Government of China’s Sichuan province invitation to State Government of Telanagan

Government of China’s Sichuan province has extended an invitation to Honorable Chief Minister Sri.K.Chandrashekar Rao and his accompanying delegation from the Telangana state to visit Chengdu, Sichuan province, to strengthen friendly relations between Telangana state and Sichuan province, in view of promoting business and cultural cooperation between these two.

In a letter to the Chief Minister’s Office Ms.Zhang Tao, Deputy Director General of Sichuan Foreign affairs Office mentioned that both Sichuan province and Telangana State are very similar in their history, culture and resources.

She said that, stories told of dynasties and kings who ruled these lands, where tales were inscribed in history so deep that, they have now become legends or even myths.

The letter described that, both Sichuan province and Telangana have carvings and sculptures of Lord Buddha and his teachings are practiced and preached very devoutly.

The Deputy Director General also mentioned that Telangana economically is driven by agriculture and both Sichuan and Telangana are among the richest in mineral resources and both are heavy industry centers of their respective countries.

Ms.Zhang Tao, informed through the letter that Chengdu the capital of Sichuan is also the headquarters of Donfang Electric Corporation Ltd., the Worlds largest power equipment manufacturer. Considering the fact that Telangana state is in need of large capacity of power projects at the earliest, cooperation between related parties in this subject should be discussed and an MOU should be signed as and when the visit of the Chief Minister materializes mentioned in the letter.

Metro Luxury A.C Buses

Chief Minister Sri K.Chandrashekar Rao inaugurating (TSRTC) Metro Luxury A.C Buses at Necklace Road.

Union Minister Sri Bandaru Dattatreya, Dy CM Sri Mohd. Mahamood Ali, Ministers Sri P Mahender Reddy, Sri Nayini Narasimha Reddy, Sri Padma Rao, Hyderabad Mayor Sri Mohammad Majid Hussain, Sri Chintala Ramachandra Reddy BJP MLA were among the dignitaries who graced the occasion

Industrial Policy Framework for State of Telangana (2014)

The Telangana State Government has conducted detailed studies and consulted experts to identify the competitive advantages the state can have, given its geographical location, available resources and skill-base, raw material availability, existing manufacturing practices and expertise, and opening up of new opportunities. Accordingly, the Telangana State Government recognizes the following 14 sectors as thrust areas, investments in which will be accorded a higher priority over others.

1 Life Sciences—including, bulk drugs, formulations,vaccines, nutraceuticals, biologicals, incubation centers, R&D facilities and medical equipment

2 IT Hardware including bio-medical devices, electronics, cellular communications, FAB

3 Precision Engineering, including aviation, aerospace, defence

4 Food processing and nutrition products including dairy, poultry, meat and fisheries

5 Automobiles, Transport Vehicles, Auto-components, Tractors and Farm Equipment

6 Textiles and Apparel, Leather and leather value added products like shoes, purses, bags, artificial material infused and coated textiles, paper and paper products

7 Plastics and Polymers, Chemicals and Petro-chemical, glass and ceramics

8 FMCG and Domestic Appliances

9 Engineering and Capital Goods, including castings, foundry and Ferro-alloys and other metallurgical industries

10 Gems and Jewellery

11 Waste Management and Green Technologies

12 Renewable Energy and Solar Parks

13 Mineral-based and wood-based Industries

14 Transportation/Logistic Hub/Inland Port/Container Depot

Role of Changing Technology in Cinema: A Discussion

A panel discussion on technology versus creativity in cinema was held at the 45th IFFI . Ashok Rane, the Director of Indian Film Academy opined that while technology on one hand has made cinema production easier, it has snatched away the longevity of the film on the other. The story value in the film is being undermined by technology as the producers are focusing on technology at the cost of the story. 

Another panelist, Dr. Rashmi Doraiswamy, who is a Professor at the Academy of Third World Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, subscribing to the observations of Mr. Rane said that, technology has driven mankind to a mad race and the same has happened in cinema also. In technology there is no space for silence and instead of mind, the cinema is catering to the body. She however, appreciated technology for making low-budget films possible. 

Noted film scholar and critic, Shri M.K. Raghavendra put forth the capacity of the technology in film making. Replying to a query he said that science fictions have nothing to do with progress in the field of science and a number of countries who have made strides in science have hardly rolled out much science fictions. 

Releasing of Undertrials who have Served Half of Maximum Sentence

The Government is considering to free undertrials who have served half of their maximum terms of sentence. The following measures have been taken by the Government in this regard-

(i) An advisory has been issued by the Government of India on 17.1.2013 to the States/UTs regarding use of section 436A of the Cr.P.C to reduce overcrowding of prisons. The same can also be accessed on the website of Ministry of Home Affairs at the link: 

http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/AdvSec436APrisons-060213_0.pdf

(ii) Hon’ble Supreme Court in its order dated 5.9.2014 in Writ Petition No. 310/2005 – Bhim Singh Vs Union of India & Others relating to undertrial prisoners, has directed for effective implementation of Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure by directing the jurisdictional Magistrate/Chief Judicial Magistrate/Sessions Judge to hold one sitting in a week in each jail/prison for two months commencing from 1st October, 2014 for the purposes of effective implementation of section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In its sittings in jail, the above judicial officers shall identify the under-trial prisoners who have completed half period of the maximum period or maximum period of imprisonment provided for the said offence under the law and after complying with the procedure prescribed under Section 436A pass an appropriate order in jail itself for release of such under-trial prisoners who fulfill the requirement of section 436 A of Cr P. C. 

(iii) An advisory dated 27.9.2014 has also been issued by the Government of India to the States/UTs on reckoning half-life of time spent in judicial custody of Undertrial prisoners under Section 436A of Cr. P.C. The same can also be accessed on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the link: 

http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/GuidelinesForRreckoningHalfLife_161014.pdf

As per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) at the end of 2013, out of the total population of 4,11,992 inmates in jails, the total number of undertrial prisoners in the country was 2,78,503, which constitutes 67.6% of total inmates. 

The Union Home Minister has written to the Chief Ministers of all States/UTs on 3.9.2014 regarding use of section 436A of Cr. P.C. to reduce overcrowding in jails of the country. 

DG (Prisons)/IG (Prisons) of all States/UTs have also been requested by the Government of India on 22.9.2014 to take necessary action to comply with the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Bhim Singh Vs Union of India & Others. 

This was stated by Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to Shri S.Thangavelu in the Rajya Sabha

ational Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (NOTTO)

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) has been set up in New Delhi. It has become partially functional. It will result in ensuring increased availability of organs/tissues retrieved from deceased donors and help save lives of many persons suffering from end stage organ failure. 

Since health is a State subject, the Government of India will provide support to States under the National Organ Transplant Programme to set up Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations/State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations. It is envisaged that all new AIIMS like institutions including the one at Bhubaneswar would eventually have such a facility. 

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha 

Amendment in Citizenship and Visa Laws

There is no proposal to amend the Citizenship Act and visa rule for Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals living in India on Long Term Visa. However, the facilities provided to these foreigners are reviewed from time to time, as and when required. The Government of India has initiated the process to amend suitably clauses (a), (c), (f) and (g) of sub-section (1) of Section 5 and Section 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 to relax the prescribed period of one year of continuous stay of foreigners in India immediately before making an application for citizenship. 

This was stated by Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in Lok Sabha

ICT Can Help Government Empower PwDs and Lead to their Inclusion- Says Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment

The UNESCO’s International Conference “From Exclusion to Empowerment: Role of ICTs for Persons with Disabilities” was held here today. The inaugural session was addressed by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Human Resource Development and Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. 

The following is the text of the speech by Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot at the Conference: “My Government is focusing on a seven point agenda relating to the disability sector. These include enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill to fulfil our international obligation post ratification of the UNCRPD; using technology to deliver low-cost, home-based education through e-learning; issue of Universal ID to each and every person with disability for availing government benefits; developing income generations models to ensure economic independence; ensuring access to public facilities, public buildings and transport; aid and support to voluntary organizations; and tax relief to the family members taking care of persons with disabilities. 

“As you all are aware, India was among the first countries to ratify the UNCRPD. The National Policy for Persons with Disabilities of 2006 recognizes that Persons with Disabilities are a valuable resource for the country, and seeks to create an environment that provides them every opportunity to participate fully in society. 

“According to the Census of India 2011, there are 2.68 crore Persons with Disabilities in the country, which constitutes 2.2% of our population. In order to create an inclusive society, the Government, development partners, civil society and disability sector experts are working together to ensure protection of the rights of Persons with Disabilities through a range of early intervention services, protection of rights, provision of aids and assistive devices and promoting accessibility in public buildings. Inclusion means providing equal opportunities in education, skill development, economic empowerment and ensuring full participation of Persons with Disabilities in family, cultural and social life; in administrative and political spheres. It is our collective duty to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are empowered to lead a safe and dignified life as citizens of India. 

“To achieve this end, a standalone Department of Disability Affairs was created in May, 2012 which has initiated since then many new initiatives. The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India, (ALIMCO) our state owned enterprise, manufactures wide range of cost-effective ISI marked assistive devices on a mass scale for disabled people. Since its inception in 1974, it has enabled 4.2 million people. The Department of Disability Affairs is administering 3 legislations namely Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, National Trust Act, 1999 and Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992. It is supported by 7 National Institutes, 3 statutory bodies namely Rehabilitation Council of India, National Trust and Office of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and 2 Central Public Sector Undertakings namely ALIMCO and NHFDC. The Department is in the process of establishing the National Institute of Inclusive and Universal Design, Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre, National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation, Centre for Disability Sports and Centre for Disability Research. 

“Day by day, new trends in science and technology have enabled ICT applications to meet the various needs of persons with disabilities. The Hon'ble Prime Minister of India has announced a nationwide campaign for a "Digital India" which would bring ICTs to the doorstep of every Indian citizen. The Prime Minister has emphasized the critical role ICTs play in good governance and in enhancing inclusive growth and development. This is an important opportunity to work towards integrating ICTs with a wide range of other offline systems and services. 

“This high-level International Conference on the role of ICTs for persons with disabilities should contribute to meeting our vision of inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in India and worldwide and should benefit from a range of ICT -based applications. I hope that this Conference will give a new impetus to the partnerships and technological innovation efforts to improve the status of persons with disabilities and also combating poverty in developing countries. We trust this Conference will provide a road-map for a more inclusive society, which prevents discrimination and encourages participation of Persons with Disabilities in all spheres of life. I also hope that this conference also explores how best ICT could be used for the economic empowerment of PwDs”. 

Present on the occasion were MoS SJE, Vijay Sampla, Secretary, Department of Disability Smt. Stuti Kakkar, official of the Ministry and delegates from UNESCO. 

Facts at A Glance- Jharkhand

Phase-I of Poll -25-11-2014

S. No.	Item	Number of Assembly Constituencies going on poll= 13
1.	Total Electors	Male          –  1784848 Female      –  1577090 T. Gender  -              2   Service   -           3840 NRI Voters:   0     ------------------------------  Total  -          3365780
2	Electors Age group 18-19	115863(M)	82603 (F)	Total=198466
3	Number Types of Assembly Constituencies	General :  06 SC :         03  ST:          04
4	Total number of Candidates	199
5	Assembly Constituencies  having more than 16 candidates	05
6	Assembly Constituencies  having more than 32 candidates	00
7	Total Number of Female candidates	18
8	No. and Name of the Assembly Constituency with maximum No. of  Candidates	76-Daltonganj 26 Candidates
8	No. & Name of the Assembly Constituency with  minimum number of Candidates	27-Chatra 07 Candidates
10	Party-wise list of candidates:	BJP			12
		BSP			12
		CPI			6
		CPIM			2
		INC			7
		NCP			5
		AJSU			1
		JVM(P)			11
		RJD			6
		JMM			12
		Registered Political Parties (other then recognised National and State)			53
		Independents			72
		Total No. Of candidates			199
11	Largest Assembly constituency Electorate wise	27-Chatra   - Electors-339159
12	Smallest Assembly constituency Electorate wise	68-Gumla -      213110
13	Number of General, Expenditure, Police & Awareness Observers  deployed	General Observers -          13   Expenditure Observers  -    08 Police  Observers            -  02 Awareness Observers-        02 Micro Observers           -     126
14	No. of Polling Personnel deployed ( approx)	35425 (APPROX)
15	No. of  Polling Stations	3939 + 22 AUXILLARY = 3961
16	Number of EVMs to be used in the elections	Control Units -    3961 Ballot Units -      5637
17	Polling Station Location	3061 after relocation

‘Vithya’, ‘Womb on Rent’ and ‘A Rainy Day’ Discussed on IFFI Platform

A press briefing on three regional films ‘Vithya’ (Marathi Non-feature Film), ‘Womb on Rent’ (English Non-Feature Film) and ‘A Rainy Day’ (Marathi Feature Film) was held at 45th IFFI 

Director PrassanaPondeexpressed that his film Vithya deals with the hardships that the villagers from his village face due to the pathetic conditions of the roads. Inspired from a personal experience he confronted with regard his village road was the reason behind he making the film. KetakiPonde, the producer of the film also spoke to the press. 

The director of ‘Womb on Rent’ Mrs. Ishani K. Duttanarrated her movie to be an emotional journey of a surrogate mother, right from the day she signs a 'bond' that puts her womb on rent. She agreed that she could not sum up the whole facets of the problem that surrogacy has intrinsic, yet she made every effort to bring forth crux of the problem. Replying to a query she informed that the surrogacy industry involves 50 thousand crore rupees across the world. 

Rajendratalak, Director of ‘A Rainy Day’, highlighted that the film deals with the greed of a person that leads to corruption at various levels. He also said that corruption is an issue which can be prevented if everyone decides not to indulge in it. The best part of the film is the narration of the story by using natural sound without any background music.He said,ResulPookotty and AmritPritamDutta were instrumental in arranging the natural sound. 

Shri Ajit Doval, NSA, appointed as the Special Representative of India to conduct boundary negotiations and strategic consultations with China

Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Adviser (NSA), has been appointed as the Special Representative of India to conduct boundary negotiations and strategic consultations with China. This arrangement will be part of NSA's overall assignment

New Experiments in Documentaries Section

The Director of ‘My Father Namgyal’ Utpal Das, Editor of the film PurnangShupaul and the Director of ‘EkHotaKau’ VijuGopal Mane interacted with the media at 45th IFFI briefing about experiments being made in documentaries making in India. 

Utpal Das who has shot this entire film with a DSLR camerasaid that his film deals with an account of the old man who had to leave his home in Tibet and flee to India for refuge. It also depicts his faith that he would visit his homeland someday. He informed that the film has been shot by him alone. 

Purnang Shupaul, stated that north-east India should be explored by the film makers to gain advantage of natural locations. There exists lots of scope for film projects in the north eastern part of India. 

Speaking about the film, VijuGopal Mane said that in our society, the fairest person is considered as confident person. This story is crafted around inferiority complex of the protagonist of the story due to his dark skin. 

Student Filmmakers are Promising and Full of Original Concepts: Prof. B. Diwakar

Professor of Cinematography in JamiaMilliaIslamia, New Delhi, B.Diwakar, Director of the student film ‘Srinivas’, SatyajitGanu and AnishaSaigal addressed a press conference today at 45th IFFI. 

Professor B. Diwakar said that the budding filmmakers are promising and full of original concepts. One should be passionate about cinema and Film institutes can only mould them to a certain extent. IFFI is providing suitable platform to student filmmakers to promote good cinema. Answering the question regarding budget constraints for the student filmmakers, he said that budget constraints make filmmakers more disciplined and creative. Constraints are the mother of creation, he added. 

SatyajitGanu, speaking about the film said that Srinivas is the story about the aspirations of a young boy which he expresses in the form of an essay. AnishaSaigal said that the film deals with imagination of a twelve-year-old boy about an ideal set of parents and home which the protagonist is always deprived of. 

Kharif Rice Area Coverage

As per data released by Directorate of Economics & Statistics, acreage under kharif rice as on October 31, 2014 has increased to 380.30 lakh hectare as compared to 376.73 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year.

Preliminary Rabi area coverage is as under:

(lakh hectare)

Crop	Area sown in 2014-15	Area sown in 2013-14
Jowar	12.81	20.21
Maize	1.13	0.90
Total coarse cereals	14.13	21.55
Total oilseeds	20.31	17.94
Total pulses	7.84	6.66

         

         

           

GG : CP :weather watch (31.10.2014)

Agreement on the abolition of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official/service passports between India Albania

    The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for signing of the agreement on the abolition of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official/service passports between India Albania. 

The agreement will facilitate Visa-free travel for diplomatic and official/ service passport holders of one country while entering into, transiting through, exiting from or staying for up to 90 days in the territoryof the other country. 

Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC) clears 125 accreditation cases

The 172nd meeting of the Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC) was held here today at the National Media Centre, New Delhi. The committee comprises 25 members drawn from the media fraternity with the Director General (Media and Communications) of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) as its Chairperson. At its meeting held today, the CPAC cleared a total of 125 cases of accreditation

India favours ban on e-cigarettes

Dr Harsh Vardhan outlines proactive measures against tobacco use

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, is in favour of a complete ban on e-cigarettes and all products described as “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)”. 

In his clearest message yet on the controversy over the safety of ENDS, Dr Harsh Vardhan ruled out their acceptability in the light of research findings by experts which have held that they are no less unsafe than the “real thing”. 

The Minister, who was addressing global tobacco control experts at the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday, said that e-cigarettes and similar products push children towards the tobacco habit eventually via nicotine dependence. 

“In our national consultation it has been shown that children and other non-smokers tend to develop nicotine addiction at a rate greater than situations where ENDS did not exist. And after that the slide to tobacco is practically inevitable,” he said. 

Dr Harsh Vardhan, who is credited with writing the first ever anti-smoking consumption law in the country –The Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers’ Health Protection Act, 1996 – received a rousing reception at the meeting. The Union is a 94-year-old forum dealing with lung diseases, TB and tobacco issues. 

He however pointed out that banning ENDS should not be an end in itself. “The success of a ban strategy will depend on how we agree to control illicit trade and cross border sales of such products. The use of the Internet for this trade should also be curbed.” 

India is home to 275 million tobacco users. The use of smokeless tobacco has become a major public health menace, which, if not checked in time with strong measures, could become a national threat. The aggressive marketing strategies marked by attractive packaging, flavouring and price-cuts represent a major challenge for the government. 

Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “I am sure all experts present here are aware of the power of the tobacco industry. India is committed to taking proactive measures to counter the challenges they throw up.” 

In this context, he mentioned India’s recent climbing to the first position among countries notifying mandatory printing of warnings on the largest surface area of packages containing cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. The new rules demand pictorial health warnings on 85 percent on both sides of tobacco packs. 

The government’s clamping of the highest ever rates of taxes and reduction of duty free allowance on all tobacco products has in fact become a test case of State intervention. Delegates here greeted Dr Harsh Vardhan’s advocacy behind this Union Budget announcement and sought his advice on similar proposals considered in other countries. 

Dr Harsh Vardhan said that he had a definite road map for the future. This includes institutionalising a 24-hour telephone helpline (to be called “Quitline”) to counsel tobacco users who are fighting the habit. Also on the anvil are five tobacco testing laboratories at the national and regional levels, setting up 27 new state tobacco control cells during the present financial year and Amendments to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 to ensure better implementation and enforcement.