1) Rural Development Minister accord grant worth Rs 20 crore to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for flood relief measures
Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, C P Joshi has accorded sanction of Rs 20 crore each to the States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for flood relief measures. The sanctioned grant is a part of Calamity Component of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and will be used to restore the damaged drinking rural water supply system in the above two flood affected States during the current financial year 2009-10.
Courtesy: Ministry of Rural Development release
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2) India, Russia to ink two major agreements on Defence Cooperation
Two major agreements to boost Defence Cooperation between India and Russia are likely to be signed during the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow later this year. Decks for the signing of the two agreements were cleared on Thursday during the ongoing visit of Defence Minister A K Antony to Moscow.
The first agreement will be on extending the Military Technical Cooperation for ten years from 2011 to 2020 and the second relates to After- Sales Product Support for Defence Equipment of Russian origin. The outlines for the two agreements were hammered out during the 9th Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) which concluded in Moscow on 15 October. The two-day meeting was presided over by Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov.
Courtesy: Ministry of Defence release
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3) Decision on Bt –Brinjal after satrisfactory consultations with all stakeholders : Jairam Ramesh
Having received the recommendations of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on Bt-Brinjal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh said a series of consultations will be held before taking decision on Bt-Brinjal issue in a statement issued on Thursday.
The report of the Expert Committee (EC-II) submitted to the GEAC on October 8th , 2009 that formed the basis of the GEAC’s decision of October 14th, 2009 is being made public with immediate effect. It is being uploaded straightway on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (www.moef.gov.in). All previous reports and studies on BT- Brinjal are already in the public domain. Comments on the EC-II report are being sought by December 31, 2009
Courtesy: Ministry of Forest and Environment release
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4) Delhi to host a high level conference on climate change, technology development and transfer
The Government of India in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) is organising a High Level Conference on Climate Change: Technology Development and Transfer on October 22-23, 2009 in Delhi. The Conference is being organised by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) as Conference Partner. The Delhi Conference would be a step forward in the process of the international policy dialogue on technologies needed to address climate change. The Conference will advance the discussions on technology development and technology transfer initiated at the Beijing High-Level Conference in November 2008. The emphasis will be on defining a road map for technology development and transfer by bringing together the key players in the international climate change community. Technology has a central and fundamental role in addressing climate change concerns with due regard to the imperatives of national economic growth, energy security, and sustainable development. The outcomes of the conference will support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process and also help pave the way for a successful outcome in COP-15 to be held at Copenhagen in December, 2009. The two-day Conference will open on 22nd October 2009 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi and would be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The Hon’ble President of Maldives will be the guest of honour at the Conference. This will be followed by a high level and ministerial session and panel discussions in thematic sessions designed to address relevant policy options and proposals. The Ministry of Environment & Forests will also organise an international exhibition concurrent to the Delhi High Level Conference jointly with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which will provide an opportunity to developed and developing countries to showcase their climate-friendly technologies and services. Participants at the Conference and Exhibition will include high level representatives of Governments, senior officials of the UN bodies, climate change negotiators from developed and developing countries, senior representatives of industry, academia, civil society and other relevant national and international organizations. The High Level Conference will bring together high profile and accomplished experts from India and abroad to share their perspectives on issues relating to technology development and transfer in the context of climate change.
Courtesy:Ministry of Forest and Environment release
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5) July-September air traffic at 107.32 lakhs as against 98.22 lakh in the same period previous year
The total domestic passengers carried by the Scheduled Airlines of India in the third quarter of 2009 – July to September, 2009 - was 107.32 lakhs as against 98.22 lakh during January to March, 2009 and 109.38 lakhs during April to June, 2009.
Courtesy:Ministry of Civil Aviation release
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6) WPI inflation rises to 0.92% from 0.70%
The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 0.92 per cent (Provisional) for the week ended 03/10/2009 (over 04/10/2008) as compared to 0.70 percent (Provisional) for the previous week (ended 26/09/2009) and 11.49 per cent during the corresponding week (ended 04/10/2008) of the previous year.
Courtesy:Ministry of Commerce and Industry release
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7) SPMCIL to supply 4.16 lakh silver medals to Coal India Ltd
India Government Mint, Kolkata, a unit of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), has bagged an order from Coal India Limited, Kolkata for supply of 4.16 Lakh Silver medals. The total value of the order is 41.67 Crores. These medals are to be released on the occasion of "The Company attaining NAVRATNA company status". Each medal made with 920 fineness silver will be mounted on acrylic stand and packed in suitable paper box. The Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), with its headquarters at Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan, New Delhi is a wholly owned Miniratna Category-I status Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Finance. It has four Mints / Two Currency Note Presses / Two Security Presses and One Security Paper Mill under its charge. The company is diversifying into other security products, medals and medallions as part of its marketing initiatives. In the past SPMCIL has executed similar order for minting and supply of gold medallions for Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on their Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
Courtesy:Ministry of Finance release
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8.a) Fee waiver for differently abled children in Kendriya Vidyalayas
The Government has taken a significant decision, announcing on Thursday that differently abled children studying in Kendriya Vidyalayas are being exempted from payment of fees with effect from the 1st of this month (1.10.09). These students will be granted exemption from payment of Vidyalaya Vikas Nidhi and Tuition Fee. The order in this regard has been notified on 15 October by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan after the decision to this effect was taken by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal in his capacity as Chairman of the Sangathan.
The term “Person with Disability” means a person suffering from not less than 40 Per cent of any disability as certified by a medical board of a Government hospital. This decision has been taken as a positive incentive, and as part of the Government’s policy towards greater encouragement and mainstreaming of differently abled children. 2,500 odd students are expected to benefit from this move.
8.b)India US Education Council proposed to be set up
India and the US are proposing to set up an India-US Education Council. This Council is slated to include representatives of Industry and Education. The Council will coordinate the moving forward of bilateral relations in education between the two countries. This was discussed during the meeting of the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal and William Burns, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, here on Thursday. This meeting was held in the backdrop of the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister to the US in November and that of Kapil Sibal later this month. The US delegation conveyed that many universities in America are keen to know India’s roadmap for the education sector. The areas of collaboration that the two sides are looking at include research, distant education, vocational education, skill development, exchange of faculty, models of public private partnership and also expertise for the setting up of universities. In his forthcoming visit to the US, Kapil Sibal proposes to hold meetings with American policy makers which include senators and congressmen, government officials besides holding meetings with some American universities. The framework of the proposed India-US Education Council is to be crystallized in this visit.
Courtesy:Ministry of Human Resource Development release
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9) Maoists resort to senseless violence in 21 places during the two-day bandh
The CPI (Maoist) had called for a two-day bandh on the October 13-14, 2009 in Jharkhand, Bihar and six districts of West Bengal, to protest the alleged crackdown by security forces. In furthering the cause of their so-called ‘armed liberation struggle’, the CPI (Maoist) indulged in wanton killing and inflicted heavy damage on private and government-owned infrastructural assets in twenty one reported incidents of senseless violence. In Jharkhand, thirteen incidents were reported. The Maoist cadres blew up three telecom towers; set ablaze an electric generator; blew up a portion of a school building in Chatra district; blew up a portion of a railway track near Daniya, Dhanbad Division, leading to the derailment of 12 wagons of a goods train; and damaged another goods train engine at Dhalmumgarh. In all, twelve trains were held up for six hours. Further, the Maoists partially blasted a road bridge near Dumri, blocked the Dumri-Giridih road by felling trees, blew up a stretch of road in Hazaribagh district and set three trucks ablaze in Giridih district. In the most heinous of its depredations, the Maoist cadres killed and hacked the bodies of three policemen protecting JMM ex-MP Sudam Marndi in Mayurbhanj district. In Bihar, five incidents were reported. The Bansipur railway station was ransacked and set ablaze after holding six railway employees hostage for a few hours. A portion of the railway track near the Ghodparan station in Jamui district and a block office building in Munger district were blown up. The Maoists also blew up a telecom tower in Salaiya village and dug a 15-metre long trench on a local road at village Chanda, disrupting traffic. In West Bengal, three incidents were reported. One member of the ‘Maoist Pratirodh Committee’ was killed and another abducted, while the house of a local CPI (M) leader was ransacked and torched in Purulia district. In the latter instance, the local Village Defence Committee challenged the Maoists; one villager sustaining a bullet injury.
Courtesy:Ministry of Home Affairs Release
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10) Public sector to operate in an increasingly open environment: PM
In his address at the prize distribution ceremony of SCOPE Excellence Awards, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasised the need for public sector to operate in an increasingly open environment and thereby face the challenge of increased competition both domestically and globally.
“India has weathered the slow down better than most other countries and this award function is, in a way, a celebration of the achievements of our Indian public sector. Ours today happens to be the second fastest growing economy in the world. This is a reflection in large measure, of the strengths of the Indian economy, one of which is a robust and reliable public sector,” said Singh.
“Our Public Sector Enterprises have done quite well and they are now poised to grow even faster in years to come. In the post reform period, i.e. 1990-91 to 2007-08, their turnover increased nine times and their cumulative net profit has grown more than 35 times. There is no denying the fact that Public Sector Enterprises are here to stay in the Indian economy. The listed ones on the Stock Exchanges account for more than 24 per cent of the total market capitalisation of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). More and more Public Sector Enterprises are entering the capital markets and are striving to become active global players,” he added.
Courtesy:PMO Release
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