Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding, thereby contributing to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components. It was adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its tenth meeting on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. The Nagoya Protocol will enter into force 90 days after the date of deposit of the fiftieth instrument of ratification.

The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources is one of the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. For background information on the Convention's work programme on access and benefit-sharing prior to the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol and information on the negotiations of the Nagoya Protocol .

Green Economy

The Theme of 2012 World Environment Day is The Green Economy . In its simplest expression Green Economy can be thought as one which is Low Carbon Emission , Resource Efficient and Socially Inclusive . Thus Green Economy is the economic development in Harmony with Environment . Green Economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investment that reduce carbon emission and pollution which enhances the energy and resource efficiency which prevents loss of biodiversity and which protects ecosystem and environment . So , The Green Economy touches almost every aspect of our life and concerns of our development .It is about Sustainable Energy , Sustainable Agriculture , Sustainable  Tourism ,  Sustainable Transport , Effective and Efficient Resource and Energy Management , Proper Waste Management , ; Low Carbon Emission , Green Policies , Green Jobs , Green Building etc . 

Rio+20 Summit : Role Played by India

India played Constructive , Futuristic  & Leadership Role at Rio + 20 Summit . Most of the proposal of India are not only met with wide spread support but also India played a crucial role in bridging a differences and building consensus on many vital environmental issues . India firmly rejected unilateral measures and trade barriers under the guys of Green Economy . India expressed disappointment with the weak political will of developed countries to provide developing nations enhanced Cleaner and Greener Technology & Financial Help to implement objectives of Green Economy . The country firmly said that The Green Economy  will become Green Wash if it is not Democratized and Justifiable  . However India recognized The Green Economy  as the means to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradicating . 

And Further , India said that it to be Bottom-Up and Democratizes . India describes Economic Development , Social Inclusion and Environmental Sustainability as all equally critical components of sustainable development . India firmly & finely asked the world to take up the task of giving practical shape and content to this architecture of Rio + 20 summit in a manner that allows each country to develop according to its own National Priorities and Circumstances .

Outcome of Rio + 20 ( United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development )

Rio+20 Summit 2012  is milestone on a long road after the famous 1992 Earth Summit which put Sustainable Development on the Global Agenda . The Rio+20 Summit was attended by more than 25000 participants including more than 110 heads of state & Govt. The Rio+20 Summit attempted to create a new Development Modal based on Smart Public Policies and with a realization that govt. can grow their economy , alleviated poverty & create decent jobs and accelerate social progress in a way that respect the earth’s finite natural resources .

The Main focus of Rio+ 20 summit was The Energy . Energy was termed by UN Secretary General , as The Golden Thread that connect the dots to a sustainable future and a key driver for development , social inclusion and environment protection including climate change . The Summit concluded with a firm commitment to ensure universal excess to model Energy service for one in five people worldwide who lack them , to reduce energy waste by doubling energy efficiency and to double the share of renewable energy in global energy mix with a new concept of The Green Economy .

                                                                    

Nobel Laureates 2012 Nobel Laureates 2012

Peace

European Union

Literature

Mo yan

Medicine

John Gurdon (UK)  & Shinya Yamanaka (Japan)

Physics

Serge Haorche (France)  & David J. Wineland (USA)

Chemistry

Robert Lefkowitz (USA)  &  Brian Kobilka (USA)

Economics

Alvin E. Roth (USA)  &  Lloyd Shapley (USA)

The Nobel Prize

The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway only , while the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award available in the fields of literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, peace, and economics.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute awards The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; The Swedish Academy grants The Nobel Prize in Literature; and the Nobel Peace Prize is not awarded by a Swedish Organisation but by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

(1)  Swedish Academy ( The Nobel Prize in Literature )
(2)  Nobel committee of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( The Nobel Prize in Physics, The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences )
(3)  Nobel committee of Karolinska Institutet ( The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine )
(4)  Norwegian Nobel Committee ( The Peace Prize )

" Life Imprisonment " Stands for " Jail Term for Entire Life " : SC

Life imprisonment implies a jail term for the convict’s entire life, the Supreme Court has held, clearing a misconception on this sentence.

Constitution Bench of SC said in its Landmark  judgement of 1980 on criterion for imposing death penalty needs a “Fresh Look” as there has been “ No Uniformity ” in following its principles on what constitutes “ The Rarest of Rare ” cases.

“It appears to us there is a misconception that a prisoner serving a life sentence has an indefeasible right to be released on completion of either fourteen years or twenty years imprisonment. The prisoner has no such right. “

“A convict undergoing life imprisonment is expected to remain in custody till the end of his life, subject to any remission granted by the appropriate government,”  said SC .

The bench, however, clarified that under remission the appropriate government cannot reduce the period of sentence less than 14 years for a life convict.

“ In the case of a convict undergoing life imprisonment, he will be in custody for an indeterminate period. Therefore, remissions earned by or awarded to such a life convict are only notional. In his case, to reduce the period of incarceration, a specific order under Section 432 of the CrPC will have to be passed by the appropriate government. However, the reduced period cannot be less than 14 years as per Section 433-A of the CrPC,” the Apex Court said.

The apex court order also seeks to put an end to the practice of en-masse release of the convicts by various governments on “ Festive ” occasions and said each release requires a case-by-case basis scrutiny.

Pneumonia

What is Pneumonia ? 

Pneumonia is a respiratory infection that may be bacterial or viral. The infection causes inflammation of one or both lungs as the tiny air sacs within the lungs get filled with fluid, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly.

Who is at risk ? 

Infants, neonates, premature babies and children between 24-59 months are most likely to suffer due to their low immunity. Getting wet in the rain will not trigger pneumonia but exposure to sudden temperature change can be a risk factor. Damp, heat, air pollution, smoking and overcrowding are conducive to the growth of bacteria, viruses or fungi. Other high-risk factors include malnutrition, deficiency of vitamin A&D and zinc, weakened immune systems, co-morbid pulmonary illness, other systemic illnesses and anticancer drugs.

Symptoms : 

In bacterial pneumonia, signs include high fever (more than 102° F), difficulty in breathing, fast respiratory rate, noisy breathing, severe chest pain, body ache, wheezing, severe weakness, inability to feed, excessive drowsiness, excessive sweating, coughing up blood and respiratory distress. A child with chest in-drawing and cyanosis (blue tinge to the skin) indicates severe pneumonia. Viral pneumonia, often called walking pneumonia, has less florid symptoms. Symptoms like high-grade fever (less than 102° F), preceding upper respiratory tract infection, coughing up small amounts of mucus, muscle ache and fatigue are common.

Treatment : 

If symptoms persist, the child must be taken to the doctor. Hospitalisation may be required to administer intravenous antibiotics or oxygen support. Viral pneumonia doesn’t require intensive care and treatment since viruses don’t respond to vaccines and antibiotics.

Complications : 

About half the number of children who survive pneumonia suffer some after-effect, which may be mild or temporary. But 22 per cent of survivors end up with a moderate or severe disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The complications of untreated or neglected pneumonia can result in disabilities such as deafness, brain damage, seizures and, in severe cases, even death.

Prevention : 

Adequate breastfeeding for the first sixmonths helps improve an infant’s natural defences. All children should receive adequate nutrition, especially vitamin A & D and Zinc. Environmental factors such as pollution, smoking, overcrowding, sanitation and hygiene should be addressed to reduce the risk.

Bacterial pneumonia is the leading cause of pneumonia deaths in children and accounts for highest number of pediatric hospitalisations. There have been many instances when antibiotic treatments fail because of delay in treatment or administration of inappropriate antibiotics. Lately, the increasing number of disease-causing strains and antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been a matter of concern.

In such cases, prevention of pneumonia through vaccination (Hemophilus influenzae B vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine) is recommended. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), the latest pneumococcal vaccine, is highly effective against 13 serotypes of pneumococcus including serotype 19A, which is emerging as one of the important strains to cause pneumococcal disease in children less than five years of age. In addition, the vaccine is a potent tool for protection against the even more serious meningitis and blood infection (septicemia) caused by the same bacteria.

FDI in India

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is direct investment into production in a country by a company in another country, either by buying a company in the target country or by expanding operations of an existing business in that country.

Methods

The foreign direct investor may acquire voting power of an enterprise in an economy through any of the following methods:

• by incorporating a wholly owned subsidiary or company
• by acquiring shares in an associated enterprise
• through a merger or an acquisition of an unrelated enterprise
• participating in an equity joint venture with another investor or enterprise

Foreign direct investment incentives may take the following forms

• low corporate tax and individual income tax rates
• tax holidays
• other types of tax concessions
• preferential tariffs
• special economic zones
• EPZ – Export Processing Zones
• Bonded Warehouses
• Maquiladoras
• investment financial subsidies
• soft loan or loan guarantees
• free land or land subsidies
• relocation & expatriation
• infrastructure subsidies
• R&D support
• derogation from regulations (usually for very large projects)

Foreign direct investment in India

Starting from a baseline of less than $1 billion in 1990, a recent UNCTAD survey projected India as the second most important FDI destination (after China) for transnational corporations during 2010–2012. As per the data, the sectors that attracted higher inflows were services, telecommunication, construction activities and computer software and hardware. Mauritius, Singapore, US and UK were among the leading sources of FDI. According to Ernst & Young, FDI in India in 2010 was $44.8 billion and in 2011 experienced an increase of 13% to $50.8 billion.^] India has seen an eightfold increase in its FDI in March 2012.

India disallowed overseas corporate bodies (OCB) to invest in India.

2012 FDI reforms

On 14 September 2012, Government of India allowed FDI in aviation up to 49%, in the broadcast sector up to 74%, in multi-brand retail up to 51% and in single-brand retail up to 100%. The choice of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail up to 51% has been left to each state.

In its supply chain sector, the government of India had already approved 100% FDI for developing cold chain. This allows non-Indians to now invest with full ownership in India's burgeoning demand for efficient food supply systems.  The need to reduce waste in fresh food and to feed the aspiring demand of India's fast developing population has made the cold supply chain a very exciting investment proposition.

Foreign investment is announced by the government of India as FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act).

IT was introduced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he was finance minister (1991)

GEF & GCF

Global Environment Facility ( GEF )

Global environment Facility was created in 1991 as a result of mounting concern in the preceding decade over global environmental problems and efforts to formulate financing responses to address these problems. Of the many ideas for financing environmentally beneficial projects proposed by various governmental and non-governmental institutions, the GEF was the one which finally received the necessary political and financial support. The GEF is funded by donor nations, who commit money every four years through a process known as GEF replenishment. The GEF makes these grants available to developing countries and economies in transition to support actions to address critical threats to the global environment in the areas related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants. Apart from serving as the financial mechanism of UNFCCC, GEF also serves as the financial mechanism of other Conventions, namely Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Stockholm Convention on POPs and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD).

Green Climate Fund ( GCF )

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is designated as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is accountable to and will function under the guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP). It has been formed in accordance with article 11 of the Convention, and has been founded within the framework of the UNFCCC as a mechanism to transfer money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation actions to combat climate change. The formal decision to form this Fund was taken at the 15th CoP in Copenhagen. And it is expected that the GCF would deliver a significant portion of the climate finance pledge by developed countries to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

Why was there a need to set up the Green Climate Fund , when already the GEF was set up ?

With the growing realization about the large amount of resources that would be required for climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially in developing countries and also with fourth assessment report of the IPCC establishing this fact. It became evident that the funding and operational arrangements under the Global Environment Facility were inadequate, and there was a need for major and urgent reforms in the financial mechanism. With this, the developing countries initiated the talks on the need of a new green fund to carry out the full mandate of provision of financial resources to developing countries exclusively dedicated to climate change, unlike GEF which serves broader areas of global environment. Moreover, the GEF is based on voluntary contributions rather than being based on the principle of assessed contributions, which generates concerns over the political neutrality of the Fund. It was established at that time without any legal capacity and there were also other concerns, like lack of financing for adaptation. This is also because adaptation targets local impacts and associated vulnerabilities rather than generating global benefits, which the GEF mandates. Most importantly the funds received under the climate change focal area in GEF were not in line with the actual requirement of funds, and neither was the scope of GEF large enough to channel and disburse a significant part of the US $100 billion pledged under long term finance by developed countries, which would now flow through the Green Climate Fund. All these reasons lead to the formation of the Green Climate Fund.