(News) Shri David R. Syiemlieh appointed as UPSC Chairman 2017

Prof. David R. Syiemlieh to perform duties of Chairman, UPSC

Shri Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Prof. David R. Syiemlieh, Member, UPSC (Union Public Service Commission), to perform the duties of the post of Chairman, Union Public Service Commission, with effect from the forenoon of January 4, 2017 till further orders or till completion of his term as member on 21.01.2018, whichever is earlier.

Prof. David R. Syiemlieh took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission, under clause (1) of Article 316 of the Constitution of India, today. The oath was administered by Shri Vinay Mittal, the senior most Member of the Commission, at a function at the UPSC office.

Prof. Syiemlieh joined the Commission as Member on June 25, 2012 and was later on appointed to perform the duties of the post of Chairman, UPSC under Article 316 (1A) of the Constitution of India w.e.f. January 4, 2017. Prior to joining UPSC, Prof. Syiemlieh was Vice Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar. Prof. Syiemlieh has held many important positions in various policy making, academic and administrative bodies. He has authored/edited several books/publications and had been awarded Senior Fulbright Fellowship in the year 1999.

(Final Result) UPSC: 139 Assistant Geologists in Geological Survey of India "ADVERTISEMENT NO. 15/2015"

FOLLOWING IS THE LIST OF THE CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE POST OF ASSISTANT GEOLOGISTS IN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, MINISTRY OF MINES [ADVERTISEMENT NO. 15/2015, ITEM NO. 06, VACANCY NO. 15101506624, DATED 24.10.2015], ON THE BASIS OF THE RESULT OF THE COMPUTER BASED RECRUITMENT TEST HELD BY UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ON 22.05.2016 AND INTERVIEWS HELD FROM 21.11.2016 TO 05.12.2016. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CANDIDATES RECOMMENDED FOR APPOINTMENT IS ONE HUNDRED THIRTY SIX (136). 03 UR POSTS ARE KEPT VACANT AS CANDIDATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR 03 POSTS RESERVED FOR PH (PD) CANDIDATES.

UPSC Clarifies regarding Essay papers 'engendered' Confusion in IAS Mains 2016 Exam

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will accept different versions of the answers to the essay paper of the Civil Services (Main) examinations, 2016.

The test paper had an essay that carried 125 marks, but the framing of the proposition in English and Hindi created confusion for the candidates.

In Hindi, the version read: "Stri-purush kay samaan sarokaroko shamil kiye bina vikas sankatgrast hain" (devoid of gender inclusiveness, development is endangered) while in English it was — "If development is not engendered, it is endangered".

Aspirants who were writing the tests in English did not interpret "engendered" as related to gender equality.

Speaker of Puducherry legislative assembly, V Vaithilingam has written to the commission for a "compassionate evaluation." Earlier, many candidates had also shot off a letter to PM Narendra Modi and members of the commission on the same.

(Final Result) UPSC Combined Medical Services Examination, 2016

Based on the result of the Computer Based Examination (Part – I) of the Combined Medical Services Examination, 2016 held by the UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION on 12th June, 2016 followed by Personality Test (Part – II) held in August, 2016 to December, 2016, the following is the list, in order of merit, of the candidates who have been recommended for appointment to the services/posts in the (i) Assistant Divisional Medical Officer in the Railways; (ii) Assistant Medical Officer in Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service; (iii) Junior Scale Posts in Central Health Service; (iv) General duty Medical Officer Gr-II in East Delhi Municipal Corporation, North Delhi Municipal Corporation and South Delhi Municipal Corporation; and (v) General Duty Medical Officer in New Delhi Municipal Council.

2. A total of 894 candidates have been recommended for appointment as under:

3. In accordance with Rules 13 (4) and (5) of the Combined Medical Services Examination, 2016, the Commission is maintaining a consolidated reserve List of candidates as under:

4. Appointments to the various services/posts will be made according to the number of vacancies available and subject to the candidates fulfilling all the prescribed eligibility conditions and all verifications, wherever due, being completed satisfactorily. Allotment of candidates to various services/posts shall be made according to ranks obtained and preference of services/posts expressed by them.

5. The number of vacancies reported by the Government to be filled are as under:

(Date Sheet) UPSC IAS EXAM Calendar 2017

State PCS to go UPSC way, will conduct exams online

State public service commission (PSCs) would conduct provincial civil service (PCS) exams online and bring them on par with that conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from 2017. This would save aspirants the trouble of preparing separately for the two exams.

Chairman, standing committee of National Conference of State Public Service Commissions, KS Tomar, said this after holding the conference with chairman of PSCs across the country.

Tomar said, "The new generation of candidates will not forgive state commissions if they failed to adhere to the latest technology of online exams or did not bring the standard of exams on par with that of civil services exam conducted by UPSC."

He said, "Public service commissions of several states have graduated to the latest technology of inviting applications and even giving online exams but few, like UPPSC, still have to upgrade and I am glad it is doing so by next year."

UPSC TOPPER Vishwa Mohan दूसरे सबसे कम उम्र आईएएस

सबसे कम उम्र में आईएएस अधिकारी बनने वाले उपायुक्त रितेश चौहान की प्रेरणा से ही विश्व मोहन ने कामयाबी की यह इबारत लिखी है। वह प्रदेश के दूसरे सबसे कम उम्र में यूपीएससी परीक्षा पास कर प्रशासनिक अधिकारी बनेंगे। ‘अमर उजाला’ से विशेष बातचीत में विश्व मोहन ने बताया कि उन्हें आईएएस अधिकारी बनने के लिए उपायुक्त रितेश चौहान ने प्रेरित किया था।

The Gist of Science Reporter: December 2016

• In Vitro Living Bone Developed (Free Available)
• Next Gen Biofuel from Human Waste (Free Available)
• Juno: Unraveling Jupiter’s Mysteries (Free Available)
• Payload Instruments Aboard Juno (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Earlier Missions Exploring Jupiter (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Looking for Dark Matter (Only For The Subscribed Members)

In Vitro Living Bone Developed

Facial bones are one of the most geometrically complex bones. Their reconstruction requires use of bone grafts from the same patient which has some serious limitations, including pain and additional disorders associated with surgery.

A newly developed technique, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine [8 (343), 2016], repairs bone defects in the face and head by using living bone grown in lab, grafted to the patient so that the defect is treated. The development of such anatomically correct and large-scale bone constructs could improve regenerative medicine options for the patients.

Sarindr Bhumiratana and his team have reported the first time ever living bone that precisely grows into an original anatomical structure, using stem cells derived from a small sample of the recipient's own body (autologous).

Next Gen Biofuel from Human Waste

Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, have discovered a new way to convert human waste into a renewable source of energy. This project is in collaboration with YATOO, Art Center Nabi, Paju Typography Institute (PaTI), and Hankuk Engineering Consultants (H.E.C.), South Korea.

Sports

• Jitu Rai wins Champion of Champions pistol award (Free Available)
• India to face Thailand in kabaddi WC semifinal (Only for Online Coaching Members)

Jitu Rai wins Champion of Champions pistol award

• Jitu Rai rejuvenated his shooting career by winning the Champion of Champions pistol award, and a cash prize of €5000 in the World Cup Final.
• In the mixed knock-out competition meant only for the medallists in the World Cup Final, Jitu beat DamirMikec of Serbia 29.6 to 28.3 in the climax featuring three shots. Olympic champion Anna Korakaki finished third.
• Shooters are eliminated after the first four shots, one each after every successive shot. The last two compete on a three-shot format.
• The honour in the rifle event went to Sergey Kamenskiy of Russia who beat two-time Olympian Du Li of China 31.7 to 31.6. London Olympics champion Yi Siling of China took the third place.
• Jitu Rai had earlier won the free pistol silver, but finished sixth in air pistol.

The Gist of Press Information Bureau: December 2016

• Birth certificates and AADHAR Cards to street children (Free Available)
• BARC develops portable kit for detection of Chromium contamination of water (Free Available)
• India set to seize big opportunity in logistic costs saving through Sagarmala (Free Available)
• BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction meet adopts Udaipur Declaration (Free Available)
• BRICS convention on Tourism to be held in Khajuraho (Free Available)
• 14th ASEAN-India Summit and 11th East Asia Summit in Vientiane (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Saurashtra Narmada Irrigation Project (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Grant of Permanent Residency Status to Foreign Investors (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Annual Report of ‘Crime in India - 2015’ (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Mandi and Sindhudurg found to be the Cleanest Districts in India (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• First Ever ‘Incredible India Tourism Investment Summit’ (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• GRSE hands over fast attack craft “TIHAYU” to Indian Navy (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• GSLV Successfully Launches India’s Weather Satellite INSAT-3DR (Only For The Subscribed Members)

Birth certificates and AADHAR Cards to street children

The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi held Regional consultations with Civil Society Organizations on the draft ‘Trafficking of Persons Bill, 2016’ in Chennai. The NGOs came forward with important suggestions for the Bill. They suggested that the timelines for repatriation of trafficked victims should be included in the Act itself. Similarly, begging is an important area where trafficking is rampant and should be taken up seriously under the Act. Abhayam is an initiative of the NGO Dayaa Foundation established by Smt Latha Rajinikanth for safety, rescue and rehabilitation of children in the city of Chennai. Addressing on the occasion, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said that the WCD Ministry will be starting a new initiative for providing birth certificates and AADHAR Cards to street children. This landmark initiative will help street children obtain an identity for their future use to move ahead in life.

The Minister appreciated the recently launched initiative of Dayaa Foundation to establish a Citizen Council for child safety, which will be the first of its kind initiative of bringing citizens together for protecting children. It is a very good initiative and I would like to see it extended to other states also, the Minister said. Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi also spoke about the measures being taken by Government for safety, protection and care of children including the children’s helpline i.e. Childline, initiative with railways on missing children, the new Juvenile Justice Act, New Foster Care programme and complete reform of Adoption System.

BARC develops portable kit for detection of Chromium contamination of water

Chromium is widely used in various industries like leather, steel, chrome plating, paint manufacturing, wood preservation etc. Untreated effluents from these industries cause widespread contamination of water as been reported in several parts of the country. Chromium in the environment primarily exists as Trivalent Chromium Cr(III) and Hexavalent Chromium Cr(VI). The later is toxic and the World Health Organization has classified it as carcinogenic and can cause stomach ulcers and cancers and severe damage to kidneys and liver. As per Indian standard IS10500 for drinking water, the maximum permissible concentration of Cr(VI) in drinking water is 50 microgram per litre. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends a still lower permissible concentration of 10 microgram per liter.

Science & Technology, Defense, Environment

• Trio of scientists won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines (Free Available)
• Scientists recorded sounds by Jupiter’s aurora (Free Available)
• ISRO has firmed up a strategy to a make increasingly smaller satellites (Free Available)
• Estimates of TB burden has been inaccurate in India (Free Available)
• There are a dizzying two trillion galaxies in the universe (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Genetic secrets of purple rice (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Process for Chandrayan-2 started (Only for Online Coaching Members)

Trio of scientists won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines

• A trio of French, British and Dutch scientists won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines, the world’s smallest machines that may one day act as artificial muscles to power tiny robots or even prosthetic limbs.
• Inspired by proteins that naturally act as biological machines within cells, these synthetic copies are usually constructed of a few molecules fused together.
• Also called nanomachines or nanobots, they can be put to work as tiny motors, ratchets, pistons or wheels to produce mechanical motion in response to stimuli such as light or temperature change. Molecular machines can move objects many time their size.
• The first step towards a molecular machine was taken by Mr. Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking together two ring-shaped molecules to form a chain.
• The second step was taken by Mr. Stoddart in 1991, when he threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle.
• Mr. Feringa (65) was meanwhile the first person to develop a molecular motor — in 1999 he was able to make a molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same direction. Using molecular motors, he has also designed a nanocar.

• SAARC summit in Pakistan postponed after withdrawal from various countries (Free Available)
• India would stresson trying to operationalise the Green Climate Fund (Free Available)
• India gets support of its old ally Russia (Free Available)
• Sri Lanka joined the demand for regional organisation to counter cross-border terrorism (Free Available)
• India is Russia’s especially privileged strategic partner says Russian President (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Maldives quits the commonwealth (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• UN General Assembly appointed Antonio Guterres as Secretary General (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India likely to ink a deal on the S-400 Triumf long range air defence system (Only for Online Coaching Members)

SAARC summit in Pakistan postponed after withdrawal from various countries

• Blaming India for derailing the SAARC Summit, Pakistan announced that the summit in Islamabad will now be held on an alternative date, even as Sri Lanka joined others in opposing the summit under the “prevailing environment”.
• Nepal subsequently issued an official statement seeking an indefinite postponement of the summit.
• Sri Lanka joined India, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh in demanding the summit should not be held.
• Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding, “Sri Lanka condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and stresses in this regard the need to deal with the issue of terrorism in a decisive manner”.
• Addressing the media in Delhi, Afghan envoy Shaida M. Abdali demanded that SAARC should focus on counter-terror initiatives. Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, ‘We note Pakistan’s decision 2 postpone SAARC Summit.

The Gist of Kurukshetra: December 2016

• Way to Make Indian Villages ‘Smart’ (Free Available)
• Skill Development Initiatives (Free Available)
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• GST-A Game-Changer for India (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• India becomes world's clean energy capital (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Shyama PrasadMukherji Rurban Mission: Drive to Economic, Social and Infrastructure Development (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Reaching out to India’s Desadvantaged-NSAP (Only For The Subscribed Members)

Way to Make Indian Villages ‘Smart’

In 1975, Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, was one of the many villages of India plagued by acute poverty, deprivation, a degraded ecosystem and unemployment. Then one of its resident Anna Hazare, retired from army and returned to his native place. Hazare inspired the villagers to come together and improve the watershed management. He campaigned against alcoholism and castism prevalent in the village. Today Ralegan Siddhi is a rich and prosperous village. The unique thing is that this prosperity was achieved through community efforts only with little or no external support. Ralegan Siddhi has become a role model for all villages in India. It's a clear example of how a community can make its life better through cooperative and collective efforts.

Idea Behind Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

As mentioned in case of Ralegan Siddhi, some Gram Panchayats have shown exceptional achievement in integrated local development, mainly due to inspiring leadership and collective action. However many difficulties and challenges were faced by these people in the process. So it was thought to create an institutional mechanism where this collective action by community be nurtured and promoted. Government aspires to achieve this through SAGY.

India has around six lakh villages and 23,8,617 Gram Panchayats'. It would take huge amount of resources if government were to develop all these villages. Instead a strategy is devised in which some villages should be developed as model villages through community participation and remaining villages should be encouraged to emulate them in a competitive spirit.

Economy

• The centre is reconsidering a plan to widen the social security net (Free Available)
• Govt received Bids of 53000 crore (Free Available)
• To Boost BRICS trade, India will organise trade fair for BRICS (Free Available)
• PMI in sept saw a slight dip (Free Available)
• Country’s services sector business activity softer in September (Free Available)
• World Economic Forum says India and Pak problem will not impact regional growth (Free Available)
• India is examining mechanisms to offset higher emissions (Free Available)
• India’s foreign exchange reserves scaled to a new high (Free Available)
• Telecom secretary says despite low response in spectrum govt will meet targets (Free Available)
• Government to give push to stalled hydro projects (Free Available)
• A federal appeals court reinstated a $120 million jury award for Apple (Free Available)
• A new global pollution deal for aviation (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Govt will augment the process of development for 36 waterways (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre to consider approach to revitalise India’s retail and wholesale trade (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre formed a high-level committee to consolidate the regulation of pension products (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Govt warns employees against criticism of GSTN (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Rapid-growth companies number increased very fast (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Government pursuing lower GST rate (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Air India posts operational profit for first time in 8 years (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Wholesale price inflation eased marginally in September (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Credit guarantee fund for start ups to be set up by the Centre soon (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Centre to push for infrastructure development in next few months (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The Centre plans to widen consultations over a proposed social security code for workers (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• BRICS agree to setup independent rating agency (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• NITI Aayog called for an overhaul of India's steel policy (Only for Online Coaching Members)

The centre is reconsidering a plan to widen the social security net

• The centre is reconsidering a plan to widen the social security net for workers by bringing more factories under the provident fund coverage.
• The Cabinet Secretariat has pointed out a few contradictions in the Labour Ministry’s proposal to amend the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 1952.
• The Labour Ministry had proposed to bring down the threshold limit for coverage of firms under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) to factories with at least 10 workers. At present, the EPF Act is applicable to factories with minimum 20 workers.
• The proposal to decrease the threshold limit was found to be contradictory with another proposal in the Act to give an option to workers to switch to the NPS, managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.
• In his Union Budget 2015-16 speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed allowing EPF subscribers to opt for NPS and to make EPF contributions optional for workers below a certain income threshold.

International Events

• US Presidential candidate Clinton concerned over Nuclear weapon in Pak (Free Available)
• European Union ratifies Climate deal (Free Available)
• US warns Pakistan about Nuclear posturing (Free Available)
• YoshinoriOhsumi won the Medicine Prize Nobel (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• EU struck deal with Afghanistan to take back migrants (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• After EU vote Paris climate deal set to come into force (Only for Online Coaching Members)

US Presidential candidate Clinton concerned over Nuclear weapon in Pak

• U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of jihadists, which she said was “a threatening scenario,” according to a media report.

• “Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India,” the former Secretary of State told a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February, The New York Times reported.

• Such remarks from the former secretary of state gains significance in view of an interview of Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.

The Gist of Yojana: December 2016

• Women's Empowerment in the Indian Context (Free Available)
• Empowerment of Women: Government Perspective (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Adverse Child Sex Ratio: A ‘Mindset’ Issue (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" Programme (Only For The Subscribed Members)
• Amendments to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1960 (Only For The Subscribed Members)

Women's Empowerment in the Indian Context

Most countries today consider gender equality and women's empowerment to be essential for the development and well-being of families, communities and nations. No nation, society, and family can flourish and be happy if fifty per cent of its population, i.e. women and girls, are not respected, free and happy.

Not just in India, but in most countries of the world, women have been discriminated against, excluded from decision making at all levels, marginalised and disempowered. This is so because of the prevalence of patriarchy, a social system in which men are considered to be superior to women and in which, men have more control over resources, decision making and ideology. In patriarchy, violence against women is a part of the system. Women are controlled through violence or the threat of violence.

According to the UN, one out of every three women experiences violence. This means over one billion women and girls experience violence. This is the biggest war going on in the world and what is most painful is that most of it takes place within the family.

• Supreme Court cancels Shahabuddin’s bail (Free Available)
• Bihar’s liquor law amendment’s are ultra virus says HC (Free Available)
• High alert sounded at many places across the country (Free Available)
• PM Modi said re-use and recycling of waste should be technology driven (Free Available)
• Defence Minister says Pakistan still unaware that surgery has been done (Free Available)
• CBDT received disclosures of more than 65000 crores under IDS (Free Available)
• Karnataka sought an urgent review of Apex court orders (Free Available)
• Another terrorist attack in Baramulla (Free Available)
• Home ministry to tighten the rules on foreign funding (Free Available)
• SC put on hold order to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (Free Available)
• GSAT-18 to be launched from the European spacepad of Kourou (Free Available)
• India gets EU support for surgical strikes (Free Available)
• The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for availing LPG subsidies (Free Available)
• Cabinet approved the long-awaited amendments to the HIV Bill (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The International Court of Justice ruled against the Marshall Islands (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India dismissed Nawaz Sharif’s speech in the Pakistan Assembly (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Home Minister says Pakistan border will be sealed within two years (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Eighty percent of the Jan Dhan Yojana now have balance (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Apex Court stayed the commercial release of Genetically Modified mustard crop (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• NGT wants UP, Haryana and other states to bring CNG (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• North East Monsoon to come on time (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India to deploy an indigenously developed rover on the lunar surface (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Defence Ministry has started the process to replace MiG-21s (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba suffered the worst damage in the recent surgical strikes (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• SC has ordered deletion of words “adult male” the Domestic Violence (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Janani Suraksha Yojana has helped in reducing socioeconomic disparities (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• PM equates fight against terrorism with epic Ramayana (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• India’s ties with Russia affected with Moscow’s military relations with Islamabad (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Thousands of Amur falcons arrive at Nagaland (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• US says India needs to respond to Cross-border terrorism (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Cyber security is a big challenge to the World (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Final draft of the National Water Framework Bill, 2016 brought by centre (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• All India Muslim Personal Law Board rejected move on civil code (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Govt asked AIMPLB to reconsider their decision to boycott consultation on UCC (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Pakistan Army confirmed sepoy Chandu Chavan is in its custody (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• PM said country should not be found “sleeping” when it should be awake (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Russia came in support of India for fight against terror (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• BRICS, BIMSTEC come together in Goa (Only for Online Coaching Members)

Supreme Court cancels Shahabuddin’s bail

• Finely balancing societal interest with concerns about individual liberty, the Supreme Court ordered former RJD MP Mohd Shahabud-din to be sent back to prison 20 days after he came out on bail.
• The Supreme Court however ordered the Bihar government and the trial court to complete the trial as early as possible. In a “judicious” decision taken after pouring through evidence, a Bench of Justice P.C. Ghose and Amitava Roy said Shahabuddin should be “forthwith” taken back into custody.
• The Supreme Court observed that the High Court erred in granting Shahabuddin bail as a “matter of course” without taking into consideration “the overall facts”.
• It noted that several cases against him are pending in various stages of trial and appeal in various courts of Bihar and in the Patna High Court.
• The Bench made it clear that it has taken serious notice of Shahabuddin's repeated contention that there was a “conscious delay” in the conduct of his trial by directing that “all steps as contemplated in law to dispose of the case, as early as possible”.
• The order quashing the High Court decision to free Shahabuddin came despite the Bench flaying the lacklustre performance of the Bihar government on the prosecution side.
• The Bench had castigated the State for its 17-month delay in conducting the trial and the almost zero interest it showed to pre-vent Shahabuddin's bail.

Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals

• How the Indus Treaty was signed (Free Available)
• To revive an old friendship (Free Available)
• Rescuing the Syrian truce deal (Free Available)
• The SAARC gambit (Free Available)
• Crossing the Line of Control (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Uri as inflection point (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Taking the Road less Dusty (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• OPEC’s Roll of the Dice (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• This war cloud has a new shape (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Breaking out of election mode (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Stocktaking after mopping up the black money (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• All about means and ends (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Clinching the N-deal with Japan (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Farewell to NAM (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The salience of the Singur verdict (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• The lure of the exotic and esoteric (Only for Online Coaching Members)
• Before he became Mahatma (Only for Online Coaching Members)

How the Indus Treaty was signed

Amongst the more prominent of the problems that bedevilled relations between India and Pakistan was the Indus Waters dispute. This was a legacy of the Partition. The line dividing the two Punjabs cut right across the Indus canal systems developed over a hundred years. Pakistan found that the headwaters of the main canals were on the Indian side of the border. All the five tributaries of the Indus also originated in India and flowed through Indian territory in the upper reaches. Even before Partition, Sindh and Punjab had witnessed wrangles over the sharing of the waters of these rivers. The situation worsened after the holocaust of the Partition. There were hysterical cries in Pakistan for taking up arms to defend their rights over the waters. Fortunately, an arbiter came forward in the garb of the World Bank that eventually succeeded in thrashing out a settlement. The main credit should go to Eugene Black, the World Bank president.

While the negotiations about the sharing of the canal waters were going on, officials from both countries were grappling with the demarcation of boundaries that had defied solution all those years. These disputes had arisen over the interpretation of the award of Radcliffe. Two teams were sent out by India to tackle the thorny problem [in 1959]. The discussions the Indians held with their Pakistani counterparts were in a spirit of friendship and cordiality hitherto unheard of in Pakistan. To a large extent, this was due to the fact that the leaders of the respective teams were old friends and college mates from pre-Partition Lahore. The leader on the Indian side was Sardar Swaran Singh; General Khalid Shaikh led the Pakistani team. Once these two men established their rapport, they left the details to their principal advisors: on the Indian side M.J. Desai, and on the other side Sikander Ali Baig. Once it was established that the main purpose of the exercise was to achieve maximum agreement and that neither side was out to steal an unfair advantage, it was easier to work out a solution. It was found that neither India nor Pakistan had an overwhelming case to be made on its stand on a particular dispute.

Meanwhile, Ayub Khan had taken another bold step. This was the decision to stop over at Palam airport in New Delhi [in September, 1959] during one of his periodic visits to Dacca, to meet the Indian Prime Minister. He was no doubt prompted to do so by Rajeshwar Dayal, the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan who had received prior approval from Delhi. The Pakistani President deserves full credit for following it through with good grace and aplomb. The Palam meeting, that lasted for nearly two hours, went well. At the end, a brief statement was issued in which the leaders emphasised the need to conduct relations in a rational and planned manner. It was also agreed that outstanding issues should be settled in accordance with justice and fair play, in a spirit of friendliness and cooperation.

Soon it was clear that bigger things were in the offing. The protracted negotiations about the distribution of the canal waters were drawing to a close. The agreement on the canal waters was the biggest single achievement to date between the two countries, and it was decided to have it signed with due pomp and show. This provided an appropriate opportunity for the Indian Prime Minster to reciprocate Ayub Khan’s stopover at Palam and to demonstrate the friendly relations that were developing between the two countries. The historic visit of Pandit Nehru from September 19 to September 23, 1960, was to be his last visit to Pakistan. While the arrangements of the visit were under discussion, Rajeshwar Dayal had to leave Pakistan. The task of organising Panditji’s visit fell on my shoulders. Fortunately, I had very able colleagues to help me.

Gist of The Hindu: December 2016

• Apple’s tax troubles (Free Available)
• When the river weeps (Free Available)
• The bane of a bumper crop (Free Available)
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Apple’s tax troubles

The hefty 13 billion euros in back taxes the European Commission imposed on Apple should have drawn Europe and the U.S. closer in their common quest to crack down on corporate tax avoidance. But the unprecedented penalty to hit the American tech giant has triggered angry outbursts at home and could well put paid to hopes for transatlantic cooperation, especially on the trade and investment partnership agreement, in the immediate future. The latest ruling by the European Union competition commissioner may not be the last against U.S. multinationals in what is increasingly being viewed as harmful to tax diplomacy. As with the Starbucks decision in 2015 and the ongoing probe into McDonald’s, both concerning two different countries, the Commission alleges that Ireland’s ultra-low, single-digit tax arrangements with Apple were in violation of EU state aid rules. Notably, the Commission has not taken issue with Dublin’s 12.5 per cent rate of corporate taxation. Curiously, the possibility of clawing back billions of euros, estimated to be worth the country’s health-care budget for a year, is not an attractive prospect for Dublin, home to hundreds of multinationals thriving on its decades-old foreign direct investment policies that include low corporate taxation. Instead, Ireland, which risks losing jobs, has resolved to appeal the decision along with Apple, whose Irish subsidiaries account for 90 per cent of the company’s overall profits.