Daily News Notes

· India has sought greater investment and technology flows from Singapore as a valued partner for India’s ambitious plans for infrastructure development. Speaking at the lunch hosted by Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, Dr Singh said that the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, CECA signed between the two countries, has led to a qualitative upgradation of trade and investment relations. There are over 40 flights daily from various cities in India to Singapore, which is the highest air connectivity India has with any country. Mr Loong supported India’s permanent membership in UN Security Council and India’s initiative to revive the ancient Nalanda University as a new centre of learning. Both the Prime Ministers discussed new initiatives for collaboration including vocational skills and inter-parliamentary interactions. Singapore is now India’s 6th trading partner (with 20 billion US$ trade relation target for this yr).
· India has reiterated its support for the Palestinian bid for UN membership and will work together with IBSA members Brazil and South Africa for its approval. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah yesterday thanked (IBSA) their efforts in mobilizing support. India had also voted for getting Palestine elected as a member at UNESCO recently.
· The Union Home Ministry is conducting a study to find out ways to minimize overcrowding in more than 1,000 prisons across the country. National Crime Records Bureau reported that nearly four lakh prisoners are lodged in 1,374 prisons which have the capacity to keep only three lakh inmates. Asia's largest prison, Tihar Jail, at present houses inmates almost double its capacity and thus organized 127 special courts in its premises in order to dispose of cases at a faster rate.
· A host of proposed legislations are listed for consideration during the Winter Session of Parliament to reform higher education sector which includes Educational Tribunals Bill, 2010 (for effective and expeditious adjudication of disputes involving teachers and other stakeholders), Central Educational Institutions Amendment Bill and the Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill (to bring the 8 new IITs within the ambit of the Institute of Technology Act), The Architects (Amendment) Bill, 2010, the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, 2010 and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2010 (specific inclusion of child with disability).
· India’s longest distance train (world 8th), Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari “Vivek Express” (travel distance 4286km in 82.5 hrs, pass through As, WB, Or, AP, TN and Krl) was flagged off today. Earlier, Himsagar Express (Jammu Tawi to Kanniyakumari, travel distance 3715km in 71 hrs) was the longest distance travelling train.
· Turkish aircraft are banned from landing at Iraqi airports from today after Ankara announced a similar move due to a row with Iraq over Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation over millions of dollars of debt owed to Turkey.
· In Oman, many changes have been introduced in the new labour laws for the welfare of workers (30+6days annual paid leave, 9hrs per day of working, extra payment for over time etc). It has also brought labour friendly amendments regarding dismissal or termination of service of an employee.
· In Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Rewa), the indefinite strike of junior doctors has entered the seventh day today over their demands to reduce the numbers of years of mandatory service in rural areas to one from two. Several deaths have been reported in these hospitals in the last seven days but the health authorities have claimed that they were routine deaths.
· Today is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (every 3th week of Nov). It aims to remind the governments and individual members of society of their responsibility to make roads safer and thus highlights the devastation caused by road deaths, injuries and its impact on families and communities around the world. India has one of the highest number (Pedestrians, bicycle and two wheeler riders comprise the maximum number) of road accident victims in the world. While one life is lost in road accident every four minutes. Government is working to put in place a Comprehensive Plan of Action on the lines of Millennium Development Goals to bring down the number of road accidents to half by 2020. It includes mandatory wearing of helmet, seat belt etc.
· The National Rural Health Mission which aims to provide quality health services to rural people, services for minor ailment, maternity and child health, immunization, family welfare services and other activities like control of communicable and non-communicable diseases through Public Health Centres and Sub health centres has been improved in its infrastructure and thus the rate of infection free deliveries reached up to 99.9 % and there is considerable reduction in infant death rate.
· Defending champion India will clash with Canada in the Men's Kabaddi final of the 2nd Kabaddi World Cup, 2011 at Ludhiana in Punjab today. In the Women's section, India will take on UK in the Kabaddi final.