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Home Unlabelled 2013 - February 16 to 24 Current Affairs
2013 - February 16 to 24 Current Affairs
International Affairs
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel on 19
February 2013 announced a coalition deal with the rival centrist
Hatnua Party Chairwomen and the former Israeli Foreign
Minister, Tzipi Livni, at Jerusalem. Under the deal agreement,
Netanyahu's Likud party and its Beitenu alliance partner announced
that Livni would serve as justice minister and "negotiator with the
Palestinians to reach an agreement that would end the conflict.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa was re-elected for a third
term with more than 50 percent of the vote according to the
election results declared in the third week of February 2013. As per
the results, Rafael Correa got 56.7 percent while his closestcompetitor Guillermo could secure only 23.3 percent.
Correa is a socialist leader who was first elected in 2007. He is
credited with bringing political stability to a nation that experienced
several protests and coups. He is known for his citizen revolution
which made him popular among people of Ecuador. During his six
years in power, Correa provided access to education and healthcare
and bettered thousands of miles of highways, leading to creation of
jobs in the process. Moreover, Poverty rates declined significantly.
After a week of talks, delegates from 140 countries on 19February, agreed to the world's first treaty on limiting use of
mercury at Geneva, Switzerland. The treaty will be actually signed
in October this year at Minamata, Japan where over 10,000 people
died as a result of mercury poisoning between 1932 and 1968.
Mercury was being released in the Minamata Bay from a c hemical
factory nearby.
The new treaty aims to reduce the production and the use of
mercury, especially in the production of products and in industrial
processes. Mercury is found in products ranging from electrical
switches, thermometers and light-bulbs, to amalgam dental fillings
and even facial creams. Large amounts of the heavy metal arereleased from small-scale gold mining, coal-burning power plants,
metal smelters and cement production.
A new report by the UNEP released just before talks began in Geneva
said that nearly 2,000 tons of mercury is emitted globally into
the air from human activities every year. Much of this toxic
substance eventually becomes deposited on vegetation, in the soil,
and in oceans, lakes and rivers. The deputy head of UNEP's Chemical
Branch said that much human exposure to mercury is through the
consumption of contaminated fish. Mercury affects the brain and
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nervous system.
Pregnant women who ingest mercury can pass the toxic effects to
their unborn children. Serious mercury poisoning affects the body's
immune system and can lead to problems including psychological
disorders, loss of teeth and problems with the digestive,
cardiovascular and respiratory tracts.
The Minamata Convention, as the treaty will be known after it is
signed by the agreeing countries formally, will set rules limiting thesupply of and trade in mercury and the use of mercury in products
and industrial processes. It will also lay down measures to reduce
emissions from artisanal and small-scale gold mining, as also from
power plants and metals production facilities.
Bulgaria's government resigned on 20 February, after mass
protests against high power prices and falling living standards,
joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity
during four years of debt crisis. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, who took
power in 2009 on pledges to root out graft and raise incomes in the
European Union's poorest member, faces a tough task of propping up
eroding support ahead of an expected early election. The spark forthe protests was high electricity bills, after the government raised
prices by 13 percent last July. But it quickly spilled over into wider
frustration with Borisov and political elites with perceived links to
shadowy businesses.
Regional African leaders signed a deal on 24 February, aimed at
bringing peace and stability to the eastern Democratic Republic
of the Congoafter years of unrest. Eleven countries in the Great
Lakes region signed on to the accord at a ceremony in the Ethiopian
capital Addis Ababa in the presence of UN chief Ban Ki-moon. DR
Congo's mineral-rich east has been ravaged by conflict involving
numerous armed groups for the past two decades, with new rebel
movements spawned on a regular basis.
The presidents of the DR Congo, South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda,
Congo and Tanzania were present for the signing, along with envoys
from Uganda, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic and
Zambia. The accord calls for regional countries to refrain from
interfering in each other's affairs and aims to encourage the reform of
weak institutions in the DRC, central Africa's largest country. It could
also lead to creation of a special UN "intervention brigade" in eastern
DR Congo to combat rebel groups as well as new political efforts.
The latest surge in violence was in 2012 and culminated in the
rebel March 23 movement (M23) force briefly seizing the key town
of Goma last November. The pact calls on regional actors "to neither
tolerate nor provide assistance or support of any kind to armed
groups."
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on 19 February
after his attempt to end a political stand-off by forming a
government of technocrats failed. Jebali had proposed the cabinet
of apolitical technocrats to quell turmoil caused by the assassination
of secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid on February 6. Belaid's
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death touched off mass protests targeting in part the ruling moderate
Islamist party Ennahda to which Jebali belongs.
The crisis has disrupted efforts to revitalize an economy hit hard by
the disorder that followed the overthrow of veteran strongman Zine
al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. Jebali proposed forming a cabinet of
apolitical technocrats to restore calm and take Tunisia to elections,
but did not consult his own party or its secular coalition partners. But
his party skippered the plan by rejecting the idea of a technocratic
government.
The Court of Arbitration at The Hague on 18 February 2013
allowed India to go ahead with the Construction of the
Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Gurez valley near
Bandipura in North Kashmir,the court rejected the plea of Pakistan
that the construction was a violation of 1960 Indus Water Treaty.
The Court of Arbitration, chaired by Stephen M. Schwebel in its order
stated that India can move ahead with the diversion of water plans
of Kishanganga that is a tributary of Jhelum, for generation of hydro-
electric power.
Bhaswati Mukherjee, Indian Ambassador and her Pakistani counterpart
Fauzia Mazhar Sana received the Judgment of the Court at The
Hague. Pakistan initiated the arbitration against India with a charge
that India violated the provisions of the Water Treaty between the
two countries. But India denied the charges forced on to it by explain
that the country reserved its rights to divert the water from one of
the tributaries of Jhelum to another. Pakistan on 17 May 2010 raised
objections on the making of the Kishanganga Hydro-power project for
which it demanded setting up of the Court of Arbitration. The project
is being developed at the down streams of Kishanganga River that is
known by the name Neelam in Pakistan and is a tributary of Jhelum.
India is diverting the waters of the river from the dam site to BonarMadmati Nallah that is another tributary of Jhelum. The Indus system
of rivers comprises three Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and
their tributaries) and three Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab
and their tributaries).The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 was signed on
19.09.1960 between India and Pakistan.
Kishanganga hydroelectric power project is a 330 MW project under
its construction phase on the Kishanganga River and is developed by
the National Power Corporation in Gurez Valley, near Bandipura in
North Kashmir. The work on the project started in the year 1992. The
Kishanganga hydro-electric project is a 3600 crore project.
Kishanganga is called Neelam in Pakistan.
National Affairs
The second meeting of the Coordination Committee on Living
and Diverse Cultural Traditions was held in New Delhi on 18
February, under the chairpersonship of Union Culture Minister Smt.
Chandresh Kumari Katoch. The high-powered committee goes into all
aspects of intangible heritage and makes recommendations on the
areas of preparation of a national inventory on Intangible Cultural
Heritage, archives, education and outreach programmes by using
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such information. The committee comprises individuals who have
distinguished themselves in the field of research and promotion of
Indian culture viz. Kapila Vatsyayan, Sitakant Mahapatra, Prof. G.N.
Devy, Prof. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai, Prof.
Peter Ronald De Souza and secretaries of several ministries of the
Union Government. It was decided by the coordination committee
that an expert committee should be constituted to decide on the
work of preparing a national register of Indias intangible culture and
to advise on a mechanism overarching inter-ministerial coordinationleading to a comprehensive action plan to preserve and promote
Indias intangible heritage and dying cultural traditions. It was also
decided that we should focus as much on people since without that
focus on our living traditions cannot be sustained.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation,
Government of India has organized a two day International
conference on Inclusive Urban Planning on 18-19th February
2013 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Kumari Selja, Minister for Social
Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, inaugurated the
International Workshop on Inclusive Urban Planning. In her inaugural
address, Minister highlighted the social and cultural dimensions ofexclusionary outcome of traditional planning processes and spoke of
the need to integrate the marginalized in the spatial planning
processes, giving particular emphasis to the aged and the disabled.
The opening session reflected at Indias current urban planning
models, of planning visions, strategies and tools, and at the
institutional form of planning institutions in Indian cities.
The second session focused on inclusionary planning models practiced
in cities outside India, and reflected at processes and outcomes
linked to the choice of planning model adopted from societies and
nations in transition, including from South Africa, Brazil, China and
East Asian countries.
The third session reflected on governance of urban planning, lookingat laws, institutions and regulatory rules that govern the urban
planning process. The fourth session critically examined the different
plans and policies that evolved through Government schemes and
programmes in India. A Delhi Declaration on Inclusive Urban Planning
was adopted by the Conference. The two day International
Conference was well attended by national and international level
experts on urban planning & poverty alleviation, officials from Central
and state government, Municipal Commissioners, international donor
agencies and representatives from academic, training and research
institutions.
Government has decided to constitute a subcommittee of
experts to work towards a draft National Conservation Policy .
Chairing the meeting of the National Empowered Committee (NEC) of
the National Mission of Manuscripts (NMM) in New Delhi on 19
February, Minister of Culture Smt. Chandresh Kumari Katoch
appreciated the performance and work of the NMM. She said there is
a need to provide training to people in the preservation and
conservation of documents and manuscripts of historical and archival
value. She said both the National Archives of India and National
Manuscript Mission may work in close coordination to attract talent
towards manuscripts conservation work. The 13-member NEC is the
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highest policy making body of the NMM. The Minister assured the
members of the committee to consider the proposal of the experts to
review the status of the NMM at an appropriate time.
After six years, the final award of the Cauvery Waters Dispute
Tribunal was notified on 19 February. The move came after the
Supreme Court rapped the Centre for delaying the decision and had
on February 4 set February 20 as the deadline to issue notification.
The Tribunal, comprising chairman Justice N P Singh and members N S
Rao and Sudhir Narain, in a unanimous award in February 2007 haddetermined the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740
thousand million cubic (TMC) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site.
The proceedings of the Tribunal, set up in June 1990, went on for
more than 16 years.
In, what was then described as a balancing act, the Tribunal gave
Tamil Nadu 419 TMC of water (as against the demand of 562 TMC);
Karnataka 270 TMC (as against its demand of 465 TMC); Kerala 30
TMC and Puducherry 7 TMC. For environmental protection, it had
reserved 10 TMC. The Tribunal's award will come into effect within 90
days of its notification by the Centre. As per law, the award comes
into effect after being notified by the Centre through its publicationin a gazette. After the issuance of the notification, institutions like
the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) chaired by the Prime Minister and
the CMC will cease to exist. New organizations like the Cauvery
Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee will
be constituted which will have representatives from all the co-basin
states, experts in hydrology and agriculture. They will be headed by
an officer of the central government and will be under the control of
the Centre.
Students with Disabilities will now be trained in the Hospitality
Industry under Hunar Se Rojgar Scheme. This is a pro-poorscheme aimed to bridge the gap of skilled manpower in the hospitality
sector. This is a new initiative of the ITDC through its Ashok Institute
of Hospitality & Tourism Management (AIH &TM) where a PwD who
has a minimum qualification of 8th Class and is between the age
group of 18 28 years is eligible to get training and other benefits.
The National Handicapped Finance & Development Corporation
(NHFDC), CMD, Harsh Bhal and India Tourism & Development
Corporation (ITDC), Vice Chairman & MD, Dr. Lalit K. Panwar signed
an MoU on 21 February, for skill development of Persons with
Disabilities (PwDs) in Hospitality Sector.
The scheme consists of six/eight weeks full time training programmes
in services like, Food & Beverage, House Keeping Utility and Back
office jobs etc. No application fee or course fee is chargeable to the
trainees. Under the MoU signed today between NHFDC & ITDC, the
Students with Disabilities will also be eligible for skill up gradation
course (Second Stage) which will be of the duration of 2 months to 6
months.
The Union Cabinet on 21 February, gave its approval to extend
the tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis
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(NCSK) for a further period of three years beyond 1 April, 2013
that is up to 31 March 2016, with the existing terms. The
continuation of the Commission for three more years will help in
fulfilling the desired objectives of the welfare and development of the
target group as there is a continued need to monitor the various
interventions and initiatives of the Government for the welfare of
Safai Karamcharis in general, and to address the problem of manual
scavenging, in particular. An amount of Rs. 11.50 crore would be
required for meeting the expenditure for the extension of the tenure
of the Commission.
A statutory National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) was
constituted for the first time in August 1994, according to provisions
under Section 3 of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act,
1993. This Commission continued until February 2004, when the
relevant Act expired. Thereafter, the tenure of the Commission has
been extended from time to time, as a non-statutory body, the last
such extension being upto 31.3.2013. The Commission functions
among other things for the upliftment of safai karamcharis, evaluation
of the implementation of measures taken for the welfare of safai
karamcharis, making of suitable recommendations to the Central
Government in this regard, and to investigate grievances relating toimplementation of schemes, laws etc. for the purpose.
Justice (Retd) (Ms) Usha Mehra Commission submitted its
report to the Government which was received by the Union
Minister of Law & Justice, Ashwani Kumar and the Union Home
Secretary R.K.Singh in New Delhi on 22 February. The Commission
was constituted on 26 December 2012 to inquire into various aspects
of shocking incidence of rape and brutal assault at a young woman in
Delhi on December 16, 2012 to submit its report within 3 months and
the Commission has submitted it before time.
Minister of Panchayati Raj V. Kishore Chandra Deo in the Lok Sabhasaid that, the Government in 2010 to suggest appropriate measures
on Ownership, Price Fixation, Value Addition and Marketing of Minor
Forest Produce constituted a Committee under the Chairmanship
of Dr. T. Haque. The Committee submitted its Report in May
2011. The major recommendations made by the Committee are:
1) Amendment in State Laws and Indian Forest Act, 1927 should be
done to clearly reflect the ownership of minor forest produce by the
Gram Sabha.
2) Strategic government intervention would be necessary in the short
and medium term in the form of minimum support price (MSP) for at
least 14 main MFPs, namely tamarind, mahuwa flower, mahuwa seed,
tendu leaf, bamboo, sal seed, myrobalan, chironji, lac, gum karaya,
honey and seeds of karaja, neem and puwad.
3) The minimum support price should be fixed at the national level by
a specially constituted Central Price Fixation Commission, comprising
one chairperson who will be an expert in the field of tribal and rural
development and three other members having experience in the
relevant field.
4) It will be obligatory for the State Government to ensure payment
of MSP through its agencies. All administrative and operational costs
of agencies defending the MSP shall be borne by the Government, as
envisaged under first proviso to Article 275(1) of the Constitution or
any other provision. The Government has examined the
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recommendations of the Committee and has decided to work on a
separate Scheme for minimum support price.
The Minister of Panchayati Raj V. Kishore Chandra Deo on 22
February, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha for a question about the
initiations to strengthen the panchayats, submitted that the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has provided assistance to States
for capacity building of Panchayats through the Rashtriya Gram
Swaraj Yojana (RGSY), Capacity Building grant of the BackwardRegions Grant Fund (BRGF) and Panchayat Mahila Evam Yuva Shakti
Abhiyan (PMEYSA) and promoted e-enablement of Panchayats
through the e-Panchayat scheme.
An untied grant is provided to Panchayats through States for bridging
critical gaps in local infrastructure in identified backward districts on
the basis of decentralized planning under BRGF. MoPR has incentivized
States through the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability
Incentive Scheme (PEAIS) for devolving funds, functions and
functionaries to Panchayats and has incentivized Panchayats for
performance. For the Twelfth Plan MoPR has initiated the Rajiv Gandhi
Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan which enables States to takemeasures to strengthen their Panchayati Raj systems as per their
needs.
Bilateral Relations
The inaugural meeting of the India-UAE High Level Task Force
on Investments was held in Abu Dhabi on 18 February. More
than 50 government and private sector representatives from India
and the UAE were present. The high-level taskforce, co-chaired by
the Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Anand Sharma
and HH Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu
Dhabi Crown Prince Court, was established in April 2012 as a platform
to address mutual issues associated with existing investments
between the two countries and to promote and facilitate investments
between the two countries.
India and UAE are significant trading partners and bilateral trade
between the two countries is expected to reach new record levels in
years to come. The meeting of the India-UAE High Level Task Force
on Investments included a wide-ranging discussion on priority sectors
of engagement for channeling investments in the two countries,
areas of shared interest including the agreement in principle to put in
place an Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement(BIPA) and expedite its conclusion, as well as assistance and support
of Governments of both countries for expediting the resolution of
issues associated with existing investments and opportunities for new
cross-border investments across a range of sectors.
In order to progress these efforts, it was decided that working groups
will be created to strengthen and develop bilateral relations in the
investment fields and an agreement was reached between the two
countries on the format and structure of future discussions, including
the allocation of USD 2 billion for investments in infrastructure
projects in India and support the establishment of a strategic oil
reserve in India. India and United Kingdom on 20 February singed
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two MoU to promote development of community colleges and
implementation of School Leadership Programme.
The MOU are signed on behalf of India by Minister of State, HRD, Jitin
Prasada and for United Kingdom by Mr. David Willetts, Minister for
Universities and Science in New Delhi. Mr. Willetts is in India as a
member of height level delegation led by Prime Minister of UK, David
Cameron. The two sides also discussed the ways and means to
strengthen the education sector. The leaders welcomed the
partnership between the UK Open University and Government ofIndia, supported by British Council and UKAID, to provide training to
teachers using web-based and other innovative technology. The
leaders welcomed the UK-India partnership to support secondary
education through the Government of Indias Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) to universalize access to secondary
education with emphasis on quality and equity. Mr. Prasada and Mr.
Willetts expressed satisfaction on the ongoing collaborative
programmes and assured of their strong support to various
programmes being devised by the Government, institutions as well as
the industry leaders from both the countries to bring in further
momentum to the educational relations between India and UK.
The Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC), promoted by CII,
NSDC and leading healthcare service providers in India, and
Skills-for-Health, UK have signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to collaborate and work together in the
area of healthcare skills. The MoU was signed by Dr. Naresh
Trehan, Chairman, Healthcare Sector Skill Council and John Roger,
CEO, Skills-for-Health, UK. The MOU was formally announced during
the UK Prime Minister Mr. David Camerons State visit to India on 19th
February 2013.The Healthcare Sector in India has grown at a CAGR of
12.4% over the last 5 years and is estimated to increase at a CAGR
of 17% to reach USD 250 billion by 2020.
While the healthcare sector in India is expanding, the biggest
challenge for the sector is shortage of skilled workforce. Availability
of physicians, nurses, mid-wives is far below global standards. Both
the organizations - HSSC (India) and Skills-for-Health (UK) -
recognize that there is a huge scope for mutual cooperation and
learning between India and the UK in skill development in allied
healthcare & paramedic space. Skills-for-Health has a unique
combination of experience, expertise and institutions which could be
of immense help to HSSC in India in creating the proposed eco-
system for quality vocation education to meet its needs for a trained
workforce in allied healthcare and paramedics.
Economic Issues
The Minister for Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh on 20 February, said
that Civil Aviation Authority, (CAA) will soon replace the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA). Addressing a press
conference, the Minister said that the Bill for creation of the
Authority is likely to be introduced in the second part of the Budget
session of Parliament. The Civil Aviation Authority will be headed by a
Chairperson who will be supported by Director-General and seven to
nine members. Chairperson, DG and Members will be appointed by the
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Central Government on the recommendation of a Selection
Committee.
In this backdrop, the CAA would take over the responsibilities of the
DGCA in areas like air safety, airspace regulation, setting aviation
standards, licensing of airlines, pilots, air traffic controllers and
consumer protection. It would have financial and operational
autonomy to take expeditious decisions on matters relating to a
range of activities. It will have power and authority to call for
information including financial information and conduct investigations,power to issue directions, power of seizure, power to punish any
person, operator, company or a Government Department, if they fail
to comply with its orders or directions and the punishment will be in
the form of fine as prescribed under the Rules.
The Authority shall have full financial autonomy and shall have a
separate fund, the Civil Aviation Authority of India Fund which will
be used for all expenses of the authority in connection with the
discharge of its functions including salaries etc. The main functions
and powers of the proposed CAA, which would replace the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will be to regulate civil
aviation safety and provide for the better management of civilaviation through safety oversight of air transport operators, airport
operators, air navigation service operators and providers of civil
aviation services. The minister said that the reasons for
establishment of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are because of
shortage of trained human resource, its inability to recruit and retain
adequate manpower due to procedural and structural problems.
The Cabinet Committee on Investment on 20 February, has
cleared the proposal of the Ministry of Power for setting up of
the North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant (NKSTPP) (3 x
660 MW) by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in
the vicinity of Tandwa town, district Chatra in Jharkhand.Safeguards according to the recommendation of the Chaturvedi
Committee and accepted by the Group of Ministers (GoM) under the
chairmanship of Finance Minister will apply.
The project to be set up by NTPC will be on a pit-head with
environment friendly super-critical technology. The power will be
generated by NTPC for about 35 years of plant life. Execution of the
project would lead to generation of 1980 MW of power. This is the
first project of NTPC in Jharkhand which will benefit the state and
people of Jharkhand where about 26 percent of the population is
tribal.
The Union Cabinet on 21 February, gave its approval for merger of
Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) Vishakhapatnam
with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), New Delhi. The
merger will facilitate BHPV to become a unit of BHEL. BHPV would be
able to participate in tenders, obtain orders and attract best vendors
for procuring materials / capital goods. Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels
Ltd. (BHPV) is an engineering / heavy fabrication company
established in 1966 in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Due to various factors, there were heavy losses and the company
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was declared sick by the Board for Industrial and Financial
Reconstruction (BIFR) in October, 2005. Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL) took over BHPV as its 100 percent subsidiary in 2008.
However, the company's performance was not up to the mark, as it
remained a separate company and it could not derive full benefits of
synergy with BHEL.
Northern Coalfields Ltd, a Mini Ratna company and subsidiary of
Maha Ratna Company Coal India Ltd, has bagged the award of 50Most Caring Companies of India in the World Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) congress 2013 held in Mumbai on February 18,
2013 on worlds CSR Day.
NCLs Director (Personnel) Ms Shanti Lata Sahoo received the award
on behalf of the company consisting of a trophy and a citation. The
award was conferred on NCL for its good corporate citizenship and
companys endeavors to promote partnership between the Business
and Social Welfare Sectors.
The World CSR Congress brings over 130 countries under one roof to
unite the best and celebrate leadership in building a better societyand making better world. The theme of Congress was Possible to Do
Well by Doing Good.
Almost three years after it was first promised in the Union Budget of
2010-11, theReserve Bank of India on 22 February, has allowed
all private and public sector companies to apply for bank
licenses, paving the way for business houses such as the Tatas,
Aditya Birla group, L&T, ADAG, Mahindra & Mahindra and Reliance to
come in to the business. Besides these large groups, financial service
companies like Bajaj Finserv, Shriram Capital, Srei Finance and some
public sector finance companies such as Power Finance Corporation,Rural Electrification Co and LIC Housing Finance may also seek a
license.
The last time the RBI issued a license to a private player was in 2004
to Yes Bank. The final norms, announced on 22 February, come 18
months after the RBI issued draft guidelines on the issue and does
not exclude real estate companies from applying for licenses as was
widely believed. The final guidelines were delayed as the central bank
insisted that the government amend banking laws to give it sweeping
powers to replace the boards of banks and supervise conglomerates
that have a bank in the group. Even after amendments to the act,
the guidelines went through a few iterations with the government
asking RBI to knock out parts that excluded builders and brokers. The
final set of rules requires promoters to bring in a minimum capital of
Rs 500 crore. Also, unlike the earlier draft it does not require the
applicant to get a clearance from enforcement authorities. However,
it does say that RBI may seek feedback from investigative agencies
such as Income Tax, Central Bureau of Investigation, and
Enforcement Directorate, which suggests that the background of
applicants have to be squeaky clean.
Given that the RBI will receive applications until July and
subsequently pass them on to a screening committee, it is unlikely
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that the first bank license will be issued before October-November.
Unlisted Indian firms Tata Sons Ltd, Arun Bhatia's Telestra
Tradeplace Pvt Ltd and Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd Asia's biggest
budget carrier, said on 20 February, they are seeking approval
to establish a joint venture. Air Asia has applied to Foreign
Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to take 49 per cent in a venture
with Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia's Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd,
the low-fare carrier. Once approved, they will seek an air operatorspermit. The move follows government's recent decision to allow
foreign carriers to invest in Indian airlines.
The proposed joint venture will operate from Chennai and will focus
on providing domestic connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. As
per current rules, a carrier must complete five years of domestic
operations before becoming eligible for starting overseas flights. Air
Asia, through its operations based in Thailand and Malaysia flies to
Chennai, Bangalore, Kochi, Tiruchirappalli and Kolkata in addition to 20
countries across Asia. Air Asia, Tatas and Hindustan Aviation of
Bhatias have signed a partnership agreement for the venture.
Science and Technology
The first wildlife skywalk of India will be coming up in Maenam
wildlife sanctuary, Sikkim. The State Government of Sikkim
proposed to construct 22 km rope-way from Maenam sanctuary to
skywalk which would be built on edge of Bhalleydhunga steep face.
Maenam wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim is 65 km south from Gangtok, the
capital of the state. It is a popular tourist destination as well.
The environment ministry too has approved the proposal of Sikkim
government for the first wildlife skywalk of India proposal that wouldcost 500 crore Rupees. This skywalk would be like the one in Grand
Canyon in North America. The skywalk in Grand Canyon in North
America gets more than 300000 visitors every year, in spite of
opposition from the wild-lifers.
Awards
Leading accounting and consultancy firm E&Y India has awarded the
Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of the
$100-billion conglomerate, with the Entrepreneur of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award. Tata received the award from
Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot in Mumbai on 22 February. Tatahad won the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2003 as well. Adi
Godrej of the Godrej Group has won the Entrepreneur of the Year for
2012, who will represent India at the E&Y World Entrepreneur of the
year award in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June.
The other awardees are Dr Naresh Trehan of MedantaThe Medicity
for start-ups, Dhiraj C Rajaram of MuSigma Business Solutions for
services, Francisco DSouza of Cognizant for manager category and
Devi Prasad Shetty of the Narayana Hrudalaya in the for life sciences
and healthcare segment. TT Jagannathan of TTK Group in the
consumer products category, Onkar S Kanwar of Apollo Tyres for
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manufacturing, and Cyrus S Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India for
business transformation was the other awardees. The Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which is into the 14th edition, is
recognized as one of the worlds prestigious business awards for
entrepreneurs.
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 18 February 2013
conferred 2011Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and
Development Award to Ela Ramesh Bhatt, a renowned Women
social worker. The award was given away at Rashtrapati Bhavan,New Delhi. Ela Bhatt was given away the award for life time
achievements in women empowerment, promotion of grass root level
entrepreneurship as well as contribution towards promotion of
equitable development and peace.
Ela Bhatt has her organization SEWA (Self-Employed Womens
Association). Ela Bhatt is the founder of more than 1 million SEWAs in
India. Ela Bhatt has been working for women empowerment and
bringing women out of poverty through promotion of Self Help Groups.
SEWA has empowered women with freedom as well as financial self-
reliance.
The world's two leading internet giants have set aside their rivalries
and joined forces to set up the most lucrative science prize in history
which is more than double the value of the Nobel Prize. Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan are working
alongside Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne
Wojcicki to create the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences worth
USD 3 million.
The project's aim is to reward research aimed at extending human
life. In the first round of awards 11 scientists were awarded a total of
USD 33 million but going forward an annual amount of USD 15 million
will be set aside for five prize winners. The team that has alreadychosen 11 winners for this year including Cornelia Bargmann, a
neurobiologist and Napolean Ferrara, a molecular biologist has planned
to award science heroes five annual prizes.
Eminent Hindi litterateur Narendra Kohli (73) has been selected
for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2012 for his historical
novel 'Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati' which is based on Swami
Vivekananda and the era he belonged to. Instituted by the K K Birla
Foundation in 1991, the award is given annually for an outstanding
literary work in Hindi published during the past 10 years.
The award carries a cash purse of Rs 2.5 lakh. 'Na Bhooto Na
Bhavishyati', published in 2004, gives an account of the incredible
impression that Vivekananda cast on the history of the country and
its culture.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, director
Dr. MYS Prasad has been selected for Dr. Y Nayudamma
Memorial Award for 2013 for his outstanding contributions to the
field of space science. That award will be presented to Prasad at a
function shceduled to be held in Nellore,A.P. in March last week, a
press release by Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives
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Mela. The constituted committee that will probe into the matter is a
one-man committee and was directed to submit its report in two
months. The State Government ordered a Judicial Probe into the
incident that occurred on the day of Mauni Amawasya 10 February
2013 at the Allahabad Railway Station during Kumbh Mela.
Ronald Working (81)--American philosopher and Constitutional law
expert, Ronald Dworkin died in a hospital at London on 14 February
2013. The liberal scholar who argued that the law should be founded
on moral integrity died from leukemia. Dworkin was a professor of lawat New York University and was an emeritus professor at University
College London. He was one of the best known and most quoted legal
scholars in the U.S. and also an expert on British law. He wrote books
named A Matter of Principle, Law's Empire and Justice for Hedgehogs.
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