India-Kazakhstan: Common heritage paves way for promising future

India-Kazakhstan: Common heritage paves way for promising future

The relationship between India and Kazakhstan goes past many centuries. Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat Beg, the author of historical work, Tarikh-i-Rashidi, which describes the founding of Kazakh Khanate in 1465, lived and is buried in India. In recent years, India has made impressive socio-economic progress and contribution to global peace and stability. Relations between India and Kazakhstan have also exhibited considerable dynamism and momentum over the periods. India was one of the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan as a free, sovereign State after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. President Nazarbayev chose India to be the first country outside the former Soviet block for a State visit in February, 1992 after the independence of Kazakhstan in December, 1991. This decision demonstrated the deep respect and admiration in which President Nazarbayev and the people of Kazakhstan hold India as a country endowed with a glorious past, having a vibrant present and blessed with a bright future. This visit was followed by a regular exchange of visits and meetings at the highest political level as well as at Ministerial and official levels. Both the countries relations have been growing steadily and were upgraded to the level of strategic partnership during the landmark visit of President Nazarbayev to India as the chief guest on the occasion of the 60th Republic Day of India in January 2009. Kazakhstan is India's largest trade and economic partner in Central Asia. India achieved a significant milestone in 2014 with bilateral trade crossing 1 billion dollar. The inauguration of Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway link is a major breakthrough in connectivity that will open new possibilities of further expansion of trade and economic ties between India and Kazakhstan. While petrochemicals and uranium are of key strategic interests to India, building momentum in other sectors is hindered mainly by lack of adequate information available in both countries about the business potential and prospects. Ashok Sajjanhar, former Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, has mentioned that there is a huge �information divide' between the two countries and Indian businessmen and entrepreneurs are not fully aware of Kazakhstan's attractive investment climate. Language barrier is an additional cause of hesitation on the part of Indian business enterprises. According to World Bank report on global economic prospects, India's GDP crossed the 2 trillion dollar mark in 2014. India registered a real growth of 5.6 per cent in 2014, and is forecasted to grow at the rate of 6.4 per cent in 2015 and 7 per cent each in 2016 and 2017. The positive economic outlook is based on a series of economic reforms initiated by the present government coupled with a national programme, Make in India, launched in September 2014. Make in India programme is aimed to attract business from around the world to invest and manufacture in India with strong emphasis on fostering innovation, infrastructure creation, industrial development and promotion of tourism. Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, ITEC constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of India's foreign policy. Over 140 countries and ten multilateral organisations are India's partners in the programme. Harsh Kumar Jain, Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan on occasion of Republic Day of India on 26th January 2015 has said Kazakhstan is India's ITEC partner since 1992. Till January 2015, over nine hundred civilian and defence personnel from Kazakhstan have benefitted under the programme in the last 23 years. Given the current state of affairs and the high rating of Kazakhstan's FDI potential, looking beyond energy and mineral sectors in Kazakhstan is important to India for two reasons. First, in order to ensure a better stake in Kazakhstan's energy resources, a wider presence in other sectors is necessary. Expansion of business ties in sectors like banking and infrastructure will help to enhance the ease of doing business not only in Kazakhstan but also in other fast growing and resource rich countries in Central Asia. Secondly diversification being a pressing priority of the Kazakh economy, lucrative opportunities are fast emerging in a number of non-energy sectors such as agri-business, fertilizer, logistical and other business service and information technology (source: 1983-2008 25 years CUTS International). Today, Kazakhstan accounts for more than half of India's trade with the Central Asian countries and the trade has seen a rapid expansion as India is sourcing mineral fuels from the country. This landmark visit to the central Asian countries will revitalise India's ancient links with the region. It is estimated that trade with these countries can grow manifold from the small base of 1.4 billion dollar currently. India has two dozen operating nuclear units with five more, including a fast breeder, under construction. On the other hand, Kazakhstan which has the 2nd largest world's uranium reserves is positive in re-engagement with India on energy trade. Earlier, India has imported some over 8 hundred tonnes of uranium including 300 tonnes of natural uranium from Kazakh nuclear company KazAtomProm. Prime Minister's visit coincides with the drilling for oil in the Satpayev block in the North Caspian Sea, in which Indian company ONGC has 25 per cent stake. His visit would boost in kicking off the multi-modal North South Transport Corridor project which aims to connect Mumbai with St. Petersburg in Russia, while touching Iran's Bandar Abbas port. The five central Asian countries are also looking for Iran's Chabahar port to be upgraded fast by India and made operational, so that connectivity to their region could be boosted. Kazakhstan is supportive of India's permanent membership to UN Security Council. Kazakhstan also cooperates with India in the field of counter terrorism and had condemned the Mumbai attacks in 2008. India and Kazakhstan actively cooperate under the aegis of Multilateral Fora including Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measu

Ancent history - Tamizhakam [The Sangam Age]

Tamizhakam [The Sangam Age]

                                      

Background:-

• The beginnings of the megalithic culture can be traced to circa 1000 BC., in deep south. In most cases, the megalithic phase lasted from about the fifth century to first century B.C.
• The Megaliths are found in all upland areas of the peninsula, but their concentration is found to be more in Eastern Andhra and in Tamil Nadu.
• The word "megalithic" mean the structures made of large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or concrete, as well as representing periods of prehistory characterised by such constructions.
• People used various types of pottery including red ware, black and red ware.
• People had the practice of burying goods along with the dead bodies in graves. These goods, they thought that the dead would use in next world.
• The goods included arrowheads, spearheads, hoes and sickles made of iron. Agricultural implements were less when compared to the tools used for fighting and hunting.
• This indicates that people inhabiting upland areas are not yet familiar with advanced agriculture methods which were existing in northern parts of India.
• They cultivated rice and ragi but did not move to fertile low lands.
• Trident was also found in the megaliths.

 
State Formation in deep south:-


By third century Bc., the megalithic people had moved from the uplands into fertile river basins and reclaimed marshy deltaic areas. 
The state formation began to progress rapidly mainly due to these reasons:-

1. Interaction with northern part of India. 

The route to south was called Dakshinapatha and was valued by the northerners as the south provided gold, pearls and precious metals.
This also brought about cultural contacts between the north and deep south. For instance - The Pandya country was known to Megasthenes who lived in pataliputra which was the capital of Magadhan empire.


2. Impact of Jaina and Buddhist missionaries

3. Roman trade.


Tamizhakam 

Deep South or Tamizhakam - the  southern end of the Indian peninsula situated south of the krishna river was divided into three kingdoms namely, the Chola, the Pandya and the Chera.

The Pandyas

Capital :- Madurai

Geography : - 

The southern-most and the south-eastern portion of the Indian Peninsula. Modern districts of Tirunaelveli , Ramnad and Madurai in Tamil Nadu were part of Pandyan territory.

Early references :- 

The Pandyas were first mentioned by Megasthenes. Megasthenes said that the kingdom of the Pandyas was celebrated for pearls.
Megasthenes also spoke of Pandyas being ruled by a woman.

Economy:-

The Sangam literature refers to Pandya rulers and from the literature, it can be inferred that Pandya was economically rich and prosperous.
The Pandyas were engaged in trade with Roman empire and sent embassies to the Roman emperor Augustus.

The Cholas:

The Cholas ruled over Chola kingdom which was called Cholamandalam(Coromandel).

Capital :-Kaveripattanam (Puhar)

Geography:-It was situated to the North-East of the territory of Pandyas, between the Pennar and the Velar rivers.

Economy:-

• Cholas were engaged in cotton trade. Their chief center of political power lay at Uraiyur , a place famous for cotton trade.
• During the middle of second century BC., a chola King named Elara conquered Sri Lanka and ruled over it for nearly 50 years.
• Karikala, one of the greatest Chola rulers found Puhar and constructed 160 kms of embankment along the Kaveri river. This embankment is called Kallanai or the Grand Anicut.
• Cholas maintained efficent navy.

Downfall

• The Chola power rapidly declined under Karikala's Successors.
• Their capital Kaveripattanam was overwhelmed and destroyed.
• Their two neighbouring powers cheras and pandyas, extended at the cost of the cholas. What remained of the chola power was almost wiped out by the attacks of the pallavas from the north.

The Cheras:

Capital :-

Karur

Geography:-

It was situated to the west and north of the land of Pandyas. It included the narrow strip of the land between the sea and the mountains and covered portions of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Economy:-

Roman trade was very significant for the Cheras.
The Romans set up two regiments at Muziris identical with Cranganore in the Chera country to protect their interests. It is said that they also built there a temple of Augustus.

Greatest Ruler:-

Senguttuvan was the greatest ruler among the Cheras.
It is said that he invaded the north and crossed the Ganga.
His navy was the best in the world during his time.


Common aspects of the kingdoms of Tamizhakam:-

• The three kingdoms grew many spices specially pepper had a great demand in the western world.
• Their elephants supplied Ivory , which was highly valued in the west.
• Pearls were obtained from the sea.
• The Tamizhakam had rich mines which produces precious stones.
• The three kingdoms produces muslin and silk.

 

Social classes:

• The Brahmanas first appear in the Tamil land in the sangam age.
• Many brahmanas funcioned as poets, and in this role they were generously rewarded by the king.
• Karikala is said to have given one poet 1,600,000 gold pieces but this seems exageration.
• The Tamil Brahmanas took meat and wine. The kshatriyas and vaishyas appear as regular varnas in the Sangam texts.
• But the class of warriors was an important element in the polity and society.
• Captains of the army were invested with the title of 'enadi' at a formal ceremony.
• Civil and military offices were held under both the Cholas and the Pandyas by 'Vellalas'  or rich peasants who were the masters of the soil. Uzhavars were the ploughsmen who cultivated the land.
• The ruling class was called 'Arasar', and its members had marriage relations with Vellalas.

Tamil Language and Sangam Literature:

• The Sangam was a college or assembly of Tamil Poets held unde royal patronage.
• It is stated in a Tamil commentary of the middle of the eight century A.D that three Sangams lasted for 9,990 years.
• They were attended by 8,598 poets, and had 197 pandya kings as patrons.
• A Sangam was held under royal patronage in Madurai.
• The available Sangam literature, which was produced by these assemblies, was compiled in circa A.D 300-600.
• The Sangam literature was roughly divided into two groups, narrative and didactic.
• The narrative texts are called Melkannakku or Eighteen Major works. They comprise eighteen major works consisting of Eight anthologies and ten idylls.
• The didactic work are called Kilkanakku or Eighteen Minor Works.

    


Social aspects of Tamizhakam understood from the Sangam texts and other literary sources:-

• The traces of early megalithic life appear in the Sangam texts.
• The texts suggest that war booty was an important souce of livelihood.
• They also state that when a hero dies he is reduced to a piece of stone.
• It may have led to the later practice of raising hero stones called 'virarkal' in honour of the heroes who died fighting for kins and other objects.
• The didactic texts cover the early centuries of christian era and prescribe a code of conduct not only for the king and his court but also various social groups and occupations.

Other literary sources:-

Tolkkappiyam 

It deals with grammar and poetics. 
Written by Tholkappiyar.

Tirukkural
It is the Tamil text that deals with philosophy and wise maxims.
Written by Thiruvalluvar.

The twin Tamil epics  - Silappadikaram and Manimekalai:-

They were composed around sixth century A.D. 

Silappadikaram:-

• Written by Ilango Adigal.
• It is considered to be brightest gem of early Tamil literature.
• It deals with a love story in which a merchant, Kovalan from Kaveripattanam prefers a courtesan called Madhavi to his wife Kannagi.
• Kannagi loses her husband after a set of events and Kannagi curses to destroy the city of Madurai (Capital of Pandyas) as Pandya ruler was responsible for her husband's death.

Manimekalai:-

Written by Sattanar.
It deals with the adventures of the daughter born of the union of Kovalan and Madhavi.

Civaka Cintamani:-

It is a Jain religious epic penned by Tirutakkadevar.

 Source - Targetcivils

Will the Euro survive? Without a big haircut in Greece, the chances are poor - Economy , World News

Will the Euro survive? Without a big 

haircut in Greece, the chances are poor 

- Economy , World News

Now that the Greeks have voted overwhelmingly against the austerity measures – the final result was a 61% no as opposed to opinion polls which suggested a very close finish – both sides need to act calmly; sacking Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis augurs well for negotiations given how polarising a figure he was.

Indeed, the magnitude of the ‘no’ vote comes as a surprise given the disaster that awaits Greece. With the banks running on the goodwill of the European Central Bank (ECB) and running out of cash, it is just a matter of time before no more withdrawals will be possible. A lot now depends on how the ECB reacts, certainly Greece’s default of a 3.5 billion euro repayment on July 20 will harden its stance. Were the ECB to not extend credit to Greek banks, the drachma will have to be reintroduced to capitalise banks and, more likely, ordinary Greek depositors will have to take a haircut to recapitalise the banks. Reintroduction of the drachma will be accompanied by hyperinflation and the lack of faith in the currency will almost certainly mean a shortage of goods that Greece imported such as petroleum products. If the Greeks voted ‘no’ despite this, it means they were convinced the future was worse with the austerity measures – not surprising, perhaps, given the economy has already collapsed a fourth since 2008.

For the troika, the path ahead is even more treacherous. For starters, to keep interest rates down in the PIIGS countries, the ECB will have to ratchet up its bond purchases, and there is no certainty that will do the trick since with Greece’s potential exit, there is no certainty that countries like Portugal and Italy will remain in the euro – in which case, interest rates may remain high despite bond purchases by the ECB.

The flipside is that bailing out Greece will not only give more ammunition to opposition parties within Germany, it will lead to demands to lessen austerity within countries like Portugal and Italy. But, as India’s then executive director to the IMF, Arvind Virmani had pointed out in May 2010, the proposed austerity measures were so large, ‘it is a mammoth burden that the economy could hardly bear …. there is concern that default/restructuring is inevitable’.

Indeed, most of the bailout money in 2010 was not used to lower Greece’s debt, it was used to bail out private creditors who should have known better and should have been forced to take haircuts. This time around, when negotiations start, the troika would do well to well to pay heed to the latest IMF report which says ‘given the fragile debt dynamics, further concessions are necessary to restore debt sustainability’ and then goes on to talk of a ‘full write-off of the stock outstanding in the GLF facility (53 billion euro) or any other similar operation’. The important thing for German politicians to keep in mind is that while it is true Greece has slipped up badly in terms of its work ethic – indeed, Greece should never have been admitted to the euro given its poor finances even then – Germany has also benefitted enormously from the euro since, without it, the German mark would have appreciated more and cut considerably into German competitiveness. No monetary union works without a fiscal one – that’s why, in the case of India, rich states like Gujarat and Maharashtra transfer considerable funds to poorer ones like Bihar and Jharkhand.

What is Deposit Insurance? How deposit insurance is made in India?

What is Deposit Insurance? How deposit

 insurance is made in India?

Protecting the deposits made by people in banks is very important to ensure confidence in the banking system. In Most countries, there are arrangements to protect the money deposited by the depositors. The common form of providing safety to depositors is deposit insurance. Deposit insurance is providing insurance protection to the depositor’s money by receiving a premium.

Here, when the bank fails, the depositors will get back their money. Insurance to deposits will be provided up to a limit. For getting the deposit insurance protection, the depositors should pay an insurance premium.

The first deposit insurance scheme was the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), launched in the US during the Great Depression period when many banks failed and depositors lost their money. The FDIC was established in 1933 to restore public confidence in the US financial system and to protect small depositors.

In the later period, many central banks have set up deposit insurance institutions especially after 1960s. According to the International Association of Deposit Insurance (IADI) as of January 1, 2015, 113 countries have deposit insurance schemes.

Deposit Insurance in India

In India, the deposit insurance was started with the launch of the Deposit Insurance Corporation and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) of India in 1961.

DICGC is fully owned by the RBI. Deposit insurance is mandatory for all banks. The premium charged is on a flat rate basis which is 10 paise per Rs 100. The amount of coverage is presently limited to Rs one lakh.

A Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) is built up from the premium received from insured banks and the coupon received from investment in central government securities.

           Deposit insurance extended by DICGC covers all commercial banks, including Local Area Banks (LABs) and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in all the States and Union Territories (UTs). All Co-operative Banks across the country except three UTs of Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are also covered by deposit insurance.

In the event of a bank failure, DICGC protects bank deposits that are payable in India. The DICGC insures all deposits such as savings, fixed, current, recurring, etc.

Institutions covered under deposit insurance

1. All commercial banks including branches of foreign banks functioning in India, local area banks and regional rural banks.
2. All Co-operative Banks across the country - State, Central and Primary cooperative banks, and urban cooperative banks.

But those in three UTs of Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli are not covered by deposit insurance. Primary cooperative societies are not insured by the DICGC.

What types of deposits are not insured by the DICGC?

 The following types of deposits are not covered under deposit insurance by DICGC

(i)           Deposits of foreign Governments; 

(ii)          Deposits of Central/State Governments

(iii)        Inter-bank deposits;

(iv)         Deposits of the State Land Development Banks with the State co-operative bank;

(v)          Any amount due on account of any deposit received outside India

(vi)         Any amount, which has been specifically exempted by the corporation with the previous approval of Reserve Bank of India.

Current Affairs - 04 July 2015

04 July 2015

57 MLAs want motion against Lokayukta

The pressure on Karnataka Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao to quit has increased further with 57 MLAs seeking permission from the Speaker to move a motion in the Assembly for initiating the process of his removal from the office.

§  Bhaskar Rao is caught in row over an alleged bribery scandal involving his son.

§  The Opposition parties are also seeking the recourse under Section 6 of the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, relating to the process for removal of a Lokayukta or Upalokayukta for “proved misbehaviour or incompetency.

How Lokayukta can be removed?

§  Under the the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, the Lokayukta can be removed by an order of the Governor after an address by each House of the legislature, supported by not less than two thirds of the members of that house present and voting.

§  The investigation for proof of misbehaviour or incapacity of Lokayukta has to be done as provided in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, by a three-member committee, comprising two judges and a jurist.

§  The procedure is similar to that for impeachment of a High Court or Supreme Court judge, except that the Karnataka Lokayukta Act, 1984, uses the word “removal”, instead of impeachment.

Who is Lokayukta?

As per the Lokayukta act, Lokayukta means the person appointed as the Lokayukta (Note: the institution and the head of the institution have the same name), who either held the office of a Judge of the Supreme Court of India or that of the Chief Justice of a High Court in any states of India.

Appointment: The Lokayukta is appointed by the Governor of Karnataka on advice of Chief Minister of Karnataka in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka, the Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council, the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council and the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Powers: The Lokayukta has the power to investigate Chief Minister, all other Ministers and Members of the State Legislature and all state government employees.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki, lokayukta.

BLACK MONEY RULES NOTIFIED

The Union government has notified the rules under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.

Details of the Notified Rules:

§  All deposits made in an undisclosed overseas bank account since opening will be clubbed while assets like immovable property, shares and jewellery will be valued at fair market price for levy of tax and penalty under the new black money law.

§  All overseas income and assets, including the ones voluntarily declared within the 90-day compliance window ending September 30, will be valued in rupee terms.

§  The fair market value of assets like bullion, jewellery or precious stone, immovable property, drawings, paintings, archaeological collections, and sculptures or work of art, will be “its cost of acquisition” or the price that the asset “shall ordinarily fetch if sold in the open market on the valuation date”, whichever is higher.

§  As per the rules, for shares and securities, the fair market value will be the higher of the cost of acquisition or average of the lowest and highest price on the date of valuation.

§  The rules also provide a formula for calculating the fair market value of an unquoted equity shares and provided a methodology for calculating the interest of a person in a partnership firm, association of persons or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).

§  The rules also say that in case the person disclosing foreign income does not have a PAN, he or she would be required to apply for it.

Sources: The Hindu.

KERALA’S RESPONSE SOUGHT

The Supreme Court has sought Kerala’s response to Tamil Nadu’s petition that the security of the Mullaperiyar dam be handed over to the CISF.

§  The Tamil Nadu government had on February 20 moved the apex court seeking deployment of CISF for protection of Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala.

Mullaperiyar Dam- Quick facts:

§  It is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in Kerala.

§  It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala.

§  It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (present-day Tamil Nadu).

§  The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam’s reservoir.

§  The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu state.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

Loss of polar bear habitat is imminent, warns study

A recent U.S. government report shows that about a third of the world’s polar bears could be in imminent danger from greenhouse gas emissions in as soon as a decade. A report by the U.S. Geological Survey said scientific models don’t bode well for polar bear populations across the world.

Important observations made by the report:

§  Greenhouse gases are blamed for the climate warming that’s reducing polar bears’ summer sea ice habitat.

§  Polar bears use sea ice for feeding, mating and giving birth. When the ice retreats in the summer, polar bears are forced to the land. The report says that the land-based food would not help bears adapt to the loss of sea ice.

Polar Bear- Basic Facts:

§  It is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses.

§  Their scientific name means “maritime bear”.

§  Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present.

§  The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with eight of the nineteen polar bear subpopulations in decline.

§  The World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that there are between 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the world.

Sources: The Hindu, Wiki.

BSNL launches ‘mobile wallet’

State-run operator BSNL recently launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service which would allow its customers to transfer money, pay for services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs. 1 lakh.

Details:

§  The wallet service, Speed Pay, allows a customer to load money even if he does not have a bank account.

§  The money loaded in the mobile wallet can be transferred to a bank account and even withdrawn at bank branches or BSNL outlets.

§  Loading money into wallet from a bank account is an option. BSNL customers, who don’t have bank accounts, can also load money by visiting any BSNL retail outlet and asking the retailer to recharge their mobile wallet account and pay for various services.

§  The service has been launched in partnership with IT company Pyro.

Sources: The Hindu.

Govt releases socio-economic and caste census for better policy-making

The union government recently released socio-economic and caste census (SECC) 2011.

§  This is the first paperless census conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government.

Details of the Census:

§  According to the census, there are a total number of 24.39 crore households in the country, of which 17.91 crore live in villages. Of these, 10.69 crore households are considered as deprived.

§  The census says that 23.52% rural families have no literate adult above 25 years, suggesting a poor state of education among rural masses.

§  The census indicates that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood. The deprivation data reveal that 5.37 crore (29.97%) households in rural areas are landless deriving a major part of their income from manual labour.

§  As many as 2.37 crore (13.25%) families in villages live in houses of one room with ‘kaccha’ walls and roof.

§  53%, or 3.86 crore, families living in villages belong to SC/ST categories.

§  6% of all rural households in the country pay income tax.

§  As for sources of income, 9.16 crore households (51.14%) depend on manual casual labour followed by cultivation (30.10%).

§  5 crore (14.01%) rural families are dependent on income from other sources which include government service, private sector and PSUs.

§  08 lakh households fall back on ragpicking while 6.68 lakh depend on begging and charity alms.

§  Transgenders comprise 0.1% of India’s rural population. Andaman & Nicobar islands, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha and Mizoram have the highest proportions of transgenders.

§  6% of rural Indians were unmarried, 40% are currently married and 3.5% are divorced.

§  Daman and Diu lead the country in the proportion of their rural population that has remained unmarried — at 55.9%, this is far higher than the national average. Chandigarh, on the other hand, has only 23.2% of its population that has never married.

The rural development ministry has taken a decision to use the SECC data in all its programmes.

Data on Literacy:

§  The Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC) has found that 36% of the 884 million people in rural India are illiterate. This is higher than the 32% recorded by the Census of India 2011.

§  Of the 64% literate rural Indians, a more than a fifth have not even completed primary school. The SECC also found that only 5.4% of rural India has completed high school with a mere 3.4% having graduated from college.

§  This poor state of rural education is reflected in the fact that 23.5% of rural households had no adults above the age of 25 who are literate – one of the categories of deprivation measured by the SECC.

§  The performance within States is hugely varied, with an alarming 47.6% of rural Rajasthanis remaining illiterate, compared to 9.3% in Lakshadweep and 11.4% in Kerala.

§  Delhi performs the best when it comes to percentage of its rural population that has completed graduate studies – at 9.6%, its performance is almost thrice as good as the national average.

Sources: The Hindu, TOI.

Know Your College (KYC)

“Know Your College” is a portal developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development which is aimed at helping the students make an informed decision on the choice of college and the courses.

Details:

§  This portal covers almost 10,500 colleges which conduct about 14,000 programs in Technical Education and 35000 colleges conducting at least 20,000 programs in Non-Technical education.

§  It is a repository of information pertaining to colleges and information related to its faculty, labs, library, infrastructure, and availability of hostel facilities etc.

§  Students are also encouraged to send their complaints on discrepancies of information provided by colleges through this portal.

§  This portal is being maintained by AICTE. This portal also acts as a single stop destination for students for making an informed choice.

Sources: PIB.