NATIONAL OCTOBER 2015
- Govt appoints review committee to look into Non-NET and NET fellowships
Government has appointed a Review Committee to go into the issues related to the research fellowships provided by the University Grants Commission, covering National Eligibility Test, NET and Non-NET fellowships. The Review Committee will submit its report to the Ministry by year-end.
Human Resource Development Ministry in a release said all existing and continuing fellowships, NET as well as Non-NET will be continued. It said, the Ministry is in the process of reviewing the current research framework, efforts, opportunities, quality and output.
All India National Eligibility Test, a competitive examination is conducted twice a year by the UGC. The Non-NET Fellowship Scheme was introduced by the UGC in 2006. It is presently limited only to fifty institutions including Central Universities and those with Potential for Excellence. - Kullu Natti all set to enter Guinness Book of World Record
In Himachal Pradesh, the Kullu Natti, Pride of Kullu is all set to enter the Guinness Book of World Record as the largest Folk Dance in the world. The London Office of the Guinness Book of World Record has given its final approval to all the preparations made by the Kullu Dussehra Committee for this attempt of the largest folk dance.
The folk dance will be dedicated to the theme of Girl Child and participants would take a pledge to work for the cause of girl child. More than 13,000 men and women participants have registered for this Natti dance. In their traditional colourful dress they will perform at Dhalpur grounds to make this world record. More than 20 cameras including some drone cameras have been setup in the area to take different shots of the dance. - Rose Garden in Chanakyapuri inaugurated
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on 25th October inaugurated India-Africa Friendship Rose Garden developed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri. - Hyderabad, ‘the best Indian city to live in’ leaving behind Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore
Hyderabad was included in the list of the Best Indian city to live in, by Mercer’s Quality of Living Report of 2015. Earlier, Hyderabad was named as the ‘City of Pearls’ and now as the ‘Numero Uno City’. In this report, Hyderabad is said to be the city which has the best quality of living standards.
Mercer, which conducts its quality of living survey annually to help multinational companies and other employers compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments, the release said. Hyderabad leaves behind Delhi. Hyderabad was ranked 138th position globally by the Mercer report. Hyderabad beat many other cities in India like Pune (145), IT Hub Bangalore (146), Chennai (141), Mumbai (152) and India’s Capital New Delhi (154).
This report was prepared considering many aspects like political and social environment, medical care and health considerations, public services, recreation facilities and natural environment. The reason behind ranking Hyderabad ahead of traditional business centers was given by the Mercer report. This pointed out that Indian cities were ‘safer’ than most others in South Asia. - First-ever Hindi atlas on Mars Mission released
Union Minister of state for Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh released the first-ever Hindi atlas on India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) on 26th October. - Heritage development projects approved for 8 cities
The Centre on 27th October said heritage development projects have been approved for eight cities--Varanasi, Mathura, Ajmer, Dwaraka, Badami, Vellankini, Warangal and Amaravati at a cost of Rs 431 crore. Action plans under Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for eight cities have been approved at a total cost of Rs 431 crore. - Supreme Court refuses to ban firecrackers
The Supreme Court on 28th October refused to put a ban on firecrackers. However, the apex court directed the Centre to publish Pollution awareness advertisements from October 31 to November 12. The order came in response to public interest litigation. The Apex Court ruled that bursting of crackers is allowed from 6 AM to 10 PM. - CPCB recommends strict enforcement: The Central Pollution Control Board, CPCB, has recommended strict enforcement of stopping use of firecrackers after 10 pm. The recommendation comes amidst concern for noise and air pollution during Diwali celebrations.
CPCB conducted noise monitoring at 35 locations in seven cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Bangalore and Hyderabad on the occasion of Diwali and pre-Diwali last year.
The sound level ranged between 55 decibels to 65 decibels and maximum prescribed levels exceeded in Lucknow, Delhi followed by Mumbai and Chennai. - Against commercial surrogacy: Govt tells Supreme Court
The government told the Supreme Court that it does not support commercial surrogacy in order to protect the rights of surrogate mothers.
In an affidavit, the government said “altruistic surrogacy to needy, infertile married Indian couples” will be allowed after thorough checks are done on the couples.
On 26 October, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade restricted the import of human embryos to research purposes, as per guidelines issued by the department of health research (DHR), an arm of the health and family welfare ministry.
As per a 2013 notification of the commerce ministry, which has since been withdrawn, human embryos could be freely imported, subject to a no-objection certificate from the Indian Council of Medical Research. This means foreigners can no longer avail of surrogacy services in India.
The DHR guidelines suggested that only infertile married Indian couples ought to be allowed to avail of the surrogacy facility and not foreign couples.
The affidavit also informed the court that DHR has framed a draft surrogacy bill which will cover state governments and Union territories. A copy of the draft Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Regulation) Bill, 2014 has been uploaded on DHR’s website for suggestions from the public and stakeholders. - BARC, DRDO comes under Info: CIC
The Central Information Commission has told the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Defence Research and Development Organisation that they cannot withhold information in the guise of national security.
The decision, delivered on October 23, comes nearly a year after activists sought to ascertain the compliance of a August 2014 National Green Tribunal (NGT) verdict on the allotment of nearly 10,000 acres of grasslands for military, power generation and research purposes at Challakere in Central Karnataka. Even information regarding whether environment clearances, or plans to build pathways for villagers and to protect water bodies had been denied by DRDO and BARC.
Apart from fining the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Rs. 10,000 for “unduly delay,” Information Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu, termed ‘ridiculous’ the Ministry action in allowing BARC and DRDO to cite national security to withhold information.
The CIC’s order have raised hope of residents and environment activists to stall military, defence and research institutes from coming up on the land. - Nutrition bureau axed
Forty years after being established with a mandate to generate data on the nutritional status of socially vulnerable groups, the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) has been shut down by the Union Health Ministry.
The bureau, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had been critical in informing the government’s poverty alleviation interventions with periodic assessments of nutrient deficiency among tribal communities, pregnant women, adolescents and “at-risk” elderly population in India.
The bureau was the only organisation involved in continuous collection of data on actual dietary intakes of households as a whole as well as by individuals belonging to different age and physiological groups in different States. - KCR seeks amendment to Reorganisation Act
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on 28th October called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to highlight the bottlenecks in the State reorganisation Act to the detriment of the State.
Among the issues, he highlighted that people had to enter into Andhra Pradesh and return to Telangana if they were to travel from Bhadrachalam to Dummugudem, Wajedu and Venkatpur. This was due to transfer of seven mandals in Bhadrachalam division to East and West Godavari districts by an ordinance, initially which was later made into an Amendment Act.
The transfer of the mandals had also led to an imbalance in the Bhadrachalam Parliamentary and Assembly constituency. The Reorganisation Act had also envisaged increase in the number of Assembly constituencies of Telangana from 119 to 153 and that of AP from 175 to 225. Hence, Mr. Rao appealed to Mr. Singh to enact another amendment to the Act, it was stated. Mr. Rao also requested allotment of more IAS and IPS officers to the State as it was set to increase the number of districts up to 13 or 14. The State will require additional Collectors, Joint Collectors, Superintendents and Additional Superintendents of Police for the new districts. - Andhra Pradesh Govt. declares 196 of 670 mandals in the state as drought affected
The Andhra Pradesh government has declared 196 of the 670 mandals in the state as drought affected in the present Kharif season. The 196 mandals are spread over seven districts of Srikakulam, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool.
The government, after studying the recommendations of the Committee on Drought and keeping in view the reports furnished by the District Collectors announced these mandals as drought hit.
The State, during the southwest monsoon active period of 1 June to 30 September this year, received 519.7 mm of rainfall as against the normal rainfall of 549.1 mm with a deviation of -5.4 per cent. - Govt clears Defence projects worth over Rs 10,000 cr
The apex decision making body in the Defence Ministry cleared procurement proposals worth over Rs 10,000 crore, including the engine and avionics upgrade of 26 IL-76 and IL-38 aircraft. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also approved the proposals for purchasing two Pinaka multi barrel rocket launchers, two Deep Submergence Rescue Vessels (DSRV) and four multipurpose vessels for Navy. - Not a single study conducted before cleaning river Ganga: NGT
Noting that not a single study was conducted before the execution of cleaning Ganga river, the National Green Tribunal on 29th October stated that the time has come to issue "appropriate directions" in connection with the matter and it will not "tolerate any laxity and deficiency" in the matter. The bench, headed by the Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said cleaning Ganga was the project of paramount importance, which has also been stressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. - 93 pc adults voluntarily possess Aadhaar: UIDAI
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 30th October said 93 percent of adults in India voluntarily possess Aadhaar number as per a recent finding. To achieve universal Aadhaar coverage, the UIDAI is now focusing on child enrolment, besides mopping up remaining persons.
UIDAI having issued first Aadhaar number on 29th September 2010, has till date generated more than 92.68 crore Aadhaar in just five years' time. - National Tribal Advisory Council to be set up
The government has decided to set up a National Tribal Advisory Council for effecting monitoring and implementation of various tribal welfare schemes. This was announced by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram. The council will be chaired by the Prime Minister, and will meet once or twice in a year.
The Minister stressed the need for more effective community participation for the success of various tribal welfare schemes. He said that we cannot achieve significant results, unless we involve members of the society in the implementation process of various schemes. - India's first airport radio 'Mirchi T3' launched
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in association with Radio Mirchi on 30th October launched the India's first airport radio, Mirchi T3. The passengers at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport's Terminal 3 will get a chance to hear songs. - Govt commissions survey of sanitation scenario in 75 major cities
Union Urban Development Ministry has commissioned a survey of sanitation scenario in 75 major cities of the country including 53 with a population of above 10 lakhs each and state capitals. This is the first such survey since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (clean India programme) in October, 2014.
Seventy-five major cities includes 10 cities in Maharashtra, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 5 in Gujarat, 4 each in Tamil Nadu and Delhi, 3 each in Kerala, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and West Bengal
The survey parameters have been aligned with the objectives of clean India mission with more focus on solid waste management which is adversely impacting cleanliness in urban areas, as per the direction of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
The proposed survey and subsequent ratings to be completed in January next year is aimed at fostering a spirit of competition among the major cities and state capitals in 29 states and Chandigarh to ensure sanitation in urban areas.
In the proposed survey for rating of 75 major cities accounting for over 50 per cent of countrys total urban population, solid waste management is being given 60 per cent weightage followed by 15 per cent each for availability and use of household individual toilets and public and community toilets besides five per cent each for city level sanitation plans and Information, Education and Behaviour Change Communication (IEBC) activities.
Under the mission, about Rs 37,000 crore of the projects cost of Rs 62,009 crore is to be incurred on solid waste management.
In the last survey for ranking of 476 cities with a population of above one lakh each which was commissioned before the launch of the mission across the country, solid waste management had a weightage of only 13 per cent. - Tensions, controversial comments should be controlled: Moody
Noting that there has been a rise in “ethnic tensions” and “controversial comments” from various members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Moody’s Analytics said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must keep his party members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility.
Looking beyond the business cycle, the government’s reform agenda needs attention to achieve long-term growth, it said in a report ‘India Outlook: Searching for Potential’.
Though the agency remained optimistic about the economy and pegged the growth rate at 7.6 per cent in 2015 and 2016, it said it is unclear whether India can deliver the promised reforms and hit its growth potential. The economy grew at 7.3 per cent in the quarter ended September 30, Moody’s said, adding that this is below the potential of 9-10 per cent growth. While low interest rates will buttress the economy in the short term, external headwinds are impacting exports, it said. - Panel on new education policy
Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian will be the principal architect of the new policy that will chart the future course of education in India. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) is set to announce the constitution of a five-member committee that will be entrusted with the responsibility of drafting the country’s third National Education Policy (NEP) since Independence. The panel will be headed by Subramanian and will have four other retired bureaucrats as its members.
Shailaja Chandra, who retired as the chief secretary of Delhi government, and Sudhir Mankad, who served as the chief secretary of Gujarat from 2005 to 2007, will also be part of the drafting panel.
The first Education Policy was introduced in 1968 under the Indira Gandhi government following recommendations of the Kothari Commission. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced the second policy on education which resulted in Operation Blackboard, a centrally-sponsored programme to supply the bare minimum crucial facilities to all primary schools.
In 1992, this policy was modified under the prime ministership of P V Narsimha Rao. The Subramanian panel will assess the status of the present education scenario, review the impact of the 1986 policy and the amended education policy of 1992, assimilate the feedback based on grassroot-level consultations and draft a new one keeping in mind the changed social, economic and technological context.
The committee will be asked to submit its report by year end.
The HRD Ministry, under Smriti Irani, had earlier this year launched nation-wide consultations, at gram panchayat, block, district and state level, to collect feedback and suggestions for the new policy. This feedback will be provided to the drafting committee. - PM rules out scrapping of reservation policy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi categorically ruled out scrapping the reservation policy. Addressing a public meeting at MMRDA grounds in Mumbai, he said lies are being spread that reservation system is under threat. Mr Modi said falsehood must stop and terrorizing society end.
The Prime Minister also announced that November 26, the day Constitution was adopted, will be observed as 'Samvidhan Divas' as a step towards spreading awareness about the life of its chief architect Dr B R Ambedkar. - Par panel to suggest a new system for formulating treaties
A new system for more effective formulation of international treaties, including those on checking black money and promoting investments, is likely to be recommended soon by a Parliamentary panel.
The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by Congress MP E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, which is looking at the proposal, also favours creation of a new wing--Department of International Law--to ensure that matters related to international treaties and agreements are discussed, formulated and implemented in a better way.
The Committee has also favoured creation of Department of International Law under the Ministry of Law and Justice. The Ministry will also need to be renamed as Ministry of International Law, Domestic Law and Justice
The panel also heard submissions by officials of External Affairs, Commerce, Finance and Home ministries, Natchiappan said, adding that representatives of ministries of civil aviation, social justice, labour, and environment and forests will also be called in to give their views soon.
At present, Legal and Treaties division under the Ministry of External Affairs is entrusted with the task of negotiating all political treaties, agreements and conventions with foreign countries. - Bihar Sting operation: EC seeks report
The Election Commission on 12th October sought a report from East Champaran District Magistrate on a sting video that purportedly showed Bihar minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha accepting bribe. Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshmanan said that action will be taken after going through the inquiry report.
Kushwaha, who held Urban Development and Registration, Excise and Prohibition departments, had on 11th October resigned from the Nitish Kumar cabinet after a video went viral on social networking sites where Kushwaha was shown accepting money from a Mumbai-based businessman in return of favours. - Cash crops cost Telangana, Andhra Pradesh farmers dear
According to Hyderabad based Centre for Sustainable Agriculture estimates (CSA) Thirty-two farmers have committed suicide in the past three weeks in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Since its birth as a new state, Telangana has recorded 1,269 suicides. CSA also estimated that farmer suicides in Andhra Pradesh in the past 20 years (1995-2014) at 38,000.
Experts and policymakers are convinced the two states are facing prolonged farm distress. Suicide by farmers unable to handle crop loss and mounting debt in the dry parts of the two states is common during the kharif season.
The rainfall deficit in the districts of Mahabubnagar and Nizamabad in Telangana and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh is as high as 70 per cent. At least half the crop has failed and interventions by the government have hardly had an impact.
The problem is acute in Telangana because of a large-scale shift towards cotton. Medak, Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Nalgonda districts, which have large areas under cotton, are the worst affected. In Anantapur, groundnut farmers also face a crisis of stagnant prices and crop failure because of the district being in the rain shadow region.
A paper by K R Kranthi, director of the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur, links suicide with cotton yields. Whenever the yield increases, the number of suicides comes down.
Cotton is cultivated in about 2.4 million hectares in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana put together. This accounts for 17 per cent of the cultivated area in both the states. Undivided Andhra Pradesh was the third largest cotton producing state in India. After bifurcation, Telangana has become the third largest cotton producer, with 1.6 million hectares under cultivation. Andhra Pradesh is at fifth position, with 736,000 hectares. - Shiv Sena attack on veteran journalist
Shiv Sena activists abused and blackened the face of veteran journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni to protest his organising the launch of former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book on 12th October but the event went on ahead amid high security.
The attack happened when Kulkarni was leaving his home in Sion in south-central Mumbai, when a group of around a dozen Sena activists accosted him. - AP capital in PPP mode
The Andhra Pradesh state government said water and soil would be taken from all the villages in the state to Amaravati. Its mixture would be used in capital city construction. The idea is to promote an emotional bond with the capital city among the people. The Centre would help in raising essential administrative buildings like legislature for Andhra Pradesh, while a Master Developer would pitch in for development of the capital city
The foundation stone for capital city Amaravati would be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 'Vijaya Dasami' day (October 22). The state government is planning to organise the foundation-laying ceremony on a grand scale
It has "pooled" more than 33,000 acres of land from farmers and other land owners in the region as per its "land pooling scheme" offering them benefits like share in developed land.
Asked about mobilisation of funds for the capital city development, government has chosen Swiss Challenge method, under this govt will have to bring in investments in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Besides raising administrative buildings, the state government would make efforts to establish hubs of activity in areas like health, education, knowledge, and sports, legal and also entertainment in the capital region so that vibrant economic activity takes place. - Swachh Bharat’s Sub-Group of CM's submits report
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand, called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and submitted the final report of the sub-group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
The Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan was constituted on March 24, 2015 based on a decision taken in the first Governing Council Meeting of the NITI Aayog. It met four times at New Delhi, Chandigarh and Bengaluru where intense deliberations on implementation of the Swachh Bharat mission.
The main recommendations of the report include:- Bringing a behavior change and encouraging positive habits related to sanitation and cleanliness among the people. A behaviour change communication strategy and increasing funding for the Information, Education and Communication component of the Mission has been suggested.
- Including sanitation and cleanliness in school curriculums and formation of a team of students called 'Swachhta Senani' in schools and colleges
- Given the scale and importance of the programme, sharing pattern of funds for this programme between Centre and States may be in the ratio of 75:25, while for hilly States it may be kept at 90:10.
- To raise resources for the programme, Swachh Bharat bonds may be issued and a Swachh Bharat cess may be levied by the Central Government on petrol, diesel, telecom services and also on accumulated waste produced by plants generating mineral waste like coal, aluminum, and iron ore.
- Certain measures to attract private sector participation and Public Private Partnership Measures for operation and maintenance of community and public toilets for rural and urban areas has also been suggested
- Integration of rag pickers into the waste management system so that their livelihood is not adversely affected and a review of all laws and rules on waste management to ensure their strict enforcement.
- Successful implementation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan in a time bound and effective manner
- Govt to declassify Netaji files
The union Government has agreed to declassify the files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The process of declassification will begin on 23rd of January next year on his birth anniversary. This assurance came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the family members of Netaji who had an hour long meeting with him in New Delhi on 14th October. - DRDL named after Kalam
Prestigious defence units in the missile complex belonging to the DRDO were renamed on 15th October after former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said the government was aiming at complete indigenisation of missile technology by 2020 as dreamt by Kalam.
Mr Parrikar renamed the Missile Complex here, comprising the Advanced Systems Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat, as the APJ Abdul Kalam Missiles Complex. - Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary: SC
Supreme Court on 15th October said that Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary and not mandatory till matter is finally decided by it. The Apex Court, at the same time extended voluntary use of Aadhaar card for schemes like MGNREGA, all types of pension schemes, PM's Jan Dhan Yojana and EPF.
The apex Court today modified its August 11 order which restricted use of Aadhaar to public distribution system and LPG subsidy. The Bench was hearing a batch of requests made by the Centre, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDIA), the Reserve Bank of India and various government regulators for securities, insurance, telecom and pension. - SC upholds collegium system for appointment of Judges in Higher Judiciary
The Supreme Court on 16th October declared National Judicial Appointment Commission or NJAC Act as unconstitutional.
The petitions challenging the new legislation were filed by Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association and others contending that the new law on the selection and appointment of judges was unconstitutional and aimed at hurting the independence of judiciary.
However, the Centre had defended the introduction of the new law saying that the two-decades-old collegium system in which judges appointed judges was not free from defects. It got the support of the Supreme Court Bar Association and 20 state governments which ratified the NJAC Act and the constitutional amendment.
NJAC: NJAC Act was meant to replace the two-decade old collegium system of appointment of judges in higher judiciary. NJAC was a six-member body consisting of Chief Justice of India, two senior most Supreme Court judges, law minister and two nominated members.
The Apex Court has also rejected the plea of Centre that the petition challenging NJAC Act be referred to a larger bench.
The Executive maintains that the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act was part of judicial reforms in the country and had the backing of the entire Parliament and prominent jurists. All eyes will now be on the November 3rd hearing and the suggestions to improve the collegium system. - International Tourism Mart 2015 in Sikkim
Sikkim is playing host to fourth edition of International Tourism Mart 2015 which is being attended by delegates of 27 countries, all northeastern states and West Bengal. The state is going to become first fully organic state when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sikkim in January 2016.
With an eye on boosting eco friendly Tourism in the northeastern states, the fourth International Tourism Mart 2015 was inaugurated by Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) Mahesh Sharma in Sikkim's capital Gangtok on 15th October. - Blood banks can borrow from one another
In a major modification to the National Blood Policy, blood banks will now be able to borrow units from one another in case of a shortage. The Union Health Ministry took the decision on 17th October as part of reforms to the handling of blood units in the country.
Earlier, donated blood could not be transferred from one bank to another. In India, NACO implements the National Blood Safety Programme. A shortage of blood units has been a recurring problem since the Supreme Court, on January 1, 1998, banned paid donation. - Govt to introduce new Labour codes on wages
According to Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, changes will soon be made in Labour Laws to rationalize them and ensure workers welfare with world standards. 44 laws will be integrated into four labour codes. According to him near consensus has been arrived at in the Tripartite meetings over the Labour Codes on Wages and Industrial Relations.
The minister also said the Employees Provident Fund Amendment Bill will also be introduced the next session to benefit about 40 crore people in the unorganized sector.
The Labour Minister further said the Provident Fund Act will also be amended and proposed Bill to this effect will be introduced in the next session. - Parliament panel on Lokpal gets third extension
The deadline for a Parliamentary panel examining the bill on anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal for submission of its report has been extended for a third time till November 15
The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by Congress MP E M Sudarsana Natchiappan, is examining the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and Other Related Law (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The panel was expected to submit its report last month-end.
The amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 18 last year after which it was referred to the Committee on December 22. It was asked to submit its report by March 25 this year.
The Lokpal Act, 2013 provides for establishment of the anti-graft watchdog Lokpal for the Union and Lokayuktas for the states to inquire into corruption complaints against public servants.
The Lokpal selection committee headed by the Prime Minister has as its members the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House, the Chief Justice of India or a judge of the apex court nominated by him, and an eminent jurist who could be nominated by the President or any other member. - Six waste-to-energy plants to be set up under Swachh Bharat Mission
In a significant step towards generating power from garbage under the Swachh Bharat Mission, six waste-to-energy plants with installed capacity of about 74 MW will be commissioned next year including two in the national capital. Solid Waste Management (SWM) is a crucial component of Swachh Bharat Mission.
While a waste-to-energy plant is coming up at Ghazipur to produce 12 MW power by processing 2,000 tonnes waste per day, another plant will be commissioned at Narela-Bawana here to generate 24 MW power from waste.
There will be two waste-to-energy plants producing 11 MW each in Jabalpur and Hyderabad, besides a 12.6 MW plant at Nalgonda in Telangana, and 3 MW plant in Chennai. These will be commissioned next year. - Indian islands to be developed under Swiss challenge model
The Centre is going to implement a comprehensive plan to develop Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands, for an integrated modernisation of the region, under its 'Sagarmala' initiative. The plan is to develop these islands under the 'Swiss challenge system', where third parties make offers (challenges) for a project within a designated period to avoid exaggerated project costs.
As a step forward in this direction, the government will soon appoint an island development consultant to identify opportunities for each of the shortlisted island clusters and prepare a detailed project report. The consultant will also manage the bidding process for the clusters and set up a cell to monitor the project implementation process.
Islands with more than two sq km in area are to be taken up for commercial activities like tourism, agriculture, fisheries and handicraft.
According to government data, India has 1,238 islands, of which only 104 are inhabited. Of the 46 inhabited ones that are bigger than two sq km, 27 are located in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
The study is to be done in four phases.
Develop road map- Island development consultant to be appointed
- Islands with more than two square km of area to be considered for the project
- Phase I: Assessment, shortlisting of islands, creation of island clusters
- Phase II: Identification of development potential and opportunities for shortlisted clusters
- Phase III: Creation of detailed development plans and selection of implementation agency
- Phase IV: Project implementation monitoring
- Telangana CM adopts Narsannapeta village too
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao on 4th October announced that he would adopt another village, Narsannapeta, in Jagdevpur mandal of Medak district. Earlier he adopted Yerravelli village. - 2nd phase of Mission Indradhanush launched
Union Health Minister J P Nadda on 5th October launched the second phase of Mission Indradhanush to achieve full immunisation of children below two years.
The week-long programme will be implemented from 7th October in 352 districts of the country. The objective of the Mission is to fully immunise those children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against the seven diseases including Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus and Hepatitis B.
Around 40 lakh children will be administered vaccines in this phase. During the 1st phase which was rolled out in April this year in 201 districts, 45 lakh children were covered out of which around 20 lakh were fully immunised. The mission had been launched in December last year with the aim of expanding immunization coverage to all children across India by year 2020. - Conference on women in law enforcement begins in Hyderabad
The International Women in Law Enforcement Conference, the first-of-its-kind to be held to India, started in Hyderabad with Aruna Bahuguna, Director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), urging all women officers to build on breakthroughs achieved by women pioneers and exhorted them to "follow in their footsteps."
In her Inaugural address, she emphasised that "as present world has shrunk into a global village and crime and terrorism sweep across continents, oceans and even space, it is but logical that women law enforcers join hands to fight crime-be it in the form of terrorism, technology or radicalisation."
Recognising the growing expectation from women police officers and the need for greater professionalism, this three-day Conference jointly organised by SVPNPA and Charles Sturt University (CSU), Australia has attempted "to unite women law enforcers, sans borders", a statement quoted Bahuguna as saying.
Introducing the conference, Professor Tracey Green, from CSU, Australia, stressed that this was a unique opportunity for networking at every level from global, regional to national scale on many key aspects of policing from organised crime, border security, terrorism and radicalisation and counter radicalisation. - India Tops Asia in Sending Scientists and Engineers to US: Study
India tops all other Asian countries for immigrant scientists and engineers in the US, accounting for 950,000 out of the continent's total of 2.96 million, said a new report. The figure is for the year, 2013, showing an 85 per cent increase from 2003, according to a report from the National Science Foundation's National Centre for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES).
In 2013, the latest year for which numbers are available, 63 per cent of US immigrant scientists and engineers were naturalised citizens, while 22 per cent were permanent residents and 15 per cent were temporary visa holders.
Of the immigrant scientists and engineers in the US in 2013, 57 per cent were born in Asia, 20 per cent were born in North America (excluding the US), Central America, the Caribbean or South America, said the report. The NCSES report found that immigrant scientists and engineers were more likely to earn post-baccalaureate degrees than their US-born counterparts.
In 2013, 32 per cent of immigrant scientists reported their highest degree was a masters as compared to 29 per cent of US-born counterparts, and nine per cent reported it was a doctorate compared to four per cent of US-born counterparts.
The most common broad fields of study for immigrant scientists and engineers in 2013 were engineering, computer and mathematical sciences, and social and related sciences. Over 80 per cent of immigrant scientists and engineers were employed in 2013, the same percentage as their US-born counterparts.
Among the immigrants in the science and engineering workforce, the largest share of 18 per cent worked in computer and mathematical sciences, while the second-largest share of eight per cent worked in engineering.
The three occupations of life scientist, computer and mathematical scientist, and social and related scientist, saw substantial immigrant employment growth from 2003 to 2013. Data presented in the NCSES report is from the 2013 SESTAT, an integrated data system that provides a comprehensive picture of individuals educated or employed in science and engineering fields. - Supreme Court refuses universal use of Aadhaar Card
Supreme Court declines relaxing its order to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar card for some welfare schemes; says all pleas to be heard by a constitution bench. The Supreme Court on 7th October declined relaxing its order to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar card for some welfare schemes at this stage.
SC also referred pleas of Central Govt, RBI, SEBI & others to a larger bench to decide whether Aadhar card can be used for schemes other than PDS & LPG. RBI and SEBI along with Gujarat and Jharkhand governments had approached the apex Court seeking clarity on the issue of Aadhar card.
The RBI sought the intervention of the apex court to allow Aadhar to be used as identification for availing various financial services and subsidies from banks and other financial institutions.
The market regulator, SEBI, asked for more clarity on where and how Aadhar card can be used in securities markets. The two state governments - Gujarat and Jharkhand want Aadhar to be a requirement for availing government services other than the public distribution system. - Cabinet approves construction of National War Memorial near India Gate
A National War Memorial and Museum will be constructed near the famed India Gate in the capital. The decision was taken by the Cabinet on 7th October in New Delhi. The memorial will be in the in memory of 22,500 soldiers who sacrificed their lives while in the line of duty post-independence. The Cabinet also cleared 3 new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences.
It will be established at Nagpur in Maharashtra, Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh and at Kalyani in West Bengal under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. The cost will be nearly Rs. 5,000 crore. - Neeranchal’ programme: The World Bank-assisted ‘National Watershed Management Project’ or ‘Neeranchal’ received the approval for implementation by the Union Cabinet. The project aims to fulfill the watershed component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMSKY) to reduce surface runoff of rainwater, increase groundwater levels and better water availability in rain-fed areas.
The cost of the project is estimated at Rs.2,142.30 crore of which the Centre will be pitching in with Rs. 889 crore while Rs. 182 crore will be provided by the respective State Governments. The remaining 50 per cent of the project cost will be financed by a World Bank loan.
It will be implemented across nine States - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
According to the Department of Land Resources, irrigation coverage across Maharashtra is estimated 15 per cent and 24 per cent in AP, while in MP and Gujarat it is about 32 and 34 per cent, respectively. Stating that small check dams could help improve agricultural output, Gadkari believed that the project could have a “huge impact” in the country. - Center sets target of adopting 50,000 children by next year
The center has set a target of 50,000 orphan children to be adopted by December next year. According to Women and child development Minister Ms Maneka Gandhi one reason people go for illegal adoption is because legal agencies trouble them a lot. The minister directed the state governments to work effectively so that 50,000 orphans will be adopted by the end of next year.
The minister also said there should be state adoption resource agencies in every districts of the country. Mrs Gandhi said the Child Welfare Committees which are not functioning properly should be immediately shut down. - Central Research Institute for Homeopathy inaugurated in Noida
The Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health and Family Welfare Sripad Yasoo Naik inaugurated the Dr. D. P. Rastogi Central Research Institute for Homeopathy in Noida on 7th October.
The institute has been set up for overall promotion and development of Homeopathic System of Medicine and carrying out advanced research on scientific lines in homeopathy. The Institute has facilities of a high order including facilities for all types of investigations, X-Ray, Ultrasound, blood tests, ophthalmology, ENT, physiotherapy, etc. The Institute has a 50 bedded IPD and caters to need to nearly 600 OPD patients per day. - Andhra Pradesh to develop 4,800 MW wind power in 5 years
The Andhra Pradesh government on 8th October outlined plans to encourage the setting up 4,800 MW of wind power capacity in the State over the next five years, with a potential investment of Rs. 30,000 crore. At a workshop held in Vijayawada on the opportunities for growth in wind energy, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA), senior government officials and industry experts underlined the huge growth opportunities for developers, manufacturers and financial institutions in the sector. - Jaganmohan Reddy begins indefinite fast for special status
YSRC president YS Jaganmohan Reddy began his indefinite fast at Guntur near here, demanding separate category status to Andhra Pradesh. The leader of opposition along with his supporters launched the "deeksha" in the afternoon after paying tributes to those who committed suicide over the delay in the state getting the special status. - In a first, Indian Air Force to induct women as fighter pilots
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will soon induct women as fighter pilots, said Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. That will make it the first of the three wings of the armed forces to put women in combat roles. The air force has about 1,500 women, of which 108 are pilots in the helicopter and transport units.
It is yet to be seen if the move will have any impact on the other two armed forces. The Indian navy does not permit women officers on its warships while in the army women do not find a place in the combat arms. Conditions are different in the three services and it is unlikely that the other two services will quickly follow the example of the air force
A 2010 high court verdict had granted women officers the right to permanent commissions but this has not been fully implemented. The IAF's initiative is a significant victory for those fighting for equal rights for women in the armed forces. - AP CM launches ‘e-pragati’ project in Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched ‘e-pragati’ project in Visakhapatnam on 9th October. The Project envisages integration of 33 departments and 315 agencies in the government and it provides a bouquet of 745 services to public, government and other agencies. It has been designed with an estimated investment of Rs. 2,358 crore and IT giant Wipro is extending the technological support for the ground work.
The project will lead to free-flow of information among various departments and will reduce the time in providing multiple services to the people. - Nearly one-third of mercy petitions commuted to life since Independence
About one -third of all mercy petitions in Independent India have been commuted to life imprisonment with a new report stating that 3534 of 5106 petitions were rejected while 1572 were considered favourably.
This is the first such estimate of mercy petitions filed since Independence and is based on several sources accessed by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in its report Status of Mercy Petitions in India. This comes close on the heels of controversial execution of 2012 Mumbai terror blast convict Yakub Memon earlier this year. A Law Commission report on death penalty has recommended striking off capital punishment from the statute books except in terror-related cases.
There are no official statistics on the actual number of mercy petitions filed by convicts on death row in independent India. However, the MHA had earlier informed the Rajya Sabha on November 29, 2006 that 1261 mercy petitions had been disposed of by the President between 1965 and 2006. As on August 5, 2015 four mercy petitions are pending: two each with the President and the MHA.
The study also points out that while the government has issued guidelines in dealing with mercy petitions but in an analysis of 41 cases, it found that these guidelines were violated on several occasions. These included cases where the government withheld information related to medical records of a prisoner from the President, cases where the mercy petition was lost and one where the government continued to pursue the mercy petition of a prisoner even after his death in a prison. - 42 govt sanctioned mega food parks to be operational within next 3 yrs
According to the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal all the 42-mega food parks sanctioned by the government will be fully operational within the next three years. She has spoken in World Packaging Congress in Mumbai 9th October.
According to Minister, in the food processing sector's potential the present government has brought freshness and thrust with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pro-actively promoting “Make in India". The schemes including the 2,000 crore rupees corpus for cheaper loans through NABARD, subsidies to set up food parks, cold storages, abattoirs and 100 percent foreign direct investment in food processing are expected to boost the sector.
Mrs Badal said even though India is one of the largest producers of food globally, only 10 per cent of this food is processed. She said food processing could significantly reduce wastage, generate employment, offer better prices to farmers and help in reducing food inflation. - Resigns against rising intolerance continuing
Joining ranks with Nayantara Sahgal and Ashok Vajpeyi, who have returned their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against the ‘rising tide of intolerance in the country and assault on freedom of expression,’ poet K. Satchidanandan has resigned from all panels of the Akademi and feminist writer Sara Joseph has announced her decision to return the Akademi award that she had won in 2003.
Mr. Satchidanandan, former secretary of the Akademi, said in Delhi that he was resigning from the general council, executive board, and various committees of the premier body.
Critic K.S. Ravikumar and short story writer P.K. Parakkadavu, members of the Akademi general counsel, also announced their decision to resign from the Akademi general counsel.
With poet K. Satchidanandan and feminist writer Sara Joseph, both from Kerala, joining the ranks of Nayantara Sahgal, Ashok Vajpeyi, Shashi Deshpande and others by resigning from official posts and returning literary honours, Sahitya Akademi president Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari finally broke his silence on 10th October. Mr. Tiwari said a letter, signed by him and bearing the signatures of the vice-president and five members of the executive council, condemning the attack on writers and the assault on the freedom of expression will be issued shortly. - Rajamundry to be Rajamahendra varam
The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet on 10th October decided to get the Polavaram project executed at the current construction rates and to entrust the diaphragm part of the dam to L&T Geo Structure and Bayer. The Cabinet resolved to change the name of Rajahmundry into Rajamahendravaram. The government will soon issue a notification to that effect and communicate it to the Centre. The new name will then be incorporated into records. - Unscientific formation of roads causes 15000 deaths in India per year: Govt
Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari Gadkari has said that unscientifically planned roads and curves have caused around 15,000 deaths in India per annum. He said, this can be averted by improving Road Asset Management System (RAMS) technology.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a workshop on Road Asset Management System being developed for the National Highways. The outcome of this project, which is funded by World Bank, will assist in the accurate and scientific based maintenance and development of National Highways.
Mr. Gadkari said, RAMS will be tested using a data collected over 3000 kilo meters of National Highways through state of the art laser coupled with GPS connected to GAGAN and Mobile mapping system. - Govt releases postal stamp on late Mahanth Awaidyanath
Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad released a postal stamp on late Mahanth Awaidyanath, former MP and chair person of Shri Ram Janam Bhumi Yajnya Samiti today at Gorakhpur in U.P. Releasing 5 rupee stamp on the occasion of his death anniversary, he said that government will release stamps on freedom fighters, literary personalities and on other great people.
Shri Prasad said that series postal stamps on Ramayana and Mahabharata will also be released soon. The Communication minister said that postal payments will be started very soon. - Govt notifies 'Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015'
The Central Government notified 'Mid Day Meal Rules, 2015' on 2nd October in the Gazette of India. The Ministry of HRD had finalized the MDM Rules after consultation with the States and other related Central Ministries.
The Rules inter alia provide for temporary utilization of other funds available with the school for MDM in case school exhausts MDM funds for any reason. Food Security Allowance to be paid to beneficiaries in case of non-supply of meals; and monthly testing of meals on a random basis by accredited Labs to check its quality.
Further, the Rules also provide that concerned State Governments shall fix responsibility on the person or agency if meals are not provided on 3 consecutive school days or 5 days in a month. - Telangana Government Constitutes Project Authority for Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme
The Telangana state government has formed a project authority for the implementation of Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) on 2nd October. According to the decision of the state cabinet, orders were issued constituting the project authority. The state government has accorded administrative approval for the PRLIS and allocated `35,200 crore for the scheme. The authority will oversee the time bound execution of PRLIS.
Composition of the authority: The Authority shall be headed by an IAS officer and the team comprises of an Engineering Unit (headed by a chief engineer), Land Unit (headed by a special collector / SDC), Finance Unit (headed by chief financial officer), Project Monitoring Unit and office administration cell. The authority will have full powers to enter into contracts and execute works on contract duly following the contractual norms. - Tipu palace opened Brailee signage
Mysore ruler, Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace in Bengaluru has become the first Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monument in Karnataka and the third in the country to have facilities such as the tactile pathway and Braille signage.
The facilities, installed by Bhopal-based NGO Arushi, were inaugurated on 2nd October. With the new facility in place, visually impaired persons will now be able to access the site on their own and experience its grandeur.
Two other monuments that have both Braille signage and tactile pathway in India are Sanchi Stupa in Bhopal and Lakshmana Temple at Sirur in Chhattisgarh. ASI now plans to provide these facilities in monuments at Belur, Halebidu, Chitradurga Fort and Shravanabelagola. - Siddipet mile stone in Swatch Bharat
Siddipet, a constituency which is being represented by Harish Rao, has added a feather in its cap by ensuring a toilet for every household and is all set to become the first constituency in the State to be declared ‘Open Defecation Free (ODF)’.
The constituency is having 64,733 houses and every household is having a toilet now. Last month alone saw the construction of 5,531 toilets making sure that all were completed by. - AP Offers local status to those willing to migrate before 2nd July, 2017
Andhra Pradesh state government has decided to grant local status to students and employees residing in Telangana State if they shift to Andhra Pradesh on or before June 2, 2017.
With state bifurcation, the AP government planned to shift government employees to Andhra Pradesh. But, union leaders expressed concern about their children becoming non-locals if they shift from Telangana State to Andhra Pradesh.
After several deliberations, the AP cabinet has taken a decision on 1st October to accord local status to AP natives of Telangana. - E-Panchayat in Telangana state
Telangana state Panchayat Raj Minister K. Tarakarama Rao launched e-Panchayat in Bibipet of Domakonda mandal in Nizamabad district on 2nd October.
E -Panchayats were being launched to extend server services to the rural population using Information Technology. Services like e-Seva and Mee Seva were confined to mandals but from now on, these services would be available at village level through e-Panchayats. The villagers can now get services like Land Records, Income Certificate, Birth and Death Certificates and also the banking services.
E-Panchayat facilities would be available in nearly 700 Gram Panchayats across Telangana State by this month end. At present this programme has been launched in 104 villages on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi.
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