Jeevan Raksha Padak Announcement

The President of India has approved the conferment of Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards – 2012 on the following persons :-

Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak (3)

	Ms. Vineetha P.K. (Posthumous), Kerala Ms. Remya Rajappan (Posthumous), Kerala Smt. Sangeeta Agarwal (Posthumous), Uttarakhand
1.
2.
3.

Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak (10)

1.	Shri Rahul Kevat, Madhya Pradesh
2.	Shri Shivam Rajendra Pandey (Posthumous), Maharashtra
3.	Shri C. Thanthuama  (Posthumous), Mizoram
4.	Shri Liankanglova, Mizoram
5.	Shri Ramesh Kompalli Babu, Andhra Pradesh
6.	Ms. Lovely Verma (Posthumous), Uttar Pradesh
7.	Shri Kshetrimaym Rakesh Singh, Manipur
8.	Shri Mohammed Nishadh V.P., Kerala
9.	Ms. Prasannta Shandilya (Khushi), Jharkhand
10.	Ms. Mittal Mahendrabhai Patadiya, Gujarat

Jeevan Raksha Padak (37)

1.	Shri Sureshkumar C.S. (Posthumous), Kerala
2.	Shri Jishnu. V. Nair, Kerala
3.	Shri Pradeep Rai, Madhya Pradesh
4.	Shri Pradeep Shingare, Madhya Pradesh
5.	Shri Shahid Ismail Inamdar, Maharashtra
6.	Shri Ananda Ishwar Mane, Maharashtra
7.	Shri Shrikant Shamrao Mane, Maharashtra
8.	Shri Nitin Vilas Kore, Maharashtra
9.	Shri Lalramchhana, Mizoram
10.	Shri Lalchhuanliana, Mizoram
11.	Ms. Lalrinzuali, Mizoram
12.	Shri K.T. Chungnunga, Mizoram
13.	Shri Nisar Khan, Rajasthan
14.	Shri Aji Cherippanattu Kochu, Kerala
15.	Shri Kartik Uppal, Delhi
16.	Shri Sham Raj Kishor, Punjab
17.	Dr. Narendra Singh, Jammu & Kashmir
18.	Shri Takhelchangbam Devajit Sharma, Manipur
19.	Ms. Saudhita Barman (Posthumous), West Bengal
20.	Shri G. Parameswaran, Tamil Nadu
21.	Shri S.S. Madhu, Karnataka
22.	Shri Johnson Tourangbam, Manipur
23.	Shri Yandam Amara Uday Kiran, Andhra Pradesh
24.	Shri Phurailatpam Borish Sharma alias Bode, Manipur
25.	Shri Durgesh Singh, Chhattisgarh
26.	Shri Devashish Pandey, Chhattisgarh
27.	Shri Shubham Kumar Tiwari, Chhattisgarh
28.	Shri Raju Dhruv, Chhattisgarh
29.	Shri Vipin Patel, Chhattisgarh
30.	Shri Anshif C.K., Kerala
31.	Shri Suthrapu Shiva Prasad, Andhra Pradesh
32.	Shri Adithya Gopal (Posthumous), Arunachal Pradesh
33.	Shri Ranjan Pradhan, Chhattisgarh
34.	Shri Paramjeet, Haryana
35.	Shri Sahsad. K., Kerala
36.	Shri Dungar Singh, Rajasthan
37.	Ms. Anjali Singh Gautam, Chhattisgarh

            Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of humane nature in saving the life of a person.  The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak.  Persons of either sex in all walks of life are eligible for these awards.  The award can also be conferred posthumously.

            The decoration of the award (medal, certificate signed by the Home Minister and demand draft for lump sum monetary allowance) is presented to the awardee in due course by the respective State Government to which the awardee belongs.  The lump sum monetary allowance is given at the rate of 1,00,000, Rs.60,000, and Rs. 40,000 to the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Raksha Padak awardee respectively.

Railways Make Adequate Arrangments to Ensure Maximum Facilities for Pilgrims of Kumbh Mela - 2013

The Indian Railways has made elaborate and varied arrangements and undertaken several measures to provide adequate facilities for several lakhs of pilgrims who are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela which begins at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, from tomorrow i.e. 14th January 2013. Zonal Railways, especially North Central Railway (Headquarters: Allahabad), North Eastern Railway (Headquarters: Gorakhpur) and Northern Railway (Headquarters: Delhi) have geared up their respective machineries in a big way to ensure maximum facilities and comfort for the huge travelling public in connection with the Kumbh Mela. The special focus has been given in creating facilities in and around Allahabad. The measures and facilities undertaken by the Railway administration include additional ticketing, booking, enquiry counters, new Foot Over Bridges, escalators, new washable aprons, several special trains, extra coaches in popular trains, revamping of platforms and waiting halls, new enclosures with water taps and toilets, additional deployment of security, CCTV monitoring, medical facilities, deployment of additional staff,   effective mechanism for crowd management and officers’ committees for monitoring and supervision.  The details are as follows:-

Ø      Arrangements for temporary holding and dispersal of pilgrims, their Booking, comfort, safety etc., at Allahabad, Naini/Cheoki, Vindhyachal & Chitrakoot on North Central Railway, Allahabad City (Rambagh) & Jhusi of North Eastern Railway and Prayag & Prayag Ghat stations of Northern Railway.

·         Running of special Trains for dispersal.

·         Facilitation Arrangements in Sangam area Comprising Booking and Passenger information.

Ø      Major Works for Kumbh 2013:

·         New and wider Foot Over Bridge (FOB at Smith Road along with new Ticketing Counters for ease of access to platform  no. 4,5,6,7,8, 9 & 10.

·         New FOB at Naini.

·         Improvement of FOB stairs & platform surface at Allahabad and Naini Junctions.

·         Escalators installed and tested at Allahabad Junction.

·         Improvement in circulating area by covering of Hathi Nala and widening of Roads along with station building extension at Allahabad civil lines side.

·         New Washable aprons provided at platform 7, 8 & 9 at Allahabad and platform no. 3 & 4 at Naini.

·         Watering, coach maintenance & cleaning facilities have been augmented for Kumbh at Allahabad, Naini, Cheoki and Subedarganj.

·         All electric cables on FOB laid through cable trays at Allahabad Junction as a safety measure.

·         Extention of FOB to cover pf 3,4 & 5 at Allahabad city

·         Additional full length running line no 6 with platform facility at Allahabad city

·         Raising and extention of platform 5 upto medium level (550m) Allahabad city

·         Augmentation of hydrant pipe from 12 coaches to 18 coaches at pf 2 in Allahabad city

Summary of Additional Ticketing and enquiry counters:

                       

Item	Allahabad	Sangam	Naini/Cheoki	Vidhyanchal	Total
Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS)	63	10	38	04	115
National Train Enquiry Counter (NTES)	07	02	06	01	16
Passenger Reservation System (PRS)	--	02	--	--	02
TOTAL	70	14	44	5	133

WHO Congratulates India for National Regulatory Authority for Vaccines

WHO congratulated India on recent success in WHO’s assessment of the country’s National Regulatory Authority for Vaccines. In a message to BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting, Dr. Margaret Chan, DG, WHO congratulated Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & family Welfare on India’s recent success.

Greeting from Geneva, Dr. Chan said WHO requirements are stringent and the assessment of national regulatory capacity is rigorous. Regulatory oversight was declared functional, opening the way for the prequalification of individual vaccines and their international marketing. This success provides yet another example of how BRICS countries, in their drive to achieve domestic excellence, are contributing to better health throughout the developing world. BRICS countries occupy a unique and inspiring place in the international health community. These countries offer an alternative model for health development, where partners are not givers and takers, haves and have-nots, but true fellow-travellers. No so long ago, BRICS countries faced the same problems shared by most of the developing world today i.e. huge health needs among huge populations at a time when budgets are shrinking and costs are soaring.

Dr. Chan said BRICS countries have experienced a string of victories. The leadership coming from these countries resonate well with the developing world. BRICS countries are the champions of fairness, whether in trade agreements or in the prices of medicines. These countries are leading the way in providing universal healthcare to populations. This is comprehensive and affordable care. The solutions are home-grown and different in each country, but the goal is the same: fairness and social justice. BRICS countries have world-class researchers and academic institutions. These assets are contributing to drug discovery and development, especially for the neglected diseases that mainly affect the developing world.

Dr. Chan said BRICS countries have tremendous manufacturing capacity. These countries have become the principal source of generic medicines and several public health vaccines on the global market. BRICS countries have changed the dynamics of this market, getting prices down and improving the reliability of supplies.

Kumbha Mela – Issue of water and pollution in river Ganga

The Prime Minister has been monitoring the availability of adequate water from Tehri Dam in river Ganga at Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela. Directions have been given to control the pollution load flowing in river Yamuna during the Kumbh Mela period.

THDCIL (Tehri Hydro Development Corporation) has agreed to release 250 cumecs water from 21st December 2012 to 20th February 2013 and 220 cumecs water from 21st February 2013 to 28th February 2013 in view of demand of water for Allahabad 'Kumbh Snans'.

Instructions have also been given by PMO that Delhi Jal Board should ensure that the performance of the 72 MGD STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) at Keshavpur renovated/commissioned recently is stabilized so that it functions optimally and the effluent meets the norms. The Delhi Government has been asked to ensure that the performance of the STPs and CETPs (Common Effluent Treatment Plants) is optimized to meet the effluent quality norms.

At Sangam, Allahabad, the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) of Yamuna and Ganga is generally less than 6 mg/ltr but the main issue is of the colour of effluents discharged by the pulp and paper industries into the river Ram Ganga and Kali (both tributaries of Ganga). Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand SPCBs have been directed to ensure that all the paper units discharging their effluents into river Ganga or its tributaries comply with the prescribed norms. Monitoring of water quality in river Ram Ganga and river Kali and their tributaries is being initiated on a daily basis by the State Boards of Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh with the coordination of CPCB. Action will be taken against the industries for violating the norms. CPCB has issued show cause notices for closure to 23 tannery units in Unnao and Banther and based on the response received/action taken further course of action will be decided.

Chiranjeevi Announces Campaign “Land of Pi”

Recognizing the importance of cinema as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of various tourist destinations, Union Tourism Minister Shri K. Chiranjeevi  announced, several initiatives for promoting “Film Tourism” through films shot in India.  Announcing this in New Delhi today the Minister said that a “Land of Pi” campaign would be launched soon across all media, including print, online, electronic and outdoor, to promote Puducherry and Munnar as tourist destinations. The highlights of the campaign will be :

·        “Land of Pi” posters produced by Tourism Ministry will be displayed worldwide through the Indiatourism offices overseas. These would also be put on the “Incredible India” website and the websites of the Puducherry and Kerala Tourism Departments.

·        Luxury buses plying between Chennai and Puducherry and Kochi and Munnar will be branded with “Land of Pi” creatives.

·        Special “Land of Pi” tours and walking trails will be organized for tourists visiting Puducherry and Munnar . Maps depicting these tours have already been produced.

·        Short films and virals on the tourist attractions in Puducherry and Munnar which have been depicted in the film have been created and one being put on Youtube and other Social Media networks.

·        “Land of Pi” contests will be organized online, with two prizes given every month. The prize would be a holiday package to Puducherry or Munnar, including air tickets to Chennai / Kochi and local hospitality.

·        A boat that hints at “Life of Pi”, with a stuffed toy tiger will be permanently placed at two prominent locations in Puducherry, to provide a photo opportunity to visiting tourists. One location will be a child-safe shallow water near Puducherry’s Paradise Island and the other the soon-to-be-inaugurated Puducherry airport.

·        T’shirts and caps branding the two lands of Pi will be produced and distributed.

·        Online video games will be made as part of the campaign.

·        The campaign will be undertaken in English as well as in French, German, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese.

·        Road shows for promoting tourism to the country will be organized in China and Taiwan, where the film “Life of Pi” has been very well received. Mr. Ang Lee is of Taiwanese origin.

The widely acclaimed film “Life of Pi” has been partly shot in the beautiful locales of Puducherry (Pondicherry) and Munnar in Kerala. In order to enable viewers of the film to visit the two regions shown in the film,             Shri Chiranjeevi held a meeting last month with the Secretaries of Tourism of Puducherry and Kerala along with Tour Operators of the region, immediately after it was observed that the film had highlighted awareness of the two regions.

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Shri K. Chiranjeevi has already announced special National Tourism Awards for Mr. Ang Lee, Director and Mr. Yann Martel, author of the Book “Life of Pi”, for promoting India through the film.

Enactment of a Central Legislation to declare Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of Barak River as a National Waterway

The Union Cabinet today approved the introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for declaring Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch (121 kms.) of the Barak River as a National Waterway.

It also gave its approval for preparation of projects/schemes for development of infrastructure facilities on this stretch of the river at an estimated cost of Rs.123 crore with implementation in two phases. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) set up under IWAI Act, 1985 will be the implementing agency for this project. The first phase of the project would be completed by 2016-17 followed by the second phase which is likely to be completed by 2018-19.

The enactment to declare Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of the Barak River as National Waterway will result in unified development of the waterways for shipping and navigation and transportation of cargo to the North Eastern Region particularly in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Government of India has so far declared five waterways as National Waterways. These are:- (i) Allahabad-Haldia stretch of the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system (1620 km); (ii) Dhubri-Sadiya stretch of Brahmaputra River (891 km); (iii) Kottapuram-Kollam stretch of West Coast Canal along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals (205 km); (iv) Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of the canal along with designated stretches of Godavari and Krishna Rivers (1078 km); and (v) designated stretches of East Coast Canal, Brahmani River and Mahanadi Delta (588 km). The Lakhipur-Bhanga stretch of the Barak River would be the sixth National Waterway.

Reconstruction and completion of Salma Dam Project in Afghanistan by M/s WAPCOS Ltd.

The Union Cabinet today approved the revised cost estimates of Rs.1457.56 crore for reconstruction and completion of the Salma Dam Project (3X14 MW) in Afghanistan by M/s WAPCOS Ltd. towards civil, hydro-mechanical, electro-mechanical and other components of the dam till completion of the dam in December 2014 or two years from the date of approval of revised cost estimates.

The expenditure on the projects will be met from the Non-Plan head of 'Aid to Afghanistan' budget of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Cabinet had approved the proposal in June 2010 for the revised cost estimates of Rs.854.86 crore upto December 2010. The project has registered physical progress of 60 percent.

The project is being executed by M/s WAPCOS, a central PSU under the Ministry of Water Resources.

The local communities of Western Afghanistan would directly benefit from the project.

The availability of power and water through the project upon its successful completion will lead to overall economic development of Afghanistan's Western region and generate goodwill for India in Afghanistan. The completion of this project will address the issues of energy requirement and irrigation needs in Western Afghanistan.

Enhancement of unit assistance under the Indira Awaas Yojana

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Rural Development to provide a quality and affordable house and also taking into account numerous requests from the stakeholders for increasing the unit cost, keeping in view the steep increase in cost of materials. The approval is as follows:

(i) Enhancement of unit assistance under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) from Rs. 45,000/- to Rs. 70,000/- in plain areas and from Rs. 48,500/- to Rs. 75,000/- in hilly/difficult/LAP district;

(ii) Enhancement of unit assistance provided for homestead site to rural Below Poverty Line (BPL) households who have neither agricultural land nor a house site for purchase/acquisition of a homestead site from Rs.10,000/- to Rs.20,000/-. This was a major point in the Agreement between Govt. of India and Jan Satyagraha on 11th October 2012 at Agra.

The IAY is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development and aims at addressing rural housing issues by providing grant for construction / upgradation of dwelling units of BPL families especially giving priority to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, freed bonded labourers and physically challenged persons with financial assistance of Rs. 45,000/- in plain areas and Rs. 48,500/- in hilly /difficult areas.

Recapitalization of Public Sector Banks

The Union Cabinet today approved the following:

(i) To provide capital funds to Public Sector Banks (PSBs) during the year 2012-13 to the tune of Rs.12,517 crore to maintain their Tier-l CRAR at comfortable level, so that they remain compliant with the stricter capital adequacy norms under BASEL-III as well as to support internationally active PSBs for their national and international banking operations undertaken through their subsidiaries and associates.

(ii) 'In principle' approval of the Cabinet is accorded for need based additional capital infusion in PSBs from the year 2013-14 to 2018-19 for ensuring compliance to Capital Adequacy norms under Basel- III.

This will ensure compliance to the regulatory norms on capital adequacy and will cater to the credit needs of productive sectors of the economy as well as to withstand the impact of stress in the economy. This will also support national and international banking operations of PSBs and will boost the confidence of investors and market sentiments.

The infusion of Rs. 12,517 crore in the equity capital of PSBs would enable them to expand their credit growth. This additional availability of credit will cater to the credit needs of our economy and will also benefit employment oriented sectors, especially agriculture, micro & small enterprises, export, entrepreneurs etc. in promotion of their economic activities which would, in turn, contribute substantially to the growth of the economy.

The exact amount, mode of recapitalization and other terms and conditions in each PSB would be decided in consultation with them at the time of infusion.

Background

The Government is committed to keep all the PSBs financially sound and healthy so as to ensure that the growing credit needs of our economy are adequately met. To meet the credit requirement of the economy, banks would require capital funds commensurate to the increase in their Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs).

Implementation of Basel III Capital Regulations enhances requirement of core equity capital by banks due to higher capital ratios. The Basel III capital ratios will be fully phased in as on March 31 2018. The requirement of core equity will also increase due to increase in RWAs of banks under Basel III, as risk weights in the areas of credit risk including counterparty credit risk, external credit assessments and market risk are higher than those in present regime of Basel II.

In view of this, the Government has decided to infuse capital in PSBs during the year 2012-13.

Railways Relax Condition of Production of Original Proof of Identity during Journey

           

            Ministry of Railways has made some relaxation in the condition of production of original Proof of Identity during train travel and particularly for the passengers belonging to the lower economic classes. 

            Under this relaxation, attested photocopy of Ration Card with photograph and Nationalised Bank Passbook with photographs shall also be accepted as a prescribed proof of identity only in case of reserved tickets booked through computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters, for undertaking journey in Sleeper (SL) and Second Reserved Sitting (2S) classes.  The photocopy of the Ration Card with photograph and Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph should be attested by a Gazetted Officer or the Chief Reservation Supervisor or Station Manager/Station Master.  This relaxation applies only to Ration Card and Nationalized Bank Pass Book and not in case of other types of proofs of identity cards  for which  only original proof  will be required during journey.

            The above provision is not applicable for all classes of e-tickets and Tatkal tickets and tickets issued through PRS counter for travelling in Air-conditioned classes and First Class.  Travelling with these categories of tickets shall continue to be governed by existing instructions.

            This provision shall be made effective from 15.1.2013.

Justice Mehra Commission invites Suggestions by 18th January

                 Justice (Retd.) (Ms.) Usha Mehra Commission has been set up under Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 to enquire into various aspects of the shocking incident of rape and brutal assault of a young woman in Delhi on 16.12.2012 and to identify the lapses, if any, on the part of the police or any other authority or person that contributed to the occurrence.

                The Commission, therefore, invites suggestions, information and any other related material, in this regard from the members of public including professionals like lawyers, journalists, doctors, serving and retired police or defence personnel, NGOs and other social activists by Fax or E-mail or in writing latest by 18^th January 2013 on following addresses :

Justice (Retd.) (Ms.) Usha Mehra                                                                             Shri S.M. Aggarwal

Room No. 331 and 331(A)                                                                                             Convenor, Room No. 330

Vigyan Bhawan Annexe                                                                                                                Vigyan Bhawan Annexe

Telephone No. 23022365                                                                                              Telephone No. 23022363

Fax 23022364                                                                                                                     Fax 23022364

Email address : usha.mehracommission@nic.in         Email address : usha.mehracommission@nic.in

Increase in Rail Passenger Fares

Ministry of Railways has decided to increase the passenger fares  with effective from the midnight of 21^st January 2013 and 22^nd January 2013 (i.e. w.e.f. 0000 hours of 22-1-2013). This decision was announced today i.e. on 9th January 2013, by Minister of Railways Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal at a Press Conference held in Rail Bhawan.  Minister of State for Railways Shri. Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy and Railway Board Members were also present.

            The fare increase, class-wise, is as per the following table:

           

S No.	Class of Travel	Proposed per km increase in fares
i.	Second Class Ordinary (Suburban)	2 Paise
ii.	Second Class Ordinary (Non-Suburban)	3 Paise
iii.	Second Class (Mail / Express)	4 Paise
iv.	Sleeper Class	6 Paise
v.	AC Chair Car	10 Paise
vi.	AC 3-Tier	10 Paise
vii	First Class	03 Paise*
viii.	AC2-Tier	06 Paise*
ix.	AC First Class	10 Paise*