India tops list of drone-importing nations

A decision by India’s National Disaster Response Force to usedrones to help Nepal map the scale of devastation caused by last week’s earthquake—more than 7,000 people have died—indicates how India has enthusiastically taken to these pilotless aircraft.

With 22.5% of the world’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imports, between 1985 and 2014, India ranks first among drone-importing nations, followed by United Kingdom and France.

UAVs, or drones as they are commonly known, are pilotless aerial vehicles used for reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and aerial combat missions.

The advantage of UAVs is that they come at a fraction of the cost of manned aircraft with no risk to human lives.

The data here relate to drone/UAV transfers (imports/exports) between countries. There are also drones that have been indigenously developed, so the actual number of UAVs possessed by each nation may be different.

A total of 1,574 UAV transfers have taken place across the world between 1985 and 2014. Of these, 16 are armed UAVs, according to data provided by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent global conflict-research institute.

Transfers Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, 1985–2014
Category	1985-90	1990-94	1995-99	2000-04	2005-09	2010-14
UAV	185	164	192	272	317	428
Armed UAV	-	-	-	-	5	11
Total UAV	185	164	192	272	322	439
Percentage of total transfers of major weapons	0.05	0.09	0.04	0.11	0.27	0.34

Source: SIPRI; Note: The ‘percentage of total transfers of major weapons’ shows the percentage accounted for by deliveries of UAVs of the total volume of actual deliveries of all major weapons. Percentages are based on the volumes measured in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIVs). Figures have been rounded.

UAV trade recorded an increase of 137% between 1985 and 2014. The period between 1985 and 1990 saw sales of 185 UAVs globally, which increased to 439 between 2010 and 2014.

The last decade also registered sales of 16 armed UAVs.

Top Recipients, 1985 to 2014
Recipient	1985-89	1990-94	1995-99	2000-04	2005-09	2010-14	Total share (1985-2014)
India	-	-	14.6	56.8	39.6	13.2	22.5
United Kingdom	-	-	-	-	23.2	33.9	20.5
France	-	60.3	18.9	6.7	4	3.7	9.8
Egypt	65.5	21.4	-	0.7	-	0.7	7.4
Italy	-	-	-	9.4	1.2	9.8	5.2

Source: SIPRI; Note: Figures show the shares (in percentage) of the volume of actual deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in each 5-year period, and the total share for the period 1985-2014. Percentages are based on the volumes measured in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIVs).

Drones criss-cross the world

India’s first UAV delivery came from Israel in 1998.

The UK, on the other hand, imported its first UAV in 1972 from Canada.

Japan was the first country in the world to import a UAV, it got one from the USA in 1968.

India’s UAV imports, have almost all been from Israel, according to SIPRI data. Of 176 UAVs, 108 are Searcher UAVs and 68 are Heron UAVs.

Israel is the leading exporter of drones, accounting for 60.7% between 1985 and 2014.

Top Suppliers, 1985 to 2014
Supplier	1985-89	1990-94	1995-99	2000-04	2005-09	2010-14	Total share 1985-2014
Israel	8.5	18.3	55.9	69.1	79.6	65.9	60.7
USA	66.5	21.4	15.9	13.2	12.8	27.4	23.9
Canada	-	60.3	31	-	-	-	6.4
Soviet Union	25.1	-	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	1.9
France	-	-	7.3	7.9	1	0.7	1.6

Source: SIPRI; Note: Figures show the shares (in percentage) of the volume of actual deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in each 5-year period, and the total share for the period 1985-2014. Percentages are based on the volumes measured in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIVs).

USA, with a 23.9% share of UAV exports, ranks second, followed by Canada (6.4%).

Israel, the leading exporter, has shipped 783 drones since 1980.

Total UAV Exports, 1950 to 2014
Supplier	Total UAVs delivered to all recipients
Israel*	783
Canada	450
USA	413
France	82
Austria	80
Italy*	62
Germany	40
Iran	35
South Africa*	26
China	23

Source: SIPRI; * Israel, Italy and South Africa have also delivered UAVs to unidentified recipients (Israel delivered 4 to 2 unidentified countries in 2003; Italy 5 to 1 unidentified country in 2014; South Africa 5 to 1 unidentified country in 2010).

Armed UAVs were exported for the first time in 2007, when USA delivered two MQ-9 Reapers to the UK. The MQ-9 was used by the UK forces in Afghanistan.

China became the second-largest exporter of armed UAVs in 2014, when it delivered five drones to Nigeria, which deployed UAVs against Boko Haram, a terrorist outfit.

Drone attacks have been criticised around the world for accidentally killing civilians while hunting suspected terrorists.

More than 2,400 people (273 civilians) have been killed in 390 drone attacks in 5 years (2009-14) under the Obama administration, according to a report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

As use grows, armed drones are coming

The use of drones/UAVs in India is mainly confined to surveillance and reconnaissance, unlike the USA, which uses armed drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen, according to Sameer Patil, associate fellow on national security, ethnic conflict & terrorism studies at Gateway House and former assistant director at the National Security Council Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Drones used along the Indo-Pak border are simpler than the ones used on the Chinese border in Ladakh, where they require long endurance and high-altitude capability, Patil said.

UAV squadrons in India mainly operate with Herons and Searcher MK IIs from Israel. However, there are also some UAVs/drones that have been indigenously developed or are under development. Here’s a look at some of them:

India’s Eyes in the Sky

Netra: An autonomous UAV developed jointly by ideaForge Technologies and Defence Research and Development Organisation. Can take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. It can also fly and return to base on its own. Currently used by Indian armed and paramilitary forces.

Source: ideaForge

The National Disaster Response Force used the Netra drone during the 2013 Uttarakhand floods to identify survivors and assess damage. It was also deployed during the Bhuj floods in 2013 by the Gujarat government.

Nishant : Used for day/night reconnaissance, target tracking and extraction of target coordinates, artillery fire correction and damage assessment. Nishant is being inducted into the Indian army, with 4 UAV units.

Panchi: Wheeled-version of Nishant. Capable of taking-off and landing from small airstrips. First flight in December 2014.

Rustom I: All-weather, medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV. It will operate at medium-to-long ranges and gather near real-time high-quality imagery and radio signals. It will perform a range of military missions.

Rustom II: Being designed to operate at up to 30,000 ft for 24 hours at a stretch.

Aura: A combat drone capable of flying at 30,000 feet and launching missiles, bombs and guided missiles.

Lakshya: Remotely operated and used as a target to train gun and missile crew and air-defence pilots for the three services.

Govt plans mega launch of insurance, pension schemes

Govt plans mega launch of insurance, pension schemes

On the lines of Jan Dhan mega rollout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch on May 9 social security insurance and pension schemes in Kolkata, while other ministers will unveil them in different cities.

"There would be simultaneous functions across various states with participations from chief ministers and cabinet ministers. It would be like Jan Dhan scheme launch so that we have maximum awareness in minimum time," Department of Financial Services Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told PTI.

"The enrolment for insurance and pension schemes would begin after Prime Minister launches them. However, the insurance cover would be enforced from June 1," he said.

As it will be linked to bank accounts, the premium would get auto debited, Adhia said.

These schemes, to be launched by Modi, are aimed at providing affordable universal access to essential social security protection in a convenient manner linked to auto- debit facility from the bank account of a subscriber, as per a Finance Ministry statement.

These schemes were announced in the Budget by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 28.

The two insurance schemes -- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) -- will provide insurance cover in case of death as well as death/disability due to an accident. The pension scheme, Atal Pension Yojana (APY), will address old age income security needs.

PMSBY will offer a renewable one year accidental death-cum -disability cover of Rs 2 lakh for partial/permanent disability to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18-70 years for a premium of Rs 12 per annum per subscriber.

The scheme would be administered through Public Sector General Insurance Companies or other General Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms on the choice of the bank concerned, it added.

PMJJBY on the other hand will offer a renewable one year life cover of Rs 2 lakh to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18-50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs 330 per annum per subscriber.

The scheme would be offered or administered through LIC or other Life Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms on the choice of the bank concerned.

The pension scheme will focus on the unorganised sector and provide subscribers a fixed minimum pension of Rs 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 or Rs 5,000 per month starting at the age of 60 years, depending on the contribution option exercised on entering at an age between 18 and 40 years.

The period of contribution by any subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more. The fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the government.

India's $94 bn spend on basic education doesn't address teaching crisis

In February 2015, the western state of Maharashtra held its annual evaluation tests for teachers of government-run schools, those who teach (a) classes I to V and (b) classes VI to VIII.

These were the results:

Maharashtra Teacher Test Results
Category	Total registered	Total present	Total absent	Passed in the exam	Pass percentage
Primary	260,629	245,811	14767	2562	1
Upper primary	154,201	142858	11329	7031	4.9

Source: Mahatet

Only 1% of more than 245,800 primary teachers who took the test passed.

Upper-primary teachers did better, somewhat—4.9% cleared the tests.

This is the situation in a state where 99% of children aged 6 to 14 years are—officially—enrolled in schools, and there are 25 teachers for each student, near the global average.

“In the wake of Teacher Eligibility Tests [introduced after the Right to Education Act, 2009] and the high proportion of candidates who fail to clear the examination – there are people who argue that subject knowledge is poor among our teachers. They point out that it is the quality of teacher – her/his mastery over subjects, pedagogic skills and aptitude to teach that is perhaps responsible for poor learning” wrote Vimala Ramachandran of the National University for Educational Planning and Administration, an affiliate of the human resource development (HRD) ministry, in a study.

“Many of them argue that people enter the teaching profession as a last resort—when they have no other option,” wrote Ramachandran.

Teaching as an option of last resort might explain a key problem in India’s education system.

Less than one in five teachers adequately trained

In an effort to boost the quality of teaching in government schools, the union government in 2011 launched a programme under the universal education programme, or Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, to support states and union territories for annual, in-service teacher training programmes.

Teacher eligibility tests check performance, based on training modules designed by states.

Teacher Training, 2011-12 to 2013-14
Year	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14*
Funds (Rs crore)	130	157	225
No. of Teachers Trained	74,732	95,360	86,734

Source: Lok Sabha; *Figures up to Dec. 2013

There are 4.5 lakh or 0.4 million untrained elementary school teachers, according to Smriti Irani, HRD minister. The central programme has trained only 19.2% of teachers up to 2013-14.

So much has improved—and, yet, quality plunges

Despite spending Rs 586,085 crore ($94 billion) over the last decade on primary education, India has been unable to arrest the decline in learning. The quality of teaching and teachers, millions of them untrained or under-trained, is now emerging as a key problem.

A recent United Nations report showed that some basic indicators such as enrolment and access have improved:

• Over 12 years, India has reduced its out-of-school children (enrolment rate) by more than 90%.
• Universal primary education has been achieved, 99% of children (6-14 years) in school.
• India had a ratio of 35 pupils for every teacher in 2012, up from 40 in 2000—the second highest in South Asia after Bhutan—but behind the global average of 24 pupils for every teacher.

Despite these improvements, learning outcomes in India have fallen.

Only a fourth of all children in class III can read a class II text fluently, a drop of more than 5% over four years, according to the 2014 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) report by Pratham, a non-government organisation (NGO) working in the field of education.

A quarter of children in class III could not recognise numbers between 10 and 99, a drop of 13% over four years.

What goes in exceeds what comes out

The focus of the government’s education policy has been to spend more money—in other words, inputs. India’s elementary education budget has increased almost two-fold, from Rs 18,439.6 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 32,940.7 crore, in 2015-16. This has not translated into improved learning outcomes.

While the government spent money on building schools, hiring teachers, providing free textbooks, uniforms and mid-day meals, the net enrolment in government schools went down, and enrolment in private schools rose, especially in primary schools, according to the ASER study.

Between 2007 and 2013, according to data released by the District Information System for Education (DISE), a division of the HRD ministry, enrolment in primary schools (classes I to V) peaked in 2011 at 137 million, while upper-primary enrolment (classes VI to VII) rose from 51 million to about 67 million.

During this period, enrolment in government schools (classes I to VIII) declined by about 11.7 million, from 133.7 million to 121 million; enrolment in private schools went up by 27 million, from 51 million to 78 million.

A Public-School Teacher’s View  

Seema, a municipal school teacher in suburban Mumbai—who asked that her last name and the name of her school not be used—told IndiaSpend that half her job had nothing to do with teaching.

“The first half of my day goes in getting children to school from their homes and then making sure that these children are regular,” said Seema. “Once they stop coming to school regularly, they tend to forget what was taught to them and hence lose interest.”

“Most children who come to government schools are often the first generation from a family to attend school,” said Seema. “So, things like coming to school on time regularly, dressing for school and basic behavioural rules have to be taught to them. Students in private schools can afford tuitions and sometimes get help at home,while public school students are solely dependent on what is taught to them in school.”

“One of the main reasons for the poor performance of students in public school is the lack of involvement by parents. In private schools, parents are more involved, from getting them to school and making sure they learn in school. Free education received at public schools somehow loses its value in the eyes of parents and students.”

The dismal results of the teacher evaluation exams, Seema said, indicated that institutions offering a Diploma in Education (D.Ed), the minimum qualification to be a teacher, are failing with the basics. This, she added, raised “serious questions” about the efficacy of these colleges, most run by political leaders.

#Seychelles became the 161st member of the World Trade Organization (#WTO)

#Seychelles, an archipelago of 90000 inhabitants became the 161st member of the World Trade Organization (#WTO). It is one of the smallest nations among the WTO members.
This approval by WTO ended Seychelles 20-year long wait to become a member of WTO since it had applied for WTO membership in May 1995.
Seychelles also became the 33rd government to accede to the rules-based multilateral trading system through Article XII negotiations since the WTO was established in 1995.
The President of Seychelles, James Michel had signed the legal instrument for the island nation to the WTO on March 25, 2015 a day after the accession protocol was ratified by the Seychelles National Assembly.
As per the WTO rules, the 30-day countdown to its WTO membership was activated on March 27, 2015 and Seychelles officially became a WTO member on April 26, 2015.
It should be noted that the Protocol of Accession was signed by former Seychelles’ Minister of Trade, Finance and Investment Pierre Laporte and WTO Director General (DG) Roberto Azevedo.

62nd #NationalFilmAwards

President of India to confer the Awards at Vigyan Bhavan

Awards to be given in Non-Feature Film, Feature Film category and Best Writing on Cinema

The 62nd National Film Awards function will be held tomorrow, 3rd May at Vigyan Bhawan. The Awards will be given away by the Hon’ble President of India. Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Shri Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Rajyavardhan Rathore will also be present on the occasion.

The highlights of the 62nd National Film Awards are as follows:


·       A total of 21 Awards will be given by the Honourable President in the Non-Feature film category while the number of awards in Feature Film category is 45. Three Awards will be given to Best Writing on Cinema.
·     The Award for the Best Feature Film will be given to Court (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati & English) produced by Zoo Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and directed by Chaitanya Tamhane.
·       Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director will be given to Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali) Directed by Aditya Vikram Sengupta and Producer: F.O.R Films Pvt. Ltd.
·        The Award for the Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment will be  given to Mary Kom (Hindi) produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Directed by Omung Kumar.
·      The Award for the Best Film on Social Issues to be given to Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) produced by  Shree Venkatesh Films Pvt. Ltd. and Directed by Kaushik Ganguly

·        The Award for the Best Director will be given to Shri Srijit Mukherji for the Film Chotushkone (Bengali).

·        The Award for the Best Actor will be given to Shri Vijay for the film Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada) and the Award for the Best Actress to be given to Ms. Kangana Ranaut for the film, Queen (Hindi)

National Research Development Corporation

The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) is planning to align its growth strategy with certain key opportunities offered by the Government’s flagship programmes, viz. Make in India, Digital India and Swachh Bharat. The ‘Make in India’ programme includes creation of a technology acquisition and development fund, wherein NRDC proposes to scout for technologies to be acquired, demonstrate high risk technologies in PPP mode and extend angel funding for promising technologies. The ‘Digital India’ programme includes making available all Databases and Information electronically. Accordingly, NRDC has proposed to develop an Indian Technology Data Bank. Under the ‘Swachh Bharat’ programme, NRDC proposesadoption of a Gram Panchayat and promote innovative technologies therein for socio-economic transformation.

NRDC has been facing acute shortage of funds to promote transfer, commercialization and utilization of domestic R&D. NRDC undertakes commercial as well as promotional activities. Commercial activities primarily include undertaking consultancy projects and licensing of technologies for which it receives royalty/lump-sum premia from licensees and makes payment to the inventors and institutions who assign the technologies to NRDC for commercialization. NRDC’s income from its commercial activities during 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 have been Rs. 1073.30 lakh, Rs. 709.86 lakh and Rs. 766.20 lakh, respectively incurring a loss of Rs. 84.54 lakh, Rs. 247.59 lakh and Rs. 170.42 lakh during the same period. Promotional activities primarily include, patent assistance, IPR awareness, technology value addition, techno-commercial support, technology commercialization, giving away innovation awards and promotion of innovations in Rural and North East regions, for which NRDC receives grants from the Government. Government has approved a 12th five year plan outlay of Rs. 37 crore for NRDC, against which only Rs. 13.68 crore has been provided during 2012-2015 and Rs. 1.00 crore in the current F.Y. 2015-16. The Ministry proposes to seek additional support for NRDC at the revised estimates stage and subject to necessary approvals and fund availability position, NRDC will be able to carry out the promotional activities. Simultaneously, NRDC is also being advised to raise its income from the commercial activities to promote domestic R&D growth. 

#AtalMission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and #SmartCities Mission

Union Cabinet approves Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and Smart Cities Mission to drive economic growth and foster inclusive urban development

In a determined bid to recast the urban landscape of the country to make urban areas more livable and inclusive besides driving the economic growth, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved Central Government spending of about one lakh crore on urban development under two new urban missions over the next five years. The Cabinet has approved the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation of 500 cities (AMRUT) with outlays of Rs.48,000 crore and Rs.50,000 crore respectively.

Under the Smart Cities Mission, each selected city would get central assistance of Rs.100 crore per year for five years. Smart City aspirants will be selected through a ‘City Challenge Competition’ intended to link financing with the ability of the cities to perform to achieve the mission objectives. Each state will shortlist a certain number of smart city aspirants as per the norms to be indicated and they will prepare smart city proposals for further evaluation for extending Central support.

This Mission of building 100 smart cities intends to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets, resources and infrastructure with the objective of enhancing the quality of urban life and providing a clean and sustainable environment. Special emphasis will be given to participation of citizens in prioritizing and planning urban interventions. It will be implemented through ‘area based’ approach consisting of retrofitting, redevelopment, pan-city initiatives and development of new cities. Under retrofitting, deficiencies in an identified area will be addressed through necessary interventions as in the case of Local Area Plan for downtown Ahmedabad. Redevelopment enables reconstruction of already built-up area that is not amenable for any interventions, to make it smart, as in the case of Bhendi Bazar of Mumbai and West Kidwai Nagar in New Delhi. Pan-city components could be interventions like Intelligent Transport Solutions that benefits all residents by reducing commuting time.

Under smart cities initiative, focus will be on core infrastructure services like: Adequate and clean Water supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Efficient Urban Mobility and Public Transportation, Affordable housing for the poor, power supply, robust IT connectivity, Governance, especially e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of citizens, health and education and sustainable urban environment.

Smart City Action Plans will be implemented by Special Purpose Vehicles(SPV) to be created for each city and state governments will ensure steady stream of resources for SPVs.

The two missions are interlinked. AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, septage management, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children. Implementation of this Mission will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, constitution of professional municipal cadre, devolving funds and functions to urban local bodies, review of Building bye-laws, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies, energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning.

10 percent of budget allocation will be given to States/UTs as incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year. A reform matrix with timelines would be circulated to States in the Guidelines.

This Mission will be implemented in 500 cities and towns each with a population of one lakh and above, some cities situated on stems of main rivers, a few capital cities and important cities located in hilly areas, islands and tourist areas.

Under this Mission, States get the flexibility of designing schemes based on the needs of identified cities and in their execution and monitoring. States will only submit State Annual Action Plans to the Centre for broad concurrence based on which funds will be released. In a significant departure from JNNURM, Central Government will not appraise individual projects.

Central assistance will be to the extent of 50 percent of project cost for cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakh and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakh. Central assistance will be released in three instalments in the ratio of 20:40:40 based on achievement of milestones indicated in State Annual Action Plans. AMRUT seeks to lay a foundation to enable cities and towns to eventually grow into smart cities.

The Cabinet also today approved Central funding under AMRUT to the projects sanctioned under JNNURM and not completed. JNNURM projects relating to urban development sanctioned during 2005 -2012 and achieved physical progress of 50 percent availing 50 percent of central assistance released and those sanctioned during 2012-2014 will be supported till March, 2017. Accordingly, 102 and 296 projects respectively will get Central support for balance funding to complete these projects.

Central spending approved for the next five years under the two new Missions assumes significance in the backdrop of the approved Plan outlay of Rs.42,900 crore for JNNURM that was implemented over nine years between 2005 and 2014. Out of this, actual Central assistance released was Rs.36,398 crore.

Further to today’s Cabinet approval, a minimum investment of over Rs. 2 lakh crore would flow into urban areas over the next five years (2015-16 – 2019-20) since States and urban local bodies would mobilise matching resources ranging from 50 percent to 66 percent. In addition, substantial private investments would be mobilized by states and urban local bodies through PPP model as required to meet project costs.

The architecture of the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT is guided by the twin objectives of meeting the challenges of growing urbanization in the country in a sustainable manner as well as ensuring the benefits of urban development to the poor through increased access to urban spaces and enhanced employment opportunities.