[The Big Picture] Scotland Vote : What does it imply?

Summary:
Why they demanded Independence ?

• It is said that working class in particular demanded independence and upper class was quite happy with the united system.

• Growth of nationalism and assertion of identity politics has led to the demands for smaller states wanting to rule themselves.

• Many Scotts felt that they are being suppressed by the British. In the past Scotts along with British have suppressed many countries

• English too are demanding some special privileges since they form a bigger part of the kingdom.

• There is no colonial relationship between Scotland and England unlike between England and Ireland

• There is an ideological difference between conservative English and Scottish people since the neo liberal policies of Tony Blair.

Why they voted against ?

• With 55% voting against the independence Scotland will continue to remain with United Kingdom.

• As Richer people have greater links with England in particular and Europe in general. Hence business people had many questions like which currency would be used and how would they set up a central bank? This necessitated them to vote against the independence in referendum.

• Rise of English nationalism can be seen along with the Scottish vote.

• Many Scots felt that there should not be differentiated identity between scots and British. And hence voted against.

• European Union has brought Europeans together and decimated regional identities and aspirations.

• Scottish people are afraid of losing welfare measures like free university education and national health services and hence most of them voted against the independence.

• Joining hands together and making economy more effective has won finally.

• Economic interests played role in retaining the unity.

What Next ?

• Prime Minister David Cameron who had made several promises to the people of Scotland to avoid the divide has before him the tough task of walking the talk.

• UK is going to devolve the powers at the regional level in a way that has never done before.

• Realignment of administrative system takes place. The UK will no longer experience the centralised tendency.

Does this process hold good for India?

• The process of nation making or unmaking has been attempted in a democratic way for the first time without any violence. There is lot to learn for India from this. This was a democratic referendum.

Souce : RajyaSabha TV

[The Big Picture] US strategy against ISIS: Will it work?

SUMMARY:

• After having been recognised internationally as the most dangerous terrorist organisation, Islamic State also known as ISIS is now facing a concerted attack from a global coalition led by the United States.

• The US forces have launched air attacks and held territories in Iraq and Syria.

• Syria, which is worst affected, finds itself in a tricky situation. British PM has said that they will not be supporting Syrian government and blames the Syrian government for the growth of terrorism.

• As things have evolved after June when IS terrorists smashed Iraqi army in central Iraq and moved swiftly to capture various cities, the US president had very little options but to combat it in a concerted way.

• Obama had no other option when American journalists were beheaded. He has made it clear that these actions are against terrorism and not against Islam.

• It is interesting to note here that the US has not gone through UN route. It has been trying this coalition outside the UN system. It is primarily because US doesn't want to appear as if it is completely against Islam as a whole. It is also because US is looking forward for some support from the Arab states.

• There are 3 parties in Syria- the recognised Syrian government, the IS forces and the opposition to the Syrian government. There is no general consensus in Iraq on how to combat this problem.

• Some experts opine that Jihadism can be fought militarily but eventually it should be fought ideologically and theologically which has to come from within the Islamic world in general and Arab world in particular.

• The 2003 invasion of Iraq is said to be illegal since UNSC had not authorized it. Iraq has become more fractured since then. Different groups like Sunnis, Shias and many others have become more fragmented since then.

• Genesis of the present crisis goes back to 2003 Iraq invasion, especially more intensely in Sunni areas. Sunnis who have ruled Iraq for several centuries now feel that they are being deprived of their powers by Shia led government.

• US strategy of Degrade and destroy has 5 components: air strike, degrading the capacity of terrorists, shrink their space and territory, prevent funds from flowing to them and block the channels of recruitment.

Criticisms against the US strategy:

• Some criticize the US strategy by saying that Instead of solving the problem, it is being aggravated by sucking more and more new regional countries(for eg; Saudi, Jordan). This will create much more extreme groups to emerge.

• Some criticize the US strategy by saying it as a practice of mobile anarchy. And it is a Gimmick.

• The local governments can take care of this problem. If, Turks take control of their borders this can be solved. Since closing of borders prevent funds flowing in to the IS. And hence US strikes are not needed. But the IS has become fairly sophisticated organization with their own ideals and their capacity has increased tremendously. And hence, it is not possible to destroy by mere closing of the borders.

What India should do?

• India should provide intelligent co-operation as it is a war against global terrorism. But we must wait till the UN authorization comes.

• Few Indians have also joined IS. Flow of recruits from India should be prevented.

• So, as of now, it is better for India to remain neutral.

• Regime change policy of the US must be abandoned.

Source : RajyaSabha Tv

"Mann Ki Baat" on Board Exams 2015 : PM Modi's top 10 advices to students for Inspiration (Help to define somewhere in Q-Answer,Essay,Interview)

1. Take exams as a festival, Enjoy them;
2. Read Success is when you help others;
3. Think positive, complete with yourself not others. Complete to be better than what you were yesterday;
4. Don't waste time on irrelevant or negative thoughts;
5. There is a life beyond examination, do not stress over it. It is not a burden;
6. Be confident about yourself; do not let an outer factor trouble you. Have confidence o your abilities;
7. Desires (अरमान) + Stability (स्थिरता) = Determination (दृढ़ संकल्प), Determination (दृढ़ संकल्प) + Righteousness (धर्म) = Accomplishment (सिद्धि);
8. Recognize your inner potentials;
9. Do not build castles in the air; live in the present not passt or future;
10. Exam are an opportunity not a challange

INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL AFTER OBAMA VISIT

Introduction:-

• Nuclear power is the fourth-largest source of electricity in India after thermal, hydroelectric and renewable sources of electricity.As of 2013, India has 21 nuclear reactors in operation in 7 nuclear power plants, having an installed capacity of 5780 MW and producing a total of 30,292.91 GWh of electricity while seven other reactors are under construction and are expected to generate an additional 6,100 MW.

• India did not sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and exploded its first nuclear weapon in 1974. Consequently, the United States stopped supply of nuclear materials to India in 1978. For thirty years, there was no cooperation between the two countries on uses of atomic energy. Subsequently, India developed its indigenous nuclear industry.

• The US signed a historic deal with India in 2008 to resume supply of nuclear technology and materials. The treaty was inoperative for more than six years for two reasons: (i) insistence of Washington on tracking of nuclear materials and (ii) the supplier's liability in the event of a nuclear accident.

• The recent nuclear deal between India and the US removes both the hurdles and paves the way for US suppliers to build nuclear power plants in India. According to the deal, the US will not track nuclear materials in India but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will apply safeguards to all of its civilian nuclear installations.

• At present, all international conventions make the operators of nuclear power plants liable for damages, regardless of the cause of the accident. The maximum liability of the operator is usually limited to $300 million. The state takes responsibility for damages exceeding this limit. It may be noted that the costs of damages are likely to exceed $100 billion in both the nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

• Failing to get adequate compensation from the plant supplier after the world's worst industrial disaster in Bhopal in 1984, Indian parliament passed the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act, 2010 which makes suppliers of equipment liable for nuclear damages. Russia, which built two nuclear power reactors in Kudankulam in India, agreed to accept the supplier's liability for building two more reactors at the same site.

• Under the new deal, the US agreed to provide insurance coverage for nuclear damages to the suppliers of nuclear power plants. Since the US ban, Russia had been the only foreign supplier of nuclear power plants to India. Now, the USA is ready to enter into this lucrative market. France may also follow the suit. The participation of the western suppliers may encourage competition and result in a positive impact on both quality and costs of nuclear power plants in India.

Analysis of Impact of Obama’s Visit on the Nuclear Deal:

• In a visit heavy on pageantry and symbolism, the India-US civil nuclear deal took center-stage, with the two sides announcing a breakthrough to start implementing it commercially - a development that could potentially open the path for

Japan and Australia to sign nuclear deals with India.

• The importance of supplier liability is illustrated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. When the reactors were hit by the tsunami that year, the weakness of the General Electric (GE) Mark I design was cruelly exposed. The reactors’ inadequate containment was unable to prevent the spread of radioactivity when the cooling systems failed and pressure built up inside the reactors. Although this design defect was first noted about 40 years ago, just as the Fukushima reactors were commissioned, the industry resisted regulatory changes that could have amended the disaster.

• The Japan Center for Economic Research estimated that the cost of cleanup at Fukushima may reach $200 billion. A 2013 expert study published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science estimated that the disaster may lead to about a thousand excess deaths due to cancer. However, it is unlikely that GE will ever be held accountable for its poor design choice. Under Japanese law, the supplier is protected from liability for an accident. This is the framework of exemption under which nuclear suppliers like to operate.

• Legal indemnity for suppliers creates a "moral hazard" - encouraging suppliers to take excessive risks since they don’t have to pay for the consequences. The case of GE not strengthening the Mark I containment is not an exception. The Presidential commission appointed to study the 1979 Three Mile Island disaster, which saw a partial nuclear meltdown, pointed out that the supplier, Babcock and Wilcox, was already aware of design defects that contributed to the accident, but never bothered to resolve them.

• Nevertheless, suppliers have ferociously defended their privilege of being free of liability, and they exerted tremendous pressure on the Indian government when the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act was framed in 2010. Contrary to the industry’s propaganda, this is not a "tough" law. Indeed, several clauses in the law were directly lifted from an annex to the "Convention on Supplementary Compensation," created by the U.S. government to benefit its nuclear industry.

• The law channels primary liability for an accident to the operator — the public sector Nuclear Power Corporation of India - and caps it at Rs. 1,500 crores. This overrides the absolute liability judgment of the Supreme Court, passed after the Bhopal gas leak disaster, which had no such limit. The cap is about a thousand times smaller than estimates of the damage that a serious nuclear accident could cause. Therefore, the law is designed to protect the financial interests of the operators and the supplier; victims or the taxpayers will simply have to bear costs beyond this cap.

• Multinational suppliers are unhappy because a relatively minor clause allows the operator to recoup this compensation. By the scales of nuclear commerce, the amount of money involved is minuscule. A single reactor may cost up to an estimated Rs. 60,000 crores - 40 times the maximum amount the supplier could be liable for. The figures of each unit have been arrived at from studying plants under construction in Finland and France. If imposing liability on suppliers leads to cost increases, it can only mean that they are using the law as an excuse to escalate prices.

• A close reading of the statements made by advocates of their interests reveals what suppliers are really concerned about: the Indian law could set a precedent that could undermine the unfair international system of exemption that they enjoy. "If litigants were able to file suit against suppliers, essentially it could destroy the whole industry," declared Ashley Tellis, an American negotiator for the nuclear deal.

• The United Progressive Alliance government repeatedly tried to subvert the law, earning a sharp rebuke from Arun Jaitley who wrote in 2013 that "a leopard never changes its spots. The government's intention to dilute the right of recourse … [has] continued." He should explain why his own government is pursuing a similar policy. The current proposal of using a "legal memorandum" to reinterpret the law is similar to the UPA’s attempt to sign away its "right of recourse" on various pretexts.

• The most baffling feature of the current agreement is that it holds no tangible benefits for India. The United States has offered to sell two reactor designs - both of which are expensive and untested. The Westinghouse AP1000, which has been chosen for Mithi Virdi (Gujarat) is not in commercial operation anywhere and has encountered difficulties wherever it is being built. At Plant Vogtle, in the U.S. state of Georgia, Westinghouse and its partner Georgia Power have sued each other for a billion dollars over cost increases and delays. Even in China, the AP1000 has been delayed by about two years because of problems with reactor coolant pumps.

• Even less can be said for GE's Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), selected for Kovvada (Andhra Pradesh). After years of questions about ESBWR's steam dryer, the design obtained regulatory approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission - the first step before construction can commence - only in September 2014. There are no firm orders for the ESBWR.

• The Vogtle plants were initially estimated to cost about $7 billion apiece. Even accounting for lower construction costs in India we showed - in a detailed study "Cost of Electricity from the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant" published in the Economic and Political Weekly - could translate into electricity tariffs that are as high as Rs. 15 per unit. If the government is looking for cheap electricity to promote development, importing American reactors hardly seems like a smart choice.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama discussed methods of circumventing the Indian nuclear liability law to protect American reactor suppliers from the consequences of accidents caused by design defects. Although public details are scarce, if they have indeed reached an understanding on the issue, then this is not a cause for celebration; it should be a matter of deep concern.

[Quiz 1] Geography

1. A lunar eclipse occurs when...

(A)Sun is between the earth and the moon
(B)Earth is between the sun and the moon
(C)Moon is between the earth and sun
(D)Earth is at right angle to the direction of the sun and the moon


2. Actual heights of place above sea level are represented by..,

(A)Spot height
(B)layer colouring
(C)pictures
(D)contours


3. Day and night are equal at the...

(A)equator
(B)poles
(C)prime meridian
(D)antarctic


4. Day and night are the result of the...

(A)earth's rotation around its axis
(B)earth's revolution
(C)earth's rotation accompanied with its revolution
(D)none of these


5. London is located at 0' while Baghdad at 45' E. If a news is broadcast from London at 10:00 a.m., at what time It be heard at Baghdad?

(A)11:30 a.m.
(B)2:00 a.m.
(C)1:00 p.m.
(D)12:30 p.m.


6. One Lunar month is equal to...

(A)1 earth year
(B)365 earth days
(C)14 earth days
(D)28 earth days


7. Tropical cyclone storms occurring in Philippines,Japan and China seas are known as

(A)tornado

(B)thunderstorms
(C)typhoons
(D)hurricane


8. Which is the hottest planet in solar system?

(A)Venus
(B)Neptune
(C)Mars
(D)Jupiter


9. Which planer is known as the evening star?

(A)Saturn
(B)Venus
(C)Jupiter
(D)Mars


10. The main periods of Mesozoic era include...

(A)Triassic period and Cretaceous period
(B)Jurassic period and Triassic period
(C)Triassic period, Jurassic period and Cretaceous period
(D)Cretaceous and Jurassic period

Answer :

1. B

2. A

3. A

4. A

5. C
6. D
7. C
8. A
9. B
10. C

For Solution : Click Here