National affairs of September 2014: Part II

Sushma Swaraj inaugurates Nalanda UniversityAncient Nalanda University was on 19th September formally inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The Centre had already allotted Rs. 2,727 crore, which would be spent in building a high class campus of the university in 10 years

Nalanda was in ancient Magadha kingdom, which is present day Bihar. It was a religious centre of learning from the fifth century. It flourished during the reign of sakraditya. The school attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet, China, Greece, and Greater Iran. Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by an army of the Muslim Mamluk Dynasty under Bakhtiyar Khilji in c.?1197 CE.

Govt. tied with Gates foundationThe Government has tied up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote toilet use in the country. To ensure universal sanitation in India with the objective of addressing sanitation-related health concerns, the Ministry of Urban Development and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have, in principle, agreed on a partnership to promote user-friendly toilets. Bill Gates said the foundation’s core competency is research and technology promotion and would like to share it with the Government of India. Further to the discussions, it has been agreed that the Ministry of Urban Development and the foundation would cooperate in four areas

Innovative technology demonstration in respect of toilets and sewage management

Promoting decentralised sewerage systems that enable disposal of sewage at habitation level rather than pooling of sewage

Capacity building in sanitation sector and

Promoting the use of toilets.

About 12 million urban households do not have toilet facilities at present.

TS seeks 40% share in Central taxesThe Telangana state has urged the 14th Finance Commission to allocate 40 percent of central tax revenues as tax devolution to states. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on 19th September told the panel that 40 percent devolution can easily be accommodated by a marginal reduction of five percent in the Centre's expenditure on state subjects.

He also sought waiver of outstanding central loans to the state, estimated to be Rs.6,000 crore. The commission headed by Y. Venugopal Reddy held consultations with the state government.

KCR stated that the state favours the introduction of Goods and Service Tax (GST), Rao called for ensuring that there is no accentuation of vertical imbalances and compromise of autonomy of states.

He suggested that petroleum and liquor be kept out of the purview of the GST. Finance minister Etela Rajender earlier said that the undivided Andhra Pradesh had lost Rs.17,595 crore since the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in 2005, but the Centre had compensated only Rs.5,000 crore.

According to him, the Centre still owes Rs.12,000 crore in VAT collections to undivided state, of which Telangana's share is Rs.5,126 crore.

The chief minister pointed out that the growth of the economy slipped from 10.5 percent in the period 2005-06 to 2009-10 to 4.5 percent in 2012-13. The major challenge before the state government is not only to regain the growth momentum but also make it inclusive.

He said the government was planning to provide Rs.50,000 crore for the development of SCs and Rs.25,000 crore for Backward Classes over the five-year period of 2014-19.

TCS another achievementThe number of female employees at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has crossed the one-lakh mark, making it the country's biggest employer of women in the private sector. Women now comprise one-third of the IT major's 3.06 lakh workforce. This makes TCS, also the most valued company in India, one of the top employers of women in the technology sector globally. The top slot is held by IBM, which has an estimated 1.3 lakh women out of a workforce of 4.31 lakh.

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 ScientistsThe 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: CSOBihar 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 BastarThe 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 disabledThe 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.

Minister moots ‘work on holiday’ to meet shortage of doctorsUnion Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has mooted the idea of “work on holiday,” a concept which will allow specialist doctors to visit hill stations as guests of the State government to offer their services. Referring to the shortage of medical professionals in the country, especially in the far off and hilly areas, the Minister said there was a need for “out of the box” suggestions to tide over the problem.

He suggested “work on holiday,” which would allow senior doctors to work while resting. “They could deliver their professional services as cardiologists, gynaecologists, neurologists, anaesthetists etc. while simultaneously enjoying the State government’s hospitality with their families. This should be considered by them as an extension of their service

Govt. Urges SC to spare 46 coal blocksThe Centre on 1st September told the Supreme Court that it has no objection if the court cancels allocation of coal blocks allocated between 1993 and 2010. However, it wants to save 46 coal blocks, as the power situation in the country is very critical.

Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi told the bench headed by Chief Justice of India RM Lodha that the government is not in favour of constitution of a committee to recommend on the fate of illegal coal blocks, rather it has no objection to cancel all of them and go for immediate auction.

Rohtagi submitted that out of total 218 coal blocks allocations, 80 have been already cancelled by the government even before the Judgment passed by this court.

He said that the power situation in the country is very critical and at least 46 blocks should be spared as 40 of them are already functional and rest are ready to commence production.

The Apex Court has held all coal blocks that were allocated y the screening committee between 1993 and 2010, as illegal. Seeking the government and all parties to file their submissions through affidavits within a week, the bench fixed September 9 as the next date for further hearing.

AP crop loan waiver applicable for loans up to December 31, 2013The Andhra Pradesh Government on 1st September notified that crop loans and agricultural gold loans disbursed for crop purposes up to December 31, 2013 are eligible for cover under the loan waiver scheme.

In an order issued, the Government has notified that crop, agricultural loans disbursed for crop, including the loans converted to medium term loans due to calamities, including interest rate up to December 2013 are eligible for cover.

The State Government through three notifications, including the one by the State Finance Ministry on August 14 had announced norms for debt relief to farmers, women self help groups. It had also issued operating guidelines for the implementing agencies.

The order also states that loans which were outstanding as on December 31, 2013 would be eligible for waiver even if they were subsequently repaid to bank or cooperative.

Nalanda University resumes its classes after 800-year breakThe classes in Nalanda University were started on 1st September; this University was an ancient centre of learning in India, and among the first great universities in recorded history. It was also the first ever residential university in the world, holding capacity for thousands of students to stay on campus in dorms. In the 12th century, the university was decimated by invaders. But now, for the first time in 800 years, the spirit of Nalanda University revives again as classes begin at its newly established campus in Rajgir, just 12km away from the original site. Nalanda University was founded as early as the 5th century AD in the north eastern Indian state of Bihar. During its heyday, Nalanda could boast of its capacity to accommodate 10,000 students and 2,000 professors.

One of the interesting aspects of Nalanda University was its intake of ‘international students’ from as far away as Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, as well as Southeast, Central, and Western Asian regions. Nalanda University’s appeal to scholars from these regions was due to the fact that it was one of the most important seats of learning in the Buddhist world. But despite its focus on the study of Buddhism, students at Nalanda University were allowed to pursue other areas of secular knowledge, such as the fine arts, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, politics, and even the art of war. As a result, numerous illustrious thinkers were associated with the university. The real blow to Nalanda came with the arrival of Muslim invaders in 1197 led by Mohammad Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general of Qutbuddin Aibak, who were intolerant of other religions and cultures. Much of the university was demolished, its priceless library was burnt down, and many of its scholars, including Buddhist monks, were mercilessly slaughtered, in what was one of the greatest acts of cultural vandalism in India.

The university’s chancellor, Amartya Sen, is confident that the new Nalanda University will be a success. Whilst the original Nalanda University took about 200 years to achieve prominence, Sen believes that the new university will be able to establish its place in the academic world in just a few decades.

Telangana to go green, to plant 230 crore seedlingsTelangana is embarking upon an ambitious plan to plant 230 crore plants, with a view to increase the forest cover to 33 per cent from 25.16 per cent, under ‘Telangana Ku Haritha Haaram’ or Green necklace for Telangana programme. The State will deploy Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing images to take stock of the forest cover and to monitor the afforestation programmes.

Of the 230 crore plants, 130 crore will be planted outside of forest areas. The HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Authority) area will take a share of 10 crore plants, with the remaining 120 crore seedlings will be planted in other parts of the State.

Centre unveils strategy to tackle Kala-azarThe Centre on 2nd September unveiled a kala-azar rapid diagnosis kit as part of its strategy to combat the disease which predominantly strike Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. The kit developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

An insecticide, synthetic Pyrethroid, directed specifically at the sand fly, which is known vector source of kala-azar, would also be supplied for spraying on the walls of homes in the endemic regions. The strategy also involves carrying out active searches for people with symptoms of the disease in the 54 affected districts of the four States. Thirty-three districts in Bihar, 11 of West Bengal, four in Jharkhand and six districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh of Bihar are affected by Kala-azar.

Kala azar also known as Visceral leishmaniasis

It is a, black fever, and Dumdum fever

It is the most severe form of leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus.

This disease is the second-largest parasitic killer in the world (after malaria), responsible for an estimated 500,000 infections each year worldwide.

Kaloji cultural centre planned in WarangalThe government of Telangana will construct a cultural centre named after Kaloji Narayana Rao in Warangal as a tribute to the celebrated people’s poet on the occasion of his birth centenary falling on September 9. The decision was taken by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao The cultural centre is being planned at Balasamudram near Warangal in three acres land on the lines of Ravindra Bharathi auditorium. Apart from an auditorium with 2,000 seating capacity, the cultural centre should have a huge statue of Kaloji and a park, the Chief Minister directed the officials Department of Culture.

It was also decided to allot land to Hanmakonda Kaloji Cultural Centre to organise the programmes by Kaloji Foundation. The Chief Minister will participate in the programme at Warangal and the official centenary celebrations at Ravindra Bharathi here on September 9.

Kaloji Narayana Rao more popularly known as Kaloji or Kalanna was an Indian poet, freedom fighter, Anti-fascist and political activist of Telangana. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1992

Lokpal search panel gets freedom of choiceThe Department of Personnel and Training has notified amendments giving autonomy to the Lokpal search committee to shortlist and recommend names independently for selection of Chairman and members of the anti-corruption body.

The amendments act as a course correction after the former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas opted out from heading the search committee in March 2014, citing lack of autonomy. Eminent jurist Fali Nariman too had turned down the post of a member of the panel for that reason.

Justice Thomas had objected to the provision that the search committee should only shortlist candidates from a list provided by the department.

The amendment made in Rule 10 of the Search Committee Rules removed this roadblock by omitting the words “from among the list of persons provided by the Central Government in the Department of Personnel and Training.”

SC monitors Ganga clean-upUnhappy with the government’s affidavit setting out its plans to clean the Ganga, the Supreme Court on 3rd September said it wanted to monitor the progress made in efforts to restore the river and asked for a roadmap.

The affidavit said professionals from seven IITs were preparing a comprehensive Ganga River Basin Management report. A report would be filed by December-end. It said purification of the Ganga was a national priority. Restoring the ecological sanctity of the river would be the prime focus and a major step towards that would be creating awareness of river conservation and ensuring people’s participation.

4-member ministerial panel to decide on green regulatorThe government on 4th September formed a panel of four ministers on setting up a national regulator for the environment. The four are Prakash Javadekar (environment and forests), Nitin Gadkari (road transport), Ananth Kumar (chemicals and fertilizers) and Piyush Goel (power, coal and renewable energy).

The Supreme Court had on January 6 this year directed the government to appoint a national regulator under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, by end-March; later, more time was given. On taking charge of his portfolio, Javadekar sought more time from the court to examine the issue.

Andhra Pradesh's new capital around Vijayawada cityThe Andhra Pradesh government on 4th Septembeer said it would make a new capital city for the truncated state in the areas around Vijayawada. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu moved a resolution in the state legislative Assembly to this effect, later endorsed.

It has proposed to acquire the needed land from farmers through a land pooling mechanism, encouraging people to participate and benefit from development of a capital city.

According to the AP Reorganisation Act, the state government has the final authority to decide on the new capital but in consultation with the Centre. It is not clear if the Centre was consulted before declaring Vijayawada as the centre around which the new capital would be built.

The five-member Sivaramakrishnan committee on the subject had suggested splitting the capital city’s locations and functions. It had recommended against the idea of a single city hosting the entire capital city functions and strongly recommended distribution of the location of top government offices, including the high court, across various places in the state.

About Vijayawada

Located on the banks of Krishna river in Krishna district of south coastal Andhra, Vijayawada is about 300 km from Hyderabad. With a population of over a million as per 2011 census, Vijayawada is a major commercial hub.

Infrastructure-wise, the city is blessed with a thermal power plant and a unique railway line that connects the northern and southern parts of the country. Any capital would prefer to have unhindered supply of water.

The bridges on Krishna river, the Vijayawada-Amaravati-Mangalagiri ring roads make a further case for the to-be capital.

Mangalagiri, Amaravati, Kondapalli, Mylavaram, which abound Vijayawada have lots of available land. If the neighbouring Guntur and Tenali are added to the equation, the emerging area will be bigger than Hyderabad.

There is an airport situated at the nearby Gannavaram. The Central Government has already assured the state that the Gannavaram airport will be developed on the lines of a big airport.

Suicide rate highest among youngsters in India: WHOYoungsters in the 15-29 years age group accounted for the highest rate of suicide per 100,000 populations in India during 2012, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report published recently. The report also found India registering the highest estimated number of suicides in the world in 2012.

According to the report……………

258,075 people committed suicide in India in 2012. Out of this, 99,977 were women and 158,098 were men. In the age group of 15-29 years, the suicide rate was 35.5 per 100,000 during the year, whereas people between 30-49 years 28 persons out of 100,000 committed suicide.

The overall rate of suicide in India is low at 21.1 compared with other countries.

The rate of suicide per 100,000 people in Sri Lanka is 28.8. In Guyana and North Korea it is 44.2 and 38.5, respectively.

The WHO report also revealed that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds globally, while, about 800,000 people die by suicide every year.

The annual global suicide rate is 11.4 per 100,000 people.

However, in countries such as China, the rate is much lower at 7.8 per 100,000. Similarly, in Malaysia, only three per 100,000 committed suicide.

Pesticide poisoning, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally.

Suicide by intentional pesticide ingestion is of particular concern in rural agricultural areas in the south-east Asian region, the report noted.

About 75 per cent of suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries.

The report points out that in high-income countries, mental disorders are present in up to 90 per cent of people who end up committing suicide. However, studies from China and India show that mental disorders are less prevalent at 60 per cent among those who commit suicide.

Relief to under trials in jailsThe Supreme Court on 5th September ordered the release of those languishing in jails and awaiting completion of trials and who have served more than half the maximum sentence for the offence they have been charged with. To identify such under trials, a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha directed district judges to visit jails once a week during October-November this year. The district judges are expected to file reports in this regard at the end of November.

It asked registrars of high courts to collect data from jails and send reports based on these to the registrar-general of the Supreme Court. The court will take up these reports on December 8. The court also directed the government to come up with a road map to fast-track the criminal judicial system. It expressed regret at the lack of budgetary support for jail infrastructure.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data of the 385,135 prisoners in India at the end of 2012, under trials accounted for 66.2 per cent. In states such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Meghalaya, under trials accounted for more than 80 per cent of prison inmates. Most of them see prolonged imprisonment even for petty crimes, as they aren't able to apply for bail due to ignorance, poverty or abandonment by families.

NEWS study on MangrovesAccording to a recent study of mangrove forests in Sunderbans has revealed a change in their vegetation pattern, with the high salt-tolerant Avicennia species being edged out by Ceriops decandra, a relatively less-salt tolerant variety of mangrove, suggesting an evolution of the mangroves.

The study titled ‘Benchmark Studies on the Status of Mangrove Forest’ has been conducted by the Nature Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS), sponsored by the Sunderban Biosphere Reserve under the ‘Mangrove for Future’ theme of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

A change in the mangrove species may lead to change in biodiversity, ecology species variation and finally to the variation in gene pool, Ajanta Dey, project director (NEWS) said.

The Sundarbans is a natural region in Bengal. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sunderbans is approximately 10,000 km2 of which 60% is located in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. The Sunderbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.