India successfully launched its Maiden Mars Mission from Sriharikota

India's premier space agency, ISRO, on 5 November 2013 successfully launched its historic mission to Mars from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 from Chennai. It was India’s first mission to the red planet. The mission follows India’s successful 2008-2009 Chandrayaan-1 moon probe, which discovered water molecules in the lunar soil. The total cost of the Mars mission is 73 million US dollars.

The main features of the Mars mission are as following:
• The main objective of the mission is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.
• The main objective of the mission is to explore Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and search for methane in the Martian atmosphere using indigenous scientific instruments.
• The satellite carries instruments such as Lyman Alpha Photometer, a methane sensor, a composition analyser, a camera and an imaging spectrometer for studying the atmosphere, particle environment and surface imaging.
• The satellite is scheduled to reach the Mars orbit in September 2014 and is designed to circle the Red Planet in an elliptical orbit of 366 km X 80000 km.

Mission Objectives
one of the main objectives of the first Indian mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission.

A. Technological Objectives:

• Design and realisation of a Mars orbiter with a capability to survive and perform Earth bound manoeuvres, cruise phase of 300 days, Mars orbit insertion / capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars.
• Deep space communication, navigation, mission planning and management.
• Incorporate autonomous features to handle contingency situations.

B. Scientific Objectives:

• Exploration of Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and Martian atmosphere by indigenous scientific instruments.

Payloads
1.    Lyman Alpha Photometer (LAP)
2.    Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM)
3.    Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA)
4.    Mars Colour Camera (MCC)
5.    Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometre (TIS)

About Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

Primary objectives of the Mars mission are to demonstrate India’s technological capability to send a satellite to orbit around Mars and conduct meaningful experiments such as looking for signs of life, take pictures of the red planet and study Martian environment.

The main aim of MOM to be to seek whether there is methane, considered a precursor chemical for life, on the red planet. Methane sensor, one of the five payloads (scientific instruments) on board the spacecraft, would look to detect the presence of methane.

The XL version of the Indian Space Research Organisation's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) would be used for launching of the mission.

The satellite will carry compact science experiment instruments, totalling a mass of 15 kg. There will be five instruments to study Martian surface, atmosphere and mineralogy.

After leaving the earth’s orbit, the spacecraft will cruise in deep space for about ten months using its own propulsion system and will reach Martian transfer trajectory in September 2014.

The spacecraft subsequently is planned to enter into a 372 km by 80000 km elliptical orbit around Mars.

Satellite	Launch Date	Launch Vehicle	Type of Satellite
Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft	05.11.2013	PSLV-C25	Space Mission
GSAT-7	30.08.2013	Ariane-5 VA-215	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3D	26.07.2013	Ariane-5 VA-214	Geo-Stationary/Meteorological Satellite
IRNSS-1A	01.07.2013	PSLV-C22	Navigation Satellite
SARAL	25.02.2013	PSLV-C20	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-10	29.09.2012	Ariane-5 VA-209	Geo-Stationary Satellite
RISAT-1	26.04.2012	PSLV-C19	Earth Observation Satellite
Jugnu	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Experimental / Small Satellite
SRMSat	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Experimental / Small Satellite
Megha-Tropiques	12.10.2011	PSLV-C18	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-12	15.07.2011	PSLV-C17	Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-8	21.05.2011	Ariane-5 VA-202	Geo-Stationary Satellite
RESOURCESAT-2	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Earth Observation Satellite
YOUTHSAT	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Experimental / Small Satellite
GSAT-5P	25.12.2010	GSLV-F06	Geo-Stationary Satellite
STUDSAT	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-2B	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-4	15.04.2010	GSLV-D3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat-2	23.09.2009	PSLV-C14	Earth Observation Satellite
ANUSAT	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Experimental / Small Satellite
RISAT-2	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Earth Observation Satellite
Chandrayaan-1	22.10.2008	PSLV-C11	Space Mission
CARTOSAT - 2A	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
IMS-1	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-4B	12.03.2007	Ariane-5ECA	Geo-Stationary Satellite
CARTOSAT - 2	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Earth Observation Satellite
SRE - 1	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Experimental / Small Satellite
INSAT-4CR	02.09.2007	GSLV-F04	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4C	10.07.2006	GSLV-F02	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4A	22.12.2005	Ariane-5GS	Geo-Stationary Satellite
HAMSAT	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-1	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Earth Observation Satellite
EDUSAT (GSAT-3)	20.09.2004	GSLV-F01	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Resourcesat-1(IRS-P6)	17.10.2003	PSLV-C5	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-3A	10.04.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3E	28.09.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-2	08.05.2003	GSLV-D2	Geo-Stationary Satellite
KALPANA-1(METSAT)	12.09.2002	PSLV-C4	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3C	24.01.2002	Ariane-42L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES)	22.10.2001	PSLV-C3	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-1	18.04.2001	GSLV-D1	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3B	22.03.2000	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat(IRS-P4)	26.05.1999	PSLV-C2	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2E	03.04.1999	Ariane-42P H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2DT	January 1998	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-1D	29.09.1997	PSLV-C1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2D	04.06.1997	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P3	21.03.1996	PSLV-D3	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1C	28.12.1995	Molniya	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2C	07.12.1995	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P2	15.10.1994	PSLV-D2	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2)	04.05.1994	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1E	20.09.1993	PSLV-D1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2B	23.07.1993	Ariane-44L H10+	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2A	10.07.1992	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C)	20.05.1992	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1B	29.08.1991	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1D	12.06.1990	Delta 4925	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-1C	21.07.1988	Ariane-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2)	13.07.1988	ASLV	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1A	17.03.1988	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1)	24.03.1987	ASLV	Space Mission
INSAT-1B	30.08.1983	Shuttle [PAM-D]	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D2)	17.04.1983	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1A	10.04.1982	Delta 3910 PAM-D	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Bhaskara-II	20.11.1981	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE)	19.06.1981	Ariane-1(V-3)	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D1)	31.05.1981	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
Rohini (RS-1)	18.07.1980	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Rohini Technology Payload (RTP)	10.08.1979	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Bhaskara-I	07.06.1979	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Aryabhata	19.04.1975	C-1 Intercosmos	Experimental / Small Satellite

New Delhi to host 12th Edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014

The 12th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas will be held in New Delhi from 7th to 9th of January 2014. This was announced by Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs on 5 Novemeber 2013 in New Delhi.
The theme of the convention is -Engaging Diaspora - Connecting across Generations- with a special focus on the younger generation.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the convention and President Pranab Mukherjee will give his valedictory address. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman will also be bestowed on 15 persons during the convention. 
The PBD Convention provides a unique platform for overseas Indians to interact among themselves and with the Government of India and the Governments of various Indian States. It is a forum where the Government of India showcases investment opportunities in India and its potential in various sectors. The 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held at Kochi, Kerala from 7th to 9th of January 2013.

About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every yearto mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.
During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.

National Integration Council

Prime Minister is the Chairman of National Integration Council (NIC). It has 144 members including Union Ministers, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry with legislatures, Leaders of National Political Parties and Regional Political Parties, Chairpersons of National Commissions, Eminent Media Persons, Eminent Public Figures, Representatives of Business and Women’s Representatives.

The 16^th meeting of the National Integration Council was held on September 23, 2013 at VigyanBhawan, New Delhi.

 Click here to see The list of Members of  NIC  is as under:

Sushmita Sen honoured with the Mother Teresa International Award

Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen has been awarded the Mother Teresa International Award by the Harmony Foundation for her efforts towards achieving social justice on October 27, 2013. Sushmita is been associated with charitbale projects and NGOs. The Harmony Foundation also honoured former Outlaw motorcycle club member Sam Childers for his efforts towards rescuing children from a war-zone in Sudan.

The Harmony Foundation:

• The Harmony Foundation is a NGO and not for profit organization working to establish communal harmony between various communities, castes and work towards the benefit of all the communities without any discrimination as to religion, caste, creed, gender or region.
• It was founded in October 2005 by Dr. Abraham Mathai.
• The Harmony Foundation honours the people working towards the social justice with the Mother Teresa International Award.

Iceland tops in Global Gender Gap Report

A new report titled 'Global Gender Gap Report' released by the World Economic Forum indicated that the gap between men and women has narrowed slightly in the past year in most countries.
Iceland, Finland and Norway top the list of 136 nations, based on political participation, economic equality and rights like education and health. Iceland's position at the top of the WEF rankings was the fifth year in a row the country has been named the world's most equal.
Nicaragua in 10th place was the highest positioned country in North and South America. Cuba followed at 15th, with Ecuador in 25th place.
Among major world economies Germany ranked 14th (down one), the UK held its position at 18, with Canada at 20 and the United States 23rd.
The highest-ranked Asian nation was the Philippines (fifth), praised for its success in health, education and economic participation. On the other, Asia's major economies performed poorly, with China in 69th place and Japan 105th. India is at 101th position; however, the country was way ahead at the ninth position in 2013 in terms of women empowerment in politics.
In Africa, several countries -- Lesotho, South Africa, Burundi and Mozambique -- featured in the top 30 this year due to women’s participation in the workforce.
The Middle East and North Africa were the only regions not to improve in the past year. The United Arab Emirates in 109th place is the highest-ranked Arab country in the region, which achieved parity in education. Bahrain ranked 112th and Qatar at 115th, “still failing to adequately capitalize on the investments in education through greater economic and political contributions from women”.
The bottom of the list is occupied by Chad at 134th, Pakistan at 135th and Yemen 136th.
Iceland, Finland (second), Norway (third) and Sweden (fourth) had all closed over 80% of the gender gap, where 100% would represent full equality.
Top Ten Countries

	2013	2012
Iceland	1	1
Finland	2	2
Norway	3	3
Sweden	4	4
Philippines	5	8
Ireland	6	5
New Zealand	7	6
Denmark	8	7
Switzerland	9	10
Nicaragua	10	9

Food auditing firms to conduct quality checks on trains, Railways Ministry

Following constant passenger complaint about food served on trains, Railways has decided to deploy international food auditing firms who do quality checks at five star hotels to do its quality assessment. As a pilot project at present, a Swedish company is carrying out third-party audit of the food and hygiene on the premium trains on the Mumbai-Howrah route. It will present its report to the Railway Ministry on November 5. "There are renowned multinational auditing firms who do quality audits for five star hotels. Once the ministry gets the report for this, it will formalise this policy and call for tenders for all trains. The firms will not only check quality and quantity of food served but will also assess the condition in which the food is made and served, and the hygiene standards. After rolling out a new menu with reduced food items and at the same time jacking up their prices on Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains on October 17, Railways quickly reverted to the old menu because passengers had been complaining of getting "too less for more money". The ministry also said the ticket prices increased due to the changed menu, however, will remain the same for now.

Protection to Western Ghats

The recommendations of the two reports on the Western Ghats, one by the Madhav Gadgil and the other by the K. Kasturiranga led the Environment Ministry to turn approximately 60,000 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six States into an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), banning mining, quarrying, thermal power plants and polluting industries over the entire range. All other projects would be allowed only with the prior consent of gram sabhas (village councils) in the zone.
The decision, once formally notified, would make the identified region of the Western Ghats complex the largest protected forests in India ranging over 1,500 km linear distance from the Tapti river in the north to Kanyakumari in the south. Going with the recommendations of the high-level panel that was headed by Mr. Kasturirangan, the Ministry has decided to declare the ESA over 37% of the Western Ghats under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The Ministry has drafted the notification and it will be put out soon for comments. Natarajan has approved the use of three criteria that the panel had recommended — biodiversity richness, fragmentation of forests and human population density to demarcate these forest patches that would turn into a no-go zone for mining, thermal power plants and other dirty industries.
The type of industries banned would be those included in the ‘red list’ issued by the government under the Environment Protection Act. These are usually considered to be the most polluting of the lot. Going against the recommendation of the Environment Secretary, the Minister retained the criteria to leave areas with high-density of population out of this regulated zone’s ambit. The panel had recommended that the hill tracts with high population densities be kept out of the ESA ambit. It had advised against using the legal force that the ESA would provide to alter the economic practices in these areas, instead suggesting economic and other tools to incentivise more ecologically sustainable activities.
Within the ESA prior consent from the gram sabhas and strict adherence to the Forest Rights Act would be made mandatory for any of the projects that are not on the negative list. This too would be done after studying cumulative impacts of the projects in the region.
Townships and buildings over 20,000 square metres in the region too would not be allowed once the draft notification is published. But those already in the pipeline in different States would be allowed to go ahead. Applications for such townships would not be entertained in future.
The Ministry has decided to not go with the recommendations of the high-level panel in the case of windmills. Construction of windmills would be permitted in the ecologically sensitive area though environment regulations to review their impact may be brought in through other legal routes available to the government.
Hydro-electric projects would be permitted in the ESA but with a new set of strict regulations that the Kasturirangan-led panel has recommended, including those on maintaining ecological flows in the rivers.

NOBEL PRIZES 2013

Category	Name of the Person	Contribution
Physiology or Medicine	James Rothman	for their groundbreaking work on how the cell organises its transport system
	Randy Schekman
	Thomas Suedhof
Physics	Peter Higgs	for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles.
	Francois Englert
Chemistry	Michael Levitt	for the development of multi scale models for complex chemical systems
	Martin Karplus
	Arieh Warshel
Peace	The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)	for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons
Literature	Alice Munro	master of the contemporary short story
Economics	Eugene Fama	for their work on creating a deeper knowledge of how market prices move
	Lars Peter Hansen
	Robert Shiller

India ranks 63 in the Global Hunger Index

India has moved from 65 to 63 in the Global Hunger Index prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. According to the Index India is making a marginal improvement since 2012, but continues to languish far behind other emerging economies. The score for the country improved slightly from 22.9 in 2012 to 21.3 this year. As has been the trend, within SAARC countries too, India continued to trail behind Pakistan and Bangladesh on the index.

The report revealed that India is one of the three countries outside Sub-saharan Africa to fall in ‘alarming level’ category. The other two are Haiti and Timor-Leste.
The 2013 Global Hunger Index (GHI) has fallen by 34 per cent from the 1990 score, but South Asia has the highest regional score of 20.7, followed by Africa (south of the Sahara) while Burundi, Eritrea and Comoros have the highest levels of hunger, says the report.
Among the countries that achieved noteworthy progress in improving their GHI scores are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, with decreases in their scores ranging between 15 and 23 points.

The index identified hunger levels and hot spots across 120 developing countries and countries in transition, and ranked countries on three equally weighted indicators - the proportion of undernourished people, the proportion of underweight children under five, and the mortality rate of children under five.

Report Highlights:
The 2013 Index indicates that global hunger is decreasing; the 2013 world GHI score has fallen by 34 percent from the 1990 GHI score. Yet world hunger still remains “serious,” with 19 countries suffering from levels of hunger that are either “alarming” or “extremely alarming.”
 South Asia has the highest regional GHI score, followed by Africa south of the Sahara while Burundi, Eritrea and Comoros have the highest levels of hunger.

India Performance:
• India has moved from 65 to 63 in the Global Hunger Index, making a marginal improvement since 2012, but continues to suffering far behind other emerging economies.
 
• The score for India has improved slightly from 22.9 in 2012 to 21.3 in 2013. Within SAARC countries also, India continued to trail behind Pakistan and Bangladesh on the index.

• The level of hunger in India remained at ‘alarming levels’ and the report also noted that it is one of the three countries outside Sub-Saharan Africa to fall in this category. The other two are Haiti and Timor-Leste.

• India continued to record one of the highest prevalence of children under five who are underweight, at more than 40 per cent.

South Asia Region:

• South Asia continued to have the maximum number of hungry people in the world, followed by sub-Saharan Africa.
• Social inequality and the low nutritional, educational, and social status of women are major causes of child under-nutrition in the South Asian region.

Emerging economies Performance:
• Other emerging economies with high growth trajectories have done a much better job at pulling people out of hunger, when in comparison to India.
• China improved its ranking by 57.69 per cent between 1990-2012, while India showed a 34 per cent improvement in the same period.
• Brazil, in comparison, had a much better score to begin with and by 2012 entered the select block of nations doing the best to fight hunger.
• Countries that have achieved the highest progress on this front included Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Ghana, Thailand and Vietnam -all achieving more than 55 percent increase in their Global Hunger Index score.

About Global Hunger Index:
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger globally and by country and region. Calculated each year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the GHI highlights successes and failures in hunger reduction and provides insights into the drivers of hunger. By raising awareness and understanding of regional and country differences in hunger, the GHI aims to trigger actions to reduce hunger.

The theme of the 2013 GHI report is resilience in theory and in practice.

To reflect the multidimensional nature of hunger, the GHI combines three equally weighted indicators in one index number:

1. Undernourishment: the proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population (reflecting the share of the population with insufficient calorie intake);

2. Child underweight: the proportion of children younger than the age of five who are underweight (low weight for age reflecting wasting, stunted growth, or both), which is one indicator of child undernutrition; and

3. Child mortality: the mortality rate of children younger than the age of five (partially reflecting the fatal synergy of inadequate dietary intake and unhealthy environments).

The GHI ranks countries on a 100-point scale. Zero is the best score (no hunger), and 100 is the worst, although neither of these extremes is reached in practice.

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI):

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty. IFPRI was established in 1975 to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, with particular emphasis on low-income countries and on the poorer groups in those countries. 

Welthungerhilfe:
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest nongovernmental aid organisations in Germany. It provides fully integrated aid from one source, ranging from rapid emergency relief to reconstruction programmes, as well as long-term projects with local partner organisations following the principle of help toward self-help. Since its foundation in 1962, more than 6800 projects have been carried out in 70 countries with a total funding of 2.39 billion euros, striving for a world without hunger or poverty. 

Concern Worldwide:
Concern Worldwide is an international non-governmental humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. The mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives which last and spread without ongoing support from Concern. To achieve this mission Concern engages in long term development work, responds to emergency situations, and seeks to address the root causes of poverty through development education and advocacy work. Concern currently works in 27 of the world’s poorest countries.

Tribal Problems

The tribals are a special concern of the nation in view of their low technological development, general economic backwardness, and complex problems of socio-cultural adjustment to distinctive cultural identity. Development of tribals and tribal areas is a challenging task for the government, as they are spread over a wide spectrum of diversities of geographical location, socio-economic and politico-cultural conditions.

Despite its popular as well as academic usage, tribe is a contentious concept. In popular imagination, tribe is associated with “primitivism” and “backwardness,” clearly referring to non-Western or indigenous groups inhabiting the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America or to American Indian reservations.
Approximately 8.2 percent of the total Indian population has been designated as “Scheduled Tribes” (STs), according to the Indian census of 2001. The official Web site of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, states that “the Scheduled Tribes are the tribes or tribal communities or part of or groups within these tribes and tribal communities which have been declared as such by the President through a public notification.” The Indian government regards retention of “primitive” traits, geographical isolation, possessing distinct culture, shyness of contact with the community at large, and economic backwardness as the essential characteristics of Scheduled Tribes.
Many tribes have come to symbolize the most victimized segments of societies. It is a strange paradox that although they inhabit the most resource-rich regions of the world, many of them are in a state of impoverishment. They are the most severely affected victims of induced development, such as the establishment of mega-hydroelectric projects, conservation through parks, sanctuaries and bioreserves, mining and allied activities, urbanization and industrialization, ecotourism projects, and so on.
The tribal people are concentrated in four regions. They form a majority in the north-eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Naga­land, Manipur, Mizoram, and Meghalaya. However, the majority of the tribals live in the belt of middle India from Gujarat to Bengal. In states like Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha the tribals account for more than 20 per cent of the population. In Jhakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, the percentage of tribals ranges between 4 to 15 per cent of the total population. However, in the entire middle Indian zone, the tribals are in a majority only in 13 districts. The third zone of tribal concentration is the ‘Himalayan region’ extending from Kashmir to Sikkim. In the far South, we have the fourth area of concentration, but the population is rather small. There are nearly 450 distinctive tribal groups in the country varying in size from around four millions to a bare two dozen. Their styles of living are largely determined by their means of subsistence which includes a wide spectrum of activities such as hunting and food gathering. Artisan groups are engaged in different types of arts and crafts and some are employed as industrial labour. Although the bulk of the tribals are reported to be Hindu in the census, substantial numbers have been converted to Christianity and some to Islam and Buddhism. Some others still follow their traditional faiths.
The history of the tribes has been a history of becoming peasants. It is the policy of the government to minimise the extent of shifting cultivation, promote terrace cultivation and apply the new agricultural strategy to the tribal region and to accelerate the flow of capital for agriculture there in. There has been a diffusion of improved agricultural technology by governmental agencies. Efforts are being made to develop innovative technologies which would yield results in drought-prone areas and highlands. At present much of the settled cultivation is at subsistence level and the majority of the tribal produce is not marketed. They sometimes make distress sales in order to buy some necessities.
In the central zone of tribal concentration agrarian issue stand at the centre of development. In the western zone we find land scarcity and land hunger. This is due to the expulsion of the tribes in those regions by the more vigorous Rajput, Maratha, and other Hindu peasantry. Other contributory factors to land hunger are low productivity  of land, the primitive mode of agriculture and the continued exploitation of tribals by others against whom protective legislation do not afford sufficient safeguards and the non-diversification for tribal economy.

Integration in which attempts will be made to bring the tribals in the mainstream of national life without destroying their distinctive identity. Indian culture is like a mosaic in which its separate elements add to its beauty. Anthropologists regard the integration of the tribes into the mainstream of Indian life as a natural and desirable goal. They only insist on care and caution on planning for the tribes and emphasize restraints in certain areas against innovations of doubtful value. The essential elements of anthropological thinking on the problem have been largely incorporated in national policies. They have emphasi­sed the importance of understanding tribal culture, identifying not only their different problems but the integrative forces in their life bringing out the vital linkages in their cultural fabric. They have pleaded for cautious formulation of development plans with a view to harmonise tribal needs with regional and national interests. They recommend a careful watch on the trends set in motion by these measures with a view to eliminating elements that destroy their social solidarity and kill their zest for living.
The Constitution of India provides specific measures for the protection and promotion of the social and economic interests of the Scheduled Tribes (STs). These include: reservation of seats in the legislature, educational institutions, services and posts, a tribal development program and provisions for autonomy.
The Constitution of India ensures the political representation of Scheduled Tribes in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Parliament and in the State Legislative Assemblies through reserved seats.
Reservation in Educational Institutions and Services: Article 15(4) of the Indian Constitution provides for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in educational institutions. In order to improve the social situation of the tribal people, the government has, in addition to quotas in education, also designed a reservation policy for employment in government services. Depending on the respective positions, posts reserved for members of "Scheduled Tribes" are either in proportion to the tribal population of the state in question, or – in most cases – comprise 7.5% of the total number of government jobs.
Geographical areas designated as Fifth and Sixth Scheduled areas by independent India are identical to those already delineated by the British as Scheduled Areas.
Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996: This act is aimed primarily at promoting village-level democracy through the Panchayat Raj institutions. It includes changes aimed at adapting the generally established system for use in the Scheduled Areas, which have a different socio-economic and politico-administrative setting.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes: Article 338 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Special Officer for Scheduled Tribes and Castes by the President, who is commissioned to investigate and report to the President on all matters relating to the constitutional safeguards on Scheduled Tribes and Castes. A National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was subsequently created to take over these responsibilities.
Promotion of the economic and educational interests of the Scheduled Tribes and their protection from social injustice and exploitation are enshrined as a national goal in article 46 of the Constitution. Realizing that earlier programs under the central government's Five-Year Plans had failed to address the development needs, marginalization and exploitation of tribal communities, the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) was devised as a new strategy in the Fifth Five-Year Plan in 1973. It is still the approach that guides development programs in tribal areas. Its main objectives are to eliminate exploitation, to speed up social and economic development, and to promote and improve the organisational capacity of tribal people.

India's Look East Policy

India's Look East Policy of 1991 was inclined towards improving and strengthening her relations with neighbouring South East Asian countries which had been neglected for a long time and explore the economic opportunities in the region by access to its growing markets where China had already penetrated. It was developed and enacted during the Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

The policy came specifically at the time of economic liberalization reforms and the post cold war phase of non-existent rival political alliances. It was the first time when India took recourse to improving her relations with the neighboring South East Asian countries of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and making a place in the emerging global economy by going beyond the confines of SAARC.

In her bid to improve the bilateral and multilateral relations with the South East Asian region, it was conducive and pertinent for India to forge strong ties and co-operation with the biggest association and Bloc of the South East Asian countries i.e. the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian countries) formed in 1967 for geopolitical and economic organization. Some of the major areas where India and ASEAN proposed and worked together have been Political and security Issues with forums such as India and ASEAN Regional Forum(ARF) Of 1996, Mekong Ganga Project(MGC) of 1997, Free Trade Agreement(FTA) of 2008 as the first multilateral Trade agreement by India for co-operation in Information Technology, ASEAN India business summits of 2002 and 2009 which addressed the six key areas of economic integration, people to people contacts, agriculture, human resource development, education, science and technology and information and communication technology, Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi Sectoral technical cooperation (BIMSTEC) of 2008 and East Asia Summit (EAS) of 2009.