GENERAL UPDATES 08.02.2019

ASSESSMENT OF THE MPC FOR GROWTH AND INFLATION OUTLOOK IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT’S ASSESSMENT OF INFLATION AND GROWTH

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in its Sixth Bi-Monthly Statement, issued, on the basis of its assessment of the current and evolving Macroeconomic situation, decided to reduce the Policy Repo Rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5 per cent to 6.25 per cent with immediate effect. Consequently, the Reverse Repo Rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.0 per cent, and the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5 per cent. The MPC also decided to change the Monetary Policy Stance from Calibrated Tightening to Neutral. As against the GDP Growth projection of 7.4% for 2018-19 in the Fifth Bi-monthly Resolution in December, 2018, the CSO has estimated GDP growth at 7.2%. However, the GDP growth for 2019-20 is projected at 7.4%. The Actual Inflation Outcome at 2.6% in Q3: 2018-19 was marginally lower than the projection. The projections of inflation for 2018-19 and H1:2019-20 have been revised downwards from the December resolution. Subhash Chandra Garg, said that the assessment of the MPC for growth and inflation outlook is consistent with the Government’s assessment of Inflation and Growth Shri Garg further said that the Government welcomes the assessment of the MPC and its decision to reduce the Policy Rate and change of Monetary Policy Stance.

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NEW DEFINITION OF MSME WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE NEW ELECTED GOVERNMENT: GIRIRAJ

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce & Industry has recommended some improvements in definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and the changes will be implemented by the new government that will be elected in May, said Giriraj Singh. A Bill specifying the turnover of a business entity which would classify it as MSMEs, was introduced by the Singh in the Lok Sabha on 23 July, 2018. The MSMEs Development (Amendment) Bill provides for change in the criterion of classification of MSMEs from the existing based on 'investment in plant and machinery or equipment' to 'annual turnover' of the enterprise. The matter right now is in Lok Sabha and will be passed further, he added. When asked about the promotion of MSMEs in the 117 identified Aspirational District identified by Niti Ayog Singh said, According to the needs of the MSMEs in the 117 Aspirational Districts identified by Niti Ayog, the Ministry provide them assistance and help.

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PRADHAN MANTRI SHRAM YOGI MAAN-DHAN, 2019

In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 (33 of 2008), the Central Government hereby makes the following Scheme to provide for old age protection to the unorganised workers, namely:—

1. Short title, commencement and application.—

(1) This Scheme may be called the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan, 2019

(2) It shall come into force on the 15th day of February, 2019.

(3) Subject to the provisions of this Scheme, the unorganised workers have option to become the members of the Scheme, on and from the 15th day of February, 2019.

(4) The provisions of this Scheme shall apply to the unorganised workers who are working or engaged ashome based workers, street vendors, mid-day meal workers, head loaders, brick kiln workers, cobblers, rag pickers, domestic workers, washer men, rickshaw pullers, landless labourers, own account workers, agricultural workers, construction workers, beedi workers, handloom workers, leather workers, audio- visual workers and similar other occupations. The Central Government shall for the purposes of this Scheme, establish a Pension Fund to be administered by that Government in consultation, wherever required, with the National Board. The eligible subscriber, who joins the Scheme shall subscribe to the Pension Fund as determined by the Central Government from time to time at the time of such joining in accordance with the age of the eligible subscriber, as specified in the contribution chart appended as Annexure to this Scheme. The Central Government shall also contribute to the Pension Fund the equal amount as contributed by an eligible subscriber. Each contribution payable under sub-paragraph (1) or sub-paragraph (2) shall be rounded off so as to the amount of fifty paise or more shall be counted as the next higher rupee and a fraction of a rupee less than fifty paise shall be ignored. This Scheme shall be open only to the unorganised worker for joining, whose monthly income is not exceeding fifteen thousand rupees and who has a savings bank account in his name and Aadhar number. The unorganised worker referred to in sub-paragraph (1) shall be not less than eighteen years of age and not exceeding forty years of age. The exit provisions and benefits thereunder, of this Scheme are as under, namely:—

(i)             in case an eligible subscriber exits this Scheme within a period of less than ten years from the date of joining the Scheme by him, then the share of contribution by him only will be returned to him with savings bank rate of interest payable thereon;

(ii)          if an eligible subscriber exits after completion of a period of ten years or more from the date of joining the Scheme by him but before his age of sixty years, then his share of contribution only shall be returned to him along with accumulated interest thereon as actually earned by the Pension Fund referred to in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 3 or the interest at the savings bank interest rate thereon, whichever is higher;

(iii)       if an eligible subscriber has given regular contributions and died due to any cause, his spouse shall be entitled to continue with the Scheme subsequently by payment of regular contribution as applicable or exit by receiving the share of contribution paid by such subscriber along with accumulated interest, as actually earned thereon by the Pension Fund, referred to in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 3 or at the savings bank interest rate thereon, whichever is higher;

(iv)        after death of subscriber and his or her spouse, the corpus shall be credited back to the fund;

(v)           in case of exit on account of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above, the accumulated share of Government’s contribution shall be credited back to the Pension Fund;

(vi)        any other exit provision, including nomination, as may be decided by the Central Government by issuing instructions from time to time.

For more details visit below link.

http://www.egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/197105.pdf

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AIRLINES OWE RS 2,760 CRORE TO AIRPORT AUTHORITY OF INDIA FOR VARIOUS SERVICES

Airlines have outstanding dues of around Rs 2,760 crore to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on account of services like check-in counters, parking and landing charges. Domestic carriers owe Rs 2,448.4 crore while foreign airlines’ dues stand at Rs 312.2 crore till January 2019, minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha told parliament. The extent of dues doesn’t include penal interest for delay in payments. Other heads of payments to the airport custodian includes ticketing counters and air navigation services. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has dues of over Rs 105 crore against a security deposit of Rs 124 crore. The AAI usually issues demand notice when the airline dues cross 80 percent threshold of its security. The minister said the authority has taken up the matter with SpiceJet for clearing the dues. In November last year, the AAI had served a notice to Gurgaon-based SpiceJet to deposit Rs 20 crore to partially clear its dues.

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JET AIRWAYS GROUNDS FOUR PLANES AFTER FAILING TO PAY LESSORS

Jet Airways has grounded four planes after failing to pay lessors the airline said, in the latest evidence of financial distress at the debt-laden carrier. The airline - India's second-largest by market share - is buckling under the weight of debts worth $1.1 billion and is urgently seeking funds to continue flying. The Mumbai-based carrier has been badly hit by fluctuating global crude prices, a weak rupee and fierce competition from budget rivals which has sparked price wars. Millions of dollars have been wiped off its market capitalisation over the past year. Four aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors under lease agreements, the carrier said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange late Thursday. The company is actively engaged with all its aircraft lessors and regularly provides them with updates on efforts undertaken by the company to improve its liquidity, it added. Jet Airways first hit turbulence in August when it failed to report its quarterly earnings or pay its staff, including pilots, on time.

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SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO STAY QUOTA LAW

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the implementation of the legislation granting 10% reservation for economically weaker sections. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said he was not inclined to pass an interim order and tagged political activist Tehseen Poonawalla's petition challenging the legislation with other pending petitions on the issue. Poonawalla's challenge was based on the claim that the constitutional amendment violates the law laid down by the Supreme Court — the 1992 case of Indira Sawhney vs Union of India, where a constitution bench had specifically stated that economic criteria cannot be the sole basis for reservations under the Constitution. Another petition challenging the quota bill was filed by Youth for Equality, an organisation opposing caste-based reservations. Its president, Kaushal Kant Mishra, claimed that the amendment violated several basic features of the Constitution. The amendment, which introduced Articles 15(6) and 16(6) into the Constitution, violated the equality code of the Constitution and was in breach of the basic structure of the Constitution Mishra added. Mishra's petition also raised questions on the use of the expression economically weaker sections since it remained undefined under the amendment. This is left to be notified by the states, which is arbitrary and unworkable, according to the petitioners.

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EPFO RELAXES RULE FOR PAYMENT OF HIGHER PENSION TO ELIGIBLE EPS MEMBERS

You can now claim higher pension from EPFO on the basis of higher contributions made and accepted by EPFO earlier, even if you had not submitted joint option with your employer for higher contribution. By doing so, EPFO has removed an obstacle being faced by claimants of higher pension on the basis of higher contribution and made the process easier. This has been done to smoothly implement the orders of the Supreme Court (SC) on paying pension to employees on the basis of higher contributions made earlier on the basis of actual salary. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has instructed its regional offices not to ask for formal joint option of employee and employer where earlier contribution towards Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) by them was higher than the statutory wage limit. EPFO, in its circular dated January 22, 2019, has said that if an employer and employee have contributed under the EPF Scheme, 1952, on wages higher than the statutory wage limit without joint option of employee and employer and the EPF account of the concerned employee has been updated by the EPFO on the basis of such contribution received, then by action of employee, employer and EPFO, it can be inferred that joint option of employee and employer has been exercised and accepted by the EPFO. Therefore, in such cases, for implementing the directions issued earlier, formal joint option of employee and employer should not be insisted upon. This would mean that regional offices will not mandatorily insist for joint option form of employee and employer if previously the EPF account of the concerned employee has been updated by the EPFO on the basis of the contribution received on actual salary rather than the statutory limit.

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INDIA JUMPS 8 PLACES TO 36TH ON INTERNATIONAL IP INDEX

India has jumped eight places to 36th position on the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index, which analyses the IP climate in 50 global economies, this year. India's eight-point jump in 2019 from 44th position in 2018 is the highest increase among 50 nations mapped by the index, a release said. The US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany remained the top five economies on the intellectual property index in 2019 retaining their spots from the last year. The index brought out by the US Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) ranks countries based on 45 indicators that are critical to an innovation-led economy supported by robust patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets protection. The improvement reflects important reforms implemented by Indian policy-makers towards building and sustaining an innovation ecosystem for domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors alike, the release said. India's overall score has also increased substantially from 30.07 per cent (12.03 out of 40) in the previous edition to 36.04 per cent (16.22 out of 45) in the present edition. For the second year in a row, India's score represents the largest gain of any country measured on the Index, which covers over 90 per cent of global gross domestic product, said Patrick Kilbride, senior vice president of GIPC. The US Chamber International IP Index provides an IP report card for the world and a blueprint for policy-makers in countries like India that wish to bolster economic growth and jobs, innovation, and creativity.

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PM-KISSAN ALL SMALL AND MARGINAL FARMERS (SMF) FAMILIES HAVING CULTIVABLE LAND UPTO TWO HECTARES WILL BE PROVIDED INCOME SUPPORT OF RS. 6000

Radha Mohan Singh has written to the Chief Ministers of all States for their support in the effective & speedy implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) so that the entitled benefits are expeditiously transferred to the farmers Agriculture Minister writes that under the scheme, selection of eligible small farmer families has to be undertaken by the State Governments and the necessary details such as bank accounts etc., are to be provided on the online portal so that the first installment of the benefits can be transferred to the eligible families. For the implementation of the scheme, the States shall prepare database of eligible beneficiary landholder farmer families in the villages capturing the Name, Age, Gender, Category (SC/ST), Aadhaar Number (in case Aadhaar Number has not been issued then Aadhaar Enrollment Number together with any other prescribed documents for purposes of the identification such as Driving Licence, Voters’ ID Card, NREGA Job Card, or any other identification documents issued by Central/State/UT Governments or their authorities, etc.), Bank Account Number, IFSC Code. Though mobile number is not mandatory but it is advised that when available it may be captured so that the information related to sanction/transfer of benefit can be communicated. States/UTs shall ensure that there is no duplication of the payment transferred to eligible families Speedy reconciliation in case of wrong/incomplete bank details of the beneficiary should be ensured. Shri Singh also informed that in order to make integrated platform available in the country to assist in benefit transfer, a platform named PM Kisan Portal (http://pmkisan.nic.in) has also been launched for uploading the SMF details at a single web portal in a uniform structure. The letter further states that that a committed involvement of the administrative machinery from the State level to the village level is absolutely essential for timely implementation of this scheme.

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TAX PAYERS, MP/MLAS NOT ELIGIBLE GET RS 6,000 PER YEAR CASH DOLE FOR FARMERS

Families with income tax payers, serving or retired government employees and former or present MPs, MLAs and ministers will not be eligible for the Rs 6,000 a year cash dole announced in the Budget for small and marginal farmers. Besides, professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects registered with professional bodies and their immediate family members will be ineligible Releasing operational guidelines of the Rs 75,000 crore scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ (PM-Kisan), the agriculture ministry said the threshold limit of two hectares cultivable land would take into account holding of husband, wife and minor children. It has also listed defined categories of person who despite meeting the land holding requirement would not be eligible for getting the cash support. The Government intends to release the first instalment before March 31, but will make Aadhaar mandatory for availing the second instalment in the next fiscal. Farmer families will also be excluded if one or more members belong to following categories –

(a) former and present holders of constitutional posts

(b) former and present ministers/state ministers and former/present members of Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha/ state legislative assemblies/state legislative councils, former and present mayors of municipal corporations and former and present chairpersons of district panchayats.

The exclusion list includes families of all serving or retired officers and employees of central/state government ministries/offices/departments and its field units central or state public sector enterprises (PSEs) and attached offices/autonomous institutions under government as well as regular employees of the local bodies (excluding multi tasking staff/class IV/Group D employees). All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000/or more (excluding multi-tasking staff/Class IV/Group D employees) of above category will also be excluded. The benefit of the scheme would not be available to all persons who paid income tax in last assessment year. Families having one or more members as professionals like doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants, and architects registered with professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices would also be excluded from the beneficiary list. For the purpose of exclusion State/UT Government can certify the eligibility of the beneficiary based on self declaration by the beneficiaries, the ministry said. In case beneficiary is not available, the ministry said State governments may consider certification based on the declaration by other adult member of his/her family. In case of incorrect self declaration, beneficiary shall be liable for recovery of transferred financial benefit and other penal actions as per law, it added.

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INTER STATE TRADE ON E-NAM PLATFORM GAIN MOMENTUM

Inter State trade of agricultural produce in wholesale mandis through National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform is gathering pace with the latest transaction taking place at Madhya Pradesh Mandsaur e-NAM mandi, which sold coriander to Ramganj mandi of Rajasthan. Similarly, inter state transaction is taking place at Maharashtra’s Akola e-NAM mandi, which sold green gram to Nokha mandi of Rajasthan. Recently, the first Inter State transaction in tomatoes has been carried out between trader of Bareilly e-NAM APMC of Uttar Pradesh and farmer of Haldwani e-NAM APMC of Uttarakhand, followed by similar trade in groundnut between farmers of Gadwal mandi in Telangana and Trader of Kurnool mandi in Andhra Pradesh. So far 21 e-NAM mandis of eight States had joined hands to start inter –State trade on e-NAM. 136 inter-State transactions & 14 commodities which include vegetables, pulses, cereals, oilseeds, spices etc. have been traded under inter–state trade through e-NAM platform in a short span of time. Rajasthan is the first State to start inter-State trade with more than one State, establishing trade link with Gujarat, Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh through e-NAM. Volume of inter-State trade is also picking up as farmers & traders are gaining confidence in the system. Initially started with 25 commodities, e-trade facilities have been provided on 124 commodities with tradable parameters on e-NAM portal. Through inter State trade, farmers get better market access, more buyers/ traders & realise better prices for their produce. This online platform will prove to be a giant leap in reforming the agriculture market in India. Initially, trade on e-NAM started inside the individual e-NAM mandi, with farmers and traders of that mandi. After persuasive efforts by the Government inter-mandi trade on e-NAM platform started within the State. Now inter-mandi trade within e-NAM States is happening in 196 mandis of 10 e-NAM States.

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MOST UNEMPLOYMENT SURVEYS ARE SKEWED, PM NARENDRA MODI TELLS HOUSE

In his reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address, Modi contrasted 55 years of self-serving Congress rule at the Centre versus the achievements of his government’s 55 months in the service of the people. Alluding to the grand alliance of the Opposition parties, Modi said the people of the country did not want a mahamilawat (greatly adulterated) government. Modi said his government had provided a clean government and expressed confidence that the people of the country would again repose their faith in his leadership. Earlier, Kharge cited reports of a National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) survey (which the government later termed a draft report) that said the unemployment rate was 6.1 per cent in 2017-18, the highest in 45 years, to attack the government. Modi termed most surveys that try to capture unemployment rate as skewed since these did not cover the unorganised sector, which accounts for 85-90 per cent of jobs. Citing data, the PM said in the 15 months between September 2017 and November 2018, EPFO had 180 million new members, 64 per cent of whom were 28 years or below He said the National Pension Scheme (NPS) had 6.5 million members in 2014, which increased to 12 million by October 2018, again evidence of new jobs created. The PM said 635,000 non-corporate taxpayers had added to the list of those who file income tax returns, and these professionals, whether doctors or chartered accountants, provide employment to people. In the informal sector, the PM said transport sector employs the most people. He said in the last four years, 3.6 million new trucks and commercial vehicles have sold, 15 million passenger vehicles and 2.5 million auto-rickshaws have sold. These need drivers, maintenance it is unlikely that people would have parked these vehicles somewhere as showpieces, Modi said. The PM said there had been a 50 per cent increase in the hotel industry, leading to 15 million new jobs, 200,000 common service centres established in villages, and under the Mudra scheme 42.5 million people receiving loans for the first time that has fostered self-employment, which is not covered by any data on jobs. The PM said highways construction, new airports, railway stations modernisation and rural and urban housing have all led to job creation. The PM slammed criticism of the interim Budget’s proposal of Rs 6,000 a year income support to small and marginal farmers, stating how loan waivers never benefit them while the PM-KISAN scheme was targeted at those with small landholdings. The PM said the opposition should ask small farmers if the Rs 6,000 be of any assistance or not. He said the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in Karnataka has waived loans of only 60,000 farmers when its target was 4.3 million, and the story was similar in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. He said the PM-KISAN scheme would deposit Rs 7.5 trillion in bank accounts of farmers in the next 10 years, while the Congress brought its loan waiver of Rs 60,000 crore once in 10 years. The PM listed other achievements of his government, including how demonetisation benefitted. He said the Congress should first look at its record at disrespecting institutions before attacking him on that count.

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REVISION OF GUIDELINES PERTAINING TO DEVELOPMENT OF NER

The Government has approved a central sector scheme of North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) with 100% central funding restructuring the block grant of 90:10 under the scheme of Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR). While framing the guidelines for NESIDS, the provisions of guidelines of NLCPR, as revised in 2016, were retained which, inter-alia, includes the constitution of State Level Empowered Committee (SLEC) under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary of the States; delegation of power of vetting of projects to the states through SLEC; strengthening of project portal for online submission of documents; emphasizing completion of ongoing projects by releasing more funds against them; putting a cap on value of retention of new project; provisioning of release of only token amount of Rs. 10 lakh at the time of sanction of the project with balance to be released on receipt of award of work; and reducing the number of installments for release of funds from three to two. This resulted in faster completion of projects and reduction in amount of pending utilization certificates from Rs. 1158.95 crore as on 01-04-2016 to Rs. 247.94 crore as on 31-12-2018, besides decrease in time taken for vetting of DPRs and awarding of work.

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SEA PLANE SERVICES

Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN version 3.0 of Ministry of Civil Aviation, the routes connecting the following six water aerodrome sites have been awarded to start seaplane and helicopter services:-

·       Guwahati River Front

·       Nagarjuna Sagar

·       Sabarmati River Front

·       Shatrunjay Dam

·       Statue of Unity (Sardar Sarovar Dam)

·       Umrangso Reservoir

·       So far there is no proposal to start seaplane and helicopter operations on 1680 km. length of Ganga river for passenger transport.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the four laning of the Falakata-Salsalabari section of NH -31 D in the northern part of West Bengal. This 41.7 km long section of National Highways falls in the Jalpaiguri district of the state, and will be constructed at a cost of about Rs 1938 Crore.

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GPS TRACKING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued notification G.S.R 1095(E) dated 28.11.2016 mandating the provision of a vehicle location tracking device and one or more emergency buttons w.e.f. 01^st April, 2018 in public service vehicles except two-wheelers, E-rickshaw, three wheelers and any transport vehicles for which permit is not required under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. Various States and stakeholders brought to the notice of this Ministry that there are difficulties in implementing fitment Vehicle Location Tracking Device and Panic Buttons due to lack of command and control centers to monitor and track the vehicles. The Ministry through notification No. S.O 1663(E) dated 18.04.2018 deferred the implementation of Rule 125H for fitment of VLT and emergency button till 1st April,2019. The Ministry vide S.O 5454 (E) dated 25th October, 2018, has mandated installation of vehicle location tracking device and emergency button for new public service vehicle under rule 125H of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 registered after 1st January 2019. Further all such public service vehicles registered upto the 31st day of December, 2018 the fitment of vehicle location tracking device and one or more emergency buttons, the concerned State or Union Territory Government may notify the date for compliance of requirements, in their respective State or Union Territory.

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LTC IN FLIGHTS UNDER UDAAN SCHEME

At present, the officials of Central Government are allowed to travel by Air India flights only while availing LTC. However, the facility to avail tickets in all airlines including private airlines is admissible at present in case of LTC in lieu of Home Town/All India LTC travel to North East Region (NER), Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Andaman & Nicobar (A&N), in relaxation to Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988 under certain conditions. There is no proposal at present to allow Government officials to travel by private airlines for the purpose of LTC.

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DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Space Science experiments often demand development of new technologies Some of the new developments made in the last three years are as listed below :

·       Development of highly polished optical mirrors - for a solar coronographic mission – Aditya-L1

·       Development of large, light-weight collimators with non-cylindrical aperture – for x-ray polarimetric applications – XpoSAT mission

·       Development of indigenous silicon sensors and coatings for optical and IR spectroscopic applications – for payloads on Chandrayaan-2 mission

A study committee constituted by ISRO to chart out the long-term program for space science exploration, has prepared a report outlining high priority missions to be taken up. These include followup missions to Mars, a new mission to Venus and a return to Moon with capability to return samples from extra-terrestrial sources. Bilateral cooperations are often useful to maximise science returns from payloads due to a large dependency of complimentary information from multiple sensors on ground and in space. Hence these are encouraged on a case-by-case basis. There have been cooperative programs with Canadian Space Agency and UK universities on our astronomy satellite, ASTROSAT; similar cooperation programs have been established in the past on Chandrayaan-1 mission with NASA and the European Space Agency. Indian Space research Organisation through the programme called RESPOND (Sponsored Research) is encouraging academia to participate in the R & D activities Respond programme provides support to research projects in wide range of topics in space technology, space science and applications to universities/ institutions.

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MANNED MISSION TO SPACE

The Government has set time-line for sending manned mission to space It is proposed to demonstrate human spaceflight before 75th anniversary of Indian Independence (Year 2022). The amount expected to be spent on this mission is within Rs. 10,000 crores

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NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL

The solid wastes generated from nuclear facilities, depending upon their radioactivity content are stored/ disposed of in engineered structures such as stone lined trenches, reinforced concrete trenches and tile holes. These structures are designed on multi-barrier principle for ensuring effective containment of radioactivity. These structures are located within plant/facility premises in access-controlled areas. The areas where the waste disposal structures are located are provided with bore-wells in a planned manner. These bore wells are routinely monitored to confirm effective confinement of radioactivity present in the disposed waste. The regular monitoring is done as per the requirements which are in line with the guidelines of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The monitoring of various environmental matrices such as air, water, soil etc., in and around the waste disposal facilities is carried out by independent Environmental Survey Laboratories (ESL) of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) which are stationed at all the nuclear sites.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAS BEEN MAKING CONCERTED EFFORTS FOR DEVELOPING ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES

The Government of India has been making concerted efforts for developing energy storage technologies for managing the variable generation from renewable energy sources, including solar power. In this regard, an Expert Committee chaired by Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has proposed draft National Energy Storage Mission that strives for leadership in the energy storage sector by encouraging manufacturing, deployment, innovation and cost reduction. India has been encouraging technological cooperation on energy storage. A specific proposal on designing research programme and collaboration projects has been proposed under the India- United Kingdom Energy for Growth Partnership.

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65,000 KM HIGHWAYS TO BE CONSTRUCTED BY 2022: NITIN GADKARI

Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that 65,000 km of highways will be constructed across the country at a cost of over Rs 5.35 lakh crore by 2022 Minister said the Bharatmala Pariyojana is an umbrella programme comprising 65,000 km of highways, out of which 24,800 km highways fall along economic corridors, inter corridors, feeder routes and border roads. All these highways, along with 10,000 km residual National Highway Development Projects stretches have been envisaged for construction under Phase-I of the Pariyojana over a period of five years from 2017-18 to 2021-22 for which Rs 5,35,000 crore have been earmarked, he said. The minister said the mode of implementation for construction of road stretches under this scheme has been planned in such a manner so as to ensure expeditious implementation. Already, 137 road projects having an aggregate length of about 6,530 kms have been awarded and are in various stages of implementation, he said. Gadkari said an expenditure of Rs 1800 crore has been incurred till date for projects under the programme. Gadkari also said that the quality of water of River Ganga has improved to a great extent and work for cleaning the entire stretch of the river has been going on.

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GOVT TO PROVIDE MORE FUNDS FOR AYUSHMAN BHARAT NEXT YEAR: FM PIYUSH GOYAL

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said the government may provide more funds for the world's biggest health care scheme - Ayushman Bharat - next year. In the last four months of the its launch, the scheme has already benefited over 10 lakh people he said while speaking at the sixth Global Fund Replenishment organised by Ministry of Health. The government has already provided half a billion dollar funding for the programme. We expect to provide much more funds in the next year, he said. The interim Budget presented last week has raised the allocation for Ayushman Bharat scheme to Rs 6,400 crore for 2019-2020. Unless we create a distress free health care system for 1.3 billion people in India, unless we look at health in a very holistic fashion right from preventive health care we will not be able to take people out of distress that health care can cause particularly to lesser privileged, he said. Improvement of infrastructure of health care also opens up huge opportunities for companies around the world to participate in effort to expand the health care system, he said.

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80% OF MAHARASHTRA FARMERS TO GET INCOME SUPPORT OF ₹7,200 CR

Around 80% of Maharashtra’s more than 15 million farmers stand to gain from the direct income support scheme or the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Nidhi Yojana announced in the interim budget by the Narendra Modi government last week, Maharashtra agriculture and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil said. These small and marginal farmers would together get direct benefit of a total of ₹7,200 crore, which would be transferred into their bank accounts, he said. The state agriculture census conducted in 2015-16 pegged the total number of farmers in Maharashtra at nearly 15.3 million, Patil said. Of these, nearly 12 million farmers hold farmland up to 2 hectares, putting them in the category of small and marginal farmers and thus making them beneficiaries of the direct income support scheme. These farmers would get (a total of) ₹7,200 crore by way of direct transfer of benefit into their accounts. The state government has issued instructions to all district collectors to come up with detailed information on all farmers so that the assistance reaches only eligible people, Patil said.

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FSSAI’S AD NORMS TO MAKE BRAND AMBASSADORS MORE ACCOUNTABLE

The Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, which come into force from July 1, are expected to make celebrities, who endorse food products, more accountable. The rules will also establish fairness in claims made by packaged food companies. Replying to a query on laws that make celebrities who endorse food products responsible for misleading claims Rajyavardhan Rathore, said the regulations are aimed at establishing fairness in claims and advertisement of food products and make food businesses accountable for such claims and advertisements so as to protect consumer interest. These regulations inter-alia, also provide a list of prohibited claims and clearly specify that any person, including a third party, who advertises or is a party to the publication of any misleading advertisement not complying with these regulations would be penalised, as per Section 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, he said adding that celebrity endorsements are covered under these provisions. The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Section 53 specifies that any person who publishes or a party to the publication of an advertisement which falsely describes any food or is likely to mislead regarding the nature, substance, quality of any food or gives false guarantee, shall be liable to a penalty of upto ₹10 lakh. On the query whether celebrities endorsing food products can be prosecuted under any laws, he said as per Department of Consumer Affairs there is no provision in the Consumer Protection Act 1986 to prosecute celebrities endorsing food products. A consumer can make a complaint against unfair trade practice in a consumer forum established under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, Rathore added. If, the complaint is upheld, a Consumer Forum can issue an order to the opposite party directing him to remove the defector to replace the good or to return the price of the good to complainant, he said.

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MUMBAI’S DHARAVI, ASIA’S LARGEST SLUM, TO GET RS 26,000 CRORE FACELIFT

The largest slum settlement in Asia will see redevelopment and major infrastructure boost The estimated cost of the mega project stands at a staggering Rs 26,000 crore. The redevelopment project is said to be the biggest brownfield project in India, according report. The project will benefit over 60,000 families in Dharavi A Memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Maharashtra government, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Authority (DRPA) and Seclink after the Dubai-based company’s bid has been accepted by the empowered committee of secretaries under Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain.

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MOST STATES NOTIFY RULES & SCHEMES UNDER STREET VENDORS ACT

Shri Hardeep S Puri, has informed that most of the States have formulated and notified their respective rules and schemes under the Street Vendors Act. The compliance index prepared by the Centre for Civil Society ranks different states on implementation of various parameters of the Act. I hope that the remaining states will take prompt action to notify the rules and schemes to facilitate extension of the provisions of Act to the street vendors, he added. It focuses exclusively on the issues related to creation of pro-vending eco-system in the country. Street vending, being an integral part of the economic growth process, plays a prominent role in the urban supply chainas it provides inexpensive and convenient access to goods and services to all segments of the population including the poor. This underscores the need for positive action on behalf of the Government towards street vending activity. In this context,the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihoods & Recognition of Street vendors) Act in 2014 plays a very important role in protecting the rights of urban street vendors and regulating the street vending activities. The Street Vendors Act, 2014 acknowledges that urban street vendors constitute upto 2.5 % of the population of the city.

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TB SURVIVORS FILE CHALLENGE TO PREVENT J&J FROM EXTENDING PATENT LIFE ON BEDAQUILINE

Two tuberculosis survivors have filed a patent challenge on Johnson and Johnson’s TB drug Bedaquiline. Nandita Venkatesan from Mumbai and Phumeza Tisile from South Africa have filed a challenge at the Mumbai Patent Office to prevent the company from extending its monopoly on the patented drug, a note from humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF – Doctors without Borders) said, adding that they were supporting the challenge. Both individuals had survived drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), but lost their hearing because of the toxicity of the treatment. They are now fighting to ensure that newer drugs like Bedaquiline – which are safer and more effective – are made affordable and accessible to everybody with DR-TB, to replace painful and toxic drugs that need to be injected, the note said. The J&J patent application being challenged is for the salt form of Bedaquiline, which does not merit patenting under India’s patent law, the MSF note said. If granted, J&J’s monopoly on Bedaquiline would be extended from 2023 to 2027, delaying entry of generics by four additional years. This strategy of ‘patent ever-greening’ by filing additional, often unmerited patents, is commonly used by corporations to extend monopolies on their drugs beyond the standard 20 years. Preventing this patent barrier is expected to encourage TB drug manufacturers from India to enter the market with generics and supply Bedaquiline at lower prices to national TB programmes and TB care providers globally, it added. About 558,000 people developed DR-TB in 2017, but only 25 per cent of them were treated. The standard DR-TB treatment in most countries has included drugs that need to be injected daily and are associated with several serious side-effects. The cure rate is only 55 per cent, the note explained. I lost my hearing when I was 24 because of the brutal side-effect of an injected DR-TB drug, said Nandita Venkatesan, who completed her treatment in 2015. I was devastated by this loss, which took a heavy financial, emotional and mental toll on me. How many more people will have to die or go deaf, waiting to access safer and more effective drugs that can save their lives, without such devastating side-effects? With this patent challenge, we want to prevent an extension of the patent monopoly that will continue to block people from accessing more affordable generic versions of Bedaquiline. As seen with cancer drugs, too, high prices remain a significant barrier, despite the benefits of the drug. J&J recently announced a reduced price of $400 for six months of Bedaquiline treatment for South Africa and countries procuring the drug through the Global Drug Facility, but this falls short of making the drug affordable in all countries affected by the DR-TB epidemic, the note said. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently recommended Bedaquiline as a core part of an all-oral treatment regimen for DR-TB, and relegated drugs that must be injected and cause serious side-effects to last-resort options. A scale-up of WHO’s recommendations will dramatically increase the number of people who should receive this drug. Up to November 2018, only 28,700 people had received Bedaquiline worldwide – nearly 70 per cent of whom have been treated in South Africa, the note said. I know what it means to be faced with the choice of being deaf or dead, because the only drugs that can save your life will also rob you of your hearing, the note says, quoting Phumeza Tisile, who completed her treatment for extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) in 2013, which included toxic injected drugs. I wouldn't wish anyone to go through what I did with DR-TB. Pharmaceutical corporations like J&J should stop controlling the price of the drug that will restrict people’s access to safer and more effective tuberculosis treatment.

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OVER 28 LAKH NEW VOTERS ADDED IN MAHARASHTRA

Over 28 lakh new voters have been added to the voter list in Maharashtra as part of the summary revision of electoral rolls. As per the revised list published on January 31, 35,68,352 voters have been added while 7,29,335 names have been deleted. Thus net addition in the voter list is 28,39,017. An official in the state election office said this takes the total number of eligible voters for Lok Sabha elections in the state is 8,73,30,384. The total number of voters in 2014 Lok Sabha elections was 8.07 crore. Out of the 28.39 lakh new voters, around 11.9 lakh are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, the official informed.

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PASSENGER VEHICLE SALES DROP 1.87% IN JANUARY

Passenger vehicle sales continued to remain under pressure in the new year with wholesale volumes falling 1.87% to 280125 units in January. As per data available with industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of passenger vehicles stood at 285467 units in the year-ago period. Sales of commercial vehicles increased marginally by 2.21% to 87591 units. Three-wheeler sales fell 13.59% to 54043 units in the period under review. Increase in ownership costs also hurt demand for two-wheelers which declined 5.18% to 1597572 units in January. While sales of motorcycles dropped 2.55% to 1027810 units, those of scooters slid 10.21% to 497169 units. Overall, sales of vehicles across categories declined 4.68% to 2019331 units.

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MHRD RUNNING VARIOUS SCHEMES TO BOOST EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD CLASSES IN THE COUNTRY

Ministry of Human Resource Development is implementing following schemes for the Economically Backward Class students

1. Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS)

Under this scheme, scholarship is provided to the eligible meritorious students having family income less than Rs. 8.0 lakh per annum, for pursuing higher studies. The amount of scholarship is Rs. 10,000/- per annum for the first three years and Rs. 20,000/- per annum for the fourth and fifth year.

2. Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir (SSS for J&K)

Scholarship is provided to the eligible students from the State of Jammu & Kashmir, having family income less than Rs. 8.0 lakh per annum, to pursue higher studies outside the State of J&K. An amount to the tune of Rs. 1.30 lakh to Rs. 4.00 lakh per annum is provided. The budget head for both the schemes indicated at (i) & (ii) above is common. BE for the Financial Year 2018-19 is Rs. 339 Crore. Out of this, Rs. 139 Crore is allocated for Central Sector Scheme for College and University Students and Rs. 200 Crore is for Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu & Kashmir.

3. Central Sector Interest Subsidy Scheme (CSIS)

Under this Scheme, full interest subsidy is provided during the moratorium period (course period plus one year), on the educational loan up to Rs. 7.5 lakh, taken by the students having annual parental income up to Rs.4.5 lakh. The BE for the Financial Year is Rs. 2150 Crore.

4. Fees Waiving in IITs

In IITs, from the academic year 2016-17, following provisions were made for protecting the interest of the socially and economically backward students while making the payment of tuition fee

·       The SC/ST/PH students shall get complete fee waiver.

·       The most economically backward students (whose family income is less than Rs.1 lakh per annum) shall get full remission of the fee.

·       The other economically backward students (whose family income is between Rs.1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh per annum) shall get remission of 2/3rd of the fee.

·       All students shall have access to interest free loan under the Vidyalaxmi scheme for the total portion of the tuition fee payable.

·       Under the Vidyalaxmi Scheme, Interest subvention on the education loans for all students admitted for undergraduate and the five year integrated degree programmes is provided.

For advancement of Economically Weaker Sections of the society, and as per the Constitution 103rd Amendment Act 2019, Government has issued orders providing 10 percent reservation to EWS categories in admission to educational institutions This reservation for EWS categories would be provided without disturbing the existing entitlements for SC/ST and OBC categories.

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SETTING OF NEW CENTRES FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

In view of increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology across the world, IIT Kharagpur, IIT-Madras, IIIT-Kancheepuram, NIT Silchar, and NIT Bhopal have set up centres for Artificial Intelligence. Most of the Higher Educational Institutions viz., IITs, NITs, IIITs, etc. offer various AI related courses such as Deep Learning Foundations & Applications, Foundations of AI and Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Probabilistic Reasoning in AI, Predictive & Prescriptive Data Analytics, Deep Learning, System Identification, Cyber Physical Security, Digital Image Processing, etc. The Acts and Statutes governing these Institutions allow them to have academic and research collaboration with Institutions and Universities across the world in various fields.

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HAS TAKEN SEVERAL INITIATIVES TO PROVIDE ‘SABKO SHIKSHA ACHCHI SHIKSHA’

The Government of India has taken several initiatives to provide ‘Sabko Shiksha Achchi Shiksha’ i.e. for making available good quality education, accessible and affordable for all. In pursuance of the proposal of the Union Budget, 2018-19, to treat school education holistically without segmentation from pre-school to Class XII, the Department of School Education and Literacy has launched the Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with effect from the year 2018-19. This programme subsumes the three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education. It envisages the ‘school’ as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels. The main emphasis of the Scheme is on improving quality of school education and the strategy for all interventions would be to enhance the Learning Outcomes at all levels of schooling. The Objectives of the Samagra Shiksha are

(a) Provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students;

(b) Bridging Social and Gender Gaps in School Education;

(c) Ensuring equity and inclusion at all levels of school education;

(d) Ensuring minimum standards in schooling provisions;

(e) Promoting Vocationalisation of education;

(f) Support States in implementation of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009; and

(g) Strengthening and up-gradation of SCERTs/State Institutes of Education and DIET as nodal agencies for teacher training.

The major features of Samagra Shiksha are as under:-

·       Provision for up-gradation of schools up-to senior secondary level and strengthening of school infrastructure as per norms.

·       Composite school grant increased from Rs. 14,500-50,000 to Rs. 25,000-1 Lakh and to be allocated on the basis of school enrolment.

·       Annual Grant for sports equipment at the cost of Rs. 5000 for Primary Schools, Rs.10,000 for upper primary schools and up to Rs. 25,000 for secondary and senior secondary schools.

·       Annual grant for Library at the cost of Rs. 5,000/- for Primary School, Rs.13,000/- for composite Elementary school, Rs. 10,000/- for Secondary school (Class 9th & 10th), Rs. 10,000/- for Senior Secondary school (Class 11th & 12th), Rs. 20,000/- for composite Senior Secondary school (Class 1st to 12th).

·       Allocation for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) increased from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 3,500 per child per annum including a stipend of Rs. 200 per month for CWSN girls to be provided from Classes I to XII – earlier it was only for classes IX to XII.

·       Allocation for uniforms enhanced from Rs. 400 to Rs. 600 per child per annum.

·       Allocation for textbooks enhanced from Rs. 150/250 to Rs. 250/400 per child per annum.

·       Upgradation of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) from Class 6-8 to Class 6-12.

·       Strengthening Teacher Education Institutions like SCERTs and DIETs to improve the quality of teachers with SCERT as the nodal institution for in-service and pre-service teacher training

·       Enhanced use of digital technology in education through smart classrooms, digital boards and DTH channels.

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ACTION AGAINST FAKE UNIVERSITIES

The Central Government as well as the University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken the following action against fake Universities running without recognition

·       UGC has issued Show Cause / Warning Notices to fake Universities cautioned that running of Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree courses and giving misleading advertisements shall attract severe action under the provisions of appropriate laws including the UGC Act and the Indian Penal Code, etc.

·       Letters have been sent to the State/UT Principal Secretaries/Education Secretaries for taking appropriate action against the fake Universities located in their jurisdiction.

·       UGC has lodged FIRs in the respective Police stations against Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), New Delhi and Bio-Chemic Education Grant Commission, Nadia, West Bengal.

Apart from the above, UGC has taken the following steps to spread awareness among the general public, students & parents from the fake Universities:

·       UGC has published the list of fake Universities on its website i.e. www.ugc.ac.in.

·       UGC has also issued public notice against the unrecognized status of Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), New Delhi and illegal status of Bio-Chemic Education Grant Commission, Nadia, West Bengal.

·       At the beginning of every academic session, UGC issues Press Release and Public Notice regarding State-wise list of fake Universities in the country in national dailies and newspapers in Hindi and English to warn the aspiring students, guardians and the public at large not to take admission in the courses run by the self-styled, unauthorized fake Universities/Institutions of higher education functioning in different parts of the country.

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LENDERS DUMP ANIL AMBANI GROUP AFTER $1.8 BN VALUE EROSION

Lenders dumped shares of Anil Ambani group companies they held as collateral after their market value plummeted about Rs 12,600 crore ($1.8 billion) this month, adding to the litany of woes plaguing the Indian billionaire. Creditors sold a total 5.5 billion shares in four companies -- Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Communications and Reliance Capital -- leading to a 3-to-8 percentage-point reduction in founders’ stakes in these firms, according to filings. The fragile investor sentiment for the Anil Ambani group was dealt another blow after its wireless unit, Reliance Communications, said last Friday it plans to file for bankruptcy. The selloff spread to other group firms, eroding the value of the shares pledged as collateral. IDBI Trusteeship Services, which held Reliance Power shares, said it sold the assets as the borrowers defaulted on the terms. Reliance Communications has seen its market value drop by more than half this week while shares of Reliance Power and Reliance Infrastructure have crashed almost 60 per cent each. Reliance Capital has tumbled 34 per cent. The share pledge problem has also engulfed other Indian companies. Media tycoon Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group signed a pact with its lenders that protects the group’s borrowings against shares from being counted as default until September 30, even if their value erodes. The accord followed the 27 per cent slump in the flagship Zee Entertainment Enterprises on January 25.

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GOVT PLANS TO PROVIDE PENAL POWERS TO DGCA

The government plans to provide civil aviation regulator DGCA with powers to impose penalties on entities violating the rules Jayant Sinha said a proposal to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934 to make provisions for imposing penalties by the DGCA on service providers for violations of the Act and the aircraft rules has been moved. The amendment has been proposed as a result of ICAO audit finding wherein it has been stated that the DGCA does not have the authority to impose penalties, he added. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is the UN aviation watchdog. Stringent provisions are in place that allows the DGCA to deal with violations at various levels, including those related to airlines, pilots, crew members and other entities.

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BIHAR: RERA NOTICES TO 51 BUILDERS

Bihar Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has issued show-cause notices to 51 builders for advertising promoting and selling their ongoing projects without registering them with the authority. The notices were issued under Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act 2016 for violating the provisions. RERA has also taken a decision to slap a minimum penalty of Rs 10 lakh along with the project registration fee. RERA used its own sources to gather information about these projects and also acted on the complaint received by anonymous callers and then served the show-cause notices to builders. Out of 51 notices, 46 have been sent to unregistered ongoing projects in Patna, three in Muzaffarpur and one each in Saran, Ara and Bodh Gaya. Bihar RERA member Rajiva Bhushan Sinha said, The Authority has given two weeks’ time to the erring builders to come up with a detailed reply to the show-cause notices. In case they fail to reply within stipulated time, punitive action will be initiated against the builders under Section 59 of the RERA Act. He added that the RERA members had conducted a survey between January 28 and February 1 to identify the erring builders, who had advertised their projects on various sections of social media, and other means. The builders have been asked to register their residential projects (up to 1000 square metres) with RERA along with a late fee of Rs 5 lakh or five times the registration amount, whichever is higher. The late registration fee for mixed and commercial projects is Rs 7 lakh or seven times the registration fee, whichever is higher. The deadline for the registration of ongoing projects has been extended till February-end. RERA Bihar has received 881 applications for registration of ongoing projects Out of these, the Authority has already processed and registered 388 projects. The remaining applications are under scrutiny. RERA chairman Afzal Amanullah said as soon as the project gets registered, they will have to start maintaining a separate account for 70% of money received from the said project. To avoid the late fine and to cheat the buyers, the builders are trying to evade registration with the Authority, he added.

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HOUSE PANEL RAPS RATING AGENCIES FOR NOT ANTICIPATING IL&FS SITUATION

A parliamentary panel wants the finance ministry to spell out steps to make India’s credit rating agencies more accountable and transparent in the backdrop of the crisis at the highly rated finance firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS). The panel wants the government to end the practice of agencies getting paid by the companies that want credit ratings, a business model that has often come under criticism. We want the government to change rules so that firms seeking ratings should pay Sebi [Securities and Exchange Board of India] instead of rating agencies for their work. This will possibly make the system more transparent and the chances of manipulation will reduce, said a senior member of the panel. Another member pointed out that investors also go by credit ratings before buying mutual funds or parking money in fixed deposits. A wrong rating can create a havoc for common investors who park their hard earned money in financial instruments.

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HOME BUYERS DEMAND FAST EXECUTION OF RERA ORDERS

IT security consultant Shreeram Mulay has been for a year following up with MahaRERA regarding his complaint related to the possession delay in a DSK project. The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) had in November last year issued a recovery warrant notice But because of the alleged Rs 2,0911.11 crore economic fraud by D S Kulkarni and his group of firms, the complainant is not getting the recovery amounts despite frequent visits to the MahaRERA and Pune collector offices. All that they cite is ‘technical reasons’ for the delay in the recovery Why can’t MahaRERA appoint officials to ensure proper follow-ups of such cases and serve the basic purpose of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016? asked Mulay, who had invested his mother’s pension amount in the project. Shripad Desai from Phursungi is facing a similar situation. MahaRera is not taking actions against the faulty builder, he said. Mulay, along with several investors affected by the DSK case, has been stressing faster execution of their pending cases. Why should MahaRERA not execute an order as per section 40(1) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016?, said Mulay, who got a refund order in his favour after eight hearings. MahaRERA officials, when contacted on Wednesday, were unavailable for comment. A senior MahaRERA official had last month told that once a recovery warrant notice was issued, it was up to the collectorate to take the action.

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RELIANCE INDUSTRIES MAY SELL JIO INFRA ASSETS TO REDUCE DEBT

Brookfield Asset Management, one of the world’s top infrastructure and private equity investors, is in early talks to buy controlling shares in Reliance Jio’s telecom towers and fibre assets valued at over $15 billion (Rs 1.07 lakh crore), people directly aware of the matter said. The deal, if it happens, would be the largest private equity action besides being one of the largest M&As in India. Jio, the telecom arm of India's most valued company Reliance Industries (RIL), recently said it was spinning off tower and fibre into two separate entities, as part of an anticipated de-leveraging exercise. RIL is keen on retiring and refinancing a chunk of its Rs 3 lakh crore, or $40 billion, debt mostly soaked up to finance Jio's disruptive roll-out. Jio operates with a network of over 2.2 lakh towers, including third party ones, and around three lakh route kilometre of optic fibre, in serving a subscriber base fast approaching 300 million. Canada-based Brookfield, managing assets worth more than $330 billion globally, has been eyeing telecom infrastructure assets in Asia’s third largest economy for a while. Brookfield had purchased the loss-making East West Pipeline—a 1,400km pipeline connecting Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Bharuch in Gujarat—entity owned by Mukesh Ambani and family for $2 billion last year. Jio plans to take certain infrastructure assets out of the balance sheet as part of the de-leveraging exercise. It is exploring a deal with Brookfield to spin off assets which has the ability to carry huge debt when backed by long-term operating agreements, aid a person familiar with the matter. Brookfield, which has built a rapport with RIL, along with its global sponsors are keen on a full acquisition, but details would be flushed out only as talks move forward. A potential stake buy in Jio’s assets could make Brookfield the largest telecom infrastructure player in the country. Brookfield was unavailable for comment. RIL didn’t respond to an email query sent on Wednesday till the time of going to press. Jio’s infra assets could be valued anywhere between $12-15 billion depending on how it consolidates towers spread between its own, third party and those of the bankrupt Reliance Communications (RCom), which it was expected to buyout. Incidentally, Brookfield was close to acquiring Anil Ambani-owned RCom’s tower unit before the deal collapsed.

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AVOID FLYING TO OR FROM MUMBAI TILL MARCH; OVER 5,000 FLIGHTS CANCELLED; FARES SHOOT UP

Flying to and from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to get difficult! If you are planning to fly anytime soon to or from the Mumbai Airport, it is advisable to check with the airport authorities first as the airport’s main and secondary runways are likely to remain closed on select days over the next few weeks. Starting from February 7, 2019, to March 30, 2019, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will close its main and secondary runways for three days a week between 11 AM to 5 PM, according to a CSIA spokesperson quoted. The airport’s main and secondary runways are being closed due to repair work, the CSIA spokesperson informed. During that period, except March 21, 2019, the recarpeting work will be carried out at the intersection of both, main and secondary runways every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. According to the CSIA spokesperson, during the period, passengers will face difficulties because of cancellation and rescheduling of flights. However, he added that the Mumbai Airport will operate the whole day on March 21, 2019. Meanwhile, various reports suggest that around 5,000 flights are likely to be cancelled till the end of March due to repair work on the runways. It is being said that around 240 flights are likely to be cancelled daily and several international flights are likely to be rescheduled from the period between 7, 2019 to March 30, 2019. With several flights being cancelled, airfares are also going up and several travel portals are advising people to book flights in advance. The CSIA Airport in Mumbai, one of the busiest in the world, handles around 950 incoming flights every day with around 36 flights every hour. The main runway of the CSIA Airport has the capacity to take up to nearly 50 flights per hour. However, as both the airport runways criss-cross each other, only one is used at a time. Interestingly, last year in the month of December, it was reported that Mumbai’s CSIA Airport created a record by handling as many as 1,007 aircraft movements in a single day.

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INDIA INFLATION SEEN SPEEDING UP IN JAN BUT STILL BELOW TARGET

Indian inflation reversed course and nudged up slightly in January but remained below the central bank's target for a sixth straight month, a Reuters poll predicted, supporting this week's unexpected move by policymakers to cut rates. While a change in monetary policy stance to neutral was the consensus in a separate poll taken ahead of the Feb 7 meeting, only around a third of respondents expected any easing. The latest Reuters poll of 30 economists surveyed before Thursday's RBI meeting suggested consumer price inflation accelerated to 2.48 percent from a year ago, after slowing in December to its lowest rate since June 2017 at 2.19 percent. The disinflation from food and fuel are probably going to start fading, we don't anticipate inflation to drag from these factors, said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy for Asia at Mizuho Bank. We might see inflation normalizing back to their 3-4 percent range by the middle of this year. Food and beverage inflation accounts for nearly half of the overall basket and prices for these items were down in the previous four months. Forecasts in the poll ranged from 2.00 percent to 2.80 percent. If the consensus is realised it would mark the sixth month in a row where inflation was below the RBI's medium-term target of 4 percent. Even though inflation is expected to inch up the evolution is likely to remain benign amid muted demand side pressures. This should provide the central bank room for another cut, said Shashank Mendiratta, economist at IBM. But the disparity between core inflation, which is running closer to 6 percent, and the headline figure remains wide and could weigh on the RBI's monetary policy path, said Prakash Sakpal, Asia economist at ING, citing similar concerns expressed by the new RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

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MUKESH AMBANI SAYS RIL BIGGEST INVESTOR IN BENGAL’S DIGITAL SPACE, JIO TO INVEST OVER RS 10K CR MORE IN THE STATE

Reliance Industries (RIL) has lined up over Rs 10,000 crore of fresh investments in West Bengal for expanding telecom arm Jio’s 4G operations in the state, chairman Mukesh Ambani said. RIL has already invested Rs 28,000 crore in West Bengal, which is one tenth of the company’s total investments across India, and (telecom arm) Jio will invest a further Rs 10,000 crore-plus to make the state a land of digital revolution Ambani said at the fifth Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata on Thursday. Jio, he said, has become the largest investor in the digital space in this state. Ambani said Jio is in advanced stages of setting up its data centre in the state which will be on par with comparable centres in the Silicon Valley. Jio, he said, is also preparing to shortly roll out it’s much awaited high speed fibre to the home broadband services under the Gigafiber brand banner that will transform all homes in West Bengal into smart homes. The RIL chairman also said 100% of the state’s population would be covered by the Jio 4G network by end-2019. Jio will also establish 1000-odd Jio points across rural Bengal to undertake direct distribution of Jio services and boost 4G penetration in the state’s villages. Ambani said Reliance Retail operates over 500 retail outlets and 46 Petro Retail Outlets spanning nearly 1 Million sq ft feet across 400 cities and towns of West Bengal. Jio and Reliance Retail, he said, would shortly launch a unique new commerce platform which will bring win-win benefits to consumers, retailers and producers. Across the country, Ambani said this platform will enrich and empower as many as 3 crore small shopkeepers.

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RELIANCE NEW E-COMMERCE VENTURE TO BOOST 3 CRORE SMALL RETAILERS: MUKESH AMBANI

Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani said that Jio and Reliance Retail will shortly launch a unique new commerce platform that will empower as many as 3 crore small shopkeepers in India. The platform, will bring win-win benefits to consumers, retailers and producers, Ambani said. With Ambani’s new online venture, Indian e-commerce market led by foreign players including Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart is expected to see a dominant third player, according to market experts.

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SATYA MICROCAPITAL DISBURSES RS 680 CRORE IN LOANS TO 2 LAKH MICRO ENTERPRISES

Microfinance startup Satya MicroCapital has disbursed Rs 680 crores in loans to 2 lakh entrepreneurs and micro businesses in India in less than three years of launch. Disbursed amount for the month of January 2019 was approximately Rs 67 crores on an annual interest rate is of 24-25%, Vivek Tiwari told.

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GOVERNMENT HAS DEVELOPED VARIOUS MECHANISMS FOR MONITORING OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Central Government has developed the following mechanism for the monitoring of quality of education in Government schools:

(1) A web portal called ShaGun (from the words Shaala and Gunvatta) which has two parts i.e., one is a Repository of good practices, photographs, videos, studies, newspaper articles etc on elementary education, State /UT wise has been developed. Its purpose is to showcase success stories and also to provide a platform for all stakeholders to learn from each other, and instill a positive competitive spirit among all the States and UTs. The second part is the online monitoring module of Shagun which measures state-level performance and progress against key educational indicators which enables the Government of India and the State and UT Departments of education to conduct real-time assessments which normal paper-based monitoring mechanisms did not allow. Through Shagun, the data collection and reporting processes have been simplified; resulting in a totally transparent and efficient system. In addition, an online Project Monitoring System (PMS) has been developed to monitor physical and financial progress of implementation of various components under Samagra Shiksha including appraisal of Annual Plans and issuing of sanctions etc.

(2) In order to increase focus on quality of elementary education the Central rules to the RTE Act, 2009 have been amended on 20th February, 2017 to include reference on class-wise, subject-wise Learning Outcomes. The Learning Outcomes for each class in Languages (Hindi, English and Urdu), Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Science and Social Science up to the elementary stage have, accordingly, been finalized and shared with all States and UTs. Learning.

(3) National Achievement Surveys are carried out by National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to assess learning achievement of children in Classes – III, V, VIII, and X. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2017 was held on 13th November for assessing the competencies of children at the grade levels III, V and VIII covering 22 lakh students from 1.10 lakh schools in all 36 states and UTs. NAS (2017) was administered with districts as the unit of reporting in different subject areas such as languages, mathematics, EVS/Science and Social Sciences in the Government and Government aided schools. The competency based test was based on the Learning Outcomes which were recently incorporated in the Central Rules for RTE Act by the Government of India. The National Achievement Survey for students of Class X was similarly, held on 5th February 2018, with a district level sampling framework covering nearly 15.5 lakh students using multiple test booklets in Mathematics, Modern Indian Languages, English, Sciences and Social Sciences. NAS district report cards have been shared with the States and UTs to help in identifying gaps at the district level. Subsequently, a framework of intervention has been developed and shared with States to improve the quality of learning in the schools.

(4) Government of India has decided to participate in the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) to be conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021. PISA is a competency based assessment which unlike content-based assessment, measures the extent to which students have acquired key competencies that are essential for full participation in modern societies. Learnings from participation in PISA help to introduce competency based examination reforms in the school system and help move away from rote learning. The CBSE and NCERT are part of the process and activities leading to the actual test.

(5) Shaala Siddhi is a School Standards and Evaluation Framework developed by the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), which enables the schools to self evaluate based on seven key domains.

(6) The NCERT has developed a framework for Performance Indicators for Elementary School Teachers (PINDICS) and shared with the states. PINDICS is a framework for assessing teacher performance and providing constructive feedback for further improvement.

Further, Central Government has taken the following initiatives for improving quality of education

(i) Section 23(2) of the RTE Act has been amended to extend the period for training of untrained in-service elementary teachers to 31st March, 2019. As per above amendment, all untrained in-service teachers working in Government, Government aided, and Private un-aided schools should acquire minimum qualification as laid down by an academic authority, authorized by the Central Government, by 31st March, 2019. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has been entrusted to conduct this training through ODL (Open Distance Learning) mode. The online D.El.Ed. course has started from 3rd October, 2017. More than 13 Lakh teachers have joined these courses.

(ii) The Department of School Education and Literacy has launched an Integrated Scheme for School Education-Samagra Shiksha, subsuming three erstwhile Centrally Sponsored Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). With effect from 1st April, 2018. The new integrated scheme envisages school education as a continuum from pre-school to senior secondary level and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels. The main objectives of the scheme are to provide quality education, enhancing learning outcomes of students, bridging social and gender gaps in school education, ensuring requisite infrastructure in schools, support to states in the implementation of RTE Act, 2009 and strengthening of teacher education institutions.

(iii) The Government has also launched Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan (RAA) programme on 09.07.2015, to motivate and engage children of the age group from 6-18 years in Science, Mathematics and Technology through observation, experimentation, inference drawing, model building, etc. both through inside and outside classroom activities. The Central Government, supports States and UTs on early grade reading, writing & comprehension, and early Mathematics programmes through a sub-programme namely ‘Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat’ (PBBB) in foundational years of schooling.

(iv) e­ PATHSHALA: a single point repository of e ­resources containing NCERT textbooks and various other learning resources has been developed for showcasing and disseminating all educational resources including textbooks, audio, video, periodicals, and a variety of other print and non-­print materials.

(v) MHRD, has launched a Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform popularly known as SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active learning for Young Aspiring Minds) on 9th July, 2017. The portal is offering various online courses for school education and higher education. NCERT has been developing course modules for Massive Open and Online Course (MOOCs) for school education system in 12 subject areas (Accountancy, business studies, biology, chemistry, economic, history, geography, mathematics, physics, political science, psychology and sociology) for classes IX-XII. Twelve (12) courses and twenty one (21) courses have been completed in the first cycle and second cycle (completed on 30 Nov. 2018) on SWAYAM platform (https://swayam.gov.in/) respectively. Nearly 22,000 students and 30,000 students were registered in the first cycle and second cycle respectively.

(vi) A programme for utilization of satellite communication technologies for transmission of educational e-contents through 32 National Channels i.e. SWAYAM PRABHA DTH-TV has been launched. Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET)-NCERT is the national coordinator for one DTH TV channel i.e., Kishore Manch (#31) and has started feeding a 24x7 educational TV channel w.e.f. 09 July, 2018. Besides, NIOS is running 5 channels for teachers, for Secondary and Sr. Secondary levels and for sign language.

(vii) Performance Grading Index (PGI) - In order to objectively evaluate the performance of the school education system in the States/UTs, MHRD has designed a 70 indicators based matrix to grade the States/UTs. The indicators have been chosen after detailed stakeholder consultation and the information on these indicators is drawn from the inputs provided by the respective States/UTs. This grading system will assist the States and UTs to identify the gap and design appropriate interventions to bridge them.

(viii) Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE +) - Timely and accurate data is the basis of sound and effective planning and decision making. Towards this end, the establishment of a well-functioning and sustainable Educational Management Information System is of utmost importance today. Therefore from 2018-19, it has been decided to launch the UDISE+ application, so that it becomes an effective tool for decision making. The entire system will be online and will gradually move towards collecting real time data.

(ix) In order to provide supplementary learning material for students and for upgrading the skills of teachers, MHRD has developed a dedicated Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform. The high quality e-learning material both for students and teachers are being uploaded by Ministry and States/UTs on this portal. This is expected to substantially augment the knowledge base of the students and technical skills of teachers at no additional cost.

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INDIA STANDS COMMITTED TO INCREASE ITS OVERALL HEALTH ALLOCATIONS TO 2.5% OF ITS GDP: J P NADDA

I am happy to share that the country has set an example globally by increasing its domestic financial allocations for health India stands committed to increase its overall health allocations to 2.5% of its GDP as enunciated in the National Health Policy, 2017. Nadda further stated that this milestone meeting is in tandem with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister who has given the clarion call to eliminate HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Under his guidance, we have continued our impactful strategies alongside path-breaking innovations to ensure high-impact programmes that improve health indicators and other determinants of wellness, Shri Nadda emphasized. The Union Health Minister further said that India is prioritising resource allocations for Tuberculosis with more than 2 billion USD, being invested in the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to End TB 2017-2025. This amount is separate from the additional amount of 100 million USD, being invested for nutritional support to TB patients under the Nikshay Poshan Yojna. Nadda said that the Health Ministry is working to ensure smooth and sustained coordination among different departments and ministries to ensure a convergence of efforts to End TB by 2025. This inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach has already demonstrated positive results on TB notifications in several states, he said. By 2024, the target is to ensure that 95% of HIV positive people in the country know their status, 95% of those who know their status are on treatment and 95% of those who are on treatment experience effective viral load suppression. Steps have been taken to ensure that there is no shortage of funds, drugs and testing kits, he elaborated. He further said that WHO world malaria report singled out India for its impressive gains against malaria. Among the high burden countries, only India showed a substantial decline in disease burden, with a 24% drop in cases. India is on course to meet the goal of ending malaria by 2030, he said. The Union Health Minister said that PM Jan Aarogya Yojana (PMJAY), a National Health Protection Scheme, which envisions health assurance of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year, benefiting over 50 crore people. I am happy to share that since the roll-out of ‘Modicare’, in merely 135 days nearly 1.1 million people have already availed of the benefits worth RS. 15 Billion under the scheme, he added. India is the first implementing country to host a replenishment milestone, which presents an unprecedented and unique opportunity to highlight India’s role and political leadership in global health, as well as its strong commitment to achieve SDG3.

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GEM AND CCI SIGN MOU

Government e Marketplace (GeM) and Competition Commission of India (CCI) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on 6th February 2019 to enable a fair and competitive environment in the e-Marketplace. Both CCI and GeM appreciate the importance of advanced analytical tools and processes for identification of malpractices like cartelization. In order to pool their knowledge of the public procurement domain for detection of Anti-competitive practices the MoU has been signed. GeM is a state-of-the-art national public procurement platform of Ministry of Commerce and Industries, that has used technology to remove entry barriers for bonafide sellers and has created a vibrant e-marketplace with a wide range of goods and services. Competition Commission of India is a statutory 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.

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RESERVATION FOR FACULTIES: GOVT TO BRING ORDINANCE OR BILL

The Government Friday said it will bring an ordinance or a Bill if the Supreme Court reject its review petition on reservation mechanism for faculties in universities. With Rajya Sabha proceedings being washed away earlier this week over protests from opposition parties over the issue, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar made a brief statement in the House saying till such time no recruitment will be allowed in universities. Soon after listed official papers were presented to the House, Javadekar rose to say that a study has been conducted on how department-wise reservations to faculties will affect SC, ST and OBCs in 30 universities.

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OVER RS 600 CRORE ALLOCATED FOR COWS IN RS 4.79 LAKH-CRORE UP BUDGET

With elections around the corner, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday put the cow and farmers at the centre of its budget allocation the government has set aside an unprecedented over Rs 600 crore for the protection and welfare of cows and provided around Rs 1,500 crore for agricultural development. Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal presented a Rs 4.79 lakh crore budget for 2019-20, claiming to curb fiscal deficit at Rs 46,910 crore or 2.97 per cent, which is within the mandated three per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. Agarwal said that Rs 892 crore has been allocated for the National Agriculture Development Scheme, Rs 450 crore for National Crop Insurance Scheme and Rs 150 crore for pre-storage of fertilisers to ensure that the farmers don't have any problem in procurement. The state government has also set a target to distribute 60.51 lakh quintal of seeds and 77.26 lakh metric tonnes of fertilisers during 2019-20. It plans to strengthen and construct warehouse system in 40 'Mandi' sites in partnership with the State Warehousing Corporation, with each warehouse having a capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes. This is aimed, Agarwal said, at giving an impetus to agriculture marketing. The state government has also taken a decision to develop 500 markets in the rural areas at a cost of Rs 150 crore. The budget also proposes to buy wheat at a rate of Rs 1,840 per quintal. However, special attention has been given to cow welfare. Apart from the estimated revenue of Rs 165 crore from a special excise cess which will be used to construct and maintain destitute cattle sheds, the budget proposes Rs 247.60 crore for maintenance and construction of gaushalas in the rural areas. A sum of Rs 200 crore has also been kept for Kanha Gaushalas and destitute cattle shelters in urban areas, and Rs 20 crore for establishment and reconstruction of cattle impounding houses. The government also proposes to set up a new dairy in Mathura at a cost of Rs 56 crore. Among other areas, th budget seeks to provide Rs 6,240 crore for rural housing under the Pradhanmantri Avas Yojna (Gramin) and Rs 429 crore has been made for the Mukhyamantri Avas Yojna (Gramin). It makes a provision of Rs 3,488 crore for implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rs 1,393 crore for the National Rural Livelihood Mission and Rs 224 crore for the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission. For promoting sports and creative works among the rural youth, Rs 25 crore will be pumped into the Yuvak Mangal Dal Yojna, the Minister said. The budget will provide Rs 3,000 crore for piped drinking water scheme in Bundelkhand, Vindhya region and the villages affected by low quality water and Rs 2,954 crore for the National Rural Drinking Water Programme. A provision of Rs 250 crore has been made for its ambitious One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme. To link youth with self-employment, Rs 100 crore is proposed under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarojgar Yojna. Provision of Rs 30 crore for 'Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojna' - aimed at uplift of traditional craftsman, including carpenters, tailors, basket weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, potters, sweet makers, barbers, cobblers and masons - has also been made. Aiming at better and readily available healthcare facilities in the state, the government has made a provision of Rs 1,298 crore for Ayushman Bharat, the national health protection mission scheme. A sum of Rs 291 crore has been allocated for 'Pradhan Mantri Matr Vandana Yojna', Rs 111 crore under the state-funded Mukhya Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan to benefit the eligible beneficiaries deprived of Ayushman Bharat scheme, and Rs 47.50 crore for setting up of 100-bed hospitals.

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ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA

The World Bank has approved Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Rs. 6000 Crore scheme for sustainable management of ground water with community participation. The funding pattern is 50:50 between Government of India and World Bank. ABHY envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as formation of ‘Water User Associations’, monitoring and disseminating ground water data, water budgeting, preparation & implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans and IEC activities related to sustainable ground water management.

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SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TRIBAL GROUPS

The Government is committed for holistic development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across the country. Accordingly, a separate scheme namely Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) is being administered by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for their welfare. The scheme is flexible as it enables the States to focus on areas that they consider is relevant to PVTGs and their socio-cultural environment. It includes sectors such as education, housing, land distribution, land development, agricultural development, animal husbandry, construction of link roads, installation of non-conventional sources of energy for lighting purpose, social security or any other innovative activity meant for the comprehensive socio-economic development of PVTGs. The funds are released to States/UT in accordance with the annual programme proposed for a particular financial year. The funds are sanctioned to the State Government on submitting their annual Conservation-cum-Development (CCD) Plan which is considered for appraisal and approval by a Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) in the Ministry. The implementation of the scheme is done by the respective State Governments. No reports regarding PVTGs being deprived of basic social security benefits or having been excluded due to Aadhar linking have been received in the Ministry.

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INCLUSION OF ‘TELI’ CASTE IN THE LIST OF SCHEDULED TRIBES

The Government of India on 15.6.1999 (further amended on 25.6.2002) has laid down the modalities for deciding the claims for inclusion in, exclusion from and other modifications in Orders specifying Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes lists. As per the modalities, only those proposals which have been recommended and justified by the concerned State Government / UT Administration and concurred with by Registrar General of India (RGI) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) are to be considered and legislation amended. Government of Jharkhand has sent the proposal for inclusion of Kolh (Teli) community in Scheduled Tribes list of Jharkhand. However, the ethnographic report in support of the proposal was not sent by Government of Jharkhand. As per extant modalities, recommendation of State Government with ethnographic report in support of the proposal is pre-requisite.

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RELEASING FUNDS UNDER PRE-MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME FOR TRIBALS

The Scheme of Pre-Matric Scholarship for Tribals is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) which is being implemented through State Govt/UT Administration in a defined fund sharing pattern. As per norms of the scheme, State Govt/UT Administration is required to access the requirement of funds on the basis of number of applications received from eligible ST students and furnish a consolidated proposal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs along with Utilization Certificate and Statement of Expenditure for release of central assistance as per schematic norms. The Ministry has already released central share of assistance up to 2017-18 to all those States who have furnished required information/documents to the Ministry. Further, 1st installment of central assistance for the year 2018-19 has also been released to 13 States who have furnished required information/documents to the Ministry. The Ministry has also been repeatedly raising this issue of required documents with States/UTs in various review meetings, video conferences etc. so that the eligible beneficiaries may get scholarships in time. Hence, the Ministry is fully committed to meeting requirements of Pre-Matric Scholarship made by various States/UTs.

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PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OF DARD ARYAN TRIBE

‘Dard Aryan’ is not among the list of notified Schedule Tribes. Ministry of Tribal Affairs has not formally received any charter of demands from the concerned State Government for seeking financial help for preservation of cultural heritage of ‘Dard Aryans’. However, as informed by the Ministry of Culture, a seminar on the cultural traditions of Dard Aryans of Laddakh was organised during Dard Aryan Festival (Aryan Utsav) held in Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) from 16-21 January, 2019. As informed by the Ministry of Culture, during the Seminar on Dard Aryans at IGNCA from 16-21 January, 2019, artists from Dard Aryan Community raised the issues that due to modernization, migration, and religious conversion, etc., their traditions and culture are at threat. However, no formal communication has been received by MoTA from the concerned State in this regard. IGNCA has taken up the following initiatives to preserve cultural heritage of the Dard Aryans:

(i) Assistance in setting up a few Museums in the Regions of Dard Aryans in Leh, Laddakh, Kargil, etc., with the help of local community.

(ii) A festival of Dard Aryan was organised by the IGNCA during 16-21 January, 2019 at IGNCA, in which around 35 artists from Dard Aryan regions participated. The five-day festival included organizing a full-day Seminar at IGNCA, arranging their visit to MahaKumbh at Prayagraj, connecting them with the students and faculties of the Jawahar Lal Nehru University. Wide publicity of these was given in leading print media, electronic and social media etc.

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FSSAI’S FOSTAC PROGRAMME TRAINS 1 LAKH SUPERVISORS

Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) Programme, a capacity building initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has crossed the 1 lakh mark of trained and certified supervisors The programme aims to build capacities of trained food handlers across the value chain in micro, small, medium and large companies in the food sector. In a statement, the food safety authority said that it has created a pan-India training network comprising of 169 training partners and over 1500 empanelled trainers. Under the FoSTaC program, over 80,000 people have been trained in the organized sector and almost 18,000 people in un-organized sector including street food vendors and self-help groups till date, the statement added. FSSAI said that food safety is a shared responsibility and the FoSTaC programme promotes a culture of self-compliance in food businesses by making them more diligent toward food safety and hygiene in their premises through effective training of their own staff. Pawan Agarwal, said, This would definitely raise the bar for food safety and build a culture of self-compliance for food safety in food businesses in the country. The success of this initiative lies in the power of partnership between stakeholders across the value chain as policing through licensing & enforcement alone does not ensure food is safe for consumption, the regulator added.

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AROUND 450 TERRORISTS OPERATING IN J&K: ARMY

The Army on Thursday said 450 terrorists were operating in Jammu and Kashmir and the terror infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC) was intact with the full support of Pakistan as 16 terrorist camps were operating in the neighbouring country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The number of terrorists is more on the north of Pir Panjal. Around 350 to 400 terrorists are active in the Kashmir valley On the south of Pir Panjal (the Jammu region), there are 50 terrorists, Northern Army commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh told. He said most of the terrorists on the south of Pir Panjal were dormant. It is sad that the terrorist infrastructure in PoK is still intact. The Pakistan Army, in its bid to support infiltration of terrorists from across the border, carries out ceasefire violations and certain tactical activities along the LoC, he said, adding that 16 terrorist training camps were operating in PoK and Pakistan. He added that 191 youngsters had joined terrorist groups in the Kashmir valley, but there was a relative decline in the number of people joining such outfits over the last few months. According to reports, 191 youngsters are reported to have joined militancy. Most of the recruitments took place up to the month of August. There was a relative decline in the number of youngsters joining militancy from October till now, Lt Gen. Singh said. He added that there were concerted efforts on the part of the Army to reach out to the youngsters and their parents and teachers so that they prevailed upon the youngsters not to join any outfit propagating terrorism. We hope that the youth engagement programmes will pay dividends in the months to come, the Northern Army commander said. Castigating the narrative being created that it was an indigenous movement, he said of the 836 terrorists killed in the state in the last five years, 490 were Pakistani or foreign terrorists. Lt Gen. Singh added that there was a significant percentage of Pakistani terrorists, who were being used as cannon fodder and pushed into Jammu and Kashmir to cause casualties among Indian citizens. However, the Army was taking action to arrest this trend, he added.

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GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS! 1,490 ORDERED TO BE KEPT IN DETENTION CENTRES IN ASSAM; 691 RELEASED LATER

The Foreigners Tribunals in Assam have in the last three years sent 1,490 people in detention centers in the state, out of nearly 8,992 cases they received to determine citizenship, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Later on, 691 people were released from these detention centres after judicial process. Kiren Rijiju said that as per the information made available by the Assam government, 2,764 people were referred to the foreigner’s tribunals in 2016, 4,223 people in 2017 and 2,005 people in 2018. These people were referred to the foreigners tribunals to ascertain whether they were Indians or foreigners in terms of the provisions contained in the Foreigners (Tribunal) Order 1964, he said in a written reply to a question. The foreigners tribunals have decided to send 236 people to the detention centres in 2016, 826 people in 2017 and 428 people in 2018. Rijiju said among the people who were ordered to be kept in detention centres in last three years, 111 people in 2016 were either released on the basis of the opinion given by the foreigners tribunals or by the higher courts or repatriated to their native country, 453 people in 2017 and 127 people in 2018.

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HIGHLIGHTS OF PM'S REPLY TO THE MOTION OF THANKS ON THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS IN THE LOK SABHA

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, replied to the motion of thanks on the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha. In a series of tweets Prime Minister said:

A Government has to work for the people of India a Government has to be sensitive to people's aspirations. There is no room for corruption So many members spoke in the debate in the Parliament. I thank them all. I congratulate all those who will be voting for the first time in the 2019 Parliamentary polls. Those born in the 21st century are now going to be voters and thus, they will play a role in shaping India's progress. It is trust and optimism that will take our nation forward. We are not those who run away from challenges. We face the challenges and work to fulfil people's aspirations Our friends in the Congress see things in two time periods. BC- Before Congress, when nothing happened. AD- After dynasty- where everything happened. India is seeing remarkable progress in the last four years. In all spheres, investment, steel sector, start ups, milk and agriculture, aviation, India's progress is outstanding. In hating Modi, the Opposition has begun to hate the nation. That is why their leaders go to London and do press conferences to show India in bad light. You know what is my crime for them? That a person born to a poor family is challenging their Sultunate. In their 55 years, sanitation coverage was around 38% and in our 55 months it is nearly 98%. Gas connections in their 55 years was 12 crore, it is 13 crore in 55 months. We have worked at greater speed in our five years. Think about it, Congress imposed Emergency, but Modi is destroying institutions. Congress insults Army, calls the Army Chief a Gunda but Modi is destroying institutions. Congress leaders create stories that Indian Army is doing a coup but Modi is destroying institutions. Congress bullies the judiciary but Modi is destroying institutions. Congress calls Planning Commission a bunch of jokers but Modi is destroying institutions. Congress misuses Article 356 several times but Modi is destroying institutions. The people of India have seen the work a Government with a full majority can do. They have seen the work of NDA. They do not want a महामिलावट Government of those who assembled in Kolkata. During the CWG 2010, our players were playing hard to win medals for India. But, for Congress, Commonwealth Games were an opportunity to boost personal wealth of a few in the Party. The phone banking of the UPA did wonders for the friends of their leaders. Due to such favouritism, our banking system witnessed many problems. I want to say it on the floor of the Parliament that the Indian National Congress does not want our armed forces to be strong. They do not want our security apparatus to be strong. Which companies are they bidding for that they are acting so shamefully? Dr. Baba saheb Ambedkar was always ahead of his time. He had said that joining Congress is like committing suicide. Thousands of organisations were getting funds from overseas. We sought transparency in the process but these organisations shut down. Why was such money allowed to come in without accountability? Price rise and Congress are a team. When Congress comes, so does rising prices. The NDA Government has worked to keep prices under check. What was the reason LED bulbs were so costly during the UPA era.

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SUPREME COURT ORDERS TEJASHWI YADAV'TO VACATE GOVT BUNGALOW FOR DEPUTY CM, FINES HIM RS 50,000

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav's plea, challenging the Patna High Court order asking him to vacate a government bungalow meant for the deputy chief minister, and ordered him to shift to an accommodation for the leader of the opposition. A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the RJD leader for challenging the government decision. Yadav, who is currently the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, had filed an appeal against the Patna High Court judgement turning down his petition challenging the Bihar government order to vacate his bungalow to make way for Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

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MAYAWATI HAS TO PAY FOR STATUES: SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court today said that prima facie BSP supremo Mayawati has to pay back all the public money she spent on statues as the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The apex court said this while while hearing a plea seeking direction to restrain her from spending public money on building statues. Chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said the court will hear the plea on April 2. The state government headed by Mayawati had built the memorials, statues and parks at a cost of over Rs 2,600 crore in Lucknow, Noida and few other places in the state.

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DEFENCE SECRETARY'S NOTE ON RAFALE STRONG EVIDENCE AGAINST MODI: RAHUL

Rahul Gandhi said the Defence Secretary wrote in a note that it is desirable that such discussions be avoided by the PMO as it undermines our negotiating position seriously. It cannot be written stronger than this, the Congress President said. For more than a year, we've been saying that PM is directly involved in Rafale scam. Today it is clear that PM himself had been carrying out a parallel negotiation, he added. Gandhi said the Defence Ministry itself asked the PMO to refrain from having parallel parleys. He said the Centre tried to mislead the Supreme Court and Parliament by concealing crucial information about the deal. When asked about the investigations against Robert Vadra, Rahul Gandhi said the Centre can do any inquiry they want on any of the Congress leaders. We are ready to face it. But, he should do an inquiry on Rafale scam too, he said.

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PEOPLE WILL REMOVE A ‘DIVISIVE’ PM: RAHUL

All India Congress Committee’s Minority Cell on Thursday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the newly sworn-in governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will remove RSS-affiliated people from the governments He said that the bureaucracy will be sent the message that the governments are working for the people, and not for the RSS. The Amethi MP said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has understood that India cannot be ruled by spreading hate India’s Prime Minister can rule this country only by uniting people. If he is not doing this properly, people will remove him, he added. He claimed that the Congress has destroyed the reputation of the PM by communicating with people about the issues of farmers, workers, youth and corruption. In 2019, the Congress will defeat the BJP-RSS combine, he said. He said, This country belongs to all citizens. The fight is against two ideologies. One ideology says that the country belongs to all. The other says this country is a product and the benefit should go to a few people. Minorities of the country have helped this country in many ways, he added.

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DEFENCE MINISTRY NOTE OBJECTED TO 'PARALLEL' PMO-FRANCE RAFALE TALKS: RAHUL

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that a Defence Ministry note objected to ''parallel negotiations'' between the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and stakeholders on the French side on the Rafafe deal, report. Gandhi said that a note written by the Defence secretary commented that talks between the Prime Minister's Office and France weakened the Ministry of Defence's position in the negotiations. The Congress president said that Rs 30,000 crore has been stolen from the country due to the deal. Gandhi added that the Supreme Court judgement clearing the deal is now in question.

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INDONESIA FINDS 193 BANGLADESHIS LOCKED UP IN SHOP HOUSE

Indonesian police found 193 Bangladeshis locked up in a shop house after human traffickers had lured them with the promise of getting them to Malaysia, an immigration official said on Thursday. The men entered Indonesia as tourists via Bali and the city of Yogyakarta with the intention of going to Malaysia for work, North Sumatra’s immigration chief said. They are victims of human trafficking and were lured, Fery Monang Sihite said by telephone, adding that the men had been locked up in Medan on the island of Sumatra. The men, who were described as in a healthy condition when they were found on Tuesday night, had been taken to an immigration detention centre and would be sent back to Bangladesh, Sihite said. In the space of 48 hours, about 2,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh by boat, fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

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US VISA FRAUD: LAWMAKERS SEEK FAIR TREATMENT OF DETAINED INDIANS

A bipartisan group of eminent American lawmakers has asked authorities to facilitate consular access to Indians held for enrolling in a fake university allegedly to remain in the US, and treat them fairly and humanely after the community raised concerns over the manner they were detained. In multiple raids last month, federal authorities arrested 129 Indians an a Palestinian enrolled as students in the fraudulent university in Metro Detroit area. The Farmington University was set up by the DHS’s investigating unit in Greater Detroit area to bust the pay-and-stay racket. Immigration attorneys claimed that they knew nothing about the varsity’s illegal operation and were trapped. The US State Department said they were aware that they were committing a crime to fraudulently remain in the country. In a letter, the lawmakers led by Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure students detained were treated properly and are afforded all rights provided to them under law, including access to an attorney and release on bond for those eligible. According to the ICE, the investigation began in 2015, and HSI agents have been operating the fake school since 2017. As per the indictment unsealed last week, eight individuals served as recruiters for the school, enrolling hundreds of foreign nationals as students at the university. These eight recruiters have been indicted for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harbouring aliens for profit by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. The Indian-American community and Indian Consulate have expressed concerns regarding the treatment of these detained foreign nationals, the lawmakers said. We urge DHS and ICE to ensure the detained students are treated properly and afforded all rights provided to them under the law, including access to an attorney and release on bond, if they are eligible, the letter said. We further urge DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees, the lawmakers said in the letter. India said Tuesday it has obtained consular access to 117 of the 129 Indian students detained in the US for enrolling in a fake university and legal assistance was being extended to them. The Indian government has continued to closely monitor and take proactive measures to deal with the detention of Indian students, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in New Delhi.

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APPLE IS AGAIN THE MOST VALUABLE US COMPANY

Apple won back its crown as the most valuable publicly listed U.S. company on Wednesday, ending the session with a market capitalisation above recent leaders Microsoft and Amazon.com. Apple edged up 0.03 percent, putting its market value at $821.5 billion. Microsoft's market capitalisation ended at $813.4 billion after its stock dipped 1.11 percent, while Amazon's stock market value finished the day at $805.7 billion, in third place, after its shares slid 1.12 percent.

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NO PLANS TO DECRYPT MESSAGES, SAYS WHATSAPP

Facebook-owned social messaging platform WhatsApp on Wednesday said that it is not working on any technology to decrypt the messages as yet because doing so would mean changing the whole structure of the app. We have created encryption to protect the privacy of the users. We have no intention to do that (decrypt) we do not have the ability to decrypt the messages on WhatsApp, Carl Woog, told reporters. He said the company can see only the very few last messages that are part of conversations between two people or a group, but cannot decrypt the history of the messages. When asked if the company could have the technology to decrypt in future if the Indian regulations or policy demands, Woog said: We will take one step at a time right now, we are trying to explain that we believe a private system has significant benefits from the privacy and safety perspective (of users). We have to see what happens. The company says it cares about the privacy of its users. We do not ask for much information from them. Yet, even basic account information along with an IP address and associated carrier information can be used to teach our machine learning systems the difference between bulk and normal registrations, Woog added.

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FACEBOOK RAMPS UP EFFORTS TO MAKE ELECTIONS ADS MORE TRANSPARENT, TO START ENFORCEMENT ON FEBRUARY 21

Social networking giant Facebook, on Thursday, announced that it would begin enforcement of its advertising transparency policy for India on February 21. Facebook will also introduce two label categories for its disclaimers — paid for and published by— including the name of the individual or the entity behind the ad, which will be displayed in every political ad. Those engaging in political advertising in India must comply with the policy said Sarah Schiff. She added that the company had authorised 1000s of people who had completed the mandatory authorisation, a process Facebook launched in December 2018 for what it calls identity confirmation. The offline authorisation process, the company confirmed, is being done by third-party agency. Schiff claimed that a step-by-step approach to introducing ad transparency ensures political advertisers have enough time to complete all necessary steps. Facebook will also roll out the linking up of ad accounts for authorised advertisers, along with two new disclaimer categories it is adding for political ads — a paid for label, which will be on the Facebook Page they run. If the advertiser names another organization as the paymaster, Facebook will demand additional credentials (phone number, email, website or a Media Certification & Monitoring Committee Certificate from the Election Commission). The certificates issued by the EC’s monitoring committee, however, will only be displayed once election dates are announced, and will be applicable for candidates and political parties. The other disclaimer is a published by label, similar to what advertisements in the print media carry. Should an advertiser edit these disclaimers, it would need to provide additional credentials, for further verification, said Schiff. Facebook considers India as its largest market, with over 294 million monthly active users. In a recent investor call, Dave Wehner, Facebook’s chief financial officer, said that Facebook’s daily active users reached 1.52 billion in Q4 2018, a 9% increase from 2017, led by growth in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Besides ad transparency, Facebook will also show the location of the people who are running pages with political ads in India. As part of location transparency, we will start showing the location of all pages that have disclaimers, Schiff said. It also made two-factor authentication mandatory for people who manage pages with a large audience in India, requiring them to confirm their primary country location to be able to continue to post to their Pages.

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GERMANY CRACKS DOWN ON FACEBOOK FOR GATHERING DATA WITHOUT USERS' KNOWLEDGE

Germany's antitrust watchdog on Thursday announced a crackdown on Facebook's data collection practices after ruling the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their knowledge or consent Facebook said it would appeal the landmark ruling by the Federal Cartel Office, the culmination of a three-year probe, saying the watchdog underestimated the competition it faced and undermined Europe-wide privacy rules that took effect last year. In future, Facebook will no longer be allowed to force its users to agree to the practically unrestricted collection and assigning of non-Facebook data to their Facebook accounts, Cartel Office Chief Andreas Mundt said. The probe's findings come amid fierce scrutiny of Facebook over a series of privacy lapses, including the leak of data on tens of millions of Facebook users, as well as the extensive use of targeted ads by foreign powers seeking to influence elections in the United States. The cartel office objected in particular to how Facebook acquires data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram services - and its online tracking of people who aren't even members. That includes tracking visitors to websites with an embedded Facebook 'like' or share button - and pages where it observes people even though there is no obvious sign the social network is present. The ruling does not yet have legal force and Facebook has a month to appeal, which the social network said it would do.

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9.16 CR TOILETS BUILT, 5.5 LAKH VILLAGES DECLARED ODF SINCE 2014: GOVT

More than nine crore toilets have been constructed across the country till February 5 this year under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) launched in 2014, increasing the sanitation coverage in rural areas to over 98 per cent, the government said Thursday. Giving out the details of toilets constructed under the mission, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi said so far 27 states and 5.5 lakh villages have been declared open defecation free (ODF). Under SBM(G), 9.16 crore toilets have been constructed till February 5, 2019. As a result, sanitation coverage in the rural areas of the country, which was 38.7 per cent on October 2, 2014, has increased to more than 98 per cent. Twenty-seven states, 601 districts, 5,934 blocks, 2,46,116 gram panchayats and 5,50,151 villages have been declared ODF, he told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The minister also said that since the launch of SBM-G in 2014, 9.16 crore individual household latrines (IHHLs) have been constructed till February 5 this year out of which, 5.22 crore IHHLs have been constructed during the last two years. According to the government, the maximum funds under the SBM-G for the year 2018-19 were released to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at Rs 6,592.64 crore and Rs 2,943.69 crore, respectively. The data provided by the government revealed that both the states received double amount of funds in 2018-19 compared to 2017-18. The government had launched the SBM-G from October 2, 2014 with an aim to attain open defecation free (ODF) India by October 2, 2019, by providing access to toilet facilities to all rural households in the country.

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Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya