Happy & Prosperous 2008

Wish you & your family a Very Happy New 2008 Year ahead!

Google's new initiative: Google TV ad platform

Google has launched an advertising platform that aims to copy the success of its AdWords pay-per-click online advertising programme in the world of digitally encoded TV.

The search giant has signed an agreement with satellite TV provider EchoStar, which operates the DISH Network, and cable provider Astound Cable to host a new TV ad programme.

In a process similar process to AdWords, advertisers will bid against each other to determine the price of available slots based on demographics, time of day and TV channel.

Advertising charges are based on the number of people that viewed the commercial, and advertisers will be provided with a detailed audience report through data collected from set-top boxes.

Google claimed that the programme will open up the TV market to small advertisers just as AdWords did for online ads.

AdWords is credited with popularising the pay-per-click advertising market. In addition to introducing an auction model to set prices for popular keywords, Google pioneered the text advertising model.

The latter allows firms to ensure that marketing messages show up only with specific keywords.

Google also offers companies control over their advertising outlay by allowing them to set advertising budgets. No more ads will be displayed after a daily budget is exhausted.

AdWords motivates advertisers to use relevant keywords by ranking ads based on the number of clicks from users. The ad with the most clicks receives the top spot, while the one with the least clicks is ranked at the bottom.

Google is already trying to apply its AdWords model to radio advertising. The search provider acquired dMarc Broadcasting for $1.2bn in cash last year, and has undertaken small-scale experiments in print advertising.

Orkut hit by Portuguese Worm

fast-moving worm has infected more than 700,000 users on Google's Orkut social network in just 24 hours.

The Portuguese language attack exploited a vulnerability in Orkut's scrapbook feature to post malicious JavaScript code on a user's page.

On viewing the scrapbook post, the code performed the exploit and downloaded a .js file to the user's machine.

The worm then took control of the user's account, sending out copies of itself to all of the user's friends and joining a group called 'Infectados pelo Vírus do Orkut', which translates as 'Infected by Orkut virus'.

The worm does not appear to download any other malicious programs. The malicious code has been removed from users' pages and the worm has been taken offline.

Railways

Indian Railways

India is a land of diverse culture and Indian Railways play a key role in not only meeting the transport needs of the country, but also in binding together dispersed areas and promoting national integration. Truly, Indian Railways have emerged as the sinews of the Indian economy and have reached out to bring together the great Indian family.

Railways traverse through the length and breadth of the country covering 63,140 route kms, comprising broad gauge (45,099 kms), meter gauge (14,776 kms) and narrow gauge (3,265 kms). As the principal constituent of the nation’s transport system, Indian Railways own a fleet of 2,16,717 wagons (units), 39,236 coaches and 7,739 number of locomotives and manage to run 14,444 trains daily, including about 8,702 passenger trains. They carry more than a million tonne of freight traffic and about 14 million passengers covering 6,856 number of stations daily.

Indian Railways have been the prime movers to the nation and have the distinction of being one of the largest railway systems in the world under a single management. Railways being the more energy efficient mode of transport are ideally suited for movement of bulk commodities and for long distance travel. As compared to road transport, the railways have a number of intrinsic advantages. Railways are five to six times more energy efficient, four times more efficient in land use and significantly superior from the standpoints or environment impact and safety. Indian Railways, therefore, rightly occupy pride of place in the growth and development of the nation.

Railways, being the prime infrastructural sector of the country, but the private sector, especially backed by developed countries, are eying on the Indian Railways. Also some regional leaders, who happens to be in the top level of the systems makes way for them. Hope the largest railway system in the world will keep its name or dismantled by the growing privatization.

Railways have to perform the dual role of commercial organization and vehicle for fulfillment of social obligations. In national emergency, railways have been in the forefront in rushing relief material to disaster stricken regions. For meeting its social obligations, railways are required to make investments that are un-remunerative and also have to provide subsidized services. Unlike many foreign railways, which receive government subsidies for public service obligations, Indian Railways are not specifically compensated for these operations.

The Indian Railway system is managed through zones and operating divisions. There are also six production units engaged in manufacturing rolling stock, wheels and axles and other ancillary components to meet Railways’ requirements.

In pursuance of the decisions taken earlier, Government has now decided to operationalise seven new zones and eight new divisions. The North Western Railway at Jaipur and East Central Railway at , East Coast Railway at Bhubhaneshwar, North Central Railway at Allahabad, South East Central Railway at Bilaspur, South Western Railway at Hubli and West Central Railway at Jabalpur and eight new divisions at Agra, Ahmedabad, Guntur, Nanded, Pune, Ranchi, Rangiya and Raipur.

Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) is the sole research and development wing of Indian Railways, functioning as the technical adviser and consultant to the Ministry, Zonal Railways and Production Units.

SEBI faces threat from foreign watch dogs

Capital market regulator SEBI (Stock Exchange Buero of India) faces shortage of trained staff to conduct effective surveillance, investigation and enforcement for a market that has grown by leaps and bounds in the last five years, a USAID report said. "SEBI lacks the required level of trained staff to conduct effective surveillance, investigation and enforcement... More staff and significant additional training are required," the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a report titled 'Deepening the Indian Capital Market: The Way Forward'. SEBI's regulatory task force has not grown despite significant growth of the market and intermediaries over the past five years. As of March 31, 2006, it had 441 employees in various grades, including 288 officers.

The watchdog is frequently confronted with situations where it recruits, trains and provides experience to staff that leave for higher paying jobs. Besides staff constraints, SEBI also lacks immediate access to specific information on market intermediaries, the report noted. It does not have a centralised information database for several thousands of market intermediaries that can boost surveillance capacity of the regulator at a time when it is facing shortage of trained staff, the report said, emphasising that the regulator needed a centralised database on the lines of the US Central Registration Department (CRD).

The above mentioned is a report came up from a so called watch dogs. Does anybody appointed them to watch our market and suggest? Isn't it a breach of one soverign democratic country's security?

How BIG is our EARTH

Presented in such a way to see the Universe in approximate scale to compare easily.



Beyond Universe!

ANTARES IS THE 15TH BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY.
IT'S MORE THAN 1000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.

Government, a pappet show?

The picture shows it all. Who is running the show & who is ruling the country.

Do we actually need a foreigner to guide us through?

It's not only the problem of a foreigner ruling India, the so called world's largest democracy but through them, the other foreign countries are taking over us. We are not remembering how India got into the hands of foreigners some centuries back.

We need another Mahatma Gandhi to get Independence, the real Independence, not like the one, USA played out in Iraq "Operation Iraqi Freedom", which they are already playing in our land also, in some modified versions.

Though some hope was their on not putting our neck into some other countries arms, but it seems that the Left parties also being sold out now a days.

Everybody playing politics now a days, yea, "Playing politics". I saw an advertisement about Tata Tea on TV, in which one is asking the candidate about his qualifications for the higher post, the post to rule our country. Yea, educational qualification is necessary to run a country like India, S/he should be loyal to the country. Loyal means not to a Religion, Caste or to a foreign country, but to our own motherland. Some of the wisest people are on power, who are widely misusing power, who will take care of them?

Our stock market is going up & touching new heights, hinting that we are growing fast. Is it so? No, absolutely no, it's being hyped by foreign countries which can control our country or policies of our Great Nation for ransom.

Judiciary is the only hope now a days! but have to see how much it can extend it arms to correct the officials & politicians, who will get the foreign umbrella against any action.

Infamous Hyde Act or 123 agreement of USA

To exempt from certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 a proposed nuclear agreement for cooperation with India.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006'.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, the means to produce them, and the means to deliver them are critical objectives for United States foreign policy;

(2) sustaining the NPT and strengthening its implementation, particularly its verification and compliance, is the keystone of United States nonproliferation policy;

(3) the NPT has been a significant success in preventing the acquisition of nuclear weapons capabilities and maintaining a stable international security situation;

(4) countries that have never become a party to the NPT and remain outside that treaty's legal regime pose a potential challenge to the achievement of the overall goals of global nonproliferation, because those countries have not undertaken the NPT's international obligation to prohibit the spread of dangerous nuclear technologies;

(5) it is in the interest of the United States to the fullest extent possible to ensure that those countries that are not NPT members are responsible with any nuclear technology they develop;

(6) it may be in the interest of the United States to enter into an agreement for nuclear cooperation as set forth in section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153) with a country that has never been an NPT member with respect to civilian nuclear technology if--

(A) the country has demonstrated responsible behavior with respect to the nonproliferation of technology related to weapons of mass destruction programs and the means to deliver them;

(B) the country has a functioning and uninterrupted democratic system of government, has a foreign policy that is congruent to that of the United States, and is working with the United States in key foreign policy initiatives related to non-proliferation;

(C) such cooperation induces the country to implement the highest possible protections against the proliferation of technology related to weapons of mass destruction programs and the means to deliver them, and to refrain from actions that would further the development of its nuclear weapons program; and

(D) such cooperation will induce the country to give greater political and material support to the achievement of United States global and regional nonproliferation objectives, especially with respect to dissuading, isolating, and, if necessary, sanctioning and containing states that sponsor terrorism and terrorist groups, that are seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capability or other weapons of mass destruction capability and the means to deliver such weapons; and

(7)(A) India meets the criteria described in this subsection; and

(B) it is in the national security interest of the United States to deepen its relationship with India across a full range of issues, including peaceful nuclear cooperation.

SEC. 3. STATEMENTS OF POLICY.

(a) In General- The following shall be the policies of the United States:

(1) Oppose the development of a capability to produce nuclear weapons by any non-nuclear weapon state, within or outside of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (21 UST 483; commonly referred to as the `Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty' or the `NPT').

(2) Encourage states party to the NPT to interpret the right to `develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes', as described in Article IV of the NPT, as being a qualified right that is conditioned by the overall purpose of the NPT to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons capability, including by refraining from all nuclear cooperation with any state party that has not demonstrated that it is in full compliance with its NPT obligations, as determined by the IAEA.

(3) Strengthen the Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines concerning consultation by members regarding violations of supplier and recipient understandings by instituting the practice of a timely and coordinated response by NSG members to all such violations, including termination of nuclear transfers to an involved recipient, that discourages individual NSG members from continuing cooperation with such recipient until such time as a consensus regarding a coordinated response has been achieved.

(b) With Respect to South Asia- The following shall be the policies of the United States with respect to South Asia:

(1) Achieve a moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear explosive purposes by India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of China at the earliest possible date.

(2) Achieve, at the earliest possible date, the conclusion and implementation of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons to which both the United States and India become parties.

(3) Secure India's--

(A) full participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative;

(B) formal commitment to the Statement of Interdiction Principles;

(C) public announcement of its decision to conform its export control laws, regulations, and policies with the Australia Group and with the Guidelines, Procedures, Criteria, and Control Lists of the Wassennaar Arrangement;

(D) demonstration of satisfactory progress toward implementing the decision described in subparagraph (C); and

(E) ratification of or accession to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, done at Vienna on September 12, 1997.

(4) Secure India's full and active participation in United States efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability (including the capability to enrich or process nuclear materials), and the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction.

(5) Seek to halt the increase of nuclear weapon arsenals in South Asia, and to promote their reduction and eventual elimination.

SEC. 4. WAIVER AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the President makes the determination described in subsection (b), the President may--

(1) exempt a proposed agreement for nuclear cooperation with India (arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153)) from the requirement in section 123 a.(2) of such Act, and such agreement for cooperation may only enter into force in accordance with subsections (f) and (g);

(2) waive the application of section 128 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2157) with respect to India, provided that such waiver shall cease to be effective if the President determines that India has engaged in any activity described section 129 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2158), other than section 129 a.(1)(D) or section 129 a.(2)(C) of such Act, at any time after the date of the enactment of this Act; and

(3) with respect to India--

(A) waive the restrictions of section 129 a.(1)(A) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2158 a.(1)(A)) for any activity that occurred on or before July 18, 2005; and

(B) section 129 a.(1)(D) of such Act.

(b) Determination by the President- The determination referred to in subsection (a) is a determination by the President that the following actions have occurred:

(1) India has provided the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency with a credible plan to separate civil and military nuclear facilities, materials, and programs, and has filed a declaration regarding its civil facilities with the IAEA.

(2) India and the IAEA have concluded an agreement requiring the application of IAEA safeguards in perpetuity in accordance with IAEA standards, principles, and practices (including IAEA Board of Governors Document GOV/1621 (1973)) to India's civil nuclear facilities, materials, and programs as declared in the plan described in paragraph (1), including materials used in or produced through the use of India's civil nuclear facilities.

(3) India and the IAEA are making substantial progress toward concluding an Additional Protocol consistent with IAEA principles, practices, and policies that would apply to India's civil nuclear program.

(4) India is working actively with the United States for the early conclusion of a multilateral Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.

(5) India is working with and supporting United States and international efforts to prevent the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technology.

(6) India is taking the necessary steps to secure nuclear and other sensitive materials and technology, including through--

(A) the enactment and enforcement of comprehensive export control legislation and regulations;

(B) harmonization of its export control laws, regulations, policies, and practices with the policies and practices of the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Nuclear Suppliers Group; and

(C) adherence to the MTCR and the NSG in accordance with the procedures of those regimes for unilateral adherence.

(7) The NSG has decided by consensus to permit supply to India of nuclear items covered by the guidelines of the NSG.

(c) Submission to Congress-

(1) IN GENERAL- The President shall submit to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate information concerning any determination made pursuant to subsection (b), together with a report detailing the basis for the determination.

(2) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED- To the fullest extent available to the United States, the information referred to in paragraph (1) shall include the following:

(A) A summary of the plan provided by India to the United States and the IAEA to separate India's civil and military nuclear facilities, materials, and programs, and the declaration made by India to the IAEA identifying India's civil facilities to be placed under IAEA safeguards, including an analysis of the credibility of such plan and declaration, together with copies of the plan and declaration.

(B) A summary of the agreement that has been entered into between India and the IAEA requiring the application of safeguards in accordance with IAEA practices to India's civil nuclear facilities as declared in the plan described in subparagraph (A), together with a copy of the agreement, and a description of the progress toward its full implementation.

(C) A summary of the progress made toward conclusion and implementation of an Additional Protocol between India and the IAEA, including a description of the scope of such Additional Protocol.

(D) A description of the steps that India is taking to work with the United States for the conclusion of a multilateral treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, including a description of the steps that the United States has taken and will take to encourage India to identify and declare a date by which India would be willing to stop production of fissile material for nuclear weapons unilaterally or pursuant to a multilateral moratorium or treaty.

(E) A description of the steps India is taking to prevent the spread of nuclear-related technology, including enrichment and reprocessing technology or materials that can be used to acquire a nuclear weapons technology, as well as the support that India is providing to the United States to further United States objectives to restrict the spread of such technology.

(F) A description of the steps that India is taking to secure materials and technology applicable for the development, acquisition, or manufacture of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver such weapons through the application of comprehensive export control legislation and regulations, and through harmonization and adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group, Wassennaar guidelines, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, and participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative.

(G) A description of the decision taken within the Nuclear Suppliers Group relating to nuclear cooperation with India, including whether nuclear cooperation by the United States under an agreement for cooperation arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153) is consistent with the decision, practices, and policies of the NSG.

(H) A description of the scope of peaceful cooperation envisioned by the United States and India that will be implemented under the Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation, including whether such cooperation will include the provision of enrichment and reprocessing technology.

(d) Restrictions on Nuclear Transfers to India-

(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding the entry into force of an agreement for cooperation with India pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153) and approved pursuant to this Act, no item subject to such agreement or subject to the transfer guidelines of the NSG may be transferred to India if such transfer would violate the transfer guidelines of the NSG as in effect on the date of the transfer.

(2) TERMINATION OF NUCLEAR TRANSFERS TO INDIA- Notwithstanding the entry into force of an agreement for nuclear cooperation with India (arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153)), exports of nuclear and nuclear-related material, equipment, or technology to India shall be terminated if India makes any materially significant transfer of--

(A) nuclear or nuclear-related material, equipment, or technology that does not conform to NSG guidelines, or

(B) ballistic missiles or missile-related equipment or technology that does not conform to MTCR guidelines,

unless the President determines that cessation of such exports would be seriously prejudicial to the achievement of United States nonproliferation objectives or otherwise jeopardize the common defense and security.

(3) PROHIBITION ON NUCLEAR TRANSFERS TO INDIA- If nuclear transfers to India are restricted pursuant to this Act, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or the Arms Export Control Act, the President should seek to prevent the transfer to India of nuclear equipment, materials, or technology from other participating governments in the NSG or from any other source.

(e) Approval of Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation Required-

(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to subsection (m), an agreement for nuclear cooperation between the United States and India submitted pursuant to this section may become effective only if--

(A) the President submits to Congress the agreement concluded between the United States and India, including a copy of the safeguards agreement entered into between the IAEA and India relating to India's declared civilian nuclear facilities, in accordance with the requirements and procedures of section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (other than section 123 a.(2) of such Act) that are otherwise not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act; and

(B) after the submission under subparagraph (A), the agreement is approved by a joint resolution that is enacted into law.

(2) CONSULTATION- Beginning one month after the date of the enactment of this Act and every month thereafter until the President submits to Congress the agreement referred to in paragraph (1), the President should consult with the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate regarding the status of the negotiations between the United States and India with respect to civilian nuclear cooperation and between the IAEA and India with respect to the safeguards agreement described in subsection (b)(2).

(f) Joint Resolution- For purposes of this section, a joint resolution referred to in subsection (e)(1)(B) is a joint resolution of the two Houses of Congress--

(1) the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: `That the Congress hereby approves the Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation Between the United States of America and the Republic of India submitted by the President on XXXXXXXXXXX.', with the blank space being filled with the appropriate date;

(2) which does not have a preamble; and

(3) the title of which is as follows: `Joint Resolution Approving an Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation Between the United States and India'.

(g) Introduction and Referral-

(1) INTRODUCTION- A joint resolution shall, on the day on which the submissions under subsection (e)(1)(A) are made (or, if either House of Congress is not in session on that day, the first day thereafter when that House is in session)--

(A) be introduced in the House of Representatives by the majority leader, for himself and the minority leader of the House, or by Members of the House designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the House; and

(B) be introduced in the Senate by the majority leader, for himself and the minority leader of the Senate, or by Members of the Senate designated by the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate.

If either House of Congress is not in session on that day, the joint resolution shall be introduced on the first day thereafter when both Houses are in session.

(2) REFERRAL- The joint resolution shall be referred to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.

(h) Discharge of Committees- If a committee to which a joint resolution is referred has not reported such joint resolution by the end of 60 days beginning on the date of its introduction, or the date of the submission of the nonproliferation assessment statement described in section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153), whichever is later, such committee shall be discharged from further consideration of such joint resolution, and such joint resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar of the House involved.

(i) Floor Consideration in the House of Representatives-

(1) IN GENERAL- On or after the third calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays, except when the House of Representatives is in session on such a day) after the date on which the committee to which a joint resolution is referred has reported, or has been discharged from further consideration of, such a joint resolution, it shall be in order for any Member of the House to move to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution. A Member of the House may make the motion only on the day after the calendar day on which the Member announces to the House the Member's intention to do so. Such motion shall be privileged and shall not be debatable. The motion shall not be subject to amendment or to a motion to postpone. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution is agreed to, the House shall immediately proceed to consideration of the joint resolution which shall remain the unfinished business until disposed of.

(2) DEBATE- Debate on a joint resolution, and on all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than six hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the joint resolution. An amendment to the joint resolution shall not be in order. A motion to further limit debate shall be in order and shall not be debatable. A motion to table, a motion to postpone, or a motion to recommit the joint resolution shall not be in order. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the joint resolution is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order.

(3) APPEALS- Appeals from the decisions of the Chair to the procedure relating to a joint resolution shall be decided without debate.

(j) Floor Consideration in the Senate- Any joint resolution shall be considered in the Senate in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b)(4) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976.

(k) Consideration by the Other House- If, before the passage by one House of a joint resolution of that House, that House receives a joint resolution from the other House, then the following procedures shall apply:

(1) The joint resolution of the other House shall not be referred to a committee and may not be considered in the House receiving it except in the case of final passage as provided in paragraph (2)(B).

(2) With respect to a joint resolution of the House receiving the joint resolution--

(A) the procedure in that House shall be the same as if no joint resolution had been received from the other House; but

(B) the vote on final passage shall be on the joint resolution of the other House.

(3) Upon disposition of the joint resolution received from the other House, it shall no longer be in order to consider the joint resolution that originated in the receiving House.

(l) Computation of Days- In the computation of the period of 60 days referred to in subsection (h), there shall be excluded the days on which either House of Congress is not in session because of an adjournment of more than 3 days to a day certain or because of an adjournment of the Congress sine die.

(m) Section 123 of Atomic Energy Act Not Affected- Notwithstanding subsection (e)(1), this section does not preclude the approval, under section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153), of an agreement for cooperation in which India is the cooperating party.

(n) Sunset- The procedures under this section shall cease to be effective upon the enactment of a joint resolution under this section.

(o) Reports-

(1) POLICY OBJECTIVES- The President shall, not later than January 31, 2007, and not later than January 31 of each year thereafter, submit to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on--

(A) the extent to which each policy objective in section 3(b) has been achieved;

(B) the steps taken by the United States and India in the preceding calendar year to accomplish those objectives;

(C) the extent of cooperation by other countries in achieving those objectives; and

(D) the steps the United States will take in the current calendar year to accomplish those objectives.

(2) NUCLEAR EXPORTS TO INDIA-

(A) IN GENERAL- Not later than one year after the date on which an agreement for nuclear cooperation between the United States and India is approved by Congress under section 4(f) and every year thereafter, the President shall submit to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report describing United States exports to India for the preceding year pursuant to such agreement and the anticipated exports to India for the next year pursuant to such agreement.

(B) NUCLEAR FUEL- The report described in subparagraph (A) shall also include (in a classified form if necessary)--

(i) an estimate for the previous year of the amount of uranium mined in India;

(ii) the amount of such uranium that has likely been used or allocated for the production of nuclear explosive devices;

(iii) the rate of production of--

(I) fissile material for nuclear explosive devices; and

(II) nuclear explosive devices; and

(iv) an analysis as to whether imported uranium has affected such rate of production of nuclear explosive devices.

(p) Definitions- In this Act:

(1) IAEA- The term `IAEA' means the International Atomic Energy Agency.

(2) MTCR- The term `MTCR' means the Missile Technology Control Regime.

(3) NPT- The term `NPT' means the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

(4) NPT MEMBER- The term `NPT member' means a country that is a party to the NPT.

(5) NSG- The term `NSG' means the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

SivaInfoSystems does not subscribe to anything mentioned above & does not take responsibility of any error in the text. The text is in as I received state & am not liable in anyway.

Remember, by trade & agreements, our nation once came under foreign rule & it takes centuries and the lives of so many great souls to gain Independence.

First being friendship with a country & destroying it politically & economically. The so called sponsored religious faith is also a threat, Beware India!

Independence Day! ?

Happy Independence from European Merchants... ?

Does we got it?

Europeans came to India as merchants & then ruled our country for more than a decade & stolen valuables & properties. Used tactic "Divide & Rule".

Still they are at large, thanks to falling in the traps of other countries & signing agreements like GATT & so many shameful agreements. Opening markets...

1. We suffered the injustice because of colour? lack of brain? or is it because we don't have unity?
   


2. We all take an oath to ourselves to be united from now onwards to the prosperity & integrity of


3. Our motherland. We will not pull the legs of our fellow countrymen in progress. We will never take money & other advantages from foreigners to dilute poison to our land. We will bargain our right in every fields of life.
   


4. India is the second largest populated country in the world; why India dont' have a permanent place in UN?
   


5. India has the right to be progressive & attain development, then why we sign in the restrictions; is it to please the so called world rulers?
   


6. India has the right to protect its territories by the sophisticated modern weapons, develop new weapons, then why others ban our development. Do we have the right only to buy weapons from them.
   


7. Why India signed the 123 agreement? To restrict itself down in the pen tip of foreign president?
   


8. No other country in the world is giving special rights to minority people as India does. Then why we are against common civil code?


9. Why we are not taking any steps to control the foreign companies who are openly controlling Government policies?


10. Why some minority priests thretens to throw out Democratically elected State Government with the open help from a foreign government & the Central Government still looking helplessly?
    

Questions remains...

Google's next Social Network - Socialstream

Socialstream is the result of a Google-sponsored capstone project in the Master's program at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute. This project was guided by three goals that built upon each other:

Initial Task: Rethink and reinvent online social networking

Refined Focus: Discover the user needs related to social networking and explore how a unified social network service can enhance their experience.

Prototype Goal: Create a system for users to seamlessly share, view, and respond to many types of social content across multiple networks.

Directed to help improve the online community orkut, the project's scope was not to simply redesign the interface. Our team considered how online social networking could bring greater value to users, especially for ages above twenty. After initial brainstorming and research, we chose to focus on the effects of a new model for online social networking: a unified social network that, as a service, provides social data to many other applications. Our user research examined needs related to online as well as offline social networking and considered how they related to a unified social network service model. Through this user research we identified a set of archetypes that represent common behavior patterns that existed across multiple study participants and also formulated a summarized list of their high level needs.

Socialstream is our response to these needs; it is the result of a rigorous user-centered design process that involved formal research and evaluation with over 30 participants.

FOREX

FOREX (Foreign Exchange)
The purpose of these articles is to introduce the forex market to you. As with many markets there are many derivative of the central market such as futures, options and forwards. Here we will only be discussing the main market sometime referred to as the Spot or Cash market.


The word FOREX is derived from the words Foreign Exchange and is the largest financial market in the world. Unlike many markets the FX market is open 24 hours per day and has an estimated $1.2 Trillion in turnover every day. This tremendous turnover is more than the combined turnover of the main worlds' stock markets on any given day. This tends to lead to a very liquid market and thus a desirable market to trade.

Unlike many other securities (any financial instrument that can be traded) the FX market does not have a fixed exchange. It is primarily traded through banks, brokers, dealers, financial institutions and private individuals.

Trades are executed through phone and increasingly through the Internet. It is only in the last few years that the smaller investor has been able to gain access to this market. Previously the large amounts of deposits required precluded the smaller investors. With the advent of the Internet and growing competition it is now easily within the reach of most investors. Click for more

Paypal

Student Loan

Home loan companies have started to lean heavily on some of their borrowers, asking them to prepay a part of their loans and raise their equated monthly installments (EMIs).

Interest rates on housing loans have risen by 400 to 500 basis points — one basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point — over the past two years.

The lenders are now realizing that it is no longer enough to merely tweak the EMI.

Many like HDFC and ICICI Bank are now asking customers to start looking at a combination of pre-payments and EMI increases to bring down their loan liabilities to manageable levels — a move that has started giving borrowers more pain than they had bargained for when they took the loans.

Others like the SBI are also in the process of sending out similar missives. Come July, the country’s largest bank will ask some of its home loan borrowers to pay higher EMIs. The SBI fears that such a directive could lead to some payment defaults.

A borrower, whose EMI went up last November after a rate rise, was spooked when he got another letter this week that said: “Your interest rate for your loan is 11.50 per cent effective June 1, 2007. Due to this change in the interest rate, the repayment tenure on your loan has stretched beyond the normal term of a loan. We request your immediate attention in this regard.

“One of the following actions from your side is recommended: alter the EMI suitably, consider a part prepayment of the principal, combination of Options 1 and 2, depending on your convenience.”

“This has come as a bolt from the blue,” said the borrower who wished to remain anonymous. “I looked over the rate hikes and found that my floating rate had risen five times in the past year with three of them coming in the past three months. I will have to pay them about Rs 1.5 lakh and hope that the interest rates don’t rise any further.”

There is no guarantee that rates won’t rise any further. The RBI has kept its cards close to its chest and will be looking closely at global cues.

Last week, the US Federal Reserve didn’t raise rates but said it would be watching inflation very closely. Central bankers often raise benchmark interest rates to collar inflation but there’s a danger that this could trammel economic growth.

Senior bankers do not expect Indian interest rates to rise further. With the inflation rate slowing to a 13-month low, many expect the RBI to refrain from tampering with key interest rates when it unveils the monetary policy review in July.

Vacancies in Central Government & Public Service Units

Sometimes I think about filling up application forms online for all the Government sector vacancies & Public Service Sectors. Later I found so many links to vacancies but didn't saved it for future use. Then I thought to save it for those who are visiting my site! & here it is...

Dedicated to all aspirants...

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Life

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
Time; Words; Opportunity


Three things in life that may never be lost
Peace; Hope; Honesty


Three things in life that are most valuable
Love; Self-confidence; Friends


Three things in life that is never certain
Dreams; Success; Fortune


Three things that make a man/woman
Hard work; Sincerity; Commitment


Three things in life that can destroy a man/woman
Alcohol; Pride; Anger

One thing that is truly constant -
GOD

Bharatham/ India

Introduction

India

Background:

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto Indian lands about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.

Geography

India

Location:	Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:	20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references:	Asia
Area:	total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km
Area - comparative:	slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries:	total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:	7,000 km
Maritime claims:	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:	varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain:	upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources:	coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
Land use:	arable land: 48.83% permanent crops: 2.8% other: 48.37% (2005)
Irrigated land:	558,080 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:	droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:	deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements:	party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:	dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

People

India

Population:	1,129,866,154 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:	0-14 years: 31.8% (male 188,208,196/female 171,356,024) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 366,977,821/female 346,034,565) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 27,258,259/female 30,031,289) (2007 est.)
Median age:	total: 24.8 years male: 24.5 years female: 25.2 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:	1.606% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:	22.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:	6.58 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:	-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:	at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.098 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.061 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.908 male(s)/female total population: 1.064 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	total: 34.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 39.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:	total population: 68.59 years male: 66.28 years female: 71.17 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:	2.81 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:	0.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:	5.1 million (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:	310,000 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:	degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Japanese encephalitis are high risks in some locations animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
Nationality:	noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups:	Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions:	Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
Languages:	English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language
Literacy:	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61% male: 73.4% female: 47.8% (2001 census)

Government

India

Economy

India

Economy - overview:	India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output with less than one third of its labor force. About three-fifths of the work force is in agriculture, leading the UPA government to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. The government has reduced controls on foreign trade and investment. Tariffs averaged 12.5% on non-agricultural items in 2006. Higher limits on foreign direct investment were permitted in a few key sectors, such as telecommunications. However, tariff spikes in sensitive categories, including agriculture, and incremental progress on economic reforms still hinder foreign access to India's vast and growing market. Privatization of government-owned industries remained stalled in 2006, and continues to generate political debate; populist pressure from within the UPA government and from its Left Front allies continues to restrain needed initiatives. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1996, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 8.5% GDP growth in 2006, significantly expanding manufacturing. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Economic expansion has helped New Delhi continue to make progress in reducing its federal fiscal deficit. However, strong growth - more than 8 percent growth in each of the last three years - combined with easy consumer credit and a real estate boom is fueling inflation concerns. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem.
GDP (purchasing power parity):	$4.156 trillion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):	$804 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:	9.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):	$3,800 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:	agriculture: 19.9% industry: 19.3% services: 60.7% (2005 est.)
Labor force:	509.3 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:	agriculture: 60% industry: 12% services: 28% (2003)
Unemployment rate:	7.8% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:	25% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:	lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 33.5% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:	32.5 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):	5.3% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):	29.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:	revenues: $109.4 billion expenditures: $143.8 billion; including capital expenditures of $15 billion (2006 est.)
Public debt:	52.8% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:	rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
Industries:	textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software
Industrial production growth rate:	7.5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:	630.6 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source:	fossil fuel: 81.7% hydro: 14.5% nuclear: 3.4% other: 0.3% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:	587.9 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:	60 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:	1.5 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:	785,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:	2.45 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:	350,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - imports:	2.09 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:	5.6 billion bbl (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:	28.2 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:	30.83 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:	0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:	2.63 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:	853.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:	-$26.4 billion (2006 est.)
Exports:	$112 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:	textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
Exports - partners:	US 16.7%, UAE 8.5%, China 6.6%, Singapore 5.3%, UK 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.4% (2005)
Imports:	$187.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:	crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals
Imports - partners:	China 7.3%, US 5.6%, Switzerland 4.7% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:	$165 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:	$132.1 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:	$2.9 billion (FY98/99)
Currency (code):	Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code:	INR
Exchange rates:	Indian rupees per US dollar - 45.3 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002)
Fiscal year:	1 April - 31 March

Communications

India

Telephones - main lines in use:	49.75 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:	69.193 million (2006)
Telephone system:	general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth; local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but telephone density remains low at about 10 for each 100 persons nationwide and only 1 per 100 persons in rural areas; there remains a national waiting list of over 1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest growth in fixed lines domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still weak in rural areas, resulted from increased competition and dramatic reductions in price led in large part by wireless service; mobile cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities and 19 telecom circles each with about three private service providers and one state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT) international: country code - 91; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 6 submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic (2006)
Radio broadcast stations:	AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)
Radios:	116 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:	562 (1997)
Televisions:	63 million (1997)
Internet country code:	.in
Internet hosts:	1.543 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):	43 (2000)
Internet users:	60 million (2005)

Transportation

India

Airports:	341 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:	total: 243 over 3,047 m: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 21 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:	total: 98 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 48 (2006)
Heliports:	28 (2006)
Pipelines:	condensate/gas 8 km; gas 5,184 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,993 km; oil 6,500 km; refined products 6,152 km (2006)
Railways:	total: 63,230 km broad gauge: 45,718 km 1.676-m gauge (16,528 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,406 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,106 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:	total: 3,383,344 km paved: 1,603,705 km unpaved: 1,779,639 km (2002)
Waterways:	14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2005)
Merchant marine:	total: 316 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,772,313 GRT/13,310,858 DWT by type: bulk carrier 96, cargo 72, chemical tanker 13, container 8, liquefied gas 17, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 96, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (China 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 1) registered in other countries: 46 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Cyprus 5, North Korea 1, Liberia 3, Malta 1, Mauritius 2, Panama 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 5, Venezuela 1, unknown 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:	Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam

Military

India

Military branches:	Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense Security Corps)
Military service age and obligation:	16 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:	males age 16-49: 287,551,111 females age 16-49: 268,524,835 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:	males age 16-49: 219,471,999 females age 16-49: 209,917,553 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:	males age 18-49: 11,446,452 females age 16-49: 10,665,877 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:	2.5% (2006)

Transnational Issues

India

Disputes - international:	since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal
Refugees and internally displaced persons:	refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China), 50,730 (Sri Lanka), 9,700 (Afghanistan) IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir) (2006)
Trafficking in persons:	current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced or bonded labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the large population of men, women, and children - numbering in the millions - in debt bondage face involuntary servitude in brick kilns, rice mills, and embroidery factories, while some children endure involuntary servitude as domestic servants; internal trafficking of women and girls for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage also occurs; the government estimates that 90 percent of India's sex trafficking is internal; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; boys from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are trafficked through India to the Gulf states for involuntary servitude as child camel jockeys; Indian men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf region for work as domestic servants and low-skilled laborers, but some later find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude including extended working hours, nonpayment of wages, restrictions on their movement by withholding of their passports or confinement to the home, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India has been on the Tier 2 Watch List since 2004 for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons
Illicit drugs:	world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor production