| The Government has conducted a scientific study on climate change caused by global warming and its impact on monsoon. Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt of India had undertaken the Indian second National Communication to UNFCCC during 2009-2011(NATCOM-II). The communication had been a national effort which involved many multi-disciplinary scientific groups. Ministry of Earth Sciences carried out scientific studies on projected climate change and variability under Global and Regional Climate Change (GRCC) government programme under which programme a dedicated Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) within the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, was established. Monsoon rainfall varies on different spatial and temporal scales. Extreme rainfall events that occur at some isolated places (viz. heavy rainfall over Mumbai or in Rajasthan) are highly localized and are part of the natural variability of the Indian monsoon system itself. Although, some recent studies hint at an increasing frequency and intensity of extremes in rainfall during the past 40-50 years, their attribution to global warming is yet to be established. Moreover, the report of the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change and our country`s own assessment using regional climate models indicate that the extremes rainfall events are likely to be more frequent in the later part of the 21st century all over the world including India. As regards other extreme weather phenomena, there are many other reasons for their occurrence, which cannot always be related to climate change. Although, the monsoon rainfall at all India level does not show any trend but on regional scale, areas of increasing trend is discerned. It is not clear if this increasing trend in the heavy rainfall events is attributable to global warming. Summary of the observed long term changes so far include: (i) Mean annual surface air temperatures show a significant warming of about 0.5 degree C/100 years during the last century. (ii) No significant long-term trends are reported in the frequencies of large-scale droughts or floods in the summer monsoon season. (iii) The average seasonal rainfall over India has shown decline in the last five decades, especially after 1970, that is not found to be statistically significant. Further over core monsoon zone, the contribution from increasing heavy rain events is offset by decreasing moderate events and hence on the long term the change is not appreciable. Many studies have discussed the possible reasons for recent weakening monsoon. Studies were undertaken in four climate sensitive regions of the country, viz. Himalayan Region, Western Ghats, North Eastern Region, Coastal Areas to assess the possible impacts on the four sectors viz. agriculture, water, forests and health. A Report entitled, Climate Change & India: A 4X4 Assessment – A Sectoral and Regional Assessment of Impact of Climate Change in 2030s, has been released by the Government during November, 2010 under the aegis of the Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment (INCCA). Global warming has been attributed largely to the increase in concentration of greenhouse gases mainly from anthropogenic activities. The Government has initiated the National Action Plan on Climate Change in specific areas for addressing long term and integrated strategies for achieving key goals of sustainable development in the context of climate change, so as to reduce its adverse impacts. Government of India is setting up a National Institute for Climate Change Studies and Actions (NICCA) under Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change with an objective to support all scientific, technical and analytical studies relating to climate change policy and implementing strategies. The institute has an outlay of Rs. 25 crores for the 12th Five Year Plan out of an allocated budget of Rs. 290 crores for CCAP |
27 November 2014
Global Warming
Forecasting of Natural Calamities
| Forecasting of Natural Calamities |
| The Government has latest scientific techniques to forecast the natural calamities in the country as far as the Hydro-meteorological hazards (Cyclones; heat wave/cold wave; Heavy rainfall events; Thunderstorms) and Tsunami are concerned. Improvement of weather forecasting services is a continuous process. As part of its XI five year plan, Government had implemented a comprehensive modernization programme for Earth System Science Organization-India Meteorological Department (ESSO-IMD) covering upgradation of (i) observation systems (ii) advanced data assimilation tools (iii) advanced communication and IT infrastructure (iv) high performance computing systems and (v) intensive/sophisticated training of IMD personnel to facilitate the implementation of advanced global/regional/meso-scale prediction models for improving the accuracy of weather forecasts in all temporal and spatial scales and for quick dissemination of weather forecast assessments/warnings to the users. Operational implementation of improved forecast suite of models after the commissioning of the High Performance Computing (HPC) systems have enhanced the weather forecasting capacities through assimilating all available global satellite radiance data for the production of forecast products at 22Km grid globally and 9Kms/3Kms grid over India/regional/mega city domains. The performance evaluation of the updated global/meso-scale forecast systems for the past 5-7 years have demonstrated enhanced forecast skill by about 18% quantitatively as far as the track and landfall forecasts of the tropical cyclones are concerned. As and when the cyclone systems move in to the 500Km surveillance range of DWRs, identification of strong wind zones and pockets of heavy rainfall within the core cyclone area is carried out and their rapid changes are monitored on continuous basis. IMD currently operates 5- Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) at Chennai, Machilipatnam, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Sriharikota on the east coast along with a network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) for continuous weather surveillance over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. ESSO-IMD has operationalized its location specific nowcasting weather service across the country. This service activity currently covers 147 urban centres on experimental basis under which nowcast of severe weather (Thunderstorms; heavy rainfall from lows/depressions over the land) in 3-6h range is issued. Origin, development/movement of severe weather phenomena are regularly monitored through DWRs and with all available other observing systems (AWSs; ARGs; Automatic Weather Observing Systems-AWOS; satellite derived wind vectors, temperature, moisture fields etc. Integrated Agro-meteorological Advisory Service (AAS) is rendered now on twice-weekly basis in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), institutions of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) etc. Realized weather of the previous week and quantitative district level weather forecast for next 5-days in respect of rainfall, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and clouds as well as weekly cumulative rainfall forecast are provided. Further, crop specific advisories, generated in partnership with SAUs and ICAR, to help the farmers are issued and widely disseminated. The AAS of ESSO-IMD has been successful in providing the crop specific advisories to the farmers at the district/agro-climatic zone level twice weekly through different print/visual/Radio/ IT based wider dissemination media including short message service (SMS) and Interactive Voice Response Service (IVRS) facilitating for appropriate field level actions. Government feels that the upgradation of the observing system, high performance computing, communication, forecast/warning systems, product dissemination systems etc. should become a part of continuing process by which state-of-the art science and technology tools shall be made accessible to the scientists engaged in weather research and forecasting towards enhancing the service quality. |
New Foreign Trade Policy to address slowdown concerns of exporters: Commerce Secretary
| New Foreign Trade Policy to address slowdown concerns of exporters: Commerce Secretary |
| The ensuing Foreign Trade Policy will address the exporters’ concerns of slowdown in several key markets like European Union and Japan even as a lot of policy developments and diversification measures are being worked out to deal with the unveiling challenges of merchandise exports, Commerce Secretary Shri Rajeev Kher said today . Releasing Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC)’s India Strategy Paper for Engineering Exports, Shri Kher said while a steep fall in engineering exports in October, after a good run in earlier months, came as a “shocker” to him, there is no room for pessimism as “a lot of policy developments....are happening. Besides, the focus on manufacturing is going to throw opportunities in sectors like Defence and Technology”. He said the government is aware of the challenges being faced by the exporters in the backdrop of slowdown in EU, Japan and China, but the policy measures would target new markets like Africa, South East Asia and CIS countries. Shri Kher emphasised on the value chain movement by exporters for staying competitive in the global markets. In this context, the liberalisation in the FDI policies underway would help exporters move up the value chain and help them gain scaling essential for the international markets. According to the EEPC India Strategy Paper, India will need to ride on the back of the FDI inflows along with high-end technology particularly from large enterprises to boost engineering exports to just about double the country’s engineering exports to USD 126 billion by 2018-19. India’s engineering exports in the year FY 2018-19 will remain between US$86 billion to US$126 billion from US$62 billion in 2014. “While the US$126 Bn aspiration might be considered aggressive in light of the current economic scenario but a number of factors give us reason to think otherwise,” the EEPC India paper done by consultancy major KPMG , pointed out. Large foreign enterprises have important role to play in the development of innovation hubs in the nation. Often these enterprises become champions of innovation like Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed, and Google in the USA and Samsung and LG in South Korea. In order to create strong innovation hubs, the Government may attract large innovation oriented engineering firms to India, the paper said. The India Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS), scheduled during December 16-18 in Mumbai will focus on the way Indian firms are adapting to technology and moving up the value chain. Besides, the presence of global companies at the IESS-IV presents great opportunities for the home grown firms to connect with the international businesses. Foreign direct investment inflows not only provide capital but they also add to resources that can be invested in, bridge the gap between domestic savings and investments, generate employment and contribute to the exchequer in the form of taxes. Importantly by attracting top companies via the FDI route, one can adopt technology and best management practices thereby increasing productivity and output. In the Indian engineering context, it is seen that sectors which have attracted FDI have performed better than average. The paper recommended that an unambiguous environmental and pollution laws and time bound action for same clearance should be spelt out by the government. It also suggested tax incentives to the expatriates for the export oriented units. This may attract expatriates of multinational engineering firms to work out of India. The paper noted with concern that no significant reshuffle in terms of skill and technology intensity is observed in the Indian engineering exports basket over the years and India continues to be an exporter of products of low and medium skill and technology. Overall India has not performed well in product categories which require high technical know-how and skills, which is in line with Heckscher-Olin hypothesis which states that labour abundant countries produce and export more labour intensive goods and capital abundant nations manufacture and export more capital intensive goods. It can be seen from the average export and import volume data for the three year period from 2010 to 2012, that India exports more low skill and technology intensive products to USA than high skill and technology intensive products. Sharing these concerns, EEPC India Chairman Mr Anupam Shah said, “Capabilities which are required to be developed are easy access to raw materials, cheaper raw materials, technology up -gradation and product innovation, lower logistic cost and better infrastructure, skilled workforce and favourable terms of trade to increase”. The EEPC India-KPMG paper said India imports more high skill and technology intensive engineering products from Germany and China than it exports to these nations. China’s high skill and technology intensive exports to India are approximately fifteen times larger than India’s high skill exports to China (considering average volume for the period from 2010 to 2012). |
Signing Of FTAs
| Signing Of FTAs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The details of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) entered into India with countries and multi-country organisations are given below:
In addition to the above-mentioned FTAs, India has signed Preferential Trade Agreement (limited tariff lines with Margin of Preference i.e. percentage of Tariff concession) with the following countries:
The Government is negotiating new FTAs, including expansion/review of some of the existing FTAs which is given below:
(d) The free trade agreements (FTAs) complement the principles and agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). India considers these agreements as building blocks towards achieving the multilateral trade liberalisation objective.
|
Doubling India's Share in Global Trade
| Doubling India's Share in Global Trade |
| The long term vision of the government is to increase India’s exports of Merchandise and Services from present level of 464.1 billion USD (2013-14) to approximately 900 billion USD by 2018-19 (CAGR approximately 14%) and take India’s share of global exports to above 3%. An aggressive product promotion strategy for high value items that have a strong manufacturing base is the main focus of the overall growth strategy. The core of the market strategy is to retain presence and market share in traditional markets, move up the value chain in providing export products in the developed countries’ markets; and open up new vistas, both in terms of markets and new products in these new markets. Strengthening efforts to build a brand image for important Indian exports, and promote a thrust for quality up-gradation. The focus sectors have been identified as pharmaceuticals, electronics, automobiles, computer and software based smart engineering, environmental products etc. Labour intensive leather, gems & jewellery and textile sectors have high value addition, and have been areas -of- strength. Product diversification in these sectors with high value-addition has been accorded high priority. Focus of the strategy is to penetrate into the markets in Asia (including ASEAN), Africa and Latin America to strengthen our presence in newly opened up markets. At the same time our aim would be to deepen engagement in the older markets. As per the latest available data for April-Sept 2014-15 the 10 top export items are: Petroleum products; Pearls, Precious, Semiprecious Stones; Gold and other precious metal jewellary; Drug formulations, biologicals; Iron and Steel; RMG Cotton including accessories; Products of Iron and Steel; Motor vehicle/cars; Ship, boat and floating structure; Aircraft, Spacecraft and parts. Top ten destinations of Indian exports during this period are: USA, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, Singapore, UK, Brazil, Germany, Netherland. |
Implementation of National Design Policy
| Implementation of National Design Policy |
| The National Design Policy was approved by the Government on 8th February, 2007. The details of the Policy, inter alia, include: • Promotion of Indian design through a well-defined and managed regulatory, promotional and institutional framework; • Setting up of specialized Design Centres or “Innovation Hubs” for sectors such as automobile and transportation, jewellery, leather, soft goods, digital products, toys & games which will provide common facilities and enabling tools like rapid product development, high performance visualization, etc. along with enterprise incubation as well as financial support through mechanisms like venture funding, loans and market development assistance for start-up design-led ventures and young designers’ design firms/houses; • Formulation of a scheme for setting up Design Cenres / Innovation Hubs in select locations/Industrial clusters/ backward states, particularly in the North East; • Laying special focus on up-gradation of existing design institutes and faculty resources to international standards, particularly the National Institute of design (NID) and its new campuses/ centres with a view to spreading quality education in designs to all regions of India, four more National Institutes of Design on the pattern of NID will be set up in different regions of the country during the 11th Five Year Plan. The possibility of new models for setting up of such institutes, in keeping with the current economic and educational paradigms, will be explored. In this context, the public-private partnership mode could also be an option; • Initiation of action to seek “Deemed University” or “University” under section 3(f) of the University Grants Commission Act, status for the NIDs, so that they can award degrees of B. Des. and M. Des. instead of just Diplomas as at present; • Encouraging the establishment of departments of design in all the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and all the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) as well as in prestigious private sector Colleges of Engineering and Architecture; • Preparation of a mechanism for recognizing and awarding industry achievers in creating a brand image for Indian designs though the award of a India Design Mark on designs which satisfy key design criteria like originality, innovation, aesthetic appeal, user-centricity, ergonomic features, safety and Eco-friendliness; • Facilitating the establishment of a Chartered Society for Designers, (on the lines of the Institutions of Engineers, the Institution of Architects, the Medical Council, the Bar Council, etc.), to govern the registration of Design Professionals and the various matters relating to standards setting in the profession; • Setting up an India Design Council (IDC) with eminent personalities drawn from different walks of life; The implementation status of the Policy is as follows: • Sustained increase in Student and Faculty exchange programmes with design and allied Institutions abroad. National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad entered into MoU with 66 Institutes of repute abroad. Design faculty were exposed to international standards of design education by visiting and interacting with Design and related Institutions abroad (121 exposure visits) • Class room / studios and infrastructure facilities of the Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bangalore campuses upgraded. • Sector specific PG programmes in Design Disciplines introduced and continued. • Since 2007, 139 number of foreign students from various countries and 201 number of NID students have studied in foreign institutes under the Students’ Exchange Programmes. • India Design council (IDC), a Society under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) was constituted on 02.03.2009 as a mandate of the Policy. IDC has already launched the I-Mark (India Design Mark) and started awarding the same from the year 2012. • The National Institute of Design Act, 2014 has come into effect from 18th July 2014 which gives NID the status of ‘Institution of National Importance’. It also facilitates NID, Ahmedabad to award degrees of B.Des and M.Des instead of Diplomas to its students. The Cabinet has on 28.02.2014 approved for financial support of Rs.434.00 crore to establish of 4 new NIDs at Jorhat (Assam), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) and Kurukshetra (Haryana). |
Achievements in Space Science
| Achievements in Space Science |
| The details of the major achievements made in the field of space during the last one year (since November 2013) are given below: (i) Successful launch of India`s first interplanetary spacecraft, Mars Orbiter onboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C25 on November 05, 2013 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. On September 24, 2014, India`s Mars Orbiter Spacecraft was successfully placed into an elliptical orbit around planet Mars. (ii) Successful launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) with an indigenous cryogenic engine & stage on 5th January 2014 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The GSLV-D5 injected the GSAT-14 Communications Satellite, weighing 1982 kg, into a precise Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. (iii) Successful launch of Indian navigational satellite IRNSS-1B, the second satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) onboard PSLV-C24 on April 04, 2014 and IRNSS-1C, the third satellite of IRNSS onboard PSLV-C26 on October 16, 2014 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. (iv) PSLV-C23 successfully launched French Earth Observation Satellite SPOT-7 along with four small satellites viz. AISAT (Germany), NLS 7.1 & 7.2 (Canada) and VELOX-1 (Singapore) on June 30, 2014 under commercial arrangements between ANTRIX and the respective foreign agencies. The way in which the above achievements benefits the country are given below: (i) Mars Orbiter Mission has benefitted the country by (1) technological up-gradation of the country in the area of space technology (2) providing excellent opportunities in planetary research for the scientific community of the country and enthuse the younger generation. (ii) GSLV-D5 flight has benefitted the country by achieving self-reliance in launching 2000 kg class communication satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. GSAT-14 satellite has benefitted the country by augmenting the satellite communication infrastructure in the country with addition of 12 transponders. (iii) IRNSS is a constellation of seven satellites and currently three satellites (IRNSS-1A, 1B & 1C) are in orbit. With the planned completion of constellation, IRNSS will benefit the country by providing positioning services with an absolute position accuracy of better than 20 meters over Indian Land Mass and a region extending to about 1500 Kms around India. (iv) The successful launch of French satellite SPOT-7 along with four other foreign satellites has benefitted the country by enhancing the reliability and commercial prospects of India`s PSLV in the global market. (v) The future space programme to be undertaken by ISRO envisages development of advanced launch vehicle systems including next generation GSLV MkIII, earth observational satellites with improved resolution (Resourcesat-2A, Cartosat-2E, Cartosat-3), advanced communication satellite (GSAT-11, GSAT-15, 16, 17, 18 & 19, GSAT-6), completion of IRNSS constellation (IRNSS-1D,1E,1F & 1G), development of critical technologies for space transportation system and satellites for space science and planetary exploration purposes, including Astrosat, Chandrayaan-2 & Aditya-1 |
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