Indian cop wins UN's international female peacekeeper award

Indian police Inspector Shakti Devi of the Jammu & Kashmir Police has been named recipient of a prestigious International Female Police Peacekeeper Award by the UN's police division.

She is awarded this award for her "exceptional achievements" in her duty with the UN mission in Afghanistan, including her efforts towards helping victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

The award was delivered during the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) conference held earlier this month in Winnipeg, Canada.

Currently she is deployed in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Contribution of Inspector Shakti Devi in Afghanistan:

• Devi had played important role in the establishment of Women Police Councils in several parts of Afghanistan.
• She has also contributed to the improvement of the status of female police and has effectively helped the police of Afghanistan move towards achieving their goals of fully adopting democratic principles of policing.
• She played important role in improving the service for victims of sexual and gender-based violence has led to successful investigation and prosecution.

About the award:

The honour is a competitive award given to an outstanding female police peacekeeper serving in a UN peace operation.

The objectives of the award are

1. To promote an understanding of police in peace operations throughout the world.
2. Highlight the efforts of female police in global peace operations.
3. Increase understanding of the roles of women officers in various countries and encourage participation in UN peace operations by all countries of the world.

It is also aimed at promoting membership in the UN International Female Police Peacekeepers Network and increasing international understanding and awareness of women in international police peacekeeping and in the network.

The award is organised in collaboration with the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) Awards programme and delivered during its annual conference.

India and UN peacekeeping operations:

India is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.

India has contributed more than 170,000 troops in 43 out of 69 peacekeeping missions mandated by the United Nations Security Council so far.

The UN owes India USD 110 million, the second highest outstanding payment to any country, for costs relating to peacekeeping operations and troops.

The Aral Sea loses it Eastern Lobe: NASA’s Earth Observatory

In October 2014, NASA’s Earth Observatory claimed that Aral Sea, has dried and is at the verge of vanish.

As per NASA’s observatory, the sea is now just a vast toxic desert and its disappearance is also affecting the local climate.

Recently the Earth Observatory posted some images that show the extent of the lake’s recession over past 14 years. The released image of Aral Sea was taken by NASA’s Terra satellite in August 2014 and was released on 2 October 2014.

The damage was recorded the most in 2014, as the eastern lobe of the South Aral Sea that is the center of the original lake has dried completely. The researchers have predicted that Aral Sea will be vanished completely by 2020.

NASA reveled this by comparing pair of images taken from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite.

This images shows that the sea without its eastern lobe taken on August 19, 2014 and compared to the approximate location of the shoreline in 1960 (black outline).

 Image acquired on 24^th August 2014

Image acquired on 25^th August 2000.

About Aral Sea

The Aral Sea is an endorheic basin containing the remnants of a large lake lying between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south.

The name “Aral” translates as "Sea of Islands", referring to about 1,534 islands that once dotted its waters in Uzbek.

Formerly it was one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km²; the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects. 

By 2007, the lake declined to 10 percent of its original size by splitting into four lakes, namely the North Aral Sea, the eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea and one smaller lake between the North and South Aral Seas.

Further, by 2009, the southeastern lake had disappeared and the southwestern lake had retreated to a thin strip at the extreme west of the former southern sea.

Cause of its disappearance

Aral Sea is fed by two rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, till 1960s.

These two rivers brought snowmelt from mountains to the southeast and local rainfall to the sea.

But in 1960s, the erstwhile Soviet Union diverted the water of the two rivers through canals and dams to supply agriculture of cotton and other agricultural products in the region, leading to stoppage of water into Aral Sea.

Impact of vanishing Aral on environment, economy, and public health

The ecosystems of the Aral Sea and the river deltas feeding into it have been nearly destroyed, not least because of the much higher salinity.

The receding sea has left huge plains covered with salt and toxic chemicals – the results of weapons testing, industrial projects, and pesticides and fertilizer runoff – which are picked up and carried away by the wind as toxic dust and spread to the surrounding area.

The land around the Aral Sea is heavily polluted, and the people living in the area are suffering from a lack of fresh water and health problems, including high rates of certain forms of cancer and lung diseases.

Respiratory illnesses, including tuberculosis (most of which is drug resistant) and cancer, digestive disorders, anaemia, and infectious diseases are common ailments in the region.

Liver, kidney, and eye problems can also be attributed to the toxic dust storms. Health concerns associated with the region are a cause for an unusually high fatality rate amongst vulnerable parts of the population.

The child mortality rate is 75 in every 1,000 newborns and maternity death is 12 in every 1,000 women.

Crops in the region are destroyed by salt being deposited onto the land. Vast salt plains exposed by the shrinking Aral have produced dust storms, making regional winters colder and summers hotter.

The Aral Sea fishing industry, which in its heyday had employed some 40,000 and reportedly produced one-sixth of the Soviet Union's entire fish catch, has been devastated, and former fishing towns along the original shores have become ship graveyards.

The town of Moynaq in Uzbekistan had a thriving harbor and fishing industry that employed about 30,000 people; now it lies miles from the shore.

Fishing boats lie scattered on the dry land that was once covered by water; many have been there for 20 years.

The only significant fishing company left in the area has its fish shipped from the Baltic Sea, thousands of kilometers away.

First Ebola case diagnosed in the US

The United States in last week of September 2014 diagnosed its first case of the deadly Ebola virus.

The person was diagnosed for the disease after being hospitalised with the symptoms that were confirmed to be caused by Ebola. 

As per the US health officials, the person became infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia and traveled to Texas, US.

The patient left Liberia on 19 September 2014. The symptoms of the virus on the patient became apparent on 24 September 2014. He was admitted to hospital in Texas on 28 September 2014 and since then has been put in isolation.

In short about Ebola virus:

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage.
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva.
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 70%.
• Incubation period is two to 21 days.
• There is no proven vaccine or cure.
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery.
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host.

India and the US to boost strategic ties

On 29th September 2014, India and the United States issued Vision Statement to boost strategic ties.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued vision Statement titled “Chalein Saath-Saath: Forward Together We Go” after he met US President Barack Obama at the dinner at White House in Washington DC.

This joint statement aims to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between the largest and oldest democracies in the world.

It also sought to benefit of not only the two nations but also for the benefit of the world.

Key highlights of the Vision Statement:

• Security and fight terrorism: Both the countries would cooperate in security and fight terrorism. It is called for an inclusive rule based global order in which India will assume greater multilateral responsibility, including a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• Climate change: Both the countries also determined to work together to tackle the threat of climate change. The two countries also committed to cooperate to address the consequences of unchecked pollution through cooperation among governments, science and academic communities of both the nations.
• Energy: Both the countries will partner to ensure that they have affordable, clean, reliable, and diverse sources of energy, including efforts to bring American-origin nuclear power technologies to India.
• Economy & Trade: Two countries would also work to ensure that economic growth brought better livelihoods for all people. The vision statement also stressed the importance of open markets and fair and transparent practices to allow trade to flourish.
• Health: The joint statement also called for jointly countering the infectious diseases, eliminate maternal and child deaths, and work to eradicate poverty for all and ensure the fullest empowerment of women in a secure environment.
• Political: Both the nation highlighting the mission of their founding fathers emphasised to provide equal opportunity for our people through democracy and freedom.
• Nuclear disarmament and Civil Nuclear deal: The statement also committed to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and reduce the salience of nuclear weapons so as to promote universal, verifiable, and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament.

Afghanistan signed Bilateral Security Agreement with the US

On 30^th September 2014, Afghanistan signed Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US. The main aim of agreement is to allow some US troops to remain in the country till 2015.

National Security Adviser of Afghanistan Mohammad Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador James Cunningham signed BSA at the presidential palace of Afghanistan in Kabul.

Signing of the BSA was the first act of the new government in Afghanistan headed by President Ashraf Ghani who was sworn-in on 29 September 2014.

Key features of Bilateral Security Arrangement (BSA):

• After December 2014, 12000 foreign military personnel will stay in Afghanistan when the combat mission of Afghanistan's US-led NATO force ends.
• After the end combat mission of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in December 2014, 10000 US soldiers will remain in Afghanistan. 
• American troops will continue training, advising and equipping Afghan soldiers and police, and to carry out counter-terrorism operations.
• This agreement will allow US to hold a civil or criminal trial or take other disciplinary action, as appropriate, in the territory of Afghanistan in the case that a US soldier is accused of a crime.
• It does not require US forces to intervene if Afghanistan comes under foreign attack.
• Foreign troops would not be able to enter holy sites or civilian homes. This was considered as a longstanding demand of former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
• The US has the right to keep bases in Afghanistan as long as the security pact is in force, and in return it promises to raise funds to train and equip the Afghan security forces, which now number 350000.

Background for signing this agreement:

Talks on the security agreement began in November 2012. The aim of these talks was to reach an agreement by May 2013.

However, former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai had refused to sign the deal in a disagreement that came to symbolise the breakdown of Afghan-US relations.

During the poll campaign trail, both Ghani and his poll rival Abdullah Abdullah had vowed to reverse Karzai's decision.

The signing of the deal by newly elected President Ashraf Ghani is intended to fix  the ties with United States.

Ms. J Jayalalithaa jailed for 4 years in Disproportionate Assets Case, fined Rs.100 crore

On 27^th September 2014, then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was held guilty in a disproportionate assets case by a special court in Bangalore.

Special Judge John Michael Cunha convicted her and three others - Sasikala and her relatives V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Illavarasi guilty.

This court sentenced J. Jayalalithaa, 4 years of simple imprisonment with Rs 100 crore fine under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Her co-accused were sentenced to 4 years of simple imprisonment with a fine Rs 10 crore each. The failure of payment of the fine would result in another additional year of sentence.

Ms. J Jayalalithaa has become the first serving chief minister to be convicted in a 

Disproportionate Assets Case and to step down on account of a court sentence.

Pronouncing the order, the special Judge held Jayalalithaa guilty of amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of her income under

• Section 109 Indian Penal Code (IPC).
• Section 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
• Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Section 13 i.e. Criminal misconduct by a public servant of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

A public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct if he/she accepts or obtains or agrees to accept or attempts to obtain

• while holding office as a public servant, obtains for any person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage without any public interest; or
• if he
  1. by corrupt or illegal means, obtains for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage; or
  2. by abusing his position as a public servant, obtains for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage; or
• if he dishonestly or fraudulently misappropriates or converts for his own use any public property entrusted to him or under his control as a public servant or allows any other person so to do; or
• any valuable thing without consideration or for a consideration which he knows to be inadequate from any person whom he knows to have been; or
• any gratification illegaly or
• If he or any person on his behalf, is in possession resources or property disproportionate to his known sources of income.

As per this Act, "known sources of income" means income received from any lawful source and such receipt has been intimated in accordance with the provisions of any law, rules or orders for the time being applicable to a public servant.

• Any public servant who commits criminal misconduct shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall be not less than one year but which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine.

What is this case about?

Ms. J Jayalalithaa, three-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu was accused of misusing her office during her first tenure as chief minister during 1991-96 to amass properties worth Rs 66.65 crores and depositing the amount in her benami accounts.

The assets under the purview of the case are the farm houses and bungalows in Chennai, agricultural land in Tamil Nadu, a farm house in Hyderabad, a tea estate in the Nilgiris, valuable jewelry, industrial sheds, cash deposits and investments in banks and investments and a set of luxury cars.

In 1996, Dr Subramanian Swamy, then the leader of Janta Party, filed complaint against Jayalalitha alleging that during her tenure as chief minister from 1991 to 1996, she amassed properties worth Rs 66.65 crores disproportionate to her known sources of income.

In 1997, raid at her Poes garden residence recovered 800 kg (1,800 lb) silver, 28 kg (62 lb) gold, 750 pairs of shoes, 10,500 sarees, 91 watches and other valuables.

Case trial:

The court’s verdict in this case was given after an 18-years the case was filed.

The time-line of this case is as follows:

• 14 June 1996- Subramanian Swamy files complaint against Jayalalitha against the amassed wealth.
• 18 June 1996- The then DMK led government registeres First Investigation Report (FIR) against Jayalalithaa.
• 21 June 1996- On the directions of Principal Sessions Court, Latika Saran, the then DSP of Tamil Nadu investigates the complaint.
• 4 June 1997- Chargesheet filed in the case against four of the accused Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran.
• 21 October 1997- The special court frames charges against all the accused.
• 14 May 2001- Jayalalithaa led ADMK comes back to power in Tamil Nadu.
• 28 February 2003- K. Anbazhagan, the secretary of DMK, files appeal in Supreme Court to transfer proceedings outside Tamil Nadu quoting fair trial.
• 18 November 2003- Supreme Court orders the trial to be moved Bangalore, Karnataka.
• March 2005- Trial commences in special court in Bangalore.
• December 2010 to February 2011- Re-examination of witnesses by prosecution.
• 20, 21 October and 22, 23 November 2011- Jayalalithaa appears in person in court and answers questions.
• 13 August 2012- Special Public Prosecutor, B.V. Acharya resigns quoting efforts transferring him.
• 2 February 2013- G. Bhawani Singh appointed as the special public prosecutor.
• 26 August 2013- Karnataka government removes G. Bhawani Singh as prosecutor.
• 07 September 2013- Supreme court reinstates G. Bhawani Singh as the judge.
• 28 August 2014- Trial concludes and court decides 20 September as the date of sentence.
• 16 September 2014- Court allows appeal of Jayalalithaa to move proceedings to different court and sentence to 27 September on the grounds of security.
• 27 September 2014- Court pronounces verdict - all four convicted were sentenced. Jayalalithaa is presently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara central jail in Bangalore, as also three others.
• 29 September 2014- Jayalalithaa files bail plea in Karnataka HC.

Why J. Jayalalithaa resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?

After this verdict, Jayalalithaa became the first Chief Minister to lose the post due to the conviction while in office.

She became the first Member of Legislative Assembly from the Tamil Nadu, third Member of all state assemblies in India and the seventh politician to lose her post after the July 2013 

Supreme Court judgement on Representation of the People Act, 1951 which prevents member of the state legislative assemblies and members of parliament from holding the posts after conviction.

So, Ms. J Jayalalithaa after this judgment of Special Court was disqualified as an MLA and lost her position as Chief Minister.

She would now be barred from contesting elections for the period conviction plus 6 years i.e. total 10 of years.

Section 8 of Representation of the People Act, 1951

Section 8-Disqualification on conviction for certain offences:

A person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for more than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

Following are the politicians to lose their post under Representation of the People Act, 1951:

1. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rasheed Masood.
2. RJD leader and ex-Chief minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav.
3. JD (U) leader Jagadish Sharma.
4. Rajya Sabha MP T.M. Selvaganapathy.

Chief Ministers of different states to have been charged and jailed in various corruption cases

Jayalalithaa is among six former chief ministers of different states to have been charged and jailed in various corruption cases.

1. Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former CM of Bihar.
2. Jagannath Mishra, the former CM of Bihar.
3. Madhu Khoda, the former CM of Jharkhand.
4. Om Prakash Chautala, the former CM of Haryana.
5. Former CM of Karnataka, B. S. Yeddyurappa was charged in land allotment case.

In short about Ms. J. Jayalalithaa

Jayalalithaa Jayaram  commonly referred to as Jayalalithaa, is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

She held the office of Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996, briefly in 2001, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2011 to September 2014.

She was a popular actress in Tamil cinema before her entry into politics and have appeared in over 140 Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films apart from some films in English and Hindi.

She is the general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

She is called 'Amma' ('Mother') and 'Puratchi Thalaivi' ('Revolutionary Leader') by her followers.

Jayalalithaa has denied claims that she was introduced to politics by M. G. Ramachandran (Actor turned politician and founder of AIADMK).

She was a member of the Rajya Sabha elected from Tamil Nadu during 1984–89.

Soon after the death of Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself his political heir.

She was the second female chief minister of Tamil Nadu after Janaki Ramachandran.

Google partners for digital Andhra Pradesh project

On 29^th September 2014, Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement with search engine giant Google India for Digital Andhra Pradesh project.

The agreement was signed at the CEOs’ Conclave of Information Technology (IT) companies in Andhra Pradesh.

Under this memorandum, Google India will work with the Andhra Pradesh government to provide women and small and medium businesses online help and assist them to gain from the internet economy i.e.  E-commerce.

In this initiative Google will help to make the Internet more meaningful to the users who do not speak English by improving accessibility to government websites and scaling the local language web.

Highlights of the MoU Agreement between Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government and Google India:

• Google will make websites feasible with mobile devices and accessible in the local language.
• It will promote Internet Safety amongst children and government officials.
• Google will improve the online content as well as will get more local language content online.
• It will collaborate with AP government to scale initiatives to promote digital literacy amongst women and help to reduce digital divide.
• The initiatives will include developing Telugu font, keyboards and content thus government will work for increasing the penetration of Telugu on Internet in the state.
• Google will partner with academic institutions to create quality content in Telugu for the Internet.

What is Digital Andhra Pradesh Project?

The Government of Andhra Pradesh is developing Andhra Pradesh state into a global digital development hub with its Digital AP project.

Digital Andhra Pradesh project is vision of state laid under the Digital India Initiative of 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Google has partnered for the Digital India initiative with the central government).

The event also marked the launch of a Technology Research and Incubation Park at Madhurawada IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Andhra Pradesh government has signed important MoU’s with other IT companies for Digital Andhra Pradesh Project, they are as follows:

• Kochi-based company Start-up Village for managing the incubation park.
• These include MoU with Tech Mahindra for its facility over 10 acres of land. It is expected to provide 5000 jobs. It will help for setting up their facilities in and around Visakhapatnam.
• Wipro to accord SEZ status to its existing campus in the city. The facility will increase the number of jobs to 7000.
• Under another agreement, the government allotted 13 acres at Gambheeram IT SEZ to Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research (SAMEER) to set up a research and development centre.

Cheapest solar powered eToilet for schools unveiled

Eram Scientific, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) based private company has come out with a new unmanned, self-cleaning e-toilet named as 'e-Lite14' for schools, which it claims is the cheapest in the market. 

Eram Scientific's, eToilet is India's First Electronic Public Toilet. 

The product, 'e-Lite14' of Eram Scientific has an in-built solar panel and metallic platform.

This model is designed for schools, has automated self-cleaning and washing mechanisms and automatic floor wash system. 

The company claimed their product comes in the wake of the 'Clean India Campaign' launched by the government and even it perfectly matches with the 'Make in India' campaign.

Eram Scientific has deployed over 600 e-toilets in 11 states in the country, out of which more than 200 are in schools.

Key Features of eToilet

• Innovative Design to fit busy Indian towns and cities.
• State-of-the-art Technology to address public sanitation challenges.
• Modular, Sleek and Appealing Aesthetics.
• Mild Steel/ Stainless Steel built.
• Compact and User-Friendly access and interfaces.
• Hygienic and Easy to maintain components and accessories.
• Durable and Vandal-Resistant enclosure.
• Easy to Install & Relocation, if required.

Functionalities of eToilet:

• User Guides- Display Boards & Audio Instructions.                                
• Sensor based resource Conservation.
• Unmanned Operation.
• Automated Access Control.
• Automated Cleaning mechanism.
• Remote Diagnosis & Remote Management.
• Customer Support Facility.
• Transparency through Web Reports .                             
• Online Mapping.
• Waste processing through STP.                       
• Easy to Clean.
• Corrosion Resistant Models .
• Installation in 2-4 hours’ time.
• GPRS enabled units for real-time up gradations.
• Solar powered

How dose eToilet works?

• eToilet incorporates full cycle approach in sustainable sanitation by integrating convergence of electronics, mechanical, web-mobile technologies thereby controlling entry, usage, cleaning, exit, and remote monitoring capabilities with multiple revenue options. 
• The insertion of a coin opens the door of the eToilet for the user, switches on a light—thus saving energy and even directs the person with audio commands.
• The toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 liters of water after 3 minutes of usage or 4.5 liters if usage is longer.
• It can also be programmed to clean the platform with a complete wash down after every 5 or 10 persons use the toilet.

What are advantages of eToilet?

• It will in addressing public sanitation by developing a product that is portable, hygienically maintained, and eco-friendly.
• This low cost infrastructure will help modernizing highways, railways, telecom, ports, and power.
• It will help to create a better quality of life for citizens and tourists alike: The creation of an urban sanitation infrastructure.