don (b) Danube (c) Prutul (d) both (a) & (c)
23. The progressive system of taxation is based on:
(a) Giffen paradox (b) Law of diminishing returns
(c) Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility (d) Law of Supply
24. 1: The word patent originated from Latin word “Patene” which means “to open”.
2: The WTO includes IPR
3: India signed the Dunkel Draft in 1994 at Marrakesh
(a) 1&2 (b) 2&3 (c) All (d) None
25. In WTO, subsides are defined by boxes. All domestic support measures are considered to distort
Productions fall under: (a) Blue box (b) Green box (c) Amber box (d) Red box
26. “Cochabamba” is a place in:
(a) Peru (b) Paraguay (c) Chile (d) Bolivia
27. 1: ITER is a Tokamak 2: The FBR of BHAVINI is expected to go critical by 2010
28. 1: The constitution can be amended by a Presidential Ordinance.
2: The quorum of a House of Parliament is stated in Art.101
29. Amendment Contents
A: 90th in 2003 1: Provided seniority to the STs in Govt. services.
B: 94th in 2006 2: Bihar shall not have a Tribal Minister
C: 87th in 2003 3: Re-adjustment of electoral constituencies for SCs & STs
D: 85th in 2002 4: Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Assam.
(a) A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 (b) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 (c) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 (d) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
30. 1: Out of the 22 languages in the 8th Schedule, 14 were recognized by the Original Constitution.
2: Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment Act in 1967.
In A & R type Qs, mark a if only A is correct, b if only R is correct, c if both A & R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A, d if both A & R are correct but R is not the correct explanation of A.
1. 1: Vision 2020 has been prepared by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
2: The North East Council was constituted in 1971 through an amendment to the Constitution.
2: 1: In the 11th Five Year Plan, outlay on education has jumped to over 19% of GDP.
2: The Microfinance Bill designates the RRBs as the regulators for the Sector.
3. In how many ways can a teacher choose one or more students from 7 eligible students?
(a) 128 (b) 21 (c) 127 (d) None
4. A: Out of 22 operating or under construction Nuclear facilities, India will place 14 under IAEA
Safeguards. R: India has agreed to place civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards in perpetuity.
5. 1: Ethanol can be blended with Petrol for use in automobiles. 2: Ethanol can be produced from Sugarcane.
6. 1: Consumer Protection Act came into force in 1990.
2: Section 13 (3A) of this Act provides for expeditious disposal of cases.
7. 1: The post of Nyaya Adhikaris has been created by the Gram Nyayalaya Bill, 2008.
2: They shall be regarded as Judicial officers.
8. How many dice must be thrown so that there is a better than even chance of obtaining a six?
(a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4
9. 1: The malfunctioning of the anterior lobe of pituitary gives rise to Diabetes insipidus.
2: Pheromones are used as fungicides.
10. Name the object for which Bardeen and his collaborators won the Nobel Prize in 1956.
(a) Laser (b) Transistor (c) Zener Diode (d) Safety Razor
11. Under section 26 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 the presiding officers are appointed by:
(a) Election Commissioner (b) Returning Officer (c) District Election Officer (d) Chief Electoral Officer
12. BOD stands for: (a) basic oxygen demand (b) biochemical oxygen demand
(c) basic oxygen deficit (d) biological oxygen deficit
13. 1: In a LASER, the two levels of energy having respective atoms follow Maxwell Boltzman statistics.
2: Population inversion is a necessary condition for Lasing action.
14. Which of the following places is below the Tropic of Cancer?
(a) Rewa (b) Katni (c) Ujjain (D) Dhaka
15. Arrange the following from South to North:
1. Kolleru Lake 2. Shevaroy Hills c. Javadi Hills 4. Pulicat Hills.
(a) 1,2,3,4 (b) 2,4,3,1 (c) 4,3,1,2 (d) 2,3,4,1
16. 1: Punjab,2: Himachal Pradesh, 3: Uttarakhand, 4: Rajasthan Which of them have border with Haryana? (a) 1, 2 &4 (b) All (c) 2, 3, 4 (d) 1, 3, 4
17. A: Bongaigon 1: Tamil Nadu
B: Anta 2: Karnataka
C: Bhadra 3: Rajasthan
D: Bhavani Nagar 4: Assam
(a) A1, B3, C2 D4 (b) A 1 B2, C 3, D4 (c) A 4, B2,C3, D1
(d) A4, B3, C2, D 1
18. Which of the following National Parks/Wild life sanctuaries is/are NOT located in Assam?
1: Pabha 2: Orang 3: Garampani 4: Molen
(a) 1, 2, 3 (b) only 4 (c) 2 & 3 (d) only 1
19. Capitals Countries
A. Port Moresby 1. Papua New Guinea
B. Honiara 2. Solomon Islands
C. Suva 3. Fiji
D. Paramaribo 4, Surinam
(a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 (b) A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 (c) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 (d) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
20. Which of the following places is closest to Finland?
(a) Arkhangelsk (b) Vorkata (c) Murmansk (d) Perm
21. 1: Mukalla is a city in Oman 2: Kyoto lies in the Honshu Island.
22. “The river(s) float(s) through the plain in Walachia and flow(s) into the Black Sea.” It is/are:
(a) Don (b) Danube (c) Prutul (d) both (a) & (c)
23. The progressive system of taxation is based on:
(a) Giffen paradox (b) Law of diminishing returns
(c) Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility (d) Law of Supply
24. 1: The word patent originated from Latin word “Patene” which means “to open”.
2: The WTO includes IPR
3: India signed the Dunkel Draft in 1994 at Marrakesh
(a) 1&2 (b) 2&3 (c) All (d) None
25. In WTO, subsides are defined by boxes. All domestic support measures are considered to distort
Productions fall under: (a) Blue box (b) Green box (c) Amber box (d) Red box
26. “Cochabamba” is a place in:
(a) Peru (b) Paraguay (c) Chile (d) Bolivia
27. 1: ITER is a Tokamak 2: The FBR of BHAVINI is expected to go critical by 2010
28. 1: The constitution can be amended by a Presidential Ordinance.
2: The quorum of a House of Parliament is stated in Art.101
29. Amendment Contents
A: 90th in 2003 1: Provided seniority to the STs in Govt. services.
B: 94th in 2006 2: Bihar shall not have a Tribal Minister
C: 87th in 2003 3: Re-adjustment of electoral constituencies for SCs & STs
D: 85th in 2002 4: Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Assam.
(a) A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 (b) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 (c) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1 (d) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
30. 1: Out of the 22 languages in the 8th Schedule, 14 were recognized by the Original Constitution.
2: Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment Act in 1967.
National Investigation Agency
Radha Vinod Raju, a senior IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, has been appointed the first Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Salient Features of the NIA :
. The Bill for constitution of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to be applicable to whole of India, citizens of India outside India and persons on shops and aircraft registered in India.
· Officers of the NIA to have all powers, privileges and liabilities which the police officers have in connection with investigation of any offence.
· The police officer in charge of a police station on receipt of the report of the offence shall forward it to the state government which in turn will send it to the Centre.
· If the Centre feels the offence is terror related, it shall direct the NIA for investigation.
· Provision for transfer of investigation and trial of offences to state government with Centre's prior approval.
· NIA may investigate other offences connected with terror-related offences.
· A state government shall extend all assistance to NIA for investigation of terror-related offences.
· Provisions of the Act with regard to investigation shall not affect powers of the state government to investigate and prosecute any terror crime or other offences.
· The Centre shall constitute special courts for trial of terror-related offences.
· Special Courts may sit at any place for any of its proceedings.
· For speedy and fair trial, the Supreme Court may transfer any case pending with the special court to another special court in the same state or any other state, and the High Court may transfer such cases to any other special court within the state.
· Offences punishable with imprisonment for less than three years may be tried summarily.
Hayden Retires !!!
The 37-year-old batsman did not go out of the game the way he would have wanted —having to call a press conference to announce his retirement, widely anticipated after his struggling form in Australia’s recent series losses.
But the powerfully-built Hayden will be remembered as one of the modern-day cricketing titans, amassing 8,625 runs in 103 Tests at an impressive average of 50.73.
But the powerfully-built Hayden will be remembered as one of the modern-day cricketing titans, amassing 8,625 runs in 103 Tests at an impressive average of 50.73.
Bedi, Gavaskar and Kapil in ICC's Hall of Fame
Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi figure among the 55 players in the ICC’s inaugural Hall of Fame list. Launching cricket’s Hall of Fame here as part of the ICC’s centenary celebrations, Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the initiative, in association with Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA), would provide the chance for the game to recognise its greatest achievers.
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