The promise of Vikramaditya
India’s naval doctrine professes a three-carrier force: one each on either flank, with a third one remaining on periodic maintenance at any given time. Having envisaged a naval force built around a carrier battle group to retain control over the expansive seas under its sphere of geostrategic interest, India acquired its first carrier, INS Vikrant, as early as 1961 and operated it till the late 1990s alongside
another British-origin carrier, INS Viraat, which was inducted in 1987. Aircraft carrier Vikramaditya has now been inducted into the Indian Navy as a work-in-progress. It is meant to bridge the operational gap between the retirement of Viraat, already a spent force and on its last lap, and the induction of the indigenous carrier, Vikrant, to be ready hopefully by 2018. During the interregnum, the Navy could not have afforded to waste its five-decade experience and skills in operating carriers. The strategic value of an aircraft carrier is apparent also from China’s acquisition of a resurrected Soviet carrier.
The debate may continue on the strategic utility of sea control when stealthy underwater platforms are part of the strategic deterrence. Yet, the significance of carriers in implementing India’s quest to exert a benign influence over the volatile Indo-Pacific cannot be overstated. Strengthening its expensive carrier-centric surface fleet should not of course be at the expense of critical sea denial capability achieved through a strategic submarine force. The two can indeed be complementary. Carriers demonstrate ‘intent’, but a potent undersea fleet, which is less costly to build and maintain and relatively less vulnerable to attacks, would be increasingly vital to attaining credible strategic deterrence. The induction of Vikramaditya has hopefully ended any debates over its usefulness. The age of the hull, the quality of work done at the Russian submarine yard of Sevmash where it was rebuilt, and price renegotiations, were part of this debate in the past. The Navy should now focus its energies on integrating it into the fleet. It should train and qualify its fighter pilots on the Vikramaditya’s deck. It should negotiate with Russia on the maintenance of the platform so as to operate the systems smoothly and efficiently through its life-cycle of 25 years. Concurrently, an Indian yard should be qualified to carry out minor refits. Weaponising the carrier will pose the next major challenge. It will be in the interest of the Indian Navy to zero in on and integrate without delay effective and key defence systems such as surface-to-air missiles on the platform to fast-track its operationalisation. After inducting the Vikramaditya, the Navy would be looking to commissioning the indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.
Many forces at play as nuclear talks with Iran begin
Iran and the six global powers have re-commenced talks in Geneva, which could become a litmus test for Israel’s ability to undermine a nuclear deal, which was well within grasp when the two sides last met at the same venue earlier this month.
Catherine Ashton, foreign policy chief of the European Union (EU), the host of the talks, met senior officials of the sextet, comprising the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
She was later scheduled to meet Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister, before entering into delegation-level talks, either on Wednesday or Thursday.
Israel vociferously opposes any deal with Iran, which would allow Tehran to enrich uranium, as well as pursue other activities that could make it capable of producing atomic bombs.
On the contrary, Iran has made it explicit that it would not give up its right to enrichment under rules defined by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that it has signed.
Advocates of the nuclear programme say Iran must be allowed less the five per cent enrichment, which is necessary to fuel its atomic power plants in future.
On his way to Geneva for talks, Mr. Zarif accused Israel of continuing with its efforts to impede the emergence of an agreement between Iran and the global powers.
As he spoke, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to set out for Moscow to persuade Russian President, Vladimir Putin to tweak his position on Iran.
Ahead of Wednesday’s talks, incisive details have begun to emerge about the final hours of talks, which eventually collapsed in Geneva on November 10.
Voice of Russia quoted Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, as saying the deal would have gone through, but for the last minute changes that were introduced in the draft.
“This time, the P5+1 group [the six global powers] did not formulate any joint document,” recalled the Russian top diplomat, during a recent press conference in Cairo.
But, Mr. Lavrov pointed out that “amendments were made [at the] last moment” — a situation that may have forced the Iranians to seek more time.
In Jerusalem, visiting French President, Francois Hollande demanded, during a Sunday press conference, that Iran must suspend construction of the heavy water reactor in Arak, halt uranium enrichment to 20 per cent and reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium.
As the countdown for the latest round of talks in Geneva began, U.S. President Barack Obama wound down hopes of an imminent breakthrough by telling Senators in a closed door meeting that a deal with Iran will not necessarily be closed “this or next week.”
He asked lawmakers not to impose fresh sanctions, and separately sought a six-month pause to test whether the new diplomatic outreach to Iran would yield results.
Iran says it will not give up its right to enrichment
NHRC unhappy with rights situation in Manipur
“Most extra judicial killings carried out by police”
Terming the human rights situation in Manipur as “deeply depressing,” the NHRC said on Wednesday it could not find any of the 44 encounters it took up as “genuine” and observed that while the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) “is made the villain” for extra judicial killings, the majority of them are carried out by the police.
Dysfunctional schemes
Sharing the findings of its camp sittings, the rights body said the midday meal scheme, anganwadis and hospitals were dysfunctional and no medicine was procured or distributed by the State government in the last one-and-a-half years.
“As a substantial number of complaints regarding extra judicial killings came from Manipur, we took 44 cases in Imphal. We have been unable to close any case with the finding that it was a genuine encounter,” Commission member Satyabrata Pal said.
Mr. Pal said: “They [police] enjoy the fullest protection of the State. To our knowledge, the State government has not taken action against any policemen.”
“We met Irom Sharmila [rights activist] and told her that you may be fighting a lone battle for repeal of AFSPA thinking that this would stop encounters but most of the killings are done by the police. AFSPA is notorious but I don’t understand why the police do it,” he said.
Mr. Pal said the commission can only bring partial closure to the cases by recommending monetary relief while the culprits go unpunished as no action against the armed forces can be takendue to AFSPA while the police are being protected by the State government.
— PTI
Panel unable to determine any ‘genuine encounter’ in 44 cases
Member meets Irom Sharmila, tells AFSPA repeal will not help
“Most extra judicial killings carried out by police”
“Suggest steps to protect Kaziranga environment”
National Green Tribunal directive to Assam government
The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday directed the Assam government to hold a meeting with environment, petroleum and transport ministries to suggest ways to protect the environment in the Kaziranga sanctuary, which is being “adversely” hit due to traffic movement on NH 37.
The Tribunal also said that the death of wild animals and reptiles on the 18-km-long stretch was also a cause of concern.
“We are primarily concerned with the environmental impact of the traffic on this National Highway (NH) on sanctuary relating to air and other pollutions and most importantly on the environmental dynamics therein. It is indisputable that wildlife is also adversely affected,” a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
The NGT was hearing a plea filed by RTI activist Rohit Choudhury opposing expansion of the NH 37 stretch running through the national park, claiming that “continued unregulated use of NH 37 is leading to death of wild animals and reptiles in large numbers in road accidents“.
The bench also observed that the conditions imposed while granting environment clearance (EC) to Numaligarh Refinery Ltd., located in the area, has not been complied with as under the EC the State had to ensure that an alternative highway be created or NH 37 be diverted away from the sanctuary.
A committee of senior officials of Assam, ministries of environment, petroleum, transport as well as NHAI and others will have to report their recommendations before the next date of hearing December 10, the bench said.
The panel has to state whether underpasses or flyovers can be built in the area and the extent to which speed of vehicles shall be maintained and checked on the 18-km stretch of highway through Kaziranga.
Steps to ensure that no overloaded vehicles plied on that road; prohibition of use of horns and sirens in that area; and installation of cameras and speedo meters should also be looked into.
— PTI
Collectors asked to convert forest villages to revenue villages
District Collectors have been asked to take steps to convert forest villages, old habitations and unsurveyed forest villages into revenue villages under the Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.
The direction was issued after the Union government advised States to convert all erstwhile forest villages, unrecorded settlements and old habitations into revenue villages with a sense of urgency in a time-bound manner.
The Centre had also clarified that the conversion would include the actual land-use of the village in its entirety, including land required for current or future community uses, like, schools, health facilities and public spaces.
In fact, the Union Tribal Ministry had last year issued comprehensive guidelines to all the States and Union Territories on various aspects of implementation of the Act, which also emphasised the need to implement the provisions of the FRA with regard to conversion of forest villages and other such villages into revenue villages, without any exceptions or exemptions being provided to such villages in any category of forestlands.
“We have asked district collectors to convert forest villages and habitations being inhabited by tribals into revenue villages. Upon conversion, forest villages will be entitled to all welfare measures which revenue villages get,” said A.B. Ota, Director of Scheduled Tribes, here on Monday
“According to the 2001 Census, there are 687 forest villages in Odisha. In 2009, the State government had initiated efforts to recognise forest villages as revenue ones. However, the proposal has not materialised due to inaction at the district level,” said Y. Giri Rao, an activist campaigning for FRA
Delhi homeless enfranchised
Delhi Election Commission distributed voter IDs to 40 destitute persons at a camp
Around 40 homeless persons received voter identity cards on Wednesday at a camp conducted here by the Delhi Election Commission. The camp was organised at a Yamuna Pushta — an embankment — near Nigambodh Ghat.
Officials from the Central District Unit of the DEC said the camp was one of the many they had organised since late September in four out of the seven Assembly constituencies under their jurisdiction.
While all the recipients were excited about their newfound empowerment, few exhibited the requisite knowledge for voting — most of the homeless persons were unaware of which constituency they belonged to and knew little about the contestants or political parties in the fray.
Nevertheless, they all recognised the attendant benefits, beyond the political significance, of holding an identity card. “I am often subjected to police brutality; they question my whereabouts during night patrolling. I did not have an identity proof thus far but from here on I will produce my voter ID when asked for one,” said Sudhir, a newly-registered voter who lives in a night shelter next to the camp.
Others were gratified that they would now be eligible to avail the benefits of various government schemes they were barred from owing to lack of an identity proof.
Minor controversy
Following the distribution, many destitute persons complained that they did not get their cards during Wednesday’s camp. They alleged that the camp favoured those persons patronised by NGO Indo-Global Social Service Society’s CityMakers Programme. The organisation is one of the many to have teamed up with the authorities to facilitate the enrolment process.
Refuting the allegations, a DEC official said: “Since we [cannot achieve] maximum inclusion, we need these organisations to help us identify chunks of potential voters. Those who did not get their cards today [Wednesday] would get it in the coming days if their documents are verified.”
Since most of these people do not have a permanent address and hence any supporting documents, places where they usually found are considered as default locations. According to the DEC official, once the forms are filled, authorities make random visits to these locations. If the person is available during these verifications and re-verifications (the visits are made at least twice), his papers are processed further.
Almost 2,500 homeless persons have been registered in Central District so far.
The DEC has launched a drive in all the districts to enrol the maximum possible number of homeless persons as voters ahead of next month’s Assembly elections.
Since early 2012, over 7,000 destitute persons have been enrolled as voters in Delhi
NGOs were tasked with identifying chunks of potential voters, said DEC official
For a deal in Bali, India wants permissible levels of MSPs updated
: India’s preferred position for a deal at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial during December 3 to December 6 in Bali is that the permissible levels of minimum support prices (MSPs) be either updated or reinterpreted.
Indian negotiators are arguing that a major factor for the sharp rise in MSPs is the recent spurt in global food price inflation while the existing caps and formulas are calibrated to food prices in the 1980s. “We are arguing either use a more recent base year for arriving at the caps or use an appropriate deflator for removing the impact of inflation on our administered support prices,” said a key negotiator.
This is a permanent solution to the problem of India’s MSP falling foul with WTO rules. It forms the G33 proposal of the developing countries on agriculture that India is leading. The developed nations are fiercely opposing it and have not allowed it in to the draft for Bali. The draft contains their long-standing offer of an interim peace clause.
Indian negotiators told The Hindu that the draft for the Ninth Ministerial in Bali proposes a working programme after the conference for thrashing out a permanent solution to the issue of permissible subsidies.
The peace clause is proposed be kept in place till the 11th Ministerial. These conferences are held every two years. This clause is conditional on additional transparency on public stock holdings of food. “If India goes with the peace clause, we will have to make additional notifications,” the officials said. The proposed condition on better targeting of beneficiaries is proposed to be dropped.
“While India has not had its preferred way on the agricultural clause, we are keen that the Bali summit should not fail as it is seen as the last chance to revive the WTO’s Doha Round, launched in 2001 in Qatar,” the officials said. Since WTO’s rules require proposals to be passed unanimously a single country can veto a deal in Bali.
WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo had extended the deadline, originally set for November 12, putting together a Bali package in a “last ditch” effort to rescue the talks after the two opposing sides—the G33 led by India and the developed countries—dug their heels in on their respective positions.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma last week wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Forman, saying: “Food security is crucial for large developing countries like India with hundreds of millions of people subsisting below the poverty line.”
The WTO’s General Council, its highest decision-making body outside of ministerials, will meet on November 21, when it will become clear if the negotiators in Geneva will have a package to report back to their ministers.
Farmer groups had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asking him to reject any proposal from the U.S. and the European Union that would impact agricultural subsidies and affect over 60 crore Indian farmers. Since it came to office in 2004, the UPA government had doubled the administered MSP for both wheat and rice. Further, since the food security law enacted by Parliament in September would lead to a significant increase India’s domestic support through the increased procurement of food grains, the officials said.
"We are keen that the Bali summit
should not fail as
it is seen as the
last chance to revive the WTO’s Doha Round"
India and Vietnam ink pacts
Eight pacts were signed after delegation-level talks that focussed on defence, energy and investments
Reaffirming cooperation:Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomes Nguyen Phu Trong, general-secretary, the Communist Party of Vietnam, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on Wednesday.— Photo: V. Sudershan
India and Vietnam on Wednesday reached an understanding on enhancement of bilateral ties in the areas of defence, energy and investments.
In the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting general secretary, Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, Defence Secretaries of the two countries signed an agreement on the protection of information — the enabling clause will lead to the transfer of defence hardware as well as training of 500 Vietnamese submariners, a process that has already begun.
Dr. Singh said, “We reaffirmed the importance of defence and security cooperation and agreed to strengthen it further. India will continue to assist Vietnam in modernisation and training of its defence and security forces, including through a $100-million line of credit for defence purchases.”
In a joint statement, both leaders termed defence cooperation as a significant pillar of strategic partnership between the two countries. They also made mention of the increase, in recent years, in cooperation by way of regular defence dialogue, training exercises, Navy and Coast Guard ship visits, capacity-building, exchange of think tanks and other exchanges between relevant agencies of both countries.
Among the eight pacts that were signed after delegation-level talks between the two leaders was an MoU between Vietnam Oil and ONGC Videsh Limited that will lead to India getting a new block after its expected departure from Block 128, located in Vietnam, on grounds of uneconomic potential.
On the economic front, both leaders appreciated Vietnam’s decision to award Tata Power a $1.8-billion thermal power project after the company suffered a failed bid for a $5-billion steel plant.
Investment and trade is slated for further boost with the signing of an air services agreement that will facilitate direct flights between the two countries.
Defence secretaries signed pact on confidentiality on transfer of hardware, training
Tata Power, ONGC Videsh Ltd. stand to benefit from MoUs signed with Vietnam
G77+China group walks out of Loss and Damage talks
EU, U.S., Australia & Canada most vocal against setting up separate mechanism
Seeking concrete solutions:The Philippines’ head negotiator Naderev Sano and supporters seek an urgent and bolder action to tackle climate change at the United Nations Climate Change ConferenceCOP 19 on Wednesday in Warsaw.— PHOTO: AFP
The G77+China group of 134 countries walked out of negotiations on Loss and Damage in the wee hours of Wednesday after the rich countries refused to budge from their position that the subject should be discussed only after 2015. The U.S., Australia and Canada have been the most vocal against setting up a separate mechanism on Loss and Damage while the European Union (EU) has not only been belligerent but also tried to make sure it did not materialise at the Warsaw meeting.
At a closed-door meeting of representatives of various country blocks, called a ‘contact group on loss and damage,’ the developed countries continued to demand that the issue be discussed only after 2015.
The Hindu earlier reported that the G77+China group had warned the others that if the rich countries did not relent, it would be forced to walk out of the talks — a rare event in climate talks, which happens only when there is absolute lack of trust between countries.
While several parallel streams of negotiations are on at the moment, including on finance for poor countries and the basic elements of the 2015 agreement, a walkout from even one stream of talks in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change threatens to bring all negotiations to a halt. “Everything clears together or nothing moves at all,” is how one G77 delegate put it to The Hindu.
In a secret briefing paper prepared by U.S. secretary of State John Kerry, that The Hindu accessed, it had been advised that loss and damage should remain at worst another stream under the ‘adaptation’ mechanisms and not be allowed to be a separate independent system to pay compensation or reparation to poor countries. While poor countries look upon Loss and Damage reparation for the damage caused by inevitable climate change which any amount of adaptation cannot avoid, the developed countries desire that the issue be defanged from any kind of legal liability it may impose upon the key countries with highest historic emissions. At the time of writing this report, the G77+China group was holding its coordination meeting in which the walkout from Loss and Damage was likely to be the key discussion. “U.S.A, EU, Australia and Norway remain blind to the climate reality that’s hitting us all and poor people and countries much harder. They continue to derail negotiations in Warsaw that can create a new system to deal with new types of loss and damage such as sea level rise, loss of territory, biodiversity and other non-economic losses more systematically,” said Harjeet Singh, International Coordinator — Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Adaptation,ActionAid International.
State to mainstream use of solar energy
Aims at mainstreaming use of solar energy in energy mix
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Kerala Solar Energy Policy aimed at mainstreaming the use of solar energy in the energy mix of the State.
The policy proposes to increase the installed capacity in the solar sector to 500 MW by 2017 and 2,500 MW by 2030. Various incentives are proposed to promote the use of solar energy.
The plans include promotion of offsite generation at locations such as canals, reservoirs, wastelands and quarries besides off-shore generating plants.
Off-grid applications
Off-grid solar applications shall be promoted for replacing diesel-based generator sets. Interventions will also be made for establishing rooftop system at demand points or consumer premises and promotion of conversion of existing inverter installation to solar power.
The State will also promote solar water heating system by making its use mandatory in industrial buildings, hospitals, hotels, housing complexes, hostels, barracks and jails, guesthouses, and similar buildings. It will also promote solar steam systems for wider applications such as community cooking, process industries and laundries, and industrial processes requiring steam.
Use of solar power and water heater will be made mandatory for residential flats, buildings with floor area of more than 2,000 sq ft.
For off-grid systems, the policy seeks to ensure bank finance at attractive interest rates and provide generation-based incentives. For grid-connected systems, the government itself will set an example by setting up generation facilities in public buildings. The policy urges all concerned to make use of rooftop and premises to install solar plants to match maximum demand of the offices within two years.
For grid-connected systems in non-government buildings and premises, incentives will be provided on the basis of net metering, feed-in-tariff, and renewal energy certificate mechanism.
Since large-scale absorption of solar power into the system is impossible without sufficient storage, a programme for exploring and developing pumped storage schemes will be promoted.
For evolving safety and quality standards, capability of academic institutions both within and outside the country will be leveraged. The policy also proposes licensing for manufacturers and all solar photovoltaic systems to be installed in the State. Solar procurement obligation will be mandated for commercial consumers with more than 20kVA of connected load.
Regulatory framework
The policy will be extended to other industrial consumers in a phased manner. At a later stage, similar conditions will also become applicable for high consuming domestic consumers. The legal and regulatory framework that will come into force following implementation of the policy is to mandate 100 litres solar water heater and 500 W solar photovoltaic systems for domestic building with floor area of between 2,000 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft.
All buildings above 3,000 sq ft will have to install a 100-litre solar water heater and at least 1,000 W solar photovoltaic system. In case of residential flats and apartments, five per cent of the energy usage for common amenities should be from solar power.
(From left) Eminent scientist C..N.R. Rao, artist A. Ramachandran,and Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., N. Ram at the convocation functionin Mahatma Gandhi University at Kottayam on Wednesday.— Photo: Vipin Chandran
Centres of higher learning can aid the media, says N. Ram
N. Ram, Chairman, Kasturi and Sons Ltd., has said centres of excellence in higher learning can come to the aid of the media at a time when the roles or functions of journalism, its professional standards and templates, its intellectual and social framework and its vision and values, have become more important than ever before.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday where Mahatma Gandhi University conferred honorary doctorates on him, besides scientist C.N.R. Rao, artist A. Ramachandran and musician V. Dakshinamoorthy, Mr. Ram termed it an “unexpected recognition of the intellectual and social value of serious journalism.”
Mr. Ram said Mahatma Gandhi University had taken on the challenge of developing into “an institution with the highest standards of excellence without losing sight of the importance of social equity.” He added that he believed this took one to the heart of the educational challenge in India. “It is the challenge of striking a balance between, or reconciling, two great objectives,” the pursuit of quality and excellence, on the one side, and the imperative of making make education at all levels accessible in a progressive modern sense, on the other. Quality and accessibility, excellence and affordability, aiming high and throwing the gates and the doors wide open — these must not be seen as contradictory, conflicting goals, even if it is easier to reconcile these goals in principle than in practice, Mr. Ram said.
He believed this formulation applied as much to journalism as it did to academia. “Journalism has played a major role in the history of modern India. It is in rapid growth mode in our country, with positive features that benefit society as well as distortions, which need to be corrected urgently. The press, television, radio, and the online, digital media face complex challenges as well as exciting opportunities today. Many traps abound in the media marketplace. These curses include the practices of ‘paid news’ hyper-commercialism, sensationalism, tendentiousness, motivated propaganda, and dumbing down.”
A. Ramachandran, one of the finest Indian painters, underscored the importance of familiarising the average art-lover with original works to promote the appreciation of art. According to him, till the 1990s, the average Malayalee art-lover remained obsessively loyal to the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, since he or she never got a proper exposure to later developments in Indian art.
“Fortunately, recent art events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale have made a deep impact on public perception of trends in Indian art movements,” he said.
Prominent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C.N.R. Rao noted that this was the 60th honorary doctoral degree that he was receiving from a university. He expressed confidence that his work would continue to remain worthy of attention by peers and colleagues.
Kalyani Dakshinamoorthy, who received an honorary D. Litt on behalf of her late husband V. Dakshinamoorthy, said in a speech made in Tamil that she would have been much happier to see “Swami” himself receiving the honour.
Mechanism for review
Delivering the convocation address, Governor and Chancellor Nikhil Kumar stressed the need for a mechanism for constant review of the academic climate in centres of higher learning so that the challenge of ensuring quality in higher education could be taken up effectively.
Referring to Mr. Ram, the Chancellor said he embodied all that was expected of a true journalist as he epitomised the qualities of a journalist. He could not only educate and empower the public with critical consciousness but also lead them.
Mr. Kumar said that while Mr. Ramachandran had established himself as a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, designer of international renown, he was more impressed with the three decades Mr. Ramachandran had spent as an art teacher at Jamila Millia Islamia University.
The Governor said music had the power to transcend linguistic barriers, and though he could not understand Malayalam and Tamil, he could enjoy Dakshinamoorthy’s music.
Pro-Chancellor and Minister for Education P.K. Abdu Rabb said the time had come for universities and governments to set out on a bold path of educational reforms.
The event started with a ceremonial procession of dignitaries. Following this, the Chancellor declared the purpose of the gathering and the citations were read out by Vice-Chancellor A.V. George.
Later, the degrees were conferred on the dignitaries by the Chancellor.
