petrochemicals

National Programme on Petrochemicals Development

The Government has approved the National Policy on Petrochemicals in April 2007 with the aim to increase investments and competitiveness both in the upstream and downstream sectors, encourage modernization of downstream processing units, promote research and development, develop adequate skilled manpower, etc., with an overall objective to achieve an environmentally sustainable and healthy growth of the petrochemical sector. Subsequently, the Department formulated and implemented three schemes viz.
1)National Awards for Technology Innovations in Petrochemicals and downstream Plastic Processing Industry, 2)Setting up of Centres of Excellence in polymer technology and 
3)Setting up of dedicated Plastic Parks to promote a cluster approach in the areas of development of plastic applications. 

Answer Writing

General Studies:
In the latest notification by the UPSC for the ICS 2008, Changes have made in the syllabi of Mains GS
Three main alterations which have been made are:
(a) GS has become more current events oriented.
(b) GS has also been related with comparable international events.
(c) All the topics have become more analytical.
(d) The optional subjects have also become more current-oriented, and analitical.
(e) At many places, the language of the content of the syllabus has been changed. The final outcome of this is that all those topics on which questions were aasked earlier also, and which were assumed to be part of syallabus as implied topics, have been clearily mentioned.
Some tips
(a) In section 1 of Paper II, earlier the topic was: Nuclear Policy, issues, and conflicts. This clearly makes the topics current events oriented, as questions might be asked on the latest or the rationale and ways to deal with any nuclear conflicts in future.
(b) The heading of section 2 of Paper II has clearly changed to : 'India's Economic Interaction with the World'. Here, Clearly the latest economic changes in policy and the changed economic relations, Positions, Scenario and the perspective have been highlighted.
(c) The section 2 of Paper II mentions - the role and functions if I,M,F., World Bank, W.T.O., WIPO etc. Which influence India's economic interaction with other countries and international institutions. It requires an analytical mindset and matter personally prepared which will not be found in the conventional books easily.
(d) A major portion of Section 3 and 4 of Paper I has been changed in language. Though mostly the meaning remains the same, the topics have been clearly mentioned in the new syllabus. Questions have been asked earlier on thesse newly addes topics. Thus, the changes by the UPSC in the syllabus, more or less, point toward a change in strategy, change in the nature of questions asked, and the change in tools of preparation.

Strategy for Prelims
Looking at the pattern in which questions have been framed in General Studies (GS) from 1985 onwards, one is tempted to say that possibly the principle design of the examiners is to eliminate candidates rather than test their mental calibre. Moreover, examiners have not correctly followed in all the years the pattern of allotting specific number of marks for specified for each syllabus expect for the area on Mental Ability.
Such being the current trend of setting the GS paper in the Preliminary Exam, candidates have no option but to bank upon chosen optional subjects while making reasonable amount of preparation for all areas of GS. Besides, it is wise to prepare these areas from the view-point of the Main Examination. The areas to be taken care of are Modern India, Polity, Indian Economy, Geography, Current Events and General Science.
Considering the general nature of the examination the tactics must be to focus on greater rather than intensive coverage. One is expected to know history, science, polity, geography, economy and other such disciplines, all at the same time. However, only basics of each of the disciplines is needed. Hence one must concentrate on basics and acquire as much facts about basics as possible but avoiding the element of over-kill in preparations.
While preparation for the Prelims large coverage is the key word. By going through large source of information it is expected that an image is built in the mind which will reflect the details. Do remember that human memory skills work better when there are less emotional in-puts or anxiety about inability to recall on account of exam-related stress.

Here is a brief dos and don'ts:
Final preparation must start by testing self with the revision-type Model Test Papers.
Do not get discouraged by initial low score.
Emphasis on your weak-spots.
Keep testing yourself at a regular interval.
Make a mental note of areas you have covered and what remains to be covered.
Be analytical in response.
Do not overstretch yourself area of coverage-wise.
Revise your stuff a number of times.
A calm mental state is most important.
Since there is negative marking in the exam now, it is suggested to leave any questions that you are not sure of, unanswered.
Do not get stuck at any question. Move on from question to question and attempt the difficult ones at the end.
Attempt only the answers which you are sure of.

Strategy for Mains
Paper I
Geography of India: Students should concentrate on human and economic geography. Human section includes issues related to population. There will be questions based on the Human Development Report prepared by United Nations Development Programme. The World Development Report of World Bank deals in different aspects of economic geography like safe drinking water. Students should emphasise less on classical geography like types of soil and rocks. The stress should be on preparing cultural and economic geography and issues related to it.
Indian Polity: Different aspects of the Constitution like Supreme Court judgment during the past one year are important. At macro level, students need to know in detail issues like imposition of President's Rule in Bihar, why it was imposed and under what circumstances, significance of Bommai Judgment while implementing the same are important.
History of Modern India and Indian Culture: The subject is like a story and there could be linkages between two questions. Students thus need to ensure that the entire syllabus is covered in detail while revising history.They can, however, do without preparing portions which appeared last year in the main stage of the examination. The general trend is that there are no repetitions from last year's papers, but once in a while students could be in for a surprise. The part relating to Indian culture will cover all aspects from ancient to modern times.
Current National issues and topics of social relevance: Students should go through major happenings at the national level during the last one calendar year. National newspapers, news magazines, journals and periodicals are good source of information to prepare topics related to national issues. Issues of social relevance which affect the lives of people should always be dealt in detail.

Paper-II
Indian Economy: The change of guard at the Centre has brought an ideological shift in how we manage our economy and issues related to taxation and spending pattern. There is more emphasis on the social sector, winding up of Ministry of Disinvestment, issues related to privatisation or profit earning and loss-making PSU entities. Queries related to disinvestment of government entities in a transparent manner too have come to play an important role during the past one year.
The role of government in our public life like running utility services too has become a matter of debate during the last few years. Areas like atomic energy, manufacturing of military goods should continue to remain in the public sector but the government should not own enterprises. The role of the government should be limited to budgetary support and providing direction on different policy matters like social work.
International Affairs and Institutions: Reforms in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and formation of G-4 to bid for permanent seats in the Security Council and US' role during the entire process will be important this year.
Developments in the fields of S&T,communications and space: Scientific development during the last one year, focus on development of AIDS vaccine, stem cell research, focus on non-renewable sources of energy and manned space are must during the revision. Geological disasters like earthquakes are still not being predicted inspite of technological advancements. Is it then justified to spend heavily on space research?
India and the World: Indian's relations with major world powers like US, China, Russia, France, UK and European Union should be covered in detail. The recent positive developments in Indo-US relations particularly in areas like civilian nuclear energy deal, space cooperation and education will be important in this year's examination.
Immediate neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar too play an important role in India's foreign policy. Disputes with Pakistan and China on the one hand and Bangladesh and Nepal on the other have come to play an important role in India's tryst to create a space in world politics. There should be focus on India's role in her neighbour's internal politics like maoist insurgency and return of democracy in Nepal. Issues related to illegal immigrants from Bangladesh too are important in this year's paper.
Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrammes: This section tests the candidates' ability to draw conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical or diagrammatical form and to point out deficiencies therein.
Writing the paper: Students should be focussed in terms of language, and they should ensure that the answers are as close as possible. The examiner is usually in a hurry and if provided with facts and coherent replies,his job becomes easier. The answers should not be lengthy and written in a precise manner. Word limit should be adhered to, wherever mentioned. Students should focus on providing their side of justification in a jiffy. Repetitive and elaborate replies should be strictly avoided.

Strategy for Mains - India and the worldPaper two of General Studies in the Main Examination starts with the segment - India and the world. It accounts for around 50 marks out of 300 in this paper. Earlier this was part of a wider segment called issues of national and international importance. But in recent years, realising the significance of India's foreign policy, it has been segmented as a separate area and with focus on India's interaction with rest of the world.
Pandit Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India is regarded as the architect of our foreign policy. He used foreign policy as an instrument to defend and strengthen India's newly-won independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. His principles of 'Panchsheel' and non-alignment remained the guiding principles for successive prime ministers. During the time of Indira Gandhi, a growing assertiveness was quite evident in the Indian Foreign Policy, be it victory in the Bangladesh war of 1971 or merger of Sikkim in 1975 inspite of the Chinese protest. Her son Rajiv Gandhi believed in 'travel diplomacy'. As he had no ideological baggage to carry when he entered politics, he could interact with both superpowers - USA and USSR, with equal ease during the Cold war.
The end of Cold War heralded a new era for India too. With the beginning of economic reform, India started giving emphasis to 'economic diplomacy'. Consequently, India's relationship with major economies of the world like USA, E U, ASEAN improved considerably.
India and Pakistan continue to have a relationship that can be summed up as that of 'blow hot - blow cold'. Kashmir remains the most contentious issue, but the two countries finally seem to agree on a 'composite dialogue' within the sphere of bilateral ties. India's relationship with other smaller neighbouring countries of South Asia improved considerably in the mid 1990s largely because of the 'Gujral Doctrine'. This doctrine, which became as famous as its propounder enjoined upon India to give unilateral concessions to the smaller neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh without expecting any gains in reciprocity. A significant change seen in the recent times is the thrust given to normalising the relationship with China. Though we have outstanding border disputes but they have been kept on the backburner for the time being. At the same time, there has been more emphasis on enhancing the bilateral economic ties.
Our relationship with the USA is the hallmark of Indian foreign policy after the Cold War. The two countries have found 'natural allies' in each other mainly because of their common economic interests, common threats from international terrorism and common views on international security. On the other hand, India continues to have cordial ties with her time-tested friend Russia. It remains our biggest defence partner followed by Israel. Post-Cold War period has witnessed a change in India's foreign policy on West Asia. In 1993, India established diplomatic ties with the state of Israel keeping in view our security concerns. At the same time, India has not abandoned the cause of Palestinian Arabs. Finally, India's nuclear policy is an integrated part of our foreign policy. For India, its nuclear weapons are more as a deterrent or an insurance against extreme threats than weapons usable during war.

The General Studies (Main) Paper II includes international organisations too. The United Nations is the world's largest and most-vital organisation. It is formed of six main organs, which are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ELDSOC); Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Secretariat, alongwith specialised agencies like WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHRC and others. Then, there are various other international organisations like G-8 or a group of world's most industrialised nations, G-77 or a group of world's developing countries and G-15 or a more compact version of G-77. There are organisations too which focus on certain other subjects like OPEC, OIC, NATO, NAM, among others. One must know the outcome of their latest summits or meets, among others. SAARC is an exclusive organisation of seven South Asia Countries. One can see that it has become a victim of political rivalry between India and Pakistan, its two biggest members. Still efforts are being made to save it and the latest 'Islamabad Summit' has ignited that process. The European Union is perhaps the world's most successful regional bloc alongwith ASEAN and NAFTA. Finally, one can expect questions on leading international non-governmental agencies like Amnesty International, Red Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature and Greenpeace.

Answer Writing

STRATEGY FOR THE PREPARATION (MAINS EXAM.)
Clarity of thought, lucidity, good content, well expressed language. In short, good Communication Skill (Written Communication) so that the answer script speaks for itself. There are many intelligent students, well versed with knowledge about their subject matter and yet they do not score in the Mains Examination. Reason is faulty writing skill. Thus Civil Services Examination requires a two-pronged strategy to hit the target Content and Writing Skill.

Content involves the following:
(a) Conceptual understanding.
(b) Facts.
(c) Manipulating the facts.
(d) Something new, in terms of knowledge base or linkages or ingenuity or diagrams
1. Conceptual understanding - of the subject matter is most important. Give a layman's interpretation to the concepts and relate it with mundane example for long term memory.
2. Facts - After conceptual understanding, the second step is memorizing the important facts. For example - some important theoretical aspects are to be memorized to attempt any question related to the spatial analysis of the subject matter.
3. Something New - new diagrams, new ideas, original ideas, new content, latest reports, linkages etc. However, one has to be cautious that a balance is maintained and the ideas are not too radical. Also it should be well integrated with the answer.

Writing Skill:
1. Be short and precise.
2. Writing should be legible and neat.
3. Grammatical errors to be avoided.
4. Simple language.
5. Neat diagrams whenever it is required to give precision to your answer.
Writing skill does not mean a decorative language, having extra-ordinary vocabulary. It means that the ideas should be well expressed in a lucid manner. Simple language but a speaking Language is the demand i.e. the answer sheet should speak out everything for itself with requisite words, depends on

Development of appropriate linkages (Transfer of Training so that better application in second paper)
Updated material (To cope up with the growing advances ,which serve the purpose of cherry on your pudding)
Application of Phemonia and other easy to remember techniques
Individual attention to every student (Proper strength ,weakness, opportunities and threats analysis) Above are the few important points, rest you experience yourself here at Khan Study Group Institute and chalk your destiny. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO PREPAREPYSCHOLOGY
(MAINS EXAMINATION)
1. Read the basic books first, rather than going for journals and foreign authors etc. whether ‘Preliminary Examination’ or ‘Mains’, what is required as a first step is the mastering of the BASICS (A, B, C) of the subject. So, first step requires mastering these.
2. While reading, focus has to be on CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING rather than simply memorizing the facts. The Facts are easier to memorize if the concepts are clear.
3. Memorizing the FACTS (even the conceptual words, books-authors etc. If one has the subject in the Preliminary Examination). Using Mnemonics or other interesting methods which suits your style, you can do this.
4. Make your flashcard or one register in which all your facts are intact and you can revise them anytime.
Rather than simply collecting new fact everyday, focus should be on revising what you have with you. Only when that is memorized thoroughly move on the new facts. Even when you are reading the new material, keep coming to the old materials in between. This is very important, else during the examination, you will remember that you have read something like this somewhere but "what was it exactly" might not come to you mind and the memory of it will remain only as a faint image. This has to be checked. The ultimate success depends on not ‘what all you have read’ but ‘how’ much you retain it’. How far you have practiced diagrams as well organizing the event in chronological manner. This is very crucial and should not he neglected.
5. Solve as many questions as possible. One should solve all the previous years questions of UPSC and solve them again and again. Many of the questions are repeated. Even if the same questions are not repeated in the same words, quite often the areas remain the same.
the nature of the subject matter. There should be no ambiguity in the answers. Writing skill comes through practice. Writing skill is also based on your knowledge base and conceptual understanding. This only can give flow and lucidity to your answers. The conceptual understanding will make your answer well organized and well integrated. Thus, writing skill and content both should complement and supplement each other. Writing skill has its base in content and content needs writing skill to be well expressed.
EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION (SEVEN PRINCIPLES)
1. Underline the key words.
2. Underline the latest updates that you have incorporated in your answer.
3. Make some lucid diagrams to make your presentation effective. But remember that the diagrams need to be well integrated with your answer.
4. Each topic has some key words and the examiner expects you to write them.
5. Another, crucial factor which many of us tend to overlook is the selection of the first answer. Remember. “FIRST IMPRESSION IS THE LAST IMPRESSION”, hence your first answer should be your best answer, Len one in which you have command and also have SOMETHING NEW to give - in the form of linkages, recent reports, diagrams, maps etc.
Why Psychology as an optional?
Psychology is the study of behaviour of human beings and animals and application of it for the benefit of mankind. It is equally favourite among all streams of students irrespective of their background to appear in the Civil Services Main Examination. Besides being interesting in nature its simplicity and more marks fetching character attracts the students. Civil Services preparation is not just a preparation but strategic preparation. To be successful not only hard work, determination, dedication, etc required but also wise selection of subjects. Psychology is the subject which provides limited course and adequate gap with other optionals thus enhancing the chances of selection.
The best approach is to go through all the available material for the better understanding but you are not doing a PhD course but want to be selected in the civil services .Coaching institutions share this burden from you and filter the relevant material so that you can better utilize your scarce resources of time, money and energy. But in this market of coaching institutions you need wisdom to choose the right one.
6. Analyze the previous year UPSC question paper thoroughly and try to chalk out the areas of the question. Also write down these questions topic wise and keep going through them again and again.
7. Mark the mistakes, which you commit while solving these questions. Do not overlook them and do not lie to yourself that “it was a careless mistake”. Even was a careless mistake like overlooking the word "not" in the question, be cautious that you should not repeat it in the examination hall. Also analyze your mistake thoroughly whether it was due to lack of conceptual understanding or it was forgetting the facts. Master you weakness after analyzing them. NOTE OF CAUTION- Do not read the guide first and then the basic books. It has to be the other way round.
8. Last but not the least, discuss with your friend. Discussion helps a lot provided it is honest discussion with the motive to help the other and in turn getting help. Else it can be disastrous also. These are broadly some tips, which can help you in the Mains as well as Preliminary Examination. However, what matters most is the mental calmness and cool, which you maintain in the examination hall. Do not panic if you do not know any question. Apply your mind. Though not always, but most of the times the questions can be rightly solved if one maintains his cool and analyses it logically. However, ultimately what matters is giving your hest shot and leaving the rest on him.
9. Try to integrate the statement of the question, somewhere in you answer. Either begin with it or end with it. This makes your answer FOCUSSED and well knit.
10. Last, but not the least, just before your examination give your precious three to four hours to those things which are the dynamic aspects of your preparation. This includes the latest updates, reports, diagrams etc. Even glancing over these things at the last moment makes they alive and fresh in your memory (provided you have read them earlier) and they can be reproduced more authentically in the examination. This will definitely make the Difference. These are the SEVEN GOLDEN RULES for fetching marks in PSYCHOLOGY. These are not merely to be memorized and retold to others, but need to be applied in writing answers. So the thrust should be on writing answers and getting them evaluated. The more you practice the better answers you would be able to write. Remember “It is not wide reading but useful reading that tends to excellence”.
Section B
Application of Psychology to disadvantaged groups: The concepts of disadvantaged, deprivation and socially deprived. Social, physical, cultural and economic consequences of disadvantaged and deprived groups. Educating and motivating the disadvantaged towards development.
Psychological and the problem of social integration: The concept of social integration. The problem of caste, class, religion and language conflicts and prejudice. Nature and manifestation of prejudice between the ingroup and outgroup. Casual factors of such conflicts and prejudices.
Other applications of psychology: Sports psychology - improving performance of sports, personnel, psychology and understanding of political behaviour.Voting behaviours.

Writing
Don't exceed limit in shortanswer questions
Try to make the introduction catchy while answering short and long questions. Students should use real-life examples to make the answers lively
Highlight the important points Short sentences should be order of the day. Conclusion should consist gist of entire discussion
Make a framework of the answer like what would you write in the lead paragraph, body text and the conclusion before you proceed with writing the answer
Time management is key and candidates should ensure that they have atleast 25 minutes on hand before they attempt the last question

Ans writing

Here are some of the tips and techniques to score well in mains examination. Follow them at the best. Good Luck.

1. Writing skills matter a lot in the IAS Mains. Most of the candidates appearing for the Mains examination have a lot of knowledge, but lack writing skills. You should be able to present all the information/knowledge in a coherent and logical manner, as expected by the examiner. For example: Quoting with facts and substantiating your answer with related concepts and emphasizing your point of view.

2. Preparations for Mains examination should be done intensively.

3. It always helps if the choice of the optionals for the Prelims examination is one of the subjects chosen for the Mains.
After deciding the optional one should sort out the Main question papers according to the syllabus topics of the Mains examination. If one analyses these questions, after sometime the questions are repeated in one form or the other.

4. Prepare a standard answer to the question papers of the previous years. This will also make your task easy at the Mains examination.

5. Do Not miss the concepts. Questions asked are of the Masters level examination. Sometimes the questions are ‘conceptual’ in nature, aimed at testing the comprehension levels of the basic concepts.

6. Get a list of standard textbooks from the successful candidates, or other sources and also selective good notes. The right choice of reading material is important and crucial. You should not read all types of books as told by others.

7. Always target for Mains even while preparing for Preliminary examination. As there is much in common for study and there is little time for preparation for the Main examination after the results of the Prelims examination are announced.

8. While studying for the optional subjects, keep in mind that there is no scope for selective studies in IAS. The whole syllabus must be covered thoroughly. Equal stress and weight should be given to both the optional you have opted.

9. Note that in the ultimate analysis both subjects carry exactly the same amount of maximum marks.

10. For subjects like Mathematics and Statistics and Geography maps etc, practice is very important. One should also practice other subjects and should not treat the same examination, as an “experience gathering” exercise to get a chance for writing mains is a great thing, which you may not get again.

11. Go through the unsolved papers of the previous papers and solve them to stimulate the atmosphere of the examination.

12. Stick to the time frame. Speed is the very essence of this examination. Hence, time management assumes crucial importance.

13. For developing the writing skills, keep writing model answers while preparing for the Mains examination. This helps get into the habit of writing under time pressure in the Mains examination.

14. Never be over confident with your writing skills. It is too subjective and behavioral.

15. Develop and follow your own style of writing. Try not to be repetitive and maintain a flow in the style of your writing.

16. Never try to imitate others in the style of writing.

17. Sequential and systematic style of answering comes after a lot of practice and analysis of standard answers.

18. Try to stimulate the actual examination hours to judge the performance and to plug any loopholes.

19. Try not to exceed the word limit, as far as possible. Sticking to the word limit that will save time. Besides, the number of marks you achieve are not going to increase even if you exceed the word limit. It’s the quality that matters not the quantity.

20. Revision of subjects is very important. The reason is that you have been preparing for months or years together. It is a human tendency to forget something after some time.

21. Donot bother yourselves if you are unable to revise everything before examination. Write it legibly as it will simplify the evaluator’s task and he can read the answers easily.

22. Highlight the important points which are important.

23. Follow paragraph writing rather than essay form. A new point should start with a new paragraph.

24. If the question needs answer in point format give it a bullet format.

25. Keep sufficient space between two lines.

26. Try to maintain uniformity in your writing throughout the paper.

27. Under time pressure, the script should not go from bad to worse in the later stages of the answer sheets. This may irritate the evaluator.

28. Don’t count words after every answer. If you have practiced well you should reflexively know the approximate limit you made.

29. Give space and divide it by a dividing line between two questions.

30. One should target 1300/2000 marks in the Mains. The main cut off also varies from year to year.

31. Above all be patient and believe in God.

WTO

10 yrs of doha round...... controversy n present status

Urbanisation

Cabinet clears National Urban Transport Policy
Our Bureau



New Delhi , April 5
The Union Cabinet has approved the National Urban Transport Policy that seeks to encourage integrated land use and transport planning in cities, and focuses on greater use of public transport and non-motorised modes by offering central financial assistance.
This was stated by the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, after a meeting of the Union Cabinet here.
The policy incorporates urban transportation as an important parameter at the urban planning stage. It emphasises on integrated land use, transport planning to minimise travel distance, access to livelihood, education and other social needs, especially for the marginal segments of the urban population. The policy also looks to improve access of business to the markets and various factors of production.
The policy's objective is to ensure safe, affordable, reliable and sustainable access for a growing number of city residents to education and employment. In this regard, the policy brings about an equitable allocation of road space, with people, rather than vehicles, as its main focus.
It would also enable the establishment of quality-focused multi-modal public transport systems that are well integrated and providing seamless travel across modes.
Level playing field

The policy involves establishing effective regulatory and enforcement mechanisms that provide a level playing field for all operators of transport services and enhanced safety for the users of transport systems. It aims to introduce an intelligent transport system for traffic management.
Other thrust areas include establishing institutional mechanisms for enhanced co-ordination in the planning and management of transport systems, besides addressing concerns of road safety and trauma response. It also talks about raising finances through various mechanisms that tap land as a resource for investment in urban infrastructure, reducing pollution through changes in travelling practices, stricter norms and technological improvement.
Tapping private sector

It calls for roping in the private sector and tapping its strengthsThe policy also entails pilot projects that demonstrate the potential of possible best practices in sustainable urban transport.
The transport policy assumes significance given the projection that India's urban population would grow to about 473 million in 2021 and 820 million by 2051 from 285 million in 2001.

Money Laundering

The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (also known as the APG or APGML) is the FATF-style regional body for the Asia/Pacific region. It is an autonomous international organisation founded in 1997 in Bangkok, Thailand. The APG consists of 41 member jurisdictions and a number of observer jurisdictions and international and regional observer organisations. Membership in the APG is not open to individual persons. It is available only for jurisdictions with a presence in the Asia/Pacific region. Membership does not however imply or suggest sovereignty in status.

The APG has two Co-Chairs - one permanent and one two-year term rotating Co-Chair. The permanent Co-Chair is Australia (held by Commissioner Tony Negus, the Commissioner ofAustralian Federal Police) and the current rotating Co-Chair is India (held by Shri Jose Cyriac, the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue). The past rotating Co-Chair is Director Ong Hian Sun of Singapore (from 2008 to 2010).

The APG Secretariat is located Sydney, Australia. The Executive Secretary is Dr Gordon Hook, a lawyer who has practiced private and public law in both Canada and New Zealand.

Jurisdictions that join the APG commit to implement the international standards to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, in particular the Forty Recommendations on Money Laundering and the Nine Special Recommendations on Terrorist Financing of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). These standards are referred to as the international standards for Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

Contents  [hide] 1 Role 2 APG Members 3 APG Observers 4 FATF-style regional bodies 5 External links

[edit]Role

The APG has a number of roles as stated in its strategic plan including:

• assessing APG members' compliance with the international AML/CFT standards through a programme of mutual evaluations;
• supporting implementation of the international AML/CFT standards, including coordinating multi-lateral and bi-lateral technical assistance and training with donor countries and agencies;
• conducting research and analysis into money laundering and terrorist financing trends and methods; and
• participating in, and co-operating with, the international AML/CFT network and contributing to global policy development of the standards through associate membership in the FATF.

The APG conducts mutual evaluations of its members to determine whether they comply, or to what extent they comply, with their obligations to implement the global anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing standards. Some of these reports are conducted jointly with other AML/CFT bodies such as the FATF, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors. The final reports are considered in the APG plenary at the annual meeting and upon completion of that examination are published on the APG website in accordance with internal policy.

The APG also has a robust technical assistance and training function in the region. The APG was the first FATF-Style Regional Body to have formal institutionalised processes for technical assistance and training coordination relating to AML/CFT issues. Each year a number of missions are conducted in the region to assess technical and training needs of various jurisdictions after which the Secretariat coordinates the delivery of assistance from multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors. The APG recently developed a "Strategic Implementation Planning Framework" which assists countries to prioritize and implement the complex recommendations made in APG mutual evaluation reports. The framework was developed jointly with the World Bank.

The APG has a Typologies Working Group which examines trends in money laundering and terrorist financing in the Asia-Pacific region. The reports of this Working Group are published on the APG website and provide sanitised case studies from APG members which in turn assist policy makers and law enforcement agencies in understanding how to target resources to prevent these crimes both at the domestic and the international level. Some of the reports published by the APG include money laundering trends in the gambling and casino sector; the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing through alternative remittance systems and underground banking; and trade-based money laundering.

The APG is also an Associate Member of the Financial Action Task Force which permits individual APG members to attend FATF meetings as APG delegates and intervene on policy and operational issues. The APG also conducts joint meetings with the FATF and other FATF-style bodies around the world.

[edit]APG Members

Members are committed to implementing and enforcing the global AML/CFT standards established by the FATF. Effective July 2011, the 41 members of the APG are:

• Afghanistan
• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan, Kingdom of
• Brunei Darussalam
• Cambodia
• Canada
• China, People's Republic of
• Cook Islands
• East Timor
• Fiji Islands
• Hong Kong, China
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Korea, Republic of
• Lao PDR
• Macau, China
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Mongolia
• Myanmar
• Nauru
• Nepal
• New Zealand
• Niue
• Pakistan
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Philippines
• Samoa
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• Sri Lanka
• Chinese Taipei
• Thailand
• Tonga
• United States of America
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam

Of these, 10 are also members of the FATF: Australia; Canada; India; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Japan; the Republic of Korea; New Zealand; Singapore; and the United States of America.

There are now very few jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region which do not participate with the APG as members or observers (including North Korea and some independent jurisdictions in the Pacific region such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and Northern Marianas Islands). French Polynesia and New Caledonia as well as the Wallis and Futuna Islands are dependencies of France and included within the French AML/CFT system.

[edit]APG Observers

APG observers include potential members of the APG and jurisdictions and organisations that cooperate with the APG to support regional efforts to implement the international standards for AML/CFT.

The following jurisdictions are observers in the APG:

• France
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Russian Federation
• Federated States of Micronesia

The following international and regional organisations are observers in the APG:

• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia/Pacific
• Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Secretariat)
• Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)
• Commonwealth Secretariat
• Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units of the World (Egmont)
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
• Grupo de Acción Financiera de Sudamérica (GAFISUD)
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Interpol
• Middle East & North Africa FATF (MENAFATF)
• Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures (MONEYVAL)
• Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO)
• Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS)
• Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)
• Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre (PFTAC)
• United Nations
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• World Bank
• World Customs Organization (WCO)
• Eurasian Group (EAG)
• Eastern and South African Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG)
• Groupe Inter-Gouvernemental d’Action Contre le Blanchiment de l'Argent en Afrique (GIABA)

[edit]

FII/FDI

The centre today permitted a new category of qualified foreign investors (QFIs) to invest upto $13 billionin equity ant debt schemes of Mutual Funds.

In context to the abov statement can anyone explain what "Equity and debt schemes" means and what is the exat diff btw QFIs and FIIs and what is the role of QFIs !!


QFI is an individual, group or association, resident in a foreign country that is compliant with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standard and that is a signatory to International Organization of Securities Commission's Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding.

QFIs do not include Foreign Institutional Investors or Sub-accounts as these are already permitted to invest in Equity and Debt markets in India as per the extant guidelines of SEBI and RBI.


QFI is yet another tool to promote foreign investment in Indian capital market (MFs, equity schemes), extending the scope to those who are not registered with SEBI. The cap is now 13$b, increased from 10$b.

Though they are unregistered with SEBI, they have to follow the KYC (Know Your Customer) guidelines of SEBI to be able to enjoy this scheme.

RBI

The RBI has to keep a balance between growth, inflation, employment and currency stability. Now as we understand, any step taken to curtail inflation hurts growth. So, the RBI or for that matter, any Central Bank tries to rely on such measures as may control inflation without hurting other parameters much. Although, there are several tools for controlling inflation like hiking interest rates and controlling money supply, the policy rates or the Repo rates are generally changed first as they are Short term instruments. In practice, any step of RBI interferes with the market and decreases its efficiency. But Repo rates seem least hurting. In fact, they are used to control money supply as much as to give a psychological warning to the market. For, economics is more a game of psychology than of money!

India role and contribution after gaining current Co-Chair With Australia in Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering?

What are the costs and benefits of joining a monetary union for a country ? and cost and benefits for Greece if it decides to leave Euro zone ?

Monetary Union can have both a political (like euro zone) or an economic ( the planned monetary union of GCC) agenda. In case of political agenda, it is generally intended to bring in more integration and interdependence to set off rivalries and prevent wars. This requires that the countries should have similar populations, per capita GDP and also should have the similar makeup of their economy and exports. ( As is evident in the case of Europe, South East Asia, Latin America or the GCC ststes). In addition, there should be sufficient mobility of labor and flexibility in wages to be able to adjust to external economic environ.

Benefits:
Major benefits..
1. Decreases costs of transactions. (hence, useful for states with higher proportions of trade among themselves)
2. Removes uncertainty related to currency exchange rate fluctuation. (Brings in stable currency, always good for the economy)
3. Facilitates freer movements of capital, labor and goods.

Minor benefits..
1. Easier for people- especially in price and cost comparison.
2. It is expected that a common central bank may prove more effective than that of individual
country in formulating monetary policies

Costs:
1. Loss of sovereignty (both perceived and real)- People fear that the bigger economies may exert more power over smaller ones.
2.Loss of option to regulate monetary policies- As the recent Euro crisis suggests, Greece and other PIIGS countries now don't have an option of devaluation thanks to a common currency.
Also, can't regulate the interest rates. So, in effect, no control over currency.
(Hence, it means that if a country has very definite laws regulating it's economic sphere e.g. the UK,
it may find it harmful to join a monetary union as then it's left with almost no tools to generate flexibility in the market when a crisis comes up.)
3.Adjusting to a new currency is not so easy




Under a currency union, there is no scope for independent monetary policies by the member countries of the union. However, the cost associated with the loss of monetary independence depends upon how well the individual countries were conducting monetary policy prior to joining the currency union. Many developing countries with open capital accounts have several constraints in the effective conduct of an independent monetary policy. This is especially so in developing countries with thin capital markets and weak central banking institutions. In general, the record of developing countries in conducting independent national monetary policies to minimize cyclical fluctuations in economic activity has been somewhat patchy. This suggests that the economic loss from giving up an independent monetary policy may not be very large for such countries. On the contrary, a currency union may, in fact, elicit commitment to greater macroeconomic stability from countries that otherwise have a mixed track record in implementing monetary policy prior to joining the currency union (Barro 2001). It is possible that this benefit will compensate for the loss of monetary policy autonomy.

The benefits of a currency union increase and/or the costs decrease with
(i) greater flexibility in wages and prices among the countries of the union,
(ii) greater mobility of factors of production (labor and capital) across countries,
(iii) more symmetric shocks across countries,
(iv) more openness among the economies within the union, and
(v) larger share of trade among the countries of the region.




Sustaining a common currency may be even more difficult than adopting it. Four constraints that have generally been mentioned are worth special attention:
(i) diversity in the level of economic development across countries,
(ii) weaknesses in the financial sectors of many countries,
(iii) inadequacy of region-level resource pooling mechanisms and institutions required
for forming and managing a currency union, and
(iv) lack of political preconditions for monetary cooperation and a common currency.

How would the Euro-zone crisis affect Indian economy?

1. First, it's about capital crunch and investor shyness to invest any further given the uncertainty in Europe. Especially, after Italy entered the red zone, there has been severe impact given the size of its economy. Since, India needs investment this hour, the holding up of capital is hurting us.

2. Second problem relates to much diminished consumption in the affected zone due mainly to government's austerity drive. This affects our exports especially when our trade balance is not very comfortable.

3. Third thing is as the international agencies like IMF and even ECB pumps in hundreds of billions into the affected countries, it results in crowding out of capital.

4. Fourthly, an environment of uncertainty is generally bad for economy. It affects production, consumption as well as investment.


5. banking crisis. some european banks are present in india. it will affect the credit flow to the industries hence affecting industrial output

6. Oil & commodity prices may ease thereby helping to soothe inflationary pressures

7. Remittances and NRI deposits which are sourced from crisis hit countries, may reduce.