JUNE AND JULY PIB CONSOLIDATION

JUNE AND JULY PIB CONSOLIDATION
Sorry friends, this article doesnt contain full month consolidation. Im working on it.

NHFDC and Punjab National bank:
Signed memoranda of understanding to facilitate concessional credit to persons with disabilities on all India.
As per MOU, NHFDC will refinance to the Punjab National bank in respect of disbursement of loan to PWD for self-employment for those activities which are covered under Credit Guarantee scheme of CGTMSE of the government. In addition, NHFDC will also refinance the education loan for higher education to PWDs. The arrangement will be of great help to the students with disabilities who wish to pursue higher education after taking education loan.
NHFDC has so far tied up with three public sector banks (Andhra bank, Bank of Baroda and IDBI) and 24 Regional Rural banks in Uttar Pradesh, Koran, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Assam.NHFDC has also tied up with north-eastern the Finance Corporation for extending financial assistance to the PWDs in entire north-eastern region. Both these tie ups are under Credit Guarantee scheme of CGTMSE.
National handicapped Finance and development Corporation, Department of disability affairs has been set by the Ministry of social Justice and empowerment, government of India in 19 97.It is a non-profit company, wholly owned by the government of India. It functions as an apex institution for channelizing the funds to persons with disabilities through the state channelizing agencies nominated by the state government.
CGTMSE-An availability of bank credit without the hassles of collaterals and third-party candidates would be a major source of support to the first-generation entrepreneur to realize their dream of setting up a new unit of their own micro and small enterprises (MSE). Keeping this objective in view, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSME), Government of India launched the Credit Guarantee scheme (CGS) so as to strengthen credit delivery system and facilitate flow of credit to the Micro and Small enterprises sector. To operationalize the scheme, government of India and setup the credit guarantee fund trust for micro and small enterprises. The credit facility will be available to both new and existing one.
Arms Trade Treaty:
The UN Gen assembly adopted the landmark Arms trade Treaty, regulating the international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. The treaty will foster peace and security by putting a stop to destabilizing arms flow to conflict regions. It will provide human rights abusers and violators of the law of war from being supplied with arms. And it will keep warlord, pirates and gangs from acquiring these deadly tools.
Articles:
1. Establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating international trade in conventional arms and prevent illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent the diversion.
For the purpose of contributing to international and regional peace, security and stability; reducing human suffering.
2. Conventional arms including:
battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, larger caliber- artillery system, compact character, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, small arms and light weapons.
3 and 4. Maintain your national control system to regulate the export of ammunition and munitions fired, parts and components.
5. Each State party shall establish and maintain your national control system including national control lists, in order to implement the provisions of this treaty publicly.
6. A State party shall not authorize any transfer of conventional arms, if the transfer violates the measures adopted by the United Nations Security Council, international agreements, used in the crimes against humanity, genocide, breaches of the Geneva Convention of 1949.
7. An exporting state party should consider and verify that the arms would not be used to undermine peace and security, violation of international humanitarian law and human rights law in importing nations.
8. Each importing state party should provide relevant information to an exporting party and regulate the import.
9. Each State party shall take appropriate measures to regulate the transit trans-shipment under its jurisdiction of conventional arms.
10. Each State party shall take measures to regulate brokering take place under its jurisdiction for conventional arms.
11. Each State party involved in the transfer of conventional arms shall take measures to prevent the diversion.
Bangladesh Hindu Charitable Endowments Law:
Sheikh Hasina Cabinet gave approval to your draft law to ensure proper development and management of the Hindu charitable endowments and make the transfer of those properties, donated to Hindu places of worship, completely legal.
In Bangladesh, there is a law meant for protection as well as management of the Muslim endowments. But no such laws have been designed for the Hindu endowments. Due to increasing demands of the Hindus for curtailing the incidents of an encroachment of Devottar property.
In India, the religious endowments act, 1863-was enacted to protect and support of mosque, Hindu temples and churches and their properties.
Department Of Industrial Policy and Promotion:
Gave new definition of Group Company-two or more enterprises, directly or indirectly are in a position to exercise 26% or more voting rights in the other enterprise and can appoint more than 50% of members of the board of directors in the other enterprise.
US sanctions target Irans currency:
US sanctions on Iran and its nuclear program, targeting the countrys currency and auto industry and seeking to render Iranian money useless outside the country. The sanctions apply to financial institutions that buy or sell significant amounts of the riyal, as well as to those who hold significant amounts of the currency in accounts outside Iran.
The hope is that banks and businesses holding Iranian currency will dump the funds, making the riyal weaker. The penalties will be imposed on anyone who provides material support to Iranians and others who have been blacklisted under previous US sanctions. An exception will be made for some activities related to a pipeline project to move natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe and Turkey.
V.G.Sekaran:
Chief designer of long-range missile Agni-V and Director of the Advanced System Laboratory has been appointed as Chief controller R&D (missile and strategy system), DRDO and Program Director, Agni. He is one of the core members of the ballistic missile programmer. His pioneering contribution and research in solid propellant rocket motor is now the main thrust and backbone of the long-range missile system.
Bindeshwar Pathak:
Indian philanthropists, Bindeshwar Pathak, received the legend of planet award from VP of the French Senate at the Palais Du Luxembourg in Paris. He is one of Indias most notable activists, founded Sulabh International in 1973 and campaigned for the use of simple indoor toilets and also fought for causes of Dalits.
Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission:
The Ministry of Finance, government of India, constituted the commission on 24 March 2011. The commission has been tasked with examining and reviewing the legislative and regulatory systems; the interplay of jurisdiction of various regulators; the manner of drafting and implementation of subordinate legislation. The commission is chaired by former judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice B.N.Srikrishna, and nine members and secretary.
The Ministry of Finance, Government of India, constituted the Commission on dated the 24thMarch, 2011, with a view to rewriting and cleaning up the financial sector laws to bring them in tune with the current requirements.

Sutent:
It is used for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). In 2007, Pfizer got the patent for Sutent in India and in the following year Cipla opposed it, contending that the invention was publicly known or publicly used.
Birds:
The population of 4 bird species-Pheasnt tailed Jacana,Bronze winged Jacana, Weaver Bird and Bee-eater is dwindling in Kanyakumari.
India-Australia Defense Ties:
Indian Minister of Defence A. K. Antony and the Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith met in Perth on 4 June and Canberra on 5 June 2013 to discuss shared strategic and security interests, including maritime security and bilateral defence cooperation. The Ministers exchanged ideas concerning regional and international security as well as defence cooperation and exchanges between Australia and India. They agreed to continue to contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and to promote cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.Both sides acknowledged that maritime security and freedom of navigation in accordance with principles of international law is critical for the growth and prosperity of the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.
Ministers agreed to continue consultations and cooperation on issues concerning the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions both bilaterally and multilaterally, including through the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). Ministers noted both countries are already cooperating through the IONS, which Australia will Chair next year, along with hosting the IONS Conclave of Chiefs in Perth in March 2014, and the IOR-ARC of which India is currently Chair and Australia the next Chair.
Ministers agreed that efforts to promote cooperation between the defence establishments should continue. In this regard, both Ministers agreed to the following activities:
i. to continue to have regular bilateral Defence Ministers Meetings;
ii. to promote exchanges between the defence establishments and the Armed Forces of both sides, including through the regular conduct of the Defence Policy Dialogue, Armed Forces Staff Talks and professional military exchanges;
iii. to continue ongoing bilateral naval exchanges to build confidence and familiarity between our Navies and work towards a bilateral maritime exercise in 2015;
iv. to continue to cooperate in the Asia-Pacific region bilaterally and through various multilateral fora including the EAS, ARF and ADMM-Plus;
v. to enhance Indian Ocean cooperation, including through the framework and priorities of the IONS and the IOR-ARC; and
vi. to promote the sharing and exchange of professional knowledge and experiences through participation in training courses in each others military training institutions.
Both Ministers look forward to implementing these defence cooperation initiatives to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Australia and India.
Competition Commission Of India:
Competition Commission of India is a body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India and to prevent activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India.
The objectives are: to prevent practices having adverse effect on competition, to promote and sustain competition in markets, to protect the interests of consumers and to ensure freedom of trade carried on by other participants in markets, in India, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
In news,the commission found evidence of sugar mills deciding to fix price of ethanol tfor the supply to the oil marketing companies(OMC).The CCEA approved mandatory 5% blending of ethanol with etrol and also decided that procurement price would be decided between the buyer and the supplier.
Bio-Energy and Bio-Plastics:
In the quest for alternative, renewable and eco-friendly fuels, scientists have developed a novel method to produce bio-energy and value-added products through wastewater treatment because combustion of fossil fuels was adding about six gigatons of carbon per year in the form of CO. Several factors have led scientists to look for renewable and carbon-neutral forms of energy.
Senior scientist, Dr. S. Venkata Mohan and his group at IICT, Hyderabad have adopted a bio-refinery approach and produced futuristic green fuels, bio-hydrogen and bio-electricity. In the process a value added product that came out bio-plastics.
With the aim of developing processes that could be adopted by Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) and to achieve objectives of treating water, producing energy as well as value-added products, the scientists have been operating a 50-litre capacity reactor to produce bio-hydrogen and bio-plastics under a project funded by the Ministry of Non-Renewable Energy. Once that was achieved, he said the ETPs could replace anaerobic reactors to produce the environmentally sustainable bio-hydrogen instead of methane. Currently, bio-methane was being produced by treatment plants of most distilleries and other industries. The sludge that gets generated in the process was being used as fertiliser. The volatile fatty acids produced along with hydrogen were used as a substrate for bio-plastics synthesis. These bio-plastics could replace to some extent synthetic plastics in future.
He said bio-electricity was being produced from anaerobic bacterial metabolism using microbial fuel cell. The organic form of pollutants in waste water was a good substrate for bacterial growth. I am trying to improve performance by using various electrode materials. If we catalyse the electrodes, the yields will improve, Dr. Mohan added.
Significantly, besides generating bio-electricity, the waste treatment efficiency improved vastly through this method, especially with respect to toxicity, carbon and salts removal. We have named it Bio-electric Chemical Treatment System.

Next Generation Batteries from rice husk:
Nano-size silicon particles for the next-generation Lithium-ion batteries could be produced from rice husk, an abundant agricultural waste, according to research recently published in Scientific Reports.
Nano silicon had attracted considerable attention as a promising anode material for such high-performance batteries, which would power future electric vehicles and portable devices, observed Yi Cui, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University in the U.S., and his colleagues in their paper.
Although nano silicon anodes were superior to graphite ones in terms of performance, methods to produce the silicon anodes at a cost and with scalability comparable to graphite were needed. Current processes to form silicon nanomaterials were usually complex, costly and energy-intensive, they pointed out. In rice husk, silica existed naturally in the form of nanoparticles and accounted for as much as 20 per cent of its dry weight. Using a simple, energy-efficient and easily scalable method , nano silicon could be produced. The silicon that was recovered maintained the unique nanostructure of silica as it existed in the husk, which made for excellent battery performance.
Apart from its use in Lithium-ion batteries, there were many potential large-scale applications for such nanostructured silicon, they added.
UK To Pay 20 Million Pounds To Mau Mau Victims:
The British government has agreed to pay an amount of 20m as compensation to those tortured and treated with brutality by British Forces in the Mau Mau uprising in colonial era in Kenya.
Thousands of Kenyans were killed during the Mau Mau revolt against British rule in Kenya in the 1950s; many too were subjected to all kinds of inhuman treatment including rape, mass imprisonment in appalling condition among others.
The surviving victims have been battling the UK government for years in a legal suite in the UK. The victims wanted the UK government to be held legally liable for the atrocities committed against them during colonial era by British Forces
The British government recognizes that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration.The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place and that they marred Kenyas progress towards independence, Mr. Hague,Foreign Secretary told the House of Commons.
Mau Mau Uprising:
The Mau Mau Uprising (also known as the Mau Mau Revolt, Mau Mau Rebellion and Kenya Emergency) was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960. It involved Kikuyu-dominated anti-colonial groups summarily called Mau Mau and elements of the British Army, the local Kenya Regiment mostly consisting of white Kenyans, auxiliaries and anti-Mau Mau Kikuyu. The capture of rebel leader Dedan Kimathi on 21 October 1956 signalled the ultimate defeat of Mau Mau, and essentially ended the British military campaign.
Mau Mau failed to capture widespread public support, partly due to the British policy of divide and rule, and the movement remained internally divided, despite attempts to unify its various strands.
The primary British interest in Kenya was land, which, observed the British East Africa Commission of 1925, constituted "some of the richest agricultural soils in the world, mostly in districts where the elevation and climate make it possible for Europeans to reside permanently.
Greyhounds:
Stunned by the massacre of senior Chhattisgarh Congress leaders by Maoists last month, the Centre has decided to help all Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected States to raise Greyhounds, after the Andhra Pradesh model of an elite police commando force.
It also planned to take a uniform approach under a national policy to deal with this growing menace. However, it was decided that the Army and the Air Force would not be used in anti-Maoist operations.
The LWE-hit States will adopt the Andhra Pradesh model, which, besides Greyhounds, includes strengthening the intelligence-gathering mechanism, enhancing the role of local police stations in operations, and making efforts to infiltrate the Maoist hierarchy.
The States that would raise the Greyhounds are Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The Chief Ministers also discussed the issue of the Army and the Air Force assisting operations in view of the growing lethality and surprise element in the Maoist attacks. It was decided that the State forces, along with the paramilitary personnel, were enough to deal with the Maoists. The State governments would evolve a mechanism to carry out trade of tendu leaves(used for making bidis), which is a major source of revenue in most of these States. At present, the tendu leaves business is being run by contractors who face extortion by Naxals. (used for making bidis), which is a major source of revenue in most of these States. At present, the tendu leaves business is being run by contractors who face extortion by Naxals.
DIPP Clarification On Franchisee Route:
On FDI policy for multi-brand retail trading (MBRT), the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said the front-end stores set up by MBRT entity will have to be company-owned and company operated only. Foreign retailers entering Indias multi-brand segment will not be allowed to franchise their stores, and will have to put 50 per cent of their investments in back-end infrastructure specifically for the chain they are setting up.
The DIPP also said the mandatory 30 per cent sourcing from small industries will be counted only for sales through the front-end stores. Giving clarity on the sourcing part, it said: The sourcing condition pertains only to manufactured and processed products. Procurement of fresh produce is not covered by this condition.
On the contentious issue of investment in the back-end, the DIPP said investments in multiple infrastructure companies would not be counted towards fulfilment of condition of mandatorily investing 50 per cent in the back-end infrastructure. Fifty per cent of the investments brought in, must be invested in back-end infrastructure, and any amount spent in acquiring front-end retail stores would not be counted towards back-end infrastructure, the DIPP said.
It clarified that as per the conditions for wholesale cash & carry trading, such an entity is not permitted to undertake retailing of any form. As regards supplies by MBRT company to franchisees run by its partners, it is clarified that the policy envisages multi-brand trading in retail and the MBRT entity is not envisaged to undertake wholesale activity, that is, B2B. It said the cash & carry trading cannot be considered to be providing back-end infrastructure to the multi-brand retail store.
Department Of Industrial Policy And Promotion (DIPP):
The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was established in 1995 and has been reconstituted in the year 2000 with the merger of the Department of Industrial Development. The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was established in the wake of the economic liberalization of India with an intention of regulation and administration of the industrial sector. The Departments role and functions have grown steadily ever. Today, the DIPP not only regulates the industrial sector but also a facilitator of technology and investment flows in an ever growing and liberalized Indian economy.
Following the Department's key focus areas:
Formulation and Implementation of India's Industrial Policy
The Department is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives. It is responsible for the overall Industrial Policy. It also monitors the growth and development in certain key industrial areas and makes appropriate policy amendments to address the emerging concerns.
Formulation and Amendment of the FDI policy
The DIPP is responsible for formulation of the FDI policy and facilitation of FDI inflows into the country. The department provides direct assistance in the resolution of problems faced by foreign investors. It also disseminates information about the positive investment climate that exists in the Indian economy to promote investments. The Department also encourages and facilitates foreign technology collaborations among Indian companies and bilateral Economic cooperation agreements in the region.
Industrial Promotion
The Department is involved in promotion of industry throughout the country. As a part of this responsibility, the Department monitors and stimulates industrial growth, promotes industrial activity in remote and underdeveloped areas of the country and undertakes programmes for improving productivity and quality. Through its Infrastructure Up gradation Scheme (IIUS) the department works towards enhancing competitiveness of the domestic industry.
Formulation and Implementation of Intellectual property Rights Policy
The DIPP recognize the importance of Intellectual Property in the day to days' global business environment. The Department formulates and implements a comprehensive Intellectual Property Rights policy covering Patents, Designs, Trade Marks and Geographical Indications of Goods. Apart from this the Department works towards creating awareness regarding IPRs by working closely with organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB):
IPAB has been constituted by a Gazette notification of the Central Government in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 15th September 2003 to hear appeals against the decisions of the Registrar under the Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. IPAB has its headquarters at Chennai and shall have sittings at Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. By the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the provisions of the Patent Amendment Act, 2002 and the Patents Amendment Act, 2005, relating to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board have been brought into force. Thus, all the Appeals pending before the various High Courts , will stand transferred to the IPAB. Likewise, fresh Rectification Applications under the Patents Act, 1970, will have to be filed before the IPAB.
Jurisdiction:
The object of setting up the Appellate Board is to hear and decide appeals from the order or decision of the Registrar of Trade Marks which were under the jurisdiction of the High Courts.
The Appellate Board can also entertain original applications for rectifications of the register of trademarks under sections 47 and 57 of the above Act. It can also entertain applications for rectifications of the register under section 125 of the above Act.
Appeals from an order or decision of the Registrar under rule 162 of The Trade Marks Rules, 2002 shall also be heard by the IPAB.
It is provided that similar matters arising under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 shall also be heard and decided byIPAB.
The Trade Marks Act, 1999 and the corresponding Trade Mark Rules, 2002 as well as the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection ) Act, 1999 and the Geographical Indications of Goods ( Registration and Protection ) Rules, 2002 have all come into force with effect from 15th September, 2003.
NEW GOVERNOR APPOINTMENTS:
The President of India has been pleased to make the following appointments:-
1. Dr. K.K. Paul, as Governor of Meghalaya vice Shri Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary.
2.Lt.General A.K. Singh (Retd.), PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, to be the Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands vice Lt. General Bhopinder Singh (Retd.).
3. Shri Najeeb Jung, to be the Lt. Governor of National Capital Territory of Delhi vice Shri Tejendra Khanna.
4. Shri Virendra Kataria, to be the Lt. Governor of Puducherry vice Shri Iqbal Singh.


Late Shri Vasantrao Naik:
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended the concluding ceremony of the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Late Shri Vasantrao Naik, former Chief Minister.
The President said Shri Naik launched the revolutionary Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme which proved to be a boon for millions of farmers ravaged by two ferocious famines afflicting the state. The Planning Commission later approved the scheme and the same was adopted on national scale. This is the programme known today as MNREGA.

National e-Governance Plan (NeGP):
E-Governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization of Government Departments to initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as citizen centricity, service orientation and transparency. Lessons from previous e-Governance initiatives have played an important role in shaping the progressive e-Governance strategy of the country. Due cognizance has been taken of the notion that to speed up e-Governance implementation across the various arms of Government at National, State, and Local levels, a programme approach needs to be adopted, guided by common vision and strategy. This approach has the potential of enabling huge savings in costs through sharing of core and support infrastructure, enabling interoperability through standards, and of presenting a seamless view of Government to citizens.
The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision, a shared cause. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is evolving, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy, reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens.
VISION OF NeGP-Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realize the basic needs of the common man.
A mission mode project (MMP) is an individual project within the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) that focuses on one aspect of electronic governance, such as banking, land records or commercial taxes etc. Within NeGP, "mission mode" implies that projects have clearly defined objectives, scopes, and implementation timelines and milestones, as well as measurable outcomes and service levels. NeGP comprises 31 mission mode projects (MMPs), which are further classified as state (13), central (11) or integrated projects (7). Each state government can also define five MMPs specific to its individual needs.

Two Expert Groups, viz., an Expert Committee for preparation of an HR policy for e-Governance headed by Shri Nandan Nilekani and an Expert Group on NeGP chaired by Dr Sam Pitroda were constituted. The recommendations of both the committees will be of immense benefit for fast tracking the implementation of all e-Governance initiatives in the country. During the meeting today, the implementation of the recommendations of these committees was reviewed.
The Committee also deliberated upon the following issues:

* Status of implementation of Mission Mode Projects (MMPs): The Committee noted that out of the 31 MMPs, 14 MMPs are delivering the full range of services while 9 have started delivering some services to the citizens.

* Focus on Outcome Orientation e-TAAL: In order to develop an outcome orientation amongst the e-Governance initiatives in the country, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has developed a web portal e-TAAL (e-Transactions Aggregation and Analysis Layer). The portal aggregates and analyses the transaction statistics of central and state level e-governance projects including Mission Mode Projects, on a real time basis. E-TAAL is expected to enhance the outcome focus of e-Governance programs in the country. The portal is available at etaal.gov.in.

* DeitY has launched Mobile Seva, a unique countrywide initiative on mobile governance to provide public services to the citizens through mobile phones and handheld devices. The portal is available at mgov.gov.in. As on date, 444 departments across the country have been integrated with MSDG. They are offering over 200 unique services to the citizens. Using this platform, over 15 crore transactional messages for various government services have been sent to the citizens.

* Recently, DeitY has implemented a pilot project covering 59 panchayats in three blocks in three states on using the hi-speed connectivity of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) for delivery of public services like tele-medicine, tele-education, skill development courses and banking services. The lessons from this pilot will be useful in utilising the NoFN infrastructure being planned to connect 2,50,000 gram panchayats.

* DeitY has developed an e-Gov AppStore to host successful e-governance applications. These applications can be replicated by all government departments intending to implement e-Gov initiatives, thereby saving immense time and costs in application development and hosting.

* In order to make public procurement more transparent and efficient, the Committee directed that e-Procurement shall be adopted both for publication and processing of tenders by all Government Ministries/Departments.

* To harness the benefits of cloud technology, DeitY has launched a new initiative named as MeghRaj for creating a Government of India cloud (GI Cloud) computing environment at the national level. This initiative will not only optimise utilisation of IT infrastructure, but also enable rapid deployment/replication of e-Gov services.

* Considering the requirement for an apex institution in the domain of capacity building, training and R&D for e-Governance, the Committee desired that a National e-Governance Academy be established as a national institution.
The Committee also discussed how the emergence of new technologies, concepts and platforms such as cloud computing, mobile platform and the advent of Aadhaar can be leveraged to make the NeGP more effective and speed up its implementation. Incorporating the latest technological advancements and new service delivery mechanisms in NeGP would usher the country into a new era of e-governance. It will be possible to provide ICT infrastructure on demand for implementation of these projects. Integration of the Aadhaar platform in e-governance projects would help in interoperability, electronic authentication and faster delivery of services to the intended recipients. Further, the integration of the mobile platform for service delivery would enable the government to reach out to citizens in the remotest corners of the country. To achieve this vision, the Committee directed DeitY to formulate the next version of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP 2.0) to tap the potential of significant technological advancements and emergence of new implementation models & delivery mechanisms.
Indian IPv6 Lab
Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Lab setup by Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), technical arm of Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications & IT, has earned a unique distinction of being approved by the IPv6 Ready Logo Committee under IPv6 Forum, an International body. This achievement is significant for TEC and the country as only five other labs in the world have achieved this milestone. India has thus joined Europe and a select group of countries which include USA, Japan, China and Taiwan having IPv6 Ready Logo test lab facilities. The announcement to this effect was made on 25th June.

TEC has setup the IPv6 Ready Logo test lab as per standards prescribed by IPv6 Ready Logo Committee and addresses Conformance as well as Interoperability testing for various equipments with IPv6 implementation. The approval process additionally involved the evaluation of the competence of TEC team to not only test the equipment but also the ability to correctly examine the test results from other international labs.

The internet and the internet facing devices are moving to new addressing scheme IPv6 since IPv4 addresses are no longer available. The Government has taken several policy initiatives so that the service providers, content providers and the customer premises equipment vendors are encouraged to move to IPv6 address implementation. Setting up testing infrastructure is one of the objectives of NTP-2012. Establishment and designation of TEC lab as IPv6 Ready Logo lab is one such step which shall enable indigenous vendors/developers to avail the facility of internationally recognized test lab in India. Availability of approved TEST BED shall promote end-user confidence in using IPv6 Ready Logo approved products.

TEC will play an instrumental role in the Interoperability and testing of IPv6 products as a major piece of the India IPv6 Strategy roadmap announced by the India Government in building the New Internet infrastructure as interoperability creates genuine end-user confidence in new technologies said Latif Ladid, IPv6 ForumPresident.

The establishment of IPv6 Ready Logo Lab in India, expecting a huge growth in the deployment of IPv6 in the world, is very welcome, and we expect their contribution to the world-wide IPv6 deployment. We really appreciate the great efforts of Indian team for their success, including the future success. said Hiroshi Esaki, Chairman of the IPv6 Logo Committee, Executive Director of IPv6 Promotion Council Japan and Board member of WIDE Project.

Aakash IV:
Aakash is a series of Android-based tablet computers produced by an initiative of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is a low-cost tablet computer with a 7-inch touch screen. The device was developed as part of the country`s aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. The cost of basic version for a student was only Rs.1500, which was around USD35. In July 2010, the Minister of Human Resource Development, Sri Kapil Sibal unveiled a prototype of Aakash, which was later given out to 500 college students to collect feedback. The tablet was officially launched as Aakash in New Delhi on 5 October 2011. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India announced an upgraded second-generation model called Aakash 2 in April 2012. In this series, the new version of Aakash has been named Aakash IV.

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India(ICSI):

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India(ICSI) is constituted under an Act of Parliament i.e. the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 (Act No. 56 of 1980). ICSI is the only recognized professional body in India to develop and regulate the profession of Company Secretaries in India. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India awards the certificate of bestowing the designation of Company Secretary(CS) to a candidate qualifying for the membership of the Institute. It was in 1960 that the Company Law Board started a course in Company Secretaryship leading to the award of Government Diploma in Company Secretaryship. As the number of students taking up the Company Secretaryship course grew, the Government promoted on 4th October, 1968, Institute of Company Secretaries of India under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 for taking over from the

Government the conduct of Company Secretaryship examination. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has since been converted into a statutory body w.e.f. 1.1.1981 under the Company Secretaries Act, 1980. The Institute of Company Secretaries of India(ICSI) has on its rolls 32,580 members including 5,467 members holding certificate of the practice. The number of current students is over 3,60,000.
The Institute of company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has its headquarters at New Delhi and four regional offices at New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Lieutenant General Anil Chait:
Lieutenant General Anil Chait, has taken over as Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC).He has been associated with the Special Action Group (The Black Cats) of the National Security Guards and was awarded the VishishtSeva Medal. He has served with an infantry division, as Colonel General Staff on the Line of Control during Operation Parakram. The General Officer has tenanted staff assignment in the Military Secretarys Branch in the Colonels rank and the Perspective Planning Directorate in the Brigadiers rank dealing with formulation of National and Military Security Strategy & Policy.
OPERATION PARAKRAM- The 20012002 IndiaPakistan standoff was a military standoff between India and Pakistan that resulted in the massing of troops on either side of the International Border (IB) and along the Line of Control (LoC) in the region of Kashmir. The military build up was initiated by India responding to a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001 (during which twelve people, including the five men who attacked the building, were killed) and Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on 1 October 2001. India claimed that the attacks were carried out by two Pakistan based Terrorist groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, LeT and JeM, both of whom India has said are backed by Pakistan's ISI. Tensions de-escalated following international diplomatic mediation which resulted in the October 2002 withdrawal of Indian and Pakistani troops from the international border. The Indian Codename for the mobilization was Operation Parakram.

C-17 Globemaster-III:
Having touched down on Indian soil on 18 Jun 2013, the IAFs latest acquisition C-17 Globemaster-III made its maiden flight to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 30 Jun 2013. Climbing an altitude of 28,000 feet with an unrefueled range of 2400 nautical miles, the aircraft landed at Port Blair to induct the rotational Infantry Battalion into the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Manufactured by Messrs Boeing of the United States, the C-17 Globemaster-III is a heavy-lift transport military aircraft, developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). India has become the largest customer, of this sophisticated aircraft, after the United States. C-17 Globemaster-III is 174 feet in length, with a wing span of 170 feet. The maximum all up weight is 2,65,350 kg, with an ultra modernized palletized cargo handling capability.
eKuber:
Reserve Bank of India, has christened its Core Banking Solution as eKuber. The quest by RBI to have its own CBS begun in June 2007, when in RBIs Financial Sector Technology Vision, the Department of Information Technology, broached the concept of CBS in RBI.
Core banking solution:
Core banking is services provided by a group of networked bank branches. Bank customers may access their funds and other simple transactions from any of the member branch offices. CORE Banking stands for "centralized online real-time electronic banking". This basically means that all the bank's branches access applications from centralized datacenters. This means that the deposits made are reflected immediately on the bank's servers and the customer can withdraw the deposited money from any of the bank's branches throughout the world. These applications now also have the capability to address the needs of corporate customers, providing a comprehensive banking solution.
The platform where communication technology and information technology are merged to suit core needs of banking is known as core banking solutions. Here, computer software is developed to perform core operations of banking like recording of transactions, passbook maintenance, interest calculations on loans and deposits, customer records, balance of payments and withdrawal. This software is installed at different branches of bank and then interconnected by means of communication lines like telephones, satellite, internet etc. It allows the user (customers) to operate accounts from any branch if it has installed core banking solutions. This new platform has changed the way banks are working.
Competitive Bid:
A step in the initial public offering process whereby an underwriter submits a sealed bid to a company that is making its first issue of stock. After collecting competitive bids from several underwriters, the issuer awards the contract to the underwriter (investor) with the best price and contract terms. Competitive bidding is considerably less common than negotiated bidding, the other main method by which issuing companies contract with underwriters. Competitive bidding is more common with municipal bonds issued by utility companies.
Non-Competitive Bid:
One of the two bid processes for buying debt issuances. Non-competitive tender is for small investors, while competitive tender is for large institutional investors. The price that a non-competitive bidder receives is the average bid price of all competitive bids.
When Issued (WI):
Securities trade on a when issued basis when they have been announced, but not yet issued. The transaction is settled only after the security has been issued. A when-issued market exists where when issued instruments are traded. When issued markets can provide an indication regarding the level of interest that a new issue will attract. When issued transactions are dependent upon the actual security being issued and the exchange or National Association of Securities Dealers ruling that the transactions will be settled.

Action taken by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for relief operations in Uttarakhand:

A three member high level team from the Ministry is stationed in Dehradun to assess the public health situation and coordinate with the State Health Authorities to provide whatever assistance is needed. It consists of the Director, Emergency Medical Response, Director, National Centre for Disease Control and Joint Director, National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP).

40 chloroscopes and a large quantity of reagents, sufficient to test upto 5000 water samples have been sent, to ensure safe drinking water supplies. More Chloroscopes are being procured for delivery.Chlorine tablets has been provided.

A 3-member team from NIMHANS, Bangalore for Psycho-social support.

District units of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), NRHM is conducting health surveillance in all affected districts.

IRCS (Indian Red Cross Society) has provided relief materials that include tents, family packs, kitchen sets, blankets, lanterns etc.

IDSP:
Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) was launched with World Bank assistance in November 2004 to detect and respond to disease outbreaks quickly. The project was extended for 2 years in March 2010. From April 2010 to March 2012, World Bank funds were available for Central Surveillance Unit (CSU) at NCDC & 9 identified states (Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal) and the rest 26 states/UTs were funded from domestic budget. The Programme will continue during 12th Plan under NRHM with outlay of Rs. 640.40 Crore from domestic budget only.


* Surveillance units have been established in all states/districts (SSU/DSU). Central Surveillance Unit (CSU) established and integrated in the National Centre for Disease Control, Delhi.

* Training of State/District Surveillance Teams and Rapid Response Teams (RRT) has been completed for all 35 States/UTs.

* IT network connecting 776 sites in States/District HQ and premier institutes has been established with the help of National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for data entry, training, video conferencing and outbreak discussion.

* Under the project weekly disease surveillance data on epidemic prone disease are being collected from reporting units such as sub centres, primary health centres, community health centres, hospitals including government and private sector hospitals and medical colleges
States/districts have been asked to notify the outbreaks immediately to the system.
Media scanning and verification cell was established under IDSP in July 2008. It detects and shares media alerts with the concerned states/districts for verification and response.
A 24X7 call center was established in February 2008 to receive disease alerts on a Toll Free telephone number (1075).
Considering the non-availability of health professionals in the field of Epidemiology, microbiology and Entomology at district and state levels, MOHFW approved the recruitment of trained professionals under NRHM in order to strengthen the disease surveillance and response system by placing one Epidemiologist each at state/district headquarters, one Microbiologist and Entomologist each at the state headquarters. Recruitment of 354 Epidemiologists, 60 Microbiologists and 17 Entomologists has been completed so far.

Codex Alimentarius Commission:

The Codex Commission is shouldering the responsibility of laying down the global parameters of quality and safety of food products for human consumption. This ensures the health of the consumers and fair practices in the export and import of food products.

Shrinking of the world due to faster means of travel and communications has led to globalization and commercialization of all sectors including food production, processing and consumption. Whatever is produced in one part of the world is available in other parts due to improved means for import and export today. It is a matter of satisfaction that the Codex Alimentarius has achieved several milestones since its inception in meeting the challenges of health of consumers and fair practices in the trade of food products. The membership of the Commission has grown from 30 countries to 150 countries over the last 50 years. This is on account of the keen interest and trust evinced by the developing countries in the Codex process, making Codex a truly international food standards-setting organization of the United Nations. Another achievement is that Codex has expanded its role into a variety of products and subject matters to address quality, safety and nutrition issues. The science-based framework adopted by Codex gives this institution a pre-eminent position in the area of safety of human health and fair trade practices.

The C O D E X A L I M E N T A R I U S international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice contribute to the safety, quality and fairness of this international food trade. Consumers can trust the safety and quality of the food products they buy and importers can trust that the food they ordered will be in accordance with their specifications.

Ethanol Blended Petrol:

Ethanol is a non-fossil fuel that is produced from a variety of agricultural crops such as sugar cane and grains. Petrol is blended with the ethanol produced from the renewable products.

Maternity Benefit Act 1961:

Maternity protection is an essential pre-requisite for womens rights to gender equality with regard to their work and profession. The right to maternity protection is enshrined in the Constitution of India, along with international instruments such as the International Human Rights Instruments and the International Labour Conventions. It is implemented through the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961.

An Act to regulate the employment of women in certain establishment for certain period before and after child-birth and to provide for maternity benefit and certain other benefits.
It applies in the first instance, to every establishment being a factory, mine or plantation [including any such establishment belonging to Government and to every establishment wherein persons are employed for the exhibition of equestrian, acrobatic and other performances]. In the official on In the official Gazette, declare that all or any of the provisions of this Act shall apply also to any other establishment or class of establishments, industrial, commercial, agricultural or otherwise.


IRNSS:
ISROs Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C22, has successfully launched IRNSS-1A, the first satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. This is the twenty third consecutively successful mission of PSLV. The XL configuration of PSLV was used for the mission. Previously, the same configuration of the vehicle was used thrice to launch Chandrayaan-1, GSAT-12 and RISAT-1 satellites.

IRNSS-1A is the first of the seven satellites constituting the space segment of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS) provided to all users and Restricted Services (RS) provided only to authorised users.
A number of ground stations responsible for the generation and transmission of navigation parameters, satellite control, satellite ranging and monitoring, etc., have been established in as many as 15 locations across the country.

NFSM:
The General Council of NFSM is the apex policy making body of NFSM. It is chaired by Agriculture Minister and has representatives from various Departments and research organizations.

In the 11th Plan, NFSM exceeded its target of adding 20 million tonne foodgrain production per year in 2011-12, a year before the target date. In the first year of the current Plan, i.e. 2012-13, as against the target of producing additional 2 MT rice, 1 MT wheat and 1.25 MT pulses, NFSM has achieved significantly higher production - 7 MT rice, 9 MT wheat and 2.5 MT pulses.

Since the Mission seeks to improve productivity of crops in districts with low productivity, an exercise is being undertaken to include new districts in which productivity has remained lower than the national and states averages. Simultaneously, districts that have attained higher than average productivity will be taken out of the purview of NFSM.
As the strategies adopted by NFSM proved successful in the 11th Plan, coarse cereals and fodder crops have been brought under it in the 12th Plan (besides rice, wheat and pulses which were the crops under NFSM in the 11th Plan).

National Cyber Security Policy:

National Cyber Security Policy aims to provide protection for information, such as personal information, financial/banking information, sovereign data etc. In order to empower people with information, we need to secure the information/data.

This policy aims at facilitating creation of secure computing environment and enabling adequate trust and confidence in electronic transactions and also guiding stakeholders actions for protection of cyber space.

The National Cyber Security Policy document outlines a road-map to create a framework for comprehensive, collaborative and collective response to deal with the issue of cyber security at all levels within the country.
The policy recognises the need for objectives and strategies that need to be adopted both at the national level as well as international level.

The objectives and strategies outlined in the National Cyber Security Policy together serve as a means to:

Articulate our concerns, understanding, priorities for action as well as directed efforts.

Provide confidence and reasonable assurance to all stakeholders in the country (Government, business, industry and general public) and global community, about the safety, resiliency and security of cyber space.

Adopt a suitable posturing that can signal our determined efforts to effectively monitor, deter & deal with cyber-crime and cyber-attacks.

Salient features of the policy:

A vision and mission statement aimed at building a secure and resilience cyber space for citizens, businesses and Government.

Enabling goals aimed at reducing national vulnerability to cyber-attacks, preventing cyber-attacks & cybercrimes, minimizing response & recover time and effective cybercrime investigation and prosecution.

Focused actions at the level of Govt., public-private partnership arrangements, cyber security related technology actions, protection of critical information infrastructure and national alerts and advice mechanism, awareness & capacity building and promoting information sharing and cooperation.

Enhancing cooperation and coordination between all the stakeholder entities within the country.

Objectives and strategies in support of the National cyber security vision and mission.

Framework and initiatives that can be pursued at the Govt. level, sectoral levels as well as in public private partnership mode.

Facilitating monitoring key trends at the national level such as trends in cyber security compliance, cyber-attacks, cybercrime and cyber infrastructure growth.



Institute of Chartered Accountants of India:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 (Act No. XXXVIII of 1949) for the regulation of the profession of Chartered Accountants in India. During its 64 years of existence, ICAI has achieved recognition as a premier accounting body not only in the country but also globally, for its contribution in the fields of education, professional development, maintenance of high accounting, auditing and ethical standards. ICAI now is the second largest accounting body in the whole world.

by Siva Ramakrishnan

List of References:

1. PIB English Release

2. Respective Official Websites and Wikipedia