NASA submarine to explore oceans in space

US space agency NASA is developing a space submarine to explore ocean waters on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.
Titan is the only other body in the solar system besides earth with liquid oceans on its surface.
An initial proposal was to send a boat to explore the seas of Titan.
“If you only explored our ocean with a boat, you would miss out on a heck of a lot of stuff,” Steven Oleson from NASA’s Glenn Research Centre told science magazine New Scientist.
NASA now plans to send both the boat and submarine to study seas on Titan.
The space submarine, part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), should be able to communicate from beneath the waves.
“The Titan submarine would serve as a pathfinder for even more exotic future subsurface exploration of oceans in space,” Oleson added.

Ozone-depleting fridge gas

NEW DELHI: The customs department has alerted its offices at ports about smuggling of ozone-depleting substances as there has been a recent spurt in attempts to illegally ship R-22 gas, which is used in refrigerants and air-conditioners (ACs).
In discussions with top officials last month, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) flagged the gas along with gold, fake Indian currency notes, drugs and red sanders on which it will maintain a special focus this year as the department of revenue intelligence has spotted new ways of smuggling these items into the country, senior government officials told TOI.
While R-22 gas or chlorodifluoromethane is allowed to be imported, shipments are closely regulated and require a licence to be brought into the country.
But given the growing market for fridges and air-conditioners, the demand is higher than licensed supply.
In certain countries, use of the gas will be banned by next year, while manufacturers were barred from using them in products launched after 2004.
In a note to chief commissioners, the CBEC has said that in several cases, R-22 gas cylinders were found to be concealed in consignments where the importer had declared shipments of furniture, kitchen cabinets, photocopiers and even fruits, said senior customs officers.

The shipments were from China and Malaysia and the gas was sought to be smuggled through Mumbai, Chennai and Tuticorn ports. Although the officers said that front companies were being used to smuggle R-22, they did not have data related to the quantity of imports into the country. They, however, said that the scale was not as big as some of the other items, with cigarettes also put on the watch list.
Gold has retained its top slot on the Red Alert list for customs department given the government's decision to maintain 10% import duty as also other restrictions. During the last financial year, consignments worth close to Rs 700 crore were seized by customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the note said. From concealing the precious metal in aircraft cavities, to putting them inside socks and knee caps and inside LCD television sets, smugglers have tried every trick to ship gold.

UKPCS-2012 TEST SERIES PROGRAM BY SAMVEG IAS DEHRADUN,UTTARAKHAND

Crash Course for UKPCS-2012 by SAMVEG IAS,DEHRADUN

Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of international literacy day, 2014

I am indeed happy to be present amidst you this afternoon in celebrating International Literacy Day. It is an occasion to remind ourselves of the significance of the ability to read and write. It is an opportunity to highlight the learning opportunities that can and should be taken up by those who want to learn these skills. It is a juncture when all the stakeholders reinforce their commitment to the common goals. Today, we celebrate the successful endeavours of individuals and organisations and we recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution for spreading adult literacy. Ladies and Gentlemen, 2. Literacy leads to education in the full sense of the term. It results in the acquisition of essential knowledge and proficiency. These are the instruments for the effective functioning of an individual – both in his group and in the larger community to which he belongs. They empower him and enable him to broaden his horizons and work for his own interest and that of the larger community. 3. Literacy, in its contemporary definition, means "reading the world” rather than "the word”. It enables more perceptive and thus more effective exchanges of thoughts and ideas. These increase understanding and co-operation for achieving the objectives that a society collectively identifies. A literate - and, therefore, educated - society is better able to explore its way towards its inclusive economic and social well being through democratic means. Thus it follows that the more literate a society, the greater its overall integration, growth and development. The plan of action for eradication of illiteracy should, therefore, not only focus on the tangible aspects of literacy but also delve into its intangible and intrinsic aspects. 4. The Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi once observed, "illiteracy is a sin and shame and must be eradicated”. Today, more than 67 years after our independence, where are we? The literacy rate has increased by four times from 18 % in 1951 to about 74 % in 2011. Despite this, our literacy level is below the world average of 84 %. A target of 80% has been set for achievement by the end of the 12th Plan. In this period, we aim to also reduce the gender gap from 16 to 10 percentage points. However our progress in adult literacy has been uneven and wide disparities are still seen. While States like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram have done reasonably well, many other States are lagging behind. The Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes, Minorities and other disadvantaged groups, which constitute a sizeable part of our population, have very much lower rates of literacy. There is, thus, an urgent need to focus attention on these groups to help them to catch up so that we can move faster towards the national targets. Ladies and Gentlemen, 5. Gender disparity in literacy is another important challenge. As we have been told, male and female literacy rates are 80.89 and 64.64 percent respectively. We need to do much better. Government of India rightly considers female literacy as a force multiplier for its social development programmes. In this context, I was glad to note that the National Literacy Mission has enhanced its focus on female literacy. If the Mission enables the Indian woman to take charge of her life and health and feel more confident in her immediate physical and social environment; if literacy helps her to overcome deprivation, discrimination and injustice, then we can say that an important objective has been achieved. As I have said before, our objective should be to bring the literacy rate not only at par with the world average but to the levels attained by the leading societies of the world. 6. I am happy to learn that the Saakshar Bharat Programme with institutional frame work at National, State, District, Block as well as Gram Panchayat level is operational in rural areas of low female literacy districts in the country. The Lok Shiksha Kendras established in over 1.5 lakhs Gram Panchayats are a good initiative. I am also pleased to learn of the "Volunteer–based mass campaign” approach of the programme - in which ‘Volunteers’ act as mobilisers, trainers and teachers of non-literates. I congratulate the Volunteers participating in these campaigns and thank them for their service for the cause of literacy. 7. I would also like to recognise the outstanding efforts of the ‘learners’, those neo-literates who have also responded to the Government programmes. They have enthusiastically participated in the ‘Assessment and Certification’ initiative introduced in 2010 to assess the literacy skills of adult learners. It is satisfying to see that since the introduction of this programme, about 2.86 crore learners have been certified as literate and awarded certificates by the National Institute of Open Schooling. I am told that groups of successful participants or ‘neo-literates’ as they are called, have been invited from various states to participate in today’s celebrations. I am sure they will be inspired to use their learning productively and spread its benefits. I would expect them to reinforce the efforts of Government and Voluntary Agencies by promoting the adult literacy programmes in their respective spheres of influence. Ladies and Gentlemen, 8. We have still miles to go to accomplish what we have set out to achieve. While the primary focus of Saakshar Bharat remains on imparting of functional literacy to adult non-literates, there is a growing demand for giving access to basic education to the neo-literates emerging from the literacy programmes. This is a good proposal; it will help the neo-literates make use of their learning; they will have the opportunity of access to the formal schooling that they never had . A beginning in this direction has been made through the "Equivalency Programme”. 9. I would stress that the success of our march towards total literacy in India will ultimately depend on two factors. One is meaningful and effective advocacy and, secondly, cooperation and support of society at large, to bring non-literates into the mainstream of literacy. Adult Education in India has, so far, been primarily the responsibility of Government with a degree of involvement of Voluntary Agencies. The National Literacy Mission Authority encourages the Corporate and Private sector to join the Government efforts and contribute by bringing in a variety of synergies. I am happy to learn that this has had a good response. I would, therefore, take this opportunity to call upon State Governments, Panchayati Raj Institutions on one hand and on the other, appeal all the stakeholders in a resurgent India – the Corporate and Private Sectors, Voluntary agencies and Civil Society Organisations - to work together, in unison and with greater vigour to realise this goal. 10. With these words, I would like to congratulate all the winners of Saakshar Bharat Awards 2014 and the Ministry of Human Resource Development­ for instituting these awards. I have no doubt that these awards will inspire further efforts in the direction of total literacy in India. I thank the National Literacy Mission Authority and I wish the participants in this Programme great success in their endeavours.

President presents Saakshar Bharat Awards 2014

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee today (September 8, 2014) presented the Saakshar Bharat Awards 2014 at International Literacy Day Celebrations organized by Union Ministry of Human Resource Development at a function at Vigyan Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that a literate and educated society is better able to explore its way towards its inclusive economic and social well being through democratic means. Thus it follows that the more literate a society, the greater its overall integration, growth and development. The plan of action for eradication of illiteracy should, therefore, not only focus on the tangible aspects of literacy but also delve into its intangible and intrinsic aspects. The President said that he was glad to note that the National Literacy Mission has enhanced its focus on female literacy. If the Mission enables the Indian woman to take charge of her life and health and feel more confident in her immediate physical and social environment; if literacy helps her to overcome deprivation, discrimination and injustice, then we can say that an important objective has been achieved. He stressed that the success of our march towards total literacy in India will ultimately depend on two factors. One is meaningful and effective advocacy and secondly, cooperation and support of society at large, to bring non-literates into the mainstream of literacy.

Army Intensifies Mission Sahayata

In view of the worsening flood situation in Kashmir and inundation of hundreds of villages, Army has intensified‘Mission Sahayata’ employing more than 110 Army columns and Engineer teams have rescued 13,000 precious lives trapped in flooded villages, isolated houses and buildings in the inundated areas all over Jammu & Kashmir region. As the number of shelter less people is rising, Army has also providing tented accommodation to 3,000 people. Major flood rescue operations started on 02 September, however, with increasing involvement, Mission Sahayata was launched to cover areas in entire Valley. Army troops were working against all odds, endangering their own lives. On 06 September, a column of Army operating at Kakapora of Pulwama District itself came under floods. While moving on a boat to place of safety, the boat carrying 11 personnel capsized and they got stranded. Till issuing of this release two soldiers were still stranded in the area.

Earth’s final frontier

There are two challenges that the sovereign nations have failed to address. One is a nuclear-free world and the other is to reform the composition of the Security Council so that it reflects new geopolitical realities. Without a sincere effort to meet these two challenges, the world will remain unsafe and a handful of strong nations will dictate terms over the multitude of weak nations.

To create a nuclear-free world, the nuclear countries should first disarm and create a “global zero” that will discourage proliferation by other countries. That is not likely to happen in the contemporary world. As regards the Security Council, the rising powers need to be integrated as full partners to address the common challenges and seize opportunities that transcend national frontiers.

There has been an increasing demand for international cooperation in the modern world due to deepening economic interdependence, worsening environment, proliferating security threats and accelerating technological change. Whereas in domestic politics, governance is provided by the actual government with authority to establish and enforce binding rules, governance in international or the transnational sphere is more complex, ambiguous and anarchic because independent sovereign nations do not recognise any higher authority. What we see today in the name of international cooperation is a welter of informal arrangements and piecemeal approaches. In contemporary global governance, the existing institutions have been facing problems in dealing with traditional challenges.

Contemporary global governance can be of great help in responding to the non-traditional challenges.  This relates to the space that no nation controls but all sovereign nations rely on for their security and prosperity. The most important of these “global commons” are the maritime, outer space and cyberspace domains that carry the flow of goods, data, capital, people and ideas on which globalization rests. Many of these “global commons” are now disputed due to overcrowding, cut-throat competition and political ambitions of rival countries. Preserving their openness, stability and resilience will require an agreement between nations and private stakeholders.

A glaring example of the current maritime dispute is the South China Sea. The implications are profoundly economic. Surrounded by dynamic and globalized economies, the sea is a key trade route. Through this sea, more than $ 5 trillion worth of commerce passes every year. The sea lanes are the crucial pathway for oil and other inputs that fuel the energy-hungry but resource-poor industrial economies of East Asia. Most of the oil that China imports is channelled across the South China Sea from the Middle East and Africa. For China, the sea is also the gateway to the Indian Ocean. It is here that China is locked in dangerous sovereignty disputes with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam over some 1.3 million square miles of ocean, the contested islands, and the exploitation of undersea gas and oil reserves. 

China has been drilling for oil in waters that Vietnam regards as inside their EEZ. China insists that their rig has been operating inside its own waters, attached to Paracels islands that have remained under their occupation since 1974. China’s stance on rights over South China Sea raises an important question ~ whether a rising country can disrupt the regional and international order or whether it can, with reasonable adjustments, be accommodated and integrated. Maritime disputes are not confined to South China Sea alone. All rising powers from China to Iran are seeking blue-water capabilities and are investing in military acquisitions that seek to deny other countries access to their regional waters.  Global governance should ensure that freedom of the seas is not jeopardized by the action of some littoral countries. Peaceful resolution of all competing claims will require all stake-holding countries to submit their claims to binding arbitration under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).  Thus far, China has not agreed to submit its claims under the convention for arbitration. The peaceful resolution to competing regional claims on South China Sea will require China and ASEAN to agree on a binding code of conduct addressing matters of territorial jurisdiction.

Global warming has been turning the Arctic Ocean into an emerging epicentre of trade and industry akin to the Mediterranean Sea. Geopolitical and economic competition has intensified.  During the summer of 2012, the portion of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice had shrunk by 3, 50,000 square miles, an area equal to the size of Venezuela.  A study suggests that in just three decades, the Arctic sea-ice has lost half its area and three quarters of its volume. The region’s melting ice and thawing frontier are yielding access to rich natural resources , including nearly a quarter of the world’s estimated undiscovered oil and gas and massive deposits of valuable minerals. During summer, the Arctic sea routes can save thousands of miles between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Thus the Arctic may become a central passageway for global maritime transportation, just as it already is for aviation.

While Arctic warming is inevitable, it should not be taken as a licence to recklessly plunder a sensitive environment. All Arctic countries realized the need for cooperation in the interest of sustainable development. In 2008, the five states with Arctic coasts ~ Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States ~ signed the Ilulissat Declaration in an effort to settle their overlapping claims in an orderly manner and within the framework of UNCLOS and the Arctic Council. These five states have agreed to use the Convention as a legal basis for settling maritime boundary disputes and enacting safety standards for commercial shipping. UNCLOS also provides a forum for submission of claims to the extended continental shelves. The United States has drafted the Convention and has been following its guidelines without ratifying it in Congress amidst fears that the Convention would place limits on US sovereignty. As an outsider, the United States legally forfeits its claims over vast areas of sovereign space on earth. Experts also believe that by remaining apart, the United States has undermined its professed commitment to a rule-based international order.

The international rules governing the use of outer space have become outdated. As nations and private corporations compete and contest for scarce orbital slots for their satellites, the number of actors operating in space has skyrocketed. Nearly 70 nations and government consortiums regulate civil, commercial and military satellites. Geopolitical competition raises the spectre of an arms race in space. Although the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 has put in place several useful principles, such as a prohibition on sovereignty claims in space, it has certain limitations. The treaty lacks a mechanism to resolve disputes, is silent on space debris, and does not clearly address interference with space assets of other countries. Experts have suggested options ranging from a binding multilateral treaty banning space weapons to a non-binding international code of conduct that would establish broad principles and parameters for responsible behaviour in outer space. Intensive dialogue between the space-faring nations in a spirit of cooperation and consensus should lead to a new regulatory regime that would best ensure stability and sustainable use of earth’s final frontier.

 

These examples suggest that existing institutions, treaties and conventions can to a considerable extent mitigate non-traditional challenges arising from “global commons”. But they are not enough. The stakeholding countries need to turn to complementary frameworks for collective action, including ad hoc coalitions of the willing, regional and sub-regional institutions and informal codes of contact. The structure for global cooperation may be a heterogeneous mix, but might be useful in terms of good governance.