Reinventing Mobility – The Automotive Industry in India

India has come a long way from the days when the automotive industry in India was characterized by limited choice, old technology, obsolete designs and endless waiting period to be a proud owner of a vehicle.  In sharp contrast, today, India is the seventh largest vehicle manufacturer, the second largest two wheeler manufacturer and the fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world.  The Indian auto industry today churns out a large number of new model and variant launches every year and exports almost 12% of the vehicles produced by it to the most competitive auto markets globally.  Even the bravest analyst could not have taken the risk of making such a bold forecast not so far back in time. 

            The past ten years have witnessed a six fold increase in the auto industry turnover and the automotive exports have grown by almost twenty times.  As a result, the automotive industry today contributes 22% to the manufacturing GDP and 21% of the total excise collection in the  country.   In 2010-11, the total turnover and export of the Automotive Industry in India reached new pinnacle of US $ 73 billion and US $ 11 billion respectively with the cumulative announced investments reaching US $ 30 billion. This sector truly represents a shining example of an effective Industry-Government collaboration and the kind of results that can be achieved in a relatively short span of time with the right kind of support from the Government, combined with the entrepreneurial skills and managerial talent that the Indian Industry has to offer.  Although there seems to be a bit of a slowdown of growth of the auto industry in the recent past, this is just transient and now the industry is fully back on track for achieving the Auto Mission Plan targets for 2016, which were unveiled by the Prime Minister in 2007.

            The growth of the transportation sector also brings with it the challenges associated with rapid depletion and the rising cost of fossil fuels, the impact of vehicles on the environment and climate change.  These are areas of grave concern not only to the Governments around the world but also to industry experts and automobile leaders alike.

            In order to bring about a paradigm shift in transportation, the reinvention will need to happen from the individual firm level to the industry level as a whole duly supported by the Government.  Each individual organization will need to continuously strive to offer completely new products and solutions.  However, inertia and resistance to change, especially when times are good, is the gravest threat as nothing stops an organization faster than people who believe that the way you worked yesterday is the best way to work tomorrow.  The Indian automobile industry will need to pay greater focus on R&D and invest more for sustainable transportation through developing or acquiring newer & better technologies.  This will include the introduction of alternate drives and fuels, especially electric mobility, to lessen the dependence of fossil fuels and also to mitigate the impact of vehicles on the environment and climate change.  In order to help the industry meet these challenges, the government will continue to play a key facilitative and supportive role. 

            In this regard, the required enabling mechanisms for meeting these future challenges are being set up.  In this regard, two very significant initiatives for the automotive sector are being presently undertaken by the Government.  For spurring greater adoption of electric mobility and manufacture of electric vehicles, including full range of hybrid vehicles, the Government has approved the “National Mission for Electric Mobility”.  In order to take this key initiative ahead, the National Council for Electric Mobility (NCEM), with the Union Ministers of all stakeholder Ministries and leaders from the Industry, academia and research institutes as members has already been set up.  In addition, the National Board for Electric Mobility (NBEM), which will assist the National Council,  with secretaries of the stakeholder ministries, industry and academia as its members, has also been created.  This structure will bring on a common platform all the key stakeholders, thereby helping achieve greater synergy, setting common priorities, vision, objectives and also leading to high level ownership for this key future initiative.    The Board has already met once and is likely to meet again soon to finalize their recommendations for setting the National Mission targets for 2020 and the various interventions, investments, policies, programmes, subsidies, incentives and projects that will be required in this regard.

            Globally it is seen that Governments have to play a key catalytic role in spurring research and development for creation and adoption of newer technologies.  Effort made globally for R&D in the area of electric mobility is one such clear example.   Therefore, one of the most important objectives before the Government today is to facilitate collaborative R&D initiatives by bringing together the industry, research institutes and the academia.  The Government of India, with the continued and unflinching support of the Planning Commission, is in advance stages of making available “state of the art” automotive R&D facilities through the flag ship “NATRIP” project.  In order to leverage and maximize the benefits from the huge investments made in setting up of these facilities; it is essential that proper structure is created not only for monitoring & coordinating the synergistic functioning of the various automotive testing centres created and upgraded through NATRIP but also to ensure that these facilities are available for the industry for their developmental needs.  For this purpose, the Government is in the advanced stages of creating the National Automotive Board (NAB).  The NAB will also be the catalyst that will spur collaborative automotive R&D activities by bringing together and crating consortia involving the academia, industry, government automotive testing centres and other research and development facilities in India and abroad for various projects.

            The NAB will be a single umbrella agency, comprising technical & domain experts and having representation from all key stakeholders.  It is envisaged to be the repository of knowledge, data and domain expertise relating to the automotive sector and will also help, aid and advise the various government departments in formulating their strategies, future policies and regulations for the auto Industry.  This agency will play a key role in the transformation of the Indian automotive sector.

Climate change model makes dire predictions for Maharashtra

If climate change goes unmitigated by 2031, Konkan and Northern Maharashtra could be hit hard. Konkan region could get excess rainfall while Northern Maharashtra could become drier and hot, throwing up significant challenges for agriculture and livelihood, an interim report by The Energy and Resources Institute has revealed.

The report pointed out that the coastal districts could get 15 per cent excess rainfall, while districts such as Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon in northern part of the State could be hotter by about 3 degrees Celsius, while Nashik district would be cooler.

In March 2010, Maharashtra government had signed a memorandum of understanding with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for studying climate change.

Senior Officials in Maharashtra government told Business Line that based on the report, pilot studies in six districts, which are vulnerable to climate change would be carried out. “If people’s livelihoods are impacted in a significant manner then funds would be raised from international agencies such as the United Nations, which will help them migrate to an alternatives means of income,” the official said.

Agriculture in Maharashtra has got deep linkages with the economy. Significantly altered rainfall could affect hydrological systems and agricultural productivity. Higher temperature could help agriculture pest breed more. Climate change in the next 20 years could put at risk a significant percentage of the population, the official said.

TERI has sourced Maharashtra’s climate data of last many years and has fed into a computer climate change model, created by the United Kingdom’s Metrological Office. Based on the results of the model, TERI has estimated the impact by 2031 on agriculture, hydrology, marine ecosystems, and forests of Maharashtra.

India, Switzerland sign pact on financial dialogue

India and Switzerland have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that would help foster financial dialogue between the two countries.

The MoU was signed by Ms Chitra Narayanan, Indian Ambassador to Switzerland and Mr Michael Ambuhl, Swiss Department of Finance Secretary, in Berne in Switzerland in the presence of President of India, Ms Pratibha Devisingh Patil, and her Swiss counterpart, Ms Micheline Calmy-Rey.

Through this financial dialogue, the Swiss and Indian authorities will establish regular and privileged contacts in the financial sector to identify common interests and to work together to achieve them, a Swiss Government statement said. The objective of the financial dialogue is to strengthen and intensify cooperation between Switzerland and India in the financial sector.

“The financial dialogue will allow the partner countries to coordinate their positions and work together with organisations and international forums to develop their cooperation in terms of policies and financial market regulation and to strengthen their diagnostic capabilities regarding international macroeconomic developments,” the statement added.

It also said that Switzerland's financial centre was characterised by its openness and its internationalism. “Fostering financial dialogue with important emerging economies will contribute to implementing the strategy of the Federal Council in terms of financial market policy,” the statement said.

PSLV-C18 to put four satellites in orbit

Preparations are on for the lift-off of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) from the spaceport at Sriharikota at 11 a.m. on October 12.

Global tropical weather

The rocket will put four satellites in the orbit: Megha-Tropiques, built by India and France to understand global tropical weather and climate; SRM Sat, built by the students of SRM University, near Chennai; Jugnu, a satellite integrated by students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur; and VesselSat from Luxembourg.

The information sent by the instruments on board the Megha-Tropiques will help understand the behaviour of Indian monsoons and occurrence of cyclones, floods and droughts.

Heat shield

The PSLV has been fully integrated, said K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Tuesday from Bangalore. “The Megha-Tropiques and the three co-passenger satellites have been fully integrated with the vehicle. The heat-shield was closed last morning.” The heat-shield around the satellites protects them from the intense heat during the launch and the vehicle's ascent into the atmosphere. After the rocket reaches a certain altitude, the heat-shield falls off.

Dr. Radhakrishnan said the final checks were under way. “On October 8, we will have a launch rehearsal. The vehicle readiness review will take place on October 9 followed by the Launch Authorisation Board meeting the same day itself. As of now, the launch is scheduled on October 12 at 11 a.m.”

The PSLV-C18 — which will be the 20th PSLV to be launched — is the core-alone version of the four-stage PSLV, without the strap-on booster motors that will put the four satellites in orbit.

Megha-Tropiques (Megha in Sanskrit means cloud and Tropiques in French is tropics) is one of the most advanced and complex satellites built to monitor the weather in the short-term and climate in the long-term in the tropical regions of the world. It is a joint project of ISRO and the French space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

Thermal engine

ISRO officials said the 1,000-kg satellite had been built to investigate the tropical regions which received the maximum energy from the sun than they radiated back into space.

The excess energy received in the tropical region is used as a thermal engine and provides circulation in the atmosphere and the oceans.

‘Life cycle'

“The complex processes between solar radiation, water vapour, clouds, humidity, precipitation and atmospheric motion determine the life-cycle of convective systems and influence the Indian monsoon in the tropical region,” the ISRO officials explained.

From its perch in the sky at an altitude of 867 km, the Megha-Tropiques would help study, on a sustained basis, the rapidly developing weather systems in the entire tropical world. Thus, the information beamed by the Megha-Tropiques will be useful not only to India but to all the countries in the Indian Ocean region and other parts of the world.

Scientific payloads

The satellite has four scientific payloads. The Microwave Analysis and Detection of Rain and Atmospheric Structures (MADRAS), built by ISRO and the CNES, will provide an estimation of rainfall, water vapour, liquid water, ice and surface wind. Scanner for Radiative Budget (SCARAB) will study the radiation received by the earth and reflected by it. The third instrument, Sondeur Atmospherique du Profil d'humidite Intertropicale par Radiometrie (SAPHIR) will investigate the humidity present in the tropical atmosphere.

The CNES has built the SCARAB and the SAPHIR. The GPS-ROS (Global Positioning System- Radio Occultation System) from Italy will study the temperature and humidity at different altitudes.

The ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, integrated the entire satellite.

The 10-kg SRM Satwill help in understanding global warming and pollution by studying carbon-dioxide and carbon-monoxide present in the atmosphere. The three-kg Jugnu has a camera to take pictures of the earth to monitor, vegetation, reservoirs, lakes, and ponds. VesselSat will help in locating the ships in the sea-lanes of the world.

Moody's downgrades SBI over deteriorating asset quality

Global ratings firm Moody's on Tuesday downgraded its rating of State Bank of India's (SBI) financial strength by one notch to ‘D+' on account of the lender's low Tier-I capital ratio and deteriorating asset quality.

“Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the State Bank of India's bank financial strength rating (BFSR), or standalone rating, to ‘D+' from ‘C—',” the agency said in a statement.

As per Moody's, a ‘D' rating suggest “modest intrinsic financial strength, potentially requiring some outside support at times,” while a ‘C' rating denotes “adequate intrinsic financial strength.''

Moody's cited a likely rise in the bank's non-performing assets in the near future as one of the reasons for the downgrade. “The rating action considers SBI's capital situation and deteriorating asset quality. Our expectations that NPAs are likely to continue rising in the near term — due to higher interest rates and a slower economy — have caused us to adopt a negative view on SBI's creditworthiness,” Moody's Vice-President and Senior Credit Officer Beatrice Woo said. The standalone rating for SBI's private sector competitors such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, stands at ‘C—'

“The revised rating maps to a baseline credit assessment (BCA) of Baa3. As a result of the lower BCA, the hybrid debt rating was downgraded to Ba3(hyb) from Ba2(hyb).

“The revised BFSR carries a stable outlook and the hybrid rating a negative outlook,” Moody's said, adding that other credit ratings of the bank are unaffected.

The ratings downgrade puts pressure on the government to infuse capital in the country's largest lender as soon as possible.

“Notwithstanding our expectations that SBI's capital ratios will soon be restored through a capital infusion by the government, SBI's efforts to secure this capital for the better part of the year demonstrates the bank's limited ability to manage its capital,” the Vice-President said.

Soaring NPAs

SBI's NPAs reached a three-year high of 3.52 per cent of loans for the quarter ended June 30.

“Against the backdrop of a slowing economy and higher interest rates, the rising trend evident in SBI's new NPA formation rate since the third quarter of 2010-11 will continue. Therefore, Moody's expects SBI's potential credit costs will be relatively high in the near-term. NPA — as a percentage of the bank's Tier-I capital ratio — is now about 43 per cent,” the agency said. Moody's said that under a stress scenario, which assumed a gross NPA ratio of 12.07 per cent, SBI would require $8 billion to replenish its Tier-I capital ratio to 8 per cent.

India to train Afghan forces

In a major development, India has agreed to mentor the Afghan security forces as they gear up to deal with the drawdown of foreign forces by 2014.

The proposal has been on the drawing board for six years since Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai first suggested it, but was not implemented as Pakistan was uncomfortable with the idea of India-trained forces on both its flanks.

The proposal to train the Afghan National Security Forces was included in the first-ever Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) signed on Tuesday by Mr. Karzai and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their third extensive meeting this year.

India has started stepping up its exposure to the security scenario in Afghanistan by operationalising an airbase in Tajikistan, which has since been used to strike at the top leadership of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. It has also sought permission to reopen a hospital at Farkhor on the Afghan border.

The two sides would also cooperate more closely at the United Nations, one of the objectives being to help India gain a permanent seat on the Security Council.

In addition to dealing with political and security cooperation aspects, the SPA spells out trade and economic cooperation in much greater detail, covering aspects ranging from assisting Afghanistan in developing trading routes to exploring for hydrocarbons and mineral ores the country is abundantly endowed with.

This means both countries will try to operationalise their trilateral MoU signed with Iran to end Afghanistan's landlocked isolation and dependence on Pakistan to reach the sea. It brightens India's chances of bagging a lucrative mining contract for Hajigak, said to be the region's largest untapped reserve of iron ore, and provides an opportunity to hunt for oil in northern Afghanistan. Two MoUs — one in the field of mineral exploration and the other for the development of hydrocarbons — reflected the interest of both sides in these areas.

Releasing the SPA in four languages — Hindi, Pashto, Dari and English — the two sides also resolved to create a favourable trading and investment environment by simplifying customs and other procedures, starting air cargo operations and improving credit and insurance facilities.

As Dr. Singh and Mr. Karzai made it clear, the pact would not be directed against any state or a group of states.

“The agreement on a Strategic Partnership creates an institutional framework for our future cooperation in the fields of political and security , trade and economic cooperation, capacity building and education, and social, cultural, civil society and people-to-people relations,” Dr. Singh explained in his statement to the media at the signing ceremony at the Hyderabad House.

Mr. Karzai's visit comes in the wake of the high-profile assassinations of the former Afghan President, Burhanuddin Rabbani, and Kandahar Provincial Council chief Ahmad Wali Karzai when they were engaged in the peace process.

Birsa Agriculture varsity to study climate change

In an apparent bid to bring in more accuracy in weather forecast, Birsa Agriculture University (BAU), Kanke (Ranchi) has signed an agreement with Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) for sharing of statistical data related to climate and environmental classifications of eastern India.

The memorandum for mutual cooperation was signed in Kolkata in presence of newly appointed BAU Vice-Chancellor MP Pandey, BAU Director Research BN Singh and Anjana Dewanji, Professor-in-Charge; Biological Science Division of the ISI inked the deal on behalf of their respective institutes.
The agriculture university would be using the ISI database for the next five years to assess the impact of climatic change on agriculture in Jharkhand.
ISI, Kolkata, Director Bimal K Roy said the students and teachers of the BAU could use the institute’s expertise in the fiend of statistics during the period of agreement.
ISI has been operating a research station for studying the impact of climate on agriculture at Jharkhand’s Giridih district since 1989.

15 States, UTs still have no SHRCs

Many states including Delhi and Haryana and some Union Territories (UTs) are still to set up State Human Right Commissions (SHRCs) or fill up vacancies of Members and Chairpersons.
Beside Delhi, the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura do not have SHRCs. The other three states which do not have SHRCs are Goa, Haryana and Uttarakhand.
Fifteen states and Union Territories have not set up SHRC Commissions, while the panels existing in nine states have no full time Chairpersons or Members.
According to the documents of NHRC, worst is the case of Himachal Pradesh which is "non-functional" since July 2005 due to non-filling of posts of Chairperson and Members.
Under Section 21 of The Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993, State Human Rights Commissions are required to be constituted by state governments.
According to a senior NHRC official, five of nine state commissions have no full time Chairpersons. Out of the nine, five states — Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Rajasthan —do not even have acting Chairpersons.
Noting that the NHRC can only "persuade" and "not force" state governments, the official said, "We have SHRCs in 20 states but only 11 have full time Chairpersons. We feel that the spirit of the Act has to be replicated in all states."
NHRC statistics says that 2,525 complaints were received at the Commission from Delhi in the past six months since April. "Of these, 534 cases are yet to be disposed off. We are dealing with all the cases," the official said.
In 2010-11, the Commission received 5,929 cases out of which 232 are still pending and the figures for 2009-10 were 5,228 and 54.

India, Switzerland ink financial treaty

India and Switzerland have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) related to bilateral cooperation on financial matters.
The agreement signed by Indian Ambassador to Switzerland Chitra Narayanan and Swiss Department of Finance Secretary Michael Ambuhl comes close on the heels of the signing of an amending protocol to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
The MoU was signed on Monday in the presence of President Pratibha Patil, who is on a state visit, and her Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmi-Rey, reports IANS.
"With the signature of the memorandum of understanding, the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and India's Ministry of Finance have laid the foundations for fostering financial dialogue between the two countries," the Swiss government said in a press communiqué.
In the MoU, Bern agrees to coordinate with New Delhi on their positions and work together within organisations and international forums to develop their cooperation in terms of policies and financial market regulation and to strengthen their diagnostic capabilities regarding international macroeconomic developments.

Myanmar was Banned by FIFA for the 2018 World Cup Football

Myanmar was banned from taking part in qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup and fined 25000 Swiss francs (28000 US dollars) by FIFA on 30 September 2011. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) banned Myanmar because of the trouble caused by the crowd in 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Oman on 28 July 2011.

Myanmar was trailing 2-0 in the second leg in its capital Yangon when the crowd became violent just before the end of the first half. FIFA immediately awarded Oman a 2-0 victory over Myanmar. The game was stopped after the fans threw rocks and glass bottles at the Oman football coach Paul Le Guen and the Oman players.
The matter was subsequently referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, and their decision is as follows: 
1. The Myanmar Football Federation is regarded as having breached art. 65 b) and c) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and being liable for the improper conduct of supporters in violation of art. 4 par. 5 lit a) and 6 par. 5 of the Regulations 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and art. 65 b) and c) as well as art. 67 par. 1 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

2. The Myanmar Football Federation is excluded from taking part in the matches of the preliminary competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

3. The costs of these proceedings of  2,000 Swiss francs are to be borne by the Myanmar Football Federation.
The 2018 world cup football is scheduled to take place in Russia.

Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports Announced the Decision to Set Up NISSM

The ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports on 1 October 2011 announced the decision to set up the National Institute of Sports Science and Medicine (NISSM). NISSM will have its premises at the Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium in New Delhi. The institute will aim at fostering disciplines like Physiology, Nutrition, Psychology, Anthropometry, Nutrition, Biochemistry and Sports medicine.

NISSM is modeled on the lines of China Institute of Sports Sciences (CISS). The decision to set up the institute was taken during the visit of Indian President to China on 27 May 2010.

NISSM will be registered as Society under Societies Registration Act by 1 November 2011. This institute will be headed by a Director equivalent to a Vice- Chancellor of a Central University.  A search committee will be appointed to identify and recommend the name of person to Head this Institute. The NISSM will work in close partnership with national and international partners from USA, UK, China, South Korea, Australia, Germany and South Africa.

NISSM will function under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It will also provide evaluation, performance and assessment related advice to sportspersons and start high quality research in the field of sports medicine and sports sciences.

The Assam Government Launched the Social Auditing Programme of Gram Panchayats

The Assam government launched the social auditing programme of Gram Panchayats  at Aamlokhi Gram Panchay under Baajia Development Block in Nagaon district on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti(2 October 2011). The government launched the programme to ensure transparency and check corruption in Panchayat Raj institutions. It is considered as a tool through which Government Departments can plan, manage and measure their functions, efficiency and consequences.

A total of 2202 Gram Panchayats under 219 Blocks will be covered under the audit. On the first day one panchayat each in 219 Development Blocks will be audited at public meeting where citizens can raise objections on implement of various rural development schemes.

The United States Issued a World Wide Travel Alert to its Citizens

The United States on 1 October 2011 issued a world-wide travel alert to its citizens, warning of a heightened risk of violence in the wake of the killing of key al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki. The US-born radical Islamist cleric was killed by US drones in Yemen on 30 September 2011.

The state department has warned that his death would provide motivation for retaliation against US interests. US-born propagandist Samir Khan was also killed in the drone attack.

New electronics policy aims to create 2.8 crore jobs

Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday unveiled the draft National Policy on Electronics, 2011, aimed at achieving a turnover of $400 billion for the sector by 2020, which involved investment of about $100 billion, besides creating employment for 2.8 crore people. The final policy is likely to come by December this year.

“At the current rate of growth, the domestic production can cater to a demand of only $100 billion in 2020 as against demand of $400 billion and the rest would have to be met by imports…a demand-supply gap of nearly $300 billion. Unless the situation is corrected, it is likely that by 2020 the electronics import may far exceed oil imports,” Mr. Sibal said after unveiling the draft.

“The National Policy of Electronics-2011 envisions creating a globally competitive electronics systems design and manufacturing (ESDM) industry, including nano-electronics, to meet the country's needs and serve the international market. This is a quantum jump from production level of about $20 billion in 2009. This inter alia, includes achieving a turnover of $55 billion of chip design and embedded software industry, and $80 billion of exports,” he pointed out.

Mr. Sibal also said the policy was also aimed at making India the hub of electronic manufacturing. “The policy proposes setting up of over 200 electronic manufacturing clusters (EMCs) and providing assistance for setting up of greenfield EMCs and upgradation of brownfield EMCs…I have talked to chief ministers and ministers regarding finding a place for setting up such clusters,” he added.

India and Thailand to Collaborate in Whether Forecasting and Tsunami Warning System

India and Thailand will collaborate in whether forecasting and Tsunami Warning System.This was discussed between Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Planning and the Mr. Suraswadi Plodprasop, Minister for Science and Technology, Thailand in a meeting at Tokyo. Both the Ministers are attending the 8th Annual Meeting of STS Forum on “Science & Technology for the future of Humankind”. The Science and Technology Minister of Thailand expressed a keen desire to collaborate with India in the field of oceanography and earth science in general. He expressed deep appreciation for India’s scientific and technological whether forecasting capabilities and wanted a regional scientific and technological collaboration in the field of whether forecasting and the tsunami warning systems. Dr. Kumar invited the Thai minister to see the functioning of INCOIS in Hyderabad and for further consultation with the Earth scientists in India.

Dr. Kumar and the Science and Technology Minister of Thailand further discussed ways and means to work closely for security and stability in South East Asia. Both the ministers expressed the hope for improving road connectivity between India, Thailand and other adjoining countries to promote greater economic integration between countries of South East Asia and increased people to people contact. Dr Kumar informed the Thai minister of historic links between India and Thailand and offered to pursue all initiatives that would enhance the traditional friendly ties between the two countries.

Dr Ashwani Kumar also met Dr. Mauro Dell’ Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education and Research, Switzerland. The Swiss Minister expressed deep appreciation for the strides taken by India in the field of futuristic science and technology. He expressed a keen desire to further deepen the Science and Technology cooperation between India and Switzerland particularly in the area of chemistry, bio-technology and life sciences. Dr. Kumar invited the minister to visit India and to identify key areas of Indo-Swiss scientific and technological collaboration.

Sharks in trouble worldwide

Sharks are in big trouble on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and worldwide, according to scientists who claim to have developed the world’s first way to measure rates of decline in shark population.

“There is mounting evidence of widespread, substantial, and ongoing declines in the abundance of shark populations worldwide, coincident with marked rises in global shark catches in the last half-century,” said lead scientist Mizue Hisano at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

He added, “Overfishing of sharks is now recognised as a major global conservation concern, with increasing numbers of shark species added to the International Union for the Conservation of nature’s list of threatened species.

“First, many countries with coral reefs don’t keep reliable records of catches or fishing effort. Second, around 75 per cent of the world shark catch consists of illegal and unreported finning. Third, sharks may be caught, discarded, and not reported when fishers are targeting other species.”

The scientists have developed several alternative models, which combined birth rates and growth rates for sharks with a variety of different methods for estimating mortality.

They then used state-of-the-art statistical methods to combine the uncertainty associated with each of these methods and arrive at a more robust long-term population prediction for two GBR shark species -- the grey reef shark and the whitetip reef shark.

As a further check on their results, the scientists used their population projections to see how well their models could explain differences in shark abundances on fished and unfished reefs, based on how long the unfished reefs had been protected.

The team found that results obtained by all methods of assessing shark populations were in close agreement that sharks are declining rapidly due to fishing.

“Our different approaches all painted a surprisingly consistent picture of the current state of population decline, but also of the potential recovery of these species if they are adequately protected.

“More broadly, we believe that our study demonstrates that this approach may be applied to a broad range of exploited species for which direct estimates of mortality are ambiguous or lacking, leading to improved estimates of population growth,” Hisano said.

The findings have been published in the latest edition of the ‘PLos ONE’ journal.

China launches space lab module

China on September 29 evening successfully launched its first space laboratory module, a key first step in its objective of becoming only the third country, after Russia and the United States, to assemble its own space station by 2020.

The unmanned module, launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China, will dock with a spacecraft, Shenzhou-8 after orbiting the earth for about a month, officials said. The 8.5-tonne Tiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace, laboratory module has a 15 cubic metre space where two or three astronauts can work and live, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The launch of the module, analysts said, reflected China’s rising ambitions as a major space power, with the country seen as only trailing the U.S. and Russia in its capabilities. Both the U.S. and Russia launched their space stations more than three decades ago.

A commentary in the State-run Xinhua news agency hailed the launch as “the latest showcase of the nation’s growing prowess in space, and comes while budget restraints and economic tailspin have held back the once dominant U.S. space missions.”

The launch was timed to coincide with a national holiday, which will be celebrated this weekend on October 1. The recent successes of the space programme have been frequently framed by the Communist Party’s official media as underscoring the country’s status among an elite group of global powers, as well as the technological advancements achieved under its rule.

According to Zhang Shancong, deputy chief designer of Tiangong-1, the module would be used to take hyperspectral images of China’s farmlands to detect heavy metal pollution, residue of pesticides and plant diseases, Xinhua reported.

The module was carried by a Long March-2FT1 rocket, a modified version of a rocket that earlier had a failed launch.

The launch of the module is a milestone for China’s rapidly growing home-grown space industry, which has, in recent months, made waves by spreading its interests overseas. China has, in recent years, offered its Long March rockets to launch more than 20 satellites for a number of countries, according to reports in the official media.

Most recently, China launched Pakistan’s first communications satellite, last month, seen as marking a deepening in technological ties between the two countries.

The PAKSAT-1R, sent into orbit from western Sichuan on a Long March-3B carrier rocket, was developed and launched with the help of the government-supported China Great Wall Industry Corporation (GWIC), which has reached out to developing countries, offering both technological expertise and financial assistance to help their space programmes.

China has also joined an elite group of nations in launching its own global navigation system, called Compass or Beidou, which will function similar to the American Global Positioning System (GPS), and will be used by both the Chinese military and to develop the telecommunications industry.

China’s increasing investments in its space and satellite programme, which serve both military and civilian purposes, has stirred debate over the country’s possible strategic motivations.

Responding to concerns voiced by some countries that the Tianggong-1 launch “would possibly lead to a new wave of space race,” a Xinhua commentary published on Thursday responded, “China is neither the first country to seek explorations in outer space, nor the country with the most advanced technology, [so] it seems incomprehensible that China should cause concern to others.”

Environment, biodiversity and Gandhiji

The world is preparing to celebrate yet another milestone in 2012 through the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). This marks the 40th anniversary of the Stockholm Summit (1972) on human development and environment, and the 20th anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or the Earth Summit 1992). There cannot be a more important event in this decade to define sustainable development and what it means for the common man, as we constantly define and re-define living standards and poverty indicators at the local, national and global levels.

India should take pride in being one of the few countries in the world that genuinely engages in debates related to environment and development. This engagement comes from both its challenges and opportunities. With a current economy that is resilient and an ecology that is fragile, India is still looking for ways to achieve sustainable development as it was defined at the Stockholm Summit — development that is economically sound, socially relevant and environment-friendly. Recent debates on whether development should be at the cost of environmental degradation or environmental protection at the cost of development are still fresh in memory. Hopefully, these will continue for years to come since India's development story is still to mature to give any definitive answers. The only caution here is not to learn the lessons too late.

India's interest in leading the global agenda on environment in general and biodiversity (the variety of life on earth that ranges from all the plants, animals, microbes and other living systems) in particular is globally recognised. Being a mega-biodiverse country, India is sitting on a much larger treasure trove than any other country. This treasure is genuine, and will be perpetual if we invest in its safe-keep and ensure that it is held by the resource-poor rather than the rich. The country is yet to wake up to understand the potential of this natural capital and invest in safeguarding it so that biological resources could transform the country's economic equations completely. With such an opportunity, India's response to leading the global agenda on this particular issue has to be recognised.

Major event

This is perhaps why it is going to host one of the largest environment/biodiversity events in the history of humankind: the 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP 11) in October 2012. With almost near-global membership, the Convention on Biological Diversity is hailed as the most progressive multilateral environmental agreement that offers a unique opportunity to operationalise the principles of sustainable development. India will influence the global agenda on this issue to a significant degree from 2012 until 2014. Preparations are in full swing to live up to the expectations of the world with regard to India's role and relevance in the conservation of natural resources, their sustainable use and the equitable sharing of the benefits of such use. But is this role something that India took upon itself recently? Perhaps not.

The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, perhaps foresaw as early as in the 1920s the developments in the context of sustainable development in 2012. As writers and philosophers, and admirers and critics of Gandhi admit, here is a man whose vision was so forward-looking and inclusive that almost all of what we intend to define and re-define, and at the same time struggle to realise, was noted, analysed, linked and suggested by this great human being decades before.

As a countdown to CBD COP 11 (October 2012) and an insight into the relevance of what Gandhiji said and practised in relation to managing the environment and natural resources, this article attempts to find better meanings to what was said by him, and relate his vision to today's realities and challenges as well as opportunities that exist for India.

John Arden said: “To not to think of dying is not to think of living.” Environmentalism is perhaps a good example to relate this to. Environmentalism is facing a huge challenge of not only being relevant but also being influential. Global assessments indicate that though biodiversity provides for almost all the goods and services for our living, it has not found its way into the lexicon of the common man yet. It is a resource that is given, under-valued and over-utilised. Biological diversity underpins the very survival of humans on earth, and is the basis for development and peace. However, natural resources and biodiversity are exploited to such an extent that resources are lost forever, unlike elements of climate change that can be reversed through mitigation and adaptation action.

Gandhiji's famous quote, “the earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed,” is such a perfect summation of the principles of ethics and justice, as elaborated under justice in exchange, distributive justice, corrective justice and retributive justice. India is perhaps one of the first countries to enact a national legislation that considers these principles through the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.

Distinguishing between the needs and wants of human society, the Gandhian vision and philosophy are finding new breath in today's discourses related to reducing consumerism, respect for nature and ensuring equitable development. CBD COP 11 will focus on biological resources and their role in livelihood security. The agenda for a ministerial discussion during the CBD COP 11 meeting will focus on conserving natural resources that underpin securing lives for the local people. Gandhiji's focus on sustainable development came decades before we understood the meaning of such development. Sanitation, maternal health, primary education, gender balance, reduction of hunger, and ensuring partnerships for development formed the basis for Gandhi's life and practice long before the Millennium Development Goals were designed. His antyodaya approach is something that will remain the basis for sustainable development not just in 2012 but many decades and centuries to come.

The issue of inter-generational equity that forms the basis of our discourse on sustainable development was aptly captured by Gandhi thus: “The earth, the air, the land and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children. So we have to hand over to them at least as it was handed over to us.” The practice today is exactly the opposite for many. Enjoy what you have as tomorrow is not certain. How do we reconcile such change of attitudes?

Time to commemorate

On his 142nd birth anniversary, let us commemorate his ideals and principles by reflecting on the following in the context of our preparations to tell the world that India is proud to have a profound philosopher whose vision about conservation and development will shape our world for the coming centuries. Let us move our environmental management and conservation action to the rural villages where it means and matters to people, practise reducing multiplicity of wants, balance rural development with urban growth, ensure democracy and governance to manage our natural resources, act in a decentralised manner, and practise the economy of permanence.

We do have a great tool in hand to achieve this. The Biological Diversity Act of 2002 that deals with decentralised governance and management of biological resources, attempts to work at the level of the panchayat to make rural livelihoods secure, suggests balancing of conservation with sustainable use, applies the principles of ethics and equity, and promotes the economics of permanence through varied partnerships. Where we tend to fail is in ignoring such tools and frameworks that we have in hand and continuing to search for the perfect solution outside such a framework.