29-31 march eng 2015
30-march-2015
Union Cabinet gave approval for the concept and institutional framework of Sagarmala Project
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 gave in-principle approval for the concept and institutional framework of Sagarmala Project.
Sagarmala Project’s main objective is to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
It aims at developing access to new development regions with intermodal solutions and promotion of the optimum modal split, enhanced connectivity with main economic centres and beyond through expansion of rail, inland water, coastal and road services.
Three Pillars of Sagarmala Project
- Supporting and enabling Port-led Development through appropriate policy and institutional interventions and providing for an institutional framework for ensuring inter-agency and ministries/departments/states’ collaboration for integrated development
- Port Infrastructure Enhancement, including modernization and setting up of new ports
- Efficient Evacuation to and from hinterland
For a comprehensive and integrated planning for Sagarmala Project
- A National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the entire coastline will be prepared within six months which will identify potential geographical regions to be called Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs).
- The State Governments to set up State Sagarmala Committee to be headed by Chief Minister/Minister in Charge of Ports with members from relevant Departments and agencies.
- Sagarmala Coordination and Steering Committee (SCSC) will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.
National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC)
A National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) is envisaged for overall policy guidance and high level coordination, and to review various aspects of planning and implementation of the plan and projects.
The NSAC will be chaired by the Union Minister of Shipping, with Cabinet Ministers from stakeholder Ministries and Chief Ministers/Ministers in charge of ports of maritime states as members.
This committee, while providing policy direction and guidance for the initiative’s implementation, shall approve the overall National Perspective Plan (NPP) and review the progress of implementation of these plans.
Sagarmala Development Company (SDC)
The Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) at the Union Government level will be set up under the Companies Act, 1956. It will assist the state level/zone level Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), as well as SPVs to be set up by the ports, with equity support for implementation of projects to be undertaken by them.
Activities to be undertaken under Sagarmala project
- Port-led industrialization
- Port based urbanization
- Port based and coastal tourism and recreational activities
- Short-sea shipping coastal shipping and Inland Waterways Transportation
- Ship building, ship repair and ship recycling
- Logistics parks, warehousing, maritime zones/services
- Integration with hinterland hubs
- Offshore storage, drilling platforms
- Specialization of ports in certain economic activities such as energy, containers, chemicals, coal, agro products, etc
- Offshore Renewable Energy Projects with base ports for installations
- Modernizing the existing ports and development of new ports
Australia defeated New Zealand to win ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Australia on 29 March 2015 won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. In the final, Australia defeated New Zealand by seven wickets at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.
New Zealand batting first was bowled out at a score of 183 in 45 over and in reply to the target Australia scored 186 at the loss of 3 wickets in 33.1 over.
With this, Australia won the prize money of 3975000 US dollars while New Zealand as Runners-up won 1750000 US dollars as prize money.
This was the Fifth Cricket World Cup for Australian cricket team. Its previous wins came in the years 1987, 1999, 2003, and 2007. With this win, Australia also became the second host country to win the title. India in 2011 had become the first host country to win the title.
• Man of the Match: James Faulkner
• Man of the Series: Mitchell Starc
Captains of the two teams
• New Zealand: Brendon McCullum
• Australia: Michael Clarke
Some Important facts of 2015 Cricket World Cup
• Martin Guptill of New Zealand was the highest scorer of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He scored 547 runs in 9 matches at an average of 69.37. His 547 runs included the highest-ever score of 237 not out in any Cricket World Cup which he scored against West Indies in the third quarter-final.
• Mitchell Starc of Australia was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He took 22 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 10.18.
• This World Cup also saw scoring of two double hundreds, firstly by Chris Gayle of West Indies who scored 215 runs against Zimbabwe in the league matches and secondly by Martin Guptill.
• This World Cup also saw the retirement of seven cricketers from the One Day Internationals. These are: Michael Clarke (Australia), Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan), Mahela Jayawadene and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Khurram Khan (UAE) and Brendon Taylor (Zimbabwe).
• This World Cup also saw the scoring of highest ever centuries in any World Cup. In all 37 centuries were scored in the 2015 Cricket World Cup with Kumar Sangakkara scoring the maximum number of 5 centuries.
|
Cricket World Cup winner |
||
|
World Cup wins |
Team |
Years |
|
5 |
Australia |
1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 |
|
2 |
West Indies |
1975, 1979 |
|
2 |
India |
1983, 2011 |
|
1 |
Pakistan |
1992 |
|
1 |
Sri Lanka |
1996 |
About 2015 Cricket World Cup
The 2015 World Cup of Cricket was held between 14 February and 29 March 2015 at fourteen venues in Australia and New Zealand. 14 teams participated in the league matches of the tournament.
These teams were: Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies, England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe.
Quarter-finals
• QF 1: South Africa beat Sri Lanka
• QF 2: India beat Bangladesh
• QF 3: New Zealand beat West Indies
• QF 4: Australia beat Pakistan
Semi-finals
• SF 1: New Zealand beat South Africa
• SF 2: Australia beat India
This was the second time when the Cricket World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, with the first being the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Sachin Tendulkar was named as the 2015 Cricket World Cup Ambassador by the ICC for the second time, after 2011 Cricket World Cup where he was the ambassador.
Aditi Arya won the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 title
Aditi Arya of Delhi won the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 title on 28 March 2015 at the 52nd edition of the beauty contest held at Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai. She was crowned with the title by Koyal Rana, Femina Miss India 2014.
The first runner-up was Aafreen Rachel Vaz of Mangaluru, Karnataka and the second runner-up was Vartika Singh of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Aditi Arya will represent India at Miss World 2015; Aafreen Rachel will participate at Miss International 2015, while Vartika Singh will take part at the Miss Grand International beauty pageants.
The trio was selected from the five finalists by a panel of judges that included Anil Kapoor and John Abraham among others.
List of sub contest winners
Miss Fashion Icon: Pranati Prakash
Miss Beauty With Purpose: Vartika Singh
Miss Vivacious: Sushrii Shreya Mishraa
Miss Healthy Skin: Rakshita Harimurthy
Miss Timeless Beauty: Deeksha Kaushal
Miss Beautiful Hair: Aditi Arya
Miss Congeniality: Aafreen Rachel Vaz
Miss Active: Sushruthi Krishna
Miss Lifestyle: Deeksha Kaushal
Miss Talented: Pranati Prakash and Medhika Priya Singhal
Miss Body Beautiful: Diksha Singh
Miss Rampwalk: Sushrii Shreya Mishraa
Miss Photogenic: Vartika Singh
Miss Bright Smile: Minash Ravuthar
Miss Waterbaby: Meghna Mittal
Miss Sudoku: Aditi Arya
Miss National Costume: Vartika Singh
Miss Selfie: Apeksha Porwal
Miss Beautiful Eyes: Aishwarya Goel
Miss Popular: Rewati Chetri
Miss Beautiful Legs: Rakshita Harimurthy
Michael Clarke retired from ODI cricket
Michael Clarke, the Australian cricketer, on 29 March 2015 retired from One Day Internationals (ODI) after final match of 2015 Cricket World Cup. He will continue to represent Australian cricket team in the Test matches.
Clarke in his final ODI appearance against New Zealand scored 74 and helped Australia win the 2015 World Cup by 7 wickets.
With this, Clarke joined Allan Border, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh in the elite group of Australia's World Cup winning captains. After winning the title, Clarke dedicated the World Cup to the late Phillip Hughes whose tragic death during a domestic game shook the cricketing world.
Michael Clarke in the cricketing world
Clarke played his debut ODI match on 19 January 2003 against England at Adelaide; while, he played his debut Test match on 6 October 2004 against India at Bangalore. Nicknamed Pup, he is a right-handed middle-order batsman, an occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler and also a slip catcher.
Details of his cricket career
•Test: Batted in 186 innings of 108 matches and had scored 8432 runs of which 329 not out was his highest score. He bowled in 64 innings and took 31 wickets.
• ODI: Batted in 223 of 245 matches and had scored 7981 runs of which 130 was his highest score. He bowled in 106 innings and took 57 wickets.
Madan Mohan Malaviya posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna
Freedom fighter and educationist, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on 30 March 2015 was conferred the highest civilian award of the country Bharat Ratna (posthumous). His family members received the award from President Prabab Mukherjee at a function in the Ashoka hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The award was given to Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya or Mahamana Malaviya’s family for his outstanding work in the field of education and the country's freedom struggle.
Pandit Malaviya was born on 25 December 1861 in Allahabad. He studied at Calcutta University and became a school teacher. Later he also practiced as a lawyer and even a newspaper editor. He was the founder of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Hindu Mahasabha.
Besides, President also presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards.
List of Awardees
|
Award |
Recipient |
|
Padma Vibhushan |
|
|
Padma Bhusan |
|
|
Padma Shri |
|
Earlier on 27 March 2015, the President had awarded the Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his house in Delhi.
Earth Hour 2015 observed globally from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm local time
Earth Hour 2015 was observed globally on 28 March 2015 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The tagline for the global campaign was Change Climate Change. This was the ninth edition of the Earth Hour that started in 2007.
Earth Hour 2015 was observed across 172 nations and territories and around 1400+ iconic landmarks of the world switched off the lights.
Earth Hour is a global campaign with a simple message to switch off non-essential lights for one hour on the last Saturday of March between 8:30 and 9:30 pm. This is done as a commitment to the planet.
Earth Hour is organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) since 2007 when it was first observed in Sydney, Australia.
Earth Hour in India
India joined the Earth Hour campaign in 2009 and over the years has seen an exponential growth in participation across cities, towns and even far-flung villages of rural India.
The brand ambassadors for Earth Hour in India are Arjun Kapoor (actor), Priya Mani (actress), Sania Mirza (Tennis player), June Maliah (actress), and Suresh Gopi (Malayalam actor).
Former Union Minister and veteran Congress Party leader Paty Ripple Kyndiah died
Former Union Minister and veteran Congress Party leader Paty Ripple Kyndiah died on 26 March 2015 due to cardiac arrest. He was 87.
He had served as the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs and Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in 2004 under the UPA-I government led by Manmohan Singh. He retired from active politics in 2009 prior to the Lok Sabha polls.
He also was a prominent figure in Meghalaya politics. He was a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from 1970 to 1993. While from 1975 to 1988, Kyndiah served as cabinet minister in State, as Leader of Opposition, Acting Chief Minister and Speaker of the Assembly.
He had also served as Governor of Mizoram from 1993 to 1998 and subsequently he was elected to Lok Sabha three times (1998, 1999 and 2004) from Shillong constituency of Lok Sabha.
When Meghalaya was first formed as an autonomous State in 1970, Kyndiah was elected a member of its Provisional Assembly.
A pioneer in cooperatives and banking in the region, Kyndiah was Vice-Chairman, Assam Cooperative Apex Bank, founded the Shillong Cooperative Urban Bank and was the Founder Chairman of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank. He was the Red Cross chief of Assam and later Meghalaya for several years.
Also, he was the author of some popular books like Jawaharlal Nehru: The Thinking Dynamo, Meghalaya: Yesterday and Today, Mizo Freedom Fighters, Pillars of Mizo Society.
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation approved the creation of Price Stabilisation Fund Scheme
The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture on 26 March 2015 approved the creation of Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
The purpose of the scheme is to provide interest free advances towards working capital to the government agencies which are involved in procurement and distribution of perishable agri-horticultural commodities.
The hassle-free flow of funds will enable the agencies to regulate volatile prices of commodities in an effective manner.
Objectives of PSF Scheme
• To promote direct purchase by the government agencies from farmers or farmers’ associations at farm gate.
• To maintain a strategic buffer stock that would discourage hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.
• To protect consumers by supplying such commodities at reasonable prices through calibrated release of stock.
Main Highlights of the Scheme
• The scheme envisages creation of a 500 crore rupees corpus fund with the name Corpus Fund for Procurement and Distribution of Identified agri-horticulture commodities.
• To operationalise the fund a savings account Corpus Fund for Procurement and Distribution of perishable agri-horticulture commodities will be opened by the Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) in a nationalized bank with flexi-deposit facility. The amount made available by the government will be kept in this account.
• The SFAC will act as the fund manager and will maintain an account of receipts and expenditure from the corpus fund and report to the Member-Secretary, Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee (PSFMC).
• The funds from the Corpus Fund would be provided in two streams, viz., Stream A and Stream B. Stream A account is for State government whereas Stream B account is for Central Government agencies.
• Under Stream A, States would be given as a onetime interest free advance which will only be released into a revolving fund account set up for the purpose by the State. The contribution to the state level fund by the Central Government and State Governments would be in the ratio 50:50 but for North-East States, the contribution ratio would be 75:25.
• Under Stream B, the funds from the Corpus fund would be provided to Central Government agencies as an interest free advance based on their proposal for market intervention for price control. This will be set up as a revolving fund.
• The proposal from the state agencies should be approved by a state level committee formed at the state level akin to the PSFMC by the respective state governments.
• Advances received cannot be utilized for any other purpose by the recipient agency, viz., Central Agencies and State Governments.
• Losses incurred, if any, by the Central Government agencies during the operation of the scheme will be met from Central Corpus fund.
• Losses incurred by the States during the operation of the scheme will be shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio 50:50.
• In case of North-East States, the losses incurred by these states will be shared between Centre and these states in the ration 75:50.
• At the time of closure of accounts, profits earned on interventions will be ploughed back into the Central Corpus Fund to extent of 100 percent in case of Central Government agencies and 50 percent in case of State Government.
• Under the fund, the government agencies will procure notified agri-horticultural commodities directly from farmers or farmers’ organizations at farm gate.
• The commodities will be made available at a more reasonable price to the consumers when the prices are not affordable.
• Initially the fund is proposed to be used for onion and potato only.
• The fund will be implemented during 2015-16 and 2016-17. The Fund may be allowed to roll on to future years also.
• The accounts will be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
• The scheme envisages the creation of Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee (PSFMC).
Price Stabilisation Fund Management Committee (PSFMC)
The PSFMC is the administrative agency responsible for implementing the scheme. The objectives of the PSFMC are
• PSFMC will invite, appraise, approve proposals received from state governments and central agencies. PSFMC will approve the amount of advance.
• PSFMC will take decisions regarding investing surplus available in the Central Corpus Fund in other bank instruments like fixed deposits, etc for better returns. While doing so, itwill be guided by extant guidelines on this subject.
• PSFMC will monitor the progress of implementation of the Price Stabilization Operations by the implementing agency. PSFMC will advise suitable measures and corrective actions, if any, during the course of implementation, keeping in view the overall aim and objectives of the scheme
• PSFMC will meet regularly to review the wholesale and retail prices of essential agri-horticulture
• Commodities and will guide or propose required interventions.
The PSFMC will be headed by the Secretary to the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and includes additional secretaries and joint secretaries from the department as members. Joint Secretary, DAC (Marketing) would be the Member-Secretary.
ISRO successfully launched IRNSS 1-D Navigational Satellite
The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1-D satellite was launched successfully on 28 March 2015 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and mapping services.
The satellite was placed in geosynchronous orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C27. This is the twenty eighth consecutively successful mission of the PSLV. The 'XL' configuration of PSLV was used for this mission. Previously, the same configuration of the vehicle was successfully used seven times.
IRNSS-1D, weighing 1425 kg, is the fourth of the seven satellites constituting the IRNSS. IRNSS-1A, 1B and 1C, the first three satellites of the constellation, were successfully launched by PSLV in July 2013, April 2014 and October 2014 respectively.
About IRNSS
IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland. IRNSS would provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS) - provided to all users and Restricted Services (RS)- provided to authorised users only.
IRNSS consists of seven satellites, three geostationary and four non-geostationary.
The next satellite of this constellation, namely, IRNSS-1E, is scheduled to be launched by PSLV. The entire IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is planned to be completed by 2016.
By using the IRNSS as a platform the Government of India is planning to launch its own Global Navigational Satellite Services, GINS (Global Indian Navigation Satellite) system, similar to Global Positioning System (GPS) of the the US.
Japan organised World’s first Otaku Expo
Japan organised the world's first Otaku Expo from 28 March 2015 to 29 March 2015 at Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba Prefecture.
The Expo was organized as a part of a special comic book fair held every five years, which attracts about half a million visitors.
For the first time groups from outside Japan were invited to mark the event. About four dozen overseas Otaku groups attended the Expo.
The visitors so-called Otaku, usually translated as geeks, from at least 18 countries and territories, many dressed as their favourite anime characters.
The culture of Otaku has grown into a major industry in Japan.
The term is commonly used in the country to refer to people obsessed with Japan's unique take on comics and animation.
While it once carried a negative connotation, many Otaku are now proudly displaying their love for two-dimensional heroes while the number of foreign fans is also soaring.
Balbir Singh Senior conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award of Hockey India
Hockey India on 28 March 2015 conferred Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award on legendary Balbir Singh Senior. As an award, he received a trophy and a cash prize of 30 lakh rupees.Balbir Singh Senior was a member of three Olympic gold medal winning Indian team, viz., London Olympics (1948), Helsinki Olympics (1952) and Melbourne Olympics (1956). He was the Vice Captain of the Indian Hockey team during Helsinki Olympics and Captain during Melbourne Olympics.
His 1952 record of most goals (five) in an Olympic final still remains unbeaten and he also figures in the list of 16 iconic Olympians of all-time.
He is often called Balbir Singh Senior to distinguish him from other Indian hockey players named Balbir Singh.
Katsushi Inoue appointed as President and CEO of Honda Cars India
Katsushi Inoue was on 30 March 2015 appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL).
He will take charge on 1 April 2015. He will succeed Hironori Kanayama. Hironori Kanayama is due to retire on 1 April 2015.
Hironori Kanayama has been HCIL president & CEO for the past three years since assuming this position in April 2012.
Currently, he is working as General Manager in Marketing Planning office in Japan. He has been associated with Honda Motor Co for over 29 years.
He has worked with Honda ventures in different markets, across the globe, including Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Poland and Germany.
Besides, Hiroyuki Shimizu appointed as senior Vice-President and Director (Marketing & Sales), in Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL). He takes over from the current Senior Vice-President & Director (Marketing & Sales) Shigeru Yamazaki, who was at this position since April 2012.
Yamazaki has been relocated to Japan and will be responsible for Automobile Operations Business Planning in Honda Motor Co.
31-march-2015
Himachal Pradesh Government launched India’s first e-Vidhan Mobile app
Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on 30 March 2015 launched part one of e-Vidhan Mobile app.
The app could be accessed by all the members 45 minutes before the question hours on android and tablets having information about the day business.
With this launch, Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first state assembly in the country to launch e-Vidhan Mobile app. This e-Vidhan system will help the state to save about 8 crore rupees per annum that is spent on the paper.
Features of the e-Vidhan Mobile app
• The information provided on the app could be corrected on line.
• The bills introduced or laid for discussion will also be made available to the members.
• The reports lay in the house by the committees, information about government notification, budget speech and salary and perks' drawn by members could be view on the apps.
• The wi-fi service will be made available to the members in side assembly complex during the session.
• It will give notifications of the Vidhan Sabha’s press releases, bulletins, budget speeches, documents and the bills tabled in the House.
Daniel Vettori retired from all forms of International Cricket
Daniel Vettori, the cricketer of New Zealand on 30 March 2015 retired from all forms of International Cricket. The veteran spinner officially announced his retirement after the final match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
In his final match against Australia, he scored nine runs and took 0-25 from five overs. But his 13 wickets and his economy rate throughout the tournament helped New Zealand in qualifying for the World Cup final for the first time.
His decision gave an end to his 18-year long career that began when he was 18.
Daniel Luca Vettori in the cricketing world
Daniel Luca Vettori is the eighth player in Test history to take 300 wickets and score 3000 runs. He is the youngest player to represent New Zealand in Test cricket, having made his debut in 1996–97 at the age of 18.
Details of his cricket career
Test: Batted in 174 innings of 113 matches and had scored 4531 runs of which 140 out was his highest score. He bowled in 187 innings and took 362 wickets.
ODI: Batted in 187 innings of 295 matches and had scored 2253 runs of which 83 was his highest score. He bowled in 277 innings and took 305 wickets.
T20Is: Batted in 22 innings of 34 matches and had scored 205 runs of which 38 was his highest score. He bowled in 34 innings and took 38 wickets.
Vettori coaches the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition.
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took over as Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on 30 March 2015 took over charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command. He took the charge from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema at a ceremonial parade held at the Naval base in Kochi.
Prior to assuming command, Vice Admiral Lanba laid a wreath at the War Memorial.
Vice Admiral Cheema will now assume the charge of the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Western Naval Command on 31 March 2015 on the retirement of the present incumbent, Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chopra.
Union Cabinet gave its approval for the Approach and Key Components of e-Kranti
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 March 2015 gave its approval for the Approach and Key Components of e-Kranti: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0.
e-Kranti is an important pillar of the Digital India programme and the programme has been envisaged by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
Objectives of e-Kranti
• To redefine NeGP with transformational and outcome oriented e-Governance initiatives.
• To enhance the portfolio of citizen centric services.
• To ensure optimum usage of core Information & Communication Technology (ICT).
• To promote rapid replication and integration of eGov applications.
• To leverage emerging technologies.
• To make use of more agile implementation models.
Key principles of e-Kranti
• Transformation and not Translation
• Integrated Services and not Individual Services
• Government Process Reengineering (GPR) to be mandatory in every Mission Mode Projects (MMPs)
• ICT Infrastructure on Demand
• Cloud by Default
• Mobile First
• Fast Tracking Approvals
• Mandating Standards and Protocols
• Language Localization
• National GIS (Geo-Spatial Information System)
• Security and Electronic Data Preservation
The e-Kranti Mission is to ensure a Government wide transformation by delivering all Government services electronically to citizens through integrated and interoperable systems via multiple modes, while ensuring efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs.
Key components of the management structure would consist of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for according approval to projects according to the financial provisions, a Monitoring Committee on Digital India headed by the Prime Minister, Digital India Advisory Group chaired by the Minister of Communications and IT, an Apex Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) / Committee on Non Plan Expenditure (CNE).
The Apex Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary would undertake addition / deletion of MMPs which are considered to be appropriate and resolve inter-Ministerial issues.
God’s Bankers authored by Gerald Posner released
God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican: Gerald Posner
Book titled God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican authored by Gerald Posner was released on 3 February 2015.
Posner is an American investigative journalist and an author, through this book he has tried to present the secret side of the 200-year history of Vatican finances and the Vatican Bank, the Catholic Church's completely independent financial institution.
The book is about the church’s accumulation of wealth and its byzantine entanglements with financial markets across the world. It talks about the political intrigue and inner workings of the Catholic Church. It displays with extraordinary precision how the Vatican has evolved from a foundation of faith to a corporation of extreme wealth and power.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs proposed initiatives for women security under Nirbhaya Fund
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the fourth week of March 2015 proposed three policy initiatives to enhance security of women in the country under the Nirbhaya Fund.
The initiatives are: Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF), Investigative Units on Crime Against Women (IUCAW) and an initiative to prevent and monitor obscene online content.
Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF)
• The fund will be set up with 200 crore rupees to provide for medical expenses for acid attack victims.
• For the treatment of a victim 5 lakh rupees will be provided to hospitals, both Government-run and private under the fund.
• The hospital must fully treat the victim before the compensation is released.
• The central aid will be over and above the compensation extended to such victims by the respective state governments.
• In India, around 300 acid attack cases are registered every year and the compensation under the fund is meant to enhance survival rate among victims.
Investigative Units on Crime Against Women (IUCAW)
• These are specialised district-level units to investigate crimes against women with an estimated cost of 350 crore rupees across the country.
• Each IUCAW will comprise a staff of 15 persons each, of which one-third will be women.
• The units will be established in partnership with states on 50:50 cost-sharing basis.
• The programme will be rolled out on a pilot basis in 20% of districts.
While the above two proposals were sent by the ministry to Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) for approval, the third proposalregarding allocation of 300 crore rupess for prevention, tracking and action against obscene online content is still pending with the ministry.
These initiatives are intended to utilise unspent money allocated for the Nirbhaya Fund. Out of 1000 crore rupees allocated to the fund in 2013 only 200 crore rupees were spent. In the 2015-16 Union Budget 1000 crore rupees were allotted to the fund.
About Nirbhaya Fund
The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by the Union Government in 2013 with 1000 crore rupees corpus for empowerment, safety and security of women and girl children. The Fund is administered by the DEA under the Union Ministry of Finance. Union departments and ministries are eligible to forward proposals intended for women safety to the DEA to avail funds under the scheme
WJP released Open Government Index 2015 Report
World Justice Project (WJP) in the third week of March released the Open Government Index 2015.
Out of the 102 countries assessed in the 2015 Index, Sweden topped the list in terms of openness in the government. It is followed by New Zealand and Norway at second and third place respectively. The other countries in the top ten are: Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Korea.
Cambodia, Iran, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe are positioned last in the Index.
The Index used four dimensions namely Publicised laws and government data, right to information, complaint mechanisms and civic participation to assess openness in government functioning.
India’s position in the Index
India has been placed at the 37th position in the 2015 Index.
India scored 0.54 with 27th rank, 0.50 with 66th rank, 0.58 with 43rd rank and 0.65 with 39th rank among the surveyed countries in terms of publicised laws and government data, right to information, complaint mechanisms and civic participation respectively.
India is placed at the top among the South Asian countries followed by Nepal (40), Sri Lanka (52), Bangladesh (73), Pakistan (83) and Afghanistan (89).
India is placed at the third position among the Lower Middle Income countries after Georgia and Indonesia.
Port Blair Magnetic Observatory inaugurated to monitor seismic activities
The Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan on 30 March 2015 inaugurated Port Blair Magnetic Observatory (PBMO) at Shoal Bay No. 8 in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The observatory has been set up by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) under the Multi-Parametric Geophysical Observatories (MPGO) initiated by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.
So far, a network of 14 MPGO, including the PBMO, has been set up across the country by the IIG to monitor seismic and co-seismic signals by using multi techniques.
The first MPGO was set up at Guttu in Uttarakhand.
About IIG
The IIG is a leading institute of the country actively engaged in basic and applied research in Geomagnetism and allied areas of Geophysics, Atmospheric and Space Physics and Plasma Physics.
It started out as a successor to the Colaba Magnetic Observatory where the first regular magnetic observatory in the country was established in 1841 and became autonomous in 1971.
The IIG is located in Mumbai.
Australia's IAG to raise stake in SBI General Insurance to 49 percent
Insurance Australia Group Ltd (IAG) on 26 March 2015 announced that it will raise its stake in SBI General Insurance (SBIGI) from 26 percent to 49 percent.
IAG decided to increase its stake in SBIGI in the backdrop of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015 which was passed in the Parliament in March 2015. The bill seeks to increase foreign investment limit in local insurers to 49 percent from 26 percent.
SBI General Insurance is a joint venture between the State Bank of India and IAG of Australia. It started operations in 2010. This decision of IAG will lead to dilution of SBI’s 76 percent stake in SBI General Insurance to 51 percent.
Union Ministry of Finance approved 1500 crore rupees for AP Capital construction
Union Ministry of Finance on 30 March 2015 allocated 1500 crore rupees to Andhra Pradesh (AP) for the construction of necessary infrastructure in the new capital.
Out of the 1500 crore rupees sanctioned 1000 crore rupees are meant for essential amenities and 500 crore rupees for administrative buildings.
The Special Financial Support (SFS) is in tune with the section 94(3) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014which mandates the Union Government to extend financial support to Andhra Pradesh to construct essential infrastructure including Raj Bhawan, High Court, Government Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.
The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 mandates Hyderabad as a common capital for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period of ten years.
The new capital of AP is proposed to be constructed in the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri (VGMT) area on the banks of Krishna river and is named as Amaravathi.
China and Sri Lanka inked five agreements during visit of Maithripala Sirisena to China
China and Sri Lanka signed five agreements on 26 March 2015 to deepen development partnership between the two countries.
The agreements were signed in Beijing during the maiden visit of Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena to China after assuming the office in January 2015.
Outcomes of the Sri Lankan president’s visit to China
• Both the countries reiterated the shared adherence of the two countries to the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence or Pancha Sheela.
• The two nations signed five agreements related to cooperation for special aid in public health, development of water treatment methods and technologies in kidney disease affected areas, research and development of the coconut industry and refurbishment of the Superior Courts Complex in Sri Lanka.
• During the talks between the Sri Lankan president and his chinese counter part Xi Jinping it was also agreed to kick start third round of negotiations to conclude the proposed China-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• Sri Lanka accepted the China’s invitation to become a founding-member of the Chinese proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• China agreed to provide for 2000 training opportunities for young scientists from Sri Lanka in the next five years.
• China agreed to set up Chinese language training centres in Sri Lanka to deepen cultural partnership between both the countries.
Comment
The relations between Sri Lanka and China are of utmost importance for India in terms of national security. The recent Chinese initiatives like Maritime Silk Road and involvement of Chinese firms in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka are seen as a part of China’s strategy to encircle India by deepening partnership with India’s neighbours.
Fourteenth Multi-Parametric Geophysical Observatory (MPGO) inaugurated in Port Blair
MPGO: Multi-Parametric Geophysical Observatory (MPGO)
The term MPGO was in news as the Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan on 30 March 2015 inaugurated Port Blair Magnetic Observatory (PBMO) at Shoal Bay No. 8 in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The observatory is a part of the network of 14 MPGOs which has been set up by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) under Union Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.
The purpose of the observatories is to monitor seismic and co-seismic signals by using multi techniques.