Wait and watch: on U.S. security strategy

ndia has unequivocally welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of the National Security Strategy (NSS) for his country during his tenure. To be sure, the positive words used in the international section of the 55-page strategy paper represent an affirmation of India’s stature, and acknowledge “India’s emergence as a leading global power”. It mentions plans to “encourage Indian economic assistance in the region”, and outlines U.S. support to India’s “leadership role in Indian Ocean security and throughout the broader region” as a priority. Mr. Trump’s views of China’s assault on the “sovereignty” of South Asian nations and of Pakistan’s continued support to terror groups are closely aligned with India’s concerns in the neighbourhood. It is significant that the U.S. has highlighted them. In its response, New Delhi has “appreciated the strategic importance” given to India as well as the common objectives that India and the U.S. now share. Predictably, the five countries singled out by the U.S. for criticism have not been as warm in their response. China has accused the U.S. of pursuing what it calls a “cold war mentality and the zero-sum game”. Russia has said that the strategy reeks of “imperialism” as the NSS accuses China and Russia of using their military might to deny America access to what it calls “critical commercial zones”. Pakistan, Iran and North Korea have also been dismissive.

India must be mindful, therefore, that in welcoming the U.S.’s categorisations of its security threats, it doesn’t unthinkingly get swept into an American clinch. To begin with, the U.S. articulation of its perceived challenges has swung wildly over the past year of the Trump administration. It would be wise to await a stabilisation in Mr. Trump’s policies, or at least concrete action to back its words. For example, while the U.S. has talked of countering China’s influence in South Asia, it has not backed this with actual financial assistance for infrastructure critical to the region. Equally, while Mr. Trump’s words on Pakistan and terrorism are sharp, the U.S. has yet to show its hand, either in terms of military action or withholding of coalition support funds. While the U.S. strategy deals with global concerns, the past year has seen American withdrawal from pacts ranging from the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Paris agreement on climate change. A tough U.S. security strategy can only be realised through cogent policymaking — whether it is on Israel-Palestine, North Korea, Iran or Afghanistan, Mr. Trump has been publicly at odds with his key advisers. A watch-and-wait stance is still India’s best option to preserve the autonomous and pluralistic nature of its engagement in areas where the U.S. faces its greatest challenges.

Affirmative vote: on US' move on Jerusalem

he UN General Assembly vote on a resolution calling for the final settlement of Jerusalem through negotiations may have been pitched as a contest between Israel and Palestine; however, it became a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital. The final outcome should force the U.S. to rethink its move, with 128 of the UNGA’s 193 member-countries voting for the resolution, and only nine against it. Among those voting for the resolution that “deeply regretted” the U.S. decision were its NATO allies, Germany, the U.K. and France, its Asian allies Japan and South Korea; its closest neighbours Canada and Mexico chose merely to abstain. The overwhelming majority ignored Mr. Trump and his UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s threats that all countries that defied America would be ‘named and shamed’ and face cancellation of U.S. aid. The suggestion was that the U.S. would exact its revenge by refusing to support these countries when they next need it at the UN. Israel showed deep derision for the world body, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to as a “house of lies”, while his UN envoy called the 128 countries “puppets forced to dance”. Such threats and epithets mark new lows in international diplomacy, and Israel and the U.S. come away looking like churlish bullies for issuing them. With all its weaknesses, the UN is a global collective, and it is imperative to acknowledge its mandate when such a large number of nations speak in one voice. The U.S. only recently asserted its intention to uphold the international rules-based order in its National Security Strategy document. It cannot now just walk away from both UN resolutions and its national commitment to the Israel-Palestine peace process by unilaterally changing its stand on the status of Jerusalem, without being accused of doublespeak.

By voting for the resolution, India has affirmed its traditional policy in favour of a negotiated settlement for Jerusalem as part of a larger two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided mentioning the contours of the settlement during his visit to Jerusalem in July this year, India’s support to the creation of a Palestinian state according to UN Resolution 181 (1948) was heavily underscored in his statement to the UN in November, just days before Mr. Trump’s decision. There had been some speculation that in the face of the U.S. threats over the resolution, as well as Mr. Netanyahu’s impending visit to India in January, India would dilute its support to those principles in favour of close strategic ties with both nations. In choosing to vote for the resolution at the UNGA, India has shown a clarity of purpose that also aligns with the broad global consensus.

Another fodder jolt: on Lalu Prasad's conviction

wenty years on, the Bihar fodder scam is still hounding Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad. In 1997, he had to resign as Chief Minister after being charged with involvement in a conspiracy to fraudulently withdraw money from the treasury to pay non-existent suppliers of livestock feed. In 2013, he was sentenced to a five-year prison term in a case relating to the withdrawal of ₹37 crore from the Chaibasa district treasury. He remains disqualified from electoral contest as a result of that conviction, although he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in December 2013. His conviction on Saturday by a Central Bureau of Investigation court relates to withdrawals worth ₹84.50 lakh between 1994 and 1996 from the Deogarh treasury. As it has been established even in earlier trials that a large-scale scam had taken place in the name of purchasing fodder for cattle, any more convictions in one or more of the many cases spread across Bihar and Jharkhand will come as no surprise. Mr. Prasad had failed to convince the Supreme Court earlier this year that repeatedly trying him in respect of the treasury withdrawals in different districts violated his constitutional protection against double jeopardy. The court has ruled that different transactions ought to be established independently, even if the acts of embezzlement arose out of an overarching conspiracy. As Mr. Prasad awaits his sentence, which will be known on January 3, he is already in jail, along with 15 others. Instead of one, he now has two convictions against his name. He has to wait until a higher court exonerates him in both before he can regain eligibility to contest elections...

Mr. Prasad’s political fortunes have been fluctuating. He could take credit for the victory of the grand alliance of the RJD, the Janata Dal (United) and the Congress in the November 2015 Assembly election in Bihar, but that unity was short-lived. It was an allegation that went back to Mr. Prasad’s days as Railway Minister that ruptured the ties between his party and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U). Mr. Prasad and his family members were named in a First Information Report filed by the CBI that claimed that his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejaswi Yadav received a prime piece of property in Patna as a quid pro quo for a contract to develop and run two railway hotels. With Tejaswi Yadav refusing to resign as Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Kumar quickly switched over to the BJP-led camp, to govern without the RJD’s support. This meant that Mr. Prasad’s influence as the leader of an 80-member legislature party was not as game-changing as it had appeared to be when the Mahagathbandhan was formed as an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party front in 2014. It may be too early to write off Mr. Prasad, who is perceived by some sections as a bulwark against communalism, but as the ghosts of the murky past return, his immediate political future looks bleaker. This jolt may not send him to political oblivion yet, but it may be one from which he will not recover easily.

On the line: on India-China boundary talks

he meeting between the Special Representatives of India and China — National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and State Councillor Yang Jiechi — on the boundary question on December 22, the 20th so far, was unique for a number of reasons. The talks came more than 20 months after the last round, reflecting a period of extreme strain in India-China ties, including the 70-day troop stand-off at Doklam this year. Previous meetings had followed each other within a year. Also, at the recent Communist Party Congress, Mr. Yang was elevated to the Political Bureau, and this is the first time the Chinese side has been represented by an SR of such seniority. As a result, the two sides were best poised to move ahead in the three-step process that was part of the Agreement on ‘Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question’ in 2005 — that is, defining the guidelines for the settlement of border disputes, formulating a framework agreement on the implementation of the guidelines, and completing border demarcation. The SRs were given an extended mandate after meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping this year, and thus went well beyond the remit of discussing the resolution of boundary issues. Above all, they were guided by the Modi-Xi agreements of 2017, including the ‘Astana consensus’ that “differences must not be allowed to become disputes”, and the understanding at Xiamen that India-China relations “are a factor of stability” in an increasingly unstable world.

It would be a mistake, however, to infer that with all these engagements the worst in bilateral ties is now behind the two countries. Since 2013, when the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed, there has been a steady decline in relations in all spheres. The border has seen more transgressions, people-to-people ties have suffered amid mutual suspicion, and China’s forays in South Asia as well as India’s forays into South-East Asian sea lanes have increasingly become areas of contestation. In India, this is seen as the outcome of China’s ambition of geopolitical domination. In this vitiated atmosphere India views every move by China as a targeted assault — such as the Belt and Road Initiative with the economic corridor with Pakistan, the free trade agreement with the Maldives, and the blocking of India’s membership bid at the Nuclear Suppliers Group. In turn, Beijing sees the U.S.-India defence agreements, the Quadrilateral engagement with Japan, Australia and the U.S., and Indian opposition to the BRI quite the same way. The stand-off at Doklam was a hint of what may ensue at greater regularity unless greater attention is paid to resolving the differences for which the SR meetings process was set up in the first place.

UN Security Council to vote on new North Korea sanctions

The U.N. Security Council is meeting on Friday to vote on whether to impose new sanctions on North Korea, including sharply cutting limits on its imports of refined oil, forcing all North Koreans working overseas to return home within 12 months and cracking down on the country’s shipping.

The draft resolution circulated to all 15 council members on Thursday wouldn’t go as far as the toughest-ever sanctions that have been sought by the Trump administration, such as prohibiting all oil imports and freezing international assets of North Korea’s government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The resolution would cap North Korea’s crude oil imports at 4 million barrels a year and limit its imports of refined oil products, including diesel and kerosene, to 500,000 barrels a year. That would be a nearly 90 percent cut in imported fuels that are key to North Korea’s economy.

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, would prohibit the export of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels from North Korea. And it would also ban all countries from exporting industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles and industrial metals to the country.

The proposed sanctions are the Security Council’s response to North Korea’s test on Nov. 29 of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile yet, which the government said is capable of hitting anywhere on the U.S. mainland. It was North Korea’s 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year and added to fears that the North will soon have a nuclear arsenal that can viably target the U.S. mainland.

The United States drafted the resolution and reportedly negotiated it with China before circulating the final text to the rest of the council.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted Sept. 11 in response to North Korea’s sixth and strongest nuclear test explosion eight days earlier.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the Trump administration believed the new sanctions imposed at that time combined with previous measures would ban over 90 % of North Korea’s exports reported in 2016.

Those sanctions prohibited North Korea from importing all natural gas liquids and condensates. It also banned all textile exports and prohibited any country from authorising new work permits for North Korean workers two key sources of hard currency for the northeast Asian nation.

The U.S. Mission said then that a cutoff on new work permits would eventually cost North Korea about $500 million a year once current work permits expire. The United States estimated about 93,000 North Koreans are working abroad, a U.S. official said.

The resolution to be voted on Friday would ban North Koreans from working abroad. It expresses concern that the foreign earnings from these workers are being used to support the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The resolution would require all countries to send North Korean workers and safety monitors home within 12 months.

The draft resolution “notes with great concern” that North Korea is illegally exporting coal and other prohibited items “through deceptive maritime practices and obtaining petroleum illegally through ship-to-ship transfers.”

The proposed resolution would authorize U.N. member states to seize, inspect, and impound any ship in its ports or territorial waters suspected of being involved in these illegal activities. It would also order all countries to prohibit companies from providing insurance or re-insurance to North Korean-affiliated vessels.

The draft would also order all countries to de-register any vessel suspected of being involved in the transport or transfer of banned items. And it would ban the supply of used vessels to North Korea.

The resolution proposes adding 19 individuals to the U.N. sanctions blacklist.

Seventeen of those who would face travel bans and asset freezes if the resolution is adopted are foreign bank representatives. The other two are Kim Jong Sik, identified as a leading official guiding North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction, and Ri Pyong Chul, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and first vice director of the Munitions Industry Department.

Like the previous sanctions resolution, the new draft reiterates the Security Council’s regret at North Korea’s “massive diversion of its scarce resources toward its development of nuclear weapons and a number of expensive ballistic missile programs.” It notes that 41 % of the population is undernourished.

The proposed resolution calls for a resumption of six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program aimed at the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability in northeast Asia and “expresses its commitment to a peace, diplomatic and political solution to the situation ... through dialogue.”

After the sanctions: on North Korea

The fresh round of economic sanctions imposed unanimously by the UN Security Council on North Korea is a predictable response to mounting international frustration over the nuclear stand-off. The measures come days after the U.S., echoing suspicions in other countries, charged the North Korean government with the world-wide ‘WannaCry’ cyberattacks in May. The sanctions include an 89% curb on refined petroleum imports into North Korea, stringent inspections of ships transferring fuel to the country, and the expulsion of thousands of North Koreans in other countries (who send home crucial hard currency) within two years. Despite the crippling nature of the curbs, there is some good news on this imbroglio. As on previous occasions, Beijing and Moscow were able to impress upon the Security Council the potentially destabilising and hence counterproductive impact of extreme measures. This is significant given the intercontinental ballistic missile that Pyongyang launched in November. It was described by U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis as technically more sophisticated than anything witnessed previously, and the North Korean regime’s claim that it could deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in North America has been viewed with concern. However, even as China and Russia approved the latest measures, they continued to state their preference for diplomatic engagement. It remains to be seen how much more pressure Beijing can exert upon Pyongyang.

The stated aim of the sanctions regime has been to force North Korea to halt its nuclear programme and start disarmament negotiations. In September, North Korea detonated its sixth underground nuclear device, which it claimed was a hydrogen bomb. That assertion remains unverified, but experts believe the explosion was many times more powerful than previous detonations. The development has served as a reminder to the U.S. that the scope for military options may be increasingly narrowing. Against this backdrop, a revival of stalled peace negotiations between the P-5 nations and North Korea may be the only realistic alternative on the horizon. The successful conclusion of the 2015 civilian nuclear agreement between the P-5 plus Germany and Iran affords a constructive template to move ahead with North Korea. Certainly, U.S. President Donald Trump has delivered a scathing blow to the Iran deal, even as he stopped short of scrapping it. Iran’s continued compliance with the inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency may not mean much to Mr. Trump, given his overall distrust of multilateral institutions. But that is no reason why other big powers should not pursue the diplomatic effort with redoubled energy. Countries that backed the recently adopted UN nuclear weapons abolition pact should likewise lobby Pyongyang.

Change & continuity: what lies ahead for Rupani, Thakur

 leader is as good as the party he leads. But in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party found the performance of its chief ministerial candidates at variance with that of the rest of the party. Vijay Rupani, the incumbent Chief Minister, won his Rajkot West seat comfortably, even as the BJP conceded ground to the Congress in Gujarat. Prem Kumar Dhumal lost in Sujanpur, but the BJP won big in Himachal Pradesh to wrest power from the Congress. After the poor showing in Gujarat, the re-nomination of Mr. Rupani as the legislature party leader was not automatic; there were other contenders, including his deputy, Nitin Patel. The BJP was under some pressure to send a positive signal to the Patidar community, large sections of which appeared to have shifted their allegiance to the Congress. But the party settled for another term for Mr. Rupani, not wanting to pin the blame for the below par performance on him. After all, the campaign had been led from the front by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah. Ignoring Mr. Rupani’s claim would only have meant laying the groundwork for further disaffection within the party. In Himachal Pradesh, the situation was, in many ways, very different. Despite losing his seat, Mr. Dhumal was not out of contention for the post of Chief Minister till the very end, with many newly elected members of the legislature offering to vacate their seats for him. But while recognising that Mr. Dhumal did indeed boost its chances in several seats, the BJP opted for five-time MLA Jairam Thakur as the new Chief Minister. Evidently, the reasoning was that rewarding Mr. Dhumal would be interpreted by detractors as a show of disrespect to the verdict of the people in his constituency. Also, the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is known to be opposed to rewarding with ministerial posts those who have lost an election. That Mr. Thakur is a former pracharak would only have made the RSS bring greater force to bear upon the BJP in this regard.

While the choice of Mr. Rupani is a vote for continuity, it is not an endorsement of everything that he did in the short period he has been in power in Gujarat. To rule in Mr. Modi’s name is one thing, but to not be a pro-active agent in governance is quite another. Mr. Rupani will continue to be on test under the keen eyes of the Modi-Shah combine. The BJP’s rural backing seems to have shrunk and the party depended heavily on its core support base of traders and the urban middle class to win the election. In Himachal, Mr. Thakur will likely have a freer hand, but he too will be under watch. Unless he can help his party beat the incumbency disadvantage, Mr. Thakur will not be seen as having done his job. Retaining power is not as easy as re-gaining power.

About PSC for west bengal....For WBCS aspirants

All the details are given to my very honest and polite brother Mrinal mahato,
I always respect and regard for his honesty and scarification and dedication to parents and education.


I love and please for those who are honest polite speakers, and faithful,and render to god.


For Prepare and compete to any one you must follow:-


1. Upgrade your English skill and knowledge ;-

Antonym Synonym, 

The Mind Strengthening process

The mind strengthening is like:-


a) Remember that every good works in past,
b) Understand the reality,
c) Be practical, and be positive minded ,
d) If you have time please read the book and biography.
e) You must know what are expenses on you and compare to other with your skill,not your face and your structure.
f) Follow the great

6,117 Kuchipuri dancers set new Guinners World Record

Kuchipuri dancers from various age groupa from across the world including from US, UAE , UK, Russia, Honk kong and Mauritius from performace.

Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojona

The Union Ministry Of Communication has launched DEEN DAYAL SPARSH yojona  a pan india Scholership program for school children to increase the reach of Philately. The Sparsh Stand for Scholer ship .

Scholership and Sections Every Postal circuit will select a maximum of 0 scholaship will be 6000/- per annum rs 500/- per month. The selections will be made based on evaluation of project work on philately and performance in Philately Quiz conducted through.


Philately Club : To avail this scholarship child must be student of recognized school within indiaand concerned school should have Philately club and candidates..

The World Polio day,Global Polio Eradication Iniciative

The world polio day is observed in 24 oct to creat awareness about the hazards of the cripping Polio disease.
The day was established by Rotary Internation to commemorate birth of Jonas Salk who had led the first team of researchers which had developed a vaccine against poliomylitis (polio virus). This development had led to widespread use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and susequently use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin. It also had led to establishment of Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988 which has helped to reduce polio worldwide by 99 %.


Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

GPEI launched in 1988 has played pivotal role in eradication of world poliovirus..

When it was launched wild poliovirus existed in 125 countries. Now it exists in two countries Pakistan and Afganistan. Till 2012 Nigeria, Africa's most populous country was reservoir of more than half of the Polio cases in the world. but in 2015, it was removed from list of Polio endemic countries by World Heath Organization.(WHO).

Poliovirus

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral diseases, which mainly affects young children ..

IPPB Bank to Become operational in 650 districts by April 2018

IPPB is Indian Post payment bank:


IPPB has been set up as a PUblic Limited Company under Department of Post with 100% Gonerment of India (GOI) equity.

It leverages Dop's vnetwork, resources and reach to make low-cost, quality and simple financial services easily accessible to customersin the country.

Its purpose is to further cause of financial inclusion by providing basic banking, remmitance services easily accessible to customer in the country.

Its purpose is to further causes of financial inclusion by providing basic banking remittance .

RBI eases FEMA norms to spur investment from ovedrseas

The reserve Bank Of India (RBI) has simplified Foreign Exchange Management ( Transfer or issue of Security by a Person Resident outside india. Regulations to make it easier for foreign investment .
It was done by putting all 93 amendments under one notification. The new regulation combines earlier two regulations on foreign investments. They are FEMA 20 (Investment in Indain company or partnership or in a limited liabilities partnership) or FEMA 24 .
It also introduces late submission fee that could allow investment to regularise any contravention due to non-reporting, by paying the fee.

Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) was passed by Parliament in 1999 and so far was amended 93 times. It had replaced FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulations Act), 1973 which had become incompatible after economic reforms and pro-liberalization policies of Government.

It aims at facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintanace of foreign exchange market in India. It makes offense related to foreign exchange civil offences. It enable new foreign exchange management regime consistent with emerging framework of World TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO).

National association for software services Companies NASSCOM

NASSCOM is global non-profit trade association (organisation) of Indian Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry. It facilitates business and trade in software and services and encourages the advancement of research in software technolgy.

It is registered under the Indian Societies Act, 1860.
Its headquarters are in New delhi.It has regional offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Thirubantapuram.




The global trade body has over 2000 members, of which over 250 are comanies from the China, EU, and UK. NASSCOM'S MEMBER companies are in the business of software development software services,software, products, IT-enabled/BPO services and e-commerce.

Cabinet approves protocol amending DTAA between India and Kyrgyz

India and Kyrgys for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to take on income.

DTAA Double taxation Avoidance Agreement aims to update Article 26 (Exchange of Information) of  DTAA to international standards.

Why DTAA:-

The updated Article 26 of DTAA provides for exchange of information to widest possible extent. The new paragraphs 4 and 5 have been inserted into Article 26 to make mandatory for State to provide information which is requested.

Such information cannot be denied on ground that it has no dormestic tax. The Protocol further empowers India to use information received under DTAA for other law enforcement purposes on supplying state authorizing such use.

The existing DTAA between India and Kyrgyz Republic was noticed in February 2001. The Protocol amending DTAA for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income has been agreed to be signed between two countries.

Under pressure: on Gurugram's Ryan School murder case

Why police investigators should not jump to conclusions, influenced by public outrage.

The  poor quality of police investigation in the country has once again come under focus. The twist in the probe into the murder of a seven-year-old boy at a school in Gurugram, Haryana, in September exposes how unreliable the police can be when it comes to investigating grave crimes amidst a public outcry and close media scrutiny. The Central Bureau of Investigation now claims that it was a 16-year-old student who murdered Pradyuman Thakur at the Ryan International School, and not the bus conductor arrested earlier for the offence by the local police. If the latest account is true, the police must explain why it made the sensational claim that Ashok Kumar, the conductor of the school bus, had committed the murder in the school’s washroom on September 8, and that he had “confessed” to it. The motive, the police had claimed, was that the child had resisted his attempt to sexually assault him. The CBI says that in fact a Class XI student had killed his junior school mate in a bid to get examinations postponed and a parent-teacher meeting called off. Closed-circuit television footage is cited as a crucial piece of evidence against the senior student, who is now under arrest, although the CBI says the role of Ashok Kumar remains under investigation. In their eagerness to show results and demonstrate their efficiency, the Gurugram police announced the bus conductor’s arrest on the very night of the murder. Reports that the school’s bus driver was under pressure to identify the knife allegedly used in the murder to be part of the bus toolkit add to the suspicion that the police were trying to frame the conductor.

Given the media glare that accompanies such tragedies, the police must learn not to succumb to the temptation to wrap up probes under public pressure. That the police had to extract a false confession is downright disgraceful, but it is not an isolated case in a country known for its primitive investigative methods. Studies on police reforms have highlighted the need to make the investigation process more scientific and more rooted in forensic analysis, but custodial torture and extracted confessions continue to be reported. The muddle in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case probe is a telling example of how both the local police and the CBI can botch up the investigation and lead to unfair incarceration. When two narratives emerge from different police agencies for a heinous murder, a sense of disquiet among the public is inevitable. The onus is now on the CBI to avoid such pitfalls and show that the initial narrative was false and its subsequent account is closer to the truth. Another notable feature of the case is that there is a likelihood of the 16-year-old suspect being tried as an adult under provisions introduced in juvenile law in 2016. It would be unfortunate if these provisions were to be reflexively invoked.

আপনাকে অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ। .

Slippery oil rally: on the oil-price rise

The price of oil has risen sharply in recent weeks leading to renewed forecasts of a sustained bull market in the price of the commodity. The price of Brent crude, which breached the $60 mark late last month, is currently trading at about $64 per barrel, a two-year high. In fact, in the last one month alone, oil has gained well over 12%. The oil rally has been even sharper from its June low of a little below $45, from where the commodity has rallied more than 40% to reach its current price, with some experts saying the ongoing rally could portend even higher prices in the coming months. The upsurge this week has been driven primarily by political uncertainty in Saudi Arabia, the world’s second largest producer of oil, and the tightening of supply by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which is expected to extend its supply-cut agreement beyond March. Whether the price gains would sustain and continue over an extended period of time still remains a big question for various reasons, however. Shale oil production is the biggest among them. In the past, North American producers of shale brought a multi-year bull market in oil to an abrupt end. Since then, OPEC has struggled to maintain control over oil prices except for brief spells. The American shale industry has been let free to increase production in response to higher prices, thus imposing a cap on the price of oil. There are no signs yet of a structural change in the oil market to suggest that it could be any different this time.

Shale producers have continued to pump more oil into the market as crude prices have crossed the $50 mark. According to the Energy Information Administration, a body under the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. shale production is likely to increase by about 81,000 barrels per day in the current month. In addition, in its World Oil Outlook report released this week, OPEC said it expects shale output to grow much faster than it had previously estimated. The cartel’s new estimate is, in fact, more than 50% higher than its projection last year. It also noted that shale output from North America has increased by about 25% over the past one year. All this suggests that shale is likely to remain OPEC’s nemesis for a long time. India has derived huge benefits from lower oil prices since 2014, with the government’s fiscal management and inflation-targeting being rendered a lot easier. There is bound to be some economic unease now as the price of oil fluctuates in what looks likely to be a range-bound market. A repeat of the huge damage caused by the last oil bull market, however, seems unlikely. Nonetheless, policymakers in Delhi will surely take a cautious stance given the extensive impact that oil prices have on the Indian economy.

Capital crisis on Delhi ,deteriorating air quality and degrade air quality level

Delhi's air quality deteriorates with unfailing regularity at this time of the year, with large swathes of north India in the grip of a suffocating smog, but the State governments that can make it easier for millions to breathe do not act with any sense of urgency. That it has turned into a public health emergency in the capital, with the air quality index touching extremely hazardous levels in some parts, necessitating the closure of primary schools, has further lowered its standing. It is unconscionable for governments, through indifference and inaction, to subject citizens to such toxic air, and cause extreme suffering especially among people with respiratory ailments and impaired lung function. The smog that envelops the region is exacerbated by the burning of biomass in Punjab and Haryana, and the winter atmosphere is marked by weak ventilation. An analysis of local sources by IIT Kanpur last year pointed to construction dust, vehicular pollution, and domestic and industrial emissions as other major factors. Clearly the burden of such chronic problems has outweighed the benifits confeterred by measure such as the ban on Deepawali crackers, and in the past, the shift to compressed natural gas for commercial vehicles and restricting car use to odd and even number plates on alternate days. A comprehensive solution demands that the  Govt of Delhi, Punjab, haryana and Uttar Pradesh, assisted by the Centre, address farm residue burning and constuction dust .

The post- monsoon -- as opposed to pre-monsoon-- burning of rice and wheat residue releases maximum aerosols that contribute to the volume of PM 2.5 ,which gets embedded in the lungs. Automation of farm operations leaves root-bound crop waste after machine harvesting, running to millions of tonnes, requiring a solution of scale.
Sustainable residue removal cannot be achieved by the farmerss alone, and require s help from the state machinery. Here Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should be commended for his initiative to discuss the modalities of joint action with the Punjab and Haryana Govt. The national capital needs a major greening effort.
There is every reason to think that even the Ministry of Environment's orders issued in 2015 under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 to comprehensively green Delhi's road margins and open spaces were not pursued seriously. Shifting more of the city's travel to comfort .

Unpaved surfaces raise dust levels as in all Indian Cities, but civic agencies ignore the problem. There is every reason to think that even the Ministry Of Environment's orders issued to think that even the Ministry of Environment orders issued in 2015 under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) act 1981.
Shifting more of the city's travel to cofort.

Light interferometer gravitational- wave observatory

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory(LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool.^[1]Two large observatories were built in the United States with the aim of detecting gravitational waves by laserinterferometry. These can detect a change in the 4 km mirror spacing of less than a ten-thousandth the charge diameter of a proton, equivalent to measuring the distance to Proxima Centauri with an accuracy smaller than the width of a human hair.^[2]

The initial LIGO observatories were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and MIT.^[3][4] They collected data from 2002 to 2010 but no gravitational waves were detected.

The Advanced LIGO Project to enhance the original LIGO detectors began in 2008 and continues to be supported by the NSF, with important contributions from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Max Planck Society of Germany, and the Australian Research Council.^[5][6] The improved detectors began operation in 2015. The detection of gravitational waves was reported in 2016 by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) and the Virgo Collaboration with the international participation of scientists from several universities and research institutions. Scientists involved in the project and the analysis of the data for gravitational-wave astronomy are organized by the LSC, which includes more than 1000 scientists worldwide,^[7][8][9] as well as 440,000 active Einstein@Home users as of December 2016.^[10]

LIGO is the largest and most ambitious project ever funded by the NSF.^[11][12]

As of August 2017, LIGO has made five detections of gravitational waves, the first four of which were colliding black hole pairs. The fifth detected event, on August 17, 2017, was the first detection of a collision of two neutron stars, which simultaneously produced optical signals detectable by conventional telescopes

Gravitational Wave in according to Albert Einstein

Gravitational wave is  ripple in the curvature iof spacetime that are generated in certain gravitation intersections and propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light Predicted in 1916 by Albert Einstein on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves transport energy as grvitational radiation a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation. Newton's law of universal gravitation, part of classical mechanics, does not provide for their existance, since that law is predicted on the assumtion that physical intractions propagate at infinite speed -- showing one of the ways the methods of classicasl physics are unable to explain phenomenon associate with relativity.

Gravitational- wave astronomy id s brsnch of observational astronomy tahat uuses gravitational constant .

On NTPC boiler blast: Unsafe boilers

The boiler  boiler explosion at NTPC’s Unchahar power plant in Rae Bareli underscores the importance of inspections and protocols for hazardous industrial operations. It has cost at least 32 lives and caused severe injuries to scores of personnel. High pressure boilers are hazardous pieces of equipment, which are strictly regulated with special laws. In fact, the basic objective of the Indian Boilers Act, 1923 is to ensure the safety of life and protection of property by mandating uniform standards in the quality and upkeep of these units. That the Uttar Pradesh government failed miserably in meeting this objective is evident from the accident at the public sector facility. Quite clearly, the accident was entirely preventable because boilers are designed to provide warnings as soon as dangerous pressure builds up and trigger automatic safety devices at a critical point. They should undergo periodic inspections to ensure that all these features are working and intact. At the Unchahar plant, the blocking of an outlet for waste gases by ash, unusual in a fairly new boiler, calls for an inquiry into the quality of the equipment and the fuel used. Ideally, these aspects should be investigated by an external agency and not the NTPC.

Industrial regulation has, unfortunately, come to be viewed as a barrier to ease of doing business in India. This is a result of inefficiency and corruption and the typical response of governments has been to relax crucial safety checks. Self-certification and third-party certification of facilities has received support from policymakers even in the case of boilers. Soon after assuming office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi likened maintenance of boilers to that of a privately owned car, where owners should be trusted to do their best because they understand the need for safety in its operation. But the two are not comparable. The Unchahar accident shows it is in everyone’s interest to have a transparent regulatory mechanism for hazardous industrial activity. The safety and welfare of workers and the public at large cannot be compromised. A rigorous approach to accident reporting must become part of the process if the weak spots in regulation are to be addressed. National Crime Records Bureau data provide insights into casualties caused by industrial boiler and gas cylinder explosions — there were 61 deaths in 2015 — and the rise in the number of accidents over the previous year points to the need for strict enforcement of safety protocols. The loss suffered by families of workers due to an accident that could have been averted cannot be compensated just financially. It must be the Centre’s endeavour to see that measures taken to make it easy to do business do not translate into lack of regulation, and putting lives at risk. Administrative reform can eliminate the corruption of inspector raj and achieve transparent regulation, while keeping the workplace safe

The boiler  boiler explosion at NTPC’s Unchahar power plant in Rae Bareli underscores the importance of inspections and protocols for hazardous industrial operations. It has cost at least 32 lives and caused severe injuries to scores of personnel. High pressure boilers are hazardous pieces of equipment, which are strictly regulated with special laws. In fact, the basic objective of the Indian Boilers Act, 1923 is to ensure the safety of life and protection of property by mandating uniform standards in the quality and upkeep of these units. That the Uttar Pradesh government failed miserably in meeting this objective is evident from the accident at the public sector facility. Quite clearly, the accident was entirely preventable because boilers are designed to provide warnings as soon as dangerous pressure builds up and trigger automatic safety devices at a critical point. They should undergo periodic inspections to ensure that all these features are working and intact. At the Unchahar plant, the blocking of an outlet for waste gases by ash, unusual in a fairly new boiler, calls for an inquiry into the quality of the equipment and the fuel used. Ideally, these aspects should be investigated by an external agency and not the NTPC.

Change, yet continuity: on Jerome Powell's nomination as US Fed Chief

President Donald Trump's decision to name Federal Reserve board Governor  Jerome Powell   as his pick to head the central bank signals that the businessman-turned-politician has plumped for continuity even as he ushers in change. For a President whose first nine months in office have been marked by a succession of signature appointments to key posts ranging from a Supreme Court Justice to heads of federal regulatory bodies, the investment banker suggests that Mr. trump's business instrict won.Mr Powell , who was appointed by instict won. Mr Powell, who was appointed by President barak Obama as Fed Governor in 2012 and worked alongside the incumbent Chair and worked alongside the incumbent Chair,janet Yellen, over the past five years,will represent the policy continuity in the monetary management of the world's largest economy.After all ,with the economic engine ticking over nicely and creationg jobs,and the markets buoyant, there was little reason for Mr. Trump to run the risk of choosing someone who may have altered the calibrated field approach the fed had adopted in overseeing the recovery from the global financial crisi.Two of the other short-listed probables -- Kevin Warsh and John Taylor -- had both been served in the Fed's actions.

That Mr. Powell had served in the Treasery administration means that he will ,in all likehoodf, receive bipartisan backing in the Senate.
Emerging markets ,including India,C

Central Government launched the Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana, an annual scholarship for students collecting stamps

4 November 2017 Current Affairs: The central government launched the Deen Dayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Yojana, an annual scholarship to promote philately, the hobby of collecting and studying postage stamps.

Only students of Class 6 to Class 9 will be eligible for the scholarship.

The amount of scholarship will be Rs 6,000 per annum.

The scholarship will be provided to 920 students who have a good academic record and pursue philately.

Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana launched to Promote Philately

06 November 2017 Current Affairs: Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha launched a Pan India scholarship program for school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana to increase the reach of Philately.

Under the scheme of SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby), it is proposed to award annual scholarships to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby.

Telangana set to get 24x7 power supply to boost agriculture sector

06 November 2017 Current Affairs: Telangana set to provide 24x7 power supply in order to boost farm sector.

The state government decided to take this initiative by supplying 'quality' and 'uninterrupted' power on an experimental basis in the entire state to the agricultural sector. 

Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao did experimental basis 24-hour power supply would be given from Monday night for five or six days all over the state for the agriculture sector.

Transco, Genco and Discoms SPDCL and NPDCL have invested about Rs. 12,000 Crore to strengthen the distribution and supply systems. About 23 lakh pump sets are in use in the State farm sector.

Marooned once more: on Chennai's need for flood management

Chennai needs integrated flood management especially the revival of lakes and water tanks.

Chennai's date with a strong northeast monsoon ought to be a cause for all-round relief since the water fortunes of more than eight million residents of the metropolitan region depend on this weather system.Yet the terrential rains in the metrological sub -division,exceeding the normal by 93 % in the period of four days from November 1,left tens of thousands of citizens in state of despair.Flood water marooned them in the rapidly growing suburban housing clusters, with many having to flee to safter places fearing repeat of the deluge of 2015.While there have been efforts to alleviate immediate misery through the distribution of relief material in some places,the largest issue of how the city deals with flood and drought cycles remains unaddressed.Chennai is a lower elevation coastal city with global aspirations, and very high population density.Scientific management should have ensured the preservation of the many traditional lakes and canals that existed in the city's core a century ago to absorb the intense downpour of aairf.bout 1300 mm of rain,most of it in an annual window of a few weeks.Successive governments have allowed the mindless draining of wetlands and their convention into air.

All the roads that lead to Kabul

The optics could not have been more significant. Just a day after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Kabul and on the day he landed in New Delhi, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was hosted by India. As Mr. Tillerson chided Pakistan for not doing enough against terrorists operating from its soil, Mr. Ghani in New Delhi was underlining that the time had come for Islamabad to make a choice between abandoning state sponsorship of terrorism and facing the consequences. It was as perfect a piece of diplomatic choreography as it could get, aimed at sending a message to Pakistan that regional equations are shifting in a direction which will only isolate Islamabad if immediate corrective measures are not taken.




Mr. Ghani’s visit came at a time when the Trump administration’s South Asia policy has underscored India’s centrality in the ‘Af-Pak’ theatre. As Washington plans to increase its military footprint in Afghanistan, it is tightening the screws on Pakistan for supporting terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Both Washington and Kabul now view New Delhi as a player with considerable leverage over the evolving regional dynamic.


A central feature of the Trump administration’s new Afghanistan policy is an outreach to India. “We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the U.S. and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development,” Mr. Trump had said in August while outlining his new South Asia policy.


Kabul has wholeheartedly embraced this strategy, with Mr. Ghani terming it a “game-changer” for the region as it “recommends multi-dimensional condition-based approach for the region.” In Delhi, he was categorical in attacking Pakistan by suggesting that “sanctuaries are provided, logistics are provided, training is provided, ideological bases are provided.” In a remarkable move, he went on to suggest that Afghanistan would restrict Pakistan's access to Central Asia if it is not given access to India through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. He referred to the Indo-Afghan air corridor as an effective response to Pakistan’s attempt to deny India and Afghanistan any direct access. He also strongly rejected Islamabad’s claims that India was using Afghanistan as a base to destabilise Pakistan. He made it clear that there were “no secret agreements” between Kabul and New Delhi.