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This is a good question, let's enumerate some important laws which came in the newspapers in the past 12 months.We shall make this post crowd-sourced. And we are planning to reward our contributors by giving them credits* -Detailed Well Presented 100 word Explanation - 2000Giving Valid Links and a Small Brief - 1000Giving Names of New Laws - 500Contributors (As of now) - Jai Parimi, Divya Malika, Prasanna, Ashutosh Pandey, Arihant Pawariya (अरिहंत पावङिया), Divya Choudhary (दिव्या चौधरी), Varsha Singh, Priyanka Peeramsetty, User, Gaurav Kumar, Jagannadh, Arpit Pareek, Nikhil Deshmukh, Harshit Ladva1) The National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014 and the 99th Constitutional AmendmentA bill to provide for the composition of the Judicial Appointments Commission for the purpose of recommending persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts, its functions, procedure to be followed by it and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.Key Issues and AnalysisThe current method of appointments has been examined by various bodies including the Law Commission and the Parliamentary Standing Committee. They vary in the role of the executive and judiciary in making appointments of judges.The composition of the JAC has not been included in the Constitution, but has been left for Parliament to decide by law. This implies that modifying the composition of the JAC would not require a constitutional amendment, but may be altered by a simple majority in Parliament.The Standing Committee examining the JAC Bill has recommended that (i) the JAC be composed of three eminent persons, (ii) the broad parameters for short listing of candidates for HC appointments be laid down in the Bill, and (iii) the center also consider the setting up of state level appointments commissions comprising the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice of HC and the Leader of Opposition.2) Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Reservation Act, 2013Objective - The principle objective of the new bill is fair compensation, thorough resettlement and rehabilitation of those affected, adequate safeguards for their well-being and complete transparency in the process of land acquisition. The title has been amended to reflect this.Need - There is unanimity of opinion across the social and political spectrum that the Old Law (The Land Acquisition Act 1894) suffers from various shortcomings and is outdated. Some of these include Forced acquisitions, No safeguards, Silent on resettlement and rehabilitation of those displaced, Urgency clause, Low rates of compensation, Litigation. To say the least, the Old Act needs to be replaced at the earliest by fair, reasonable and rational enactment in tune with the constitutional provisions, particularly, Article 300A of the Constitution.Link - Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 20133) Companies Act, 2013 (CSR Pref)Objective - Effective from financial year 2014-15, every company, private limited or public limited, which either has a net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore, needs to spend at least 2% of its average net profit for the immediately preceding three financial years on corporate social responsibility activities.Impact - The CSR activities undertaken by the companies will benefit hunger and poverty eradication, promoting preventive healthcare, promoting education and promoting gender equality, setting up homes for women, orphans and the senior citizens, measures for reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups, ensuring environmental sustainability and ecological balance, animal welfare, protection of national heritage and art and culture and many more.Link - Companies Act, 2013, Companies - It's a good articlePRSIndia– This describes the whole of companies act – Checkpoint 135 for CSR4) Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005Objective - Landmark bill, which realized the Right to seek and access Information in line with the interpretation of Art.19(1)(a) of our constitution.Impact - Champion to ensure Transparency and accountability in the governance procedures. it enforces the right of every citizen of India to have an access to the information regarding any money given by the State to any authority, thereby causing such authority to utilize such money reasonably and judiciously and also for keeping a check over their conduct and indulgence in corrupt activities. In 2002, SC’s verdict gave the citizens have a right to know about charges against candidates for elections as well as details of their assets, since they desire to offer themselves for public service and public servants cannot claim exemption from disclosure of charges against them or details of their assets. It is a powerful tool which can be realised in changing social dynamics and needs.Criticism - Debates regarding the ambit of RTI’s scope have been articulated, to be extended, say to the political parties, temples, schools and also privatized public utility companies. Evidences of misusage have come to the limelight, say Naxalites using RTI’s to check the assets of local landlords to loot themGuide to RTI : Page on rti.gov.in5) Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act, 2005Objective - The SEZ Act is expected to give a big thrust to exports and consequently to the foreign direct investment (“FDI”) inflows into India, and is considered to be one of the finest pieces of legislation that may well represent the future of the industrial development strategy in India. The new law is aimed at encouraging PPP to develop world-class infrastructure and attract private investment (domestic and foreign), boosting economic growth, exports and employmentImpact - The government gets the capital needed to establish the required infrastructure and also the expertise. SEZ’s with relaxed import tariffs help the Import dependent and export driven industries to flourish. SEZ’s create immense employment opportunities and improve the country’s foreign export.Criticism - Practical implementation witnesses several backlogs ranging from regional disparities, grabbing arable land, labour laws issues and supply chain management which fail to be addressed effectively through the bill6) Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013Objective -The government introduced the Bill to redefine the offence of rape and amend the penal laws in line with the recommendations of the Law Commission and the National Commission for Women. The government withdrew the previous Bill and Ordinance, and introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The changes wrt the ordinance in the act are:Impact - Popularly known as the Anti-rape bill, this came out of the protests of 2012 Delhi Gang rape case.Criticism - For not including certain suggestions recommended by the Verma Committee Report like, marital rape, reduction of age of consent, amending Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.Some detailed work: http://www.atimysore.gov.in/workshops/wppts/gender_issues/crim_law_amnd_2013_drjagadeesh_jsslaw_college.pdf7) Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013Objective - To provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. the protection against sexual harassment and the right to work with dignity are universally recognized human rightsImpact - On a broader line, this ensures safe work environment for women against sexual abuse at work place and is capable of garnering a greater female work force and these are the Major features the act provides for.Criticism - It does not cover women in the armed forces and excludes women agricultural workers, "a gross injustice to agricultural workers. The burden of proof is on the women who complain of harassment. If found guilty of making a false complaint or giving false evidence, she could be prosecuted, which has raised concerns about women being even more afraid of reporting offences. Furthermore, the law requires a third-party NGO to be involved, which could make employers less comfortable in reporting grievances, due to confidentiality concerns.8) DNA Profiling Bill, 2012Purpose - DNA analysis makes it possible to determine whether the source of origin of one body substance is identical to that of another, and further to establish the biological relationship, if any, between two individuals, living or dead without any doubt.Tip - Lawful purposes of establishing identity in criminal or civil proceedings.Impact - It will be essential to establish standards for laboratories, staff qualifications, training, proficiency testing, collection of body substances, custody trail from collection to reporting and a Data Bank with policies of use and access to information therein, its retention and deletion.DNA Data Bank Manager will supervise, execute and maintain this system and a DNA Profiling Board of eminent scientists, administrators and Law enforcement officers will administer and carry out other functions assigned to it under this Act.Link - DNA Profiling Bill - PDF9) Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011Purpose - So far, India has excellent record in nuclear safety and radiation safety; but the Central Government intends to promote nuclear energy to meet shortfall in total energy requirement of the country; and whereas such excellent safety record in nuclear safety and radiation safety is required to be sustained for growth in the nuclear energy sector.Impact - Now, therefore, it has been considered necessary and expedient to establish regulators to ensure continued excellence in nuclear safety and radiation safety in all applications of radiation and atomic energy on a large scale.10) Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010Purpose - As the name itself indicates that it is an Act to provide for civil liability for nuclear damage and prompt compensation to the victims of a nuclear incident through a no-fault liability regime channeling liability to the operator.Impact - Appointment of Claims Commissioner, establishment of Nuclear Damage Claims Commission connected there with.11) IT Act, 2000 and IT (Amendment) Bill, 2006Purpose - It is an Act to provide legal recognition for the transactions carried out by means of electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication, commonly referred to as "Electronic Commerce", which involve the use of alternatives to paper based methods of communication and storage of information, to facilitate electronic filings of documents with the Government and other related agencies.Tip - It is renamed as the Information Technology Act, 2008Impact - To promote efficient delivery of Government services by means of reliable electronic records.12) National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009Purpose - For the effective disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal rights relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.Impact - National Green Tribunal law is enacted in view of the involvement of multi-disciplinary issues relating to the environment and also to implement the decisions taken at Rio de Janeiro and Stockholm Conferences.Link - NGT Bill - PDF13) Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969Objective - It is designed to ensure that the operation of the economic system does not result in concentration of the economic power to the common detriment.The act also provides for probation of monopolistic, unfair and restrictive trade practices.Impact - The MRTP Commission if on enquiry concludes that the practice under consideration is of restrictive or unfair in nature , it may:Order discontinuation of the practice and restrict its repetition (cease and desist order ), the agreement shall be void and shall stand modified as may specified in the order. It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.Link - MRTP Act, 196914) Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2008(Coal scam and SC verdict, so important)Objective - To develop and regulate mining & mineral industries and bring it under the control of one union by setting up mineral funds on National level, granting concessions, share benefit schemes while preventing illegal mining.Impact - Safeguards on regulating and safe disposal of waste in consonance with environmental norms will be incorporated. Through implementation of proper taxing and speedy approvals on action against violations illegal mining will be preventedLink - Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 200815) Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2011It seeks to establish a mechanism to register complaints on any allegations of corruption or wilful misuse of power against a public servant. The Bill also provides safeguards against victimisation of the person who makes the complaint.Highlights of the BillThe Bill seeks to protect whistleblowers, i.e. persons making a public interest disclosure related to an act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant.The Vigilance Commission shall not disclose the identity of the complainant except to the head of the department if he deems it necessary. The Bill penalises any person who has disclosed the identity of the complainant.Key Issues and AnalysisThe Bill aims to balance the need to protect honest officials from undue harassment with protecting persons making a public interest disclosure. It punishes any person making false complaints. However, it does not provide any penalty for victimizing a complainant.16) Juvenile Justice(Care and Protection) Bill 2014Objectives: The Bill seeks to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children. It specifies procedural safeguards in cases of children in conflict with law. It seeks to address challenges in the existing Act such as delays in adoption processes, high pendency of cases, accountability of institutions, etc. The Bill further seeks to address children in the 16-18 age group, in conflict with law, as an increased incidence of crimes committed by them have been reported over the past few years.Coverage: The Bill defines a child as anyone less than 18 years of age. However, a special provision has been inserted for the possibility of trying 16-18 year old committing heinous offenses, as adults. A heinous offense is defined as one for which the minimum punishment under the Indian Penal Code is seven years.17) Citizens Charters & Grievance Redressal Bill, 2011. (CCGR)The Citizen's Charter and Grievance Redressal Bill 2011 also known as The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 or Citizens Charter Bill was a proposed in Lok Sabha in December 2011. The bill lapsed due to dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 lays down obligations of every public authority towards citizens, specifying delivery of goods and services in a time-bound manner and providing for a grievance redressal mechanism for non-compliance of citizens charter.Highlights :The Bill makes it mandatory for every public authority to publish a Citizen’s Charter within six months of the commencement of the Act.The Citizen’s Charter shall list the details of the goods and services provided by a public authority; the name of the person or agency responsible for providing the goods or services; the time frame within which such goods or services have to be provided; the category of people entitled to the goods and services; and details of the complaint redressal mechanism.Grievance redress officer : It requires every public authority to designate grievance redress officers in all public offices to enquire into and redress any complaints from citizens in a timeframe not exceeding 30 days from the date of receipt of the complaint.Public Grievance Redressal Commissions : The Bill provides for constitution of the state public grievance redressal commission and the central public grievance redressal commission consisting of chief commissioners and other commissioners.Penalty : DA and Commission can impose fine of Max. Rs 50000 to concerned officials/GRO. The penalty shall be recovered from the salary of the official. Such penalty may be awarded as compensation to the appellant.Corruption Prevention : The Designated Authority and the Commissions may refer a matter to the appropriate authorities if there is prima facie evidence of a corrupt act under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. An appeal against the decision of the Central Commission shall be filed before the Lokpal. An appeal against the decision of the State Commission shall be filed before the Lokayukta.Criticism :Against federal Spirit : Citizens’ charter bill provides for GRO and Grievances Commission at state and central level, but Parliament doesn’t not have jurisdiction to enact such law. Only State legislature has jurisdiction to make laws regarding state public services.More than ten states have already enacted a Citizen Charter Act or Public Services Guarantee Act in their respective states. Many of these state laws have provisions that are much better than the proposed Bill.Lack of Autonomy : According to the bill, the commissioners may be removed without judicial inquiry.Duplication of work : Several states have their own grievance redressal laws, The mechanism provided under these laws is different from that provided under the Bill. This will lead to duplication of work and organizations.MNREGA Act, RTE Act, National Food Security Bill, and the Public Procurement Bill also have their own grievances redressal forums. This will again lead to more duplication.Sources :Copy of Bill : Page on prsindia.orgSummery of Bill : Page on prsindia.orgWiki Page : Citizen's Charter and Grievance Redressal Bill 2011Mrual Page : Citizens Charter Bill 2011: Salient Features, Issues, CriticismRediff Page : All you need to know about the Citizen's Charter Bill18) Right to Education Act, 2009The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE), was enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the rules and regulations for free and compulsory education of children between 6 and 14 under Article 21A of Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010.Highlights :The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 stipulates that private schools reserve 25 per cent of seats at the entry level for children belonging to ‘disadvantaged groups’ and ‘weaker sections’.The Act also provides that no child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until the completion of elementary education. There is also a provision for special training of school drop-outs to bring them up to par with students of the same age.Mentally and physically challenged children, entitled to free education in special schools, were included in the definition through an amendment in 2012.It also prohibits all unrecognised schools from practice, and makes provisions for no donation or capitation fees and no interview of the child or parent for admissions.Criticism :The act has been criticised for being hastily-drafted, not consulting many groups active in education, not considering the quality of education, infringing on the rights of private and religious minority schools to administer their system, and for excluding children under six years of age.Problems faced :Poor Response : Lack of awareness about the Act, inability to meet the distance criteria and difficulty in obtaining necessary certificates from government authorities could be some of the reasons for this.The Act provides for admission of children without any certification. However, several states have continued pre-existing procedures insisting that children produce income and caste certificates, BPL cards and birth certificates.The Act is not applicable to private minority schools and boarding schools.Report on the status of implementation of the Act released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development admits that 8.1 million children in the age group six-14 remain out of school and there’s a shortage of 508,000 teachers country-wide.Conclusion :For all its flaws, the RTE Act is a progressive piece of legislation that aims to take education to the masses and fill the gaps in the social system.Sources :Copy of Act : Page on ssa.nic.inWiki page : Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education ActHindu Article : Advantages and disadvantages of RTE Act19) Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2013 (POSCO)Objective – The act aims at ensuring protection of children from sexual abuse.Pros –1. Gender Neutral bill. 53% victims of children are victims.2. Stringent punishment (upto life imprisonment)3. Covers broad range of sexual crimes such as non-penetrative sexual assault, sexual harassment, and the use of children for pornography4. Includes special procedures to prevent the re-victimisation of children at the hands of an insensitive justice delivery system5. Protects victims identity and provides assisting legal, medical and psychological facilitiesCons –1. Criminalises all consensual sexual contact below 18 years age.2. The age provision is not in consonance with other acts.3. Regressive and draconian considering today’s social realities. Children are increasingly aware of each others sexualities at early age.4. Child marriage is prevalent on large scale. The age provision ignores this reality. Liable to bogus and unjustified complaints.Source – The Hindu : Good Act, bad provision20) The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013Objective – The act aims to combat corruption in government agencies and public sector businesses in India.Pros -1. Covers the offence of giving a bribe to a public servant under abetment. Specific provisions related to giving a bribe to a public servant, and giving a bribe by a commercial organisation.2. Redefines criminal misconduct to only cover misappropriation of property and possession of disproportionate assets.3. Modifies the definitions and penalties for offences related totaking a bribe, being a habitual offender and abetting an offence.4. Introduces Powers and procedures for the attachment and forfeiture of property of public servants accused of corruption.5. The Act requires prior sanction to prosecute serving public officials. The Bill extends this protection to former officials.Cons -1. The Bill makes giving a bribe a specific offence. There are diverging views on whether bribe giving under all circumstances must be penalised. Some have argued that a coerced bribe giver must be distinguished from a collusive bribe giver.2. The Bill has deleted the provision that protects a bribe giver from prosecution, for any statement made by him during a corruption trial. This may deter bribe givers from appearing as witnesses in court.3. The Bill has replaced the definition of criminal misconduct. It now requires that the intention to acquire assets disproportionate to income also be proved, in addition to possession of such assets. Thus, the threshold to establish the offence of possession of disproportionate assets has been increased by the Bill.4. By redefining the offence of criminal misconduct, the Bill does not cover circumstances where the public official: (i) uses illegal means, (ii) abuses his position, or (iii) disregards public interest and obtains a valuable thing or reward for himself or another person.5. Under the Act, the guilt of the person is presumed for the offences of taking a bribe, being a habitual offender or abetting an offence. The Bill amends this provision to only cover the offence of taking a bribe.Source - The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 201321) Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) (Regulation) Bill 2010Objective – The bill aims at legalizing (commercial) surrogacy.Pros –1. Offers legal protection to child and surrogate mothers.2. Regulation of IVF/ART clinics and holding them Accountable for ensuring best medical practices.3. Curbs exploitation of mother. Limits number of child births per mother to five.4. Introduces age limit for surrogate mother – 21 to 35.5. Ensures Child’s citizenship to be same as parents.Cons –1. Legal back up will lead to widespread commercialization of surrogacy, posing serious ethical, moral and philosophical questions.2. Mandatory certificate ensuring legality of surrogacy in foreign couple’s home country needed. Impediments in smooth commercial functioning.3. No provision in the bill if parent’s change their mind or die. Child’s responsibility in this case is debatable.4. Plethora of in-genuine clinics in India. Exploitation of poor and illiterate mothers because of their incapability to understand legalities involved.Source - Issues of surrogacy, PIB English Features22) Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013Objective - The Bill sets up an independent authority, the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI), to regulate organisms and products of modern biotechnology.Pros –1. BRAI will regulate the research, transport, import, containment, environmental release, manufacture, and use of biotechnology products.2. Regulatory approval by BRAI will be granted through a multi-level process of assessment undertaken by scientific experts.3. BRAI will certify that the product developed is safe for its intended use. All other laws governing the product will continue to apply.4. A Biotechnology Regulatory Appellate Tribunal will hear civil cases that involve a substantial question relating to modern biotechnology and hear appeals on the decisions and orders of BRAI.5. Penalties are specified for providing false information to BRAI, conducting unapproved field trials, obstructing or impersonating an officer of BRAI and for contravening any other provisions of the Bill.Cons -1. The Tribunal has jurisdiction over a ‘substantial question relating to modern biotechnology’ – An ambiguous term.2. The Tribunal will consist of one judicial member and five technical members. This is not in conformity with a SC decision that the number of technical members on a bench of a Tribunal cannot exceed the number of judicial members.3. The Tribunal’s technical members shall be eminent scientists or government officials with experience in the field. It is unclear whether the technical expertise of the latter can be equated with the former.4. The Bill does not specify any liability for damage caused by a product of biotechnology. Therefore, it will remain open to the courts to determine liability arising out of any adverse impact of modern biotechnology.5. Tribunal will not accept complaints from civil society, in spite of the fact that the Bill directly or indirectly affects every citizen. No public consultation done.6. Non clarity over Dept of GoI that will service BRAI. No mention of mandatory labelling of GM crops.7. Takes away rights of states to decide on Agriculture, which is state subject.8. The Convener of the Selection Committee for members of BRAI will be from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which is a vendor of genetic engineering (the technology that BRAI is supposed to regulate) in the country. Conflict of Interest will arise.Source - The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013Unconstitutional, unethical, unscientific23) Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013ObjectiveTo set up an independent regulatory body for the coal sector that shall help in the regulation and conservation of coal resources and will benefit all stakeholders i.e. - coal companies, coal consuming industries such as power, steel, cement and coal bearing States and people, directly or indirectly associated with the coal industry.A fund called ‘The Coal Regulatory Authority Fund” is created to credit all the receipts and fees received.Constituents1 chairperson + 4 members. One each from legal , technical , administrative and financial wings. All to be selected by a committee of Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Cabinet Secretary.What will it do ?Inject transparency in allocation of coal blocks.Decide and Monitor operational norms and mining closure compliances and such.Determine pricing of the fuel and publishing surveys, information, statistics, etc related to coal sector and coal quality.Adjudicate disputes between entities and between entities and other persons.Advise government on technologies, policy, promotion, investment etc.Ref :- The Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013,Coal Regulatory Authority Bill likely in Winter session24) eWaste (Management and Handling) Act, 2011What is it ?E-waste has beendefined as “waste electrical and electronic equipment, whole or in part or rejects from their manufacturing and repair process, which are intended to be discarded”.AIM :-Reduction in the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.Specifying threshold for use of hazardous material including lead, mercury and cadmium.Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) thus introduces the concept of "Extended Producer Responsibility".How will it work ?It fixes responsibilities on every producer, seller, consumer or bulk consumer, collection centre, dismantler and recycler of e-waste involved in the manufacture, sale, purchase and processing of electrical and electronic equipment or components.E.g. :Recycling of E-Waste generated during manufacturing and "End of Life" of electronic and electrical equipments.Setting up of collection centres by companies or individuals to collect E-waste and discard them.Setting up of funds by corporate to boost scientific and eco-friendly disposal of E-waste.CritiqueNo accountability set on anyone.E-Industry remains skeptical of the efficacy of this act.No specific targets set.Ref :- @E-waste management rules kick in today@Page on moef.nic.in25) Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011What is it ?The bill is intended to prevent “any act or series of acts, whether spontaneous or planned, resulting in injury or harm to the person and or property, knowingly directed against any person by virtue of his or her membership of any group."How ?The billAddresses identity-based or targeted crimes and organised mass violence as special offences.Places accountability of public officers with varying penalties for dereliction of duty it.Provides for the creation of a National Authority and the State authorities to ensure justice and reparation.Addresses issues faced by specific communities like economic boycott, denial of public service, forced migration , hostile environment etc.Empowers state and center government to intercept any messages and communication that it feels might lead to communal violence.Sets up district level authorities to assess compensation.CritiquesCurbing freedom of expression by terming it as Hate propaganda.Presumption of guilt and burden of proof on the accused – The accused will have to prove innocence.All the persons acting under this Act will have blanket of protection of action taken in good faith.Brings civil servants in direct line of fire by vaguely defining "dereliction of duty".26) Competition Act, 2002The Competition Act was passed in 2002Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established on March 1, 2009 as an autonomous body comprising of a Chairperson and six members.CCI not only hears and investigates cases based on the information received by it, but it also takes suo moto action wherever it finds that a prima facie violationCommission had taken suo-moto cognizance of the reported manipulation of the bids by manufacturers of LPG cylinders for supplying cylinders to the Indian Oil CorporationMany more such notices have been sent by CCI in the Petroleum sector, Agricuture sector etc. taking cognisance suo-moto.Role of trade associationsCompetition law treats the activities of trade associations much like any other form of cooperation between competitors.decisions or recommendations of trade associations are treated as agreements between its members and law may be breached even when they are not binding on the members.CCI imposed a nominal penalty of Rs. 1 lakh each on 27 film producers on charges of colluding through an association to exploit multiplex owners.number of cases involving the associations in the Pharmaceutical sector/Film production etc where CCI has passed orders against the associations and asked them to “cease and desist” from activities that may be anti-competitive in nature.Public Procurement and Competition LawPublic procurement is a contentious issue vis-à-vis application of competition lawpublic enterprises, which are generally the big procurers, are subject to competition assessment.Commission has decided a number of matters, including cartelization in government contracts. Penalties have been imposed on firms to discourage the anti-competitive practices and abuse of dominanceCompetition Commission of India is set to change the rules of the game and play the role of a watchdog to check anti-competitive practices in the markethttp://echoofindia.com/reflex-action/competition-commission-india-4-years-enforcement-competition-law-3216927) Prasar Bharati (Amendment) Bill, 201028) Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 200229) Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitaion Act, 2013. (Important, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan)30) Child Labour (Prohibition) Act, 198631) Scheduled Tribes and Recognition of Forest Rights Bill, 200632) Environment Protection Law, 198633) Wildlife Protection Act, 197234) The Electricity Act, 200335) Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 199636) Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 199237) Factories Act 1948/Amendment Bill 201438) Apprentice Act 1961/ Amendment Bill 201439) The Pension Fund Regulatory And Development Authority Act, 201340) The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 201341) Benami Transaction (Prohibition )Act, 198842) The National Food Security Act, 201343) Pesticides Management Bill, 2008*Maximum Credits per Person - 5000**Contributors earning more than 1000 credits <must> -a) Promote to at least 100 people.b) Share this list everywhere. :P :P LOL !Thank you all. :)Thanks for the A2A Anon. :)

Thanx for A2AHey Vikrant, I am glad to hear that you are motivated to join the Armed forces of India.I may want to suggest you something which other people usually dont discuss. Why CDSE why not UES or TGC entries.You get one year ante date seniority and which is very useful in long run of service during promotions. I suggest you to make aim for that. Keep your engineering percentage above 75% and fill for UES entries as well as AFCAT,TGC etc. Competition is tough but yes it is worth giving that effort.Now lets begin with CDSE preparation. The whole procedure can be broken into 3 parts-1) Written Paper2) SSB interview3) Medical examinationDO NOT apply for CDS exam, unless and until you’re certain that you fulfill all medical/physical requirements. Because in past, many candidates have cleared the written exam, but failed in the medical test.CDS exam is held twice a year.Often the new players make mistake of preparing too much current affairs, majority of the paper is made up of static/theory topics only. Even in Economy and Polity while lot of current events take place but majority of the MCQS are centered on theory only.Booklist-In the market, there is no dearth of jholachhap publications with readymade guides on CDS and mock tests and what not. But Looking at the previous papers, all I can say is that you need only three sources to cover up majority of the syllabus:NCERT and NIOS textbooks (even here, you’ve to do very limited study of specific chapters, as explained here.Indian Polity by M.Laxmkanth (religiously mugup this book for ~10 marks in the exam.)General Studies Manual (for filling up the gaps/topics left in NCERTs + for practice of mock questions) you don’t need to buy latest edition, because static topics (history, geography, science) remain one and same in all edition. So grab second hand/used copy for a cheaper price or borrow it from a friend. Any publication will work: Unique, TMH, Spectrum etc.First we’ll see how to approach static topics (history, geography, science, EnB, economy and polity.) then we’ll see how to approach the current affairs (for IR and Misc.GK)1: History & Culturefor History/culture portion, use the Tamilnadu (TN) State education board books, they’re better than NCERTs.can be sub-classified into following:Ancient-Harappa, Asoka etc.Medieval-Delhi sultanate, Mughals etc.Modern-British raj and freedom struggle.Culture-Music, painting, dance, religion, architecture, books etc. in above 3 periods.World history- UPSC did ask a few questions from World history. You may consult Lucent’s GK book·In old times, UPSC used to ask trivial GK question from kings, war timelines etc. =waste of time in preparation.·But nowadays, questions usually centered around culture or just ‘true/false/find correct statement; cause-effect-reasons’ type questions.·I suggest you look at last 2-3 years papers by yourself (given in the appendix) and see it yourself.Ancient-Harappa, Asoka etc.Medieval-Delhi sultanate, Mughals etc.Modern-British raj and freedom struggle.Culture-Music, painting, dance, religion, architecture, books etc. in above 3 periods.World history-UPSC did ask a few questions from World history. You may consult Lucent’s GK bookIn Ancient period, the MCQs mostly come from 2 topics:1.Harappa2.Jainism-Buddism (includes Asoka etc.)- Although this can be classified under culture.Download NCERTs , then prepare in following sequence:*subject*, *class*,*chapter no.*, *chapter name*1.History6_1_What, Where, How And When2.History6_2_On The Trail Of The Earliest People3.History6_3_From Gathering To Growing Food4.History6_4_In The Earliest Cities5.History6_5_What Books And Burials Tell Us6.History6_6_Kingdoms, Kings And An Early Republic7.History6_7_New Questions And Ideas8.History6_8_Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War9.History6_9_Vital Villages, Thriving Towns10.History6_10_Traders, Kings And Pilgrims11.History6_11_New Empires And Kingdoms12.History6_12_Buildings, Paintings And Books13.History12_1_Bricks Beads and Stones_Harappa14.History12_2_King farmer towns15.History12_3_Kinship Caste Class16.History12_4_Thinkers, Beliefs and BuildingsAfter that: GS Manual and finally mock questions.MedievalIf you’re willing to take the risk (or running out of time), you can even skip this topic (kings, wars, dynasties etc.). Because rarely 1-2 question come from medieval portion nowadays. But do prepare culture related things from medieval period.1.Hist7_1_Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years2.Hist7_2_New Kings And Kingdoms3.Hist7_3_The Delhi Sultans4.Hist7_4_The Mughal Empire5.Hist7_5_Rulers And Buildings6.Hist7_6_Towns, Traders And Craftspersons7.Hist7_7_Tribes, Nomads And Settled Communities8.Hist7_8_Devotional Paths To The Divine9.Hist7_9_The Making Of Regional Cultures10.Hist7_10_Eighteenth-Century Political Formations11.History12_1_Foreign Travelers to India12.History12_2_Bhakti -Sufi Traditions13.History12_3_Vijayanagara-An Imperial Capital14.History12_4_Mughal Empire and Agrarian Society15.History12_5_Mughal CourtsAfter that: Read the Medieval history section in your GS Manual and finally mock questions. But keep in mind: GS manuals contain truckload of kings and timelines in the medieval period, don’t waste time mugging them up.Modern historyImportant: NCERTs don’t cover all MCQ worthy topics from within the Modern history / freedom struggle. Therefore you must do following·Read GS manual multiple times for this section.·OR use Spectrum publication’s brief history of Modern India.·And then solve the Mock Questions given in the GS Manual.here is the list of NCERT chapters:1.History8_1_How When and Where2.History8_2_From Trade to Territory3.History8_3_The Company Establishes Power4.History8_4_Ruling the Countryside5.History8_5_Tribals Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age6.History8_6_1857 and After When people rebel7.History12_1_Colonialism Official Archives8.History12_2_1857 Revolt And Its Representations9.History12_3_Colonial Cities Urbanisation, Planning And Architecture10.History12_4_Mahatma Gandhi And The Nationalist Movement11.History12_5_Understanding Partition12.History12_6_Framing The ConstitutionCultureWhile reading above NCERTs, you’ll come across lot of culture related topics (in painting, literature, dance, music, religion etc.) however for better and consolidated preparation, I suggest you also go through the NIOS study material for Culture.Sciencedon’t live in some overconfidence that “Just because I’m M.Sc (Botany) so I don’t need to read these stupid class7 NCERT science textbooks. I know everything!”Because, you may be good at the technical and latest things happening in your graduation field, but UPSC asks from basic principles and theories that might have evaporated from your head after you left highschool years ago. Therefore, no matter what your academic qualification is, always start with NCERTs.anyways, continuing on…Science can be further divided intoPhysics & Chemistry & Biology1.This is to be prepared from NCERTs, then General Studies (GS) Manual and finally mock questions at the end of GS Manual.2. you may also read NIOS material on Geography for additional grip over the subject.3.Please note: in GS Manuals, they often go into very minute details, like chemical formulas of hormones etc. don’t waste that much time. You just need basic science concepts, principles and their day-to-day application clear.Current affairs, biotech, nanotech, computer IT, space etc. You can ignore this if you’re running out time. otherwise• goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta, Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important things from science-tech pages.here is the list of NCERT chapters to be prepared:Physics1.Sci10_13_Magnet2.Sci10_12_electricity3.Sci10_10_light4.Sci9_12_Sound5.Sci9_11_Work And Energy6.Sci9_10_Gravitation7.Sci9_9_Force And Laws Of Motion8.Sci9_8_Motion9.Sci8_16_Light10.Sci8_14_Chemical Effects Of Electriccurrent11.Sci8_13_Sound12.Sci8_12_Friction13.Sci8_11_Force And Pressure14.Sci7_15_Light15.Sci7_14_Electric Current and its Effects16.Sci7_13_Motion and Time17.Sci7_4_Heat18.Physics11_1_What is PhysicsChemistry1.Sci7_5_Acids,Bases andSalts2.Sci7_6_Physical and Chemical Changes3.Sci8_3_Synthetic Fibres And Plastics4.Sci8_4_Materials Metals And Non-Metals5.Sci8_5_Coal And petroleum6.Sci8_6_Combustion And Flame7.Sci9_1_Matter In Our Surroundings8.Sci9_2_Is Matter Around Us Pure9.Sci9_3_Atoms And Molecules10.Sci9_4_Structure Of The Atom11.Sci10_1_Chemical Reactions and Equations12.Sci10_2_Acids, Bases and Salts13.Sci10_3_Metals and Non-metals14.Sci10_4_Carbon and its Compounds15.Sci10_5_Periodic Classification of ElementsBiology1.Sci7_2_Nutrition inAnimals2.Sci7_1_Nutrition in Plants3.Sci7_10_Respiration in Organisms4.Sci7_11_Transportation in Animals and Plants5.Sci7_12_Reproduction inPlants6.Sci8_2_Microorganisms Friend And foe7.Sci8_8_Cell Structure And Functions8.Sci8_9_Reproduction In Animals9.Sci8_10_Reaching Theage Of Adolescence10.Sci9_5_The Fundamental Unit Of life11.Sci9_6_Tissues12.Sci9_7_Diversity In Living Organisms13.Sci9_13_Why Do We Fall ill14.Sci10_6_Life Processes15.Sci10_7_Control and Coordination16.Sci10_8_reproduction17.Sci10_9_evolution18.Sci10_11_human eye19.Biology12_11_Biotechnology Principle and Processes20.Biology12_12_Biotechnology and its Applicationsgeography·Earlier geography used to encompass Environment biodiversity (EnB) + agriculture, but now both of them have grown up and getting more ‘special’ attention from UPSC Examiners·Again, our approach is NCERT => GS Manual => Mock questions.·(optional): you may also read NIOS material on Geography for additional grip over the subject.·Note: In GS manual, they sometimes go in very minor details e.g. state where particular breed of goat/pig/cow/buffalo is found. don’t waste time in such details. Even for Indian geography, you should know broad things. If you try to prepare every detail, you’ll be stuck there forever.Physical GeographyUniverseWhen you go to universe, there is no dearth of GK regarding relative size, color, distance of various planets etc. but again keep the time factor in mind.1.Sci8_17_Stars And The solar system2.Geo6_1_The Earth in the Solar System3.Geo11_2_The Origin and Evolution of the EarthEarth: BasicsFrom earth basics, UPSC usually asks a few questions on1.Latitudes, Longitudes and timezones (perhaps to test the level of the wanna be navy officers.)2.oceanography3.atmosphere, climate, weather phenomenon relatedAnyways, here is the list of NCERT chapters1.Geo6_2_Globe Latitudes and Longitudes2.Geo6_3_Motions of the Earth3.Geo6_4_Maps4.Geo6_5_Major Domains of the Earth5.Geo6_6_Major Landforms of the Earth6.Geo11_1_Geography as a Discipline (although doesn’t fit in this classification!)7.Geo11_3_Interior of the Earth8.Geo11_4_Distribution of Oceans and ContinentsRocks/Geology related1.Geo11_5_Minerals and Rocks(after that, immediacy read the Indian geography chapters related to distribution of mines and minerals in India)2.Geo11_6_Geomorphic Processes3.Geo11_7_Landforms and their Evolution.Atmosphere and Climate related1.Geo11_8_Composition and Structure of Atmosphere2.Geo11_9_Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature3.Geo11_10_Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems4.Geo11_11_Water in the Atmosphere5.Geo11_12_World Climate and Climate ChangeOcean related6.Geo11_13_Water (Oceans)7.Geo11_14_Movements of Ocean WaterDisaster related1.Geo11_7_India_Natural Hazards and DisastersSci7_8_Winds, Storms and CyclonesSci8_15_Some Natural Phenomena lightening earthquakesIndia: Physical Geography1.Geo6_7_Our Country India2.Geo9_1_size and location3.Geo9_2_physical4.Geo9_4_CLIMATE5.Geo11_1_India_Location6.Geo11_2_India_Structure and PhysiographyIndia: rivers1.Geo9_3_drainage2.Geo10_3-water resources3.Geo11_3_India_Drainage System4.Geo12_India_6_Water ResourcesIndia:geography1.Geo10_1_resources & Development2.Geo10_5-mines & ENERGY RESOURCES3.Geo10_6-industries4.Geo10_7-transport5.Geo12_India_7_Mineral and Energy Resources6.Geo12_India_8_Manufacturing Industries7.Geo12_India_9_Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context8.Geo12_India_10_Transport and Communication9.Geo12_India_11_International Trade10.Geo12_India_12_Geographical Perspective on Selected Issues and ProblemsIndia: Human geography1.Geo9_6_Population2.Geo12_India_1_Population – Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition3.Geo12_India_2_Migration – Types, Causes and Consequences4.Geo12_India_3_Human Development5.Geo12_India_4_Human SettlementsWorld, Human and Economic Geography1.Geo7_7_transport2.Geo7_8_Life in tropical areas3.Geo7_9_life in Grasslands4.Geo7_10_life in Deserts5.Geo8_1_Resources6.Geo8_3_minerals and energy7.Geo8_5_industries_steel_IT8.Geo8_6_Human Resources9.Geo12_1_Nature n Scope10.Geo12_2_The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth11.Geo12_3_Population Composition12.Geo12_4_Human Development13.Geo12_6_Secondary Activities14.Geo12_7_Tertiary and Quaternary Activities15.Geo12_8_Transport and Communication16.Geo12_9_International Trade17.Geo12_10_Human SettlementsAgricultureAgriculture MCQs are slowly getting more attention in both CSE and CDS exams. Here is the list of NCERT chapters that should be specifically read and revised. More emphasis on soil-types, crops and cropping technologies.1.Geo8_4_agri2.Geo10_4-agriculture3.Geo11_6_India_Soils4.Geo12_5_Primary Activities5.Geo12_India_5_Land Resources and Agriculture6.Sci7_3_Fibre to Fabric7.Sci7_9_Soil8.Sci8_1_Crop Production And Management9.Sci9_15_Improvement In Food ResourcesEnvironment and Biodiversity (EnB)·As far as CDS is concerned, majority of EnB questions are centered around static/theory portion.·For EnB, the foundation /base material is NIOSHere is the list:1.Biology12_13_Organisms and Populations2.Biology12_14_Ecosystem3.Biology12_15_BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION4.Biology12_16_Environmental Issues5.Chemistry11_14_ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY6.Economy11_9_ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT7.Geo6_8_India Climate, Vegetation and Wildlife8.Geo7_1_environment9.Geo7_2_rocks10.Geo7_3_Rivers11.Geo7_4_Air12.Geo7_5_water13.Geo7_6_Jungle14.Geo8_2_Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resource15.Geo9_5_forest and wildlife16.Geo10_2-forest & wildlife resources17.Geo11_4_India_Climate18.Geo11_5_India_Natural Vegetation19.Geo11_15_Life on the Earth20.Geo11_16_Biodiversity and Conservation21.Sci7_7_Weather, Climate and Adaptations of Animals to Climate22.Sci7_16_Water A Precious Resource23.Sci7_17_Forests Our Lifeline24.Sci7_18_Waste water Story25.Sci8_7_Conservation Of Plants And animals26.Sci8_18_Pollution Of Air And Water27.Sci9_14_Natural Resources carbon cycle28.Sci10_14_Source of energy29.Sci10_15_environment_food chain30.Sci10_16_ Management of natural resourcesPolityIn both Civil service exam and CDS exam, polity MCQs form a signification portion. The cost: benefit ratio is quite good.Here are some tips on how to Laxmikanth’s book efficiently and get a good grip over the polity within a short period of time?Don’t study the book in a linear fashion (that is chapter 1,2,3,4…sequence)Instead I suggest you read the book in following direction:1.First you read the chapter on President, Vice President and immediately move to the chapter on governor. Then read on Emergency provisions.2.Read chapter on PM and cabinet, then move to CM and state council of Ministers.3.Chapter on “Parliamentary system” and then directly to parliament, but after budget topic is done pause this chapter and move to on CAG. Then come back and resume the chapter on parliament.4.Once parliament is finished, move to State legislative assembly.5.Supreme Court and then High court, tribunals.6.Attorney Gen =>Advocate General7.UPSC =>State PSC8.Finance Commission =>Planning Commission=>Nat.Development council9.Now Centre State relation and Interstate relations.10.Election Commission=> chapter on election, Anti-defection11.All the National Commissions on Women, SC, ST,OBC, CVC, Lokpal and so on.Once ^this is done. Move to1.Citizenship, Fundamental rights, DPSP, duties.2.Amendment of Constitution=> preamble3.Jammu Kashmir => Scheduled and Tribal Areas.4.UT, Panchayati Raj, municipalitiesAfter ^this is done. Read whatever chapters are remaining. Ultimately·Appendix for union-state-concurrent list, table of precedence etc.·the mock MCQ questions given in Laxmikant + also in your General studies manual.Note: the short explanations given in appendix of every chapter= should be read.Single time reading of Laxmikanth= useless.Revise his book, minimum 3 times.An allied topic of Polity is “rights-issue” for example women rights, children rights, SC/ST/OBC/PH/Minorities and various schemes meant for that.EconomyDon’t waste your time in mugging up stupid numbers (like IIP in xyz month, how much sharemarket went up or down etc.). In CDS/IAS exam the Economy MCQs are mostly static/theory based. To prepare Economy use following resources1.NCERT class 11 and 122.NIOS material for economy3.Finally GS Manual Mock questions for practice.You don’t need to specifically buy “Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh” for CDS exam, but if you have it (or can borrow from a friend) then do read it.Defense·The questions about various missiles, DRDO technology, joint-military exercises with other countries.·beyond that, again Goto library, read whatever competitive magazine you get (CST, Pratiyoigta, Chronicle, Wizard) and note down important things from diary of international events + Person in news.·for basics about army, navy, airforce: organization, recruitment, training etc. read Chapter 9 “Defense” From India YearbookConclusion / summary / final tips·Revision is essential. Whatever you read in NCERT, NIOS or Laxmikanth, keep a target of revising it multiple times. Otherwise, you won’t be able to recall the exact details in the exam and UPSC’s MCQs are very tricky.·If you’ve applied for this exam, then focus on your studies only. Don’t underestimate the level of competition.Don’t waste time in day-dreaming, facebook, orkut, random net surfing, chatting, TV, cricket, weddings of distant relatives etc. Time-pass activities will always be there, but once you cross the age-limit, there is no restart button. (This rule applies to all competitive exams.)·When you get bored reading General studies, then solve maths / English question. when you get bored with maths/english, resume your General studies preparation.·Don’t go in the exam-hall with a ‘cutoff’ mindset. Don’t push luck in negative marking. Don’t tick answers based on guesswork.I suppose thats enough for you to read but yes this what can lead to 100% success in CDSE. For SSB i would happy if you again post the question regarding the same. Because it may get lengthy here. Thank you and best of luck.

Rather than give you generic advice, which you probably have heard of, I would give you a customized response that is primarily based on your questions.The front part of the response (the bulk of the response) is encouraging and meant to be motivating, I hope. Unfortunately, the last part of the response is not-so-positive perhaps, and this is because some of the things that you mentioned seemed like red flags to me and important issues that you would want to pay attention to, regardless of whether you pursue a Ph.D. or what you want to do in life.Quote: "The problem is, I don't know if I'm cutout for a PhD."Firstly, I can't tell you if you are cut out for a Ph.D. a priori to graduation from a Ph.D. program. I am not God, and I cannot predict the future. If I could predict the future, I would go into investment banking/financial engineering/computational finance, or become a computer architect or compiler developer cooking up novel techniques in branch prediction.Even if you get into a Ph.D. program and drop out, and you still be able to enter another Ph.D. program and graduate with a Ph.D.. It depends on a number of factors, which you may not even consider now. See Choosing a Graduate Program in VLSI Design & Related Areas: Things to Consider, and customize the Headings (in bigger font and in bold) for AI, machine learning, and/or computer vision. Under item #4 of this post, I indicated certain things that you may not have paid attention to yet.That said, I will try to tie some of the issues/factors in my post to your question details.Quote: "I don't have prior research experience."It does not really matter that much, since a lot of incoming Ph.D. students do not have publications in good CS journals and conference proceedings. That said, you can start now though, via side projects you can work on after work or on the weekends.Also, pay attention to emerging trends in algorithmic portfolio optimization and multi-objective optimization (see semi-definite programming) can open up lots of opportunities for making incremental improvements on existing solutions, which can be published.Quote: "I would need to do a MS+PhD if I want to go into the field of AI / ML/ computer vision, which I find interesting. Without that, I don't expect easy employment in this area due to some factors."It may be possible for you to be a developer in computer vision, if you have a a good MS CS (or equivalent) from a highly-ranked CS graduate program (e.g., Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, UIUC, and U Dub), preferably with an emphasis in computer vision.For data scientist positions, a MS CS may suffice, especially if you have the de facto standard requirements: strong software development skills, statistical analysis, mathematical modeling and analysis (including common numerical analysis topics, such as differential equations, linear algebra, transform methods -- such as Laplace and Fourier transform techniques, and vector calculus), writing skills, and preferably domain knowledge. With regards to domain knowledge, it can be sound knowledge of how good basketball should be played, if you want to be a data scientists for a NBA team. For people who want to work in the music industry, knowing the ins and outs of the music industry matters a lot. Ditto for those seeking to work in health care analytics, they need to know the health care and medical/dental insurance industries very well... Domain knowledge is important because there are going to be a lot of people who can meet the de facto standard requirements, as massive open online courses (MOOC) can help people pick up such skills. You need the domain knowledge to distinguish yourself from others. Having domain knowledge also helps you to come up with innovative solutions to problems in your industry or with your employer/client.However, for senior R&D positions (read: senior software development positions with small "R" and BIG "D", or small research emphasis and BIG development emphasis if you like) in all the three research areas that you mentioned, a Ph.D. is recommended (if not required). For research positions in corporate research laboratories (i.e., research scientist positions), you will need a Ph.D..So, in general, you are right... It sounds like you have done your homework.Quote: "I also want to do a PhD so that I get to work on challenging problems in the industry."If you work on a industry Ph.D. fellowship from Microsoft (PhD Fellowship Program), IBM (University Awards), NVIDIA (Graduate Fellowship Program), Google (Google Research Programs), Intel (Intel PhD Fellowship Program), and Facebook (2013-2014 Graduate Fellowships now open and Calling All Ph.D. Students), you will get to work on challenging problems in the industry; also, see Fellowship Opportunites for the 2012-2013 Academic Year. If you get to collaborate and be mentored by research scientists from corporate research laboratories (e.g., IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and Google Research), you can get to work on focused research (typically in the 5-10 year time frame from commercialization for the IT industry) and exploratory research (typically in the 8-15 year time frame from commercialization for the IT industry); see Intel Labs University Research.So, yes, the stuff you developed in your Ph.D. research can, and hopefully would, improve the sponsoring company's bottom line: profit maximization.Even if you work on projects funded by governmental research funding agencies for science and engineering, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the U.S., you can still work on industry-related problems. Sometimes, you get to work on problems that DARPA, NSF, and a company or industry consortium (e.g., Semiconductor Research Corporation) are interested in. In this case, you may have multiple sponsors for your Ph.D. research, and be mentored by industry mentors in addition to your Ph.D. advisor(s).Even if you can't get one of these Ph.D. fellowships, it's okay. You can still work on challenging problems in the industry. It is not uncommon for professors to work on projects sponsored by a company, so that the company can use the research expertise of the professors and his collaborators (BS/MS/Ph.D. students, postdocs, and visiting scientists) to solve problems that it faces.Suggestion: Find out what are the critical problems that you company faces and will face in the future (especially in the 5-10 year time frame). These problems can lead to Ph.D. research projects that you company may want to sponsor. Also, check out industrial Ph.D. opportunities, which is more common in Europe. You can get to work on emerging problems that a company may face, get funded for your Ph.D. by that company, get mentored by software developers/engineers/researchers at that company, and intern at that company (preferably research internships, rather than the typical software development internships).Quote: "I get bored very quickly of mundane work."I may be terribly wrong, but -- unfortunately -- all jobs seem to have their share of mundane work. The proportion of mundane work do differ though. I assume that you do automate boring tasks in your life, and can come up with great hacks to make your life less miserable.What do you think would be mundane matters of Ph.D. students in computer science? Taking the Ph.D. preliminary/comprehensive examination, or what some call the breadth-based qualifying examination? See Prelims and Comprehensive examination. What about depth-based Ph.D. qualifying examinations? Including the oral examination, in which you have to present your Ph.D. proposal before your Ph.D. thesis/dissertation committee. Again, read my post Choosing a Graduate Program in VLSI Design & Related Areas: Things to Consider, and at the end of item #3, I made a comment that there are similarities between questions asked during interviews for R&D positions in the industry and questions for these examinations... Have you thought about these things?Some Ph.D. programs require students to complete a certain number of classes in a variety of categories each. They may also impose minimum grade of "A-" for these classes, especially those in your research area or category of CS that covers your research area (e.g., theoretical computer science or systems CS). Are taking classes that involve weekly/fortnightly assignments, class presentations, technical papers, class projects, and midterms and finals (mid-semester and final examinations) boring to you?Is "desktop research" or literature review boring to you? Are tasks like refactoring, software testing, performance analysis, software documentation (e.g., comments in the code), and scripting (to automate boring tasks) boring to you? Can you run away from these in industry? Maybe. Maybe not. You need to figure out what are the common tasks for grad students, determine what may be some possible tasks, and try to envisage yourself tackling them quickly and successfully.Quote: "I've never considered academia for some reason."That's fine. There is a greater awareness about creating workshops and seminars in research universities, especially in the U.S., to prepare Ph.D. students and postdocs for non-traditional Ph.D. careers in academia. Look at my blog EECS (ECE + CS), and you can find some posts in which I addressed non-traditional Ph.D. careers, such as technical consulting, corporate research (e.g., work as a research scientist at Microsoft Research), R&D (senior software developer -- computer vision specialist, or data scientist), and start-up entrepreneurship are some examples of what you can do.If you keep an open mind towards academia, you may find interesting and good opportunities in academia, too. Also, if you mentor research projects of Ph.D. students while working as a research scientist, senior R&D engineer, or senior software developer in industry, you can open up pathways into academia as long as you keep publishing good research papers. Here, teaching one class each semester or academic year as an adjunct professor would help craft your teaching statement that you need to submit with your research statement for applying for positions in academia... Not to the extra income that comes with being an adjunct professor, and the opportunity to recruit outstanding students to your research/R&D team.Quote: "I'm really smart."Well, I have met many smart people who did not have advanced degrees that those instances in time. Being smart helps, but having values and characteristics such as passion, tenacity, and endurance are important, too.Quote: "All I can say about me is that if I know the path from A to B, I can move mountains to reach B. If I can't see the path ahead, I'll be demotivated."Quote: "Previously, when working in the industry, I would do wonders when starting out always. I'd work hard and deliver stellar results. I'd think `There's so much to learn here.' But each time, nearing the end of my terms, I would drastically lose interest and stop working, since I'd think `Why bother?' "Quote: "I also cannot rest at all until a problem has been solved, but ONLY if I know a solution exists. It consumes me. Otherwise I quickly dismiss it."Perseverance and tenacity are important traits, not just for Ph.D. students. It is heartening to see that you have them.However, in research, especially exploratory research, the path ahead can be missing, highly nonlinear (and perhaps circuitous), and terribly fuzzy. You will run into obstacles, and you will need to figure out how to overcome them or work around them. Sometimes, you need to try out another approach, methodology, or paradigm; research may involve multiple "restarts."Also, just like myself, we need to become better finishers. If we don't graduate from our Ph.D. programs (assuming that you would enter one), we would not have the elusive Ph.D.. Yes, we can start again in another Ph.D. program, but if we want the Ph.D., we NEED TO FINISH our research projects. Some U.S. research universities do grant non-terminal Masters degrees to Ph.D. dropouts, as a "consolation prize." However, you probably don't want to end up in such circumstances.The phrase "Otherwise I quickly dismiss it" could be troubling. It depends on when and how you dismiss it. For example, if you try to work on cold fusion and found out that it is impossible for it to be feasible, and move on to another research topic/problem, that's great! You have learned something, and realized that something cannot work for certain justifiable reasons.As for giving up because of laziness, procrastination, common technical stumbles/obstacles, that may not be a good sign. This may be an indication that you have (highly) overrated yourself in terms of perseverance in times of hardship/challenges and tenacity(read: bouncing back from failures).Nobody is perfect, and nobody will have the complete package. So, not being a great finisher should not be a reason/justification not to pursue a Ph.D. program. You can always work on it. Ditto for any other faults that we have.I strongly suggest that you talk to Ph.D. graduates, especially those working in industry as researchers, senior software developers, or data scientists, to get more advice and guidance.