Internet behemoth Google registered 255 instances of India requesting for online content censorship, posing a sharp increase of 49% in the second half of 2011. India's request formed part of 1,000 demands from governments around the world to remove objectionable materials such as YouTube videos, web searches, and blogs. India objected to 133 YouTube videos, including those made on national security considerations and defamation.

Who tops the chart in Online content censorship demands?

• Govt around the world primarily target political comments and request internet companies to remove objectionable content from the Internet
  US topped the global chart in demand for user data with 6,321 requests.
• US is followed by India in demand for user data with more than 2,207 requests. Google acquiesced to about 66% requests from India

Google and some other Internet majors are already battling lawsuits in India for objectionable contents on their websites. A major issue in the argument is whether intermediary can be held responsible for third party content on its websites.

Related Links:

Government permits to prosecute 21 social networking sites

Google & Facebook tell the Delhi court that they can't control content 

Yahoo India out of the list of 22 websites facing charges of hosting objectionable content

Suit against Yahoo Inc dropped by the Delhi High Court

North Eastern states have insisted on “revision” of the centre sponsored North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2007 to shift attention from heavy industry to micro and small scale sector. As per the North East Industry Ministers’ Forum (NEIMF) there is a constraint of availability of land for big investment in the North Eastern states. NEIMF has demanded the Centre to form MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Bank to finance business endeavors of 1^st generation entrepreneurs in the region. NEIMF held that the next Assam Industrial Policy (the current policy will expire in 2013) would be focused on micro and small sector. In the last 5 years pharmaceuticals, cement, hotels and resorts, plastic based industry, power plants and healthcare sector have attracted big investment proposals for the region.

More on NEIIPP, 2007

Conference of ministers of the ‘Heart of Asia’ countries began in Kabul, Afghanistan

• Delegations of 15 ‘Heart of Asia’ countries and the countries supporting Istanbul Process along with regional and international organizations are taking part in the conference
• Countries favoring the Istanbul Process are United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Egypt and Germany along with several other European countries

Which are the Countries under “HEART OF ASIA”?

• There are 15 Countries in HEART OF ASIA region
• The Countries are:-

1. Afghanistan
2. Azerbaijan
3. Kazakhstan
4. Kyrgyzstan
5. India
6. Iran
7. Pakistan
8. Russia
9. Saudi Arabia
10. Tajikistan
11. Turkey
12. Turkmenistan
13. UAE
14. Uzbekistan

Government will open nuclear energy sector to foreign direct investment (FDI). India expects to attract foreign investment of over $100 billion in nuclear energy in the next 20 years. One-fourth of the above investment is expected to come from France. French nuclear energy companies like Areva and Alstom are in an active manner pursuing business interest in India. The policy on FDI in nuclear energy is still to be evolved and the final decision has still to be taken.

As per the ratings agency Standard & Poor's India may become the 1^st BRIC country to be degraded in investment grade rating.

What is the reason that might lead India loose its investment rating?

Slow GDP growth and degree of susceptibility to economic shock are reasons behind the possible fall in ratings

Rating prospects shows negative trend from stable in April 2012 because of India's slower GDP growth scenario and the risk of erosion of its external liquidity and fiscal flexibility. The Negative stance also points to the risk that Indian authorities may be unable to respond to economic shocks quickly and decisively enough to safeguard the country's current creditworthiness. But Indian economy still remains in much better form to endure this period of severe global uncertainty than it was in the early 1990s, when it underwent a balance-of-payments crisis