Hurricane Sandy hits U.S. Coast

Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, as well as the second costliest Atlantic hurricane, only surpassed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Sandy devastated portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012. Sandy is estimated in early calculations to have caused damage of at least $20 billion (2012 USD). Preliminary estimates of losses that include business interruption surpass $50 billion (2012 USD), which, if confirmed, would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane in history, behind only Hurricane Katrina.

Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 22, quickly strengthened and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy six hours later. Sandy moved slowly northward toward the Greater Antilles and gradually intensified. On October 24, Sandy became a hurricane, made landfall near Kingston, Jamaica, a few hours later, re-emerged into the Caribbean Sea and strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25, Sandy hit Cuba, then weakened to a to Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 26, Sandy moved through the Bahamas. On October 27, Sandy briefly weakened to a tropical storm and then restrengthened to a Category 1 hurricane. Early on October 29, Sandy curved north-northwest and then moved ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Storm Scales

A storm in the Atlantic is called a hurricane, in the Indian Ocean it is a cyclone, while around the Philippines and the Pacific Ocean it is known as a typhoon. While these three form over water, tornadoes (or twisters) form over land and are smaller in size and intensity. Though similar in many ways, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are measured on different scales. For hurricanes there is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Depending upon wind speed, hurricanes are classified under Categories 1-5. For a storm to be called a Category 1 hurricane it has to have wind speeds ranging 119-153 kmph; 252 kmph and above are slotted under Category 5. India's Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre's classification of cyclone ranges from depression (51 kmph) to super cyclones (222 kmph).

The Tempest and Other Stories
Storms and imagination go hand in hand. Krishna fights storms sent by Indra. So does Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. Shakespeare's plays are full of storms. Remember that wonderful scene in King Lear? Edgar Allan Poe ("A Descent into the Maelstrom") and Joseph Conrad (Typhoon) continue the tradition. The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is a nuanced thriller.
But then storms are all about drama and devastation. And what better medium than films? John Ford filmed lashing waves and swaying palms for the climax of The Hurricane in a Hollywood sound stage. More effective were the billowing curtains and shattering windows in John Huston's classic noir Key Largo. Trouble the Water is a documentary worth repeated viewing.
Musicians weren't far behind. Check out Vivaldi's "Summer" (from The Four Seasons). For the black tee-and-distressed-jeans lot there is, of course, the Scorpions' "Rock you like a hurricane". And jholawallahs and meaning-seekers can tune into Bob Dylan and his "Hurricane".

The Naming Game
Until 1978, storms were only given women's names! But then US weathermen decided to become politically correct and so now we have men's names too attached to hurricanes. It's "Sandy season" now but watch out for Tony, Valerie and William. And next year the hurricane season will start with Andrea, Barry and Chantal.

In days gone by, hurricanes were named after saints. Then latitude and longitude positions were used and during World War II the US military named them after their wives and girl friends. Now it is the job of the World Meteorological Organization, based in Geneva, to get out an alphabetical list of names at its annual meeting. The lists are rotated every six years. Some names from the previous years are "retired", if they have been devastating.

Some That Made Waves:

Great Hurricane of 1780
Though exact figures are unavailable, it is considered to be the deadliest Atlantic hurricane. Between October 10 and 16, over 22,000 lives were lost in eastern Caribbean. Experts conjecture that it was a Category 5 hurricane with speed touching 320 kmph.

Galveston Hurricane
Now forgotten, this Category 4 hurricane nearly wiped out Galveston, Texas' biggest city then. With wind speed touching 233 kmph, it slammed southern US on September 8, 1900. The toll is estimated to be 8,000 fatalities. It is considered to be the most deadly hurricane to strike the US.

Cyclone Bhola
Probably the worst tropical cyclone ever, with reports of nearly half a million deaths in Bangladesh. With wind speed crossing 200 kmph and storm surges of 30 feet, the cyclone caused extensive flooding. It came after five earlier storms had hit the country that year, 1970.

Andhra Pradesh Cyclone
One of the worst cyclones to hit the Indian coast. Touched the Andhra shore line on November 19, 1977 and left in its wake nearly 15,000 dead and damages worth $500 million.

Hurricane Mitch
One of the strongest to hit Honduras and Nicaragua, Mitch brought along torrential rain that caused flooding and mudslides. For over 10 days in October-November 1998, it caused havoc, leaving over 10,000 dead, many thousands missing. Damage was estimated at $6 billion.

Hurricane Katrina
The deadliest and most destructive storm in the 2005 hurricane season. It is also the costliest natural disaster in the US. Over a million people were displaced and 1,800 killed as the Category 5 hurricane hit Louisiana and Mississippi on August 25.

Cyclone Nargis
Hit Myanmar on May 2, 2008. Considered to be the country's worst natural disaster; caused damages worth $10 billion and nearly 150,000 deaths.

Hurricane Ike
In 14 days (September 1-14, 2008), this Category 4 hurricane left large swathes in Cuba, Haiti, Bahamas and US devastated. Close to 200 people died and damages have been estimated to be close to $40 billion. It is considered to be the second costliest hurricane to hit the US.

Cyclone Nilam

Cyclonic Storm Nilam  was worst tropical cyclone to directly affect south India since Cyclone Jal in 2010. Originating from an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on October 28, the system began as a weak depression 550 km (340 mi) east-northeast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Over the following few days, the depression gradually intensified into a deep depression, and subsequently a Cyclonic Storm by October 30. It made landfall near Mahabalipuram on October 31 as a strong Cyclonic Storm with peak winds of 45 knots (85 km/h).

The cyclonic storm Nilam that has hit the eastern coast of India was christened as ‘Nilam’ by Pakistan as per the cyclone naming procedure.

Tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are being named since 2004. 'Nilam' means land in Hindi.

According to an IMD release,“The practice of naming storms was adopted because it was proved that short names are easier to remember than numbers and other technical terms.”

IMD (Indian Meteorological Dept) has the mandate to provide weather advisories to seven countries -- Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka besides India.

 

The IMD says the practice of naming storms (tropical cyclones) was adopted years ago to help identify them so that people could be informed about their arrival quickly.

 

This decision, to give names to the cyclones that form over the North Indian Ocean region, was taken unanimously by eight countries — Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand — in the year 2000.

 

IMD has list of 64 names contributed by eight countries of the Indian sub continent-- Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

 

While India gave names like Agni, Akash, Bijli, Jal, Lehar, Megh, Sagar, Vayu; Bangladesh gave Onil, Ogni, Nisha, Giri; Maldives gave Goni;  Myanmar gave Pyarr,  Phyan, Thane; Oman gave – Baaz, Sidr, Murjan; Pakistan gave Fanoos, Nargis, Laila, Nilam, Nilofar; Sri Lanka gave Mala, Rashmi, Bandu, Priya and Thailand gave Mukda, Phet.

 

Each country gave eight names for the cyclones. Thus a list of 64 names was prepared. It was also decided that the 8 countries will take turns to name the cyclones.

  

INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION OFFICER (Notification No. 29/2011) KEY

Key for Notification No. 29/2011 , INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION OFFICER :: Paper-1 - 600 - G.S. & M.A. 


Key for Notification No. 29/2011 , INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION OFFICER :: Paper-2 - 631 - APPLIED SCIENCE ENGG&MNG. 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING (Notification No. 35/2011) KEY

Key for Notification No. 35/2011 , Assistant Director in AP Town & Country Planning Paper-1 - G.S. & M.A. 

Key for Notification No. 35/2011 , A.D. TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING :: Paper-2 - TOWN PLANNING 

INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES (Notification No. 02/2012) KEY

Key for Notification No. 02/2012, INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES :: Paper-1 SERIES: A 500 - G.S. & M.A.   

Key for Notification No. 02/2012, INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 511 - MECHANICAL ENGG 

Key for Notification No. 02/2012, INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 512 - ELECTRICAL ENGG   


Key for Notification No. 02/2012, INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 513 - CHEMICAL ENGG. 

Key for Notification No. 02/2012, INSPECTOR OF FACTORIES :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 514 - INDUSTRIAL ENGG. 

ASST.DIRECTOR LIFE INSURANCE (Notification No. 03/2012) KEY

Key for Notification No. 03/2012, ASST.DIRECTOR LIFE INSURANCE Paper-1 SERIES: A 500 - G.S. & M.A. 

Key for Notification No. 03/2012, ASST.DIRECTOR LIFE INSURANCE :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 055 - MATHEMATICS

Key for Notification No. 03/2012, ASST.DIRECTOR LIFE INSURANCE (03/2012) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 054 - COMMERCE 

Key for Notification No. 03/2012, ASST.DIRECTOR LIFE INSURANCE :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 053 - ECONOMICS 

Assistant Telugu Translators in A.P. Legislature Service Key

Key for Notification No. 05/2012, Assistant Telugu Translators in A.P. Legislature Service. Paper-1 SERIES: A 500 - G.S. & M.A.

ASSISTANT ENGINEERS IN A.P. PUBLIC HEALTH AND MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING EXAM GENERAL STUDIES SOLVED PAPER ( EXAM HELD ON: 04-11-2012)

APPSC ACCOUNTS OFFICER/JUNIOR ACCOUNTS OFFICER/SENIOR ACCOUNTANT IN A.P. MUNICIPAL SERVICE EXAM (EXAM HELD ON 03-11-2012)

NTRO station set up in Chhattisgarh

The country’s specialised spy department, NTRO has set up its first base in a in Chhattisgarh. The station can monitor the movement of armed Maoist cadres and fly ten Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to help security forces to track them.
This key project has been operationalised with the establishment of five satellite-linked terminal stations at a designated location in the state by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) with the help of paramilitary CRPF. Sources involved in the technical department of the base station said CRPF has now linked the operations of its ten UAVs with the new NTRO facility which will function round-the-clock. The NTRO station will act as a gateway for acquiring satellite data and pass them on to ground patrol parties. The UAVs can then be operated in specified areas.

The centre also has the facility to analyse information about geographical features, weather, available troop reinforcements and logistics before the on-field commanders undertake an operation, they said. The facility, which is manned by NTRO-trained CRPF ’Signals’ officials, will also share intelligence and geographical information with the NTRO headquarter in Delhi.

The activation of the five V-SAT terminals for NTRO is expected to provide an edge to security force operations in difficult terrains where Maoist ambushes and IED blasts are a major threat to the troops. The UAVs can be given real time satellite information through the centre.

ABOUT NTRO:

The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) is a premier apex scientific organization under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, India. It was set up in 2004. It also includes National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD), which is first of its kind in Asia.

The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), originally known as the National Technical Facilities Organization (NTFO), is a highly specialized technical intelligence gathering agency. While the agency does not affect the working of technical wings of various intelligence agencies, including those of the Indian Armed Forces, it acts as a super-feeder agency for providing technical intelligence to other agencies on internal and external security. The agency is under the control of India's external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, although it remains autonomous to some degree. The organization does hi-tech surveillance jobs, including satellite monitoring, terrestrial monitoring, internet monitoring, considered vital for the national security apparatus. The NTRO would require over Rs 700 crore (7 billion rupees) to procure different hi-tech equipment from specialized agencies around the globe to become fully functional. The officials have identified countries from where such gadgets could be procured but refused to reveal them due to "security and other implications." The Government had been working in this direction after the Kargil war in 1999 when the Subrahmanyam committee report pointed out weaknesses in intelligence gathering in the national security set up.

The organization develops technology capabilities in aviation and remote sensing, data gathering and processing, cyber security, cryptology systems, strategic hardware and software development and strategic monitoring.
The Indian Infrastructure Protection Centre, an agency to monitor and assess threats to crucial infrastructure and other vital installations has also been set up under the National Technical Research Organisation. The Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) has a pan chromatic camera for remote sensing. The camera is which is capable of producing images of 1 Metre resolution. 1 m resolution means the camera is able to distinguish between two objects which are separated at least a metre. The launch of TES made India the second country in the world after the USA that commercially offers images with one metre resolution. It is used for remote sensing of civilian areas, mapping industry and geographical information services.

NTRO along with a scientific non-profit foundation Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) in November 2011 initiated the National Security Database (NSD) project as a prestigious accreditation program to identify credible & trustworthy Information security experts with proven skills to protect the National Critical Infrastructure & economy of the country.

 

12th Council of Ministers Meeting, 02 November 2012, Gurgaon, India

The 12th Council of Ministers' Meeting of IOR-ARC, Gurgaon, India from 29th October to 02nd November 2012.
History:
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.

China introduces new stealth aircraft

China has unveiled its new version of stealth aircraft,J31.By such a move china will have an undue advantage in the region.China's second stealth fighter jet that was unveiled this week is part of a programme to transform China into the top regional military power.
China's previous stealth fighter, the J-20, is a heavier aircraft and believed to be less manoeuvrable than the J-31.The buildup is a worry for neighbours which are uneasy with China flexing its military muscle, especially in territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea ,Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea,India etc.

Stealth technology:
Stealth technology also termed LO technology (low observable technology) is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures,which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared,sonar and other detection methods.

GROUP-II Serives Recruitment Notification No. 11/2009 TO 38/2008 Selection List

On the basis of the results of the Written Test held on 15/10/2011 AN &  16/10/2011 FN & AN and Oral Test (Interview) held on 03/03/2012 to 03/04/2012 for the recruitment to  the Executive posts falling under Group-II Services, the candidates, whose Register Numbers are given  below have been provisionally selected for appointment to the Executive posts notified vide Commission’s  notification No. 38/2008 & 11/2009.

Selection List for Notification No. 11/2009 TO 38/2008 , GROUP-II SERVICES RECRUITMENT

Aishwarya Rai to be conferred French honour

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) on November 1 at Mumbai by François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, on behalf of the French authorities.
This prestigious distinction comes in recognition of her invaluable contribution to the world of cinema and the development of Indo-French cooperation in cinema, art, and culture.
Earlier Indian recipients include Shahrukh Khan, Raghu Rai, Nandita Das, late Habib Tanvir, and Upamanyu Chatterjee.
Recipient of several Indian film awards, she was also the youngest Indian actress to receive the Padma Shri in 2009. She starred in the film Devdas in 2002, which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival and the most successful Indian movie in France. She was also the first Indian actress to be a jury member at Cannes.

INTEGRATED CHILD PROTECTION SCHEME

India is home to almost 19% of the world’s children. More than one third of the country’s population, around 440 million, is below 18 years. The future and strength of the nation lies in a healthy, protected, educated and well-developed child population that will grow up to be productive citizens of the country. It is alarming that, in 2011, the Crimes against children reported a 24% increase from the previous year with a total of 33,098 cases of crimes against Children reported in the country during 2011 as compared to 26,694 cases during 2010. The State of Uttar Pradesh accounted for 16.6% of total crimes against children at national level in 2011, followed by Madhya Pradesh (13.2%), Delhi (12.8%), Maharashtra (10.2%), Bihar (6.7%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%). Thus there is an urgent case for increasing expenditure on child protection. so that the rights of the children of India are protected. The neglect of child protection issues not only violates the rights of the children but also increases their vulnerability to abuse, neglect and exploitation. GOI has launched the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) aimed at building a protective environment for children in difficult circumstances, as well as other vulnerable children, through Government-Civil Society Partnership. Objectives of the scheme are: a) To create a safety net for children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law by building a protective environment for them, keeping their best interests in mind; b)  To promote preventive measures to protect children from falling in the situations of vulnerability, risk and abuse; c) To promote preventive measure to address the vulnerabilities of families and build their ability and capacity protect their children; d) To supplement and strengthen the infrastructure established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000; e) To build capacities of families, communities, and NGOs to strengthen care, protection and response to children; f) To create State and District Child Protection Units as well as State Adoption Cells; g) To promote in-country adoption and regulate inter-country adoption as well as ensure minimum standards; h) To provide services to the more vulnerable categories of children through specialized programmes; i) To establish linkages for restoration of children to their biological families and placement with adoptive families or foster families, where necessary; j) To provide specialized institutional care to infants and children up to 6 years of age who are either abandoned or orphaned/destitute; k) To check and end female foeticide and infanticide in the country; l) To provide services to street and destitute children, including child beggars; m) To provide for care and support services for children affected by HIV/AIDS; n) To establish CHILDLINE in every district, for creating access in emergencies by providing counseling, restoration and rehabilitative services to children along with linkages to other available services under various schemes of the Government of India/State Governments; o) To train and sensitize local bodies, police, judiciary and other concerned departments of State Governments to undertake related responsibilities; p) To strengthen the knowledge base by undertaking research and documentation, resource mapping of services, the creation of a Management Information System (MIS) for tracking vulnerable children, and database management; q) To carry out advocacy and spread awareness about child and family-related issues for supporting the family; r) To network with the Allied Systems i.e. Government departments and Non-Government agencies; s) To initiate any other need-based specialized innovative services through families, community and panchayats/local bodies, including child guidance and counseling especially to combat drug abuse, sexual abuse, child marriage, and discrimination against the girl child.

MPSC Assistant Controller of Rationing Gr-B Screening Test-2012 Solved Paper

India slips to 40th slot in WEF's financial development index

India has slipped four places to 40th position, out of 62 leading financial systems and capital markets, because of poor enforcement of contracts and low levels of liberalisation, says a World Economic Forum report.

According to the fifth edition of the World Economic Forum's Financial Development Report 2012, India has been ranked 40th in the 2012 Index -- four-spot decline from last year (36 rank).

The report highlighted a poor record in enforcing contracts, low levels of liberalisation, inadequate IT and communications infrastructure and general high costs of doing business.

India has been ranked 9th out of the 15 Asia Pacific economies that were surveyed in the report.

India's comparative strength in the area of non-banking financial services was recognised in the report. It was ranked quite high in non-banking financial services (9th), but in terms of banking financial services it was placed in the 45th position.

The index was topped by Hong Kong for the second consecutive year, followed by the US, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Canada. There was no change in the ranking of the first six places this year as against last year.

The general stability of the Index is further highlighted by Singapore, Australia and Canada maintaining their positions at 4th, 5th and 6th place, respectively.

The Netherlands fell two spots from 7th to 9th because of weakness in equity market development and banking system efficiency, while, Sweden jumped into this year's top 10 because of an improvement in retail access to capital. 

Planning Commission's Environmental Performance Index released

Planning Commission's Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has placed the Uttarakhand as a best-performing States and Union territory in terms of environmental well-being. Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh. Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for devolution of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula. Uttarakhand has been given a cumulative score of 0.8123, followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.7316), Chandigarh (0.7270), Sikkim (0.7149), and Andhra Pradesh (0.7147). Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar, with an average score of 1, have been ranked as the best States in terms of air quality. Ironically, except for Uttarakhand, all the States meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. The indicators considered for measuring the ambient air quality performance are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter. In respect of nitrogen oxide, more than 10 States don’t meet the 30 microgram per cubic metre national standard. In respect of suspended particulates, except for Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram, no State meets the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard. On water quality standards, except for Himachal Pradesh, which has set up 100 per cent treatment capacity for sewage, the treatment capacity in the remaining States ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 per cent (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in four States, indicating a pathetic performance in this respect. Sewage disposal, water quality of rivers-dissolved oxygen, total coliform count and the percentage of water exploitation-are considered for the State-wise performance for water quality. As far as total fecal coliform count is concerned, it is as much as 92 per cent in most of the States, with none complying with the standards. Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry extract more water than they recharge, but Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry are the only States which show a semblance of adherence to river water quality. On forest conservation, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are among the five best-performing States that have preserved forests as well as increased cover.

Indian women beat Pakistan to lift Asia Cup

The Indian women’s cricket team lifted the inaugural Asian Cricket Council’s Twenty20 Asia Cup after beating arch-rivals Pakistan by 18 runs in a low-scoring final at Guangzhou (China) on October 31.
India’s decision to bat first seemed to have backfired when the team folded for 81 but the bowlers did a splendid job to dismiss Pakistan to 63 in 19.1 overs.

APPSC EXTENSION OFFICER WOMEN & CHILD WELFARE EXAM (Notification No. 36/2011) OFFICIAL FINAL KEY

•	Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , EXTENSION OFFICER WOMEN & CHILD WELFARE :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 012 - SOCIAL WORK
•	Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , EXTENSION OFFICER WOMEN & CHILD WELFARE :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 011 - HOME SCIENCE
•	Key for Notification No. 36/2011 , EXTENSION OFFICER WOMEN & CHILD WELFARE :: Paper-1 SERIES: A 600 - G.S. & M.A.

APPSC ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER (Notification No. 30/2011) OFFICIAL KEY

•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER (30/2011) :: PAPER-2 - ECONOMICS
•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER :: PAPER-2 - MATHEMATICS
•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER :: PAPER-2 - COMMERCE
•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER :: PAPER-2 - COMPUTER SCIENCE
•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER :: PAPER-2 - STATISTICS
•	Key for Notification No. 30/2011 , Dated : 27/12/2011 , ASSISTANT STATISTICAL OFFICER:: PAPER-1 - G.S. & M.A.

APPSC TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY& MUSIUMS (Notification No. 09/2012) OFFICIAL KEY

	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY&MUSIUMS :: PAPER-1  - G.S. & M.A.
•	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY&MUSIUMS :: PAPER-2  - PERSIAN
•	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , NOTI.NO: 09/2012 TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY&MUSIUMS :: PAPER-2  - SANSKRIT
•	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , NOTI.NO: 09/2012 TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY&MUSIUMS :: PAPER-2  - ANTHROPOLOGY
•	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , NOTI.NO: 09/2012 TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY&MUSIUMS :: PAPER-2  - HISTORY
•	Key for Notification No. 09/2012 Dt. 14/022012 , NOTI.NO: 09/2012TECHNICAL ASSTS. IN ARCHIOLOGY& MUSIUMS:: PAPER-2 - ARCH.MUSEOLOGY & INDOLOGY

PRIME MINISTER'S COMMITTEES AND COUNCILS

The Economic Advisory Council

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister was constituted on 29th Dec 2004 with the Chairman of Cabinet rank. Dr. C. Rangarajan is the current Chairman.

 

The Members of the Council are Dr. Saumitra Chaudhuri, (Economic Adviser, ICRA), Dr. Govinda Rao (Director-General, National Institute of Public Finance & Policy), Dr. Vijay Shankar Vyas (President, Asian Society of Agricultural Economists) and Mr. Suman K. Bery (Director-General, National Council of Applied Economic Research.) The members of the Council will have the rank of Minister of State.

 

Apart from advice on policy matters referred to the Council by the PM from time to time, the EAC also prepares a monthly report on economic developments at home and abroad for the Prime Minister. It monitors economic trends on a regular basis and bring to the PM’s attention important developments at home and abroad and suggests suitable policy responses.

 

PM's Council on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

The Prime Minister had announced setting up of the Task Force in August, 2009 when representatives of prominent MSME associations had met him to highlight their issues and concerns. Accordingly, the Task Force under Shri T.K.A. Nair, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister was constituted on 2nd September, 2009 to reflect on the issues raised by the associations and formulate an agenda for action after discussions with all stakeholders. Its members included Member, Planning Commission, Secretaries of concerned Government Departments, Deputy Governor, RBI, Chairman and Managing Director, SIDBI and representatives of MSME associations.

 

The report provided a roadmap for the development and promotion of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It recommended an agenda for immediate action to provide relief and incentives to the MSMEs, especially in the aftermath of the recent economic slowdown, accompanied by institutional changes and detailing of programmes, to be achieved in a time bound manner. In addition, it suggested setting up of appropriate legal and regulatory structures to create a conducive environment for entrepreneurship and growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.

 

Subsequently, the Prime Minister’s Council on MSMEs was formed on 7th April, 2010 to lay down broad policy guidelines and review the development of the MSME sector.  The Council shall meet once a year.

 

A steering group has also been put into place comprising of Secretaries to the Ministries of MSME, Finance, Labour etc. This steering group has already met in April and reviewed the progress of implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force.

 

PM's Council on Trade and Industry

The newly reconstituted Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry held its first meeting on 26th May, 2010. The Council held discussions on wide-ranging issues. It was decided to form Sub Committees comprising of the Members of the Council to discuss and formulate their recommendations to the Government on the following issues:
(i) Skill development, Affirmative Action and Corporate Social Responsibility;
(ii) Enhancing Agriculture Production and Food Security;
(iii) Promoting Public Private Partnership especially in R&D and clean energy;
(iv) Promoting Financial Inclusion; and
(v) Backward and Tribal Area Development.

PM's Council on Climate Change

Constituted on 6th June 2008, a committee chaired by the Prime Minister called Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change will coordinate national action for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. 

 

The Committee would focus on the following tasks:

 

a)     Evolve a coordinated response to issues relating to climate change at the national level ;

b)     Provide oversight for formulation of action plans in the area of assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change;

c)     Periodically monitor key policy decisions. 

 

The committee would be serviced by the Prime Minister's Office, which may obtain assistance as required from any Ministry/ Department/ Agency of Government. Specifically, the Ministry of Environment and Forests will assist PMO in facilitating the work of this Committee.

 

PM's National Council on Skill Development

The Prime Minister's National Council on Skill Development was  constituted on 1st July 2008 in pursuance of the decision of the Cabinet at its meeting held on 15th May 2008 on "Coordinated Action for Skill Development and setting up of the National Skill Development Corporation".

 

The Council is at the apex of a three-tier structure and would be concerned with vision setting and laying down core strategies. The Council would be assisted by the National Skill Development Coordination Board chaired by the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission which will  coordinate action for skill development both in the public and the private sector.

 

To promote private sector action for skill development, an institutional arrangement in the form of a non-profit corporation called the National Skill Development Corporation is being set up by the Ministry of Finance. The Chairperson of the National Skill Development Corporation, a non- profit corporation to be set up by the Ministry of Finance would also be a  Member of the Council.

 

The Trade and Economic Relations Committee

Constituted on 3rd May 2005, the Trade & Economic Relations Committee is an institutional mechanism for evolving the extent, scope and operational parameters of our economic relations with other countries in a coordinated and synchronized manner.

  The Committee is serviced by the Prime Minister’s Office, which may obtain assistance as required from any Ministry/Department/Agency of Government.

 

PM's National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges

The Government has decided to constitute a Prime Minister's National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges for (a) policy direction (b) review and (c) effective coordination between Ministries which all will have a sectoral responsibility for the challenge of nutrition.

Council of Ministers

Cabinet Ministers

Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Prime Minister Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Ministry of Planning Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space	Dr. Manmohan Singh
2.	Minister of Railways	Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal
3.	Minister of Finance	Shri Palaniappan Chidambaram
4.	Minister of Agriculture Minister of Food Processing Industries	Shri Sharad Chandra Govindrao Pawar
5.	Minister of Defence	Shri A.K. Antony
6.	Minister of Home Affairs	Shri Sushil Kumar Sambhajirao Shinde
7.	Minister of External Affairs	Shri Salman Khurshid
8.	Minister of Science and Technology Minister of Earth Sciences	Shri Jaipal Sudini Reddy
9.	Minister of Health and Family Welfare	Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad
10.	Minister of New and Renewable Energy	Dr. Farooq Abdullah
11.	Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas	Dr.(Shri) M. Veerappa Moily
12.	Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs	Shri Vayalar Ravi
13.	Minister of Civil Aviation	Shri Ajit Singh
14.	Minister of Labour and Employment	Shri Mallikarjun Kharge
15.	Minister of Human Resource Development	Dr. M. Mangapati Pallam Raju
16.	Minister of Communications and Information Technology	Shri Kapil Sibal
17.	Minister of Commerce Industry and Minister of Textiles	Shri Anand Sharma
18.	Minister of Road Transport and Highways	Shri C. P. Joshi
19.	Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation	Shri Ajay Maken
20.	Minister of Culture	Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch
21.	Minister of Shipping	Shri G.K. Vasan
22.	Minister of Urban Development Minister of Parliamentary Affairs	Shri Kamal Nath
23.	Minister of Water Resources	Shri Harish Rawat
24.	Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment	Kumari Selja
25.	Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers	Shri M. K. Alagiri
26.	Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises	Shri Praful Manoharbhai Patel
27.	Minister of Coal	Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal
28.	Minister of Law and Justice	Ashwani Kumar, Shri
29.	Minister of Minority Affairs	Khan, Shri K. Rahman
30.	Ministry of Mines	Shri Dinsha J. Patel
31.	Minister of Tribal Affairs Minister of Panchayati Raj	Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo
32.	Minister of Steel	Shri Beni Prasad Verma
33.	Minister of Rural Development	Shri Jairam Ramesh

Ministers of State with Independent Charge

Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Ministry of Women and Child Development	Smt. Krishna Tirath
2.	Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports	Shri Jitendra Singh
3.	Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution	Prof. Kuruppassery Varkey Thomas
4.	Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation	Shri Srikant Kumar Jena
5.	Ministry of Environment and Forests	Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan
6.	Minister of Information and Broadcasting	Shri Manish Tewari
7.	Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region	Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar
8.	Minister of Tourism	Chiranjeevi, Dr. K.
9.	Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation	Shri Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki
10.	Minister of Power	Shri Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
11.	Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises	Shri K.H. Muniyappa
12.	Minister of Corporate Affairs	Shri Sachin Pilot

Ministers of State

Serial Number	Portfolio	Name of Minister
1.	Ministry of External Affairs	Shri E. Ahamed
2.	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare	Shri S. Gandhiselvan
3.	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment	Shri D. Napoleon
4.	Ministry of Human Resource Development	Shri Jitin Prasada
5.	Ministry of Human Resource Development	Dr. Shashi Tharoor
6.	Ministry of Home Affairs	Shri Ramachandran Mullappally
7.	Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Prime Minister Office	Shri V. Narayanasamy
8.	Ministry of Commerce and Industry	Smt. Daggubati Purandeswari
9.	Ministry of Railways	Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
10.	Ministry of Railways	Shri Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy
11.	Ministry of Textiles	Smt. Lakshmi Panabaka
12.	Ministry of Finance	Shri Namo Narain Meena
13.	Ministry of Finance	Shri S.S. Palanimanickam
14.	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways	Shri Sathyanarayana Sarvey
15.	Ministry of External Affairs	Smt. Preneet Kaur
16.	Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Food Processing Industries	Dr. Charan Das Mahant
17.	Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Food Processing Industries	Tariq Anwar, Shri
18.	Ministry of Tribal Affairs	Smt. Ranee Narah
19.	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment	Shri Porika Balram Naik
20.	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare	Shri Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury
21.	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways	Shri Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary
22.	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology	Shri Milind Murli Deora
23.	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology	Dr. (Smt.) Kruparani Killi
24.	Ministry of Coal	Shri Pratik Prakashbapu Patil
25.	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Shri Ninong Ering
26.	Ministry of Rural Development	Shri Pradeep Kumar Jain Aditya
27.	Ministry of Home Affairs	Shri Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh
28.	Ministry of Planning Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs	Shri Rajeev Shukla
29.	Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers	Shri Srikant Kumar Jena
30.	Minister of Urban Development	Smt. Deepa Dasmunsi
31.	Minister of Labour and Employment	Shri Suresh Kodikunnil
32.	Minister of New and Renewable Energy	Shri S. Jagathrakshakan
33.	Minister of Civil Aviation	Shri K. C. Venugopal
34.	Minister of Parliamentary Affairs	Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar
35.	Ministry of Defence	Shri Jitendra Singh
36.	Ministry of Defence	Shri Lalchand Kataria

V Narayan Murthy honoured with 2012 Hoover Medal

V. Narayan Murthy was honoured with 2012 Hoover Medal at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Seattle in Washington on 22 October 2012. Murthy, who is the 70th recipient since the medal's inception, was recognized for establishing a foundation that forges outstanding improvements in healthcare, social rehabilitation, rural uplift and education. Previous awardees include former US presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower and James Earl Carter.
Narayan Murthy co-founded Infosys limited in 1981. He contributed significantly in India's success in information technology outsourcing.

The Hoover Medal was established in 1930 to recognize great, unselfish, non-technical services by engineers to humanity. The Infosys Science Foundation was established in 2009 to promote science research in India.

The Hoover Medal is administered by a board representing five engineering organizations: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Gov. of Bangladesh Awarded Babu Jagjivan Ram with Friends of Liberation War Honour

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India, Babu Jagjivan Ram was awarded with the Friends of Liberation War Honour by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution in the 1971 War.

He was given the honour by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina and President of Bangladesh, Mohammad. Zillur Rahman.

The award was received by Babuji's grandson, Anshul Avijit at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. Anshul Avijit, is a journalist and academician and also the son of Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar.

Babu Jagjivan Ram as the Defence Minister and chief strategist of India in 1971, helped in liberation of Bangladesh. He assured that the war for liberation of Bangladesh ended in the remarkably short time of 13 days.

 He was among the remarkable figure that had helped in creation of the Joint Command of Bangladesh and the Indian forces for the final outrage which led to the victory.

An Insight into Political Career of Babu Jagjivan Ram

Babu Jagjivan Ram was born near Arrah in Bhojpur district of Bihar in 1908 and had joined the freedom struggle while student in BHU in Benares and at Calcutta University.

• He as a freedom fighter founded the All India Depressed Classes League.

• He was the youngest serving member of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Interim Government of 1946 as the Minister of Labour and had also hold a number of critical portfolios including Agriculture, Railways, Communications and Defence.

• He holds the record for having an uninterrupted Parliamentary career that spanned almost half a century – from 1936 as a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly to 1986 as a member of the Eighth Lok Sabha.

Sharmila Tagore gets honorary degree from Edinburgh University

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore on 25 October 2012 was Awarded with an Honorary Doctorate of Arts for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema by the Edinburgh Napier University. The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University Dame Joan Stringer called her as an excellent ambassador for the Indian Culture.

Sharmila Tagore whose films are appreciated and enjoyed all over the world is also a strong advocate of educational rights of Indian children. At present, she is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF that is working for literacy, maternal health and AIDS-related issues and is also an active spokesperson for Indian Children Child Rights and YOU (CRY).

The University stressed its strong links with India and Indian Culture and pointed out that to promote and establish a relationship with Indian culture, philosophy, education, art and literature it has created a Scottish Center for Tagore Studies (ScoTs), which highlights the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore the first Asian, who won a Nobel Prize for Literature in the Year 1913. This study center is first of its kind in United Kingdom.

The 67 year old Indian actress announced that her recognition and honour from the University proves the role of Indian Cinema and its cultural influence across the world.

Career of Sharmila Tagore in the Indian Film Industry
Sharmila Tagore started her career as an actress in 1959 with Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu). Some more films of Sharmila Tagore includes Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964, Evening in Paris in 1967, Aradhana in 1969 and Amar Prem in 1972, Safar in 1970, Daag in 1973, Maalik in 1972and many more. For Mausam,a film directed By Gulzar based on the novel named The Judas Tree by A.J. Conin, she won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 1976 and received the Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd National Film Festival for this film.

Awards and Honours
•    Filmfare Best Actress Award for Aradhana in 1969
•    Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award for Safar in the year 1970
•    National Film Award for Best Actress in 1976 for her role in the movie Mausam
•    Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997
•    Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in the year 2002
•    National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Abar Aranye in the year 2004
•    Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 2004
•    In the year 2006 was nominated for Filmfare Best Actress Award in Viruddh- Family Comes First
•    Lifetime Achievement National Award (Actress) in the year 2007 honoured by Journalist Association of India
•    In 2011was awarded with Outstanding Achievement in Indian cinema at Floriana IIFA Awards, Toronto

Sharmila Tagore has also served the Central Board of Film Certification in India as its Chairperson.

Approval of National Policy on Electronics 2012

The Union Cabinet today approved the National Policy on Electronics 2012. The draft National Policy on Electronics was released for public consultation and it has now been finalized based on comments from various stakeholders.

India is one of the fastest growing markets of electronics in the world. There is potential to develop the Electronic System and Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector to meet our domestic demand as well as to use the capabilities so created to successfully export ESDM products from the country. The National Policy on Electronics aims to address the issue with the explicit goal of transforming India into a premier ESDM hub.

The strategies include setting up of a National Electronics Mission with industry participation and renaming the Department of Information Technology as Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity). The Department has since been renamed on February 26, 2012.

The policy is expected to create an indigenous manufacturing eco-system for electronics in the country. It will foster the manufacturing of indigenously designed and manufactured chips creating a more cyber secure ecosystem in the country. It will enable India to tap the great economic potential that this knowledge sector offers. The increased development and manufacturing in the sector will lead to greater economic growth through more manufacturing and consequently greater employment in the sector.

The Policy envisages that a turnover of USD 400 billion will create an employment for two million people.

ESDM is of strategic importance as well. Not only in internal security and defence, the pervasive deployment of electronics in civilian domains such as telecom, power, railways, civil aviation, etc. can have serious consequences of disruption of service. This renders tremendous strategic importance to the sector. The country, therefore, cannot be totally dependent on imported electronic components and products.

The key objectives of the Policy are:

(i) To create an eco-system for a globally competitive Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector in the country to achieve a turnover of about USD 400 billion by 2020 involving investment of about USD 100 billion and employment to around 28 million people at various levels.

(ii) To build on the emerging chip design and embedded software industry to achieve global leadership in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI), chip design and other frontier technical areas and to achieve a turnover of USD 55 billion by 2020.

(iii) To build a strong supply chain of raw materials, parts and electronic components to raise the indigenous availability of these inputs from the present 20-25 per cent to over 60 per cent by 2020.

(iv) To increase the export in ESDM sector from USD 5.5 billion to USD 80 billion by 2020.

(v) To significantly enhance availability of skilled manpower in the ESDM sector. Special focus for augmenting postgraduate education and to produce about 2500 PhDs annually by 2020.

(vi) To create an institutional mechanism for developing and mandating standards and certification for electronic products and services to strengthen quality assessment infrastructure nationwide.

(vii) To develop an appropriate security ecosystem in ESDM.

(viii) To create long-term partnerships between ESDM and strategic and core infrastructure sectors - Defence, Atomic Energy, Space, Railways, Power, Telecommunications, etc.

(ix) To become a global leader in creating Intellectual Property (IP) in the ESDM sector by increasing fund flow for R&D, seed capital and venture capital for start-ups in the ESDM and nanoelectronics sectors.

(x) To develop core competencies in strategic and core infrastructure sectors like telecommunications, automotive, avionics, industrial, medical, solar, Information and Broadcasting, Railways, etc through use of ESDM in these sectors.

(xi) To use technology to develop electronic products catering to domestic needs, including rural needs and conditions, as well as international needs at affordable price points.

(xii) To become a global leader in the Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) segment by promoting progressive higher value addition in manufacturing and product development.

(xiii) To expedite adoption of best practices in e-waste management.

(xiv) To source, stockpile and promote indigenous exploration and mining of rare earth metals required for manufacture of electronic components.

To achieve these objectives, the policy proposes the following strategies:

(i) Creating eco-system for globally competitive ESDM sector: The strategies include provision of fiscal incentives for investment, setting up of electronic manufacturing clusters, preferential market access to domestically manufactured electronic products, setting up of semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities, industry friendly and stable tax regime. Based on Cabinet approval, a high level Empowered committee has been constituted to identify and shortlist technology and investors for setting up two semiconductor wafer manufacturing fabrication facilities. Based on another Cabinet approval a policy for providing preference to domestically manufactured electronic goods has been announced. Separate proposals have also been considered by the Cabinet for approval of Modified Special Incentive Package for the ESDM Sector and for setting up of Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs).

(ii) Promotion of Exports: The strategies include aggressive marketing of India as an investment destination and providing incentives for export,

(iii) Human Resource Development: The strategies include involvement of private sector, universities and institutions of learning for scaling up of requisite capacities at all levels for the projected manpower demand. A specialized Institute for semiconductor chip design is also proposed.

(iv) Developing and mandating standards to curb inflow of sub-standard and unsafe electronic products by mandating technical and safety standards which conform to international standards.

(v) Cyber security: To create a complete secure cyber eco-system in the country, through suitable design and development of indigenous appropriate products through frontier technology/product oriented research, testing and validation of security of products.

(vi) Strategic electronics: The strategies include creating long-term partnerships between domestic ESDM industry and strategic sectors for sourcing products domestically and providing Defense Offset obligations for electronic procurements through ESDM products.

(vii) Creating ecosystem for vibrant innovation and R&D in the ESDM sector including nanoelectronics. The strategy includes creation of an Electronic Development Fund.

(viii) Electronics in other sectors: The strategy includes supporting and : developing expertise in the electronics in the following sectors of economy: automotive, avionics, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Industrial, medical, solar photovoltaics, Information and Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Railways, Intelligent Transport Systems, and Games and Toys.

(ix) Handling e-waste: The strategy includes various initiatives to facilitate environment friendly e-waste handling policies.

Background:

The Electronics industry reported at USD 1.75 trillion is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry in the world. It is expected to reach USD 2.4 trillion by 2020. The demand in the Indian market was USD 45 billion in 2008-09 and is expected to reach USD 400 billion by 2020. Domestic demand is expected to be driven by growth in income levels leading to higher off-take of electronics products, automation demands of corporate sector and the government`s focus on e-governance. The domestic production in 2008-09 was about USD 20 billion. However, the actual value-addition in the domestically produced electronic product is very low, ranging between 5 to 10 percent in most cases. At the current rate of growth, domestic production can cater to a demand of USD 100 billion in 2020 as against a demand of USD 400 billion and the rest would have to be met by imports. This aggregates to a demand supply gap of nearly USD 300 billion by 2020. Unless the situation is corrected, it is likely that by 2020, electronics import may far exceed oil imports. This fact goes unnoticed because electronics, as a "meta resource" forms a significant part of all machines and equipment imported, which are classified in their final sectoral forms, for example, automobiles, aviation, health equipment, media and broadcasting, defence armaments, etc.

Electronics is characterized by high velocity of technological change. Consequently the life cycle of products is declining. As a result, the value of design and development in the product has increased quite significantly. Given India`s growing strength in chip design and embedded software, the increasing importance of design in product development has potential to make India a favoured destination for ESDM.

Electronic components, which are the basis of an electronic product, are low volume-low weight, cheap and easy to transport across the globe. Moreover, under the Information Technology Agreement-1 (ITA-1) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which came into force in 1997, a large number of electronic components and products are bound with zero tariffs making trade unrestricted across international borders. Under the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with various countries, the import of electronics hardware from these countries is allowed either at zero duty or at a duty which is lower than the normal duty rate.