NATIONAL NOVEMBER 2013

NATIONAL NOVEMBER 2013

• With the vision of enhancing the use of improved cook stove technologies, envisaged under the National Biomass Cookstove Programme (NBCP), Minister of New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah inaugurated the India Clean Cook stove Forum 2013 organized jointly by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH operating on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on 26 November in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Abdullah said “increased use of clean and efficient cook stoves is crucial to reduce the burden of disease from indoor air pollution as well to avoid the overuse of biomass resources. Efficient cooking technologies have a direct tangible impact on the livelihoods of the poor, as they save time and money that previously had to be spent on procuring cooking fuels.” During the Forum, the Minister launched a new initiative on biomass cook stoves developed under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Frameworks Convention on Climate Change to reduce the cost of improved stove technologies to rural customers through the sale of carbon credits. He added that this is just one of several joint efforts to provide clean and reliable energy to rural areas and these initiatives have further endorsed the close relations and cooperation between India and Germany. 
  
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 28 November, has approved the Ministry of Culture’s proposal of the scheme for up gradation of libraries providing services to the public under the National Mission on Libraries (NML). The scheme would benefit students, researchers, scientists, children, artists, differently-abled persons, the general public, neo and non-literates and would entail an expenditure of Rs.400 crore during the 12th Plan period. The scheme envisages creating a National Virtual Library of India for facilitating a comprehensive database on digital resources on information about India and on information generated in India. This would be facilitated in an open access environment. The scheme would develop six libraries under Ministry of Culture, 35 state Central Libraries and 35 District Libraries, with particular emphasis on economically backward districts, as model libraries. In addition, 629 district libraries across the States would be provided network connectivity. The scheme also proposes to enhance the professional competence of library personnel. While the survey of libraries would be completed within one year, the other objectives of the scheme would be achieved by the end of the 12th Plan period. In pursuance of National Knowledge Commission recommendation for setting up a National Mission on Libraries to revamp the Library and Information Service Sector, the Ministry of Culture had set up a high level committee as the National Mission on Libraries. 
  
• Secretary, Department of Sports Ajit M. Saran, and Secretary, Department of AIDS Control Lov Verma on 29 November, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Objectives of the MoU are to reach large number of youth engaged in sports activities at village, district and state level with information on STI/HIV/AIDS prevention and related services; build the capacity of sports educators, administrators and coaches on “Minimizing the risk of HIV transmission on and outside the sports field; involve youth organization, sports federations in HIV/AIDS prevention activities; promote awareness generation through hoarding and banners at eminent places and sports infrastructure during state/national events and tournaments; and involve eminent sports personalities for addressing social stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS .The Department of AIDS Control provide technical support in capacity building on HIV/AIDS for sportspersons, trainees and staff of sports organizations and federations; provide technical support by sharing of IEC materials for awareness generation activities; provide technical assistance to Department of Sports for inclusion of HIV in ongoing activities etc. 
  
• The Supreme Court on 26 November 2013 constituted a ten-member Gender Sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) to deal with complaints of sexual harassment within its premises. The committee was constituted by the Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam. The committee is headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. The committee has six other female members. Two members are outsiders and not connected with the Supreme Court. The panel is in consonance with the guidelines laid down by the apex court in its judgment in the Vishaka case for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace. 
  
• In an exercise unprecedented for its sheer scale, India’s creaking legal machinery swung into action on 24 November, to dispose of over 28 lakh cases in less than seven hours through lok adalats organized across the country. This is only a fraction of pending cases — over 3 crore at last count — but represents a significant step in clearing the massive backlog, especially as it could now become an annual event. Lok adalats are an alternative dispute resolution mechanism where parties are encouraged to amicably settle cases outside the formal court system. Generally, cases where parties can reach an amicable settlement, including bounced cheque and bank recovery cases, civil suits, motor accident claims, service matters, family matters and traffic challan cases are taken up by lok adalats. The adalats, organized by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), state legal services authorities and district legal services authorities, took up 39 lakh cases. NALSA organizes lok adalats on a regular basis but this is for the first time that it has been organized on such a huge scale. In Delhi alone 300 benches, including at the high court, cleared 3,66,000 cases — which means each bench cleared more than 3 cases every minute on average. This was possible because many cases were bunched together and much of the legal work was done in advance. 
  
• Election Commission decided to use Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) on a large-scale for the first time in the country in the Mizoram Assembly polls on 25 November 2013.The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMS which allows voters to verify that their vote has been cast in the way they wished. The VVPATs are being used in only ten assembly constituencies of Aizwal District of the total 40 assembly segments in Mizoram. The VVPAT system was first experimented in the Noksen Assembly by poll in Nagaland on 4 September 2013 and Mizoram would be the first state where it would be introduced on a large scale. The VVPAT system is a new initiative of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections. The VVPT will enable electors to see a printout of their ballot -displaying the name, election symbol and serial number of the chosen candidate. However the voter cannot take the printout home. 
  
• Five new Information Commissioners are appointed to the Central Information Commission (CIC) on 22 November 2013. Chief Information Commissioner Deepak Sandhu administered the oath of office to them in New Delhi. The new commissioners are Yashovardhan Azad, Sharat Sabharwal, Manjula Parasher , M A Khan Yusufi and Madabhushanam Sridhar. With this the total number of Information Commissioners including the Chief Information Commissioner has gone up to 10.Yashovardhan Azad is a former IPS Officer, before joining the Office of Information Commissioner in Central Information Commission, was holding the post of Secretary (Security) in Cabinet Secretariat.Sharat Sabharwal is a career diplomat, retired as High Commissioner of India in Pakistan before joining the Office of Information Commissioner. Manjula Parasher is a former Indian Postal Service Officer had retired as Secretary from the Department of Posts before joining the Office of Information Commissioner. MA Khan Yusufi is a former Indian Legal Service Officer, before joining the Office of Information Commissioner in CIC was holding the post of Chairperson in Airport Appellate Tribunal. Madbhushanam Sridhar was working as Professor at NALSAR, before joining the Office of Information Commissioner in CIC. 
  
• India's first fully privately funded Rapid Metro Gurgaon announces the start of its commercial operations from Gurgaon in Haryana on 14 November. Sanjiv Rai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IL&FS Rail Ltd., inaugurated the commercial operation of Rapid Metro Gurgaon in Gurgaon. Rapid Metro Gurgaon line will be open to commuters from 6.05 am till 12:20 (midnight). Five fully automated trains with a frequency of 4 minutes will be running between the six stations (currently five stations) with each train carrying over 800 passengers on each trip. The country's first fully privately-financed developed metro system has been launched in the public-private partnership mode. It was built at a cost of nearly Rs.1,100 crore and took 30 months to reach the present stage. The launch of Rapid Metro will boost connectivity within Cyber City, the corporate and retail hub of Gurgaon. Nearly one lakh people work or visit the hub each day. 
  
• With a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood, the “Quami Ekta Week” (National Integration week) will be observed all over the country, from the 19th to 25th November, 2013. The National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous organization with the Ministry of Home Affairs also organizes communal harmony campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week. The foundation also provides financial assistance for relief and rehabilitation of children rendered orphan or destitute in communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence. The week long programmes to be observed during Quami Ekta Week (Nov.19-25th,2013) include National Integration Day (Nov.19), Welfare of Minorities Day (Nov.20), Linguistic Harmony Day (Nov.21), Weaker Sections Day (Nov.22), Cultural Unity Day (Nov.23), Women’s Day(Nov. 24) and Conservation Day (Nov.25) . 
  
• The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postal stamp at an event organised on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Times of India on, November 13, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion, the President referred to the statement by the Managing Director of the Times Group that it has no political master and no hidden agenda and said let that be the motto of this great institution. The President recalled how Times of India has documented every twist and turn of India’s history. It reported on the coronation of Queen Victoria as the empress of India. It welcomed the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 with the following words: “Surely, never had so important and comprehensive an assemblage occurred in recent times on the soil of India.” Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal also attended the function. 
  
• The Union Government on 13 November 2013 gave its nod to the Union Health Ministry to go ahead with the scheme aimed at creation of the mid-level rural health cadre of professionals. To give the nod of creation of the mid-level rural health cadre of professionals, the government overruled the Parliamentary Committee recommendation to scrap the course in community health. The Union Cabinet in its meeting gave its nod to the health ministry to start a new three-year B.Sc. Community Health program. The program would help in creation of the new cadre of health professionals to improve the rural medicare infrastructure in India. The proposal was pending for few years but after the Ministry came up with the idea to create a new cadre of health professionals in rural areas as the doctors were unwilling to serve there.
  
• The Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari on 7 November released the book “India’s Nuclear Energy Programme: Future Plans, Prospects and Concerns” edited by Prof. R. Rajaraman at a function organized by Indian National Science Academy (INSA) in New Delhi. Addressing on the occasion he said that given the population and economy of our country, we are and will remain short in energy. Today, nuclear energy is contributing to a very small segment and by 2032, it will be around 10%. The real question is to focus on can we do without this 10%. Our energy requirement is a serious one. He opined that the book is very useful and will surely help in creating a public opinion on nuclear energy. The book contains state-of-the art discussions by top experts of a whole range of diverse issues that constitute this complex subject. It brings together expert contributions both from apex leaders of the Indian nuclear programme and from those who have serious reservations about the programme.
   
• The Union Cabinet on 7 November 2013 approved the visa waiver agreements with Poland, Slovenia and Lithuania. This move will help the Indians with diplomatic passports to visit the three countries. The agreements would be signed very soon. The CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) cleared a proposal to disinvest 17 percent of paid up capital for Follow on Public Offering (FPO) of the state owned power grid corporation of India. As per the Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, 13 percent of fresh equity by the Public Sector Company and 4 percent stake sale by the government includes under the FPO. A similar agreement was cleared with Cuba in first week of November 2013.By now India has similar agreements with about 50 countries that include Japan, Russia and Israel.
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• The Gauhati High Court has quashed the Union Home Ministry resolution by which the Central Bureau of Investigation was constituted way back in 1963. The court held that the CBI was neither an organ nor part of the Delhi Special Police Establishment and thus could not be treated as a “police force” constituted under the DSPE Act. In their 89-page judgment, Justices I.A. Ansari and Indira Shah said on 6 November. “While we decline to hold and declare that the DSPE Act, 1946 is not a valid piece of legislation, we do hold that the CBI is neither an organ nor part of the DSPE and the CBI cannot be treated as a police force constituted under the DSPE Act, 1946.” Though the Division Bench had directed the respondents to produce the original records on creation of the CBI, they just submitted a certified copy of the records from the National Archive. “However, even a perusal of the entire records makes it clear that the Resolution, dated April 1, 1963, was neither produced before the President, nor did it ever receive the assent of the President. Hence, strictly speaking, the Resolution cannot even be termed the decision of the Government of India. That apart, it is apparent from the records that the CBI is a newly constituted body and not the same as DSPE.”
• Bowing to political pressure, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not be attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) beginning on 8 November, in Colombo, highly placed government sources have said on 9 November. This came at the end of a day in which the government dropped ample hints that it was not necessary for the Prime Minister to attend every commonwealth conclave. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who is anyway going to Colombo mid-week, will therefore represent India at CHOGM; there will be no stopover at Jaffna, capital of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, where most of the alleged human rights abuses occurred in the final stages of the conflict in 2009.Meanwhile, a senior Congress functionary stressed that it was not important for the Prime Minister to attend CHOGM, especially if it went against the sentiments of a section of the Indian population — the people of Tamil Nadu, in this case. For the Congress, with a difficult election ahead in 2014, the goodwill of potential alliance partners is of paramount concern. Diplomats pointed out that over the last two decades, an Indian Prime Minister had participated in five of 10 CHOGMs. On four occasions, a Central Minister led the Indian delegation and at the previous CHOGM at Perth, Vice-President Hamid Ansari had represented the country.