EXTENSION EDUCATION- An Informative Approach

OUTLINE OF EXTENSION EDUCATION:-

ü It was the year 1866 in England, where the term “Extension” was first used in the form of university extension, which was taken up first by Cambridge and Oxford University. The term Extension education was first used in 1873 by Cambridge University to describe this particular educational innovation.

ü Historically, extension means education on farm and in home economics for rural people. The word extension means, “Ex” meaning out and “Tensio” meaning Stretching. Various great thinkers and sociologists have given their definition on extension,

ü According to Ensminger (1957) gave extension as “It is an education and its purpose to change the attitudes and practices of the people with whom the work is to be done.

ü According to leagans (1961) gave extension as “An applied science consisting of content derived from the research, accumulated field experiences and the relevant principles drawn from the behavioral sciences synthesized with the useful technology into  body of philosophy, principles, content and methods focused on the problems of out- of- school education for adults and youths.

ü According to National Commission on Agriculture (NCA) which referred extension as “An out-of-school education and services for the members of the farm family and others directly or indirectly engaged in the farm production to enable them to adopt improved practices in production, management, conservation and marketing.

Extension may be defined as the science of developing the capability of the people for sustainable improvement in their quality of life.

Important Points-

ü National extension service was established in the year 1953.

ü The concept of Panchayati raj was accepted through the recommendations of Balwantrai Mehta Committee.

ü The Training and Visit system was first started in India in Rajasthan.

ü For the first time the extension work was started in USA.

  ü    T & V system was developed and given by Daniel Benor in 1974 which     was introduced on pilot basis in Chambal (M.P).

ü TRYSEM stands for Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment.

ü DWACRA stands for Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas.

ü Comilla Project in Bangladesh showed that a two-way channel of communication between farmers and outside sources of Knowledge is more effective than the one way top down approach.

ü PURA Stands for Providing Urban Amenities in rural Areas.

ü  SFAC stands for Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium. 

Importance of Extension Education:-

ü To assist the people to discover and analyze their problems and identify their needs.

ü To develop the leadership quality and helping them in organizing groups.

ü To disseminate the economic and research information in an understandable way in the rural mass.

ü The extension helps to mobilize and utilize the resources in a sustainable way.

ü It helps in collection of transmission of feedback information for solving management problems.

ü Extension will help in increasing the level of confidence which involves the change in self reliance.

ü To bring the desirable changes in the behavior is crucial function of extension. For this purpose the extension personnel shall continuously seek new information to make the extension work more effective. The farmers and the home makers also on their own initiative shall continuously seek means of improving their farm and home. The task is difficult because the millions of farm families with little education, scattered in the large areas with their own beliefs, values, norms, attitudes and resources and constraints are pursuing diverse enterprise.

Role of Extension Education:-

ü It has a role in changing the knowledge level of the farmers on their farms and in their home.

ü Extension plays a vital role in changing or developing skills in the technique of doing the things.

ü Extension plays has its role in changing the attitudes i.e. the change in the feeling or reaction towards certain things.

ü It has the role in changing the understanding or in the comprehension.

ü It plays a role in changing the goals and the actions taken on it.

ü Extension has a role in changing the level of confidence by which there will be the gradual growth and development in the socio economic status of the farmers.

      The need for extension arises out of the fact that the condition of the rural people in general and the farm people in particular, has got to be improved. There is a gap between what is the actual situation and what ought to be the desirable situation. This gap has to be narrowed down by the application of the science and technology in their enterprises and bringing appropriate changes in their behavior.

(Vaibhav Pramod Rajdeep)

दक्षिण चीन सागर विवाद

दक्षिण चीन सागर के क्षेत्रों को लेकर कई प्रतिद्वंद्वी देशों के बीच दशकों से विवाद है। यह विवाद समुद्री क्षेत्र पर अधिकार और संप्रभुता को लेकर है। इसमें पारासेल द्वीप और स्प्रैटली द्वीप शामिल हैं। पारासेल और स्प्रैटली द्वीप पर कई देशों ने अपना पूरा अधिकार बताया है तथा कई देशों ने आंशिक रूप से इसे अपने नियंत्रण क्षेत्र का हिस्सा बताया है। ऐसा माना जाता है कि दक्षिण चीन सागर के समुद्र में तेल और गैस के कई विशाल भंडार दबे हुए हैं। यही भंडार इस क्षेत्र के कई देशों के बीच विवाद का कारण बन गए हैं। इसके अलावा यहां दर्जनों निर्जन चट्टानी इलाके, रेतीले तट, प्रवाल द्वीप आदि हैं, जो विवाद का कारण हैं। यहां का समुद्री रास्ता भी व्यापार के लिहाज से बेहद महत्वपूर्ण है।

 समुद्र के रास्ते होने वाले भारत के कुल व्यापार का करीब 55 प्रतिशत इसी क्षेत्र से होता है, इसलिए दक्षिण चीन सागर भारत के लिए काफी महत्वपूर्ण है। यहां पर उपजे तनाव से भारत के समुद्री व्यापार पर असर पड़ सकता है। यदि चीन पूरे क्षेत्र पर अपना कब्जा जमाने में कामयाब हो गया तो भारत के व्यापारिक जहाजों के खुले आवागमन पर असर पड़ेगा। वियतनाम सरकार ने भारत सरकार की तेल और गैस कंपनी ओएनजीसी के साथ एक समझौता किया। इसके अनुसार ओएनजीसी वियतनाम के छोटे द्वीपों में तेल और गैस की खोज करेगी। चीन ने इस पर कड़ा विरोध जताया था, जबकि भारत ने कहा था कि दक्षिण चीन सागर पूरी दुनिया की संपत्ति है। अमेरिका भी इस मामले में चीन की खुली आलोचना करता है। अमेरिका का कहना है कि कई देशों के पास ऐसे मानचित्र हैं, जिनसे पता चलता है कि पिछले कई सौ सालों से भारत, अरब और मलय के व्यापारी दक्षिण चीन सागर में अपने समुद्री जहाजों को ले जाते थे और इसी समुद्र के माध्यम से व्यापार करते थे।

 1970 में वियतनाम और कई देशों ने यह पता लगाया कि यहां पर तेल और गैस के अपार भंडार हैं। इसके बाद इन देशों ने इस क्षेत्र में तेल और गैस की खोज शुरू कर दी। इसके बाद से चीन ने इसे अपनी बपौती बताना शुरू कर दिया और यहां मौजूद संसाधनों के दोहन पर रोक लगाने के प्रयास तेज कर दिए।

213 अरब बैरल से अधिक तेल भंडार मौजूद है यहां। यह आंकड़ा यूएस एनर्जी इंफॉर्मेशन एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन ने चीनी अनुमान के मुताबिक दिया है, जबकि अमेरिकी वैज्ञानिकों का अनुमान है कि यहां पर 28 अरब बैरेल तेल मौजूद है।

900 ट्रिलियन क्यूबिक फीट प्राकृतिक गैस के भंडार मौजूद हैं यहां। यह आंकड़ा कतर में मौजूद भंडार के बराबर है। यूएस एनर्जी इंफॉर्मेशन एडमिनिस्ट्रेशन के मुताबिक क्षेत्र की असली सम्पति यहां मौजूद प्राकृतिक गैस के भंडार हैं। शिपिंग लेन्स के कारण भी यह इलाका काफी महत्वपूर्ण है।

चीन ने विवादास्पद दक्षिण चीन सागर क्षेत्र में एक पूरा का पूरा नया शहर बसा डाला है। इसके बाद उसका अपने पड़ोसी देशों के साथ तनाव और अधिक गहरा सकता है।चीन ने दक्षिणी प्रांत हाइनान के योंगशिंग द्वीप पर सांशा शहर बसाया है। यह इलाका दक्षिण चीन सागर क्षेत्र में पड़ता है। इस शहर में एक पोस्ट ऑफिस, बैंक और सुपरमार्केट है लेकिन पीने का पानी चीनी मुख्य भूमि क्षेत्र से 13 घंटे की यात्रा के जरिए लाया जाता है। जनसंख्या महज 1000 है।सांशा की स्थापना दक्षिण चीन सागर के शिशा, झोंगशा और नान्शा द्वीपसमूहों की निगरानी करने के लिए की गई है। सरकार शहर का विकास एक सैन्य अड्डे के रूप में करेगी।

दक्षिण पूर्वी एशियाई राष्ट्रों के संगठन यानी आसियान के क्षेत्रीय फोरम में कई देशों ने चीन के बढ़ते वर्चस्व के बावजूद दक्षिण चीन सागर मार्ग पर एकमत बनाने की कोशिशें कीं. हालांकि इसमें पूरी तरह सफलता नहीं मिल सकी मगर वियतनाम जैसे देशों ने जो दबाव बनाना शुरू किया है उसके मद्देनजर भारत की भूमिका बेहद अहम हो गई है. हालांकि मेजबान देश कंबोडिया पर चीन का पक्ष लेने के आरोप लगते रहे हैं भारत और अमेरिका ने एक स्वर में यह बात कही कि चीन को अंतर्राष्ट्रीय कानून के सिद्धांत का पालन करना चाहिए। 

अंतर्राष्ट्रीय विशेषज्ञ मानते हैं कि 'लुक ईस्ट' नीति के तहत भारत कई महीनों से दक्षिण चीन सागर क्षेत्र में चीन के प्रभुत्व को रोकने का प्रयास कर रहा है. विशेषज्ञ यह भी मानते हैं कि इस दिशा में भारत ने कई महत्वपूर्ण कदम भी उठाए हैं. पिछले साल दिसंबर में भारतीय जल सेना की ओर से कहा गया था कि दक्षिण चीन सागर क्षेत्र में अपनी स्थिति मजबूत करने के लिए वह सभी प्रकार के कुल 500 वायुयान और 150 समुद्री जहाज रखेगी. इसके अलावा आज से पांच साल बाद प्रति वर्ष पांच समुद्री जहाजों का निर्माण भी किया जाएगा।

चूंकि चीन और वियतनाम, फिलिपींस, मलेशिया और ब्रूनोर्ई जैसे उसके दक्षिण पूर्वी एशियाई पड़ोसी देशों में एकमत बनता नजर नहीं आता इसलिए आने वाले कुछ महीनों में दक्षिण चीन सागर को लेकर सभी निगाहें भारत पर टिकी रहेंगी. इस विवाद में भारत का रणनीतिक योगदान भी बेहद महत्वपूर्ण रहेगा. हालांकि अमेरिका पर यह शक भी किया जाता रहेगा कि वह भारत की हिमायत में बोलकर दक्षिण पूर्वी एशिया में दरार डालने की कोशिश कर रहा है. इन हालात में देखना होगा कि विदेश मंत्रालय किस तरह का रुख अपनाता है. क्या आने वाले दिनों में जल सेना कंप्यूटर सिस्टम की सुरक्षा को लेकर और गंभीर होगी? इतना ही नहीं, दुनियाभर के विशेषज्ञों की राय इस मुद्दे पर किस ओर मुड़ेगी. क्या शांतिप्रिय राष्ट्र होने के साथ-साथ भारत मजबूत रणनीतिक कदम उठाने वाले राष्ट्र की पहचान भी बना पाएगा?

SYNDICATE LOANS: An Overview

A syndicated loan is one that is provided by a group of lenders and is structured, arranged, and administered by one or several commercial banks or investment banks known as arrangers.

The main goal of syndicated lending is to spread the risk of a borrower default across multiple lenders (such as banks) or institutional investors like pensions funds and hedge funds. Because syndicated loans tend to be much larger than standard bank loans, the risk of even one borrower defaulting could cripple a single lender. Syndicated loans are also used in the leveraged buyout community to fund large corporate takeovers with primarily debt funding.

Loan syndication - the sources of funds

Loan syndication in the case of domestic borrowings is undertaken with the institutional lenders and the banks. Amongst institutional lenders , the following institutions are the main suppliers of long and medium term funds with which the merchant bankers contact liaison and arrange loans , working for and on behalf of the clients.

A. Some of the All India Financial Institutions  include:

i)       Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI)

ii)      Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI)

iii)    Industrial Credit and Investment Corp. of India (ICICI)

iv)    Industrial Reconstruction Bank of India (IRBI)

B. State financial institutions like :

i)       state financial Corporations(SFCs)

ii)      State industrial development corporations(SIDCs)

iii)    State Industrial and Investment Corp. (SIICs)

are also approached by the merchant bankers

C. All India level investment institutions also help in the process . They include ;

i)       Life Insurance Corp. of India

ii)      Unit Trust of India

iii)    General Insurance Corp. of India an its subsidiaries.

D. Commercial Banks

Commercial banks join consortium financing with All India financial institutions to provide medium term loans to industrial projects , otherwise they cater to the needs of working capital requirements .

Loan Syndication - the process

Project details and estimated capital requirements

The service of loan syndication fixes up the responsibility upon the merchant bankers to help the company in availing the credit finance. Hence the merchant bankers should have correct assessment of the projects , products, promoters, project cost and profitability projections based on sales forecasts. In this direction the merchant baker has to take the following steps :

a)     Initial discussions with promoters

The initial discussion should be devoted to know the following aspects :-

·         background of the promoters in detail

·         promoters contribution to the project

·         details about the project report and

·         progress of the project.

b)     assessment of project

An estimate of the capital cost of the project should be worked out to find out its long term feasibility and whether the merchant bankers should actually go in for the project.

Locating sources of funds

The choice for sources of funds will depend upon the following :-

i)       nature of the project

ii)      quantum of the project costs

Sources of funds can be divide into three categories :

i) Short term finance where the funds are required upto a period of 1 year. Such finance is required to meet the working capital requirements or special seasonal needs. These are available from commercial banks , trade credit , public deposits , business finance companies and also from customers.

ii)   Medium term finance where the funds are needed for a period of 1-5 years. Such finance is needed to provide funds for permanent working capital , expansion or replacement of assets etc. These are available from SFCs , commercial banks and All India Financial Institutions through special schemes.

iii)   Long term finance where the funds are needed for a period of more than 5 years.  One term funds could be borrowed from international institutions where merchant bankers an play a constructive role through loan syndication services.

Loan Syndication - the instruments

There are several main groups of instruments on offer in the syndicated loan market :

•Term loan : This type of loan is fully drawn and is either repaid in full at maturity (bullet payment) or repayments may start before the final maturity (staged repayment). The borrower has a right to call all or part of the loan at any time without paying penalty, but it cannot redraw any part it has canceled.

•Revolving credit facility : A revolving credit facility gives the borrower more flexibility about how much principal can be outstanding during the loan’s life.

•Evergreen facility : A loan that can be extended after pre-set periods. For example, a five year evergreen loan could be extendible every year for another five years.

•Back-stop facility : A back-stop facility protects a company against liquidity crunch; it is a loan designed to be drawn only as the last resort. Many borrowers regard back-stop as an insurance policy in case they suffer temporary shortfalls in funds or a failure of one of their normal funding sources. Most back-stops also include a swingline facility, which gives the borrowers the "same day money".

Loan syndication - the advantages

•Cost of funds :

This mode of financing is cheaper than their average cost of funds raised through a series of bilateral loans. The cost saved increases as the amount required increases.

•Maturity Profile :

These facilities have a wide maturity range starting from an year to 20 years.

• Diversity of credit risk : Banks are also prepared to lend to non-investment grade companies, to borrowers not rated and to borrowers who are starting operations. Another advantage is that the banks will consider and price a range of credit enhancements, such as security over assets, off-balance sheet structures, security over property and using offshore vehicles to channel cash flows; which reduces funding costs for non-investment grade borrowers.

• Confidentiality : Confidentiality of the process can be ensured.

•Size : Funds larger than $1 billion have been raised by syndicated loan market. A case in point is the Hanbo Steel Company of S.Korea which raised close to $5.8 billion through syndicated loans to finance its expansion and modernisation.

•Speed and certainty : Once a borrower has mandated a group of banks to underwrite a loan it can be certain that it will have the funds it requires and on the terms it needs.

• Flexibility : Unlike highly standardised debt markets, banks are willing to price a wide range of transactions incorporating non-standard cash flow. A borrower can incorporate a variety of instruments like multi-currency options, risk management techniques and pre-payment of the loan in advance without paying a fee.

•Currency : Most bank lenders, provide freely convertible currencies while international bank markets change their positions regularly and are generally reluctant to buy bonds in a currency that is weakening.

•Renegotiation : Renegotiation may be possible under certain situation

CELLULAR COMMUNICATION: A basic machanism of cells' talking

Cells are continuously receiving information from their surroundings and inturn, responding in a way that is determined by their genes and the chemical or physical agents that after the manner in which genes are expressed. Those chemicals or physical agents are termed as epigenetic factors. E.g. a sugar that activates or reprocess the expression of a gene could be considered an epigenetic factor. Cells are able to respond to a variety of different chemical and physical agents in their environment. These agents are referred to as signals. Those signals can be of two types:

Physical Signals- They are generally restricted to energetic blows, heat and electromagnetic radiation(light)

Chemical Signal- They may be simple as an ion or as complex as a peptide or a steroid hormone. Signals may induce transitory or permanent change in cells e.g. an amino acid in the environment can turn off genes involved in its synthesis. The change however are transitory since withdrawal of the amino acid reverses the expression of the genes involved. In the development of a multicellular organism from a single fertilized egg the signals are capable of permanently altering a number of cells. This allows the development of different tissues and organs. The condition of cancer is also an outcome of such alterations where the genes of differentiated cells are altered by mutation resulting in the going out of control and ultimately killing the host.

CHEMICAL SIGNALS

I. Proteins and Peptide

EGF- Epidermal Growth Factor

FGF- Fibroblast  Growth Factor

TNF- Tumor Necrosis Factor

PDGF- Platelet Derived Growth Factor

TGF- Transforming Growth Factor

IFN- Interferon

IL- Interleukin

ERYP- Erythroprotein

INS- Insulin

II. Nonpeptide Neurotransmitters

SER- Serotonin

MEL- Melatonin

DOP- Dopamine

EPI- Epinephrine

ACH- Acetylcholine

GLU- Glutamic Acid

GABA- Gama Aminobutyric Acid

III. Steroids and other membrane soluble molecules

EST- Estrogen

TES- Testosterone

TYX- Thyroxine

RA- Retonic Acid

General Principles

How do chemical signals interact with cell?

The signal molecules first interact with the signal transduction, pathways by specifically binding to protein receptors in the cytoplasm that are referred to as cytoplasmic receptors. The receptors for the signal molecules are found on the outer surface of the cells.

How do light signals interact with cells?

Rhodopsin is the receptor that respond to light. It is found embedded in the membranes of rod and cone cells in the retinas of animals with color vision. Phytochromes are the light receptor in many plant cells consisting of a linear tetrapyrole that function as the chromopore and a protein portion to anchor the chromopore to the inside surface of the plasma membrane and communicate a signal to one or more signal pathways.

What role the G Protein play in signaling?

It is the G Protein that determine that whether the signal will be stimulatory or inhibitory signals that stimulate are called agonists and that inhibit are known as antagonist.

What role do Phosphates play in signal pathways?

The control of a cell physiology is effected by the phosphorylated state of its proteins. Protein phosphates are such enzymes that remove phosphate groups from proteins.

How does the  proteins Kinase function in signal pathway?

Protein  Kinases  Phosphorylate other proteins rather than Non-Protein molecules such sugar  and lipids. Some protein kinases are stimulated at the beginning of signal transduction pathway by specific growth factor whereas others are stimulated along the signal pathway. Although some proteins kinases are membrane bound, the vast majority are found free in the cytoplasm. The protein kinases are categorized on the basis of which amino acid they phosphorylate as well as on the basis of the factors required for their activity.

The cellular communication seems to play  a vital role in growth proliferation, differentiation, movement and even the programmed cell death in case of all biological identity.

-Amar Jyoti

Green Shoe Option: An Overview

A provision contained in an underwriting agreement that gives the underwriter the right to sell investors more shares than originally planned by the issuer. This would normally be done if the demand for a security issue proves higher than expected. Legally referred to as an over-allotment option.

A green shoe option can provide additional price stability to a security issue because the underwriter has the ability to increase supply and smooth out price        fluctuations   if demand surges.

The mechanism by which the greenshoe option works to provide stability and liquidity to a public offering is described in the following example: A company intends to sell one million shares of its stock in a public offering through an investment banking firm (or group of firms which are known as the syndicate) whom the company has chosen to be the offering's underwriter(s). When the stock is being offered for public trading for the first time, the offering is called an Initial Public Offering (IPO). When the stock is already trading publicly and the company is simply selling more of their non-publicly traded stock, it is called a follow on.

The underwriters function as the broker of these shares and find buyers among their clients. A price for the shares is determined by agreement between the company and the buyers. When shares begin trading in a public market, the lead underwriter is responsible for helping to ensure that the shares trade at or above the offering price.

When a public offering trades below its offering price, the offering is said to have "broke issue" or "broke syndicate bid". This creates the perception of an unstable or undesirable offering, which can lead to further selling and hesitant buying of the shares. To manage this possible situation, the underwriter initially oversells (shorts) to their clients the offering by an additional 15% of the offering size. In this example the underwriter would sell 1.15 million shares of stock to its clients. When the offering is priced and those 1.15 million shares are "effective" (become eligible for public trading), the underwriter is able to support and stabilize the offering price bid (which is also known as the "syndicate bid") by buying back the extra 15% of shares (150,000 shares in this example) in the market at or below the offer price. They can do this without the market risk of being "long" this extra 15% of shares in their own account, as they are simply "covering" (closing out) their short position.

When the offering is successful, demand for shares causes the price of the stock to go up and remain above the offering price. If the underwriter were to close their short position by purchasing shares in the open market then the underwriter would incur a loss by purchasing shares at a higher price than the price at which they sold them short.

This is where the over-allotment (greenshoe) option comes into play: the company granted the underwriters the option to purchase from the company up to 15% more shares than the original offering size, at the original offering price. By exercising their greenshoe option, the underwriters are able to close their short position by purchasing shares at the same price for which they sold-short the shares, so the underwriters do not lose money. If the underwriters are able to buy back all of the oversold shares at or below the offering price (to support the stock price), then they would not need to exercise any portion of their greenshoe option. If they are able to buy back only some of the shares at or below the offer price (because the stock eventually goes higher than the offer price), then the underwriters would exercise a portion of greenshoe option to cover their remaining short position. If the underwriters were not able to buy back any portion of the oversold shares at or below the offering price ("syndicate bid") because the stock immediately went and stayed up, then they would completely cover their 15% short position by exercising 100% of their greenshoe option

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY- An Informative Approach

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY- An Informative Approach

The term Intellectual Property (IP) reflects the idea that its subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect.  These could be in the form of Patents; Trademarks; Geographical Indications; Industrial Designs; Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits; Plant Variety Protection and Copyright.   IP, protected through law, like any other form of property can be a matter of trade, that is, it can be owned, bequeathed, sold or bought.  The major features that distinguish it from other forms are their intangibility and non-exhaustion by consumption.  IP is the foundation of knowledge-based economy. It pervades all sectors of economy and is increasingly becoming important for ensuring competitiveness of the enterprises.

Various Important International Organizations & Treaties related to Intellectual Property Rights

Ø A UN agency, namely, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) based in Geneva administers treaties in the field of intellectual property.  India is a member of WIPO.

Ø Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion is the nodal Department in the Government of India for all matters concerning WIPO.

Ø India is also member of 2 major treaties, namely, Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property (relating to patents, trademarks, designs, etc.) of 1883 and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (relating to copyright) of 1886.  Apart from these, India is also a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) which facilitates obtaining of patents in several countries by filing a single application.

Ø India is also a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  The WTO agreement, inter-alia, contains an agreement on IP, namely, the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS).  This Agreement made protection of intellectual property an enforceable obligation of the Member States. TRIPS Agreement sets out minimum standards of intellectual property protection for Member States. 

Ø India has complied with the obligations contained in the TRIPS Agreement and amended/enacted IP laws.

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and its Norms

Ø DIPP is concerned with legislations relating to Patents, Trade Marks, Designs and Geographical Indications.  These are administered through the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) with headquarters at Mumbai and subordinate offices as under:

a)     The Patents Act, 1970 (amended in 1999, 2002 and 2005) through the Patent Offices at Kolkata (HQ), Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi.

b)    The Designs Act, 2000 through the Patent Offices at Kolkata (HQ), Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi.

c)     The Trade Marks Act, 1999 through the Trade Marks Registry at Mumbai (HQ) Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.

d)    The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 through the Geographical Indications Registry at Chennai.

e)     The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) is also in-charge of the Office of the Patent Information System, Nagpur and the Intellectual Property Training Institute, Nagpur.  The office has 446 personnel in the patents and designs Offices and 291 personnel in trademarks and geographical indication Offices.

Ø Necessary safeguards have been built into the IP laws, in particular in the Patents law, for protection of public interest including public health.

Ø Along with the legislation, rules have also been amended to install a user-friendly system for processing of IP applications. All rules and forms are available on the

Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB)

Ø An Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) has been set up at Chennai to hear appeals against the decisions of Registrar of Trademarks, Geographical Indications and the Controller of Patents. 

Other IP Legislations

Ø Copyright is protected through Copyright Act, 1957, as amended in 1999 - administered by the Department of Higher Education. 

Ø Layout of transistors and other circuitry elements is protected through the Semi-conductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000 - administered by the Department of Information Technology. 

Ø New varieties of plants are protected through the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 - administered by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation. 

Ø Article 39 of the TRIPs Agreement mandates protection of test data submitted to regulatory authorities for obtaining marketing approvals against unfair commercial use.  A  Committee under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-chemicals has examined this issue and submitted its Report to the Government. 

Globalisation of IP administration

Ø To complement the legislative initiatives, modernization of IP infrastructure has also been undertaken and new integrated offices have been established in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.  A programme costing Rs.153 Crore has been implemented in the 10^th Five Year Plan. The programme focused on: Infrastructure development; computerization; human resource development; training and awareness. 

Ø E-filing facility for patent and trademark applications has been introduced on 20.7.2007. 

Enforcement of Intellectual Property

Ø Civil and criminal provisions exist in various laws for dealing with counterfeiting and piracy. 

Ø The Department of IPP has set up an Inter-ministerial Committee to coordinate IP enforcement issues.

Impact of Modernisation of Intellectual Property Rights

1)      Patents:

Ø The filing of patent applications has increased from 4824 in the year 1999-2000 to 28,882 applications in the year 2006-2007.  

Ø The number of applications examined has gone up to 14,119 in 2006-07 against the figure of 2824 in the year 1999-2000.

  

2)      Trademarks:

Ø The backlog of unexamined applications of approximately 5 lakh cases brought down to zero. 

Ø Renewal of Trademarks certificates being done instantaneously in clear cases and new applications are examined within one week.

Ø As against only 8,010 registrations in 1999-2000, 13 times more TMs were registered in 2006-07, that is, 109,361.

Ø 3.38 lakh trademark certificates were issued during the last 3 years whereas only 1.65 lakh marks were registered in 64 years (since 1940 to 2004).

Issues On Desk:-

Establishment of NIIPM

The Government has approved a proposal for establishment of a National Institute for Intellectual Property Management (NIIPM) at Nagpur. The Institute will perform training, education, research and think tank functions. 

Modernisation of IP Offices

Further modernisation of  IP Offices to provide additional human resources, higher level of computerisation to support on-line processing, strengthening of data-base and novelty search facilities, awareness generation activities, accession to international treaties/conventions is being taken up in 11th Five Year Plan.  

Madrid Protocol on Trademarks

Ø Madrid Protocol, administered by WIPO, is a simple, facilitative and cost effective system for registration of International Trademarks.  India’s membership of Madrid Protocol will help Indian companies to register their trade marks in the member countries of the Protocol through a single application.

Ø An exercise to amend the Trade Marks Act is underway to enable joining the Madrid Protocol. 

ISA and IPEA

A proposal is under consideration to seek recognition for the Indian Patent Office as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Co-operation Treaty. ISA and IPEAs provide search reports on novelty and examination reports on patentability of inventions. 

Mashelkar Committee at glance:-

Government has set up a technical expert group under the chairmanship of former Director General of CSIR (Dr. R.A. Mashelkar) to examine the following two patent law issues:

(a)  whether it would be TRIPS compatible to limit the grant of patent for pharmaceutical substance to new chemical entity or to new medical entity  involving one or more inventive steps; and

(b)  Whether it would be TRIPS compatible to exclude micro-organisms from patenting.

The person being a chancellor or the innovator of concept or a equipment or a method, legally is an owner of the so. It is the right of him which no one can go against or else such may be punishable offence.

So above was the information related to Intellectual Property rights, the reader’s valuable feedback on the same in the form of suggestions, likes and comments are welcome.

(Vaibhav Rajdeep)

IRAN’S CURRENCY WOES

                                                           IRAN’S CURRENCY WOES

Iran is in possession of the building blocks to construct a promising, fast growing, developing economy.

The basics are all there - a sizable population of 78 million people, with a median age of just 27. A highly cultured and educated society, and by its own geological surveys the country is blessed with 9% of the world's oil reserves. Utilizing a conservative IMF calculation of $75 a barrel, that means Iran sits on $10 trillion of oil reserves and another $3.5 trillion of gas reserves.

Iran, minus the intense sanctions put forward by the West starting in mid-2010, would warrant a slot in the N-11 group of countries - this is the next wave of the most promising economies within the emerging market sphere of Jim O'Neill at Goldman Sachs.

That is the promise, but the reality today with its devalued rial is the polar opposite.

According to economist Steve Hanke, Professor of Applied Economics, at Johns Hopkins University, the Republic is the first country in the Middle East to ever have hyperinflation -- defined as an economy seeing its monthly inflation rate soar 50% or more each month.

Iran joins Zimbabwe (2008) and North Korea (2009-2011) as the only three in the 21st Century to experience that fate and at the same time share a common link of being subject to international sanctions.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his United Nations address toned down the rhetoric from the recent past and suggested the post-war institutions are not benefiting all citizens.

"There is no doubt that the world is in need of a new order and a fresh way of thinking," he said in his eighth and final address to the General Assembly as President.

But that call for a new global order may ring hollow with those struggling on the ground. With daily insights from our reporter Shirzad Bozorgmehr in Tehran, we know that the costs of staples in society are soaring. Chicken prices have risen three-fold in the past year, barbari bread a five fold increase. This is directly linked to its currency.

When U.S. President Barrack Obama signed the sanctions legislation into law in July 2010, the rial was trading at just over 10,000 to the dollar. It is recovering from a low last week of 37,500 on the black market, but at 28,500 the currency is still down nearly 70% in the last year.

In 2010, Iran began removing subsidies for fuel, from heating oil to engine petrol, which amounted to $4,000 per year for the average family of four according to the IMF. This was a sign Iran was starting to normalize its economy and at the same time began introducing a privatization program to reduce the size of the state. That effort, economists say, stalled since it clashed with Iran's isolation from the global economy due to its pursuit of its nuclear development plan.

It has been a toxic result for the average Iranian who is caught in the middle of a "cat and mouse" game of uranium enrichment and negotiations with the Vienna based agency, the IAEA. All the while, the screws linked to sanctions are being tightened.

Oil makes up 90% of the country's export earnings, but their customers have trimmed back volumes due to the sanctions and difficulty getting systems insured. China, South Korea, Japan and India are big customers. Beijing, energy consultants say, is using the plight of sanctions to reduce the price they pay.

Iran's daily production, according to OPEC, is the lowest in over two decades. It is down nearly a million barrels a day in the last five years. The sanctions also limit any new investment by the international oil giants who are already operating in Iran. So the sanctions of today will leave a terrible aftertaste for years to come.

With rising import prices due to a plummeting currency, Iran Inc. is also no longer able to compete. There are reports that the industrial sector has laid off up to 800,000 workers this year and those who have kept their jobs are seeing their wages eroded by skyrocketing prices.

Meanwhile, Iranians must be asking the question: What if we joined the global economic community, even with its imperfections after the 2008 debt crisis? At this juncture it is far too early to answer that question, but most would likely say Iran's isolation to date has not been the answer to their financial woes.

 PRADEEP KUMAR