PM announced assistance to J & K
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the Jammu and Kashmir floods as national level disaster. He also announced Rs 1,000 crore as special assistance for rehabilitation
He made the announcement in Srinagar after undertaking a visit to the State for first hand information of the situation which has turned grim resulting in the death of over 130 people.
The Prime Minister observed that the Rs 1,100 crore, which is being made available to the State Government through the state Disaster Relief Fund, would not prove to be adequate in view of the magnitude of the tragedy.
Disaster Management in India
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI) is the nodal ministry for handling management of natural disasters viz. earthquakes, floods, cyclones, tsunami, landslides etc. and man-made disasters viz. fires, chemical, biological, radiological, and terrorist attacks etc. It has undertaken several initiatives for building disaster resilient communities in India. In the recent past, several steps have been taken for strengthening existing preparedness, mitigation and response mechanisms of the State Governments and Local Authorities in the country. The Government of India has released funds to the State Governments under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (Plan and Non- Plan) and through externally aided programmes.
CAG detects fraud in sand quarrying
Comptroller and Auditor General of India has reported several irregularities in quarrying in Andhra Pradesh. Several cases of excess quarrying of sand beyond the depth levels prescribed by the Ground Water Department throwing the riverbeds to potential risk of groundwater depletion were found during test audit of accounts for the years 2006-07 to 2011-12 by CAG
The CAG report on the functioning of the Directorate of Mines & Geology of the erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh was placed in the Assembly on 6th September
? It was found that auction of sand reaches was conducted without obtaining prior clearance of GWD and minimum bid amounts were fixed without taking into account actual quantity of sand available for quarrying, resulting in revenue loss of at least of Rs.2.04 crore.
? It said the performance audit of the Directorate of Mines & Geology revealed several deficiencies, including non-compliance with the provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 as also rules and instructions issued by Government of India and State Government, particularly with regard to grant, transfer and renewal of mining leases. It was found in some cases that mining was not done according to plans and mining rights were transferred without the government’s consent.
Mandatory teaching by Scientists
The government has decided to make it mandatory for over 5,000 scientists, working in different central agencies including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to undertake 12 hours of lecture classes in an academic year in public-funded schools and colleges across the country.
Announcing the decision, Union science and technology minister Jitendra Singh said it would be "mandatory" for the scientists to formally take classes in schools and colleges which would be identified for this purpose in coordination with the Ministry of Human Resources Development.
The minister said this kind of engagement would be "free of any honorarium" and it would be part of the duty the scientists have already committed to do. He said the government was devising a methodology depending upon the scientists' area of interest, area of excellence and specialisation.
The minister also announced a special promotion scheme-- KIRAN (Knowledge, Involvement, Research, and Advancement through Nurturing) for women scientists "to bring about, as far as possible, gender parity in the field of science and technology".
Giving a detailed account of the achievements and initiatives taken in the first 100 days of Narendra Modi government, Singh said the ministries under his charge had been able to scale-up scientific research to address several key socio-economic issues. This has been achieved by collaborating with other ministries while making a concerted effort to build scientific temper among the youth.
Highlighting specific achievements, he said that the department of science and technology got approval of Expenditure Finance Committee for India's participation in Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project involving astronomy research institutes in India, US, Canada, Japan and China.
TMT will be the world's largest telescope when it becomes operational in 2023, capable of peeping into the farthest corners of the Universe and address some of the most fundamental scientific problems of this century.
About other initiative, the minister said three new vaccines including indigenously developed Rotavirus vaccine will be provided to all Indian children as part of India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). A fourth vaccine for adults to protect against Japanese Encephalitis will be introduced in high-priority districts.
National award for Prakasam district Collector
President Pranab Mukherjee on 8th September presented Prakasam Collector G.S.R.K.R.Vijaykumar with ‘Saakshar Bharat’ award 2014 during the International Literacy day celebrations in New Delhi. This was in recognition of the district administration making 4.75 lakh people literate within nine months under the Prakasam Akshara Vijayam programme.
SC reserves order on coal blocks
The Supreme Court reserved its order on coal block allocations. While the government didn’t press the court to favour a few blocks, industry representatives pleaded for a committee to select and exempt the blocks, allocations of which didn’t involve any criminality. The government, however, said it was against the setting up a committee to hear individual complaints of allottees, as this would delay the way forward.
The court heard all the parties before deciding to take up the matter in two weeks. In their submissions, industry bodies Independent Power Producers Association of India and Coal Producers’ Association said only those blocks in whose case criminality had been proven should be cancelled.
On August 25, a Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha had termed 194 coal allocations carried out through the screening committee and the government dispensation routes illegal under the Coal Mining Nationalization Act.
On 9th September the Centre told the court it stood by its statement that if the judgment in the case related to coal block allocations between 1993 and 2010 was to be complied with, all such allocations must be cancelled. Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi said “only a pocket of some 46 units can be saved”. Forty blocks are already producing, while six are about to start production.
The Supreme Court had on August 25 declared that the entire allocation of coal blocks from 1993 till 2010 was illegal, arbitrary, non-transparent and without application of mind and guidelines.
Bihar tops in growth: CSO
Bihar is the fastest growing State while Tamil Nadu is the worst performer, the latest data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed.
Bihar’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew 10.73 per cent during 2012-13 — the only State that clocked a double-digit growth rate during the year. The growth rate was 10.29 per cent in 2011-12 and 15.03 per cent in 2010-11.
Tamil Nadu recorded the slowest growth rate — 3.39 per cent — slower than the national average of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13.
The second-best performing State is Madhya Pradesh, which grew at 9.89 per cent. Delhi is third with a growth rate of 9.33 per cent.
The CSO-verified growth rate for 2012-13, however, is lower than that reported by Bihar’s Statistics Directorate. The State government had reported a growth rate of 15.05 per cent.
All major industrial States lag behind Bihar. Growing at 7.96 per cent, Gujarat is ranked sixth and Maharashtra ninth with 6.18 per cent.
National Tribal University in Bastar
The Centre has given its nod for setting up a National Tribal University in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency—hit Bastar region to facilitate research and development of tribal culture and dialects. The institution will also help in study and research of the region’s varied bio—diversity.
The Centre has also agreed to provide UGC’s ‘one time catch up grant’ for providing monetary help for development of three newly opened universities in Bastar, Sarguja and Bilaspur following a demand made by the state in this regard
Centre, states agree to improve power supply
Centre and states were in discussion to achieve to improve the power supply in country. Aware of this, Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy, had a marathon session on 9th September with energy ministers of all the States and Union Territories.
In a resolution, the States agreed to get their power utilities to ensure adequate fuel supply and to have a long/medium-term power procurement plan in place for assured supply of electricity.
All the States assured the Centre that they would reduce technical and commercial losses in accordance with the agreed trajectory and those over-achieving will be incentivized. The target is to bring down losses by 15 per cent at the national level by 2021-22. The roadmap for each State from 2014-15 to 2021-22 has also been finalized.
It was also decided that the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DUGJY) for rural areas and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution network and metering in urban and semi-urban areas will be implemented in a timely manner.
The States also agreed to finish all ongoing projects (phase-I) under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana by December.
On coal supplies, the States agreed to provide support for the resolution of issues such as land acquisition so as to achieve the production target of one billion tonnes of coal by 2019.
Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh resolved to attend to land acquisition and other issues expeditiously to complete three ongoing and critical rail projects.
The States also endorsed the new dispensation for third-party sampling and analysis of coal to assess quality and resolved to implement it urgently through their utilities.
Coal India will ensure supply of crushed coal and washed coal in line with the prescribed time lines, it was decided. The States also agreed to implement clean energy programmes.
About Deendayal upadhyaya gram jyoti yojana:
Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana” for feeder separation will be launched to augment power supply to the rural areas and for strengthening sub-transmission and distribution systems. Announcing this during his maiden Budget Speech in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that power is a vital input for economic growth and the Government is committed to providing 24x7 uninterrupted power supply to all homes. A sum of Rs. 500 crores has been set aside for this scheme.
Centre to establish Marine Police Training Institute in Gujarat
Union government on 10th September announced that the Centre would establish a marine police training institute in Gujarat, to train the police for safeguarding the state's 1,600 km-long coastline. The state shares the border with Pakistan.
Security of Gujarat coast assumed more importance after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, as the Pakistani terrorists were found to have hijacked a boat near the state's coast for reaching India's financial capital.
Guidelines unveiled to promote coastal shipping
To decongest Railways and road transport, the government 10th September approved new guidelines that will promote coastal shipping. The country's 12 major ports have been asked to earmark exclusive berths and green channel for coastal cargo to promote the sector.
The Ministry of Shipping has issued new guidelines under which these ports will have to give priority berthing to dry bulk or general cargo coastal vessels irrespective of the origin and final destination of the cargo, an official statement said.
The 12 ports are: Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatanam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla. The guidelines, approved by Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, also provide for concessional port charges whether the vessel is berthed on priority basis or on normal basis. The guidelines are aimed at promoting coastal shipping to reduce pressure on rail and road transport systems
The 12 major ports handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic besides about 200 non-major ports. Ennore Port, near Chennai, has already seen export of 4.49 lakh automobile units till December 2013, including by automobile manufacturers such as Nissan, Ford and Ashok Leyland from Chennai, Toyota from Bangalore and Honda from Delhi.
Hydro Eclectic power project in J&K
The Union Cabinet has cleared an investment proposal for construction of the Pakal Dul Hydroelectric Project at a cost of Rs 8,112 crore in Jammu and Kashmir. The project will be developed by Chenab Valley Power Projects, a joint venture between public sector unit NHPC, Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation and PTC India Ltd.
The investment includes interest during construction and finance charges of Rs 500 crore, subordinate debt of Rs 2,500 crore on the conditions and waivers of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in a scheduled completion period of 66 months.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to allow NPHC to invest Rs 1,605 crore in the joint venture for construction of the Pakal Dul 1,000-MW project and for initial investment in Kiru 660 MW project and 560 MW Kwar project to be developed by Chenab Valley Power Projects.
It also gave a post-facto approval for the joint venture. For its projects, the joint venture partners will arrange equity from internal resources.
Serious dearth of toilets in Telagana, AP schools: CAG
Most of the government schools in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana lack toilets. As per the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC), toilets should be provided in government schools with emphasis on separate toilets for girls. But an audit scrutiny revealed startling facts about the state of affairs. There are no separate toilets for girls in 40 out of 84 schools physically verified. In the remaining schools where toilets are available, 19 are in dilapidated condition while 12 are devoid of water facility. This is in contrast to the Government of India guidelines which insist on separate toilets for boys and girls in all co-educational schools.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India report on local bodies for the composite State of Andhra Pradesh presented to the A.P Assembly, depicts an appalling picture of school toilets. Most of the 84 toilets verified were in a state of collapse and non-maintenance. The report also points to the non-utilization of funds in some places.
India’s Arctic observatory to aid climate change studies
India’s observatory in Arctic Ocean, which is exactly placed in the Kongsfjorden fjord, half way between Norway and the North pole, is collecting a lot of data which is useful for scientific community. It is India’s first under water moored observatory in this area.
The IndARC observatory has been termed as a major milestone in India’s scientific endeavours in the Arctic region. This observatory has been designed and developed by the Earth System Science Organisation-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT) Chennai and ESSO-National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). It was deployed from the Norwegian Polar Institute’s research vessel R.V. Lance in Kongsfjorden Fjord of the Arctic roughly halfway between North Pole and Norway on 23 July 2014.
The observatory is anchored at a depth of 192 m and has an array of 10 state-of-the-art oceanographic sensors strategically positioned at various depths in the water.
The Kongsfjorden is considered a natural laboratory for studying the Arctic climate variability. Scientists predict that melting of the Arctic glaciers will trigger changes in weather patterns and ocean currents that could affect other parts of the world. Data collected by IndARC would be used for climate modeling studies to understand the influence of the Arctic processes on the Indian monsoon system.
72 Laws shall be revoked: Law Commission
The Law Commission on 12th September recommended revoking 72 obsolete statutes, saying there is an "urgent need" to ensure that the legal structures are responsive to challenges of changing times. In its 'interim report’ to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Commission said it will further study 261 more statutes "with a view to providing a firm recommendation for repeal of obsolete statutes and those inconsonant with modern times".
The law panel said it would complete its study in "installments" and submit a number of volumes to the government for necessary action.
The panel said there is a need to identify laws which have become obsolete "and as such keeping them on statute books is causing unwarranted burden on the system".
It said while studying the issue, the Commission found that a large number of Appropriation Acts passed during the past several years in reality have lost meaning but continue to be part of the statute books.
Law Commission of India
Law Commission of India is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India. Its major function is to work for legal reform. Its membership primarily comprises legal experts, who are entrusted a mandate by the Government. The Commission is established for a fixed tenure and works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice. At present Chairman of Law Commission – Ajit Prakash Shah (at present this is 20th Law commission). Law commission first formed in – 1834
Supreme Court recommended 3% for disabled
The Supreme Court on 12th September held that three percent reservation for differently-abled persons be given in all category of government jobs including in appointments and promotions to IAS while pulling up the Centre for “frustrating” the very purpose of empowering legislation by opposing it.
A bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha said the disabled persons have not got their due in the last 19 years after framing of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, which was passed in 1995
The court dismissed the petition of Centre challenging order of Bombay High Court which had directed the Centre and the Union Public Service Commission to implement a 3 percent quota in direct recruitments and promotions for the disabled in the IAS.
No comments:
Post a Comment