NATIONAL JUNE 2014

NATIONAL JUNE 2014

• The Defence Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley on 27 June laid the foundation stone for HQ Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) Building Complex at Mehramnagar, Delhi Cantonment Area. The proposed multi-storied IDS building complex situated near NSG HQ in Mehramnagar, Delhi Cantonment will come up over an area of 10.57 acres of land. Based on the Kargil Review Committee Report and subsequent recommendation of the Group of Ministers, the Integrated Defence Staff was set up by the Government of India in October 2001. The aim of forming Integrated Defence Staff was to provide a secretariat to the Chairman COSC (Chief of Defence Staff / Permanent Chairman Chief of Staff when appointed), facilitate constitution of Defence Crisis Management Group (DCMG), coordination of financial and budgetary proposals for the three services and presenting coordinated set of proposals to the Defence Minister. 
  
  • Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh
  • Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan
  • Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha
  • CISC Lt Gen Anil Chait
  • Defence Secretary RK Mathur 
    
• Fifteen villagers of Nagaram (East Godavari, A.P) were burnt to death and 30 injured on 27th June as a huge fire and explosions caused by a suspected leak by a GAIL gas pipeline in Andhra Pradesh. The fire, caused by suspected leakage from the 18-inch pipeline of GAIL India Ltd, devastated the village near the Tatipaka refinery of the Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).The central government ordered a probe and announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed. As flames several meters high leapt from the pipeline passing through Nagaram village in East Godavari district, several of the villagers were in sleep by the blasts failed to escape the blaze. The dead include three women and three children. Officials said the fatalities could rise as the condition of 15 of the injured was said to be critical. 
  
• Prithviraj Chavan led Maharashtra government on 25 June approved a populist proposal to provide 16% reservation for backward Marathas and 5 per cent for Muslims in education and government jobs. As a result, the total reservation will be 73 per cent. The reservation for Marathas and Muslims will be besides the existing 52 per cent reservation for reserved communities. With the reservation for Marathas and Muslims, total reservation in the state will be 73 per cent. The issue of providing reservation for backward Muslims was first raised in 2004 when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister, while the issue of Maratha reservation was older. 
  
  • In Tamil Nadu the reservations are 69 per cent.
    
• Union Government on 20th June decided to set up an Expert Committee consisting of representative of various stakeholders in the Rubber Sector to examine the issues relating to production, development and exports of rubber and related products. The committee will also recommend an appropriate National Policy on Rubber which will cover production, consumption and import of all types of rubber i.e. Natural Rubber (NR), Synthetic Rubber (SR) and Reclaimed Rubber (RR).The committee would be serviced by the Rubber Board and has been advised to submit the draft of National Rubber Policy in an early time frame. 
  
• In a first in the country, Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal now has a one stop crisis centre 'Gauravi' for women who are victims of violence. The centre was inaugurated on 16 June by Union Health and Family welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, actor Aamir Khan and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It was set up in Jai Prakash Hospital with the support of NGO Action Aid, victims can seek help by directly walking in or by calling a toll free number. Victims of rape, dowry harassment and domestic violence will get medical aid and also help in filing FIRs, legal advice and psychological counselling. As per National Crime Record Bureau's 2012 report, Madhya Pradesh witnesses the highest number of rapes. 
  
• The Delhi Government on 16th June announced that the national capital has become the first ‘kerosene-free city’ in the country. The scheme was launched in 2012 in collaboration with three Oil Marketing Companies and Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for which Delhi Government had incurred an expenditure of Rs 62 crore. Under the scheme, free gas connections along with LPG filled cylinders, two burner gas stove, regulator and suraksha pipe were issued to the beneficiaries. This step would help in environment conservation as no toxic fumes would emanate from burning the oil, lesser possibility of adulteration in petrol, beneficial impact on air pollution and improvement in the quality of life of people benefited under the scheme besides lesser fire accidents and burn injuries. 
  
• The Government on 19 June reconstituted six Committees of the Cabinet viz. - Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committee on Accommodation, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and Cabinet Committee on Security. The members are as follows:-
  1. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has the composition ofPrime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs.
  2. Cabinet Committee on Accommodation. 
     Composition--Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs; and Minister of Defense, Minister of Urban Development; Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
  3. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. 
     Composition--Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of External Affairs; and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs; and Minister of Defense, Minister of Urban Development; Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Minister of Railways, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice, Minister of Civil Aviation, Minister of Food Processing Industries, Minister of Agriculture.
  4. Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. 
     Composition--Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of External Affairs; and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs and Minister of Defense, Minister of Urban Development; Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Minority Affairs, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice.
  5. Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. 
     Composition--Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of External Affairs; and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs; and Minister of Defense, Minister of Urban Development; Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and Minister of Law and Justice, Minister of Civil Aviation, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Minister of Food Processing Industries.
  6. Cabinet Committee on Security. 
     Composition---Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of External Affairs; and Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Minister of Finance; Minister of Corporate Affairs; and Minister of Defense. 
     
• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10th June decided to discontinue the following four Standing Committees of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister will re-constitute the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Security. 
  1. Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities: The functions of this Committee will be handled by the Committee under the Cabinet Secretary whenever natural calamities occur.
  2. Cabinet Committee on Prices: The functions of this Committee will be handled by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
  3. Cabinet Committee on World Trade Organisation Matters: The functions of this Committee will be handled by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and, whenever necessary, by the full Cabinet.
  4. Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India related issues: Major decisions in this area have already been taken and the remaining issues will be brought to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. 
     
     The Prime Minister will re-constitute the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Security. 
     
• The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on 14th June dedicated the ultra-modern aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya to the Navy, off the coast of Goa. INS Vikramaditya has been acquired from Russia for over Rs. 15,000 crore. The deal for the warship was signed in 2004 during previous NDA regime. It has been dedicated to the nation after a gap of 10 years. INS Vikramaditya joined Indian Navy on 16 November 2013 after being commissioned by the then Union Defence Minister AK Antony at Sevmash shipyard of Russia. 
  
• India on 13th June joined a select group of 17 countries who are permanent signatories of the Washington Accord (WA). It will be a major boost to technical education & engineering programs in India. The meeting of the International Engineering Alliance of WA member countries met in Wellington, New Zealand on 13 June and gave India the signatory status with effect from the same date. This will ensure highest quality assurance standards to be implemented in the country’s technical and engineering programmes and provide global mobility to the nations engineering graduates. The Washington Accord was signed by the National Board of Accreditation, India, an accrediting body with the mandate for accreditation of engineering and other technical programs at all levels in the country and making technical education outcome based. 
  • Washington Accord is an international agreement amongst prominent nations of the World, with the charter of promoting mobility and quality assurance of engineers across international boundaries. The charter requires that nations set up suitable accreditation standards, which would ensure a minimum quality of attainment for their engineering graduates. 
    
• The Committee under the chairmanship of M. P. Bezbaruah, Member, North Eastern Council and other members called on the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju on 2 May. Kiren Rijiju reviewed the progress made by the Committee which was constituted on 6th February, 2014. The Committee is looking into the various concerns of persons hailing from the North Eastern States who are living in different parts of the country, especially the Metropolitan areas, and will suggest suitable remedial measures which could be taken by the Government. The terms of Reference of the Committee are as follows:-
  • To examine the various kinds of concerns, including the concerns regarding security, of the persons hailing from the North Eastern States.
  • To examine the causes behind the attacks/violence and discrimination against the people from the North-Eastern States.
  • To suggest measures to be taken by the Government to address these concerns.
  • To suggest legal remedies to address these concerns. 
    
• Sumitra Mahajan was unanimously elected as Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha on 6 June 2014. She replaced Meria Kumar and became the second women presiding officer of the Lok Sabha.Sumitra Mahajan was born in Maharashtra in 1943. She served as Minister of State in the Atal Behari Vajpayee cabinet from 1999 to 2004, holding portfolios of Human Resources, Communications & IT and Petroleum and Natural Gas. 
  
• India on 4 June elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the next 4 years (2014-2018). The election was held at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris by the General Assembly of the States. India recorded the highest number of votes amongst the ten countries which contested the election and have won. 
  • The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has 24 members who are elected for a term of four years. ·
  • The core functions of the Committee are to safeguard the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), ensuring respect for the intangible cultural heritage of nations, groups and individuals, as also to raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. ·
  • This is the second time that India has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. 
    
• K Chandrasekhar Rao of TRS Party took oath of office on 2nd June as the first chief minister of Telangana. It was the India’s 29th state, created on 2 June by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. On 2nd June morning, ESL Narasimhan was sworn in as Governor of both Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh. KCR took oath along with 11 ministers in Hyderabad. 
  
• Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the new state of Andhra Pradesh on 8th June in a ceremony held at the grounds opposite Acharaya Nagarjuna University in Guntur. Nineteen ministers who will form Mr. Naidu’s Cabinet were also sworn in along with Chandrababu Naidu.