Tag: National

IMPHAL, Sept 18 NNN: Union minister of State for Defence, Pallam Raju has categorically clarified on the Coalgate and said the Opposition BJP has been misleading the general public on the issue.
It can be noted here that 13 days of the functioning of Parliament were lost due to the disruption of the sessions by the BJP demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
“Coalgate is a political scandal concerning the Indian government’s allocation of the nation’s coal deposits to public sector entities (PSEs) and private companies. In a draft report issued in March 2012, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) office accused the Government of India of allocating coal blocks in an inefficient manner during the period 2004-2009. Over the Summer of 2012, the opposition BJP lodged a complaint resulting in a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into whether the allocation of the coal blocks was in fact influenced by Corruption. The essence of the CAG’s argument is that the Government had the authority to allocate coal blocks by a Process of competitive bidding, but chose not to. As a result both public sector enterprises (PSEs) and private firms paid less than they might have otherwise.”
Addressing a press conference in Imphal yesterday upon his arrival, Pallam Raju while condemning the act of the BJP for disrupting the proceedings of Parliament, both the Lower House and the Upper House in recent time over the Coalgate, clarified that the policy of the allocation of coal blocks to private parties, which the CAG criticised, was not a new policy introduced by the United Progressive of Alliance (UPA). According to the Union minister of State for Defence, the policy has existed since 1993 and previous governments also allocated coal blocks in precise manner that the CAG has now criticised. “In fact, between 1998 and 2004, when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was in power, captive coal blocks were allocated to 16 sector companies and 16 blocks to government sector companies without following any transparent procedure,” added Pallam Raju.
The Defence minister then claimed that the Prime Minister had made improvements in the procedure in 2005 by taking measures such as by inviting application through open advertisements after providing details of the coal blocks on offer along with the guidelines and the conditions of allotment. And that, these applications were examined and evaluated by a broad based steering committee with representatives from governments, related ministers of the central government and the coal companies, according to Pallam Raju. He also added that every company that has allotted a coal block was required to submit a bank guarantee.
“Subsequently while finalising the amendments in the MMDR act the Prime Minister also decided that the bidding amount for the coal blocks would accrue to the states in addition to the royalty which they are already getting,” stated Pallam Raju.
He however said that the government has full respect for the CAG, the report on coal block allocation is flawed and Coal Ministry’s version has not been asked for by the CAG before finalising its reports, as is the tradition. The observations of the CAG are disputable, asserted the Union minister of State for Defence.
Pallam Raju then asked as to why has not the CAG audited the period before 2004 when the BJP led NDA was in power. “It is a known fact that the UPA government has followed the old coal block allocation policy with improvements like the setting up of a screening committee,” said the Union minister while adding, “The BJP is
stalling the Parliamentary proceedings as it is aware that the government is in possession of letters written to it by the chief ministers of BJP and non Congress states opposing bidding of the coal blocks.”
Accusing the BJP of double-speak as usual, Pallam Raju said instead of demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, the top leadership of the BJP should resign for misleading the country. “It is the UPA which brought changes in the system of allocations, not the NDA. It was the UPA which opted for competitive bidding, not the NDA. It was the UPA which amended the MMDR Act bringing all states on board and not the NDA,” claimed Pallam Raju .

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/bjp-misleading-people-cag-report-flawed-pallam/

DIMAPUR, Sept 18: The hostilities among the Naga underground groups heightened after a gap of five years. In one way or the other, cases of hostility continue to crop up.
The Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) however expressed optimism that things would subside soon.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the NSCN faction led by S.S Khaplang has strongly refuted the statement of the rival NSCN-Khole-Kitovi group that the former cadres attacked the residence of one ‘major’ Noktha at Shangnyu village on September 16 in which one of the latter’s cadres is reportedly injured.
“The so-called MIP of GPRN (Khole-Kitovi group) is asked to inquire from their so-called commander as to who is responsible for attacking him and his boys. The NSCN (Khaplang group) is a responsible and matured revolutionary organization hence, it is not that dirty enough to involve in such cheap attempts as you boys think of. We further advise the so-called MIP of GPRN to properly inquire into the details before making any statement pointing an accusing finger at anyone in order to gain cheap publicity”, the NSCN-K said today.
Further, the NSCN-K requests Eastern Naga Peoples Organisation (ENPO) to inquire into the incident and make known to everyone as to who are violating the December 18, 2007 resolutions and also cleared the NSCN-K’s name before the entire Nagas.
“The NSCN wants to know from the government of India what those U (Khole-Kitovi group) cadres were doing in the Shangnyu village despite fully knowing that they have no designated camp in the area?,” the Khaplang group asks, adding with further question, “ These cadres are moving with arms right unde the nose of the security forces but simply watching without bothering to contain them or applying the Cease Fire Ground Rules (CFGR) but using another yardstick to NSCN cadres?”
Meanwhile, The NSCN-K deeply condoles the untimely demise of S.Daiho Mao of Nagaland Post on September 16 at Kohima after he was attacked by a swarm of bees from Mezoma village. “The untimely and sudden death of such a young and promising journalist who was known for his bold and fearless reportage is a great lost not only to the media fraternity and family members but also a irreparable lost for the Nagas.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/naga-factions-continue-to-clash/

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested its Sub Inspector posted in Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai for demanding & accepting a bribe of Rs.20,000/- from the complainant.
A case was registered against the Sub Inspector, CBI, Economic Offences Wing, Mumbai U/s 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 on the allegation that he had demanded a bribe amount of Rs.20,000/- in a criminal case pertaining to CBI, EOW, Mumbai for not naming a person as accused. CBI laid a trap and the Sub Inspector was caught red handed while demanding & accepting a bribe of Rs.20,000/-from the complainant. Search was conducted at the residential premises of accused at Mumbai.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cbi-si-held/

MNS:- The Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Shri Jairam Ramesh said that there is need for de-bureaucratising the sanitation issue in the country and to make it truly a people’s movement. Speaking at a National Workshop for State and District Level Swachchhta Preraks here, he expressed the hope that India will become an open defecation free country in the next ten years. He said, Sikkim has already achieved the ODF ( Open Defecation Free) status and the States like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra are on way to achieve the sanitation goals in coming one to two years. He said, for the first time 600 Swachchhta Preraks have been appointed at the district level, who will be given job cards to spread the message of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan. Shri Ramesh said, the services of about eight and a half lakh Accredited Social Health Activists, ASHA workers and 13 lakh Aganwadi sevikas will be taken for spreading the message of sanitation in rural areas and every ASHA volunteer will be given 75 rupees for construction of one household latrine. He said, 25 lakh women self help groups in the country will also be roped in to drive home the message of sanitation scheme. The Minister said, henceforth ODF will be the only indicator of Nirmal status of any gram panchayat. He said, while 28,000 Gram Panchyats have achieved the Nirmal status in the last ten years, this year alone the target is to make 29,500 gram panchayats open defecation free. He said, a forum of 30 NGOs in different states will be formed for evaluation of the work of Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/india-to-become-open-defecation-free-in-10-years-jairam/

MNS:- The Culture & HUPA minister Kumari Selja has said India is concerned and committed to ensure sustainable management of its urban historic areas. Speaking at the Ministers meeting AT 5th ASEM Meet “Managing Heritage Cities for a Sustainable Future” in YOGAKARTA, INDONESIA today she said, India recognises Quality of living of a city, satisfaction with cultural infrastructure such as concert halls, museums, libraries etc., satisfaction with public spaces including markets and pedestrian areas, satisfaction with public parks and gardens as well as beauty of streets and buildings and the attractiveness of cities towards tourists as important indicators to benchmark the governance of historic cities. She said approximately 30% of India’s one billion population lives in urban areas and the cities of India are growing at an unprecedented scale and speed. Urbanisation is taking place at an unparalleled speed throwing a challenge at the traditional historic cities. She said historic cities are yearning for a more inclusive and sustainable process of urban development.
The Minister said, the draft National Conservation Policy envisages strengthening the role of crafts people whose knowledge of building materials and traditional systems in conservation works is indispensable. The emphasis here is on sustainable livelihoods as an integral part of sustainable development. She said New legislations of the Ministry of Culture AMASR Act 2010 [Ancient Monuments and Archaeological and Remains and Sites (Amendment and Validation) Act] provides for Heritage Byelaws to be prepared for every single monument of national importance. Kumari Selja Said her country has been instrumental in supporting the preparation of the UNESCO/UN-HABITAT Toolkit on ‘Historic Districts for All – India: A Social and Human Approach for Sustainable Revitalisation’, comprising of a Manual for City Professionals. This is a powerful instrument for raising awareness and building capacity for the Urban Local Bodies and our State Governments to design and implement policies and programmes for the present and future inhabitants of city cores.
She said ,An apex body – The National Monuments Authority has been set up with the aim of introducing new ways of sensitive planning, using tools such as ground surveys and ‘Cultural Impact Assessment’ to ensure that mega infrastructure and other developmental projects do not harm the historic environment. The authority is also equipped with enforcement powers and can impose stringent penalties for violations in heritage landscape. This applies equally to private citizens and government functionaries who allow such violations to take place.
The minister said that the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Government of India and UNESCO, New Delhi Office have developed a partnership “Moving towards Heritage based urban development” to help safeguard and promote the sustainable use of India’s unique

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/india-is-concerned-and-committed-to-ensure-sustainable-management-kumari-selja/

MNS:- • Broadly two types of commitments are undertaken in an international investment agreement i.e. market access and national treatment.
• FDI policy is amenable to both market access and national treatment issues
Market access in the context of FDI policy implies the ability of a foreign investor to enter the investment space in India and the limitations thereon. For example, a foreign multi brand retail investor can invest in India only after the government decision is notified. Thus, access to the Indian market for multi brand retail is blocked for foreign investment till then.
National treatment implies that a domestic and foreign investor are treated equally. The FDI policy itself envisages unequal treatment in a range of sectors which is embodied in the sectoral caps, security restrictions, etc. This means, for example, that while an Indian investor can invest 100% in multi brand retail trading in India, a foreign investor will still be allowed to invest only 51%. Further, all the attendant conditions of the policy have only to be complied with by the foreign investor and not an Indian investor setting up a multi brand store without foreign investment.
• BIPA: The BIPA is a post-establishment investment agreement. This implies that once an investor enters the country, that investor must be treated the same as a domestic investor unless the limitations to national treatment are clearly spelt out at the pre-establishment stage. The FDI policy is a pre-establishment instrument and therefore not covered by BIPA.
• CECA/CEPA: In these agreements, India has taken both pre and post establishment commitments. In the pre-establishment commitments, the FDI policy has been bound which means that any rollback would require consultations with the partner country and could entail quid pro quo in terms of concessions in some other area. Within the FDI policy, commitments may be taken only in some specified sectors (positive listing). Since FDI in multi brand retail trading was not allowed when these agreements were negotiated, none of these agreements is affected by the recently approved policy. Moreover, state and local regulations are not a part of the commitments.
• Multilateral/WTO: Multi brand retail trading is classified as a service and therefore covered by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). India has not undertaken any commitments in this area under the GATS. As such, there is no impact of the policy on our commitments under the WTO. Investment is not a part of WTO disciplines except through Mode 3 under GATS.
• The recently approved policy on FDI in multi brand retail trading provides, inter-alia, that it would be the prerogative of the states to allow a multi brand store. The policy nowhere provides that it is applicable only to certain states. The policy itself is a national policy and can potentially be applicable to all the states that are desirous of implementing it. The local and state-level regulations which govern shops and establishments are the prerogative of the respective state governments. The policy explicitly acknowledges this position. The opening up of FDI in multi brand retail trading is a liberalization measure and remains so with all the conditionalities, given the fact that currently FDI in multi brand retail trading is not allowed at all in India. The decision does not violate any commitments/obligations arising out of India`s international agreements.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/fdi-policy-on-multi-brand-retail-trading-and-indias-commitments/

Shillong, Sep 18- Stating that UPA II is a well tested government, Union Power Minister Veerappa Moily Monday said that the UPA government would not succumb to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s pressure to roll back FDI in aviation or multi-brand retail.
“It is not a question of succumbing to this and that, but we are living with our democracy and no one can stop us from achieving development in the 11th plan and nobody can stop us now,” Moily told journalist.
Moily’s statement assumed siginificance in the wake of the Trinamool Congress’ 72-hour deadline to roll back retail FDI and hike on petroleum products.
“It (Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail) is a strong decision that we have taken and this is going to transform the entire economic scenario in India,” he added.
Banerjee government faces challenges on several fronts after the central government decided to allow up to 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and raised diesel prices steeply.
Allaying that farmers and conseumers will affected by the FDI, the Congress leader claimed that consumers would be get competitive rates and farmers should get a matching price for their produce.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – who had so far been accused of struggling with policy paralysis – cleared the major reform agenda a day after raising diesel prices by a steep Rs. 5 per litre and restricting the supply of subsidised cooking gas to households.
This enraged the Trinamool, the United Progressive Allaince government’s second-largest constituent, which gave a 72-hour deadline to the Congress to rethink the decisions.
The Trinamool, which is ruling West Bengal, took no time to call a meeting of its parliamentary party Sep 18. The meet will be attended by party supremo and Chief Minister Banerjee.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/upa-will-not-succumb-to-mamatas-pressure/

MNS:- Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ch. Ajit Singh has asked Air India to submit to him in a week’s time a plan to enhance its share in the domestic passenger market. The detailed plan has to include month-wise targets of market share alongwith corresponding strategy to achieve these targets for the next one year. While noting that the share of Air India in the domestic passengers carried by Indian Schedule Airlines has been maintained at the level of 18.2% (same as for July’12), the Minister has emphasized that a number of efforts have to be made by Air India to regain its number one position in terms of market share. He has asked Air India to come out with innovative and customer focused strategies to achieve optimum utilisation of all planes and also maximum utilisation of each plane.
As per passenger traffic data submitted by various domestic airlines, the number of passengers carried by them were 398.21 lakhs between January-August 2012 as against 396.31 lakhs during the corresponding period of the previous year showing the passenger traffic growth of +0.5%.
The total domestic passengers carried by the scheduled domestic airlines for the month of August 2012 were 43.69 lakhs. The total domestic passengers carried by the scheduled domestic airlines in the month of July 2012 were 45.37 lakhs. The break-up for the month of August 2012 is as follows: Air India – 7.94 lakhs, Jet Airways –8.16 lakhs, Jet Lite – 2.85 lakhs, IndiGo – 12.05 lakhs, Spice Jet – 8.07 lakhs, Go Air – 3.24 lakhs, Kingfisher – 1.38 lakhs, Religare- 0.001 lakhs.
The market share of scheduled domestic airlines for the month of August 2012 is as follows: Air India-18.2%, Jet Airways-18.7%, JetLite-6.5%, IndiGo-27.6%, Spice Jet- 18.5%, Go Air- 7.4% and Kingfisher- 3.2%.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/civil-aviation-minister-asks-air-india-to-work-out-plan-to-raise-its-share/

Mail News Service
New Delhi, Sep 15: The South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) is deeply concerned about the threats to the media from certain groups in Manipur including the August 10 grenade attack at the house of A Mobi Singh President of All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU).
Officials of the Media Association (SAFMA) were personally briefed by Resident Editor of Imphal Free Press and member of South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) Irengbam Arun on the ground situation in Manipur on September 12 at New Delhi at the India International Centre,
The meet was attended among others by President of SAFMA, India KK Katyal, General Secretary Harihar Swarup, Vijay Naik, PL Uniyal and Seema Mustafa.
Earlier, South Asia Media Commission, India, had expressed grave concern about attacks on journalists in Manipur.
It had said, SAMC takes serious note of the alarming situation in Manipur. Journalists are working under threats from armed groups. Seven journalists were shot dead and several have escaped assassination attempts.
The journalists are coming under increasing pressures from the militant groups finding it difficult to function as independent professionals. The security provided by the state government to the media houses cannot be seen as a permanent solution and remedial measures should be taken immediately to ensure freedom of the press.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/safma-concerned/

· The recommendations outlined in the recently released Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Policy Dialogue Report are completely inadequate to achieve the much-needed real reforms in CDM: says Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in a critique of the Report.
The Report of the high-level panel, authored by a group of 11 members from across the world, was released at the 69th CDM Executive Board meeting held in Bangkok on September 11, 2012. It is the final outcome of a year-long process whose aim was to recommend how to reform the CDM design and process, and to envision a way forward to prevent the global carbon market from disintegrating. Various stakeholders such as civil society, policymakers and market participants were involved in the deliberations.
Says Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE: “The report is singularly geared towards saving the ailing CDM and carbon markets, with not enough focus on how the social and environmental integrity of the mechanism should be addressed.”
CDM: merely a ‘cheap’ development mechanism
CDM was crafted under the Kyoto Protocol to primarily serve two purposes — to help developed countries to meet their commitments under the Protocol in a cost-effective manner, and to support sustainable development activities in developing countries.
But it has rapidly degenerated into being just a market tool used by the Kyoto parties to write off their targets with cheap offsets. It has failed to deliver the real reduction in emissions that were needed to effectively address climate change and promote sustainable development in developing countries.
CSE researchers point out that CDM has not just been ineffective; it is also a case of carbon accountancy fraud, a ‘cheap development mechanism’ promoting cheap offsets. A large amount of CDM credits are being generated from business-as-usual fossil fuel and industrial projects. Its flawed design has failed to deliver on what was really needed — transformational leapfrogging to clean technology in developing countries.
‘Dangerous and disturbing’ recommendations
The CDM Policy Dialogue Report has a long list of recommendations – 51 to be exact. The focus of the recommendations are to save the carbon market by increasing the demand and price of carbon credits.
To do this, the panel wants every country – developed as well as developing — to increase their mitigation ambition

and use carbon credits to meet their targets. These recommendations are akin to rewriting the international climate

convention and removing the distinction between developed and developing countries.

Under the convention, only those developed countries that are signatories to the Kyoto Protocol have legally

binding mitigation targets, and they can use the benefits of carbon credits to meet their targets. The panel’s

recommendation of allowing all developed countries to have access to carbon offsets is actually rewarding the

defaulters of Kyoto Protocol.

On one hand, it is going to reward countries like the US which have not signed on to the Protocol; on the other, it is

rewarding countries like Canada which have not met their first commitment and have now walked off from the

second commitment as well.

By asking all countries to increase their mitigation ambition, the panel has disregarded all reports that indicate that

currently, developing countries are doing much more than developed countries to reduce carbon emissions. By

asking developing countries to use carbon credits to meet their voluntary pledges, the report has removed the

distinction between the developed and the developing countries – a recommendation which CSE says is

“dangerous and disturbing.”

According to Chandra Bhushan, CSE Deputy Director General and head of its climate change unit, “This seeks to

rewrite the international convention on climate change by destroying the very concept of equity and CBDR

embedded in it.” He says that a more effective way to approach this would be to ask developed countries to

increase their current mitigation targets and step up their efforts to match those required by climate science.

Many of the recommendations send contradictory messages. For example, the report recommends

increasing/stabilising the price of carbon credits on one hand. On the other hand, it supports carbon credits

resulting from forestry projects (such as REDD) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) which typically tend to

oversupply the market. CSE suggests that use of cheap and non-transformational technology to generate carbon

credits should be avoided.

The report strongly suggests the linking of carbon markets and increasing the reach and scope of CDM by

including forestry projects (REDD) in it. Without ensuring the right rules and safeguards in place, this could

endanger the livelihoods of indigenous communities and forest dwellers by making our forests a carbon dump yard

for developed countries, warns CSE. Instead, REDD should be addressed through non-market mechanisms by

involving the local communities.

Sustainable development, a key mandate of CDM, has been superficially addressed to placate the civil society. The

Report has failed to internalise the experiences of environmentally destructive projects that have been awarded

carbon credits in the past. Instead of removing those categories of projects from getting carbon credits in future, the

recommendation is only to improve the process of assessment of projects on sustainable development and to

“report, monitor, and verify sustainable development
impacts in a more systematic and rigorous manner.”

If the host government doesn’t have the capacity to do this assessment, then the report recommends that the

“CDM Executive Board could designate an appropriate and mutually acceptable independent authority to do so,

and should also help national authorities to develop such capacity.” CSE wonders if the “independent authority” is

going to be the same private international consultants that have compromised the integrity of the entire CDM

mechanism.

Says Chandra Bhushan: “The recommendations in the report are not inclusive and representative of the opinions

generated during the public stakeholder consultation process. Many major suggestions, including those that

protect the interests and rights of communities impacted by CDM projects and strengthening the accountability of

private international consultants, have clearly not been taken into account. Instead, the bias lies towards the voices

and interests expressed by those from the private sector.”

CSE, however, supports the idea of greater representation of least developing countries that have not accessed the

benefits of CDM projects so far. However, it also warns that if cheap credits remain the focus of the CDM market,

these countries will not be able to access the benefits as their projects are likely to be small and will not be able to

compete with large projects which can supply carbon credits at much lower prices.

CSE instead advocates adapting a ‘gold standard’ and a benchmark price for small projects from developing

countries. The standard would be a mechanism to rate, value and price projects in terms of additional social and

economic benefits — not just reductions in GHG emissions. There could be a minimum percentage of credits from

‘gold standard’ that each party can be mandated to purchase to offset their targets.

The report recommends the need for professional experts in the CDM Executive Board. While this is needed, it is

more important to make sure that regional balance prevails even within the professional and experienced members of

the Board.

CSE has urged the Indian government to reject these recommendations. Says Sunita Narain, “the recommendations

are not only bad for the developing countries, they will also negate global efforts for fighting climate change.”

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cdm-policy-dialogue-report-flawed-and-dangerous-cse/

MNS:- The Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion for permitting FDI in multi-brand retail trading, subject to specified conditions.
The proposal had earlier been approved by the Cabinet in its meeting on 24.11.2012. However, implementation of the proposal had been deferred, for evolving a broader consensus on the subject.
In pursuance of the aforestated decision of the Cabinet on 7.12.2011, discussions have been held with State Governments, representatives of consumer associations/organizations, micro & small industry associations, farmers’ associations and representatives of food processing industry and industry associations. The Chief Ministers of Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Governments of the State of Manipur and the Union Territory of Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, have expressed support for the policy in writing. The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, through his press statements, has publicly endorsed the policy and asked for its implementation. The State Governments of Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura and Odisha have expressed reservations.
During the consultations with the stakeholders, views for and against FDI in multi-brand retail trading were expressed. On balance, however, the discussions generally indicated support for the policy, subject to the introduction of adequate safeguards.
Accordingly, the following proposals have been approved:
(i) Retail sales outlets may be set up in those States which have agreed or agree in future to allow FDI in MBRT under this policy. The establishment of the retail sales outlets will be in compliance of applicable State laws/ regulations, such as the Shops and Establishments Act etc.
(ii) Retail sales outlets may be set up only in cities with a population of more than 10 lakh as per 2011 Census and may also cover an area of 10 kms around the municipal/urban agglomeration limits of such cities; retail locations will be restricted to conforming areas as per the Master/Zonal Plans of the concerned cities and provision will be made for requisite facilities such as transport connectivity and parking; In States/ Union Territories not having cities with population of more than 10 lakh as per 2011 Census, retail sales outlets may be set up in the cities of their choice, preferably the largest city and may also cover an area of 10 kms around the municipal/urban agglomeration limits of such cities. The locations of such outlets will be restricted to conforming areas, as per the Master/Zonal Plans of the concerned cities and provision will be made for requisite facilities such as transport connectivity and parking.
(iii) At least 50% of total FDI brought in shall be invested in ‘backend infrastructure’ within three years of the induction of FDI, where ‘back-end infrastructure’ will include capital expenditure on all activities, excluding that on front-end units; for instance, back-end infrastructure will include investment made towards processing, manufacturing, distribution, design improvement, quality control, packaging, logistics, storage, ware-house, agriculture market produce infrastructure etc. Expenditure on land cost and rentals, if any, will not be counted for purposes of backend infrastructure.
(iv) A high-level group under the Minister of Consumer Affairs may be constituted to examine various issues concerning internal trade and make recommendations for internal trade reforms.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/permitting-fdi-in-multi-brand-product-retail-trading/

MNS:- Union Labour and Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge will give away the Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and national safety awards for the Performance Year 2010 at a function in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi 0n Monday September 17th 2012.
The “Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar” (VRP), (Previously known as Shram Veer National Awards) and “National Safety Awards” (NSA) have been instituted by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment in 1965. The Awards Schemes are operated by the Technical Wing of the Ministry, namely, the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Mumbai- an attached office of the Ministry of Labour & Employment which renders advice/service to workers, their representatives & managements in factories and docks to humanize industrial activities by promoting safety & health at work.
The applications for Viswakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP) & National Safety Awards (NSA) from eligible applicants are invited every year. For VRP, the management is required to send the application on behalf of the workers and for NSA; the management directly applies for awards under each scheme. The applications received for VRP as well as NSA are adjudged by a Tripartite Awards Committee constituted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, comprising of representatives from Employers’ organizations, Employees’ Organisations and Central/State Governments. Besides the Tripartite representation, there are experts in the Committee from renowned institutions, Universities and Industries in the field of Safety, Health, Environment, Productivity and Quality.
VRP is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers and implemented by the management during the previous calendar year (Performance year) resulting in improvement in quality, productivity and working conditions such as safety, health and environmental conservations in the industrial undertakings where “Suggestion Schemes” are in operations.
VRP is awarded in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three categories: Class ‘A’ – Five (5) of Rs. 75,000/- each, Class ‘B’ – Eight (8) of Rs. 50,000/- each and Class ‘C’ – Fifteen (15) of Rs. 25,000/- each. There are 28 puraskars being shared by 118 winners out of a total of 162 applications received from different industries for the Performance Year 2010.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/vishwakarma-rashtriya-puraskar-and-national-safety-awards-for-the-performance-year-2010/

MNS:- Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority Affairs, has said that the issue related to the handing over of 123 wakf properties situated in Delhi to the Wakf Board will soon be resolved. Presiding over the 60th meeting of the Central Wakf Council here today Shri Khurshid said that he has been personally interacting with the concerned Ministries and hoped that soon the issue will be put before the Union Cabinet for final approval. Shri Khurshid informed Council that as the issue of these 123 properties has deep legal ramifications, the matter has been referred to the Attorney General of India for his advice. After that the Ministry of Urban Development will take final steps towards de-notifying these 123 wakf properties.
The important issues discussed at today’s meeting also included the issue of Re-unification of Punjab Wakf Board and the issue of the establishment of Begum Hazrat Mahal Women Technical University. The Secretary of the Central Wakf Council, Shri Ali Ahmed Khan, informed the Members that the Ministry of Minority Affairs had examined the issue of Re-unification of the Punjab Wakf Board but has not found it feasible/ appropriate. Grappling with the issue of providing quality higher education at affordable fees to the students belonging to the Muslim community, various models for establishing a Central Minority status University on wakf properties were also discussed at the meeting. The Secretary of the Council also informed that the work relating to National Wakf Development Corporation is underway in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
One of the Members of the Council, Justice (Retd.) Bilal Nazki – who has been assigned the task of preparing a Vision Document on the Wakf- circulated a brief synopsis of his Vision Document at the meeting for wider consultation. A suggestion for creation of a ‘Zakat Fund’ for the welfare of needy Muslims was also given at the meeting of the Central Wakf Council.
Shri Vincent H. Pala, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, was also present on the occasion. The following members were present at the meeting:
1. Justice S. Haider Abbas Raza (Retd.)
2. Justice Bilal Nazki (Retd.)
3. Shri Tariq Anwar, M.P.
4. Smt. Yasmin Ahmed, IAS (Retd.)
5. Shri Liaquat Ali Khan, IPS (Retd.)
6. Prof. (Dr.) Qamar Rahman
7. Dr. (Mrs.) Zeenat Shaukat Ali
8. Maulana Mohd. Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi
9. Dr. Zahoor Mohammad Khan
10. Shri Shakeel Ahmad Syed
11. Shri M. Iqbal A. Shaikh
12. Dr. Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini
13. Shri Syed Gulam Afzal Biabani alias Khusro Pasha

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/60th-meeting-of-the-central-wakf-council-held/

MNS:- Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah today said his ministry is making consistent efforts to popularise Solar Energy which is cheap and environment friendly. Various policies, regulatory and fiscal incentives have accelerated development of renewable energy generation and because of these initiatives, large capacity addition through renewable generation is envisaged in the 12th plan period, he said. Renewable energy has the inherent advantage of greater resource flexibility of a distributed energy system. Transmission plays a central role to facilitate seamless flow of electricity in a reliable and affordable manner. Renewable energy sector is coming into increasing focus in the context of climate change vis-à-vis concern on energy security. A range of policy initiatives have also emerged to address climate change concerns and other environmental issues. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said this while releasing a report on “Green Energy Corridors” at Delhi cantonment.
Minister of Power, Dr. Veerappa Moily speaking on the occasion said Green Energy Corridors report is the first of its kind in the country which will provide an impetus to large scale integration of Renewable Energy and will pave the way for clean development. The government could achieve the target of 85 thousand MW of power in the 12th plan and it could definitely produce 25,000 MW by the end of this financial year provided that other things are tied up. There are also capacities which have not been utilised, it is available around us, only thing is that a decision has to be taken,Dr. Veerappa Moily said.
The report on “Green Energy Corridors” which was released jointly by Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Dr. Veerappa Moily covers various studies on transmission infrastructure requirement and other related services for integration of large scale envisaged renewable capacity in 12th Plan. The report also covers Intra/Inter State transmission system strengthening, other facilities like flexible generation, establishment of Renewable Energy Management Centre(REMC), forecasting etc. to address intermittency and variability aspects as well as grid integration issues of large scale Renewable Energy generation.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/government-strives-to-achieve-85-thousand-mw-of-power-during-12th-plan/

MNS:- Union tourism Minister Shri Subodh Kant Sahai has said that tourism will be a major source of employment in the years to come. Addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Institute of Hotel Management, Catering & Nutrition, Pusa in New Delhi today, he said while the agriculture sector provides jobs to 45 people per lakh, tourism provides employment to 78 people per lakh as per a Planning Commission finding. Shri Sahai said”India has the potential market for tourism and has set a target to achieve 12 per cent growth in tourism sector by 2016. If this is achieved, we will be able to create 25 million additional jobs”. The Minister said India has tremendous facilities for the development of human resource in tourism sector which can be utilized by developing countries. He said our target is to attain one percent share of the world tourism arrivals by the end of 12th Five year plan.
Complementing the faculty and the staff of the institute the Minister expressed the hope that it will continue to shine in the years to come. The Minister felicitated distinguished alumni and Former Principals on the occasion. The Institute has organized a number of workshops, seminars and conferences at National and International levels to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Year 2011-12.
The institute was setup in 1962 as an autonomous registered society under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. The Institute was started in the barracks in the Pusa complex in 1962 and shifted to the existing campus in 1967-68.The Institute was transferred from Ministry of Agriculture to Ministry of Tourism in 1982.Affiliation from National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology was accorded in 1986.
The Institute started training programmes of Hunar Se Rozgar under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in 2010.Training Programmes of “National Skill Certification” under Capacity Building Service Providers Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India were started in 2010. Presently the institute is conducting four training programmes of “Hunar Se Rozgar” and two training programmes of “National Skill Certification” and has trained 944 persons in Hunar Se Rozgar and 3480 persons in National Skill Certification.
The Institute has trained faculty and hotel executives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Republic of Syria under ITEC programme of Ministry of External Affairs. The faculty has had international exposure in USA, UK, France, Italy, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea, West Africa and Indonesia. The Institute was bestowed National Award for the Best Institute for Overall Performance for four consecutive years in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The Institute was bestowed National Award of the Best Institute in Academics in 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, in Placement in 2007-08, in Implementing Central Schemes in 2008-09, 2009-10 and in Skill Certification Programme in 2008-09.Three faculty members have won “Hall of Fame” awards for winning the National Award of Excellence for the Best Teacher Awards three years in a row. One faculty members was bestowed the “Lady Chef of the Year-2011” for outstanding contribution by Indian Culinary Forum, Indian Federation Culinary Association and Worlds Association of Chef’s Society. Institute has adopted Red Fort, World Heritage Site of Delhi under “Campaign Clean India” of Ministry of Tourism in 2012.One faculty member was bestowed AAD Award by Association for Advancement of the Deprived, New Delhi for her work in Child Nutrition in 2012.Faculty conducted training sessions and demonstrations at International Level of Indian Cuisine in Vatel University, France, Indian Cuisine, Salone del Gusto, Italy, Bakery & Confectionary, Choongwoon University, South Korea, Indian Cuisine for Southern United State Trade Association, USA. Institute was bestowed the award of Most Preferred Institute 2012 by Franchise India and India Restaurant Congress.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/tourism-to-be-a-major-source-of-employment-subodh-kant-institute-of-hotel-management/

Justice Altamas Kabir will be the new Chief Justice of India. He will assume the new charge on 29th of this month.
Born on July 19, 1948 at Kolkata, Justice Kabir did his LLB and MA from University of Calcutta. He was enrolled at the Bar on August 1, 1973 and was made a permanent judge of Calcutta High Court on August 6, 1990. Justice Kabir assumed the office of acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on January 11, 2005. He was elevated as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court on March 01, 2005 and was made a judge of the Supreme Court of India on September 09, 2005.
Justice Kabir was responsible for the computerization of the Calcutta High Court and the City Civil Court and other Courts in Kolkatta. He was appointed as Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority on January 14, 2010.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/kabir-to-be-new-chief-justice/

Mail News Service
Kochi, Sep 13 : The PM Dr Manmohan Sing addressed the inaugural function of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Kerala Union of Working Journalists today. He said, “The training programmes that the Kerala Union of Working Journalists began for newcomers in journalism led to the formation of the Kerala Press Academy, a pioneer in Indian journalism training institutions. The organisation established the first Press Club in the country at Ernakulam district, which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi in December 1968. Kerala Union of Working Journalists has a democratic structure with an elected-body leading the organisation.
He complimented the Kerala Union of Working Journalists for having made a very important contribution towards promoting responsible and creative journalism over 50 years of its very purposeful existence.
Kerala has a vibrant and fiercely independent media. Journalists from the State have made a mark in media across the world. Malayalam newspapers have contributed immensely to the development of an independent and free press in India as a whole. Most of the old newspapers in Kerala were started as a part of the freedom movement.
The fact that Kerala has three newspapers ‘Deepika’, ‘Malayala Manorama’ and ‘Kerala Kaumudi’ that have now been in publication for more than 100 years speaks for itself. Another daily, Mathrubhumi, will soon cross the 100 years mark.
Though small geographically, Kerala has 10 newspapers with a daily circulation of more than 100,000 each. Among these, Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi have a readership of more than one crore.
In the broadcast segment, the first satellite channel in any regional language, Asianet, belongs to Kerala. Today, the State has more than 10 channels with daily news bulletins, including five 24 hours news channels.
These facts show that the media plays a very important role in the everyday life of the people of this state. They also point out that the journalists in the State function in a competitive environment where only the best would be able to do well. Kerala Union of Working Journalists therefore has a very important role to play in promoting not only professional competence, but also ethical conduct in the large fraternity of journalists that live in Kerala, addressing the problems they face in their work and promoting their well-being.
We are all proud of our democracy, which has survived and prospered despite serious challenges to it.
We are a country with numerous religions, ethnicities, languages and viewpoints. Freedom for multiple, often opposing, viewpoints to co-exist is one of the defining characteristics of Indian society and Indian polity. An independent and responsible media is a pre-requisite for sustaining such a society and polity.
We are proud that the freedom of expression is a Constitutional guarantee in India. The media in our country is not just a reliable barometer of public opinion; it is also the conscience-keeper of our nation.
Today, our country is going through some difficult times. The unfortunate incidents of the past few months have brought out worrying fault-lines in our society. The tragic developments in Assam and their reverberations in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other places have shown that we cannot and we should not afford to take social peace and harmony for granted. We need to be constantly vigilant and work continuously towards promoting greater communal harmony and inter-group and inter-community dialogue and understanding.
The media has a very important role to play in this task. Its reporting and opinions should be fair, objective and balanced. The desire to be sensational should be avoided, even though it is very tempting, sometimes. Restraint should be exercised so that nothing that divides our society and country is written, broadcast or telecast. On the other hand a conscious effort should be made to build bridges between communities and regions. These are no more than the abiding values that constitute responsible journalism and which the Kerala Union of Working Journalists has been promoting.
The media in Kerala has both reflected the aspirations of the people and has also moulded public opinion. It has often broken new ground. Long before the concept of development journalism evolved elsewhere in the country, the pages of the Malayalam newspapers were replete with the news of development activities at all levels, including
the activities of Panchayats. I am told that recently there was a successful reality show by a Malayalam TV channel in which different Panchayats showcased the development projects in their respective areas! It is indeed difficult to imagine such a show anywhere else in India.
Kerala has produced great media professionals like K. Sukumar, Kesari Balakrishana Pillai, Mammen Mappila, and K.P. Kesava Menon; and cartoonists like Sankar and Abu Abraham. I consider myself greatly privileged to have known many such people in my public life.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/media-barometer-of-public-opinion-and-conscience-keeper-of-our-nation-pm/

Mail News Service
Kochi, Sep 13 : The PM Dr Manmohan Sing addressed the inaugural function of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Kerala Union of Working Journalists today. He said, “The training programmes that the Kerala Union of Working Journalists began for newcomers in journalism led to the formation of the Kerala Press Academy, a pioneer in Indian journalism training institutions. The organisation established the first Press Club in the country at Ernakulam district, which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Shrimati Indira Gandhi in December 1968. Kerala Union of Working Journalists has a democratic structure with an elected-body leading the organisation.
He complimented the Kerala Union of Working Journalists for having made a very important contribution towards promoting responsible and creative journalism over 50 years of its very purposeful existence.
Kerala has a vibrant and fiercely independent media. Journalists from the State have made a mark in media across the world. Malayalam newspapers have contributed immensely to the development of an independent and free press in India as a whole. Most of the old newspapers in Kerala were started as a part of the freedom movement.
The fact that Kerala has three newspapers ‘Deepika’, ‘Malayala Manorama’ and ‘Kerala Kaumudi’ that have now been in publication for more than 100 years speaks for itself. Another daily, Mathrubhumi, will soon cross the 100 years mark.
Though small geographically, Kerala has 10 newspapers with a daily circulation of more than 100,000 each. Among these, Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi have a readership of more than one crore.
In the broadcast segment, the first satellite channel in any regional language, Asianet, belongs to Kerala. Today, the State has more than 10 channels with daily news bulletins, including five 24 hours news channels.
These facts show that the media plays a very important role in the everyday life of the people of this state. They also point out that the journalists in the State function in a competitive environment where only the best would be able to do well. Kerala Union of Working Journalists therefore has a very important role to play in promoting not only professional competence, but also ethical conduct in the large fraternity of journalists that live in Kerala, addressing the problems they face in their work and promoting their well-being.
We are all proud of our democracy, which has survived and prospered despite serious challenges to it.
We are a country with numerous religions, ethnicities, languages and viewpoints. Freedom for multiple, often opposing, viewpoints to co-exist is one of the defining characteristics of Indian society and Indian polity. An independent and responsible media is a pre-requisite for sustaining such a society and polity.
We are proud that the freedom of expression is a Constitutional guarantee in India. The media in our country is not just a reliable barometer of public opinion; it is also the conscience-keeper of our nation.
Today, our country is going through some difficult times. The unfortunate incidents of the past few months have brought out worrying fault-lines in our society. The tragic developments in Assam and their reverberations in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other places have shown that we cannot and we should not afford to take social peace and harmony for granted. We need to be constantly vigilant and work continuously towards promoting greater communal harmony and inter-group and inter-community dialogue and understanding.
The media has a very important role to play in this task. Its reporting and opinions should be fair, objective and balanced. The desire to be sensational should be avoided, even though it is very tempting, sometimes. Restraint should be exercised so that nothing that divides our society and country is written, broadcast or telecast. On the other hand a conscious effort should be made to build bridges between communities and regions. These are no more than the abiding values that constitute responsible journalism and which the Kerala Union of Working Journalists has been promoting.
The media in Kerala has both reflected the aspirations of the people and has also moulded public opinion. It has often broken new ground. Long before the concept of development journalism evolved elsewhere in the country, the pages of the Malayalam newspapers were replete with the news of development activities at all levels, including
the activities of Panchayats. I am told that recently there was a successful reality show by a Malayalam TV channel in which different Panchayats showcased the development projects in their respective areas! It is indeed difficult to imagine such a show anywhere else in India.
Kerala has produced great media professionals like K. Sukumar, Kesari Balakrishana Pillai, Mammen Mappila, and K.P. Kesava Menon; and cartoonists like Sankar and Abu Abraham. I consider myself greatly privileged to have known many such people in my public life.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/media-barometer-of-public-opinion-and-conscience-keeper-of-our-nation-pm/

GUWAHATI, Sept 13 NNN: Perfume baron from Assam and supremo of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal’s alleged role in the recent communal clash in Assam will be probed.
After a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one Subodhlal Kislari, the Gauhati High Court has sought a probe into the alleged role played by Badruddin Ajmal who is also a Member of Parliament, Lower House.
The central government as well as the Tarun Gogoi government have been directed to submit reports in connection with their findings in 30 days time by a division bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice N Koteswar Singh.
The perfume baron was also accused in the said PIL for the last month’s violence at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
On learning about the Gauhati High Court’s decision, the AIUDF’s supremo who is currently in the national capital has reportedly said he was never worried on the development saying he was innocent.
Few days ago, leaders of North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) had warned Badruddin Ajmal for his alleged role in the recent communal clashes in Assam. The perfume baron was reportedly in hiding after the warning.
It can be noted here that nearly 5 lakh people were displaced and 97 people got killed in the recent communal clashes in Assam.
Clashes between to communities in Assam started in the midddle of July which had resulted to the exodus of North East people residing in the mainland India mostly from southern cities.
The purported threats on the people of North East by certain groups of people propmted the former to flee their respective work places and study centres from Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and even from Mumbai.
This exodus episode had compelled the North East Students Organisation (NESO), an umbrella students’ bodies of the region to issue certain ultimatum to the Central government to be implemented.
Rallies and bandhs were called in the seven states of the region by various groups in protest against the alleged discrimination being meted out to the people hailing from this part of the country in mainland Indian cities.
The deputy chief minister of Karnataka had even visited Guwahati and Imphal as a good will mission appealing the people to return to their work places.
Meanwhile, in the last one week no cases of violence or threats were reported pertaining to the present issue anywhere in the country.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ajmals-role-in-riots-to-be-probed/

MNS:- Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has taken steps to strictly enforce latest Radiation standards in respect of Electro Magnetic Radiations (EMR) for Mobile Towers that came into effect from 1st September 2012. A high level delegation of DOT officers led by Advisor (Technology), DOT and officials from Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cell Unit in Mumbai visited a few Base Transmitting Stations (BTS) sites in Mumbai yesterday as part of random verification of compliance to the new Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) standards by the Telecom Service Providers(TSP). One of the sites located adjacent to Ekta CHS, Kanjur Marg (East) covering Saidham Building and Vighnaharta Building having 11 BTSs of Reliance Communications, TTML, Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Loop Telecom were found radiating beyond permissible limits of the new radiation norms when measurements were carried out in some houses facing nearby BTS antenna.
A meeting was organised by DOT officials with all the 11 licensed operators in Mumbai at short notice which was attended by 32 officials from the 11 operators. Pictures of the BTS antennas and other details were also shown to the operators and on the spot orders were issued to 7 operators to stop radiating from these BTSs with immediate effect. Functioning of BTSs may be resumed only after the sites are made compliant and compliance to that effect is verified by TERM Cell Mumbai.
All the TSPs were further directed to carry out a comprehensive exercise to identify all BTSs which are non-compliant as per latest radiation norms and ensure that they are either shut down or made compliant with respect to the radiation norms failing which penal action as per relevant provisions would be taken against delinquent operators.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/new-radiation-norms-orders-issued-against-eleven-btss-of-7-operators-in-mumbai/