Daily News Notes: 28th Feb, 2012

• ·         The Centre today favored decriminalization of gay sex in the Supreme Court, contradicting its earlier stand. As the proceedings began in the case, Additional Solicitor General told the bench that as per the government decision there is no legal error in the Delhi High Court verdict which had decriminalized gay sex in 2009.
• ·         The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India declared February 28 as National Science Day (NSD) 1987.  It is the celebration of excellence in Indian Science, in memory of acceptance of “Raman Effects” Sir C.V. Raman who got the Nobel Prize in Physics later. The NSD theme of this year is “Clean Energy Options and Nuclear Safety”.
• ·         The Rural Development Minister said that National Social Assisstance Programme, NSAP will be completely restructured and all payments under the scheme will be done through Aadhar-based payment system. He further said the restructured system will be in place by 10th of March this year and it will ensure that each beneficiary under old age, disabilities and widow pension schemes will get one’s entitlement every month and there will be no delay in payments. He said, the Central government spends nearly 8,000 crore rupees under the NSAP scheme, but the devolvement of funds is being done in a complicated process in a layered manner, which he said will be rectified and only one State Agency will be identified for receipt of funds for final disbursement to pass book holders through Aadhar-based system. The Minister informed that he had already written to the Finance Ministry for relaxation of certain norms like (1.) reducing the criteria for disability to 40% from the existing 80%, which leads to exclusion of a very large number of disabled persons in rural areas; (2.) presently the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme gives assistance of Rs-200 per month to BPL widows over the age of 40, which can be modified to cover widows over the age of 18; (3.) demand to enhance the amount under National Family Benefit Scheme from Rs-10,000 to Rs-20,000, which is paid to a BPL family whose main bread-winner dies.
• ·         One of the major recommendations made by NDMA in the National Guidelines of Management of Cyclones was the establishment of the Aircraft Probing of Cyclones facility to significantly reduce errors to the extent of 30% in terms of landfall, intensity and storm surge. Govt. of India is taking steps to acquire a Hercules C-130J for this purpose along with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). With this capability, all countries of the Indian Ocean Region would also be able to benefit greatly. It further informed that the NDMA is implementing the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project in 13 cyclones prone coastal States/UTs in India with a view to address the Cyclone risks in the country. The project also aims to promote a culture of sustainability through efforts towards conservation of coastal eco systems. The Phase I of the Project is being implemented in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. It also informed that it is for the first time NDMA has decided to address Urban Flooding as a separate disaster de-linking it from floods which affect a large tracks of rural area besides “scientific and technological innovations will greatly improve disaster management capabilities of any country”. On the response side, India will have 12 Battalions of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and trained manpower to deal with not only with all kinds of natural disasters but also with Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) emergencies. This is a unique force totally dedicated to disaster management which also take up community sensitization during non-disaster time.
• ·         In view of today’s strike, the Delhi government on Monday night clamped the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on power companies to ensure electricity supply. ESMA will be in force for six months. [ill legitimate use of ESMA]
• ·         In Tamil Nadu, in a swift operation, officers of the Central and State Intelligence Agencies detained a German national in Nagercoil for his alleged links with the group heading the Anti-Kooddankulam agitation. The deportation comes in the backdrop of assertions from the centre that some foreign based N.G.O’s are behind the protests. With a shortage of 4000 MW of power, the government has officially implemented power cuts for domestic consumers extending from 2 to 4 hours across the state. Industrial units have been forced to have 2 day power holiday to tide over the crisis. With the central and now the state appointed committee, being satisfied with the safety mechanisms in place at the nuclear plant site, the state government may now be forced to take a call on the project.
• ·         In Madhya Pradesh, finance minister presented 80,030 crore rupees budget for the year 2012-13 in assembly in Bhopal. The budget has provision of 7710 crore rupees for the energy sector which is 49 percent higher than last year.
• ·         After the notice by National Human Rights Commission to the state government, around 304 victims of silicosis in Madhya Pradesh have been given relief and rehabilitation by the state government. Awareness campaigns are also being organized on time to time basis in the silicosis prone areas.
• ·         The center will start a pilot scheme called, Youth to the Edge, from tomorrow in the North Eastern Region. It aims to introduce youth from rest of the country to the region and organize combined adventure activities along with the youth from this area. Under the scheme the youth will be given exposure about local culture, traditions and life style.
• ·         Senior journalist George Joseph, who shot to fame in early 1990s for his reporting on militancy-hit Jammu & Kashmir, died following a heart attack. He was 58. Working as a coordinating editor with IANS, Joseph was posted to Kashmir in the early 1990 with the Indian Express and he became an eyesore for terror groups, especially Hizbul Mujahideen, because of his writings.
• ·         “The last speaker of the Bo language died in 2010 and the Kora language became extinct in 2009,” says linguistics Professor Anvita Abbi. Her new book, “Dictionary of the Great Andamanese Language”, released on Monday, is a blend of four different tongues of the region, two of which are already extinct. She explained “In the 1970s, the Indian Government realised that these languages are under threat and that the people speaking these languages were scattered all across the north Andamanese Islands. They were 26 families who were speaking these languages who were brought together and made to live in ‘Straight Island,' where they inter-married.”
• ·         Having cast its lot with the Arab League on the Syria question, India will step up its multilateral engagement with the Arab world in the coming months with a series of events that will include a visit to Cairo by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to confabulate with the Arab League and to re-engage Egypt, which is stepping out of the rigid policy confines of the Mubarak era. During his three-day visit, starting on March 2, Mr. Krishna will hold talks with the Foreign Ministers of the Arab League. The face-to-face meetings with Arab Foreign Ministers and other senior officials of the Arab League will also help South Block assess which way the wind is blowing on a host of issues critical to India such as Western sanctions on Iran, the direction and level of unrest in some Arab countries and its prospects of getting involved in reconstruction in Libya. Along with China, the solid support of Russia, India's key ally, to extend the life of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has added new complexity to India's attempt to redefine its West Asia policy, which has been recently marked with a pronounced deeper engagement with the pro-West Gulf petro-monarchies. Trade between the Arab countries and India in the last few years has exceeded $120 billion and over 60 lakh Indians live and work in the Arab world.
• ·         India and Italy today sought to clear the air on killing of two Indian fishermen. Visiting Italian Foreign Minister expressed his regrets on the killing of the fishermen and said that he is satisfied with the judicial trial of the two Italian vessel guards allegedly responsible for the killing of the fishermen. He also discussed terrorism, Afghanistan situation and bilateral cooperation at the United Nations multilateral forums with his Indian counterpart. Italy is India's the fifth largest trade partner in the EU and both sides are eager to enhance their economic ties. Meanwhile, The Kerala High Court today asked the relatives of the two fishermen and the owner of the Italian vessel Enrica Lexie to explore the possibility of an out of court settlement on the compensation issue. The relatives seeking a total of 3 crore rupees as compensation from the vessel's owner.
• ·         Participating in a UN Security Council debate on 'Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea' in New York, India expressed concern over the surge in piracy (including its economic and social cost) in the Gulf of Guinea near the western coast of Africa, and extend its support to international efforts to tackle the threat of armed robbery at sea.
• ·         Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy became the Pakistan’s first Oscar awardee for her documentary film “Saving Face” about acid attacks on women. The practice of acid attacks in Pakistan leaves victims - who are mostly women - horribly disfigured in the face. Although thousands are affected by acid attacks, in a country where women are often the victims of numerous crimes, the problem has often been under-reported. But in 2011 legislation was introduced to address the problem. The Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill stipulate that attackers can be jailed from 14 years to life, in addition to receiving a 1m rupees fine (£7,000; $12,000).
• ·         China's export-driven growth model has reached a turning point and the government needs to put in place sweeping reforms to respond to declining growth and avoid a slowdown, a joint report by a leading Chinese think-tank and the World Bank has warned. The report called on China to embark on six “strategic directions”, from completing the transition to a market economy and investing more in innovation to boosting social services, to reach the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2030.