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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 18 October 2014

National

Jayalalithaa gets bail in DA case

• Taking former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on her word that there will be no attempt to delay criminal appeal proceedings in the Karnataka High Court, the Supreme Court suspended her four-year sentence in the disproportionate assets case and granted her bail.
• A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justices Madan B. Lokur and A.K. Sikri also suspended the sentences of the three other accused Sasikala, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi and granted them bail. All the accused have to furnish two solvent sureties to the satisfaction of the Special Judge, Bangalore.
• Ms. Jayalalithaa’s lawyer and senior counsel Fali S. Nariman argued that continued incarceration of the accused at a crucial stage when her appeal was pending in the High Court would cripple her “valuable right of appeal against conviction” and reduce it to an “exercise in futility”.
• “But how many years did you take to complete the trial itself?” Chief Justice Dattu interrupted Mr. Nariman. “Far too many, My Lord,” Mr. Nariman said.
• “So, if we pass orders to suspend your sentence now, you will take another two decades to finish the appeal. Should we not take into consideration the conduct of the accused in the Special Court, in the High Court and even in the Supreme Court... the case went on for years and years and years,” Chief Justice Dattu said.
• Mr. Nariman said he was willing to give an affidavit on behalf of his client that there would be no delay. But the court decided to repose faith in Mr. Nariman’s oral assurances. It gave the accused exactly two months to prepare the appeal in the High Court. This would be the litmus test of their assurances that they would not delay future proceedings in the 18-year-old case. The case was listed for hearing on December 18.
• “You will prepare the paperbooks and keep it ready in two months’ time. We will post this case for December 18. If you are ready, we will ask the Karnataka High Court to hear the appeal in three months. But Mr. Nariman, if the paperbooks are not ready, we will not give you extension for even one day,” Chief Justice Dattu observed.

A better way to address unemployment

• Deputy Commissioner Sasikant S. Senthil, who recently introduced a labour-intensive solid waste management system with focus on increased people’s participation, has come up with another initiative to put a mechanism in place for addressing the unemployment problem.
• He called a meeting of district heads of different government departments, bankers, representatives of Raichur Chamber of Commerce and Industries, industrialists, and civil society representatives at his office and proposed the formation of Raichur Centre for Employment and Entrepreneurship Development for addressing the unemployment issue.
• The main objective of the proposed centre is to provide a common platform for employers and job-seekers, giving required skill-training to employment-seeking candidates and encouraging unemployed youth to get self-employed by providing required training, facilitating financial assistance from banks for such ventures.
• He promised that the district administration would arrange seed fund, land and other requirement for establishing the proposed centre.
• “The proposed centre should function not as a facilitating government body, but as an independent company with job-creating and job-providing as its main area of work. It should not depend on government for its financial needs, but develop into a financially self-reliant and even profit-making firm, by reasonably charging for the service it intended to offer,” Mr. Senthil said.
• The meeting agreed upon the proposal made by Mr. Senthil, while incorporating suggestions such as organising specific training programmes for developing special skills required by a particular industry or employers and holding Udyoga Melas.

PM for greater synergy in armed forces

• Outlining India’s key strategic and security and priorities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Combined Commanders Conference here that India had to be prepared for a changing world, which demanded new thinking with regard to economic, diplomatic and security policies.
• In his half-an-hour speech delivered extempore, Mr. Modi addressed the commanders in Hindi, citing examples to make his point and asked them to achieve a greater synergy among the three wings of the armed forces. He emphasised that an atmosphere of peace and security was essential to enable India achieve its goals of economic development.
• Stressing the need for transforming India’s defence forces, he assured them of his government’s commitment to provide adequate resources to ensure full defence preparedness, overcome shortages and meet modernisation needs. Spelling out his strategic vision, he said the idea of Digital India should also extend to Digital Armed Force.
• Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said, “We are living in a disturbed neighbourhood” and asked the forces to be ready for any operational contingencies.

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International

Talks in Hong Kong back on horizon

• The standoff between the Hong Kong authorities and student-led protesters could ease next week as the possibility of talks has resurfaced amid a calibrated crackdown by the police on one more stronghold of the agitation.
• Rows of police officers descended on the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong early, removing tents, barricades and umbrellas — the symbol of the protests — after surrounding around 30 protesters, many of whom were sleeping. The police action cleared the way for limited traffic to flow. Rail transit to the area also resumed.
• The authorities continue to maintain that they are not ending the assembly of protesters, but only removing obstacles to restore basic normality in the area. “We did not clear the area, because protesters still have ample space to express their views, and we set up a demonstration area on the pedestrian zone by Wai Fung Plaza on Argyle Street,” said Police Senior Superintendent Catherine Kwan Chui-ching at an early morning press conference.
• “The point of the operation was to remove the illegal obstacles blocking the road, and at the request of the protesters, we set up a spot for them,” she observed.
• Earlier in the week, the authorities had removed the sting from the agitation by removing barricades and restarting traffic at two other protest icons — Admiralty, the seat of government offices — and Causeway Bay, a prime shopping district.
• The police assertion in Mong Kok followed a news conference where Hong Kong Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying announced that he and the students could find a via media, within the framework of the “Basic Law”.
• His offer ruled out acceptance of the protesters’ demand for unqualified democracy, for the Basic Law would allow 2017 elections for the Chief Exectuive’s post in Hong Kong to be based on universal suffrage among candidates that have been vetted by a nominating committee. The protesters reject the screening of candidates prior to the elections as an infringement to democracy. Mr. Leung stressed that Hong Kong cannot make changes that are disallowed under the Basic Law.

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Business & economy

Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian seen to be a reformist at heart

• Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian’s free-market convictions dominate his academic work and do not conform to the nationalist and protectionist streak among the leadership of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. But his academic views are unlikely to dictate his policy prescriptions.
• “Academic studies guide policy formulations, but policies are not dictated by it. The final policy decisions will always be made by the political executive with inputs and advice from the CEA,” one official said.
• The senior government functionary explained that Dr. Subramanian’s appointment indicated a trend of internationally acclaimed experts of Indian origin offering to work in India. “Dr. Subramanian’s track record is extraordinary,” he pointed out. Raghuram Rajan, former CEA and now Reserve Bank Governor, also left his position of Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund to work in the Indian government. Both were colleagues at the IMF.
• Dr. Subramanian is a reformist at heart and stands for open, liberal but transparently regulated markets, economist Rajiv Kumar told. He will bring to the job emphasis on de-bottlenecking of the supply side and since he favours free trade he will most likely push for increasing India’s exports and for the domestic sector to be less clogged with regulation.
• Though few CEAs have traditionally majorly influenced policy-making, Dr. Subramanian has the advantage of being more than a pure academician having worked in the IMF and World Bank systems due to which “he is likely to be a more successful CEA in the midst of the government system and not at the margins of it, marginalised by the bureaucracy,” said Dr. Kumar.
• Though how much this influence will be will depend on his rapport with the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister. Dr. Subramanian’s approach is thus in sync with the core of the Modi government’s stated intentions of liberalisation and transparent regulation.
• CEAs typically define their roles within the government framework which is constrained among other imperatives by political compulsions and Dr. Subramanian is not likely to be different.

Science & technology

NFDB implementing several new schemes for fisheries sector

• National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) is implementing various production oriented schemes for enhancement of fish production and productivity.
• To increase fish production and productivity in reservoirs, a massive fish seed stocking programme was taken up in 21.15 lakh hectares of water spread area in 21 States.
• Considering the need for promotion of hygienic markets, the board is focusing on developing hygienic markets across the country. For promotion of fish marketing and consumption, modernisation and construction of 252 fish markets were taken up.
• NFDB is addressing the serious weak links in the supply chain by providing fishermen with 1214 mobile fish vending vehicles with ice-boxes so that they can earn more by reaching markets faster and the fish are also delivered in better condition.
• To meet the quality standards stipulated by the European Union and other importing countries, assistance was extended for modernisation of 21 fishing harbours and 31 fish landing centres.
• Considering the scope for development of ornamental fisheries in India by involving rural beneficiaries, especially women self-help groups, NFDB has launched initiatives by implementing different schemes.
• Several families and women self-help groups are earning a livelihood through ornamental fish culture. NFDB has launched schemes for setting up of ornamental units such as backyard hatcheries, medium scale ornamental fish breeding units, integrated ornamental fish breeding units and aquarium fabrication units with 50 per cent subsidy.

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Sports

West Indies 'pulls out', BCCI suffers huge loss

• A livid BCCI has said it has suffered huge losses and that it will claim all the damages following the West Indies cricket team’s unprecedented move to pull out of the remainder of India tour in the wake of an acrimonious unresolved pay dispute with its Board back home.
• The aggrieved Caribbean players, who were persuaded to take the field for the fourth ODI in Dharamsala , conveyed their decision to call off the remaining part of tour to the BCCI, which is now contemplating legal action against the visitors.
• “We have suffered huge losses due to the decision of the West Indies to pull out of the tour. We are going to claim all the damages and pursue the matter with ICC. We have convened an emergent working committee meeting to discuss the issue as well as the visit, at short notice, by Sri Lanka,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told.
• The Cricket Board has convened an emergent meeting of its all-powerful working committee in Hyderabad on October 21 to discuss the aftermath of the controversial pull-out.
• “The working committee members will have dialogue on this and after that we may consider to not pursue further FTP programmes with West Indies.”
• Mr. Patel said he was busy from morning till midnight in view of the sudden “unprecedented” move by the West Indies to abandon the tour after playing, with reluctance, the fourth and penultimate ODI in Dharamsala.
• “I had a very hectic time and this was an unprecedented decision. We will discuss all these at the working committee. There will be a governing council meeting of IPL preceding the WC meeting,” he said.
• Mr. Patel had said in a statement, “The BCCI would like to clarify that despite all its efforts, the Micromax Cup India vs West Indies ODI series has been curtailed because of the ongoing issue between WICB and its players, and the withdrawal of the WI team from the ongoing tour of India.”