7-8 April 2015

7-april-2015

Rajeev Shukla appointed as Chairman of IPL Governing Council

Rajeev Shukla on 6 April 2015 was re-appointed as the chairman of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Governing Council by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

His appointment came just a day before the opening ceremony of the IPL-8 in Kolkata.

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Shukla was the IPL chairman till 2013 when he resigned from the post in the aftermath of the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

Sourav Ganguly was a new entrant to the IPL Governing Council while the senior national selection committee led by Sandeep Patil was retained for another season. Team India Director Ravi Shastri also remained in the IPL Governing Council.

Other inclusions in the Governing Councilinclude
• Head the Marketing Committee – Chetan Desai of Goa
• Chairman of the Technical committee – Anil Kumble
• Head the powerful finance committee - Jyotiraditya Scindia
• In-charge of the Tours and Programmes Committee - Gokaraju Gangaraju of Andhra Pradesh
• Head of the Media Committee - Biswarup Dey, the treasurer of the Cricket Association of Bengal
• Affiliations Committee head - Anurag Thakur

. Chair the Constitution Review Committee – BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya

Steel Companies partnered with Union Ministry of Steel to set up Steel Research & Technology Mission

Major Indian Steel Companies on 6 April 2015 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Union Ministry of Steel for setting up of Steel Research and Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) in New Delhi.

The primary objective of SRTMI is to promote collaborative Research and Development (R&D) programmes between the ministry and steel industries in priority areas of national importance in the steel sector.

The participating steel companies in this initiative are Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Tata Steel, JSW Steel of Jindal Group, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and Metallurgical & Engineering Consultants (India) Limited (MECON).

The setting up of the mission is in tune with Union Government’s Make In India initiative.

Key Features of SRTMI

• The mission aims at increasing investment on R&D in the steel sector from the present level of 0.2-0.3 to the international benchmark of 1-2 percent of the industry turnover.
• Under the mission R&D will be carried out in the areas including best usage of available raw materials in the country and conservation of natural resources, optimum energy conservation and minimum emissions, innovations and in-house development of design, engineering and manufacturing facilities of key steel plant equipments.
• The mission will be set up with an initial corpus of 200 crore rupees with equal contributions coming from the Steel Development Fund of the Ministry and the participating industries.
• The mission will be formed as a registered society in close cooperation amongst the participating steel companies, Union Ministry of Steel, academia and other institutions in the country.
• The mission will be governed by a Governing Board which includes Chief Executives Officers of steel and associated companies, domain experts of national and international repute and nominee from the Union Ministry of Steel.
• There will be an Oversight Committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary (Steel) to periodically assess the functioning and performance of the mission.

Pratap Singh, an Indian-origin schoolboy, won Institute of Physics Prize for his Cosmic-ray project

Pratap Singh, a 15-year-old Indian-origin schoolboy in the United Kingdom, on 12 March 2015 was awarded with the 500 pounds Institute of Physics (IOP) Prize. The prize also includes a trip to a national physics-related activity.

He was awarded for conducting an experiment that verified an effect of Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity.

e received the award at the Bing Bang Fair held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Birmingham. The Big Bang Fair, which was held from 11 to 14 March 2015, saw competition between more than 200 students aged 11 to 18 years. The participants demonstrated their projects to thousands of visitors.

What is Cosmic-ray Project?

Singh, who is a student at The Perse School, Cambridge, used two Geiger-Muller tubes to detect cosmic-ray muons, which should not reach the Earth in detectable numbers unless time dilation occurs.

In his demonstration, he created a mathematical model for their arrival rate with and without time dilation and using a Raspberry Pi and some statistical analysis, showed that they follow the model predicted by special relativity theory of Einstein in 1905. His experiment was compact enough to fit inside a shoebox.

About Institute of Physics

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific society. It is a charitable organisation with a worldwide membership of more than 50000, working together to advance physics education, research and application.

Scientists discovered an endangered species of plant named Oldenlandia dineshi from Western Ghats

Scientists from four research institutions in Kerala discovered a rare species of plant named Oldenlandia dineshi from Palakkad region of Western Ghats. The discovery of the shrub was published in the Kew Bulletin on 19 March 2015.

The scientists came across the plant in a quarry during an exploration of the Nenmara region south of Palakkad in the valley of the Nelliyampathy hills.

Based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria, the researchers have classified Oldenlandia dineshii as an endangered species.

The plant species named Oldenlandia dineshi is a shrub with long linear tapering leaves and dark blue flower. The flowering period is from July to September and fruiting from September to October.

The species has been named in honour of TK Dinesh Kumar, former Professor of Botany, University College, Thiruvananthapuram.

The genus Oldenlandia comprises about 248 species of which 27 have been reported from India is mainly distributed in the southern parts of the Western Ghats and North and North-East India. Among these, 12 species and one variety have been recorded from various locations in Kerala.

Several species of the Oldenlandia family are widely used in Ayurveda for preparation of formulations such as Chyawanaprasam.

The scientists highlighting the floral diversity in the region and triggered the demand for strict curbs on quarrying in biodiversity pockets.

CII and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed MoU to deepen partnership

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 6 April 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to deepen partnership between Indian companies and the bank in those countries where the bank has operations.
it was signed by the CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee and EBRD Vice-President Phil Bennett at a session on Inclusive Business: The Way Forward as part of the National Conference and Annual Session 2015 held by the CII in New Delhi.
Under the MoU, the EBRD countries of operations would benefit from the transfer of skills from world-class Indian companies. On the other hand, EBRD will be sharing its strong local knowledge with Indian companies that are either moving into the EBRD regions for the first time or which want to expand their operations in those countries.

The bank has already made 1 billion US dollar investment together with Indian companies and the MoU will help to utilize huge untapped potential in the Indian private sector.

about European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

The bank was established in 1991 to support transition to market economies of socialist economies in Eastern Europe and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).It is owned by 64 countries, the European Union and the European Investment Bank.

Suma Chakrabarti, an Indian origin British civil servant, has been the President of the bank since 2012.

AIIMS study found Ashwagandha powder, Sidh Makardhwaj are effective in treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

Ayurvedic formulations like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) powder and Sidh Makardhwaj are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes irreversible joint damage. This was revealed by a study conducted by All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The pilot prospective study titled Efficacy & safety evaluation of Ayurvedic treatment (Ashwagandha powder & Sidh Makardhwaj) in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients was published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research on 2 April 2015.

The Study

The study was conducted by AIIMS on 125 RA patients for finding the cutting-edge treatments, for scientific validation of therapies offered under traditional systems of medicine.

for the pilot study, the patients took 5g of Ashwagandha powder twice a day for three weeks with lukewarm water or milk. Sidh Makardhwaj (100 mg) with honey was administered daily for the next four weeks.

The Findings

. A significant change in post-treatment scores of tender joint counts, swollen joint counts, physician global assessment score, patient global assessment score, pain assessment score, patient self assessed disability index score and ESR level were observed as compared to baseline scores.

• ACR20 response was observed in 56.4 per cent (44/78) patients (American College of Rheumatology criteria) and moderate response in 39.74 per cent (31/78) patients [European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria].
• Ayurvedic treatment for seven weeks in rheumatoid arthritis patients showed normal kidney and liver function tests.
• However, increased urinary mercury levels were was observed after treatment.

The Ashwagandha powder is derived from plant Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and it has anti-inflammatory, anti-stress and immuno-modulatory properties.

On the other hand, Sidh Makardhwaj is a formulation of herbal and mineral ingredients. It is a sublimed product made from pure mercury, sulphur and gold.

SC asked Union Government to re-visit Juvenile Justice Act, 2000

The Supreme Court (SC) of India on 6 April 2015 asked the Union Government to re-examine the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and make it more stringent at least in cases pertaining to heinous crimes like rape and murder.

Further, the apex court noted that a juvenile cannot get away by claiming that he is too young to understand the consequences of his crime and a message had to be sent that the victim's life was equally important.The court also noted the number of cases against juveniles had spiked, a statement backed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which says the number of rapes committed by juveniles jumped by a massive 300 percent and juvenile crime rose by 78 percent in the last decade.

In this light, it asked the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to consult competent authorities and suggest to it whether the relevant laws can be re-looked, re-scrutinised and re-visited so that it has a deterrent effect.

The direction was given by the Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice PC Pant while hearing an appeal against the decision of Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) that awarded life sentence to a murder accused.

However, the accused challenged the ruling of Punjab and Haryana HC in the SC on the ground that he was less than 18 years old at the time of the alleged crime in May 2000.

What does the JJ Act, 2000 says?

the demand to amend the JJ Act gained momentum after the brutal Nirbhaya case of December 2012 in which the most brutal offender out of six was below 18 but was given only three years of punishment.

The Act defines a juvenile who is 16 years old and provides for children-sensitive approach towards prevention and treatment of underage offenders

Under the existing law, a juvenile convict is not sent to jail but tried by a board with the maximum punishment being three years in an observation home, a provision that critics say is too lenient for serious offenses.

Dena Bank inked MoU with Life Insurance Corporation

Dena Bank on 6 April 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to provide insurance cover to all Aadhaar-linked savings account holders of the bank in the age group of 18 to 50 years.

The insurance cover will be provided under the Prime Minister’s Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJBY) scheme. The scheme will come into effect from 1 June 2015.

Features of the PMJBY Scheme

• Risk of 2 lakh rupees will be covered in case of death

A premium sum of 330 rupees per annum will be auto-debited to the account holder’s account
• As per the terms of risk coverage, a person has to opt for the scheme every year

The bank said that people who join the scheme before completing 50 years can continue to have the risk of life cover up to the age of 55 years.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan signed Six Agreements

Sri Lanka and Pakistan on 6 April 2015 signed six agreements. The signing of the agreement was witnessed by the Pakistan Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena at the PM House in Islamabad.

The six agreements pertained to advancing cooperation in disaster management, sports, shipping, socio-economic development, education and narcotics control.

The list of six agreements signed between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Cooperation between Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka
Agreement on cooperation against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances
Academic cooperation agreement on exchange and collaboration between National Defence University of Pakistan and Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies of Sri Lanka
Mutual cooperation in shipping business between Pakistan National Shipping Corporation(PNSC) and the Ceylon Shipping Corporation Ltd (CSCL)
Collaboration in the field of Sports
Cooperation on disaster management

Sri Lankan President Sirisena is on a three day visit to Pakistan and this is Sirisena’s first visit to Pakistan since he assumed the charge of President of Sri Lanka in January 2015.

The two heads of states during their meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields while focusing mainly on trade. Regional and international issues of mutual interest were also part of the discussions.

Comment

The chief among the six agreement signed was the agreement on atomic energy. Even though Pakistan and Sri Lanka have traditionally enjoyed strong ties, particularly over defence, but the signing of agreement on atomic energy with Pakistan one month after the signing of agreement on nuclear cooperation with India highlights the focus which the new regime in Sri Lanka is putting on build its first nuclear plant.

Pakistan has three operational nuclear plants which generated a total of around 740 MW of power. It has also begun work on building two more nuclear plants, including a 2200-megawatt station that is being built along the Arabian Sea coast at Paradise Beach, 40 kilometres west of Karachi with the help of Chinese assistance.

World Health Day 2015 observed globally with the theme From farm to plate, make food safe

7 April: World Health Day

World Health Day (WHD) 2015 was observed globally on 7 April 2015. The theme for the year is From farm to plate, make food safe.

The theme was selected by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to bring focus on growing global burden of food borne diseases and underscore the need for coordinated cross-border action across the entire food supply chain i.e. from farm to plate.

To mark the day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted various programmes across the world in close cooperation with government agencies and civil society to spread awareness on food safety issues related to the entire spectrum of food supply chain.

The day is celebrated every year since it was first celebrated in 1950 to mark the anniversary of the WHO formation in 1948.

The theme of the WHD 2014 was Small bite, big threat which focused on vector borne diseases.

Unsafe foods and its consequences

unsafe food contains harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances and causes more than 200 diseases - ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Examples of unsafe food include undercooked foods of animal origin, fruits and vegetables contaminated with feces and shellfish containing marine biotoxins.

According to WHO’s Food borne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) data related to 2010:
a) There were an estimated 582 million cases of 22 different food borne enteric (intestine related) diseases and 351000 associated deaths
b) The African region recorded the highest disease burden for enteric food borne diseases, followed by South-East Asia.
c) Over 40 percent people suffering from enteric diseases caused by contaminated food were children aged under 5 years.
Unsafe food also poses major economic risks, especially in a globalized world. Germany’s 2011 E.coli outbreak reportedly caused 1.3 billion US dollars in losses for farmers and industries and 236 million US dollars in emergency aid payments to 22 European Union Member States.

Steps taken by the WHO to make food safe

1962: WHO joined the Codex Alimentarius Commission which developed and enforces Codex Alimentarius, a collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice covering all the main foods.

2004: WHO-FAO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was established in partnership with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) to ensure effective and rapid communication during food safety emergencies.

2004: It released five keys to safer foods viz., keep clean, separate raw and cooked food, cook thoroughly, keep food at safe temperature and use safe water and raw material to prevent food borne diseases.

2007: It set up the Food borne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) to advise on matters of global food borne diseases.

The first-ever photograph of vulnerable Chestnut-breasted Partridge clicked

The Chestnut-breasted Partridge (Arborophila mandellii) was photographed by a Bengaluru-based wildlife photographer Gururaj Moorching in the first week of April 2015. The bird was spotted in West Kamang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

The click was the first-ever photograph of the bird endemic to the Eastern Himalayas whose scientific name was given by an Italian naturalist and is classified as hill patridge.

Partridges are medium-sized ground-nesting birds of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group. These birds are found in about 45 species and is categorised as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

As per estimates of the IUCN, about 2500 Chestnut-breasted Partridges live in from Bhutan, West Bengal (Darjeeling only), Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India, Nepal Himalaya and south-east Tibet.

Divorced Muslim women entitled for maintenance under Section 125 of CrPC: SC

The Supreme Court (SC) of India on 6 April 2015 said that divorced Muslim women are entitled to seek maintenance from their ex-husbands. They are entitled for maintenance under Section 125of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which provides the same relief to wives, children and parents.

The apex court upheld a family court's order of directing a man to pay 4000 rupees as maintenance to his divorced wife and said that right to maintenance of a wife under Section 125 of the CrPC was absolute and no exceptions could be made. The rule would also apply to divorced Muslim women as well.

It further said that the amount of maintenance to be awarded under Section 125 of CrPC cannot be restricted for the iddat period (three months) only as the inherent and fundamental principle behind Section 125 is amelioration of financial state of affairs.

Also, it said that an order under Section 125 CrPC can be passed if a person, despite having sufficient means, neglects or refuses to maintain the wife.

The court rejected to buy the argument that sometimes husbands does not have the means to pay for he does not have a job or his business is not doing well and said that these excuses have no acceptability in law.

The decision was made by the Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Prafulla C Pant in a case involving one Shamima Farooqui from Lucknow.

What is the case?

The case relates to ill-treatment of Shamima Farooqui by her husband Shahid Khan, an Army personnel, who divorced her and later remarried.

She filed a case against her husband seeking maintenance in a family court in 1998; however, her application was taken up in 2012. The family court ruled in her favour and initially granted her 2000 rupees per month and later 4000 rupees per month after it found that she had no other means of supporting herself.

This ruling of family court was challenged in the Allahabad High Court which reduced the maintenance to 2000 rupees per month on the ground that the husband had retired from the Army in 2012.

Significance of the Judgment

The SC judgment is significant because it clarifies and settles the issue that civil law of the land would prevail over any personal laws. This in turn would help divorced Muslim women whose right to maintenance was curtailed by Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 passed in Parliament by the Rajiv Gandhi government in the wake of the top court's Shah Bano ruling.

The Shah Bano casepertains to 60-year old Shah Bano who went to Supreme Court demanding maintenance from her husband who divorced her. The court ruled in her favour and entitled her to maintenance from her ex-husband under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (with an upper limit of 500 rupees a month) like any other Indian woman.

Piplantri village of Rajasthan, a village that plants 111 trees for every girl born

Piplantri Village of southern Rajasthan's Rajsamand district was in news in second week of March 2015. This village not only embraces daughters but also created a tradition of planting 111 trees every time on the birth of a girl child. The plants are planted in her honour.

The village came into news, at the time when documentary India’s Daughters created national debate. The documentary portrayed violence against women like rape and abuse in India.

What is the tradition?
The tradition was started by village’s former sarpanch Shyam Sundar Paliwal in 2006. He started the initiative in the memory of his daughter Kiran, who died a few years ago.

The tradition at Piplantri village sets a different example of respect and honour for women by planting 111 trees whenever a girl child is born. To protect the trees from termites, the residents plant aloe vera plants around them.

Also as part of this, village residents collect 21000 rupees between themselves and 10000 rupees from the girl’s parents. This sum of 31000 rupees is made into a 20-year fixed deposit for the girl.

Further, an affidavit is signed by the parents stating that their daughter will receive proper education, the girl will be married only after she reaches legal age and the trees planted after her birth have been correctly looked after.

This tradition serves two purposes, first of saving a girl children, and second of protecting the planet by increasing the green cover. In last 6 years over a quarter of a million trees have been planted.

Comment
This tradition initiated by Paliwal is a brilliant exercise in eco-feminism and sets a great example of women empowerment as historically it was considered that in India birth of a daughter is considered as a burden for the family. This tradition honours a girl and overall, also helps in creating a good environment too.

National Green Tribunal ruled 10-year old diesel vehicles cannot ply on Delhi roads

National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 7 April 2015 banned all the diesel vehicles, heavy or light, over 10 years old from plying on Delhi roads.

It asked the governments and concerned agencies to ensure within 20 hours that all entry points have units to check pollution levels, weight and age of vehicle.

The ruling was given by a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.In the order passed, the bench noted that a number of countries in the world are in the process or have prohibited diesel vehicles or are in the process of doing away with them by imposing very heavy taxes. Some of these countries include Denmark, Brazil, China and Sri Lanka.

Further it called for implementing certain stringent measures to ensure that residents of the area do not travel closer to ill-health with each breath they take.

Besides, the bench also passed strict orders against any illegal construction activity that emanated dust in the air and also banned all hawkers and squatters from metalled roads in Lajpat Nagar and Chandni Chowk.

Earlier in November 2014, the tribunal had banned all the petrol vehicles over 15-year old from plying on Delhi roads. The decision was passed while hearing a petition of Vardhaman Kaushik who had contended that the level of particulates in Delhi is raising manifold and the reasons for which should be identified and curbed.

Delhi has the dubious status of being the world’s most polluted city according to World Health Organisation (WHO).

PCI President Rajesh Tomar suspended for mismanagement in Para-Athletics games

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) on 7 A=pril 2015 suspended its president Rajesh Tomar. He was charged with gross mismanagement of the 15th National Para-Athletics championship for differently-abled sports persons.

The 15th National Para-Athletics championship was held from 22 March to 24 March 2015 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

The decision to suspend Tomar was taken at a meeting of the PCI’s executive committee in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It was alleged that the participants were accommodated in unfurnished flats with unhygienic facilities in Ghaziabad.

Executive Committee also decided to file Criminal Proceedings and file Civil Suit Proceedings against Rajesh Tomar in the court of law in Bangalore.

Beside this, the PCI also constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by a retired Delhi High Court Justice to investigate the matter.

The 3 member Inquiry Committee includes

Chairman - Justice Shankara Ramakrishnan, Retired Judge, High Court of Delhi

• Members - Veda Murthy, IAS (Retd.) and Kallegowda (an Arjuna Awardee Disabled Sports Person)PCI also appointed the vice-President Nale Nandkishor as the present acting President.

8-april-2015

Gujarat won Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy

Gujarat cricket team on 7 April 2015 won the 2014-15 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy played at the KIIT Cricket Stadium, Bhubaneshwar. In the final clash, Gujarat defeated Punjab by two wickets.

Wicketkeeper and opening batsman Smit Patel's unbeaten 50 helped Gujarat to win their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Gujarat won the trophy in 2012-13 by defeating Punjab in the final by four wickets.

Brief Scores
• Punjab scored 117 for 9 in 20 overs
• Gujarat scored 123 for 8 in 19.5 overs

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is a domestic Twenty20 cricket championship in India. It is organized by Board of Control for Cricket in India, among the teams from Ranji Trophy. It is named after the famous Indian cricketer, Syed Mushtaq Ali.

The inaugural season for the trophy was played in 2008-09.

Union Cabinet approved amendments to Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013

The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 approved amendments to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2013. The bill protects the interests of millions of consumers and curbs malpractices in the real estate sector.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Through the amendments, the applicability of the Bill has been extended to commercial real estate too. Ongoing projects that have not received Completion Certificates have also been brought under the purview of the Bill and such projects will need to be registered with the Regulator within three months.

objective of the Real Estate Bill, 2013
• To create a uniform regulatory mechanism across the country so as to enhance the growth of construction sector
• It seeks to ensure accountability and transparency in the real estate sector to access capital and financial markets essential for its long term growth
Key provisions of the Real Estate Bill, 2013
• It regulates transactions between buyers and promoters of residential real estate projects.
• It establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs).
• It also provides for establishment of state level tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals. Decisions of RERAs can be appealed in these tribunals.
• Residential real estate projects, with some exceptions, need to be registered with RERAs. Real estate agents dealing in these projects also need to register with RERAs.
• Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them.
• On registration, the promoter must upload details of the project on the website of the RERA. These include the site and layout plan, and schedule for completion of the real estate project.
• 70 percent of the amount collected from buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank account and must only be used for construction of that project. The state government can alter this amount to less than 70 percent.

The Bill was originally moved by the erstwhile UPA government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but was applicable only for residential real estate. The Bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Other decisions taken during the Cabinet meet

Six percent hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and pensioners with effect from 1 January 2015. With this hike, the DA now has gone up to 113 percent of the basic pay from 107 per cent.
• It approved foreign investments in the two pharmaceutical companies, viz., Aurobindo Pharma and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited entailing an investment of 4187 crore rupees.
• Approved the strengthening and widening of 455 kilometers of National Highways with a total capital cost of about 9500 crore rupees

Mayilsamy Annadurai appointed as Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)

Mayilsamy Annadurai on 1 April 2015 was appointed as Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bengaluru.

He took over as Director, ISAC from Dr SK Shivakumar who superannuated on 31 March 2015.

As the Director of ISAC he will oversee development of satellite technology and implementation of satellite systems for scientific, technological and application missions.

Before the present appointment he had been the Programme Director of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) and Small Satellite Systems (SSS) at the ISAC since 2011.

About Mayilsamy Annadurai

• Annadurai began his career at ISAC in 1982 as the team leader to design and develop Software Satellite Simulator.
• He was the Project Director of Chandrayaan-1, India’s first lunar probe, in 2009.
• He was also instrumental in completion of India’s first inter-planetary mission Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in record time.
• He was conferred with Team Excellence Award from ISRO for his Contribution to Indian Space Programme in 2007 and Rajyotsava Award for Science from Government of Karnataka in 2008.

Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry constituted Ajay Shankar committee to simplify clearances

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 8 April 2015 formed an expert committee under the chairmanship of Ajay Shankar to suggest simplified compliance for establishing new industries. He is a former Secretary to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

The Expert Committee has been constituted for examining the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with pre-existing regulatory mechanism and to prepare draft legislation for this purpose.
The committee is directed to submit its report within 30 days.

Terms of Reference of the committee

• Study the requirement of various prior permissions with an exhaustive inventory of such permissions
• Examine the possibility of replacing these prior permissions with a pre-existing (proposed) regulatory mechanism
• Identify safeguards to be put in place while replacing the system of prior permission and integrating these safeguards in the proposed regulatory mechanism
• Recommend a framework of the proposed regulatory mechanism
• Draft the proposed legislation

Composition of the Committee

Apart from the chairman the committee includes ten members from other ministries, industry, British High Commission and the World Bank.

1.	Ajay Shankar, Former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion	Chairman
.	Manoj Kohli, Vice-president, Airtel	Member
3.	Jaijit Bhattacharya, M/s KPMG	Member
4.	Siddhartha Sibal, M/s Accenture	Member
5.	Chandrajeet Banerjee, Secretary General, Confederation of Indian Industries	Member

6.	Manoj Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests	Member
7.	Alok Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment	Member
8.	Dhruba Purkayastha, IFC, the World Bank Group	Member
9.	Aurodeep Nandi, Senior Economic Advisor, British High Commission	Member
10.	Abraham Zachariah, Central Projects Organization, ITC, Bangalore	Member
11.	Shailendra Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion	Member/ Secretary

Background
Earlier, the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 Budget Speech had proposed appointment of the committee to improve ease of doing business by providing expeditious regulatory clearances.

World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index released in October 2014 placed India at the 142nd position among the 189 countries surveyed

Union Government to re-classify industries in a three-coloured scheme based on pollution potential

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 7 April 2015 proposed a colour-coded system to re-classify industries based on pollution potential. As per the proposal, the industries will be re-classified under three-coloured scheme, viz., Red, Orange and Green.The proposal was part of the resolution adopted at the two-day State Environment and Forest Ministers' Conference at which measures to amend regulations to improve ease-of-doing business while protecting the environment was discussed.

Proposed colour-coded scheme

• Red Category: Industrial sectors with a score of 60 and more
• Orange Category: Industrial sectors with a score between 30 to 59
• Green Category: Industrial sectors with a score between 15 to 29

Industrial sectors scoring below 15 will be considered as white as they are environment friendly.

New renewal system for industries

Further, it is proposed to scrap the present system of annual renewal of certification for industries and replace it with a scheme that ties in with the colour-coded categories. Thus, as per the new renewal system:
• Industrial sectors falling under Red category will be given consent to operate with the validity period of five years
• Industrial sectors falling under Orange category will be given consent to operate for ten years
• Industrial sectors falling under Green category will be given a onetime consent

Apart from this, the individual units’ operative under this colour-coded scheme in various sectors will earn stars for compliance with environmental norms

The two-day conference, which was participated by 30 ministers from different state looked upon a wide range of issues like waste to wealth, ease of doing business, TSR Subramanian committee recommendations, forest, wildlife, pollution-related issues, biodiversity and climate change.

Dronavalli Harika won bronze in World Women's chess championship

Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika on 6 April 2015 won Bronze medal along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling in the World Women’s chess championships held at Sochi, Russia.

In the semi-final clash, Harika lost to Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine. She got 20000 US dollars for the Bronze medal finish.

The last-four finish helped Harika a place in the Women's Grand-prix for the next World championship cycle.
World Women Chess Championship was won by Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine. She defeated Russian Natalija Pogonina by 2.5 to 1.5 points in the four-game final. While Muzychuk won 60000 US dollars, Pogonina bagged 30000 US dollars.

Prime Minister launched MUDRA Bank under PM Jan Dhan Yojana to fund small entrepreneurs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 April 2015 launched the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) Bankto fund the small entrepreneurs.

The Bank was launched under the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). The bank will provide credit of up to 10 lakh rupees to small entrepreneurs and act as a regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs).

It was set up through a statutory enactment. It would be responsible for developing and refinancing all Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs) which are in the business of lending to micro / small business entities engaged in manufacturing, trading and service activities.

The concept of MUDRA Bank goes beyond credit only approach and offers a credit plus solution for these enterprises spread across the country.

The role of MUDRA Bank

Lay down policy guidelines for micro enterprise financing business
Registration of MFI entities
Accreditation/rating of MFI entities
Lay down responsible financing practices to ward off over indebtedness and ensure proper client protection principles and methods of recovery
Development of standardised set of covenants governing last mile lending to micro enterprises
Promoting right technology solutions for the last mile
Formulating and running a Credit Guarantee Scheme for providing guarantees to the loans/portfolios which are being extended to micro enterprises
Support development & promotional activities in the sector
Creating a good architecture of Last Mile Credit Delivery to micro businesses under the scheme
It would partner with State/Regional level coordinators to provide finance to Last Mile Financiers of small/micro business enterprises.

Products offered by MUDRA Bank

The bank will initially offer products like Shishu, Kishor and Tarun to differentiate the stage of growth and funding needs of the beneficiary entrepreneur.

Shishu will cover loans up to 50000 rupees
Kishor will cover loans above 50000 rupees and up to 5 lakh rupees
Tarun will cover loans above 5 lakh rupees and up to 10 lakh rupees

Background

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had proposed the creation of a Micro Units Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank, with a corpus of 20000 crore rupees and credit guarantee corpus of 3000 crore rupees during the presentation of Union Budget 2015-16 on 28 February 2015.

CCEA gave nod for strengthening and widening of 455-km of National Highways

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 7 April 2015 approved the projects for strengthening and widening of 455 kilometers of National Highways (NH) at a total capital cost of about 9500 crore rupees.

The projects are aimed at improving road connectivity in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the expenditure to be incurred on these projects will be borne by the Union Government.

The NHs that form the part of 455-km of NHs approved include:

• Four laning of 138-km stretch of Sultanpur-Varanasi section of NH-56at a cost of 3800 crore rupees
• Four laning of 200-km stretch of Varanasi to Ghazipur, Gorakhpur and further to Nepal section of NH-29 at a cost of 4400 crore rupees

• Four laning or two laning with paved shoulders of 115-km stretch of Madurai-Ramanathapuram section of NH-49 at a cost of about 1400 crore rupees

Grey Hypocolius sighted at the Narara Marine National Park in Gujarat

Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus), a rare bird, was sighted by two Mumbai-based professionals and keen amateur birders. The bird was photographed on 26 February 2015 by Kunal Munsiff and Nosherwan Sethna at the Narara Marine National Park near Jamnagar in Gujarat.

The findings were published by Bombay Natural History Society (BHNS) after Munsiff and Sethna submitted their findings to the BHNS.

Grey Hypocolius is a small passerine bird species and is a sole member of the genus Hypocolius and is placed in the family of Hypocoliidae.

This slender and long tailed bird is found in the dry semi-desert region of northern Africa, Arabia (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen) Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India.

It is a migratory bird and generally fly in flocks and forage mainly on fruits, migrating south in winter.

The bird is listed under the Least Concern category of the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN.

Supreme Court lifted 1990 ban on performance of play Jesus Christ Superstar

he musical play Jesus Christ Superstar was in the news because on 7 April 2015 the Supreme Court (SC) of India quashed the Kottayam collector’s notification of 1990 banning the performance of the drama in the district.

The verdict was delivered by a SC Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1970 rock musical album for which music was provided by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.

The musical album started as a rock opera concept before its first staging in the United States (US) in 1971.

the literary piece is loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the last week of Jesus's life, beginning with the preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem and ending with the crucifixion.

It highlights political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus that are not in the Bible narratives.

A large part of the plot focuses on the character of Judas Iscariot, who is depicted as a tragic figure dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus steers his disciples and hands over Jesus Christ for 30 silver coins to Pharaoh Soldiers.

The Christian groups who challenged the play’s performance argued that it is against the belief of the Christian faith because they claim Jesus is innocent and God’s representative and his actions are bonafide.

Union Cabinet gave nod for release of additional installment of DA and DR

The Union Cabinet on 7 April 2015 gave its approval to release an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners at the rate of six percent increase over the existing rate of 107 percent.

With this decision, Central Government employees as well as pensioners are entitled for DA or DR at the rate of 113 percent of the basic pay with effect from 1 January 2015.

This pay rise will benefit 48 lakh government employees and 55 lakh pensioners.

The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission.

The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be to the tune of 6762.24 crore per annum and 7889.34 crore rupees for a period of 14 months from January 2015 to February 2016.

TRAI recommended establishment of Integrated Emergency Communication & Response System

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 7 April 2015 recommended the establishment of Integrated Emergency Communication and Response System (IECRS) in the country.

This system can be accessed through a single emergency number 112 from a landline or mobile phone/device for all emergency phone-calls across the country.

The recommendation with respect to setting up of IECRS was made in exercise of its power conferred under section 11 (1)(a)(ii) and (vii) of the TRAI Act, 1997 which empowers TRAI to make recommendations, either suo motu or on a request from the licensor.

main recommendations of TRAI on setting up of IECRS
• Adoption of number 112 as the single emergency number for India which may be popularised extensively through a public awareness campaign by the Government
• The existing emergency numbers 100,101,102 and 108 can be retained as secondary numbers. The calls made to the secondary numbers should be re-routed to the new single emergency number for termination of calls on the IECRS. The DoT may amend the National Numbering Plan-2003 accordingly.
• Access to IECRS should be permitted from the SIMs of those mobile phones/devices and from landline/mobile telephones where the outgoing call facility has been debarred or the service is temporarily suspended; however, such access to emergency facility should not be allowed from mobile handsets/devices which do not have a SIM.
• SMS based access to IECRS should be provided and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) may be asked to provide location information in the case of SMS based access to IECRS also.
• PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) operators should be able to handle calls in Hindi, English and the local language.
• Four regional databases, one each in metro city, containing subscriber details of TSPs should be set up in the country. These regional databases will be interconnected.
• Access to the regional databases will be provided free of charge, so that all the TSPs and PSAPs connect their respective systems to these databases.
• The number of PSAPs in a State/UT should be decided by the respective State Governments/UTs; however there should be at least one PSAP in a State/UT
• There should be one independent PSAP for every city with a population of more than two million as per Census-2011.
• Wherever there is more than one PSAP in a State/UT, they should act as primary and secondary PSAPs to each other so that overflow traffic of one PSAP can be handled by another in the State/UT.
• There should be a multi-sectoral agency which can coordinate and help in setting up of IECRS in the country.
• The multi-sectoral agency will have representations from Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Women and Child Development and other concerned Centre and State agencies.

What is an emergency number?

India, in the Cellular Mobile Telecom Services (CMTS) and Unified Access Services License (UASL) and Unified Licence (UL), has defined emergency services as, “Emergency service means an emergency of any kind, including any circumstances whatever resulting from major accidents, natural disasters and incidents involving toxic or radio-active materials and emergency services in respect of any locality means the relevant public, police, fire, ambulance and coast guard services for that locality”.

Why the need for a unified emergency response system in India?

In India, presently different emergency communication and response systems are in place for police, ambulance, fire brigade, civil defence, disaster management etc. For instance, some of the existing emergency numbers that exists in India, as per National Numbering Plan-2003, are 100 (Police), 101 (Fire), 102 (Ambulance) and 108 (Emergency Disaster Management).

Just opposite to this, most developed countries have put in place an IECRS under which emergency services are accessed nation-wide through a single number either 112 or 999.

The numbers used by developed countries is in line with the recommendations of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) made in 2008 in its report Guidelines to select Emergency Number for Public Telecommunications Networks

Also, to fulfill the vision of the National Telecom Policy 2012 (NTP-2012) one of the strategies envisaged was to facilitate an institutional framework to establish Nationwide Unified Emergency Response Mechanism by providing a nationwide single access number for emergency services.

Even the Justice JS Verma Committee Report on amendment to Criminal Laws on 23 January 2013 also had stressed the need to have a public emergency response system.

Thus, TRAI recommended the use of single emergency number 112 across the country.

State Environment and Forest Ministers’ Conference adopted Resolution on Protecting Environment

The two-day State Environment and Forest Ministers’ Conference concluded at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 7 April 2015. The conference started on 6 April 2015.

The conference concluded with adoption of a Resolution that seeks to frame measures to amend regulations to improve ease-of-doing business while protecting the environment.

The Main highlights of the Resolution

Waste Management

Establish effective mechanism for source segregation of waste by generators and arrange door-to-door collection of segregated solid waste in all urban areas within two years and put in place authorised waste recycling arrangements for the waste processing
Ensure that recycled materials from construction and demolition waste are mandatorily used in non-load bearing structures
Ensure that industrial area/zone/cluster plans mandatorily have waste recycling units;
Share common treatment storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs) for hazardous waste with other States
Arrange a web-based platform for integration of various kinds of approvals with respect to waste management
Enforce effective plastic waste management and e-waste management by involving Producers through Extended Producers Responsibility

Wildlife

To ensure effective implementation of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 comprehensive amendment to the law required
State Forest Departments to objectively assess the animal population of species and carefully consider the option of population management
Delineation of Eco-sensitive Zones must be completed by 30 June 2015. In case the boundary of a Protected Area is along interstate border, the states concerned will work jointly for finalizing the proposal based on the parameters recommended by National Board of Wildlife (NBWL).
All tiger range states will constitute State level Steering Committees and prepare Tiger Conservation Plans including voluntary village relocation from core/critical tiger habitats

Restoring Green Cover of India

Protect, restore and enhance India’s green cover and take steps to:

Constitute State, District and Cluster level Committees as per Green India Mission (GIM) guidelines within three months
Identify landscapes based on bio-geophysical and socio-economic parameters
Identify and propagate indigenous species suited to their local environment

Pollution related Issues

Work towards developing a national environment and forest database for expedited integration of clearances and enforcement of stipulated safeguards
Resolved that the provisions on violations need to be rationalised and civil penalty provisions be incorporated in Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and pollution related Acts
To establish Green Platform for creating environmental database to the Project Proponent and for filing compliances
Resolved that guidelines on sustainable sand mining and sustainable and environment friendly building norms be issued at the earliest
To adopt pollution criteria for categorisation of Red, Orange and Green categories of industries and that a Committee be constituted with State representatives
To give consent to operate with the validity period of five years in respect of Red categories, 10 years for Orange categories and one time consent for Green category

Treatment of Sewage

Make treatment of sewage and granting consents to the Municipal authorities mandatory under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
To revisit Standard treatment of sewage proposed by CPCB and secondary treated sewage be recycled and used for non-potable purposes

Biodiversity

Resolved that States that have not yet notified State specific Rules under Section 63 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 will notify the same by December 2015 and States whose rules are not in consonance with the Act will amend the rules by December 2015
States will consider declaring at least one Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2015-16
States shall put in place a transparent and effective mechanism for access to biological resources in their jurisdiction as envisaged under Section 7 and recently issued Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) guidelines by June 2015

Climate Change

States shall prepare a shelf of projects immediately and will submit at least 1 project of up to 10 crore rupees for National Adaptation Fund/National Clean Environment Fund and 1 project costing up to 30 crore rupees for Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) within 30 days
States will prepare demonstration projects under Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP) during Financial Year 2015-16 and will submit at least 1 project worth up to 10-25 million US dollars for submission to Green Climate Fund

20th Law Commission submitted Report on Eliminating Discrimination Against Leprosy-affected Persons

20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah on 7 April 2015 submitted the Report No 256 titled Eliminating Discrimination Against Persons Affected by Leprosy to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.

In the report, the Law Commission has recommended immediate repeal, amendment or modification of certain specific provisions in the laws applicable to leprosy-affected people in order to make their application more amenable to the present-day developments in the treatment of Leprosy.

Main recommendations

An infection of Leprosy affecting either spouse should not by itself constitute a ground for divorce, annulment of marriage or separation as provided in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956.
The use of the term leper under State beggary prevention laws is derogatory and contributes to the stigma associated with the disease and hence such a term should be removed from the statute book and all government records.
The term Leprosy-cured defined in The Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 needs to either be removed or broadened to cover all categories of Persons affected by Leprosy. In its present form it does not cover Persons affected by Leprosy who are undetected or undergoing treatment.
Recommends doing away with the restrictions on eligibility of Persons affected by Leprosy to stand for civic posts as required under various State Municipality and Panchayat Raj legislations.
It recommends repealing of The Lepers Act, 1898 in entirety and amending The Legal Services Act, 1987 and The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
It recommends the enactment of legislation under Article 253 of the Constitution of India that promotes the social inclusion of Persons affected by Leprosy and their family members through affirmative action.

Status of Leprosy in India

Leprosy or Hansen’s disease is one of the oldest known diseases. It is triggered by the causative agent Mycobacterium Leprae, a bacillus which was first discovered by a Norwegian doctor, Gerhard Armauer Hansen in 1873.

In 2014, India had the largest number of new Leprosy cases globally (58%). From 2005 till 2014, the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) has recorded a rate of 1.25 to 1.35 lakh new cases every year, a majority being children, who are threatened with isolation and discrimination at a very young age.

Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT), recommended by the WHO in early 1980s, comprises of powerful drugs such as Rifamipicin, Clofazimine and others in combination with Dapsone. Through Multi-Drug Therapy more than 15 million persons have been cured in last two decades in India.