Funds crunch hits agriculture mission

NMSA dovetailed with five existing programmes

A funds crunch has led to some goals of the ambitious National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) being embedded into five existing programmes of the agriculture and cooperation department. The NMSA was one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change launched in 2008 which was aimed “at transforming Indian agriculture into a climate resilient production system through suitable adaptation and mitigation measures in the domain of crops and animal husbandry.”

According to the Mission document in 2010, implementation of the NMSA from 2011-2012 to the end of the 12 five year plan would require an additional budgetary support of Rs. 1,08,000 crore. However, official sources said there was a resource constraint and the Mission was dovetailed with five major existing programmes, including the National Mission on Food Security and the National Horticulture Mission, which have been restructured to meet with climate change requirements.

At least 60 per cent of funds was to be used for mitigating risks related to climate change, which is expected to impact crop yields and water resources. The major challenge is ensuring food security and livelihood. India and other countries urgently need to scale up adaptation and mitigation actions to deal with a warming planet and experts feel that much more needs to be done.

The restructured programmes have been operational since April 2014 and it will take at least two years to see some visible change, official sources said. There is more focus on organic farming, bio-fertilizers, soil-analysis-based nutrient application, micro irrigation — which has been extended to horticulture — and methods like the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) which uses less water. The government is asking States to encourage all these programmes as pilot projects or demonstration plots which can be scaled up. Every year, official sources said an additional 6 lakh hectares will be added under water saving schemes. Another aspect is crop diversification, especially in Punjab and Haryana, so farmers switch to less water-intensive crops.

There are 16 deliverables in the ongoing programmes. Of this, funds under the 12 five-year plan to the tune of Rs. 13,054 crore are available for four — water efficiency, soil management, natural resources management in rain-fed areas and improving farming systems. This year the focus is on micro irrigation, for which the government has allotted Rs. 1,684 crore.

There is also a decision to revisit the mission document and Ministries will be asked to fine-tune some of the missions to aim for some visual impacts. A major aspect of adaptation is also tackling livestock, since a large amount of emissions are from that sector. Apart from breed improvement, diet of the animals and waste disposal are the other big challenges. Crop varieties are also a focus area, with Indian Council of Agricultural Research developing 813 climate resilient crop varieties last year.

India does not have an official poverty estimate: Pronob Sen

National Statistical Commission Chairman Dr. Pronob Sen spoke exclusively to The Hindu about India’s outdated poverty data, the fallout of the scrapping of the Planning Commission and peculiarities in economic data series.  

Having scrapped the Planning Commission, what will be the impact if the Centre also suspends the five-year plans?

To access the World Bank’s IDA [International Development Association] funds a country must lay down its strategy for reducing poverty in a PRSP [Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper]. In India’s case, the plans were accepted to be the nationally developed and owned PRSP. We will be fine till the 12th Plan is on but

2017 onwards to continue receiving the $1-billion a year that we receive from the World Bank some PRSP will be needed. That will have to be looked into.

What is the downside of not having a Planning Commission?

The apprehension is that the Finance Ministry tends to be interested in finance and deficits, not development. Its primary role of managing finances on a day to day basis does not let it take long-term views.

Some of the jobs the Planning Commission did can be done by other bodies. For instance, evaluations and project appraisals. But the basic function of the Planning Commission was having a system-wide view of development interventions and being able to match with stated objectives of governance. A lot of things flow from that. In case of inter-ministerial disputes the Commission stepped in as it had both sides of the picture. Government works in silos and the Commission was a moderator. In its absence the silos are complete. Its most important function was not allocations but checks and balances. It was an independent voice. If a ministry said something the Commission could contradict. We have lost an independent voice.

Is the poverty-data issue resolved?

India’s poverty data is hugely outdated. The last BPL [Below Poverty Line] Census was done for the 9th five-year plan. We are right now in the 12th five-year plan. Many States are frustrated because at the end of the day without poverty data how do you ensure there is an equitable basis for allocations of funds. So, now States with good Statistical capacities are doing their own BPL Census. But States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh that have greater incidence of poverty are unable to do it. The Centre had submitted to the Supreme Court that it had put on hold the Tendulkar report on poverty. After that there has been no alternative. The UPA Government had appointed the Rangarajan Committee on Poverty. It submitted its report to the Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] but am not sure in the absence of the Planning Commission who is examining it or if it is being examined. Typically in the past these reports have overlapped so there has been no such gap in data.

How is the lack of poverty data affecting the poor?

If you ask today what is India’s official poverty estimate we don’t really know…I am not in a position to say what the estimate is. This is making a mockery of anti-poverty programmes. The absence of official poverty estimates impacts inter-state allocations of funds for anti-poverty programmes of various kinds as they are driven by poverty rates. Lots of things are tied to BPL cards. BPL identification is important as things stand there are Government schemes linked to BPL Status which is in desperate need to be updated. We can’t work with such an old list of BPL people. Lots of Government schemes are linked to BPL cards. The Central Government is just a financer. The delivery mechanism is in States. They set up institutions to channelise funds and deliver services.

The Planning Commission put its foot down so there is a poverty-based allocations formula for the existing schemes. But the question then is what happens for new schemes.

By when will we have updated data on the incidence of poverty in India?

Am not sure what the protocol now is on poverty data. Earlier Committees gave their recommendations on poverty estimates to the Planning Commission which examined them and submitted its recommendation to the Prime Minister who formally accepted or rejected it.

Is the sharp contraction of minus 4.5 per cent in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data for October attributable to statistical issues that have plagued the series in the past?

Compared to October 2013 October 2014 had 12 extra holidays which can be very disruptive. It is not that easy to adjust calendar months for working days in India as some parts of the country observe some religious holidays and others don’t. There are non-consistent holidays. A lot of Investment-bank research is using seasonally adjusted data for the IIP but am not sure that can be done. In the Indian context, unlike in the West, our festivals are based on the lunar calendar so there is always data mismatch. Before seasonally adjusting monthly data one needs to test for the stability of seasonal processes. At the NSC [National Statistics Commission], we applied 20 tests to national accounts data to identify which seasonality adjustments are okay and which not. We find it can be done for quarterly data yes but not monthly data. IIP cannot be seasonally adjusted.

What is holding up the release of the latest Religion Census data? When can we expect it?

The policy has been that we don’t ask about caste in the normal census. Since 1931 there has been no caste census in India because the goal earlier was to get away from caste and move to a casteless society. There was a demand from Parliament for the Caste Census to update the understanding of the Caste Structure of the country.

ISRO gears up to launch IRNSS 1D

After completing an eventful year, ISRO is gearing up for some satellite launches this year, with the IRNSS 1D being the first, which would put in place India’s own navigation system on par with the Global Positioning System of the U.S.

“The launch campaign for IRNSS 1D has come, which starts on January 16. Within two months, all components from other ISRO labs have to reach Sriharikota. The launch is likely after March 15,” a senior ISRO official told PTI.

IRNSS 1D is the fourth in the series of seven satellites, the national space agency is planning to launch to put in place the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

While four satellites would be sufficient to start operations of the system, the remaining three satellites would make it more accurate and efficient.

The other launches also relate to the IRNSS series with the IRNSS1E and IRNSS1-F satellites to be launched before the year end, he said.

The first three satellites in the IRNSS series were launched from Sriharikota on July 1, 2013, April 4 and October 16 last year respectively.

The fully deployed IRNSS would consist of three and four satellites in GEO stationary and in inclined geosynchronous orbits respectively, about 36,000 km above the Earth.

The system would provide two types of services — Standard Positioning Service, which is provided to all the users and Restricted Service, which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users.

The IRNSS system was targeted to be completed by this year at a total cost of Rs. 1420 crore.

IRNSS is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in the country as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.

A select group of countries have their own navigation systems — Russia’s Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), European Union’s Galileo (GNSS), China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System.

ISRO not only launched a GLSV rocket, a GSLV Mk III, besides two PSLVs during 2014 but also successfully inserted its Mars orbiter into the Martian atmosphere and tested the re-entry of unmanned crew module from space.

Govt approves Neutrino Project

An underground laboratory will be set up near Pottipuram village, Theni district to study the properties of the neutrino.

Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved setting up of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in Bodi West Hills, Tamil Nadu.

The INO Project Director, and Senior Professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Naba Mondal, in an email, said, the the cabinet has approved the project "at an estimated cost of Rs. 1500 crore.”

The project will be jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology. The infrastructural support will be given by the Government of Tamil Nadu as the project is located in the State.

Prof. Mondal said, “This underground laboratory will be set up near Pottipuram village in the Bodi West Hills of Theni district, Tamil Nadu to study the properties of the neutrino.”

An Inter-Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics (IICHEP) will also be established in Madurai, which is about 110 km from the proposed site of the neutrino observatory.

Along with the setting up of the underground laboratory and the IICHEP, the Government of India has also approved the construction of a 50,000 tonne magnetised iron calorimeter detector (ICAL) to study the properties of the neutrino, in particular the mass hierarchy among different types of neutrino.

A press release from the organisation also said that the INO laboratory will host other experiments such as the neutrino-less double beta decay and the search for dark matter.

Prof Mondal, who heads the project, was earlier associated with the pioneering experiments at the the underground laboratory at Kolar Gold Fields.

Prof. K.Vijayraghavan, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India said “combining high-end training in the best of experimental physics with the best of research, INO will be the agent of transforming physics of this kind in India and will make a global impact. The outcome of this investment will be extraordinary and long term.”

Prof. Mondal was confident that the project "would put India back on the world map of underground science, a position that was held during second half of the 20th century when Indian scientists had the privilege of working at the world’s deepest underground lab at Kolar Gold Mines."

This will be the second big project that the government has approved, the first being the thirty-metre telescope, which would come up in Hawaii.

Resolving the nuclear liability deadlock

By putting in place a comprehensive, fair and pragmatic legislation on civil nuclear liability, there is no reason why India cannot reap the long-term benefits of civilian nuclear energy and resolve a prickly foreign policy issue

On January 26, Barack Obama will become the first U.S. President to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations. It will also mark nearly 10 years since the first announcement on the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement. In contrast to those heady days when the promise of nuclear power meeting India’s gargantuan energy needs was in the air, the present situation is bleak. A target of installing 63 Gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2032 has been reduced to 27.5 Gigawatts and none of the landmark deals envisaged has been struck. The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010 which contains a speedy compensation mechanism for victims of a nuclear accident has been deemed responsible for this deadlock. Specifically, provisions on recourse liability on suppliers (Section 17(b)) and concurrent, potentially unlimited liability under other laws (Section 46) have been viewed as major obstacles in operationalising nuclear energy in India and bilateral relations with key supplier countries.

A question of recourse

Under Section 17(b), a liable operator can recover compensation from suppliers of nuclear material in the event of a nuclear accident if the damage is caused by the provision of substandard services or patent or latent defects in equipment or material. This is contrary to the practice of recourse in international civil nuclear liability conventions, which channel liability exclusively to the operator. Specifically, it contradicts Article 10 of the Annex to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), an international treaty which India has signed.

“U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit is an opportunity to address misgivings over the nuclear liability law and to also meet foreign governments and the supplier community halfway on the issue.”

That Section 17(b) is contrary to the global norm is undeniable. However when the global norm itself is inequitable, there are justifiable reasons to depart from it. The inclusion of Section 17(b) recognises historical incidents such as the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 for which defective parts were partly responsible. The paltry compensation paid to the victims was facilitated by gaps in legislation and an extraordinarily recalcitrant state machinery. This is not a peculiarly Indian phenomenon — accidents such as Three Mile Island occurred partially due to lapses on the part of suppliers. More recently, forged quality certificates were detected for parts supplied to nuclear plants in South Korea. That Section 17(b) incentivises supplier safety and reduces the probability of a recurrence of such instances is equally undeniable.

A step too far

India can retain Section 17(b) while ensuring compliance with its international legal obligations in two ways. First, the CSC allows countries to make reservations to certain provisions in treaties despite being signatories to them. India could make a reservation to Article 10 of the Annex to the CSC since it satisfies the requisite criteria for making a valid reservation under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, thereby excluding its application. Second, Article XV of the CSC implies that the rights and obligations of States under general rules of public international law are exempt from the application of the CSC. One such principle of international law is the “polluter pays principle” — applicable both to the state and private entities. The principle comes into operation via the mechanism through which compensation can be recovered from a polluting entity for the environmental harm it causes. Exercising either of these options will allow India to retain Section 17(b) without violating the international treaty regime.

However in pursuing the safety of supply, Section 17(b) goes too far in keeping liability for suppliers entirely open-ended. If liability on suppliers is unlimited in time and quantum, the possibility of getting adequate insurance cover will reduce. Even if such insurance is available, it could make nuclear energy economically unviable. To address this, Rule 24 of the CLND Rules dilutes the right of recourse conferred by Section 17(b) by limiting compensation payable by suppliers to a specified amount and for a specified time period. Both these are made standard terms of the contract entered into between the supplier and operator.

Though the end that Rule 24 seeks to achieve is justifiable, the means adopted are questionable. Rule 24 arguably violates Article 14 of the Constitution of India because there is no specific power in the CLND Act to limit liability in the manner that Rule 24 does. Further, the terms of the contract potentially dilute Section 17(b), which gives operators an untrammelled right to proceed against the supplier by way of recourse. It is a basic principle of law that a contract cannot violate the provision of a statute — if it does so, it is opposed to public policy. For these reasons, Rule 24 should be deleted. The limitation on time during which the supplier can be held liable should be inserted by means of a provision in the main Act. This will ensure that not just the end but also the means of limiting liability are legally tenable.

As far as the limitation on the amount is concerned, without Rule 24, the liability for each supplier potentially extends to the general liability cap of Rs.1,500 crore. If all suppliers have to be insured up to this value, insurance costs will be unnecessarily pyramided. To address this, countries with a history of nuclear power have in place mechanisms to provide for insurance coverage through international insurance pools where insurers, operators and states share the risks of an accident, providing access to a wide pool of compensation. There are about 26 such pools in existence, which also provide reinsurance to each other. Insurance pools typically require members to be signatories to an international convention (such as CSC), and to allow reasonable inspections of their nuclear installations.

While provisions for the creation of a domestic insurance pool for operators exist in Sections 7 and 8 of the Act and Rule 3, they need to be made explicit and amended to include suppliers in order to prevent the pyramiding of insurance premiums. This is particularly relevant to India’s domestic nuclear suppliers who would otherwise need to individually take out coverage, which would be prohibitively expensive. In order to access international reinsurance pools, the Central government could utilise the provisions in Section 43 and 44 of the CLND Act (Power to Call for Information from Operators) to establish a satisfactory inspections regime.

Sanctity of a special mechanism

Finally, Section 46 of the CLND Act contradicts the Act’s central purpose of serving as a special mechanism enforcing the channelling of liability to the operator to ensure prompt compensation for victims.

Section 46 provides that nothing would prevent proceedings other than those which can be brought under the Act, to be brought against the operator. This is not uncommon, as it allows criminal liability to be pursued where applicable. However, in the absence of a comprehensive definition of the types of ‘nuclear damage’ being notified by the Central Government, Section 46 potentially also allows civil liability claims to be brought against the operator and suppliers through other civil law such as the law of tort. While liability for operators is capped by the CLND Act, this exposes suppliers to unlimited amounts of liability. Obtaining insurance coverage for any future liability costs on account of claims by victims in such a case would be next to impossible.

Section 46 should thus be limited to criminal liability, and should clarify that victims who suffer on account of ‘nuclear damage’ can institute claims for compensation only under the CLND Act and not by recourse to other legislations or Courts. A clarification issued by the Attorney General’s office, if not an amendment to the law itself, will provide much needed assurance to suppliers while furthering national interest.

The issue of the liability law has, for far too long, been a thorn in India’s bilateral relations especially with the United States. Mr. Obama’s visit provides a historic opportunity to address these misgivings and meet foreign governments, as well as the entire supplier community, Indian and foreign, halfway on the issue. This will signal the seriousness of the Government of India in setting its own house in order and put the ball firmly in the court of the supplier community. By putting in place such a comprehensive, fair and pragmatic legislation on civil nuclear liability, there is no reason why India cannot reap the long-term benefits of civilian nuclear energy and resolve a prickly foreign policy issue, the time for whose resolution has come.

Can India catch up with China

In India’s noisy political democracy, the problems are compounded by the existence of multiple political parties with no coherent approach to development

The average Indian was slightly better off than the average Chinese in the initial years after Indian independence. But China’s approach to development has varied markedly over the last 40 years and has been so successful that it now ranks as the second most important economy in the world. India has made good progress but is still substantially behind China.

In the first decade of this century, India’s growth reached a take off stage that prompted many people to ask when India would catch up with its neighbour. It was also thought that democratic India may even overtake China. Will that dream come true?

China and India, despite being such large countries, accounted for only 4.5 per cent and 4.2 per cent of global GDP in 1950 in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP$) terms. The ratio of China’s GDP to India’s was 1.18 in 1913 ($241 billion/$204 billion); in 1950 it was 1.08 ($239 billion/$222 billion). Estimates of per capita income made by Angus Maddison and Dharma Kumar suggest that India might have had a higher per capita income. However, there was not a marked difference in the level of human development.

Both countries, in the course of history, have feared foreign domination, have considered the state as the driver of growth and have suspected the private sector’s initiatives. For India, the problems were achieving unity in diversity and accommodating various languages and religions in a democratic set up. On the contrary, China’s hard state enabled it to pursue a single goal with determination and mobilise maximum resources to achieve its goals.

Growth in China

China experienced many problems in initiating industrialisation, but after some hitches, it switched to an all-round emphasis on heavy and light industries, and had a more successful resource mobilisation strategy than India did. As a result, Chinese manufacturing grew at 9.5 per cent, twice as much as India’s rate, from 1965-80. Also, China managed its agrarian reform better than India did.

On the whole, estimates by Richard Herd and Sean Dougherty suggest that China grew at a much faster rate than India did during 1950-79, and Chinese per capita GDP was more than twice the rate of India’s. This is largely due to higher growth in Chinese labour productivity and capital deepening. By 1978, the per capita income of China was estimated at $979; India’s at $966. China had caught up with India over the 30 years, but not dramatically surpassed it.

“China has outrun India in every area of economic endeavour in the last 35 years, except in computer software industry and agricultural research”

Few people in 1978 could have imagined the monumental economic progress that China would make because of the economic reforms pushed by Deng Xiaoping. The reforms stressed the principle of “each according to his work” rather than “each according to his need,” professionalism and efficient economic management at all levels and the gradual introduction of policy changes to avoid problems in implementation.

Deng transformed agriculture first and then took on the industrial sector. He opened up the latter to foreign capital while making room for the growth of village and local enterprises. Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and now Xi Jinping have continued to follow Deng’s principles, but with some adjustments. China’s economic growth was also made possible by a very large net inflow of foreign direct investment, a sign of confidence in the Chinese economy by outside investors. China is the leading nation in exports and the second largest economy in the world. The country’s per capita income more than quadrupled, ($5,720 equivalent to about PPP $13,000) and abject poverty was completely eliminated (though income inequality increased). China’s Human Development Index has also risen from .423 in 1980 to .719 in 2013, according to the United Nations Development Programme 2014.

Against China’s success, India’s achievement, though significant compared to what it was before independence, is modest. India also took tentative steps to modernise its economy in the early 1980s, but these petered out. Freed from the constraint of food grain availability thanks to the Green Revolution, India did not manage to apply to its industrial sector the lessons it learnt in its agricultural revolution — using foreign knowledge, relying on the private sector and deploying subsidies selectively. Instead, foreign borrowing was used to ease the consumption constraint in the public sector and to cushion loss-making public enterprises.

Indian policy underwent directional changes in 1991. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao ushered in reforms which were implemented well by his Finance Minister Manmohan Singh, who then became the second-longest serving Prime Minister of India. Indian economic growth accelerated during the period 1995-2008, but could not maintain the momentum due to political paralysis of policies that were necessary for economic growth. Gross national income per capita in 2013 was $1,550 and India’s HDI increased from 0.369 in 1980 to 0.586 in 2013.

Primary difference

The primary difference between the performance of the Indian and Chinese economy has been the faster growth of capital stock in China. With only a slight difference in the growth of employment, this translated into a more rapid growth of capital intensity. The growth of total factor productivity has also been faster in China. This appears to reflect a greater ease for labour to move out of agriculture into higher productivity sectors in China than in India. China has outdistanced India in every area of economic endeavour in the last 35 years, except in computer software industry and agricultural research.

Despite international border issues that still exist between India and China, the two countries are trying to create a cooperative relationship — China has become India’s largest trading partner in 2013, India’s trade deficit with China is about $38 billion, President Xi has offered $20 billion for investment in Indian infrastructure and other industries, and a 100-person delegation of Zhejiang province has signed MoUs with India totalling about $2.46 billion.

India will most probably overtake China as the most populous country in the world in 2030. China is better placed structurally than India for a good economic performance, but it is most likely to be much lower than its recent average performance of about 10 per cent a year. How much lower it would be would depend on its ability to maintain current labour productivity levels and the benefits likely to flow from its proposed trans-continental rail system and other transport-related activities. Troubles in China’s financial markets, a declining young and increasing older population as a proportion of the working age population, increasing wages in general and export industries in particular, costs associated with cleaning up serious environmental pollution, increasing competition from other countries in export industries using low-skill and semi-skill labour, lower savings rate and a possibly lower investment rate will have a negative effect on its growth.

India has an excellent chance of catching up with China if it can increase its labour force participation rate (particularly women), increase the average level of education, improve the quality of its labour force through special training programmes, reduce impediments to let foreign capital participate in its development process, design policies to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship, and reduce corruption at all levels.

The problem in India has always been implementation. In a noisy political democracy, problems are compounded by the existence of multiple political parties with no coherent approach to development.

Prime Minister Modi, with his majority in Parliament, has an opportunity to reignite the engines of economic growth. Even if the Indian economy were to grow at 10 per cent a year, its GDP at 2011 PPP$ will reach only about 26 trillion in 2030; China can easily reach this by 2022. I don’t see India catching up with China in the next 25 years unless, of course, there is a massive failure of sorts in China

Achievements of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs during 2014-15

Year-end Review 2014 ·        The Ministry has launched a software module for Transportation of Mortal Remains (TMR) of Indian Workers in Emigration Check Required (ECR) Countries. This software module can be accessed from the website of the Ministry www.moia.gov.in andwww.e-migrate.gov.in. ·        The Ministry, in coordination with other ministries/agencies prepared an action plan for facilitating the departure of the stranded Indians in Iraq, Libya to their respective destination. Repatriation of stranded Indian nationals in Iraq was started in the month of July, 2014 and continued during August, 2014. A total of 6,977 workers have been evacuated from Iraq and 3,200 workers have been evacuated from Libya. ·        From 1st April to 31stNovember 2014, Emigration clearance was granted to 497424 emigrants going for overseas employment to 18 Emigration Check Required countries.  ·        Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) held two Diaspora Engagement Meets in 2014 one in Manama, Bahrain and other in London, United Kingdom ·        OIFC signed four MoUs - two with Bahrain and two with United Kingdom. ·        UP has become Partner State of OIFC. ·        Plan Scheme on Skill Development for overseas employment was introduced during this year. Seven states namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been identified for implementation of the Plan Scheme. ·        One Social Security Agreement with Australia has been signed on 18th November, 2014 in Canberra (Australia) ·        Fresh registration certificate were issued to 24 Recruiting Agents under the Emigration Act, 1983, ·        Emigration clearance process had been completely computerized. Process of ISO certification of all 10 offices of Protector of Emigrants is under way. ·        Ministry of Overseas India Affairs has rolled out eMigrate project in all 10 POE offices in last six months in a phased manner. eMigrate is a comprehensive  on-line  web-based system covering entire spectrum of emigration ecosystem, i.e.,  Emigrants, MOIA,  Indian Mission, OWRC, Recruiting Agents and Foreign Employers. Till date more than 1.90 lakh Emigration Clearances have been granted under eMigrate system.  DIASPORA SERVICES              The Diaspora Services Division deals with all matters relating to Overseas Indians comprising Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizenship of India matters, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, Scholarships to NRI/PIO students in India and new initiatives to promote interaction of overseas Indians with India in tourism, media, youth affairs, education, culture among other areas. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)             To connect India to its vast overseas diaspora and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform, the PBD Convention – the annual flagship event of MOIA is organized from 7th-9th January every year since 2003.             Twelve PBDs have been held earlier in various places of India so far since 2013.             The 12thedition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi in January, 2014 with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports as the Partner Ministry.  The theme was ‘Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Aacross Generations’. The 13thedition of PBD being held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 7 January, 2015, coinciding with the 100th Anniversary of return of the Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India. Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD)             This Ministry organizes Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) to engage with the Indian diaspora who are unable to attend annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India.  So far, 8 successful RPBD have been held at New York, Singapore, The Hague, Durban, Toronto, Mauritius, Sydney and London respectively eliciting enthusiastic support from the Indian diaspora and the local Government. 8th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) Convention was organized in London, in October, 2014.  Compared with the past several RPBDs, RPBD London marked a significant and positive departure in attendance and the variety of subjects on which the Diaspora was engaged. The Government’s initiatives – Mission to Clean Ganga, Smart Cities, Skill Development, Solid Waste Management and overall infrastructure development were also discussed. RPBD London has set the stage for enhancing the engagement to renew partnership with the Diaspora. Know India Programme (KIP)              The objective of the Ministry`s Know India Programme is to help familiarize Indian Diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years, project the developments and achievements made by the country and strengthening their bonds with their homeland.  KIP provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to visit India, share their views, expectations and experiences and to know contemporary India. The Ministry has conducted 29 editions of KIPs so far and a total of 903 overseas Indian youth participated in these programmes. The 30thKIP was held in 2014. The participants are selected based on nominations received from Indian Missions/Posts abroad. They are provided hospitality and reimbursed 90% of their economy class return airfare from their respective countries to India. Study India Programme (SIP)             Like KIP, Study India Programme (SIP) connects with the youth of Indian diaspora through educational institutions. Its enables Overseas Indian youth to undergo short term courses in an Indian University to familiarize them with the history, heritage, art, culture, socio-political, economic developments etc. of India. The focus of the programme is on academic orientation and research. Cost of boarding, lodging, local transportation, course fee during the programme and 90% of the cost of air-ticket by economy class is borne by Govt. of India. Gratis Visas by Indian Missions are granted to the participants. While this University the first (SIP) was organized in October, 2012 in Symbiosis University, Pune, Maharashtra with participation of 9 youths of Indian origin from four countries like Trinidad & Tobago, Malaysia, Fiji and South Africa. Conducted 2ndSIP in November, 2013, 14 youths of Indian origin. Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC)             Launched in 2006-07 the `Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC)` grants 100 scholarships upto US$ 4000 per annum to PIO and NRI students for undergraduate courses. The scheme is being implemented by Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed. CIL), a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The scheme is open to NRIs / PIOs/OCIs from 40 countries. A total of 760 candidates have availed the scholarship since the inception of the scheme.             SPDC has been modified to do away with the "Common Entrance Test (CET)" for selecting PIO/OCI and NRI students for award of scholarships. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card Scheme             The Scheme provides for issue of OCI documents consisting of OCI registration certificate and universal visa sticker to PIOs. Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed merger of PIO card and OCI card schemes. A Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament. Voting Rights for NRIs             As per the electoral roll data 2014 published by the Election Commission of India, the total number of overseas Indian electors registered is 11,846. Tracing the Roots             The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is running a scheme since October 2008 known as "Tracing the Roots" to facilitate PIOs in tracing their roots in India.             Scheme for Legal/ Financial Assistance to Indian Women Deserted / Divorced by their NRI Husbands             Issues related to desertion of Indian women by their overseas spouses are complex and sensitive. They also fall within the purview of private international law. To address this issue Ministry is creating awareness amongst prospective brides and their families regarding their rights and responsibilities and the safeguards to be adopted while entering into matrimonial alliances with grooms residing overseas. Migration Management Social Security Agreements (SSAs)             India has signed 20 SSAs with 18 countries. These Agreements provide for avoidance of payment of double social security contribution by Indian workers, totalization of contribution and exportability of benefits. Human Resource Mobility Partnership (HRMP)             A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Human Resource Mobility partnership has been signed with Denmark. Negotiation on HRMP with the Netherlands has been concluded and it will be signed after the approval of PMO India-EU Mobility Partnership:             An International conference on India-EU partnership in mobility was organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in New Delhi from 21-23 February, 2009 to facilitate legal migration, combat irregular migration and proactively pursue bilateral and multilateral cooperation for maximizing benefits and minimizing risks from migration. To take the official engagement forward, EU has proposed a Common   Agenda on Migration and Mobility (CAMM) with India. The draft CAMM is under examination in consultation with Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and Department of Commerce. Major activities during 2014             An Indian delegation visited Tokyo (Japan) from 21-23 April, 2014 for the 5thround of negotiation to finalize the Forms and procedure for implementation of Social Security Agreement between India and Japan. Social Security Agreements between India and Sweden; and between India and Finland came into force with effect from 1stAugust, 2014. While it came into force with effect from 1stSeptember, 2014 between India and the Czech Republic. Delegations from Japan, Norweg, Canada and Quebec visited India in 2014regarding social security issue. Social Security Agreement between India and Australia was signed on 18 November, 2014 in Canberra (Australia). India Centre for Migration             India Centre for Migration (ICM) was set up as the Centre for Promotion of Overseas Employment (CPOE) and later rechristened as the Indian Council for Overseas Employment (ICOE). ICM is a ‘not for profit’ society established by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in July, 2008 to serve as a “think tank” on all matters relating to international migration. The India – EU II Project (Developing Evidence-based Management and Operations (DEMO) in the India-EU Migration Partnership) is currently under implementation. ICM organised a national workshop on international migration trade: Linkages & implications for India – EU Migrate in December, 2014 as part of the Project. Annual Conference of the Heads of Missions (HoMs)             The 8th Annual Conference of the Heads of Missions of Emigration Check Required countries was held on 10th January, 2014 in New Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana             The Ministry had introduced a Pension and Life Insurance Fund scheme called “Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) for Overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports. Launched in UAE on 27th October, 2013 to encourage and enable overseas Indian workers and by giving government contribution to save for their Return and Resettlement (R&R), save for their old age, the scheme obtains a Life Insurance cover against natural death during the period of coverage. e-Migrate Project             The Ministry is implementing a comprehensive e-governance project on migration “e-Migrate” which aims to transform emigration into a simple, transparent, orderly and humane process. The Project is aimed at improving the quality of services to emigrant workers and will help reduce the access cost of service. Bilateral Memoranda of Understanding on Labour             Since the largest number of Indian expatriates are working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an Agreement on Labour Co-operation for Domestic Service Workers (DSWs) Recruitment between the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Ministry of Labour of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been signed on 2nd January, 2014. The Agreement paves the way for a comprehensive MOU on manpower. Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF)             Overseas Indian Workers are estimated at over 6 million. The Indian Community Welfare Fund was set up in the year 2009 and is applicable to all Indian missions. The fund aims to provide the following services on means tested basis in deserving cases: ·        Boarding and lodging for distressed Overseas Indian workers in Household / domestic sectors and unskilled labourers; ·        Extending emergency medical care to the Overseas Indians in need; ·        Providing air passage to stranded Overseas Indians in need; ·        Providing initial legal assistance to the Overseas Indians in deserving cases; ·        Expenditure on incidentals and for airlifting the mortal remains to India or local cremation/burial of the deceased Overseas Indians in such cases where the sponsor is unable or unwilling to do so as per the contract and the family is unable to meet the cost; ·        Providing the payment of penalties in respect of Indian nationals for illegal stay in the host country where prima facie the worker is not at fault; ·        Providing the payment of small fines/penalties for the release of Indian nationals in jail/detention centre; ·        Providing support to local Overseas Indian Associations to establish Overseas Indian Community Centers in countries that have population of  Overseas Indians exceeding 1,00,000; and ·        Providing support to start and run overseas Indian Community-based student welfare centers in Countries that have more than 20,000 Indian students’ presence. The funds are also available for any other purpose considered necessary with   prior approval of the Ministry. The Ministry is in the process of further amending the ICWF guidelines keeping in view the needs of the Missions. Information Dissemination on Legal Migration             The intending emigrants face the difficulty in accessing authentic and timely information relating to overseas employment, role of Recruiting Agencies and emigration procedures etc.  Non-availability of such information makes the emigrants vulnerable to exploitation. Ministry launched the Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) to provide information and assistance to intending emigrants, overseas workers as well as their family members relating to all aspects of overseas employment.  The OWRC is operating round the clock a toll free helpline (1800 11 3090) to provide need-based information to emigrants and their families. Helpline from anywhere in the world at +91-11-40503090 in eleven languages is also available. To extend the services to support the Indian emigrants, an international toll-free line (8 000 911 913) has been established for calls from UAE. The total calls attended during 2014 (upto 8thDecember, 2014) is 1,27,216. Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK)             To commemorate the trials and tribulations as well as the subsequent evolution and achievements of the Indian Diaspora, Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK) is being established at Chankayapuri, New Delhi, at an estimated cost of Rs.94 crore. The Kendra, over time, is expected to become the focal point for social, cultural and economic interaction with and among all Overseas Indians. It will also serve as a research and documentation centre and host a permanent exhibition. The project started in, 2011, It is likely to be completed by early 2015. The Ministry is in the process of establishing a society which will be responsible for the day to day functioning of the Kendra. Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians (PMGAC-OI)             The Ministry has constituted the Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin (PMGAC-OI) to draw upon the experience and knowledge of eminent people of Indian origin in diverse fields from across the world.  The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister.  The advice of the council is recommendatory in nature and serves as a valuable input for policy formulation and programme planning.             Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presided over the fifth meeting of the Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indian on January 8, 2014 at New Delhi. Protector General of Emigrants (PGE)             Operational matters relating to emigration, the provision of emigration services to emigrants and the enforcement of Emigration Act, 1983 are under the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE). The PGE is the statutory authority under the Emigration Act who is responsible for the welfare and protection of emigrant workers. He also oversees the ten field offices of the Protectors of Emigrants. Registration of Recruiting Agents             The Emigration Act, 1983 (Section 10) requires that those who wish to recruit Indian citizens for employment abroad shall register themselves with the registering authority, i.e. the Protector General of Emigration (PGE). As on 30-10-2014, there were 1347 existing recruiting agents. Trends in Emigration             There are about five million overseas Indian workers all over the world, more than 90% of whom are in the Gulf countries and South East Asia. There are 10 POE Offices working in the country including Rae Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), which was inaugurated on 15th May, 2013. POE, Office at Guwahati will be operationalize as soon as the Government of Assam provides office space. Enforcement and Grievance Redressal             During the last three years, 85 Registration Certificates were suspended and 77 Registration Certificate had been cancelled. Prosecution sanctions were issued in 05 and 08 cases in 2013 and 2014 respectively based on police reports. Prosecution sanction from the Central Government is not required if the complaint against the unregistered agent is by an emigrant/intending emigrant or his relatives. 510 foreign employers have been blacklisted till date. Simplification of Procedures             Emigration clearance process had been computerized. During the year one POE office Kolkata, was declared ISO certified Six POE offices at Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, Hyderabad, Cochin and Chandigarh have already been ISO certified. Permission has been granted for ISO certificates for the office of Jaipur, Trivandrum and Rae Bareilly during the current year. Protection and Welfare of Emigrants             Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting with Kuwait and Oman for welfare and safeguarding the interest of emigrants were held during the year 2014. A total of 6977 Workers from Iraq and 3200 Workers from Libya have been evacuated during 2014. The Swarnapravas Yojana – New Plan Scheme             The Plan scheme of MOIA,  namely the Swarnapravas Yojana will adhere to the broad objectives of skill development in India, as envisioned by the National Skill Development Policy 2009 and achieve the target of training 5 Million people by 2022 as laid down under this policy. The total project cost envisaged is Rs137 crore. A new budget head for the scheme has been introduced with a provision of Rs.20 crore for 2014-15.             The main objective is to position India as a preferred source country for skilled and trained workers in select sectors that face skill shortages in the international labour market, and in which India enjoys competitive advantage.             While emigration to other countries occurs from all parts of India, ten major states have been identified as origin of migrant workers. These are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. These ten states will be covered under the Swarnapravas Yojana during the 12thPlan period.