Essays for Group 1[1]

8/14/2019 Essays for Group 1[1]

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Impact of Terrorism On Social, Economic And Legal Structure of TheCountries

Obstacle to Global Peace

By : Dr. Arvind shukla

Sr. lecturer, Invertis Institute Of management Studies, Bareilly.

The term "terrorism" since the 1970s was directed to various phenomenon, starting from fearsome threats

Until today the world under UN has failed to come to an agreement about what is an acceptable definition

for terrorism. It is still under debate despite attempts made by many experts. The effort to approach

terrorism from a definitional perspective has thus become a never-ending effort, let alone conform the

definition itself.

So many definitions of terrorism have been attempted, but I am not going to discuss the diversities of

terrorism definition. What I intend to discuss here is that for the purpose of enforcing the law against the

act of terror, Indonesia has enacted a law on terror in its Act number 15 and 16, 2003 which goes as

follows:

"Every person deliberately uses violence or threatens to use violence causing terror or wide fear against

person or causing massive victims, by taking others' freedom or the loss of life, property of others, or

causing damage and destruction against vital and/ or strategic installations or environment or public

facility or international facility, shall be penalized with a death penalty or life imprisonment or at least four

years imprisonment and maximum 20 years imprisonment. "

It is vital tool for our law enforcement as a vanguard of terror act attempted by any individual or group

within our jurisdiction. So from law enforcement perspective the law is vital to stop a would-be criminal (s)

from attempting to commit crime of terrorism which used to be absent in Indonesia for several years.

From a perspective of motives of terrorist acts are recognized as follows: publicizing a statement through

acts of ruthlessness. In that way they can make fast and massive publication; act of vengeance towards

groups considered disadvantageous to them; serving as a catalyst for militarization or mass mobilization;

spreading hatred and inter-communal conflict; announcing a certain group as the enemy and should be

held responsible; victims are not the goal but a means to create "neural war"; create mass panic, damage

public trust towards the government including security and law enforcement authorities.

Whereas the justifications of terrorism taken on by terrorists including: justifying all means for the

accomplishment of transcendental goals; extreme violence considered to be therapeutic, full of blessings

and regenerative; the executor places himself/herself as part of history, where the act is a consequential

element of history under the perspective of moral balance (a deserved treatment); the act of terrorism

perceived as a minor crime; many among them even take this act insignificant in comparison to the


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enemy's posing threat that suppresses them structurally; Let us now look at how terrorism has developed

and its trend these days.

Trends of Terrorism:-

Terrorism is a global crime. It has become the predominant geopolitical theme. The affairs of the worldare influenced in important areas by the terrorist agenda. The thinking of policy makers and law enforcers

is shaped increasingly by the need to respond appropriately to the threat of terrorism. Terrorism

represents a challenge not just to the bases of civilized society, but also to the very foundations of the

world order. Terrorism activities threaten fundamental nations' law and order, human rights and it is the

enemy of mankind. Terrorism, in one form or another, has been around for a long time, and there is no

realistic prospect of its becoming extinct in the foreseeable future. All of those concerned with the

effective combat of terrorism must be prepared for the long haul. There is no simple solution to terrorism.

Terrorism is fuelled by various factors. These include the openness of free societies, the easy access to

technologies by means of violence and a radical and global ideology of hatred. Conflicts in some

countries particularly in the Middle East have inevitably formed a global issue and solidarity among

terrorists. This global issue has become a unifying factor to share the sufferings and establish a sense of

togetherness based on religious brotherhood among the believers to resist against the oppressor.

Terrorism will remain a menace as long as there are people who are driven by fanaticism, paranoia and

extremism. So long as there exists in the world poverty, strife, injustice and oppression, conditions will

exist which terrorists can turn to their advantage. No doubt that the campaign against terrorism is one that

must be mounted at various levels, including political, economic, and humanitarian. The iron fist approach

alone will not succeed. Terrorist will often have the advantage over the law enforcer in the sense that he/

she is able to decide when and where he/she will strike, and how hard he/ she will strike. Law

enforcement, on the other hand, has to maintain constant vigilance. That is not easy at a time whencommercial airlines can be used as flying bombs, and when terrorist strategy is planned by internet,

mobile phone, satellite and coded messages on websites.

The threats we face from terrorism are constantly changing in all sorts of ways. Just when progress is

being made against a terrorist group, splintering often occurs, and hardliners break away and form

splinter groups committed to the campaign of violence. It is feared that weapons of mass destruction

previously controlled by governments can now be purchased on the black market. It is said that not only

the weapons but also the scientists with the knowledge of how to make them are available if the price is

right. And finance may be the key. Terrorists, like more conventional criminals, need access to adequate

funds in order to finance their activities. Weapons, communication systems and transport all come at a

price, as does training.

Terrorism seeks power through violence, and money is a means to achieve that. Terrorism needs access

to international payment systems in order to finance and sustain its campaigns. Terrorists, like organized

criminals, make active use of credit card fraud and check fraud. This is why vigorous identification checks

regime must be exercised on potential customers by credit card companies. The loopholes are in the area

of money laundering legislation that must be closed.


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Terrorism as it was defined a systematic use of violence or the threat of violence to achieve political,

social or economic goals. Terrorism uses extreme physical violence to shock the targeted audience. The

psychological impact generated in the mind of people as a natural corollary of that matters more to the

terrorists than the physical attack on the victims (Cline, Ray S, 1998).

Terrorism is as old as the civilization of mankind itself and has existed in all ages in some form or otherwhich might be known anarchists, revolutionaries, fundamentalist or dissidents against the established

authority or even ruling tyrants having no tolerance or dissent. However, terrorism was not as widespread

phenomenon as it is today in contemporary political system of the world.

Terrorism has, in fact, become a global phenomenon with increasing and rather well identifiable links

between different terrorist group and organization. They use each other's areas for recruitment and

training, exchange of illegal weapons, engage in joint planning and ventures and also provide

administrative and other logistic support. This type of terrorist activities show a new dimension due to

circumstances characterized by the advancement of science, technology and diverse social, economic,

political and historical reasons conditioning it.

The development of computer science, satellite and mobile links have also affected the modernization of

terrorist activities. This further facilitated by support of states/ governments unfavorable to each other. An

element of international terrorism comes into the picture when specific persons of the nation are designed

as targets by the members of another group outside that nation. It is, therefore, described as warfare

without territory. It is warfare without neutrals and with few or no by standards. Another form of global

terrorism is sponsored terrorism, which is operated from safe areas in another country, which are out of

reach of the counter insurgency forces of the targeted country.

There cannot be any single cause of terrorism. Causes of terrorism may range from socio-economic and

political conditions to theories based on the personality and environment of the terrorist. Terrorism ismotivated by a variety of inner drives ranging from financial gains to revenge, from fundamentalism to

deprivation, political frustration, regional disparities, marginalization of sub-national groups, extremism,

despair, injustice, discrimination, resentment against the existing regime, feeling of insignificance,

intervention into personal freedom, weak government, separatism and oppression, inequality etc.

Terrorism produces harmful effects in several ways. The consequences of terrorism can be disastrous for

all countries, both rich and poor, and their people. The normal social life gets totally disturbed and a large

number of innocent lives go in vein. Fear and terror haunt everybody and the productivity of people is

miserably stalled. Everything may come to a halt and the dream of leading a life of happiness and peace

is shattered. Economic and social development of the society cease to uncertainly. Almost all become

paralyzed amid terrorist incidents.

Terrorism breaks down the social, economic political and legal structures of the affected countries and the

entire process of development stops. Socio-cultural mosaic goes to rack and ruin, and the economy of the

country suddenly becomes a shamble. The rule of law and human rights crumble and people suffer

terribly. For developing countries, terrorism is fatal to their development planning because they can hardly

withstand the violent assaults of terrorism; their longing for a better and brighter future goes up in smoke.


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Moreover, terrorism not only weakens the established political authority but also brings about political

instability. In that situation the maintenance of the rule of law and human rights become almost

impossible.

Terrorism idealizes violence, does away with morality, distorts politics, promotes totalitarianism, subverts

progress, destroys the apparatus of freedom in democratic societies. In fact, it destroys the will of acivilized society to defend itself. It appears that everything the mankind strives for collapses like a house

of cards. As a matter of fact, terrorism is war against civilization.

Today, terrorism poses a great threat not just to human life, human rights, dignity and democratic values

but to very existence of a civilized life. If the present trend continues, human civilization itself will be a

casualty. That is why Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism held in 1979 declared that

terrorism is a serious and growing threat to the people of all states which live under the rule of law, that it

is no longer a national problem, but a global one; that it cannot be constrained, and eliminated, except by

concerted international action; and that the case for such action is overwhelming and urgent. (Jonathan

Institute, 1979)

Prevention and Control Strategies:-

In this age of increasing globalization and interdependence, the national and international dimension of

terrorism in fact, constitutes two facets of the same social phenomenon which infringes upon the interest

of all states, not only as an assault against their public order and institutions that protect the liberty and

security of their citizens but, also at the same time as a serious danger to peaceful international relations

and cooperation, which is clearly understood as encompassing human rights and values as well as the

principles of equal rights and self determination of people. It is, therefore, that the transnational character

of contemporary terrorist events has prompted international efforts to suppress them at the global

regional and bilateral levels.

Suggestions for stemming the growth of transnational crime:-

The answer seems to be intensifying law enforcement, more vigilance along borders, depriving the

criminals of their profits, assisting poor countries with their efforts at strict law enforcement by way of

providing training to their law enforcement officers, providing necessary technology, harmonizing laws,

sharing information, concluding international agreements to facilitate co-operation and co-ordination in

law enforcement and more importantly, political will and commitment.

Profits generated by organized crime far exceed those that legitimate business enterprises could make.

The incentive for organized crime, whether local or transnational, is profit. If organized crime syndicates

can be deprived of their profits, they will cease their activities altogether. It will therefore be worthwhile

to examine and explore the ways and means of depriving them of their profits. The most effective way to

do this is confiscation of the proceeds of such illegal activity by judicial means or with sufficient

safeguards, by administrative means.

A sine qua non in this direction is effective mutual legal assistance in the investigation and prosecution.


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Assembly stressed the importance of International cooperation for dealing with the acts of international

terrorism. Adopting the report of the Committee, it condemned all acts of international terrorism that

endangered or took human lives or jeopardized fundamental freedoms.

In 1994, the General Assembly adopted a Declaration on Measures to Eliminate international Terrorism,

which condemned all acts and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, wherever andwhomever they were committed. States were urged to take measures at the national and international

levels to eliminate international terrorism.

Important international Conventions on terrorism are the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts

Committed on Board Aircraft (Tokyo, 1963), the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of

Aircraft (The Hague, 1970); the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Act against the Safety of Civil

Aviation (Montreal, 1971); the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against

Internationally Protected Persons, including diplomatic Agents (New York, 1973); the Convention on the

Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (Vienna, 1980); the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts

of Violence at Airports Serving International Civil Aviation (Montreal, 1988); the Convention for the

Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms located on the Continental Shelf

(Rome, 1988) and the Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection

(Montreal, 1991).

The UN General Assembly also adopted the Convention against the Taking of Hostages in 1979 and the

Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel in 1994, and International

Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings in 1997.

Despite all these Conventions adopted and ratified, declarations made, and resolutions passed against

international terrorism within the UN system outside, terrorism has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in

the contemporary international affairs, and continues to grow. Every state is supposed to refrain fromorganizing, instigating assisting or participating in acts of civil strife on terrorist acts in another state or

involved in organized activities within its territory directed towards the commission of such acts as well as

prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators of terrorist acts. A concerted action has to be initiated and

sustained by all States whether they are affected or not in collaboration and co-operation with each other

with strong determination and will to root out terrorism altogether from the world.

Of course, mutual agreement at the international, and regional levels have consolidated and strengthened

co-operation between the countries in the fight against terrorism. Hard line policies against terrorism

adopted by some countries have achieved success in this regard. But, it seems that combating of terrorist

activities in a significant proportion will be possible only if terrorism is condemned and fought universally,

unequivocally and effectively, by all the countries in the world.

Conclusion:-


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Terrorism has no respect for national boundaries, and the problem-taking place in any part of the world

today will sure enough to become the problem of all tomorrow. Terrorism is a monster like Frankensteins

creation that is too horrible and dangerous. It is even a threat to those countries that create or promote it.

Therefore, terrorism is a phenomenon which must be condemned, fought, resisted, controlled and,

eventually, eliminated at all levels-national, regional and international. Conditions necessary for wipingout terrorism must, accordingly, be cultivated and strengthened nationally, regionally and internationally,

and unilaterally, bilaterally or multilaterally.

Terrorist acts confronted by a state cannot be eliminated by the affected States alone because of the

international linkage of the terrorist groups. It is, therefore, clear that all the nations must form a common

front to fight terrorism. If the much needed spirit of international cooperation in the required degree is not

properly established, the world would become a dangerous place to live. It is for this reason that one

nations peace and security will be determined by the success of all nations response to any kind of

terrorism particularly for international terrorism.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Discomfited

End of Terror But Political Steps Towards Effective Devolution Needed

By : Dr. Divya

Author is an expert and analyst of social and political issues

Founder and chief of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) Velupillai Prabakaran was shot dead by the

Sri Lanka Army on May 18,2009 at Mullivaikkal in Mullaithivu district in northern Sri Lanka. The 37-year-

old quest of the LTTE has ended with the death of its all in all Prabakaran. He was 54 years old. His elder


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son Charles Antony, and also the entire top leadership of the LTTE, including the LTTEs intelligence

chief, Pottu Amman, and the Sea Tigers chief, Soosai, were killed after being encircled by the Sri Lankan

armed forces.

Until the last, Prabakaran, a ruthless and dreaded terrorist yet ironically remaining an inspirational symbol

to thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils, remained uncompromising on his goal of armed struggle, a strugglethat despite its lofty claims had often manifested in ruthless violence even directed at fellow Tamils. Yet in

the early 1980s, Prabakaran had indeed appeared eager to be seen as a revolutionary fighter, in the

mould of heroic figures of legendary revolutions. Prabakaran, who had little patience for the sophistry of

political negotiations, made a virtue out of his sole reliance on violence and armed struggle.

Crisis of Human Rights:-

Thousands of Sri Lankans celebrated their government's military victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels when

President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the country that the war is over. On the ground, the rebels have

admitted that their 25-year struggle for a Tamil homeland has reached "its bitter end". However, the

victory has come at a high price in terms of civilian life and damage to Colombo's international reputation.

According to UN figures, an estimated 7,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed between 20 January, when

a military offensive pushed back the rebels into a tiny enclave in the north-east, and 7 May. Although the

military largely blocked the world's media from covering the carnage in the so-called no-fire zone, some

TV images have conveyed part of the horror, showing civilians making a desperate break across a lagoon

to escape the last strip of land controlled by the rebels.

Doctors have recounted the cries of the wounded at a makeshift hospital that they had to abandon

because of continual artillery shelling bombardments denied by the Sri Lankan military. UN officials and

human rights groups have been horrified at the disregard for civilians on both sides, particularly in the

final stages of the conflict. Despite pleas from the US president, Barack Obama, and the UN secretary-

general, Ban Ki-Moon, Colombo has zealously pursued its objective of wiping out the separatistLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) once and for all.

For Rajapaksa, military victory is the climax of his election campaign in November 2005, when he ruled

out autonomy for Tamils a harbinger of the military option. Rajapaksa has been able to dress up the

offensive as part of the global fight against terrorism. There is little sympathy for the Tigers. A ruthless

group, listed as a terrorist organisation by both the US and the EU, the Tigers pioneered suicide attacks,

carried out assassinations and stand accused of using civilians in the war zone as human shields and

shooting those who tried to flee.

However, such tactics provide no excuse for the Sri Lankan government's blatant disregard for the plight

of civilians. While many Tamils are appalled by the Tigers' tactics, they also harbour deep grievances

about their treatment by the Sinhalese majority. Analysts claim the government's conduct has hardened

an already humiliated Tamil diaspora, storing trouble for the future.

If the Tigers' leadership is removed or killed in a government assault, it's easy to imagine one of the newly

energised generation stepping in to fill the void. The dream of an independent Tamil homeland in Sri

Lanka resonates powerfully across the diaspora and will certainly live on even after the defeat of the


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LTTE as a conventional military force.

The deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians while their family members watch from afar

is a recipe for another, possibly more explosive, generation of terrorism. For now, the Sri Lankan

government has prevailed, militarily. It has a huge humanitarian problem on its hands, with tens of

thousands of displaced civilians to care for, and it will need international aid. For western leaders whohave urged restraint, this is the time to call on Rajapaksa to address Tamil demands for devolution of

power and language rights now that the military conflict is over.

Indias Opinion

India told Colombo to tackle the grievances of the Tamil minority which gave rise to the ethnic

conflict. It sought political steps towards effective devolution of power within the Sri Lankan

Constitution so that Sri Lankans of all communities, including the Tamils, could feel at home

and lead lives of dignity of their own free will. Indias response came soon after Sri Lankan

President Mahinda Rajapaksa called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to confirm

that the armed resistance by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had ended and its

leader Velupillai Prabakaran was dead. India had promised to work with the people and the

Government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected by the tragic conflict, and to rapidly

rehabilitate all those who had been displaced, bringing their lives to normality as soon as

possible.

In several interactions at the top level, India had received assurances from the Sri Lankan

government that after the LTTE was militarily defeated, it would ensure the political

accommodation of its Tamil origin citizens through several measures. Concerned at the

developing unease among parties committed to a peaceful solution in eastern Sri Lanka, where

the LTTE had already been routed, India wanted Colombo to take steps that guaranteed safety, a

better quality of life and the genuine feeling of participation by Tamils of Indian origin in bothprovinces.

From TNT to LTTE

Prabakaran was drawn into the Tamil struggle after the Sri Lankan government passed a series of

legislations, first aimed at the plantation Tamils and then against the Sri Lankan Tamils themselves.

Repeated violence against the Tamils in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s influenced Prabakaran to take to

armed struggle. Prabakaran, still in his teens, first formed the Tamil New Tigers (TNT) in 1972. The tiger

was chosen as the emblem because the tiger represented the Chola flag and stood for Tamil patriotism

and a Tamil nation. Yet the TNT was a forerunner of the LTTE, just as ruthless and fascist in its tactics.

Apart from the assassination of Alfred Duraiappa, the record of the TNT included raids on banks, lamp-

posting killing of informants and murdering secret service police officers.

Prabakaran had a child-like craving for the LTTE to be recognised as the sole representative of the Tamil

race. Unfortunately that craving turned into a deadly cannibalistic tendency to devour other Tamil militant

groups, thus undermining the struggle for equal rights for Sri Lankan Tamils. The result was that most of

his military energies were spent on the destructive task of liquidating other militant leaders and groups.

An early chilling indication of Prabakarans fascistic side was his personal gunning down of the Mayor of

Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappa, in July 1975. With the dastardly assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991


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But to the Tamil leadership that was losing the control it had on the Tamil militants after not being able to

follow through with the election promise of seceding from Sri Lanka to form Tamil, it was too little too late.

After nearly two decades of violence, a ceasefire was signed in 2002, but it broke down in January 2008,

leading to renewed fierce fighting. The violence killed more than 60,000 people, damaged the economy

and harmed tourism in one of South Asia's potentially prosperous societies. A ceasefire and a politicalagreement reached between the government and rebels in late 2002 raised hopes for a lasting

settlement. But Norwegian-brokered peace talks stalled and monitors reported open violations of the

truce by the government and Tamil Tiger rebels. Escalating violence between the two sides in 2006 killed

hundreds of people and raised fears of a return to all-out war. In January 2008, the government said it

was withdrawing from the 2002 ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire expired a fortnight later. Following a

renewal of fighting, in January 2009 government troops captured the northern town of Kilinochchi, held for

ten years by the Tigers as their administrative headquarters.

Sri Lankan Civil War

The Sri Lankan Civil War is the name given to the ongoing conflict on the island-nation of Sri Lanka.

Since July 23, 1983, there has been on and off civil war, predominantly between the government and the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist armed organization

which fights for the creation of an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the north and the east of the

island. Over 70,000 people have been officially listed as killed in the war since 1983. As one of the world's

deadliest ongoing armed conflicts, it has caused significant adversity to the population, environment and

the economy of the country. The tactics employed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have resulted

in the organization being banned as a terrorist organization in 32 countries, including the United States,

Japan, Brazil, Australia, the nations of the European Union, and Canada.

After two decades of fighting and three failed attempts at peace talks, including the unsuccessfuldeployment of the Indian Army as a peacekeeping force from 1987 to 1990, a lasting negotiated

settlement to the conflict appeared possible when a cease-fire was declared in December 2001, and a

ceasefire agreement signed with international mediation in 2002. However limited hostilities renewed in

late 2005 and the conflict began to escalate until the government launched a number of major military

offensives against the LTTE beginning in July 2006, and drove the LTTE out of the entire Eastern

province of the island. The LTTE then declared they would "resume their freedom struggle to achieve

statehood".

The government then shifted its offensive to the north of the country, and formally announced its

withdrawal from the ceasefire agreement on January 2, 2008, alleging that the LTTE violated the

agreement over 10,000 times. Since then, aided by the destruction of a number of large arms smuggling

vessels that belonged to the LTTE, and an international crackdown on the funding for the Tamil Tigers,

the government has taken control of 99.8% of the territory previously controlled by the Tamil Tigers,

including their de-facto capital Kilinochchi, main military base Mullaitivu and the entire A9 highway.

As a result of the latest fighting, experts predict the long running conflict could soon come to an end, with

the government taking over the final bit of territory controlled by the Tamil Tigers. However the rebels


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have vowed to fight on, and are expected to wage an underground guerrilla campaign, launching hit and

run attacks against the military and suicide bombings around the country, if they were defeated as a

conventional force.

The fate of civilians trapped in the 'no-fire zone' has become a major concern for the international

community at this stage of war. On April 22, 2009, the UN Security Council has called on Tamil Tigerrebels to lay down their arms and let the UN help evacuate civilians from the war zone.

Indian involvement:-

Became involved in the conflict in the 1980s for a number of reasons, including its leaders' desire to

project India as the regional power in the area and worries about India's own Tamils seeking

independence. The latter was particularly strong in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where ethnic kinship

led to strong support for independence for Sri Lankan Tamils. Throughout the conflict, the Indian central

and state governments have supported both sides in different ways.

Beginning in the 1980s, India, through its intelligence agency RAW, provided arms, training and monetary

support to a number of Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups, including the LTTE and its rival Tamil Eelam

Liberation Organization (TELO). The LTTE's rise is widely attributed to the initial backing it received from

RAW. It is believed that by supporting different militant groups, the Indian government hoped to keep the

Tamil independence movement divided and be able to exert overt control over it.

India became more actively involved in the late 1980s, and on June 5, 1987, the Indian Air Force

airdropped food parcels to Jaffna while it was under siege by Sri Lankan forces. At a time when the Sri

Lankan government stated they were close to defeating the LTTE, India dropped 25 tons of food and

medicine by parachute into areas held by the LTTE in a direct move of support toward the rebels.

Negotiations were held, and the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was signed on July 29, 1987, by IndianPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Jayewardene. Under this accord, the Sri Lankan

Government made a number of concessions to Tamil demands, including a devolution of power to the

provinces, a mergersubject to later referendumof the Northern and the Eastern provinces into the

single province, and official status for the Tamil language (this was enacted as the 13th Amendment to

the Constitution of Sri Lanka). India agreed to establish order in the North and East through a

peacekeeping force, and to cease assisting Tamil insurgents. Militant groups including the LTTE,

although initially reluctant, agreed to surrender their arms to the IPKF.

Signing of Permanent Ceasefire Agreement

Sri Lankan government and LTTE formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 22,

2002, and signed a permanent ceasefire agreement (CFA). Norway was named mediator, and it was

decided that they, together with the other Nordic countries, monitor the ceasefire through a committee of


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Wildlife Conservation in India

Aiming to Sustainable Growth and Development

By: Sangeeta Gupta

Author is an expert of various competitive examination.

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and

animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on

the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems, Deserts, rain

forests, plains, and other areas including the most developed urban sites all have distinct forms of wildlife.

While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by human factors, most

scientists agree that wildlife around the world is impacted by human activities.

Indian wildlife:-

The wildlife of India is a mix of species of diverse origins. The region's rich and diverse wildlife is

preserved in numerous national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across the country. Since India is home to

a number of rare and threatened animal species, wildlife management in the country is essential to

preserve these species. According to one study, India is home to about 60-70% of the world'sbiodiversity. India, lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, is home to about 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6%

of avian, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.0% of flowering plant species.

Many ecoregions, such as the shola forests, also exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33%

of Indian plant species are endemic. India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the

Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and Northeast India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between


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these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; teak-dominated dry

deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central

Deccan and western Gangetic plain. Important Indian trees include the medicinal neem, widely used in

rural Indian herbal remedies. The pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro, shaded the

Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment.

Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged.

Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a

mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago caused the

extinction of many endemic Indian forms. Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two

zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya. As a result, among Indian species, only

12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of

amphibians. Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of

the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species. These include

the Asiatic lion, the Bengal tiger, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction

from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.

In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of

national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India

enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal

protections were promulgated in the 1980s. Along with over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts 14

biosphere reserves, four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; 25 wetlands are

registered under the Ramsar Convention. The varied and rich wildlife of India has had a profound impact

on the region's popular culture. Common name for wilderness in India is Jungle which was adopted by the

British colonialists to the English language. The word has been also made famous in The Jungle Book by

Rudyard Kipling. India's wildlife has been the subject of numerous other tales and fables such as the

Panchatantra and the Jataka tales.

The gradual emergence of the human beings as the most dominant species among all other species of

animals and the attempt of the human beings to set themselves apart from other species is the main

underlying cause of the contemporary environmental disaster. The main reason behind a threat to the

wildlife and the ecosystem is the constantly growing deforestation, poaching and negligence towards

animals and nature. The Indian Government has started nature projects like, Project Tiger, Nature

Camps, Jungle Lodges, etc. to encourage wildlife awareness among the common people. Besides

preserving the natural heritage, these projects also promote eco-tourism.

Various Projects:-

Gir National Park in Gujarat is the only existent habitation for the nearly extinct Asiatic Lions in India. The

Kaziranga Sanctuary in Assam is a major example of good effort to save the endangered Rhinoceros.

Similarly, Periyar in Kerala is doing a great job to preserve the wild Elephants and Dachigam National

Park is progressing rapidly to save Kashmiri Stag.

Wildlife Conservation in India occupies a total area of about 3.29 million sq. km. that contains floral and


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faunal species, mammals, reptiles, insects and birds. The Wildlife Conservation in India has become the

most popular holiday destinations because of its diverseness. In India there are 571 sanctuaries and

reserve parks that are protected by the Indian Government, mainly meant for the protection of the extinct

species of animals and birds. Predators, Carnivores and Herbivores, - all are equally important to

maintain the vital ecological processes as nutrient and water cycling. India has over 500 animal

sanctuaries, referred to as Wildlife Sanctuaries (IUCN Category IV Protected Area). Among these, the 28Tiger Reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the

tiger. Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named Bird Sanctuary, eg. Keoladeo National Park before

attained National Park status.

Many National Parks were initially Wildlife Sanctuaries. Wildlife sanctuaries of national importance to

conservation, usually due to some flagship faunal species, are named National Wildlife Sanctuary, like

national chambal (gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary for conserving the Gharial (1978).

Some of the important wildlife sanctuaries in India are:-

Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh

Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh

Gir National Park & Sanctuary in Gujarat

Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh

Kaziranga National Park in Assam

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala

Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan

Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal

Dachigam National Park in Jammu & Kashmir

Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam

National Parks of India:-

India's first national park (an IUCN category II protected area) was established in 1935 as Hailey National

Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park. By 1970, India only had five national parks. In 1972, India

enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard the habitats of conservation reliant

species. Further federal legislation strengthening protections for wildlife was introduced in the 1980s. As

of April 2007, there are 96 national parks. All national park lands encompass a combined 38,029.18 km,

1.16% of India's total surface area. A total of 166 national parks have been authorized. Plans are

underway to establish the remaining scheduled parks.

Biosphere Reserves:-

The term Biosphere Reserve' should denote an area:

Which is, set aside for the conservation of the resources of the biosphere and for the improvement of

the relationship between man and the environment;

Which is, to serve as sites for long term scientific research as well as education all over the world.


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List of National Parks:-

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park-Assam

Desert National Park-Rajasthan

Dachigam National Park-Jammu and Kashmir

Corbett National Park-Uttarakhand

Chandoli National Park-Maharashtra Campbell Bay National Park-Andaman and Nicobar

Anshi National Park-Karnataka

Balphakram National Park-Meghalaya

Bandhavgarh National Park-Madhya Pradesh

Bandipur National Park-Karnataka

Bannerghatta National Park-Karnataka

Vansda National Park-Gujarat

Betla National Park-Jharkhand

Bhitarkanika National Park-Orissa

Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar-Gujarat

Buxa Tiger Reserve-West Bengal

Fossil National Park-Madhya Pradesh

Great Himalayan National Park-Himachal Pradesh

Indira Gandhi National Park (Annamalai National Park)- Tamil Nadu

Dudhwa National Park-Uttar Pradesh

Intanki National Park-Nagaland

Guindy National Park-Tamil Nadu

Govind Pashu Vihar-Uttarakhand

Kaziranga National Park-Assam

Khangchendzonga National Park-Sikkim

Kishtwar National Park-Jammu and Kashmir Van Vihar National Park-Madhya Pradesh

Kanha National Park-Madhya Pradesh

Mollem National Park-Goa

Mount Harriet National Park-Andaman and Nicobar

The programme of Biosphere Reserve was initiated under the 'Man & Biosphere' (MAB) programme by

UNESCO in 1971. Biosphere Reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems promoting

solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally

recognized, nominated by National Governments and remain under sovereign jurisdiction of the states

where they are located. Biosphere Reserves serve in some ways as 'living laboratories' for testing out and

demonstrating integrated management of land, water and biodiversity (CES., UNESCO, 2005., IUCN,

1979).

List of Biosphere Reserves

Achanakmar-Amarkanta- Madhya Pradesh & Chhattishgarh

Agasthyamalai- Kerala


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Dehang-Debang- Arunachal Pradesh

Dibru-Saikhowa- Assam

Great Nicobar- Andaman and Nicobar

Gulf of Mannar - Tamil Nadu

Khangchenjunga Sikkim

Manas- Assam Nanda Devi-Uttaranchal

Nilgiri -Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka

Nokrek-Meghalaya

Pachmarhi -Madhya Pradesh

Simlipal-Orissa

Sunderbans-West Bengal

IUCN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international

organization dedicated to natural resource conservation.Founded in 1948, its headquarters is located in

the Lake Geneva area in Gland, Switzerland.

The IUCN brings together 83 states, 108 government agencies, 766 Non-governmental organizations and

81 international organizations and about 10,000 experts and scientists from countries around the world.

IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the

integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and

ecologically sustainable.

Biosphere Reserve Objectives:-

Each Biosphere Reserve is intended to fulfill three basic functions, which are complementary andmutually reinforcing:

A conservation function - to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and

genetic variation;

A development function - to foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and

ecologically sustainable;

A logistic function - to provide support for research, monitoring, education and information exchange

related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development (UNESCO, 2005).

The Indian government has established 15 Biosphere Reserves of India, (categories roughly

corresponding to IUCN Category V Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat (than a

National Park or Animal Sanctuary), and often include one or more National Parks and/or preserves,

along buffer zones that are open to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to the flora and

fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions, and their

ways of life. Four of the fifteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere

Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.


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Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Conservation of wildlife in India:-

The need for conservation of wildlife in India is often questioned because of the apparently incorrect

priority in the face of dire poverty of the people. However Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies

that "the state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and

wildlife of the country" and Article 51-A states that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect

and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion

for living creatures."

Large and charismatic mammals are important for wildlife tourism in India and several national parks and

wildlife sanctuaries cater to these needs. Project Tiger started in 1972 is a major effort to conserve the

tiger and its habitats. At the turn of the 20th century, one estimate of the tiger population in India placed

the figure at 40,000, yet an Indian tiger census conducted in 1972 revealed the existence of only 1827

tigers. Various pressures in the later part of the 20th century led to the progressive decline of wilderness

resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature

and Natural Resources (IUCN) General Assembly meeting in Delhi in 1969, serious concern was voiced

about the threat to several species of wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in the India. In 1970, a

national ban on tiger hunting was imposed and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The

framework was then set up to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an ecological approach.

Project Tiger which was launched on April 1, 1973, has become one of the most successful conservationventures in modern history. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves'

which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within India. It strives to maintain a

viable tiger population in their natural environment. Today, there are 27 Project Tiger wildlife reserves in

India covering an area of 37,761 km.Project Elephant, though less known, started in 1992 and works for

elephant protection in India. Most of India's rhinos today survive in the Kaziranga National Park. The

wildlife institute of India (WII) is a government institution run by the Indian Council of Forestry Research

and Education which trains wildlife managers and wildlife researchers.

Trained personnel from WII have contributed in studying and protecting wildlife in India. WII has also

popularized wildlife studies and careers. The institute is based in Dehradun, India. It is located in

Chandrabani, which is close to the southern forests of Dehradun. The Indian Council of Forestry

Research and Education also runs the Forest Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Forest

Management

Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 :-

In 1972 by the Government of India. Prior to 1972, India only had five designated national parks. Among


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other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected plant and animal species; hunting or otherwise

harvesting these species was largely outlawed.

The Act provides for the protection of Wild animals, birds and plants and for matters connected therewith

or ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir

which has its own wildlife act. It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection, with absoluteprotection being provided under Schedule I and part II of schedule II with the highest penalties prescribed

for offences under these schedules and Species listed in the Sch. IV are also protected but the penalties

are much lower, with the enforcement authorities having the power to compound offences (as in they

impose fines on the offenders).

First BRIC Summit

Developing World Rendered New Power

By R.K.Pandey

Brazil, Russia, India and China ended the first BRIC summit at Yekaterinburg in Russia by calling for

an increased role in global financial institutions by emerging economies and developing nations. At the

conclusion of the first BRIC summit on June16,2009 BRIC countries issued a joint statement calling for

increased economic reform. The four nations, representing emerging economic powers, demanded that

developing economies have a greater voice and representation in international financial institutions, and

their heads and senior leadership should be appointed through an open, transparent and merit-based

selection process. BRIC countries said that they also believe there is a strong need for a stable,

predictable and more diversified international monetary system, it showed a warning against the global

domination of the US dollar as the worlds standard reserve currency.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had voiced similar sentiments before the summit, saying the current

reserve policies have not managed to perform their functions. Chief economic aide, Arkady Dvorkovich,

suggested that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should revise the basket of currencies used tovalue its financial products to include the Russian ruble and Chinese Yuan. At the moment the currencies

included are the dollar, euro, yen and sterling.

The range of topics on the agenda and the line-up of presidents attending showed the growing economic

and political power of the world's emerging nations, including India and China, and their desire to forge

new levers of influence. Host president Dmitry Medvedev of Russia hailed the Urals city of Yekaterinburg

as the epicenter of world politics.


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BRICs New Affirmation

The so-called BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China called for reform of international financial

institutions, sweeping changes to the United Nations to give a bigger role to Brazil and India and a stable

and predictable currency system. Iran's president, re-elected in a disputed vote, fired a salvo at the UnitedStates, the leaders of India and Pakistan had their first one-to-one meeting since the Mumbai attacks and

the four top emerging market economies held their first summit.

A common thread running through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and a separate

meeting between Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) was discussion of a new world order less

dependent on the United States. President of Russia told that existing reserve currencies, including the

U.S. dollar, had not performed their function and said it was time for change and countries should use

their national currencies more for trade. The BRIC summit ended with a statement by Medvedev and a

communique which demanded more power for developing nations. It did not mention two key Moscow

initiatives a smaller role for the U.S. dollar and a supranational reserve currency.

The Kremlin's top economic aide, Arkady Dvorkovich, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should

expand the basket of its Special Drawing Right (an international reserve asset) to including the Chinese

yuan, the Russian rouble and gold. The dollar fell 0.9 percent against a basket of major currencies on

world markets after Medvedev's comments. Since the four BRIC nations represent around 40 percent of

the world's population and 15 percent of its GDP. Russia and China lead the SCO, a security and

economic co-operation forum which also includes four Central Asian states, plus Iran, Mongolia, India and

Pakistan as observers. It can be say that such a type of coordination will allow developing nations to

better explain their positions to each other and work out a novel path to resolving international financial

problems and the reform of international financial relations.

Underlining its growing economic influence abroad, Chinese President Hu Jintao offered Central Asianstates $10 billion of credit support to help counter the global economic slump, though he did not mention

the proposals for diluting dollar dominance. In another ignore to the West, the SCO leaders welcomed

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, making his first foreign trip to attend the summit since his

disputed re-election. Ahmadinejad arrived a day late in Yekaterinburg after mass protests against his

disputed victory in Tehran but the SCO presidents had congratulated Ahmadinejad on his victory.

On the sidelines, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari for the first

time since the Mumbai attacks and asked him to ensure that Islamist militants could not operate from

Pakistani territory. His tough words offered little hope for a breakthrough in relations between the two

nuclear-armed Asian powers.

Campaigning for Economic Modification

Those divisive issues are mainly political in nature which is why most observers correctly predicted that

the BRIC summit would focus predominantly on economic issues. Combined, the BRIC countries

currently have a 15-percent share of the world economy and a 42-percent share of global currency

reserves. Their increased economic power was underscored when Brazil and Russia joined China in


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announcing they would shift some $70 billion (50 billion euros) of reserves into multicurrency bonds

issued by the International Monetary Fund. The move was interpreted by some as an attempt to topple

the dollar in part because the Russian president said at the time that his proposal to create a new world

currency could be discussed at the summit.

But fiscal experts said that BRIC will tread carefully where the dollar is concerned, as triggering a dollarcrisis would be akin to shooting themselves in the foot. The BRICs are putting the US on notice that there

has to be a cutback on spending and that they need to get their house in order any attack on the dollar

will hurt them. But they want to make sure this kind of mess doesn't happen again. Clearly though, BRIC

is using its new influence to put pressure on the IMF to reshape its voting structure to better reflect the

shift in economic power. Brazil, for example, is the world's 10th largest economy, but has just 1.38

percent of the IMF board's votes, compared to 2.09 percent for Belgium, an economy one-third the size.

Joint Statement of the BRIC Countries Leaders

Leaders of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India and the

Peoples Republic of China, have discussed the current situation in global economy and other pressing

issues of global development, and also prospects for further strengthening collaboration within the BRIC.

BRIC have arrived at the following conclusions:

BRIC stressed the central role played by the G20 Summits in dealing with the financial crisis. They have

fostered cooperation, policy coordination and political dialogue regarding international economic and

financial matters.

BRIC called upon all states and relevant international bodies to act vigorously to implement thedecisions adopted at the G20 Summit in London on April 2, 2009. BRIC shall cooperate closely among

them and with other partners to ensure further progress of collective action at the next G20 Summit to be

held in Pittsburgh in September 2009. BRIC countries are committed to advance the reform of

international financial institutions, so as to reflect changes in the global economy. The emerging and

developing economies must have greater voice and representation in international financial institutions,

whose heads and executives should be appointed through an open, transparent, and merit-based

selection process. BRIC also believe that there is a strong need for a stable, predictable and more

diversified international monetary system.

BRIC countries are convinced that a reformed financial and economic architecture should be based,

inter alia, on the following principles:

Democratic and transparent decision-making and implementation process at the international financial

organisations;

Solid legal basis;

Compatibility of activities of effective national regulatory institutions and international standard-setting

bodies;


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Strengthening of risk management and supervisory practices.

BRIC countries recognise the important role played by international trade and foreign direct investments

in the world economic recovery. BRIC countries call upon all parties to work together to improve the

international trade and investment environment. They urge the international community to keep the

multilateral trading system stable, curb trade protectionism, and push for comprehensive and balancedresults of the WTOs Doha Development Agenda.

The poorest countries have been hit hardest by the financial crisis. The international community needs

to step up efforts to provide liquid financial resources for these countries. The international community

should also strive to minimise the impact of the crisis on development and ensure the achievement of the

Millennium Development Goals. Developed countries should fulfil their commitment of 0.7% of Gross

National Income for the Official Development Assistance and make further efforts in increasing

assistance, debt relief, market access and technology transfer for developing countries.

The implementation of the concept of sustainable development, comprising, inter alia, the Rio

Declaration, Agenda for the 21st Century and multilateral environmental agreements, should be a major

vector in the change of paradigm of economic development.

BRIC countries stand for strengthening coordination and cooperation among states in the energy field,

including amongst energy producers and consumers and transit states, in an effort to decrease

uncertainty and ensure stability and sustainability. They support diversification of energy resources and

supply, including renewable energy, security of energy transit routes and creation of new energy

investments and infrastructure.

BRIC countries support international cooperation in the field of energy efficiency. They stand ready for a

constructive dialogue on how to deal with climate change based on the principle of common butdifferentiated responsibility, given the need to combine measures to protect the climate with steps to fulfill

our socio-economic development tasks.

BRIC countries reaffirmed to enhance cooperation among our countries in socially vital areas and to

strengthen the efforts for the provision of international humanitarian assistance and for the reduction of

natural disaster risks. They take note of the statement on global food security issued today as a major

contribution of the BRIC countries to the multilateral efforts to set up the sustainable conditions for this

goal.

BRIC countries reaffirmed to advance cooperation among our countries in science and education with

the aim, inter alia, to engage in fundamental research and development of advanced technologies.

BRIC countries underlined their support for a more democratic and just multi-polar world order based on

the rule of international law, equality, mutual respect, cooperation, coordinated action and collective

decision-making of all states. BRIC countries reiterate their support for political and diplomatic efforts to

peacefully resolve disputes in international relations.


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buttressed by interaction between the respective regional authorities and public organisations.

Russia would like the cooperation between the BRIC countries to become a major factor of multilateral

diplomacy and to make a substantial contribution to promoting the nascent multipolarity and development

of collective leadership by the worlds leading countries. By some predictions, the four nations, Brazil,

Russia, India and China, a group referred to as the BRIC group, will surpass the current leadingeconomies by the middle of this century, a tectonic shift that by this reckoning will eventually nudge the

United States and Western Europe away from the center of world productivity and power.

Russias president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, said the main point of the meeting was to show that the BRIC

should create conditions for a more just world order. The four countries produce about 15 percent of the

worlds gross domestic product and hold about 40 percent of the gold and hard currency reserves, but

they are not a unified bloc and do not do enough business among themselves to justify a trade alliance.

Russia and Brazil export natural resources, China exports manufactured goods and India bases its

growth primarily on domestic demand. As such, India is not as concerned with the status of the dollar and

is by no means as intent on scoring ideological points against the United States as is Russia.

The acronym BRIC was coined by a Goldman Sachs economist in 2001 to describe the four countries

that were expected to surpass todays largest economies by 2050, owing to their faster growth rate. A

communiqu issued after the meeting highlighted the common goals of a greater voice in international

financial institutions and a more diversified global monetary system. They agreed to meet again in 2010,

in Brazil. The gathering was the second of back-to-back summit meetings sponsored by Russia in this city

in the Ural Mountains on the divide between Europe and Asia.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional security alliance intended loosely as a counterweight

to NATO, met in an expanded format with many Eurasian nations holding observer status. It even

included a brief appearance by the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose disputed re-electionlast week has touched off street demonstrations in Tehran. In a sign of regional economic integration,

Chinas president, Hu Jintao, pledged $10 billion in aid to Central Asian nations in the group, which

consists of China, Russia and four former Soviet states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and

Uzbekistan. Mr. Hu and Mr. Medvedev then met separately with Indias prime minister, Manmohan Singh,

and the Brazilian president, Luiz Incio Lula da Silva.

Mr. Medvedev encouraged China, the worlds largest holder of dollar reserves, and other nations to put

their money in some other currency or financial mechanism. He also urged members of the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization to use their national currencies in conducting bilateral trade.

There can be no successful currency system, and particularly a global system, if the financial instruments

that are used are denominated in only one currency, Mr. Medvedev said. A top economic policy aide to

Mr. Medvedev, Arkady Dvorkovich, said Russia would like to diversify its currency reserves away from

dollars by buying bonds from Brazil, China and India, but only if they bought Russian rubles as a reserve.

The dollar fell slightly against the euro and other currencies on Tuesday, though some traders quoted by

Bloomberg News cited a more workaday cause: good results on new American housing starts were

encouraging investors to move out of Treasury bonds and into equities.


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The Path To 2050

The BRIC dissertation (defended in the paper Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050) recognizes that

Brazil, Russia, India and China have changed their political systems to embrace global capitalism.Goldman Sachs predicts China and India, respectively, to be the dominant global suppliers of

manufactured goods and services while Brazil and Russia would become similarly dominant as suppliers

of raw materials. Cooperation is thus hypothesized to be a logical next step among the BRICs because

Brazil and Russia together form the logical commodity suppliers to India and China. Thus, the BRICs

have the potential to form a powerful economic bloc to the exclusion of the modern-day states currently of

"Group of Eight" status.

Brazil is dominant in soy and iron ore while Russia has enormous supplies of oil and natural gas.

Goldman Sachs' thesis thus documents how commodities, work, technology, and companies have

diffused outward from the United States across the world. Following the end of the Cold War or even

before, the governments comprising BRIC all initiated economic or political reforms to allow their

countries to enter the world economy. In order to compete, these countries have simultaneously stressed

education, foreign investment, domestic consumption, and domestic entrepreneurship.

According to the study, India has the potential to grow the fastest among the four BRIC countries over the

next 30 to 50 years. A major reason for this is that the decline in working age population will happen later

for India and Brazil than for Russia and China.

Analysis

The Economist published an annual table of social and economic national statistics in its Pocket World in

Figures. Extrapolating the global rankings from their 2008 Edition for the BRIC countries and economiesin relation to various categories provides an interesting touchstone in relation to the economic

underpinnings of the BRIC thesis. It also illustrates how, despite their divergent economic bases, the

economic indicators are remarkably similar in global rankings between the different economies. It also

suggests that whilst economic arguments can be made for linking Mexico into the BRIC thesis, the case

for including South Africa looks considerably weaker.

A Goldman Sachs paper published later in December 2005 explained why Mexico wasn't included in the

original BRICs. According to the paper, among the other countries they looked at, only Mexico and

perhaps Korea have the potential to rival the BRICs, but they are economies that they decided to exclude

initially because they looked at them as already more developed. According to that paper, Mexico

becomes the fifth-largest economy by 2050, ahead of Russia.

A criticism is that the BRIC projections are based on the assumptions that resources are limitless and

endlessly available when needed. In reality, many important resources currently necessary to sustain

economic growth, such as oil, natural gas, coal, other fossil fuels, and uranium might soon experience a

peak in production before enough renewable energy can be developed and commercialized, which might

result in slower economic growth than anticipated, thus throwing off the projections and their dates.


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The economic emergence of the BRICs will have unpredictable consequences for the global environment.

Indeed, proponents of a set carrying capacity for the Earth may argue that, given current technology,

there is a finite limit to how much the BRICs can develop before exceeding the ability of the global

economy to supply.

Academics and experts have suggested that China is in a league of its own compared to the other BRIC

countries. BRIC are the one with the big reserves. They are the biggest potential market. They are the

U.S. partner in the G2 (imagine the coverage a G2 meeting gets vs. a G8 meeting) and the E2 (no

climate deal without them) and so on. Deutsche Bank Research said in a report that economically,

financially and politically, China overshadows and will continue to overshadow the other BRICs. It added

that China's economy is larger than that of the three other BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia and India)

combined. Moreover, China's exports and its official forex reserve holdings are more than twice as large

as those of the other BRICs combined.

Another criticism is the understatement of GDP growth in China over the next 45 years; which predicts

growth falling far below normal development. This contradicts the rapid economic growth that has already

taken place in the country and the experience of countries like South Korea catching up with western

GDP per capita, which China has been growing faster than in a similar period of development. There are

many uncertainties and assumptions in the BRIC thesis that could mean that any or all of these four

countries will not live up to their promise. The preeminence of China and India as major manufacturing

countries with unrealised potential has been widely recognised, but some commentators state that

China's and Russia's disregard for human rights and democracy could be a problem in the future, as is

the possibility of conflict over Taiwan in the case of China.

Likewise, the population of Russia is steadily declining and aging, and Brazil's and China's populations

will begin to decline in several decades, and with their demographic windows closing in several decadesas well. This may have implications for those countries' future, for there might be a decrease in the overall

labor force and a negative change in the proportion of workers to retirees.

Brazil's economic potential has been anticipated for decades, but it had until recently consistently failed to

achieve investor expectations. Only in recent years has the country established a framework of political,

economic, and social policies that allowed it to resume consistent growth. The result has been solid and

paced economic development that rival its early 70's miracle years, as reflected in its expanding capital

markets, lowest unemployment rates in decades, and consistent international trade surpluses - that led to

the accumulation of reserves and liquidation of foreign debt (earning the country a coveted investment

grade by the S&P and Fitch Ratings in 2008). How long such positive factors will stay in place remains to

be seen.

Finally, India's relations with one of its neighbors, Pakistan, have always been frosty. In 1998, there was a

nuclear standoff between Pakistan and India. Border conflicts with Pakistan, mostly over the longheld

dispute over Kashmir, has further aggravated any economic ties. The BRIC countries have enormous

populations of extremely impoverished people. This impedes progress by limiting government finances,

increasing social unrest, and limiting potential domestic economic demand. Factors such as international


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conflict, civil unrest, unwise political policy, outbreaks of disease and terrorism are all factors that are

difficult to predict and that could have an effect on the destiny of any country.

Other critics suggest that BRIC is nothing more than a neat acronym for the four largest emerging market

economies, but in economic and political terms nothing else (apart from the fact that they are all big

emerging markets) links the four. Two are manufacturing based economies and big importers (China andIndia), but two are huge exporters of natural resources (Brazil and Russia). Two have growing

populations (Brazil and India), and two have shrinking populations (China and Russia). The Economist, in

its special report on Brazil, expressed the following view: In some ways Brazil is the steadiest of the

BRICs. Unlike China and Russia it is a full-blooded democracy; unlike India it has no serious disputes

with its neighbors. It is the only BRIC without a nuclear bomb. The Heritage Foundation's Economic

Freedom Index, which measures factors such as protection of property rights and free trade ranks Brazil

(moderately free) above the other BRICs (mostly unfree).

In a not-so-subtle dig critical of the term as nothing more than a shorthand for emerging markets

generally, critics have suggested a correlating term, CEMENT (Countries in Emerging Markets Excluded

by New Terminology). Whilst they accept there has been spectacular growth of the BRIC economies,

these gains have largely been the result of the strength of emerging markets generally, and that strength

comes through having BRICs and CEMENT.

Facts on 15th Loksahba Election

The highest number of candidates that an EVM can support is 64 and if the number exceeds this, the

commission will have to use manual ballot for elections.

The EVMs are designed by Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. and Bharat Electronics Ltd. EVMs were

first used in India 1989-90 in 16 assembly constituencies in three states. Kerala was the first state.

The Government spends Rs. 10 crore approximately on conducting a Lok Sabha election.

Photo electoral roll was used in 522 Parliamentary seats in 2009 elections.

The number of electorate in 2009 general elections was 71.377 crore with an increase of 4.3 crore from

the 2004 general elections.

Total number of candidates was 8070.

7514 was male candidates: while number of female candidates was 556.

Percentage of female candidates was 6.9 % of total candidates.

The number of polling stations were 8,34,944 in 2009.

There were 2046 observers and 1.4 lakh micro-observers in 2009.


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The total number of polling staffs was 46.9 lakh.

Total number of Booth Level Officers (BLO) was 8.34 lakh.

Highest number of candidates was 43 in Chennai South, Tamil Nadu while lowest number of candidates

was 3 in Nagaland.

Highest polling station was AuleyPhu in Leh. It was setup at an altitude of 15,300ft.

Number of seats in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament): 545 (of which two are appointed by the

President) Moni Kumar Subba, the Congress candidate for the Tezpur LS seat, was the richest candidate

in the poll fray in Assam. He has declared assets worth Rs 60 crore.

For the first time, a women battalion of the Shashtra Seema Bal was deployed along the Indo-Nepal

border in Uttar Pradesh during the Lok Sabha elections.

Danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, who was contesting as an Independent from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha

seat, had challenged her opponent L.K.Advani to a public debate on his achievements.

General Elections in India

The Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950. The first general, elections under the new

Constitution were held during the year 1951-52 and the first elected Parliament came into being in April,

1952, the Second Lok Sabha in April,1957, the Third Lok Sabha in April,1962, the Fourth Lok Sabha in

March, 1967, the Fifth Lok Sabha in March, 1971, the Sixth Lok Sabha in March, 1977, the Seventh Lok

Sabha in January,1980, the Eighth Lok Sabha in December, 1984, the Ninth Lok Sabha in December,

1989, the Tenth Lok Sabha in June, 1991, the Eleventh Lok Sabha in May, 1996, the Twelfth Lok Sabha

in March, 1998, the Thirteenth Lok Sabha in October, 1999, the Fourteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2004 and

the Fifteenth Lok Sabha in May, 2009.

New Government: Dr Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for the second

consecutive term along with his 19 Cabinet colleagues at a simple and brief function at the Rashtrapati

Bhavan on May 22. Thus he become the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961 to be elected

to another five year term after completing his first Jawaharlal Nehru was re-elected in 1962. There were

four new faces in the first edition of the Union Cabinet. All the others were in the outgoing Cabinet. All but

two were from the Congress party.

Among the new entrants in the Cabinet were Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress leader who

trounced the Communists in West Bengal, Rajasthan Congress unit president CP Joshi, Congress

general secretary M Veerappa Moily, and former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna. The new Cabinet

of the Congress-led UPA Government is a mix of the old and the new, reflecting Manmohan Singhs

experience and the youthfulness. Agatha Sangma, the daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker P A

Sangma, is the youngest minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet at the age of 28 years. Jitin Prasada of

Congress, who was the minister of state for steel, was the youngest minister in the previous UPA

government at 35 years of age.

Council of Ministers


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Dr Manmohan Singh : Prime Minister

Shri Pranab Mukherjee : Minister of Finance

Shri Sharad Pawar : Minister of Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs &

Public Distribution

Shri A. K. Antony : Minister of Defence

Shri P. Chidambaram : Minister of Home Affairs Kum. Mamata Banerjee : Minister of Railways

Shri S. M. Krishna : Minister of External Affairs

Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad : Minister of Health and Family Welfare

Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde : Minister of Power

Shri M. Veerappa Moily : Minister of Law and Justice

Shri S. Jaipal Reddy : Minister of Urban Development

Shri Kamal Nath : Minister of Road Transport and Highways

Shri Vayalar Ravi : Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs

Smt. Meira Kumar : Minister of Water Resources

Shri Murli Deora : Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Shri Kapil Sibal : Minister of Human Resource Development

Smt. Ambika Soni : Minister of Information and Broadcasting

Shri B. K. Handique : Minister of Mines : Minister of Development of North Eastern Region

Shri Anand Sharma : Minister of Commerce and Industry

Shri Virbhadra Singh : Minister of Steel

Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh : Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Shri C. P. Joshi : Minister of Rural Development : Minister of Panchayati Raj

Kum. Selja : Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Minister of Tourism

Shri Subodh Kant Sahay : Minister of Food Processing Industries

Dr. M. S. Gill : Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports

Shri G. K. Vasan : Minister of Shipping Shri Dayanidhi Maran : Minister of Textiles

Dr. Farooq Abdullah : Minister of New and Renewable Energy

Shri Mallikarjun Kharge : Minister of Labour and Employment

Shri Pawan K. Bansal : Minister of Parliamentary Affairs

Shri Mukul Wasnik : Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment

Shri Kantilal Bhuria : Minister of Tribal Affairs

Shri M. K. Alagiri : Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers

Shri A Raja : Minister of Communications and Information Technology

Lok Sabha:-

Lok Sabha is composed of representative of the people chosen by direct election on the basis of adult

suffrage. The qualifying age for membership of Lok Sabha is 25 years. The Lok Sabha at present

consists of 545 members including the Speaker and two nominated members. Lok Sabha, unless sooner

dissolved, continues for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and the expiration of the

period of five years operates as dissolution of the House.

However, while a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, this period may be extended by Parliament

by law for a period not exceeding one year at a time and not extending, in any case, beyond a period of


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Chandigarh - 1

Dadra & Nagar Haveli - 1

Daman & Diu - 1

Lakshadweep - 1

Pondicherry -1

Essays for Group 1[1]

Documents