"Beagle 2"

Britain's missing spacecraft found on Mars

Britain's infamous "Beagle 2" spacecraft has been found on Mars -- 11 years after it went missing searching for extraterrestrial life.

Britain's infamous "Beagle 2" spacecraft, once dubbed "a heroic failure" by the nation's Astronomer Royal, has been found on Mars -- 11 years after it went missing searching for extraterrestrial life.

Beagle 2, part of the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission, had been due to land on Mars on Christmas Day 2003, but went missing on December 19, 2003. Until now, nothing had been heard from it since then.

But in an announcement made to a packed news conference at London's Royal Society scientific institution on Friday, space experts said the tiny Mars lander has been found on the surface of the red planet.

"Beagle 2 is no longer lost," said David Parker, chief executive of the UK Space Agency. He said scientists now had "good evidence" that the spacecraft successfully landed on Mars on the date it was due -- December 25, 2003 -- but had only partially deployed.

"This find shows that the entry, descent and landing sequence for Beagle 2 worked and the lander did successfully touch down on Mars on Christmas Day 2003," the UK space agency said in a statement.

Beagle 2 -- which measures less than 2 metres across -- was named after the ship Charles Darwin sailed when he formulated his theory of evolution. It was built by British scientists for about 50 million pounds ($85 million).

The plan was for it to report back from the Mars' surface using instruments designed to help search for signs of life, but nothing was heard after it was dropped off to make its landing.

"We were left with a mystery, a mystery that has continued to this day," Parker told Friday's news conference.

Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, last year praised Beagle 2 and its eccentric creator Colin Pillinge, who had died at the age of 70.

"This was a failure, but a heroic failure," Rees said.

Experts say part of Beagle 2's legacy is its miniaturised technology, some of which is being provided for the ExoMars 2018 rover and being proposed for other future space missions.

Right to information Government should not try and control the India story

There are some disturbing signs emanating from the Union government - indications of a desire to control the narrative about economic development. The fear is that this may get in the way of doing real work, and even of basic liberties and rights. It was reported, for example, that a Greenpeace activist was forced to leave a flight to London that she had boarded. She was scheduled to address British parliamentarians on the effect of coal mining in India. It has also been reported that the rules governing studies carried out by multilateral agencies like the World Bank have been changed; now, any surveys that gather primary data even on subjects like education and health will need state permission to start off with, with a concept note to be submitted to the Union government first.

Both the recent attempts appear to be part of a larger pattern, in which organs of the state act to stifle other voices that reveal information about any problematic effect of government policy. It is not just the National Democratic Alliance that has this attitude, either; it started under the last dispensation, when the home ministry cracked down on funding sources for several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), especially for church-run charities that it accused of being involved in the agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear plant. But the focus in such cases was on activists, not also on those merely disseminating or collecting information. In some cases, it appears even basic rights are being infringed on. Every Indian citizen has the right to freedom of movement, including across borders - unless they have been convicted of a crime, or their passport has been judicially confiscated. Priya Pillai was, like many activists, involved in legal proceedings - but there is no indication that she should have been debarred from leaving the country. If everyone accused of a crime had their movement restricted, many members of Parliament would not be able to travel overseas. Worse, there is no information as to exactly who forced Ms Pillai to deplane. Was it India's intelligence agencies? Under whose instructions? And what gives them the right to do so? The government needs to answer these questions. As for the multilateral agencies being prevented from collecting data freely - and being required to use government data if available - if they are indeed only allowed to publish reports subject to approval by New Delhi, then Indians among others will lose a valuable source of information. What is the point of reading a "doing business" ranking that will merely regurgitate government propaganda?

If the government tries to control information in this manner, then it is India's reputation that will suffer. India is not China. It is not even Russia - which owes its current negative reputation in the world community and among investors to, among other reasons, attempts to coerce civil society organisations. Some people believe that some NGOs work in the interests of the West. But the truth or otherwise of this claim is irrelevant. It is neither right nor wise to stop the free flow of information.

Compete on quality India should not oppose Pakistan's bid to call its rice basmati

India's bid to protect its basmati-rice growers through getting a geographical indications (GI) registration has come up against formidable hurdles. These come not just from basmati growers in Pakistan, but also Madhya Pradesh, which it did not list among traditional basmati-growing regions. TheAgricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) wants to thwart other countries from selling their scented rice as basmati globally. Many attempts have been made in the past by foreign rice-trading companies to confuse consumers by using similar-sounding names, such as Jasmati and Kasmati. Apeda has spent crores of rupees on court cases abroad to preserve the basmati epithet for the typical Indian long-grained, non-sticky aromatic rice. The GI registration at home would strengthen its case in international litigation.

Apeda's woes are rooted in the fact that it has sought the GI status for basmati grown only in the contiguous region spanning Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Madhya Pradesh's rice industry has claimed that its state is also located in the Indo-Gangetic belt, part of which is suited for basmati cultivation. Pakistan's Punjab and adjoining regions, especially the foothills of the Himalayas, are well known for producing basmati rice - which, in fact, is the main competitor of the Indian basmati in the international market. The Geographical Indications Registry, which grants the GI status, had observed in an order issued in December 2013 that it was duty-bound to guard the interests of producers of all the areas from where a product came. Apeda is, however, now contesting this plea in the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB).

Technically, the GI label is meant to set apart a product whose quality, reputation and other traits are attributable to its geographic origin. This definition applies perfectly only to the desi basmati, such as Basmati 370, whose photosensitive nature allows it to be grown only in a region having a particular day-length during the basmati-growing season. That limits basmati cultivation to only the northwestern part of undivided India. However, the new evolved basmati types, including the high-yielding dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties, are, by and large, not photosensitive and can, thus, be grown in areas outside the traditional basmati belt as well. These varieties have now almost totally replaced the desi basmati in the domestic and export markets. It would, therefore, be unfair to deny them basmati status irrespective of where they are grown.

It was indeed Pakistan's folly that it did not accept India's offer in the past to jointly seek global GI registration for basmati. Now that Pakistan's basmati industry has, on its own, come forward for similar cooperation, Apeda should not drag its feet. India can compete with Pakistan in the global basmati bazaar on the basis of quality. A denial of Islamabad's claims may not, in any case, withstand the scrutiny of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

India should lead talks on food stock solution

WTO chief says India should lead talks on food stock solution

He said the impasse that was reached in the talks that were agreed in Bali, had a 'paralyzing effect' on negotiations across the board

India should assume a leading role in spearheading the talks for having a permanent solution in public stockholding for food security purposes, according to World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevêdo.

“The first decision and clearly the most important for India was a clarification of the Bali decision on the public stockholding for food security purposes mainly and unequivocally stating the ‘Peace Clause’ agreed in Bali would remain in place until a permanent solution is found for that issue … I look forward to India playing a leading role in this regard in the coming months,” Azevêdo said here on Friday, while addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit.

Lauding the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in achieving the breakthrough in November last year that led to the adoption of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Azevêdo said it was a significant decision that enabled all 160 members agreed to come together and bring issues back on track.

Azevêdo said the impasse, that was reached in the talks that were agreed in Bali, had a “paralysing effect on negotiations across the board”.

The standoff happened last year in July when India refused to sign the TFA that would have converted it into a legal document. TFA aims at easing global customs norms.

India took a stance that it will not agree to TFA until the ‘Peace Clause’ on food stocks is made permanent until a final solution is arrived at on the issue. Earlier, it was agreed in Bali in December 2013 that the ‘Peace Clause’ or interim measure will be applicable only for four years. However, the impasse was broken when US assured its support on India’s stance at the WTO. Subsequently, all members also agreed. Azevêdo said WTO members are now working towards ratifying TFA according to their own domestic procedures.

“It has the potential to make a big difference, particularly for countries like India,” he added.
 

Underscoring the need for members to put their focus back on the Doha Development Agenda, which started in 2001, Azevêdo said that all countries should start negotiations by July. He also highlighted the tough times expected ahead with the onset of negotiations that will culminate at the 10th ministerial conference in Nairobi in December. 

On the other hand, minister Sitharaman once again stated that mercantilist policies of certain countries cannot be encourage if the Doha development round has to be completed. 

"There is an attempt to link free trade to development. Trade and development are intertwined but I would be hastened to think that only trade is development. Development must remain at the core of the Doha round," Sitharaman added. 

She also highlighted that the objective of the Doha round is alleviating poverty, which cannot be done if the agreements are achieved based on countries’ growth rates.

Awareness About Evaluation of Programmes and Policies

Week Long Celebrations to Create Awareness About Evaluation of Programmes and Policies

The Programme Evaluation Organization (PEO) in the NITI Ayog and the National Institute for Labour Economics Research and Development (NILRD, earlier known as Institute of Applied Manpower Research), an autonomous organization under NITI Ayog, are jointly organizing EvalWeek, a five-day event (19 – 23 January 2015) featuring consultations on strategies to spread awareness about and use of evaluation as a tool for enhancing results from policies and programmes of sustainable development and good governance. The event marks the beginning of a chain of activities on the theme of evaluation for sustainable development planned by various national and international organizations across the globe coming together as EvalPartners over the year 2015, which has been declared as the International Year of Evaluation. Participants in EvalWeek consultations are expected to include Central and State government officials, representatives of international and national organizations, individual researchers, academicians and evaluation practitioners. The offices based in India of UN Women, UNICEF, OXFAM, 3ie,ISST, CMS also contributed in the planning and organization of the event. EvalWeek will be inaugurated on 19 January 2015 by Shri Rao Inderjit Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Planning (Independent Charge), at the India Habitat Building, New Delhi. On this occasion, an EvaluationTorch symbolizing spread of awareness and knowledge about evaluation will be handed over to the Minister by Mr. Marco Segone, Director of Independent Evaluation Office, UN Women and Co-Chair of United Nations Evaluation Group. A Compendium of articles on evaluation policies and practice contributed by various evaluation researchers and evaluation practitioners will also be relewased by Hon’ble Minister to mark the EvalWeek. A Key Note address will be given by Mr. Segone after the inauguration. A number of technical sessions of presentations discussions have been programmed for the five days of the Evalweek. The first of these, on the theme of Enabling Environment for Evaluation, will follow the Key Note Address by Mr. Segone, and will feature presentations on developing evaluation culture through sensitization, policy support to evaluation, strengthening capacity building for evaluation and evidence-based decision making. The afternoon of 19 January will feature two technical sessions, one a panel discussion on evaluation of social sector programmes and the other on the importance of participatory evaluation methods. Other events during the course of the week include interactions of delegates from other countries with various divisions of NITI Aayog, Round tables on gender-responsive and equity focused evaluations, case studies, emerging challenges, participatory approaches to evaluation and so on. The EvalWeek will conclude on 23 January 2015 with a summing up of the outcomes and valedictory address by the CEO, NITI Ayog. The Evaluation Torch will also be formally handed overto the next event of the International Evaluation Year.

Selection of smart cities to be competition based

Minister calls for rating of cities based on sanitation and credit worthiness; suggests a 10-point charter

Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu today revealed that ‘It will not be business as usual in the matter of financing of cities and towns under new urban initiatives and instead, it will be based on the ability of urban local bodies to reform urban governance and rise to the new challenges’. He was addressing a ‘Consultative Workshop on Urban Governance’ organized here today for Municipal Commissioners of 130 cities and towns from nine northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Workshop has been organized to sensitize municipal commissioners about the demands of new urban initiatives and the implementation issues in the light of the experience of implementation of JNNURM. The Minister did some plain speaking about serious shortcomings in urban planning, execution and management of rapid urbanization and stated that things are in a bad shape on several counts.             Shri Venkaiah Naidu informed that his Ministry is currently working on a ‘City Challenge’ framework with the objective of selecting right city candidates for participation in schemes like building 100 smart cities and development of 500 cities and towns. Elaborating on the new initiative, he said that all cities and towns seeking to participate in these schemes will be profiled based on specific parameters that have a bearing on their ability to address issues of governance reforms, resource mobilization, execution etc. the Minister further said ‘While addressing the issue of geographical spread, only the deserving will be assisted’. The Minister referred to sub-optimal performance in respect of promoting reforms,  physical targets and resource mobilization under JNNURM. Shri Naidu stressed that ‘ a radical reorientation of mindsets and methodologies is the need of the hour to convert rapid urbanization into an economic opportunity’.             Shri Venkaiah Naidu referred to the present appalling state of affairs in urban areas which is marked by : weak urban governance structures, uninspiring leadership at the level of both selected and elected urban managers, poor inventory management and resource base, weak urban planning and execution, urban mobility being a nightmarish experience, housing shortage, inadequate water and power supply and despicable management of solid waste and treatment of sewerage etc.             In terms of service parameters, Shri Naidu noted that only 73 litres of water per capita per day is being supplied as against the norm of 135 litres, only 50% of households having water connection, 40% households with toilet facilities, treatment of only 16% of sewerage, collection and disposal of only 23% of solid waste and recycling only 10% of city waste.             Referring to the investment needs for urban initiatives, Shri Naidu said that about Rs.40 lakh crore is required for provision of basic infrastructure besides another Rs.20 lakh crore for Operation & Maintenance of urban utilities over the next 20 years, another Rs.15 lakh crore for meeting housing shortage besides Rs.60,009 cr for sanitation. The total investment needs comes to about US $ 1200 billion, most of which has to come from private sources, said the Minister.             Stating that private investment flows would be dependent on the confidence of investors in urban local bodies including their governance capacities, credit worthiness and city management, Shri Naidu urged the municipal commissioners to rise to the occasion so as to leave a mark of their own on respective cities ‘as was done by Shri S.R.Rao as Municipal Commissioner of Surat’.             Shri Venkaiah Naidu suggested, to begin with, the following 10-point charter to be ensured  for each city: 1.City Master Plans wherever due and City Sanitation Plans; 2. Long Term Urban Development Plans for district headquarters focusing on an area of 25 km radius; 3. Long Term City Mobility Plans; 4. City specific strategies for promotion of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, waste to energy etc.; 5.Regulatory bodies for pricing of utilities like water and power and assessment and revision of taxes from time to time to enhance resource base; 6. Taking necessary initiatives for assessing credit worthiness of each city to mobilise resources from appropriate sources; 7.Promotion of water harvesting and water recycling on a large scale through necessary provisions by revising Building Bye-laws in line with emerging needs of cities and aspirations of people; 8.Promoting citizens in urban planning , decision making and management; 9. Capacity building in key disciplines; and 10.Improving urban governance through adoption of ICT platforms to ensure accountability and transparency besides online delivery of various services.             Shri Venkaiah Naidu also expressed concern over inadequate efforts for enhancing skills of urban poor and evolving schemes under the Street Vendors (Regulation of Livelihoods and Street Vending) Act, 2014.             The Minister made it clear that the country can not afford to miss another opportunity to build a new urban India and municipal commissioners have a key role to play and they have come to be as important as District Collectors.

Tribal Food Festival-2015 Begins

The first of its kind grand “Tribal Food Festival-2015” got a kick start by Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram here in New Delhi today. He was accompanied by Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Shri Karan Bir Singh Sidhu, IAS, Managing Director, TRIFED, New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said that the main objective of organizing this unique event is to introduce and create awareness on the varieties of ethnic Tribal Foods to the food lovers of Delhi with a view to providing additional source of income to the tribals. The Minister also interacted with the Tribal Master Cooks who are participating in the food festival with their ethnic traditional delectable cuisines from all over the country.