Daily News Notes: 10th May, 2012

· The Supreme Court has directed the Union government to gradually reduce and abolish Haj subsidy in 10 years and invest the amount — averaging over Rs 650 crore a year for last five years — in education and other measures for social development of the minority community. The bench said this while reminding the community about Holy Quran’s verse 97 in Surah 3, Al-e-Imran, which mandated that Muslims should undertake Haj only if they could afford it. The SC also objected to the jumbo size PM’s Goodwill Delegation that visits Saudi Arabia every year at the government’s expense each year.
· Excessive use of plastic bags and their unregulated disposal has been choking lakes, ponds and urban sewerage systems, the Supreme Court said while warning that it posed a threat more serious than the atom bomb for the next generation. The court issued notice to the Centre and state governments on the PIL seeking ban on use of plastic bags in municipal areas which did not have a prompt garbage collection, segregation and disposal system. The NGOs said absence of prompt garbage collection, segregation and disposal system allowed cows to rummage through garbage bins and eat foodstuff disposed of in plastic bags, which get stuck in their stomach. But the bench wanted to address the larger questions arising from indiscriminate use of plastic bags, which not only posed a grave threat to nature and environment but also to the human race itself. The court drew the petitioner’s attention to large quantities of water packed in plastic pouches, which were thrown around in undisciplined and uncivil manner across the country every day. “A rough estimate shows more than 100 million water pouches are thrown all over the cities and towns,” the bench said.
· The government on Monday deferred the implementation of the controversial General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR), aimed at checking tax evasion, by one year and included some safeguards in a move that was aimed at pacifying angry investors and reviving the investment climate. The proposed changes in some tax rules in the 2012-13 budget had drawn criticism from foreign investors and governments. The changes had rattled financial markets and forced some hedge funds to pull out. The Finance minister also proposed some amendments to GAAR provisions by removing the onus of proof entirely from the taxpayer to the revenue department before any action can be initiated under GAAR. An independent member will be appointed in the GAAR approving panel to ensure objectivity and transparency and another member of the panel will be an officer of the level of joint secretary or above from the law ministry. The finance minister also said that clarificatory amendments do not override the provisions of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) which India has with 82 countries. The FM also announced some other concessions on the direct taxes front. He plans to reduce the long term capital gains tax on private equity and other investors from 20% to 10% on the same lines as applicable to foreign institutional investors (FIIs). Further, Mukherjee withdrew the provision for levy of TDS on transfer of immovable property. He also raised the threshold limit for tax at source on cash purchases of jewellery to Rs 5 lakh from the present Rs 2 lakh. To curb the flow of unaccounted money in the bullion and jewellery trade, the Finance Bill had proposed collection of tax at source by the seller at the rate of 1% of the sale amount from the buyer for all cash transactions. The jewellery industry had protested the move and had gone on strike. Mukherjee also withdrew the 1% excise duty levied on unbranded jewellery.
· India saw a 17.6% increase in population over the decade. Population has started to swell in Delhi’s suburbs. Gurgaon (74%) and Noida (52%) are among the top five places in India that recorded the highest decadal growth rate in population. Kurung Kumey — a small district in Arunachal Pradesh bordering China — recorded the highest decadal increase in population at 111%, followed by Yanam in Puducherry (77.15%). North-eastern states like Meghalaya (27.82%) and Arunachal Pradesh (25.92%) recorded the highest decadal population growth. Andhra Pradesh (11.10), Odisha (13.97%) West Bengal (13.93%), Tamil Nadu (15.60%), Karnataka (15.67%) and Maharashtra (15.99%), however, recorded decadal growths below the national average. Bihar (25%), J&K (23.71%), Delhi (20.97%), Uttar Pradesh (20.09%) and Rajasthan (20.44%) reported high decadal population growth. Indore in Madhya Pradesh topped the list with an increase by 32.71%, while in Gujarat, it was Surat (42.19%). Azad said India’s decadal growth rate has come down from 21.54% (2001) to 17.6% (2011).
· More than 300 combat vehicles and 60,000 troops took part in the Shoor Veer exercise near Hanumangarh in Rajasthan on Thursday. The exercise close to the Indo-Pak border displayed synergy between the army and the air force in launching air-land battle. It also demonstrated their capability to orchestrate battle in a network-centric environment with integration of reconnaissance, surveillance and electronic warfare assets to provide real-time updates to commanders.
· The rupee witnessed one of its worst falls against the dollar in recent times and ended Wednesday at a new alltime closing low of 53.83 to the greenback. Driving the plunge was increased global risk aversion on the back of fresh weakness in the Eurozone and fears of foreign fund outflow from the domestic market because of weak economic fundamentals.
· Maoists abducted police assistant sub-inspector in Odisha’s Nuapada district, tied his hands and legs and shot him dead under a tree. He was on a motorcycle while escorting a water tanker to a CRPF camp in the sanctuary. Maoist cadres surrounded him as he stopped his two-wheeler about 2 km from the camp.
· In order to address various programmatic, managemental and institutional reforms as well as to meet administrative and operational challenges, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has formulated a comprehensive proposal on ICDS (initiated in 1975) Strengthening and Restructuring which inter-alia include addressing the gaps and challenges with (a) special focus on children under 3 years and pregnant and lactating mothers; (b) a provision for an additional Anganwadi Worker cum Nutrition Counselor for focus on children under 3 years of age; (c) focus on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE); (d) allocating adequate financial resources for other components including Monitoring and Management and Information System (MIS), Training and use of Information and communication technology (ICT); (e) to put ICDS in a mission mode etc. The Scheme of ICDS is a Centrally Sponsored Programme implemented through the State Governments/UT Administrations. The States have been given the autonomy, within the overall framework of the ICDS, to entrust whole or part of the ICDS projects to a voluntary organization including NGOs for which grants to them would be provided by the concerned State Government/UT Administration. The responsibility for deciding eligibility criterion, job responsibilities, wages etc. of NGO appointees, therefore, rests with the State Governments/UT Administrations.
· As per National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06), 40.4% of children under 3 years of age are underweight and 55.3% women in the age group of 15 – 49 years are anemic in the country. During the 11th Five Year Plan, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme has been universalised with special focus on SC/ST and minority habitations. Two new schemes namely, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) – ‘SABLA’ and the other Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojna (IGMSY) implemented in select 200 and 52 respective districts as a pilot are being implemented using ICDS infrastructure and systems. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was also introduced during the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
· Provisional results of Census 2012 has revealed that while the overall sex ratio in the country has improved from 933 in 2001 to 940 females per 1000 males in 2011, there has been a sharp decline in child sex ratio in the age-group of 0-6 years, declining from 927 girls per thousand boys in 2001 to 914 in 2011. This decline has been continuing unabated since 1961. While its immediate reasons can be traced to increasing son preference as well as advances in technology that has encouraged sex selective abortions, concern of safety and security of the girl child along with the practice of dowry are no less responsible for it. Accordingly, the Government has undertaken a number of measures to improve survival and status of girl children in the country. Programmes for improvement of nutrition benefit all children including girl children, pilot cash transfer scheme of ‘Dhanlakshmi’, Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act 1994, setting up a Sectoral Innovation Council for improving child sex ratio etc. are some of the Schemes which govt. is implementing. A number of States are also implementing their own schemes to incentivise the birth of a girl child and encourage families to place a premium on her education and development through Conditional Cash Transfer schemes (CCTs). Some of these are the Laadli Scheme of Delhi Govt., Mukhya Mantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana of Bihar Govt, Bhagyalakshmi Scheme of Karnataka, Ladli Lakshmi Yojana of MP, Balika Samridhi Yojana of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, Balri Rakshak Yojana in Punjab and Kanyadan scheme of Madhya Pradesh.
· The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas informed that approximately 24% of total petroleum requirements has been indigenously produced in the country during 2011-12 and 76% of total petroleum requirement has been met through imports. He added that the commercial production of crude oil has already commenced from 11 discoveries (4 each in Rajasthan & Gujarat, 2 in Western Offshore and one in Eastern Offshore). The Minister further informed that in so far as, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is concerned, during last five year (2007-12) ONGC has made 49 on-land discoveries of oil/oil & gas which are located in the States of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and 16 discoveries have been made in offshore basins i.e. 8 each in East Coast and West Coast.
· Minister of Civil Aviation informed that the proposal to form a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in place of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is at formative stage. It is proposed to have a CAA, which will have adequate financial and administrative flexibility to meet functional requirements for an effective safety oversight system. In addition, it is also proposed to assign additional functions relating to certain economic regulations, consumer protection and environment regulation. The Minister further informed that the CAA is proposed to be set up through a separate Act. However, the present legal framework such as Aircraft Act 1934 etc will continue to govern the aviation sector. The objective of the proposed CAA is to overcome the constraints presently faced by DGCA in terms of recruitment and retention of technical manpower and inability to quickly address ongoing operational issues due to lack of adequate administrative and financial authority.
· The Government monitors growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by conducting All India Census of the sector, periodically, in the country. As per the Final Report of the Fourth Census of Registered Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) 2006-07, the data for which was collected in 2009 & Report published in 2011, the total number of registered MSMEs functioning in the country stands at 15.64 Lakh and the total number of unregistered MSMEs in the country stands at 245.48 Lakh.
· The percentage of participation of officers in the Mid-Career Training Programmes (MCTP) varies between 70% to 95% of the full capacity of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. The programme was aimed at improving the competencies of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers. In accordance with the Indian Administrative Service (Pay) Rules, 2007 the State/UT Governments cannot grant career benefits to those IAS officers who have not completed the respective phases of the mandatory Mid Career Training Programme.
· Central Ground Water Board has conducted tests to check for the presence of radioactive gas radon in ground water in various parts of Bangalore in Karnataka. A total of 30 samples were collected from different parts of Bangalore city. High radon content exceeding 11.1 Becquerel per litre as prescribed by BIS was observed in all the samples. Radon contamination is geogenic in nature. Radon above permissible limit is generally present in freshly pumped water. However, radon gas (with a half life of 3.8 days only) escapes to the atmosphere on exposure. Radon concentration changes significantly on abstraction, aeration, storage and boiling. Central Ground Water Board had conducted a National Workshop on “Radon contamination in ground water and application of isotopes in ground water studies” during March, 2010 at Bangalore. The workshop was aimed at creating awareness on health hazards due to radon and other radioactive isotopes in ground water.
· Central Ground Water Board under the Ministry of Water Resources has taken up pilot projects on aquifer mapping during the Twelfth Plan, which will lead to more accurate assessment of ground water resources, defining aquifer geometry and potential including water quality. Aquifer mapping will provide better insight for ground water management. However, it has not been linked to water pricing by the primary or any category of water user/ stakeholders. Pilot projects on aquifer mapping have been taken up in parts of five States namely Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Based on the outcome of these projects, successful techniques will be replicated in other areas of the country.
· Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is allowed for the development of tourism projects in the country. Hotel and Tourism sector is declared as high priority sector and FDI upto 100%, under the automatic route is permitted in ‘Hotels & Tourism Sector’.
· Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been exploring the option of outsourcing the training programmes to suitable agencies in order to meet the requirement of Capacity Building and Training (CB&T) of over three million Elected Representatives and Functionaries associated with the three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the country, while continuing its efforts to strengthen the traditional training institutions. As of now, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have engaged the services of Service Providing Agencies (SPAs) for undertaking various CB&T activities. Besides, there is a Central Sector Scheme called Rural Business Hubs (RBHs) being implemented by this Ministry, which is based on the principle of Public-Private-Panchayat-Partnership.
· Ministry of Panchayati Raj had prepared a Draft Nyaya Panchayat (NP) Bill to provide for the establishment of Nyaya Panchayats at the level of each Village Panchayat or a cluster of Village Panchayats. The objective of the proposed Nyaya Panchayat Bill is to provide a sound institutionalized, alternative forum at the grassroots level with community involvement for dispute resolution through mediation, conciliation and compromise.
· Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has declared TB as a mandatory notifiable disease with immediate effect. In order to ensure proper TB diagnosis and case management, reduce TB transmission and address the problems of emergence of spread of Drug Resistant-TB, it is essential to have complete information of all TB cases. This would also facilitate early diagnosis, rational treatment, prevention of complications, drug resistance and reduce deaths due to TB. TB continues to be a major public health problem accounting for substantial morbidity and mortality in the country. Early diagnosis and complete treatment of TB is the corner-stone of TB prevention and control strategy.
· Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) has said that Housing and Slum development being State subjects, it is for the States to provide housing and basic facilities like drinking water, electricity and sanitation etc depending upon their priorities and availability of financial resources etc. However, Government launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005 to assist States/ Union Territories for undertaking programmes for provision of housing and basic services to urban poor/slum dwellers under Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) in 65 select cities including Mumbai and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) - in other cities/towns. The duration of JNNURM was 7 years beginning from 2005-06. The Government has approved the extension of JNNURM by 2 years upto the end of financial year 2013-14. She said, a new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been launched in June 2011. The Scheme provides financial assistance to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment, and for creation of affordable housing stock.
· In India the Gender Gap has been decreasing in elementary education. According to the District Information System for Education (DISE) 2010-11, the Gender Parity Index (GPI) at both primary and upper primary level stands at 0.94 as compared to Bangladesh 1.02, South Africa 0.93, China 1.03, Afghanistan 0.69, Pakistan 0.86 and Sri Lanka 1.01. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) provide for targeted provisions to promote education of girls. These include encouraging States to recruit 50% women teachers from among teachers sanctioned under SSA, providing for an ‘Innovation fund’ per district, which can inter alia be utilized for need based interventions to ensure better attendance and retention of girls, free textbooks and uniforms up to class VIII, separate toilets for girls, bridge courses for older girls, teachers’ sensitization programmes to promote gender equality, gender sensitive teaching learning materials including textbooks , and intensive community mobilization efforts. In addition, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) are set up as residential upper primary schools for girls from SC, ST, OBC & Muslim communities.
· German Authority has informed visiting Indian Minister of Commerce Industry and Textiles that most of German Companies in India are happy with the business environment in India. Indian industry majors such as Tata Motors, Bharat Forge, Suzlon and the Mahindras group,Wipro, Infosys have all established their base in Germany. There are 215 Indian companies active in Germany employing over 24,000 people, making an enriching contribution to the local economy. About 600 Indo-German joint ventures are presently in operation in India. FDI inflows from Germany into India is around US $ 4.55 billion and it ranks 8th among investors in India. FDI flow from India into Germany is US $ 5.9 billion in 2011. The bilateral trade between India and Germany has more than doubled over the last 5 years to reach nearly US$ 23.64 billion last year and Mr. Sharma expressed confidence that the trade target of Euro 20 Billion by 2012 will be surpassed. Further after the meeting, India has asked for better collaboration between India and Germany in the field of generics as “generics constitutes just about one-fifth of German pharmaceutical industry, but the recent moves of German Government to promote the use of generics affords enormous opportunities of collaboration with Indian Pharma companies, which have acquired global repute in developing affordable generic medicines.”.
· The Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs informed that the Government has been actively taking necessary measures for the introduction of Hindi as one of the Official Languages of the UN. Keeping in view this objective, the 8th World Hindi Conference was organized in New York on 13 July 2007 and its inaugural session was held at the UN Headquarters, which was attended by the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon. In addition, a World Hindi Secretariat has been set up in Mauritius since 11 February 2008 to promote Hindi as an international language. On several occasions, Indian leaders have delivered statements at the UN in Hindi. However, introduction of Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations has several financial and procedural implications which require to be met before a formal proposal can be tabled at the UN. India, as the proposing country, would need to provide sufficient financial resources to the UN to cover the additional expenditure on interpretation, translation, printing and duplication of documents and related infrastructural costs. Procedurally, the UN General Assembly (the legislative body of the UN) would also need to adopt a resolution supported by a majority of the 193 UN Member States.
· India-Bangladesh relations “will take a huge hit”, if India cannot deliver on the Teesta agreement, says Dipu Moni, foreign minister of Bangladesh, who is in India for the first joint consultative committee meeting with foreign minister S M Krishna. Coming a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked about water being a potential source of conflict in this region; it’s a sign of growing pressure on the Indian government to get moving on Teesta accord.
· Taking India’s tourist visa on arrival policy to a new level, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) has approved the facility for nationals of France, Germany and Russia. Now, such visas are given to citizens of only 11 countries, of which only two, Finland and Luxembourg, are in Europe. New Zealand is the only other non-Asian country to enjoy the facility. MEA sources said the decision would help the government meet its objective to double international tourist arrivals in the next three-four years. With the inclusion of France and Russia, it will be the first time that the policy will cover P5 countries. The tourist visa on arrival facility is likely to be extended for nationals from six more countries, including Spain and Malta, soon, the source added. India currently issues VoA to 11 countries like Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Finland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.
· The Governments of India and Bangladesh constituted an Empowered Joint Group to suggest measures to ease travel by Maitree Express, the direct passenger carrying train between Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka, introduced in April, 2008. Both sides agreed that Maitree Express is a symbol of people to people connectivity and the deep abiding friendship between the two countries. To make this bi-weekly train more popular, the Empowered Joint Group decided that they would formulate certain short term, medium term and long term measures to ease the travel by this train. It was decided in the meeting that immigration forms of both the countries would be distributed inside the train so that the time taken at the border stations could be reduced.