NATIONAL OCTOBER 2012

NATIONAL OCTOBER 2012

• The AP State, Rajiv Vidya Mission, Health and Family Welfare, National Rural Health Mission, and National Programme for the Control of Blindness with a host of NGOs in eye care as a consortium have initiated a mammoth programme ‘Chinnari choopu – Samrakshna’ (right to sight) with the objective of elimination of treatable causes of visual impairment and blindness among 80 lakh children of government schools in the State. The programme was launched in Hyderabad by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. The programme aims at identifying the children with visual defects with the help of about 7,000 education teachers and vidya volunteers across the State. The trained persons will screen all the school-going and out-of-school children.Efforts will be made to identify the children with cataract, glaucoma, corneal opacity, lid defects, squint, retinoblastoma, cleft lip and cleft palate with the help of a flip chart. During the second phase (December 5 to January 31, 2013), camps will be organised at mandal level with teams of optometrists under the supervision of District Blindness Control Society. The children with treatable refractive errors will be provided with plastic lens with a frame chosen by the child. The children requiring further intervention – either medical or surgical – will be referred to the third phase -- district level screening by empanelled eye hospitals across the State.The identification of children for surgical intervention and the required surgeries will be completed by February 15, 2013. 
  
• Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Sharad Pawar on 31 October, informed Members of Parliament that “in order to ensure that funds get adequately devolved for women specific needs, 30% funds are being allocated for development of women farmers under various schemes/programmes with a focus on formation of Women Self Help Groups.” Speaking at the Meeting of the Consultative Committee on “Women in Agriculture”, he expressed that rural women play a pivotal role in the entire gamut of agricultural operations ranging from land preparation to post-harvesting operations. He said, “Their access to productive assets like seed, water, credit, subsidy needs to be enhanced. Women are often not recognized as farmers for want of ownership of land and are not considered as beneficiaries under various government programmes / services. Due to wage differentials between men and women in some parts of the country, the situation gets further aggravated.” 
  
• Transparency Portal has been started for Public Distribution System. The portal has been developed with the objective of providing all PDS related information through a single platform in the public domain. The portal contains information relating to Fair Price Shops (FPSs) and ration cards attached to the FPSs. Information on FCI and State storage godowns with capacity utilization and data on Central Pool stocks is also published on the portal. The portal further hosts information like the monthly allocation orders, State-specific commodity sale prices, lifting position, etc. for public view.All States/UTs have been requested to maintain and update the data on the portal through use of PDS application software for end-to-end computerization of TPDS. The Transparency portal may be accessed at http://pdsportal.nic.in. Citizens may also access the Portals of State/UT Food & Civil Supplies Departments through the links provided. 
  
• A Parliamentary panel on 30 October rejected a Bill that seeks to provide for mechanism for maintenance, co-ordination and regulation of standards of health education throughout the country. The Standing Committee on Health in its report submitted today said that following apprehensions expressed by various stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Bill, it is asking the Health Ministry to "to consider all shades of opinion and all the suggestions and bring forward a revised comprehensive Bill before Parliament. 
  
• The state of Uttarakhand on 29 October 2012 tops the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) list of being best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental well-being released by Planning Commission. Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh on the Planning Commission’s Environmental Performance Index(EPI) list. Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for decentralization of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula. The State of Uttarakhand was given a cumulative score point of 0.8123 which is followed by Himachal Pradesh with score point of 0.7316, Chandigarh with 0.7270, Sikkim (0.7149), and Andhra Pradesh with 0.7147 of Score point. Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar, with an average score of 1, were ranked as the best States in terms of air quality. Amazingly, except for Uttarakhand, all the States met the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide which is of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. In terms of Nitrogen oxide, the national standard set of 30 microgram per cubic metre was not met by more than 10 states. Also, in term of suspended particles no states met the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard except state of Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram.Water quality standards, of all the states indicated a very pathetic standard except for Himachal Pradesh, which has set up 100 per cent treatment capacity for sewage, the treatment capacity in the remaining States ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 per cent (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in four States. Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry extract more water than they recharge, but Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry are the only States which show a semblance of adherence to river water quality.Talking about forest conservation, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are among the five best-performing States that have preserved forests as well as increased cover. 
  
• Cable television in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata switched over from analogue to digital mode at midnight on October 31, with about 4.5 lakh subscribers who have not yet installed a set-top box set to wake up to a television blackout on November 1. However, over 1.5 lakh tardy subscribers in Chennai can breathe easy for a few more days with the Madras High Court granting a further extension of the switchover deadline in that city until November 5. 
  
• Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P), which has two Lok Sabha MPs, announced that it was withdrawing support over the decision to permit FDI in multi-brand retail. JVM-P is against FDI in the retail sector, hike in diesel prices and a limit on subsidised LPG cylinders. The JVM-P and the Congress had fought 2009 assembly polls together.
  
• The Prime Minister met the CMDs of twenty-five major Maharatna and Navaratna CPSEs on 25 October, in New Delhi. These enterprises account for a large proportion of the India's market capitalization, organized sector employment and are a major contributor to India’s economic growth. The PM spoke of the contributions of the CPSEs to our economy today. They contribute over 6% of our GDP and their profits are at a record levels of almost Rs 1,00,000 crore. Drawing attention to the large cash surpluses of CPSEs, the PM asked the CPSEs to use that surplus for their own benefit and the benefit of the economy. 
  
• Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sachin Pilot on 25 October, reviewed connectivity related issues in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir at Poonch. Officials from the State Government, Ministry of Home Affairs, Army, BSNL, Department of Telecom and others were present. This is second review by the Minister in the last few months in view of the sensitivity of the area and the high priority the Government attaches to development of telecom facilities in the region. At Rajouri, Mr. Pilot launched WIMAX across the state. This would be implemented at a cost of Rs. 12.8 crores, enabling high-speed broadband access wirelessly in rural and remote parts of the state. Dedicating the modernized Head Post Office at Rajouri, Pilot said world class postal facilities would now be available to people of Rajouri. Under Project Arrow 17 post offices in the state have been modernized at an expenditure of over Rs. 2.2 crores, including the post offices at Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, and Poonch. The Minister also inaugurated the Cyber Forensic Lab at Jammu, saying that with the widespread use of IT in all areas of personal and professional life, cybercrime has become a challenge. 
  
• The three-day International Conference of Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) and the fourth Common Public Service Ministers’ Forum concluded in New Delhi on 26 October, with a call for efficient and effective public administration that can enhance the role of just and honest government to spur socio-economic and political development, leading to transformation of societies. The Ministers’ Forum agreed on the important role of public policy in improving governance and strengthening public administration in support of national development objectives and to meet international challenges. The forum also reaffirmed the importance of public administration and agreed that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2013 in Sri Lanka should consider the elevation of the Commonwealth Public Service Ministers Forum to a ministerial level meeting, scheduled annually if feasible. The aim is to deepen and broaden the dialogue and the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best fit practices to build excellence in public administration. The Forum welcomed the proposal by the Government of India to host an annual Commonwealth Symposium on Public Service Excellence from 2013, to be held in India, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. The three day CAPAM conference was attended by Ministers and senior officials from 21 countries besides India. The theme of the Conference was “A Public Service Fit for the Future.” During the conference learned scholars made important presentations on the challenges of good governance and public service excellence. 
  
• The Minister of Communications & IT Kapil Sibal on 26 October, called the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)-a project, which would connect all the 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) in two years, as a paradigm shift which would transform the way India works. 13 State governments and 3 Union territories signed tripartite Memorandums of Understanding in New Delhi, for free Right of Way (RoW) with the Central Government and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL--the SPV incorporated for execution of the project). The Central Government, through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), will fund the project while the contribution of State Government would be by providing free Right of Way (RoW) for laying OFC. The Bharat Broadband Network Ld.(BBNL) will soon commence the work in these States/UTs immediately taking OFC to Gram Panchayats and in remaining States work will be taken by BBNL as and when States are ready to sign MoU. With the availability of NOFN at 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats, a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps will be available at each GP and will lead to proliferation of broadband services. 
  
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of India has dropped by 3 points from 47 to 44 infant deaths per 1000 live births during 2011. As per October 2012 bulletin of the Sample Registration System (SRS) released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the IMR for rural areas has dropped by 3 points from 51 to 48 infant deaths per 1000 live births while the urban rate now stands at 29 from the previous 31/1000. Among the states, Goa and Manipur have the lowest IMR of 11 infant deaths followed by Kerala with 12 infant deaths per 1000 live births. Madhya Pradesh has the highest IMR of 59/1000 followed by UP and Odisha with 57/1000 IMR. Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Meghalaya have IMRs more than the national average of 44. 
  
• In view of mismatch between demand and supply of pulses and lower acreage under pulses in 2012-13, and delayed monsoon the Government has decided on 26 October, to provide Rs. 20/-as subsidy on the import of pulses to state Governments. Imported pulses will be supplied at reasonable prices to the BPL population through PDS. Designated import agencies will directly enter into contract with the States/UTs for supply of imported pulses. The proposed scheme will make available pulses, a critical protein requirement to the vulnerable sections of society, BPL card holder, at subsidized rates. This scheme will be in operation till 31.03.2013 and a decision regarding its continuation will be taken early next year. 
  
• Soon one can get to know the status of one’s application for ration card, electricity connection or for some other government service just by dialing 166. The government is working to start this automated telephone service by December. This automated telephone service, like railway enquiry number, give people access to government services that can be offered through phone like checking status of any application, filling forms and many other services that are being developed .At present, the Department is operating five digit phone number 51969. Its services are, however, limited for sending and receiving information through SMS. 166 will have IVRS (interactive voice response system) service. It will help people to follow instruction being provided through phone to access services. The call rates will be as per the tariff plan of the subscriber for using ‘166’ services. 
  
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh effected a major Cabinet reshuffle on 28 October. Several ministers were elevated to the Cabinet rank, with many new faces being included at the MoS level, even as portfolios of several ministers were changed.
  
• NEW CABINET MINISTERS: 
  K. Rahman Khan : Minority affairs 
  Dinsha J. Patel : Mines 
  Ajay Maken : Housing and urban poverty alleviation 
  M.M. Pallam Raju : Human resource development 
  Ashwani Kumar : Law and justice 
  Harish Rawat : Water resources 
  Chandresh Kumari Katoch : Culture 
  
  CHANGES IN PORTFOLIOS OF CABINET MINISTERS 
  M. Veerappa Moily : Petroleum and natural gas 
  S. Jaipal Reddy : Science and technology and earth sciences 
  Kamal Nath : Urban development and parliamentary affairs 
  Vayalar Ravi : Overseas Indian affairs 
  Kapil Sibal : Communications and information technology 
  CP Joshi : Road transport and highways 
  Kumari Selja : Social justice and empowerment 
  Pawan Kumar Bansal : Railways 
  Salman Khurshid : External affairs 
  Jairam Ramesh : Rural development 
  NEW MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) Manish Tewari : Information and broadcasting 
  K. Chiranjeevi : Tourism 
  
  CHANGES IN PORTFOLIOS OF MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) 
  Jyotiraditya Scindia :Power 
  K.H. Muniappa : Micro, small and medium enterprises 
  Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki : Drinking water and sanitation 
  Sachin Pilot : Corporate affairs 
  Jitendra Singh : Youth affairs and sports 
  
  NEW MINISTERS OF STATE 
  Shashi Tharoor : Human resources development 
  Kodikunnil Suresh : Labour and employment 
  Tariq Anwar : Agriculture and food processing industries 
  K.J. Surya Prakash Reddy : Railways 
  Ranee Narah : Tribal affairs 
  Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury : Railways 
  A.H. Khan Choudhury : Health and family welfare 
  Sarve Sathyanarayana : Road transport and highways 
  Ninong Ering : Minority affairs 
  Deepa Dasmunsi : Urban development 
  Porika Balram Naik :Social justice and empowerment 
  Killi Kruparani : Communications and information technology 
  Lalchand Kataria : Defence 
  
  CHANGES IN PORTFOLIOS OF MINISTERS OF STATE 
  E. Ahmed : External affairs 
  D. Purandeswari : Commerce and industry 
  Jitin Prasada : Defence and human resource development 
  S. Jagatharakshakan : New and renewable energy 
  RPN. Singh :Home 
  KC Venugopal : Civil aviation 
  Rajeev Shukla : Parliamentary affairs and planning 
  
• The Home Ministry on 23 October rejected the mercy plea of 26/11 lone surviving terrorist Ajmal Kasab. The ministry has sent its recommendation to President Pranab Mukherjee. The Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist had filed his mercy plea before the President on September 18 after he lost the battle in the Supreme Court. The apex court had upheld Kasab's conviction and death sentence in August this year. Kasab was the only terrorist captured alive after the attacks in Mumbai that began on November 26, 2008
  
• The City of Hyderabad was named as World Third best city to visit in 2013 by Travel guidebook Lonely Planet published on 22 October 2012. Hyderabad the capital city of Andhra Pradesh was described as "elegant and blossoming" by the Lonely Planet. The top 10 cities according to Lonely Planet to visit in 2013 are San Francisco, Amsterdam, Hyderabad, Derry/Londonderry, Beijing, Christchurch, Hobart, Montreal, Addis Ababa and Puerto Iguazu. Earlier in 2011, New York Times rated Hyderabad among the 41 top destinations to visit in the world.
  
• Andhra Pradesh Government on 25 October, reconstituted the Group of Ministers reviewing the status and steps taken to control spread of malaria and swine flu in the tribal areas. The reconstituted GoM comprises: minister for medical education, minister for health and family welfare, minister for panchayat raj, minister for municipal administration, municipal tribal welfare and minister for women development, child welfare, a Government Order (GO) issued by the Chief Secretary said.
  
• The Indira Gandhi International Airport operator, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) on 22 October 2012 got an ISO 20000 international certification for eliminating and controlling information technology-related threats. With the getting of ISO certification, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) became the sixth airport operator to receive the ISO 20000 certification in IT Service Management System (ITSMS) after Dubai, Munich, Abu Dhabi, Incheon and Hyderabad. ISO 20000-1:2011 is a service management system (SMS) standard which specifies requirements for the service provider to plan, establish, implement, operate, monitor, review, maintain and improve an SMS. IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) of Delhi International Airport (P) Limited consists of 13 processes that are used in ITSMS to ensure cost effectiveness, availability, zero tolerance and customer satisfaction. Also in June 2012, DIAL had attained ISO 27001 Continuity, which was an IT information security framework which certifies that the company was demonstrating and following best of the world IT information security principles, processes and procedures. The continuity of the ISO 27001 certification was assessed and adjudged by British Standards Institution (BSI) during their annual audit.
  
• India’s National Security Advisor Sh Shivshankar Menon released a report on the “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement with Private Sector on Cyber Security”, in New Delhi on 15 October. Making public the report, Sh Menon said facing the challenges from cyber space requires both the government and industry to work together; the government cannot do this alone nor can the private sector do it on its own. The JWG was set up under the chairpersonship of Ms Latha Reddy, Deputy National Security Advisor to work out the roadmap for engaging the private sector in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for strengthening the cyber security architecture in the country. It included representatives of both government and private sector. The JWG has identified the principles and objectives that would underpin the overall framework and roadmap for PPP on cyber security. It has recommended a “Roadmap” for PPP on Cyber Security which includes setting up of an institutional framework, Capacity-Building in the area of cyber security, development of cyber security standards and assurance mechanisms, augmentation of testing & certification facilities for IT products. 
  
• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India jointly with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), organises on 15 October, in New Delhi, the 4th OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy under the theme “Measuring Well-Being for Development and Policy Making”. The inaugural session of the four-day conference (16-19 October 2012) will be addressed by the Minister of State (I/C) for Statistics & Programme Implementation Shri Srikant Kumar Jena and the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Building on the Better Life Initiative, the main objectives of the Forum are to further the discussions on the different aspects that make for a good life today and in the future in different countries of the world, and to promote the development and use of new measures of well-being for effective and accountable policy making. Thus, an important expected outcome of the Forum is to contribute to the post-2015 development agenda. The four-day Forum will gather around 900-1000 participants from all over the world, including policy-makers as well as representatives from international organisations, national statistical offices, government agencies, academia and civil society. 
  
• The Supreme Court of India on 19 October 2012 made it mandatory for every state, union territory and regulatory bodies to bring in practice/operations the legal mechanism for implementation of the guidelines issued in Vishaka Case that requires the employers to observe and ensure prevention of sexual harassment of women at workplaces. The three Judge Bench of Supreme Court that included Justices, R.M. Lodha, Anil R. Dave and Ranjan Gogoi explained that the implementation of the guidelines issued in Vishaka Case was not only to be followed in a form but was also a matter of substantiating the same with an spirit to make sure that a safe and secured space and environment in all aspects was made available to the woman at her workplace, which enables them to work with decency, dignity and respect as a whole. The bench also pointed out towards the lack of a legislation and proper mechanism to address the complaints of sexual harassment of women at their work place. 
  
• As per results of the two most recent rounds of quinquennial labour force surveys conducted by the Union Labour & Employment Ministry on employment and unemployment conducted by National Sample Survey Office during 2004-05 and 2009-10, about 20 million additional job opportunities were created at an average rate of growth of around 1 per cent per year during 2004-05 to 2009-10. It is noteworthy that Eleventh Five year Plan aimed at creating 58 million additional job opportunities for skilled and unskilled labour force on current daily status basis at an average rate of growth of 2.73 percent per annum from projected employment of about 402 million at the beginning of the Eleventh Five Year Plan to about 460 million at the end of the Plan. Gross Domestic Product has grown at a compound growth rate of 8.6 percent per annum during 2004-05 to 2009-10 whereas employment estimated on current daily status basis has grown at the rate of about 1 percent during the same period.
  
• AIIMS has been ranked as the best medical college in the country. It continues to fulfill the objectives of developing teaching patterns, providing educational facilities of the highest order and attaining self-sufficiency in post-graduate medical education. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare said this at New Delhi on addressing the 40th Convocation of AIIMS. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare took up the following initiatives to strengthen healthcare delivery in Government sector. 
  
• 1) Six new AIIMS were taken up in the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsha Yojana. The Medical Colleges at these six AIIMS have started from the current academic session. 2) 19 medical colleges were taken up for up-gradations to provide advanced tertiary level and super-speciality care, spread in different parts of the country under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsha Yojana. 3) To ease pressure on Delhi AIIMS, the green-field development of the second campus of AIIMS at Jhajjar would provide state of the art facilities for teaching, patient care and research. To overcome the shortage of faculty in Medical Colleges the ceiling on age limit has been raised from 60 to 70 years, DNB qualifications have been recognized for appointment as faculty, number of students in PG, the Teacher student ratio relaxed from 1:1 to 1:2 for post-graduate and super-speciality coursesFor encouraging posting of doctors in rural areas the following steps have been taken:1) Additional marks will be given in the Post Graduate Entrance Examination at the rate of 10% for each year of rural service subject to a maximum of 30%. 2) 50% Seats in post graduate diploma courses have been reserved for medical officers in Government service who have served for at least three years in remote and difficult areas. 
  
• Films Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, announced its plan of establishing a National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC). The Museum would be located in the Films Division Complex, Mumbai and is predicted to come up by June 2013. The development of the museum was planned to mark the occasion of Indian Cinema that will complete its 100 years of journey from the day of first screening of Raja Harishchandra in 1913. The Museum would come up in two different phases and developed at an initial budget of 120 crore Rupees. This museum would be serving as the monument of Indian cinema and the first phase of the museum would start functioning from May 2013, the very day of release of Indian first film, Raja Harishchandra. 
  
• The XIth Conference of the Parties (COP 11) - Convention on Biological Diversity was organised by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India from 8 October to 19 October 2012. The COP 11 was held at Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Mobilisation of financial resources was the theme for the COP 11 summit. The next round of the conference is scheduled to take place in Korea after 2 years. Finding out the commendable solution by discussions over the issues of the Earth’s bio-diversity is the main agenda of the conference. The conference was attended by more than 5000 delegates from 180 countries. Enrollment of about 14,400 participants in the convention made it the largest biodiversity gathering of its time. African countries like Namibia demanded developed nations to stand by their promise fund allocation for saving the bio-diversity, made in the 2010 protocol. Discussion over the 20 identified targets at 2010 Nagoya Protocol was also done to find out the problems that it faced for implementation. India also demanded steps to be taken for ecosystem restoration and establishment of a relationship between biodiversity and climate change, identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas in marine ecosystems. 
  
• India will be Chairing the Conference as its President for next two years. The Union Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan took over the charge of COP-11 as its President for next two years. She emphasised on the issue of resource mobilization that remained an unfinished agenda of COP-10 at Nagoya in Japan.
  
• Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister of India announced a grant of $50 million for strengthening the institutional mechanism of biodiversity conservation in India and other developing countries by the name of Hyderabad Pledge. The Prime Minister also launched the high level segment of the 11th conference of parties during the UN Convention on Biodiversity meeting at Hyderabad. This conference was the first conference after the launch of Decade of Biodiversity by United Nations in 2011.The high level meet took place during the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNBD) that was declared by the United Nations General Assembly following its resolution 65/161. This plan was designed to find out the solutions for the objectives like Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Across the UNBD, a trial to encourage government and representatives of different countries to develop, implement and communicate the results established by their national strategies designed for fine implementation of the strategic plan over biodiversity. 
  
• BirdLife International on 16 October 2012 launched an e-Atlas of Marine-Important Bird Areas during COP11. The e-Atlas would act as an inventory and carry data of around 3000 important bird areas from across the world and can play a major role in conserving the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) target for protection of 10 percent coastal and marine Areas by 2020. 
  
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 16 October, unveiled the CoP-11 Commemorative Plyon at Biodiversity Park in Hyderabad. The Pylon has been built to mark the international conference on bio-diversity being held in the city from October 1 to 19. Its construction was entrusted to M/s S and S Green Projects (Private Limited). The Andhra Pradesh Government has allotted 15 acres of land in APIIC lay out Gachibowli for Pylon, Biodiversity Museum and park. The Department of forests is setting up a separate bio-diversity park in 10 acres at Dulapally Reserve forests. Close to 300-400 rare and endangered plant species which are being planted by visiting dignitaries have been procured for the proposed biodiversity park. There are six national parks,21 wildlife sanctuaries a biosphere reserve comprising 13,000 sq kms out of 63,180 sq km forest area. The biodiversity museum and park are coming up at a cost of Rs 100 crore, official sources said. The entire cost of the museum will be borne by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF). 
  
• A team of officials will study aquaria in various countries to decide on the model best suited for the world-class aquarium proposed to be established in Hyderabad as part of the biodiversity complex. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, announced the Rs.500-crore aquarium, proposed to be funded by the National Fisheries Development Board, during his visit to Hyderabad, earlier this year. Mr. Kiran Reddy said Hyderabad had joined the league of reputed cities such as Singapore, Bonn and Brussels following the release of the ‘Greater Hyderabad City Biodiversity Index’. Hyderabad may have just got ‘pass marks’ on the biodiversity index, but was the first city in India and 15 in the world to have such an index. The Chief Minister said although the CoP was hosted in 10 cities earlier, Hyderabad was the first to erect a commemorative pylon and a biodiversity complex in which a national biodiversity museum would be established. 
  
• The Cabinet Committee on security on 18 October 2012 approved proposals worth over 8000 crore rupees for procuring around 10000 Invar missiles from Russia for the Army's T-90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the Indian Air Force. Also, the Union Cabinet approved the waiver of the outstanding loan along with interest for the 370 tsunami affected fishermen and to reimburse the same to concerned banks. The Union Cabinet also approved setting up of a National Automotive Board, NAB a body which would act as a facilitator between the government and the industry and promote Research and Development activities in the sector.
  
• The Centre on 19 October, approved a Rs 4,000-crore joint action plan for tackling Japanese Encephalitis in the country, particularly in worst affected states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Accepting most of the recommendations made by a GoM that had been set up to deal with the deadly disease, the Cabinet approved a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy for the prevention and control of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). The proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the implementation of the intervention/activities recommended by the GoM will be implemented in 60 priority districts for a period of five years from next year. The other states to benefit include Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In another decision, the Centre approved a Rs 2.10 crore loan waiver for tsunami-affected fishermen of Andaman and Nicobar islands that will directly benefit 370 fishermen.
  
• Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja declared on 14 October 2012 that the five sites in Tamil Nadu, including famous Lord Sri Ranganathar temple in Srirangam, have been included in the tentative list by the Union Culture ministry for UNESCO's world heritage status. The 17th century Fort St George in Chennai, Chettinad, Kazhugumalai rock sculptures and Pulikat Lake were the other sites in the list.
  
• The Chhattisgarh government established a Livelihood College in Dantewada to fight unemployment in the Naxal affected areas of the state. Dantewada district has always been ridden with Maoist violence but nowadays this district is in news for its innovative initiative to fight unemployment. District administration recently started a unique livelihood college where educated and even illiterate youth are being given skill enhancement training so that they could earn livelihood. Livelihood College runs a course in repair and maintenance of solar energy equipment, hand pumps, carpentry, plumbing, office management, hospitality, sales and marketing. More than 1000 local youth have been trained from this college and were successfully employed in different places.
  
• Group of Ministers has approved the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, with few changes from the version presented to the Union Cabinet last month. This paves the way for the Bill to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session. Despite sharp divisions over the consent requirements, sources at the GoM indicated that the final draft says only two-thirds of landowners will have to agree before land can be acquired for private sector projects as well as joint private-public partnerships. The original Bill had called for 80 per cent consent from both landowners as well as those who stood to lose their livelihood. Industry lobbyists had pushed for this requirement to be diluted.
  
• Workers of Singareni Collieries will get a 17 per cent special incentive, as per an announcement made by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on 16 October. In a statement, he said Rs 60.91 crore would be disbursed before the Dasara festival to the workers. He was responding to a request made by Civil Supplies Minister D. Sreedhar Babu and MLC Venkata Rao. 
  
• Uttarakhand government has banned the sale of gutkha, pan masala and other similar products with nicotine content for a year. The manufacturing, sale and hoarding of gutkha and similar stuff have been put under a blanket ban for the next one year, Food Commissioner Ranbeer Singh said on 17 October. The ban will be reviewed after a year and its period may also be extended, he said, warning stern action against violators.
  
• The government on 17 October constituted a task force chaired by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and co-chaired by Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo to work on land reform issues. Constitution of a task force to work on land reform was one of the decisions arrived in an agreement signed last week between the government and Jan Satyagrah activists, who fought for a National Land Reforms Policy. 
  
• Leader of the movement P V Rajagopal, Trinamool Congress MP D Bandhopadhyay, Planning Commission member Mihir Shah, B N Yugandar, Aruna Roy, Praveen Jha, Bina Agrawal and Videh Upadhya are the members of the task force. Secretaries of the National Advisory Council, Dept of Land Resources, Panchayath Raj and Tribal welfare and Law are also the members of the committee. The first formal meeting of the task force will be held on November 16. 
  
• Millions across the country may soon get benefits of various government schemes such as cooking gas subsidies and old age pension with the launch of the much-awaited Aadhaar-enabled direct cash transfer system. Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched the much touted payment mechanism on 20 October, which is aimed at checking corruption and pilferage in the social sector schemes that seek to promote financial inclusion. The launch of the scheme coincides with the second anniversary of Aadhaar project, which is being implemented by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). In the last two years, the UIDAI has generated over 20 crore Aadhaar numbers. The Aadhaar number 21 crore was handed over to a villager in Dudu by Sonia Gandhi at a function here which was also attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Union Ministers Sachin Pilot, Ashwani Kumar and Namo Narain Meena among others. “This is very significant thing and it will help reducing wastage, fraud and corruption,” said UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani.Use of Aadhaar-based delivery mechanism will improve compliance management, reduce leakages and increase efficiency and accountability of the government’s social sector schemes. The government is rolling out Aadhaar enabled service delivery initiative in 51 districts across the country. It will be used for making pension payments, MNREGA payments, PDS distribution, scholarship payments, an official statement said. UIDAI Director General R S Sharma said, 80 per cent of the work in the 20 districts out of total 51 districts, will be completed by December 2012. Around 80 per cent work in the remaining 31 districts will be completed by the March 31, 2013. UIDAI has been mandated to cover a total population of 60 crore by March 2014 across 18 states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
  
• The Union Cabinet on 11 October, approved the introduction of Amendments to the "Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986" in Parliament. Some important amendments proposed are as follows: (i) Broaden the scope of the law to cover the audio-visual media and material in electronic form. (ii) Penalties to be enhanced to a maximum of three years of imprisonment and fine of between Rs.50,000 to Rs.1,00,000 for first conviction, and imprisonment of not less than two years, but which may extend to seven years, and a fine between Rs.1,00,000 to Rs.5,00,000 for second conviction. (iii) Police officers not below the rank of Inspectors authorized to carry out search and seizure, in addition to State and Central Government officers authorized by the State or Central Government. These amendments seek to ensure that more effective protection is provided against indecent representation of women by covering newer forms of communication like internet, multimedia messaging etc., beyond the print and audio-visual media. This would aid in addressing the problem of increased objectification of women thereby ensuring dignity of women. The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 was enacted with the objective of prohibiting indecent representation of women in any advertisement or publication. However, since the existing legislation lacks the focus that is necessary to protect women from exploitation, particularly in the face of the increasing use of advanced technology and communication devices in our everyday life, it was felt that the scope of the Act may need to be amended. Extensive consultations have been held with stakeholders including lawyers and civil society organizations on the draft Bill, before its finalization. 
  
• The Union Cabinet discussed the Draft Twelfth Five Year Plan document (2012-2017), and approved the proposal to place the Plan Document before the National Development Council. The Plan proposes an acceleration of growth over the plan period to reach 9 percent in the terminal year, yielding an average growth rate of 8.2 percent for the plan period as a whole. It emphasizes that the growth must be both inclusive and sustainable, and to achieve these objectives it proposes a comprehensive game plan in terms of policies and programmes. The estimates show resource availability for the Twelfth Plan at Rs.80,50,123 crore in current prices for the Centre and States taken together. This implies the public sector resources for the Twelfth Plan (2012-2017) would be 11.8 per cent of GDP. To achieve the targeted growth rate, the fixed investment rate should increase to 35 per cent of GDP (at constant prices) by the end of the Twelfth Plan, yielding an average fixed investment rate of 34 per cent of GDP (at constant prices) for the Twelfth Plan period as a whole. The projected average rate of gross domestic capital formation in the Twelfth Plan is 37 per cent of GDP, the projected gross domestic savings rate is 34.2 per cent of GDP and the net external financing needed for macro-economic balance would average around 2.9 per cent of GDP. The Plan emphasizes a broad definition of inclusiveness, which encompasses a spread of benefits to the weaker sections, including especially the SC/STs, OBCs and Minorities, and also regional balance in development. 
  
• The Union Cabinet approved the introduction of Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Amendment Bill, 2012 in Parliament. The Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959 was enacted in the year 1959 and with the passage of time some of its provisions have become obsolete and require modifications. With this in mind, the Act is being amended. Employment Exchanges will be renamed as "Employment Guidance and Promotion Centres" as the focus is now on vocational guidance and career counseling besides registration, submission and placement etc. Establishments in the private sector employing between 10-24 persons are being brought under the purview of the Act for the purpose of submission of returns. This is likely to result in a more realistic estimate of employment in the organised sector. The employer is being mandated to furnish information relating to the result of selection against the vacancies notified within thirty days from the date of selection, to make the registration data more rational. The definitions of employee and employer are being broad based to include contract labour that has worked for more than 240 days in a year.
  
• The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to further amend the Competition Act, 2002, with a view to fine tune it and to meet the present day needs in the field of competition, in the light of the experiences gained in the actual working of the Competition Commission of India in the last few years. Major amendments approved by the Cabinet relate to changing the definition of “turnover”, “Group”, reducing the overall time limit of finalization of combinations from 210 days to 180 days and insertion of a new Section 5A enabling the Central Government to lay down, in consultation with the Competition Commission of India, different thresholds for any class or classes of enterprises for the purpose of examining acquisitions, mergers and amalgamations by the Commission. The other amendments relate to procedural aspects in working of the Commission. 
  
• The Union Finance Minister and Leader of the Indian Delegation P. Chidamabaram participated at the 26th Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) in Tokyo on 12 October. He represented the Constituency consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka. By siting the global economic slow down, he told that they should continue to act collectively to restore confidence, rekindle growth and create jobs. It is, therefore, appropriate to take stock of the progress made in realizing their goals so that we should be better prepared to face the emerging challenges. 
  
• Prime Minister had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister to look into all the issues relating to the deregulation of the sugar sector. The committee has completed its task, after several rounds of deliberations, consultations with stakeholders, and discussion with Chief Ministers of major sugar-producing states. The report was submitted to the Prime Minster on 10-10-2012. A major recommendation of the committee relates to revising the existing arrangement for the price to be paid to sugarcane farmers, which suffers from problems of accumulation of arrears of cane dues in years of high price and low price for farmers in other years. The committee has also recommended dismantling of the levy obligation for sourcing PDS sugar at a price below the market price. States should be allowed henceforth to fix the issue price of PDS sugar, while the existing subsidy to states for PDS sugar transport and the difference between the levy price and the issue price would continue at the existing level, augmented by the current level of implicit subsidy on account of the difference between the levy price and the open market price. This will free the industry from the burden of a government welfare programme, and indirectly benefit both the farmer and the general consumer since the industry passes on the cost of levy mechanism to farmers and consumers. 
  
• Union minister for HRD (human resource development) Kapil Sibal will visit Meghalaya on October 12 to lay the foundation stone for construction of permanent campus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Sohra. The NIT campus at Sohra would be built in an area of about 200 acres which is already in the possession of the State Government has been allotted to the NIT. NIT director Prof DK Saikia said that the NIT Sohra is among the 30 NITs in the country. NIT Sohra has been established by HRD ministry as an institute of National Importance to play catalyst role in the development of the state. 
  
• The President on 11 October, 2012 performed the Bhoomi Puja of Swami Vivekananda Value Education and Cultural Centre in Belgaum, Karnataka. He visited the room where Swami Vivekananda had stayed for four days during his visit to Belgaum in October 1892. He also unveiled a plaque for restoration of Swami Vivekananda memorial. The President said there is need to restore faith in humanity in the minds of our youth. If the youth of India, who are more than fifty percent of population, can imbibe the soaring idealism, the approach of rationalism, love of the universal, abandon all dogma and prejudice and serve mankind, India will find its rightful place in the world. 
  
• Suvarna Soudha, the second secretariat building in Karnataka, was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee in Belgaum on 11 October, marking the fulfillment of the long-cherished dream of the people of the region. Mr. Mukherjee said that with the inauguration of the Suvarna Soudha, the administration and governance would come closer to the people of the region, and this would lead to economic growth and removal of regional disparities. 
  
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to continue the sharing pattern of costs between the Central and State/UT Governments in the ratio of 75:25 during the year 2012-13 in respect of State sector component of the Scheme for setting up of 6,000 model schools at block level as benchmark of excellence. For the year 2012-13, an amount of Rs.1080.00 crore has been allocated for the Scheme. Any financial liability arising due to continuation of sharing pattern of 75:25 would be taken care of within the said allocation. As each school will have 560 students, total number of beneficiaries for 3,500 schools will be 19.60 lakh students. The programme is to be implemented through State Implementing Societies set up by State/UT Governments for this purpose. Till March, 2012, a total of 1,954 model schools have been approved in 22 States and financial sanctions amounting to Rs. 1790.76 crore has been issued for setting up of 1,587 model schools in 21 States. The Model School Scheme was launched in November, 2008 in pursuance of the announcement of the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech of 2007. The objective of the Scheme is to set up one senior secondary school each in 6,000 blocks as benchmark of excellence. 3,500 of these schools are to be set up under State/UT Governments in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) and the remaining 2,500 schools are to be established under PPP mode in blocks which are not educationally backward. The State Sector component of the scheme is operational since the launch of the scheme in November, 2008. 
  
• Signing of A Tripartite MoS among Central Government, Govt. of Assam and Factions of DIMA Halam Daogah was taken place in New Delhi. After realizing the futility of violence, both the factions of DHD came forward and expressed their willingness to give up violence and seek solutions to its problems peacefully within the framework of the Constitution. The MoS provides for enhanced autonomy for the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council in Assam and also a special package for speedier socio-economic and educational development of the area for which the Council has been set up. Under the Memorandum of Settlement, a Committee will be constituted to deal with the matters relating to the 6th Schedule Councils. The DHD shall dissolve itself as an organization within a reasonable time as a precursor to the Government initiating further process to implement the agreed decisions of this agreement. As part of the restructuring and empowerment process, the existing North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) will be renamed as the Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC). A Special economic package of Rs 200 Crore (Rs. 40 crore per annum) over and above the Plan fund over the next five years will be provided to the DHATC to undertake special projects by the Council. The State Government of Assam has agreed in principle to set up a Development Council with a suitable package for preservation and promotion of culture, language, etc. 
  
• Uttar Pradesh government decided to ban gutkha, which is pan masala mixed with tobacco, as per the order of the Allahabad high court order and the Food Security Act passed by the parliament. However, the order will come into effect from April 1, 2013. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said that six months time has been given to find other source of employment for the people rendered jobless due to ban. The Allahabad high court had on September 18 ordered the UP government to restrain manufacturing, sale and distribution of 'gutkha' in the state and inform the court after 14 days steps taken to implement the order. Fixing October 10 for filing compliance report to implement the Central government's directions under the Food Safety Act, the court in its order, passed on a public interest litigation filed by Indian Dental Association, also said that if the state government failed to act within the stipulated time, it might consider passing an order banning gutkha.. 
  
• Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on 11 October, met Jan Satyagrah activists in Agra and agreed to their demands for framing a National Land Reforms Policy, defusing a crisis that could have been triggered by their march to the national capital. The march, which started on October 2 from Gwalior, was discontinued after Ramesh signed an agreement with Jan Satyagrah leader P V Rajagopal for brining in land reforms and addressing the issues of the landless poor in the country. Jai ram Ramesh said while addressing thousands of landless poor in Agra, the government was "committed" to bring the draft of the policy within the time frame, A task force will be set up under the Rural Development Minister to take the process forward and the first meeting will be held on October 17.Government also agreed to the demand for setting up Fast Track Land Tribunals for speedy disposal of the cases pending in revenue and judicial courts. 
  
• The report 'Children in India 2012-A Statistical Appraisal', conducted by the Central Statistical Organisation, said Crime against children rose by an alarming 24 per cent last year in the country, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list. The highest number of crimes against children was reported from Uttar Pradesh (16.6 per cent) followed by Madhya Pradesh (13.2 per cent), Delhi (12.8 per cent) and Maharashtra (10.2 per cent). According to the report, there was an increase of 43 per cent in kidnapping and abduction cases in 2011 while rape cases where the victims were children rose by 30 per cent in the same period. While UP and Delhi together accounted for 47.6 per cent of kidnappings and abductions of children reported in the country last year, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra together accounted for 44.5 per cent of child rape cases. The report also said that procuration of minor girls (862 cases) last year recorded an increase of 27 per cent and foeticide reported an increase of 19 per cent as compared to the previous year. As many as 113 cases under prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 were reported in the country in 2011, out of which the highest were in West Bengal (25) followed by Maharashtra (19), Andhra Pradesh (15), Gujarat (13) and Karnataka (12). The study also reveals that the conviction rate at national level for crimes against children stood at 34.6 per cent. The conviction rate for 'infanticide' (other than murder) was highest at 46.9 per cent followed by cases under murder (45.5 per cent). The study observed that the increasing trend in the incidence of juvenile crimes is a matter of concern.
  
• The East Godavari Collector Neetu Prasad has declared medical emergency in the district on 8 October and directed the Kakinada Government Hospital authorities to create special facilities to treat cases of swine flu. As the laboratory tests confirmed that P Durga Rao of Chinaboddu Venkatayapalem village of Tallarevu mandal died of swine flu on Wednesday last week, wide ranging tests were conducted in the village by a special team of doctors led by District Medical and Health Officer, Dr. Padmvathi in the village. They opened a medical camp and treated about 40 persons who were suspected to be suffering from swine flu. Seven persons, five of them from the family of the dead person were shifted to Kakinada for advanced medical treatment as they were suspected to have contracted the disease from him. 
  
• Ruling AIADMK MLA P Dhanapal on 10 October became the first Dalit Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly and said he would strive to uphold the ethos of the House. Party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa led the Assembly in greeting the 61 year-old Dhanapal, who was elected unopposed. Pro-tem Speaker C K Thamizharasan announced election of Dhanapal, who represents Rasipuram in the assembly, amidst loud thumping of benches by AIADMK members.
  
• The postal department of India had increased the rates of Speed post deliveries by 42-56% from 1 October 2012. Domestic charges were increased from Rs 12 to Rs 17, including service tax, and the 'One India' tariff escalated up from Rs 25 to Rs 39. It is first time since 2007 that the rates have been revised. The biggest users of Speed Post are institutional users, law firms and corporate entities that dispatch bulk mails. Many Banks, uses this service to send credit card statements and also credit cards. The difference is particularly distinctive with respect to foreign dispatches. A person is supposed to pay Rs 600 to a courier and merely Rs 150-odd to Speed Post delivery. 
  
• Now, railway passengers can track trains on real-time basis. Railways have launched online application RailRadar, which is an interactive map on Google that can facilitate passengers to track movements of all trains running across the country. The passengers can locate the trains on real-time basis on both internet and their cellphones. RailRadar, developed by a Railway PSU Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) in collaboration with RailYatri, is a live tracker of all passenger trains traffic in real time. The interactive map will help users to find the exact geographical location of about 6,500 trains on a Google map on real-time basis, an official said. The system enables a colour-coded method as trains highlighted in blue indicate those that are running on time, while the red markers indicate trains that are delayed or running behind schedule. An official said if you click on a particular train, the map will show the exact route of the train including all the stoppages and the current location of the train on real-time basis. RailRadar can be accessed through the railway website, trainenquiry.com. To know the current status of the train, a passenger can enter a train name or number and the system will inform whether the train is delayed or running on time. The interactive map zooms in and out to get train and station detail. Users can search for a particular station or train to get specific details of trains around the station or running status of a train, location, its route and stoppages. RailRadar gives an overview on train on time and delay status. In case of an accident or unplanned activity, the site would be able to provide users with an overview of situation and train status across the country.
• Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 28 september, ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into rampant rhino poaching in the Kaziranga National Park. The probe will cover poaching during the past three years from now. The state government also announced cash reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone giving clues to poachers. Earlier, the Union Environment and Forest Minister Jayanthi Natarajan had expressed shock at the growing incidence of rhino poaching in Assam with the flood-hit Kaziranga having lost four rhinos during the past 48 hours to poachers. She had ordered an investigation by a team of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau officials. 
  
  
• Goa Government is the first government in India to introduce a policy for housewives by introducing cash compensation for every woman who is housewife and a mother as well. The compensation will be Rs.1000 every month for those household with less than 3 Lakhs annual income. Overall 1.25 lakh families will be benefited with this move. 
  
  
• In order to give encouragement to the talented sportsmen of the University system and promote sports in Universities, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal on 5 October launched hockey and cricket league under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Association of Indian Universities has been organising the Rohinton Baria Cricket Trophy, the Inter University Hockey Tournament and other events for promotion of sports in the Universities throughout the country.It was after an offer made by the NDTV Group for assisting in sponsoring sports events, it was decided to organise every year, a National Level University Cricket League (UCL) and University Hockey League (UHL).The University Cricket League would be played among 8 top University teams in the T 20 format, from amongst those who qualify through a zonal competition. Similarly the University Hockey League would be played among the top 8 teams selected through the zonal competitions.
  
  
• An agreement between Government of India and the World Bank for loan of US$ 500 million (equivalent) from World Bank for the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) was signed on 6 october. The agreement was signed by Shri Prabodh Saxena,Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank. The Objective of the project is to help India to achieve increased and more equitable access to good quality secondary education through support of the Government’s ongoing program for secondary education as delineated in the (RMSA) Framework. The project would support all activities detailed in the RMSA Framework, for which financial and technical norms have been determined. The Bank’s support is being provided through a Sector Wide Approach, so there are no separate components, but this section describes the different types of activities which will be supported with the Framework. RMSA represents a systemic shift in the way secondary education is planned, managed and financed in India. 
  
  
• The Cauvery basin districts and Karnataka’s capital Bangalore on 6 October, witnessed a complete shutdown on in response to the bandh called by the Kannada Okkoota, a federation of organisations, in protest against the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. The bandh , which evoked mixed response in the northern and coastal districts was peaceful. Interestingly, Kodagu district, birthplace of the Cauvery, also witnessed mixed response.
  
  
• U.N. Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, is in Rajasthan on 6 October to launch the first-ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives living in rural areas of South Asia, visited Barrod village of Behror panchayat samiti to observe the functioning of the village panchayat and interact with rural women to motivate them to strive for getting their rights. Ms. Bachelet had served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010. In her address to the huge gathering, Ms. Bachelet said though men and women may have a different outlook, they should be complementary to each other to ensure development of society without gender-based discrimination. “Women elected representatives have a better leadership potential and better grasp of issues [for which] they can organise women and achieve great results,” she affirmed. The U.N. Women functions as a United Nations entity for women’s empowerment and gender equality. The knowledge hub, named the Regional Centre for Excellence, will train 65,000 elected women representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions in 16 districts of five States in India to become more effective leaders. The hub comprising three important components of mobile application, web application and community radio can be accessed by women through an interactive tool, Wi-Net, developed on android platform
  
  
• The government has said that on 2 October, it will soon set up smart cities in the country with all ultramodern facilities like intelligent and integrated transport system, broadband and carbon neutralizers. Addressing a joint press conference in New Delhi with visiting Austrian Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology Mrs Doris Burse, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath said that initially two such smart cities will be created in every state under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, JNNURM.
  
  
• After a long wait, Siddipet Gollabama and Mangalagiri sarees and fabric (A.P) have finally got Geographical Indication status. According to the GI registry at Chennai, the application for GI status was filed by Mangalagiri Sarees and Fabrics Apex Society in 2010. Mangalagiri sarees and material for duppattas, gent’s shirts, kurtas and salwar kameezes are also covered. Mangalagiri sarees and fabrics are made of pure, sturdy and durable cotton. The Nizam border in the sarees and churidars are peculiar to the Mangalagiri region in Guntur district. The fabric is woven on a pit-loom. There is no gap in the weave at the edge of the material, which again is unique. The application for GI status for the Siddipeta Gollabama saree was made by the Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited, Siddipet. Siddipeta Gollabama is a handwoven cotton saree carrying the distinctive motif of Gollabama the milk maid carrying a pot of milk on her head and another in her hand. Each pallu of a Siddipet Gollabama saree has about 13 to 15 Gollabama motifs in green, violet, red and orange colours. The sarees are again hand woven and are comfortable to wear.
  
  
• The Nirmal Bharat Yatra “to make the country open-defecation-free and to ensure proper sanitation in rural India” began on 5 October, from Sevagram in Wardha district of Maharashtra in presence of the Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh. The Yatra has been organised by Wash United and Quicksand Design Studio jointly “to increase awareness about cleanliness among people through different awareness programs “which would be carried out as the Yatra progresses. The Yatra will travel almost 2,000 km through villages from Maharashtra to Bihar and will end in Bettiah town in the West Champaran of Bihar on November 19.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramesh termed the open defecation as the blot on Indian society and said, that this Nirmal Bharat Yatra is connected with the dignity of Indian women. Actress Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador of the Nirmal Bharat Yatra and Sachin Tendulkar will also take part in it.
  
  
• Altamas Kabir sworn in as Chief Justice of India:
  Justice Altamas Kabir, senior most Judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India. Justice Kabir will have tenure of a little over nine months until July 18, 2013. Justice Kabir (64), who hails from Kolkata, was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court on September 9, 2005. He became a Judge of the Calcutta High Court in 1990. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court on March 1, 2005 and elevated to the Supreme Court in September 2005. During his tenure as a Supreme Court judge, Justice Kabir delivered several landmark judgments, particularly relating to human rights and election laws. 
  
• Punjab Government started a massive door-to-door Cancer Detection Campaign. 
  The Pilot trial of the project will start in Faridkot district of Punjab from October 2012 for a complete month and will be implemented across the state in December 2012. The Cancer detection survey involving fifty thousand personnel aims at detecting the cancer at its initial stage in a population of over 1.25 crore. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Prakash Singh Badal declared during his high-level meet of senior officials of World Health organization, departments of health and family welfare and medical education and research and more organizations about the official launch of the project. He also emphasized on the fact that he will not allow scarcity of funds to effect this prestigious campaign. 
  
• Govt to develop two smart cities in every state:
  The government is planning to develop two ‘smart’ cities with a host of modern features like intelligent transport and carbon neutral status in each of the states in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Kapil Sibal said medium-sized cities with half a million to one million populations will be developed as smart cities and the government has sought the expertise of Austrian Institute of Technology for the purpose. 
  
• Dhanapal set to get elected new T.N. Speaker
  Tamil Nadu Deputy Speaker P. Dhanapal has been named the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's nominee for the post of Assembly Speaker. The 61-year-old Mr. Dhanapal represents the Rasipuram (reserved) constituency of Namakkal district. In the past, he was elected from the Sankari constituency four times. During the previous AIADMK regime (2001-2006), he held the portfolio of Food and Cooperation for one-and-a-half years. As the ruling party has a strength of 152 members in the House of 234, his election as Speaker is only a matter of formality. 
  
• 1.35 lakh committed suicide in 2011; highest in W Bengal, TN:
  More than 1.35 lakh people committed suicide in the country in 2011 of which the highest number were reported in West Bengal followed by Tamil Nadu. Family Problems and illness, accounting for 24.3 per cent and 19.6 per cent respectively, were the major causes of suicides while poverty was to be blamed in 1.7 per cent of the cases, according to government data. Love affairs (3.4 per cent), drug abuse/addiction (2.7 per cent), dowry dispute (2.4 per cent) and bankruptcy (2.2 per cent) were among the other causes. 
  Delhi has reported the highest number of suicides (1,716) among UTs, followed by Puducherry (557). Seven UTs together accounted for 1.9 per cent of total suicides in the country. The number of suicides in the country over the decade (2001?2011) has recorded an increase of 25 per cent -- from 1,08,506 in 2001 to 1,35,585 in 2011. West Bengal reported the highest number of suicides (16,492) accounting for 12.2 per cent of the total suicides last year followed by Tamil Nadu (15,963), Maharashtra (15,947), Andhra Pradesh (15,077) and Karnataka (12,622). They accounted for 11.8 per cent, 11.8 per cent, 11.1 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively of the total suicides in the country. These five states together accounted for 56.2 per cent of the total suicides reported in India, the NCRB said.The remaining 43.8 per cent suicides were reported in the rest of 23 states and seven Union Territories, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Uttar Pradesh, country's most populous state (16.5 per cent share of the population) has reported comparatively lower percentage of suicidal deaths, accounting for only 3.6 per cent of such deaths. Fifty-three mega cities accounted for 13.5 per cent of the total suicides in the country. 
  The Supreme Court on 3 October directed the Centre and state governments to provide basic infrastructure, including drinking water and toilets, in all schools within six months. A bench headed by Justice KS Radhakrishnan fixed the time limit and asked the governments to take steps to provide the basic facilities in schools across the country. The bench said that all its previous directions pertaining to providing infrastructure should be implemented within the time frame fixed by it. On October 18 last year, the apex court had directed all states and union territories to build toilets, particularly for girls, in all government schools. The court passed the order on a PIL seeking its direction to Centre and state governments to provide basic facilities of drinking water and toilets in schools. The apex court had earlier stated that it was imperative that all schools provide toilet facilities, as empirical researches indicated that wherever toilet facilities are not provided in schools, parents do not send their children (particularly girls) to schools. The court had also observed that not providing the infrastructure was a violation of the right to free and compulsory education of children guaranteed under Article 21-A of the Constitution. 
  
• Gujarat polls on December 13, 17 and Himachal on November 4
  The election commission on 3 October announced the dates for the crucial assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The Gujarat elections will be held in two phases in the month of December, chief election commissioner VS Sampath announced. The dates for polling in Gujarat are December 13 and December 17. The EC announced one-phase poll in Himachal Pradesh on November 4. The counting for both the states will be held on December 20. The CEC announced that the candidates would be required to have a separate bank account for polls. While Gujarat has 182 assembly constituencies, 13 of which are reserved for SCs and 26 for STs, Himachal Pradesh has 68 assembly seats, with 17 reserved for SCs and 3 for STs. 
  
• Ministry of Rural Development Launched Nirmal Bharat Yatra :
  Ministry of rural development on 3 October 2012 started a campaign named Nirmal Bharat Yatra, which focuses on making the country free from open defecation. The yatra will begin from Wardha District of Maharashtra from 3 October 2012 and will go through Indore, Kota, Gwalior, and Gorakhpur and end up in Bettiah district of Bihar on November 17, covering about 2000 km of distance. The Indian Bollywood actress Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador of the campaign. The campaign is being promoted by several NGOs and private companies and it is going to be completed at a cost of over Rs 12 crore and is going to target over 9 crore people to spread awareness about sanitation. The well known NGOs that are participating in the programme are Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council. According to the Studies conducted by World Health Organisation and UNICEF it was found that with 626 million people defecating in the open, India has largest population without access to toilets. The Yatra is about demand generation and sensitization about the sanitation issues as open defecation is a blot on our society. The single biggest cause of malnutrition in India is poor sanitation and hygiene. Sikkim has already achieved the ODF (Open Defecation Free) status and the States like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra are on way to achieve the sanitation goals in coming one to two years. 
  
• Tribal march for land rights:
  More than 50,000 tribal have started their march on foot to Delhi from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, demanding land rights. The tribal under the umbrella of a Gandhian organisation, Ekta Parishad, started the march after their talks with Union government's representative including Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and Minister of State for Industry and Commerce failed. Ramesh, Scindia, Social Justice Minister Mukul Wasnik and Panchayati Raj Minister Kishore Chandra Deo met the tribal led by activist PV Rajagopal but failed to pacify them or arrive at an agreement. 
  
• A. Raja, Kanimozhi, Kalmadi on parliamentary panels:
  The former Union Minister, A. Raja, Kanimozhi and Suresh Kalmadi have been made members of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Energy, Home Affairs and External Affairs respectively. Raja, who was arrested in the 2G scam case on February 2 last year, is on bail since May 15 this year. Kalmadi, an accused in the Commonwealth Games scam case, spent about nine months in jail before being released on bail on January 19 this year. DMK MP Kanimozhi, also an accused in some cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation, has been nominated to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has been made a member of the Standing Committee on Finance, headed by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha. In the reconstitution of various committees, Tiruchi Siva of the DMK has been made Chairman of the Standing Committee on Industry, while Brajesh Pathak of the BSP has been made Chairman of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. 
  The government has given its green signal to Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to go ahead with eight big and unique projects proposed by it involving an outlay of Rs.3,300 crore. These projects will be implemented through PPP mode with assistance from aiding institutions, mainly Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). These projects included one taken up with Rs.370 crore aid from JICA to improve the catchment area of Hussainsagar and ensure its cleanliness. The second project that will also be funded by JICA, aims at implementing Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for Outer Ring Road within Hyderabad metropolitan area involving an expenditure of Rs.900 crore. The third one is taken up for a “transit-oriented development” of the lands available within the core area of the city for a mixed use for residential and commercial activities designed to minimise the need for private transport and maximise the access to public transport such as buses and trains. HMDA commissioner Neerabh Kumar Prasad said Moosapet, Saroornagar and Khanamet (near Hitech City) had been identified to implement the first phase of this project. An integrated commuter terminal would be developed at Secunderabad railway station using the land of the old Gandhi Hospital to ease the congestion as witnessed now. Two radial roads would be constructed under Musi improvement plan — originating from Nagole Bridge to Singaram and Gourelly. A Science City would be developed with state-of-the-art technology at a cost of Rs.100 crore over 30 acres of land. Similarly, a Hyderabad Habitat Centre would be set up (Rs.200 crore) on the lines of the one existing in New Delhi. Sites for locating these two were not yet finalised. Besides, the works of the next phase of the ORR and the remaining 26 out of 33 radial roads taken up would be grounded soon. 
  The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to ban the gutka industry in the State from April next year, an official spokesman said on 3 October. 
  
• Andhra Pradesh produces 13.5 lakh tones of fish a year:
  Andhra Pradesh ranks second in terms of growth in fish production with a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of eight per cent and with over 13.5 lakh tonne of fish production annually, according to a study by Assocham. The study titled 'A prize catch in Indian export basket' estimated that the country’s fish production would cross 13 million tonne by 2016 from the current nine million tonne. The current CAGR is 3.5 percent. The apex industry body, however, suggested to the government to take measures to improve infrastructure and offer incentives to tap the immense potential of the fisheries sector. "Indian marine waters are home to over 1,700 fish species, including 200 commercially significant species," said R. Sannareddy, chairman, southern regional council, Assocham. 
  
• Cabinet gives green signal to revised Companies Bill:
  Looking to better serve the interests of all stakeholders, the government approved amendments to Companies Bill 2011, including changes related to spending on CSR activities. The revised Companies Bill, which is expected to be introduced in the winter session of Parliament, has limited the number of companies an auditor can serve to 20. It has also brought in more clarity on criminal liability of auditors