Sunday, August 28, 2011
Citizen Journalist figt against corruption
These 50 CJs are the ones who have fought corruption and have refused to take things lying down. These are individuals who want to see a better India.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Government Promoting Bamboo Cultivation
The Government is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme called National Bamboo Mission in 27 States for promoting cultivation of bamboo since 2006-07. This Scheme adopts area-based, regionally-differentiated strategies. Break-up of production of bamboo during 2007-08 to 2010-11, as reported by State Governments of north-eastern region is given below:-
S.No. | States | Production of bamboo (in Metric Tonnes) | |||
2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | ||
1 | Arunachal Pradesh* | 34368 | NA | NA | NA |
2 | Assam ** | 6,70,000 | 6,70,000 | 6,70,000 | 6,70,000 |
3 | Manipur | 11,162 | 9,890 | 7,372 | 493 |
4 | Mizoram | 12,804 | 2,658 | 3,292 | NA |
5 | Meghalaya | 14184 | 32955 | 39568 | 10263 |
6 | Nagaland | NA | 36,000 | 54,000 | 63,000 |
7 | Sikkim | 2,400 | 2,700 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
8 | Tripura | 54,756 | 11,237 | 58,899 | 73,541 |
NA – Production figures not reported by the State Government.
* Arunachal Pradesh has reported its production in number of bamboo.
** Assam has reported annual average production of 6, 70,000 M.T. per year. This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
Establishment and Maintenance of Seed Bank
The Government also provides assistance under various schemes for seed production, distribution, certification, quality control and related components for ensuring timely availability of certified quality seeds.
This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
Procedure for Selection of Sportspersons/Teams
The Government does not maintain any such record of sporting events of National/International sports competitions lost during each of the last three years and the current year, the Minister added.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Gorkha Communities in OBC
Castes/ communities are ordinarily included in the Central List of OBCs on the advice of National Commission for Backward Classes. No advice for inclusion of Brahmins and Khatris under Gorkha community for Uttarakhand, has been received.
District Planning Committees
Grants to Panchayats are given under Backward Regions Grant Funds(BRGF), Thirteenth Finance Commission, etc. The formula and procedure for distribution among the Panchayats varies from scheme to scheme.
Teams of NDRF Deployed to Deal with Flood Situation
In West Bengal, 2 Teams consisting of 75 personnel in Howarh have been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during the flood situation.
In Andhra Pradesh, 2 Teams consisting of 66 personnel in Vijayawada have been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during flood situation.
In Kerala, 1 team consisting of 38 personnel in Kozhikode has been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during flood situation.
In Bihar, 5 teams consisting of 145 personnel in Saharsa (28), Madhepura (21), Supaul (29), Khagaria (31) and Gopalganj (36) have been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during the flood situation.
In Uttar Pradesh, 3 teams consisting of 108 personnel in Meerut (28), Lucknow (45) and Gorakpur (35) have been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during flood situation.
In Haryana, 1 team consisting of 24 personnel in Faridabad has been deployed along with equipment to provide emergency response during flood situation.
Measures to Prevent Piracy at Sea
The Government has initiated various preventive/mitigating security measures to deal with piracy at sea. These are as follows:
(i) An Inter-Ministerial Group of Officers (IMGO) has been set up to deal with hostage situation arising out of the hijacking of merchant vessels with Indian crew on board.
(ii) Issuance of Notices by Director General of Shipping detailing elaborate anti-piracy measures (Best Management Practices) including safe house/citadel.
(iii) Banning of sailing vessels to ply in waters south or west of the line joining Salalah and Male.
(iv) Naval escort provided by Indian Naval Ships in Gulf of Aden.
(v) Enhanced vigil by Indian Navy in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and westward up to 65 degree east longitude.
Besides, India is participating in the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) meetings, which is a United Nation (UN) initiative, to address the piracy related concerns. Since its inception, the Government have actively participated in all efforts of the CGPCS to share information, coordinate actions of its navies, raise public and merchant marine awareness of the risks of piracy and examine legal and criminal justice issues with respect to the apprehended pirates. India has successfully brought to the attention of the CGPCS the importance of the welfare of the hostages and their families and the responsibilities of the ship owners, both during a piracy situation as well as after the hostages have been released.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan in a written reply to a question in Rajya SabhaEmployment under MGNREGA grows in rural areas
ITDC Hotels
The India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC) under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India runs following hotels:
S.no. | Name of Hotel | Name of State/ Union Territory |
| ITDC OWNED HOTELS |
|
1. | Hotel Patliputra Ashok, Patna | Bihar |
2. | The Ashok, New Delhi | Delhi |
3. | Samrat Hotel, New Delhi | Delhi |
4. | Janpath Hotel, New Delhi | Delhi |
5. | Hotel Jammu Ashok, Jammu | J&K |
6. | Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, Mysore | Karnataka |
7. | Hotel Kalinga Ashok, Bhubaneswar | Orissa |
8. | Hotel Jaipur Ashok, Jaipur | Rajasthan |
| ITDC MANAGED HOTEL |
|
9. | Hotel Bharatpur Ashok, Bharatpur | Rajasthan |
| ITDC JOINT VENTURE HOTELS |
|
10. | Hotel Lake View Ashok, Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh |
11. | Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, Guwahati | Assam |
12. | Hotel Ranchi Ashok, Ranchi | Jharkhand |
13. | Hotel Pondicherry Ashok, Pondicherry | Pondicherry |
14. | Hotel Donyi Polo Ashok, Itanagar | Arunachal Pradesh |
15. | Hotel Nilachal Ashok, Puri (not operational) | Orissa |
At present, ITDC has no plan to construct any new hotel.
The renovation of hotels is a continuous and need based process. The renovation of Hotel Rooms, Food & Beverage Outlets etc. is taken up from time to time depending upon the requirement.
One Lakh Youth Clubs Functioning under NYKS
The Minister further stated that Government of India through its flagship organization Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan provides financial assistance to active Youth Clubs. For this purpose applications are invited from Youth Clubs registered under the Societies Registration Act or corresponding Act of the State and duly recommended by the Sarpanch/Pradhan of the Gram Panchayat. On the basis of appropriate verification of the particulars of the youth club and based on the recommendations of a Selection Committee headed by the District Collector/District Magistrate grant are released to the youth clubs. The financial grant so released is effectively monitored for which the grantee youth club is required to submit a Utilization Certificate (UC) as per the relevant provisions of General Financial Rules of the Government. No incident has been reported where grant has been released to a non-existent youth club, the Sports Minister added.
‘IZZAT’ Monthly Season Ticket Scheme
Zonal Railways have been asked to give wide publicity regarding the scheme at regular intervals through various media.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri K. H. Muniyappa in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Train Services between India and Pakistan
Freight train movement was disrupted from December 23, 2010 to December 29, 2010 as a result of delay in the issue of visa to the Indian Loco Pilots by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. The matter was taken up with the Government of Pakistan and resolved amicably. However, passenger services were running smoothly.
Financial loss due to the disruption of freight services between 23rd and 29th December, 2010 has been assessed at approximately Rs. 19,71,893/-.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards
The following four persons have been selected for the Adventure Awards for the year 2010:-
1. Ms. Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu - Land Adventure
2 Ms. Mamta Sodha - Land Adventure
3 Shri Dilip Donde - Water Adventure
4 Late Col. Balwant Singh Sandhu - Life Time Achievement (Posthumously)
Ms. Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has became the first Indian woment to ski 900 Kms. From coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. She did some High Altitude trekking in the Pindari Valley, Milam Valley and Ralam Valley while working as an instructor. Besides this, she has been climbing extensively from 1996.
Ms. Mamta Sodha has scaled Mount Everst in 2010, she has scaled island Peak, 20589 fts., Shri Kanth Peak 20422 fts, Mun Peak 16000 fts, Phawara Rang Peak 21441 fts. She has also climbed Mount Everest- Eco Expedition- 29038 fts, Nepal.
Commander Dilip Donde has sailed Solo on INSV Mhadei undertaking Solo Circumnavigation of the earth round the “Three Great Capes” in 273 days which is a significant and rare achievement. He is the first Indian to circumnavigate the earth solo and under sails and 175th person in the world to achieve this feat.
Late Col Balwant Singh Sandhu possessed excellent record. A life time devoted to mountaineering, a highly ethical conduct and great leadership qualities. He had actively encouraged young people to the outdoor adventure. He was instrumental in introduction of IMF Annual Alpine Style climbing Camps and continued to oversee there till the last. He had climbed and trekked for over 50 years in most ranges of the Himalayas made the most number of first ascents of difficult peaks including first ascent of Changabang (6870m) in Garhwal Himalaya in 1974, first ascent to Phawara Rang (6570) in Spiti, HP in 1977.
The Awards will be presented to the above individuals except late Col. Balwant Singh Sandhu by Her Excellency the President of India during the Awards ceremony to be held on August 29, 2011. Award is being given to late Col. Sandhu, posthumously and will be receive by his wife Ms. Helga Sandhu.
Hydroelectric Projection allocation to Private sector
In reply to a written question Minister of State for Power Shri K.C. Venugopal said in Rajya Sabha today that the NHPC has been allotted 19 new projects by State Governments, which are in various stages of acquiring clearances, preparation of feasibility reports and detailed project reports. The Minister informed that the total hydro power potential in terms of installed capacity in the country is estimated at 1,48,701 MW.
Planning Commission has set a target of 8,237 MW hydro capacity during the Eleventh Plan after mid-term review out of which 4660 MW has already been commissioned. Out of the total 19,796.5 MW planned for capacity addition in private sector for the 11th Plan, 13,761 MW has been commissioned till the last month
Rebates on Khadi Products and Textiles
Foreign Tourist Arrivals and Foreign Exchange Earnings in July 2011
Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) during the month of July 2011 were Rs. 7116 crore as compared to Rs. 5444 crore in July 2010 and Rs. 4983 crore in July 2009. The growth rate in FEE in Rupee terms in July 2011 over July 2010 was 30.7 % as compared to 9.3 % in July 2010 over July 2009. FEE from tourism in rupee terms during January-July 2011 were Rs. 42279 crore with a growth of 14.8 %, as compared to the FEE of Rs. 36817 crore with a growth of 24.1 % during January- July2010 over the corresponding period of 2009. FEE in US$ terms during the month of July 2011 were US$ 1603 million as compared to FEE of US$ 1163 million during the month of July 2010 and US$ 1028 million in April 2009. The growth rate in FEE in US$ terms in July 2011 over July 2010 was 37.8 % as compared to the growth of 13.1 % in July 2010 over July 2009. FEE from tourism in terms of US$ during January-July 2011 were US$ 9414 million with a growth of 17.6%, as compared to US$ 8005 million with a growth of 32.6 % during January-July 2010 over the corresponding period of 2009.
Railway Revenue Earnings up by 11.87 Per Cent during April- July 2011
The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 19896.20 crore during 1st April – 31st July, 2010 to Rs. 22269.74 crore during 1st April – 31st July, 2011, an increase of 11.93 per cent.
The total passenger revenue earnings during first four months of the financial year 2011-12 were Rs. 9314.76 crore compared to Rs. 8352.70 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 11.52 per cent.
The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs. 919.72 crore during April-July 2011 compared to Rs. 831.33 crore during the same period last year, an increase of 10.63 per cent.
The total approximate number of passengers booked during April-July 2011 were 2731.52 million compared to 2590.08 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 5.46 per cent. In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the number of passengers booked during April-July 2011 were 1359.84 million and 1371.68 million compared to 1299.82 million and 1290.26 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 4.62 per cent and 6.31 per cent respectively.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Implementation of BRGF
The Backward Regions Grant Fund(BRGF) Programme is designed to redress regional imbalances in development by providing funds for supplementing and converging existing developmental inflows in the identified districts. The Government has identified 250 districts in 27 States as backward and is implementing the district component of the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme in these districts since 2006-07. List of the districts covered under BRGF is at Annexure.
The annual budget allocation for BRGF is divided into two components, namely Capacity Building (CB) Grant and Development Grant (DG). The CB grant is provided to the States @ Rs. 1 crore per district. The DG component is provided to the States for onward transfer to the districts as per the following formula:-
v A base amount of Rs. 10 crore is earmarked for each of the 250 districts.
v The balance budget allocation, after providing for Rs. 250 crore towards the Capacity Building component and Rs. 10 crore for each district towards the base amount of DG component, is distributed among the 250 districts in the ratio of area and population (2001 Census), giving equal weight to the two parameters.
This Ministry has received references regarding irregularities/ mismanagement in respect of some States. Such complaints have been referred to the State Governments concerned for necessary action.
The Central Government monitors utilization of grants through progress reports, utilization certificates, audit reports, periodic communications and visits of senior officials to States. The Ministry has also prepared PlanPlus software for facilitating online plan preparation and reporting the execution status.
Government have constituted a Working Group on Area Development Programmes, including BRGF, in the context of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017). The Working Group is expected to review these programmes and suggest a blue print for restructuring of BRGF aimed at improving its performance.
The above information was given by the Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
Annexure
LIST BRGF DISTRICTS
Sl. No. | District | Sl. No. | District | Sl. No. | District |
1. | Andhra Pradesh | ||||
1 | Adilabad | 2 | Anantapur | 3 | Chittoor |
4 | Cuddapah | 5 | Karimnagar | 6 | Khammam |
7 | Mahbubnagar | 8 | Medak | 9 | Nalgonda |
10 | Nizamabad | 11 | Rangareddi | 12 | Vizianagaram |
13 | Warangal |
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2. | Arunachal Pradesh | ||||
1 | Upper Subansiri |
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3. | Assam | ||||
1 | Barpeta | 2 | Bongaigaon | 3 | Cachar |
4 | Dhemaji | 5 | Goalpara | 6 | Hailakandi |
7 | Karbi Anglong | 8 | Kokrajhar | 9 | Lakhimpur |
10 | Marigaon | 11 | North Cachar Hills |
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4. | Bihar | ||||
1 | Araria | 2 | Aurangabad | 3 | Banka |
4 | Begusarai | 5 | Bhagalpur | 6 | Bhojpur |
7 | Buxar | 8 | Darbhanga | 9 | Gaya |
10 | Gopalganj | 11 | Jamui | 12 | Jehanabad |
13 | Kaimur (Bhabua) | 14 | Katihar | 15 | Khagaria |
16 | Kishanganj | 17 | Lakhisarai | 18 | Madhepura |
19 | Madhubani | 20 | Munger | 21 | Muzaffarpur |
22 | Nalanda | 23 | Nawada | 24 | Pashchim Champaran |
| Patna |
| Purbi Champaran |
| Purnia |
28 | Rohtas | 29 | Saharsa | 30 | Samastipur |
31 | Saran | 32 | Sheikhpura | 33 | Sheohar |
34 | Sitamarhi | 35 | Supaul | 36 | Vaishali |
5. | Chhattisgarh | ||||
1 | Bastar | 2 | Bilaspur | 3 | Dantewada |
4 | Dhamtari | 5 | Jashpur | 6 | Kabirdham |
7 | Kanker | 8 | Korba | 9 | Korea |
10 | Mahasamund | 11 | Raigarh | 12 | Rajnandgaon |
13 | Surguja |
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6. | Gujarat | ||||
1 | Banas Kantha | 2 | Dahod | 3 | Dang |
4 | Narmada | 5 | Panch Mahals | 6 | Sabar Kantha |
7. | Haryana | ||||
1 | Mahendragarh | 2 | Sirsa |
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8. | Himachal Pradesh | ||||
1 | Chamba | 2 | Sirmaur |
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9. | Jammu And Kashmir | ||||
1 | Doda | 2 | Kupwara | 3 | Poonch |
10. | Jharkhand | ||||
1 | Bokaro | 2 | Chatra | 3 | Deoghar |
4 | Dhanbad | 5 | Dumka | 6 | Garhwa |
7 | Giridih | 8 | Godda | 9 | Gumla |
10 | Hazaribagh | 11 | Jamtara | 12 | Koderma |
13 | Latehar | 14 | Lohardaga | 15 | Pakur |
16 | Palamu | 17 | Ranchi | 18 | Sahebganj |
19 | Saraikela Kharsawan | 20 | Simdega | 21 | West Singhbhum |
11. | Karnataka | ||||
1 | Bidar | 2 | Chitradurga | 3 | Davangere |
4 | Gulbarga | 5 | Raichur |
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12. | Kerala | ||||
1 | Palakkad | 2 | Wayanad |
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13. | Madhya Pradesh | ||||
1 | Balaghat | 2 | Barwani | 3 | Betul |
4 | Chhatarpur | 5 | Damoh | 6 | Dhar |
7 | Dindori | 8 | Guna | 9 | Jhabua |
10 | Katni | 11 | Khandwa | 12 | Khargone |
13 | Mandla | 14 | Panna | 15 | Rajgarh |
16 | Rewa | 17 | Satna | 18 | Seoni |
19 | Shahdol | 20 | Sheopur | 21 | Shivpuri |
22 | Sidhi | 23 | Tikamgarh | 24 | Umaria |
14. | Maharashtra | ||||
1 | Ahmednagar | 2 | Amravati | 3 | Aurangabad |
4 | Bhandara | 5 | Chandrapur | 6 | Dhule |
7 | Gadchiroli | 8 | Gondia | 9 | Hingoli |
10 | Nanded | 11 | Nandurbar | 12 | Yavatmal |
15. | Manipur | ||||
1 | Chandel | 2 | Churachandpur | 3 | Tamenglong |
16. | Meghalaya | ||||
1 | Ri Bhoi | 2 | South Garo Hills | 3 | West Garo Hills |
17. | Mizoram | ||||
1 | Lawngtlai | 2 | Saiha |
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18. | Nagaland | ||||
1 | Mon | 2 | Tuensang | 3 | Wokha |
19. | Orissa | ||||
1 | Balangir | 2 | Boudh | 3 | Deogarh |
4 | Dhenkanal | 5 | Gajapati | 6 | Ganjam |
7 | Jharsuguda | 8 | Kalahandi | 9 | Kandhamal |
10 | Keonjhar | 11 | Koraput | 12 | Malkangiri |
13 | Mayurbhanj | 14 | Nabarangpur | 15 | Nuapada |
16 | Rayagada | 17 | Sambalpur | 18 | Sonepur |
19 | Sundargarh |
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20. | Punjab | ||||
1 | Hoshiarpur |
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21. | Rajasthan | ||||
1 | Banswara | 2 | Barmer | 3 | Chittorgarh |
4 | Dungarpur | 5 | Jaisalmer | 6 | Jalore |
7 | Jhalawar | 8 | Karauli | 9 | Sawai Madhopur |
10 | Sirohi | 11 | Tonk | 12 | Udaipur |
22. | Sikkim | ||||
1 | North District |
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23. | Tamil Nadu | ||||
1 | Cuddalore | 2 | Dindigul | 3 | Nagapattinam |
4 | Sivaganga | 5 | Tiruvannamalai | 6 | Villupuram |
24. | Tripura | ||||
1 | Dhalai |
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25. | Uttar Pradesh | ||||
1 | Ambedkar Nagar | 2 | Azamgarh | 3 | Bahraich |
4 | Balrampur | 5 | Banda | 6 | Barabanki |
7 | Basti | 8 | Budaun | 9 | Chandauli |
10 | Chitrakoot | 11 | Etah | 12 | Farrukhabad |
13 | Fatehpur | 14 | Gonda | 15 | Gorakhpur |
16 | Hamirpur | 17 | Hardoi | 18 | Jalaun |
19 | Jaunpur | 20 | Kaushambi | 21 | Kheri |
22 | Kushi Nagar | 23 | Lalitpur | 24 | Maharajganj |
15 | Mahoba | 16 | Mirzapur | 27 | Pratapgarh |
28 | Rae Bareli | 29 | Sant Kabeer Nagar | 30 | Shravasti |
31 | Siddharth Nagar | 32 | Sitapur | 33 | Sonbhadra |
34 | Unnao |
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26. | Uttarakhand | ||||
1 | Chamoli | 2 | Champawat | 3 | Tehri Garhwal |
27. | West Bengal | ||||
1 | 24 Paraganas South | 2 | Bankura | 3 | Birbhum |
4 | Dinajpur Dakshin | 5 | Dinajpur Uttar | 6 | Jalpaiguri |
7 | Maldah | 8 | Medinipur East | 9 | Medinipur West |
10 | Murshidabad | 11 | Purulia |
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