Panner Selvam is the new CM of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam is the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Panneerselvam was unanimously elected leader of the AIADMK Legislature party. Governor K Rosaiah invited him to form the Ministry.
Panneerselvam, Treasurer of AIADMK, met the Governor on 28th September and submitted a letter and the resolution passed by the AIADMK legislators electing him leader of the party.
Panneerselvam has become the Chief Minister for the second time. He is MLA from Bodinayakanur, he was in 2001 chosen by the AIADMK supremo to fill her shoes in a similar situation when she had to step down following her conviction in the Tansi land deal case for which she was awarded a two-year jail term. She subsequently returned after she was acquitted on appeal.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam is the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Panneerselvam was unanimously elected leader of the AIADMK Legislature party. Governor K Rosaiah invited him to form the Ministry.
Panneerselvam, Treasurer of AIADMK, met the Governor on 28th September and submitted a letter and the resolution passed by the AIADMK legislators electing him leader of the party.
Panneerselvam has become the Chief Minister for the second time. He is MLA from Bodinayakanur, he was in 2001 chosen by the AIADMK supremo to fill her shoes in a similar situation when she had to step down following her conviction in the Tansi land deal case for which she was awarded a two-year jail term. She subsequently returned after she was acquitted on appeal.
Uttar Pradesh bans veterinary use of Diclofenac
Uttar Pradesh has banned medicines containing Diclofenac for veterinary purposes in a bid to check the drop in the population of vultures as a result of consuming livestock that had been administered the drug. The Drug Controller General of India has cancelled the licence for use of Diclofenac for animals.
Uttar Pradesh has banned medicines containing Diclofenac for veterinary purposes in a bid to check the drop in the population of vultures as a result of consuming livestock that had been administered the drug. The Drug Controller General of India has cancelled the licence for use of Diclofenac for animals.
India may miss MDG: Report
According to reports India, which accounts for the largest number of maternal deaths in the world, is unlikely to achieve the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality to 109 per 1,00,000 live births by 2015.
Though India has been reporting a steady decline in the maternal mortality rate (MMR), the latest figure of 178 per 1,00,000 live births in 2010-12 is an indication that the United Nations’ goal will be missed, say two reports — “Dead women talking: a civil society report on maternal deaths in India” drafted by CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and “India infrastructure report — the road to universal health coverage,” released by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company.
In their report, CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a coalition for maternal-neonatal health and safe abortion, have cited gaps in the implementation of interventions by the government through the National Rural Health Mission. Their report says a significant percentage of women who died were from socially and economically disadvantaged sections.
The public health system, it says, failed women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority religious groups, those living in geographically remote areas and migrants because of the way services such as antenatal and post-partum care are structured and delivered at present.
Noting that almost all of these deaths were preventable, the report pins the blame on the health system for failure to provide maternal health care, even emergency care.
According to reports India, which accounts for the largest number of maternal deaths in the world, is unlikely to achieve the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality to 109 per 1,00,000 live births by 2015.
Though India has been reporting a steady decline in the maternal mortality rate (MMR), the latest figure of 178 per 1,00,000 live births in 2010-12 is an indication that the United Nations’ goal will be missed, say two reports — “Dead women talking: a civil society report on maternal deaths in India” drafted by CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and “India infrastructure report — the road to universal health coverage,” released by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company.
In their report, CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a coalition for maternal-neonatal health and safe abortion, have cited gaps in the implementation of interventions by the government through the National Rural Health Mission. Their report says a significant percentage of women who died were from socially and economically disadvantaged sections.
The public health system, it says, failed women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority religious groups, those living in geographically remote areas and migrants because of the way services such as antenatal and post-partum care are structured and delivered at present.
Noting that almost all of these deaths were preventable, the report pins the blame on the health system for failure to provide maternal health care, even emergency care.
Himachal Roadways launches high-tech bus
tracking system
The Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) on 30th September launched sophisticated software to track and regulate state-run buses in the state, for passenger safety. The cost of the software was Rs 6.5 crore. With the help of this in case a bus is over-speeding or over-loaded, a text message will be sent to the conductor and action will be taken against the erring driver.
The Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) on 30th September launched sophisticated software to track and regulate state-run buses in the state, for passenger safety. The cost of the software was Rs 6.5 crore. With the help of this in case a bus is over-speeding or over-loaded, a text message will be sent to the conductor and action will be taken against the erring driver.
EC guidelines to political parties
Election Commission guidelines making it virtually mandatory for political parties to deposit their funds in banks and not to exceed ceiling limits in financial assistance for candidates to ensure transparency and accountability came into effect
The Election Commission order of August 29 in this regard under Article 324 of the Constitution (superintendence, direction and control of elections) was part of a set of comprehensive guidelines on transparency and accountability in party funds and election expenditure. The poll body had said that guidelines will come into effect from October 1.
Under the guidelines, the treasurer of a political party is now required to ensure maintenance of accounts at all state and lower levels and consolidated accounts at the central party headquarters.
The accounts maintained by the treasurer shall conform to the guidance note on accounting and auditing of political parties issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants. The annual accounts shall be audited and certified by certified chartered accountants as required under the Income Tax Act.
Under the guidelines, a party should ensure that no payment in excess of Rs 20,000 is made to any person or company in cash, except in a village or in town not served by a bank. Also it will not apply to payments made to any employee or party functionary towards salary, pension or reimbursement of expenses or where cash payment is required under any statute.
Referring to the Representation of the People Act provision regarding ceiling for election expenditure of a candidate, the EC guidelines make it clear that such assistance from a political party shall not exceed the prescribed ceiling.
While the recognized political parties shall file all reports, namely the contribution reports in Form 24A, the audited annual accounts as certified by the chartered accountants and the election expenditure statements with the Commission. The unrecognized parties shall file them with the chief electoral officer of the states.
The EC said in order to bring uniformity, all political parties shall submit to the Commission or to any authority mentioned by it a copy of the annual accounts with auditor’s report for each financial year before October 31 of each year.
The Income Tax provisions do not allow any deduction on the contributions made in cash by any person or company to a political party. Accordingly, the Commission guidelines say, the political party shall maintain names and address of all such individuals, companies or entities making donation to it excepting petty sums donated by public during rallies.
Further, any amount or donation received in cash shall be duly accounted in the account books deposited in the party's bank account within a week of its receipt.
Election Commission guidelines making it virtually mandatory for political parties to deposit their funds in banks and not to exceed ceiling limits in financial assistance for candidates to ensure transparency and accountability came into effect
The Election Commission order of August 29 in this regard under Article 324 of the Constitution (superintendence, direction and control of elections) was part of a set of comprehensive guidelines on transparency and accountability in party funds and election expenditure. The poll body had said that guidelines will come into effect from October 1.
Under the guidelines, the treasurer of a political party is now required to ensure maintenance of accounts at all state and lower levels and consolidated accounts at the central party headquarters.
The accounts maintained by the treasurer shall conform to the guidance note on accounting and auditing of political parties issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants. The annual accounts shall be audited and certified by certified chartered accountants as required under the Income Tax Act.
Under the guidelines, a party should ensure that no payment in excess of Rs 20,000 is made to any person or company in cash, except in a village or in town not served by a bank. Also it will not apply to payments made to any employee or party functionary towards salary, pension or reimbursement of expenses or where cash payment is required under any statute.
Referring to the Representation of the People Act provision regarding ceiling for election expenditure of a candidate, the EC guidelines make it clear that such assistance from a political party shall not exceed the prescribed ceiling.
While the recognized political parties shall file all reports, namely the contribution reports in Form 24A, the audited annual accounts as certified by the chartered accountants and the election expenditure statements with the Commission. The unrecognized parties shall file them with the chief electoral officer of the states.
The EC said in order to bring uniformity, all political parties shall submit to the Commission or to any authority mentioned by it a copy of the annual accounts with auditor’s report for each financial year before October 31 of each year.
The Income Tax provisions do not allow any deduction on the contributions made in cash by any person or company to a political party. Accordingly, the Commission guidelines say, the political party shall maintain names and address of all such individuals, companies or entities making donation to it excepting petty sums donated by public during rallies.
Further, any amount or donation received in cash shall be duly accounted in the account books deposited in the party's bank account within a week of its receipt.
NIIT, Microsoft join hands to attract women
talent in IT sector
NIIT will partner with Microsoft India for ‘Women in Tech’ initiative, which would offer specialized courses to girl students and women, to attract and retain women talent in the IT industry.
Under the partnership announced on 1st October, NIIT will roll out eight new specialized courses across its 500 centres to train and certify women in latest Microsoft technologies. Each course would range from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 and would be offered via NIIT cloud campus, said Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT.
The courses would be on mobile apps, cloud computing, big data, software testing, etc. Post this, the company would also organize job fairs in top 10 cities for women.
NIIT will partner with Microsoft India for ‘Women in Tech’ initiative, which would offer specialized courses to girl students and women, to attract and retain women talent in the IT industry.
Under the partnership announced on 1st October, NIIT will roll out eight new specialized courses across its 500 centres to train and certify women in latest Microsoft technologies. Each course would range from Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 and would be offered via NIIT cloud campus, said Vijay Thadani, CEO, NIIT.
The courses would be on mobile apps, cloud computing, big data, software testing, etc. Post this, the company would also organize job fairs in top 10 cities for women.
Indian institutes dismal performance
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made its debut in Times Higher Education's ranking of the world's best universities, taking India's representation in top 300 to two. IISc shares its number-one position among Indian institutions with Panjab University, which first appeared on the list last year.
Apart from this no Indian institution figures among top 200 globally. And, IISc's position, along with Panjab University's, is between 276th and 300th. This also means the latter's ranking has slipped from last year, when it was between 226th and 250th.
The total number of institutions ranked worldwide is 400. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings uses 13 separate performance indicators to examine a university's strengths against its core missions: Teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. The top-200 list now features 28 countries, compared with 26 last year - Italy and Russia joined this year. Participation in the rankings is voluntary and free of charge.
There are 11 countries with one representative each in the top 200. There is an equal number keeping India Company with no presence in top 200 - Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Iran, Macau, Poland, Portugal and Thailand.
Last year, four Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) - Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Roorkee - figured in the 351-400 ranking band. IIT Bombay has joined the list in this band this year (it wasn't ranked last year). IIT Roorkee has retained its place this year, too. Till the time of going to press, it was not known whether the other three IITs had made it to the rankings or some other Indian institutes had joined the list for top 400.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made its debut in Times Higher Education's ranking of the world's best universities, taking India's representation in top 300 to two. IISc shares its number-one position among Indian institutions with Panjab University, which first appeared on the list last year.
Apart from this no Indian institution figures among top 200 globally. And, IISc's position, along with Panjab University's, is between 276th and 300th. This also means the latter's ranking has slipped from last year, when it was between 226th and 250th.
The total number of institutions ranked worldwide is 400. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings uses 13 separate performance indicators to examine a university's strengths against its core missions: Teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. The top-200 list now features 28 countries, compared with 26 last year - Italy and Russia joined this year. Participation in the rankings is voluntary and free of charge.
There are 11 countries with one representative each in the top 200. There is an equal number keeping India Company with no presence in top 200 - Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Iran, Macau, Poland, Portugal and Thailand.
Last year, four Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) - Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Roorkee - figured in the 351-400 ranking band. IIT Bombay has joined the list in this band this year (it wasn't ranked last year). IIT Roorkee has retained its place this year, too. Till the time of going to press, it was not known whether the other three IITs had made it to the rankings or some other Indian institutes had joined the list for top 400.
Government allows e-rickshaws on Delhi roads
E-rickshaws can now officially ply on city roads as the government on 1st October recognized them as special category three-wheeled vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour. The Delhi High Court had put a ban on plying of e-rickshaws due to safety issues.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 29th September notified that e-rickshaw means a special purpose battery operated vehicle having three wheels and intended to provide last mile connectivity for transport of passengers.
The government said that such a vehicle is constructed or adapted to carry not more than four passengers, excluding the driver, and not more than 40 kg luggage in total. The netpower of its motor is not more than 2,000 watts and the maximum speed of the vehicle is not more than 25 km per hour.
E-rickshaws can now officially ply on city roads as the government on 1st October recognized them as special category three-wheeled vehicles with a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour. The Delhi High Court had put a ban on plying of e-rickshaws due to safety issues.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on 29th September notified that e-rickshaw means a special purpose battery operated vehicle having three wheels and intended to provide last mile connectivity for transport of passengers.
The government said that such a vehicle is constructed or adapted to carry not more than four passengers, excluding the driver, and not more than 40 kg luggage in total. The netpower of its motor is not more than 2,000 watts and the maximum speed of the vehicle is not more than 25 km per hour.
Toilet a must for contesting local body
elections in Gujarat
The Gujarat government on 1st October amended the 1993 Gujarat Panchayat Act, making it mandatory for those contesting district, taluka and gram panchayat elections to have toilets at their respective homes.
Gujarat government has also given six months time to construct toilets at the homes of those who are currently members of local bodies but do not have toilets at their homes. Such members of the local body will also have to obtain certificate from their gram panchayat and furnish the same to Taluka Development Officer (TDO).
The Gujarat government on 1st October amended the 1993 Gujarat Panchayat Act, making it mandatory for those contesting district, taluka and gram panchayat elections to have toilets at their respective homes.
Gujarat government has also given six months time to construct toilets at the homes of those who are currently members of local bodies but do not have toilets at their homes. Such members of the local body will also have to obtain certificate from their gram panchayat and furnish the same to Taluka Development Officer (TDO).
Swachchh bharat launched
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October launched clean India campaign, in the name of Swachchh Bharat The programme launched at Rajpath by taking a broom himself and sweeping the road. Modi also announced starting a campaign on cleanliness through social media, using his website MyGov.in and other such platforms, including a new website dedicated to the clean India campaign.
Modi highlighted the cleanliness thrust of the Father of the Nation and said India must realise his unfulfilled dream of a clean country, by 2019, the year of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
The PM’s campaign is strong reminiscent of a similar campaign for cleanliness launched by Singapore in 1968. Started by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the Keep Singapore Clean Campaign was one of the first campaigns launched by the government. The objective was to make Singapore the cleanest city in the region, in order to boost tourism and the attraction of foreign investment.
Sanitation in India, fact file
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd October launched clean India campaign, in the name of Swachchh Bharat The programme launched at Rajpath by taking a broom himself and sweeping the road. Modi also announced starting a campaign on cleanliness through social media, using his website MyGov.in and other such platforms, including a new website dedicated to the clean India campaign.
Modi highlighted the cleanliness thrust of the Father of the Nation and said India must realise his unfulfilled dream of a clean country, by 2019, the year of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
The PM’s campaign is strong reminiscent of a similar campaign for cleanliness launched by Singapore in 1968. Started by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the Keep Singapore Clean Campaign was one of the first campaigns launched by the government. The objective was to make Singapore the cleanest city in the region, in order to boost tourism and the attraction of foreign investment.
Sanitation in India, fact file
Less than a third of India's 1.2 billion people
have access to sanitation and more than 186,000 children under five die every
year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation,
according to the charity WaterAid.
A United Nations report in May said half of
India's population still practise open defecation - putting them at risk of
cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. The resulting diseases
and deaths cause major economic losses, and a World Bank report in 2006
estimated that India was losing 6.4 percent of GDP annually because of poor
access to sanitation.
According to WaterAid research, about 16
million Indians a year gain access to a basic toilet. This will need to increase
to more than 100 million a year if the whole population is to have a toilet by
2019.
Industry chamber CII has announced it would
mobilise its members to build 10,000 toilets across the country by 2015-16.
Earlier a number of companies including Tata
Consultancy Services and Bharti Foundation, an arm of Bharti Enterprises had
pledged a total of Rs 300 crore each to build toilets in schools. Vedanta,
which has oil and gas wells, mines and power stations, said it was already
constructing 30,000 toilets in rural Rajasthan and had plans to build 10,000
more.
The government has also set up a Swachchh
Bharat Kosh, encouraging companies to donate funds from their CSR budget to
improve sanitation facilities in the country.
Aid workers said that while increased
investment in infrastructure was important, there must also be a change in
attitudes.
The rural development ministry will provide Rs
20 lakh to each village per year for the next five years under the Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan, taking the total annual allocation under the scheme to 6.5 lakh
villages to Rs 13,000 crore per annum. This will be part of the Rs 1,34,000
crore earmarked by the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet
project that aims to construct 11.11 crore toilets in rural India by 2019.
SBA will replace the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan of
the previous UPA government that had targeted sanitation for all by 2022.
Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan the government
has increased the unit cost of individual household latrines by Rs 2,000 per
unit to Rs 12,000 so as to provide for water availability, including for
storing, hand-washing and cleaning of toilets.
Besides, it has de-linked it from the rural
employment guarantee scheme — the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act — and transferred the responsibility of construction of school
and Anganwadi toilets to department of school education and the women and child
development ministry.
The overall project cost, for both rural and
urban India, has been estimated at Rs 1,96,009 crore that will help in
construction of 12 crore toilets across the country. Out of this, Rs 62,000
crore will be spent in urban India for construction of toilets.
The mission will culminate on October 2, 2019,
which will mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
According to a calculation done by TERI in
1998, the garbage generated till 2011 would cover 2,20,000 football fields
piled 9 meters (27 feet) high with garbage.
Increasing amount of garbage generation is to
be expected as population and GDP grow. But here's the thing: nearly one third
of the garbage is not collected at all - it is just left to rot away in streets
and alleys. So, in one year, about 14 million tons of garbage is left to rot in
urban India's streets.
The 70% that is collected is taken and dumped
either in landfills or just any space available outside the main habitation.
Only about 18% of the collected garbage is treated to recycle or make fuel. In
other words, about 27 million tons of garbage is collected and dumped out of
the city.
The campaign needs a plan for collection,
segregation, proper dumping and treatment across the country. An estimate of
the urban development ministry in 2009 had put the cost for doing this at about
Rs.48,582 crore.
The other dimension of sanitation is sewage or
wastewater disposal. CPCB estimates that in 2009, 38 billion liters of sewage
was generated per day from 498 tier I cities. Installed capacity to treat this
giant river of wastewater is 12 billion litres or less than one-third of the
requirement. This means the remaining 26 billion liters is getting dumped into
our streams and rivers daily, making many of them terminally sick.
live refinery in Rajasthan
Rajasthan on 3rd October started the country’s first olive refinery. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the refinery set up with a cost of Rs. 3.75 crore in Lunkaransar area in the district and said it was an achievement for Rajasthan to become the first state in the country to set up such refinery.
The olive oil produced in the refinery will be marked under the brand name of ‘Raj Olive Oil’ and will be available in markets after some time.
282 hectare areas of land in districts like Bikaner, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu and others have been covered with olive plantation and the government wants to increase the area to 5,000 hectare in coming years so that the refinery can get more fruits for getting the oil in increased quantity.
Olive is a small tree belonging to the oleaceae family and is found in coastal areas of eastern Mediterranean (Italy and Spain), northern Iraq and northern Iran south of the Caspian Sea.
Rajasthan on 3rd October started the country’s first olive refinery. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje inaugurated the refinery set up with a cost of Rs. 3.75 crore in Lunkaransar area in the district and said it was an achievement for Rajasthan to become the first state in the country to set up such refinery.
The olive oil produced in the refinery will be marked under the brand name of ‘Raj Olive Oil’ and will be available in markets after some time.
282 hectare areas of land in districts like Bikaner, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu and others have been covered with olive plantation and the government wants to increase the area to 5,000 hectare in coming years so that the refinery can get more fruits for getting the oil in increased quantity.
Olive is a small tree belonging to the oleaceae family and is found in coastal areas of eastern Mediterranean (Italy and Spain), northern Iraq and northern Iran south of the Caspian Sea.
Govt jobs barred for tobacco users in Rajasthan
Tobacco users, including smokers and tobacco chewers, will not be eligible for government jobs in Rajasthan. A beginning towards this has been made by the Department of Commercial Taxes by declaring tobacco chewers ineligible for writing the Tax Assistant’s competitive test scheduled for December 7. The aspirants will have to submit an affidavit stating they do not smoke or chew tobacco in any form including gutka.
Also barred for appearing in the test for 182 posts of Tax Assistants are those who have more than two children as on or after June 1, 2002 as per the two-child norm policy, and those candidates have a second wife or a second husband without separating from the first one legally.
In addition to submitting a marriage registration certificate at the time of filling the form to apply for the test, the candidates will also have to give an affidavit saying that there was no exchange of dowry at the time or his/her marriage.
Rajasthan government has imposed 65 per cent VAT (value added taxes) on tobacco products, which is among the highest in the country and has resulted in a decline in smoking and tobacco consumption in the State.
Tobacco users, including smokers and tobacco chewers, will not be eligible for government jobs in Rajasthan. A beginning towards this has been made by the Department of Commercial Taxes by declaring tobacco chewers ineligible for writing the Tax Assistant’s competitive test scheduled for December 7. The aspirants will have to submit an affidavit stating they do not smoke or chew tobacco in any form including gutka.
Also barred for appearing in the test for 182 posts of Tax Assistants are those who have more than two children as on or after June 1, 2002 as per the two-child norm policy, and those candidates have a second wife or a second husband without separating from the first one legally.
In addition to submitting a marriage registration certificate at the time of filling the form to apply for the test, the candidates will also have to give an affidavit saying that there was no exchange of dowry at the time or his/her marriage.
Rajasthan government has imposed 65 per cent VAT (value added taxes) on tobacco products, which is among the highest in the country and has resulted in a decline in smoking and tobacco consumption in the State.
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