Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission

The Government has launched a scheme under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to encourage installation of Solar Water Heaters. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha 

The Targets set under the scheme are in Phase Manner (Phase - I, II, III), and the details are given below:

Phase	Period	Cumulative Target (m2)
Phase – I	2010-13	7 Million
Phase – II	2013-17	15 Million
Phase – III	2017-22	20 Million

Phase – I of the Mission has been completed and achievements made by end of Phase – I are 7.001 Million M^{2  .}

The Minister further said that the tariff of solar power as fixed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) is Rs. 7.72 per KWh for PV based power plants and Rs. 11.88 per KWh for solar thermal based power plants.

Privatisation of Electricity Production

            Government is encouraging development of power sector through combined efforts of public and private sector. The Electricity Act, 2003 promotes competition and creates a conducive environment for investment in all segments of the electricity industry, both for public and private sector.  Out of the total installed generation capacity of 243030 MW as on 31.3.2014, 82715 MW is in the private sector. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha

            The Minister further stated that to meet the increasing demand of electricity and to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, Government is laying emphasis on the development of hydel, nuclear, solar and wind energy for power generation. However, for meeting the total demand for power in the country electricity generation is encouraged from all sources such as hydel, nuclear, solar and wind energy as well as coal based stations (including imported coal based at coastal locations).  The share of power generation from various sources as on 31.3.2014 is as follows:

i.        Thermal                                               :                       69.23%

ii.      Hydel (Renewables)                           :                       16.68%

iii.    Other Renewables Energy Sources     :                       12.12%

iv.    Nuclear                                                :                         1.97%

Complaints against fraudulent recruiting agents

Any recruitment of Indian nationals for employment abroad without Registration Certificate under Section 10 or Permit under Section 16 of the Emigration Act, 1983 is an offence punishable under Section 24 of the Emigration Act, 1983. Complaints against such illegal agents indulging in fraudulent recruitment can be directly lodged with the State law enforcing authorities. Whenever such complaints are received in this Ministry, they are referred to the concerned State Governments for investigation and action in accordance with the provisions of the law of this land as appropriate. 

After investigation, if required, the investigating authority seeks approval from this Ministry for prosecution in the appropriate court of law under Section 27 of the Emigration Act, 1983. (Sanction not required in case the complaint is directly made by the emigrant or intending emigrant, or on behalf of such emigrant or intending emigrant, by the father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister or guardian of such emigrant or intending emigrant, or if such Emigrant or intending emigrant is a member of a joint Hindu family, by the manager of that family). Request for such prosecution sanctions are processed and sanctions are issued on priority basis. 

During the last 3 years, 751 complaints against such illegal agents were received in this Ministry. All these cases had been referred to the State Government authorities concerned for investigation. Prosecution sanction had been sought in 30 cases, and sanction given in all cases. 

This information was given by Minister of State Overseas Indian Affairs and External Affairs General Retd. V.K. Singh in Rajya Sabha 

Installation of Solar Water Pumps

The Government has proposed a programme for installation of one lakh solar pumps for irrigation and drinking water purposes across the country. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha . He said a total number of 11626 solar pumps have already been installed in the various parts of the country till 31/03/2014. A total of 14788.45 lakh rupees have been sanctioned for solar pumps under “Off grid and Decentralized Solar Applications’’ scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to 12 states. 

Multilingual Helpline for Tourists

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik has said that the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in order to provide information services to incoming tourists (pre and post arrival), has initiated action to set up a telephonic Contact Centre through competent, qualified and experienced partners. 

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today he said, this service will primarily serve (i) those who are calling from abroad and know very little about travel within India; and (ii) those who have reached India but do not understand Indian systems (including private sector systems) and/or Indian languages, often not even English. The Ministry will outsource back offices for guidance services. The languages to be handled by the contact centres include ten international languages besides English and Hindi i.e. Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish. Ministry is making all efforts to ensure that the infoline commences by 31st March 2015. 

Shri Naik said, identification of tourist spots is a continuous process and information on all important domestic tourist spots are available on the website of Ministry of Tourism www.incredibleindia.org. 

Contribution of Great Personalities

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik has said that Government is aware of the contribution made by a number of great souls/ reformers/ personalities in building/ shaping our society from ancient times.  In a written reply in the Lok Sabha he said, under the scheme of Centenaries and Anniversaries administered by the Ministry, salient aspects of the life and times of important personalities and events in the history of India are highlighted in order to infuse in the public, particularly the young, the spirit of these great leaders and others.  Important celebrations organized by the Ministry are given in Annexure-1.

Shri Naik said, in addition, Ministry of Social Justice commemorated the birth centenary of Baba B. R. Ambedkar during 1991-92 and Ministry of Minority Affairs celebrated 125^th birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad during 2013-14. The Government has also taken a decision to celebrate the following commemorations:

(i)          Centenary of Komagata Maru (29-Sep-2014 to 29-Sep-2015).

(ii)       Centenary of Begum Akhtar (07-Oct-2014 to 07-Oct-2015).

(iii)     125^th Birth Anniversary of Sh. Jawaharlal Nehru (14-Nov-2014 to 14-Nov-2015).

The Minister said, so far no complete and specific identification of such great personalities of India has been done by this Ministry. 

There is, at present, no proposal to do the documentation of all the social and religious reformers of the country.  However, documentation of the life and works of some of the leaders/ reformers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya and Swami Vivekananda has been done, the Minister added.

Important Commemorations Organised By Government of India

Sl. No.	Name of the Celebration	Year
1.	125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi	1994-95
2.	50th Anniversary of India’s Independence	1997-98
3.	Ter-Centenary of Birth of Khalsa	1999-00
4.	50th Anniversary of Indian Republic	2000-01
5.	Celebration of 2600th Years of Tirthankara Mahavira Janam Kalyanak	2001-02
6.	Birth Centenary of Jai Prakash Narayan	2002-03
7.	Celebration of Birth Centenary of Shri Choudhary Charan Singh	2002-03
8.	Celebration of Birth Centenary of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri	2004-05
9.	125th Birth Anniversary of Munshi Prem Chand	2005-06
10.	2550th Anniversary of Mahaparnirvana of Lord Buddha	2006-07
11.	Celebration of 150th Birth Anniversary of  the first war of Independence, 1857	2007-09
12.	Commemoration of Ter-Centenary of Gur-Ta-Gaddi	2008-09
13.	150th Birth Anniversary of  Rabindranath Tagore	2011-12
14.	150th Birth Anniversary of  Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya	2011-12
15.	150th Birth Anniversary of Motilal Nehru	2011-12
16.	Centenary of Ghadar Party	2013-14
17.	150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda	2013-14

Tourism Development in Telangana

            The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik has said that development and promotion of various tourism destinations & products is primarily the responsibility of the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration. The Ministry of Tourism, however, provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to various State Governments & Union Territory Administrations for tourism projects prioritised in consultation with them for each financial year, subject to availability of funds, inter-se-priority and adherence to scheme guidelines.

           

            In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Naik said, the Ministry of Tourism has prioritized projects, as detailed in the list enclosed as Annexure on the basis of prioritization meeting held on 10th January, 2014 between the officers of the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India and the officers of the erstwhile State Govt. of Andhra Pradesh for consideration for grant of CFA during the current financial year.

Annexure

List of Projects Prioritized For the State Government of Andhra Pradesh (Erstwhile) For the Year 2014-15

Mega Circuits:

a)      Warangal – Karimnagar Mega Circuit

b)      Kondapalli - Ibrahimpatnam and surrounding areas Mega Circuit.

Circuits:

a)      Rachakonda Fort – Arutla (Temple) – Rangapur Observatory-Galishahid Darga-Allapuram Village (Temples)-Narayanpur (Temples)- Sivanna Gudem Rock Formations-Valley of Banzaras Circuit.

b)      Guttikonda Bilam Cave-Pidugurali-Kondaveedu Fort- Kotappa Konda Temple Circuit, Guntur District

c)      Buddhist Circuit Srikakulam.

Destinations:

a)         Development of Nagarjunasagar

b)         Development of  Durgam Cheruvu Lake Hyderabad.

c)         Development of Heritage Theme Park in Hyderabad

d)        Sound & Light Show and area development in Srikalahasti

e)         Development of Khammam Fort and surrounding areas in Khammam District.

f)          Development of tourist places in Karimnagar District.

g)         Development of Perupalem Beach in West Godavari

h)         Development of Tourist Facilitaties in Temples of Panagal and Udayasamudram in Panagal, Nalagonda

Festivals:

a)      Kakatiya Festival

b)      Flamingo Festival

c)      Taramati Baradari Festival

d)     Kakinada Beach Festival

e)      Lepakshi Festival

Disclosure of Foreign Funds/Donations

Section 11 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 stipulates that no person having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social programme shall accept foreign contribution unless such person obtains a certificate of registration or prior permission from Central Government.

            As on 16/07/2014, a total number of 42,569 organisations have been registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.

Inspection of records and accounts of the associations is carried out where alleged violations of any of the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011 (FCRR) is received from various sources, including field agencies and also on the basis of the complaints received from public.  The number of on-site inspections carried out during the year is 55 in 2011, 29 in 2012, 33 in 2013 and 27 in the current year upto June.

The irregularities detected, in general, range across the following categories:

(i)                 Receipt of foreign contribution without registration or prior permission under FCRA.

(ii)               Not maintaining exclusive accounts for Foreign Contribution (FC) as required under FCRA.

(iii)             Non-submission of mandatory annual returns within the stipulated period.

(iv)             Transfer of FC to associations not registered under FCRA.

(v)               Utilization of FC amount for the purposes different from the grant or different from the objectives of the recipient association.

(vi)             Registration of assets from FC in the individual names rather than in the name of the association.

(vii)           Change of bank or bank account number without the prior permission of the Government.

(viii)         Changing the registered office of the association without intimation to the Government.

On the basis of inspection, action has been taken against the defaulting associations, which include cancellation of registration, prohibiting the association from receiving foreign contribution, suspension & freezing of bank account, referring cases for further investigation and prosecution to CBI/concerned State Police, compounding of offence by payment of prescribed monetary penalty.

Under FCRA, 2010 and FCRR, 2011, every bank has been mandated to report receipt of foreign contribution by persons not having registration/ prior permission thereunder as well as sending report to the Central Government within thirty days of receipt of any foreign contribution in excess of one crore rupees or equivalent in a single transaction or in transactions within a duration of thirty days by any person.  Besides, from time to time, on receipt of adverse inputs against a particular foreign donor, banks are advised through Reserve Bank of India to seek prior approval of the Government for crediting of funds in to the recipient account from such donor.

AIIMS-Like Institutes in the States

The Central Government has plans to set up AIIMS in each State in a phased manner under PradhanMantriSwasthyaSurakshaYojana (PMSSY) with the objective of correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/reliable tertiary healthcare services and also for augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the country. Four new AIIMS, one each in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidharba in Maharasthtra and Poorvanchal in Uttar Pradesh are under consideration. The Ministry has requested Chief Ministers of various States to identify appropriate locations for setting up of AIIMS. The State concerned has to provide, free of cost land measuring 200 acres and other required infrastructure such as suitable road connection, sufficient water supply, electricity connection of required load and regulatory/statutory clearances. Cost of construction and running of the new AIIMS would be met by the Central Government under PMSSY. After receipt of communication from the State, the identified locations are to be inspected by Central Teams before finalization of location. 

Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have responded so far. These responses are being examined in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 

Quitting of Jobs by CRPF Personnel

As reported by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the details of personnel, who have proceeded on voluntary retirement / resigned from service during 2009 to 2012 are as under:-

Year	Voluntary retirement	Resignation/ Discharge	Total
2009	3595	271	3866
2010	2801	822	3623
2011	2379	971	3350
2012	4854	830	5684
Total	13629	2894	16523

            From the above, it may be seen that the total number of personnel who have quit CRPF during said 4 years is ­­­­­16523, which is only about 1.47% of the Force strength per year.

                              

The causative factors in most of the cases were mainly found to be various personal and domestic reasons, including children/family issues, health/illness of self or family, social/family obligations and commitments etc. Some personnel seek voluntary retirement to enjoy a static life as well as pensionary benefits after completion of 20 years of regular service.

            The above said percentage of personnel, who have quit the CRPF during 2009 to 2012 is normal and acceptable. However, to further improve the working conditions, including health facilities, for the Force personnel, CRPF has taken/implemented measures like:-

(i)         Implementing a transparent, rational and fair leave policy;

(ii)        Liberal grant of leave to the force personnel to attend to their urgent domestic problems/issues/needs;

(iii)       Regular interaction, both formal and informal, among Commanders, officers and troops to find out and address their problems;

(iv)       Revamping of grievances’ redressal machinery;

 (v)       Regulating duty hours to ensure adequate rest and relief;

(vi)       Improving living conditions through provision of basic amenities/ facilities for the troops and their families;

(vii)      Motivating the Force personnel through increased risk, hardship and other allowances;

(viii)     Provision of STD telephone facilities to the troops to facilitate being in touch with their family members and to reduce tension in the remote locations;

(ix)       Better medical facilities for troops and their families including introduction of Composite Hospitals with specialized treatment facilities;

(x)        Organising talks by doctors and other specialists to address their personal and psychological concerns;

(xi)       Yoga and meditation classes for better stress management;

(xii)      Recreational and sports facilities and provision of team games and sports etc;

(xiii)     Providing welfare measures like Central Police canteen facility to the troops and their families and scholarships to their wards, etc;

(xiv)  Giving status of ex-CAPF personnel to the retired personnel of CAPF, which is expected to boost the morale of the existing CAPFs personnel and also expected to provide better identity,  community  recognition  and  thus  higher esteem and pride in the society to the Ex-CAPF personnel.

(xv)      The air courier service facility has been extended to CAPF personnel deployed in remote areas of North East and Jammu & Kashmir region including Leh as a welfare measure.

(xvi)     Men are being allowed to keep their family in peace areas, where family accommodations are available. They are also allowed to avail their prescribed Earned Leave and Casual Leave besides other admissible paternity/maternity leave etc. They are also provided free leave pass/LTC every year to visit their home town to reduce stress and strain.

         (xvii) Senior Time Scale is also allowed by the Govt to Asstt. Commandants and Medical Officers after completion of 4 years of regular service.

(xviii) Time bound financial upgradation up to the rank of IG (Medical) has been granted to the doctors (GDMOs & Specialists) under Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) Scheme.

(xix) While processing applications of resignations/VR, the personnel are briefed appropriately about the unemployment and financial hardship, which they may face outside after resignation/VR.