22.06.2007

• Is India the first country to induct suface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile in the world?
• Though today’s paper says so with the induction of 290 km range Brahmos missile, I am a bit skeptical about this.
• Have any inputs on this?
• Further liberalization of the FDI guidelines
• Press Note 1, which bars multinationals in existing joint ventures from setting up another venture in a similar line of business without a no-objection certificate from the Indian JV partner, is set for an amendment.
• The government is thinking of exempting several sectors from the purview of this PN.
• DGH slashes gas estimates
• Gas discovery estimates made by ONGC and GSPC have been slashed drastically by the DGH and kept at about 10% of the original valuation.
• This downward revision means that India could face a shortfall of 50 MMSCMD in 2010.
• What are the factors that are heavily loaded against the government procurement of land for SEZ?
• One, taking land away from one private owner and handing it over to another exhibits its preference for one set of citizens over another.
• Secondly, this disallows proper play of market forces and the compensation to land-holders, no matter how generous it is, always runs the risk of falling short.
• Lastly, in state after state, increasing investment figures are not necessarily leading to higher employment numbers. There is no guarantee that SEZs will help solve that problem.
• What are the problems being faced by agriculture in India today?
• You can always read any standard textbook or the Year Book to know these, but let’s take a look at what the people with current knowledge have to say on this.
• Mismanagement, archaic rules which inhibit the farmer from realizing proper returns for his crop, an abysmal level of infrastructure, antiquated land laws are some of the problems that currently plague the farm sector.
• Population growth and improving economic wellbeing is already putting pressure on the available food stock.
• Fragmentation of farmland holding, is leading to a drop in yields and aggravating the problem in many states. Statistics show that till 2000-01, marginal holdings (less than 1 hectare) account for 63% of all land holdings in the country. Cumulatively, the small and marginal (between 1 and 2 hectares) holdings together account for over 82% of the land holdings in the country.
• The growth in net sown areas has been very meager – 18.64% over 53 years. In 1950-51, it was 118.75 mn hectares while in 2003-04 it was 140.88 mn hectares.
• Tennis
• Bjorn Borg holds the maximum successive wins at Wimbledon. Five wins.
• Pete Sampras holds the maximum of Wimbledon crowns – seven in all.