*The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 23 May 2013 laid the foundation stone of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola, Gurgaon. The university is going to be an autonomous institution of national importance. The Defence University came up following the recommendation of the Review Committee constituted after the Kargil Conflict by the Government for the establishment of a University that deals exclusively with defence and strategic matters. The review committee was headed by eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam. INDU aims to provide knowledge based higher education for management of the defence of India to the military leadership and other concerned civilian officials. It will also keep them abreast of the emerging security challenges via scholarly Research and Training It will develop and propagate higher education in Defence Studies like Defence Management, Defence Science and Technology. It will also promote the policy with its orientation towards, research related to National Defence.
*The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 23 May 2013 approved the proposal of Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). The amount for this would be 2550 crore Rupees. The Government of India as well as the World Bank will finance the NACP in equal proportions. The main objective of the project is increasing the safe behavior among high risk groups in pursuance of the national goal of accelerated reversal of the HIV epidemic by 2017. The focus of the activities of this project would be on strengthening as well as scaling up prevention interventions and related BCC strategies for sub-groups of population identified to be most-at-risk by the NACP. These vulnerable groups include Injecting Drug Users (IDU), Transgender (TG), Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Men who have sex with Men (MSM). The aim of the project is also to support the planned expansion and consolidation of tailored interventions for other at-risk populations which include migrant workers and truckers. National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in its third phase (2007-2012) saw remarkable success in controlling spread of HIV. As a result, India is on its track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for HIV prevention and control. Over past 10 years, there has been reduction of 57 percent in the new HIV infections and 29 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths.
*The Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of Human Resource Development, on 21 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Electoral Literacy and Greater Participation for a Stronger and Inclusive Democracy in New Delhi. The MOU is the first ever by the Election Commission of India with a Government Department. Under the MoU, ECI and NLMA will work jointly to sensitize citizens, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged including women, SCs, STs, Minorities, in NLMA covered districts, about their electoral rights and about exercise of franchise. Electoral Literacy will form part of curriculum for adult Literacy and Basic education. NLMA will spread electoral literacy during its environment Building and mass mobilization campaigns, with specific focus on electoral registration and informed and ethical voting in co-ordination with the Election Commission.
*Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam for the fifth consecutive time on 30th May, 2013. Another Congress nominee, Santiuse Kujur, also won the second Rajya Sabha seat from the State, polling for which took place in the Assembly. Dr. Singh polled 49 first preference votes and Mr. Kujur 45 first preference votes. All India United Democratic Front nominee Aminul Islam polled 18 votes. Nine legislators of the Asom Gana Parishad and five BJP MLAs in the 126-member House abstained from voting.
*The first all-women post office (Mahila Dak Ghar) in Andhra Pradesh has come up in Visakhapatnam on 1st June. The post office in MVP Colony area was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Killi Kruparani. Speaking on the occasion, she said the initiative was part of the UPA Government's focus on women empowerment, safety and gender equality. "Four all-women post offices will be soon opened at Narayanaguda, Vivekanandanagar, Andhra Mahila Sabha and Vidyanagar in Hyderabad, the Minister said. Hyderabad's main post office in Shamsabad will soon have an Automated Mail Processing Centre. Once the centre becomes operational, no documentation will be required with respect to sorting, dispatching and delivering of mails, the Minister said.
*The HRD Ministry on 30 May has constituted a seven-member Task Force under former IIT Kanpur Director Sanjay Dhande to set up a national testing agency for conducting various kinds of national-level exams. It will prepare a blue print for creating a special purpose vehicle to take the concept of National Testing Agency (NTA) forward. The Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE), the highest decision-making body on education, had earlier endorsed the proposal, as the move would relieve different bodies such as the UGC and the IIT from the responsibility of holding national-level tests. Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur had said the proposed agency might be formed through an executive order and not set up as a statutory body through an Act of Parliament. According to a Ministry statement, the rationale for setting up the body lies in ensuring that a multiplicity of entrance examinations, leading to stress on the students, is addressed in a comprehensive manner by formulating a uniform entrance examination for admissions in different branches of higher learning.
*The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC), established at Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) complex at Byalalu, about 40 km from Bangalore, was inaugurated on May 28, 2013 by Mr. V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. INC is an important element of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an independent navigation satellite system being developed by India. IRNSS will have a constellation of seven satellites and enables its users to determine their location and time accurately. These satellites will positioned in geostationary and inclined geosynchronous orbits 36,000 km above the earth’s surface. IRNSS coverage will extend over India and its neighborhood and the satellites are equipped with high precision atomic clocks and continuously transmit navigation signals to users. As the focal point of many critical operations of IRNSS, ISRO Navigation Centre is responsible for providing the time reference, generation of navigation messages and monitoring and control of ground facilities including ranging stations of IRNSS. It hosts several key technical facilities for supporting various navigation functions. IRNSS will have a network of twenty one ranging stations geographically distributed primarily across India. They provide data for the orbit determination of IRNSS satellites and monitoring of the navigation signals. The data from the ranging/monitoring stations is sent to the data processing facility at INC where it is processed to generate the navigation messages. The navigation messages are then transmitted from INC to IRNSS satellites through the spacecraft control facility at Hassan/Bhopal. The state of the art data processing and storage facilities at INC enable swift processing of data and support its systematic storage.
*The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for the state of Andhra Pradesh was finalized in New Delhi on 30 May, at a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N.Kiran Kumar Reddy. The plan size has been agreed at Rs. 53,000crore. Mr Ahluwalia complemented the State Government for efforts to make development truly inclusive and also for the efforts aimed at promoting public private partnership in the development of both social and physical infrastructure. He said better involvement of private sector would be needed during 12th plan period as State funds would not be enough to meet the needs of infrastructure development.
*He said the State Governments should come forward with the suggestions that can improve efficiency of flagship schemes and commission would consider them while finalizing plan document. It was pointed out that in the 11th plan outlay for Andhra Pradesh was approved at Rs. 1,87,797 crore of which it has achieved Rs. 1,61,756 crore, i.e. 86% of the approved outlay. The 12th Five Year Plan of the State has targeted plan outlay is Rs. 3,42,842 crore of which Rs. 48,935 crore was approved for 2012-13.The GSDP growth of the State is more than the national level growth rate and the sectoral growth rates also places the state above the national growth rates.
*In terms of mobilization of resources, Balance from Current Revenue (BCR) has remained positive at about 43% of the aggregate plan resources, with State’s Own Resources (SOR) contributing about 50% of aggregate resources during the 11th Five Year Plan. In 2012-13, BCR (Latest estimates) account for 40% of the aggregate resources and SOR is 40% of the aggregate resources. Tax-GSDP ratio for Andhra Pradesh has improved to about 8.5% of GSDP in 2012-13 as compared to 7.9% of GSDP in 2007-08. The State is revenue surplus, and fiscal deficit is within a comfortable level of 3%. Planning Commission expressed concern over the slow progress in the literacy rate and pointed out that as per Census 2011, the State’s literacy rate is 67.6% with male literacy at 75.6% and female literacy at 59.74%. The State’s literacy rate is much lower than the national average of 74.0%.
*IRCTC website will start booking 7,200 tickets per minute soon. With the aim of bridging the gap between demand and supply in e-ticketing category, IRCTC spelt out its grand plan to book 7,200 e-tickets per minute in the current fiscal. This strengthening process of the ticketing site will cost Railways about Rs. 100 crore, said a statement from the Ministry on May 27, 2013.
*Currently, the ticketing site of the IRCTC can handle about 1.2 lakh concurrent connections and book about 2,000 tickets per minute. The upgrading of website is a continuous process as an average booking per day has been increased from 3.67 lakh in 2012 to 4.15 lakh now.
*There are about 31 crore reserve tickets being booked in a year out of which 55 percent tickets are sold through windows. While 37 percent tickets are booked online, eight percent are being booked by ticketing agents.
*The Indian telecom sector became the second largest telephone network in the world, after China by registering exceptional growth during last nine years. The reasons for growth of telecom sector including the sectoral reforms initiated by the Union Government, active participation of the private sector and development of wireless technology.
*In case of mobile penetration, the progress is must steeper. By on 31 March 2012, the wireless telephones reached to 96.74 percent from 96.62 percent by June end 2012. The share of landline phones increased from 3.38 percent to 3.44 percent between April and December 2012..
*The wireless subscriber base also increased from 33.6 million in March 2004 to 864.72 million till December 2012. The average tariff for every outgoing call per minute for GSM services went down from Rs. 2.89 in March 2004 to 47 paisa in December 2012.
*Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), has been accorded 5-star rating by the British Safety Council for its health & safety management system.
*The BSC 5-star rating is a significant safety award globally and RGIA is the only Airport in the whole world to receive this coveted award.
*The achievement clearly demonstrates RGIA’s commitment towards health and safety of its employees, passengers, and the entire airport community; and I thank all for their contribution,” said S.G.K. Kishore, CEO, GHIAL.
*The award criterion is very stringent. There are 995 safety compliance requirements for the health and safety management system covering 57 elements. In order to get a 5-Star rating, a minimum of 92 per cent has to be obtained out of a total score of 5000, and RGIA scored 96 per cent.
*The Union Government on 16 May 2013 revised the criteria for creamy layer of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from Rs. 4.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh to avail benefits of reservations in government jobs and admissions to central educational institutions. The decision came up in a view to increase the income limits in tune with the increase of the consumer price index. This would enable more people to take an advantage of reservation benefits that are extended to OBCs. Creamy layer is the income limit beyond which OBCs are not eligible for quotas.
*Government of India decided to launch Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Scheme in 20 high Aadhaar coverage districts from 1 June 2013. The scheme aims to curb leakages and prevent black-marketing and provide subsidy to consumers in their bank accounts. All LPG consumers are advised to immediately do the following to avail of subsidy in their bank accounts. For the benefit of LPG consumers, who cannot complete formalities by 1 June 2013, a grace period of three months is being given to complete the formalities. After this period, all consumers who have not completed the formality will get LPG cylinders at market price, without any subsidy, till they complete the same.
*Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Indian National Congress on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the 22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka. 64 years old Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR Bhardwaj at Sree Kanteerava stadium. Under Siddaramaiah leadership, the Congress in Karnataka won 121 seats in the 225-member Assembly for which election was held on 5 May and voted counted on 8 May. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004.
*The Union Government on 15 May 2013 had set up an Expert Committee under the supervision Raghuram G Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser to evolve a composite index to measure backwardness of states. The panel is set up in consistent to the Budget announcement, and it can also invite other experts as Special Invitees for discussions. The decision was taken amid demands for special category status by Bihar. The backwardness of the States will be consider in terms of measures like distance of the State from the national average under criteria such as per capita income and other human development indicators and for evolving a Composite Development Index of States. The Committee is supposed to submit its report within 60 days. The other members of the committee are Shaibal Gupta, Bharat Ramaswami, Najeeb Jung, Nirija G Jayal and Tuhin Pandey. It is important here to note that the present criteria for determining backwardness are based on terrain, density of population and length of international borders.
*Indian National Defence University, a first-of-its-kind institution for training and research in military studies, will be set up near Gurgaon in Haryana. The location is close to the national capital. The foundation stone of INDU, to be constituted under an Act of Parliament, will be laid by Prime Minister on May 23, Deputy Commissioner P C Meena said on 19 May. The proposed institute will be equipped with training and research facilities on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making. While one-third of its strength will comprise of civilian students, the remaining seats will be reserved for in-service defence personnel. The sprawling 200 acre campus will be set up in Binola village with an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, Meena said, adding, land for the purpose has already been acquired by the state government.
*The Union Cabinet of India on 16 May 2013 approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission. The objective behind this approval is to conserve and restore the heritage sites associated with the Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission will be assigned with the identification, collation and assessment of the information on Gandhi Heritage material, its management and deployment. The mission will also be responsible for identifying the conservation methodology as well as the priorities for documents and objects, with its point of view of archival storage and museology and for physical structures and sites, as also guidelines for their subsequent maintenance. The mission will also preserve the 2000 important sites identified by the panel that was chaired by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex-Governor of West Bengal along with the other 39 core sites.
*Kapil Sibal takes charge as Law Minister
New Delhi: Kapil Sibal on 13th May assumed the charge of the Union Law Ministry, taking over from Ashwani Kumar who resigned last week after he came under attack in the Supreme Court for vetting the CBI report on the allocation of coal blocks. Sibal will hold additional charge of law along with the communications and information technology ministry. Ashwani Kumar resigned on 10th May.
*Govt forms GoM to insulate CBI from external influence
New Delhi: In response to the Supreme Court's scathing observations on autonomy of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Union Government formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to draft a law to insulate the investigating agency from external influence, here on 14th May.
The GoM, headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy as members, official sources said. CBI Director Ranjit Sinha will also give his input to the newly-constituted GoM.
The GoM will deliberate on ways to shield CBI from outside interferences and strengthen its autonomy. The government's move came after the Supreme Court reprimand to the government for making CBI "a caged parrot" of its political masters, while hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in Coal Blocks Allocation Scam.
*The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May decided to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation Year. Following the theme of the year, the Government has proposed to conduct several mass awareness activities to sensitize masses on water issues and to encourage water conservation among them. The national awareness programs launched by the Government will aim towards achieving the identified objectives of the National Water Policy 2012 and National Water Mission. National Water Policy 2012 was adopted by the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 December 2012. The Policy takes cognizance of the existing situation and proposes a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions and a plan of action with a unified national perspective.
*Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lok Sabha unveiled the statue of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Founder of Telugu Desam Party N. T. Rama Rao in the Parliament on 7 May 2013. N. T. Rama Rao who is popularly known as NTR was born on 28 May 1923 and died on 18 January 1996. He was a film actor, director and producer by profession and his debut film was Mana Desam, which was directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. He starred in about 320 Telugu Films. In 1982, he founded the Telugu Desam Party. He served Andhra Pradesh as its Chief Minister for three terms between 1983 and 1995. He was instrumental in formation of the National Front Government in 1989, which was a coalition of non-Congress parties and lasted in power for two years. The statue was donated by NTR’s daughter and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D. Purandeswari.
*Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh on 10 May 2013. P.K. Bansal resigned from his office after a week’s time since his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested for his alleged involvement of bribery of 90 lakh rupees from the Railway Board Member, with a promise of promotion. Ashwani Kumar resigned as the CBI revealed to the Supreme Court about his scandalous role in tweaking its Report on the Coal Block allocation scam.
*Sahara India Pariwar created a new Guinness World Record on 6 May 2013 when its 121653 staff and workers sang India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana in union at Lucknow, UP. Hitherto, the world record in this category has been held by Pakistan where a crowd of 42813 sang national anthem in a group at one place. Apart from this, Sahara India Pariwar had also attempted the record of more than one million employees singing the national anthem in one uniform at 4512 Sahara offices across the country. The representatives of Guinness World Record witnessed the moment and confirmed the world record. Subrata Roy Sahara, the Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar was conferred with the certificate by officials of Guinness Book of World Records.
*The Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant on 6 may. A bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, in concurring judgments, however, made it clear that the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) gave their final clearances. The Bench said “we have to balance ‘economic scientific benefits’ with that of ‘minor radiological detriments’ on the touchstone of our national nuclear policy. “Economic benefit has to be viewed on a larger canvas which not only augments our economic growth but alleviates poverty and generates more employment. NPCIL, while setting up the NPP at Kudankulam, have satisfied the environmental principle.”
*A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between National Commission of Women (NCW) and the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) in the presence of the Minister of Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath and the Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken. The MOU was signed by V. P. Baligar, IAS, Chairman & Managing Director (HUDCO) and Smt. K. Ratna Prabha, IAS, Member Secretary, National Commission for Women (NCW) in New Delhi on 7 May. This understanding forms part of the CSR of HUDCO. The focus will be on providing better amenities of housing and other facilities such as drinking water, sanitation, electricity etc to poor and destitute women. This, the Minister noted, is a good start and one which will provide encouragement and incentive to other corporate house and Navratanas to come forward and spend in activities which have a wider and more meaningful social outcomes.
*The NCW and HUDCO have entered into this MoU to improve the living conditions of destitute women on the identified areas for facilities like women hostels, remand homes or anything that is pertinent to women welfare or development by enhancing the quality of their habitats. HUDCO and NCW shall cooperate in the areas of re-construction of existing structures where women in distress are housed, providing for living quarters, kitchens and toilets, construction of living quarters, kitchens and toilets in pre-identified sites, providing support in design of the building, monitoring the progress of each project and any other activity which is mutually considered important/relevant by the HUDCO and NCW in connection with the above agreed activities. Under the executed MoU, NCW shall identify the areas where the activity/project has to be undertaken as per the vulnerability/need based address the Government organization concerned with the desired development area and urge it to formulate a suitable proposal for the purpose along with identification of a suitable implementing agency and HUDCO shall provide financial assistance for implementation of these projects along with technical advice, if required. Also present during the signing were the Chairperson of NCW, Smt. Mamta Sharma and senior officers from the Ministries.
*The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath on 9 May 2013 launched the World Bank assisted ICDS Systems strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP). The aim of the programme is improvement of child development and nutritional outcomes for children in selected districts having higher proportional of child under nutrition. The project is worth Rs. 2893 crore with 70 percent IDA share of Rs. 2025 crore over the time duration of 7 years. The cost of phase-I of the project is estimated to be around Rs. 682 crore. The project received an initial support of US $ 106 million from theWorld Bank, which is payable over the time of 25 years. This will be followed by the support for second phase of US $ 344 million, which will be subject to assessment of phase-I.
*Salient features of ISSNIP:
ISSNIP is designed to supplement and provide value addition on the existing ICDS programme, through systems strengthening for better service delivery, as well as to allow the selected states and districts to experiment, innovate and conduct pilots of potentially more effective approaches for ICDS in order to achieve early childhood education and nutrition outcomes.
*The additional support through the project is catalytic and is an important dimension of MWCD’s overall efforts to strengthen and restructure the ICDS programme.
*Four major components of the project are: (i) institutional and systems strengthening in ICDS (ii) community mobilization and behaviour change communication (iii) piloting multi-sectoral nutrition actions, and (iv) Project Management, Technical Assistance and Monitoring & Evaluation.
*The Tamil Nadu government on 8 May banned production, possession, distribution and sale of tobacco products such as pan masala and gutkha in the state. Some states, including Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, have already banned sale of pan masala and gutkha. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa referred to Supreme Court's remarks in a case pending before it, seeking to know the action taken by state governments in controlling usage of tobacco and announced the government's decision. She also referred to her government's notification on November 19, 2011, to ban the use of tobacco under the Prevention
*K. Siddaramaiah is the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected for the post by 75 of 121 Congress MLAs, who voted in secret ballot election here on 10th May, 2013. The new CM-elect, who was invited by the Governor H. Bhardwaj to form the government is expected to call on him to apprise about his preparations to form the government.
*Mr Siddaramaiah is a backward caste leader from the Kuruba community with a big support base, especially in the Old Mysore region in the south. He has been Opposition leader and was among those who scripted the Congress' successful campaign. He is a five-time MLA and represents the Varuna constituency in Mysore district. Once part of the Janata Dal (Secular) and a Deve Gowda protege, Mr Siddaramaiah has been a Congressman for only about six years. A central Congress team headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony oversaw this election.
*The Union Cabinet on 1 May, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Railways for setting up of an Electric Locomotive Factory at Madhepura, Bihar and a Diesel Locomotive Factory at Marhowra, Bihar, to start afresh the bidding processes for these projects. Estimated costs for setting up the Electric Locomotive Factory and Diesel Locomotive Factory, as approved by CCEA and included in the Railway Budget are Rs. 1293.57 crore and Rs. 2052.58 crore respectively, with limited equity contribution by Ministry of Railways. Over a ten-year period, the factories will provide Indian Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power (h.p.) each and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 h.p. with high level performance guarantees similar to international practices.
*The Union Cabinet on 1 May gave its approval to launch a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub-mission under the over-arching National Health Mission (NHM). Under the Scheme, the following proposals have been approved:
One Urban Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) for every fifty to sixty thousand population.
One Urban Community Health Centre (U-CHC) for five to six U-PHCs in big cities.
One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for 10,000 population.
One Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.
*The estimated cost of NUHM for 5 years period is Rs.22, 507 crore with the Central Government share of Rs.16, 955 crore. Centre-State funding pattern will be 75:25 except for North Eastern states and other special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10.The scheme will focus on primary health care needs of the urban poor. This Mission will be implemented in 779 cities and towns with more than 50,000 population and cover about 7.75 crore people. NUHM aims to improve the health status of the urban population in general, particularly the poor and other disadvantaged sections by facilitating equitable access to quality health care, through a revamped primary public health care system, targeted outreach services and involvement of the community and urban local bodies. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held in April 2012 has already approved the continuation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the other sub-mission under NHM till 31.3.2017.
*The Expert Committee on Leveraging Panchayat Raj Institutions for the more efficient delivery of public good and services on 4 May called on the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan and made a presentation on the contents of its 20th anniversary Report. The Committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj on August 27, 2012 under the chairmanship of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Other members of Committee who called on the President included Peelipose Thomas, Manabendra Nath Roy and Member Secretary M.V. Rao. The Committee has in its recommendations said that there is a need to constitute a National Panchayat Commission to oversee the cooperative effort of the Centre and States to strengthen Panchayati Raj. The Committee also said that there is a need to provide for District Councils through an appropriate amendment of the Constitution as a single local government at the district level for better urban-rural convergence and equal treatment of urban and rural people.
*Vice President of India inaugurated the International Centre for Environment Audit & Sustainable Development at Jaipur on 4 May. The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari has said that India has been active in international forums relating to environmental protection, and is party to 94 multilaterals environmental agreements such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), among many others. We have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Addressing at the inaugural function of the “International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED)” organized by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) at Jaipur (Rajasthan) on 4 May, he said that despite not having binding mitigation commitments as per the UNFCCC, India has communicated its voluntary mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 20–25 per cent, over 2005 levels, by 2020. He released a Special Cover on ICED brought out by Department of Posts and visited an Exhibition on ICED on the occasion. The Vice President said that the CAG has a very important role to play in this regard - not only to comment on effectiveness of rules, regulations and programmes for conserving the environment but also has to offer concrete recommendations to the executive for improving environmental governance. He said that the CAG is already an important member of the Steering Committee of the International Organization of Supreme Audit institutions, and of its Working Group on Environment Audit. The creation of this Centre here, and its emphasis on research to upgrade knowledge and skills, will further strengthen India’s role in this important body.
*The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh approved 11000 crore Rupees project on 1 May 2013 for modernization of central paramilitary forces. These forces include ITBP as well, which is responsible for guarding the Sino-Indian border. The approval will be implemented in five years duration, beginning 2013-14 fiscal years. The approval of the project is followed by altercation along Sino-Indian border in Ladakh. The approval will also benefit Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Modernization will make sure that all these forces get better night vision devices, arms, vehicles, patrolling equipment and ammunition along with infrastructural upgrade.
*The Supreme Court of India directed that the Kudankulam nuclear plant situated in Tamil Nadu could start its operations now. A bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra issued the directions to the government on safety as well as security of the plant, along with its operations. The Supreme Court directed Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to ensure that all steps were taken for the safety of the nuclear plant. The Apex Court explained that the Kudankulam nuclear plant was absolutely safe and secure and that it was necessary to start its operations for economic growth as well as welfare of India. In 2012, the fishermen as well as villagers protested against the fuelling of this plant. Opponents of this plant, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) complained that it was situated in the area which was affected badly by 2004 Asian tsunami and that there was a fear of disaster like that of Fukushima nuclear plant of Japan in 2011. The Kudankulam nuclear plant is among those plants which is a part of India’s aim of generating 63000 MW of nuclear power by 2032.
*Even as it acknowledges India as the world's most populous democracy, the Economist magazine's Index of Democracy 2012 ranks India 38th among 165 nations with an overall score of 7.52. India also gets high scores for electoral process and pluralism (9.58) and Civil liberties (9.41). The top three positions go to Norway (9.93) Sweden (9.73) and Iceland 9.65, while the United States is ranked 21st with an overall score of 8.11 in the fifth edition of the Index prepared by the London weekly focusing on international politics and business. Noting the wide disparities in democratic development across Asia, the report says "although parts of the region - from North Korea and Laos, to Vietnam and China - are still entrenched authoritarian regimes, the past couple of decades have seen the spread of democracy in the region overall." Over the past decade, some 20 Asian countries have held elections, and many have undergone peaceful transitions in government. "Despite its problems, India remains the world's most populous democracy," the report said noting. "Yet even in the democratic countries, there are often significant problems in the functioning of political systems." "The US and the UK remain at the bottom end of the full democracy category," the report said. "The US democracy has been adversely affected by a deepening of the polarization of the political scene and political brinkmanship and paralysis. The UK is beset by a deep institutional crisis." "The unprecedented rise of movements for democratic change across the Arab world led many to expect a new wave of democratization," it said. "But it has become apparent that democracy in the region remains a highly uncertain prospect." Popular confidence in political institutions continues to decline in many European countries, it said noting in Eastern Europe democracy declined in 10 countries in 2012.
*Andhra Pradesh government is planning to set up a State Disaster Response Force on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which will be stationed at Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. "Discussions are on and a meeting has been convened with the Chief Secretary on forming the SDRF. The proposed SDRF will have separate force, which will be set up at Hyderabad, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam centres," Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said. "The SDRF is likely to have 120 personnel. New persons will be recruited for the force and discussions for allotting/ identifying land for the proposed SDRF centers in these three major cities of Andhra Pradesh are still being worked out," he said. According to the Disaster Management officials, SDRF personnel will be trained and provided with equipment by NDRF to effectively deal with natural and man-made disasters."There was a need felt to establish SDRF centers at Hyderabad as it is the state capital, Tirupati due to pilgrimage rush and at Visakhapatnam, which is having port and several
*The Union Government of India on 3 May 2013 revised the production estimates of the food grains upwards by 5.22 million tones for 2012-13, over earlier expectation of 254.24 million tones due to the higher output of wheat, rice and coarse cereals. With this revision, the total cereal output estimation has gone up to 255.36 million tones. The wheat and rice production pegged at 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. The earlier estimate set for the food grains for the year was 254.24 million tones. The third advance estimate that was officially released on 3 May 2013 estimated that the total food grain production for the year will be lower by 3.96 million tones from the previous year 2011-12 record production of 259.24 million tones. As the total output for wheat and rice in 2011-12 were 94.98 million tones and 105.31 million tones respectively. While for 2012-13, it is estimated to be 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. Delayed monsoon and drought in different parts of states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan had an impact on the production of pulses and coarse cereal during Kharif season.
*The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 23 May 2013 approved the proposal of Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). The amount for this would be 2550 crore Rupees. The Government of India as well as the World Bank will finance the NACP in equal proportions. The main objective of the project is increasing the safe behavior among high risk groups in pursuance of the national goal of accelerated reversal of the HIV epidemic by 2017. The focus of the activities of this project would be on strengthening as well as scaling up prevention interventions and related BCC strategies for sub-groups of population identified to be most-at-risk by the NACP. These vulnerable groups include Injecting Drug Users (IDU), Transgender (TG), Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Men who have sex with Men (MSM). The aim of the project is also to support the planned expansion and consolidation of tailored interventions for other at-risk populations which include migrant workers and truckers. National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in its third phase (2007-2012) saw remarkable success in controlling spread of HIV. As a result, India is on its track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for HIV prevention and control. Over past 10 years, there has been reduction of 57 percent in the new HIV infections and 29 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths.
*The Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of Human Resource Development, on 21 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Electoral Literacy and Greater Participation for a Stronger and Inclusive Democracy in New Delhi. The MOU is the first ever by the Election Commission of India with a Government Department. Under the MoU, ECI and NLMA will work jointly to sensitize citizens, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged including women, SCs, STs, Minorities, in NLMA covered districts, about their electoral rights and about exercise of franchise. Electoral Literacy will form part of curriculum for adult Literacy and Basic education. NLMA will spread electoral literacy during its environment Building and mass mobilization campaigns, with specific focus on electoral registration and informed and ethical voting in co-ordination with the Election Commission.
*Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam for the fifth consecutive time on 30th May, 2013. Another Congress nominee, Santiuse Kujur, also won the second Rajya Sabha seat from the State, polling for which took place in the Assembly. Dr. Singh polled 49 first preference votes and Mr. Kujur 45 first preference votes. All India United Democratic Front nominee Aminul Islam polled 18 votes. Nine legislators of the Asom Gana Parishad and five BJP MLAs in the 126-member House abstained from voting.
*The first all-women post office (Mahila Dak Ghar) in Andhra Pradesh has come up in Visakhapatnam on 1st June. The post office in MVP Colony area was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Killi Kruparani. Speaking on the occasion, she said the initiative was part of the UPA Government's focus on women empowerment, safety and gender equality. "Four all-women post offices will be soon opened at Narayanaguda, Vivekanandanagar, Andhra Mahila Sabha and Vidyanagar in Hyderabad, the Minister said. Hyderabad's main post office in Shamsabad will soon have an Automated Mail Processing Centre. Once the centre becomes operational, no documentation will be required with respect to sorting, dispatching and delivering of mails, the Minister said.
*The HRD Ministry on 30 May has constituted a seven-member Task Force under former IIT Kanpur Director Sanjay Dhande to set up a national testing agency for conducting various kinds of national-level exams. It will prepare a blue print for creating a special purpose vehicle to take the concept of National Testing Agency (NTA) forward. The Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE), the highest decision-making body on education, had earlier endorsed the proposal, as the move would relieve different bodies such as the UGC and the IIT from the responsibility of holding national-level tests. Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur had said the proposed agency might be formed through an executive order and not set up as a statutory body through an Act of Parliament. According to a Ministry statement, the rationale for setting up the body lies in ensuring that a multiplicity of entrance examinations, leading to stress on the students, is addressed in a comprehensive manner by formulating a uniform entrance examination for admissions in different branches of higher learning.
*The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC), established at Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) complex at Byalalu, about 40 km from Bangalore, was inaugurated on May 28, 2013 by Mr. V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. INC is an important element of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an independent navigation satellite system being developed by India. IRNSS will have a constellation of seven satellites and enables its users to determine their location and time accurately. These satellites will positioned in geostationary and inclined geosynchronous orbits 36,000 km above the earth’s surface. IRNSS coverage will extend over India and its neighborhood and the satellites are equipped with high precision atomic clocks and continuously transmit navigation signals to users. As the focal point of many critical operations of IRNSS, ISRO Navigation Centre is responsible for providing the time reference, generation of navigation messages and monitoring and control of ground facilities including ranging stations of IRNSS. It hosts several key technical facilities for supporting various navigation functions. IRNSS will have a network of twenty one ranging stations geographically distributed primarily across India. They provide data for the orbit determination of IRNSS satellites and monitoring of the navigation signals. The data from the ranging/monitoring stations is sent to the data processing facility at INC where it is processed to generate the navigation messages. The navigation messages are then transmitted from INC to IRNSS satellites through the spacecraft control facility at Hassan/Bhopal. The state of the art data processing and storage facilities at INC enable swift processing of data and support its systematic storage.
*The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for the state of Andhra Pradesh was finalized in New Delhi on 30 May, at a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N.Kiran Kumar Reddy. The plan size has been agreed at Rs. 53,000crore. Mr Ahluwalia complemented the State Government for efforts to make development truly inclusive and also for the efforts aimed at promoting public private partnership in the development of both social and physical infrastructure. He said better involvement of private sector would be needed during 12th plan period as State funds would not be enough to meet the needs of infrastructure development.
*He said the State Governments should come forward with the suggestions that can improve efficiency of flagship schemes and commission would consider them while finalizing plan document. It was pointed out that in the 11th plan outlay for Andhra Pradesh was approved at Rs. 1,87,797 crore of which it has achieved Rs. 1,61,756 crore, i.e. 86% of the approved outlay. The 12th Five Year Plan of the State has targeted plan outlay is Rs. 3,42,842 crore of which Rs. 48,935 crore was approved for 2012-13.The GSDP growth of the State is more than the national level growth rate and the sectoral growth rates also places the state above the national growth rates.
*In terms of mobilization of resources, Balance from Current Revenue (BCR) has remained positive at about 43% of the aggregate plan resources, with State’s Own Resources (SOR) contributing about 50% of aggregate resources during the 11th Five Year Plan. In 2012-13, BCR (Latest estimates) account for 40% of the aggregate resources and SOR is 40% of the aggregate resources. Tax-GSDP ratio for Andhra Pradesh has improved to about 8.5% of GSDP in 2012-13 as compared to 7.9% of GSDP in 2007-08. The State is revenue surplus, and fiscal deficit is within a comfortable level of 3%. Planning Commission expressed concern over the slow progress in the literacy rate and pointed out that as per Census 2011, the State’s literacy rate is 67.6% with male literacy at 75.6% and female literacy at 59.74%. The State’s literacy rate is much lower than the national average of 74.0%.
*IRCTC website will start booking 7,200 tickets per minute soon. With the aim of bridging the gap between demand and supply in e-ticketing category, IRCTC spelt out its grand plan to book 7,200 e-tickets per minute in the current fiscal. This strengthening process of the ticketing site will cost Railways about Rs. 100 crore, said a statement from the Ministry on May 27, 2013.
*Currently, the ticketing site of the IRCTC can handle about 1.2 lakh concurrent connections and book about 2,000 tickets per minute. The upgrading of website is a continuous process as an average booking per day has been increased from 3.67 lakh in 2012 to 4.15 lakh now.
*There are about 31 crore reserve tickets being booked in a year out of which 55 percent tickets are sold through windows. While 37 percent tickets are booked online, eight percent are being booked by ticketing agents.
*The Indian telecom sector became the second largest telephone network in the world, after China by registering exceptional growth during last nine years. The reasons for growth of telecom sector including the sectoral reforms initiated by the Union Government, active participation of the private sector and development of wireless technology.
*In case of mobile penetration, the progress is must steeper. By on 31 March 2012, the wireless telephones reached to 96.74 percent from 96.62 percent by June end 2012. The share of landline phones increased from 3.38 percent to 3.44 percent between April and December 2012..
*The wireless subscriber base also increased from 33.6 million in March 2004 to 864.72 million till December 2012. The average tariff for every outgoing call per minute for GSM services went down from Rs. 2.89 in March 2004 to 47 paisa in December 2012.
*Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), has been accorded 5-star rating by the British Safety Council for its health & safety management system.
*The BSC 5-star rating is a significant safety award globally and RGIA is the only Airport in the whole world to receive this coveted award.
*The achievement clearly demonstrates RGIA’s commitment towards health and safety of its employees, passengers, and the entire airport community; and I thank all for their contribution,” said S.G.K. Kishore, CEO, GHIAL.
*The award criterion is very stringent. There are 995 safety compliance requirements for the health and safety management system covering 57 elements. In order to get a 5-Star rating, a minimum of 92 per cent has to be obtained out of a total score of 5000, and RGIA scored 96 per cent.
*The Union Government on 16 May 2013 revised the criteria for creamy layer of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from Rs. 4.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh to avail benefits of reservations in government jobs and admissions to central educational institutions. The decision came up in a view to increase the income limits in tune with the increase of the consumer price index. This would enable more people to take an advantage of reservation benefits that are extended to OBCs. Creamy layer is the income limit beyond which OBCs are not eligible for quotas.
*Government of India decided to launch Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Scheme in 20 high Aadhaar coverage districts from 1 June 2013. The scheme aims to curb leakages and prevent black-marketing and provide subsidy to consumers in their bank accounts. All LPG consumers are advised to immediately do the following to avail of subsidy in their bank accounts. For the benefit of LPG consumers, who cannot complete formalities by 1 June 2013, a grace period of three months is being given to complete the formalities. After this period, all consumers who have not completed the formality will get LPG cylinders at market price, without any subsidy, till they complete the same.
*Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Indian National Congress on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the 22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka. 64 years old Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR Bhardwaj at Sree Kanteerava stadium. Under Siddaramaiah leadership, the Congress in Karnataka won 121 seats in the 225-member Assembly for which election was held on 5 May and voted counted on 8 May. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004.
*The Union Government on 15 May 2013 had set up an Expert Committee under the supervision Raghuram G Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser to evolve a composite index to measure backwardness of states. The panel is set up in consistent to the Budget announcement, and it can also invite other experts as Special Invitees for discussions. The decision was taken amid demands for special category status by Bihar. The backwardness of the States will be consider in terms of measures like distance of the State from the national average under criteria such as per capita income and other human development indicators and for evolving a Composite Development Index of States. The Committee is supposed to submit its report within 60 days. The other members of the committee are Shaibal Gupta, Bharat Ramaswami, Najeeb Jung, Nirija G Jayal and Tuhin Pandey. It is important here to note that the present criteria for determining backwardness are based on terrain, density of population and length of international borders.
*Indian National Defence University, a first-of-its-kind institution for training and research in military studies, will be set up near Gurgaon in Haryana. The location is close to the national capital. The foundation stone of INDU, to be constituted under an Act of Parliament, will be laid by Prime Minister on May 23, Deputy Commissioner P C Meena said on 19 May. The proposed institute will be equipped with training and research facilities on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making. While one-third of its strength will comprise of civilian students, the remaining seats will be reserved for in-service defence personnel. The sprawling 200 acre campus will be set up in Binola village with an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, Meena said, adding, land for the purpose has already been acquired by the state government.
*The Union Cabinet of India on 16 May 2013 approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission. The objective behind this approval is to conserve and restore the heritage sites associated with the Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission will be assigned with the identification, collation and assessment of the information on Gandhi Heritage material, its management and deployment. The mission will also be responsible for identifying the conservation methodology as well as the priorities for documents and objects, with its point of view of archival storage and museology and for physical structures and sites, as also guidelines for their subsequent maintenance. The mission will also preserve the 2000 important sites identified by the panel that was chaired by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex-Governor of West Bengal along with the other 39 core sites.
*Kapil Sibal takes charge as Law Minister
New Delhi: Kapil Sibal on 13th May assumed the charge of the Union Law Ministry, taking over from Ashwani Kumar who resigned last week after he came under attack in the Supreme Court for vetting the CBI report on the allocation of coal blocks. Sibal will hold additional charge of law along with the communications and information technology ministry. Ashwani Kumar resigned on 10th May.
*Govt forms GoM to insulate CBI from external influence
New Delhi: In response to the Supreme Court's scathing observations on autonomy of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Union Government formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to draft a law to insulate the investigating agency from external influence, here on 14th May.
The GoM, headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy as members, official sources said. CBI Director Ranjit Sinha will also give his input to the newly-constituted GoM.
The GoM will deliberate on ways to shield CBI from outside interferences and strengthen its autonomy. The government's move came after the Supreme Court reprimand to the government for making CBI "a caged parrot" of its political masters, while hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in Coal Blocks Allocation Scam.
*The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May decided to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation Year. Following the theme of the year, the Government has proposed to conduct several mass awareness activities to sensitize masses on water issues and to encourage water conservation among them. The national awareness programs launched by the Government will aim towards achieving the identified objectives of the National Water Policy 2012 and National Water Mission. National Water Policy 2012 was adopted by the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 December 2012. The Policy takes cognizance of the existing situation and proposes a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions and a plan of action with a unified national perspective.
*Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lok Sabha unveiled the statue of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Founder of Telugu Desam Party N. T. Rama Rao in the Parliament on 7 May 2013. N. T. Rama Rao who is popularly known as NTR was born on 28 May 1923 and died on 18 January 1996. He was a film actor, director and producer by profession and his debut film was Mana Desam, which was directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. He starred in about 320 Telugu Films. In 1982, he founded the Telugu Desam Party. He served Andhra Pradesh as its Chief Minister for three terms between 1983 and 1995. He was instrumental in formation of the National Front Government in 1989, which was a coalition of non-Congress parties and lasted in power for two years. The statue was donated by NTR’s daughter and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D. Purandeswari.
*Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh on 10 May 2013. P.K. Bansal resigned from his office after a week’s time since his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested for his alleged involvement of bribery of 90 lakh rupees from the Railway Board Member, with a promise of promotion. Ashwani Kumar resigned as the CBI revealed to the Supreme Court about his scandalous role in tweaking its Report on the Coal Block allocation scam.
*Sahara India Pariwar created a new Guinness World Record on 6 May 2013 when its 121653 staff and workers sang India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana in union at Lucknow, UP. Hitherto, the world record in this category has been held by Pakistan where a crowd of 42813 sang national anthem in a group at one place. Apart from this, Sahara India Pariwar had also attempted the record of more than one million employees singing the national anthem in one uniform at 4512 Sahara offices across the country. The representatives of Guinness World Record witnessed the moment and confirmed the world record. Subrata Roy Sahara, the Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar was conferred with the certificate by officials of Guinness Book of World Records.
*The Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant on 6 may. A bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, in concurring judgments, however, made it clear that the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) gave their final clearances. The Bench said “we have to balance ‘economic scientific benefits’ with that of ‘minor radiological detriments’ on the touchstone of our national nuclear policy. “Economic benefit has to be viewed on a larger canvas which not only augments our economic growth but alleviates poverty and generates more employment. NPCIL, while setting up the NPP at Kudankulam, have satisfied the environmental principle.”
*A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between National Commission of Women (NCW) and the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) in the presence of the Minister of Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath and the Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken. The MOU was signed by V. P. Baligar, IAS, Chairman & Managing Director (HUDCO) and Smt. K. Ratna Prabha, IAS, Member Secretary, National Commission for Women (NCW) in New Delhi on 7 May. This understanding forms part of the CSR of HUDCO. The focus will be on providing better amenities of housing and other facilities such as drinking water, sanitation, electricity etc to poor and destitute women. This, the Minister noted, is a good start and one which will provide encouragement and incentive to other corporate house and Navratanas to come forward and spend in activities which have a wider and more meaningful social outcomes.
*The NCW and HUDCO have entered into this MoU to improve the living conditions of destitute women on the identified areas for facilities like women hostels, remand homes or anything that is pertinent to women welfare or development by enhancing the quality of their habitats. HUDCO and NCW shall cooperate in the areas of re-construction of existing structures where women in distress are housed, providing for living quarters, kitchens and toilets, construction of living quarters, kitchens and toilets in pre-identified sites, providing support in design of the building, monitoring the progress of each project and any other activity which is mutually considered important/relevant by the HUDCO and NCW in connection with the above agreed activities. Under the executed MoU, NCW shall identify the areas where the activity/project has to be undertaken as per the vulnerability/need based address the Government organization concerned with the desired development area and urge it to formulate a suitable proposal for the purpose along with identification of a suitable implementing agency and HUDCO shall provide financial assistance for implementation of these projects along with technical advice, if required. Also present during the signing were the Chairperson of NCW, Smt. Mamta Sharma and senior officers from the Ministries.
*The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath on 9 May 2013 launched the World Bank assisted ICDS Systems strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP). The aim of the programme is improvement of child development and nutritional outcomes for children in selected districts having higher proportional of child under nutrition. The project is worth Rs. 2893 crore with 70 percent IDA share of Rs. 2025 crore over the time duration of 7 years. The cost of phase-I of the project is estimated to be around Rs. 682 crore. The project received an initial support of US $ 106 million from theWorld Bank, which is payable over the time of 25 years. This will be followed by the support for second phase of US $ 344 million, which will be subject to assessment of phase-I.
*Salient features of ISSNIP:
ISSNIP is designed to supplement and provide value addition on the existing ICDS programme, through systems strengthening for better service delivery, as well as to allow the selected states and districts to experiment, innovate and conduct pilots of potentially more effective approaches for ICDS in order to achieve early childhood education and nutrition outcomes.
*The additional support through the project is catalytic and is an important dimension of MWCD’s overall efforts to strengthen and restructure the ICDS programme.
*Four major components of the project are: (i) institutional and systems strengthening in ICDS (ii) community mobilization and behaviour change communication (iii) piloting multi-sectoral nutrition actions, and (iv) Project Management, Technical Assistance and Monitoring & Evaluation.
*The Tamil Nadu government on 8 May banned production, possession, distribution and sale of tobacco products such as pan masala and gutkha in the state. Some states, including Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, have already banned sale of pan masala and gutkha. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa referred to Supreme Court's remarks in a case pending before it, seeking to know the action taken by state governments in controlling usage of tobacco and announced the government's decision. She also referred to her government's notification on November 19, 2011, to ban the use of tobacco under the Prevention
*K. Siddaramaiah is the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected for the post by 75 of 121 Congress MLAs, who voted in secret ballot election here on 10th May, 2013. The new CM-elect, who was invited by the Governor H. Bhardwaj to form the government is expected to call on him to apprise about his preparations to form the government.
*Mr Siddaramaiah is a backward caste leader from the Kuruba community with a big support base, especially in the Old Mysore region in the south. He has been Opposition leader and was among those who scripted the Congress' successful campaign. He is a five-time MLA and represents the Varuna constituency in Mysore district. Once part of the Janata Dal (Secular) and a Deve Gowda protege, Mr Siddaramaiah has been a Congressman for only about six years. A central Congress team headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony oversaw this election.
*The Union Cabinet on 1 May, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Railways for setting up of an Electric Locomotive Factory at Madhepura, Bihar and a Diesel Locomotive Factory at Marhowra, Bihar, to start afresh the bidding processes for these projects. Estimated costs for setting up the Electric Locomotive Factory and Diesel Locomotive Factory, as approved by CCEA and included in the Railway Budget are Rs. 1293.57 crore and Rs. 2052.58 crore respectively, with limited equity contribution by Ministry of Railways. Over a ten-year period, the factories will provide Indian Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power (h.p.) each and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 h.p. with high level performance guarantees similar to international practices.
*The Union Cabinet on 1 May gave its approval to launch a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub-mission under the over-arching National Health Mission (NHM). Under the Scheme, the following proposals have been approved:
One Urban Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) for every fifty to sixty thousand population.
One Urban Community Health Centre (U-CHC) for five to six U-PHCs in big cities.
One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for 10,000 population.
One Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.
*The estimated cost of NUHM for 5 years period is Rs.22, 507 crore with the Central Government share of Rs.16, 955 crore. Centre-State funding pattern will be 75:25 except for North Eastern states and other special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10.The scheme will focus on primary health care needs of the urban poor. This Mission will be implemented in 779 cities and towns with more than 50,000 population and cover about 7.75 crore people. NUHM aims to improve the health status of the urban population in general, particularly the poor and other disadvantaged sections by facilitating equitable access to quality health care, through a revamped primary public health care system, targeted outreach services and involvement of the community and urban local bodies. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held in April 2012 has already approved the continuation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the other sub-mission under NHM till 31.3.2017.
*The Expert Committee on Leveraging Panchayat Raj Institutions for the more efficient delivery of public good and services on 4 May called on the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan and made a presentation on the contents of its 20th anniversary Report. The Committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj on August 27, 2012 under the chairmanship of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Other members of Committee who called on the President included Peelipose Thomas, Manabendra Nath Roy and Member Secretary M.V. Rao. The Committee has in its recommendations said that there is a need to constitute a National Panchayat Commission to oversee the cooperative effort of the Centre and States to strengthen Panchayati Raj. The Committee also said that there is a need to provide for District Councils through an appropriate amendment of the Constitution as a single local government at the district level for better urban-rural convergence and equal treatment of urban and rural people.
*Vice President of India inaugurated the International Centre for Environment Audit & Sustainable Development at Jaipur on 4 May. The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari has said that India has been active in international forums relating to environmental protection, and is party to 94 multilaterals environmental agreements such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), among many others. We have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Addressing at the inaugural function of the “International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED)” organized by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) at Jaipur (Rajasthan) on 4 May, he said that despite not having binding mitigation commitments as per the UNFCCC, India has communicated its voluntary mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 20–25 per cent, over 2005 levels, by 2020. He released a Special Cover on ICED brought out by Department of Posts and visited an Exhibition on ICED on the occasion. The Vice President said that the CAG has a very important role to play in this regard - not only to comment on effectiveness of rules, regulations and programmes for conserving the environment but also has to offer concrete recommendations to the executive for improving environmental governance. He said that the CAG is already an important member of the Steering Committee of the International Organization of Supreme Audit institutions, and of its Working Group on Environment Audit. The creation of this Centre here, and its emphasis on research to upgrade knowledge and skills, will further strengthen India’s role in this important body.
*The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh approved 11000 crore Rupees project on 1 May 2013 for modernization of central paramilitary forces. These forces include ITBP as well, which is responsible for guarding the Sino-Indian border. The approval will be implemented in five years duration, beginning 2013-14 fiscal years. The approval of the project is followed by altercation along Sino-Indian border in Ladakh. The approval will also benefit Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Modernization will make sure that all these forces get better night vision devices, arms, vehicles, patrolling equipment and ammunition along with infrastructural upgrade.
*The Supreme Court of India directed that the Kudankulam nuclear plant situated in Tamil Nadu could start its operations now. A bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra issued the directions to the government on safety as well as security of the plant, along with its operations. The Supreme Court directed Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to ensure that all steps were taken for the safety of the nuclear plant. The Apex Court explained that the Kudankulam nuclear plant was absolutely safe and secure and that it was necessary to start its operations for economic growth as well as welfare of India. In 2012, the fishermen as well as villagers protested against the fuelling of this plant. Opponents of this plant, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) complained that it was situated in the area which was affected badly by 2004 Asian tsunami and that there was a fear of disaster like that of Fukushima nuclear plant of Japan in 2011. The Kudankulam nuclear plant is among those plants which is a part of India’s aim of generating 63000 MW of nuclear power by 2032.
*Even as it acknowledges India as the world's most populous democracy, the Economist magazine's Index of Democracy 2012 ranks India 38th among 165 nations with an overall score of 7.52. India also gets high scores for electoral process and pluralism (9.58) and Civil liberties (9.41). The top three positions go to Norway (9.93) Sweden (9.73) and Iceland 9.65, while the United States is ranked 21st with an overall score of 8.11 in the fifth edition of the Index prepared by the London weekly focusing on international politics and business. Noting the wide disparities in democratic development across Asia, the report says "although parts of the region - from North Korea and Laos, to Vietnam and China - are still entrenched authoritarian regimes, the past couple of decades have seen the spread of democracy in the region overall." Over the past decade, some 20 Asian countries have held elections, and many have undergone peaceful transitions in government. "Despite its problems, India remains the world's most populous democracy," the report said noting. "Yet even in the democratic countries, there are often significant problems in the functioning of political systems." "The US and the UK remain at the bottom end of the full democracy category," the report said. "The US democracy has been adversely affected by a deepening of the polarization of the political scene and political brinkmanship and paralysis. The UK is beset by a deep institutional crisis." "The unprecedented rise of movements for democratic change across the Arab world led many to expect a new wave of democratization," it said. "But it has become apparent that democracy in the region remains a highly uncertain prospect." Popular confidence in political institutions continues to decline in many European countries, it said noting in Eastern Europe democracy declined in 10 countries in 2012.
*Andhra Pradesh government is planning to set up a State Disaster Response Force on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which will be stationed at Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. "Discussions are on and a meeting has been convened with the Chief Secretary on forming the SDRF. The proposed SDRF will have separate force, which will be set up at Hyderabad, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam centres," Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said. "The SDRF is likely to have 120 personnel. New persons will be recruited for the force and discussions for allotting/ identifying land for the proposed SDRF centers in these three major cities of Andhra Pradesh are still being worked out," he said. According to the Disaster Management officials, SDRF personnel will be trained and provided with equipment by NDRF to effectively deal with natural and man-made disasters."There was a need felt to establish SDRF centers at Hyderabad as it is the state capital, Tirupati due to pilgrimage rush and at Visakhapatnam, which is having port and several
*The Union Government of India on 3 May 2013 revised the production estimates of the food grains upwards by 5.22 million tones for 2012-13, over earlier expectation of 254.24 million tones due to the higher output of wheat, rice and coarse cereals. With this revision, the total cereal output estimation has gone up to 255.36 million tones. The wheat and rice production pegged at 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. The earlier estimate set for the food grains for the year was 254.24 million tones. The third advance estimate that was officially released on 3 May 2013 estimated that the total food grain production for the year will be lower by 3.96 million tones from the previous year 2011-12 record production of 259.24 million tones. As the total output for wheat and rice in 2011-12 were 94.98 million tones and 105.31 million tones respectively. While for 2012-13, it is estimated to be 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. Delayed monsoon and drought in different parts of states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan had an impact on the production of pulses and coarse cereal during Kharif season.
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