Daily News Notes

· Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned twice today with the opposition continuously pressing for discussion on price rise and other issues. Government charged the Opposition of deliberately stalling the proceedings of Parliament, while opposition said that it was UPA members who jumped to the well of the house and disrupted proceeding over Telangana issue.
· Government has taken a series of measures to put disaster management plans in Railways on sound rails. Provision of emergency escape route, automatic lights in all coaches and rescue ambulances service are some other measures put in place apart from plans being implemented at the Zonal and Divisional level.
· The Civil Aviation Director General has identified eleven airports in the country which are considered to be critical airports from the flight operations point of view. The critical airports are: Leh, Kullu, Shimla, Port Blair, Agartala, Lengpui, Calicut, Mangalore, Jammu, Patna and Latur. Several suggestions made in the inspection report will have been implemented to enhance the safety at airport and aerodromes by the aerodrome operators.
· Over 5,26,000 habitations in the rural areas have been provided with adequate drinking water in the last three years, as a part of 11^th FYP. The Planning Commission has allocated more than 40000 crore rupees to it but the amount utilized till date is 3,2613 crore rupees
· Eminent nuclear scientist Dr. M R Srinivasan said India has no alternative but to develop uranium based nuclear reactors to meet ever increasing energy demand of the country as Thorium based energy will not be possible before 2030. He observed that neither solar, wind nor LNG options are available with India to meet the demand and at a reasonable price. He also said that Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project is fully safe with a third generation plus security architecture with safety features such as passive polling system and the core coacher and the double containment. To compare these reactors with fukushima reactor belong the first generation in the design reactor we have taken the account all the possible earthquake and Tsunami consideration.
· In Assam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed charge sheets in three of the nine cases in the multi-crore rupees North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council corruption scam.
· In Portugal, a 24-hour strike has grounded flights and halted public transportation in protest against proposed austerity measures, other workers, including teachers and hospital staff are also expected to join them. The government proposes spending cuts across a broad range of public services, including health care and the armed forces, and tax hikes as a direction given by EU and IMF. With the unemployment rate higher than 12 per cent and the economy forecast to contract next year, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has said there is no choice but to slash government spending.
· The National Capital will soon get its first combined bio gas plant (MoU between Delhi and Sweden Govt.) that will generate enough gas to fuel 120 city buses. Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant has been selected for the implementation of the technology as a pilot project.
The Martyrdom day of the 9th Guru of Sikh faith, Guru Teg Bahadur is being observed across the country today. It was in 1675 that the ninth guru had sacrificed his life in New Delhi for the humankind.