Security Cooperation between India and Seychelles
1)
Seychelles will soon be a full partner in the maritime security
cooperation between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
2)
India will give a second Dornier aircraft to the island nation for coastal surveillance
and called it a “privilege to be a partner of Seychelles in the development of
its security capabilities.
3)
The two nations signed four agreements for cooperation in hydrography, renewable
energy, infrastructure development and hydro-graphic survey.
4)
Another important agreement pertains to infrastructure development
in the Assumption Island.
5)
India is helping Indian Ocean littorals in strengthening their
maritime domain awareness capabilities.
6)
Seychelles is one of the largest recipients of Indian assistance in
this area.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Security Cooperation Pact between India and Mauritius
1)
India and Mauritius announced a new security cooperation agreement.
2)
Mr. Modi and Mauritian Prime Minister Aneerood Jugnauth signed five
agreements: One on opening up the “ocean economy” or “blue economy”.
Another a key memorandum of understanding that will
see India taking over responsibility to build transport infrastructure (sea and
air links) for the Agalega Islands.
3)
This agreement would give India a strategic advantage in the
Indian Ocean region, working closely with the Mauritius Defence Forces guarding
the outer islands.
4)
India has extended a $500-million Line of Credit for development
or security projects that Mauritius will decide on.
5)
The highlight of India’s push for maritime heft is the
commissioning of a 1,300-tonne, Indian-built coastal patrol vessel, MCGS Barracuda.
6)
The ship will showcase India’s commitment on maritime security,
particularly along the African coast that faces the threat of piracy. It is also
part of the government’s “Make in India” programme.
7)
India’s security cooperation agreements with Mauritius and the
Seychelles have set the course for Mr. Modi’s foreign policy initiative for
India to become a “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean
region, in a
bid to counter China’s increasing influence there.
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Budget 2015-16 : STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering/Education, Agriculture
and Medicine)
1)
The budget announced recently by the government has only let the cloud
of gloom covering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering/ Education,
Agriculture and Medicine) thicken.
2)
The government has increased the S&T budget by 4-7 per cent, one
that hardly meets the inflation rate.
3)
The budgetary increase was based on what STEAM ministries spent
last year up to December 2014 and not what they would have up to March 31, 2015.
4)
Science & Technology :
i.
The budget provides well for mission type programmes planned by the
Space and the Atomic Energy groups.
ii.
But the budgets of the Departments of Science & Technology,
Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Biotechnology, Earth
Sciences and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research the increase of
7 per cent hardly meets the inflation rate.
5)
Education
:
i.
The HRD ministry (MHRD) faces a 17 per cent cut.
ii.
Money for school education has been cut from Rs 55,155 crores to Rs
42,210, a drop of Rs 13,000 crores.
iii.
In higher education, the money allotted is already down by Rs 3900
crores, and much of the MHRD budget will go to the newly born dozens of
‘central universities’, IITs and IIMs.
6)
Agriculture :
i.
Agriculture loses its budget by Rs 2,800 crores, from Rs 19,852
crores last year to 17,004 this year.
ii.
Its research arm, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR) loses 25 crores this year.
7)
Medicine
:
i.
The Health Ministry’s budget has been cut by 20 per cent.
ii.
The money for the HIV programme has been cut by 30 per cent.
iii.
The child health programme (India has the maximum malnourished children
and nursing mothers) has also been downsized.
iv.
The research arm of the health ministry, Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR), sees its outlay poorer this year.
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