'The Report to the People', highlights the initiatives and achievements of the government in various fields including economy, agriculture, education, poverty eradication, healthcare, power generation, internal security and foreign policy.
The government is gearing up to regulate the research and use of organisms and products of modern bio-technology. It has prepared a draft Bill to establish Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India ( BRAI), which will be an autonomous and statutory agency to regulate the research, transport, import, manufacture and use of organisms and products of modern bio-technology.
The authority would consist of a chairperson, two whole-time members and two part-time members, each with expertise in life sciences and biotechnology applications in agriculture, health care, environment and general biology.
The Bill provides for setting up of inter-ministerial governing board to oversee the performance of the authority and a National Biotechnology Advisory Council of stakeholders to provide feedback on use of organisms and products of biotechnology in society.
The Bill also provides for an elaborate risk assessment process involving scientific panels of experts and representatives of concerned ministries including a special public review system for evaluation of applications before final approvals.
On completing three years in office the UPA Government recently released a ‘Report To The People’. The following achievements pertain to the Ministry of Environment & Forest and in the field of sustaining the environment.
National Action Plan on Climate Change
The National Action Plan advocates a strategy that promotes, firstly, the adaptation to climate change and secondly, further enhancement of the ecological sustainability of India’s development path. The eight missions under the PM’s Council on Climate Change are the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, the National Water Mission, the National Missions on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change, and the National Missions for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, a Green India and Sustainable Agriculture.
Forest Conservation
An amount of Rs. 848 crore was released to State Level Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authorities to carry out protection, conservation and regeneration of natural forests in addition to compensatory afforestation. National Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established in October, 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property. Delhi, Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai are the five place of sitting of the NGT.
Mission Clean Ganga
Projects worth nearly Rs. 2,600 crore have been sanctioned by the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). These include projects for development of sewer networks, sewage treatment plants and sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets and development of river fronts.
Several innovations have been introduced for improved implementation of projects sanctioned by the NGRBA. These include Tripartite Memoranda of Agreements, project appraisal by independent institutions, Third Party Inspection, etc. State River Conservation Authorities have been constituted in the five Ganga basin States to facilitate better coordination and implementation of conservation activities at the State level.
The Central Government has secured World Bank assistance of US$ 1 billion for the NGRBA Programme. The World Bank project will support NGRBA’s immediate objective of Mission Clean Ganga.
Tiger Conservation
A detailed report on the country level status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India was released in July, 2011. This was the second round of country level snapshot assessment. The earlier estimation made in 2006 indicated that there were 1411 tigers in the country; the current estimates show that this number has increased by about 20% to 1706.
The State-wise poverty lines and poverty ratio for 2009-10 have been computed following the extant Tendulkar methodology. Based on the said methodology the Planning Commission has released the estimates through a Press Note issued on 19th March, 2012. As indicated in the Press Note, the poverty ratio in the country has come down from 37.2% in 2004-05 to 29.8% in 2009-10. As a result, the number of poor persons in the country has reduced from 40.7 crore in 2004-05 to 35.5 crore in 2009-10.
The Tendulkar Committee, which submitted its Report in 2009, has incorporated adequacy of expenditure from the normative and nutritional viewpoint. It stated “while moving away from the calorie norms, the proposed poverty lines have been validated by checking the adequacy of actual private expenditure per capita near the poverty lines on food, education and health by comparing them with normative expenditures consistent with nutritional, educational and health outcomes”.
Taking note of the various points of views and perspectives expressed in the public domain with respect to the need to revisit poverty estimates and related methodologies, Government has since decided to set up an Expert Technical Group to revisit the methodology for estimation of the poverty and identification of the poor.
The Technical Group comprising of eminent economists under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economy Advisory Council, is as under:
1. Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economy Advisory Council … …. Chairman
2. Dr. Mahendra Dev, Director, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research … … Member
3. Dr. K. Sundaram, formerly Delhi School of Economics … … Member
4. Dr. Mahesh Vyas, Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy … … Member
5. Dr. K.L. Datta, Ex-Adviser (Perspective Planning), Planning Commission … … Member Convener
The Terms of Reference of the Expert Technical Group have been finalized as under:
1. “To comprehensively review the existing methodology of estimation of poverty and examine whether the poverty line should be fixed solely in terms of a consumption basket or whether other criteria are also relevant, and if so, whether the two can be effectively combined to evolve a basis for estimation of poverty in rural and urban areas.
2. To examine the issue of divergence between consumption estimates based on the NSSO methodology and those emerging from the National Accounts aggregates; and to suggest a methodology for updating consumption poverty lines using the new consumer price indices launched by the CSO for rural and urban areas state-wise.
3. To review alternative methods of estimation of poverty which may be in use in other countries, including their procedural aspects; and indicate whether on this basis, a particular method can be evolved for empirical estimation of poverty in India, including procedures for updating it over time and across states;
4. To recommend how the estimates of poverty, as evolved above, should be linked to eligibility and entitlements for schemes and programmes under the Government of India”.
Economic Survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months, summarizes the performance on major development programmes, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term. This document is presented to both houses of Parliament during the Budget Session.It is the most sought after annual commentary, next only to the Union Budget.While the Union budget lays down road map for the economy for the upcoming fiscal, the Economic Survey analysis the progress data for the past fiscal in the light of projections and targets laid down in previous year’s Union budget.
- The survey report has estimated a growth of 6.9% for FY12, mainly due to weakening industrial growth.
- FY13 and FY14 growth estimates pegged at 7.6% and 8.6% respectively.
- Agriculture growth projected at 2.5% in 2011-12.
- Industrial growth pegged at 4-5% in FY12.
- Services sector grew by 9.4 %, its share in GDP grew up to 59%.
- Inflationary pressures fade by the year end as food prices fall.
- WPI food inflation slumps from 20.2% in Feb’10 to 1.6% in Jan 12.
- Fiscal consolidation could spur Savings and Capital formation.
- Exports grew 40.5% in the first half of this fiscal and imports grew by 30.4%.
- The trade deficit stood at 8% of the GDP.
- Forex reserves enhanced - covering nearly the entire external debt stock.
A Virus basically consists of a protein capsule with a nucleic acid inside. The nucleic acid could either be DNA or RNA (DNA is what we use for genetic material). If the virus uses DNA, the DNA can directly insert into the host genome and start producing clones of its self.
Retroviruses use RNA which cannot work in a host cell without being translated to DNA then inserted into the host genome. Retroviruses are unique in that they reproduce by transcribing themselves into DNA. Reverse transcriptase, an enzyme within a retrovirus, makes it possible for the retrovirus’ RNA to perform as a template of sorts for the transcription process. Once transcription has taken place, the viral DNA gains access to the DNA of a cell, reproducing along with the cell and its offspring. Within the cell’s offspring, referred to as daughter cells, the viral DNA creates RNA replicas of itself. Finally, the RNA replicas leave the daughter cells after coating themselves with a protein. It just so happens that the process of reverse transcription (RNA to DNA) not very accurate. Many times errors are made which speeds up evolution. Since the life cycle of a virus is very short, millions of copies can be made in a host in a very short amount of time.Because of the rapid evolution of retroviruses, many of the "offspring" will be vastly different than the original. This is why HIV is so difficult to treat, and why a flu vaccine does not work most of the time. They are both retroviruses and evolve faster than science can figure out ways inhibit or treat them.
The human body is composed of interactive systems. There are specific functions for each of the organs in the systems, but they cannot operate by themselves.
Respiratory System - uses lungs, nasal passages, bronchi, pharynx, trachea, diaphragm, bronchial tubes - for intake of oxygen and removal of carbon dioxide from body.
Nervous System- depends on spinal cord, brain, nerves, skin, eyes, ears, tongue, nose - to control of body activities and the reaction to stimuli.
Digestive System - includes stomach, liver, teeth, tongue, pancreas, intestine, esophagus - for break down of food and absorption for use as energy.
Excretory System - comprises of kidneys, bladder, ureters,large intestine, skin - controls water and salt balance,The excretory system is responsible for removing wastes produced by the body. These wastes must be removed, or excreted, in order for the body to remain healthy. The human excretory system includes the skin, the kidneys, the large intestines and the liver. Each of these organs helps the body to excrete or eliminate waste that the body takes in when it eats or drinks something, or that the body produces during metabolic or life functions.
Endocrine System - includes pituitary gland, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, gonads - responsible for production of hormones and body regulation.
Skeletal and muscular System - includes bones, muscles - responsible for protection and movement.
Circulatory System - comprises of blood, blood vessels, heart, lymph - involves in transport of nutrients, metabolic wastes, water, salts, and disease fighting cells(WBCs).
Integumentary System - skin - protection of body from injury and bacteria, maintenance of tissue moisture, holds receptors for stimuli response, body heat regulation.
Immune System -(includes many types of protein, cells, organs, tissues)- Lymphocytes - T cells and B cells,Phagocytes,granulocytes,macrophages,dendritic cells.
Reproductive System - The major organs of the reproductive system includes, the external genitalia (penis and vulva) as well as a number of internal organs including the gamete producing gonads (testicles and ovaries).
