Indian Current Affairs: 12.07.2007

I was asked to explain how blending ethanol will have a stabilizing effect on sugar prices. Look at the explanation I gave in today’s Discover It blog here.
Land titles

India, Australia, US, Japan and Singapore will hold maritime exercises in the Indian Ocean in September.
China is sure to have strong reservations over these, as it feels that the main aim of this grouping is to contain China’s growing military prowess.

Many of you would have read about this as part of your curriculum somewhere in Degree or PG. Today’s article (rather industry opinion) in ET about it gives a contextual perspective about the subject. I recommend a cursory glance. I am not able to find the web resource for it. But its title is “Brands in India don’t walk the talk when it comes to CSR”.
CSR is taken only to provide a facelift to the company’s public image. It should be realized that CSR is much more than that. Companies must be catalysts for social development.
CSR encompasses care for the environment and strong ethical practices. Business is part of society and society is part of business. Ultimately companies are made up of citizens: employees, shareholders, and partners. People for whom the company which they own, or which they work for impacts their existence. Not just in monetary terms, but in terms of overall well-being. So how their company acts and is perceived is important to all of them.

The government is coming out with a scheme of identifying some as model farmers. Each such farmer is expected to cover about 200 farm holdings. They will act as facilitators for various agriculture extension schemes. Besides, they will also educate other farmers on how to bring down cost of cultivation, increase yield and crop planning.
While the model farmer may be similar to ITC’s sanchalak model, there is a difference. The government hopes to pay the model farmer a monthly salary of Rs. 1000. But ITC’s sanchalaks earn based on their performance.

Both the countries are getting closer to clinching a CECA – Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.
The pact is expected to cover goods, services and investment.

This is a security initiative from the US. What it envisages is to ensure that the exports meant for US from various countries are free of weapons of mass destruction. The plan envisages pre-shipment screening of containers meant for US at the exporting or transiting ports for WMDs.

Coal India Limited, following the footsteps of ONGC has decided to sign an Integrity Pact with its vendors. This is an initiative actively encouraged by Transparency International to combat corruption in public contracting across the world.

It is now going to have a new novel authored by Sebastian Faulk.
The title of the novel is “Devil May Care”.
It will be the 15^th officially endorsed Bond book.
12 of the books were published during Ian Fleming’s life time. The 13^th was published in 1965, and the fourteenth in 1966.

Harry Levinson asked executive to imagine, on one side, a carrot dangling from a string and on the other, a stick. “What would you expect to see in middle,” he asked? The answer is a donkey. He said that management systems based on the principle of carrot and stick are basically designed for donkeys.

It is set to take off.
Proposal is to store 5 mn tonnes of crude oil in three sites – Mangalore, Vizag and another site around Mangalore.
It is estimated to cost Rs. 11,267 crores – both for the construction of the facilities and crude.

It is the main international football tournament for South America. It is organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, and is being held in Venezuela between June 26 and July 15, 2007, being the first time that Venezuela will hold the tournament. The winner may represent CONMEBOL at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Brazil and Argentina have reached the finals. Let’s wait and watch the final on 15^th July.

Indian Current Affairs