NDTV Survey

South India faces 23% shortage of IAS officers

South Indian states are facing an acute 23 per cent shortage of IAS officers. With so many key decision-making posts unfilled, governance is likely to be affected in these states. The country has a total authorised strength of 6,154 IAS officers, out of which 1,407 have been authorised for five South Indian states, namely, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Five South Indian states have only 1,095 IAS officers out of authorised strength of 1,407.

According to figures available, Tamil Nadu has a total authorised strength of 355 IAS officers, but presently only 286 officers are serving in the state, resulting in a shortage of 69 officers. The scene is even worse in Andhra Pradesh, where only 284 IAS officers are posted against a total authorised strength of 376 officers. The state is falling short of 92 officers.

In Kerala, the total authorised strength of IAS officers is 214, but the state has only 158 IAS officers, resulting in a shortage of 56 officers. In Karnataka, there is a shortage of 80 IAS officers. The state has a total authorised strength of 299 but only 219 officers are posted. Odisha has a total authorised strength of 226 IAS officers, but only 148 officers are posted in the state, resulting in a shortage of 78 officers.

Former IAS officer Arun Bhatia said that there should be no reason for this shortage as recruitments are held every year. "The real reason is that the state govts are not keen on getting All India Service officers, namely, those from the IAS, IPS and IFS. The state governments would rather have state service officers promoted to the cadre posts eligible for IAS officers. I don't mean to say that the officers from All India services are more honest."

"Like many other countrymen, they too are corrupt. But among them, some, say five per cent of them, resist pressure from the state government and politicians. Also, the state govt cannot get rid of them, penalise them without the permission of the Central Government or the UPSC. They also cannot be bullied, manipulated to make pliable like the officers form state services," Bhatia said.

Aishwarya Rai back in front of camera...

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's maternity leave is over and her very first job was inaugurating the flagship showroom for Kalyan Jewellers in Kochi  (August 19). Ash, who reportedly took nine-month-old Aaradhya with her to the Southern town, looked pretty in a traditional white and gold Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla lehenga. She finished her look with flowers in her hair and heavy jewellery.

Ash, who looked suspiciously slender in her print ads for the jewellery brand, proved that she needed no digital manipulation, no photoshopping to look anything but perfect.
She said: "This truly feels special. You all know I have shot for this ad after a bit of a break but really thanks to the entire team. I haven't felt the time at all and it was really wonderful to be here and shooting such a beautiful campaign. Kalyan Jewellers campaign will always remain special to me because this is the first campaign I have shot after the birth of my beautiful daughter Aaradhya."

Independence Day Special Quiz.

(01) Why is July 18, 1947, a significant date?

(02) Lord Mountbatten said the chosen date for independence came out of the blue but also was the second anniversary of what incident?

(03) How was the country referred to between August 15, 19457 and January 26, 1950, when it became a republic?

(04) Where and to whom did Jawaharlal Nehru deliver the famous “Tryst with Destiny” speech?

(05) Apart from Lord Mountbatten, who else served as the Governor General of the Dominion of India?

(06) Where was Mahatma Gandhi on that historic day?

(07) What “natural” Independence Day gift did Bapu send through an emissary to Nehru and Sardar Patel?

(08) Which princely state in Gujarat initially acceded to Pakistan, after Independence, before becoming part of India?

(09) In which acclaimed book is the protagonist Saleem Sinal born at midnight of August 15, 1947?

(10) Name the two Asian countries that share their freedom or liberation date with India?

(11) Which Indian nationalist and spiritual guide, who is associated with a commune in Pondicherry, was born on August 15?

(12) Who was the President of India during the Golden jubilee of the historic day in 1997?

(13) Which Bharat Ratna’s performance on Independence Day was a highlight every year from 1947 till his death in 2006?

(14) From where does the Prime Minister address the nation on August 15?

(15) Name the much acclaimed multi-starrer, dubbed “Film of the Millennium” by BBC India in 1999, released on August 15, 1975?

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{For answers (if needed) mail to

senthilkumar.murugesan.klk@gmail.com}

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Rise and Fall of "emu" business...

When the first flock of emus — flightless birds native to Australia — landed at Perundurai in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district in 2006, they drew the attention of only curious onlookers. Then they drew the attention of investors, enabling firms and businessmen offering schemes on the birds to rake in huge money. Six years on, the emus and the investors have been left in the lurch and the businessmen have allegedly taken flight with the invested money as emu contract farming joined the list of dubious investment schemes after a few years of roaring business.

Perundurai, the hub of emu farms, is now crowded with anguished investors who swallowed the bait of big returns. A conservative estimate by district officials points to a scam worth Rs. 300 crore. But traders in the poultry business claim over Rs. 500 crore might have been lost in this business. The police have said Susi Emu Farms India Private Limited might have swindled investors of around Rs. 200 crore; most of these are from Tamil Nadu.

People thought only about the financial returns. They did not think where this would lead them to. In 2006, M.S. Guru, hailing from Perundurai, founded Susi Emu Farms and introduced a buy-back scheme that promised lucrative returns on investment in contract emu farming. For an initial investment of Rs. 1.5 lakh, he promised a return of Rs. 3.34 lakhs within two years. Under the scheme, the company provided investors three pairs of chicks on the payment of Rs. 1.5 lakh as caution deposit. It also provided the infrastructure to rear the birds and offered Rs. 6,000 a month for the maintenance of the birds, besides a yearly bonus of Rs. 20,000. Thus, the investor was offered around Rs. 1.44 lakh. As per the scheme, the company would take back the birds after two years and return the deposit too. When word got out that Susi Emu Farms made prompt payments, the investments poured in; in no time the company’s presence spread all over Tamil Nadu.

Soon after, the firm introduced a VIP scheme, taking advantage of the lack of awareness among people about the birds. Under this scheme, the investor had to deposit Rs. 1.5 lakh. But unlike the regular scheme, the firms promised to rear the chicks and pay the investors Rs. 7,000 a month and an annual bonus of Rs. 20,000.

Endorsed by popular film personalities (Sarath Kumar MLA, Sathyaraj), it expanded business to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Mr. Guru even opened a chain of restaurants in Bangalore, New Delhi, Puducherry and Erode, among other places, inviting State and Central Ministers and famous personalities for inaugurations.

The success of Mr. Guru’s business model led to the mushrooming of emu firms, which advertised heavily in the Tamil media. Some even promised a return of Rs. 2 lakh a month for an investment of Rs. 10 lakh. Oblivious to the fact that there are no processing facilities for products derived from emus, the investors bought these firms’s claims that they exported emu meat and that everything from an emu was marketable. Many firms reportedly even engaged in trading of birds among themselves instead of marketing the emu meat, oil and skin (for leather).

Sensing that something was wrong, the Erode district administration issued repeated warnings asking people not to fall for the tempting offers from these firms. Collector V.K. Shanmugam said that“We have warned the investors on several occasions. But, lured by the get-rich-quick schemes, they failed to see the warning signs”.

Now Mr. Guru and his entire family disappeared. Others in the business followed suit, abandoning scores of investors and the birds. The police have registered cases against Mr. Guru and seven others under Section 120-B (conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and formed three teams to nab the culprits. About 4,000 investors from across the State have registered their complaints against these firms so far.

This is not the first time Mr. Guru has been caught in a controversy. Earlier, he was arrested for misusing the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s name in promotional material.

ஈழத்துகாக ஆட்சி இழந்தேன் என்று ஒப்பாரி வைக்கிறார் மு..தலை க..ண்ணீர்

ஒப்பாரி வைத்து பிழைக்கும் கட்சி என்பதை பெரியார் அன்றே சொன்னார்

“கண்ணீர் துளிகள்” என்று அதை தொடர்ந்து நிருபித்து வருபவர் தான் மு.க

ஈழப்பிரச்சனையால் ஆட்சியை இழந்தேன் தற்பொழுது கூட ஒரு பேட்டியில் சொன்னார். அவரது ஆட்சி 1991ல் கலைக்கப்பட்டதையே இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிட்டார். இவர் குறிப்பிடுவது பத்மநாபா சென்னையில் வைத்து கொல்லப்பட்டார். அதுவே சட்ட ஒழுங்கு சரியில்லை என்று மத்தியில் ஆளும் அரசு முடிவு செய்து ஆட்சியை கலைத்தது என்கிறார், இதனாலேயே ஈழத்துக்காக ஆட்சியை இழந்தேன் என்கிறார். உண்மை அதுவல்ல

1977ல் நடந்த தேர்தலில் எம்.ஜி.ஆர் கம்யூனிஸ்ட் மார்கிஸ்ட் கட்சியுடன் கூட்டணி வைத்து வெற்றி பெற்றார், திமுகவின் மிசாவில் செய்த தியாகங்கள் மக்களுக்கு மறந்துவிட்டது. எம்.ஜி.ஆர் வெற்றி பெற்று ஆட்சி அமைத்த பின் 1980ம் ஜனவரியில் பாராளுமன்ற தேர்தலில் கருணாநிதி காங்கிரஸுடன் கூட்டணி வைத்தார். அப்பொழுது சர்கார் கமிசன் அறிக்கைகள் வந்து அவருடைய பெயர் நாறிக்கொண்டிருந்தது, அதில் இருந்து தப்பிக்க எந்த கட்சியை தமிழகத்தில் அழித்து ஒழிக்க திமுக கட்டமைக்கப்பட்டதோ அந்த காங்கிரசுடன் கூட்டணியை அமைத்து 39 தொகுதிகளில் 37 தொகுதிகளை திமுக கூட்டணி கைப்பற்றியது. மத்தியில் ஆட்சி அமைத்தவுடன் முதலில் செய்தது தமிழகத்தில் ஆட்சி கலைப்பு பிப்ரவரி மாதம் 17ம் தேதி ஆட்சி கலைக்கப்பட்டது, கருணாநிதி தான் இதன் சூத்திர தாரி.

இதே போல் தான் 1987 எம்.ஜி.ஆர் மறைவிற்கு பின் நடந்த தேர்தலில் திமுக வெற்றி பெற்று ஆட்சி அமைத்தது. மத்தியில் 1989ல் நடைபெற்ற தேர்தலில் விபி.சிங் திமுகவின் ஆதரவுடன் முரசொலிமாறன் அமைச்சராகவும் ஆட்சி அமைக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த ஜனதா கட்சி ஆட்சி 1990 நவம்பரில் சந்திரசேகர் பிரதரமாக ஆதிமுக, காங்கிரஸ் ஆதரவுடன் மாற்றி அமைக்கப்பட்டது. அதன் பிறகு 1991 ஜனவரி 31ம் தேதி இவரின் ஆட்சி ஜெயலலிதாவின் வற்புறுத்தலால் கலைக்கப்படுகிறது. இவர் எப்படி எம்.ஜி.ஆரின் ஆட்சியை சட்டம் ஒழுங்கு சீர் குலைந்துவிட்டது என்று சொல்லி கலைத்தாரோ அதே போல் ஜெயலலிதாவும் சந்திர சேகரை வைத்து ஆட்சியை கலைத்தார். இதில் ஆறு மாதத்திற்கு முன் நடந்த பதமநாபா கொலை என்பது ஒரு பொறுட்டே அல்ல அப்படியிருந்தால் அன்றே அட்சி கலைக்கப்பட்டிருக்க வேண்டும். மத்தியில் கூட்டணி கட்சிகளின் தேவைகளை தீர்ப்பதற்காக ஆளுபவர்கள் செய்யும் கூத்தே இது. இதனாலேயே அரசியல் சட்டம் பிரிவு 356யை முழுமையாக எதிர்ப்பதாக சொல்லுவார் கருணாநிதி ஆனால் அதை தேவைப்படும் பொழுது தனக்கு சாதகமாகவும் பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்வார்.

இந்த அரசியல் நாடகத்தை தனக்கு சாதகமாக பயன்படுத்தி இப்பொழுது ஈழத்துகாக ஆட்சி இழந்தேன் என்று ஒப்பாரி வைக்கிறார் மு..தலை க..ண்ணீர்

AJITH KUMAR– A MAN, ACTOR AND STAR

In today’s world surviving is one of the most difficult things to do and this is true in the film industry as well. Box office results have either built or destroyed the careers of many individuals in this industry and I must say surviving 20 years in such an industry with no backing, is a miracle of sorts. It is all the more laudable when one manages to not only survive but to thrive in such an industry and this is what the darling of the masses Ajith Kumar has accomplished. With no big introduction and no one to show him the ropes, the man lovingly called Thala made his debut in the industry at the tender age of20. Ever since his debut it is impossible to find a production house or political party behind the man Ajith Kumar. In other words this man in every sense embodies the phrase “a self-made man”.

Not one to toot his own horn, it’s not uncommon to find words like “reticent and self-effacing” being used to describe him. He chooses to explain the twenty odd years of sweat, blood and tears with the words, “It hasn’t been easy.” This is perhaps one of the biggest understatements in light of what Ajith has been through. He has undergone 15 surgeries, 14 of which are spinal surgeries and a knee surgery which very few know about. It’s hard to imagine that a man who has done some of the riskiest stunts in the industry has undergone this much. Despite all this he chooses to put his life on the line time and time again as seen in his most recent outing Billa 2, where he hangs out of a helicopter at 10,000 feet (No, the stunt was not the result of CG effects). An assistant director who worked in Billa 2, tweeted that one of the first things removed from the list was the need for a stuntman (dupe) as Ajith insisted on doing all the stunts by himself. Speak about dedication and sacrifice.

In his on screen career, he has convincingly carried off a variety of roles without the aid of complicated costumes or make up. In fact, some of his most popular roles have required him to play two or three contrasting characters in a single movie. For example, in the movie Vaali he plays twin brothers- charming Shiva and the mute but intense Deva. Without any difference in costumes he convincingly carried off both roles. It’s hard to imagine that both brothers were played by one man. It did not stop there, he went on to perform many other roles that won him accolades earning him a place among some of the best performers in Indian cinema. Movies like Amarkalam, Citizen, Villain, Varalaru, Kireedom, Billa (which established him as a style icon), Mankatha (an outstanding negative role) and Billa 2 (one of his most subtle performances while portraying a character with grey shades). He is known to give more than a 100% to every project he is a part of. It must be said here that Thala certainly knows how to throw surprises beginning with his selection of directors many of whom (Saran, S.J Suryah, A.R. Murgadoss etc) did not have a film to their credit when he worked with them. Not one to take security in formulaic fair he chooses to experiment with his roles. In fact no one has any idea the role he will portray next on screen.  

People may wonder what makes this man such a huge star both on and off screen. The answer lies in the way he chooses to live life on his own terms. Despite being part of an industry where the slightest error in judgment could mean the end, Ajith chose to participate in the Formula BMW Asia (2003) when his career had reached a peak and overall finished in 7^th place which is no mean feat for someone who is not a Formula car racer by profession. It must be noted that instead of being appreciated for competing with some of the best racers in the world, he received a lot of criticism and many of his successes on the race track went by unnoticed.  Apart from his passion for racing, he is also known to be excellent at aeromodeller. To set right some of the common misconceptions about this craft, the aircraft used is actually a scale model of an actual full sized aircraft. Being the perfectionist he is Thala does not just fly these planes but has built many of them. As for his other interest photography, not one to do anything half- heartedly, he has quite a collection to prove that he is as good as any professional. 

Synonymous with Ajith Kumar are his fans. He is reputed to have one of the most loyal fan bases in the country, which has many people asking, “how” or “why”. The answer is he is a leader who leads by example. Even those that aren’t fans find it difficult to find fault with the man, Ajith Kumar. It is not uncommon to hear of stars who misuse their fans for selfish reasons, however in the case of Thala he reminds his fans at every opportunity to look after their families. A man of principles, Thala abides by them even when it costs him dearly. It is his principles that caused him to disband all his fans clubs though they were a record breaking number. He refuses to get involved in political issues believing that the Government will do that which is necessary and does not unwantedly comment on any sensitive issue. It doesn’t stop there, those who have had the opportunity to work with him hold him in the highest regard and many of the younger lot of actors swear by him. Over the years his co actors (male and female) describe him as the perfect gentleman, honest, bold and grounded.

We know the higher one goes the more of a target one becomes and it is no different with Ajith. Even though there is so much to learn and appreciate, people seem to be hell bent on pulling him down. This is not new, in the past they did this through the print media but today they use the social network. As they cannot find fault with him as a person or an actor they have a hay time during the release of his movies and do everything they can to sabotage his work. The interesting thing is no matter how harsh and unfair the criticism is, his response is dignified silence. As a fan I don’t believe I have the right to tell you whom you should admire and whom you shouldn’t but I do believe I have the right to give you a glimpse of why thousands of us admire and respect the man we love to call Thala.

 (From behindwoods.com site)

August Month GK Digest

(01)What is the motto of the Olympic Games?

(02)The European City which participated in the bidding for hosting 2012 and 2016 Olympics and got defeated and it is now participating for hosting the 2020 Olympics?

(03)What types of rocks are gneiss, slate and marble?

(04)The number of existing nuclear reactors in India at present is

(05)Manesar was in news recently. It is in the Indian State of

(06)What is “Saimar”?

(07)How many Indian States banned “gutkha” sale so far?

(08)Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) is located in the cities of

(09)The percentage of votes received by Mr. Pranab Mukherjee in the concluded Presidential election

(10)The Pakistan counterpart of Mr. S. M. Krishna is

{For answers (if needed) mail to senthilkumar.murugesan.klk@gmail.com}

Current Events - August I Week

PANEL SET UP TO BEEFUP RURAL CREDIT CO-OPS

          The Reserve Bank of India, constituted a committee to suggest ways to strengthen the rural co-operative credit structure. The panel, headed by Nabard Chairman Prakash Bakshi, will review the existing short-term co-operative credit structure (STCCS), focussing on structural constraints in the rural credit delivery system. It will also explore ways to strengthen the rural co-operative credit architecture. The seven-member panel will make an in-depth analysis of the STCCS, and examine various alternatives with a view to reducing the cost of credit, the RBI said in a release.

It will also look at the feasibility of setting up of a two-tier STCCS as against the existing three-tier structure. The STCCS targets the credit requirement of the small and marginal farmers in the country. It will mainly assess the role played by State and district cooperative banks in fulfilling the requirement of agriculture credit.

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EXPORT SLIDE BY 5.45% IN JUNE

          With the slowdown in the U.S., eurozone, China and Japan continuing, Indian exports have come under tremendous pressure for the second consecutive month with shipments declining by 5.45% in June to$25 billion. Handicrafts, jute, tea and cashew accompanied by coffee were some of the items hit by the decline in exports. Similarly, imports also witnessed a sharp fall of 13.46 per cent at $35.37 billion against $40.8 billion in June 2011, resulting in a narrowing of the trade deficit to $10.3 billion for the month.

The decline in the country’s shipments comes amid India’s economic growth slipping to a nine-year low of 6.5 per cent in 2011-12, and subdued industrial output in the first two months of the current fiscal. 

According to official data released by the Commerce Ministry, exports during the April-June quarter of 2012-13 dipped by 1.7 per cent to $75.2 billion, from $76.5 billion in the same period last fiscal. For instance, imports during the first quarter of this fiscal dipped by 6.10 per cent to $115.25 billion from $122.74 billion in the April-June period of last fiscal. Trade deficit during the quarter stood at $40 billion. Top exporting commodities during the April-June quarter included rice, which increased by 104 per cent, iron ore (40 per cent), oil meal (38 per cent) and spices (35 per cent).

In value terms, exports of petroleum products ($12.9 billion), engineering goods ($14.6 billion), gems and jewellery ($10 billion) and pharmaceutical and readymade garments, too, showed strong growth. Imports of petroleum products touched $41.5 billion during April-June 2012. Other importing sectors which registered growth include gems and silver ($9.4 billion), machinery ($8.5 billion) and electronics ($7.1 billion).

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TN @ 5^TH IN HIV

Tamil Nadu, which even 10 years ago had an alarmingly high incidence of HIV infection, has dropped from third to fifth among states with the largest number of people infected with the deadly virus. Tamil Nadu previously ranked in the top three with 1.54 lakh HIV-positive people, it has now been overtaken by Karnataka (2.45 lakh), and West Bengal (1.67 lakh). Andhra Pradesh, which accounts for 5 lakh of the 24 lakh HIV positive in the country, remains the state with the most number of HIV-infected people, official statistics show.

Number of new HIV cases has come down in TN over the years
2009	2010	2011
27000	23000	20000

Number of HIV positive people
Andhra Pradesh	5lakh
Maharashtra	4.19 lakh
Karnataka	2.45 lakh
West Bengal	1.67 lakh
Tamil Nadu	1.54 lakh

              

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INDIA INTO ‘BHARAT’: 21 STATES WITHOUT POWER

            An overstrained power generation and transmission structure spreading across 21 States of the North, East and North-East regions collapsed, plunging half of the country into darkness, trapping hundreds of miners in Jharkhand and West Bengal and paralysing the movement of inter-State trains. The second massive breakdown in as many days was caused by the continuing grid indiscipline on the part of the State Electricity Boards (SEBs) and power utilities that overdrew power from an already overstretched generation system. Earlier, the northern grid collapsed and it was restored after 15 hours. The Eastern and North-Eastern transmission lines too failed later.

The Power Ministry and the PGCIL were unable to pinpoint the cause of the outage. States were overdrawing power was all that they had to say. Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan refused to adhere to grid discipline and continued to overdraw power despite repeated warnings by the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) and other State centres, posing a serious danger to the safety of the grid. Even more shocking is the fact that most of these States have refused to install under frequency relays (UFRs) for automatic demand management schemes, which could have prevented such a massive failure. Similarly, the States were found to have overdrawn power when the grid frequency was below 49.5 Hz and even 48.8 Hz, in contravention of the orders of the regulatory authority and load despatch centres. 

However, the Punjab government described the charge of overdrawing as absurd, factually baseless and grossly misleading. Such was the scale of power failure that mining operations in Eastern India came to a grinding halt.

The grid collapse took place around affecting Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan and Assam and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The railway network was the worst hit with trains across major parts of the country stopping midway. This is possibly the first time that all three grids have collapsed simultaneously. Supply to the affected regions is being extended from western and southern Grids.

      684 people in 21 States and Union Territories affected. That’s almost 57% of India’s population and around 10% of the world’s.

      3 lakh passengers in 345 trains across 10 states stranded or delayed.

      200 freight trains hit. The real face of Delhi Metro Class: 100 Delhi Metro Trains on all 6 lines stop on their tracks. Services suspended for 2 hours. Commuters stranded underground in 8 trains brought out through emergency door near driver seat.

      780 traffic signals in Delhi go on the blink.

Top Consumers of electricity in India:-

State	Demand (in MW)
Maharashtra	24,181
Gujarat	17, 419
Tamil Nadu	16,080
Andhra Pradesh	15, 801
Karnataka	12, 366
Uttar Pradesh	12, 115
Rajasthan	09, 500
Punjab	07, 950

Northern Grid (9): Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Chandigarh

Northeastern Grid (6): Asom, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura

Eastern Grid (5): West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Sikkim

Data from census 2011 shows that just 67.2% of Indian households use electricity as their primary source of lighting, meaning some 40crore Indians get little or no power on a regular basis. Over 21 crore of people with little or no electricity belong to two states alone – Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Just 16.4% of households in Bihar use electricity to light their houses and just10% in rural Bihar, while this proportion is 36.8% in Uttar Pradesh. Among the other states with abysmally low electricity access are Asom (37%), Odisha (43%), Jharkhand (46%) and West Bengal (55%).

          In contrast, in western and southern India, which were unaffected like this, all states (Except Maharashtra at 84%), have over 90%of their households using electricity as the main source of lighting.

Stalled Projects:-

Power Project	Capacity  (in MW)	Reason for Delay
NPCIL’s Mithvirdi, Gujarat	6000	Environmental clearance
NTPC, Bijapur, Karnataka	4000	Environmental clearance
Saurashtra Coal based, Gujarat	4000	Forest clearance
Reliance Power, Chitranagi, MP	3960	Environmental clearance
NHPC, Dibang valley	3000	Environmental clearance
NPCIL Kudankulam,  Tamil Nadu	2000	Safety concerns/ protests
Coastal Energen, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu	1200	Power purchase agreement with TNEB
Essar, MP	1200	Environmental clearance

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RURAL INDIA’S POOR LIVE ON LESS THAN RS. 17/DAY

          Two decades of economic reforms and drum beating about inclusive growth seem to have failed to change the face of rural India as 10 per cent of the population live on less than Rs 17 a day. According to a government survey released for 2011-12 on household consumer expenditure, "The poorest 10 per cent of India's rural population had an average monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) of Rs 503.49 per month."

Their urban counterparts are only slightly better with daily per capita expenditure of Rs 23.40. As per the National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO) 68th round of survey for the period of July 2011 to June 2012, "The poorest 10 per cent of the urban population had an average MPCE of Rs 702.26." The survey, which was conducted two decades after the economic reforms were launched in 1991, is aimed at measuring the living standards of people in the country.

This is in fact much lower than the poverty line of Rs 28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities and Rs 22.42 in rural areas fixed by the Planning Commission for 2009-11 as released in March this year. In urban areas, it said, 70 per cent of the population live on a daily expenditure of about Rs 43.16. Although the person belonging to the top 20 per cent of population consumes more than Rs 100 a day. As regards the rural areas, the survey said, half of the population was living on a per capita daily expenditure of Rs 34.33. "In rural areas, half of the population belong to households with MPCE below Rs 1,030 and nearly 40 per cent of the rural population had MCPE of below Rs 922," the survey said. The provisional results of the NSS survey are based on sample of 59,070 households in 7,391 villages and 41,602 households in 5,223 urban blocks.

90% of rural Indians spend less than Rs. 68.5 per day person

90%of urban Indians spend less than Rs. 142. 7

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UNION MINISTRY RESHUFFLE

          P. Chidambaram returns to his favourite end of North Block to take charge of the Finance Ministry after three and a half years spent presiding over the Home Ministry. In a minor reshuffle, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the Home portfolio to Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was Power Minister. Simultaneously, Union Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily has been given additional charge of Power.

          The changes were announced through a press communique issued by Rahstrapati Bhavan. The announcement makes clear that the widely anticipated recasting of the Union Council of Ministers will have to wait till September, after the monsoon session of Parliament.

            Mr. Chidambaram is clearly the riding star and is set to play a key role in the two years that remain of the United Progressive Alliance’s term in power. Indeed, after the Prime Minister rationalized the Group of Ministers and the Empowered Group of Ministers, and reconstituted those that remained, after the departure of Pranab Mukherjee for Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Mr. Chidambaram has got the lion’s share: he now heads 7 out of the 15 GoMs and to EGoMs, while Defence Minister Antony chairs 3 EGoMs and 4GoMs. Sharad Pawar heads of 1 EGoM and 3 GoMs. 

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ASHOKE SEN

Indian scientist Ashoke Sen has won the world's biggest prize in physics. Ashoke Sen, a professor at the little known but exclusive Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, was today declared one of the winners of the first Fundamental Physics Prize started by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Sen and eight other scientists will get $3 million each - double of what is given with the Nobel Prize. Seven of the winners are based in the United States, one in France and one in India. Sen has been awarded for his pioneering work on string theory. Yuri Milner made his billions from investments in various Internet based companies including Facebook and Twitter after giving up his job as a researcher at Moscow's Lebedev Physical Institute. He personally selected the winners of this year's award but in future the work would be done by a committee. Ashoke Sen is considered one of original contributors to string theory, a complex mathematical construct which is meant to resolve one of science's biggest mysteries - that gravity as explained by Einstein does not fit in with quantum theory which explains all other forces and particles of nature. Sen has won the ICTP Prize in 1989, the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar award in 1994, the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Infosys prize in Mathematical Sciences in 2009.

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