Developed nations emitting more carbon than India: CJI

 New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Developed nations are emitting more carbon than developing countries like India, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur today said while emphasising the importance of international law as a very "effective instrument" for protection of human rights and environment.

Highlighting the importance of International Law in the current scenario, he said in the era of conflict of jurisdictions across the globe, it is an apt time that "we prepare ourselves to address issues like dispute of river water, space law, refugee law, custody of children." 

Thakur was adressing a seminar organised by International Law Association on the topic of 'Principles of Engagement of Domestic Courts with International Law & Recognition/Non- Recognition in International Law'.

"The world is coming closer to provide a unified system of enforcement of law....We must prepare ourselves not only in terms of legislation but also in terms of our ability to address international issues as and when they arise," he said.

Referring to developed nations in the context of environment, Thakur said, "Today if you see ozone layer decreasing it is not because India is emerging or it is dependent on coal for its power needs but it is because industrialised nations have been emitting carbon for the past 200 years." 

"The dimensions of International Law have gone beyond the comprehension of any nation in the recent times. For example, issues regarding environment and climate change. Today, if environment degradation takes place in any part of the world, we are affected. An industrially advanced country, which emits carbon, depletes ozone layer and affects entire human race.

"In international context if there was a law with respect to human rights or those living in less developed countries, it will be a very effective instrument," he said.

"In Kyoto, a resolution was passed which said that let developed economies reduce their emission by 1 per cent.

America, which even refused to reduce its emission by even 1 per cent, is today emitting something 10 metric tonnes more carbon per capita. It has emitted carbon for the past 200 years. .

Kareena will continue to work, to shoot for next film in Aug

 Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is expecting her first child in December, will begin the shooting of her next film "Veere Di Wedding" in August.

Soon after the news of Kareena's pregnancy broke out today, speculations were rife whether she would complete the filming of "Veere Di Wedding", which stars Sonam Kapoor and is second home production of her sister Rhea Kapoor.

Sonam, Kareena, Swara Bhaskar and newcomer Shikha Talsania are teaming for the chick flick, directed by "Khubsoorat" fame Shashanka Ghosh.

The film celebrates the spirit of modern Indian woman where Sonam and Kareena will play best friends.

"Bebo (Kareena's nick name) is a thorough professional and she will start shoot of the film in August. Much like the spirit of our film, which celebrates the modern girl, Kareena is going on with her work and life as usual. We are proud to have her (in the film)," Rhea, one of the producers of "Veere Di Wedding", said in a statement here.

The "Aisha" producer said she is happy for Kareena and Saif, who are expecting their first child in December.

"Ekta Kapoor (producer) and I with our families and companies are delighted and excited for Kareena and Saif. As producers of 'Veere Di Wedding' we are thrilled to be part of their special journey," she said.

There were also reports that the "Jab We Met" actress was also going to be part of Rohit Shetty's "Golmaal 4". She was also offered Ajay Devgn's "Baadshaho", but Kareena did not sign the film.

Industry sources, however, said that Kareena has not been offered "Golmaal 4".

"'Golmaal 4' has not been offered to her yet as the work on the script is still going on. She will continue to shoot for 'Veere Di Wedding' till October and will also do brand endorsements and shoots during this period," sources said.

The 35-year-old actress was seen has had two big releases this year with R Balki's "Ki and Ka" opposite Arjun Kapoor and Abhishek Chaubey's drug-drama "Udta Punjab".

PM expresses pride and happiness over the induction of Tejas fighter jet

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed pride and happiness over the induction of Tejas fighter jet into the Air Force. Prime Minister also lauded Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) on the induction of Tejas. 

“Induction of indigenously made Tejas fighter jet into the Air Force fills our hearts with unparalleled pride and happiness. 

I laud HAL and ADA on the induction of Tejas fighter jet. This illustrates our skills and strengths to enhance indigenous defence manufacturing”, the Prime Minister said. 

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) "Tejas" inducted into no 45 Squadron of Indian Air Force 

The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) "Tejas" inducted into No. 45 Squadron of Indian Air Force (IAF) on 01 Jul 2016. No. 45 Squadron, also called the "Flying Daggers", was last equipped with MiG 21 Bis Aircraft and operated from Nalia. It's motto is "Ajeet Nabha". The Squadron will operate from Bangalore for nearly two years before it moves to its designated location at Sulur near Coimbatore. It is the first fighter Squadron to be a part of the Southern Air Command of IAF headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram.

Group Captain Madhav Rangachari, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, is the Commanding Officer of Flying Daggers. He flew the inaugural flight of LCA in 45 Squadron today. Apart from operational experience on Mirage-2000 and MiG 21, he also has considerable experience on flight testing of LCA prototypes.

Tejas is the first advance Fly-by-wire (FBW) fighter aircraft designed, developed and manufactured in India. Conceived as a MiG-21 replacement, the aircraft has been designed and developed by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is to the credit of its designers, manufacturer, technicians and test crew, that LCA has flown more than 3000 sorties / 2000 Hrs till date without any accident. Tejas is a 4th Plus generation aircraft with a glass cockpit and is equipped with state of the art Satellite aided Inertial Navigation System. It has a digital computer based attack system and an autopilot. It can fire Air to Air Missiles, Bombs as well as Precision Guided Munitions.

The induction of the aircraft is being planned in a phased manner. The IOC aircraft are armed with Close Combat Air to Air Missiles, Helmet Mounted Display and Precision Guided Weapons like Laser Guided Bombs. These aircraft are also capable of dropping unguided bombs with much higher accuracy due to highly advanced indigenous mission computer. The FOC aircraft would incorporate Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, improved and better stand-off weapons and air to air refueling capability. IAF is also pitching for additional LCA Mk 1A which would incorporate new generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar with simultaneous air to air and air to ground capability, an integrated advanced Electronic Warfare Suite, advanced versions of air to air and air to ground weapons and maintainability improvements.

With 45 Squadron commencing operations today, soon the Tejas would be employed to defend the Indian skies. 

President of India congratulates DRDO on the successful test-firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missil

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee congratulated DRDO on the successful test-firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile. 

In a message to Dr. S. Christopher, Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development & Director General, DRDO, the President has said, "I extend hearty congratulations to all those associated with the successful test-firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM), developed jointly with Israel. 

The nation is proud of the achievement made by the DRDO and looks upon DRDO to make even greater efforts to boost India’s indigenous defence capabilities in technologically challenging areas. 

Kindly convey my greetings and felicitations to the members of your team of scientists, engineers, and all others involved in this mission. Our nation is grateful for their hard work and proud of their achievement”. 

Third launch of MRSAM successful

With a third consecutive successful test-firing today, the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) air defence system has achieved a Hat-Trick. The missile was launched at 1020 hrs from the test range of ITR, Chandipur. The objective of today’s mission was for maximum range and high maneuvering target. The missile guided by armoured seeker system hit the last minute maneuvering target.

With this launch, MRSAM system has proved the air defence capability for three different boundary envelopes of the target. The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar congratulated the team DRDO, Air Force, IAI, Israel and associated Industries for the hat-trick success of MRSAM weapon system. 

India under Modi has been fantastic, says World Bank President

 New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has been fantastic, says World Bank President Jim Yong Kim calling himself a "big fan" of Modi who like great leaders sets ambitious targets and deadlines.

Kim, who on the last day of his two-day visit called on Modi and pledged full support to government's programmes particularly in areas of nutrition and renewable energy, said India is not just the fastest growing major economy in the world but has also proved extremely resilient in face of UK exiting European Union.

"I am a big fan of Prime Minister Modi and the reason I'm such a big fan is because he does something that all great leaders should do, that is set ambitious targets, set deadlines for those targets and then hold your staff accountable for those targets. That is tried and proved method of getting results," he told reporters here.

Results of Modi's endeavours have started to show, as evident from the World Bank's ease of doing business report, he said.

"We just released an Index of Logistics on how easy is logistics in any country and found from 2014 to 2016 India's rank went from 54th place to 35th place. Logistics in India is better than Portugal," he said.

Kim said one can always find things that are not going as quickly as even Modi would like to.

"These accomplishments are real. India under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has been fantastic but that challenges us to be better," he said.

During his meeting with Modi today, Kim promised proactive and full support of World Bank for his agenda including smart cities, Ganga rejuvenation, skill development, Swachh Bharat and power for all.

"I met Prime Minister Modi seven months after he took over as Prime Minister. I think he understands the World Bank almost better than we do ourselves because he began making very specific demands on priority areas like Swachh Bharat, 24/7 power for all," he told reporters here.

These twin initiatives, for which Modi had sought World Bank support, have moved very quickly, he said.

"India is the fastest growing economy in the world.

Brexit happened and India proved to be extremely resilient.

The inflation rate has been down. Growth has been extremely strong, balance of payment in better shape. Overall, you have to say that economically he has done well," he said.

Calling the cleanliness drive Swachh Bharat "amazing", he said there already are open defecation-free areas.

Open defecation is a critical problem, he said, adding Modi talks about women's dignity by addressing the problem through building toilets.

"As a medical doctor, I can tell you that it has everything to do with levels of malnutrition, everything to do with community engagement... these were really important changes that took a long time," he said.

Priyanka says she and Deepika are still friends

Mumbai, Jun 30 (PTI) Actress Priyanka Chopra says there is no change in her equation with Deepika Padukone contrary to reports of a fight between them.

It was reported that since there is a competition between Priyanka and Deepika - both are trying to make a mark in Hollywood - their friendship has gone kaput.

"You (media) said we are friends. Earlier, you all (media) used to write we are BFF (best friend forever) so how did this change, why and how it changed? I did not say it (equation) has changed, you said it has changed," Priyanka told reporters here at an event.

"I am clarifying that whatever was earlier it is same today also. Your perspective has changed and that shouldn't have happened," the 33-year-old actress said, dismissing suggestions that their friendship has turned sour.

The "Bajirao Mastani" co-stars have umpteen times in the past said they are friends. In fact, Deepika had said Priyanka was her first friend when she entered Bollywood nearly a decade ago.

Priyanka has made a name for herself on small screen in the US through her television show "Quantico" and now she will be making her debut in Hollywood with "Baywatch".

Apparently, it was reported that the team of "Piku" actress is trying to get good projects for her. Asked about this, Priyanka said, "Ask her team. My team is not trying. It doesn't make sense for me to answer about someone else...I don't pay attention to what others are doing.

"My career has been very solitary. My career has nothing to do with the success and failure of others." 

The former Miss World said she is trying to open doors globally for Indian actors.

"I am trying to open doors for others (Indian actors) by representing Indian film industry (at the international level). I hope a lot of south Asian actors get entry on global level. Whoever gets good work I will always wish them well. I would wish them more success than me." 

According to gossip mills were abuzz "Bajirao Mastani" stars apparently declined to to perform on "Pinga" at the recently concluded IIFA Awards at Madrid.

Quiz the "Don" actress on this and she says, "I have no idea... It would be better to ask IIFA team. All I know is that it was suppose to happen but then I don't know what happened and why it did not happen. I have no idea... You have to ask IIFA I am sure they would know." 

Priyanka was talking to the media at special edition launch of Maxim magazine, in which she has topped the list for the hottest woman of the decade.

The Union HRD Minister launches ‘Prashikshak’- a teacher education portal

The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Irani addressing at the launch of the ‘Prashikshak’ teacher education portal for District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), in New Delhi on June 30, 2016. The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha and the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria are also seen.

Hon’ble Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani dedicated ‘Prashikshak’ - a teacher education portal, to the nation at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi today. ‘Prashikshak’ is launched with a vision to strengthen District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and bring quality teachers into the Indian school education system. 

Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister for Human Resource Development addressed the gathering at the launch of the programme. She highlighted the fact that though the Prashiskshak has started only for DIETs, it will cover Block level institutes in the future and identify gaps at the bottom of the pyramid. The Union HRD Minister also announced that the Ministry of Human Resource Development also has plans for enhancing Prashikshak to cover all Govt. Teacher Education Institutions in the country, which are recognized by the NCTE. She also made an appeal to all State Government teacher education functionaries to make full use of the ‘Prashikshak’ to bring about transformative changes in the monitoring system of these institutions. 

The event also saw live interaction about ‘Prashikshak’ through Video Conference with DIET Principals across 6 States - Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. During the interaction, State Education Ministers of Assam and Madhya Pradesh appreciated the initiative and extended support along with their state functionaries. Also, suggestions received like sharing of materials in regional languages, creating a corner for ‘solution exchange on issues related to teacher education’ were also well noted and appreciated by the Union HRD Minister. 

Prashikshak is thus, a first of its kind in the country, a unique IT initiative which will contain a comprehensive database of all DIETs in the country with all relevant performance indicators. It will help benchmark DIETs to enable aspiring teachers to make informed choices about their future. At the same time, it will give the opportunity to Central and State Governments to do real time monitoring of the institutions. 

Prashikshak was established through joint collaboration between Ministry of Human Resource Development and Central Square Foundation. The objective of Prashikshak is to define the quality benchmark and thus, helping DIETs to make informed decisions about their institutes, compare the performance of their institute against other DIETs in the state/country as well as helping aspiring teachers make informed decision making. 

Teacher education system has seen a phenomenal expansion during the last two decades and today it is the single largest professional educational system in the country which turns out the highest number of ‘trained personnel’ for our schools. 

DIETs were created in the early 1990s to strengthen elementary education and support the decentralization of education to the district level, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education. DIETs offer pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes for Government elementary school teachers. They also undertake studies in education, annual academic planning and reviews and function as resource centres for teaching learning and material development. As on 31.05.2016, 588 DIETs are functioning in the country with an annual intake capacity of 49026 students. 

Dr. Ram Shankar Katheria, MoS, (HRD) and Shri Upendra Kushwaha, MoS, (HRD), also addressed the gathering and appreciated Prashikshak as a milestone in strengthening the quality of teachers’ education. The event was also graced by 11 State Education Ministers from the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Dr. S.C. Khuntia, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, Smt. Rina Ray, Additional Secretary, School Education, Education Secretaries of various states, Directors SCERTs, Principals DIETs, senior policy makers and representatives of Autonomous Bodies such as NCTE, NCERT, CBSE and NUEPA, also attended the programme. 

Cabinet approves Implementation of the recommendations of 7th Central Pay Commission

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the implementation of the recommendations of 7^th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on pay and pensionary benefits.   It will come into effect from 01.01.2016.

In the past, the employees had to wait for 19 months for the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations at the time of 5^thCPC, and for 32 months at the time of implementation of 6^th CPC.  However, this time, 7^th CPC recommendations are being implemented within 6 months from the due date.

The Cabinet has also decided that arrears of pay and pensionary benefits will be paid during the current financial year (2016-17) itself, unlike in the past when parts of arrears were paid in the next financial year. 

The recommendations will benefit over 1 crore employees. This includes over 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces.

Highlights:

1.     The present system of Pay Bands and Grade Pay has been dispensed with and a new Pay Matrix as recommended by the Commission has been approved. The status of the employee, hitherto determined by grade pay, will now be determined by the level in the Pay Matrix. Separate Pay Matrices have been drawn up for Civilians, Defence Personnel and for Military Nursing Service. The principle and rationale behind these matrices are the same.

2.     All existing levels have been subsumed in the new structure; no new levels have been introduced nor has any level been dispensed with. Index of Rationalisation has been approved for arriving at minimum pay in each Level of the Pay Matrix depending upon the increasing role, responsibility and accountability at each step in the hierarchy.

3.     The minimum pay has been increased from Rs.  7000 to 18000 p.m.  Starting salary of a newly recruited employee at lowest level will now be Rs.  18000 whereas for a freshly recruited Class I officer, it will be Rs.  56100.  This reflects a compression ratio of 1:3.12 signifying that pay of a Class I officer on direct recruitment will be three times the pay of an entrant at lowest level.

4.     For the purpose of revision of pay and pension, a fitment factor of 2.57 will be applied across all Levels in the Pay Matrices. After taking into account the DA at prevailing rate, the salary/pension of all government employees/pensioners will be raised by at least 14.29 % as on 01.01.2016.

5.     Rate of increment has been retained at 3 %. This will benefit the employees in future on account of higher basic pay as the annual increments that they earn in future will be 2.57 times than at present.

6.     The Cabinet approved further improvements in the Defence Pay Matrix by enhancing Index of Rationalisation for Level 13A (Brigadier) and providing for additional stages in Level 12A (Lieutenant Colonel), 13 (Colonel) and 13A (Brigadier) in order to bring parity with Combined Armed Police Forces (CAPF) counterparts at the maximum of the respective Levels.

7.     Some other decisions impacting the employees including Defence & Combined Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel include :

·        Gratuity ceiling enhanced from Rs.  10 to 20 lakh. The ceiling on gratuity will increase by 25 % whenever DA rises by 50 %.

·        A common regime for payment of Ex-gratia lump sum compensation for civil and defence forces personnel payable to Next of Kin with the existing rates enhanced from Rs. 10-20 lakh to 25-45 lakh for different categories.

·        Rates of Military Service Pay revised from Rs.  1000, 2000, 4200 & 6000 to 3600, 5200, 10800 & 15500 respectively for various categories of Defence Forces personnel.

·        Terminal gratuity equivalent of 10.5 months of reckonable emoluments for Short Service Commissioned Officers who will be allowed to exit Armed Forces any time between 7 and 10 years of service.

·        Hospital Leave, Special Disability Leave and Sick Leave subsumed into a composite new Leave named ‘Work Related Illness and Injury Leave’ (WRIIL). Full pay and allowances will be granted to all employees during the entire period of hospitalization on account of WRIIL.

8.     The Cabinet also approved the recommendation of the Commission to enhance the ceiling of House Building Advance from Rs.  7.50 lakh to 25 lakh. In order to ensure that no hardship is caused to employees, four interest free advances namely Advances for Medical Treatment, TA on tour/transfer, TA for family of deceased employees and LTC have been retained. All other interest free advances have been abolished.

9.     The Cabinet also decided not to accept the steep hike in monthly contribution towards Central Government Employees Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS) recommended by the Commission. The existing rates of monthly contribution will continue. This will increase the take home salary of employees at lower levels by Rs. 1470. However, considering the need for social security of employees, the Cabinet has asked Ministry of Finance to work out a customized group insurance scheme for Central Government Employees with low premium and high risk cover.

10. The general recommendations of the Commission on pension and related benefits have been approved by the Cabinet. Both the options recommended by the Commission as regards pension revision have been accepted subject to feasibility of their implementation. Revision of pension using the second option based on fitment factor of 2.57 shall be implemented immediately. A Committee is being constituted to address the implementation issues anticipated in the first formulation. The first formulation may be made applicable if its implementation is found feasible after examination by proposed Committee which is to submit its Report within 4 months.

11. The Commission examined a total of 196 existing Allowances and, by way of rationalization, recommended abolition of 51 Allowances and subsuming of 37 Allowances. Given the significant changes in the existing provisions for Allowances which may have wide ranging implications, the Cabinet decided to constitute a Committee headed by Finance Secretary for further examination of the recommendations of 7th CPC on Allowances.  The Committee will complete its work in a time bound manner and submit its reports within a period of 4 months. Till a final decision, all existing Allowances will continue to be paid at the existing rates.

12. The Cabinet also decided to constitute two separate Committees (i) to suggest measures for streamlining the implementation of National Pension System (NPS) and (ii) to look into anomalies likely to arise out of implementation of the Commission’s Report.

13. Apart from the pay, pension and other recommendations approved by the Cabinet, it was decided that the concerned Ministries may examine the issues that are administrative in nature, individual post/ cadre specific and issues in which the Commission has not been able to arrive at a consensus.

14. As estimated by the 7th CPC, the additional financial impact on account of implementation of all its recommendations in 2016-17 will be Rs. 1,02,100 crore. There will be an additional implication of Rs. 12,133 crore on account of payments of arrears of pay and pension for two months of 2015-16.

Could never do what Priyanka has done: Kareena on Hollywood

 Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) Kareena Kapoor Khan says having a career in Hollywood like fellow actress Priyanka Chopra is not feasible for her as her priorities in life are different than the "Quantico" star.

In her recent interview to fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue, where the actress has also appeared on the cover, Kareena said she does not want to conquer the world.

"My priorities are very different. I think it's amazing what Priyanka has done. But I don't think I could ever do something like that. I want to be a married working woman. My responsibilities are a lot more different than hers. I have a husband, I would like to start a family.

"I can't give up everything and move to LA. That's not me. The kind of work that these girls have put in, you need to have that kind of dedication of wanting to achieve so much and do it so wonderfully. Also, maybe I'm lazy. I don't want to conquer the world but I don't mind having a little place of my own. It's as simple as that," she said.

The "Ki & Ka" star, 35, and the 33-year-old former Miss World shared screen space in 2004 romantic-thriller "Aitraaz".

India, Pak entry may shift SCO focus: Chinese daily

 Beijing, Jun 28 (PTI) As India and Pakistan moved a step closer to join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an official Chinese daily today raised concerns that their "territorial and religious" disputes may disturb the bloc's functioning and shift its focus.

"Generally, including new members can help the SCO expand its clout. But the inclusion of the two South Asian powers might also lead to some problems," an article in the state-run Global Times said today.

"First of all, the inclusion may have an impact on the SCO's principle of consultation-based consensus. The principle of consultation-based consensus has been widely recognised and adhered to by the members," it said.

"In this sense, the inclusion of India and Pakistan may bring into the SCO their long-existing disputes over territorial and religious issues and disturb the organisation's efforts to carry out the principle," it said.

"For the possible problems that may arise after India and Pakistan become full members, the SCO cannot just ignore but instead deal with them in a positive and rational manner," it said.

The daily underlined that SCO founding members should be given some special rights to dispel their concerns caused by the expansion.

"Requirements can be proposed to the new members in terms of mechanism-building so as to avoid cooperation bottleneck after the expansion," it said.

Today's article, second in the daily in recent weeks, said the inclusion of India and Pakistan may divert the focus of the SCO.

"As four out of six founding members of the SCO are in Central Asia, the SCO has always concentrated on the region.

But the joining of India and Pakistan may split the focus of the SCO, and hence the four Central Asian members will reduce their dependence on the SCO," it said.

"Moreover, giving full memberships to India and Pakistan will affect the SCO mechanism. The working languages of the SCO are now Chinese and Russian, and there has already been massive language workload in current meeting mechanisms. If India and Pakistan are taken in, the organisation's daily work is likely to increase exponentially," it said.

But at the same time it said "the inclusion of India and Pakistan will undoubtedly enhance the influence of the SCO, and the member states also highly value and support the wills of observers and dialogue partners to step up their cooperation with the organisation," it said.

India and Pakistan last week signed Memorandum of Obligations to join the six-member organisation at the Tashkent summit as part of lengthy process to join the grouping.

The SCO formally decided to admit the two countries in Ufa summit last year but the Indian officials say the process of admission is still continuing as both the countries have to ratify all the documents of the group since it was founded in 2001.

SCO, focussing mostly security related issues like terrorism in Central Asia, has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.

Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status.