GOI planning to launch Supplementation Programme for adolescent

India has high prevalence of adolescent anaemia. About 56 per cent girls and 30 per cent boys suffer from anaemia. Thus GOI is launching the Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for Adolescents on 17th July 2013.

Anaemia and its impact

Anaemia occurs primarily due to nutritional deficiency of essential micronutrients. It is the most widespread nutritional disorders in the country today. Almost 50 per cent of nutritional deficiency related anaemia is Iron Deficiency Anaemia. It is a result of under-nutrition and poor dietary intake of iron. Anaemia in adolescent results in poor physical growth, reduced school performance and diminished concentration in daily tasks thus impacting work capacity and work output resulting in diminished earning capacity. Anaemia in adolescent girls enhances risk of preterm delivery and having babies with low birth weight. These babies are more likely to be ill and not reach the age of one year. Anaemia in adolescent girls also increases their risk of maternal deaths. About 1/3rd of all maternal deaths take place in young women in the age group of 15 to 24 years.

About the  Supplementation Programme

WIFS will cover adolescent population in the age group of 10 to 19 years. Under the programme, supervised Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation will be done. Sessions on Nutrition and Health Education will be planned at the schools and Anganwadi centres to inform and counsel adolescents and their care givers on nutrition and related health issues.

The programme, implemented across the country, will (rural and urban areas) cover 13 crore adolescents – 6 crore girls and boys enrolled in class VI-XII of government and government aided school and 7 crore out-of-school adolescent girls.

The Health Ministry has suggested to the states that a fixed day in a week, preferably Monday, be earmarked as the day when IFA tablet is provided to adolescents.

The key features of WIFS are:- (1) Administration of supervised Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplements of 100mg elemental iron and 500mg Folic acid; (2) Screening of target groups for moderate/severe anaemia and referring these cases to an appropriate health facility; (3) Biannual de-working (Albendazole 400mg), six months apart, for control of helminthic infestation and (4) Information and counselling for improving dietary intake and for taking actions for prevention of intestinal worm infestation.

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Biodiversity Hotspots in India

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot-map, a region must meet two strict criteria: 1. It must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and 2. It has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. Three regions that satisfy these criteria in India are described below:a) The Western Ghats and Sri Lanka The Western Ghats are a chain of hills that run along the western edge of peninsular India. Their proximity to the ocean and through orographic effect, they receive high rainfall. These regions have moist deciduous forest and rain forest. The region shows high species diversity as well as high levels of endemism. Nearly 77% of the amphibians and 62% of the reptile species found here are found nowhere else. The area is extraordinarily rich in biodiversity. Although the total area is less than 6 percent of the land area of India, the Western Ghats contains more than 30 percent of all plant, fish, bird, and mammal species found in India. Like other hotspots, the Western Ghats has a high proportion of endemic species. The region also has a spectacular assemblage of large mammals and is home to several nationally significant wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves, and national parks. The Western Ghats contains numerous medicinal plants and important genetic resources such as the wild relatives of grains (rice, barley, Eleucine coracana), fruits (mango, garcinias,banana, jackfruit), and spices (black pepper,cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg). In addition to rich biodiversity, the Western Ghats is home to diverse social, religious, and linguistic groups. The high cultural diversity of rituals, customs, and lifestyles has led to the establishment of several religious institutions that strongly influence public opinion and the political decision-making process. Conservation challenges lie in engaging these heterogeneous social groups and involving them in community efforts aimed at biodiversity conservation and consolidation of fragmented habitats in the hotspot. b) The Eastern Himalayas The Northeast India, (22-30 degree N and 89-97 degree E) spread over 2,62,379 sq.km., represents the transition zone between the Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese bio-geographic regions and a meeting place of the Himalayan Mountains and Peninsular India. The region is made up of eight states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and is endowed with a wide range of physiography and eco-climatic conditions. The Eastern Himalayas region, with diverse climatic conditions and complex topography, has different types of forest and vegetation. Broadly, vegetation types in the EH can be categorised into a) tropical, b) sub-tropical, c) warm temperate, d) cool temperate, e) sub-alpine and f) alpine types. It has nearly 163 globally threatened species including the One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Wild Asian Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis (Arnee)) and in all 45 mammals, 50 birds, 17 reptiles, 12 amphibians, 3 invertebrate and 36 plant species  The Relict Dragonfly (Epiophlebia laidlawi) is an endangered species found here with the only other species in the genus being found in Japan. The region is also home to the Himalayan Newt (Tylototriton verrucosus), the only salamander species found within Indian limits. There are an estimated 10,000 species of plants in the Himalayas, of which one-third are endemic and found nowhere else in the world. c) Indo-Burma The Indo-Burma region encompasses several countries. It is spread out from Eastern Bangladesh to Malaysia and includes North-Eastern India south of Brahmaputra river, Myanmar, the southern part of China's Yunnan province, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The Indo-Burma region is spread over 2 million sq. km of tropical Asia. Much of Indo-Burma is characterized by distinct seasonal weather patterns. During the northern winter months, dry, cool winds blow from the stable continental Asian high-pressure system, resulting in a dry period under clear skies across much of the south, center, and west of the hotspot (the dry, northeast monsoon). As the continental system weakens in spring, the wind direction reverses and air masses forming the southwest monsoon pick up moisture from the seas to the southwest and bring abundant rains as they rise over the hills and mountains.  A wide diversity of ecosystems is represented in this hotspot, including mixed wet evergreen, dry evergreen, deciduous, and montane forests. There are also patches of shrub lands and woodlands on karst limestone outcrops and, in some coastal areas, scattered heath forests. In addition, a wide variety of distinctive, localized vegetation formations occur in Indo-Burma, including lowland floodplain swamps, mangroves, and seasonally inundated grasslands.

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India-China meet

Setting aside recent acrimony over Chinese incursions in Ladakh, the Indian Minister of Defence, Mr AK Antony met Gen Chang Wanquan during an official visit to China.  The two Defence Ministers held talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and had an extensive exchange of views on a wide range of defence and security issues aimed at averting such incidents of encroachment in future. 

In an effort to avoid incidents like Chinese soldiers pitching tents in the Depsang valley in April resulting in tensions between the two countries, the ministers reviewed "the working agreement and protocols dealing with the maintenance of peace and tranquility and directed that it be further strengthened".They reaffirmed that defence exchanges were an important facet of the India-China strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity.

Further during the meet  it was decided that the two sides would focus on interaction at various levels of the forces to promote understanding. The dialogue and consultations would move further when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would visit China later this year. This will create trust and confidence not only at top but also at the ground level. 

Also the two sides finalised military exchanges between the two countries which would be resumed after a gap of five years. About 110 personnel from both countries each would take part in the anti-terrorism exercises being planned in China's Kunming city in October this year.

Border personnel meetings (BPM) will take place with greater frequency and additional locations will be finalised after discussions. The navies of both the countries will increase visits of ships, consider conducting joint maritime search and rescue exercises and cooperate in counter-piracy operations. The Air Forces will carry out high level visits and expand their functional exchanges. They would focus on topics of mutual interest including flight safety, aviation medicine and training. Military training institutions will also strengthen their exchanges at the faculty and student levels. Also to promote greater awareness and understanding among young officers of the armed forces, visits and exchanges will be carried out annually.

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IOR-ARC Economic and Business Conference held

(IOR-ARC) Economic and Business Conference held in Port Louis, Mauritius.The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Anand Sharma co-chaired the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Economic and Business Conference.

India and Mauritius co-hosted the first economic and business conference under the theme of "Deepening Economic Linkages for Balanced, Inclusive & Sustainable Growth". The meeting brought together business representatives from across the Indian Ocean Rim. 

The IORARC has 20 members, of which India and Australia are the largest economies. Through it pass some of the most important energy transport routes from Middle East to South-East and East Asia, and securing these routes has become a global priority. In recent years, the United States, Britain, France, China, Japan and Egypt have become "dialogue partners" of the IORARC.

During the meet - Trade and industry ministers of member countries and dialogue partners of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC) agreed to push trade within the grouping to promote economic cooperation and development in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

The ministers agreed to encourage "open regionalism" and harmonise trade practices in line with international norms and lower barriers to trade.

They also agreed to build on the complementarities and identify key growth sectors.

During the meet India called for a common maritime security enforcement regime and liberal visa regimes to boost trade and investment.

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India and Mauritius meet

The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Anand Sharma met Mr. Sayyad Abd-Al-Cader Sayed Hossen, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Mauritius, in Port Louis l. 

During the meeting, India has submitted a draft proposal to Mauritius for export of basmati rice to the Indian Ocean island nation. 

Basmati rice is a unique Geographical Indication (GI) product under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Standards in India are dynamic in nature and are currently being harmonised among all relevant institutions for ensuring uniformity which will be notified when ready. India has already nominated the Export Inspection Council as the nodal agency which will issue a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for all basmati rice exports from India to Mauritius.

Presently India’s exports to Mauritius comprise largely petroleum products as a result of the three-year agreement signed between MRPL and the State Trading Corporation of Mauritius in July 2007 for the supply of all petroleum requirement of Mauritius. Thus during the meet, India and Mauritian ministers also discussed regarding the issue of renewal of contract with Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL). The agreement is expected to be renewed later this month.

Further the Mauritian side expressed happiness on the advancements in the field of textiles and conveyed determination to take forward the intended outcomes of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) signed recently. Five institutional level MoUs were signed to take the partnership forward. These are:
i. MoU between Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and Enterprise Mauritius (EM)
ii. MoU between Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) and Mauritius Standards Bureau 
iii. MoU between NITRA and National Productivity and Competitive Council (NPCC) of Mauritius 
iv. MoU between Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and Mauritius Export Association (MEXA); and 
v. MoU between Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) and Fashion and Design Institute of Mauritius (FDI) 

Apart from these MoUs, a Letter of Intent outlining the implementation plan for training for 1000 textile factory workers, 35 scholarships in the textile sector as well as the development of a compliance code (on the lines of DISHA) for 10 Mauritian textile factories was also signed between the two governments.

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Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony 2013 to Zubin Mehta

Zubin Mehta, an Indian-Parsi maestro of western classical music on 10 July 2013 was named for the second edition of Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the year 2013 on 10th July. He was named for the award because of his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony.

His name was selected by a high level four-member Jury that was led by Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and it comprised the Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Public Intellectual Gopalkrishna Gandhi. 

The first Tagore Award was conferred on Pt. Ravi Shankar, the Indian Sitar Maestro in 2012 Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the Government in 2012 during the commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The award carries an amount of Rs. 1crore, a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item.

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UNCTAD Report on FDI in India

According to the World Investment Report 2013 released by UNCTAD placed India has retained its position as the world's third most attractive destination for investment by transnational corporations (TNCs) during 2013-15.  In the survey based on responses of 159 companies, India was ranked after China and United States.
Indonesia and Brazil are also among the top five investment destinations. As per the survey, developing countries make up four of the top five host economies. Six of the top 10 prospective host countries also come from the developing world, with Mexico and Thailand appearing for the first time.
However among developed economies, Japan jumped three positions largely because of reconstruction efforts after the 2011 Tsunami and recent expansionary monetary policies have together increased the country's attractiveness for foreign investment in the medium term.
At the same time, Australia, Russia and United Kingdom slipped down the rankings from last year's survey, while Germany gained two positions.
However the report stated that Global foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2013 is likely to remain close to the level of 2012 at about USD 1.45 trillion.
According to the report macroeconomic conditions will improve and investors will be able regain confidence in the medium term hence transnational corporations (TNCs) may convert their record levels of cash holdings into new investments.
Further, the report warned that factors such as structural weaknesses in the global financial system, the possible deterioration of the macroeconomic environment, and significant policy uncertainty in areas crucial for investor confidence might lead to a further decline in FDI inflows.

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