GENERAL UPDATES 12.02.2019

GOVERNMENT NOT LOOKING AT ANY OTHER PROPOSAL FOR PSB MERGER

The government is not considering any other merger proposal in public sector banks at the moment as it would wait for completion of the amalgamation of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda (BoB), official sources said. The Union Cabinet last month approved the merger of these three banks to create the country's third-largest lender. The process of amalgamation is going on according to the schedule, the sources said. They added that the other proposal would be considered after the stabilisation of this three-way merger. Last month, boards of the three banks also cleared the share-swap ratio for the proposed amalgamation. According to the Scheme of Amalgamation announced by BoB, shareholders of Vijaya Bank would get 402 equity shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares held in the bank. In the case of Dena Bank, the shareholders would get 110 shares of BoB for every 1,000 shares owned in the bank. The scheme would come into force on April 1. After the merger, the number of PSBs will come down to 18.

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EPFO LIKELY TO RETAIN INTEREST RATE AT 8.55% FOR FY19

Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to retain the interest rate on employees' provident fund at 8.55 per cent rate for the 2018-19 fiscal for its more than six crore subscribers, a highly-placed source said. The proposal for providing interest rate for the current fiscal would come up in the meeting of the trustees of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation on February 21, the source said. The EPFO's income projections for the current fiscal would be tabled in the meeting. However, the source did not dismissed completely speculations that interest rate on EPF deposits for this fiscal can be more than 8.55 per cent in view of Lok Sabha elections. The Central Board of Trustees headed by Labour Minister is the apex decision making body of the EPFO which finalises rate of interest on PF deposits for a financial year. Once approved by the CBT, the proposal is required concurrence of the Finance Ministry. The interest rate is credited into the subscribers account after the Finance Ministry's approval. The EPFO had provided a five-year low rate of interest of 8.55 per cent to its subscribers for 2017-18. The body had kept the interest rate at 8.65 per cent in 2016-17 and 8.8 per cent in 2015-16. It provided 8.75 per cent interest for 2013-14 as well as 2014-15. The rate of interest was 8.5 per cent in 2012-13. Other important issues that can come up for discussion in the CBT meeting next week include appointment of new fund managers and review of investment made by the EPFO in exchange trade funds (ETFs). The EPFO had started investing in the ETFs in August 2016. Presently it invests 15 per cent of its Rs 1.5 crore investible deposits at hand every year in the ETFs. It has invested around Rs 50,000 crore in the ETFs so far.

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NATIONAL STATISTICAL COMMISSION HAS APPROVED NSSO REPORT: LABOUR MINISTER

Days after the government termed the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) periodic labour force survey (PLFS) report as a ‘draft’, Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar told the Lok Sabha (LS) on Monday it was approved by a top statistics body in December. The government has not released the NSSO’s PLFS report for 2017-18, which shows unemployment rate at a 45-year high of 6.1 per cent, even after the required approvals were in place. For the year 2017-18 (July 2017-June 2018), the NSSO has completed (the) survey and submitted (a) draft report to National Statistical Commission (NSC), which has approved the same. The NSSO is currently processing the quarterly data for the period July 2017-December 2018, Gangwar said in a written reply in the LS. The report requires the approval of the NSC after which it was supposed to be made public by the NSSO.

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CASH IN CIRCULATION NOW MORE THAN PRE-DEMONETISATION LEVEL

Currency in circulation touched a new high of Rs 20.65 lakh crore on January 18, 2019, way above the pre-demonetisation high of Rs 17.97 lakh crore. The increase in currency usage points to a recovery in 'informality' in the economy as the government goes easy on goods and services tax compliance and businesses continue using cash, according to Pranjul Bhandari. The acceleration of CIC since late-2017 has resulted in leakage of liquidity from the banking system, said Bhandari, who has previously served at the IMF, finance ministry and Planning Commission. The introduction of GST was expected to improve tax compliance but is taking time, she said in a research report. She said the informal sector, which had weakened significantly following demonetisation has, with the progress of remonetisation, inched up. However, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, chief economist, SBI group, told, It is a matter of debate whether currency in circulation implies more cash usage. This is because there has been a decline in velocity of money implying that fewer cash transactions are being made. In the past, economists have noted how CIC goes up ahead of major elections. Former governor Raghuram Rajan, too, had attributed the surge in currency in April 2016 to state elections. Around election time, cash with the public does normally increase.. You can guess as to reasons why, we can also guess, he had said. Bhandari says this is not the case now. We tested for some other drivers of cash as well, for instance, poll-related increase in cash use, and found it to be insignificant. Bankers say money not coming back into the banking system is one of the reasons why they are unable to meet deposit growth targets Deposit growth during FY19 (up to January 18, 2019) at 4.9% has not been keeping pace with credit surge, which has grown 8.2% during the same period, making it difficult for banks to cut interest rates. Traditionally, currency in circulation has been positively correlated with rural demand. However, that relationship may have broken down in FY19. Nearly 70% of rural India, whose main source of income is wages, was not doing too well. And yet, CIC accelerated. We attribute this to the recovery in the informal sector, said Bhandari. When currency in circulation surpassed predemonetisation levels, government officials said the increase was below trend growth and as a ratio of GDP, it was still lower. The CIC-to-GDP ratio was 11.9% on the eve of demonetisation. After touching a low of 8.8% in March 2017, it jumped to 10.9% in March 2018, and a likely 11.4% by March 2019. We expect the CIC-to-GDP ratio to inch up further to 11.6% by March 2020, implying some increase but not an acceleration in currency leakage, said Bhandari.

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DEFENCE INDUSTRIES ATTRACT MEAGRE $0.21 MILLION FDI DURING APR-SEPT 2018

Defence industries have attracted a meagre $0.21 million foreign direct investment (FDI) during April-September 2018, Parliament was informed on Monday. In 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18, defence industries received $0.08 million, $0.10 million and $0.01 million foreign inflows, respectively. In 2016-17, the industries in the sector failed to attract FDI, according to the data provided by C R Chaudhary. India imports 70 per cent of its military hardware from various countries. Overall, FDI in the country dipped 11 per cent to $22.66 billion during April-September this fiscal. In 2017-18 also, the growth rate of foreign direct investment recorded a five-year low of 3 per cent at $44.85 billion. In a separate reply, the minister said funds provided to Invest India have increased to Rs 33,19,42,631 in 2018-19 as against Rs 1,18,78,380 in 2013-14. Invest India, a non-profit company, acts as a national investment promotion and facilitation agency. The current shareholding pattern of Invest India is 51 per cent of industry associations (Ficci, CII and Assocham) and the remaining 49 per cent of central and state governments.

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WHY PENDING COURT CASES HAVE BEEN GOING UP

The accompanying table shows that the number of pending cases in the Supreme Court has come down marginally by 3.8% between 2015 and January 2019. In the 24 high courts across India, however, the number of outstanding cases has gone up by 375,402, or 9.7%, during the same period. While the Allahabad high court, which has 726,000 pending cases, is right at the top of the list, the Rajasthan high court comes second with 449,000 pending cases. Interestingly, the number of pending cases has gone up despite an increase in the number of sanctioned judges. The sanctioned strength of high court judges in May 2014 was 906, which was increased to 1,079 by December 2018. But the current working strength of judges is just 679, with 37% of the sanctioned strength vacant. Not surprisingly, outstanding court cases have gone up since 2015. While it’s important to raise the sanctioned strength, it’s also important to appoint judges to those posts. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha recently, the government said: The selection and appointment of judges in subordinate courts is the responsibility of the high courts and state governments concerned. As per the National Judicial Data Grid, more than 29.7 million civil and criminal cases are pending in the lower courts across the country. Two civil cases have been pending since 1951. Between the end of 2013 and end of 2018, the sanctioned strength of judicial officers in lower courts went up from 19,518 to 22,833. The working strength has increased from 15,115 to 17,701. This basically means that there is still a shortage of 5,132 judges, which has led to a huge increase in the number of pending cases in lower courts. Of the total 29.7 million cases pending in lower courts, nearly 20.5 million cases were added between 2015 and now. In 2017 and 2018, the lower courts disposed of around 12.6 million and 13 million cases, respectively. Despite courts disposing of a huge number of cases every year, pending cases keep growing. In April 2017, the Nyaya Mitra Scheme was launched to appoint retired judicial officers to expedite disposal of cases pending for over 10 years. The government and the judiciary, however, must do much more to address the problem.

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DEFENCE OFFSET CONTRACTS

21 defence offset contracts with cumulative value of 5.67 Billion US Dollars approximately have been signed by Ministry of Defence (MOD) in last three years. MOD has assigned a study through Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) to ascertain the impact of offsets on Indian Defence Industrial Base. The interim report has been received. Defence industry sector was first opened up in May 2001 for 100% manufacturing by Indian Private sector including FDIupto admissible cap both subject to licensing. Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) vide press note 5(21016) notified revised FDI policy under which FDI is allowed under automatic route upto 49% and beyond 49% through Government route whenever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons to be recorded. So far, 41 FDI proposals / Joint Ventures have been approved in defence sector for manufacture of various defence equipments, both in public and private sector. Further, Government has so far issued 430 licenses till December, 2018 for manufacturing of various licensable defence items. FDI of Rs.1.16 crore has been received under the 3 National Industrial Classification (NIC) Codes of Defence sector as informed by DIPP. In addition, 6 companies, for which FDI approval had been accorded, received Rs.237.44 crores in Defence and aerospace sector since April 2014 in other than 3 NIC codes.

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BILL FOR NRI MEN TO COMPULSORY REGISTER MARRIAGE WITHIN 30 DAYS

Against the backdrop of cases of Indian women being trapped in fraudulent marriages with non-resident Indians, a bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Monday to make it compulsory to register such marriages within 30 days If an NRI man fails to register his marriage within 30 days of date of marriage, his passport can be impounded or revoked. Also, it allows courts to attach properties, movable and immovable, of proclaimed offenders or people who fail to appear before courts despite warrants being issued against them. The 'Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019' empowers passport authorities to impound or revoke passport or travel documents of NRIs who fail to register their marriage within 30 days of getting married. The proposed law will be applicable to NRIs marrying Indian women within or even outside India, the bill states. Since the Budget session ends on Wednesday and is the last session before Lok Sabha elections, the bill is unlikely to be passed. Since it has been introduced in Rajya Sabha and is likely to remain pending there, it would not lapse on the dissolution of the present (16th) Lok Sabha on June 3.

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MSME MINISTRY’S INITIATIVES FOR PROMOTION OF KHADI

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterpriseshas taken various initiatives to promote Khadi through Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC). Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Giriraj Singh gave details of such initiatives while replying to a question in Lok Sabha. The details are as follows:

·       One of the key interventions is the development and implementation of ‘Khadi Mark’. The Khadi Mark was launched by President of India in September 2013 subsequent to notification of the Khadi Certification Regulations 2013. The Khadi Mark not only guarantees the genuineness of Khadi products but also promotes Khadi as a brand that connotes social, cultural, and environmental values.

·       KVIC engaged a fashion designer of national and international repute for designing Khadi products to make them more competitive and appealing in domestic as well as overseas markets.

·       A MoU was signed between KVIC and Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd. (ABFRL), Raymond and Arvind Mills for sale of Khadi fabric in the country and abroad.

·       MoUs were signed with institutions like Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO), World Trade Centre (WTC), Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), Trade Promotion Council of India, for invigorating business opportunities in overseas markets.

·       KVIC has entered into an agreement with M/s. GLOBUS, a retail clothing stores chain for setting up of ‘Khadi Korner’, a shop in shop concept, initially in Globus Showroom at Noida, followed by Globus showrooms in Chennai and Ahmedabad.

·       Launching of ‘franchise scheme’ to expand the sales distribution network.

·       Tie up with e-Commerce platform for on-line marketing through e-Commerce companies like Paytm.

·       Special efforts to attract youth by introducing attractive T-shirts, Khadi jeans, jackets, kurtis as well as launching a range of casual wear called ‘vicharvastra’ specially designed by RituBeri.

·       Opening of sales outlets at domestic and international airports like Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Varanasi.

·       Opening Khadi Outlets in Post Offices.

·       Tie up arrangements for bringing out innovative export quality product designs with NIFT

·       Ensuring strong digital presence with a vision to reach out to the required target audience through online social media such as Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram etc.

·       Launched‘store app’ through mobile application to facilitate the customers to locate Khadi India sales outlet at various geographical locations to increase foot falls at various stores under KVIC

·       Introduction of pre-paid Gift Voucher Scheme for corporate gifting including PSU and Government Departments.

·       Participation in domestic international exhibitions at State and National levels wherein KVIs are allowed to participate and market their products. Assistance is also provided to Exporters participating in International Trade Fairs held in India like India International Trade Fair (IITF), New Delhi, where stall rentals are subsidized for the exporting institutions.

·       KVIC has applied to register Khadi as a word mark and Khadi India as a Trade mark in 27 classes for various products among 45 classes listed out in the IPR Act at National Level as well as has filed an online application for registering Khadi as a trade mark under International bureau in European Union and other countries under 16 different classes.

The Minister further said that in addition to the above, the Ministry has been implementing schemes for the holistic development and promotion of Khadi through KVIC, which include:

i) Khadi Grant for strengthening infrastructure of existing Khadi Institutions, assistance for marketing and WorkshedScheme for Khadi Artisans;

ii) Market Promotion Development Assistance and

iii) Khadi Reform and Development Programme.

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MSME SCHEMES FOR RURAL WOMEN

Ministry of MSME, through Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), implements a number of schemes for rural women so as to improve their social and economic conditions including those living below the poverty line. MSME Ministry is implementing the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), a major credit-linked subsidy scheme since 2008-09, to set up micro enterprises and to generate employment in rural and urban areas of the country. The maximum cost of the project under PMEGP scheme is Rs.25.00 lakhs for manufacturing sector units and Rs. 10.00 lakhs for units under service sector. Under the scheme, women entrepreneurs are covered under Special Category and are entitled to 25% and 35% subsidies for the project set up in urban and rural areas respectively. For women beneficiaries, own contribution is only 5% of the project cost while for general category it is 10%. About 30% projects have been setup by women out of total projects set up under PMEGP. The Minister said Women Entrepreneurs have set up 138516 projects since its inception till 23.01.2019.

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MSME EXPORTS CROSS USD 147390 MILLION IN 2017-18

Giriraj Singh has said that the value of MSME related products’ exported during 2017-18 has reached USD 147,390.08 million as per the information received from Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS). Giriraj Singh further informed that the Government has taken several measures to enhance exports by MSMEs.

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CREATED HALF OF 2.5 MILLION JOBS PROMISED, CLAIMS KERALA CM VIJAYAN

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday claimed to have created at least half of the 25 lakh jobs promised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) when it assumed office in 2016. We have achieved about 50% success on the manifesto's job promise. We will achieve the target before the term is over (in 2021), Vijayan said on Monday in an interaction with senior editors and reporters on the sidelines of an investor’s summit the state is organising. Vijayan, however, said he could not back up his claim immediately with data but, in general, the state is seeing good reception on investments from startups, IT and tourism sector establishments. After the communists took power, the state had rolled the red carpet for corporate investments. It unveiled over a hundred initiatives aimed at facilitating investments, and recently enacted an ‘omnibus legislation’ by amending seven acts and ten rules aimed at simplifying clearance procedures, removing repetitive and redundant regulations and according time-bound permits and approvals. The legislation was followed by the framing of standard operating procedures for various public departments.

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HELPING THE SUGARCANE FARMERS: MILLS LIKELY TO GET ADDITIONAL RS 6,000 CRORE IN SUBSIDISED LOANS

As part of its renewed efforts to address farm distress, the government is considering extending additional subsidised loans of at least Rs 6,000 crores to sugar mills and others to expand their ethanol production capacity — a move that is aimed at helping the mills diversify their product basket away from its over-dependence on sugar, and bolstering their ability to clear cane dues to farmers. The food ministry has floated a proposal to facilitate cheaper loans to 142 more sugar units belonging to various companies — on top of the 114 units that have already been selected to avail of such loans worth Rs 6,139 crore under a scheme approved by the Cabinet last year, an official source told. Not just sugar mills but even standalone ethanol production units, which are not in the sugar business but typically source excess molasses from sugar mills to manufacture the biofuel, are proposed to be covered by the loan scheme this time. The eligible units will get an interest subsidy of up to 6% or a half of the actual interest they pay for the loan offered to expand ethanol capacity, whichever is lower. The Centre will offer the interest subsidy for five years, within which the loans have to be repaid by mills. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) could take up this proposal as early as this week. With the hike in the loan amount now, the government’s interest subsidy on the total package (of over 12,000 crore) is expected to rise to around 3,650 crore over five years, based on the food ministry’s estimate last year when the package was first launched. However, millers say the government’s subsidy outgo would be much lower than this level. At present, the country requires 330 crore litres of ethanol to achieve the 10% blending (with petrol) level. The government should issue necessary guidelines to oil marketing companies to substantially raise their sourcing of ethanol in at least major cane producing states, including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, he added. The move comes at a time when the sugar mills, already struggling to cut a glut in the market are witnessing yet another year of surplus production. To provide relief to the sugar industry, already struggling to cope with exorbitant state-fixed cane prices, the Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) in September 2018 decided to raise the rate of ethanol produced directly from sugarcane juice by 25% from the rate announced in June, for blending with petrol. The move was aimed at incentivising mills to cut surplus sugar production that would prop up prices of the sweetener. Ethanol blending with petrol will also help reduce the country’s oil imports.

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SC DIRECTS NCM TO DECIDE ON REPRESENTATION SEEKING GUIDELINES FOR IDENTIFYING MINORITY’

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to take a decision within three months on a representation seeking laying down of guidelines for defining the term ‘minority’ in the context of state-wise population of a community. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay to re-file his representation to the minority panel which, in turn, will take a decision on it within three months from Monday. Upadhyay, in his plea, has said that the term minority needed to be redefined and reconsidered in the context of population of a community in a state, instead of nationwide population data. The plea said that Hindus, who are a majority community as per national data, are a minority in several north-eastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Hindu community is deprived of benefits which are available to the minority communities in these states, the plea said, adding that NCM should reconsider the definition of minority in this context. According to 2011 Census, Hindus are minority in eight states -- Lakshadweep (2.5 per cent), Mizoram (2.75 per cent), Nagaland (8.75 per cent), Meghalaya (11.53 per cent), Jammu & Kashmir (28.44 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (29 per cent), Manipur (31.39 per cent) and Punjab (38.40 per cent). Their minority rights are being siphoned off illegally and arbitrarily to the majority population because neither Central nor the state governments have notified Hindus as a ‘minority’ under the National Commission for Minority Act. Therefore, Hindus are being deprived of their basic rights, the plea had said.

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MODI GOVERNMENT JUST 28,000 HOUSEHOLDS AWAY FROM REACHING 100% ELECTRIFICATION

Only 28,594 households have been left to be electrified across the country, according to the official data by Ministry of Power. Of the number, while 20,134 households are left in Chhattisgarh, 8,460 are yet to be electrified in Rajasthan, the Saubhagya dashboard showed. To date, 16,94,616 and 7,07,727 households have been electrified in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, respectively. The Saubhagya scheme envisages providing last mile connectivity and electricity connections to all remaining households in rural as well as urban areas to achieve universal household electrification. Achieving 100 per cent household electrification was one of the aims of the present government. However, it could not meet the self-imposed deadline 6 of December 2018 for the scheme. For a village to qualify as ‘electrified’ under the scheme, power cables from the grid need to reach a transformer in every village and only 10 per cent of its households, including public places (schools and health centres) need to be connected. The task of household electrification is almost complete. As many as 2.5 crore unelectrified households were identified. All willing households will (under Saubhagya scheme) be provided electricity connection by March 2019, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had said in his budget speech, adding that till the financial year 2014, only about 2.5 crore households in the country were without electricity.

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FACILITIES FOR CONSTRUCTION LABOURERS

Section 34 of the Act makes it mandatory for the employer to provide, free of charges and within the work site or as near to it as may be possible, temporary living accommodation, with separate cooking place, bathing, washing and lavatory facilities, to all building workers employed by him for such period as the building or other construction work is in progress. Further, in order to mitigate hardships that a BOC worker faces while in search of work, the States have been advised to take proactive steps to facilitate transit accommodation/labour shed cum night shelter, mobile toilets and mobile creches to such BOC workers out of the State BOCW welfare cess fund as prescribed. As the Act provides for State BOCW welfare cess fund for which a cess is levied and collected at the rate of 1% of the cost of construction by the State Governments under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act, 1996, assistance/aid is not provided by the State and Central Governments out of their Budget.

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CRECHE FACILITIES FOR EMPLOYEES

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 is enforced and implemented by the respective State Governments in all sectors except in the Mines and Circus Industries. As per the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, it has been made mandatory for the establishments employing 50 or more employees to provide crèche facility, either separately or along with common facilities within a prescribed distance. Time to time, advisories are issued to State Governments for strict enforcement and compliance of the provisions of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. Government does not maintain data of defaulters centrally. Implementation of provisions relating to nursing breaks are also enforced by State Governments, except in case of mines and circus.

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GREY AREAS IN THE ‘NEW’ FDI POLICY CHANGES IN ECOMMERCE NEED CLARIFICATION

Ecommerce companies in India are having a troubled time, as the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy changes announced in December 2018 took effect from February 1. Though GoI considers these changes as a mere reiteration of earlier policy, the market reaction and analysis of these changes reveal that the new obligations on marketplace companies go much beyond reiteration. They have created new obligations for a marketplace ecommerce model in India. The applicability of the ‘group companies’ concept has been turned on its head. Now, it is applicable to marketplace entities. Accordingly, the inventory of a vendor will be deemed to be controlled by an ecommerce marketplace entity if more than 25% of the purchases of such a vendor are from the marketplace entity or its group companies. This new criterion for considering vendors’ inventory as the inventory of the marketplace entity has resulted in a substantial change in the business model of marketplace entities. The onus of conforming to this provision is on the marketplace entity through statutory audit to be submitted to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It seems that the problems of implementation are not taken into consideration while devising this new criterion. First, how does a marketplace entity assess whether more than 25% of purchases of a vendor are from the marketplace entity or its group companies? The marketplace entity, after all, will not have access to books of accounts of thousands of its vendors. And even if this is included as a contract condition by the market place entity with its vendors, what if the vendor changes name and purchases the same goods from the former with a different name? Who will audit the vendors? The statutory audit seems to be only for marketplace entities, not for vendors. There are other new obligations for marketplace entities First, an ecommerce marketplace entity, or other entities in which the ecommerce marketplace entity, has direct or indirect equity participation or common control, should provide fulfilment, logistics, warehousing, marketing, payments and financing to vendors on the platform ‘at arm’s length’ and in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. Second, cashback provided by group companies of a marketplace entity to buyers shall be fair and non-discriminatory. Third, an ecommerce marketplace entity will not mandate any seller to sell any product exclusively on its platform. Fourth, an ecommerce marketplace entity will be required to furnish a certificate, along with a report of statutory auditor to RBI by September 30 of every year, for the preceding financial year.

Now, through these policy changes, GoI intended to prevent violation of the earlier FDI policy on ecommerce and circumvention of restrictions on multi-brand retail trading. But, instead of plugging the gaps, we now have new grey areas. First, there is now an ambiguity with regard to ownership or control of inventory On one hand, it prevents ecommerce entities providing a marketplace from exercising ownership or control over the inventory. On the other hand, it specifies that the present policy does not impose any restriction on the nature of products that can be sold on the marketplace. This would imply that the present policy does not prevent selling of private labels. By their nature, private labels are owned by the entities creating them. Thus, it could mean that inventory ownership in the form of private labels is allowed. The second ambiguity is with respect to cashback provided on ecommerce platforms. The policy requires that cashback provided by group companies of a marketplace entity to buyers shall be fair and non-discriminatory. What about cashback provided by a marketplace entity itself and not by its group companies? Does the ‘fair and non-discriminatory’ clause not apply to cashbacks provided by the marketplace entity itself ? Third, it specifies that in the marketplace model, goods and services made available for sale electronically on a website should clearly provide name, address and other contact details of the seller. Post-sales, delivery of goods to the customer and customer satisfaction will be the seller’s responsibility. What about services? Since this specifies satisfaction only with respect to goods, does that mean any dissatisfaction with regard to post-sale delivery of services will not be responsibility of seller?

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WAGE RISE NOT SO FRUITFUL FOR FARM WORKERS

Real average daily wages for skilled agricultural workers increased just by 48 per cent from 1993–94 to 2011–12 while for legislators, senior officials and managers, it increased by 98 per cent over this nearly two-decade-long period. Analysis of the figures from the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) India Wage Report shows that agriculture labourers need as much support as farmers The real average daily wages for a skilled agricultural labourer was ₹120 in 1993-94 while it became ₹177 in 2011-12. For legislators, senior officials and managers, it increased to ₹1,052 in 2011-12 from ₹530 in 1993-94. For professionals, it increased by 90 per cent. The occupational category of agricultural labourers and fishery workers is just above that of machine operators and assemblers who got the lowest (44 per cent) increase during this period. However, while announcing direct income support of ₹6,000 annually to farmers in the interim Budget, the Centre left agriculture labourers high and dry though rural casual labourers constitute the single largest segment of the country’s workforce. Most agricultural workers are asset-less or asset-poor. There are 14.43 crore agricultural labourers, who constitute 55 per cent of the people involved in agriculture in India. The Pay Commissions were a contributing factor, which also had an impact on the wages of the private sector, particularly in the upper quintile of the wage distribution. The ratio between the best-paid occupation and the lowest ranked was 7.2 in 1993-94, increased to 10.7 in 2004-05 and declined to 7.6 in 2011-12, the report states. But the condition of agricultural labourers is better when compared to non-agriculture labourers. The ILO report, quoting experts, states that the high growth in the construction sector GDP has resulted in demand for construction workers which has in turn led to a scarcity of workers in rural areas and a resultant rise in agricultural wages. Another group of experts has argued that the rise in nominal wages is due to an increase in area, production and yield of principal crops and periodic revisions of support prices. The other factors that explain the growth in real wages are the demographic transition, the impact of migration, the effect of MGNREGA and the overall fallout of social spending in rural areas, the report states.

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DOT PANEL UNDECIDED ON SPECTRUM ALLOCATION TO MOBILE OPERATORS

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is divided over the allocation of backhaul airwaves to mobile operators, with half of them backing the auction route for selling microwave spectrum and the remaining half sticking to the current practice of allotment on a first-cum-first-served basis. The latter is international practice. According to at least two persons privy to the development, an internal panel of the DoT that is working on a policy of allotting backbone airwaves has not been able to decide on the matter due to differing views of the members. Microwave access, or MWA spectrum, is allocated to telecom operators for short distances to provide mobile services. If the logjam on policy persists, it may have an impact on proposed spectrum auctions because the backhaul or backbone spectrum is an essential component for seamless operation of next-generation cellular services. Some experts say unless a service provider has robust backhaul spectrum, providing 5G services can become a challenge for the company. Nowhere in the world is backhaul spectrum auctioned and if we adopt that route it would not be in sync with the international best practices an official said, adding some officials are suggesting the auction route to avoid any scrutiny in the future.

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WHERE IS CHILD LABOUR MOST COMMON IN INDIA?

India’s unemployment struggles are well-documented but concerns on job numbers are merely one aspect of India’s labour challenge. Another, perhaps even more worrying, challenge is child labour. According to the latest available census (2011), there were 10.1 million child workers under the age of 14—with significant disparities across states. Across India in 2011, 3.9% of children under the age of 14 were engaged in child labour. The proportion was, however, much higher in some states such as Nagaland (13.2 %), Himachal Pradesh (10.3%) and Sikkim (8.5%). Nationally, the percentage of working children fell from 5% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2011 but the bigger change occurred in the nature of employment. Across the world, child labour tends to be concentrated on farms—and this is true to an extent in India where 60% of working children are engaged in agriculture-related activities. But, in India, the number of child farmers has come down as an increasing number of children are doing non-farm work. Between 2001 and 2011, the share of children engaged in non-farm work doubled to 40%. Unsurprisingly, non-farm child labour is highest in the large cities but also prevalent in agricultural states such as Punjab and Haryana. West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are other states where a significant portion of children are employed in non-farm work. Between 2001 and 2011, the greatest increase in non-farm child labour happened in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the region around Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir. Within non-farm jobs, children are increasingly working in the services sector. Services, which covers jobs in domestic work, hospitality and entertainment, is now the biggest non-farm employer of children with 30% of all non-farm child workers, followed by manufacturing (6%) and construction (2%). This is a change from 2001—when services and manufacturing both had near equal share of children workers. Activists believe these definitions are prone to exploitation with employers hiring child workers under the guise of being related to them and ensuring child labour is prevalent across the country. The Child Labour Act also allows states to crack down on child labour—but is used to mixed effect across the country. From 2015 to 2017, a total of 4,466 prosecutions were launched across India under the Act. In 2017-18, around 50,000 child workers were rescued or rehabilitated from child labour—but it is still a small fraction of the overall child labour force. Child labour, though, is not a problem unique to India. According to data from the World Bank, there are 168 million children employed across the world. India contributes 6% of these workers, but in terms of proportion, it has the lowest rates of child labour in South Asia. Nepal, for instance, has a 42% child labour rate—the highest in the region. Globally, the International Labour Organization and UNICEF recommend a multi-pronged strategy to tackle child employment that involves better enforcement of laws, increasing awareness and strengthening education systems—India will need to do the same.

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6 STATES APPRISE SC OF STEPS TAKEN TO APPOINT LOKAYUKTA

The Supreme Court Monday took on record the steps taken by six states -- Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Manipur, Mizoram, West Bengal and Nagaland -- for appointing anti-graft ombudsman Lokayukta. All the six states apprised a bench headed by the Chief Justice through affidavits about the progress made by them. Nagaland Government, which on October 31 last gave an undertaking before the apex court that it would appoint the state Lokayukta within three months, said former high court judge, Justice Uma Nath Singh has already started functioning as the state's Lokayukta. Taking on record the submission, the bench, also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked Nagaland Government to inform it within three months about the action taken by the Lokayukta. The apex court, which was hearing a petition filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay for appointment of Lokayukta in every state, granted search committee for Tamil Nadu government three months to complete shortlisting of the persons for appointment of ombudsman. The Odisha government informed the bench that the Lokayukta will take charge in the state on April 8 this year. West Bengal Government told the bench that it has already appointed former high court judge, Justice Ashim Kumar Roy as the Lokayukta of the state. According to the PIL, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 had received presidential assent on January 1, 2014, and came into force from January 16, 2014, but the executive has not established a Lokpal yet.

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MODI GOVT'S 144% HIKE IN AGRI SPEND NOT ENOUGH TO QUELL INDIA'S FARM UNREST

Agriculture has got an unprecedented 144% rise in allocation in the interim budget announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government--from Rs 57,600 crore in the 2018-19 budget estimates to Rs 1,40,764 crore in the interim budget. This took the share of the agriculture ministry in the total union budget to 5.2%, a benchmark succeeding governments will be compelled to match for political reasons. For context, the share has been around 2.3%-2.4% since 2014-15, when the BJP came to power. However, this unprecedented hike in allocation will be inadequate to fight the ongoing agricultural crisis that has led to widespread farm agitations in India. Our analysis of the budget allocation for the sector shows that the amount provisioned for various agricultural schemes, such as the critical irrigation mission, is inadequate. The new income security scheme is short-sighted and inadequate providing eligible farmers just Rs 500 per month or Rs 3.5 per person per day (considering a household size of five)--not enough to buy a cup of tea, as has been pointed out. It also offers less effective coverage than the Odisha and Telangana income support schemes whose success inspired it. In an era of record harvests, prices of agricultural produce have crashed, unpaid agricultural loans have grown, and 600 million Indians who depend on farming struggle to get by, as IndiaSpend reported on November 30, 2018. The continued low priority accorded to public spending on agriculture has resulted in severe gaps in the implementation of schemes with huge shortages of human resources, particularly in agriculture extension services that provide critical information on agricultural practices and schemes to farmers. Agriculture faced two drought years in succession--2014-15 and 2015-16--when the average growth in the sector was just 0.1% per annum. Data show that over these years the ratio of allocation for this sector to gross domestic product (GDP) remained in the range of 0.3 to 0.4% during 2014-15 and 2018-19. Inadequate public investment also ended up discouraging private investment in agriculture. Between 2014-15 and 2016-17, the private sector investment to GDP ratio came down from 2.2% to 1.8% which led to an overall decline in investment--from 2.6% to 2.1%. This added to the rural crisis and agrarian distress. In 2016-17, when the country was yet to recover from drought, the total allocation for the irrigation scheme was reduced from Rs 10,780 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 6,134 crore in 2016-17. In 2017-18, the actual expenditure on the scheme was lower even than the proposed budget, indicating both underfunding and underutilisation of funds. One was to increase the minimum support price (MSP) to make farming more remunerative. Raising the MSP to at least 1.5 times of the comprehensive cost of cultivation was one of the recommendations of the National Commission for Farmers led by MS Swaminathan on ways to deal with farm distress. In 2018-19, the MSP for most kharif crops was raised by 23% and for rabi crops by 13%. The annual average rise in MSP for most crops between 2014-15 and 2018-19 was 5-10%. But, this rise was less than 5% in drought years.

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MHRD TAKES IMMEDIATE STEPS TO IMPLEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMITTEE

The Ministry of Human Resource Development constituted a Committee in the year 2018 for making a report for the Promotion and Protection of Maithili Language and its scripts. The Committee has submitted its report to MHRD in which it has made several recommendations for promotion and protection of Maithili language. The report was examined in the Ministry and it has been decided to take immediate action on some of the recommendations of the committee as follows:

·       To establish a Script and Manuscript Centre at Darbhanga in any one of the Universities viz. Kameshwar Singh Sanskrit University or Lalit Narayan Mithila Unviersity.

·       Early completion of the work pertaining to Unicode Scripts of Mithilakshar by Technology Development of Indian Languages (TDIL) and

·       To prepare audio-visual teaching materials for teaching the Mithilakshar scripts.

·       Mithilakshar or Tirhuta is the script of broader cultural Mithila. The scripts of Mithilaksar, Bangla, Assamese, Nebari, Odia and Tibetan are part of the family. It is an extremely ancient script and is one of the script and is one of the scripts of the broader North Eastern India. Mithilakshar had come to its current shape by 10th Century AD. The oldest form of Mithilakshar is found in the Sahodara stone inscriptions of 950 AD. Afterwards, the scripts has been used throughout Mithila from Champaran to Deoghar. Use of this script has been on decline since last 100 years and therefore our culture is getting decimated. Because its own script is not being used, the Maithili language is getting developed in a composite manner despite having been accorded a constitutional status in the constitution. Keeping all this aspects in view, the Ministry of Human Resource Development constituted this Committee in the year 2018 for making a report for the Promotion and Protection of Maithili Language and its scripts.

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GOVERNMENT HAS RECONSTITUTED THE INDIAN COUNCIL OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH

As per Rule 3 of Rules of ICHR, New Delhi, 1972, the Government has reconstituted the Council of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), New Delhi for a period of three years w.e.f. the date of the first meeting of the re-constituted Council i.e. 07.01.2019 to 06.01.2022 and the composition of the Council is as follows:

·       An eminent historian nominated by the Government of India who shall be Chairman of the Council;

·       Eighteen historians nominated by the Government of India;

·       A Representative of the U.G.C;

·       Director-General of Archaeology;

·       Director, National Archives;

·       Four persons to represent Government who shall be nominated by the Government of India and which shall include one representative each of the Ministry of Education, the Department of Culture and the Ministry of Finance; and Member Secretary.

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NEARLY 1.04 CRORE LPG CONSUMERS VOLUNTARILY SURRENDER THEIR LPG SUBSIDY UNDER ‘GIVEITUP’ CAMPAIGN

As on 06.02.2019, nearly 1.04 crore LPG consumers have voluntarily surrendered their LPG subsidy under ‘GiveItUp’ campaign. Domestic LPG prices are revised every month in line with international price of LPG with corresponding revision in monthly LPG subsidy under PAHAL scheme. Entire subsidy burden is borne by the Government. In the current month (Feb, 2019), the price of domestic non-subsidized LPG cylinder (14.2 kg) in Delhi market is Rs. 659. The effective cost to the consumer is Rs. 493.53. The per cylinder subsidy borne by government for the current month is Rs. 165.47. All India average LPG refill consumption for PMUY beneficiaries during FY 2017-18 is 3.4. All India LPG average consumption during FY 2017-18 is 6.77.

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GOVERNMENT ENVISAGES TO DEVELOP THE NATIONAL GAS GRID

The Government has envisaged to develop the National Gas Grid. At present about 16,788 Km natural gas pipeline is operational and about 14,239 Km gas pipelines are being developed to increase the availability of natural gas across the country. These pipelines have been authorized by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) and are at various stages of execution viz. Pre-Project activities/laying/testing/commissioning etc. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the authority to grant authorization to the entities for the development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Geographical Areas (GAs) as per PNGRB Act, 2006. PNGRB identifies GAs for authorizing the development of CGD network in synchronization with the development of natural gas pipeline connectivity/ natural gas availability. With the completion of 9th CGD Bidding Round, CGD would be accessible in 178 GAs covering approximately 280 districts spread over 26 States and UTs. Under this 809.9 km pipeline has been laid at present. Further, PNGRB has also authorized Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL), a joint venture company of five Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) i.e. IOCL, ONGC, GAIL, OIL and NRL for the development of North East Gas Grid to connect eight states of North Eastern India.

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FAKE APPOINTMENT LETTER FOR APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTOR (M&CP) IN FOOD CORPORATION OF LNDIA

It has come to the notice of the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution that a forged letter No. B-120261109/2018/SA dated 29.12.2018 has been issued for appointment of Miss Shalaka Garg as Director (M&CP) in Food Corporation of lndia under the forged signature of Shri RakeshKumar, Under Secretary (SA), Department of Food & Public Distribution. lt is informed that no such appointment letter has been issued by the Department of Food and Public Distributionand police has been informed to take necessary action in the matter.

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MOS COMMERCE & INDUSTRY MEETS GERMAN MINISTER OF THE FREE STATE OF THURINGIA

C R Chaudhary emphasised the need for further economic cooperation between India and Germany. He apprised the delegation that the Government of India is continuously working to create a conducive atmosphere for foreign investments in the country. He pointed out that because of the continuous efforts and commitment of the Government, India has moved from 142 positions to the 77th position in Ease of Doing Business ranking in the world. The Minister sought German investments, particularly in the field of food processing, development of infrastructure for 100 smart cities, pharmaceuticals, automobile and engineering sectors. He also sought all round support of the German Government for investment, guidance and exchange of best practices for the Start-ups in India. Cooperation in the field of education as well as in Research and Development was also discussed during the meeting.

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DEVELOPMENT OF SMART INDUSTRIAL PORT CITIES

Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha informed that the Government of India under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has decided to develop two Smart Industrial Port Cities one at East Coast (Paradip Port) and another at West Coast (Deen Dayal Port, Kandla) to promote Port-Led Industrial development by providing necessary infrastructure and allied services at one place for EXIM trade to boost up economy of the country Development activities for various project components like setting up of Multi Modal Logistics Park, Industrial Park, development of Road Network and Truck Terminals are in full swing at both the locations. In reply to another question Shri Mandaviya informed the House that the Ministry of Shipping has launched the flagship Programme Sagarmala to promoted Port-Led Development in the country. Under this programme, more than 600 projects with infrastructure investment of Rs. 8.78 Lakh Crore have been identified since its inception. 105 projects of worth Rs. 0.16 Crore have been completed so far and 414 projects of worth Rs. 4.16 Crore are in advanced stages of implementation. Under Coastal Community Development component of this programme, 17606 persons have been trained and employed in various Ship Breaking Yards and 1143 personas have been placed in various companies in Coastal Districts out of the 1978 persons trained under pilot phase of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushal Yojana-Sagarmala convergence. It is estimated that 40 Lakhs (direct) and 60 Lakh (indirect) jobs would be available after completion of all the projects of the Sagarmala Programme by 2025.

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VARIOUS STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF TEACHERS

As education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, a majority of the schools are under the jurisdiction of respective States and Union Territories (UT). Hence, the recruitment, service conditions and deployment of teachers are primarily in the domain of respective State Governments and UT Administrations. However, Samagra Shiksha, a centrally sponsored scheme which has been launched in 2018-19 for the education sector extending from pre-school to class 12 by subsuming three erstwhile schemes i.e., Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) has provisions for induction and in-service training of teachers. The purpose of teachers’ training is not only improvement of skills but also to facilitate a shift in the understanding of teaching and learning as stipulated by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005. The RTE Act also attaches immense significance to the role of teachers in improving elementary education by making available professionally trained teachers for the school system. Moreover, teacher training is provided for all levels of teachers from pre-primary to the higher secondary level. In-service teacher training is provided to elementary school teachers through the institutional structure of Block Resource Clusters and Cluster Resource Centers. Additionally, pre-service teacher training is provided to eligible candidates in Government Teacher Education Institutes like District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and Institutes of Advanced Studies in Education (IASEs). The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) prepares a combined annual teacher training calendar with active participation of various state agencies and is also the nodal agency in the state for conduct of Teacher Training. Accordingly, funds are provided to states and UTs for Teacher Training under Samagra Shiksha. Section 23(2) of The Right of Children to free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has been amended, according to which all untrained in-service elementary teachers are required to acquire minimum qualifications as laid down by the academic authority by 31^st March, 2019. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has been entrusted with the task of conducting the training of untrained in-service elementary teachers. 13,78,979 untrained in-service teachers have confirmed admissions at NIOS Portal. NIOS is conducting D.El.Ed. programme through Open Distance Learning (ODL) mode and SWAYAM platform. SWAYAMPRABHA DTH channels are also used for this purpose. Further, a four year B.Ed integrated course to bring about qualitative improvement in teacher education programmes in India has been conceptualised and regulations for this course has been published in official gazette on 22nd November, 2018. The model curriculum prepared for this course includes crucial aspects like Gender, Inclusive education, ICT, Yoga, Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Health & Sanitation. The teaching specialization would primarily be for the primary levels and the secondary level.

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VARIOUS SCHEMES HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED TO IMPROVE RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY

The Government has launched various schemes to improve the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions and to attract and retain young researchers, which are as follows:

·       Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship To attract the bright and meritorious students into research within the country, attractive fellowship is given. Selected students are given fellowship for 5 years - Rs.70,000/- per month for the first two years, Rs. 75,000/- per month in the third year and Rs.80,000 per month in 4th and 5th year with an annual research grant of Rs. 2 lakh.

·       Setting up of Research Parks The Government has approved setting up of Research Parks at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Gandhinagar and IISc Banglore.

·       Impacting research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT): It provides solutions to the most relevant engineering challenges and translating knowledge into viable technology (products or processes) in ten selected technology domains.

·       Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY): It aims to promote innovation of a higher order that directly impacts the needs of the Industry and thereby improves the competitive edge of Indian manufacturing.

·       Smart India Hackathons are being organized on yearly basis since 2017 to find out digital solutions to various problems faced by the people and gives hands on working and research opportunity for engineering students.

·       Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) established in 960 Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) for promoting innovation ecosystem within their campuses.

·       A Trainee Teacher Scheme had been initiated in NITs with the objective to attract, motivate and sponsor best graduate engineers for part time M.Tech and Ph.D. programmes.

·       Colleges with Potential for Excellence (CPE), University with Potential for Excellence(UPE), Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Areas(CPEPA), Special Assistance Programme (SAP), Major Research Project (MRP), BSR Fellowships, Dr. D.S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellowship Scheme, MID Career Award to Faculty members, UGC – BSR Faculty Fellowship (research after retirement), Start – up Grant (Research grant for newly recruited teachers), Research Scientist, Research Award, Emeritus Fellowship, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Humanities, Post-Doctoral Fellowship for SC/ST, Post- Doctoral Fellowship for Women, Junior Research Fellowship (for Ph.D.).

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ADDITION OF ABOUT 5000 SEATS HAS BEEN APPROVED ‘IN-PRINCIPLE’ IN JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYAS

A proposal received from the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) for increasing the intake of students at Class VI level in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) by 10% from the academic session 2019-20 leading to addition of about 5000 seats has been approved ‘in-principle’ and is at advanced stage of approval. The Government has conveyed its approval to the NVS for engagement of two counsellors per school (1 male and 1 female) in all the functional JNVs, on outsourcing basis. The Central Govt has launched an integrated centrally sponsored scheme for school education- Samagra Siksha w.e.f. 2018-19 with the key objectives of quality education and improvement in learning levels. Under this scheme, the State Govt. and UTs are supported on several interventions to improve teaching standards, regular in-service teachers’ training, induction training for newly recruited teachers, ICT facilities in schools, introduction of vocational educational component at secondary level etc.

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COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY NHRC

A statement indicating year wise details of the complaints registered by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) during the last three years and the current year up to 31.1.2019 is given below:

·       2015-16 – 117808

·       2016-17 – 91887

·       2017-18 – 79612

·       2018-19 (upto 31.01.2019.) - 76693

Further, Focal Point and Toll Free numbers have been in place to provide required assistance to human rights Defenders and NGOs, civil society members, etc. to get easy access to NHRC in case of alleged violation of human rights.

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MILITANCY IN J&K

As per reports, no specific connection has surfaced between the outfit ISJK and the groups operating in Iraq and Syria. It has been reported that 7 local youths have joined ISJK through self proclamation Out of these 4 terrorists were neutralized on 22.06.2018 at Khiram Srigufawara, Anantnag, 2 were arrested and 1 is presently active in the valley.

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UNAUTHORISED SEEKING OF CDR

Central Government has not received any complaint from telecom companies regarding seeking of Call Details Records (CDRs). Police and public order are State subjects as per seventh schedule of the Constitution of India and States are responsible for prevention, detection and investigations of such crimes through their law enforcement machinery. State Law Enforcement authorities can take necessary action as per provision of law Central database of such actions taken by the State Governments is not maintained. Ministry of Home Affairs has issued guidelines in 2016 for seeking Call details records (CDRs) under the statutory provisions contained in Section 92 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 or Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with Rule 419A of the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007.

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SECURITY CLEARANCES

Ministry of Home Affairs has given security clearance to more than 1600 proposals in the past two years in critical sectors like defence, arms & ammunition, explosives, telecommunications, information and broadcasting, civil aviation, currency, shipping, etc. As per information provided by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and Reserve Bank of India, FDI through automatic route is under general permission and can be received without any approval, in compliance with the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or issue of security by a person resident outside India) Regulation, 2017. No information is available about the number of proposals received for FDI under automatic route. Therefore, information related to percentage in terms of number of FDI proposals coming through the automatic route is not available. Ministry of Home Affairs has disposed of more than 4,600 security clearance proposals including 134 proposals of foreign direct investment in Government approval route requiring security clearance of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Average processing time for such clearance was about 71 days in 2018.

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FENCING ON INDO PAK BORDER

The total length of India-Pakistan border in Gujarat is 508 kms, out of which 340 kms only are feasible for construction of physical fencing 280 kms of physical fencing has been completed and the target for completion of remaining 60 kms is March 2020. The 168 kms of border which is not feasible for physical fencing is being guarded by BSF through patrolling, round the clock surveillance, laying nakas and using technology etc. No infiltration has been reported from 2015 till date in this sector. The contraband activity /smuggling of weapons are also being controlled through effective domination of borders by round the clock surveillance viz., patrolling, laying nakas, manning observation posts all along the International border.

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USE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY FOR BORDER MANAGEMENT

Union Government has formed a Task Force for identifying areas for use of space technology in improving border management headed by Joint Secretary (Border Management) with members from Border Guarding Forces (BGFs) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Task Force consulted all stake holders including BGFs, ISRO, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) before finalising the report. Details of the areas identified for use of space technology are as under:-

(i) Island development and security

(ii) Border Surveillance

(iii) Communication and Navigation

(iv) GIS and Operations Planning System

(v) Border Infrastructure Monitoring

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NDMA CONDUCTS TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR CBRN EMERGENCIES AT NEW MANGALORE

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is conducting a basic training programme at the New Mangalore Port Trust in Mangaluru. This is the first in a series of such programmes that will be conducted at various seaports across the country to enable SEHs to respond suitably till the arrival of specialised response teams. CBRN emergencies pertain to threats emanating from the use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear material. The training programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Indian Ports Association (IPA), Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences (INMAS) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). This training programme will improve the CBRN safety at our seaports by enabling the SEHs to handle any CBRN emergency. The programme consists of lectures as well as field training, including live demonstrations of detection and decontamination including use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Besides equipping the SEHs to handle CBRN emergencies, the training programme will also enable them to provide medical first aid and initial psycho-social support.

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STABLE OUTLOOK FOR INFRA SECTOR IN FY20, THERMAL POWER TO REMAIN IN CRUNCH: IND-RA

Owing to stable economic growth, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has maintained a stable outlook on the infrastructure sector, except thermal power, for the financial year 2020. According to the rating agency, despite reasonable energy demand, fuel supply-related issues and constricted demand restrain plant load factor (PLF) of thermal plants to around 62 per cent. We have maintained a stable outlook on the infrastructure sector for FY20 mainly on the back of stable economic growth, which underpins road and airport traffic volumes, its director Global Infrastructure Siva Subramanian said. While maintaining a stable outlook for the road sector, Ind-Ra, Subramanian said economic growth-driven traffic and inflation-led toll rates revision support the toll roads sector. 2019 being an election year, we do not see many road projects being tendered on the hybrid annuity model (HAM). On the contrary, we will see more of EPC projects. Also, along with the economic growth, we have also witnessed a growth in traffic, he said. In a few assets, corridor specific issues such as embargoes on sand/iron ore mining and local political issues dented traffic, could lead to slower recovery. However, with peak order book to revenue ratio, FY20 would be a litmus test for some developers. While availability-based roads are stable, mushrooming minor maintenance issues and increased oversight standards reinforce timely maintenance. Therefore, the financial health of the operation and maintenance operator remains a key monitorable for the investors/developers, Subramanian said. For the airports, he said, the sector continues to witness strong passenger growth, however, capacity constraints at many airports could start affecting their operational parameters. However, some underperformance are seen in payment realisation from Power Grid Corporation in April-September 2018, and realisation below 95 per cent for the whole of FY2019 may have some negative rating implications if improvement is not seen for a prolonged time period, he added.

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CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAYS

Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha informed that the Ministry has set the target of 10,000 km for construction of National Highways in the current financial year 2018-19 and achieved 6715 km as on 31st Dec 2018 in FY 2018-19. To expedite completion of NHs projects various steps are taken which include streamlining of land acquisition & environment clearances, premium re-scheduling, close coordination with other Ministries, revamping of dispute resolution mechanism, frequent reviews at various levels etc. In order to ensure timely completion of the projects, regular meetings are held with project developers, State Governments and contractors at all levels.

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ROAD PROJECTS IN NE REGION

Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha informed thatthe Ministry has taken up massive road development programme in North-Eastern region under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme-North East (SARDP-NE). Under this programme 2910 km road has already been developed and 3508 km is under implementation. Besides SARDP-NE, 5507 km road has been identified for development under Bharatmala Pariyojana in North-Eastern Region.

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GOVERNMENT PUSHES ELECTRICAL MOBILITY ON ROADS

Mansukh Mandaviya in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha informed that in order to promote the electric vehicle sector, the Government has notified for retro-fitment of hybrid electric system or electric kit to vehicles and has specified the type approval procedure of electric hybrid vehicles. The Government has also notified that the registration mark for Battery Operated Vehicles to be on a Green background Plate For the benefit of the age group of 16-18 years, mainly school/ tuition students, Ministry has notified certain specifications for the grant of license to drive gearless E scooters/ Bikes upto 4.0 KW. A policy on charging infrastructure has been issued by Ministry of Power which clarifies that charging electric vehicles will be a service, not a sale of electricity. Further to combat increasing air pollution in Delhi, Ministry of Finance has issued advisory to all Ministries/ Departments that they may aim to replace all petrol/diesel hired cars in their offices by electric cars In this regard, The National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) has also taken an initiative to provide a Model Concessionaire Agreement (MCA) document for introducing Electric-Bus Fleet in Cities for Public Transportation on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode on Operational Expenditure Model (per km basis) rather than paying upfront capital cost. Further, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has made an amendment in the Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) guidelines to provide for electric vehicle charging stations in private and commercial buildings. Mandaviya informed the House that the Government is planning to set up 11 emergency landing strips on National Highways in the states. These landing facilities will allow aircraft to land in case of emergencies/ natural disasters.

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INDIAN PORTS TO LOG 6-8% CARGO GROWTH ON CRUDE, COAL VOLUMES IN FY19: STUDY

Indian ports are expected to record six to eight per cent growth in cargo volumes in FY19, backed by drivers like coal, crude oil and containers. Ports across the country handled 1209 million tonnes of cargo in 2017-18, achieving seven per cent over the previous year. The sagging coal imports which had raised concerns for ports dependent on the dry fuel, have staged a rebound. The momentum in coal imports seen in the first half (April-September) of this fiscal is set to continue through the year, auguring well for the port operations. In its outlook for the ports sector, ratings agency Icra said, Demand revival from the power sector and key consumer industries would be critical for sustained pick-up in coal imports. Icra expects that the revival in coal volume import growth would support the revenue growth for port players operating in the bulk segment in FY 2019 and healthy growth should continue in FY 2020 as well. The Icra report signals a downtrend in iron ore exports in FY19 with spike in domestic demand and curbs on mining activities. Despite the fall in iron ore export traffic, cash accruals for major port players in FY19 and FY20 will be supported by revival in coal volumes and steadily rising handling rates.

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CBSE ADOPTS TETRA SOFTWARE FOR LEVEL PLAYING FIELD IN EXAMS

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been using digital technology to create as much of a level playing field as possible for students who feel unduly penalised by a disproportionately difficult question paper or a stray ambiguous question, a senior official said. The official said that the Board started using the Theory Evaluation Trend Analysis (TETRA) software - written by its own team - last year for studying the trend of marks being obtained by the students across the regions. The software displays the live trend of average marks scored across the centres and can be used for moderation of marks in case there's an unfair degree of ambiguity or difficulty in the question paper. We analyse the trend of marks being obtained by students across the regions and centres. Whenever we spot any deviation from the norm, we call up that centre and probe if there were complaints about the question paper, a senior CBSE official told. We look for complaints regarding any ambiguity or difficulty in the question paper. A team then sees if and how much moderation is needed to account for these difficulties, the official added. Asked about previous instances of some boards spiking marks, the official emphasised that the Board has never happened as it was unethical and quite different from moderation, which is done by boards across the world and is a just way of compensating students. The official also debunked reports that the Board is conducting exams early this year due to general election, saying it's completely wrong and that early exams have nothing to do with the elections.

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TEXTILES MINISTRY TO ORGANIZE OUTREACH PROGRAMME FOR STAKEHOLDERS

Ministry of Textiles is organizing an outreach programme for Textiles Sector MSMEs on 13th February, 2019 in New Delhi to hold interactions with the stakeholders to help them avail the support and outreach for 100 days programme announced by the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had launched the support and outreach 100 days programme for MSMEs on 2nd November, 2018 identifying one hundred districts in various sectors across the country. Amongst these, thirty-nine districts were identified for textiles sector - 12 for handloom, 19 for handicraft and 8 for power loom. Under the support and outreach 100 days programme, various activities have been undertaken in identified districts for creating synergy for MSMEs in textile sector like holding camps for Mudra Loan in collaboration with local bank, enrolment of beneficiaries on e-dhaga, distribution of tool kits to beneficiaries, registration and distribution of Pehchancard to artisans and weavers, popularization of 24x7 help line, quality certification and social security. With a view to consolidate progress under the programme, district level events were organized in each identified district on 9th or 10th February, 2019. Further exhibition of handloom, handicraft and powerloom products were also organized in the State Bhavans of the identified districts in Delhi on 11th& 12th February, 2019. Over 75 % of the garment industry in India is in the MSME sector and the twelve initiatives covered in the package would benefit most units in the industry. The two per cent interest subvention for new loans, two per cent additional subvention for export credits and clearance of loans upto Rs. 1crore within 59 minutes would help the India's garment industry to address working capital problems. Credit based on upcoming receivables under e-discounting system is another welcome step in this direction. The sanctioning of loan in less than an hour, will save a lot of time of MSM entrepreneurs. The announcement of the stoppage of visit by inspector, the decision of his visit through a computerized random allotment, uploading of reports on portal within 48 hours, would enable MSMEs to do hassle free business. Government has also launched a special drive for opening of bank accounts and promotion of digital payments in the textiles sector by organizing special camps along with micro-ATM facilities at weaving clusters.

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60% CHILDREN ADOPTED IN INDIA BETWEEN 2015 AND 2018 ARE GIRLS

India may have a skewed gender ratio, but the female child happens to be the first choice when it comes to adoption. The number of female children placed for in-country adoptions and inter-country adoptions between 2015 and 2018 are relatively higher than male children. During this period, about 11,649 children were put up for in-country adoptions; of them 6,962 were girls and 4,687 were boys. Of the 3,011 children that were placed for in-country adoption in 2015-16, as many as 1,855 were female children. In the year 2016-17, as many as 3,210 children were placed under in-country adoptions and of them 1,915 were females. The figures for 2017-18 and 2018-19 (till December 2018) were 3,276 and 2,152, of which the numbers of girl children were 1943 and 1249 respectively. All the figures put together, female children comprise almost 60% of all in-country adoptions When it came to inter-country adoptions, the number of female children was even higher: 69%. Of the 2,310 children placed under adoption between the same period, 1,594 were females.

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CLEANING OF RIVER GANGA

Cleaning of river is a continuous process and the Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in addressing the challenges of pollution of river Ganga (including its tributaries and Yamuna) by providing financial and technical assistance. Under Namami Gange Programme, variety of coordinated activities meant for cleaning of river Ganga have been taken up. So far, a total of 261 projects have been sanctioned in sectors like sewerage infrastructures, Industrial pollution abatement, construction of ghats & crematoria development, river front development, afforestation & biodiversity conservation, bioremediation, rural sanitation, research & development, communication and public outreach programme etc. at an estimated cost of Rs. 25,563.48 crore. Out of these 76 projects have been completed and rest of the projects are at various stages of implementation. The infrastructure projects are sanctioned with a long term Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of 15 years. Most of the projects for which work started in 2014 are completed and now in Operation and Maintenance stage. Efforts are being made to complete the short term and medium term activities by 2020. Specific measures have been taken for addressing waste flowing from toilets into the river. In the State of Uttar Pradesh, under Namami Gange Programme, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has released an amount of Rs.388.35 crore to Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for construction of Independent Household Latrines (IHHLs) and 1604 Ganga bank villages have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) with construction of 388340 IHHLs in 1011 Gram Pancahayats in 25 Ganga bank districts. Further, NMCG has released an amount of Rs.20.00 crore to Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation for implementation of Liquid Waste Management in the Ganga bank villages in Uttar Pradesh.

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NORTH INDIANS TO PROTEST IF NOT A PART OF 10% RESERVATION IN GUJARAT

Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad has threatened protests if their youth do not get the benefit of 10 per cent reservation for economically backward families of upper castes in Gujarat. They say that the domicile requirement of being a resident since April 1, 1978, is unfair and demanded that domicile requirement is reduced from 40 years to 10 years, as is in the case with other states. A meeting of executive committee of the Parishad was held on Sunday to discuss the issue of domicile and chalk out a strategy for protests. Gujarat government has recently allowed 10 per cent reservation for economically backward families of upper castes However, it has set a domicile requirement of 40 years. This means that our youth will not be able to reap benefits of reservation. We have been staying here for long. To be able to submit data that is 40 years old is a very difficult task. Even Maharashtra has a 10-year domicile requirement. Only Gujarat has set such a high requirement, said Shyamsingh Thakur, national president of the Parishad.

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CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE MEASURES TO PROTECT AND SAFEGUARD LAND RIGHTS OF SCHEDULED TRIBES

The Scheduled Tribes (STs) have been the most marginalized, isolated and deprived population. To protect and safeguarding the land rights and other rights of Scheduled Tribes, following constitutional and legislative measure have been put in place: -

·       The Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006torecognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land to forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes.

·       Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013 in short) safeguards against displacement of Scheduled Tribes. Special provisions have been made for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under Sections 41 and 42 of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013 which protect their interests. The RFCTLARR Act, 2013 also lays down procedure and manner of rehabilitation and resettlement.

·       The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, also provides that the Gram Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be consulted before making the acquisition of land in the Scheduled Areas or development projects and before resettling or rehabilitating persons affected by such projects in the Scheduled Areas; the actual planning and implementation of the projects in the Scheduled Areas shall be coordinated at the State Level;

·       Constitutional provisions under Schedule – V also provide for safeguards against displacement of tribal population because of land acquisitions etc. The Governor of the State, having scheduled Areas, is empowered to prohibit or restrict transfer of land from tribals and regulate the allotment of land to members of the Scheduled Tribes in such cases. Land being a State subject, various provisions of rehabilitation and resettlement as per the RFCTLARR Act, 2013 are implemented by the concerned State Governments.

·       The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 provides for legal services to members of Scheduled Tribes.

·       The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 has been introduced to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, to provide for the trial of such offences and for the relief of rehabilitation of the victims of such offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Wrongfully dispossessing members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes from their land or premises or interfering with the enjoyment of their rights, including forest rights, over any land or premises or water or irrigation facilities or destroying the crops or taking away the produce there from amount to atrocities and are subject to punishment under the said Act.

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BASIC FACILITIES IN TRIBAL AREAS

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers three schemes namely

(i) Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution,

(ii) Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS) and

(iii) Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) under which activities for enhancement of medical facilities are supported. As per the scheme guidelines of schemes Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution and Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS), 10 – 15% of the total fund allocation has to be for activities related to health sector like addition to / strengthening of building infrastructure of CHC/PHC, Mobile dispensaries in remote locations, conduct of screening for acute health problems like Sickle Cell Anemia amongst the tribal students and provision of health cards, focus on eradication of prevalent endemic health problems like Malaria, Leprosy, TB, etc. These schemes are demand driven and funds are released to State Governments based on State Plan and approval of the Project Appraisal Committee (PAC).

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TRIBAL DRINK (MAHUA)

The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), a multi-State Cooperative Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is promoting and marketing tribal products, tribal art and crafts within the country and abroad by providing marketing support to tribal products through its network of 31 retail outlets TRIBES INDIA, 37 consignment outlets of various State Emporia and 16 franchise outlets. It organizes exhibitions like National Tribal Craft Expo called Aadi Mahotsav etc. in which it promotes and markets tribal products. It also facilitates the participation of tribal artisans to enable them to interact directly with art lovers to assess the market needs. In the last three years, it has begun providing e-commerce platforms to the tribal artisans to sell their products. Towards this, TRIFED has entered into agreements with e-commerce platforms like Snapdeal and Amazon who will offer their customers various tribal products and produce through their portals www.snapdeal.com and www.amazon.com respectively to facilitate online sale.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO TRIBAL STUDENTS

Ministry of Tribal Affairs provides financial assistance to the Tribal students to get higher education inter-alia in engineering, technology and science under the following schemes:

·       Post Matric Scholarships to ST Students.

·       National Overseas Scholarships for ST candidates.

·       National Fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students.

Under the scheme of National Overseas Scholarships for ST candidates and National Fellowship & Scholarship for Higher Education, there is no state-wise release of funds. Under the scheme of National Overseas Scholarships for ST candidates, this Ministry provides financial assistance to students for pursuing higher studies abroad.

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MADRAS HC URGED TO SET UP MOBILE MAGISTRATE COURT TO STRENGTHEN ENFORCEMENT OF HELMET RULE: KIRAN BEDI

The law secretary of the Puducherry government has requested the Madras High Court to deploy a mobile magistrate Traffic court here to ensure motorcyclists wear helmets, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has said. A day after DGP Sundari Nanda said the rule regarding helmet use would be enforced from February 11 in the Union Territory, Bedi in her WhatsApp message to media persons said, It is now time and opportunity for relentless adoption of the rule by law enforcement agencies to bring down fatalities on roads. There shall be no relaxation, exceptions, and interference regarding enforcement of the helmet rule. The Law Secretary of Puducherry has requested the Madras High Court to set up a Mobile Traffic Magistrate court in Puducherry to strengthen the performance of the traffic and transport departments, she said.

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TRADE UNIONS ARE WITH US AND ERA OF RED-TAPE IS OVER: KERALA CM P VIJAYAN TO INVESTORS

Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday sought to send a firm message to officials in his administration that he will not tolerate the red tape mindset and asked them to get cracking on investment proposals without loss of time. The era of red tape mindset is over. We have to change our attitude, he said rather tersely after opening Ascend Kerala, a government event intended to showcase the initiatives from the CPI(M) regime to make life easy for businesses seeking to invest in Kerala. Vijayan reminded his officials that he has promised in his Budget that the government would create job opportunities for the youth, and the officials will have to work to deliver on this promise. No more squatting on approvals, the CM said, and added: Let us not create hurdles (for investors). Instead, let us facilitate investments and create a new Kerala. The CM told his officials that they will now have 30-days time to decide on approvals and clearances, and if the investment proposals are still undecided, then they are deemed to be approved. Vijayan clarified, amid cheers, that they have only made a beginning with 30-day deemed approval system, and he would eventually further ease it and bring it down to 15-days. The attitude towards investment proposals has to change not just at the secretariat level, but also in village offices, he said. His government, Vijayan said, has consistently worked on simplifying procedures to ease the flow of investments As part of this, the government has amended seven laws and 10 rules, issued 26 orders, and taken several investor interface tasks online. As a result, in government of India’s ease of doing business (EoDB) index, Kerala’s score has jumped from a poor 22.8% in 2015-16 to 44.8% in 2017-18. A fairer comparison among the equal states, the CM said, would have taken the State’s position in EoDB much higher, he said. Tom Jose said the government is motivating youngsters to change their mindset from wanting to seek jobs to become provider of jobs. The government is encouraging technology startups, and has created technology parks with necessary plug and play office facilities.

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TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, CHEAPER DRUGS ON INDIA'S AGENDA FOR WTO

India wants the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address issues related to exploitation of traditional knowledge, food security and access to affordable medicine going ahead. In its reforms proposal, that it plans to submit to the organisation, India has also sought amendment of laws on unilateral action by members on trade issues and resolution of the WTO’s dispute settlement system that is rendered unproductive with the US blocking the appointment of judges for more than two years. India has been trying to revive talks to strengthen global norms to protect traditional knowledge from reckless patenting by corporates through commercial exploitation of natural products by obtaining patents without fairly compensating the communities from which these originate. The proposal has been formulated in the wake of various proposals made by Canada, EU, China, African group and the USEU-Japan trilateral to reform the multilateral trade body, said an official in the know of the development.

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FIVE PROJECTS WORTH RS. 361.97 CRORE SANCTIONED UNDER BUDDHIST CIRCUIT: SHRI K J ALPHONS

The Ministry of Tourism has identified Buddhist Circuit as one of the fifteen thematic circuits for development under Swadesh Darshan Scheme The Ministry has sanctioned 5 projects under this circuit for Rs.361.97 crore.

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11 MOUS SIGNED UNDER ADOPT A HERITAGE SCHEME TILL DATE: SHRI K J ALPHONS

Under the Apni Dharohar-Apni Pehchaan Adopt a Heritage Project, the Monument Mitras are responsible for operation and maintenance and development/up-gradation of tourist amenities, in the non- core areas of the monument. At present, 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU’s) have been signed with the Monument Mitras. The prospective Monument Mitras are free to select a monument/heritage/tourist site of their interest under the ‘Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan - Adopt a Heritage’ project. The conservation of heritage/ancient buildings/monuments does not come under the ‘Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan - Adopt a Heritage’ project of the Ministry of Tourism. Hence, there is no pre-requisite for prospective Monument Mitras to partner with conservation experts.

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DEFENCE INNOVATION HUBS

The Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) framework of the Government envisages setting up and managing independent Defence Innovation Hubs (DIHs). These DIHs will serve as platforms where innovators can get information about needs and feedback from the Services directly and create solutions for India’s major defence platforms. This structure is also geared towards attracting more innovators to work for the defence sector in India. The Defence Innovation Organisation set up under iDEX has announced setting up of two DIHs in Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore) and Maharashtra (Nashik). The Framework to Fund Defence Innovation Hubs under iDEX, approved by the Board of Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) prescribes the following minimum criterion for setting up Defence Innovation Hubs:

·       Any Central Government recognized Incubator including but not limited to:

·       Department of Science and Technology (DST) recognized Incubators.

·       Atal Innovation Mission, NITIAayog created Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) and Established Incubation Centers (EICs).

·       Ministry of MSME recognized incubators.

·       Any other incubator recognized or funded through any Central government scheme.

·       The incubator located in districts mentioned in the list of SME clusters hosted by the Ministry of MSME in collaboration with UNIDO.

·       Incubator / Hub promoted by local industry associations.

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DELAY IN BUILDING SHIPS, COST ESCALATION AFFECTING NAVY’S UPGRADATION PLANS

There have been occasion where Warship Construction Projects of Indian Navy have had time and / or cost overruns due to design finalization, delay in receipt of critical equipment / technology, infrastructural constraints of the shipyard and delay in development of indigenized equipment / weapon. Modernization of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) in terms of infrastructure to enhance productivity from time to time on required basis is also undertaken by the Ministry. Indigenisation of equipment / systems, sub-systems, components fitted onboard ships and submarines, Indian Naval Indigenisation Pan-2015-30, are some of the steps taken to indigenize manufacturing of Defence equipment.

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SC TO HEAR ZAKIA JAFFRI'S PLEA AGAINST CLEAN CHIT TO MODI IN GUJARAT RIOTS

The Supreme Court Monday said it will hear in July a plea of Zakia Jafri, challenging the SIT's clean chit to the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 Godhra riots. A bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar listed the matter for hearing in July. Zakia, the wife of ex-MP Ehsan Jafri who was one of the 68 killed in Ahmedabad's Gulberg society, has challenged the Gujarat High Court's October 5, 2017 order rejecting her plea against the SIT decision. On February 8, 2012, the Special Investigation Team filed a closure report giving a clean chit to Modi and 63 others, including senior government officials, saying there was no prosecutable evidence against them.

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INDIA ‘CLOSELY WATCHING’ FOR CHANGES IN H-1B VISA PROCESS

India is keeping a watch to see if the US comes up with a list of qualifications to determine the level of skills it prefers in workers who apply for temporary work visas (H-1B) and may raise an objection if it is tied to getting an advanced degree in the country, a government official has said. We have had no intimation from the US government so far on whether the proposals to introduce a reverse selection process for H-1B applicants giving first preference to US masters or advance degree holders are to be implemented. But we are closely watching the developments and would raise objections if our allocation gets affected, a government official told BusinessLine. The Indian industry, dominated by IT companies, is the major recipient of H-1B visas issued by the US every year. The US Department for Homeland Securities announced changes in the lottery-based system for granting H-1B visas in January this year (reverse selection order) giving preference to those holding a masters or advance degree from the US by including them in the 65,000 annual visa cap. The agency also said that it plans to revise the definition of a specialty occupation, to issue visas to the best and the brightest foreign nationals. These changes are expected to be introduced from April 1, 2019. We have no idea how many advanced degree holders from US institutions apply for work visas and how much of the visa quota allocation they would fill up. Both the Indian government and Nasscom are trying to find out more about it. They (the US government) have been talking about a lot of changes but as of now they have not implemented anything that would affect the number of H-1B visas issued to Indian professionals. The only issue is how they will do the scrutiny of the H-1B applications and how the talent pool they are seeking will be defined, the official said. As per estimates made by DHS, the change will result in an estimated increase of up to 16 per cent (or 5,340 workers) in the number of selected petitions for H-1B beneficiaries with a master’s degree or higher from a US institution of higher education. Indian IT companies are apprehensive that the changes may hamper free movement of Indian IT professionals for projects in the US. As per Nasscom, Indian IT companies have invested billions of dollars in the US, and employed more than 1.5 lakh people. There is a lot of opposition to the changes in the H-1B visa rules even within the US industry. There are chances that the proposed changes would not get implemented at all, the official said.

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NO GOVT SHUTDOWN, US LAWMAKERS REACH DEAL ON MEXICO BORDER WALL FUNDING

Congressional negotiators have reached an agreement to prevent a government shutdown and finance construction of new barriers along the US-Mexico border, overcoming a late-stage hang-up over immigration enforcement issues that had threatened to scuttle the talks. Republicans were desperate to avoid another bruising shutdown. They tentatively agreed Monday night to far less money for President Donald Trump's border wall than the White House's $5.7 billion wish list, settling for a figure of nearly $1.4 billion, according to congressional aides. That means 55 miles of new fencing constructed through existing designs such as metal slats instead of a concrete wall but far less than the 215 miles the White House demanded in December. The fencing would be built in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. We reached an agreement in principle, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., appearing with a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers who concurred. Our staffs are just working out the details, said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N Y.

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FROM GM TO FACEBOOK, US FIRMS PEN OPEN LETTER FOR LAWS TO PROTECT DREAMERS

More than 100 corporate leaders and other prominent figures have called on US lawmakers to protect immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children In an open letter to Congress, the heads of General Motors, Facebook, Coca Cola, Apple, Amazon, Google, AT&T and Microsoft, among others, Monday said these immigrants, known as Dreamers, were a boon to the US economy and a dedicated workforce. These are our friends, neighbors and co-workers and they should not have to wait for court cases to be decided to determine their fate when Congress can act now, the executives said in the letter, which appeared a full-page ad in The New York Times on Monday. In a campaign lasting nearly 20 years, activists have pressed for lawmakers to pass legislation, known as the DREAM Act, that would make the Dreamers legal US residents, and create a path to citizenship. Former president Barack Obama allowed more than 700,000 Dreamers to apply for protection from deportation, and to work legally if they met certain conditions. But President Donald Trump moved to cancel that policy in 2017, although it remains in effect under court order. Studies by economists across the ideological spectrum have determined that if Congress fails to act, our economy could lose $350 billion in GDP and the federal government could lose $90 billion in tax revenue, the letter said.

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SOUTH ASIAN NATIONS START REVISITING CHINA'S BRI, THE GREAT PUSHBACK BEGINS

China is facing a push back against its BRI in South Asia including from local politicians in Balochistan and this could emerge as a headache ahead of second BRI Summit While resistance from Baloch political parties and Balochistan government against BRI is on rise, Maldives is undertaking an internal exercise to ascertain money owed to Beijing under BRI. India’s southern neighbour Sri Lanka, notwithstanding new loans from China, is courting other powers to bring back balance in its foreign policy. Bangladesh, despite growing trade with China, remains sceptical of borrowing $ 25 bn promised by Xi under BRI two years back, according to persons who monitor BRI projects in the region. The pushback against CPEC – flagship project of BRI -- in Pakistan is the most striking. Jam Kamal, the chief minister of Balochistan, has amended laws to freeze the sale of land to Chinese companies in Gwadar. Local Baloch leaders are up in arms as the impoverished region will hardly benefit from CPEC projects. Gwadar is not for sale, Aslam Bhootani, a political leader from the port city, recently told media. Baloch insurgents are on a warpath against CPEC and are targeting Chinese officials. While Gwadar gives China much coveted access to the Indian Ocean Region, Beijing has failed to take into consideration local sentiments in Balochistan by depending on a friendly government in Islamabad. In Sri Lanka, which is caught in an external debt crisis, the government is now seeking support from Japan and India. Recently, a US aircraft carrier also received logistics supply from Colombo. The $1.5 billion Hambantota Port on the southern coast is now in Chinese hands after a controversial debt-for-equity swap. Besides China is funding the $1.4 billion port City, a 269-hectare area of land reclaimed from the waters off Colombo. Chinese infrastructure development loans to Sri Lanka stand at $9.2 billion. Chinese loans for infrastructure projects have come with interest as high as the benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate plus 6%, sources from Colombo told .

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BAILOUT TO PAKISTAN ECONOMY: IMF CHIEF ASSURES SUPPORT AFTER MEETING PM IMRAN KHAN

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde has said that the multilateral institution stands ready to support Pakistan which is facing economic headwinds. She said this after her meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan who is in the United Arab Emirates to participate in the global governance summit 2019 in Dubai. Lagarde after the meet said, I reiterated that the IMF stands ready to support Pakistan. I also highlighted that decisive policies and a strong package of economic reforms would enable Pakistan to restore the resilience of its economy and lay the foundations for stronger and more inclusive growth. She said during the meet with Khan which was good and constructive they discussed recent economic developments and prospects for Pakistan in the context of ongoing discussions toward an IMF-supported program. She further added, As emphasized in the new government’s policy agenda, protecting the poor and strengthening governance are key priorities to improve people’s living standards in a sustainable manner. Pakistan is in talks with IMF for a bailout programme. If agreed, this will be the 13th bailout the south Asian country got since the 1980s. The last time Pakistan govt bailout from IMF was in 2013. The global rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) downgraded Pakistan from B to B- with a stable outlook in the first week of February due to diminished growth prospects. Pakistan also got $3 million in loans from UAE to support its economy.

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INDIA-UK TRADE NOT TO BE AFFECTED BY BREXIT: CRISPIN SIMON

Trade relations between India and the UK is not likely to be affected after Brexit, British trade commissioner to South Asia Crispin Simon has said. Bilateral trade between Britain and India stands at USD 25 billion India is an important trading partner and after Brexit, it is not to be affected, Simon told PTI. Britain had been allowed to establish new trading arrangements outside the EU following Brexit, he said. The bilateral trade between Britain and India was growing at 17 per cent per annum, he said, adding there is a nice momentum. Though the balance of trade was in favour of Britain, the new trade deal will have a positive effect. The sectoral areas of bilateral trade between the two countries are technology, finance and renewable energy for which green finance was available, he said. Imports to India was USD 13 billion, while exports from India was USD 12 billion, he said. There is demand for green finance in India, Simon said.

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CS Meetesh Shiroya