Daily News Notes

· Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh arrived in Dhaka today on a two day visit to Bangladesh and was given a 19-gun salute and guard of honour. A number of framework agreements, Memoranda of Understanding and protocols on water sharing, land and rail connectivity, education, culture, trade commerce and infrastructure development are likely to be signed during his visit.
· The government says there is no need to consider any fresh proposal for delegating powers to any state government to grant citizenship to foreign nationals. These power were granted to Gujarat and Rajasthan government till February, 2007. A new procedure for online submission of applications for the grant of Indian citizenship has been taken to ensure simpler, faster and more transparent procedure of granting citizenship to foreign nationals.
· The government will bring soon a national food security bill which will provide food and nutritional security to the people at subsidised prices and has a provision for reforms in the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) including the leveraging AADHAR for identification of beneficiaries.
· Government has ruled out allowing foreign firms in auditing operations in the country.
· Orissa has been renamed as Odisha as bill has passed from Lok Sabha and gone to Rajya Sabha.
· Two hundred and sixty six Naxalites have surrendered last year in the country. Under the guidelines an immediate grant of 1.5 lakh rupees, a stipend of two thousand rupees for three years and vocational training is provided to them.
· Government says it is ready to extend all possible help to states for adopting cooperative farming.
· The government today said the agriculture sector has generated 88 lakh job opportunities from 1993-94 to 2004-05, and said the Planning Commission also projected a net decrease of 40 lakh agricultural workers in the period from 2006-07 to 2016-17. The eleventh plan from 2007 to 2012 aims at generation of 580 lakh work opportunities in high growth sectors so that the unemployment rate falls to 4.83 per cent by the end of the plan.
· 232 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2010. There is no report of infiltration of terrorists from Rajasthan sector of the Indo-Pak border. Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to check illegal cross border activities.
· Government has sanctioned 148 placement linked skill development projects for the rural BPL youth between the age group of 18 to 35 years covering more than 400 districts in the country through Public Private Partnership Model.
· The government has been making efforts to promote self regulation in print and electronic media for their content. Indian Broadcasting Foundation has set up Broadcast Content Complaints Council for regulating general entertainment channels and News Broadcasters Association has formed News Broadcasting Standard Authority as part of the self regulatory mechanism.
· The government has set up a high level Committee headed by the Chairman, CBDT, to examine ways to strengthen laws to curb generation of black-money in the country, its illegal transfer abroad and its recovery. Committee is to consult all stakeholders and submit its report within a period of six months.
· In Goa, passengers of the Kuwait-Goa-Chennai bound Air India aircraft 976 had a narrow escape this morning after the front tyre of the aircraft burst while landing at the airport.
· The 29^thmeeting of health ministers of 11 South East Asian countries today adopted the Jaipur declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance committing to preserving the efficacy of antibiotics through rational use and regulation, which is negating achievements made in protecting human life and health and such resistance could became a critical impediment in global efforts towards containing HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.
· The government has approved four-laning of Gwalior-Shivpuri and Shivpuri-Dewas sections, both on National Highway No-3 in Madhya Pradesh, the project will benefit the people in the districts of Guna, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ujjain, Dewas, Mohana, Subhaspura and Satanwara.
· National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) today signed a Joint Venture and Share holder Agreement in Colombo to set to set up a 500 MW coal based power station in Sri Lanka .
· A MiG-21 'Bison' fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force today crashed in Punjab. Both the pilots bailed out safely.
· In Kerala, the week long state level Onam celebrations will begin tomorrow.