Bharat Darpan

Excellence Enhancement centre for the Indian Power Sector Launched

2012-02-02T05:37:00.001-08:00

Minister of State for Power, Shri K.C. Venugopal has underlined the need for improving energy efficiency in power sector. He was launching the Excellence Enhancement Centre (EEC) for the Indian power sector at a function in New Delhi today. Stating that the present level of average efficiency of power generation in the country is only 32.5%, the Minister said even incremental increase in power cycle efficiency will not only reduce the generation cost, but will also result in quantum jump in energy saving and reduce the emission level. He said that the establishment of Excellence Enhancement Centre will play a major role in addressing the challenges in power sector and facilitate achieving higher cycle efficiency.

Highlighting the issue of renovation and modernisation aging power stations, the Minister said that the works relating to 87 units having an aggregate capacity of 19,366 MW have been completed during 11th Five Year Plan. He added that another 135 units with a total capacity of 34,681 MW would be taken up during 12th Five Year Plan. Shri Venugopal said that the Excellence Enhancement Centre should channalize the best of the technologies and methodologies available in the world for carrying out the renovation and modernisation of aging power stations for optimum results.

The Minister informed that the schemes introduced during the 11th Plan such as Bachat Lamp Yojana (BLY), Standards and Labelling (S&L) and Energy Conservation Building Code have led to the saving of 7665 MW till March 2011 and energy saving of another 3409 MW during the current year is expected. He said that to establish energy consumption standards and to ensure its compliance by designated consumers, a scheme called Perform, Achieve & Trade (PAT) mechanism was introduced. The Minister added that energy saving certificates would be issued to those stations who over-achieve the target which can be traded with those who could not achieve their targets. He said there is heavy penalty for those who do not achieve their targets. By this, the Minister said that an energy saving of 3.1 million tons of oil equivalents in Thermal Power Stations by 2014-15 is expected. He asked the Excellence Enhancement Centre to play a major role in establishing base line data required for the implementation of the scheme.

Regarding the improvement in the distribution network Shri Venugopal said that the Ministry of Power is finalising eight smart grid pilot worth Rs. 500 crore. He said the focus will be on building a distribution business that is smart grid compatible and connects the proposed smart grid to the end consumer through smart metering and related technological interventions.

In his address, Shri P. Uma Shankar, Secretary, Power said that it is necessary to optimise use of coal by power plants and improve their efficiency. The German Ambassador, Mr. Cord Meier-Klodt said that the Centre is brain child of Indo-German Energy Forum and there is a large potential that the two countries can achieve together. The Chairman, Central Electricity Authority, Shri A.S. Bakshi said that the Excellence Enhancement Centre will provide a platform for sharing best practices in power sector.

Prime Minister constitutes an Expert Committee on Sugar Sector

2012-01-27T05:07:00.001-08:00

Prime Minister has constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, to examine issues relating to the sugar sector. The other members of the committee are:

1. Dr. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance
2. Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution
3. Secretary, Department of Agriculture
4. Dr. Ashok Gulati, CACP
5. Shri Nand Kumar, former Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution and Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and presently Member NDMA
6. Dr. K.P. Krishnan, Secretary EAC – Convener

The Committee has been empowered to involve such experts, academics as required as special invitees. The Committee will look into all the issues relating to de-regulation of the sugar sector and it has been requested to complete its task as early as possible and give its recommendations to the Prime Minister. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has been requested to provide the necessary support to the Committee in discharging its functions.

Celebrating the Vision of Rabindranath Tagore A Multifaceted Genius

2012-01-20T04:39:00.000-08:00

On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Ministry of Culture, is paying homage to the multifaceted genius’ vision with a grand Commemoration, that involves central ministries, state governments, universities, civil society groups and Tagore experts and enthusiasts, from India and countries across the globe. To set policy guidelines for the union of efforts envisaged for such a commemoration, a National Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh was constituted on 27 April 2010.

In the first meeting of the National Committee, held on 20 May 2010, the Prime Minister made note of the need to not only highlight various facets of Tagore’s own personality, but also key aspects of his contribution to the arts, education, rural development, sensitivity to the environment and gender issues, and bringing India closer to the rest of the world. In order to provide a framework for programmes and schemes that would highlight these, and facilitate the decisions of the National Committee, a National Implementation Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Comprising senior Cabinet ministers and eminent academicians, the NIC held three decisive meetings, that culminated with the Inaugural function of the Commemoration on 7 May 2011, at New Delhi.

The Commemoration was initiated with a series of exceptional launches. The National Advisory Council Chairperson, Smt Sonia Gandhi, released Rabindra Chitravali, which compiles 2,065 images of Rabindranath Tagore’s paintings, drawings and doodles from the rich collection of Visva-Bharati, Rabindra Bharati University and the National Gallery of Modern Art, in four elegantly produced volumes. These volumes include commentaries, notes and technical details about the works reproduced as well as some of Tagore’s own writings on art, aesthetics and his paintings. The compendium makes Tagore’s paintings accessible to art historians and scholars and provides a comprehensive reference on his visual art. This is for the first time that the entire work of an artist has been digitally unified.

Memorable Publications

The programme also saw the release of other memorable publications on Tagore, including special issues of India Perspectives and India Horizons, besides commemorative stamps and coins, and a commemorative audio-visual archival album, Tagore Stories on Film. The last comprises five films based on Tagore’s stories and a 34-minute film, Natir Puja, which is the surviving portion of a silent film that Tagore himself made in 1932. All the films and documentaries are subtitled and have undergone picture and sound restoration. The 6-pack DVD set, produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in collaboration with the Ministries of Culture and Information and Broadcasting, also includes a 54-minute documentary by Satyajit Ray on Tagore’s life.
Tagore Award For Promotion Of Universal Brotherhood

One of the key highlights of the function was the Prime Minister’s announcement of the Tagore Award for Promotion of Universal Brotherhood, instituted by the Government of India to be given once a year, from 2012, with a prize money of Rs 1 crore. The Award, based on nominations of luminaries including Nobel laureates and Bharat Ratna/Jnanpith awardees, and the decision of a jury to be chaired by the Prime Minister, would be made irrespective of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex. The Closing ceremony on 7 May 2012 will see the announcement of the first the Award for 2012.

Tagore National Fellowship For Cultural Research

To commemorate the event, the Ministry of Culture announced the Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research with the objective of rejuvenating various cultural institutions in the country which have vast collections of manuscripts, paintings and artifacts, by making these available for research. Open to both Indian nationals and foreign citizens, the scheme incorporates two categories of awards. The first category, ‘Tagore National Fellows’, carries an honorarium of Rs 80,000/per month with up to 15 awards given in a year. The second category is for ‘Tagore Research Scholars’ to be paid a monthly honorarium of Rs 50,000/. The scheme is expected to cover 29 MoC institutions, including all three National Akademies and seven Zonal Cultural Centres, besides eight non-MoC institutions. Scholars and projects are to be selected by a National Selection Committee (NSC), comprising of eminent scholars from different fields of study.
Joint India-Bangladesh Commemoration

One of the most significant aspects of this commemoration is the Joint India-Bangladesh Commemoration that resulted from the Cultural Exchange Programme for 2010-12 between India and Bangladesh, signed on 11 January 2010 in New Delhi, in the presence of the Prime Ministers of the two countries. A twelve-member Indian delegation led by Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Jawhar Sircar, visited Dhaka and held discussions while the Culture Secretary, Government of Bangladesh reciprocated with a visit to India on 7 April 2011.

Marked by various cultural programmes in different cities of both countries, including seminars, lectures and workshops by artists and experts of both countries, the Joint Commemoration includes Rabindra Natyan, a unique project for collaborative playwriting, the establishment of Tagore Chairs and Tagore Centres for research in select universities besides several seminal publications, the joint production of documentary films on the life and works of Tagore and a Joint Tagore Play festival with participants from both countries.
UNESCO For Hosting Cultural Events

The Ministry has extended support to UNESCO for hosting cultural events such as ‘Remembering Tagore’, organised in the Maison de l’UNESCO, Paris. Several international exhibitions of Tagore’s paintings are also underway. Around 250 original paintings of Tagore have been chosen for display in Berlin(Germany), London(UK), Paris(France), Rome(Italy), New York & Chicago(USA) and Seoul(South Korea). This is for the first time that the original works of Tagore have been exhibited anywhere in the world.

In addition, fifteen busts of Rabindranath Tagore, commissioned by the Ministry, are to be sent for installation in different countries, in association with the Indian High Commisions in these countries. The first of these was unveiled by the President of India, Smt Pratibha Patil in the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, in October 2011. The busts are also in the process of getting installed in Sri Lanka, Tel Aviv (Israel) and Columbia.

Conservation Of Heritage Buildings In Santiniketan

In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Archaeological Survey of India’s Kolkata Circle is implementing the conservation of twenty-seven heritage buildings in Santiniketan, including seven in which Tagore himself lived at different stages of his life. Besides structural conservation, ASI is undertaking scientific conservation of mural paintings in the 27 heritage buildings which include works by Abanindranath Tagore, Binodebehari Mukherjee, Somnath Hore and other luminaries of Indian art. An exhibition of photographs entitled ‘The Idea of Space and Rabindranath Tagore’, held at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, in August 2011, also explored Tagore’s world-view through his residential spaces and in the educational buildings created at Santiniketan between 1910 and 1940.
Kalaanukramik Rabindra Rachanavali Project

Among the projects funded by Culture Ministry, to be implemented by Visva-Bharati, is the launch of the Kalaanukramik Rabindra Rachanavali Project, presenting all of Tagore’s writings in Bangla and English including his published correspondences, in a chronological order in about 80 volumes. A special committee has been set up by the Ministry of Culture to assess and make periodic reviews of this mammoth project.
Online Archive Of All Rabindranath Tagore’s Works

Bichitra - A Complete Electronic Variorum of Tagore’s Text, is another monumental venture undertaken by the School of Cultural Texts and Records, Jadavpur University, in collaboration with Rabindra-Bhavana, Santiniketan and with financial support from the Ministry of Culture. Targeting completion by March 2013, Bichitra will provide an online archive of all Rabindranath Tagore’s works in manuscript and print, with significant versions and revisions of each work, enabling comparisons of all authentic versions of each text. It aims to contribute to Tagore’s own idea of universal dissemination and extension of knowledge, through a humane application of technology.

Exploring Tagore’s diverse facets are two publications supported by the Ministry, Something Old, Something New: Rabindranath Tagore, by Marg publications, Mumbai, and Prof Sugata Bose’s English translations of a hundred songs of Tagore, accompanied by a 5-pack audio CD set.

A screening committee, under the Chairmanship of acclaimed film director, Shri Shyam Benegal, constituted by the Government, selected films and documentaries on Tagore and his works, for financial assistance from the Government. Two of these, Rituparno Ghosh’s documentary, Home and the World, and Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s 13 short films based on 13 poems of Tagore, are under production.
Renovating and Creating Tagore Cultural Complexes

Another area which has been brought into focus in the course of the Commemoration is that of Tagore cultural complexes and auditoria. In his opening remarks to the First Meeting of the National Committee for the Commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, drew attention to the Centenary Celebrations held in 1961 when a programme of building auditoria and cultural complexes named after Tagore, was initiated. The National Committee, along with the National Implementation Committee under the Union Minister of Finance, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, recognised the need for renovation, upgradation and expansion of these buildings and complexes, while simultaneously creating new Tagore cultural complexes in state capitals and other cities where no such structures exist, within the framework of a revised MPCC (state-sponsored Multi-Purpose Cultural Complex) scheme. Besides setting up new complexes, it is expected to significantly rejuvenate existing Rabindra Auditoria by modernising them into state-of-the-art cultural complexes with facilities and infrastructure for stage performances, exhibitions, seminars, literary activities, film shows, etc. launched by the Ministry of Culture to provide financial assistance to nonprofit organisations for hosting commemorative cultural programmes, the Tagore Commemoration Grant Scheme (TCGS), was introduced on 21st September 2010. The scheme would also support universities, including university centres and institutions. Zonal Tagore Cultural Committees are to scrutinise proposals and sanction grants. This scheme generated a lot of interest amongst the cultural organizations and a large number of cultural events were organized to commemorate Tagore’s anniversary.

The Commemoration, though ongoing, has already elicited a buoyant wave of enthusiasm from a cross-section of society and age-groups, and augur a positive trend for participating institutions as well as receptivity to the ideas embodied by Tagore. A large number of organizations in India and abroad have also been holding events to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on their own without any assistance from the Government as the initiatives taken by Ministry of Culture generated so much of interest and enthusiasm that many private organizations have come forward to commemorate this event in a befitting manner. As a result of all these efforts, the Government succeeded in disseminating the ideas of Tagore to the world at large very effectively.

Bharat Nirman Volunteers

2012-01-19T05:16:00.001-08:00

A Bharat Nirman Volunteer (BNV) is an individual who comes voluntarily from a rural household to act as an organic link between a group of families and hosts of various line departments with a purpose to ensure the unreached households to access benefits under various government sponsored progarmmes. In other words, they are “the last mile human connectivity between programmes and the unreached”. Till date, 31,000 volunteers have enrolled as BNVs in different states of the country and the target is to enrol around one lakh sixty thousand by March this year.

Why Bharat Nirman Volunteers?

The Government and the State Governments concerned have been implementing various welfare and development programmes for over many decades, however many evaluation studies have shown the gaps in implementation of the programmes affecting the delivery of benefits to the intended BPL families. The delivery mechanisms placed at different levels are limited in size and the inadequate time to reach out to the targeted rural households also make the schemes reach not only untimely but also undeserving.

Therefore, in order to provide the human face at the last mile connectivity with the rural households, it is envisaged to use the potential youth in the name of Bharat Nirman Volunteers (BNVs) to create awareness about all welfare and development programmes among rural households for better planning and quality implementation of programmes with transparency and accountability.

Why should they work voluntarily?

Over a period of time, the rural fabric has suffered due to factors like mushrooming of local power groups, lack of unity among various communities, lack of awareness about issues concerning them, indifference of the service delivery sectors, lack of awareness about procedural aspects of programme implementation and therefore, the benefits of different government programmes are not reaching the poor deserving households. Moreover, participation of rural families in the process of planning and implementation of various welfare and development programmes is found to be inadequate. Therefore, voluntary involvement of villagers themselves, particularly youth was found necessary to provide opportunities to participate in socio-economic change, for village development whereby development of their own households was possible. BNVs found perceptible change in their personality/attitudes, they earned self-respect, recognition and in the event of achieving any milestones, the feeling that “we did it” gave enormous self-esteem.

The training imparted to them emphasized values and morality coupled with the objectives of all the development schemes of the government has attracted their attention to several of the social ills afflicting their communities from ages like alcoholism to migration to school drop outs to issues of the rural economy, governance and planning. The way in which they put to good use the institutions of the gram sabha, gram panchayat and the instruments of committees for resolving issues amicably and in a disciplined and planned manner was amazing, nay unimaginable. They went to the extent of confronting the entrenched power structures and brought them to fall in line with their development agenda.

Village after village reported that they had cleaned up the streets, removed garbage, cleaned up tanks, laid out approach roads through shramdan and at times with their own hard earned money contributed. Some of them identified destitute families with single women headed households with dependents for whom the PDS rice was insufficient. The volunteers contributed the deficit amount of rice to each of these families to ensure they had three meals every day. Several of the volunteers are planning to set up alternative sources of energy for lighting up their villages seeking funds from government schemes. Some are planning for solar street lighting and some even for solar cookers and lighting even for their homes. Long standing disputes between various sections in the village have been resolved and amity restored. The BNVs have managed to get all the departments at the mandal level to respond to the unfulfilled requests of the community. Several of them have got the administration to identify and notify place for burial grounds, play grounds and some have got buses to ply to their villages. Almost all the villages are reporting efforts to weed out belt shops (liquor vending shops) and many have succeeded in closing them down. Some have banned the sale of pan and ghutka in the village shops. Many reported a 100 % ISLs coverage.

Many have approached the administration for construction of drainage lines. One of the villages has included individual soak pits for every household as it’s goal and they are confident of achieving it shortly. In some villages open air libraries are commissioned. The magazines and newspapers are kept in a small room until the evening and they are brought to the choupal built around a tree in the evening when a large group enjoys silent reading. After they finish for the day the material is put back in the room by a BNV incharge of the task.

All the BNVs are instilled with “volunteerism” in the APARD’s training program facilitated by resource persons as varied as psychologists from Osmania University , Brahma Kumaries, the Lead India Foundation started by Abdul Kalam ,the former President of India, veteran activist journalists and the progressive sarpanches and the APARD.

The most important dimension of this experiment is that all these volunteers get no financial support or honoraria from any source whatsoever. On the contrary, they spend their own money for expenses to give contributions to various causes as and when required. They have proved that village communities are not dormant nor are they incapable of solving their problems. They have amply proved that they can actualize the long unfulfilled dreams of their community that would surely lead to improvement in the quality of living in rural Andhra Pradesh. One incredible development APARD noticed is the healthy working relationships that emerged between the elected representatives and BNVs contrary to the earlier apprehensions of conflicts and confrontations. The journey so far is only with commas and looking forward to hear a longer list from BNVs.

Review of Preparation for London Olympic Games-2012- Tennis

2012-01-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

An amount of Rs. 1.59 crore has been sanctioned so far under ‘Operation Excellence for London Olympics 2012’ (OPEX 2012) scheme through National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) for the training of Tennis players till December 2011. This was stated by All India Tennis Association (AITA) Executive Director Col. R.S. Chauhan, in review meeting of the preparation for Olympics, 2012, called by Shri Ajay Maken, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. As all the Tennis players in the core group are professionals, they have been provided US $ 6000/- per month as financial assistance under NSDF scheme (06 men +01 women) for meeting expenses for their training and competitions under NSDF scheme. The details of these players are as follows:

S.N.	Name of the Player	Approval Under OPEX	Amount sanctioned till December, 2011	Remark
1.	Leander Paes	USD 6000/- Per Month For 14 Months	42,000 US $	For hiring personal coach etc.
2.	Mahesh Bhupathi	USD 6000/- Per Month For 14 Months	42,000 US $	For hiring personal coach etc.
3.	Sania Mirza	USD 6000/- Per Month For 13 & Half Months	39,000 US $	For hiring personal coach etc.
4.	Somdev Devvarman	USD 6000/- Per Month For 24 Months	87,000 US $	For hiring personal coach etc.
5.	Rohan Bopanna	USD 6000/- Per Month For 13 Months	36,000 US $	For hiring personal coach etc.
6.	Yuki Bhambri	USD 6000/- Per Month For 13 Months	36,000 US $	For hiring personal coach, ravel grant etc
7.	Sanam Singh	USD 6000/- Per Month For 13 Months	36,000 US $	For hiring personal coach, travel grant etc
	TOTAL		US $ 3,18,000 (Rs. 1.59 crore approximately)

Besides, two more players, namely, Isha Lakhani and Rituja Bhonsle have been sanctioned an amount of US $ 3000/- per month for training grants, hiring of trainer, etc, with effect from January, 2012.

In the meeting the Sports Minister also stressed the need to create structure of domestic tournaments, which might, among other things, also, help in improving the international rankings of the Indian players. The Minister also assured full support of the Ministry for establishing the such structure of domestic tournaments.

AITA officials also appraised Sh. Maken about the manner in which the qualification for Olympics in Tennis takes place. The qualification is based on ITF World ranking of a player on a certain date and the date for which rankings will be considered for this year’s events is 14.06.2012. It was also stated by AITA that in order to optimise the likelihood of qualification, all players will be playing the major International matches approved by the ITF to gain maximum ranking points.

It was also discussed in the meeting that there is a need to identify the best possible doubles and mixed-doubles combinations to whom tournament-intensive training can be given because the chances to finish on podium are more in Men’s doubles and Mixed doubles events.

Four Tennis players from India qualified for Beijing Olympic Games, 2008. Sania Mirza participated in both Women’s singles and Women’s doubles; her partner in the latter was Sunitha Rao. Sania Mirza lost in round of 64 in individual events while in doubles she and Sunitha Rao reached the Round of 16. Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes were participants in Men’s doubles category and together they went to the Quarter Finals.

Batla House encounter genuine: Chidambaram

2012-01-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said the 2008 gun fight between security forces and terrorists in Delhi was indeed genuine and there was no scope for reopening the case.

"After looking into the matter, after I took over as Home Minister, we came to the conclusion that the encounter was a genuine encounter," he said at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

"But every authority who has looked into it (the case), has agreed that it was a genuine encounter. So, while there is a difference of opinion, I think the matter rests where it stands today. I don't think there is any scope for reopening that matter," he said.

The encounter on 19th September 2008, at Batla House led to the killing of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma and two Indian Mujahideen terrorist while two other IM terrorists were arrested and another fled from the scene.

Sports Ministry Approves Foreign Training for Nine Athletes Under NSDF Scheme

2012-01-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

The Steering Committee on Athletics for Olympics, 2012 constituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Sports) has approved the foreign training of following 9 Athletes along with their coaches under National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) Scheme. These Athletes have either qualified for Olympics 2012 or are likely to qualify.

S.No.	Name of the Athlete	Country where training is to be imparted	Status
1.	Mr. Vikas Gowda	USA	Already qualified for Olympics 2012
2.	Mr. Om Prakash Singh	Hungary	Already qualified for Olympics 2012
3.	Ms. Krishna Poonia	USA	Already qualified for Olympics 2012
4.	Ms. Mayookha Johny	Berlin, Germany	Already qualified for Olympics 2012	Along with her Coach Mr. G.R. Shyam Kumar
5.	Ms. Preeja Sreedharan	Kenya	Yet to qualify	Along with their Coach Mr. J.S. Bhatia
6.	Ms. Kavita Raut	Kenya	Yet to qualify
7.	Ms. Sudha Singh	Kenya	Yet to qualify
8.	Ms. O.P. Jaisha	Kenya	Yet to qualify
9.	Ms. Harvant Kaur	South Africa	Along with her Coach Mr. Pramveer Singh

The Committee has also approved the Calendar for Training & Competitions (CTC) submitted by Athletic Federation of India for the period from January, 2012 to June, 2012 and a CTC for Domestic Coaching Camps and Competitions. The Committee also decided that from now on and up until Olympics, 2012 foreign exposure to Athletes must be restricted to only those Athletes who have either already qualified or are very likely to qualify for London, 2012.

The Committee also considered the issue of Coaching with special emphasis on Indian Coaches and Foreign Coaches. Reviewing the performance of Indian Coaches, the Committee noted that all Indian Coaches are performing satisfactorily. The Committee approved the appointment of Sh. Gurdev Singh as Indian Coach for the Athletes Team. The Committee also asked Sports Authority of India (SAI) to examine the list of foreign coaches of the Indian Athletics team and check whether these foreign coaches are actually being utilised for imparting customised training to the Core Probables only and also review whether appropriate foreign coaches have been hired by SAI to impart event specific training to the concerned Core Probables.

The Committee also discussed the preparation of Indian Athletics team for the London Olympics, 2012. The Committee discussed the Probables who are likely to qualify for the Olympics, 2012 and to focus all energy on them so that better results could be obtained in the event.

India no match for China on social indicators: Amartya Sen

2012-01-10T04:42:00.001-08:00

India is not match for neighbouring China when it comes to social development indicators, eminent economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has said.

"There is a huge gap there (on social front) as China is one of the best performers in terms of social indicators," Sen said while speaking at the Indian Economic Association convention in Pune.

Making an assessment of the Indian economy and the benefits that have percolated down the social sector, he said, "India's disadvantage can be seen even in comparison with countries that are doing far less well than China, but still a lot better than India."

While India has been overtaking other countries in the progress of its real income, it has been lagging behind others in terms of basic social indicators of quality of life, he said. In fact, India is being overtaken in these respects by many other countries even within the region of South Asian itself, he added.

He said India's average ranking among six South Asian economies (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan) has "fallen from being the second best to being second worst and this is so despite the fact that India has grown immensely faster than all other economies in South Asia in terms of GNP or Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."

The relation between economic growth and advancement of living standards depends on many factors. One of them is what is done with the public revenue that is generated by economic growth, said Sen who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for his contributions to welfare economics.

Road projects for Chhattisgarh

2012-01-10T04:26:00.001-08:00

The Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned 3 road projects using latest Polymer-based technologies, under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Chhattisgarh. These roads will be constructed using the latest soil stabilization techniques, which is an in-situ method of stabilising the soil with Polymer in the liquid form. The technology has been accredited by Indian Road Congress and also laboratory tests have been carried out at IIT, Kharagpur. The three projects costing over seven crore rupees will be taken up in the districts of Dantewada, Bijapur and Narainpur.

One of the main problems in the construction of roads in remote forested areas is the non-availability of stone aggregate and it was observed during the recent visit of Minister of Rural Development Shri Jairam Ramesh to Narainpur that the aggregate required for the road construction is brought from at least 100 kilometers away. The stone crushing units and quarries are not available in these areas as most of the land is under forest category and therefore, de-reservation procedures have to be followed to divert forest land. These problems have delayed the road construction works in these areas, apart from increasing the costs. Resultant lack of good connectivity has wide implications for the overall development activities and inclusive growth, particularly in such Naxal-affected areas. Moreover, the new technology besides reducing the time for construction will also save valuable forest area from being diverted.

Existing ‘Tatkal’ Travel Facility to be Extended to Duronto Trains also

2011-12-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

The Ministry of Railways has decided to extend facility of existing ‘Tatkal’ scheme in all Duronto Express Trains also. Necessary instructions to this effect have been issued to all the Zonal Railways. The facility will become available in all Duronto Express Trains for journeys starting on 1st April, 2012 (from train originating station).

The extent of accommodation and charges to be realized for ‘Tatkal’ accommodation in different classes in Duronto Trains will be the same as applicable to the mail/express trains.

Enforcement Mechanism Against Corporate Frauds

2011-12-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

Strengthening of enforce mechanism to deal with corporate frauds is an evolving process as aspects of fraud touch upon many jurisdictions. Based on the experience gained over the experience gained over the years, the existing provisions regarding inspection, enquiry and investigation are proposed to be strengthened in the Companies Bill 2011, introduced in the current session of Parliament. It provides for more effective action against companies (and their officers) who indulge in fraudulent actions of non compliance with Law. The role of Key Managerial Personnel, Board Committees (Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee and Stakeholders Relationship Committee), Independent Director and auditors is being made more accountable in the management of company. The definition of ‘officer in default’ is also to be proposed to be revised to make it more relevant in the resent corporate and economic environment.

Though fraud is not explicitly defined in the existing Companies Act there are offences in IPC which include aspects relating to fraud. Frauds of various types like falsification of financial statements through overstatement of assets/ understatement of liabilities, diversion of funds in Project financing, over/under invoicing and capital market, including criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds/assets etc. under the IPC have been reported by the SFIO in various cases investigated by it and cases against such companies are being pursued before the concerned courts, under provisions of relevant Act.

Capacity of Indian Ports to Reach 3,130 Million Tonnes by 2020

2011-12-17T05:32:00.001-08:00

Indian ports handled total cargo traffic of around 870 million tonnes in 2010-11. While the major ports handled 570 million tonnes, non-major ports handled around 34% of the total cargo at 300 million tones. Kandla, Vishakhapatnam, JNPT and Chennai handled 48.4% of the major ports’ cargo in 2010-11. Shri G.K. Vasan Union Minister of Shipping said this at the seminar on “Development of Ports in Tamil Nadu” in Chennai today.

Shri Vasan said, about 80% of our total exports is carried by sea, out of which 60% is carried through containerized cargo. Our country enjoys a vibrant port sector comprising of 12 major ports and 176 notified non-major ports. Of the major ports, Chennai port ranks 4th in terms of volume of cargo handled in 2010 -2011, with around 12 % of the total cargo handled. Container traffic has witnessed sizeable increase, especially in the recent years across all major ports. Between 2005-06 and 2010-11, containerized traffic grew at the rate 13% per annum.

The total traffic handled in 2010-11 by Indian ports was 870 million tonnes and is expected to go up to around to 2,495 million tonnes by the year 2020. For the purpose of handling this volume of traffic, the capacity at the ports is expected to enhance to 3,130 million tonnes by 2020. The proposed investment during the next 10 years to create the expected capacity will be Rs.2.77 lakh crores, the Minister added.

Shri Vasan said, “in India, Tamil Nadu has the second longest coastline of 1,076 km next only to Gujarat. The state has 3 major ports and 22 minor ports. It is the only state in India to have 3 major ports viz., Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin. It is heartening that Tamil Nadu boasts of the only corporate port under the Union Government with Ennore Port Limited being the first Corporate port in the country.”

The Minister referred to certain practical issues like the connectivity and the congestion issues faced by the Chennai Port. He said, in order to solve the problems arising out of these issues, the Government was taking all efforts to speedily execute the Chennai-Ennore Port Road Connectivity Project (formerly EMRIP), the elevated road project from Maduravoyal to Chennai Port, and the setting up of an integrated dry port and multimodal logistics hub at Sriperumbudur for creating off dock space for handling and storing of cargoes, especially for containerisation.

He thanked the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Study conducted by them with a detailed analysis of the major and minor ports in the State and the current infrastructure support available, the trends in EXIM trade in the recent past and the future projections etc. The study has also made a comparative analysis with select ports in other states as well as in other countries.

Schemes to Provide Remunerative Prices to Fruit and Vegetable Growers

2011-12-02T03:45:00.001-08:00

Ministry of Agriculture provides assistance to farmers for remunerative returns to farmers and to ensure adequate supply of fruits and vegetables to consumers, under National Horticulture Mission and Horticulture Mission for North-East and Himalayan States (HMNEH). This includes assistance for cultivation, establishment of cold storages, setting up of terminal markets, wholesale markets and rural primary markets/apni mandies. National Horticulture Board is also implementing various schemes. Further, the Ministry has launched a new programme on Vegetable Initiative for Urban Cluster (VIUC) during 2011-12, under the aegis of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The scheme is being implemented in one city each of 29 States having a population of one million or capital city.

Prices of fruits and vegetables by and large are governed by the market forces of demand and supply. In addition to this, it also depends on prevailing weather conditions, cost of transportation, storage and rising demand due to increasing incomes, urbanisation, etc.

Fruits and vegetables being perishable commodity, the Ministry does not have any proposal to fix its minimum support price. However, the it is implementing Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) on request of State/ UT Governments for procurement of various horticultural commodities. The purpose of implementation of MIS is to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sales in the event of a bumper crop when there is glut in the market, causing prices to fall below economic levels/cost of production. Losses, if any, incurred by the procuring agencies are shared equally between the Central Government and the State Government concerned on 50:50 basis (75:25 in case of North-Eastern States).

Support to State Extension Programme for Extension Reforms

2011-12-02T03:44:00.001-08:00

Support to State Extension Programme for Extension Reforms, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme is currently being implemented in 604 districts of 28 States and 3 UTs of the country.

The States have been following the policy directives to involve NGOs in varying extents and in different modes.

In order to ensure promotion of multi-agency extension strategies, and to implement activities in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode, the scheme provides for utilizing at least 10% of scheme allocation on recurring activities at the District level through non-governmental sector such as, NGOs, FOs, PRIs, Cooperatives, para- extension workers, agri-preneurs, input suppliers, corporate sector etc. Moreover, Non-Governmental implementing agencies are eligible for service charge upto a maximum of 10% of cost of extension activities (without staff cost) implemented through them.

6.6% Growth in Agriculture Sector in 2010-11

2011-12-02T03:42:00.001-08:00

As per the revised estimates of Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors reached the level of 6.6% for 2010-11 which is the highest achieved growth rate during the last six years.

The production of foodgrains has increased from 234.47 million tones in 2008-09 to 241.56 million tones in 2010-11. The production of foodgrains in 2009-10 was at 218.11 million tones due to severe drought in most parts of the country during 2009-10.

The Government of India has launched several schemes in consultation with States to increase growth of agriculture sector. Some of the major Schemes are the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Development and Strengthening of Infrastructure Facilities for Production and Distribution of Quality Seed, National Horticulture Mission (NHM), Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM) etc.

Comprehensive Competition Reforms at Centre State and Sub-State Levels will be Defining Moment in India: Moily

2011-11-25T03:35:00.001-08:00

The time has come for all the stakeholders in the growth of Indian economy to come forward and launch a national movement to build a culture of competition so as to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth and to be part in ushering second generation of reforms. This was stated by the Minister for Corporate Affairs, Dr M Veerappa Moily at the Conference on Building “Friends of Competition” in India, organised by CUTS Institute for Regulation and Competition (CIRC) and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), Ministry of Corporate Affairs, in New Delhi yesterday. Shri Moily said “the stage is set for competition policy reforms.” He added that “as per a recent study, Indian GDP in 2050 will be $85 trillion, ahead of China and the US and in order to achieve this, the second-generation economic reforms at centre, state and sub-state levels are now required. We now need a culture of high productivity, efficiency, innovation or competition. Competition policy and law are instruments which positively affect the bottom of pyramid and therefore will be defining moment within the policy reform agenda. The major objectives of the competition reform measures are to promote sustained high level of economic growth, control inflation, enhance productivity and attain international competitiveness, and generate employment opportunities.”

The conference was attended by a large number of national and international dignitaries and participants from government, bureaucracy, competition authorities, legal professionals, economists, academicians, research think tanks, media and persons from the civil society.

The conference provided a timely and well needed platform for various stakeholders to come and share their views in light of the process of framing of National Competition Policy and amendments to the Competition Act are under way. During various sessions, eminent subject-experts from India and other countries who spoke included: Allan Fels, Dean, Australia and New Zealand School of Government and a former competition regulator from Australia, Dhanendra Kumar, Chairman of the National Competition Policy Committee, Justice SN Dhingra, Member of the CCI, Peter Varghese, Australian High Commissioner, Yashwant Bhave, Chairman of AERA, AK Chauhan, Director General of CCI, Mahendra Swarup, President of Indian Venture Capital Association, Sandeep Varma, Director, Ministry of Defence, etc.

The conference is a first step in building networks of to facilitate exchange of ideas, views and experience amongst government, competition authority, civil society organisations and academicians.

Empowerment of Panchayats

2011-11-25T03:33:00.001-08:00

The Central Government provides funds to the State Governments under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) to redress regional imbalances in development in 250 backward districts in the country with a strategy that aims to promote the performance and capacity of Panchayats in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring.

In addition to the BRGF, the following schemes for empowerment of Panchayats are being implemented:

(1) Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana: Funds are released to States for training and capacity building of Panchayati Raj Institutions in districts uncovered by the BRGF.

(2) Rural Business Hubs: This Scheme aims to assist the Panchayats to empower rural labour productivity by providing forward backward linkages with technical assistance in Public-Private-Partnership.

(3) Panchayat Mahila Evam Yuva Shakti Abhiyan: It aims to enable women and youth Panchayat leaders to come together to articulate their problems as women Panchayat Leaders.

(4) e-Panchayat: For computerizing the databases, accounts and other functions of the Gram Panchayats for accountability and transparency.

(5) Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme: To recognize and incentivize the efforts of Panchayats with respect to transparency, accountability and efficiency and of States with respect to devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayats.

Railway Minister holds meeting with Chief Minister & Members of Parliament of Madhya Pradesh to discuss State Railway Projects

2011-11-17T21:14:00.001-08:00

As a part of on-going mega exercise to discuss Railway projects and connected activities pertaining to a State, the Union Railway Minister Shri Dinesh Trivedi to-day, i.e. on 17-11-2011 visited Bhopal on a one day tour to Madhya Pradesh, accompanied by Chairman Railway Board Shri Vinay Mittal, Member Traffic Shri K.K.Shrivastava, Member Engineering Shri A.P.Mishra and other Railway Board officials. He held discussions with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan and the Members of Parliament of that State. General Manager of West Central Railway (Jabalpur Headquarter) Shri S.V.Arya, Divisional Railway Manager, Bhopal Shri Ghanshyam Singh and various Officers of West Central Railway Headquarters and Bhopal division were among those present at the meeting. Some Members of Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh and other Senior Officers of the Madhya Pradesh State attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the Union Railway Minister Shri Dinesh Trivedi said that such meetings have given him an opportunity to personally understand the issues pertaining to State from the State Government and from the Members of Parliament of that State. He assured that all the issues raised here in the meeting would be examined by him and the Railway Board earnestly in a fixed time frame and suitable measures would be taken to implement them as far as possible. The Railway Minister pointed out that the growth of the country depends upon the growth of Railways and it is, therefore, necessary to work together to ensure effective development and expansion of Railway network across the country. Shri Trivedi said that Railways have limited resources and sought co-operation of the State Government in implementing the Railway projects.

In his address Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivaraj Singh Chauhan outlined various important Railway projects of Madhya Pradesh and requested the Railway Minister to expedite their implementation. Members of Parliament attending meeting raised Railway issues pertaining to their respective constituencies.

Earlier the Railway Minister accompanied by Senior Railway Officials visited Bhopal and Habibganj railway stations and ascertained various facilities pertaining to passenger amenities.

After taking over as Railway Minister, Shri Trivedi had announced that he will undertake such tours to different States for ensuring balanced growth and development of Railway network and facilities in different parts of the country. The Railway Minister first visited Nagaland in the month of September 2011, followed by visits to Karnataka and Kerala in October 2011. The visit to Madhya Pradesh is 4th in the series.

The meetings have so far been quite successful and have received appreciations. These visits have started a new chapter of cooperation between the Ministry of Railways and the respective State Governments for the implementation of various Railway facilities and projects. On such meeting, various on the spot decisions too have been taken and these have also paved the way for resolutions of pending issues.

Australia to review uranium sale policy to India

2011-11-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has welcomed Australia's decision to undertake a review of the policy on Uranium sales to India. Talking to newspersons on the sidelines of a function in Bangalore today, Mr. Krishna said India's relations with Australia is important and they are growing across the board. He added that energy is one of the key areas of bilateral cooperation. According to an official statement, Mr. Krishna referred to India's impeccable non- proliferation record and said that Australia has recognised New Delhi's growing energy needs.

Earlier, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a strong pitch for uranium sale to India, saying the time has come to lift the long-standing ban on its exports to the dynamic and democratic country. She said that India is the fourth biggest export market of 16 billion dollars to Australia and it has enormous potential to grow.
Her remarks indicate a major shift in Australia's policy with regard to uranium sale to a country which is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Nuke capable Agni-2 Prime test fired successfully

2011-11-14T23:32:00.001-08:00

India today successfully test-fired an advanced variant of nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile with a strike range of 3,000 km from an island off the Odisha coast.The surface-to-surface intermediate range missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher at 0900 hours from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island. Defence sources said, Agni-II Prime, the new missile is a two- stage weapon system powered by solid propellant. It is 20 metres long and launch weight is 17 tonnes and it can carry a one tonne payload.

Describing the test-firing as successful, defence sources said the missile’s exact performance will be known after all data was collected and analysed from different telemetry and tracking stations as well as naval ships positioned near the terminal point.

The first developmental trial of Agni-II Prime, conducted on December 10, 2010, had failed due to some technical problem in the control system.

National Innovation Council report

2011-11-14T23:31:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today said the country needs creativity and innovation to address the problems of poverty, health and environment. Speaking in New Delhi after releasing the first report of the National Innovation Council, Dr Manmohan Singh said innovations in our country are not adequate for solving problems of the poor. He said the innovations have focussed mainly on the needs of the rich. Dr Singh said, innovation can be a game changer to move from incremental change to radical change. The Prime Minister said his government is committed to building an enabling environment for innovation to flourish. Noting that innovation has a critical role to play in India's growth and development, Dr Singh said the set of challenges the nation face is not only diverse, but also unique.

Dr. Singh said the country would like to pioneer a model of innovation that addresses problems in areas such as poverty alleviation, health, rural communications, agriculture, animal husbandry and green energy. Dr Singh said the country is currently witnessing an innovative experiment in rights based delivery through a Right to Work, Right to Education and Right to Information. He said Right to Food Security is on the anvil.

The Prime minister said his government has already declared its intent to make the next decade a Decade of Innovation.

The Prime minister informed that Prasar Bharati has taken a decision to champion local innovations and local heroes of innovation. Dr Singh lauded the efforts of the National Innovation Council under the Chairmanship of Sam Pitroda and launched the India Innovative Portal . Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that the government would provide 100 crore rupees for the India Innovation Fund, which would fund low-cost innovation.

Mr Mukherjee said innovation is important to sustain country's growth momentum. He also said a new approach is needed to encourage private sector for innovation. Amongst others, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Virbhdadra Singh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia were also present.

Two Sick CPSEs Turned Around Andrew Yule & Co. Ltd. and Hindustan Prefab Ltd. Make Profits for Three Consecutive Years

2011-11-14T05:03:00.001-08:00

Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE), under Department of Public Enterprises, has today held its 2nd Turnaround Award ceremony(BRPSE Turnaround Award 2011) to felicitate two turnaround sick CPSEs namely (i) Andrew Yule &Co. Ltd., and (ii) Hindustan Prefab Ltd. These erstwhile sick/loss making CPSEs have made profits consecutively for 3 or more years after receiving financial assistance from Government on the recommendation of BRPSE. The Awards were given away by the Chairman, Dr. Nitish Sengupta.

Hindustan Prefab Ltd. with an accumulated loss of Rs. 138.2 crore as of 31st March, 2006 has posted profit continuously for the last three years and as of 31st March, 2011 has a positive net worth of Rs. 10.14 crores. Andrew Yule & Co. which incurred a loss of Rs. 89.57 crore in 2006-07, has posted a profit continuously for the last four years and as of 31st March, 2011 has a positive net worth of Rs. 96.52 crores.

Till date BRPSE has considered 67 cases and recommended revival of 59 CPSEs and closure of 3 CPSEs envisaging total assistance of Rs. 35448 crores. GOI has approved revival of 43 CPSEs and closure of 2 CPSEs envisaging total assistance of Rs. 25,105 crore, benefitting 1.71 lakh employees.

Chairman, BRPSE stated that emphasis has been more on empowerment and enablement rather than on mere cash infusion. He also assured that BRPSE will recommend all necessary assistance to the sick CPSEs in their endeavour to turnaround. He hoped that more and more sick CPSEs will turnaround and join the family of turnaround CPSEs in the forthcoming years.

Seventeenth SAARC Summit Addu Declaration -“Building Bridges”

2011-11-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

The Seventeenth SAARC Summit being held in Maldives, concluded with the release of the Addu Declaration.
The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, His Excellency Mr. Hamid Karzai; the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina; the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoeser Thinley; the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh; the President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Nasheed; the Prime Minister of Nepal, His Excellency Dr. Baburam Bhattarai; the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, His Excellency Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani; and the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa met in Addu City, the Maldives, on 10-11 November 2011 for the Seventeenth Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Welcoming the theme of the Summit and recognizing the importance of bridging differences, creating better understanding and promoting amity and mutually beneficial and comprehensive cooperation in order to promote effective linkages and connectivity for greater movement of people, enhanced investment and trade in the region;

Reaffirming their commitment to peace, confidence building, liberty, human dignity, democracy, mutual respect, good governance and human rights;

Renewing their firm commitment to alleviate poverty and reduce income inequalities within the societies and reaffirming their resolve to improve the quality of life and well-being of their people through people-centered sustainable development;

Recognizing that the full enjoyment of fundamental rights by women and girls is an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights and that gender-based violence and discriminatory practices constitute a violation of fundamental rights;

Mindful of the plurality of cultures and diversities within the region and cognizant of the need to promote inter-cultural harmony through greater contact and interaction between peoples;

Deeply Concerned about the continuing threat of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, transnational organized crimes, especially illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, trafficking in persons and small arms and increased incidents of maritime piracy in the region; and reiterating their resolve to fight all such menaces;

Conscious of the environmental degradation and particular vulnerabilities of the region to the threat of climate change;

Recognizing the need to further strengthen the institutional mechanisms of SAARC in order to bolster and enhance regional cooperation;

Welcoming the signing of the SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, the SAARC Seed Bank Agreement, the SAARC Agreement on Multilateral Arrangement on Recognition of Conformity Assessment and the SAARC Agreement on Implementation of Regional Standards;

Recognizing the importance of the full implementation of SAFTA as a measure towards the creation of an enabling economic environment in the region;

Noting the recommendations of the Report of the First Meeting of the South Asia Forum that SAARC needs to move from looking within to accepting the logic of interdependence;

Acknowledging the participation of Observers from Australia, the People‟s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, the Union of Myanmar, the United States of America and the European Union at the Seventeenth Summit;

DO HEREBY DECLARE:

1. To direct the SAFTA Ministerial Council to intensify efforts to fully and effectively implement SAFTA and the work on reduction in Sensitive Lists as well as early resolution of non-tariff barriers and expediting the process of harmonizing standards and customs procedures.

2. To direct the SAARC Finance Ministers to chart a proposal that would allow for greater flow of financial capital and intra-regional long-term investment.

3. To hold the Twelfth SAARC Trade Fair along with SAARC Travel and Tourism Fair in Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives in 2012; and to develop modalities, by involving the relevant private sector, in promoting the region globally as „Destination South Asia.

4. To conclude the Regional Railways Agreement and to convene the Expert Group Meeting on the Motor Vehicles Agreement before the next Session of the Council of Ministers; and to direct the early conducting of a demonstration run of a container train (Bangladesh – India – Nepal).

5. To direct the Secretary General to ensure completion of the preparatory work on the Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service, including the Feasibility Study, by the end of 2011, in order to launch the Service.

6. To ensure timely implementation of the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change.

7. To direct the conclusion of the Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation and the Study on the Regional Power Exchange Concept as also the work related to SAARC Market for Electricity.

8. To make available an appropriate percentage of national income towards the respective countries renewable energy investments, subject to the approval of national arrangements.

9. To resolve the operational issues related to the SAARC Food Bank by the next Session of the Council of Ministers with a view to ensuring its effective functioning.

10. To root out terrorism, taking into account its linkages with illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat terrorism; and call for an early conclusion of the proposed UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and completion of the ratification of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.

11. To initiate work towards combating maritime piracy in the region.

12. To direct the convening of an Inter-governmental Expert Group Meeting to discuss the establishment of a regional mechanism to ensure empowerment of women and gender equality in the region, with focus on national legislations, including timely realization of the MDGs and SDGs.

13. To direct the finalization of the work on the elaboration of the SAARC Regional Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution with a view to its adoption by the next Summit.

14. To formulate an actionable framework to address the common challenge of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in the region.

15. To expedite the work on mutual recognition of academic and professional degrees and harmonization of academic standards; and establishment of long-term linkages among universities, research institutions and think-tanks in the region.

16. To direct the South Asia Forum to continue to work towards the development of the “Vision Statement” for South Asia and its future development, including on the goal and elements of a South Asian Economic Union, as may emerge from its subsequent meetings.

17. To strengthen SAARC mechanisms, including the Secretariat and Regional Centres, through an inter-governmental process.

18. To direct SAARC mechanisms and institutions to develop and implement regional and sub-regional projects, as appropriate, in agreed areas.

19. To undertake a comprehensive review of all matters relating to SAARC‟s engagement with Observers, including the question of dialogue partnership, before the next Session of the Council of Ministers in 2012.

20. To mark a SAARC Media Day and, in that context, decide to convene a Regional Conference on Media to consider deepening collaboration in the region.

Minister of Power to Represent India in Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet at St Petersburg, Russia

2011-11-05T05:11:00.000-07:00

Union Minister of Power Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, who has been nominated by the Prime Minister, will represent India at the meeting of the Heads of Governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in St Petersburg, on 7th November, 2011. Shri Shinde will lead a high level delegation to the meeting.

The meeting to be hosted by Prime Minister of Russia Shri Vladimir Putin will be attended by Heads of Governments of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, namely, Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan. India, Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia are observer states. Afghanistan is a ‘Special Invitee’ at the forum.

The SCO was founded in 2001 at Shanghai and now has six full members. India joined this regional organisation as an ‘Observer’ in 2005. India attaches considerable importance to the association with SCO which has emerged as an active and dynamic regional grouping. Within the existing participatory mechanisms open to the observer countries, India has demonstrated its strong commitment to the SCO by engaging actively in several areas related to development and security. India has also participated regularly in Summits and Ministerial meetings.

Strategy for doubling of exports in next three years and current trends thereof

2011-11-04T05:21:00.000-07:00

Anand Sharma, the Union Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles, chaired the meeting of Consultative Committee on the Commerce & Industry late evening, yesterday. The agenda of the meeting was ‘Strategy for doubling of exports in next three years and current trends thereof’. Shri Sharma in his opening remarks said that, “The strategy paper has been prepared in the backdrop of complex global economic environment which has seen considerable turbulence in the last few years. Barely had the world come out of the shadow of the grim recessionary period which commenced in 2008 with the clouds of uncertainty started looming large, bringing fresh fears of a double dip depression. You will appreciate that the government is conscious of maintaining the current account deficit and trade deficit within manageable limits”.

Commerce Minister while quoting the report releases only day before yesterday by RBI indicating that, the current account deficit has touched 3.1% of GDP in June this year and, therefore, it is a crucial imperative to give a concerted push on exports. Apart from earning valuable foreign exchange, we view exports as an instrument of providing gainful employment to millions of people across the country and enabling India to play a much larger role in a globally integrated world.

The Minister informed that, after a detailed consultative exercise with the exporting community, the Commerce Ministry prepared a multi-pronged strategy for doubling exports to US $ 500 billion by 2014 which envisages an annual growth of nearly 26.7%. Clearly, this is a challenging task given the complexities and uncertainties of recent economic developments. The strategy paper was launched in May this for doubling India’s exports in the next three years to reach US $ 500 billion by 2014. The Strategy Paper hinges on 4 pillars – (1) Product Strategy; (2) Market Strategy; (3) Technologies and R&D and (4) Building a Brand image. At product level, we have identified sectors where we have considerable growth potential which include (a) engineering goods; (b) Basic chemical industries and organic and inorganic chemical industries, (c) Pharmaceutical industry and (d) Electronics.

Shri Sharma emphasized that, “We have set sectoral targets for each of these and I feel that engineering goods exports would touch US $ 125 billion, export of chemical industry would touch US $ 25 billion and drugs, Pharma and basic chemicals would touch US $ 44 billion and electronic exports could reach US$ 17 billion. Apart from this, the employment intensive sectors have been given a special focus which include gems and jewellery for which we have set a target of US$ 70 billion and agri exports for which we have set a target of US$ 22 billion. In terms of market expansion, while in the Foreign Trade Policy, we had provided additional support for 41 new markets in Africa, Latin America, Oceania and Central Asia. On 13th October 2011, we introduced a Special Focus Market Scheme to reach out to 12 new markets of Latin America, 22 new markets of Africa and 7 new markets of Central Asia. The Members appreciated the efforts made by the Department of Commerce & Industry in export promotion and new strategy that is in place for the doubling of exports. The general concerns raised by the members were: Balancing trade deficit with China, protecting the labor intensive sectors, currency volatility (Rupee dollar fluctuations), infrastructure constraints, and shortage of cheap labour for the textiles that is hurting textiles export and expediting the work on the new national manufacturing policy.

Meeting was attended by the Parliamentary Members that included: Shri Naresh Gujral, Shri T. K Rangarajan, Shri Mahendra Mohan, Shri Bal Kumar Patel, Shri Gorakh Prasad Jaiswal, Shri R. Thamaraiselvan, Shri Kristappa Nimmala & Shri Monohar Tirkey; Secretary Commerce Shri Rahul Khullar, Secretary Industry Shri P. K Chaudhary and the senior officials of the Ministry. Shri Sharma later remarked that, the labour intensive sectors have received our special attention and would be receiving the same and better treatment.

India Elected Vice Chairman of Association of Asian Election Authorities

2011-10-28T00:05:00.001-07:00

India has been unanimously elected as the Vice Chairman of the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) at its General Assembly held in Seoul today. The name of Dr. S. Y. Quraishi, Chief Election Commissioner of India was proposed as Vice Chair by the Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan and received enthusiastic support from other member countries. India takes over this responsibility from the Republic of Korea, which becomes the Chairman for the next three-year term. India is a founder member of this 17-member Association. Dr. Quraishi is accompanied by Shri Akshay Rout, Director General at the Election Commission of India.

Before the meeting began, the Chief Election Commissioner of India led the other members in thanking the outgoing chair Taiwan. Several regional associations of National Election Authorities and observers from Election Management Bodies of other continents also attended the AAEA General Assembly.

The Asian Election Authorities at the meeting agreed on the necessity of establishing an Association of World Election Bodies, and decided to set up a working group to implement this proposal. The interim name of this association has been decided as Association of World Election Bodies [A-WEB], following a suggestion of Dr. Quraishi, Chief Election Commissioner of India. The working group will deliberate on the shape, vision, structural organisation and work plan of the proposed A-WEB. It will also contact other regional associations of Election Management Bodies and individual Election Authorities to facilitate early constitution of A-WEB.

The Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) was conceived to promote and institutionalise open and transparent elections, independent and impartial election authorities, professionalization of Asian election authorities, citizen participation in the electoral and civic process, information sharing, and the development of resources for election-related information and research.

Government Approves 21 New Textiles Parks

2011-10-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Government has sanctioned 21 new Textiles Parks under the Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks with a project cost of Rs. 2100 crores to be implemented over a period of 36 months. Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma as Chairman of the Project Approval Committee under the Scheme accorded approval to the recommendations of the Inter Ministerial Project Scrutiny Committee which examined 55 proposals for new Textiles Parks in the country. The Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks seeks green field investments in textiles sector on a public private partnership basis with the objective of setting up world class infrastructure for Textiles industry.

Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister Shri Anand Sharma said “sanction of new Textiles parks would catalyze significant additional investments with industry utilizing the benefits both under the Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks for development of common infrastructure; and under the Technology Upgradation Funds Scheme for installation of Plant and Machinery.” Government has enhanced the allocation under TUFS from Rs. 8000 crores to Rs. 15404 crores under the 11th Five Year Plan and under the SITP an allocation of Rs. 400 crores has been made for sanction of new Textiles Parks in April 2011. Commerce Industry and Textiles Minister said that the new Textiles Parks would leverage an investment of over Rs. 9000 crores and provide employment to 4 lac textiles workers. Government would finance common infrastructure with a subsidy upto Rs. 40 crores per Textiles park.

Government has received a huge response to the roadshows held at Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mumbai for seeking proposals for Textiles Parks under the Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks. Proposals received were scrutinized by an inter ministerial Project Scrutiny Committee on the basis of project cost, land size, net worth of investors, employment generation and value chain to be developed by the industry. Government also sought to ensure balanced regional development, promote textiles industry in North Eastern States and in States where the industry is in a nascent stage of development and promote textiles parks in cooperative & handloom sectors. 6 new Textiles Parks have been sanctioned in Maharashtra, 4 in Rajasthan, 2 each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, 1 each in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal. The product mix in these parks would include apparels and garments parks, hosiery parks, silk parks, processing parks, technical textiles including medical textiles, carpet parks, powerloom parks. “The focus of Government has been to ensure value addition through aggregation to best utilize India’s raw material surplus in cotton and cotton yarn for enhanced labor employment and export earnings” said Textiles Minister Shri Anand Sharma.

Lead Investors heading the Special Purpose Vehicles of the above listed Textiles Parks and the Project Management Consultant firms would be invited by Government in the coming days to enter into MOUs for implementing the projects. Government seeks to ensure timely implementation of the sanctioned projects and changes to avoid cost and time overruns have been incorporated into the MOUs to be entered into by Government under the scheme.

Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister said that given the considerable demand for Textiles Parks in the country and given the success of the Scheme in the 11th Five Year Plan, Textiles Ministry would be seeking a higher allocation under the 12th Five Year Plan. It may be highlighted that of the 40 textiles parks sanctioned under the 11th Five Year Plan, 24 Textiles Parks have started operations and have attracted investments of Rs. 18880 crores, with a Government subsidy of Rs. 1420 crores.

The installation of a statue in Bhagat Singh's honour by the government of Pakistan.

2011-10-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

An intellectual here has said that the military-backed Pakistan Government is trying to co-opt the legacy of Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh, which is an insult to the latter's memory.Acclaimed writer and intellectual Zahida Hina have described the installation of a statue in Bhagat Singh's honour by the government of Pakistan's Punjab province as "an insult to his memory," and believes it is "like Hitler unveiling a statue of Mandela or Gandhi."Hina expressed her views at a memorial seminar organised by the Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences here on Sunday to remember Bhagat Singh.The Dawn quoted Hina as saying that it was a great coincidence that the 150th anniversary of 1857's war of independence against the British and Bhagat Singh's birth centenary had fallen in the same year. She said that Pakistanis should particularly commemorate Singh, as he was a "Pakistani shaheed."She said several films had been made about or inspired by Bhagat Singh, dating back to 1965, both in Pakistan and India.
She said that with a handful of youth - reportedly 100 - Bhagat Singh managed to strike fear in the hearts and minds of British Raj authorities, while his literary works were translated into various languages of the subcontinent."He was the pied piper of the Punjab whose flute played the tune of freedom. He was not a bloodthirsty terrorist nor was he power hungry. He was a thinker", she said.Dr. Jaffar Ahmed of the University of Karachi said an attempt should be made to organize something more befitting for Bhagat Singh, but due to the country's political situation nothing major could be organized.Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui of Biztek also reiterated that Pakistan should be at the forefront in remembering Bhagat Singh.

IN 1947, the subcontinent was not only partitioned into two countries, but as a result of partition history too was divided, with two distinct characteristics developing their own interpretations in India and Pakistan. In Pakistani historiography the emphasis is on the Pakistan Movement rather than on anti-colonialism. That is why movements and those individuals who had taken part in the anti-colonial struggle are not part of our history. Sardar Bhagat Singh is one such individual.

He was a revolutionary who wanted not only freedom from foreign rule but also to radically change society in favour of the common people; he is portrayed in different hues and colours, suiting the purpose of various political parties and groups. The Congress Party in India recognises him as a freedom fighter who struggled against the British rule, but his revolutionary character is sidelined and not appreciated.Similar is the case with the right-wing political parties in India for whom he was a son of Bharat, a patriot, but his anti-communalist and egalitarian views on society are concealed by them. In Pakistan, Bhagat Singh is recognised by Punjabi nationalists and the leftist groups, but in other provinces of Pakistan he is not so well known. In official circles there is silence, and no function was organised last week here to mark his birth centenary.There are two important aspects for which Bhagat Singh stands out. He used terrorist methods to create awe and shock among alien rulers of India; more important, he spread his revolutionary ideas among the young generation, inspiring it to struggle against foreign rule and to change the basic structure of society. Terrorist activities in British India began after the partition of Bengal in 1905, when all other methods to annul that partition had failed.Most probably, the early terrorists were inspired by secret societies at the time in Italy, Germany and Russia, where young people organised themselves to topple tyrannical regimes. The method was to target important members of the ruling class in order to create fear and terror among them so as not to let them act against the people. As in most of these countries, individuals were responsible for anti-people policies; the terrorists made attempts at assassinating members of the ruling elite as a warning.In India, Bengali rebel groups followed this tactic and succeeded in forcing the British government to annul the partition of their province in 1911.Bhagat Singh and his companions were arrested on charges of murder of a police officer and for throwing bombs in the Central Assembly. While in prison, Singh did not waste his time and read revolutionary literature. He also jotted down his thoughts which were recently published as The jail notebook and other writings compiled by Chaman lal. Some of his notes are titled as: ‘Statement before the sessions court’; ‘To make the deaf hear’; ‘Regarding Suicide’; and ‘Why I am an atheist’.
Bhagat Singh’s case was widely publicised at the time. Gandhi did not support him and his tactics and kept quiet; Muhammad Ali Jinnah fully supported Bhagat Singh and condemned the British government for following anti-people policies which forced young people to resort to violence.
Why should we remember Bhagat Singh today? The answer lies in his legacy. Some elements of it are still relevant while some have changed with the passage of time. First of all, his commitment to the cause of liberation is laudable. He sacrificed his life for it. He wanted India free from foreign domination and exploitation. Both India and Pakistan are now independent countries but Pakistan is not so fully independent. We are still influenced by foreign powers and international financial institutions. Therefore, there is still need to liberate ourselves from such foreign clutches.
Secondly, the whole phenomenon of terrorism has changed. Bhagat Singh and his friends used it to create shock among the ruling classes and to inspire the people with the thought that the British empire was not invincible. They never intended to hurt civilians. Nowadays terrorism is used by imperial and state powers to kill both civilians and militants. Extremist groups too are using it indiscriminately against civilians as well as their adversaries. That is why it is creating havoc among the people everywhere. People are the real victims of terrorism today.
Thirdly, Bhagat Sing wanted to change the structure of society radically. In a brief essay on the slogan ‘Long live the revolution,’ he writes: “The sense in which the word revolution is used in this phrase is the spirit, the longing for a change for the better. The people generally get accustomed to the established order of things and begin to tremble at the very idea of change. It is this lethargic spirit that needs to be replaced with the revolutionary spirit.”
The idea still is valid as class differences grow and the number of have-nots increases in countries like ours. Society cannot get peace and security without solving this problem. The question is how to resolve the dilemma: by following a revolutionary or a constitutional process? If there are no constitutional ways to fulfill political ambition, people, and especially young people, will resort to violent means to achieve their ideals. Therefore, the lesson of history is to strengthen democratic institutions and empower people.

ON A midwinter afternoon in 1928, pistol shots rang out in the heart of Lahore. They were aimed at an assistant superintendent of police, J.P. Saunders. He wasn’t the intended target, though. The two young men who ambushed him were actually lying in wait for the superintendent, J.A. Scott.Thus it was that a case of mistaken identity lay behind what subsequently was recognised as a significant moment in India’s struggle for independence.It was an instance of unprovoked violence that launched the cycle of events that led to the killing. On Oct 30 that year, members of the Simon Commission — an all-British body established to report on the Indian political situation — were greeted by peaceful protesters when they arrived in Lahore.Scott ordered a lathi charge and personally assaulted Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent Hindu nationalist who was among the leaders of the protest. When Rai died less than three weeks later, it was widely assumed that Scott’s blows had hastened his demise.The secular Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) did not share Rai’s vision of an India divided along confessional lines but venerated him as a patriot and interpreted the treatment he had received as symbolic of British contempt for ‘natives’. The organisation’s young firebrands decided to strike back. Various other factors contributed to their attitude, not least widespread resentment, particularly among the youth, over M.K. Gandhi’s decision earlier in the decade to suspend the non-cooperation movement following the Chauri Chaura riot in UP that resulted in the death of 22 policemen.
Furthermore, at least some of the HSRA activists strongly felt that independence from British rule would not suffice if it merely entailed a transfer of power from white sahibs to brown sahibs.
Inspired, inter alia, by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, they looked forward to dynamic changes in the political and economic structure of society. A precocious 21-year-old by the name of Bhagat Singh stood out among them, alongside the likes of Sukhdev Thapar and Chandrasekhar Azad.
Vengeance wasn’t the only motivating factor behind the plan to kill Scott: the act was not only intended to serve as a warning to the shock troops of the Raj, it was also meant to inspire freedom fighters on the lookout for an alternative to Gandhi’s strictly non-violent strategy.Bhagat Singh had witnessed the attack on Lala Lajpat Rai, and it was he who was supposed to shoot first during the ambush scheduled for Dec 17, 1928, exactly a month after Rai had died. Earlier that day, a colleague, Jai Gopal, had informed them that Scott had reported for work as usual. It wasn’t true: in fact, he was unable to tell the difference between Scott and Saunders.When the latter emerged from the police station at about 4pm, Bhagat Singh realised he was the wrong officer and shouted a warning to his comrades, but it was too late. A crack shot by the name of M. Rajguru had already pulled the trigger, killing Saunders instantly. Bhagat Singh used his pistol, too, but a subsequent forensic investigation revealed he was effectively pumping bullets into a corpse.The gunfire was heard far and wide, but only one British officer emerged from the police station to investigate. He ran back inside when Azad, who was covering his two comrades, fired in his direction. The only policeman who gave chase was chief constable Charan Singh. Reluctantly, the HSRA militants shot him, too.They didn’t have an escape plan, having assumed that some sort of a police encounter would follow their act of violence, but it didn’t happen. The perpetrators were all able to leave Lahore in the days that followed.Bhagat Singh wasn’t nailed for the Saunders killing until an even more dramatic episode in his brief career as an activist: bomb blasts in the central legislative assembly in Delhi on the day that the Defence of India Act was due to be promulgated.The idea behind the explosions, carried out by Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt, was to make a noise loud enough for the deaf to hear, rather than to cause bodily harm — which is why the low-intensity incendiary devices were hurled at unoccupied benches, at a reasonably safe distance from the gathered luminaries, who included Motilal Nehru and M.A. Jinnah.
The two bomb-throwers then showered the smoke-filled assembly with pamphlets and subsequently courted arrest: the idea behind their plan was to attract attention to the cause they espoused.Both of them were sentenced to transportation for life for this transgression, but ballistic evidence and betrayal by former comrades meant Bhagat Singh also faced trial for the Saunders murder. He, Sukhdev and Rajguru were sentenced to hang after refusing to offer a defence.The nearly two years Bhagat Singh spent in prison were at least as important as his experience of militant activism in the evolution of his political consciousness and, had he lived longer, chances are that he would have made more valuable contributions to the struggle for freedom. However, by then he was convinced that laying down his life was the best thing he could do for the country he loved.
He retained his capacity for reckless bravery until the end, but there is no evidence of any plan — or even desire — to escape from the Central Jail in Lahore where he spent his last days. His reputation was enhanced, meanwhile, by virtue of his leading role in a hunger strike that led to better conditions for Indian political prisoners.He read voraciously and wrote prolifically during his incarceration. One surviving request for books from a library lists titles by Karl Liebknecht, Bertrand Russell, Upton Sinclair and Nikolai Bukharin.On his last day, his lawyer brought him The Revolutionary Lenin. When Bhagat Singh was summoned to the gallows shortly before 7pm on March 23, 1931 — the authorities having advanced the time of execution by 11 hours — he reputedly expressed the regret that he hadn’t been able to finish even the first chapter of the book.In one of his prison tracts, Bhagat Singh offers a potent critique of terrorism as a political method, saying: “I am not a terrorist and never was, except perhaps in the beginning of my revolutionary career. And I am convinced that we cannot gain anything through those methods.”In another, he offers a well-reasoned argument against the charge from a devout fellow prisoner, angered by Bhagat Singh’s refusal to pray, that his atheism was a reflection of vanity. Decrying any system of belief that cannot “stand the onslaught of reason”, he says he has devoted his life to the cause of independence without any expectation of a reward here or in the hereafter.Earlier this month, in the run-up to Bhagat Singh’s birth centenary this Friday, the Governor of Punjab, Khalid Maqbool, announced at a seminar that a memorial would be built to “the subcontinent’s first martyr”, where his possessions would be displayed.That is a welcome move. He also deserves a place in history books, not least to reduce reliance on bowdlerised Bollywood versions of the past. To lionise him without acknowledging exactly what he stood for would be an insult to the memory of an exceptional freedom fighter.

Had Bhagat Singh lived (it was his 100th birthday last week) and his ideals translated into reality there would perhaps be no need for a communal partition of India in 1947. I guess he would have put his enormous might and that of his selfless comrades into securing what he fought and died for – his vision best depicted in the name of his party, the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.

In the absence of anything worthwhile happening in Delhi to remember the 23-year-old martyr who was hanged with his young colleagues Sukhdev and Rajguru on March 23, 1931, in the Lahore jail, I drove on Sept 28, his birthday, through a strange, almost surreal rainstorm for the book release of Kuldip Nayar’s reheated account of the free-spirited Indian. It was worth the effort. As I reached Mr Nayar was winding up. His last comments went something like this: “Bhagat Singh’s message is still relevant. It has to be imparted to the youth of India. (Why not Pakistan, Bangladesh too, I wondered) The objective conditions that Bhagat Singh fought against have not changed much in the country. There are still 70 per cent Indians who live on their own, uncared for by the state, many of them illiterate, others starving and impoverished.”

Let me tell you why I think Bhagat Singh would have prevented the partition and why only he and not anyone else, be it Jinnah, Gandhi or Nehru, was equipped to do that. To begin with Bhagat Singh kept himself studiously aloof from religion and obscurantism. In his rejoinder to colleagues who were religious and were surprised by his rejection of even a single religious prayer in the lonely death cell, Bhagat Singh wrote a testament of amazing clarity and insight. Kuldip Nayar’s book “Without Fear” gives a glimpse of Bhagat Singh’s thinking of why the young revolutionary chose to be an atheist.

“I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause. What more consolation can there be?” Bhagat Singh wrote in Why I am an atheist. “A God-believing Hindu may expect to be reborn; a Muslim or a Christian might dream of the luxuries he hopes to enjoy in paradise as a reward for his sufferings and sacrifices. What hope should I entertain? I know it will be the end when the rope is tightened around my neck and the rafters moved from under my feet. To use more precise religious terminology – it will be my moment of utter annihilation. My soul will come to nothing. If I have the courage to think of the matter in the light of a “reward”, I see a short life of struggle with no such magnificent end as itself my “reward”. That is all…With no selfish motive or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly have I devoted my life to the cause of independence; because I could not do otherwise.”

Bhagat Singh was 10 years old when the Bolshevik Revolution erupted in Russia. He had another 11 years to read, learn, imbibe and practise the revolutionary ideals. This was followed by a long endgame that gave him another two years to hone his intellectual calibre before the execution. A sham trial stopped the flow of his level-headed and clearly argued ideas. However, it was only after 1947 that Bhagat Singh’s jail writings came to light. Among the thinkers whose ideas he held dear were Marx, Lenin, Victor Hugo and Bertrand Russell. In fact his unflinching atheism could only have come as an approval of Russell’s discussion on atheism and agnosticism. It is true that Russell wavered between calling himself an agnostic and describing himself as an atheist. He evidently did not attach too much importance to this distinction, but he made it clear that if he was to be classified as an agnostic, it would have to be in a sense in which an agnostic and an atheist are “for practical purposes, at one.” Bhagat Singh was less flexible, but would have smiled at Russell’s famous remark: “O God, if there is a God, bless my soul, if there is a soul.”

Lala Rajpat Rai, the radical if obscurantist Congress leader from the Punjab, was among the early advocates of the two-nation theory for Hindus and Muslims. Bhagat Singh was naturally opposed to the idea. And yet, when Rajpat Rai was fatally wounded in a police assault on a rally against the Simon Commission, Bhagat Singh vowed revenge. He allowed himself to be hanged for the murder of a British police officer in retribution for the Lala’s death. Bhagat Singh was even more critical of the Gandhi-Nehru duo when it came to the strategy to win freedom for India’s people, not just a transfer of power from one ruling elite to another.

Bhagat Singh admitted to the shortcomings of what he himself described as terrorist methods of seeking India’s freedom, but he believed it was a necessary passing phase. “The revolutionaries already see the advent of the revolution in the restlessness of youth, in its desire to break free from mental bondage and religious superstitions that hold them. As the youth will get more and more saturated with the psychology of revolution, it will come to have clearer realisation of national bondage and growing, intense, unquenchable thirst for freedom. It will grow, this feeling of bondage, this insatiable desire for freedom, till, in their righteous anger, the infuriated youth will kill the oppressors. Thus has terrorism been born in the country. It is a phase, a necessary phase, an inevitable phase of the revolution.

Terrorism is not the complete revolution and the revolution is not complete without terrorism. This thesis can be supported by an analysis of any and every revolution in history.”

Bhagat Singh saw Congress sessions as boring and pointless. He left one such meeting to watch the movie “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. The film about America’s incipient civil rights struggle allowed him some moments with the memory of Abraham Lincoln, whom he admired greatly.

Of Gandhi’s passive resistance he was unsparing. He recalled how after his first experience with the Ahmedabad labourers in 1920 Gandhi had declared: “We must not tamper with the labourers. It is dangerous to make political use of the factory proletariat. Since then, they never dared to approach (the Congress). There remains the peasantry. The Bardoli resolution of 1922 clearly defines the horror the leaders felt when they saw the gigantic peasant class rising to shake off not only the domination of the alien rulers but also the yolk of the (Indian) landlords. It is there that our leaders prefer surrender to the British than to the peasantry. Leave alone Pandit Jawaharlal, can you point out any leader who made an effort to organise the peasants or the labourers? No, they will not run the risk…That is why I say they never meant a complete revolution. Through economic and administrative pressure they hoped to get a few more reforms, a few more concessions for the Indian capitalists. That is why I say that this movement is doomed to die, may be after some sort of a compromise, or even without.”

Suppose Bhagat Singh were alive last week and allowed himself the luxury of watching the India-Australia cricket match in Bangalore match on TV. How would he have responded to an ad in between in which a young man astride a motorcycle tears up his visa to the United States because he wants to use his talent as a qualified engineer to build Indian skyscrapers? Patriotism yes. But wait for the punch line, which says: He who drives Hero Honda will drive India.

Bhagat Singh would be reminded of Allama Iqbal’s barb over a similar situation during the colonial era:

Inteha is ki hae ke akhir kharidein kab talak
Chatrian, roomal, muffler, pairahan Jaapaan se
Apni ghaflat ki agar haalat yehi qaim rahi
Aeinge ghussal Kabul se kafan Jaapaan se

(It will never be enough, so how long should we buy Umbrellas, scarves, even clothes from Japan?
If our indifference to this problem remains firmly rooted or unresolved then experts would be brought from Kabul to bathe our dead and the shrouds would be shipped from Japan).

Bhagat Singh had a sense of irony, and so he would perhaps have managed to smile at the India Shining ad. My fear is that the ruling parties would mistake the sardonic smile for approval.

Govt working to make pvt sector bribery criminal: PM

2011-10-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said government is considering changes in law to make private sector bribery a criminal offence.

Speaking at the Biennial Conference of CBI and state anti-corruption bureaux, the Prime Minister said India has ratified UN Conventions against corruption and to meet its requirements a slew of measures which include amendments in laws pertaining to anti graft measures.

He said Government is working on ways and means to minimize discretionary powers of public authorities and the issue of a public procurement law to minimize irregularities in the award of government contracts worth thousands of crores of rupees every year.

He urged the CBI that people indulging in corruption must realise that that they can not possibly get away from the law and would sooner rather than later suffer the consequences of their wrongdoing.

Earlier, the CBI Director A P Singh in his speech said CBI must be an integral and independent component in any effort to strengthen the mechanism to combat corruption. Mr Singh said one of the draft bills of Lokpal envisages merger of the anti-corruption wing of the CBI with the Lokpal.

The CBI director said, given the composite nature of the CBI, such a proposal is neither practical nor advisable.

Gaddafi's death marks end of era of despotism: World leaders

2011-10-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

The world leaders hailed the end of despotism tyranny and dictatorship in Libya with the death of Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Mr. Gaddafi's death marks a historic transition for Libya. He called on all combatants to lay down their arms, warning the country can only realize the promise of the future by national unity and reconciliation.

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, US President Barack Obama said death of Muammar Gaddafi ended a long, painful chapter for Libyans and warned iron fist regimes in the rest of the Arab would inevitably fall.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hailing it as a chance for a democratic future for Libya.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the death of Gaddafi as a major step forward for the people of Libya and urged the country to pursue democratic reforms.Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said after the death of his onetime ally that the war is over.

In Brussels, the European Union said Gaddafi's death marks the end of an era of despotism. The news means an end also to the repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long.

Reacting to the killing of Libya's long-standing ruler, India has hoped for return of stability to the North African country and offered assistance to the people of Libya in their political transition and rebuilding of the country.An external affairs spokesman said in New Delhi last evening that the strife in Libya and the suffering of its people has been a matter of concern to India.

After the killing of Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown Sirte yesterday Libya’s ruling Transitional Council has called upon the people to stay united.

Putting the record straight, Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said Gaddafi was hauled up from a drainage pipe in Sirte. He was then shot in the arm and put in a truck which was caught in crossfire as it ferried Gaddafi to the hospital. His secret burial is due today.

One of his Muatassim was killed while another son and one-time heir apparent Seif al-Islam was wounded and captured. Addressing Libyans in Tripoli, Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril called upon the Libyans to put aside their differences.He said it is time to start a new and united Libya. A formal announcement of Libya's liberation would be made on Saturday.

It is widely expected that it would lead a timeframe for elections. In Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities people took to streets waiving the old tricolor flag revived by the ruling NTC. Salutary gunshots marked the killing of the deposed dictator.

Muammar Gaddafi, was shot and killed by rebels in his hometown of Sirte after the revolutionary forces overran his last bastion yesterday."Don't shoot, don't shoot were the last words of the 69-year-old dictator, who attempted to flee from a drain where he was hiding.

The reports said that the rebels first shot him in his both legs and severely injured him but captured him alive. Gaddafi died when he was being transported in a car.

Another version says he was killed when a NATO air strike hit one of the convoys in which he was fleeing.Quoting a National Transitional Council official a report said Gaddafi's body was taken to a mosque in Misrata,

Gaddafi's son Mutasim and Defence Minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr were also found dead in Sirte.Libyans on the streets of Tripoli and Sirte fired automatic weapons into the air and danced with joy. The news of the death of a man who had ruled the oil-rich north African nation for 42 years was widely welcomed.

Reacting to the development, Libyan Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said; it was a great victory for the Libyan people.Gaddafi came to power in a bloodless coup against King Idris in 1969, when he was just an army captain.But the revolt against his rule that began in February this year evolved into civil war, leading to his ouster from power.

NTC to declare liberation tomorrow in Libya

2011-10-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

In Libya, after an end to eight months long civil strife, the ruling National Transitional Council is working out modalities to put the country back on rails. The Government will formally declare Libya liberated on Saturday.

The official declaration, that Libya is liberated will set in motion a process towards democratic elections in the country. Ruling NTC will move its headquarters from Bengazi to Tripoli and form a transition Government within a month.

A 200 member National Conference will be elected over the next 8 months period. It will select a Prime Minister who will in turn form the Government. Specific time frame will be there for the National Conference to oversee the drafting of the new constitution and holding elections for the parliament.

The challenges before the interim NTC Government would be to keep Libya united, rebuild the infrastructure and the institutions and to come ensure a smooth transition to democracy in the days to come.

Clinton asks Pakistan to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries in country's tribal belt

2011-10-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again pressed Pakistan today to act against terrorist safe havens, pointing out that militant groups have for long operated with impunity in the country and should not be tolerated.

Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Clinton said while US was committed to the people of Pakistan and their future, and wanted its relationship with the country to deliver results for both sides. She said that, for too long extremists have been able to operate from Pakistani soil. Ms. Clinton, had a meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday. Ms. Clinton delivered a clear message from the US administration that Pakistan will have to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries in the country's tribal belt.

She urged for action against militant groups perpetrating violence, including Taliban and the Haqqani network. Ms. Clinton said, no one who targets innocent civilians, whether they be Pakistanis, Afghans, Americans or anyone else should be tolerated or protected. She also welcomed the efforts being made by India and Pakistan to normalise trade relations and said a thriving economy and a stable and prosperous Pakistan would serve the interests of the region.

SC clears decks for F1 race in Gr. Noida

2011-10-21T05:40:00.001-07:00

The Supreme Court today cleared the decks for the Formula 1 race in Greater Noida, stipulating that the organisers would deposit 25 per cent of sale proceeds from tickets in a separate account which would not be operated without its permission. A bench of justices D K Jain and A R Dave in an interim order directed that the amount would be subject to the final outcome of a plea challenging tax exemptions accorded to the organisers of the Formula 1 race. The apex court rejected the arguments of the organisers that the direction would act as a dampener and cause adverse publicity since it was an international event.

Kamal Nath emphasizes the need to have user friendly guidelines and processes including online systems and calls for fast-tracking decisions in DDA

2011-10-21T05:10:00.001-07:00

Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban Development has laid emphasis on fast -tracking of decisions on various issues related to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Addressing a meeting of senior DDA officials on 19th October 2011 Mr. Nath underlined the importance of having lucid and user friendly regulations/guidelines/procedures which can be easily understood by the public. The Minister added that all acts & policies which concern the public should be formulated in consultation with stakeholders so that a better user perspective can emerge and be an input in taking user friendly decisions. The regulations/guidelines etc should eliminate grey areas that could lead to harassment to the public.

Mr Nath directed the VC, DDA to introduce an online system for conversion of property from lease hold to free hold in a time bound manner. The Land & Development Officer was also directed to do the same. This would resolve a long pending public grievance. He also directed that within a fortnight guidelines on Execution of conveyance deed in the name of purchaser/GPA holder in respect of flats allotted by DDA on freehold basis after 1992, for Banquet Halls, for re-development of Clusters of Industrial Concentration in non-conforming areas/Unplanned Industrial Areas and for Re-development of Influence along MRTS and Major Transport Corridor must be issued. He also advised DDA to examine the recent Order of the Supreme Court prohibiting transfer of properties on basis of General Power of Attorney.

The other issues discussed at the meeting included, guidelines for Use conversion charges from residential to commercial on upper floor of markets, conversion to freehold without charging UEI (unearned Increase) in cases of transfer through will, gift deed, share of transfer etc., need for land monetization and better use of scarce land resources through higher FAR for public utilities such as hospitals etc.

The meeting was attended by Lt. Governor of Delhi Mr. Tejendra Khanna, Sri Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Urban Development, Sri. Rakesh Bihari, Principal Secretary to LG, Sri. R.C. Mishra, Additional Secretary, Urban Development, Sri. K.S. Mehra, Commissioner, MCD, Sri. G.S. Patnaik, VC, DDA, and other senior officials of DDA, MCD & GNCTD, etc.

PM's address at the Biennial Conference of CBI and state anti-corruption bureaux

2011-10-20T23:32:00.001-07:00

The Prime Minister addressed the 18th Biennial Conference of CBI and state anti-corruption bureaux in New Delhi today. Following is the text of the Prime Minister`s address on the occasion:

"I am very happy to be with you here today. Over the last five years, this is the third consecutive biennial conference of state anti-corruption agencies and the CBI that I have been attending. I believe that in these five years we as a nation have moved substantially forward in our efforts to deal with the menace of corruption. Though we still have a long way to go, I also believe that today we stand at the cusp of far reaching changes in our approach and our institutional mechanisms to curb corruption in public life. But before I proceed further, let me congratulate the very fine officers who have been awarded medals today. We are all very proud of their solid achievements. The CBI owes a great deal of its reputation of professionalism to their talent, to their commitment and to their sustained hard work.

In the last few months the debate over the possible ways and means to curb corruption and improve the processes of governance has intensified in our country. The agitation for the establishment of a Lok Pal has brought the issue of cleaning up of our public life right at the top of the agenda of our national priorities. I believe that the churning over this issue that our society and our polity are witnessing today, marked by sharp differences of opinions and ardent advocacy of particular causes is, on balance, good for our country. Today, the tasks of ensuring transparency and accountability in the work of public authorities and of building effective mechanisms for punishing those who indulge in corrupt practices and protecting those who seek to expose wrongdoings have acquired an urgency as never before. I believe that we as a nation should seize this moment. Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm our government`s commitment to expeditiously move forward on a comprehensive agenda of executive, legal and technology reforms to curb corruption and deliver good governance. In this effort, we will continue to welcome suggestions and inputs from various sections of Civil Society and non-government institutions. We should not and we cannot afford to tolerate a malaise that hurts our economic growth, harms our polity, alienates our people, breeds an amount of cynicism, lowers our image internationally and is particularly harsh on the poor.

It goes without saying that the best way to fight corruption is to reduce opportunities for corrupt practices. If government decisions are transparent and the responsibility of individual public servants in the decision-making processes is clearly known, the deterrence against illegal private benefit in public work is so much more enhanced. The Right to Information Act that we provided to ourselves about six years back is a potent tool in ensuring such transparency and accountability in our public life. Here, I would like to emphasize that public authorities should voluntarily place as much information as is possible in the public domain to inform our people.

As part of our efforts to reduce opportunities for corrupt practices, we are also working on ways and means to minimize discretionary powers of public authorities. This is a matter being considered by a Group of Ministers. The same Group of Ministers is also looking at the issue of a public procurement law to minimize irregularities in the award of government contracts worth thousands of crores of rupees every year. In the next few months, it is my hope that we will be able to introduce a Bill in Parliament for such a legislation.

Whatever we might do to minimise the opportunities for corruption, the sad reality is that we cannot build a totally fool-proof system. There will always be some instances of corrupt practices in the work of public authorities. And therefore, there is a need for speedy and thorough investigation into allegations of such wrong doings, followed by expeditious prosecution to bring the guilty to book. Those indulging in corrupt acts must realize that they can not possibly get away from the law and would sooner rather than later suffer the consequences of their wrongdoing. This would act as a powerful deterrent against corruption.

The CBI is our premier investigation agency. It sets standards and benchmarks for investigation for other agencies to follow, particularly in cases of corruption. What our government and people expect of the CBI is well known. But it bears repetition on occasions like this because sometimes in the routine of our daily work we forget the larger scheme of things. We expect from the CBI the highest standards of honesty and professionalism and a total disregard of any extraneous considerations, particularly political pressure, in its work. We require the use of the latest technology and the knowledge and the application of global best practices in the CBI`s work. And professionalism demands facelessness, in the best traditions of our civil services. Premature publicity given to cases under investigation can harm the cause of justice. We must also not forget the distinction between a deliberate attempt at wrongdoing and honest mistakes, sometimes inevitable in decision-making processes under conditions of uncertainty. I do hope, today we will introspect deeply and honestly about these expectations and whether we are doing enough to meet them. Our government will continue to support all efforts of the CBI to maintain the highest levels of personal conduct, to ensure speedy and timely completion of investigations, to strengthen the processes of prosecution and to bring in reforms in the organization, wherever necessary.

India ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in June 2011. This will strengthen our anti-corruption efforts and facilitate international cooperation in trans-border cases of corruption. To meet the requirements of the Convention, we have introduced a Bill in the Parliament to make bribery of foreign public officials an offence. We are considering changes in our laws to criminalize private sector bribery. Another Bill has been introduced in Parliament to provide protection to whistleblowers. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill has also been introduced in Parliament.

We hope to see the establishment of a strong and effective Lokpal in the coming months. Whatever be the structure and functions of the Lokpal when it is established, the CBI as our premier investigating agency will continue to play a very important role in our efforts for ensuring probity in our public life.

Our Government has recently decided in-principle to prescribe a three-month deadline for deciding on request of investigating agencies for granting sanction for prosecution of public servants. In fact, this deadline would also apply to requests for permission for investigation by the CBI. We have also decided that if an authority refuses to grant permission for investigation or sanction for prosecution, the reasons for such denial would have to be informed to the next higher authority. Delay in the trial of cases remains an area of serious public concern. To reduce pendency of CBI cases under trial, we have taken a decision to set up a committee under a retired Supreme Court judge to review cases pending trial, which are more than ten years old, and suggest ways and means for their speedy disposal. The Government has sanctioned 71 Special Courts for CBI to fast track trial of cases charge sheeted by the CBI. I am happy to know that a majority of these courts have already started functioning. I would expect Secretary, DoPT and Director, CBI to follow up with the State Governments for also making the remaining courts functional at the very earliest.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to inaugurate the new state-of-the-art building of the CBI. I hope it is serving the needs of CBI well. Our government stands committed to doing everything necessary to enable the CBI to function professionally and smoothly. I assure you that we will do our utmost for meeting the financial, technological and personnel needs of the CBI. I am aware that the Bureau has made requests for greater financial autonomy, increase in funds for modernization and has asked for additional personnel. I would request my colleague Shri Narayanasamy to look into these requests expeditiously.

I sincerely hope that this gathering of the officers of the CBI, Anti-Corruption/Vigilance Bureaux and other distinguished participants will come out with effective, useful and practical suggestions to combat corruption in our public life. Let me end by wishing you all success. May God bless your path."

6 States Report Over 60% Utilisation of Funds Released under Multi-Sectoral Development Programme for the Welfare of Minorities Jammu & Kashmir tops the List with Over 74% Utilisation

2011-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

Jammu & Kashmir has utilised 74.39% of the amount released to it (till September 30, 2011) by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) for the welfare of Minorities. The Ministry has released Rs. 5.99 crore to it out of which the State has been able to spend Rs. 4.46 crore. This is the highest percentage of expenditure reported by any State/UT under the Programme, which is being implemented in 90 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) of 20 States/UTs. Jammu & Kashmir has one MCD under MsDP.

Five other States have reported over 60% expenditure out of the amount released by the Ministry (till September 30, 2011):

1. Orissa: 69.50% (Amount released: Rs. 25.58 crore; utilised: Rs. 17.78 crore);

2. West Bengal: 67.85% (Amount released: Rs. 517.24 crore; utilised: Rs. 350.93 crore);

3. Haryana: 65.69% (Amount released: Rs. 30.47crore; utilised: Rs. 20.02crore);

4. Madhya Pradesh: 65.03% (Amount released: Rs. 13.98 crore; utilised: Rs. 9.09 crore); and

5. Jharkhand: 64.24% (Amount released: Rs. 101.13 crore; utilised: Rs. 64.96 crore).

Performance, with respect to spending the amount released by the Ministry, reported by other States/UTs under this Programme is as follows:

Manipur: 58.44%; Assam: 47.71%; Bihar: 43.76%; Uttar Pradesh: 42.21%; Arunachal Pradesh: 34.78%; Meghalaya: 30.62%; Maharashtra: 29.66%; Karnataka: 23.42%; Mizoram: 21.67%; Uttarakhand: 20.03%; Kerala: 7%; Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 0%; Sikkim: 0% and Delhi: 0%.

Thus the average percentage of the expenditure (till September 30, 2011) for the 20 States/UTs under this Programme is 49.97 %.

Multi-sectoral Development programme (MsDP) for the welfare of the Minorities, being implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, is a Special Area Development Programme.It has been implemented from 2008-09 in 90 Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs) identified on the basis of substantial minority population and relative backwardness in terms of selected socio-economic and basic amenities parameters based on data of 2001 Census. The primary objective of the programme is to improve the backwardness parameters which resulted in the identification of the districts as backward and to bring them at par with the national averages.

India and Philippines to Sign DTAA Soon

2011-10-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee said that there is a need for transparent arrangement with a legal framework for exchange of information between India and Philippines relating to banking and tax related matters. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee raised this issue during his bilateral meeting with his Philippines’ counterpart Mr. Cesar V. Purisima when the later called on him, here today. Negotiations are already on for revising the Convention between the two countries for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes and Income. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee hoped that this Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement may be signed in January next year.

The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee also expressed his satisfaction at the issuance of notification by both countries operationalising the India-ASEAN FTA on Trade in Goods w.e.f. 1st June, 2011. The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee stated that there is a steady growth of bilateral trade which has increased from US$ 443.63 million in 2003-04 to US$ 1061.84 million in 2009-10. He said that bilateral trade will certainly increase even further with the scaling down of tariff lines by both the countries under the India ASEAN FTA on Trade in Goods.

The Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee said that the Indian side would be happy to further strengthen the banking links between the two countries. He said that the State Bank of India has already proposed for opening a branch in Manila. He said that India would welcome a conducive environment for stronger banking links between the two countries.

The Philippines’ Finance Secretary, Mr. Purisima said that he would take up the matter with concerned Department back home in order to expedite the finalization of DTAA between the two countries. He also said that role of ADB now needs to be revisited in the light of changes in the status of different member countries over the years. Mr. Purisima said that there is a lot of potentials for further strengthening of relations and cooperation between the two countries especially in the field of education, tourism and manufacturing sector among others. He also endorsed the views of Shri Mukherjee for establishment of stronger banking links between the two countries. He thanked the Union Finance Minister Shri Mukherjee for his contribution in the development of this region and invited him to visit Philippines in near future.

Focus on Development of Operational and Technical Infrastructure for Increasing Force Level: ADM Nirmal Verma

2011-10-15T04:04:00.001-07:00

The second biannual Naval Commanders Conference of 2011 concluded in New Delhi on 14 Oct 11. This conference is held to discuss issues of operational relevance, identify capability gaps and to review the future plans of the Indian Navy

Discussions during the conference that lasted over three days, focused on a range of issues relevant to the Navy`s preparedness and plans to develop a definitive roadmap for the future. The Navy has continued to maintain and sustain a high operational tempo while dealing with a large number of tasks and missions, including anti piracy and coastal security. This is in addition to the traditional tasks and missions entrusted to the Navy which include Overseas Deployments, intra IN exercises, bilateral exercises with friendly foreign countries and presence cum surveillance missions in the Indian Ocean Region with a view to discharge its role as the net security provider in the maritime domain in its area of operations.

In his address, Adm Nirmal Verma, the Chief of the Naval Staff told the naval commanders that the primary challenge that was confronting the Navy was to balance its resources and building human capital and a requisite strategy so as to be responsive to the full spectrum of operations. The CNS also highlighted the progress made in various plans and programmes for the modernisation of the Navy. The initiatives and new schemes introduced for promotion and welfare of sailors and their families were also highlighted.

The aviation arm of the Navy is set to grow in the years ahead. The first lot of MiG 29 K aircraft for Vikramaditya had been inducted this year and the balance are expected to be delivered in phases. A major milestone was the first flight of the P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft in Sep this year. This aircraft is on schedule for its induction in 2013.

Progress has also been made in the last few months for induction of ships with contracts for five Offshore Patrol Vessels, two Cadet Training Ships, eight Amphibious Landing Craft and Fast Interceptor Craft having been concluded.

The Navy continues to maintain focus on development of operational and technical infrastructure, as the force levels increase. Cases for developing Forward Operating Bases (FOB), Operational Turn Around (OTR) bases and Naval Air Enclaves (NAE), on the mainland and in the islands are being progressed. Developing such infrastructure especially in Karwar and the far flung island territories has been accorded priority.

Plans for the Navy`s growing role in the Indian Ocean Region were also discussed during the conference.

Contingency Plan to Produce 2.78 million tonne Additional Pulses in Rabi 2011-12

2011-09-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

Government has prepared a contingency plan for additional production of pulses in Rabi 2011-12 through area expansion and productivity enhancement. Pulses covered under the scheme are pigeon pea, gram, pea and lentil. It is targeted to achieve an additional production of Rs. 2.78 MT during the ensuing Rabi season and offset the loss of Kharif season. Additional allocation of Rs. 80 crore has been made for this purpose under NFSM- Pulses programme.

Gujarat and Tamil Nadu will meet the expenses of additional area expansion from their normal allocation under NFSM-Pulses.

As per the current coverage of area under pulses during Kharif 2011, there is a shortfall of 10.89 lakh hectare as against area coverage during last Kharif season. Less acreage during Kharif 2011 may lead to shortfall of 0.70 MT as per 1st Advance Estimates of Production.

The production and productivity of pulses have increased during last three-four years from 14.20 MT in 2006-07 to 14.66 MT during 2009-10. Likewise the productivity of pulses has also increased from 612kg/ha during 2006-07 to 630 kg/ha during 2009-10. As per 4th Advance Estimates of Crop Production, the production of pulses has increased from 14.66 MT (2009-10) to 18.09 MT during 2010-11. Productivity of pulses has also increased from 630 kg/ha during 2009-10 to 689 kg/ha during 2010-11.

Durand Football Tournament 2011

2011-09-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

Durand Cup this year is scheduled from 24th September to 15th October 2011. The tournament will be conducted in two stages. Stage –I will be Qualifying Knock Out and Stage - II will be Quarter Final League round.

The Qualifying Knock Out round matches will commence from 24th September 2011. 20 teams have been accommodated in Qualifying Knock Out rounds. Four Regimental teams from the Army, one team each from Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, two teams from DSA as recommended by Secretary, DSA. Five teams from Para Military forces i.e. BSF, CRPF, Assam Rifles, Punjab Police and Uttrakhand Police. Two teams from PSU Viz. State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Travancore and four teams Second Division i.e. Sporting Club De Goa, Lajong Shillong, and Mohmmedan Sporting Club. Two teams from private sector i.e Bhawanipur Football Club and Tata Football Academy. They will be divided into two groups and ten teams each. Winner of each group will be promoted to Quarter Final League round.

Nine teams from National League standing they are Salgaocar SC, Sikkim United, Churchill Brothers, Pune FC, Mumbai FC, Prayag United, Air India Mumbai, HAL Bangalore, ONGC and Services football Champion Army Red. Two winner teams of Qualifying rounds will compete in this round. Hence total 12 teams have been divided in four groups of three teams each. Winner of each group will play Semi-Finals in alternate fashion i.e. Winner of Group – I will play against Winner of Group – III and Winner of Group – II will play against Winner of Group – IV. It will be played on Knock Out basis. The Final Match is scheduled for 15 Oct 2011.

COSCO Platina FIFA approved football is the official ball of the tournament. The cash award for the Winner, Runners up and the 3rd postions will be awarded with Rs. 20 Lakhs, 10 Lakhs and 05 Lakhs respectively.

Britain backs India for permanent seat in UNSC

2011-09-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

Britain has backed India's bid to get permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The support came at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his British counterpart William Hague on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The two Ministers also discussed bilateral relations and exchanged notes on Libya, Syria and reforms of the UN Security Council.

Briefing reporters foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said the two leaders also talked about the upcoming meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) in Perth in Australia in October.

Asked about the planned meeting of Mr. Krishna with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday, the Foreign Secretary said it will be for a review of bilateral relations and how to carry them forward. The two countries will look at what other steps need to be taken to advance commercial operations.

Giving details on the bilateral meetings of the Prime Minister with President of newly created South Sudan and Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Mathai said a whole gamut of bilateral relations came up for discussion.

He said South Sudan sought assistance in capacity building in the areas of medicine, education, agriculture and infrastructure The two countries decided to strengthen co-operation in the Hydro carbon sector.

On Nepal, Mr Mathai said Prime Minister Baburam Battarai briefed Dr Singh on the peace process in the Himalayan state. Some other issues of mutual concern and international developments also came up for discussion.

Good that US recognised Haqqani-ISI links: Krishna

2011-09-25T04:28:00.000-07:00

India today said, it was good that the Obama administration recognised the links between the ISI and Haqqani network of Taliban, amid a raging US-Pak row over the spy agency's support to the dreaded terror outfit.

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said in New York, he thinks that New Delhi's stand has been vindicated. In its latest row with Pakistan, the US has accused military-run ISI of not only supporting the Haqqani terror network but also encouraging it to launch more brazen strikes on American installations in Afghanistan.

Top US military commanders have said that Haqqani network backed by ISI carried out the September 13 attack on the American embassy in Kabul in which 25 people were killed.

India and the US will also discuss their bilateral relationship when Krishna meets Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tomorrow

India can continue all but permanent works on Kishenganga: ICA

2011-09-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

The International Court of Arbitration has said, India can continue with all works related to the Kishenganga hydro-electric project in Jammu and Kashmir except any permanent work on the riverbed that may inhibit restoration of the river's full flow. In an interim ruling, the court in The Hague said it was necessary to lay down certain interim measures in order to avoid prejudice to the final solution of the dispute as provided under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. The court said that, under the current timetable, it intended to give its final verdict late in 2012 or early in 2013.

The interim ruling further said, India may utilise the temporary diversion tunnel it is said to have completed at the Gurez site, and may construct and complete temporary cofferdams to permit the operation of the temporary diversion tunnel.The ruling further said India and Pakistan should arrange for periodic joint inspections of the dam site at Gurez in order to monitor that the court's directive regarding permanent works was being implemented.

Places of Cultural Importance

2011-09-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

The places of historical / cultural / archaeological importance are declared protected under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, amended and validated in 2010. The protected monuments are maintained properly by the Archaeological Survey of India.
There are 3676 centrally protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India. The details of protected monuments in the country are given in annexure.
The protected monuments are in a good state of preservation. The conservation work at these monuments is attended regularly depending upon the availability of resources and need of the repairs.

Protected Monuments under Archaeological Survey of India

Sl. No.	Name of State / U.T.	Number of Monuments
1.	Andhra Pradesh	137
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	03
3.	Assam	55
4.	Bihar	70
5.	Chhattisgarh	47
6.	Daman & Diu (U. T.)	12
7.	Goa	21
8.	Gujarat	202
9.	Haryana	89
10.	Himachal Pradesh	40
11.	Jammu & Kashmir	69
12.	Jharkhand	12
13.	Karnataka	507
14.	Kerala	26
15.	Madhya Pradesh	292
16.	Maharashtra	285
17.	Manipur	01
18.	Meghalaya	08
19.	Nagaland	04
20.	N.C.T. Delhi	174
21.	Odisha	78
22.	Pondicherry (U.T.)	07
23.	Punjab	33
24.	Rajasthan	162
25.	Sikkim	03
26.	Tamil Nadu	413
27.	Tripura	08
28.	Uttar Pradesh	743
29.	Uttarakhand	042
30.	West Bengal	133
	TOTAL	3676

States to get 20% of budget grant fund for road infrastructure projects for timely completion

2011-09-13T00:38:00.001-07:00

The Centre has asked the states to play an effective role for completion of road infrastructure projects in the country. Briefing reporters at the end of the day-long conference on Public Private Partnership in National Highways in New Delhi on Monday, the Road Transport and Highways Minister Dr. C. P. Joshi said states will get 20 per cent of the budget grant fund for the projects for their involvement and timely completion of these projects.

Mr Joshi said that 16,000 kilometers of highways have been completed so far and another 15,000 are in different stages of completion.

Earlier inaugurating the conference, the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said the investment in this sector will rise to about one trillion dollars. He said this is necessary to achieve the target of 9 per cent growth during the 12th five year plan. The Prime Minister also called for complete transparency in the awarding of highway projects to eliminate the possibility of favoritism or crony capitalism.

Encephalitis death toll mounts to 268 in UP

2011-09-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

In Uttar Pradesh, the death toll due to encephalitis or brain fever has mounted to 268 this year as nine more patients succumbed to the virus-borne disease during past 48 hours. The dead include mostly children from eastern districts.

AIR Gorakhpur correspondent quoting official sources says that this year, a total of 1377 patients of brain fever have been admitted to the BRD Medical College Hospital of which 109 have been tested positive for Japanese Encephalitis. As many as 261 patients are still undergoing treatment at BRD Medical College Hospital and government hospitals of adjoining districts.

Himachal Social Forestary Project for Carbon Credit Trading

2011-09-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

A multi-crore Himachal Pradesh Mid Himalayan Watershed Project has been registered for carbon trading scheme under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The Project is expected to sequester the emission of 800 million tonnes of carbondioxide from 2006 to 2025 by promoting biodiversity through native species in remote areas.

This is first such project on public land to be registered for carbon trading in India in which 5000 families in the state will earn green money through raising plantations on barren land. The project is the first experiment of its kind in getting community participation in the plantation, conservation and protection of environment.

Under the carbon trading scheme, a wholly new business has developed in the commodity markets in state in which the 5000 families from remote and backward villages will receive carbon revenue for next 20 years from world bank for providing green cover to 4000 hectare barren land area falling in 10 districts of the state. All these areas were classified as deforested before 1990.

The UN scheme has set a price of about 2500 per hectare per annum of carbon which will be measured depending on the growth of tree biomass. The biomass stocks will be periodically measured from permanent plots to estimate the carbon revenue. The bio mass measurement will be started within a year.

The project is estimated to generate carbon revenue of at least Rs. 20 crore to the communities and individual land holders for the first crediting period of 20 years, which is strong incentive to protect forest cover. The first payment is likely to be disbursed to the stakeholders in next two years said Shri R. K. Kapoor, Chief Project Director.

In a first experiment of its kind in getting participation of local people in the conservation and protection of environment, the villagers will be paid 90 per cent of the revenue the Government will get by selling to the World Banks the carbon credits resulting from sequestration of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide through afforestation.

The project will reduce 40,000 tonnes of carbondioxide per year for a 20 year crediting period beginning from the year 2006. The project is initially for 20 years which can be extended to total 60 years period.

Under the Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement, the bank will buy 3.5 lakh temporary certified emission reductions for plantations raised over 4003 hectares in the first phase covering the period 2006-2018 depending on the growth of biomass. The programme would be implemented through the Joint Forest Management Committee, and so far around 400 such committees had been formed at the hamlet level. The entire process for joint forest management committee would be completed in three months time.

There was 75 per cent rate of survival of the plantations being done by the local people under this project and the process of measurement of the biomass will start within a year. CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change in which the industrialised nations are mandated to meet targets of reducing greenhouse gas emission responsible for causing global warming which was leading to climate change.

Besides reducing the emissions in their own country, they can also do it by buying financing green projects (activities that reduce emission of greenhouse gases) in the developing countries that are not legally bound to meet such targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

Himachal Pradesh Mid Himalayan watershed development project is the first pilot project for India and is the world’s first carbon credit project that is linked to an ongoing watershed management programme having broad objective to sequester greenhouse gases by expanding forestry plantations on mostly degraded lands apart from creating a carbon sink.

Rs. 6615 Crore Released Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana(RSVY) as on 31 July, 2011

2011-09-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

As on 31 July, 2011 the Government has released a total sum of Rs. 6615 crores under the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana(RSVY). Of this amount, a utilization of Rs. 5914 crore has been reported by the same date.

RSVY was launched in 2003-04 with the objective of putting in place programmes and policies that would remove barriers to growth, accelerate the development process and improve the quality of life of the people in 147 identified backward districts of the country with the joint efforts of the Centre and the States. The scheme aimed at focused development programmes for backward areas which would help reduce imbalances and speed up development.

Initially RSVY was implemented by the Planning Commission. Subsequently it was decided to launch Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme to be implemented by Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2006-07 with RSVY subsumed into the BRGF. Each district under RSVY was to get Rs.45 crore @ Rs.7.50 crore per year. Part of the funds were released by the Planning Commission and balance of the entitlement was released from BRGF. All the 147 districts covered under the RSVY had been released their full allocation of Rs.45 crore each by December, 2009.

IT Benefits to Rural Areas

2011-09-04T01:07:00.000-07:00

Under the national e-Governance plan, Government of India is implementing the Common Services Centres Scheme under which 100,000 kiosks are being set up in the rural areas of the country. These centres have internet connectivity and are providing government and business services to citizens. So far around 96000 CSCs have been set up.

A project titled “National Roll Out Plan” is being executed through C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) wherein Language CDs containing fonts and localized Bharateeya open office and other software tools are being developed for free distribution. These CDs are being developed for all 22 constitutionally recognized Indian languages including Hindi. These can be downloaded from http://www.ildc.in . On written request these are also being mailed through post office at the doorstep of user free of cost.

Solar Power can meet 5-7% Power Requirement by 2021-22

2011-08-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

A study published by KPMG, a global consulting company has forecast that solar power can meet 5-7% of India’s total power requirements by 2021-22.

In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today, Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah said India has good potential for solar power as it receives solar energy equivalent to over 5,000 trillion kWh per year, which is far more than the total energy consumption of the country. He said the daily average solar energy incident varies from 4 - 7 kWh per square meter of the surface area depending upon the location and time of the year. The Minister added that the solar radiation is available at most locations in the country for about 300 days in a year.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah informed that the total installed capacity of grid connected solar power plants as on date is 45.5 MW. He said the Government has launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in January 2010, which aims to set up 20,000 MW grid solar power by 2022 in addition to 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power. He said deployment of solar power is, thereafter, expected to increase rapidly due to declining prices of solar power, indigenization and technology improvements.

Centrally Sponsored Schemes for Senior Citizens

2011-08-29T21:40:00.001-07:00

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is not implementing any Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the welfare of senior citizens. However, this Ministry is implementing a Central Sector Scheme of Integrated Programme for Older Persons through Non-Government Organizations, Panchayati Raj/ Local Bodies, etc. to cater to the basic needs of destitute senior citizens viz. shelter, food, recreation, health care etc.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, “National Programme for Health Care of Elderly (NPHCE)” being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve health services for the elderly. The Programme has been taken up in 100 selected districts of 21 States and 8 Regional Geriatric Institutes across the country on cost sharing basis with the participating States at the ratio of 80:20 (excluding the expenditure on 8 Regional Medical Institutes).

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Programme is being done, in-house, on an ongoing basis. The first meeting of the State Programme Officers (Non Communicable Diseases) was held on 29th July, 2011 to take stock of the implementation of the Programme.

Budgetary Allocation for Minority Welfare

2011-08-29T21:37:00.001-07:00

Government has said that the recent Report prepared by the Centre for Equity Studies and other partners without consultation with the Ministry of Minority Affairs has serious factual inaccuracies. Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, Shri Vincent H. Pala, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, said that the said Report has stated that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are not included in the 15 Point Programme while in fact they are included in the programme. It has also stated that the Ministry of Minority Affairs has a small programme for scholarship for Muslim girls and the number covered are minuscule, while in fact out of a total of 78.68 lakh scholarships for the minority communities, 38.45 lakh scholarships have been awarded to girls which represents 49% of the total scholarships awarded by the Ministry.

Shri Pala also informed the House that the allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs for 11th Five Year Plan is Rs.7,000 crore and considering that this is the first Five Year Plan for the Ministry, the allocation cannot be considered as token. Further, the Ministry of Minority Affairs had launched the New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities in 2006.The Programme has been formulated in a manner so that it provides for earmarking up to 15% of the total annual allocation of each Ministry/Department concerned in important schemes which affect the social, educational and economic status of the minorities. It has also been possible to enforce earmarking in eight schemes under the programme.

Secondly, other schemes of targeted interventions on minority concentration districts, towns/cities having substantial minority population has also been made effective. All these supplement the schemes meant exclusively for minorities implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. For ensuring effective implementation, the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities, which also covers the schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, is monitored closely and the progress of implementation is reviewed on quarterly basis in the Ministry, and on half-yearly basis by a Committee of Secretaries and then at the highest level in the Government, the Minister said.

Aganwadi Workers Training Centres

2011-08-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

There are a total of 498 AWTCs operational as on 30 June 2011 in States/UTs. The Minister of State (I/C) for Women & Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath revealed in Lok Sabha today that two proposals to open 10 new AWTCs - 6 in Assam and 4 in Jharkhand, have been received in May, 2011.

In reply to a question she said that the number of Anganwadi Workers to be trained every year is proposed by the States/UTs in their Annual State Training Action Plans (STRAPs). During the current financial year, 2,87,778 Anganwadi Workers and 2,18,098 Anganwadi Helpers are proposed to be trained through the existing AWTCs.

The Minister stated that in order to ensure effective functioning of the AWTCs, regular visits are made by the State Government officials as well as the faculty from the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) to monitor and inspect these centres. Also, State Governments undertake periodic review meetings with the AWTCs to review the progress of the training courses against the targets approved under the STRAPs.

ILO Protocol on Child Labour

2011-08-02T06:30:00.001-07:00

As per information received from International Labour Organisation, the ILO has not developed any protocol for the elimination of child labour.

As per Census 2001 figures there were 1.26 crore working children in the country in the age group of 5-14. As per the Survey conducted by National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) in 2004-05, the number of working children in the country were estimated as 90.75 lakh.

The Government of India has adopted a multi-pronged strategy for eradication of child labour which is as follows:

(i) A legislative action plan in the form of Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986.
(ii) Project-based action plan in areas of high concentration of Child Labour under National Child Labour Project Scheme.
(iii) Focus on general development programmes for the benefit of the families of Child Labour.

The above measures have yielded positive results in eradication of child labour.

Spiralling Unemployment

2011-08-02T06:28:00.001-07:00

Reliable estimates of employment and unemployment are obtained through quinquennial labour force surveys conducted by National Sample Survey Office. Last such survey was conducted during 2009-10. As per results of these surveys, unemployment rates estimated on usual status basis during 1993-94 to 2009-10 are given below:

Unemployment Rates (as % of labour force)

Period	Rural			Urban
	Male	Female	Persons	Male	Female	Persons
1993-94	1.4	0.8	1.2	4.0	6.2	4.5
1999-00	1.7	1.0	1.5	4.5	5.7	4.7
2004-05	1.6	1.8	1.7	3.8	6.9	4.5
2009-10	1.6	1.6	1.6	2.8	5.7	3.4

Government have taken several steps to reduce unemployment in the country. The focus is on creation of productive employment at a faster pace in order to raise incomes of masses to bring about a general improvement in their living conditions. The job opportunities are created on account of growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), investment in infrastructure development, growth in exports, etc. Government of India has also been implementing various employment generation programmes, such as, Swarana Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY); Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP); Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) besides entrepreneurial development programmes run by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.

Child Labour Project

2011-08-02T06:26:00.001-07:00

As per available information 3.39 lakhs children have been withdrawn from hazardous work and admitted into special schools during last three years and current year.

Government is implementing National Child Labour Project Scheme (NCLP) in 266 districts.

Under NCLP Scheme expenditure of Rs. 147.21 crore, Rs. 95.27 crore and Rs. 92.71 crore has been incurred during 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively.

A Central Monitoring Committee under the Chairpersonship of Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment with representation from State Governments and concerning Ministries/Departments has been set up for the supervision, monitoring and evaluation of the National Child Labour Project.

Wage Board for Media

2011-08-02T06:24:00.001-07:00

The recommendations of the Justice Majithia Wage Boards are under consideration of the Government and a decision will be taken at the earliest.

According to Report of Majithia Wage Boards for Working Journalists and Non-Journalist Newspapers and News Agency Employees, reliable data on employment in the newspaper industry are not available. The authentic figures appearing in Press in India 2007-08 put the employment in 678 dailies at 43677 persons.

The Newspaper employees have been categorized broadly into three categories as Working Journalists, Non-Journalist Newspaper Employees- Administrative Staff and Non-Journalist Newspaper Employees-Factor Staff. Peons and Drivers come under Non-Journalist Newspaper Employees-Administrative Staff and Non-Journalist Newspaper Employees-Factory Staff.

Insurance Scheme for Domestic Workers

2011-08-02T06:22:00.001-07:00

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), providing for smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30,000/- per annum per family to BPL families (a unit of five) in unorganized sector, has since been extended to domestic workers in the country. It is expected to cover the estimated 47.50 lakh domestic workers by the year 2014-15. State Governments have been requested to take necessary steps to implement the scheme for domestic workers.

The Government has set-up a Task Force to evolve a policy frame work for domestic workers in the context of regulatory mechanism and providing social security.

Kerala Annual Plan 2011-12

2011-07-27T06:31:00.001-07:00

The Annual Plan outlay for Kerala for the year 2011-12 was approved today at a meeting between the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Kerala Mr Oomen Chandy. The Annual Plan size was agreed at Rs. 12,010 crores.

In his opening remarks, Mr Ahluwalia complimented the State Government for leading in Human development index including health and education sectors. He said focus on revenue generation was needed and State needs to push forward its plans to encourage value added agriculture. He said the State needs to accelerate growth without compromising on inclusiveness. The focus of the development initiatives should be health, education and employment generation. New initiatives are needed to create investor friendly environment and improve both social and physical infrastructure. Drawing attention to inherit strengths of the State , he said focus in the tourism sector should be on high value tourism.

Mr Ahluwalia said as part of exercise aimed at further involving States in evolving approach for the 12th plan period; the Commission has taken views of all stake holders including States and civil society. He said the Commission would be willing to help in working out a development plan which would make development more inclusive. He said the State should move towards shifting to new pension system as most of other States have already done for better fiscal sustainability. He also recommended that setting up of a empowered committee on Externally Aided Projects would facilitate early approval.

Appreciating the approach of the new Government in handling issues, Commission said focus of tourism and cluster approach for industrial development are steps in the right direction. He said the Commission will also give priority to cluster approach in the 12th Plan and thus would welcome initiatives in this direction. The State was advised to have a fresh look at the industrial policy to create investor friendly environment. Attention was drawn to the long over due reforms in the power sector. Approach in skill development was appreciated.

Briefing the Commission on the development strategy of the new Government, Mr Chandy said State has been successful in containing both fiscal and revenue deficit. In 2010-11 fiscal deficit was only 2.91 per cent while revenue deficit was 1.39%. He said in spite of financial strains because of pay commission recommendation, the Government is committed to implement schemes to improve quality of life, enhance economic activities and improve agriculture production.

He said the Commission should allow flexibility in the utilization of centrally sponsored schemes to improve achievement. He said the State Government intends improving wages under MNREGS from Rs 150 to Rs 200 and this would increase allocation for the scheme by Rs 800 crore. Like wise under IAY unit cost would be raised to Rs 75,000 creating an additional demand for Rs 250 crores.

India Signs an Agreement and Protocol for Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion (DTAA) with Lithunia

2011-07-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

The Government of India today signed an Agreement and Protocol for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital (DTAA) with Government of Lithuania. The Agreement and the Protocol were signed by Shri Prakash Chandra, Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes, on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Petras Simeliunas, Ambassador, Republic of Lithuania to India, on behalf of the Government of Lithuania. Lithuania is the first Baltic country with which DTAA has been signed by India.

The DTAA provides that business profits will be taxable in the source state if the activities of an enterprise constitute a permanent establishment (PE) in the source state. The Agreement provides for fixed place PE, building site, construction & installation PE, service PE, Off-shore exploration / exploitation PE and agency PE.

The Agreement incorporate para 2 in Article concerning Associated Enterprises. This would enhance recourse to Mutual Agreement Procedure to relieve double taxation in cases involving transfer pricing adjustments.

Dividends, interest and royalties & fees for technical services income will be taxed both in the country of residence and in the country of source. The low level of withholding rates of taxation for dividend (5% & 15%), interest (10%) and royalties & fees for technical services (10%) will promote greater investments, flow of technology and technical services between the two countries.

The Agreement further incorporates provisions for effective exchange of information between tax authorities of the two countries in line with latest international standard, including exchange of banking information and supplying of information without recourse to domestic interest. Further, the Agreement provides for sharing of information to other agencies with the consent of supplying state.

The Agreement also has an article on assistance in collection of taxes. This article also includes provision for taking measures of conservancy. The Agreement incorporates anti-abuse (limitation of benefits) provisions to ensure that the benefits of the Agreement are availed of by the genuine residents of the two countries.

The Agreement will provide tax stability to the residents of India and Lithuania and will facilitate mutual economic cooperation between the two countries. It will also stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between India and Lithuania.

Rajasthan : Land of Opportunities

2011-07-25T05:16:00.000-07:00

Rajasthan is a vibrant, exotic state where tradition and royal glory meet in a riot of colors against the vast backdrop of sand and desert. It has an unusual diversity in its entire forms- people, customs, culture, costumes, music, manners, dialects, cuisine and physiography. The history of the land has a saga and tale; every roadside village has its own flavor of valor and sacrifice, the winds singing them and the sands shift to spread them. The panoramic outlook of the state is simply mesmerizing; with lofty hills of Aravali’s- one of the oldest mountain ranges of the world and the golden sand dunes of the Great Indian Desert- the only desert of the sub-continent.
Rajasthan has always been viewed as a State having vast potential for economic and commercial growth. Entrepreneurial spirit of people of Rajasthan especially from the Marwar region has a proven track record at national and global level. Despite vast reserves of natural resources such as land, mines, minerals and sunlight, the growth prospects of the state have been hampered by lack of infrastructure and suitable programmes for tapping the rich skill base in the state. In recent months, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Government and people of Rajasthan, has undertaken many projects to unleash the reservoir of skill, entrepreneurship and business acumen of the people of Rajasthan. These efforts can be summarized as institutional development, skill up-gradation and creating the demarcated eco-systems of industrial and investment development.
Institutional Development
Basic consideration while devising any scheme for Rajasthan has to be the synergy between the proposed plan and indigenous resources both physical and human. Keeping that in mind the Commerce and Industry Ministry has started work on a Rs. 100 crore project for establishing a Footwear Designing and Development Institute (FDDI) at Jodhpur, encompassing a 15 acre campus entailing the training capacity of 1000 students. Rajasthan has a traditional advantage in leather industry because of strong historical background, availability of leather due to high livestock population and rich tradition of craftsmanship in the areas. There is a high demand for the courses offered by FDDI because of high employability in the fields of fashion merchandizing, retail management, footwear technology and leather goods and accessories designing. Other campuses of FDDI have been maintaining 100% placement record; therefore, it will give a boost to the employment along with making Rajasthan hub of leather industry in the country. Laying the foundation stones of the Campus recently, Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry said that, “The establishment of the Institute will give the talented youths of Rajasthan one more avenue of up grading their skills and compete with strength in the job market”.
Another worth noting initiative which goes with the indigenous ambience is the establishment of Rs. 18 crore worth Spice Park in Jodhpur. Established in a 60 acre area the park will have processing facilities for seed spices like coriander and fenugreek. Other seed spices like cumin and fennel can also be processed. The Spice Park is likely to be dedicated to the people of Rajasthan very soon. A similar Spice Park is coming up at Ramgaj Mandi near Kota. The State Government is an active partner and is contributing with important resources like land. With such institutions coming up, a climate of professional enrichment will be regenerated which will eventually help in creating better entrepreneurial opportunities for the State.
Demarcated Eco-Systems
Because of its location and size Rajasthan is critical to any national scheme of SEZ, industrial corridors or manufacturing/investment zones. No, wonder about 40% of proposed Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor falls under Rajasthan. Development of the first node of DMIC i.e. Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana investment region is in advanced stages and revised concept plans have been submitted. During his recent visit to the State Shri Anand Sharma announced that the second node (city) will be in the Jodhpur Marwar region. ‘If India has to achieve its destiny as industrial and manufacturing super power, Rajasthan will have to play a central role in the endeavour.
There are a total of 10 SEZs notified in the state of Rajasthan with the investment of Rs. 1105 crore SEZs are providing direct employment to at least 10,000 people in the State. Exports from SEZs in the State touched Rs. 900 crore mark in 2010-11. Significant areas where these SEZs are active include information technology and IT enabled services, gems and jewellery and handicrafts. These demarcated eco-systems are critical as they provide integrated solutions for the needs of entrepreneurs’ investors with regard to infrastructure, labour, skills and investor friendly clearances. Clearly such initiatives will instil a very strong culture of industry and entrepreneurship in the State. DMIC and various SEZs along with proposed national manufacturing and investment zones will integrate the State in the fast lane of growth’, said the Minister while making the announcement.
The policy instruments proposed are Setting up of “National Manufacturing and Investment Zones” at Nimrana; rationalization and simplification of business regulations; Creation of a simple and expeditious exit mechanism for closure of sick units; Financial and institutional structures for development of technology, including green technology; Industrial training and skill up gradation measures; and Incentives for equity participation/venture capital in manufacturing units and related activities.
The establishment of National Manufacturing and Investment Zones (NMIZs) will be a major cornerstone of the industrialization strategy. They will be developed as integrated industrial townships with state-of-the-art infrastructure and land use on zoning basis. NMIZ would be large areas of at least 2000 hectares in size, to be developed and managed by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), with the requisite eco-system. Each SPV will undertake measures for the development, growth, operation and management of the NMIZ. The Government intends to develop NMIZ which would not only provide the required infrastructure but also enabling environment to give impetus to the manufacturing activities in the country.
Skill Up-gradation
In order to reap the demographic advantage of having pre-dominantly young population, skill up-gradation and vocationalisation of education have become national priorities. Keeping in mind the indigenous cultural and resource factors, efforts in this area clearly reflect the strengths of the State. In order to promote rural leather artisan clusters a scheme called ‘Support of Artisan’ with an outlay of Rs. 40 crore is working in the State. Rural leather artisans are integral part of rural economy in the State and such programmes are aimed for generating local employment and export. The interventions aim to enhance their designs and provide revolving funds for raw material and marketing support. It is a 360 degree intervention involving establishment of centralized resource centres, product and design development, brand promotion and development of marketing linkages. Another PPP project is Crew Bose academy at Neemrana that has the explicit goal of providing employment to more than 6, 500 people in the area. In last six months the Academy has trained 700 people and majority of them have been employed.
India has been maintaining a consistent record of growth in spite of global slowdown. In order to maintain this momentum it is clear that concerted efforts should be made to create a climate of industrial development with committed investments in infrastructure and skill up gradation. States like Rajasthan hold the key to provide driving energy to this momentum. Attention to critical areas of growth and development in this important State is a step in right direction. Only conducive opportunities for youth for employment and growth can let the state live its true ethnicity, charisma and color to its enduring traditional way of life.

Amendment to Article 243 D of the Constitution of India for enhancing reservation for women in Panchayats

2011-07-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Cabinet today approved the proposal for moving an official Amendment to the Constitution (One hundred and Tenth Amendment) Bill, 2009 for enhancing reservation for women in Panchayats at all tiers from 1/3rd to at least 50%. The Constitution (One hundred and Tenth Amendment) Bill, 2009 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 26.11.2009. The official Amendment proposes to add word 'rural' before the word 'population' as and where the same occur in 1st Proviso of Clause (2) (iii) of the Constitution (One hundred and Tenth Amendment) Bill, 2009. This Provision will apply to the total number of seats filled by direct election, offices of Chairpersons and seats and offices of Chairpersons reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Enhancement of reservation for women in Panchayats will facilitate more women to enter the public sphere and this will lead to further empowerment of women and also make Panchayats more inclusive institutions, thereby improving governance and public service delivery. The addition of word 'rural' before word 'population1 occurring in the 1st Proviso of Clause (2)(iii) of the Rill will reflect appropriate demographic representation of categories of population for whom reservation is made.

At present, out of the total elected representatives of Panchayats numbering approximately 28.18 lakh, 36.87% are women. With the proposed Constitutional Amendment, the number of elected women representatives is expected to rise to more than 14 lakh. Having more elected women representatives would benefit the entire population of the States and UTs where Panchayati Raj is in existence.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj had moved a Bill for amendment to Article 243D of the Constitution on 26.11.2009 after approval of the Cabinet for enhancing reservation for women in (i) the total number of seats to be filled by direct election, (ii) offices of chairpersons and (iii) in seats and offices of chairpersons reserved for SCs and STs, to 50% in all tiers of Panchayats. The proposed official amendment, as indicated above, in the original Amendment Bill will be moved in the Lok Sabha at the earliest.

All States / UTs are parts thereof to which Part IX of the Constitution applies would be covered (Part IX does not apply to Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, tribal areas of Assam and Tripura and hill areas of Manipur).

The Constitutional Amendment Bill for enhancing reservation for women in Panchayats at all tiers from one third to one half was introduced in Lok Sabha on 26.11.2009 with the approval of Cabinet in its meeting on 27.08.2009. The Bill was referred to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development by Hon'ble Speaker on 21.12.2009. The Committee has recommended that word 'rural' be added before word 'population' occurring in Clause 2 (iii) of the original Amendment Bill in order to maintain better demographic representation to SCs and STs class. In view of this, it has been decided to make official amendment accordingly in the Bill already under consideration of Lok Sabha.

Dr. C.P. Joshi to Inaugurate National Register and National Transport Porta

2011-07-20T00:16:00.001-07:00

Dr. C.P. Joshi, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways will inaugurate the “National Register and National Transport Portal” . He will also unveil the SCOSTA Compliant unified design of Smart card based Driving Licenses (DLs) and Registration Certificates (RCs) of vehicles. Launch of National Register will help M/o RT&H as well as State Transport Departments for implementation of various other mode of service delivery viz. Dealer Point Registration, services on mobile phone etc.

The National Register has been created from State Register under Transport Project to act as a central repository for all crucial information related to RCs and DLs. M/o RT&H has been facilitating computerization of about 975 Road Transport Offices (RTOs) across the country. RCs & DLs issued by RTOs are valid across the country. It was necessary to define same standards for these documents on a pan-India level to ensure interoperability and correctness and timely availability of information. SCOSTA committee set up for the purpose had recommended a uniform standardize software across the country.

Ministry entrusted National Informatics Centre (NIC) the task to standardize and to deploy the softwares viz. VAHAN for vehicle Registration and SARATHI for Driving License and compilation of data with respect to Vehicle Registration and Driving Licenses of all the states in State Register and National Register. Like National Register, State Register has been created to act as centralized database at State level for all the RTOs of the particular state.

National Register has been established at NIC Data Centre, Hyderabad. The architecture of National Register has been designed for high availability, reliability and scalability. It will also act as a database back-up for State Register, It is connected through high availability NIC Network (NICNET) bandwidth. This supports the real time data replication from State Register to National Register.

National Transport Portal has been designed and developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). It aims to deliver G2G, G2C, G2B services related to Vehicle Registration and Driving License from National Register. It also aims to provide “anywhere anytime basis services” to various stakeholders as well as citizen at large.

Additional New Foodgrain Storage Capacity to Come up in 19 States

2011-07-15T06:26:00.001-07:00

The Government has approved additional foodgrain storage capacity of about 152 lakh tonne for 19 States. Out of this, capacity of 72.65 lakh tonne has been finalized for creation by private entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation(CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations(SWCs). More capacity is likely to be finalized in the next few months. These new capacities are likely to come up in the next one year.

So far tenders have been approved to private investors for 53.32 lakh tonne while 5.31 lakh tonne capacity is being constructed by CWC and 15.01 lakh tonne by SWCs. The progress is being monitored by the FCI and the Ministry at the highest level on weekly basis. Meetings have also been organized with SWCs of the different states for monitoring the progress of constructions of godowns for the capacities allotted to them.

This Department has also prepared a Plan for augumention of storage capacity in the North Eastern States, capacity totaling 5.4 lakh tonne with an allocation of Rs.568 crore. The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) meeting to consider the proposal has been held on 1.7.2011.

The Centre had announced a scheme for construction of godowns through private investors under 7 to 10 years guarantee scheme. It was also decided that wherever CWC or SWCs have their own lands, they will also construct godowns under the scheme. These efforts are expected to ensure better management for foodgrain storage in coming years.

Village Level Entrepreneurs to be Feliciated

2011-07-15T06:23:00.001-07:00

July 16 will be observed as Common Service Centre (CSC) Diwas every year. This day has been chosen as CSC Day to mark the incorporation of CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd on this day in 2009.

The CSCs are overseen by 22 Service Centre Agencies (SCAs) across the country. CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd is a national level entity incorporated as Special Purposes Vehicle (SPV) to provide on going support to CSCs and to catalyse delivery of services through the CSCs network. This is a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) model where Department of Information & Technology partners with Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) and Special Service Vehicle (SSV) to deliver the selected services to common people through CSCs.

Department of Information & Technology (DIT), Government of India is organizing a Seminar tomorrow in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi to celebrate the first CSC Diwas. The key factors that would help to bridge the digital gap will be deliberated upon with the key stakeholders in the Seminar. 50 Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) running the Common Service Centre across the country will be felicitated on the occasion. They will receive a Certificate of Appreciation and a Cash reward of Rs.5,000 each. The VLEs have been selected for felicitation on the basis of their performances in running the CSCs during January-June,2011.

The CSCs are delivering various services which include Birth and Death certificate, Income Certificate, Caste and Domicile Certificate etc., MNREGA services, Utility Bill Payments, Employment Exchange services, Electoral services, Renenue Department services, Banking & Insurance services, e-larning/digital literacy and Telemedicine.

The Common Services Centers (CSC) Scheme, a flagship Scheme, is implemented across the country under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) by the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India. The objective of the scheme is to provide government as well as private services through ICT enabled kiosks at people’s doorstep. Of targeted 100,000 about 95,700 CSCs have nearly been set up covering 31 States/Union Territories.

Meeting of Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering at Kochi

2011-07-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Government of India will host the 14th Annual Meeting and 10th Annual Technical Assistance and Training Forum of the Asia/Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering at the Le Meridien Hotel, Kochi (Cochin), Kerala, India, from 18th to 22nd July 2011. The Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee would make the opening address on 19th July,2011 .

The APG Co-Chairs for this meeting are Shri K Jose Cyriac, Secretary to the Government of India; and Commissioner Tony Negus, Australian Federal Police.

More than 300 senior government officials from the Asia/Pacific region and around the world are expected to attend this event, including the Hon’ble Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Giancarlo Del Bufalo of Italy, President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The meeting will provide a platform for high-level discussion and co-operation, and will evaluate the progress made by APG members in implementing the international standards to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The size and range of participation demonstrates the continued commitment of APG members to combat these serious transnational crimes.

International Seminar on Defence Acquisition

2011-07-12T06:29:00.001-07:00

Raksha Mantri Shri AK Antony will inaugurate an International Seminar on Defence acquisition in New Delhi tomorrow. The objective of the seminar is to share the experiences of major countries in the matter of defence acquisition policies, procedure and best practices. In a three-day seminar the participants will discuss among other things, the different aspect of acquisition, its legal perspectives, International best practices in acquisition and experiences of the different countries.

Defence acquisition is a complex task, involving expertise in military, technology, industry, contract/project management and policy making. Besides it involves a significant amount of national resources, running into billions of dollars. Efficiency in acquisition not only leads to higher defence preparedness but also provides value for money, impetus to industrial competitiveness and other economic benefits. With this in view many advanced countries, such as the US, France, and UK, among others, have undertaken reforms in their defence acquisition structures and procedures. Although reforms in these countries have taken different form, some countries like the UK and France have moved towards an integrated acquisition structure, with relevant expertise under one roof and under one controlling authority, to oversee the entire process of acquisition, right from the planning process to the final disposal of the weapon/platform.

In India also, the Ministry of Defence has taken a series of reform measures, with the Defence Procurement Organisation in place since 2001. The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which set out rules for capital acquisition is revised at regular interval, in a move to streamline the acquisition process. The DPP 2011, which is in vogue since January 2011, lays added emphasis on speedy acquisition and transparency in defence procurement. The reform measures notwithstanding, there have been some problems affecting modernisation process of the armed forces. One indication of lack of expeditious procurement is the recurring underutilisation of resources earmarked under capital budget. As the defence budget for 2009-10 reveals, nearly 15 per cent of previous year's capital budget (Rs. 480 billion) remained underutilised at the stage of revised estimate. This together with an upward moving trend in surrender of funds, observed in past few years, reveals inadequacies in the capital acquisition system which needs to be addressed to ensure that the armed forces are fully prepared.

The proposed international seminar on defence acquisition is aimed at examining the best practices in defence acquisition. It will bring together functionaries from the MoD, armed forces, and Industry of major developed and developing countries and experts on the subject for a three day long discussion. The major issues that will also be discussed in these seminars include: technical requirement and capability definition; technical and commercial evaluation challenges; structural elements for efficient acquisition; contract and project management; IT opportunities in defence acquisition; empowering defence industrial and R&D base; role of offsets in acquisition; and efficient logistics management.

Committee Setup by the Panchayatiraj Ministry Recommends Definition of MFP in the IFA be Aligned with the Definition Given in the FRA

2011-07-12T06:12:00.001-07:00

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has requested the Ministry of Environment & Forest to take necessary steps for operationalising the relevant recommendations on the following recommendation of the MFP Committee set up by it to look in to the issues related with the ownership of the Gram Sabha, fair prices, institutional mechanism, value addition, etc. and suggest remedial measures including Ownership, Price fixation, Value addition and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP):

The definition of MFP in the IFA need to be aligned with the definition given in the FRA. Lack of alignment leads to denial of access to MFP on the ground. Further, ownership of the Gram Sabha, particularly with respect to high value MFP like bamboo and tendu, needs to be ensured. Sensitization of Forest Department officials in this regard also becomes essential.

It may be noted that for numerous forest dwellers across India, particularly people from Scheduled Tribes, Minor Forest Produce (MFP) has significant economic and social value. This important source of livelihood, however, is on the decline due to: MFP resource depletion, progressive loss of ownership/control of the people, issues related to efficiency and transparency of the State MFP agencies, deficient marketing, un-remunerative pricing, little or no local value addition and inequitable value sharing among the stakeholders. As per a Ministry view point, the MFP and Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have got entangled in various ways. Incidentally, 75% of MFP comes from 6 States of MP, Chhattisgarh, AP, Orissa, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the States affected by LWE.

National Disaster Management Authority to Conduct Mock Drill at Madras Atomic Power Station

2011-07-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has decided to conduct Mock Drill in all the 18 nuclear facilities in six different States of the country to review the off-site emergency plans. This follows the directions of the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who has desired that a lot of attention should be given for the preparedness measures to deal with nuclear emergency besides ensuring safety and security of the Nuclear Power Plants.

In the wake of the recent disasters in Japan, the Prime Minister had reviewed the country’s preparedness to deal with disasters in a special meeting of NDMA on 1st June 2011. There was a special focus on Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear & Radiological emergencies. The first mock drill was conducted at Tarapur (Maharashtra) on 10th & 11th June 2011. The second mock drill is being conducted at Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu) today and tomorrow.

India has an enviable and impeccable record of safety & security and virtually fail-safe arrangement in its all Nuclear Establishments. The handling of Nuclear Emergencies requires a high degree of coordination among different service group and the stakeholders who are responsible for management of such emergencies. In the event of potential radiological consequences in the Public domain, the authorities at the level of District, State and Centre are to play a vital role in its mitigation mechanism and therefore, there is a need to review off-site emergency plan.

The Mock Drill to be held tomorrow was preceded by a day-long workshop today. It was inaugurated by Shri M. Shashidhar Reddy, Vice Chairman, NDMA. The Officers from Nuclear Crisis Management, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Madras Atomic Power Station and Government of Tamilnadu attended the workshop. The District Magistrate, the Superintendent of Police, Kancheepuram, Station Director, Madras Atomic Power Station and other stake holders gave presentations on their preparedness to counter such nuclear emergencies.

Vice Chairman, NDMA and Members will also attend tomorrow’s Mock Drill where all the stakeholders of district, State and National level will participate along with NGOs and other Community Members. A team of NDRF Bn Arakkonam will take part in response exercise along with Police, Civil Defence, Home Guard and other responders who will show their capability and readiness to counter Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies.

One Member Committee to Enquire into issues Concerning Prevalance of Doping

2011-07-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

In the light of the positive DOPE tests of eight athletes, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal, retired Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana as a one member Committee to enquire into all the aspects of the issues relating to prevalence of Doping.

As per the terms of reference stated in its Sports Ministry’s order issued today, the Committee has been asked to

a) determine the facts and circumstances leading to large scale recent incidents of alleged doping in Athletics discipline.

b) examine reasons for such large scale prevalence of doping and modus operandi involved, including availability of the prohibited substances in and around training camps/competitions.

c) enquire into the role of agencies involved, if any.

d) suggest remedial measures to improve the protocols of dope testing and its integrity and promptness so that such lapses, if any, do not happen in future.

e) Any other issues.

The Committee shall submit its report within six weeks. The Committee will be assisted by Shri V. Jayaramaan, Senior Project Manager, National Anti Doping Agency, the order stated.