The 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council was held at Patna on October 23, 2019, under the chairmanship of Shri Deepak Kumar, Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar.
The Committee reviewed the progress of implementation of the recommendations made at the last meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council relating to issues of water sharing at Phulbari dam under agreement signed by the States of Bihar and West Bengal on Upper Mahananda Water Scheme; new Railway line projects of Tarkeshwar-Bishnupur and Bhadutola Jhargram; and, land acquisition for development of Bagdogra airport.
The issues related to setting up of electric locomotive periodic overhauling workshop at Kalahandi, train between Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh, implementation of prohibition policy in Bihar, determination of pension liability between Bihar and Jharkhand, issues related to coal blocks, royalty on washed coal, MMDR Act regarding grant of mining lease, adoption of model laws relating to marketing and contract farming of agricultural produce and livestock, review of critical central sector health schemes, devolution of powers by the States to Panchayati Raj Institutions, speedy investigation of cases of sexual offence/rape against women and children, implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mission, impediments in development of coal mines, use of UIDAI database for verifying the antecedents of marine fishermen in high seas, land acquisition and forest clearance for doubling/extension/new line projects of railways in the States of Eastern Zone. Out of the 43 items discussed today, 36 items (81.39%) were resolved in the meeting itself or a mutually agreeable timeline was arrived at.
Shri Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat (ISCS) , Ministry of Home Affairs made a detailed presentation to flag key issues in 43 agenda items that were deliberated upon. He also pointed out that the Union Home Minister had stressed in the recent meetings of Zonal Councils about (i) coverage of all villages which have hitherto remained without any banking facilities within 5 km radial distance by a banking institution; (ii) Enhancement of DBT Portal to include scheme/village-wise details by collecting real time information from respective portals of beneficiary-oriented schemes to give village level DBT fund transfer & benefits; and, (iii) Monitoring of investigations into heinous offences like POCSO Act, NDPS Act, murder etc. by Chief Secretary and DG Police.
The meeting was attended by the Shri S.C. Mahapatra, Development Commissioner & Additional Chief Secretary, Odisha; Shri Sukhdev Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Jharkhand; Shri Navin Prakash, Additional Chief Secretary (Irrigation), West Bengal and other senior officers of the Union Government and the States in Eastern Zone. Dr. Asit Kumar Tripathy, Chief Secretary, Odisha joined the meeting through video conferencing.
The five Zonal Councils (Northern, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Central Zonal Councils) were set up under the States Reorganization Act, 1956 to foster Inter-State co-operation and co-ordination among the States. The Zonal Councils are mandated to discuss and make recommendations on any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning, border disputes, linguistic minorities or inter-State transport etc. They are regional fora of co-operative endeavor for States linked with each other economically, politically and culturally. Being compact high-level bodies, specially meant for looking after the interests of respective Zones, they are capable of focusing attention on specific issues taking into account regional factors, while keeping the national perspective in view.
All Zonal Councils have constituted Standing Committees consisting of the Chief Secretaries of the member States to screen agenda items to be placed before the respective Zonal Council for discussion apart from keeping a watch on the progress of implementation of the Council’s recommendations.
Out of the 2.5 lakh panchayats in the country 240 panchayats were confered the National Panchayat Awards 2019 by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj in New Delhi today. Congratulating the award winners, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar called upon every panchayat to move ahead for making a new India. The Minister said that Gram Panchayats and Sarpanchs should fully utilize the powers given to them and should formulate the Development Plans for their panchayats at the earliest to effectively implement the Government programs.
Shri Tomar said that every elected representative should be proud of the responsibility given to them by the voters and they are no less than any other elected representative of the country. He also asked the awarded panchayat representatives to be a model and motivation to other panchayats so that they also can learn and strive for betterment.
The Panchayati Raj Ministers from states of Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Assam and Tamil Nadu along with representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions across the country took part in the award ceremony.
The Best performing Panchayats were selected based on various criteria and indicators. This incentivization encourages Panchayat representatives who make special efforts; creates models for other Panchayats and Gram Sabhas to follow and focuses public attention on Panchayats’ performance, which encourages all Panchayats to improve their performance. Finally, this creates an eco-system for overall good governance at the local level.
The Awards were given under the following categories: i. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar (DDUPSP): given to best performing Panchayats (District, Intermediate and Gram) in recognition of the good work done for improving delivery of services and public goods. DDUPSPs are given for general and following nine thematic categories: • Sanitation • Civic Services (drinking water, street light, infrastructure) • Natural Resource Management • Serving Marginalized Section (women, SC/ST, disabled, senior citizen) • Social Sector Performance • Disaster Management • CBOs/ Individuals taking voluntary actions to support Gram Panchayats • Innovation in revenue generation • e-Governance
ii. Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar (NDRGGSP): Given to Gram Panchayats (GPs) for their outstanding contribution to the socio-economic development by involving Gram Sabhas.
iii. Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) Award: Introduced during the year 2018, this award is conferred to best performing Gram Panchayats (GPs) across the country which have developed their GPDPs according to the State/UT specific guidelines prepared in line with the model guidelines issued by Ministry of Panchayati Raj [or adopted as such].
iiii. Child-friendly Gram Panchayat Award: This award has been instituted during the year 2018-19 for best performing GPs/Village Councils (VCs) (one in each State/UT) for adopting child-friendly practices.
v. e-Panchayat Puraskar is given to States/UTs or promoting e-enablement of PRIs for bringing in efficiency, transparency and accountability in their functioning. The main aim of this award is to encourage the Panchayats for the use of information and communication technology and to incentivize those States/UTs, which have made dedicated efforts in adopting and implementing the e-Panchayat Applications and enabling electronic delivery of services through Panchayats & equivalent rural bodies. The States/UTs are analyzed on the basis of the performance assessment parameters.
Indian Air Force BrahMos unit has successfully fired two Surface to Surface missiles at Trak Island in Andaman Nicobar group of islands on 21 & 22 Oct 19. The twin firings have been carried out by the IAF as a part of training mission. The BrahMos land attack cruise missiles engaged the designated mock targets close to300 Km away and achieved direct hit in both the cases. The launch was smooth and both the missiles followed the desired trajectory. The firing by IAF demonstrates the mobility and agility of IAF units to operationally deploy and launch at targets withpin-point accuracy.
IAF had previously successfully fired the land version of the BrahMos missile at Pokhran. In addition, IAF had also recently successfully fired the air version of the BrahMos missile from its frontline Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in May 19 in the same area.
The 2.8 Mach BrahMos missile is a state-of-art supersonic cruise missile designed and developed by BAPL. The missile is ideally suited for launch from large stand-off ranges to engage fortified targets deep inside the enemy territory with precision.
The BrahMos missile provides Indian Air Force a much desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions. Supersonic speeds combined with capability to attack the assigned target in Single or Salvo mode ensures quicker target engagement with a high degree of assurance. The missile functions on the Fire and Forget principle with high accuracy.
The 4th Ayurveda day to be organized on 25th October, 2019 at National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Dhanwantari Pujan and “National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards -2019” ceremony will be held at NIA in the gracious presence of Shri Om Birla, Speaker, Lok Sabha as Chief Guest. MoS (IC) for Ministry of AYUSH & Defence Shri Shripad Yesso Naik will also be present. On this occasion, a National Conference ‘Ayurveda for Longevity’ will also be organized on 24th October, 2019. Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will be the Chief Guest.
Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India decided to celebrate Ayurveda Day every year on the day of Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanteras) since 2016. On this occasion, Ministry also facilitates 3-4 Ayurveda experts with "National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Award" comprising of Citation, Trophy (Dhanwantari Statue) and Cash reward of Rupees five lakh. Ayurveda relies on a comprehensive program that includes conscious eating (Aahara), lifestyle (Vihar), sleep (Nidra), behavioural and psychological intervention for extension of Longevity (health span). Rasayana Tantra, one of the eight branches of Ayurveda is dedicated to rejuvenation, regeneration, immune-modulation, healthy aging and enhances longevity.
Organisations of Ministry of AYUSH i.e. All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) New Delhi, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Institute for Post Graduate Training & Research in Ayurveda (IPGT&RA), Jamnagar, Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), Ghaziabad and North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH), Shillong are also participating in the event by putting exhibition stall of their organisation’s R& D material, achievements/ activities for publicity and distribution of IEC material at NIA, Jaipur.
This was done in accordance with the Section 11 of Representation of the People Act.
Background: Mr. Tamang was convicted of the charge of misappropriation of public funds. His disqualification period of 6 years, which began on August 10, 2018, was to end on August 10, 2024.
Rationale behind the relief: It is based on Mr. Tamang’s main argument. According to him, the law prevailing at the time of his offence entailed disqualification only if the sentence was for a term of two years or more; and that the amendment in 2003, under which any conviction under the anti-corruption law would attract the six-year disqualification norm, should not be applied to him.
Section 11 of the RP Act: The Election Commission may, for reasons to be recorded, remove any disqualification under this Chapter 1 (except under section 8A) or reduce the period of any such disqualification.
What’s the criticism now? While this may seem to be an innocuous condonation, the fact that condonation was granted just before the fresh state elections were to be held, demonstrates arbitrariness. The only inference from the period condoned, that is, four years 11 months, seems to be for the specific purposes of allowing the candidate to contest the state elections.
Therefore, it is also argued that Section 11 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, was unconstitutional since it provided uncanalised, uncontrolled, and arbitrary power to the Election Commission to remove or reduce the disqualification period.
Analysis: This is morally wrong and a dangerous precedent that may end up reversing the trend towards decriminalising politics. Under Section 11 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the EC indeed has the power to remove or reduce the disqualification attached to a conviction. However, this has been used rarely, and seldom in a case involving a conviction for corruption.
Its because Disqualification from contest is a civil disability created by electoral law to keep those convicted by criminal courts from entering elected offices. It is not a second punishment in a criminal sense. The EC decision also goes against the grain of a series of legislative and judicial measures to strengthen the legal framework against corruption in recent years.
Need of the hour: The apex court has already described corruption as a serious malady and one impinging on the economy. In 2013, the protection given to sitting legislators from immediate disqualification was removed.
Now, disqualification should be more strictly applied to those convicted for corruption. Legislators handle public funds, and there is good reason to keep out those guilty of misusing them.
Key facts: Through ‘IMI 2.0’, the health ministry aims to reach each and every child below the age of two years and all pregnant women still uncovered/partially covered in 271 districts of the country and 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
IMI 2.0 will include four rounds of vaccination, with each round involving a seven-day immunisation drive to be conducted each month. The IMI programme is supported by 12 ministries and departments and is being monitored by the cabinet secretary at the national level.
Existing gaps: The current national full immunisation coverage rate stands at 87 per cent. According to government data, 260 lakh children are born every year and an estimated 31 lakh out of them would not receive complete rounds of vaccination in the first year of their life due to various reasons.
To strengthen and re-energize the programme and achieve full immunization coverage for all children and pregnant women at a rapid pace, the Government of India launched “Mission Indradhanush” in December 2014.
Goal of Mission Indradhanush: The ultimate goal of Mission Indradhanush is to ensure full immunization with all available vaccines for children up to two years of age and pregnant women.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI): To further intensify the immunization programme, the government launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) on October 8, 2017.
Through this programme, Government of India aims to reach each and every child up to two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation programme/UIP.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush will cover low performing areas in the selected districts (high priority districts) and urban areas. Special attention will be given to unserved/low coverage pockets in sub-centre and urban slums with migratory population.
How is wealth defined and calculated? Wealth is defined in terms of “net worth” of an individual. This, in turn, is calculated by adding up the value of financial assets (such as money) and real assets (such as houses) and then subtracting any debts an individual may have.
Key findings: China has overtaken the United States this year to become “the country with most people in the top 10% of global wealth distribution”. 44% of total wealth with 0.9%: 47 million people – accounting for merely 0.9% of the world’s adult population – owned $158.3 trillion.
Bottom half of wealth holders collectively accounted for less than 1% of total global wealth in mid-2019, while the richest 10% own 82% of global wealth and the top 1% alone own 45%.
Global financial crisis of 2008-09 has hurt those at the bottom of the pyramid more than the wealthiest as inequalities within countries grew in the wake of the GFC. As a result, the top 1% of wealth holders increased their share of world wealth.
India specific findings: India remains one of the fastest wealth creators in the world, with household wealth in dollar terms growing faster than any other region. Wealth per Indian adult is at $14,569 ( ₹10.31 lakh as on 21 October). However, the average number is skewed heavily by a few wealthy individuals. India accounts for 2% of the world’s millionaires.
What are the drivers of the wealth of nations? Overall size of the population: A country with a huge population, in terms of final calculation, this factor reduces the wealth per adult. Also, a big population provides a huge domestic market and this creates more opportunities for economic growth and wealth creation.
Country’s saving behaviour: A higher savings rate translates into higher wealth. Overall, a percentage point rise in the savings rate raises the growth rate of wealth per adult by 0.13% each year on average.
General level of economic activity as represented by aggregate income, aggregate consumption or GDP: The expansion of economic activity increases savings and investment by households and businesses, and raises the value of household-owned assets, both financial and non-financial.
About the campaign: Objective: To raise awareness and take steps against hunger and malnutrition in India.
Launched in collaboration with UFO Movies. The ad shows the reality that millions of people facing across the world. The ad shows that the world has to face great loss when children’s voices are silenced due to hunger.
About WFP: The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. The WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself.
It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee. Born in 1961, WFP pursues a vision of the world in which every man, woman and child has access at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life.
The WFP is governed by an Executive Board which consists of representatives from member states. The WFP operations are funded by voluntary donations from world governments, corporations and private donors. WFP food aid is also directed to fight micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS.
The objectives of the World Food Programme are: Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies. Support food security and nutrition and (re)build livelihoods in fragile settings and following emergencies. Reduce risk and enable people, communities and countries to meet their own food and nutrition needs. Reduce under-nutrition and break the inter-generational cycle of hunger. Zero Hunger in 2030.
Efforts by India to fight hunger and malnutrition: India has all the ingredients in place to achieve SDG 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture prior to the 2030 targets.
In 2015, India, along with other countries, signed the declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, comprising 17 SDGs. Within this agenda, ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture was set as SDG 2.
NFSA as well as the POSHAN Abhiyan are substantial steps taken by India to put the SDG firmly on the map.
About TMT: The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is an astronomical observatory with an extremely large telescope (ELT). It is an international project being funded by scientific organisations of Canada, China, India, Japan and USA.
Planned location: Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii in the US state of Hawaii. Purpose: The TMT is designed for near-ultraviolet to mid-infrared observations, featuring adaptive optics to assist in correcting image blur.
Significance: TMT will enable scientists to study fainter objects far away from us in the Universe, which gives information about early stages of evolution of the Universe. It will give us finer details of not-so-far-away objects like undiscovered planets and other objects in the Solar System and planets around other stars.
The Uttar Pradesh government has granted the status of State fair to the Deepotsav Mela to be held in Ayodhya during Deepavali.
The festival, in which over 5.5 lakh lamps will be lit on October 26, will be held at an estimated cost of ₹133 crore.
It is a statutory bodyestablished by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956). In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
The Commission has three main objectives which guide its functioning. These are: The Social Objective – Providing employment in rural areas. The Economic Objective – Providing salable articles. The Wider Objective – Creating self-reliance amongst people and building up a strong rural community spirit.
Col Chewang Rinchen Setu is India’s highest altitude all-weather permanent bridge.
Located in eastern Ladakh at nearly 45 km from the country’s border with China. The bridge is strategically located on the 255-km Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie (DSDBO) section of the road between Leh and Karakoram Pass. Built on Shyok River. The bridge is sandwiched between strategic Karakoram and Chang Chenmo ranges.
Fastest cruise missile of its class in the world. It flies almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8 and has a range of 290 km.
Jointly developed with Russia and is named after the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva in Russia.
Range of the BrahMos missile can be extended up to 400 km as certain technical restrictions were lifted after India became a full member of the Missile Technology Control Regime or MTCR in 2016.