Unhealthy defiance
Series of event in West Bengal:
==> Election Commission transferred one district magistrate (DM) and five Superintendents of Police (SPs) following complaints filed by the opposition parties against the officials being biased towards TMC.
==> West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that she would not transfer any officer as per EC's instructions. This is a conspiracy of BJP, Congress against her.
==> EC : it was well within its rights to withhold elections in West Bengal if the government refused to comply with its order.
Chief Secretary: transfers would lead to “administrative problems,” and the order was issued without consulting the government.
==> Mamta Banerjee : agrees to shift six officers
According to section 29(A) of representation of people's act, all police officers in state - from constables to the director general come under the supervision and control of the EC while the moral code of conduct is in place.
Article 324 of the Constitution: vests the superintendence, direction and control of elections in the institution.
Legal experts: though the model code of conduct was only a set of guidelines for the free and fair conduct of elections, the Supreme Court had upheld them on several occasions and they had acquired quasi-judicial sanctity.
The author points out that EC could have given a panel of name to the government to choose from as was done earlier. This would have maintained harmony.
U.K. scientists make body parts in laboratory
In a London hospital, scientists are growing noses, ears and blood vessels in the laboratory in a bold attempt to make body parts using stem cells. It is among several labs around the world that are working on the futuristic idea of growing custom-made organs in the lab.
While only a handful of patients have received the British lab-made organs so far, including tear ducts, and windpipes, researchers hope they will soon be able to transplant more types of body parts into patients, including what would be the world’s first nose made partly from stem cells.
A significant capability
April 4 : Second satellite of IRNSS launched by PSLV.
IRNSS was covered in an earlier article here.
Some more points:
1. It is important for the security of the nation as dependence on navigation system of other country could be risky in times of crisis like wars
2. ISRO is working with industry so that receivers that utilise the IRNSS signals become available. Some of these receivers will be capable of taking signals from other navigation satellite systems as well, like the GPS. ( Since current receivers for GPS will not work for our IRNSS)
3. Option exists to extend the coverage area by adding four more satellites.
Another article on politics but mentions one term which has been brought out by Congress:
NRMB (not rich, not middle class, not BPL) : 70 crore Indians who had risen above the poverty line but not yet entered the middle class. Rs. 1,000-Rs. 15,000 per head per month (figures are by Congress).
Can be used in poverty related topics.
Article is about what is ailing India? Crony capitalism or corruption. In the end author concludes:
Ideological labels like ‘crony capitalism’ are likely to mislead by channelling the debate into philosophical-ideological issues of capitalism and socialism and detract from finding and addressing the real problems. The real problem is the unprecedented and unique system of government controls built under the Indian version of socialism. This has resulted in pervasive and deep-rooted corruption. We need policy reforms that reduce the incentive for corruption and institutional reforms that catch, try and punish the corrupt.
Gyaan
What is Crony Capitalism?
A description of capitalist society as being based on the close relationships between businessmen and the state. Instead of success being determined by a free market and the rule of law, the success of a business is dependent on the favoritism that is shown to it by the ruling government in the form of tax breaks, government grants and other incentives.
Both socialists and capitalists have been at odds with each other over assigning blame to the opposite group for the rise of crony capitalism. Socialists believe that crony capitalism is the inevitable result of pure capitalism. This belief is supported by their claims that people in power, whether business or government, look to stay in power and the only way to do this is to create networks between government and business that support each other.
On the other hand, capitalists believe that crony capitalism arises from the need of socialist governments to control the state. This requires businesses to operate closely with the government to achieve the greatest success.
The offer by All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to help solve the Kashmir issue has drawn a cold response from both the Ministries of External Affairs and Home.
“The conditions for self-determination and tripartite talks laid down by him are not new. The talks can be held only within the constitutional framework. Time and again, it has been reiterated that tripartite talks with Pakistan over the issue are unacceptable,” said a senior official.
India’s growth likely to recover to 5.4 per cent in 2014, says IMF
Supported by slightly stronger global growth, improving export competitiveness and implementation of recently approved investment projects, India’s growth is expected to recover from 4.4 per cent in 2013 to 5.4 per cent in 2014, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday.
Gyaan
World Economic Outlook
World Economic Outlook is basically a survey conducted and published by the International Monetary Fund. It is published twice and partly updated 3 times a year. It portrays the world economy in the near and medium context (basically 4 years). WEO forecasts include the macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP, inflation, current account and fiscal balance of more than 180 countries around the globe. It also deals with major economic policy issues.
Delayed clearances result in loss of 12 mt of coal production
Around 12 million tonnes of coal was lost due to the absence of regulatory clearances in 2013-14The Hindu has learnt.
This accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the 19.5 million tonne shortfall reported by Coal India Ltd (CIL) in the just closed financial year.
Enquiries revealed that of the 19.5 million tonnes, five million tonnes was lost due to Cyclone Phailin, two million tonnes due to CIL’s internal reasons, while as much as 12 million tonnes was lost due to delays in environment and forest clearances by the Central and State governments.
good work.........
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