S.No. | Name of State | Name of the Member | Date of Retirement | Party affiliation |
| 1. | Andhra Pradesh | Shri Sd. Azeez Pasha | 02.04.2012 | CPI |
| 2. | Shri K. Keshava Rao | 02.04.2012 | INC | |
| 3. | Shri Dasari Narayana Rao | 02.04.2012 | INC | |
| 4. | Shri Mule Venkata Mysura Reddy | 02.04.2012 | Telgu Desam | |
| 5. | Shri Raashid Alvi | 02.04.2012 | INC | |
| 6. | Shri G. Sanjeeva Reddy | 02-04-2012 | INC |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Andhra Pradesh MP's Retirement
Eelection to the Council of States from the State of Bihar shall be held in accordance with the following programme:-.
| 1. | Issue of Notifications | 12th March, 2012 (Monday) |
| 2. | Last date of making nominations | 19th March, 2012 (Monday) |
| 3. | Scrutiny of nominations | 20th March, 2012 (Tuesday) |
| 4. | Last date for withdrawal of candidatures | 23rd March, 2012 (Friday) |
| 5. | Date of poll | 30th March, 2012 (Friday) |
| 6. | Hours of poll | 9.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M |
| 7. | Counting of Votes | 30th March, 2012 (Friday) at 5.00 P.M. |
| 8. | Date before which elections shall be completed | 1st April, 2012 (Sunday) |
58 members of the Rajya Sabha tenure expire
The term of office of 58 members of the Rajya Sabha elected from 15 States is due to on their retirement in April, 2012 as detailed below :-
S.No. | Name of State | No. of members retiring | Date of retirement |
1. | Andhra Pradesh | 6 | 02.04.2012 |
2. | Bihar | 6 | 02.04.2012 |
3. | Chhattisgarh | 1 | 02.04.2012 |
4. | Gujarat | 4 | 02.04.2012 |
5. | Haryana | 1 | 02.04.2012 |
6. | Himachal Pradesh | 1 | 02.04.2012 |
7. | Jharkhand | 2 | 02.04.2012 |
8. | Karnataka | 4 | 02.04.2012 |
9. | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 02.04.2012 |
10. | Maharashtra | 6 | 02.04.2012 |
11. | Uttar Pradesh | 10 | 02.04.2012 |
12. | Uttarakhand | 1 | 02.04.2012 |
13. | West Bengal | 5 | 02.04.2012 |
14. | Odisha | 3 | 03.04.2012 |
15. | Rajasthan | 3 | 03.04.2012 |
Total = 58 Seats | |||
The Election Commission has decided that the biennial elections to the Council of States from the States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Rajasthan shall be held in accordance with the following programme:-.
| 1. | Issue of Notifications | 12th March, 2012 (Monday) |
| 2. | Last date of making nominations | 19th March, 2012 (Monday) |
| 3. | Scrutiny of nominations | 20th March, 2012 (Tuesday) |
| 4. | Last date for withdrawal of candidatures | 22nd March, 2012 (Thursday) |
| 5. | Date of poll | 30th March, 2012 (Friday) |
| 6. | Hours of poll | 9.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M |
| 7. | Counting of Votes | 30th March, 2012 (Friday) at 5.00 P.M. |
| 8. | Date before which elections shall be completed | 1st April, 2012 (Sunday) |
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Ghatowar addresses Saakshar Bharat Yatra in Darrang, Assam
The Union Minister of State (I/C) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar has addressed Saakshar Bharat Yatra at Dumunichowki in Darrang (Assam) today. The Saakshar Bharat Yatra, a flagship programme and a new variant of National Literacy Mission launched by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on 8th September, 2009. Shri Ghatowar said that the mission is primarily focusing on women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, adolescents and other disadvantaged groups in rural areas. The programme is being implemented in 372 districts across the country. About 78,000 Adult Education Centres have been set up and about 1.46 lakh Preraks have been engaged. Nearly 66 lakh learners are participating in the basic literacy programme.
The Minister stated that the main objective of Saakshar Bharat Yatra is to carry out a nationwide campaign for mobilization of public opinion and enthusiasm towards the importance and need of Literacy and Life Long Education. It also aims at conducting widespread Jan Vachan programmes for refocusing the public mind on issues connected with literacy and lifelong education and to create a demand for a major rural reading and library movement as the back bone for the lifelong education programmes in the country.
The Yatra commenced from Delhi on 18th February, 2012 and would cover 22 States, 180 districts, 1000 blocks, over 16,000 Gram Panchayats throughout India which will culminate at Delhi on 26-27 March, 2012.
Farm scientists, state functionaries to discuss farm issues, devise strategy for next season
Focus to be on health, water management, small machinery and extension
Top government functionaries and scientists dealing with agriculture from all States and Union Territories are meeting here next week for two days to discuss strategies to be adopted in the ensuing cropping season, the kharif. The National Conference will be inaugurated by Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar on Monday.Focus to be on health, water management, small machinery and extension
One key area for deliberations would be soil health. The emphasis will be on promoting use of bio-fertilizers and micro-nutrients, and balanced use of chemical fertilizers. Specific problems of soil degradation due to excess salts, acids and alkalis in soil, and area-specific nutrient deficiencies will be discussed to evolve strategies to deal with them.
Water conservation and management, especially in drylands is a prime consideration for crops in summers. The conference is, therefore, going to review in detail the availability of water during summers and devise ways to deal with any eventuality caused by variations in monsoon. Special focus is to be given to technical knowhow, timely advisories and timely supply of inputs. Since majority of farmers in dryland areas are small, focus will be on supporting them with agronomic practices to be adopted and inputs provided to farmers in dryland areas to improve crop productivity.
Since small and marginal farmers find it difficult to purchase farm machinery, government is promoting use of small machinery by setting up of custom hiring centres. The Conference will also provide a platform to share progressive states’ experiences on the matter and encourage others to adopt them.
It has been observed that many states have not been paying adequate attention to strengthening extension infrastructure which is essential for taking research to the farmer’s field. The Centre is likely to exhort states to work towards filling up posts of field extension staff, making use of mass media for reaching crop advisories to farmers, professionalising Kisan Call Centres in their areas, and establishing agri-clinics and agri-business centres.
The strategies evolved after detailed discussions on important farm matters in the National Conference will be followed by States in the kharif season. Kharif is the major crop season in India. Paddy (rice), jowar (sorghum), bajra (pearl millet), maize, arhar (pigeon pea), urad (black gram), mung (green gram), groundnut, sunflower and soybean are major food and edible-oil crops grown in this season.
MPLADS Funds to be Available for PYKKA and USIS move to give fillip to creation of sports facilities under PYKKA and USIS
Union Minister of State (I/C), for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Ajay Maken today informed that MPs across the country could use their Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds for augmenting and creating adequate sports infrastructure in their constituencies under the PYKKA and USIS schemes of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. For addressing the problem of lack of adequate sports facilities in the country, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has introduced the Scheme of Panchayat Yuva Krida aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) in 2008-09 for creation and development of basic sports facilities in all village and block panchayats of the country in a phased manner and the Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) in 2010-11 for creation/development of sports infrastructure in urban areas. Both the schemes have been received well. Under PYKKA, grant of Rs.1 lakh and Rs.5 lakh is provided for creation of play fields in village panchayats and block panchayats respectively. Under USIS, the level of assistance is about Rs.5.00 – 6.00 crore for creation of multipurpose halls, athletic tracks, football, hockey turfs etc.
It was felt by many MPs that that the levels of financial assistance under the Schemes of PYKKA and USIS are not adequate for creating sufficient number of sports facilities in the country. For addressing this problem with the objective of augmenting the availability of funds for creation and development of sports facilities, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports had been actively pursuing with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation for allowing convergence with Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).
With this convergence, it would be possible to use funds from MPLADS for PYKKA with the objective of creating more durable assets and in large numbers. MPs would be able to recommend under MPLADS works such as development of playfields including leveling of playgrounds in hilly areas, construction of boundary wall, etc., and durable assets in village panchayats and block panchayats. Similarly in urban areas, MPs would be able to recommend works such as multi-purpose halls, athletic tracks, football, hockey turfs etc.
Under 14 Table Tennis Team to Participate in Event at Manila
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has approved the participation of Indian Under-14 Table Tennis team for ITF 14 and under Championship (Group-I) to be held at Manila, Philippines, from 12th -18th March, 2012. The team consists of seven members (3 boys, 3 girls and 1 coach). The team is as follows:
| S.N. | Name of the Players (Boys) | S.N. | Name of the Players (Girls) |
| 1. | Nikshep Ballerkere Ravikumar | 4. | Pranjala Yadalapalli |
| 2. | Alex Solanki | 5. | Vanshika Sawhney |
| 3. | Aryan Goveas | 6. | Himani More |
| | Coach/ Official | ||
| 7. | Narendra Nath Surat | ||
Thursday, March 1, 2012
5 MWp Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant Commissioned in Rajasthan
Extension of Closing Date of National Agricultural Innovation Project
The project has spent about Rs.800 crore till now and balance of about Rs.400 crore will be utilized for remaining project period including extended period.
Started in September 2006 the project has been making positive changes in organizational efficiency, effectiveness, agricultural value chains, livelihood security in disadvantaged areas, capacity building and basic and strategic research. The project will be implemented as per the approved technical program.
The project is contributing to sustainable transformation of Indian agricultural sector from an orientation of primary food self-sufficiency to more of a market orientation in support of poverty alleviation and income generation. During the extension period the project will achieve its development objectives.
Background :-
National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) is a World Bank and Government of India funded project being implemented by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India (GOI). The project was originally scheduled to close on December 31, 2012. The first stage of the project took about 18 months extra time due to the fact that innovative research projects were to be submitted. The second stage will take time as envisaged and the project will be able to achieve objectives by completing approved technical programme by June 30, 2014.
Railway Revenue Earnings up by 5.97 per cent during the Period 11th to 20th February 2012
The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 1922.14 crore during the period from 11th to 20th February 2011 to Rs. 2033.22 crore during 11th February to 20th February 2012, showing an increase of 5.81 per cent. The total passenger revenue earnings during the period 11th to 20th February 2012 were Rs. 857.25 crore compared to Rs. 799.72 crore during the same period last year, reflecting an increase of 7.19 per cent. The revenue earnings from other coaching amounted to Rs. 74.86 crore during this period compared to Rs. 68.57 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 9.17 per cent.
The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during the period 11th to 20th February 2012 were 231.93 million compared to 217.30 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 6.73 per cent. In the suburban and non-suburban sectors, the numbers of passengers booked during 11th to 20th February 2012 were 125.89 million and 106.04 million compared to 116.23 million and 101.07 million during the same period last year, registering an increase of 8.31per cent and 4.92 per cent respectively.
National Tourism Awards 2010-2011
The President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil gave away National Tourism Awards to 78 awardees in over 50 categories. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India annually presents National Tourism Awards to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. These awards are presented to State Governments / Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organizations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields and also to encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism.In an attempt to encourage States and Union Territories to put into place effective mechanisms for maintaining cleanliness at tourist destinations, a new Category of award for “The Best State : Campaign Clean India” has been introduced. In addition two new categories of awards for the “Best Heritage City” and “Best Heritage Walk” have also been introduced.
Some of the important recipients of Awards were the States of Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, the New Delhi Railway Station, leading Tour Operators and Hotels, amongst others.
Best Rural Tourism Project
Rural Tourism Project at Srikalahasti, District Chittor, Andhra Pradesh.Best Heritage City
HyderabadBest Airport
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, HyderabadHealth outlay to be increased to 2.5 % of GDP
Health outlay to be increased to 2.5 % of GDP
As directed by the Prime Minister a meeting was held in PMO on Government’s priorities in Health sector, particularly over the next 5 years. The meeting specifically focused on implementation of recommendations of the National Commission for Macroeconomics & Health (NCMH) and the High Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Health set up by Planning Commission. The Prime Minister has emphasized the need for increased outlay on health sector during 12th Plan so that adequate funds are made available for the sector. He has also stated that though funds for the Health sector will not be a constraint, there is a need to create adequate capacity at the centre and the states to meaningfully absorb the increased outlay.
The meeting decided that we must work towards increasing the total government health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the Twelfth Plan: currently it is around 1.4%. The Planning Commission was requested to allocate adequate resources to achieve the target. As health is primarily a State subject, the outlay of States for health would be critical in achieving this target. The Planning Commission may motivate and incentivize the States to allocate more funds for the health sector. For this purpose the Planning Commission in consultation with the Health Ministry will also work out an appropriate mechanism / scheme for this purpose.
The Health Ministry is working towards the goal of Universal Health Care for all. In the meeting it was decided that the Ministry may specifically focus on the following:
a) Health Ministry has proposed a new initiative called 'Free medicine for all through Public Health Facilities' under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The Cabinet has approved the setting up of a Central Procurement Agency for bulk procurement of drugs. Ministry may set up the CPA early and prepare Standard Treatment Protocols.
b) Strengthening facilities at the Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and District Hospital so as to provide a minimum package of care to all citizens through provision of cashless, hassle free outpatient, inpatient and diagnostic care and supply of essential medicines. Ambulance services will be strengthened to provide access to health services to far off and inaccessible areas.
c) Strengthening enforcement mechanism of drug control. The Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill may be examined early so that it is introduced in Parliament soon.
d) In order to focus on prevention of disease and promotion of good health the Ministry will work closely with agencies dealing with social determinants of health like nutrition, safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation and education. The Ministry will also work towards strengthening of public health through creation of necessary human resources capacities at all levels. An approach paper for induction of Health Managers and creation of a Public Health Cadre is to be prepared for inclusion in the 12th Plan.
e) Building human resources for health through producing adequate number of doctors, nurses, ANMs and other paramedics. In this regard the Ministry may work towards getting the National Commission on Human Resources in Health (NCHRH) Bill passed by the Parliament early.
f) Ministry may prepare a clear roadmap to merge all the NRHM schemes to bring them under one umbrella. The merger may begin with the coming financial year and the process may be completed by 2013-14.
g) The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 has been passed by the Parliament. This may be brought into effect soon so that its provisions are operationalized early.
h) The work on establishment of the National Centre for Disease Control may be completed in 2 years time. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Project may be strengthened with setting up of public health laboratories in districts and states.
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