INDIA VOTES AGAINST UN RESOLUTION ON DEATH PENALTY

• India was among the 39 countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called for abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the “sovereign right” to determine its own legal system.
• The non-binding resolution called for a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.

 THE RESOLUTION:

• The draft resolution expresses its “deep concern about the continued application of the death penalty and calls on states to establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to abolish the practice”.
• It calls on nations to progressively restrict the death penalty’s use and not impose capital punishment for offences committed by persons under age 18 or pregnant women.
• States would also be called on to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty might be imposed.
• It was adopted at the General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with social and humanitarian issues, after 110 nations voted in favor of the resolution while 36 abstained.

Lecture for " STRATEGY FOR PCS MAINS" BY Mr PARVEEN BANSAL at bhaskar building ( sector 25 centre) , second floor, chandigarh at 5 pm, 29th Nov ( today) in Classroom no -1. All concerned are invited, No registeration fee.

AADHAAR-ENABLED SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM

•  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has launched the Aadhaar-enabled service delivery system (AESD), an electronic system that correctly identifies the targeted beneficiaries of government's several social schemes/services in Dudu near Jaipur.
• 21st crore Aadhaar card given to Bali Bai of Kurawad village in Udaipur district
• The launch marked second anniversary of the Unique Identification Citizenship Number Project.
• The first Aadhaar card was issued in Maharashtra on September 29, 2010.
• Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairman: Nandan Nilekani
• Aadhaar-based delivery system will benefit crores of people through direct transfer of cash that will reduce the role of middlemen and bring down complaints of delay and leakage in government schemes.

 ABOUT AADHAAR:

• Aadhaar, a 12-digit number, serves as a proof of identity and address in the country

• It is an online identity platform that can be accessed in real-time for authenticating beneficiaries and can be adapted by user agencies

APPLICATION:

•  It will be used for making payments to beneficiaries under MGNREGA, PDS, social security pension schemes, LPG distribution scheme, Chief Minister’s rural BPL housing and Chief Minister’s higher education scholarship.

IOR-ARC

• The Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), initially known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative, is an international organization with 19 member states.
• It was first established in Mauritius on March 1995 and formally launched on 6–7 March 1997.
• The Association disseminates information on trade and investment regimes, with a view to helping the region's business community better understand the impediments to trade and investment within the region.

 FULL MEMBERS:

• It comprises Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen

 DIALOGUE PARTNERS:

• China, Japan, UK, France and Egypt

 OBJECTIVES:

• To promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and Member States
• To focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits
• To promote liberalization, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim

TALKING POINT OF 2012 MINISTERIAL MEET:

• Whether the US should be made a dialogue partner of the grouping, which has completed more than 15 years of its existence but made little headway in terms of economic links among member nations.

 OUTCOME:

• The United States joins IOR-ARC as a dialogue partner
• The Union of Comoros, an archipelago of four islands and several islets located in the western Indian Ocean, also joined the association as its 20th member.
• A consensus, however, eluded on re-naming the IOR-ARC, which in its current 'avatar', is seen as unwieldy and un-pronounceable

 NEXT MEET:

•  Australia,2013

CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE

• Karnataka, the upper riparian state, has stopped releasing Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, disregarding a Supreme Court directive.
• Tamil Nadu has petitioned the apex court, accusing Karnataka of contempt of court. The interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (1991) and the final order in 2007 have ignored the issue of water sharing during a year of inadequate rainfall. 

 CAUVERY RIVER

• Cauvery originates in Coorg district of Karnataka and takes an easterly course, passing through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before joining the Bay of Bengal.
• About 320 km of the river is in Karnataka and 416 km in Tamil Nadu.
• The remaining length of 64 km forms the common boundary between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

HISTORY:

• 19th century: Mysore wanted to build irrigation projects
• 1892: British government of Madras took up issue with Government of India; agreement between Madras and Mysore governments
• 1910: Mysore formulated proposal for a reservoir; sought consent of Madras
• 1914: Conflict referred for arbitration; award not acceptable to Madras
• 1924: Another agreement between Madras and Mysore
• Late 60s: Fresh dispute arose when Karnataka started work on irrigation projects on tributaries
• 1971: TN moved Supreme Court to direct Centre to set up tribunal to restrain Karnataka
• 1990: Supreme Court asked Centre to set up tribunal
• 1991: Interim order prescribes 205 TMC of waters to Tamil Nadu annually
• 2007: Final order allows for 192 TMC of waters for Tamil Nadu

 KARNATAKA’S CLAIM:

• By 1934, Madras had completed the Mettur Dam for storing 93.5 TMC of Cauvery waters, enabling cultivation of over 3,00,000 acres of new area. After the formation of Karnataka, covering the areas of Mysore and others, over 42 per cent of the drainage area of the Cauvery basin fell in Karnataka.
• Hilly regions of the Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall, but Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Tumkur, Bangalore and Kolar are plagued by drought.
• Eastern basin in Tamil Nadu receives heavy north-east monsoon while the central part receives both south-west and north-east monsoon.

 TAMIL NADU’S STAND:

• Karnataka has constructed Kabini, Hemavathy, Harangi and Suvarnavathy reservoirs, besides other projects, for storing the Cauvery waters, much beyond the limit stipulated in the 1924 agreement.
• This has diminished the supply of waters to Tamil Nadu, adversely affecting the Ayacutdars (farmers) who have been dependent on the Cauvery for centuries.