NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Defence Minister Antony Launches Three Online Projects to Facilitate Pension Disbursal to Ex-Servicemen:
Defence Minister Antony Launches Three Online Projects to Facilitate Pension Disbursal to Ex-Servicemen:
The three web-enabled online automation projects are Project ‘SUVIGYA’, Project ‘AASHRAYA’andProject‘SANKALAN’. Project ‘SUVIGYA’ is an online pension enquiry system that would enable the Ex-Servicemen to know their entitlements at the click of a button. With project ‘AASHRAYA’, pension disbursement software, it would be possible for a pensioner to log in and access his pension account from anywhere. It would also assist the Pension Disbursing Agencies in redressing complaints and ensure prompt and accurate disbursement of pension. As a part of its green initiative, the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) also launched Project ‘SANKALAN’ which would facilitate dissemination of various orders, instructions and manuals electronically. It would also help in reduction in paper consumption in the department.
Standards to Five T-90 Armoured Regiments – a Historical First
On 19th of October 2010, the tiny township of Babina, where five Armoured Regiment’s of ‘White Tiger’ Armoured Division were presented with colours. Her Excellency, the President of India, Mrs Pratibha Patil, The Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, presented the Standards simultaneously to 83, 12, 13, 15 and 19 Armoured Regiments. This camaraderie is a hallmark of the Armed Forces, and with all Five Armoured Regiments getting colours simultaneously, Babina will provide the platform for a perfect fusion between the past and present. This would be a historical occasion as it would be the first time that five Armoured Regiments of an Armoured Division are presented the Colours together.
The significance of the “Nishaan” has been there since times immemorial, when man waged war and each tribe, clan and army rallied their men around a banner, which in times to come fluttered arrogantly above the battlefield to stir the soul of valour. For the brave men it came to be known as ‘The NISHAN’. The presentation of Colours is a martial legacy, centuries old and it is reminiscent of heroic deeds of by-gone battlefields. While the practice of carrying the Colour into battle has died, the tradition of receiving, holding and parading it continues.
The significance of the “Nishaan” has been there since times immemorial, when man waged war and each tribe, clan and army rallied their men around a banner, which in times to come fluttered arrogantly above the battlefield to stir the soul of valour. For the brave men it came to be known as ‘The NISHAN’. The presentation of Colours is a martial legacy, centuries old and it is reminiscent of heroic deeds of by-gone battlefields. While the practice of carrying the Colour into battle has died, the tradition of receiving, holding and parading it continues.
World Habitat Day 2010 to be Celebrated on 4th October 2010
The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October each year as the World Habitat Day. The idea is to reflect on the state of human settlements and the necessity of adequate shelter for all. UNHABITAT has decided the theme Better City, Better Life for the World Habitat Day 2010 to highlight the collective vision of a sustainable urban world that harnesses the potential and possibilities, mitigates inequalities and disparities, and provides a home for people of all cultures and ages, both rich and poor. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation is organizing celebrations on 4th October 2010 to commemorate the Day.
SCI Commemorates Golden Jubilee Celebrations[C&MD, SCI - S. Hajara.]
Shipping Corporation of India(SCI) was established as the India’s first public sector undertaking in shipping, 50 years ago. Founded on 2nd October, 1961 SCI has earned an international reputation as one of the top performers, providing its numerous customers with world-class shipping solutions by employing a modern fleet of diverse fuel-efficient vessels. The Shipping Corporation of India has contributed immensely in establishing a significant place for our country, as a strong maritime nation, on the global maritime map. India has one of the largest merchant shipping fleets and in 2009 was ranked 16th in the world. The SCI, which has a diversified fleet with almost one third of the country's total tonnage, is transporting various products and goods to meet the requirements of the country. Shipping has got collateral linkages with several other industrial activities of considerable economic consequence. Thus, the corporate slogan of SCI - "Transporting Goods Transforming Lives", truly reflects the significance and contributions of SCI's services towards the needs and development of the nation. India is the fourth leading economy in the world in terms of its purchasing power and one of the fastest growing. This necessitates that the shipping industry in India must gear up to meet the nation's growing requirements.
Regional Cooperation for the Protection of Himalayan Glaciers
Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) Shri Jairam Ramesh has emphasised the need for regional cooperation for the protection of Himalayan glaciers. The Minister reiterated the challenges facing the region and the need for solid scientific information as the basis for decision making and improving governance. While highlighting the important role that International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) plays as an anchor for regional cooperation and collaboration, Minister stressed the importance of the collaboration between India, Nepal and China on the Kailash Sacred Landscape. This is being facilitated by ICIMOD with the support of the UNEP.
Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalapakkam
The Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalapakkam, celebrates Silver Jubilee of its successful operation in October 2010. The FBTR went critical on 18th October 1985. FBTR utilizes a novel fuel in the form of carbides of Plutonium and Uranium. The Pu content of the fuel is high (70%) which makes it unique in the world. The fuel was developed by joint research by BARC & IGCAR and manufactured to exacting standards. Its performance has been excellent in terms of the energy that can be extracted out of every gram (which is technically called by the term ‘burn-up’). The carbide fuel has reached a burn-up of 165kWd/g without any breach of its outer clad. This means that from every gram of the fuel, heat equivalent of 165 electrical heaters of one kilowatt capacity working for 24 hours has been extracted. What is interesting is that about 80% of the fuel is still unburnt. The recovery of the unspent fuel (which is called ‘reprocessing’) has been successfully demonstrated by IGCAR. Plutonium recovered from the spent fuel from FBTR has been fabricated into fresh fuel pins and loaded back into the FBTR thus closing the fuel cycle.
First 500 MW Unit of Jhajjar Project goes on Stream
The first 500 MW unit of Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar of Aravali Power Company Private Limited (APCPL) a JV of NTPC Limited, Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited, Govt. of Haryana and Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited, Govt. of Delhi has been successfully synchronised with grid on 10th Oct. 2010. Situated at Village Jharli in Jhajjar district of Haryana, it is one of the projects targeted to power the Commonwealth Games. Besides this, NTPC has already commissioned two units of 490 MW each at NTPC Dadri for the CWG .
“Tourist Visa on Arrival” Scheme
As a facilitative measure to attract more foreign tourists to India, Government has launched a Scheme of “Visa on Arrival” (VoA) from January 2010 for citizens of five countries, viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting India for tourism purposes.
Upgradation of Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU), Shibpur to an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur at Howrah, West Bengal
BESU will be converted to IIEST by suitably amending the NIT Act, with special clauses, which should reflect its exclusive character. IIEST will be an 'Institute of National Importance' covered under NIT Act and its organizational and governing structure will be on the lines of National Institutes of Technology(NITs).
Background:
The Government had constituted an Expert Committee in 2005 to evaluate and suggest a plan of action for upgrading seven Institutes, including BESU, which had earlier been identified by Prof. S K Joshi Committee. The Expert Committee recommended the establishment of a new system of 'Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology (IIESTs) as Institutes of National Importance through an Act of Parliament. The Committee recommended upgradation of five Institutes including BESU, to become an IIEST.
The Government had constituted an Expert Committee in 2005 to evaluate and suggest a plan of action for upgrading seven Institutes, including BESU, which had earlier been identified by Prof. S K Joshi Committee. The Expert Committee recommended the establishment of a new system of 'Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology (IIESTs) as Institutes of National Importance through an Act of Parliament. The Committee recommended upgradation of five Institutes including BESU, to become an IIEST.
Cooperative Approach to Ensure Security of Sea Lanes
“The security of sea lanes of communication is vital in today’s world. It is in the common interest of nations to keep sea lanes open, secure and free for navigation, trade and energy supplies. Piracy remains a serious challenge for the world community, as we have witnessed in the Gulf of Aden and adjoining areas. The Indian Navy is actively engaged in providing anti-piracy patrolling and escort operations in the Gulf of Aden for over two years now.
India is committed to working together with other countries in the efforts to address piracy.
The security of sea lanes is important for the Asia-Pacific region, which is now one of the most important drivers of global economic growth. Through the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and the Malacca Straits mechanisms, we are partnering with other countries in the region to improve the safety of navigation in the region. Cooperative approaches on maritime security would offer benefits for the region as a whole”
The security of sea lanes is important for the Asia-Pacific region, which is now one of the most important drivers of global economic growth. Through the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and the Malacca Straits mechanisms, we are partnering with other countries in the region to improve the safety of navigation in the region. Cooperative approaches on maritime security would offer benefits for the region as a whole”
India and Vietnam to Expand Defence Cooperation Covering all Three Services and
India and Vietnam to Hold Mountain and Jungle Warfare Exercise Next Year
India and Vietnam to Hold Mountain and Jungle Warfare Exercise Next Year
A day after the successful conclusion of the First ASEAN Plus Eight Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, in which India played a constructive role in defining the scope and objectives of the Forum, the Defence Minister Mr AK Antony announced a slew of measures to expand defence cooperation with Vietnam. The measures were elaborated by Mr Antony at the bilateral meetings with the top Vietnamese leadership including the Defence Minister Gen Phung Quang Thanh and the Prime Minister Mr Nguyen Tan Dung.
Mr Antony said New Delhi will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of Services in general and Navy in particular. He said India will help Vietnam in its capacity building for repair and maintenance of its platforms. The Armies of the two countries will also cooperate in areas like IT and English Training of Vietnamese Army personnel. Both the armies will also have a joint training in mountain and jungle warfare in India next year. The two sides will work towards developing cooperation among defence institutes and establishing linkages for sharing experience and knowledge. Mr Antony also offered assistance to Vietnamese Forces in UN Peacekeeping operations, in which India has vast experience.
The two sides also discussed global and regional security issues. Mr Antony said Vietnam occupies a strategic position in New Delhi’s policy priorities, both bilaterally as well as under its ‘Look East Policy’.
Mr Antony said New Delhi will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of Services in general and Navy in particular. He said India will help Vietnam in its capacity building for repair and maintenance of its platforms. The Armies of the two countries will also cooperate in areas like IT and English Training of Vietnamese Army personnel. Both the armies will also have a joint training in mountain and jungle warfare in India next year. The two sides will work towards developing cooperation among defence institutes and establishing linkages for sharing experience and knowledge. Mr Antony also offered assistance to Vietnamese Forces in UN Peacekeeping operations, in which India has vast experience.
The two sides also discussed global and regional security issues. Mr Antony said Vietnam occupies a strategic position in New Delhi’s policy priorities, both bilaterally as well as under its ‘Look East Policy’.
Interlocutors Appointed for J&K
The Centre has appointed a group of three interlocutors to hold sustained dialogue with all sections of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. They are, Dr. Dileep Padgaonkar, a noted journalist, Prof. M.M. Ansari, Information Commissioner and Prof. (Mrs) Radha Kumar, trustee, Delhi Policy Group. Dr. Dilip Padgaonkar will chair the meetings of the Group.
The three interlocutors appointed by the Govt. have been entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking a sustained dialogue with the people of Jammu & Kashmir to understand their problems and chart a course for the future. All the three interlocutors have done credible work in public life and bring with them significant understanding of political and economic issues, specially in the context of Jammu & Kashmir.
The three interlocutors appointed by the Govt. have been entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking a sustained dialogue with the people of Jammu & Kashmir to understand their problems and chart a course for the future. All the three interlocutors have done credible work in public life and bring with them significant understanding of political and economic issues, specially in the context of Jammu & Kashmir.
The Govt. hopes that after inter-acting with all shades of political opinion they will suggest a way forward that truly reflects the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, specially the youth.
Shri Dileep Padgaonkar is a journalist, editor and author. He worked in various capacities in journalistic field including Executive Editor and Editor of the Times of India. He is presently with the Asia Pacific Communications Pvt. Ltd. Prof. M.M. Ansari is currently Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission, New Delhi. He has the background of an Economist and Education Specialist and has served several institutions in senior positions and provided research and consultancy service to national and international organizations .Prof. (Mrs) Radha Kumar is Director of the Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia Millia Islamia University and trustee of the Delhi Policy Group. She is a specialist on ethnic conflicts and peace processes and has held several important positions in the international bodies dealing with peace studies and conflict resolution. Keeping in view the immediate objectives to maintain peace and order and defuse the situation in J&K through confidence building measures, Government of India had taken certain decisions and one of the decisions was to appoint a Group of Interlocutors under the chairmanship of an Eminent person to hold a sustained dialogue with all sections of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Special Task Force Set up to Examine Developmental needs of Ladakh
In order to examine the development needs of the Ladakh region with particular reference to deficiencies in infrastructure and make suitable recommendations, it has been decided to constitute a Special Task Force with Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission as Chairperson.
The following are the terms of reference of the Special Task Force for Ladakh region:
(i) To identify the special development needs of the region and suggest measures for addressing the same.
(ii) To examine the allocation to the region in terms of infrastructure needs and to make suitable recommendations to overcome the deficiencies.
It may be recalled that keeping in view the immediate objectives to maintain peace and order and defuse the situation through confidence building measures, Government of India took certain decisions and one of the decisions is to appoint two Special Task Forces for Jammu and Ladakh regions respectively.
Special Task Force Set up to Examine Developmental needs of Jammu
In order to examine the development needs of the Jammu region with particular reference to deficiencies in infrastructure and make suitable recommendations, it has been decided to constitute a Special Task Force with Dr. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission as Chairperson.
The following are the terms of reference of the Special Task Force for Jammu region:
(i) To identify the special development needs of the region and suggest measures for addressing the same.
(ii) To examine the allocation to the region in terms of infrastructure needs and to make suitable recommendations to overcome the deficiencies.
It may be recalled that keeping in view the immediate objectives to maintain peace and order and defuse the situation through confidence building measures, Government of India took certain decisions and one of the decisions was to appoint two Special Task Forces for Jammu and Ladakh regions respectively.
Projects for Urban Poverty Alleviation
With a view to ameliorate the living conditions of the urban poor, an urban poverty alleviation programme named Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) is being implemented, on all India basis, with effect from 1.12.1997. The scheme strives to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under employed poor, through encouraging the setting up of self employment ventures by the urban poor living below the poverty line, and also through providing wage employment by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. The scheme of SwarnaJayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) has been comprehensively revamped with effect from 2009-2010.
The revamped SJSRY has following five components:
(i). Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP) - targets individual urban poor for setting up of micro-enterprises,
(ii). Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) - targets urban poor women self-help groups for setting up of group-enterprises and providing them assistance through a revolving fund for thrift & credit activities.
(iii). Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)- targets urban poor for imparting quality training so as to enhance their employability for self-employment or better salaried employment.
(iv). Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP)-seeks to assist urban poor by utilizing their labour for the construction of socially and economically useful public assets, in towns having population less than 5 lakhs as per 1991 census, and
(v). Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)- seeks to assist the urban poor in organizing themselves in self-managed community structures so as to gain collective strength to address the issues of poverty facing them and participate in the effective implementation of urban poverty alleviation programmes.
The Government of India and the State Governments construct houses under their housing programmes for various sections of the society, mainly for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low Income Groups (LIG). Under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) components of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the flagship programme of Government of India, being implemented by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation since 3.12.2005 with the aim of assisting the urban poor, especially slum dwellers, with shelter and basic amenities, the dwelling units
National Slum Development Programme
The National Slum Development Programme has been discontinued and subsumed into the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) after launching of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) w.e.f. 03.12.2005. The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has used Slum population data estimated by the Town & Country PlanningOrganisation (TCPO) for its Slum upgradation programme/schemes. The TCPO has estimated trends in Slum population as under:
year | Slum population |
1981 | 27.9 Million |
1991 | 46.2 Million |
2001 | 61.8 Million |
It may also be mentioned that the Census of India, 2001 conducted enumeration of slum population in 640 cities and towns with population of 50,000 or more. Subsequently, at the request of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, the Registrar General of India has conducted enumeration of slum population in 1,103 towns with population between 20,000 and 50,000, which reveals that the slum population in the 1,743 cities and towns (where enumeration took place) was 52.4 million. The Government has launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) with effect from 3.12.2005 to address the issues of provision of housing and civic amenities in slums in addition to city-wise infrastructure facilities. The Government has also started the scheme of Interest Subsidy for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP) envisaging the provision of interest subsidy to the tune of 5% to Economic Weaker Section/Lower Income Group beneficiaries on loan upto Rs.1 lakh. The Government has also launched a new scheme called Affordable Housing in Partnership for construction of 10 lakh houses for Economic Weaker Section / Low Income Group and Middle Income Group categories. Further, the Government has announced a new Scheme called Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) for the slum dwellers and urban poor. This Scheme aims at providing support to States that are willing to provide property rights to slum dwellers. The Government’s effort would be to create Slum free India through the implementation of RAY.
Convergence between ICDS Scheme and Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Rural Department has taken steps for promoting provision of improved sanction and drinking water facilities at Anganwadi Centres. The States/UTs have been conveyed to take concerted steps to review and jointly monitor the progress made in provision of potable water and sanitation facilities at all the Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) in coordination with the officials implementing the ICDS program of the Ministry of Women and Child Development in a time bound manner.
In order to facilitate the inter-sectoral convergence with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, a communication to this effect has been sent to the Principal Secretary/Secretary in charge of the sanitation of all States to work in this direction. States/UTs can issue suitable instructions to all district agencies in the State under intimation to the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The move comes in the wake of the emphasis of the Government for inter-sectoral convergence between the two Ministries at the State Level for promoting provision of improved sanitation and drinking water facilities at Aganwandi centres.
In order to facilitate the inter-sectoral convergence with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, a communication to this effect has been sent to the Principal Secretary/Secretary in charge of the sanitation of all States to work in this direction. States/UTs can issue suitable instructions to all district agencies in the State under intimation to the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The move comes in the wake of the emphasis of the Government for inter-sectoral convergence between the two Ministries at the State Level for promoting provision of improved sanitation and drinking water facilities at Aganwandi centres.
The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur was included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO during 34th Session of World Heritage Committee held in Brasilia (Brazil) between 25th July to 3rd August, 2010. The government has submitted nomination dossiers of Shantiniketan (West Bengal) under culture category and the Western Ghats under natural category to the World Heritage Centre for their inclusion in the World Heritage List.
National Green Tribunal Launched
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has officially been notified today by the Chairperson of the Tribunal, Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta. Justice Panta took charge of his office yesterday here.
The National Green Tribunal is exclusively dedicated to environmental issues. This Body, established by an Act of Parliament (being the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010) will have circuit benches across the country to try all matters related to and arising out of environmental issues.
The Tribunal which shall also consist of members, who are experts in the field of environmental and related sciences, has been empowered to issue directions for the compensation and restitution of damage caused from actions of environmental negligence. In doing so, this is the first body of its kind that is required by its parent statute; to apply the polluter pays principle and the principle of sustainable development. Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) said, “T he erstwhile National Environment Appellate Authority seizes to exist with the launch of NGT. All the functions will be transferred to NGT. After Australia and New Zealand, India has this important institution. The NGT will follow various decisions of the Supreme Court and 186 Reports of the Law Commission. There are 5000 cases today in various High Courts and District Courts today.” The Minister also declared that other expert members of the NGT will be appointed shortly. The NGT will have 10 expert members. The Minister also declared that National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA) will be constituted soon. Shri Ramesh added that NGT and NEPA will constitute the pillars of reformed system of Environmental Governance. The Ministry of Environment and Forests also intends to organise workshops in rural areas to educate people about issues of access and procedure related to the NGT in a few weeks time.
The National Green Tribunal is exclusively dedicated to environmental issues. This Body, established by an Act of Parliament (being the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010) will have circuit benches across the country to try all matters related to and arising out of environmental issues.
The Tribunal which shall also consist of members, who are experts in the field of environmental and related sciences, has been empowered to issue directions for the compensation and restitution of damage caused from actions of environmental negligence. In doing so, this is the first body of its kind that is required by its parent statute; to apply the polluter pays principle and the principle of sustainable development. Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) said, “T he erstwhile National Environment Appellate Authority seizes to exist with the launch of NGT. All the functions will be transferred to NGT. After Australia and New Zealand, India has this important institution. The NGT will follow various decisions of the Supreme Court and 186 Reports of the Law Commission. There are 5000 cases today in various High Courts and District Courts today.” The Minister also declared that other expert members of the NGT will be appointed shortly. The NGT will have 10 expert members. The Minister also declared that National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA) will be constituted soon. Shri Ramesh added that NGT and NEPA will constitute the pillars of reformed system of Environmental Governance. The Ministry of Environment and Forests also intends to organise workshops in rural areas to educate people about issues of access and procedure related to the NGT in a few weeks time.
Extension of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to the Street Vendors
The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Ministry of Labour & Employment for extension of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to the Street Vendors. The RSBY scheme, which presently extends to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families (a unit of five) is Smart Card based cashless health insurance scheme. Street Vendors who form an important segment of unorganised workers in urban areas will now be covered under RSBY. There are approximately 42.19 lakh street vendors (as per Census 2001) in the country.
The Government proposes to cover all the registered street vendors under RSBY by the year 2013-14, out of which 4.21 lakh are proposed to be covered in the current financial year. The premium for the insurance scheme will be paid by the Central and State Governments in the ratio of 75: 25 and for the North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir, the expenditure is shared in the ratio of 90: 10. The total expenditure on the part of the Central Government during the current year will be around Rs. 20 crore. The recurring expenditure after 2013-14 will be around Rs. 200 crore annually. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization. Coverage extends to five members of the family, which includes the head of the household, spouse and up to three dependents. Till 15.10.2010, 27 States are in the process of Implementation of the Scheme. The scheme has been operationaiized in 24 States and more than 1.95 crore smart cards have been issued covering more than 7 crore persons.
Implementation of Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana on pilot basis in 52 districts approved
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved the implementation of Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) on pilot basis in selected 52 districts during the remaining period of XI Five Year Plan at a total cost of ` 1000 crore. The Scheme will be implemented by using the infrastructure, personnel, systems and structures of ICDS including support of health systems along with the additional personnel on contractual basis as approved in the Scheme.
The Scheme will be centrally sponsored with 100% assistance from the Centre. Accordingly, Rs.390 crore and Rs.610 crore have been allocated for 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. IGMSY will be implemented in all the Anganwadi Centres of the selected 52 districts from all the States/UTs. Under the scheme, Cash transfers will be made to all pregnant and lactating women as incentives based on fulfillment of specific conditions relating to mother and child health and nutrition. All Government/PSUs (Central & State) employees will be excluded from the scheme as they are entitled for paid maternity leave. Each pregnant and lactating woman will receive a total cash incentive of ` 4000/- in three installments between the period from the second trimester of pregnancy to the child attaining the age of 6 months.
The objectives of the scheme are to improve the health and nutrition status of pregnant, lactating women and infants by promoting appropriate practices, care and service utilisation during pregnancy, safe delivery and lactation; encouraging the women to follow (optimal) Infant and Young Child Feeding practices (IYCF practices) including early and exclusive breast feeding for the first six months and contributing to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and nursing mothers.
India’s Top Defence Institute, the National Defence College, Turns 50
The NDC, an autonomous premier training institution of the Ministry of Defence, was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on April 27, 1960. Lt Gen K Bahadur Singh was appointed as the first Commandant of the College. The NDC is the highest seat of learning of National Security issues for officers of the Indian Armed Forces and Civil Services. The institution began its first course on April 25, 1960.
Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra
The Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendra (BNRGSK) is to be used for providing space for citizens to exercise their rights under MGNREGA, specially, i) Submit applications for job cards, ii) Submit applications for work, iii) Muster roll scrutiny iv) Complaints v) Use ICT facilities for scrutinizing their rights and entitlements under MGNREGA.A section of the building will be dedicated towards facilitating interactions with MGNREGA workers and local communities. It will also providing space for establishing a dedicated office for MGNREGS at the GP and block levels.
The Construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra as Village Knowledge Resource Centre and Gram Panchayat Bhawan at Gram Panchayat level has been provided for as a permissible activity under MGNREGS by a Notification dated 11.11.2009. The source of funding for the construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras is as follows :(i) For the BRGF districts—the material component may be met from BRGF and the labour component from NREGS. In case, the material resource support from BRGF is inadequate, the same can be incurred under NREGS provided the material component does not exceed 40% at the district level.(ii) For the non-BRGF districts, NREGS would be the main source. The material component can also be supplemented by other schemes.
The Construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra as Village Knowledge Resource Centre and Gram Panchayat Bhawan at Gram Panchayat level has been provided for as a permissible activity under MGNREGS by a Notification dated 11.11.2009. The source of funding for the construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras is as follows :(i) For the BRGF districts—the material component may be met from BRGF and the labour component from NREGS. In case, the material resource support from BRGF is inadequate, the same can be incurred under NREGS provided the material component does not exceed 40% at the district level.(ii) For the non-BRGF districts, NREGS would be the main source. The material component can also be supplemented by other schemes.
NHM to be Strengthened to Usher in Golden Revolution
Minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Sharad Pawar today assured Members of Parliament that the government will provide all necessary funds to the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) to usher in golden revolution in horticulture sector in the country. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry, Shri Pawar said that it is up to the States to take advantage of NHM and come up with good and relevant schemes for the betterment of their horticulture sector.
Tiger Range Countries Finalized Global Programme to Recover Wild Tigers
Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) have finalized an ambitious Global program for restoring wild tiger populations. After two year long deliberations this programme was finalized yesterday here at the end of a two day workshop ‘Consensus for Conservation’. Representatives from Tiger range countries participated in it.
Earlier they met at Kathmandu, Nepal and Bangla Desh and gave their national inputs to finalize of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), supported by 13 parallel National Tiger Recovery programs. This will pave the way for a historic endorsement of the GTRP by TRCs leaders at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia next month. This will begin a decade long process of range-wide recovery, built on the implementation of national actions and also trans-boundary actions to curb illegal trade and demand for tiger parts. The Summit will be the first of its kind of Tiger Summit.
According to Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), the GTRP has a high probability of success because all 13 TRCs are working in concert, with a high level of political commitment to implement a comprehensive program which will be supported and closely monitored by the global conservation community. Mr. Keshav Varma, Program Director of GTI said that India with its Project Tiger Programme said India is now setting the stage for a global recovery of wild tigers and protection of the economic and bio diversity values of these habitats.
Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2007 Comes into Force
The Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2007 has come into force with effect from 25th October, 2010. The Government has also decided to constitute Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) under the Act with effect from today, 26th October, 2010 with the publication of the relevant notification in the official Gazette.
The Act was enacted by Parliament in September, 2007. Besides mandating the negotiability of warehouse receipt, it prescribes the form and manner of registration of warehouses and issue of Negotiable Warehouse Receipts including electronic format and prescribes establishment of Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA), a regulatory body under the Act. The Authority shall consist of a Chairperson and not more than two members. The Regulatory Authority will register and accredit warehouses intending to issue negotiable warehouse receipts and put in place a system of quality certification and grading of commodities with a view to protecting the interests of holders of warehouse receipts against negligence, malpractices and fraud.
The introduction of negotiable warehouse receipt system in the country will not only help farmers avail better credit facilities and avoid distress sale but will also safeguard financial institutions by mitigating risks inherent in credit extension to farmers. The pledging/collaterization of agricultural produce with a legal backing in the form of negotiable warehouse receipts will lead to increase in flow of credit to rural areas, reduce cost of credit and will spur related activities like standardization grading, packaging and insurance and in development of chain of quality warehouses.
The Act was enacted by Parliament in September, 2007. Besides mandating the negotiability of warehouse receipt, it prescribes the form and manner of registration of warehouses and issue of Negotiable Warehouse Receipts including electronic format and prescribes establishment of Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA), a regulatory body under the Act. The Authority shall consist of a Chairperson and not more than two members. The Regulatory Authority will register and accredit warehouses intending to issue negotiable warehouse receipts and put in place a system of quality certification and grading of commodities with a view to protecting the interests of holders of warehouse receipts against negligence, malpractices and fraud.
The introduction of negotiable warehouse receipt system in the country will not only help farmers avail better credit facilities and avoid distress sale but will also safeguard financial institutions by mitigating risks inherent in credit extension to farmers. The pledging/collaterization of agricultural produce with a legal backing in the form of negotiable warehouse receipts will lead to increase in flow of credit to rural areas, reduce cost of credit and will spur related activities like standardization grading, packaging and insurance and in development of chain of quality warehouses.
India at COP-10 on Biological Diversity at Nagoya
More than 190 countries are negotiating at Nagoya, Japan to reach an agreement to protect the diversity of natural resources all over the world. The 12 day conference which started on 18th of this month is very important for India as it seeks a single legally binding international protocol on access and benefit sharing (ABS) under CBD.ABS will provide a mechanism to regulate and protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The developed countries are not in favour of this, but developing countries do. India and Brazil are leading the developing countries to ensure that ABS covers human pathogens as a bio resource. Traditionally the pharmaceutical companies from developed countries take advantage of bio-resources located in the developing countries without sharing the benefits adequately with the local people. In terms of disclosure of biodiversity, India will insists on complete transparency against graded transparency demanded by developed nations. India will also demand to link the CBD with the World Trade Agreement on the Trade related “Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)”.
‘Sanskriti Express’ – A Tribute from Indian Railways to Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore
Indian Railways which is known as the ‘Life Line of the Nation’ and also for representing the composite culture of the country, has launched ‘Sanskriti Express’ a special exhibition train to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Nobel laureate KaviguruRabindranth Tagore, showcasing his life and philosophy.
‘Guardian of the sea'
Maritime security measures moved up a notch in the wake of the recent oil spill off the Mumbai coast as the Coast Guard (CG) got “a state-of-the art” Pollution Control Vessel (PCV), touted to be “the first of its kind in South Asia” in terms of sophistication of technology.Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan commissioned the ship ‘Samudra Prahari' or ‘Guardian of the Sea' at a ceremony at the naval dockyard. The 95-metre PCV was designed and built by Surat-based private shipping company ABG Shipyard Ltd. “The ship is equipped with the most advanced and sophisticated pollution response equipment for mitigating marine oil spills in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone.
It is also equipped with the advanced navigational and communication sensors and equipment and is capable of embarking helicopter. [Its tonnage is] 4,300 tonnes. It has an endurance of 6,500 nautical miles and can stay at sea for prolonged duration of up to 20 days without any replenishment,” "Samudra Prahari' and the two more PCVs which are to be commissioned are believed to have cost Rs. 20 crore each.
The indigenous Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FAC), INS Kalpeni, was commissioned at the Navy's Southern Naval Command. It is the seventh of the 10 new generation Car Nicobar class FACs designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. Kalpeni, propelled by three powerful water jets, can achieve speeds in excess of 35 knots.
Based at the Southern Naval Command, it will bolster the capabilities of the Command in coastal surveillance and search and destruction of fast moving targets. Its main armament is a 30mm CRN-91 gun with an Optronic Pedestal Sight as its director.It has also been fitted with 11 machine guns of various types and shoulder-fired IGLA surface-to-air missiles.
Environment panel split on Posco clearances
In a 3:1 split opinion, an Environment Ministry panel has disagreed on whether or not to scrap all environment and forest clearances for South Korean giant Posco's Rs. 51,000-crore integrated steel project in Orissa. The chairperson of the panel, the former Environment Secretary, Meena Gupta, submitted a dissenting report. She felt that the clearances could continue, even while a comprehensive and integrated Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out for both the steel plant and its captive port, so that additional conditions could be imposed before construction started. The other three members of the committee — tribal affairs expert Urmila Pingle, the former director- general of forests, Devendra Pandey, and Madras High Court advocate V. Suresh — slammed such an opinion. “The imposition of additional conditions to the existing [environment clearances] will not at all remedy the lapses and illegalities,” said their report,
The four-member panel was set up in July to probe all environmental approvals granted to the Posco project, the implementation of the Forest Rights Act and the resettlement and rehabilitation provisions.
Population stabilisation target date pushed back to 2070
With the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) continuing at 2.8 per cent, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has pushed back the target date for achieving population stabilisation to 2070 from 2045, stipulated in the National Population Policy (NPP) 2000. The NPP 2000 laid down meeting the unmet need for family planning and health care infrastructure as an immediate objective; its mid-term objective was to achieve a TFR of 2.1 per cent by 2010 and the long-term goal was to attain population stabilisation by 2045. It is estimated that nearly half the population growth will be from just seven States and 22 per cent from Uttar Pradesh alone. This is against the combined contribution of 13 per cent from the southern States of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
WORLD AFFAIRS
China's lunar probe launch successful
China's lunar probe Chang'e-2 was successfully launched, control centre at the Xichang satellite launch site in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Chang'e-2 arrived at an Earth-Moon transfer orbit after it separated from the carrier rocket, which has a perigee of 200 km and an apogee of about 380,000 km from the earth, according to the centre. The centre made the announcement after the satellite successfully entered the orbit and unfolded its solar panels.
Chile rejoices as miners surface to freedom
With tense moments increasingly yielding to exuberant celebration, the haggard men trapped under a half-mile of rock for more than two months have been emerging to the arms of their families and an electrified nation.
Some 13 hours into the final phase of the rescue operation, the 20th miner of the 33 stepped from the escape capsule. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was on hand to embrace the earliest arrivals in their first stirring moments of freedom. The 33 miners, caught in a collapse on August 5, spent 17 days in isolation, rationing their meagre supplies and organising themselves before being located by drillers on August 22. They had to withstand nearly two more months of waiting for this day. Their discipline and collaboration held firm, and they worked doggedly to help the rescue effort themselves.
As Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Somali government, Mohamed will replace Omar Sharmaarke, who resigned last month following disputes with President Ahmed. Mohamed promised that he will form a “competent” government, which would be a first in the nation, which has spent the last 20 years expelling numerous self-styled governments. The only period of comparative calm they enjoyed was at the beginning of the current “government’s” attempt, when they remained in Kenya in a hotel and didn’t attempt to do anything inside Somalia itself. During that period, the nation’s economy was actually growing at an impressive clip, though that came to a grinding halt when they were kicked out of the hotel for non-payment and tried to move to Mogadishu.
Mohamed’s role will likely be extremely limited, however, as most of the power in the system rests with the President, not the Prime Minister. They retain control over their portion of Mogadishu primarily because of thousands of Ugandan troops deployed by the African Union to prop them up.
Myanmar laying rail line to China
Myanmar has started work on a railway line from its planned deep-sea port at Kyaukphyu to south-western China's Yunnan province, The line, which will be completed in 2015, will transport Chinese goods for export, and also be used by China to expand its access to Myanmar's natural resources. The two countries, last year, began work on an oil pipeline from Kyaukphyu to Ruili in Yunnan. The planned railroad will also run from Kyaukphyu, which is in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, to Ruili and Yunnan's capital Kunming. China's official Xinhua agency said China also planned to invest in a special industrial zone at Kyaukphyu. In recent years, Chinese companies, particularly those based in south-western Yunnan province which neighbours Myanmar, have accelerated investments in oil, gas and natural resources in the country. China has also invested in developing deep-sea ports, such as Kyaukphyu in Maday Island, part of a larger plan to secure greater access to Indian Ocean ports and reduce its dependence on the narrow Malacca Straits for its imports of oil from West Asia and Africa.
China eventually hopes to use Kyaukphyu as a centre for its imports of oil. The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is involved in building both a deep-sea port and storage facilities, from where oil will be transported through the planned pipeline, expected to be opened in 2012, to Yunnan.
Spain ends peace mission
Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon announced that Spanish involvement in the European peacekeeping mission in Bosnia had come to an end after 18 years. She made the declaration in the city of Sarajevo after presiding over the transfer of authority of the Mission from Spanish to Austrian hands. The ceremony finished with almost two decades of Spanish presence in the region and comes just a year after the country also ended its presence in Kosovo. Spain's involvement in the peacekeeping mission there began in 1992 during the civil war in the region and the 18-year commitment has seen 23 Spanish troops lose their lives.
Super typhoon hits the Philippines
Super Typhoon Megi smashed into the northern Philippines, causing landslides in mountainous areas, with gusts of up to 260 km an hour whipping up huge waves along the coast. Forecasters said Megi was probably the most powerful storm in the world this year and the strongest to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Durian unleashed mudslides that buried entire towns and killed more than 1,000 people in 2006.
Species facing mass extinction: U.N.
The 193 members of the U.N.'s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) began gathering in the central city of Nagoya in Japan to try to work out strategies to head off a manmade mass extinction. The 12-day conference aims to throw a spotlight on a global environmental issue that has drawn less attention in recent years than the related problem of manmade climate change, blamed on a surge of greenhouse gas emissions. The world must act immediately to stop the rapid loss of animal and plant species and the habitats they live in, the United Nations warned on Monday at the start of a major summit on biodiversity. Delegates in Nagoya plan to set a new target for 2020 for curbing species loss, and will discuss boosting medium-term financial help for poor countries to help them protect their wildlife and habitats. But similar pledges to stem biodiversity loss, first made when the U.N. biodiversity convention was adopted in 1992, have not been fulfilled. At the start of the decade, U.N. members pledged under the Millennium Development Goals to achieve “a significant reduction” in the rate of wildlife loss by 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity. Instead, habitat destruction has continued unabated, and some experts now warn that the planet faces its sixth mass extinction phase — the latest since dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago.
Nearly a quarter of mammals, one-third of amphibians, more than one in eight birds, and more than a fifth of plant species now face the threat of extinction, said the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In May, a U.N. report warned of looming “tipping points” that could irreversibly damage ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest, through logging and land clearance, and coral reefs through global warming and overfishing. The Earth's 6.8 billion humans are effectively living 50 per cent beyond the planet's bio-capacity in 2007, according to a new assessment by WWF, adding that by 2030, humans will effectively need the capacity of two Earths.
Huge U.S.-Saudi arms deal
The United States has announced one of the largest weapons sales in its history, worth nearly $60 billion, to Saudi Arabia. The most significant components of the package include 84 F-15 aircraft, 70 upgrades of existing Saudi F-15s to a more advanced configuration, 70 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters, 72 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, 36 AH-6i light attack helicopters, and 12 MD-530F light training helicopters.
China unveils world's fastest train
China unveiled what it described as the world's fastest bullet train, which will connect two of the country's industrial hubs travelling at an average speed of 350 km per hour.The rail link between Shanghai and Hangzhou, the latest addition to China's fast-expanding high-speed rail network that is already the world's largest, covers the 200-km distance in only 45 minutes, reducing the travelling time from 78 minutes.The home-built CRH380 bullet train has been recorded travelling at 420 km per hour, a world record. It will, however, travel between the two cities at less than full tilt, at an average speed of 350 km per hour.
China's high-speed rail network now stretches over 7,431 km. The government plans to expand the network to over 16,000 km by 2020. China has also begun work on a 1,318-km high-speed rail line linking the country's two most important cities — Beijing and Shanghai. The $33-billion line will open in 2012, reducing the travel time between the capital and the financial centre in half, to just five hours.
Indonesia Rocked by Deadly Tsunami, Volcano
MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia -- A volcanic eruption and a tsunami killed scores of people hundreds of miles apart in Indonesia -- spasms from the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which spawns disasters from deep within the Earth. Meanwhile, off the coast of Sumatra, about 800 miles west of the volcano, rescuers battled rough seas to reach the remote Mentawai islands, where a 10-foot tsunami triggered by an earthquake Monday night swept away hundreds of homes, killing at least 113 villagers. The twin disasters happened hours apart in one of the most seismically active regions on the planet. Scientists have warned that pressure building beneath Merapi's lava dome could trigger its most powerful explosion in years.
U.S., Russia to join EAS: ASEAN
The United States and Russia will be the new members of the East Asia Summit (EAS), a forum of native states of the region and their dialogue partners among major powers of the world. This follows a decision taken by the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at their latest annual summit in Hanoi. Founded over four years ago, the EAS now has 16 members — all the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea.The ASEAN leaders emphasised the need for “ensuring [the Association's] centrality” to an expanded EAS as well. Currently, the ASEAN Chair presides over the EAS meetings. As “a leaders-driven strategic forum,” the EAS functions as a key organisation for regional cooperation on a range of issues including security. “An effective regional architecture [for cooperation] should be based on existing processes which are complementary to each other,” the ASEAN leaders decided. These processes include the ASEAN+3 forum, the +3 countries being China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
INDIA AND WORLD
The Agreement requires both the countries to encourage and create favourable conditions for investors of each other to make investments in their territory and to admit investments in accordance with their laws. Investments from either country in the territory of the other country are to be accorded National Treatment and Most Favoured Nation Treatment implying that the investment shall be provided a treatment which is not less favourable than that provided by the home country to investments of its own investors or investors from any other country. Besides, investors are to be provided Most Favoured National Treatment in respect of their investment. It also provides an elaborate dispute resolution mechanism which includes recourse to negotiations, conciliation and international arbitration.
INDIA AND WORLD
Shri Salman Khurshid Unveils the Foundation Stone of India-Nigeria Friendship Hospital Project in Abuja
Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Corporate Affairs unveiled the foundation stone of India-Nigeria Friendship Hospital Project in Nigeria Capital Abuja. The unveiling of India-Nigeria Friendship Hospital Project will further strengthen the already robust Indo-Nigerian friendship, as Nigeria is the largest trading partner of India in Africa. Bilateral annual trade turnover exceeds US $ 9 billion. Both share common perspectives on international political, social and development issues and these have manifested in various meetings at UN, WTO, etc. Nigeria, like India, is strongly opposed to all forms of terrorism. India and Nigeria have regularly exchanged visits at governmental and commercial levels to strengthen bilateral economic and commercial relations. Indian companies have sizeable investments in Nigeria in textiles, chemicals, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, plastics, fishing etc.
India Signs First Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Bermuda
India and Bermuda have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA). The agreement was signed by Shri S. S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Revenue in the Ministry of Finance from Indian side and Dr. EwartBrown, Premier of Bermuda from Bermuda side. This is the first TIEA being signed by India.
Salient features of this agreement are as follows:-
- It is based on international standard of transparency and exchange of information.
- Information must be relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the Contracting Parties concerning taxes covered by the agreement.
- The requesting State has to provide some minimum details about the information requested in order to justify the relevance criteria.
- Information is to be treated as secret and can be disclosed to only specified person or authorities, which are tax authorities or its oversight body.
- It also provides for disclosure of information to any other person or entity or authority or any other jurisdiction with the written consent of the competent authority of the requested Party.
- There is a specific provision that the requested Party shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information even though that Party may not need such information for its own tax purposes.
- There is a specific provision for providing banking and ownership information.
- The Agreement also allows exchange of past information in criminal tax matters.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Palanimanickam said that it is a great occasion for India to be signing its first TIEA with Bermuda. The Agreement is important in the perspective of efforts made by Global Forum to build an effective system for exchange of information around the world. India being the vice chair of Peer Review and Bermuda being the vice chair of Global Forum are playing important role in this work.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Successfully held in South Africa
The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas(PBD) Africa was held from 1-2 October, 2010 at the International Convention Centre(ICC), Durban, South Africa. The event was inaugurated on 1st October, 2010 by the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Shri Vayalar Ravi. The President of South Africa Mr.Jacob Zuma graced the closing session on 2nd October 2010. The theme of the Conference was on ‘India-Africa: Building Bridges.’ This was the 4th regional PBD Convention organized by Government of India outside India. The first such event was held on 24th September, 2007 in New York, the second on 10-11 October, 2008 in Singapore and the third on 19 September, 2009 at The Hague. PBD Africa marked the 150th anniversary of the arrivals of Indians in South Africa and coincided with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The PBD Conventions are organized by the Government of India to engage with the overseas Indian community across the globe to build bridges with them and their host countries. The Convention in Durban focused on the Indian diaspora in the Africa and especially focused on South Africa which has a population of over 1.2 million of Indian origin.
India-Kenya to Enhance Bilateral Trade to $ 2.5 Billion by 2012-13
ndia and Kenya have decided to enhance the level of cooperation between the two countries in the spirit of South-South cooperation. It was pointed out by Mr. Sharma that following the Delhi Declaration of 2008, which had set the roadmap of cooperation, there had been a deepening and strengthening of ties between India and the African continent. In recent years, Indian companies from the private and public sector had shown a growing interest in Kenya. The level of Indian investment in Kenya had reached a figure of US $ 1.5 billion. Mr. Sharma reiterated that India was focusing on human capital development, and Kenya was a partner in this as a large number of students from the country were studying in India. Mr. Anand Sharma inaugurated on 14th October, 2010, the ‘Namaskar Africa’ event being organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India during 14 to 15th October, 2010 at Nairobi. The event comprises of an ‘India Exhibition’ and the ‘India-East Africa Business Forum’ with participation of business delegations from 12 East African countries. The Forum had the largest ever business delegation from India.
The Forum will consider in its deliberations issues pertaining to increasing agricultural productivity and local value additions through advance technologies; multilateral funding mechanisms; India’s Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) Scheme for Least Developed countries (LDCs) and specific sectors of power, health and ICT. ‘Namaskar Africa’ is an exclusive networking forum of African and Indian enterprises offering trade, investments and joint venture opportunities across the sectors of mutual interest to both the sides. ‘India- East Africa Business Forum’ has brought together the policy makers, businessmen, financial institutions, multilateral funding agencies, procurement agencies, investment bodies, regional bodies and sectoral nodal institutions from India and the 12 countries of East Africa for a business dialogue, to share their experience and learnings for mutual growth and discuss the project specific opportunities in identified sectors for mutual collaboration.
India and USA to Enter into Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement
The Government of India and USA are in the process of entering into Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) which would eventually lead to mutual acceptance of aeronautical products/parts developed in either countries. Subsequent to completion of all preparatory works, two very important activities towards achieving BASA have been recently completed. These are (a) ‘Technical Assessment’ of DGCA by FAA in eleven defined areas, and (b) a shadow certification project where the DGCA carried out actual work and the FAA reviewed.
In this regard, a six member team of FAA, USA visited DGCA Headquarters, New Delhi to conduct review of DGCA aircraft certification system and carry out the Technical Assessment. The FAA team observed that the DGCA has a very sound aircraft certification system in place commensurate with the rules, regulations, working procedures, etc. Subsequently, the FAA team carried out review of ‘shadow certification’ project (which is development of 4-seat general aviation liferaft by M/s. Goodrich at Bangalore) for two days. The FAA team was satisfied with the review conducted by them. The DGCA, after complete evaluation of all necessary documents in accordance with regulations, has already awarded Indian Technical Standard Order Authorization (ITSOA) to M/s. Goodrich. Consequent to this, FAA will send a final assessment report to DGCA and process will start on exchange of documents for signing of Executive Agreement.
In this regard, a six member team of FAA, USA visited DGCA Headquarters, New Delhi to conduct review of DGCA aircraft certification system and carry out the Technical Assessment. The FAA team observed that the DGCA has a very sound aircraft certification system in place commensurate with the rules, regulations, working procedures, etc. Subsequently, the FAA team carried out review of ‘shadow certification’ project (which is development of 4-seat general aviation liferaft by M/s. Goodrich at Bangalore) for two days. The FAA team was satisfied with the review conducted by them. The DGCA, after complete evaluation of all necessary documents in accordance with regulations, has already awarded Indian Technical Standard Order Authorization (ITSOA) to M/s. Goodrich. Consequent to this, FAA will send a final assessment report to DGCA and process will start on exchange of documents for signing of Executive Agreement.
BIPA Signed Between India and Sudan and Comes Into Force.
Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) between the Republic of India and the Republic of Sudan has become effective from today with the exchange of Instruments of Ratification (IoR) between them. Shri Govind Mohan, Joint Secretary (Infrastructure & Investment), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India and H.E Mr. Khidir Haroun Ahmed, Ambassador of the Republic of the Sudan in New Delhi exchanged the Instruments of Ratification in a ceremony, here today.
India has so far signed BIPA with 79 countries. Of these, 68 have already come into effect.
India has so far signed BIPA with 79 countries. Of these, 68 have already come into effect.
BIPA seeks to promote and protect investments from one country in the other country. BIPAs facilitate bilateral investment flows and grant benefits of National Treatment (NT) and Most Favoured Nation (MFN). With the exchange of IoR today, Sudan becomes the 69th country with which our BIPA has become effective. BIPA between India and Sudan was signed on 22nd October 2003 by the Minister of Disinvestment and Communication and Information during his visit to Khartoum, Sudan. Indian model text was the basis of negotiation. Our Cabinet had approved signing and ratification of BIPA with Sudan in January 2003.
The Agreement requires both the countries to encourage and create favourable conditions for investors of each other to make investments in their territory and to admit investments in accordance with their laws. Investments from either country in the territory of the other country are to be accorded National Treatment and Most Favoured Nation Treatment implying that the investment shall be provided a treatment which is not less favourable than that provided by the home country to investments of its own investors or investors from any other country. Besides, investors are to be provided Most Favoured National Treatment in respect of their investment. It also provides an elaborate dispute resolution mechanism which includes recourse to negotiations, conciliation and international arbitration.
India and Korea Sign Social Security Agreement
India and Republic of Korea signed Social Security Agreement (SSA) in Seoul today. The Agreement was signed by Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Mr. Kim Jong-hoon, Minister for Trade of the Republic of Korea. The SSA would enhance movement of professionals between the two countries and strengthen the trade and investment.
India- Bangladesh Sign MOU for Establishing Border Haats
Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry, during his interaction with Mr. Muhammad Faruk Khan, Minister of Commerce of Bangladesh has stated that both India and Bangladesh have already signed the US$ 1 billion Line of Credit, the Bulk Power Transmission Agreement and a MoU between NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board in the power sector as well as made considerable progress in implementing other areas of agreement. The Commerce Minister of Bangladesh is presently visiting India at the invitation of Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry and is accompanied by senior officials from the Government of Bangladesh and a high-level business delegation.
The two sides signed an MOU for establishing Border Haats along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border. Two agreements on Procedures were signed to facilitate movement of trucks between the two countries and also for movement of trucks from Nepal to Bangladesh both upto Land Customs Stations, thus fulfilling important commitments made during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Indian Minister extended an invitation to the Bangladesh Minister of Commerce to visit Meghalaya to jointly inaugurate the Border Haats along with the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on a mutually convenient date.
EX Indra-10 : India - Russia Joint Exercise Culminates at Ranikhet
With a clear intent to demonstrate their resolve to fight against terrorism, strike infantry units from the Indian and Russian armies culminated a joint military exercise named EX INDRA -10 in the Kumaon Hills around Ranikhet on 23 Oct 10. The exercise spread over a ten day period enabled greater synergy between the forces and a clearer understanding of the doctrine practiced by each nation to combat terrorism, thereby further cementing the relationship which has existed between the two nations. The exercise also witnessed many tactical exercises by both the armies which included use of state-of-the-art technology to enhance the ability to retain their supremacy in combating unconventional methods used by insurgents/terrorists.The exercise is the third, in the series of Army level exercises between both nations, the previous joint exercises being EX INDRA-05 at Agra and EX INDRA-07 in Pskov in Russia. While the previous two exercises were based on airborne manouvres, the exercise this year is the first time that such a large number of troops from both sides are training together on Counter Insurgency / terrorism operations.
India and Malaysia Signs Comprehensive Economic Cooperation agreement
Shri Anand Sharma, Minister for Commerce & Industry and the Malaysian International Trade & Industry Minister signed an ‘Agreement towards implementing Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and Malaysia’ at Kuala Lumpur in the presence of the Prime Ministers of India and Malaysia. The Agreement is an indication of the conclusion of CECA negotiations and it outlines the broad contours of the CECA. The signing of the Agreement would lead to the signing and implementation of the India-Malaysia CECA. In trade in goods, the Agreement proposes that the CECA commitments between India and Malaysia would be more liberal than those under the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement. In trade in services, the Agreement envisages that, under the CECA, trade in services will be progressively liberalized on a preferential basis, with substantial sectoral coverage, including Movement of Professionals and Skilled Persons, Cross-border Supply, and Telecommunications Services to provide commercially meaningful market access to both parties. Similarly, the investment chapter under the CECA will include commitments leading to progressive liberalisation of investment regimes in order to promote investments and create a liberal, facilitative, transparent and competitive investment regime. The CECA will also include economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure development, creative industries, tourism, SMEs, business facilitation, science and technology, and human resource development.
Malaysia is the 3rd largest trading partner of India amongst ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries. India – Malaysia trade increased from US$ 3.38 billion to US$ 8.01 billion between 2004-05 and 2009-10 after reaching a peak of US$ 10.60 billion in 2008-09. The main exports of India include petroleum products, metals, machinery, meat, chemicals, spices and cereals; our main imports include petroleum products, electronic goods, edible oil, wood, chemicals and metals.
India Announces Doubling its Contribution to Partners in Population Development
The Annual Executive Committee and Board meeting of Partners in Population Development (PPD), an inter governmental alliance of 24 countries was held at Yogyakarta, Indonesia from 26th to 28th October 2010. India is the Chairman of PPD under the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad. China is the Co Chair of the organisation.
The Partners in Population Development (PPD) is an inter governmental alliance of 24 countries. This alliance provides the mechanism to promote partnership and cooperation between the member countries, to achieve the objectives of the International Conference on Population Development (ICPD) and also the MDGs. PPD has a permanent observer status at the UN General Assembly. PPD was launched during ICPD meeting in Cairo in 1994. The alliance include countries such as India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya. The PPD member countries represent more than 57% of global population.
India and Norway Sign Social Security Agreement
India and Norway signed a Social Security Agreement. The Agreement was signed by the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi and Mr. Trond Giske, Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway. Addressing on the occasion, Shri Ravi said that the Agreement will enhance the cooperation on social security and facilitate the movement of professionals between the two countries. He further said that the detached workers sent by Norway-based companies to their Indian subsidiaries, or those sent by Indian companies to their branches in Norway will be exempt from social security contribution in the host country for a period of 60 months. While working abroad, these employees will only be subject to the social security regulations of their home country.
It will boost bilateral trade and investment especially in telecom, oil and information technology sectors. The Minister said that as per the Social Security Agreement provides that an employed or self-employed person, other than detached workers shall be subject only to the legislation of the host country. It also provides for portability of the benefits at the time of relocation. It also makes provision for payment of benefits under the legislation of one Contracting State to the nationals of other Contracting State, residing or staying in the territory of a third State, on the same conditions and to the same extent as to nationals of the first Contracting State who reside or stay in the territory of a third State, the Minister added.
The Administrative Arrangement of the Social Security Arrangement was also signed during the occasion by the officials of both the countries. The agreement will come into effect after the fulfillment of the national requirements. India has signed similar agreements with Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Denmark, Czech Republic and the Republic of Korea.
India offers $500 m. credit line to Mozambique
India and Mozambique signed three agreements besides agreeing upon a credit line of $500 million for infrastructure projects. During talks with the visiting Mozambique president Armando Guebuza, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the safety and security of sea lanes against the backdrop of nearly a decade of intermittent cooperation in this area between the two countries. India has agreed to support the establishment of training and planning institutions in Mozambique to aid capacity-building in the coal industry, and will also support capacity-building for the defence and police forces of that country.
The Prime Minister said he and Mr. Guebuza have decided to build upon the foundations of the past, and create a partnership based on four pillars which he identified as greater political engagement, deepening economic cooperation, strengthening defence and security cooperation, and cooperation in capacity-building and human resource. The agreements signed relate to avoidance of double taxation, cooperation in mineral resources and between middle and small enterprises.
India to participate in Asia-Europe dialogue
Vice President Hamid Ansari will represent India at the Eighth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit beginning in Brussels, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had attended the previous ASEM summit in Beijing two years ago, which was the first for India. Beginning as a dialogue forum between the European Union\European Commission and the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEM broadened into a stage for interaction between Europe and Asia by including six countries from the North East and South Asia, of which India is one. Of the 16 Asian states, some such as Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines are not being represented by their heads of government\state. The Prime Ministers of Japan and China are slated to attend while Pakistan will be represented by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
This summit, like the previous one, will see the addition of more members — Australia, New Zealand and Russia — to provide representation to the Asia Pacific and Eurasia. This will be the first international outing for recently elected Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
To counter West, China and India reach out to small island-States
The BASIC group of large developing nations – India, China, Brazil and South Africa – on Monday intensified their efforts to win the crucial support of small island States on the climate change debate ahead of the year-end U.N. summit at Cancun in Mexico.Their attempts, however, faced hurdles, with persistent differences on emission reduction targets between the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the BASIC countries. The AOSIS has emerged as a key voice in the climate debate, given the particular susceptibility of small islands to the consequences of climate change and rising sea-levels.The West, in the past, used the interests of the AOSIS countries to pressure large developing nations like China and India to take on greater commitments.
Representatives from Grenada, current chair of the AOSIS, attended a two-day meeting of the BASIC group. This attempt to find common ground with other developing countries, which form the larger bloc of the Group of 77, was also reflected in the statement, where “Ministers reiterated that the BASIC as part of the Group of 77 and China will continue to work and strengthen the unity of the Group, and play a constructive role in facilitating climate change negotiations.”
Asean security initiative
India, affirmed “strong commitment” to the “new initiative” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for “peace and stability” in the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative, with no formal name yet, is the creation of the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM+) forum that brings together all the 10 southeast Asian countries and their key dialogue partners — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States.
India elected to U.N. Security Council
India was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday with an overwhelming number of countries endorsing its sole candidature from the Asian group. In polling for 10 seats that took place at the U.N. headquarters in New York, India received the highest number of votes — 187 out of 192 — among all countries in the fray.
Russian interest in pipeline
Russia has offered to join the ambitious Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, even as it opted out of a project to build a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and India.Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom has opened talks with Turkmenistan on the company's possible involvement in the TAPI project. India last month joined Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in signing a TAPI Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement (GPFA).
Turkmenistan hopes a Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) may be signed during a proposed TAPI summit in Ashgabat, Russia signalled readiness to join TAPI as it lost interest in the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline, which Gazprom had earlier promised to help build. Russia's envoy to Pakistan practically ruled out participation in it. Russian experts link Gazprom's reluctance to join IPI to international economic sanctions against Iran. Last month Moscow cancelled a contract to sell advanced S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran.
IAF, Royal Air Force joint exercise resumes
Fliers of the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force were back in the skies on as part of Indradhanush, the joint exercise between the two countries that started in the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district. The missions in this exercise are focussed on air defence. The first phase, ‘Large Force Engagement,' deals with the deployment of a large number of aircraft within a limited air-space, a situation that can be a nightmare for air traffic controllers, but commonly faced in combat situations. The second phase of the exercise, RADAR denial, deals with a situation when due to unforeseen circumstances, the RADAR stops functioning.
India signs nuclear liability treaty
India signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), thereby delivering on the last of its commitments stemming from the landmark 2005 nuclear agreement with the United States.The international covenant — which provides a framework for channelling liability and providing speedy compensation in the event of a nuclear accident — was signed at the International Atomic Energy Agency offices in Vienna by Dinkar Khullar, India's Ambassador to Austria. The IAEA is the “depository” of the CSC, which has so far been signed by 14 countries and ratified by four, including the U.S.
The CSC will enter into force only when at least five countries with a minimum of 4,00,000 units of installed nuclear capacity ratify the treaty. Even if India ratifies it — and Indian officials say this is unlikely to happen soon — the CSC will not enter into force unless at least one or two countries with a large civilian nuclear programme also do so. With India signing the CSC and the Obama administration issuing the requisite ‘Part 810' licensing certifications, the stage is now set for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. to begin full-fledged commercial negotiations with General Electric and Westinghouse for supply of two 1,000-MWe reactors. Three rounds of discussions have already been held, Indian officials say, but these have largely been exploratory in nature.India promised the U.S. in 2008 that it would sign the CSC, a treaty that requires signatories to pass a domestic liability law in conformity with a model text. Washington's aim was to ensure that its companies were legally exempted from any liability burden in the event of an accident occurring in an American-supplied nuclear reactor.
Though India passed its liability law last month, the U.S. has objected to Sections 17(b) and 46 of the Act which open the door for legal action against nuclear suppliers if an accident is caused by faulty or defective equipment. Washington says these provisions violate the CSC, a charge New Delhi rejects.
Stephen Schwebel to head Kishanganga arbitration court
Judge Stephen M. Schwebel, former President of the International Court of Justice, will head the Court of Arbitration being constituted to resolve the Kishanganga hydroelectric project dispute between India and Pakistan. Judge Schwebel is an expert on international law and dispute settlement. As per the provisions under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 under the aegis of the World Bank, the arbitration court has to have seven members, including the chairman. Already India and Pakistan have named two international experts each to represent them.
The dispute is over India's 330 Mw hydroelectric project on Kishanganga, a tributary of the Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir. According to India, the treaty allows it to divert Kishanganga waters to the Bonar Madmati Nallah, another tributary of the Jhelum, which falls into the Wullar lake before joining the Jhelum again. Pakistan has objected to this saying India's plans to divert waters will obstruct the flow of the river affecting its Neelam-Jhelum project downstream. The matter could not be resolved during the Permanent Indus Water Commission-level bilateral talks and Pakistan decided to take the issue to a court of arbitration.
POLITY AND COMMITEES
Committee set up to review National Policy for Older Persons:
The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010:
Special Task Force Set up to Examine Developmental needs of Ladakh:
Special Task Force Set up to Examine Developmental needs of Jammu:
POLITY AND COMMITEES
Committee set up to review National Policy for Older Persons:
A Committee has been constituted under the Chairpersonship of Dr. Mohini Giri with representation of eminent persons and several concerned Union Ministries to review the National Policy for Older Persons and give its recommendations in the light of changing situation and experience gained through implementation of programmes for the elderly. National Policy for Older Persons was formulated in 1999. Ten years have passed since then and therefore, it was felt that there was a need to review the Policy in changing social and economic conditions. The Vayosreshtha Samman is given by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment each year to recognize the exemplary contribution of senior citizens in various fields and outstanding institutions working for the welfare of the elderly.Vayosreshtha Samman 2010 were given to five eminent elderly and one Institutions in six categories including awards for Life time achievement; Centenarian; Courage and bravery; Creative art; Best mother; and Institutional Service.
The Union Cabinet approved ‘The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010” and its introduction in the Parliament. The Bill provides a mechanism for enquiring into complaints against the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, lays down judicial standards and requires the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts to declare their assets and liabilities. The Bill seeks to replace the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 while retaining its basic features. The enactment of the Bill will address the growing concerns regarding the need to ensure greater accountability of the higher judiciary by bringing in more transparency and would further strengthen the credibility and independence of the judiciary.
Background:At present there is no legal provision for dealing with complaints filed by the public against the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Also, the judiciary has adopted resolutions for declaration of assets by Judges and “Restatement of values of Judicial Life’. However, there is no law that requires the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts to declare their assets and liabilities and also there is no statutory sanction for judicial standards.
In order to examine the development needs of the Ladakh region with particular reference to deficiencies in infrastructure and make suitable recommendations, it has been decided to constitute a Special Task Force headed by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member, Planning Commission as Chairperson.
In order to examine the development needs of the Jammu region with particular reference to deficiencies in infrastructure and make suitable recommendations, it has been decided to constitute a Special Task Force headed by Dr. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission as chairperson.
AWARDS AND PERSONALITIES
AWARDS AND PERSONALITIES
Finance Minister of Asia Award to Shri Pranab Mukherjee
India's Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee has won this year's award for Finance Minister of the Year for Asia. This year's award is based on nominations from public and private sector economists, analysts, bankers, investors and other experts. This award unequivocally signals the confidence the Minister has inspired in key stakeholders, by virtue of his fuel price reforms, fiscal transparency and inclusive growth strategies. This award is from Emerging Markets, the daily newspaper of record for the World Bank, IMF, etc. Emerging Markets is part of Euromoney Institutional investor plc. one of the largest and most respected providers of financial information worldwide. It may be recalled that Shri Pranab Mukherjee was rated one of the best Finance Minister in the World in 1984 as well.
Awards conferred on International Ozone Day
• International Ozone Day was observed worldwide on September 16, 2010. The Montreal Protocol on ‘Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer’ was signed on September 16, 1987 to protect the Ozone Layer. Since 1995, 16th September is celebrated every year as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer and commemorates the date of signing of the Montreal Protocol. In India, the following awards were given by the Ministry of Environment & Forests on the occasion of the International Ozone Day.
Awards given by Ministry of Environment & Forests
• Rajiv Gandhi Environment Award for Clean Technology for the year 2008-2009
M/s Reliance Infrastructure Limited, Dahanu Thermal Power Station, Dahanu, Maharashtra
• •Irom Sharmila wins Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize:
Manipur activist Irom Sharmila was on September 13, 2010 conferred with the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM). The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh, a gold medal, a citation and a shawl. Sharmila has been protesting against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the state.
• Ministry of Tourism Wins PATA Grand Award:
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India won a PATA Grand Award and two PATA Gold Awards during the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2010 which concluded in Macau on September 17, 2010. The PATA Grand Award was given under the Heritage category for the Rural Tourism Project at Hodka village in Kutch District of Gujarat. The two PATA Gold Awards were bestowed on the Ministry under the Marketing Media – Travel Advertisement Print Media and Marketing – Primary Government Destination categories. The PATA Travel Mart 2011 will be held in Delhi in September 2011.
• MSME Ministry wins Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Award:
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises bagged the First Prize in the Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Award function held in New Delhi on the occasion of “Hindi Diwas – 2010” on September 14, 2010.
• Sanjeev Rajput wins ‘Services Best Sportsman’ award:
Sanjeev Rajput, Master Chief Petty Officer – II of Indian Navy received the ‘Services Best Sportsman’ award for 2009-10 from the Chairman COSC Air Marshall PV Naik, on September 14, 2010 at New Delhi.
“The Best Services Sportsman of the Year” is selected from amongst a large number of sportsmen of the three Services. This award comprises a trophy and cash award. This year the cash award has been enhanced from Rs 20,000 to Rs One Lakh.
WORLD
‘Somewhere’ is Best Film at Venice Film Festival
• The 67th Venice Film Festival came to a close on September 11, 2010 with the awards ceremony taking place at the Palazzo del Cinema in Venice. The jury, headed by director Quentin Tarantino, chose Sofia Coppola’s ‘Somewhere’, the tale of an actor who sees the emptiness of his existence through the eyes of his child, as the Best Film for the top Golden Lion prize.
• Following is the list of winners:
67th Venice Film Festival: Major Awards
Award Winner Country
Golden Lion for Best Film ‘Somewhere’ by Sofia Coppola USA
Silver Lion for Best Director Álex de la Iglesia for the film ‘Balada triste de trompeta’ (‘The Last Circus’) Spain, France
Special Jury Prize ‘Essential Killing’ by Jerzy Skolimowski Poland, Norway, Hungary, Ireland
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor Vincent Gallo in the film ‘Essential Killing’ Poland, Norway, Hungary, Ireland
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress Ariane Labed in the film ‘Attenberg’ Greece
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress Mila Kunis in the film ‘Black Swan’ USA
Osella for Best Cinematography Mikhail Krichman for the film ‘Ovsyanki’ (Silent Souls) Russia
Osella for Best Screenplay Álex de la Iglesia for the film ‘Balada triste de trompeta’ (‘The Last Circus’) Spain, France
Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award 2010 Mani Ratnam India
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement John Woo China
Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla palace wins UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award
• Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla palace, the royal seat of the Asaf Jahi rulers, has bagged the coveted UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Merit award for cultural heritage conservation for 2010. The restoration of the Chowmahalla palace has come in for appreciation by UNESCO for rescuing ‘an extraordinary complex from years of abandonment’. Following is the complete list of winners at the 2010 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award announced on September 3, 2010:
2010 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards
Award of Excellence
• Hong San See Temple, Singapore Award of Distinction
• Red Brick Warehouses, Yokohama, Japan
• Gulabpur Khanqah, Shigar, Skardu, Pakistan
Award of Merit
• Fu’long Taoist Temple, Du’jiang’yan World Heritage Property, Sichuan Province, China
• Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad, India
• Old Houses in the World Heritage Fort of Galle, Sri Lanka Honourable Mention
• North Xinjiao Street, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China
• Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute, Victoria, Australia
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum), Mumbai, India
Indians win top prizes in UN photography contest
• Five Indians were on September 15, 2010 announced as winners of top prizes in various categories of an international photography contest organised by the UN to spotlight the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs). Prakash Hatvalne from Bhopal was awarded the first prize under the “education” goal for his photograph showing a young boy climbing up the stairs of his school in Bhopal. Piyal Adhikary won the award for her photograph called “Vaccination Mission”. The image was chosen for depicting the goal of reducing child mortality.
• The eight MDGs include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability.
• The award ceremony was presided over by UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro and Helen Clark, head of the United Nations Development Programme. The winning photographs were selected under the different goals and divided between professional and amateur photographers.
• The winning photographs were picked from 3,000 photos submitted by more than 1,400 contestants. The full list of winners for the different MDGs is as follows:
UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Photography Awards
Goal Objective Winner in Amateur Category Winner in Professional Category
Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Tran Vinh Nghia, Viet Nam Victor Diaz Kintanar, The Philippines
Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education Partha Pratim Saha, India Prakash Hatvalne, India
Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women Joydeep Mukherjee, India Fatima Elkadi, Norway
Goal 4 Reduce child mortality Oliver Belarga, The Philippines Piyal Adhikary, India
Goal 5 Improve maternal health Maria Cierna, Slovak Republic Allan Gichigi, Kenya
Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Joydeep Mukherjee, India Victor Diaz Kintanar, The Philippines
Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability Rudolf Kozsak, Hungary Marielle van Uitert, The Netherlands
Goal 8 Develop a Global Partnership for Development Saikat Mukherjee, India Pablo la Rosa, Uruguay
Tran Vinh Nghia was also the 1st place winner overall in Amateur category while India’s Prakash Hatvalne was the 1st place winner overall in Professional category
Lady Gaga wins eight awards MTV Video Music Awards
• Lady Gaga dominated the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on September 19, 2010 winning in eight of the 14 categories including video of the year. ‘Bad Romance’ won Lady Gaga the Video of the year, Best Pop video, Best Female video, Best Dance Music video, Best Choreography, Best Direction and Best Editing awards. She also won the Best collaboration award for ‘Telephone’ featuring Beyonce. Other winners include:
Best Male video and Best Hip-Hop video won byEminem for ‘Not Afraid’ Best Rock video won by 30 Seconds to Mars for ‘the Kings and Queens’
Gong for Best Special Effects won by Muse for ‘Uprising’ Best Art Direction won by Florence n the Machine for ‘Dog Days Are Over’
Best Cinematography award won by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for ‘Empire State of Mind’ Best New Artist award won by Justin Bieber
Patna’s Super30 among Newsweek’s 4 most innovative schools
• Mathematician Anand Kumar’s Patna-based coaching institute ‘Super 30’ was on September 18, 2010 included by US magazine Newsweek in its list of four most innovative schools in the world in its latest edition. According to Newsweek, the effort of Anand Kumar for the underprivileged students is “incredible” as his help of educational and moral support has facilitated the poor students study almost 16 hours every day and qualify the entrance test of IIT, known as toughest test in India. Time magazine had earlier this year selected Super 30 in its list of best school of Asia 2010. Other three inclusions in the Newsweek list are:
• Activity-based learning introduced in 40,000 government schools in Tamil Nadu due to efforts by bureaucrat M. P. Vijayakumar.
• China’s Ministry of Education for providing migrant children (age 6 to 15) schools in the towns where their parents worked
• Norman Gall and Catalina Pagés for starting a reading revolution in poor and crime-infested localities of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• Hanif Kureishi wins Pinter literary prize: Novelist Hanif Kureishi, known for his book ‘Buddha of Suburbia’, was on September 17, 2010 selected for the Pen/Pinter prize, a literary prize set up in honour of playwright Harold Pinter. Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho was selected for the international writer of courage prize, which is awarded to writers persecuted for their beliefs.
• Former British PM Tony Blair awarded Liberty Medal: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on September 14, 2010 received the Liberty Medal for his global human rights work and commitment to international conflict resolution. The medal is given annually by the Philadelphia-based National Constitution Center to individuals or organizations whose actions strive to bring liberty to people worldwide. Blair was honoured for his work with the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which promotes religious tolerance; for his initiative to improve governance in Africa; and for advancing peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, among other efforts. Former President Bill Clinton presented the award at an outdoor ceremony on Independence Mall in Philadelphia.
• Burundian president receives “Rising Star of Africa” Award in India: Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza was on September 14, 2010 conferred Rising Star of Africa in New Delhi for his efforts to bring peace and stability to the country affected by protracted ethnic wars. The award was set up by the Unity International Foundation, an NGO strengthening India’s ties with other countries.
• Julia Roberts wins lifetime achievement at San Sebastian: Actress Julia Roberts was on September 14, 2010 conferred with a lifetime achievement award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, honouring her “successful two decade long career.” The 42-year-old Roberts collected the honorary ‘Donostia’ award at the film festival where her latest film ‘Eat Pray Love’ was screened. She has won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2001 for her role in ‘Erin Brokovich’.
• Dicky Rutnagur honoured by Indian Journalists Association: Veteran sportswriter and commentator Dicky Rutnagur was on September 16, 2010 honoured with a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” by the Indian Journalists Association in London for his contribution to sports journalism. ‘Dicky’ as he was known to journalists in India and aboard in the Sixties, reported cricket for several national newspapers like the Hindustan Times, The Mail (Chennai), The Hindu and its sister publication, Sport & Pastime.
Social activist Aruna Roy gets Lal Bahadur Shastri award
President Pratibha Patil presented the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management to Aruna Roy, social and political activist, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The award carries a prize of Rs. 5 lakh, a plaque and a citation stating that the award was conferred on Ms. Roy for her “arduous journey and dedication towards the issue of the common man.”It noted that the most significant of Ms. Roy's efforts had been the campaigns for transparency and the people's right to information, which began in the early 1990s, and, more recently, the right to work campaign.“These [two] broad-based collective campaigns helped ensure the passage of the Right to Information law and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act [now the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act] by Parliament in 2005.”
Nobel Prizes 2010
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS
Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene"
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY
Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki "for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis"
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE
Robert G. Edwards "for the development of in vitro fertilization"
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
Mario Vargas Llosa "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat"
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China"
THE PRIZE IN ECONOMIC SCIENCES
Peter A. Diamond, Dale T. Mortensen and Christopher A. Pissarides "for their analysis of markets with search frictions"
Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2009
Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, located in Chhattisgarh's Narainpur, have jointly won the 25th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2009 for their services in promoting and preserving national integration.
The award, which consists of a citation and Rs.2.5 lakh, will be presented by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at Teen Murti House on October 31, the death anniversary of the former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. The award was instituted by the Congress in 1985 to recognise distinguished persons for outstanding contributions to the cause of national integration.
CIL Chairman gets SCOPE award
Partha S. Bhattacharyya, Chairman, Coal India Limited (CIL) has won the SCOPE “Special award of the jury”. Standing Conference of Public Sector Enterprises (SCOPE) excellence awards have been conceptualised and instituted to recognise the contribution of public enterprises and to encourage outstanding persons for their hard work and leadership qualities. Earlier, under the chairmanship of Mr. Bhattacharyya, Coal India had won the “SCOPE gold trophy 2007-08 for excellence and outstanding contribution to the public sector management” in institutional category.
Man Booker Prize throws up surprise winner
British writer and journalist Howard Jacobson's novel The Finkler Question, a semi-autobiographical comic take on Jewish identity, is the winner of this year's Man Booker Prize.
J.K. Rowling wins Danish award
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has won the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Prize. She is the first recipient of the 5,00,000 kroner ($93,352) award, which was handed out at a ceremony in Odense, Andersen's hometown. The prize is given to a person who can be compared with Andersen, the Danish writer who was born in 1805 and wrote some 160 fairy tales and poems before his death in 1875.
South Asian literary prize
Writer and academic Amit Chaudhuri's novel The Immortals is among the six books shortlisted for a new major $50,000 literary prize - the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature - announced here at the end of a 10-day festival of south Asian writing.
Also on the list are two Pakistani novelists Musharraf Ali Farooqui ( The Story of a Widow) and H. M Naqvi ( Home Boy).Others include Manju Kapur ( The Immigrant), Neel Mukherjee ( A Life Apart), and U.S.-based Tania James ( Atlas Of Unknowns). The winner will be announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival in January.
Breakthrough in encryption technology
A cryptologist of the Indian Statistical Institute here has made a breakthrough in securing information over the internet and his work may be submitted for being considered as the world standard. The “family of algorithms,” developed by Professor Palash Sarkar, for the encryption and authentication of data can be customised according to the user's needs and, not governed by any patents, can easily be adopted as a standard. Dr. Sarkar has been working on developing ciphers to achieve Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) for the past four years.
Unravelling the concept of AEAD, he explained that information had to be encrypted to ensure confidentiality, and required authentication to ensure that it was not altered by unauthorised persons. AEAD is a method of encrypting and authenticating data.The complexity of developing algorithms for AEAD arises from the fact that when data is sent over the internet, it is broken down into packets that consist of a body and a header. The body is the information itself and has to be both encrypted and authenticated, while the header indicates the destination to which it has to be sent and only requires authentication. While ad-hoc methods for AEAD have been in use for a long time, mathematically precise ciphers were introduced about a decade ago by American cryptographers.
ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
First Ever Takeout Finance Scheme Signed between IIFCL and Union Bank of India
An agreement was signed between Union Bank of India (UBI) and India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd. (IIFCL) in respect of some identified projects as part of the first ever major initiative under takeout finance scheme. With the implementation of takeout finance scheme through IIFCL, the long awaited need for overcoming the difficulties faced by commercial banks in asset liability management due to long tenure of infrastructure loans will be mitigated to a great extent. This will also facilitate better incremental lending to infrastructural projects by commercial banks, which is essential for the economic growth of the country. The takeout Finance scheme of IIFCL will benefit the developers by elongation of repayment period and reduction of interest rate based on the improved risk profile at the time of Scheduled takeout.
Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC)
The Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee held a meeting with the Regulators and officials of Ministry of Finance on the creation of Financial Stability & Development Council (FSDC). The discussion paper had been earlier circulated by the Ministry of Finance to all stake holders and suggestions were received. It was agreed that with a view to strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial Stability and Development, the Central Government would set-up the apex Council. Without prejudice to the autonomy of regulators, this Council would engage in macro prudential supervision of the economy, including the functioning of large financial conglomerates and address inter-regulatory coordination issues. It will also focus on financial literacy and financial inclusion. The Council shall also look into issue relating to financial development from time to time. The Council would have one Sub-Committee which would be headed by Governor, RBI. The Secretariat of the said Council would be in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
Highlights of the Annual Supplement 2010-11 to the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14
Higher Support for Market and Product Diversification
1. Additional benefit of 2% bonus, over and above the existing benefits of 5% / 2% under Focus Product Scheme, allowed for about 135 existing products, which have suffered due to
recession in exports. Major sectors include all Handicrafts items, Silk Carpets, Toys and Sports Goods (all of which were earlier eligible for 5% benefits); Leather Products and Leather Footwear, Handloom Products and Engineering Items including Bicycle parts and Grinding Media Balls (all of which were earlier eligible for 2% benefit).
2. 256 new products added under FPS (at 8 digit level), which shall be entitled for benefits @ 2% of FOB value of exports to all markets. Major Sectors / Product Groups are Engineering, Electronics, Rubber & Rubber Products, Other Oil Meals, Finished Leather, Packaged Coconut Water and Coconut Shell worked items.
3. Instant Tea and CSNL Cardinol included for benefits under VKGUY @ 5% of FOB value of exports.
4. Nearly 300 products (at 8 digit level) from the readymade garment sector incentivised under MLFPS for further 6 months from October, 2010 to march, 2011 for exports to 27 EU countries.
Support for Technological up-gradation
5. Zero duty EPCG scheme, introduced in August 2009 and valid for only two years upto 31.3.2011, has been extended by one more year till 31.3.2012. In addition, to give a boost to
technological up-gradation for additional sectors as well, the benefit of the scheme has been expanded to cover paper & paperboard and articles thereof, ceramic products, refractories, glass & glassware, rubber & articles thereof, Plywood and allied products, marine products, sports goods and toys and additional engineering products.
6. Additional Towns of Export Excellence (TEEs) announced viz. Barmer (Rajasthan) for Handicrafts; Bhiwandi (Maharashtra) for Textiles; and Agra (Uttar Pradesh) for Leather Products.
Benefit and flexibility to Status Holders:
7. Status Holders contribute to a substantial part of our exports. To support them to upgrade their technology, 1% Status Holder Incentive Scheme (SHIS) introduced in August 2009 and valid for only two years upto 31.3.2011, has been extended by one more year for 2011-12 exports. In addition, to give a boost to technological up-gradation for additional sectors as well, the benefit of the scheme has been expanded to cover chemical &
Allied products, paper, paperboard and articles thereof, ceramic products, refractories, glass & glassware, rubber & articles thereof, plywood and allied products, electronics products, sports goods and toys and additional engineering products.
8. Additional flexibility provided for transferability of Duty Credit Scrips being issued to Status Holders under paragraph 3.13.4 of FTP under VKGUY scheme by allowing transfer of scrip for import of cold chain equipments to unit(s) in the Food Park.
Stability / Continuity of the Foreign Trade Policy:
9. The popular and exporter friendly Duty Entitlement Passbook (DEPB) scheme has been extended beyond 31.12.2010 till 30.06.2011.
10. Availability of concessional Export Credit:
Interest subvention of 2% for pre-shipment credit for export sectors namely, Handloom, Handicraft, Carpet and SMEs for all export sectors, have been allowed till 31.3.2011 in the budget 2010-11. This facility has now been extended to a number of additional products pertaining to sectors like Engineering, leather, textiles, Jute. 5
11. Advance Authorization for Annual Requirement shall also be exempted from payment of anti-dumping & Safeguard duty in line with the underlying principle that goods and services should be exported and not the taxes and levies.
Procedural Simplification and Reduction of Transaction Cost:
12. Exporters shall now have the flexibility to get a high value EPCG authorisation by filing their EPCG application on Annual basis, without the need to file the application for individual capital goods from time to time. It will reduce transaction time and cost.
13. Exporters shall now have the flexibility to Club Advance authorisation with Advance Authorisation for Annual Requirement for the purpose of account closure.
14. To impart flexibility to exporters and to facilitate smooth clearance of consignments, a Single customs notification for the two variants of Advance Authorization scheme namely advance authorisation for physical exports & deemed exports shall be issued. It will also eliminate the ambiguity in clubbing of such exports.
15. Adhoc Norms ratified under Advance Authorisation scheme shall henceforth apply to all cases for the same export product upto one year not only prospectively but also retrospectively.
16. Clarification on the availability of 4% SAD refund benefit, as given by DOR in terms of customs Notification No. 102/2007, only to trader importers, to be also extended to manufacturers, who sell the imported items like traders.
17. Chartered Engineer Certificate for Advance Authorisation on self declared baSis, has been dispenced with. This will reduce documentation and the transaction cost.
EDI Initiatives:
18. To reduce the transaction cost and time, the scope and domain of EDI is endeavoured to be continuously broadened. To remove redundancy of repeated submissions of RCMC, an ‘e-RCMC’ initiative has been commenced. Under this, the Export Promotion Councils would upload the RCMC data of their members on DGFT’s website only once, thus reducing the procedural burden of repeated submissions and associated cost and time.
19. Facility of a data preparation module for Advance Authorization and Export Promotion Capital Good (EPCG) has been provided on an offline mode, which would reduce the need of continuous online interaction for long and address the connectivity and
server response issues significantly.
20. In order to provide wider choice to the users and enlarge access for online filing, additional licenced certifying authorities for digital signatures and banks for electronic fund transfer (EFT) operations have been included in the gamut of EDI operations.
21. The online message exchange for Annual Advance Authorization and Duty Free Import Authorization (DFIA) shall also be made operational with Customs w.e.f. 1.12.2010.
Leather Sector:
22. Leather sector shall be allowed re-export of unsold imported raw hides and skins and semi-finished leather from Public bonded warehouses, without payment of any export duty. This will facilitate the logistics for establishment of such warehouses and easy access to raw material for the leather sector.
23. Finished Leather export shall be entitled for Duty Credit Scrip @ 2% under FPS.
24. Additional 2% bonus benefits over and above the existing benefits under Focus Product Scheme would significantly benefit the Leather Sector.
Handloom sector:
25. Duty free import of specified trimmings, embellishments etc. shall be available on Handloom made-ups exports @ 5% of FOB value of exports. 7
26. Additional 2% bonus benefits over and above the existing benefits under Focus Product Scheme would significantly benefit the Handloom Sector.
Textiles sector:
27. Duty free import of specified trimmings, embellishment etc shall be available @ 3% on exports of polyester made-ups in line with the facility available to sectors like Textiles & Leather. It will promote export of products such as micro cloth, which has become popular in home textiles.
28. Readymade Garment sector granted enhanced support under MLFPS for a period of further 6 months from October, 2010 to March, 2011 for exports to 27 EU countries.
Gems & Jewellery sector:
29. The list of items allowed for duty free import by Gems & Jewellery sector has been expanded by Inclusion of additional items such as Tags and labels, Security censor on card, Staple wire, Poly bag. This will reduce the cost of the product to some extent.
Handicraft Sector:
30. The facility of duty free import of tools under Duty Free Import scrips for Handicraft sector shall be made operational.
31. Additional 2% bonus benefits over and above the existing benefits under Focus Product Scheme will significantly benefit the Handicrafts and Silk Carpets sectors.
Service sector:
32. Scrips issued under Served From India Scheme (SFIS) can now be used for payment of duty on import of Vehicles, which are in the nature of professional equipment.
Agriculture and Plantation:
33. Instant Tea and CSNL Cardinol included for benefits under VKGUY @ 5% of FOB value of exports.
34. Oil Meals (Cotton, rape seed, groundnut), Castor Oil derivatives, Packed Coconut Water and Coconut Shell worked items shall be entitled for benefits @ 2% of FOB value of exports to all markets under FPS.
Engineering and Electronics:
35. Additional 2% bonus benefits over and above the existing benefits under Focus Product Scheme will significantly benefit Bicycle parts and Grinding Media Balls exporters.
36. Additional items of Engineering, namely, Pipes & Tubes, Electric Generating Sets, Cast Articles of Iron & Steel, Ferro Manganese and Ferro Silicon shall now be entitled for benefit @ 2% under FPS.
37. A number of Engineering items namely, Machine Tools, Compressors, Iron & Steel Structures including Transmission Towers and Scaffolding, LPG Cylinders, Ductile Tubes & Pipes shall now be entitled for benefits @ 2% of FOB value of exports to all markets under FPS instead of their exports to specific markets under MLFPS earlier.
38. Telecom Equipments, Colour TVs, Audio Systems, Optical Media, Semi-conductors, Capacitors, Resistors, PCBs, LEDs, Conductors, Desktops and Notebooks shall now be entitled for benefits @ 2% of FOB value of exports to all markets under FPS instead of their exports to limited market under MLFPS earlier.
Toys and Sports goods:
39. Additional 2% bonus benefits over and above the existing benefits under Focus Product Scheme will significantly benefit the Toys and Sports Goods Sector.
40. Benefits under Zero duty EPCG and SHIS schemes will significantly promote technological upgradation of Toys and Sports Goods sectors.
RBI divests stake in Nabard
Amid debate over whether the Reserve Bank of India should hold stake in lending institutions or only be a regulator, the central bank has sold almost all its holding in the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), to the Central Government.“The RBI divested its stake amounting to Rs.1,430 crore in Nabard on October 13. With this, the RBI's holding in Nabard has come down to one per cent of shareholding in the bank. The Central Government now holds 99 per cent of the stake,”The move comes more than three years after the central bank sold its entire stake in the country's largest lender State Bank of India to the government. The RBI held 72.5 per cent of equity in Nabard, amounting to Rs 1,450 crore. The remaining shareholding worth Rs.550 crore was with the Centre.The Union Cabinet, in May 2008, had approved the RBI's proposal to transfer its share holding in Nabard to the government.
Now, the only major institution where the RBI holds a stake is the National Housing Bank (NHB). The central bank holds 100 per cent stake in the housing finance regulator.Nabard is the apex rural and farm development bank, whose role is to promote credit growth in these areas.In its biggest ever cash purchase, the government in July, 2008, acquired the RBI's entire 59.73 per cent stake in State Bank of India at over Rs.35,531 crore.The move was in line with the Narasimham Committee II report which held that it was inconsistent with the principles of effective supervision that the regulator was also an owner of a bank.On the same principle, it was decided that the government would also acquire RBI's shareholding in NHB and Nabard. The buying of stake in these institutions would enable the government to have greater say in the boards of these institutions and issue directions to meet its credit objectives for targeted areas.
Mumbai gets world's largest diamond bourse
The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), the world's largest, was inaugurated in Mumbai by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma. This bourse is going to be an international, world-class diamond trading hub with facilities like banking, freight forwarding, consolidation, insurance, security surveillance, etc, all in the same complex.”The BDB has been set up to establish infrastructure for promotion of diamond export, including jewellery, and provide all support and service facilities to eventually make India an international trading centre for gems and jewellery.
Over the last few years, India has been one of the acknowledged leaders in cutting and polishing of diamonds and one of the primary sectors manufacturing coloured gemstones. In spite of the recent economic downturn and its impact on business worldwide, India has maintained its performance in the gem and jewellery sector.
India's rank up 3 notches in IMF
India will improve its rank by three notches to the 8th position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the group of 20 nations (G-20) decided to increase the quota of emerging markets in the multi-lateral lending agency by over 6 per cent. Agreement on IMF reforms has been reached. There will be a shift in quota shares to dynamic EMDCs (emerging market developing countries) and to underrepresented countries of over 6 per cent while protecting the voting share of the poorest, With this, India's rank in the IMF will improve to the 8th position from the current 11th in terms of quota, China will see an improvement in its ranking to the third position from the present sixth. Quota represents the relative position of members of IMF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gliese 581 g
Gliese 581 g also Gl 581 g or GJ 581 g, is an unconfirmed extrasolar planet, orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581, 20.5 light-years (1.94×1014 km) from Earth in theconstellation of Libra. It is the sixth planet discovered in the Gliese 581 planetary system and the fourth in order of increasing distance from the star. The discovery was announced by theLick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey in late September 2010, after a decade of observation.
Studies indicate the planet is situated near the middle of the habitable zone of its parent star, where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold. If it is a rocky planet, favorable atmospheric conditions could permit the presence of liquid water, a necessity for all known life, on its surface. With a mass 3.1 to 4.3 times Earth's, Gliese 581 g is considered a super-Earth, and is the planet closest in size to Earth known in a habitable zone. This makes it the most Earth-likeGoldilocks planet found outside the Solar System and the exoplanet with the greatest recognized potential for harboring life. The detection of Gliese 581 g after such a short period of searching and at such close proximity leads astronomers to believe the proportion of stars with habitable planets may be greater than ten percent.
Fast Breeder Test Reactor to turn 25
“Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR)” On October 18, 2010, will be 25 years since the FBTR, the symbol of the country's self-reliance and ingenuity in nuclear power technology, attained its first criticality at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu.The FBTR is at the heart of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam, and it is a forerunner to the second stage of the country's nuclear power programme, under which several breeder reactors will be built.
The FBTR's successful working has given enough confidence to the Department of Atomic Energy to build the 500 megawatt electrical (MWe) Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), also at Kalpakkam. It is silver jubilee too for the Radiometallurgy Laboratory (RML) at IGCAR, which became the foundation for testing the FBTR's fuel, control rod materials and fuel pins. Fast Reactors use “fast' (high energy) neutrons to sustain the fission process, in contrast to water-cooled reactors that use “thermal” (low energy) neutrons. Fast Reactors are commonly known as breeders because they breed more fuel than they consume. In Homi Bhabha's vision for the country's nuclear electricity programme, the breeder reactors occupy the centre stage and form a bridge between the first and third stages.
Under the first stage, 17 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) that use natural uranium as fuel are already operating in India. The second stage envisages building a series of breeders that will use plutonium reprocessed from the PHWRs' spent fuel and their depleted uranium.
The Fast Reactors will form the “bread and butter” of the country's nuclear power programme. For they will be able to generate about 6 lakh MWe with the country's uranium reserves. In the third stage, abundant thorium reserves in the country's and uranium-233 produced in the breeders will be used to generate electricity.
First trial with human embryonic stem cells
U.S. doctors have begun the first tests of human embryonic stem cells in patients, treating a man with spinal cord injuries in a landmark trial of the controversial process, The Phase I trial is expected to involve around 10 patients. Participants in the human trials must be severely injured and start treatment with Geron's product, GRNOPC1, seven to 14 days after sustaining their injury. Patients will be given a single injection of two million of Geron's GRNOPC1 cells in the trial.Those taking part will be followed up for one year to monitor safety and also to see if they have regained any sensory function or movement in their lower extremities.
If the initial group of subjects shows no negative side-effects, Geron plans to seek FDA approval to extend the study to increase the dose of GRNOPC1 and to include patients with “as broad a range of severe spinal cord-injured patients as medically appropriate”.
The ultimate goal for GRNOPC1 is to inject it directly into the spinal cord lesions of injured humans where it would, Geron hopes, prompt damaged nerve cells to re-grow, enabling patients to eventually recover feeling and movement. GRNOPC1 is made up of cells containing precursors to oligodendrocytes — multi-tasking cells that occur in the nervous system.Oligodendrocytes are lost in spinal cord injury, resulting in myelin and neuronal loss which cause paralysis in many patients. Preclinical studies of GRNOPC1 found that when it was injected into the injury site of animals with spinal cord injuries, it migrated throughout the lesion site and matured into oligodendrocytes. Those oligodendrocytes then re-lined axons with myelin, the insulating layers of cell membrane that wrap around the axons of neurons to enable them to conduct electrical impulses. The process produced biologicals that enhance the survival and function of neurons, resulting in significantly improved locomotion in the treated animals.
In the animal trials, GRNOPC1 was injected seven days after the injury was sustained.Backers of the research believe the field holds huge potential for treating serious diseases including cancer and Alzheimer's, and even for reversing paralysis.Opponents argue that living embryos are destroyed to obtain the potentially life-saving embryonic stem cells.Legislation passed by Congress in 1996 bans federal funding for research in which human embryos are either destroyed or discarded.In lifting the ban on embryonic stem cell research, the Obama administration argued the research does not require disposal or destruction of the embryos, which were created for in-vitro fertilization treatments but never used.
Engineering bacteria to make anti-cancer drug
Placitaxel, better known by the brand name Taxol, is a compound found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia, that has proved effective against a variety of cancers.
In the early 1990s, when the drug was just coming into use, the bark from over three trees was needed in order to extract just one gramme of Taxol. These days, however, it is produced from plant cells grown in culture or by chemically processing a molecule found in the needles of the European yew tree. Recently in a paper published in the journal Science, a team led by Gregory Stephanopoulos of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reported efforts to produce precursors of Taxol using the bacterium Escherichia coli ( E. coli).
Neutrino project approved at Bodi West Hills in Theni
After denying permission to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to locate the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Singara in Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) accorded both environmental and forest clearance for locating the project in the Bodi West Hills (BWH) in Theni district, also in Tamil Nadu.
The INO will be a major underground experimental facility to study the elusive and nearly mass-less fundamental particles of nature called neutrinos, The site is situated in a reserved forest (RF) area. The Singara site which, according to scientists, is the best spot to locate the INO, was rejected by the MoEF on the grounds that it was not cleared by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD). It was stated to fall in the buffer zone of the Mudhumalai Tiger Reserve. The site being close to the elephant corridor between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats was also a consideration. The proposed massive neutrino detector will be built in a cavern set in massive charnockite rock (group of igneous rocks found in South India with those in Tamil Nadu known to be the hardest). The cavern will be excavated by drilling a tunnel of 1.9-2 km in length under the peak designated as 1589 so that there is vertical overburden of about 1,300 m. For a good neutrino detection facility, a vertical cover of at least 1,000 m is required so that the observed neutrino events are not contaminated by unwanted particles that will be absorbed by the overburden.
The forest types in the area vary from scrub jungles to montane grass land. While the underground facility may go under forest land in one spot, there will be no over ground occupation of forest land, according to scientists. The portal for the site will, in fact, be located outside the RF boundary in revenue land along with other surface facilities.
Six new isotopes of the superheavy elements discovered
Six isotopes, never seen before, of the superheavy elements 104 through 114A have been detected by a team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Starting with the creation of a new isotope of the yet-to-be-named element 114, the researchers observed successive emissions of alpha particles that yielded new isotopes of copernicium (element 112), darmstadtium (element 110), hassium (element 108), seaborgium (element 106), and rutherfordium (element 104). Rutherfordium ended the chain when it decayed by spontaneous fission.
Information gained from the new isotopes will contribute to a better understanding of the theory of nuclear shell structure. The theory underlies predictions of an “Island of Stability,” a group of long-lasting isotopes thought to exist amidst a sea of much shorter-lived, intrinsically unstable isotopes of the superheavy elements.The group that found the new isotopes is led by Heino Nitsche.
‘World's biggest' solar power plant planned
Giant mirrors and solar panels in Northern Cape would reduce carbon emissions and generate one—tenth of the country's energy needs South Africa is to unveil plans this week for what it claims will be the world's biggest solar power plant — a radical step in a coal—dependent country where one in six people still lacks electricity. The project, expected to cost up to 200bn rand (GBP18.42bn), would aim by the end of its first decade to achieve an annual output of five gigawatts (GW) of electricity — currently one-tenth of South Africa's energy needs.
Giant mirrors and solar panels would be spread across the Northern Cape province, which the government says is among the sunniest 3 per cent of regions in the world with minimal cloud or rain.The government hopes the solar park will help reduce carbon emissions from Africa's biggest economy, which is still more than 90 per cent dependent on coal-fired power stations. Energy is already a high priority in South Africa where, at the end of racial apartheid, less than 40 per cent of households had electricity.
NASA Celebrates 10th Anniversary Of Space Station
The International Space Station partner agencies will mark a major milestone on Nov. 2 with the 10-year anniversary of people living permanently aboard the space station. The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility that is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by late 2011. The station is expected to remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020.
China's supercomputer world's fastest
China has overtaken the U.S. as home of the world's fastest supercomputer. Tianhe-1A, named in honour of the Milky Way, is capable of sustained computing of 2.507 petaflops — equivalent to 2,507 trillion calculations each second.The U.S. scientist who maintains the international rankings visited it last week and said he believed it was 1.4 times faster than the former number one, the Cray XT5 Jaguar in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. That topped the list in June with a rate of 1.75 petaflops.The U.S. is home to more than half of the world's top 500 supercomputers. China had 24 in the last list, but has pumped billions into developing its computational ability in recent years.The machines are used for everything from modelling climate change and studying the beginnings of the universe to assisting aeroplane design.
Housed in the northern port city of Tianjin, near Beijing, Tianhe-1A was developed by the National University of Defence Technology. The system was built from thousands of chips made by U.S. firms — Intel and Nvidia — but domestic researchers developed the networking technology that allows information to be exchanged between servers at extraordinary speeds.
APPOINTMENTS AND AUTHORITIES
APPOINTMENTS AND AUTHORITIES
Appointment to the Posts of DG, CRPF and DG, BPR&D
Shri K. Vijay Kumar, IPS(TN:75) presently Director, National Police Academy, has been appointed as Director General, CRPF. Shri Vikram Srivastava, IPS (UP:73) presently Director General, CRPF, has been appointed as Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development. The appointment will take effect from the date of their joining the post.
Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)
Shri. P.L. Punia assumed the charge of the post of Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes. On this occasion, Shri Punia said that the Commission will evaluate and monitor the schemes and programmes being implemented for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and give its suggestions and recommendations as and when required under Article 338 of the Constitution. Shri Punia also said that the existing 12 regional offices of the Commission will be strengthened adequately to ensure that people can get their grievances resolved near to their place of residence.
RBI chief to head FSDC sub-panel
Even as the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) is to be headed by the Finance Minister, the government on Tuesday sought to allay the apprehensions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) over the autonomy of regulators by appointing the apex bank's Governor as the head of a sub-committee of the body being set up to maintain financial stability. Following the turf war between SEBI and the IRDA over the jurisdiction on mutual funds, the RBI Governor's position was elevated in a recently formed joint panel that was set up to resolve the controversy.
The apex bank's Governor was made Vice-Chairman of the committee, a higher position from the earlier status of just being a member.More recently, RBI Governor D. Subbarao had noted that the central bank has a greater role than merely containing inflation, indicating thereby that its task was also to maintain financial stability, the very reason for which the FSDC was being set up.
N. Ramachandran re-elected WSF President
The President of the World Squash Federation, N. Ramachandran, will continue in the post for a fresh two-year term of the World body. This was the outcome of the elections at the WSF Annual General Meeting, Even though Natalie Grainger, the WISPA (the professional body looking after women's tennis) President had initially decided on contesting for the post, she withdrew later to pave way for a unanimous election for Ramachandran.
In all, representatives from 45 countries attended the meeting, which included two days of conference and discussions to find ways to develop the sport, improve its profile in the media and also to make it an acceptable discipline in the Olympic Games.
Narendra to head IOB
M. Narendra has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Overseas Bank, n his capacity as Executive Director of Bank of India, he was the nominee Director on the Board of Indo Zambia Bank Limited, Lusaka, Zambia. He joined Corporation Bank in 1975.
SPORTS
• Faavae Faauliuli (SAM) collected Samoa’s first Gold medal in Commonwealth Games history, in the Men’s 94kg Weightlifting on 9 October. One day later, two other Samoans won Gold in this sport
• On 11 October, Cydonie Camile Mothersill (CAY) won the first Gold medal for Cayman Islands, when she ran to victory in the Women’s 200m event in Athletics
SPORTS
Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting Affirms their Conviction on the Importance of Sports for Developmentand Peace Ministers Congratulates India for Spectacular Opening Ceremony of XIX Commonwealth Games.
The 5th Commonwealth Sports Ministers meeting was held here under the Chairmanship of Dr. M.S. Gill, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports on the sidelines of XIX Commonwealth Games. Apart from Shri Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary General, the Ministers and delegates from 39 Commonwealth countries and observers from 8 countries attended the meeting. Mr. Michael Fennell, President, Commonwealth Games Federation, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games, 2010, Mr. David Howman, Director General, WADA, Mrs Chetana Kohli of UNICEF and Dr Bruce Kidd, Chairman Commonwealth Advisory Body of Sports attended the meeting as Special Guests. After detailed discussions, the meeting adopted ‘Delhi Communiqué’. The following is the text of the communique. “Ministers congratulated the host country India for the spectacular opening ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games, and its gracious hospitality in bringing together 71 nations for the Games.
The Fifth Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting discussed the key contribution that sport and physical activity can make to the realisation of the Commonwealth goals of democracy and development, as well as the Millennium Development Goals. Ministers agreed the importance of ‘mainstreaming’ sport in all appropriate government policy and programmes, to achieve these ends. Ministers also received reports from the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace on its working group on children and youth; the World Anti-Doping Association on its efforts to strengthen the culture of health and fairness in Commonwealth sport; and the Commonwealth Games Federation on the Commonwealth Games.
Ministers:
· Affirmed their conviction on the importance of Sport for Development and Peace (‘SDP’), as set out in previous reports and communiqués, especially those of the 2008 meetings of Commonwealth Sports Ministers, and Commonwealth Youth Ministers.
· Commended the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) for its commitment, advocacy and advice.
· Requested the Commonwealth Secretariat to:
o Explore ways to ‘mainstream’ SDP within the programmes of the Youth Affairs Division (YAD); and to
o Explore ways to ‘mainstream’ SDP into the work of other Commonwealth Secretariat Divisions and initiatives, and the planned Commonwealth Partnership Platform Portal (CP3) with special emphasis on Gender Equality and integration of Youth, Sports, Health and Education Policies.
· Agreed to strengthen the 'mainstreaming' of SDP within their own governments. They requested the Commonwealth Secretariat to prepare a guide to mainstreaming, for the sixth Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in London in 2012.
· Agreed to participate in a process to develop and agree upon appropriate priorities, targets, strategies and mechanisms for Monitoring and Evaluation in SDP, by the sixth Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in London in 2012. They requested the Commonwealth Secretariat to take the lead in this process, and, to this end and within resources available, to collect base-line, country-by-country data on participation in sports, and to conduct regional and other meetings for the purpose of identifying priorities and drafting targets. They affirmed that member countries would contribute staff time and appropriate resources where needed.
· Resolved unanimously that all national sporting bodies should adopt internationally accepted good governance principles, as Sports development is a public service. Ministers further emphasized that transparency and accountability by adopting good governance principles would be the appropriate way to secure and protect the autonomy of sport.
· Encouraged the Commonwealth Games Federation to deliberate on how it can make a significant, sustainable contribution to SDP.
· Encouraged all Commonwealth governments to accept, access, approve, ratify and implement the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport.
· Thanked and commended the Government of India for providing the resources for the continuation of the position of the Commonwealth Sports Development Adviser in the Commonwealth Secretariat for the period 2010-2013, and expressed the hope that such an arrangement will be continued by host governments of the future Commonwealth Games.
· Agreed to meet again in the margins of the Olympic Games to be held in London in 2012.
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and1982.
The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in1998. The official mascot of the Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto", was composed by celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman.
Initially, several concerns and controversies surfaced before the start of the Games. Despite these concerns, all member nations of the Commonwealth of Nations participated in the event, except Fiji, which is suspended from the Commonwealth, and Tokelau, which didn't send a team. A widely-praised opening ceremony helped improve the image of the Games. The concerns raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most events progressed smoothly. The final medal tally was led by Australia. The host nation India gave its strongest performance yet to emerge second, while England placed third. The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special investigation committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the Games.
Bidding
The two principal bids for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were from Delhi, India and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A ballot of members was held in November 2003 at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Delhi bid won by a margin of 46 votes to 22, confirming India's first successful bid for the Games. The bid was Canada's attempt to hold the games for the fifth time. India's bid motto was “New Frontiers and Friendships”. India shifted the balance in its favor in the second round of voting with a promise that it would provide US$100,000 to each participating country, along with air tickets, boarding, lodging and transport. The successful 2003 Afro-Asian Games held in Hyderabad was also seen as having showed India has the resources, infrastructure and technical know-how to stage a big sporting event. The Indian government stated that it would underwrite the total cost of the Games.
Organizing committee
The organisation of CWG 2010 was beset by delays: in January 2010, the Indian Olympic Association vice-chairman Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was not up to speed in forming and organising its games committee and, following a 2009 Indian Government report showing two thirds of venues were behind schedule, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell stated that the slow progress of preparations represented a serious risk to the event. Singh also called for a revamp of the games' organising committees: Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the committee. In spite of delays and the corruption cases levied on the organisors, commentators stated that they were confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time.
At the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay in October 2009, the Business Club of India (BCI) was formed through the partnership of the organising committee, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI). The BCI was formed to both market the Games and promote Indian business interests internationally.
Costs
The initial total budget estimated by Indian Olympic Association in 2003 for hosting the Games was 
1,620 crore (US$351.54 million)but escalated official total budget estimation in 2010 became 11,500 crore (US$2.5 billion), which excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city such as airports, city beautification and roads. Business Today magazine estimated that the Games cost 60,000 crore (US$13.02 billion).The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the most expensive Commonwealth Gaming event ever
1,620 crore (US$351.54 million)but escalated official total budget estimation in 2010 became 11,500 crore (US$2.5 billion), which excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city such as airports, city beautification and roads. Business Today magazine estimated that the Games cost 60,000 crore (US$13.02 billion).The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the most expensive Commonwealth Gaming event ever Green Games
The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is intended to be a key example of environmentally considered construction.
In opposition to this intention, a number of environmental controversies arose and the adverse ecological impact of various aspects of the games have been protested by city residents. City residents filed a public interest petition to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of 'heritage' trees in the Siri Fort area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed architect Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticised the designs on ecological grounds. In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court allowed the construction on the grounds that "much time had been lost" and "the damage already caused to the environment could not be undone".
The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna, has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms. After a prolonged legal battle between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for the games).
Other preparation
In preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the Delhi government is implementing a program to teach English, and the necessary skills for serving tourists, to key workers—such as cab drivers, security workers, waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two years prior to the Games 2,000 drivers were taught English. The program aims to teach 1,000 people English per month in the hope of reaching all key workers by March 2010. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist destinations in other parts of India.
To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by the end of 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.
In addition to physical preparation, India will offer free accommodation for all athletes at the Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits, such as a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and a reserved lane for participants on selected highways. The Games Village will house over 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games. Indian states will train state police forces to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games. A large-scale construction and "beautification" project has resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of city dwellers—at least 100,000 of New Delhi’s 160,000 homeless people have removed from shelters, some of which have been demolished. Bamboo screens have been erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums, a practice which human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and immoral.
The Delhi High Court is set to implement a series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters.
Symbols
Mascot
The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is Shera, an anthropomorphised tiger. His name comes from "Sher", a hindi word meaning tiger (Hindi "Bagh" means tiger. However, Sher is colloquially used for both lion and tiger). The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom Design and Consulting. There is one song for Shera also composed by the popular composer of INDIA the song contains initiative "Shera Shera"
Official song
The official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto" was composed and performed by the Indian musician A. R. Rahman. The song's title is based on the slogan of the games, "Come out and play". The song is penned by Mehboob in Hindi with a sprinkling of English words. It was released on 28 August 2010. The music video, directed by Bharath Bala was released on 23 September and featured a shorter version of the song.
Queen's Baton relay
The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton arrived at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 54 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games. The baton arrived in India on 25 June 2010 through the Wagah Border crossing from Pakistan.
The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute of Design. It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils collected from all the regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf—representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres (26.1 in) high, 34 millimetres (1.3 in) wide at the base, and 86 millimetres (3.4 in) wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams (67 oz).
The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:
§ The ability to capture images and sound
§ Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be tracked
§ Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s flag whilst in that country
§ A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of congratulations and encouragement to the baton bearers throughout the relay
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event, in New Delhi, India. It began at 7:00 PM (IST) on 3 October 2010 ending at 11:00 PM (IST) displaying India's varied culture in a plethora of cultural showcases. It was watched live by a global audience of around three billion. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (representing Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth) and President of India Pratibha Patil officially declared the Games open. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the host nation, India, attended the opening ceremony as well.
A total of three heads of state from outside India attended the opening ceremony; two from Commonwealth nations and one from a non-Commonwealth nation. The three head of states are Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives, Marcus Stephen, President of Nauru and a multiple Commonwealth gold medalist, and Prince Albert II of Monaco, whose country Monaco is not a member of the Commonwealth. As well, Sir Anand Satyanand, the Governor General of New Zealand (the first of Indian descent), attended the ceremony
Sports
There were events in 21 disciplines across 17 sports for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
§ Aquatics §  Diving§  Swimming | § Cycling §  Road§  Track |
Kabaddi was a demonstration sport at the Games. Triathlon was excluded from the games as there was no suitable location for the swimming stage. The organizers have also removed basketball, but included archery, tennis and wrestling. Cricket, although in strong demand, did not make a come-back as the Board of Control for Cricket in India were not keen on a Twenty20 tournament, and the organizers did not want a one day tournament.
Medals Tally:
Rank  | Nation  | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
1 | 74 | 55 | 48 | 177 | |
2 | 38 | 27 | 36 | 101 | |
3 | 37 | 59 | 46 | 142 | |
4 | 26 | 17 | 32 | 75 | |
5 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 33 | |
6 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 32 | |
7 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 35 | |
8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 31 | |
9 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 35 | |
10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 26 | |
Total | 272 | 274 | 282 | 828 | |
Closing ceremony
The games closed on 14 October 2010 in a colorful closing ceremony featuring both Indian and Scottish performers. Though the closing ceremony was not as beautiful as the opening ceremony, it marked the end of the Games with a huge celebration with singers from all over India providing a musical retreat which had the whole stadium dancing. The Commonwealth Games flag was handed over to representatives of Glasgow, Scotland, which will host the XX Commonwealth Games in 2014. At the closing ceremony, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared that Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games".
Participating nations
There were 71 participating nations at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth, it was banned from participating in the Games. Rwanda fielded a team for the games for the first time after becoming a Commonwealth member in 2009. Tokelau was initially expected to compete, but did not do so.
Long-term impact
India is largely a single-sport country, with cricket far outstripping all other sports in terms of the talent, sponsorships, spectator support, and media attention it receives. The Indian cricket team is currently ranked world number one in Test cricket. There have been worthy world-level contenders in some sports, like Vishwanathan Anand in Chess, or Prakash Padukone and Saina Nehwal in Badminton, but they have been the exception rather than the norm. Hockey was a popular sport till the early 1980s, but a crushing defeat by Pakistan in the finals of the 1982 Asian Games, followed quickly by India winning the 1983 Cricket World Cup, shifted the balance in cricket's favour. One of the important aims of hosting the Commonwealth Games was to build world-class athletics infrastructure within the nation, expose audiences to top-level non-cricket competition, and encourage the youth to "Come out and play" (the official theme of the games). Building a sporting culture that looks beyond cricket is seen as an important task for a country which won its first ever individual Olympic gold medal only in Beijing 2008, despite having the world's second-largest population. Lord Sebastian Coe, former Olympic Champion and chairman of the 2012 London Olympics Organising Committee, was at the stadium during the 4x400m women's relay, and witness to the deafening cheers for the racers. He described it as "potentially the moment that could change the course of athletics in Asia, the moment that could inspire thousands of people who'd never even seen an athletics track before to get involved." He added that "To build a truly global capacity in sport, you have to take it round the world - out of your own backyard. That means taking risks and facing challenges, but it has to be done."
Indian Gold Medalists
Medal | Name | Sport | Event | |
1 Gold | Abhinav Bindra & Gagan Narang | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Anisa Sayyed & Rahi Sarnobat | Shooting | Women’s 25m Pistol (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Ravinder Singh | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 60 kg | |
1 Gold | Anil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 96 kg | |
1 Gold | Sanjay Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 74 kg | |
1 Gold | Yumnam Renubala Chanu | Weightlifting | Women’s 58kg | |
1 Gold | Katulu Ravi Kumar | Weightlifting | Men’s 69kg | |
1 Gold | Anisa Sayyed | Shooting | Women’s 25m Pistol (Single) | |
1 Gold | Omkar Singh | Shooting | Men’s 50m Pistol Individual | |
1 Gold | Rajender Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 55 kg | |
1 Gold | Gagan Narang | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Rifle Individual | |
1 Gold | Vijay Kumar & Gurpreet Singh | Shooting | Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Omkar Singh & Gurpreet Singh | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Pistol (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Geeta Singh Phogat | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 55 kg | |
1 Gold | Alka Tomar | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 59 kg | |
1 Gold | Anita | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 67 kg | |
1 Gold | Deepika Kumari, Dola Banerjee & Bombayala Devi Laishram | Archery | Women’s recurve team | |
1 Gold | Omkar Singh | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Pistol (Singles) | |
1 Gold | Gagan Narang & Imran Hassan Khan | Shooting | Men’s 50m Air Rifle 3 Position (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Vijay Kumar | Shooting | Men’s 25m Rapid Fire pistol Individual | |
1 Gold | Vijay Kumar & Harpreet Singh | Shooting | Men’s 25m centre fire pistol (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Gagan Narang | Shooting | Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Pos Individual | |
1 Gold | Narsingh Pancham Yadav | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 74 kg | |
1 Gold | Yogeshwar Dutt | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 60 kg | |
1 Gold | Deepika Kumari | Archery | Women’s recurve individual | |
1 Gold | Harpreet Singh | Shooting | Men’s 25m centre fire pistol Individual | |
1 Gold | Rahul Banerjee | Archery | Men’s recurve individual | |
1 Gold | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 66 kg | |
1 Gold | Somdev Devvarman | Tennis | Men’s Singles | |
1 Gold | Krishna Poonia | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | |
1 Gold | Heena Sidhu & Annu Raj Singh | Shooting | Women’s 10m Air Pistol (Pairs) | |
1 Gold | Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji & Mandeep Kaur | Athletics | Women’s 4×400m (Relay) | |
1 Gold | Subhajit Saha & Achanta Sharath Kamal | Table Tennis | Men’s doubles | |
1 Gold | Suranjoy Singh | Boxing | Men’s Flyweight 52 Kg | |
1 Gold | Manoj Kumar | Boxing | Men’s Light Welterweight 64 Kg | |
1 Gold | Paramjeet Samota | Boxing | Men’s Light Super heavyweight +91 Kg | |
1 Gold | Ashwini Ponnappa & Jwala Gutta | Badminton | Women’s Doubles | |
1 Gold | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | Women’s Singles |
Indian Silver Medalists
Medal | Name | Sport | Event | |
2 Silver | Ngangbam Soniya Chanu | Weightlifting | Women’s 48kg | |
2 Silver | Sukhen Dey | Weightlifting | Men’s 56kg | |
2 Silver | Omkar Singh & Deepak Sharma | Shooting | Men’s 50m Pistol (Pairs) | |
2 Silver | Tejaswini Sawant & Lajjakumari Gauswami | Shooting | Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions(Pairs) | |
2 Silver | Rahi Sarnobat | Shooting | Women’s 25m Pistol (Single) | |
2 Silver | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Singles) | |
2 Silver | Asher Noria & Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting | Men’s Double trap (Pairs) | |
2 Silver | Manoj Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 84 kg | |
2 Silver | Ritul Chatterjee, Jignas Chittibomma & Chinna Raju Srither | Archery | Men’s compound team | |
2 Silver | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting | Men’s Double trap Individual | |
2 Silver | Nirmala Devi | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 48 kg | |
2 Silver | Ashish Kumar | Gymnastics | Men’s Vault | |
2 Silver | Manavjit Singh Sandhu & Mansher Singh | Shooting | Men’s Trap (Pairs) | |
2 Silver | Babita Kumari | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 51 kg | |
2 Silver | Mouma Das, Poulomi Ghatak & Shamini Kumaresan | Table Tennis | Women’s team | |
2 Silver | Badminton Mixed Team | Badminton | Mixed team | |
2 Silver | Sania Mirza | Tennis | Women’s singles | |
2 Silver | Vijay Kumar | Shooting | Men’s 25m centre fire pistol Individual | |
2 Silver | Anuj Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 84 kg | |
2 Silver | Joginder Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 120 kg | |
2 Silver | Vikas Shive Gowda | Athletics | Men’s Discuss Throw | |
2 Silver | Prajusha Maliakkal | Athletics | Women’s Long Jump | |
2 Silver | Harwant Kaur | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | |
2 Silver | Tejaswini Sawant | Shooting | Women’s 50m Rifle Prone (Singles) | |
2 Silver | Samresh Jung & Chandrasekhar Chaudhary | Shooting | Men’s 25m Standard Pistol (Pairs) | |
2 Silver | Heena Sidhu | Shooting | Women’s 10m Air Pistol (Singles) | |
2 Silver | Men’s Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey |
Indian Bronze Medalists
Medal | Name | Sport | Event | ||
3 Bronze | Sandhya Rani Devi | Weightlifting | Women’s 48kg | ||
3 Bronze | VS Rao | Weightlifting | Men’s 56kg | ||
3 Bronze | Sunil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 66 kg | ||
3 Bronze | Dharmender Dalal | Wrestling | Men’s Greco-Roman 120 kg | ||
3 Bronze | Prasanta Karmakar | Swimming | Men’s 50 m freestyle Para | ||
3 Bronze | Bheigyabati Chanu, Jhano Hansdah & Gagandeep Kaur | Archery | Women’s compound team | ||
3 Bronze | Ashish Kumar | Gymnastics | Men’s Floor | ||
3 Bronze | Sudhir Kumar | Weightlifting | Men’s 77kg | ||
3 Bronze | Suman Kundu | Wrestling | Women’s freestyle 63kg | ||
3 Bronze | Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai & Jayanta Talukdar | Archery | Men’s recurve team | ||
3 Bronze | Gurpreet Singh | Shooting | Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol Individual | ||
3 Bronze | Kavita Raut | Athletics | Women’s 10,000m | ||
3 Bronze | Harminder Singh | Athletics | Men’s 20 kilometres walk | ||
3 Bronze | Suma Shirur & Kavita Yadav | Shooting | Women’s 10 m Air Rifle (Pairs) | ||
3 Bronze | Sharath Kamal Achanta, Arputharaj Anthony & Abhishek Ravichandran | Table Tennis | Men’s team | ||
3 Bronze | Laishram Monika Devi | Weightlifting | Women’s 75kg | ||
3 Bronze | Leander Paes & Mahesh Bhupati | Tennis | Tennis Men’s Double | ||
3 Bronze | Dola Banerjee | Archery | Women’s recurve individual | ||
3 Bronze | Jayanta Talukdar | Archery | Men’s recurve individual | ||
3 Bronze | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting | Men’s Trap Individual | ||
3 Bronze | Anil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s freestyle 55 kg | ||
3 Bronze | Sania Mirza & Rushmi Chakravarthi | Tennis | Tennis Women’s Doubles | ||
3 Bronze | Tejaswini Sawant & Meena Kumari | Shooting | Women’s 50 metre rifle prone pairs | ||
3 Bronze | Seema Antil | Athletics | Women’s Discus Throw | ||
3 Bronze | Amandeep Singh | Boxing | Men’s Light Flyweight 49 kg | ||
3 Bronze | Jai Bhagwan | Boxing | Men’s Lightweight 60 kg | ||
3 Bronze | Dilbagh Singh | Boxing | Men’s Welterweight 69 Kg | ||
3 Bronze | Vijender Singh | Boxing | Men’s Welterweight 75 Kg | ||
3 Bronze | Sathi Geetha, Srabani Nanda, Priya PK & Jyothi Manjunath | Athletics | Women’s 4×100m (Relay) | ||
3 Bronze | Rahamatulla Molla, Suresh Sathya, Shameer Manzile & Mohd. Abdul Najeeb Qureshi | Athletics | Men’s 4×100m (Relay) | ||
3 Bronze | Renjith Maheswary | Athletics | Men’s Triple Jump | ||
3 Bronze | Kashinath Naik | Athletics | Men’s Javelin Throw | ||
3 Bronze | Samresh Jung | Shooting | Men’s 25m Standard Pistol Singles | ||
3 Bronze | Parupalli Kashyap | Badminton | Men’s Singles | ||
3 Bronze | Mouma Das and Poulomi Ghatak | Table Tennis | Women’s Doubles | ||
3 Bronze | Sharath Kamal Achanta | Table Tennis | Men’s Singles | ||
Statistics of the Games
Delhi 2010 changed the record books and gave stat gurus lots to work for. Presenting the statistics of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi:
Australian Coutts and Indian Narang ‘Queen and King of the Games
• With five Gold medals in Swimming, Alicia Coutts (AUS) was the most successful athlete at the Games
• Gagan Narang (IND) was the most successful male athlete. He won four Gold medals in Shooting.
• Gagan Narang (IND) was the most successful male athlete. He won four Gold medals in Shooting.
Australians Jones and Seebohm equal all-time medal records
• Leisel Marie Jones (AUS) became the third person to win 10 Gold medals in the Commonwealth Games history, tying the all-time record of Susie O’Neill (AUS) and Ian Thorpe (AUS)
• Emily Jane Seebohm (AUS) equalled the record of winning eight medals in total in one Games. Swimmers Ralph Hutton (AUS) in 1966 and Susie O’Neill (AUS) in 1998 were the only other athletes to achieve this feat
• Emily Jane Seebohm (AUS) equalled the record of winning eight medals in total in one Games. Swimmers Ralph Hutton (AUS) in 1966 and Susie O’Neill (AUS) in 1998 were the only other athletes to achieve this feat
Australia was the most successful Commonwealth Games Association(CGA) in Delhi
• Australia was the most successful CGA at Delhi 2010. It won 74 Gold, 55 Silver and 48 Bronze medals. It was the 12th time they led the medal table
• Australia has been the most successful CGA in every Games since 1990
• England was the third-best CGA at this Games, behind India. Only once before, at the Victoria 1994 Games, have two CGAs performed better than England
• Australia has been the most successful CGA in every Games since 1990
• England was the third-best CGA at this Games, behind India. Only once before, at the Victoria 1994 Games, have two CGAs performed better than England
Host nation India performs better than ever
• India won more Gold medals than it had won before in one Games. It took 38 Gold medals, its previous record was 30 in 2002
• With its 101 medals in total, India finished runner-up in the medal tally and became the fourth CGA to reach the century mark in one Games
• Every host nation of the Commonwealth Games has beaten its previous record number of medals, and India has joined that list in 2010
• With its 101 medals in total, India finished runner-up in the medal tally and became the fourth CGA to reach the century mark in one Games
• Every host nation of the Commonwealth Games has beaten its previous record number of medals, and India has joined that list in 2010
Four CGAs win their first Commonwealth Games Gold medals
• Natasha Mayers (SVG) clinched the first Gold for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in the Women’s 100m in Athletics, on 7 October
• Amantle Montsho (BOT) won Botswana’s first Gold in the Women’s 400m in Athletics on 8 October
• Amantle Montsho (BOT) won Botswana’s first Gold in the Women’s 400m in Athletics on 8 October
• Faavae Faauliuli (SAM) collected Samoa’s first Gold medal in Commonwealth Games history, in the Men’s 94kg Weightlifting on 9 October. One day later, two other Samoans won Gold in this sport
• On 11 October, Cydonie Camile Mothersill (CAY) won the first Gold medal for Cayman Islands, when she ran to victory in the Women’s 200m event in Athletics
Australia reaches medal milestones in Delhi
• On 8 October, Kasey Brown (AUS) clinched Australia’s 2000th medal in all Commonwealth Games. She took the Bronze medal for Australia in the Women’s Singles in Squash
• The Women’s Hockey team won Australia’s 800th Gold medal in Commonwealth Games history on 13 October
• The Women’s Hockey team won Australia’s 800th Gold medal in Commonwealth Games history on 13 October
Australia’s Croak wins Gold in two different sports at the Commonwealth Games
• Alexandra Croak (AUS) became the first athlete to win Gold in two different sports at the Games, considering Cycling Road and Cycling Track as the same sport
• Croak won a Gold medal in Diving in Delhi 2010, and had previously won gold in Artistic Gymnastics in Manchester 2002
• Croak won a Gold medal in Diving in Delhi 2010, and had previously won gold in Artistic Gymnastics in Manchester 2002
More podium sweeps than ever in Athletics
• In six Athletics events, one CGA swept the podium, more medal sweeps than ever at the Commonwealth Games in this sport
• Kenya clinched the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in four events: the Women’s and Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, the Men’s 800m and the Women’s 5000m
• England swept the podium in the Men’s 110m Hurdles and India won all medals in the Women’s Discus Throw
• Kenya clinched the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in four events: the Women’s and Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, the Men’s 800m and the Women’s 5000m
• England swept the podium in the Men’s 110m Hurdles and India won all medals in the Women’s Discus Throw
Winning streaks in Rugby Sevens, Men’s Hockey and Synchronised Swimming extended
• New Zealand won the Rugby Sevens Gold in Delhi, as it had also done in the three previous Rugby Sevens tournaments at the Commonwealth Games. New Zealand has never lost a match in Rugby Sevens in Games history
• Australia won the title in Men’s Hockey, having won Gold in the event at all three previous Games in which it was held
• Canada kept its 100 per cent record in Synchronised Swimming alive. It has won all 14 events since the sport was included in the Games in 1986.
• Australia won the title in Men’s Hockey, having won Gold in the event at all three previous Games in which it was held
• Canada kept its 100 per cent record in Synchronised Swimming alive. It has won all 14 events since the sport was included in the Games in 1986.
The beginning of an end
Eleven days of non-stop action on the sports field has sadly come to an end and today, 14 October 2010, saw Delhi bidding adieu to its beloved guests who entered as friends and will leave as family. The Closing Ceremony of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi kicked-off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the same place where the world saw the spectacular Opening Ceremony on 3 October 2010.
The Closing Ceremony took-off with a preshow to the tunes of a local DJ followed by a short film on Incredible India! Mr. A. R. Rahman’s official video soundtrack for Delhi 2010 was shown to the 60,000-plus audience who erupted into a roar once it concluded.
The victory ceremony for the Marathon that took place earlier in the day saw the proud winners marching into the stadium to the podium to receive their medals. The countdown to the show began and the audience cheered and joined in. Soon after, dignitaries from the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Commonwealth nations, the Government of Delhi and the Central Government arrived at the stadium.
Delhi Meri Jaan was then played after which the show finally began with the emcee welcoming Mr. Michael Fennel - President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson UPA, His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Hon’ Prime Minister of India, and Shri M. Hamid Ansari, Hon'ble Vice President of India.
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city inScotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run over 11 days of competition from 24 July to 3 August 2014. It will be the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland, although the country previously hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986 in Edinburgh. Over the last 10 years however Glasgow and Scotland have also staged World, Commonwealth, European or British events in all 17 sports proposed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including the World Badminton Championships in 1997.
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