ANNA HAZARE fast & lokpak bill

The HinduDemanding a comprehensive law to end corruption, social activist Anna Hazare (right), along with Swami Agnivesh, addresses the media on the third day of his fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi 

 

 

Even as some of his demands have been addressed and deliberations on others are continuing, social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday said he would “fight till his death.”

Addressing the media and a huge crowd of supporters who gathered at Jantar Mantar here on the third day of his fast, Mr. Hazare said politicians did not want a Lokpal Bill because it would put a stop to their “loot” of the exchequer. “Now scams like 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh housing are being exposed but the corrupt are not going to jail. We want a Lokpal Bill to jail the corrupt and get them hanged,” the activist said, much to the surprise of his supporters.

“You must be wondering why I am talking about hanging [the corrupt] despite my being a Gandhian. But the situation today is such that we should follow not only Gandhiji but also Chhatrapati Shivaji.”

Referring to the government's disinclination earlier to include civil society in a joint committee to be formed for framing the draft of the Bill, Mr. Hazare said Ministers should know that it was the people who were sovereign in a democracy. He dismissed a question on the reported presence, during his protest, of activists with right-wing affiliations, recalling his long and often lonely fight against corruption. “I have not sought the support of any political party till date.”

Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal, who acted as interlocutors, briefed the supporters on their discussions with Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and sought their opinion on the responses to be given. Swami Agnivesh said though he had been a regular participant in protests at Jantar Mantar for the past several years, Mr. Hazare's fast-unto-death was the most spectacular and well-attended effort till date.

Mr. Kejriwal derided attempts to portray the Lokpal as an extra-constitutional body. He said the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by civil society was clear that the Lokpal's task was only to investigate offences and submit a charge sheet/report which would then take the course of law through trial courts and higher courts. He said the Bill had also listed clear provisions to remove the Lokpal through the intervention of the Supreme Court.

According to “India Against Corruption” volunteers, the number of people who have joined Mr. Hazare in his fast-unto-death has risen to 210. Three persons fainted and had to be given medication on Thursday.

Obama birth certificate

Prince William marries Kate Middleton in London

 

 

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange rings in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey, London.

How not to mess up an Internship interview

After weeks of efforts of looking for a right internship opportunity, applying to it and following up, you finally get an email from the employer showing interest in your application and wanting to have a ‘chat’. You feel elated at first but then anxiety over the next step – an interview – begins to overtake! What would the recruiter ask, what are the model answer to some of the standard questions, would it be a technical or an HR interview or a stress interview, what if I fail?

While it’s natural and even good to feel a little nervous, it’s absolutely unnecessary to feel hyper and lose sleep over it. It’s easier said than done – I myself dreaded interviews until I started interviewing candidates myself and the tips below are basis my (limited) experience of being on both the sides of the table. These are not absolute truths but may prove helpful in most of the situations. More importantly, think of internship interview as a perfect learning platform for your final placement interviews – even if you don’t ace this one, you are so much better prepared for the next one!

1. Interview is a conversation and not a test: – More often than not, it’s the fear of failure that results in a poor interview because we think of interview as a test where we have to prove ourselves. In reality it is and it should be a conversation. Yes, the recruiter would like to assess your capabilities and fit for the role but it’s a golden opportunity for you also to find out more about the company, the work-culture and the exact nature of assignment. Remember, a company is as desperate for a good candidate as a good candidate may be for that role.

2. If the interview is a telephonic one and the call comes unscheduled and you are not prepared or are not in a quiet place where you can have a half decent conversation , it’s OK to request for a rescheduling of the conversation – even better, ask if you could call back the person on the number

3. “Tell me about yourself” is about YOU – don’t start with your family background, brothers and sisters, town history etc. Try to paint a vivid picture of who you are, what you do and how the skills and experience that you have may be relevant for the role

4. If asked to describe one particular project/assignment in detail, start with the overall objective of the project, the challenges involved, the outcome and most importantly your contribution in the whole process. If you have numbers to support the conversation, even better. For example, to say that a particular project in area of “smart lighting” reduced power consumption by 20% is so much more powerful than saying that the project was appreciated by everyone. Always try to link the learnings from the project to the internship ahead. These could be soft skills or technical skills – point is that you have a life experience that would help you do better in the internship if given a chance

5. Avoid giving global answers to questions on why do you want to take up that particular internship – if you have done your research well about the company and the internship before applying, I am sure there are good reasons that you can list. Be specific and be relevant.

6. Please feel free to ask if you have ANY questions about the internship or the company – as I said before it’s a two way conversation and not a one way test. Companies like candidates who are confident, curious and not afraid to ask a question. Moreover it further highlights your interest and keenness in the internship

7. Never undersell yourself – when asked on expectation on stipend, most of the candidates fumble giving answers such as they would be happy to work for any stipend that the company may decided to pay while reality may be otherwise. If you have a (realistic) figure in mind below which you would not be comfortable taking up that project, please let the recruiter know. Otherwise you could leave the conversation open ended with indicating a broad range of stipend that you have seen around you and expressing your willingness to be flexible with-in the range.

As I said these are not absolute truths and do not cover all possible questions/scenarios that one may face during an interview process. Irrespective, the key is to think of an internship interview as a conversation between two sensible and mature persons and not as a test.

Hope this helps. Have something to say, ask, or critique – post it right away. For most of you the end semester exams may just be round the corner – wish you all the best!

How to find an Internship that matters?

Finding the right internship may feel like a task – and it is. But with a bit of sincerity, determination, persistency, and luck you could land the perfect opportunity. Again, if you are looking for a magic wand to fetch your dream internship on click of a mouse – I am going to disappoint you. But for those willing to perspire, here is how.

To begin with, it would be nice to have some sense on what sort of opportunity you are looking for. May not be as specific as working on design of underwater foundation of world’s longest trans-oceanic bridge across Hangzou Bay in China, but yes to know that you prefer area of structural engineering would be helpful. And what if you don’t have that sense as yet?

You are surrounded by people (friends, seniors, family, and faculty) who all have been through similar dilemma and can help. Make an effort and start talking – tell them your academic background, interests and if there is a particular assignment/course/project that you really liked. You’d be pleasantly surprised to see how people love to talk if anyone is willing to listen. The tips, the pointers and the contacts these conversations may generate could be real eye openers. Try it!

There are 2 more useful resources available – first is Training & Placement Office (TPO) whose sole purpose is to help students with their career needs. The second is the seminars and talks on the campus where people from all walks of life interact with students – keep your ears and eyes open and exploit these opportunities to your advantage.

Once you have a sense of direction, the road ahead is simpler. Just focus your efforts in that direction. Again the people, who showed you the path, are also the people who can help you walk the path. Search for individuals and organizations (power of Google) that are working in your area of interest and may have a requirement for someone just like you to help them.

Thanks to LinkedIn and Facebook, it has become so easy to find and connect with people (a note of caution on this later). Your real world network (father of a friend or a friend of father) could prove equally, if not more, useful – just let people know that you are looking for help. There are dedicated internship portals (www.firstnaukri.com, www.twenty19.com, www.indianinternship.com, www.hellointern.com, www.10internship.in, www.india-interns.com etc.) too where you could look.

Once you have zeroed on a few selected internships to pursue, comes the final step – to contact and to apply – and this is where many of us falter and I would cover this in a greater detail in next blog. But avoiding some common pitfalls should secure you your dream internship.

Admittedly, the whole process is not simple and it is OK to feel stressed at times. There would be days when you would feel clueless, there would be people who would not return your calls or emails, and there would be peers who would have a better shot at an internship because they are in a different education stream/college. At the end of the day, it won’t matter – success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s the courage to go on that counts!

Have something to say, ask, critique or know of an internship opportunity that you would like others to know – post it right away!

It is a season of internships

For many college students, the hunt has begun. With several institutions making summer internships mandatory, students are on the look out for organisations they could possibly work with for the next few weeks.

A summer internship that was earlier perceived as a mere academic requirement, is increasingly being seen as a more professional endeavour.

This is evident from the changing nature of internships and the process of seeking them. Many organisations make it a period of some rigorous work for the students, seeing if there are prospective employees among the interns, even as the trainees see prospective employers in the organisations.

Recognising the increasing importance being given to internships and the challenges in finding them, enterprising youngsters Sarvesh Agrawal and Ankur Khator came up with www.internshala.com, a blog that features internship opportunities across sectors.

“Now students are keen on finding meaningful internships. We thought aggregating the information we have will be of use to such students. The response from both students and companies has been very heartening,” says Mr. Agrawal, an alumnus of IIT-Madras.

The blog not only provides information on various internships available, but also gives tips on how a student needs to prepare, including aspects such as drafting one's curriculum vitae.

Surveys among students showed that they privileged the learning experience over the stipend or brand value, say the founders of the blog.

Some companies, in turn, make offers to the students based on the impression and performance during the internship.

Cognizant, for instance, provides internship opportunities to students pursuing management education from premier institutions. Satish Jeyaraman, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources of the company, says the internship spans a couple of months and students are mentored by senior leaders.

“Based on the performance in theinternship program, Cognizant also makes pre-placement job offers to them at an appropriate time,” he adds.

Karthikeyan Vijayakumar, CEO, www.twenty19.com, a portal that offers information on internships and opportunities for students says students who perform well during their internships have a good chance of converting it to a job offer at the end of it.

“With every year, it gets more competitive for students seeking internships,” says the Chennai-based entrepreneur who graduated from BITS, Pilani.

Companies connect with such portals, letting them know of opportunities they may have for interns. “Even some big companies hire interns for good stipends. Start-ups, particularly, are always on the look out for good candidates as interns,” Mr. Vijayakumar said.

That is how Pavan Madhini landed a job in a start up in Chennai. The student of the humanities department at IIT-Kanpur took up an internship in the company after the fourth year of his course. “I found the job unique and very exciting. The offer was good and I took it up excitedly,” he says.

Krithiga Kamaraj, now in her third year of engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology, is hoping that her internship will be as fruitful. “They [the company] have asked me to take a test in May. I'm taking up this internship as it will give me some exposure and prepare me better for the GRE that I will take later,” she says.

On campus

Another indication of the newly-acquired status of internships is companies going to campuses for recruiting interns. K. Nirmala Prasad, Principal, MOP Vaishnav College for Women says well-known companies, including a few MNCs, come to the institution for recruiting interns.

“Some of our students find internships in companies abroad, too. We have had several success stories of students shining in the organisations they interned with and being placed there in a good position after their courses,” she says.

Indian Space Research Organisation preparing for three more PSLV launches

M. Chandradathan (second from right), Director, Sathish Dawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, releasing 'Constellation 2K'11' proceedings at Arunai Engineering College in Tiruvannamalai on Thursday. V. Kanagarajan, Chair Professor, KAV Pandalai memorial AR & DB Chair, MIT, Chennai, receives it. Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

India excels in aero space engineering: Director, Sathish Dhawan Space Centre

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) braces itself for three more PSLV launches this year, M. Chandradathan, Director, Sathish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, said.

“PSLV C-17 will be launched in July and it will carry GSAT-12, a communication satellite. PSLV-C18 will be launched in September and it will carry a weather forecast satellite. PSLV-C19 with a payload of Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) will be launched by this year end,” Mr. Chandradathan said.

Delivering the inaugural address at ‘Constellation 2K'11,' a national level technical symposium, organised by Department of Humanities & Sciences, Arunai Engineering College here on Thursday Mr. Chandradathan said that when other countries excel in various branches of engineering India excels in aero space engineering.

“Recently launched PSLV-C16 precisely injected its payloads into intended orbits without wasting even a bit of propellant,” he said.

Mr. Chandradathan asked students to be disciplined and cheerful. He said that humans are utilising not more than 10 per cent of the capacity of their brain. He also said in order to optimize minds ability one need to keep a pleasant, happy, and peaceful disposition and keep away worries.

“Even if worry occurs that should not be allowed to stay for long. Start loving your work. Once you start loving your work that will cease be a work,” he said.

V. Kanagarajan, Chair Professor, KAV Pandalai memorial AR & DB Chair, MIT, Chennai, in his special address said that India's economy has improved a lot in the last 50 years and India's present education system was superior than most of the countries in the world.

India was the largest producer of automobiles today, he added.

S. Gopinath, Head, Department of Humanities & Sciences welcomed the gathering and P. Jayakumar, principal, delivered the felicitation address.

Later speaking to reporters, Mr. Chandradathan said that building of GSLV-Mk III will be over by 2012 end and launch would be in the next year.

“GSLV-Mk III has three stages. The first stage, Solid propellant booster S-200 has been tested and qualified; Second and liquid propellant stage called L-110 has also been tested. Work is yet to be completed in third and important stage, the cryogenic stage,” he said.

Olive branch to Ridleys

It's that time of the year when Olive Ridley hatchlings are guided to their home — the sea

It's like any other evening at the Broken Bridge in Beasant Nagar: clusters of people lost in their private revelries. A group of jeans-clad young men take swigs of beer from amber-coloured bottles and bob their heads to thumping electronic beats from a tweaked music system in a hatchback. At the same time, small groups of people stroll down the bridge to watch the setting sun, which resembles a crimson blotch on a kindergartener's colouring book.

It's like any other evening, but for the squeals of delight in a small enclosed area pockmarked with bottomless bamboo baskets. Removing a basket, Akila Balu gently digs up the sand with a hand. Her fingers probe for Olive Ridley hatchlings. She retrieves a small creature that furiously flaps its tiny flippers. Digging a tunnel under another basket, volunteer Karunakaran lets a swarm of baby Ridleys climb out of their birth bed. They run helter-skelter and he quickly gathers and locks them up within the upturned basket.

It is that time of the year when Olive Ridley hatchlings are sent home. We are at the Besant Nagar hatchery, created and managed along with another at Foreshore Estate by Students' Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN). On the Chennai coast, Olive Ridley hatchlings have surpassed the record of previous years. The two hatcheries have accounted for 10,000 little ones. Akila believes 2,000 more are on the way.

For Akila, a full-timer at SSTCN, and the student-volunteers, the task of helping the new-born Ridleys paddle into the sea is a culmination of a long process that starts in December, when Olive Ridleys begin to come ashore and nest.

Watching a squirming mass of 71 small turtles — not long ago, just small ovals of white retrieved by volunteers on their long nightly trudges along the shore from Neelangarai to Thiruvanmiyur — Akila's eyes speak the language of fulfilment. As the turtles dart in various directions, she says, “It's like babysitting 200 children. If some of them get underneath those covers, chances are you'll never find them. During the hatching season, volunteers visit the hatchery right through the day to keep an eye on the baskets.”

Outside the hatchery — just a cost-effective enclosure made of split bamboo sticks — a gaggle of small children are being devoured by curiosity. When Akila pops out of the hatchery, one boy tells her, “I know the kids are coming out!” For Akila, this is an opportunity to talk about the sea turtles to these impressionable children from Olcott Memorial School and she makes the most of it. It is dark and the task of guiding the Ridleys to the sea without the children trampling on any of them is a challenge. She and Karunakaran cordon off the ‘track' for the turtles — roughly 15 feet wide and 25 feet long — with a line drawn with their feet.

The swarm of 71 baby turtles is let off at the start-line. Each has to just follow its own nose to reach the sea. But these little ones can veer off in different directions, often lured by bright lights. An onlooker-turned-volunteer flashes a torch and leads them to their destination. The turtles make a dash towards the source of light, like fugitives running towards freedom and safety. As a few Ridleys are swept into the sea by a powerful wave, a boy says with a failing heart, “They are going to die!” A teacher corrects him: “No, they are going home! They belong to the sea!”

They are home alright, but the fight for survival is not over. On land, when they are eggs or hatchlings, these creatures face the threat of being eaten by canines and birds. At sea, the tiny Ridleys become food for many sea creatures. “Given this situation, the Olive Ridley's survival rate is one in one thousand,” says Akila, who keeps her fingers crossed every time she bids a batch of young Ridleys goodbye.

India can become economically developed by 2020: Kalam

India can become economically developed by 2020 if it maintains a GDP of 10-11 per cent as there are nine more years to achieve ‘Vision 2020’ goals, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said.

“We have nine more years for 2020 and if we maintain 10-11 percent GDP we will be economically developed,” he said before a gathering of prominent Indian businessmen and social leaders at Indian Consulate here.

Mr. Kalam was speaking about the success of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and his ‘Vision 2020’ to make India economically developed by 2020 at the banquet organised by Indian Consul General, in Chicago, Mukta Dutta Tomar in his honour earlier this week.

He said that India’s “economic growth must sustain population growth.”

Speaking on India-Pakistan relations the former president said he was confident that India and Pakistan can work for people’s economic development.

“Europe fought for more than 100 years for peace and has formed the European Union with 28 members, so why not our South Asian nations?” Mr. Kalam said.

He, however, also expressed the need for a corruption-free India for the country’s development.

Talking about his ‘Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA)’ policy, Mr. Kalam said it would bring development in India and bridge the gap.

He said there was a digital divide in villages, and the PURA system that has been evolved would bridge the gaps between the villages and cities.

Mr. Kalam stressed on the need for a clean and green environment, energy, education for women, control on population, to ensure safe drinking water and adequate amenities in the rural areas in India.

PURA aims at providing urban resources like safe drinking water, street lights, education, healthcare and telecom services in villages.

He said that we need to provide adequate amenities to make it sustainable.

On Sunday, the former president visited Fermilab in Batavia and later attended a reception at the Oak Brook Mariott hosted by the Indo-American Centre. “I’m delighted to interact with educational leaders,” he said.

Commenting on the Devas Multimedia and ISRO affiliate Antrix scam, in which the private company could have got 70 MHz of spectrum just for Rs 1000 crore, Mr. Kalam said, “We will have to wait for the investigations that are going on.”

Sex ratio, patriarchy, and ethics

Patriarchal societies are part of the problem of altered sex ratios, female infanticide and foeticide. This needs to be acknowledged and changed.

India's sex ratio, among children aged 0-6 years, is alarming. The ratio has declined from 976 females (for every 1000 males) in 1961 to 914 in 2011. Every national census has documented a decline in the ratio, signalling a ubiquitous trend. Preliminary data from the 2011 census have recorded many districts with sex ratios of less than 850. The ratio in urban areas is significantly lower than those in rural parts of the country. Reports suggest evidence of violence and trafficking of poor women and forced polyandry in some regions with markedly skewed ratios. The overall steep and consistent decline in the ratio mandates serious review.

Sex selection and technology: Medical technology (like amniocentesis and ultrasonography), employed in the prenatal period to diagnose genetic abnormalities, are being misused in India for detecting the sex of the unborn child and subsequently for sex-selection. Female foetuses, thus identified, are aborted.

A large, nationally representative investigation of married women living in 1.1 million households documented markedly reduced sex ratios of 759 and 719 for second and third births when the preceding children were girls. By contrast, sex ratios for second or third births, if one or both of the previous children were boys, were 1102 and 1176 respectively. A systematic study in Haryana documented the inverse relationship between the number of ultrasound machines in an area and the decline in sex ratios. Studies have also documented correlations of low sex ratios at birth with higher education, social class and economic status. Many studies have concluded that prenatal sex determination, followed by abortion of female foetuses, is the most plausible explanation for the low sex ratio at birth in India.

The steady decline in the sex ratio suggests that marked improvements in the economy and literacy rates do not seem to have had any impact on this index. In fact, the availability of new technology and its easy access for the urban, wealthy and the educated have worsened the trend and harmed the status of women in Indian society.

Sex selection and statutes: A prolonged campaign by women's groups and civil society organisations all over the country, in the wake of the skewed child sex ratio in the 1991 census, led to the enactment of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act in 1994. However, this statute was not effectively implemented, leading to further skewing of the sex ratios as recorded in the 2001 census. Social and financial pressures for smaller families intensified the misuse of such technologies to ensure the birth of sons. Such misuse cut across barriers of caste, class, religion and geography. The Act was amended in 2003, to include the more recent pre-conception sex selection techniques within its ambit, with the aim of tightening regulation to provide more teeth to the law to prevent the practice. It mandated the regulation of sale of technology, the registration of diagnostic centres, the monitoring of medical personnel, procedures and protocols. It has procedures for complaints and appeals and regulation by local authorities.

And yet, the problems of implementation are ubiquitous. Violations go unpunished with very few cases being booked and a zero conviction rate. The collusion between people, the medical fraternity and the administration has resulted in the worsening of the sex ratio and failure of the Act to make a difference.

Patriarchy and prejudice: The social system of patriarchy, with males as the primary authority figures, is central to the organisation of much of Indian society. The system upholds the institutions of male rule and privilege and mandates female subordination. Patriarchy manifests itself in social, religious, legal, political and economic organisation of society. It continues to strongly influence Indian society, despite the Constitution's attempt to bring about an egalitarian social order.

Patriarchal societies in most parts of India have translated their prejudice and bigotry into a compulsive preference for boys and discrimination against the girl child. They have also spawned practices such as female infanticide, dowry, bride-burning and sati. They have led to the neglect of nutrition, health care, education, and employment for girls. Women's work is also socially devalued with limited autonomy in decision-making. The intersections of caste, class and gender worsen the situation. Despite its social construction, patriarchal culture, reinforced by the major religions in the country, maintains its stranglehold on gender inequality. The prevalent patriarchal framework places an ideological bar on the discussion of alternative approaches to achieve gender justice.

Ethical blindness: The declining sex ratio cannot be simply viewed as a medical or legal issue. It is embedded within the social construction of patriarchy and is reinforced by tradition, culture and religion. Female foeticide and infanticide are just the tip of the iceberg; there is a whole set of subtle and blatant discriminatory practices against girls and women under various pretexts. It is this large base of discrimination against women that supports the declining sex ratio.

Many approach the problem superficially and focus on the declining sex ratio and its medical and legal solutions. But those who seriously engage with the issues have found that much unethical conduct that goes on, whether in one's social or work life, happens because people are fooling themselves. Men, the dominant figures, and older women, who have lost the battle and have joined hands to form the ruling coalition, overlook many transgressions because it is in their interest to maintain the patriarchal culture. With such focus on patriarchal goals, the ethical implications of important decisions fade away. Such ethical fading results in engaging in or condoning behaviour that one would condemn if one were consciously aware of it. It results in ethical lapses in our social world, which are pervasive and intractable.

While viewing the girl child from only the narrow and bigoted, or financial perspectives, one fails to notice that many decisions have an ethical component. Consequently, one is able to behave unethically in relation to girls and women, while maintaining a positive self-image. Ethical fading also causes one to condone the unethical behaviour of others. Such “motivated blindness” tends to disregard issues that work against patriarchy. With the acceptance of patriarchal standards, based on religion or culture, even the most honest people have difficulty being objective. Those who overtly or covertly accept and defend patriarchy have a conflict of interest which biases their decisions against girls and women, in contexts both big and small. It is the everyday casual and hurtful misogyny — gendered language, sexist innuendo, stereotyping and jokes, small institutional inequities, sexualisation of society encouraged by advertising, media and capitalism that actually undergird violence of all types against women.

Need for gender justice: Viewing the sex ratio as an individual or medical issue and suggesting medical or legal interventions to end the practice reflect poor understanding. While strict implementation of the law will help reduce female foeticide and infanticide, it will not eliminate the problems. Simply exhorting the general population and the medical profession to desist from such practice without attempting to change patriarchy will prove futile.

The major barrier to mainstreaming gender justice and scaling up effective interventions is gender inequality based on socio-cultural issues. The systematic discrimination of girls and women needs to be tackled if interventions have to work. Although medical intervention (of sex determination and selective abortion of female foetuses) in the sex ratio stands out as causal, it is the more hazy but ubiquitous and dominant relationship between gender and patriarchy that has a major impact on the outcome. The failure to recognise this relationship and the refusal to tackle these issues result in the declining sex ratio. Debates on gender equality should not be reduced to talking about culture, tradition and religion. The prevalent patriarchal framework needs to be acknowledged as causal, interrogated and laid bare. Discussions on alternative approaches to achieving gender justice are mandatory.

While women are guaranteed equality under the Constitution, legal protection has little effect in the face of the prevailing patriarchal culture. India needs to confront its gender bias openly. It would appear that nothing short of a social revolution would bring about an improvement in the health and status of women in the country. Irony and hypocrisy are the two words that come to mind when patriarchal societies talk about justice for their women. Surely, the disappearance of millions of girls in India is reason enough to question the acceptance of patriarchy and search for an egalitarian social order.

Civil society shocked over Jaitapur nuclear power plant clearance

Civil society groups have expressed shock over the government’s “sheer insensitivity’’ in announcing on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe that it is going ahead with the Jaitapur nuclear power project.

This means disregarding the overwhelming opposition to the project by 40,000 local people and the larger public, the caution counselled by numerous experts, and the grave safety concerns raised by the still-unfolding Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, a statement issued by the civil society groups said here on Thursday. These concerns are eminently reasonable. Many governments, including those in Germany, China and Switzerland, have taken them on board by adopting a “pause-and-review” approach towards reactor construction. The European Union has ordered “stress tests” on all its 143 reactors lasting many months.

``Our government too promised to review its nuclear installations for safety. But the Department of Atomic Energy has conducted a wholly internal, hasty and technologically superficial exercise and declared all installations perfectly safe,’’ the statement said even as it described it as unconvincing. What is urgently needed is an independent, thorough and transparent review of our nuclear policy and installations by a broadly representative body, which includes non-DAE personnel and civil society representatives. Pending this, projects like Jaitapur must be put on hold and their clearances revoked.

Welcoming the government’s intention to separate the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board from the Department of Atomic Energy, the statement said, adding that the responsibilities and powers of the proposed Nuclear Regulatory Authority of India must be defined in advance and its members selected with exemplary prudence so that only persons with the highest integrity, impartiality, and commitment to the public interest are chosen by a broad-based collegium. “This is as important as choosing the Lokpal. The life and death of millions will depend on the AERB. India’s experience with regulatory authorities in telecom, insurance and hydrocarbons is unhappy. We simply cannot afford “regulatory capture” in nuclear matters, the statement signed by Praful Bidwai and historian Romila Thapar said.

WikiLeaks releases all Guantanamo files

CHENNAI: WikiLeaks, the whistleblower site on the Internet, released secret documents on Thursday relating to the majority of 779 prisoners detained by the United States since 9/11 at Guantanamo Bay.
Most of the prisoners have now been released but 172 still remain in the offshore U.S. prison, located in Cuba. During his 2008 election campaign, President Barack Obama promised to shut down the prison, notorious for its use of torture and other brutal coercive practices during interrogation.
As he prepares to make a bid for a second term in office, the unkept promise on Gitmo, as the prison is known, is seen as one of the big failures of the Obama Administration.
Earlier this week, the Guardian, New York Times and Washington Post, among other Western newspapers, published a section of the documents. WikiLeaks has now decided to release them all.
The documents, spanning a period from 2002 to 2008, can be viewed at http://wikileaks.ch/gitmo/ prisoner/ 10020.html
Classified as “secret,” the documents contain detailed case descriptions of 759 prisoners. Written by the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay, they are addressed to the U.S. Southern Command at Miami, Florida. As the site reveals, the maximum number of prisoners at the prison were from Afghanistan (223), followed by Saudi Arabia (135), Yemen (110) and Pakistan (69). There were no detainees from India.
In November 2008, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told the National Assembly in response to a question that only six Pakistanis remained at Guantanamo, and that the government was making efforts for their release.
Among the six are Ammar al Baluchi, a senior Al Qaeda operative and nephew of Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, the self-confessed mastermind of 9/11; Majid Khan, said to have been hired into the Al Qaeda by Khalid Sheikh Muhammed; and Saifullah Paracha, a businessman who offered his services to the Al Qaeda.
Debate about
Aafia Siddiqi
Their files are bound to reopen the debate about Aafia Siddiqi, an MIT graduate whose imprisonment in the U.S since 2008 turned her into a heroine in Pakistan, and added to the anti-American sentiment in the country.
For most Pakistanis, she is an innocent woman who has been demonised by the U.S. The dossiers of the three Pakistanis cast Ms. Siddiqui in a different, more dubious light. However, WikiLeaks cautions that in all cases the information in the reports could be unreliable as coercion was likely used to obtain it.
The Guantanmo files contain allegations that she was a key figure in an Al Qaeda plan to smuggle explosives to the U.S. and manufacture biological weapons.
Ms. Siddiqui, who is said to have married al Baluchi, was missing since 2003 until she surfaced in Afghanistan in mysterious circumstances. She was detained by U.S. forces in Ghazni province in Afghanistan in 2008.
Surprisingly, U.S. prosecutors did not bring terrorism charges against her. She was tried and convicted by a federal court for attempting to murder U.S. soldiers with a military weapon left unattended during her detention in Afghanistan. She is now serving an 86-year sentence.
The WikiLeak documents, running into thousands of pages, contain detailed assessments of all the prisoners, recommending them for continued detention, release or continued detention after release in the country of repatriation.
Each dossier contains a personal sketch of the prisoner, his health status, the circumstances of his capture, the prisoner's account obtained through interrogation, an evaluation of the account, the risk he poses (“high”, “medium”, “low) to the U.S. and the worth of each as a source of intelligence.

The new coach

Duncan Fletcher may not have the services of some of the seniors after a year
BCCI did the best thing by acting on Kirsten's word, writes Makarand Waingankar

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The difference between a good coach and a great one is the ability to turn around a team's destiny. It's now more than ever that the coach has assumed a highly significant role.
As the nomenclature of the role keeps changing, the position of international coach becomes much more demanding.
What's more, Gary Kirsten and Andy Flower have raised the bar. They added a few more aspects that brought to the fore a very crucial aspect of inter-personal relationship.
Obviously a coach has to possess the ability and knowledge to sort out players' technical problems but after the ego clashes that one witnessed between Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell and Kevin Pietersen-Peter Moores, cricket boards very shrewdly weigh the pros and cons during appointment of a coach.
At times they discuss the candidate with the senior players of the team as eventually they are the ones who will have to deal with him.
There might not be a vast improvement technically of the players, but their confidence and comfort zones have been enhanced post-Kirsten. It's those zones which have boosted their performance. It's this aspect that even the Indian coaches in the 90s couldn't handle.
Bobby Simpson once made a pertinent point about the Indian team when he said that with so many religions, cultures, sub-cultures and dialects, the approach of individuals differ. This tests the personnel management skills of a captain and his coach. Simpson was the consultant to the Indian team during the 1999 World Cup.
With such motley of people, seeds of discontent could easily be sowed through regional groups that can destroy a team. Kirsten had like Bob Woolmer studied the history and the ethos of Indian cricket. It was Woolmer who collected relevant information regarding Pakistan's culture and cricket that enabled him to tackle tricky situations.
The Indian team as seen during the Kirsten era was a curious mix of studious seniors and somewhat over-enthusiastic juniors. To make it work like a well-oiled team, one had to develop a sense of unity within diversity which Kirsten did.
Core team
He also realised cricketers are human and their moods don't last for ever. To get to understand mental part, he requested the services of mental conditioning specialist Paddy Upton. They formed the core team with some senior players and at no time they overshadowed the team.
The situation will however change drastically because the new coach may not have the services of some of the seniors after a year. Filling up their slots and getting them to perform will be a challenge. Not that it's impossible but the amount of cricket that is played in three formats of the game, the adaptability to excel will depend on the calibre of a player.
The major problem that the new coach will face is of bowling and fitness.
We don't have adequate replacements for either Zaheer Khan or any of the senior bowlers. Nor are we making enough efforts to find replacements despite having NCA running throughout the year. The coach will have to decide on the strategy to address core issues regarding bowling and fitness.
The new coach Duncan Fletcher is known for meticulous planning and its implementation. Obviously he was recommended by Gary Kirsten. The coach now will have hardly any days to work on the boys but he has the experience needed for the job.
The best thing the BCCI did was appoint whom Kirsten recommended backed by some of the senior players. We need to give Fletcher time to get the team to perform.

PAC draft report puts 2G loss at Rs.1.90 lakh crore

NEW DELHI: The draft report of the Public Accounts Committee on the 2G scam has come out with yet another figure for the loss to the exchequer, putting it at Rs.1.90-lakh crore in the grant of 122 licences in 2008, dual technology licences and extra spectrum.
Interestingly, the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India put the “presumptive loss” in the range of Rs.57,000 crore to Rs.1.76 lakh crore, based on four different assumptions. On the other hand, the Central Bureau of Investigation, which took up the case after the Central Vigilance Commission pointed to gross irregularities in licence allocation, estimated the loss at around Rs.22,000 crore. However, the CBI revised the figure to more than Rs.30,000 crore in its charge sheet.
The PAC said the loss due to the grant of 122 licences to new entrants in 2008 was Rs.1.24-lakh crore. Further, the government lost Rs. 36,000 crore in the grant of dual-technology licences (to CDMA operators for offering GSM services) and Rs. 30,000 crore by giving the GSM operators excess spectrum (beyond 6.2 MHz of start-up frequency). The total loss, therefore, was Rs.1.90-lakh crore.
“The Committee notes with profound concern the nationwide public shock [at] and indignation over the gross irregularities in the allotment of 2G spectrum and the colossal fiduciary loss caused to the public exchequer,” the draft report said.
It noted that well before the CAG report was tabled in Parliament, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, in his petition filed in the Supreme Court, calculated the net loss at Rs.97,410.74 crore, while B.K. Syngal, a well-known telecom expert and former BSNL head, quantified it at between Rs.70,000 crore and Rs.80,000 crore, based on a multiple of indicators.
The draft report criticised Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal for questioning the CAG's figure and the calculation methodology it had adopted as being “without basis” and describing it as “a serious error on the part of the constitutional authority.” “The committee disapproves of the public criticism of the institution of CAG and Parliament itself. More so, the frontal attack was made by the Minister [Mr. Sibal] whose Ministry and his predecessor were under the scanner, and at a time when the matter was under examination by the PAC, obviously with an intent to confuse and create fissures.”
The report pointed out that while 2G spectrum was arbitrarily given at a throwaway price, the auction of 3G spectrum yielded revenue five times more than the base price. The two, the committee said, were certainly comparable, and the maximum loss occurred on account of the method of 2G spectrum allocation. Therefore, it was imperative that the government get the exact loss to the exchequer calculated instead of washing its hands of it on the simplistic plea that it was difficult to estimate the loss.
“The Committee further recommends that the government evolve a standard, fair and transparent procedure to avoid pecuniary loss … and recover the unlawful gains made by all those responsible for the staggering national loss.”

India squad for 2011 ICC World Cup Cricket

India's final squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 is a follows:

1 MS Dhoni (c/wk)
2 Virender Sehwag (vc)
3 Ravichandran Ashwin
4 Piyush Chawla
5 Gautam Gambhir
6 Harbhajan Singh
7 Zaheer Khan
8 Virat Kohli
9 Praveen Kumar
10 Ashish Nehra
11 Munaf Patel
12 Yusuf Pathan
13 Suresh Raina
14 Sachin Tendulkar
15 Yuvraj Singh

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2010

2G-BASICS

2G (or 2-G) is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that phone conversations were digitally encrypted; 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum allowing for far greater mobile phone penetration levels; and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages2G technologies can be divided into TDMA-based and CDMA-based standards depending on the type of multiplexing used

Capacity

Using digital signals between the handsets and the towers increases system capacity in two key ways:

1. Digital voice data can be compressed and multiplexed much more effectively than analog voice encodings through the use of various codecs, allowing more calls to be packed into the same amount of radio bandwidth.

2. The digital systems were designed to emit less radio power from the handsets. This meant that cells could be smaller; so more cells could be placed in the same amount of space. This was also made possible by cell towers and related equipment getting less expensive.

Advantages

1. The lower power emissions helped address health concerns.

2. Going all-digital allowed for the introduction of digital data services, such as SMS and email.

3. Greatly reduced fraud. With analog systems it was possible to have two or more "cloned" handsets that had the same phone number.

4. Enhanced privacy. A key digital advantage not often mentioned is that digital cellular calls are much harder to eavesdrop on by use of radio scanners. While the security algorithms used have proved not to be as secure as initially advertised, 2G phones are immensely more private than 1G phones, which have no protection against eavesdropping.

Disadvantages

1. In less populous areas, the weaker digital signal may not be sufficient to reach a cell tower. This tends to be a particular problem on 2G systems deployed on higher frequencies, but is mostly not a problem on 2G systems deployed on lower frequencies. National regulations differ greatly among countries which dictate where 2G can be deployed.

2. Analog has a smooth decay curve, digital a jagged steppy one. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Under good conditions, digital will sound better. Under slightly worse conditions, analog will experience static, while digital has occasional dropouts. As conditions worsen, though, digital will start to completely fail, by dropping calls or being unintelligible, while analog slowly gets worse, generally holding a call longer and allowing at least a few words to get through.

3. While digital calls tend to be free of static and background noise, the lossy compression used by the codecs takes a toll; the range of sound that they convey is reduced. You'll hear less of the tonality of someone's voice talking on a digital cellphone, but you will hear it more clearly.

24 September 2010

CURRENT AFFAIRS 2010

IMD unveils high-tech weather forecasting system A state-of-the-art Integrated Forecasting and Communication System was unveiled at the India Meteorology Department (IMD) today that is expected to provide more accurate weather data. Dynamic weather prediction models using super computers and very highly sophisticated software will start giving us more and more accurate data. Agriculture, like so many sectors of Indian economy, is highly dependent on weather and climate and it was good that the IMD was moving away from he conventional forms of weather forecast to an advanced one. "Increasing socio-economic benefits of meteorology in all fields, saving lives and protecting goods in a changing climate is the permanent mission of the India Meteorological Department." The governments took it as one of its priorities and a Rs 1,000 crore programme was sanctioned by Planning Commission in 2007 and crucial components including setting up of automatic weather stations, Doppler Radars, connecting them with most high speed digital inter-connecting systems and network as well as buying super computers for numerical weather prediction were completed.

31 July 2010

INDIA &US -2010

Politically and economically, India and the United States (US) play a significant role in the global arena. The US is India's largest export destination and also one of the leading foreign investors in India. Further, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study released in 2008, the Indian economy is estimated to grow to 90 per cent of the US economy by 2050. In November 2009, as part of the India-US Green partnership, the US agreed to help India set up the National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA). The move is part of efforts to strengthen cooperation and partnership between the two countries on environment and climate-related issues. Moreover, US fund houses are showing great confidence in the Indian economy. In August 2009, they launched five more India-specific exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to tap India's growth potential. On other fronts too, India and the US continue to enter into agreements. In July 2009, they concluded three agreements including the creation of a science and technology endowment fund and a technical safeguard agreement for the launch of civilian satellites incorporating US components. On Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's US visit in November 2009, the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative was set up to strengthen linkages between American and Indian universities. Other key outcomes as a result of the visit include partnership for global peace and security and cooperation in energy security, food security and climate change. India and the US signed the India-US Trade Policy Forum Framework for Cooperation on Trade and Investment in March 2010, which seeks to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries. An initiative "Integrating US and Indian small businesses into the global supply chain", which aims to expand trade and job-creating opportunities for US and Indian small and medium-sized companies, was also announced. Trade According to the Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade between India and US amounted to US$ 39.71 billion in 2008-09. Imports from US form 6.11 per cent of India's total imports. India imports fertilisers, nuclear reactors, gems and jewellery, aircraft, electrical machinery and equipment from the US. Indian imports from the US dropped by 11.89 per cent to US$ 18.56 billion in 2008-09 as against US$ 21.02 billion in 2007-08. Exports to the US form 11.41 per cent of India's total exports. India mostly exports gems and jewellery, articles of iron or steel, electrical machinery and equipment, apparel and clothing accessories to the US. During 2008-09, merchandise exports from India to the US went up by 2.02 per cent to reach US$ 21.14 billion against US$ 20.73 billion in 2007-08. Between April and September 2009-10, India has exported goods worth US$ 8.94 billion to the US, while it has imported goods worth US$ 7.43 billion during the same period. According to a study released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in November 2009 titled 'India and the United States: Trade and Investment Analysis' the Indo-US services trade is likely to grow to US$ 150 billion by 2015.

US Investments in India India's rapidly expanding economy along with a booming consumer market and easy availability of skilled personnel has been instrumental in attracting several American companies to invest in India. The US is the third largest contributor of foreign direct investment (FDI) in India. The overall FDI flow into India from the US during April 2000-February 2010, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion was US$ 8.21 billion. During 2008-09, FDI inflow from the US was US$ 1.80 billion. FDI inflow between April to February 2009-10 was US$ 1.88 billion. After companies like Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Dell, Citigroup, J P Morgan and Morgan Stanley, many other US companies are also planning to enter the Indian market with big investments. In May 2010, US-based Abbott Laboratories bought Piramal Healthcare's formulation business for US$ 3.63 billion. USA's biggest independent tower firm American Tower Corp (ATC) in February 2010, agreed to acquire 4,450 towers of Essar Telecom Infrastructure (ETIPL). The purchase estimates an enterprise value of US$ 431.4 million for ETIPL. BorgWarner Inc, a US based auto component and systems manufacturing company with presence in 18 countries, has established its Indian manufacturing facility at Sipcot Industrial Park at Sriperambadur near Chennai. Set up on a 6.3 acre campus at a cost of US$ 6.6 million, the plant will have an annual capacity of 300,000 assemblies. US-based Hospira has bought Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals' injectables business for around US$ 400 million Indian Investments in the US India has emerged as the second fastest growing investor in the United States after the UAE between 2004 and 2008, according to Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs Robert D Hormats. Between 2004 and 2008, India accounted for 64 per cent of the foreign direct investment in the US. According to data released by the US Treasury Department, India's holdings amounted to US$ 29.6 billion in December 2009. The holdings were higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year by US$ 400 million. Besides the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), institutions that invest in US Treasuries include the General Insurance Corporation of India, foreign branches/subsidiaries of domestic banks and domestic mutual funds that are permitted to invest in foreign securities. Some recent investments include: In April 2010, information technology company Rolta acquired US-based IT consulting firm OneGIS for an undisclosed amount. Inox Group's venture, Inox India, has acquired US-based Cryogenic Vessel Alternatives (CVA), the world's largest cryogenic transportation equipment maker. Road Ahead There are several areas where there is abundant scope to further improve economic cooperation between India and the US. Opportunities for progress exists especially in areas like communication infrastructure, IT, telecom, IT-enabled services, data centres, software development, and other knowledge industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. According to a CII report titled 'India-US Economic Relations: The Next Decade' released in June 2009, bilateral trade between India and the US could increase eight fold to US$ 320 billion in 2018 from US$ 42 billion in 2007-08.

INDIA & THE WORLD 2010

India & ASEAN

Since its start about a decade ago, the partnership between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam has been developing at quite a fast pace. India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992. Mutual interest led ASEAN to invite India to become its full dialogue partner during the fifth ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in 1995. India also became a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1996. India and ASEAN have been holding summit-level meetings on an annual basis since 2002. In August 2009, India signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the ASEAN members in Thailand. Under the ASEAN-India FTA, ASEAN member countries and India will lift import tariffs on more than 80 per cent of traded products between 2013 and 2016, according to a release by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In January 2010, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand accepted the FTA on goods. The other seven ASEAN countries are expected to operationalise the FTA by August 2010. India and ASEAN are currently negotiating agreements on trade in services and investment. The services negotiations are taking place on a request-offer basis, wherein both sides make requests for the openings they seek and offers are made by the receiving country based on the requests. India has made requests in a number of areas including teaching, nursing, architecture, chartered accountancy and medicine as it has a large number of English speaking professionals in these areas who can gain from job opportunities in the ASEAN region. India is also keen on expanding its telecom, IT, tourism and banking network in ASEAN countries. Trade The deepening of ties between India and ASEAN is reflected in the continued buoyancy in trade figures. India’s trade with ASEAN countries has increased from US$ 30.7 billion in 2006-07 to US$ 39.08 billion in 2007-08 and to US$ 45.34 billion in 2008-09. During April – September 2009-10, India’s trade with ASEAN was US$ 20.19 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. In 2008-09, India's exports to ASEAN totalled US$ 19.14 billion. During April-December 2009-10, India exported goods worth US$ 12.8 billion to ASEAN, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India imported goods worth US$ 26.3 billion in 2008-09 from ASEAN. During the period April-December 2009-10, India's imports from ASEAN totalled US$ 18.09 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Singapore The growing bilateral economic relationship is reflected in the rapidly rising bilateral trade between Singapore and India. Singapore continues to be the single largest investor in India amongst the ASEAN countries and the second largest amongst all countries with foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India, totalling US$ 2.4 billion in 2009-10. The cumulative FDI inflows from Singapore during April 2000 and March 2010 were US$ 10.2 billion, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The total bilateral trade during 2008-09 was US$ 16.1 billion, an increase of 3.86 per cent over US$ 15.5 billion in 2007-08, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. During 2008-09, India exported goods worth US$ 8.45 billion to Singapore. During April-December 2009-10, Indian merchandise exports to Singapore totalled US$ 5.12 billion, comprising mainly of mineral fuels and oils, ships, boats and floating structures and natural pearls, gems and jewellery, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in May 2010, Mr Anand Sharma, the Union Minister of Commerce and Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, agreed on a bilateral economic roadmap to take the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) forward in the coming five years. As per the roadmap the two countries will work towards doubling the annual bilateral trade by 2015. Moreover, they will promote greater business and investment flows by identifying ways in which Indian businesses can leverage on Singapore as a business hub in the Asia Pacific to support their international expansion. The two countries will also explore and develop co-operation, in science and technology, intellectual property rights, and media. India-Singapore Bilateral Economic Roadmap includes: • Increase two-way flow of tourists, businessmen and professionals • Expedite conclusion of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) for dentistry, medical, nursing, architecture, accountancy and company secretary professionals on priority • Explore expansion of the provisions of CECA to liberalise and facilitate movement of Indian professionals to Singapore. • Develop closer co-operation in tourism Moreover, according to Standard Chartered Bank, the business between India and Singapore is set to double in the next five years. The number of Singapore-based companies setting up operations in India, 350 at present, is expected to double in the next five years. Similarly, India-based business community in Singapore is likely to increase to 5,500 companies from the present 4,000 in the next two and a half years. Malaysia The bilateral economic relationship between India and Malaysia has been steadily moving ahead. Malaysia has been a huge source of FDI for India. In fact, Malaysia is the 25th largest overall investor and third largest investor among ASEAN countries with a total inflow of US$ 252.97 million during the April 2000-March 2010 period, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. Bilateral trade among the two countries amounted to US$ 10,604.75 million during 2008-09, an increase of 23.48 per cent over 2007-08, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India exported goods worth US$ 3.42 billion to Malaysia in 2008-09. During April-December 2009-10, India’s exports to Malaysia totalled US$ 2.14 billion, comprising ships, boats and floating structures, mineral oils and fuels, and organic chemicals, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Indians play an important role in promoting tourism in Malaysia. Following a 7.1 per cent growth in revenues from Indian tourists in 2009, Malaysia expects 650,000 visitors from India in 2010, according to the Director General of Malaysia Tourism. Moreover, Indian biotech companies are increasingly looking at making investments in Malaysia. Malaysia is positioning itself as a cost-competitive country and a regional hub for global biotech companies. It is attracting Indian companies with a large number of sops including a 10-year tax holiday, duty exemptions, customised incentives for large investments, access to ASEAN markets through free trade agreements and no restrictions on equity. Thailand Bilateral trade between the two countries touched US$ 4.6 billion in 2008-09, as compared to US$ 4.12 billion in 2007-08, registering a growth of 12.9 per cent, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India exported goods worth US$ 1.94 billion in 2008-09 and worth US$ 1.25 billion during April-December 2009-10, to Thailand which included natural pearls, gems and jewellery, residue and waste from food industries and organic chemicals, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Total FDI inflow during the period April 2000-March 2010 from Thailand was US$ 77.97 million, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. India and Thailand are targetting bilateral trade worth US$ 12 billion by 2012. In May 2010, the Thai Deputy Minister of Commerce, Alongkorn Ponlabhoot said, "We are hoping that the increase in trade would be generated through cooperation under various agreements like the BIMSTEC, the Asean-India FTA and the proposed Thailand-India FTA." Indonesia Bilateral trade between India and Indonesia totalled US$ 9.3 billion in 2008-09, an increase of 32.08 per cent over US$ 6.99 billion in 2007-08, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. During the period 2008-09, India exported goods worth US$ 2.56 billion to Indonesia. During April-December 2009-10, India exported goods worth US$ 2.3 billion to Indonesia comprising mainly of organic chemicals, mineral fuels and ships and boats, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India and Indonesia are targetting bilateral trade worth US$ 20 billion by 2020 according to Indonesian ambassador to India, Andi M Ghalib. Indonesia is an important source of FDI for India. It is the 16th largest FDI investor amongst all countries and the second largest amongst the ASEAN countries. FDI inflows from Indonesia into India totalled US$ 604.28 million during April 2000-March 2010, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. Myanmar During 2008-09, India exported goods worth US$ 221.64 million to Myanmar comprising mainly of pharmaceuticals and iron and steel. Bilateral trade stood at US$ 1.15 billion during 2008-09, an increase of 15.7 per cent over US$ 994.45 million in 2007-08, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. During April-December 2009-10, India’s exports to Myanmar totalled US$ 159.77 million, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. FDI inflows from Myanmar into India totalled US$ 8.96 million in the period April 2000-March 2010, according to data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. Vietnam Bilateral trade between India and Vietnam grew to US$ 2.15 billion in 2008-09 from US$ 1.78 billion in 2007-08, registering a growth of 20.38 per cent, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Indian exports to Vietnam in 2008-09 totalled US$ 1.7 billion, while India exported goods worth US$ 1.25 billion from Vietnam during April-December 2009-10 comprising mainly of residues and wastes from food industries, animal fodder, meat and cereals, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Philippines Bilateral trade between India and Philippines was worth US$ 998.54 million in 2008-09 as compared to US$ 824.87 million in 2007-08, an increase of 21.05 per cent, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Indian exports to Philippines during 2008-09 totalled US$ 743.77 million. During April-December 2009-10, India exported goods worth US$ 534.38 million to Philippines, comprising chiefly of meat, iron and steel and vehicles other than railways, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Cambodia During 2008-09, bilateral trade between the two countries stood at US$ 49.61 million. India exported goods worth US$ 46.90 million to Cambodia in 2008-09. During April-December 2009-10, India exported goods worth US$ 30.53 million, chiefly comprising pharmaceuticals, cotton and tobacco, according to the latest data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.