NATIONAL DECEMBER 2013

NATIONAL DECEMBER 2013

• The Prime Minister has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to play the role of a national Think Tank for the promotion of Higher Education in the country. Addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the Commission in New Delhi on 28 December, Dr. Manmohan Singh appreciated the role of Commission as a principal regulator of Higher Education in the country. The Prime Minister in this regard, announced instituting awards in the name of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for individual excellence in the areas of Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Technology, Fine Arts and Culture. 
  
  He also said the Government has put unprecedented emphasis on education at all level in the last ten years. Giving details of the expansion in the Higher Education in this period, the Prime Minister said, Gross Enrolment Ratio has gone up from 11% in 2005-06 to 19.4% i 2010-11. Twenty three Central Universities, 7 IIMs,9 IITs, 10 NITs and 4 IIITs have been set up by the Central Government .Highlighting the role recently launched Rashtriya Uchttar Shiksha -Abhiyan(RUSA) will play in promoting Higher Education in the Country, Dr. Singh said the scheme aims to create 278 new universities and 388 new colleges and to convert 266 colleges to Model Degree Colleges by the end of the current five year plan ending 2017. 
  
  The scheme will also provide infrastructure grants to 286 state universities and 8500 state colleges. Speaking on the occasion the HRD Minister, Dr. M. M. Pallam Raju said that UGC will launch Chair in the name of the Indian Nobel Lauerates including in the name of C.V. Raman, Rabindra Nath Tagore, and Mother Teresa. He said the government has focused on access for the weaker sections of the society and the minorities by giving scholarships and equal opportunities. He said that the government is keen to promote Research and more funds are being earmarked for them. Dr. Raju informed that the government is keen to give more autonomy to universities. The Chairman of the UGC, Dr. Ved Prakash said the Commission has been given the additional charge of Distance Education. It is also taking several steps to ease the constraints caused by the paucity of quality faculty by engaging Recharge Programs and appointing contractual faculty. 
  
• A Nuclear University will be set up in Haryana soon at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on 28 December announced at Ambala. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation for the institution on January 3, Hooda said.
  
  
• The Centre on 26 December, cleared a proposal for setting up of National Cancer Institute at the Jhajjar campus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, at a cost of Rs 2,035 crore. The cancer institute will be located in Badhsa village in Jhajjar of Haryana, near Delhi and will be completed in a period of 45 months. Approving the health ministry's proposal, the Union cabinet cleared a long-pending demand of Haryana government i.e. expanding cancer care. AFP The step is being considered as a landmark in the area of cancer research in the country and shall lessen the deficit of tertiary cancer care in the northern region. Cancer is emerging as a major public health concern in India, where 11 lakh new cases are diagnosed every year and the mortality rate is 5.5 lakh per year. Cancer treatment facilities in India are lagging behind when compared to WHO standards that require a radiotherapy machine per million population. 
  
  
• In a landmark judgment, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on 26 December cleared the decks for a complete ban on sale of potato chips, wafers, kurkure and all other junk food-items packed in non-biodegradable and plastic material. The ban would come into effect from January 26, 2014.The court also vacated its stay on the notification issued by the department of Science, Technology and Environment on June 26, 2013 imposing ban on sale, storage, entry, supply and manufacture of these items in the state. It directed the government to strictly enforce the ban on these non-essential packaged food items, which however will not include drinking water - both packed and mineral.
  
  The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice V.K. Sharma which while hearing the petition filed by some dealers and manufacturers of these items challenging the government's notification. The court directed the government to ensure that the edible oils/fats shall not be sold in the plastic bottles or pouches and shall be packed in tin containers. Also, from March 31, 2014, the milk and milk products along with edible oils, fats, fruits and vegetables and meat products will be manufactured, transported, sold, packaged and distributed as per regulations of the Food Safety & Standards (Packaging & Labelling) Regulation, 2011, the court ordered.
  
• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 17th December, that the North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) is being implemented in four North Eastern States of Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. NERLP is implemented in Aizawl and Lunglei Districts of Mizoram State, Peren and Tuensang Districts of Nagaland State, South Sikkim, West Sikkim Districts and 15 poorest Panchayat wards of East Sikkim of Sikkim and undivided North and West Districts of Tripura State (now 5 Districts). It will cover three lakh households in 1624 villages in the above mentioned districts. As the objective of NERLP is to improve livelihoods of the poor, especially that of women and the disadvantaged people in the project area, identification of Districts for the project was done by the State Governments based on social and economic backwardness. There is no plan to extend NERLP to other Districts except to the newly carved districts out of the existing 8 districts. 
  
• The Minister of State for Civil Aviation, K.C. Venugopal informed the Rajya Sabha on 17th December, that the Government has granted "in principle" approval for the setting up of the following Greenfield airports across the country: Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Hasan and Shimoga in Karanataka, Kannur and Aranmula in Kerala, Durgapur in West Bengal, Dabra in Madhya Pradesh, Pakyong in Sikkim, Karaikal in Pudducherry and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. The Government has a vision to establish low-cost small airports which may include existing airports also for providing connectivity to the tier-II and tier-III cities in the country including in the state of Jharkhand. 
  
• The Minister of Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch has said that- as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an attached office to the Ministry of Culture, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with other countries to promote cultural exchange development expert relationship, exchange of experience and mutual awareness and understanding of cultural diversity etc. are signed as per approval of Ministry of Culture and Ministry of External Affairs. At present ASI has MoU with one country, namely National Museum of the Czech Republic. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 17 December Smt. Katoch said, the Ministry of Culture has signed 126 cultural agreements with foreign countries and enters into Cultural Exchange Programmes with various countries from time to time for specific periods. It is also exploring possibilities of having Cultural Agreements and entering into Cultural Exchange Programmes with remaining countries in consultation with our Missions abroad. 
  
• Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to -the Rajya Sabha on 17th December, stated that, As per Office of Registrar General of India SRS reports, the Infant mortality rate has declined from 50 per 1000 live births in 2009 to 42 per 1000 live births in 2012. Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) the following programmes/schemes and awareness campaign is launched by the Government to reduce infant mortality rate:
  
  --Establishment of Sick New Born Care Units at District Hospitals, newborn stabilization Units at Community Health Centres (CHCs) and New Born Care corners at 24x7 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to provide new born and child care services. 
  
  -- Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK), a programme for training health care providers on essential newborn care and resuscitation. -- Home Based New Born Care (HBNC) through ASHAs with series of home visits. 
  
  --Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) and Facility Based Integrate Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (F-IMNCI).
  
  -- Early identification and appropriate management of Diarrhoea disease and Acute Respiratory Infections. 
  
  --Establishment of Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres to address severe and acute malnutrition 
  
  -- Promotion of institutional deliveries through JananiSurakshaYojana (JSY) 
  
  --Mother and Child Protection Card in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to monitor service delivery for mothers and children. 
  
  --Antenatal, Intra-natal and Postnatal care including Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to pregnant & lactating women for prevention and treatment of anaemia.
  
  -- Engagement of more than 8.8lakhs Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to generate demand and facilitate accessing of health care services by the community.
  
  --Village Health and Nutrition Days in rural areas as an outreach activity, for provision of maternal and child health services. 
  
  --Health and nutrition education to promote dietary diversification, inclusion of iron and foliate rich food as well as food items that promote iron absorption. 
  
  --Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) has been launched on 1st June, 2011, which entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to absolutely free and no expense delivery including Caesarean section. The initiative stipulates free drugs, diagnostics, blood and diet, besides free transport from home to institution, between facilities in case of a referral and drop back home. Similar entitlements have been put in place for all sick infants accessing public health institutions for treatment. 
  
  --Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), an introduction of child health screening for 4Ds i.e. defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases, development delays and their management among the children 0-18 years of age. 
  
• The Rajya Sabha passed the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011 on December 17th and the Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha on 18th December. Some of the important features in the Bill are as below:- 
  --Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayukta at the level of the States. 
  -- The Lokpal will consist of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight Members, of which fifty percent shall be judicial members. 
  -- Fifty per cent of members of Lokpal shall be from amongst SC/ST/OBCs, Minorities and Women. 
  --The selection of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal shall be through a Selection Committee consisting of:- 
  1. Prime Minister;
  2. Speaker of Lok Sabha;
  3. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha;
  4. Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI;
  5. Eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of the first four members of the Selection Committee.
  -- Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal. 
  -- Lokpal’s jurisdiction will cover all categories of public servants. 
  --All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in excess of Rs. 10 lakhs per year are brought under the jurisdiction of Lokpal. 
  -- Provides adequate protection for honest and upright Public Servants. 
  -- Lokpal will have power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them by Lokpal. 
  --A high powered Committee chaired by the Prime Minister will recommend selection of the Director, CBI. 
  --Directorate of Prosecution headed by a Director of Prosecution under the overall control of Director; 
  --The appointment of the Director of Prosecution, CBI on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission; 
  --Transfer of officers of CBI investigating cases referred by Lokpal with the approval of Lokpal; 
  --The Bill also incorporates provisions for attachment and confiscation of property acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is pending. 
  --The Bill lays down clear time lines for Preliminary enquiry & investigation and trial and towards this end, the Bill provides for setting up of Special Courts. 
  -- A mandate for setting up of the institution of Lokayukta through enactment of a law by the State Legislature within a period of 365 days from the date of commencement of the Act. 
  
• The Union Cabinet on 19th December approved the following as suggested by the Group of Ministers. Jats are already included in the State List of OBCs in nine States. Formal reports of the State Backward Class Commissions on the subject for the States of Haryana (2012) and Himachal Pradesh (2002) and books relating to socio economic status of farming communities in northern India and caste, land and political power in Uttar Pradesh are available. These may contain valuable and relevant material which can be utilized by the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) to give its advice on the demand for inclusion of Jats in the Central List of OBCs in the States of Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan (two districts), Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Bihar. This decision would enable the Jat Community to avail the benefits of reservation available to the Other Backward Classes for employment/ admission in /to Central Government services and posts/ educational Institutions. Jat Community has been demanding inclusion in the Central List of Other Backward Classes for various states. The NCBC which was set up under the NCBC Act 1993, has been entrusted with the function of examining requests for inclusion of any Class of citizens as a backward class in the lists (Central List of Other Backward Classes) and hear complaints of over inclusion or under inclusion of any backward class in such lists, and tender advice to the Central Government as desired appropriate. At present, the Jat Community is included, in the Central List of OBCs for the States of Gujarat - Jat (Muslim) and Rajasthan (except in Bharatpur and Dhaulpur districts). They are, at present, included in the State Lists of nine States. The requests of Jats for inclusion in the Central List of OBCs for the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur and Dhaulpur districts of Rajasthan was earlier rejected by NCBC in 1997. The NCBC under the NCBC (Power to Review Advice) Rules 2011, decided to consider requests for inclusion of the Jat community after collecting additional socio-economic data through the ICSSR, in addition to data from the SECC. A GoM was constituted on 20.8.2013 to (i) engage with the representatives of the Jat community periodically; and (ii) apprise itself of the progress of the survey being conducted by NCBC through ICSSR in six states. 
  
• The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the twenty-eighth Indian Engineering Congress on the theme “Engineering Advancements and Accelerated Nation Building” on 20 December, 2013 at Chennai. The Congress is convened by The Institution of Engineers (India). Speaking on the occasion, the President said our immediate challenge is to reverse the economic deceleration and nurse our growth back to the eight per cent plus levels clocked by us in the past. Positive factors such as continuing rise in per capita incomes, expanding middle-class consumers, and a young and energetic workforce gives confidence that as the global economy revives, we will be able to secure faster growth. The President called upon every engineering and technical institution in the country to make an all-out effort to help India develop a large pool of proficient scientific and technical manpower. He also asked the Institution of Engineers (India) to think of establishing an Institute of Excellence in Engineering and Technology to create synergy between industry and academia through high quality engineering education and innovative research. 
  
• The Minister of State for HRD, Dr. Shashi Tharoor in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question on 9 December, that the Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted an overarching coordinating body named Higher Education Apex Coordination Committee in October, 2013. The Committee is chaired by the Human Resource Minister with Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC); Secretary, Higher Education; Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and President, Council of Architecture (COA) as members. The essential mandate of the Committee is to remove the conflicts arising out of regulatory and other provisions of the regulatory bodies and professional councils. The Committee would also work towards finding common ground and take measures to promote inter-disciplinary learning and research, especially in the new and emerging fields of knowledge. 
  
• The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code making gay sex an offence punishable with up to life imprisonment on 11 December 2013. A bench of justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadhaya set aside the Delhi High Court's verdict which had in 2009 decriminalized gay sex among consenting adults in private. The Supreme Court bench allowed the appeals filed by various social and religious organizations challenging the Delhi high court verdict on the ground that gay sex is against the cultural and religious values of the country. The Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional infirmity in section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, IPC which makes gay sex an offence punishable with up to life imprisonment. With the apex court verdict, the operation of penal provision against gay sex has come into force. The bench stated Parliament is authorized to delete section 377 of IPC but till the time this penal provision is there, the court cannot legalize this kind of sexual relationship. The Delhi High Court had on 2 July 2009 decriminalized gay sex as provided in Section 377 of the IPC and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence. 
  
• The President Pranab Mukherjee launched an ‘In-Residence’ Programme for writers, artists and innovation scholars on 11th December at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of his birthday. He also kicked off a scheme to issue Smart ID Cards to residents of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ‘In-Residence’ programme open to all Indian nationals, aims at providing writers and artists an opportunity to stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan for one month and be a part of the life of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The initiative is an attempt to encourage young and upcoming writers and artists by facilitating them stay close to nature in the picturesque and serene surroundings of Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Programme seeks to provide an environment which will inspire creative thinking and rejuvenate artistic impulses. Various activities like reading sessions, exhibitions of works of art and interaction with the residents of Rashtrapati Bhavan, etc. are also to be organized in consultation with the selected writers/artists under the scheme. Persons with an established track record in the field of art and literature can apply. Preference would be given to writers / artists who have won national / state awards. A maximum of four writers / artists would be selected under this scheme every year.
  
• The Supreme Court of India on 10th December 2013 ordered red beacons are allowed to be used only by persons holding Constitutional posts and high dignitaries. The decision came to prevent the misuse of red beacons by local politicians as a symbol of status. The Supreme Court bench was headed by Justice G.S. Singhvi has asked the centre to issue a fresh list of people eligible to use red beacons on their vehicles. The apex court has also asked the Government to amend the rule within three months. It has also said that the State Governments cannot enlarge the list of VIPs eligible for the red beacons. The Courts order came on a PIL filled by a resident of Uttar Pradesh, Abhay Singh on misuse of the beacons. Earlier, the bench had said that misuse of red beacon and siren, granted by government to VIPs, was a menace to society and it must be stopped. 
  
• The Union Cabinet on 12th December 2013 approved the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2011. The Bill is a comprehensive measure that covers a whole spectrum of problems from physical disabilities to mental illness and multiple disabilities. It will replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunity Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1995. The Bill has been prepared on the basis of recommendations made by Sudha Kaul Committee. The Committee was appointed in 2010 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The bill Provides for 5% reservation in public sector jobs and makes the private sector more accountable for creating a disabled-friendly environment. It provides incentives for the private sector to take such measures. To ensure political participation, the Bill says that every person with disability who fulfils eligibility requirements is entitled to be registered as a voter. He/she should not be disqualified from exercising the voting right on the grounds of disability, irrespective of any stipulation to the contrary in any law for the time being in force. 
  
• A legislation outlawing the age-old practice of employing manual scavengers and making provisions for their rehabilitation came into effect on 6th December. People who had performed the degrading practice hailed the decision, saying it will help them lead a dignified life. Passed by parliament Sep 7 during the monsoon session, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, provides for the prohibition of employment as manual scavengers, rehabilitation of manual scavengers and their families, among others. 
  
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has completed issuance of 51 crore Aadhaar numbers on 4 December. With generation of about 11 lakh Aadhaar numbers every day, the flagship programme appears all set to complete its mandate of covering 60 crore population in the next few months. Established as an ‘Attached Office’ of the Planning Commission through a Government Notification in January 2009, UIDAI issued the first Aadhaar Number on 29 September 2010 after completing necessary preliminaries including establishing various standards relating to collection of data and biometric information such as finger prints and iris images. UIDAI issued 8 crore Aadhaar number in the period up to November 2011, another 15 crore in the next one year until November 2012, and has issued a further 28 crore Aadhaar number in the past 12 months. Eleven States and Unions Territories now have Aadhaar saturation levels of 75% or above, with several of them such as Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Delhi and Chandigarh at levels above 90%. Enrolment for Aadhaar is entirely voluntary and the Aadhaar number is already used as a Proof of Identify or Proof of Address or both by several programmes and schemes run by Central and State Governments. A number of regulatory authorities such as Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) have declared Aadhaar number as a valid ‘know your customer’ (KYC) and ‘electronically know your customer’ (eKYC) for purposes under their respective domains. This has led to Aadhaar being leveraged not only as a tool for financial inclusion and empowerment, but also as a major convenience for Aadhaar number holders in their dealings with banks, insurance companies, and other providers of financial services. Recently, RBI has also accepted Aadhaar number as a second factor of authentication along with “EMV Chip and pin’ for all future deployment of point-of-sale (POS) devices and ATMs. The largest biometric data-base of its kind in the world, Aadhaar has many firsts to its credit. The online authentication and eKYC services are not only reliable, low cost, instantaneous and environment-friendly, but are also un-paralleled in the world, in their scope and magnitude. 
  
• The Supreme Court on 5th December 2013 favored punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk. The court has also asked the state governments to make amendment in laws as has been done by the Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha. The Supreme Court bench that comprised of Justice K. S. Radhakrishnan and Justice A. K. Sikri said that the punishment of six months jail term mentioned in Food Safety Act is grossly inadequate. The decision of the Supreme Court came after hearing the Public-Interest Litigations (PIL) seeking its direction to state governments to stop practice of milk adulteration, which is rampant in various states. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It consolidates various acts and orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments. FSSAI has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. 
  
• The Union Cabinet on 5 December 2013 approved the 10 districts Telangana draft Bill. The Cabinet approved the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) set up to look into bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh for carving out a new state of Telangana. The 29th state of India, Telengana will consist of ten districts, whereas Andhra Pradesh will have 13 districts. Hyderabad will be the common capital for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a period of 10 year. The bill approved by the cabinet will be sent to the President, Pranab Mukherjee for making a reference to the state assembly to obtain their views. When the bill will be signed and returned by the President, it will be brought to the Parliament.