NATIONAL MARCH 2010

NATIONAL MARCH 2010

• Census 2011, the 15th census since 1872, billed as the largest census ever attempted in the history of mankind, is set to take off on April 1st, 2010. It will also involve the task of preparing, for the first time, the National Population Register (NPR). 
  
• The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) approved the establishment of National Knowledge Network (NKN), which seeks to inter-connect all knowledge institutions in the country through high speed data communication network, at an outlay of Rs 5,990 crore to be implemented by NIC over a period of 10 years. 
  
• A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of Supreme Court K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices J.M. Panchal and B.S. Chauhan lifted the stay on the Andhra Pradesh government's decision to provide four per cent reservation in jobs and education for backward members of the Muslim community. As many as 14 Muslim groups, identified as socially and educationally backward sections by the State Backward Commission, will now be eligible for the benefit. But the Supreme Court referred to a special bench the issue of its constitutional validity. 
  
• The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal of the Labour Ministry to amend the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, to provide medical facilities to unorganised workers in ESIC hospitals and recognised private hospitals under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY), a cashless health insurance scheme. 
  
• Planning Commission in its mid-term review has reduced the power generation capacity addition target by over 20 percent to 62,374 mw for the 11th plan (2007-12) from the original 78,577 mw. 
  
• The Union cabinet cleared the Prohibition of Unfair practices in technical, medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010 that seeks to make capitation fee a cognizable offence. Two other Bills - The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutional Bill 2010, proposing to setup an independent regulatory body which will register, monitor and audit accreditation agencies and the Educational Tribunals Bill, 2010 providing an adjudicatory forum for speedy resolution of all issues that arise in the higher Education sector - were also cleared. 
  
• The Union Government has officially confirmed its earlier decision to accord classical language status to Telugu. It has addressed a communication to the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) Mysore, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take steps immediately to give the status to Telugu. This decision was the outcome of efforts by the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy culminating in the adoption of a unanimous resolution in the Assembly on February 22, 2006.
  
• A commemorative stamp on former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy is being issued by the Postal Department on September 2 to coincide with his first death anniversary. 
  
• The Supreme Court appointed Central Vigilance Committee (CVC), headed by Justice D.P. Wadhwa, while submitting its report to a Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and K.S. Radha Krishnan slammed the Public Distribution System as one of the most corrupt sectors, saying the root cause of its failure in several states is political interference. 
  
• As announced by Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, A seven-member core committee of vice-chancellors has been set up to focus on central universities lagging behind in bench marks in academic and research performance.
  
• For the first time in 20 years, Jammu and Kashmir will have direct trunk dialing facility with Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK).
  
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the world's first green legislature building, the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly Secretariat Complex.
  
• The Union Cabinet cleared the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, for introduction in parliament. The bill seeks to allow foreign education providers to set up campuses in the country and offer degrees.
  
• The government of Andhra Pradesh has decided to waive the loans taken by weavers' societies in the state from cooperative banks of APCOB and commercial banks. This waiver which will place an additional burden of Rs. 312 crore on the ex chequer, will indirectly benefit a large number of individual weavers.
  
• Under the Indian Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme, 12 more Important Bird Areas (IBA) were identified in Kerala, which made it's total gone up to 36. The Indian IBA programme is funded by the Royal Society for the protection of Birds.
  
• India's first open jail for women was inaugurated at the Yerawada Central Prison in Pune by Maharashtra Home Minister R.R.Patil. The Open jail would be made to agricultural work on the 17 acres of land adjoining the prison. This would improve their physical and mental well being. They would also be eligible for remission in their punishment, for every one year served in the open jail, a year of their sentence would be reduced.
  
• The Government of Andhra Pradesh is set to bring Information Technology and IT Enabled Services (ITES) sectors under the Essential Services Maintenance Act. A bill to amend ESMA would be introduced in the Current Assembly session. The amendment, the Government felt necessary to spare the IT industry from disruption to their mission critical applications during agitations.
  
• The Union government has set up an independent eight - member expert committee under the chairmanship of Deepak Parekh to review the draft guidelines of Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a housing scheme for slum dwellers and urban poor. 
  
• The historic Women's Reservation Bill, formally known as 108th constitutional amendment was passed in the Rajya Sabha with the House recorded its vote of 186 for and 1 against. Now the bill must be passed by the Lok Sabha and ratified by at least half the states for becoming effective. 
  
• The Secretary - General of the Supreme Court has challenged the Delhi High Court Judgement that the office of the Chief Justice of India is a public authority that comes urthin the ambit of the Right to Information Act. This can termed as Supreme Court appealing to Supreme Court of its case. 
  
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar inaugurated the Women's Leadership Summit 2010 on Inclusive Growth and Empowering Women of Rural India in New Delhi. 
  
• The Sam Pitroda led high - level committee formed to suggest the restructuring of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has submitted a report to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 
  
• The first of the new generation Airbus A320 joined the Air India fleet. It has a host of latest facilities, including advanced weather Radar System, Enhanced Ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and an LCD cockpit display system. 
  
• National Socialist Council of Nagalim (ISak - Muivah) general Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Singalling the Seriousness of his organisation to final a solution to the six - decade old Nagaland issue.