Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011

For the success of any targeted approach, the identification of the real beneficiaries is of paramount importance. Thus the Central Government has decided to conduct a Socio Economic and Caste Survey of the national population in the year 2011. The Socio Economic and Caste Census would be carried out by the respective State Government with the financial and technical support of the Government of India. It was launched on 29th June 2011 in Hazemora Block in West Tripura.

The SECC, 2011 has the following three objectives:

1. To enable households to be ranked based on their socioeconomic status. State Governments can then prepare a list of families living below the poverty line.
2. To make available authentic information that will enable caste-wise population enumeration of the country.
3. To make available authentic information regarding the socioeconomic condition, and education status of various castes and sections of the population.

The SECC, 2011 will be conducted through a comprehensive programme involving the Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India and the State Governments. 

The process is as follows:

 Each Collector/District Magistrate will formulate a District/ Town Plan and a Communication Plan.
 24 lakh Enumeration Blocks (EB) will be used for the SECC, 2011- each Enumeration Block has roughly 125 households. These are the same Enumeration Blocks that were formed during the Census 2011. The enumerators will be provided copies of the layout maps and Abridged House List prepared during Census 2011. This will ensure complete coverage of the area.
 Enumerators will be trained to conduct the SECC, 2011.
 Each Enumerator will be assigned 4 Enumeration Blocks, and every 6 Enumerators will be assigned to one Supervisor.
• Enumerators will visit every household identified in the Enumeration Block and canvas the questionnaire. They will also reach out to homeless populations (eg. people living in railway stations, roadsides etc.
 A data entry operator will accompany each Enumerator.
• The data will be captured directly on an electronic handheld device (a tablet PC). The hand held device will have the scanned images of the forms filled up for National Population Register (NPR). This will also ensure complete and accurate coverage.
• The information (held in the tablet PC) will be read out to the respondent, who will verify it. A printed acknowledgement slip, signed by the Enumerator and Data Entry Operator will be given to the respondent.
• Collected data will be verified in the Panchayat.
 After all the information is collected from an Enumeration Block, a draft publication list will be prepared for verification.
 Within a week of publication of the draft list, the list will be read out at the Gram Sabha in all rural areas.
 Any person can file claims/objections and information furnished before designated officers for this purpose. The draft list will be made available at the Gram Panchayat, Block Development\Office, Charge Centre and District Collector’s Offices.
 The list will also be uploaded on the NIC/State Government/ MoRD/MoHUPA websites.

This exercise will help better target government schemes to the right beneficiaries and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered, while all ineligible beneficiaries are excluded. 

Enumeration under SECC 2011 has been completed in 2,339,926 enumeration blocks (EBs) comprising 94.26 per cent of the total EBs of all the states as on 31 December 2012. The government has constituted an Expert Committee under the chairpersonship of Professor Abhijit Sen, Member Planning Commission, to examine the SECC indicators and the data analysis and recommend appropriate methodologies for determining classes of beneficiaries for different rural development programmes. It will consult states, experts, and civil society organizations while arriving at these methodologies.

Indian-Origin Economist Raj Chetty Won John Bates Clark Medal For 2013

Delhi-born Raj Chetty, the professor in the Department of Economy at the Harvard University won John Bates Clark medal for 2013, also called Baby Nobel. Raj Chetty’s work was also cited by the US President Barack Obama in State of the Union Address. 

John Bates Clark medal is conferred upon the American economist whose age is below 40 years and the one who has made crucial contribution to economic knowledge and thought. Baby Nobel is one of the most prestigious awards of economy. Infact, it is second only after Nobel Prize in economic science. 

Raj Chetty, 33, is the first Indian-origin person to win this high honour. His areas of work include social insurance, tax policy as well as education policy. 

American Economic Association Honors and Awards Committee described that Raj Chetty’s contributions assimilate evidence by making use of various methodological perspectives in order to find out answers of public policy questions. 

Raj Chetty graduated from Harvard University in 2000. He completed the PhD from Harvard University in 2003. 

UNICEF report on nutrition

The UNICEF report, ‘Improving Child Nutrition: The achievable imperative for global progress’ shows that progress has been made in recent years in addressing stunting in children, and calls for increased efforts to accelerate a response to a condition that affects some 165 million children across the world.

One in four of all children less than five years of age is stunted because of chronic under-nutrition in crucial periods of growth. The damage done to a child's body and brain by stunting is irreversible. It drags down performance at school and later at work, and puts children at a higher risk of dying from infectious diseases. Thus a key to success against stunting is focusing attention on pregnancy and the first two years of a child's life.

An estimated 80 per cent of the world’s stunted children live in just 14 countries. The report highlights successes in scaling up nutrition and improving policies in 11 countries: Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, the United Republic of Tanzania and Viet Nam.

Stunting is reduced through a series of simple and proven steps such as improving women’s nutrition, early and exclusive breastfeeding, providing additional vitamins and minerals as well as appropriate food – especially in pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life.

Some examples:

In the Maharashtra state in India, the percentage of stunted children dropped from 39 per cent in 2005 to 23 per cent in 2012 largely because of support to frontline workers who focus on improving child nutrition.

In Peru, stunting fell by a third between 2006 and 2011 following a Child Malnutrition Initiative that lobbied political candidates to sign a ‘5 by 5 by 5’ commitment to reduce stunting in children under 5 by 5 per cent in 5 years and to lessen inequities between urban and rural areas. Peru drew on its experience of successful smaller projects and integrated nutrition with other programmes. It also focused on the most disadvantaged children and women and decentralized government structures.

Ethiopia cut stunting from 57 per cent to 44 per cent and under-5 mortality from 139 deaths per 1,000 live births to 77 per 1,000 between 2000 and 2011. Key steps included a national nutrition programme, providing a safety net in the poorest areas and boosting nutrition assistance through communities.

The report says that existing solutions and the work of new partnerships represent an unprecedented opportunity to address child under-nutrition through countries accelerating progress through national projects coordinated with donor support and measurable targets.

G8 inks historic agreement against rape in war zones


Foreign Ministers of the world's eight most advanced countries (G8) adopted a declaration committing the international community to tackle sexual violence in conflict zones. G8 members have announced a new fund which amounts to nearly $35.5 million or £23 million.

It includes over 
$10 million from the United Kingdom: 5million from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to support grassroots and human rights projects on sexual violence against women and girls and wider projects on violence against women and girls. The other £5million is from the Department for International Development, to look at what drives violence against women and girls in conflict settings.

Finally, the Declaration emphasises that protection efforts against sexual violence should be included in the first phase of all responses to conflict and humanitarian emergencies. And it includes vital commitments on women and children's rights, the protection of women human rights defenders, and the need for a comprehensive approach to health, psychological, legal and economic support for survivors of sexual violence.

UN launched new plans to save children from pneumonia, diarrhoea

Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 23 and 12 per cent of deaths respectively in children below the age of five in India. They remain major killers of young children globally too, accounting for 29 per cent of all child deaths-a loss of 2 million lives-each year. Children are dying because services are being provided piecemeal and those at the highest risk are not being reached. Use of effective interventions is too low-for instance, only 39 per cent of infants are exclusively breast-fed, while only 60 per cent of children with suspected pneumonia are able to access appropriate care.

Moreover, children are not receiving life-saving treatment-only 31 per cent of children with suspected pneumonia receive antibiotics and only 35 per cent of those with diarrhoea receive oral rehydration therapy.

Thus the United Nations has launched a global plan to combat two of the leading killers of children under five, potentially saving two million youngsters each year who would otherwise die from pneumonia and diarrhoea in low- and middle-income countries.

The GAPPD aims to provide a framework by which to protect children, prevent diseases and enable treatment using proven interventions. It calls on national governments to prioritise the fight against pneumonia and diarrhoea and is designed to inform country policies and practices.

The achievable goals set by the GAPPD for 2025 are: to reduce mortality from pneumonia in children less than 5 years of age to fewer than 3 per 1,000 live births; reduce mortality from diarrhoea in children less than 5 years of age to fewer than 1 per 1,000 live births; and reduce the incidence of severe pneumonia by 75 per cent in children less than 5 years of age compared to 2010 levels.

It also seeks to reduce the incidence of severe diarrhoea by 75 per cent in children less than 5 years of age, compared to 2010 levels, and bring down, by 40 per cent, the global number of children under 5 years of age who are stunted, compared to 2010 levels.

To achieve these targets, full immunisation coverage will need to be reached by the end of 2025, with 90 per cent of full-dose coverage of each relevant vaccine, 90-per-cent access to appropriate pneumonia and diarrhoea case management and at least 50-per-cent coverage of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life.

By the end of 2030, there must be universal access to basic drinking-water in healthcare facilities and homes;universal access to adequate sanitation in healthcare facilities by 2030 and in homes by 2040.

The MDGs, adopted at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, also seek to slash a host of social ills, including global poverty and hunger, disease, and lack of access to health and education, all by 2015.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Veteran Film Actor Pran conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2012

Pran Krishan Sikand, popularly known as Pran, the veteran film actor, has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2012. He is the 44th Dada Saheb Phalke Award Winner. The award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The award consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs and a shawl. The award is given on the basis of recommendations of a Committee of eminent persons.

Pran has given sterling performances in many films along with Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor in 1950s and 60s. Pran’s performanceshave received acclaim in films like Azaad, Madhumati, Devdas, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam and Aadmi, Ziddi, Munimji, Amar Deep, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Aah, Chori Chori, Jagte Raho, Chhalia, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai. The list is long. 

Pran is a recipient of a number of film awards including the Filmfare Award. He was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan. 

2nd India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations held


India and Germany held 2nd round of Inter-Governmental Consultations during which crucial bilateral, international and regional issues like the long pending India-EU Free Trade Agreement and the situation in Afghanistan had been discussed.

Germany is the only country with which India has such a high-level format of discussion as the Intergovernmental Consultations. The first round of Consultations was held when Merkel visited India in May 2011.  Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and fifth largest trading partner in the world. Bilateral trade between the two nations stood at 18.3 billion Euros in 2011. However, due to global economic slowdown, bilateral trade saw a dip of 5.5 percent last year.

During the meet India and Germany has inked six key MoUs including that for putting together Euro seven million for next four years towards joint research in the field of higher education and a pact for a soft loan of Euro one billion for strengthening the green energy corridor.

The lists of documents signed are as follows:

a) Joint Declaration of Intent regarding promotion of German as a foreign language in India:

The declaration will include introduction of B.Ed programmes for German language. Also scholarships would be awarded for Masters degree programs and for short stays in Germany with the goal of improving mutual trust and intercultural relations.

b) Intergovernmental MoU between India & Germany on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education:

The MoU intends to facilitate people-to-people exchanges. This includes students, academics, and project collaborators.

c) Joint Declaration of Intent in the area of Civil Security Research:

The Indo-German research cooperation in this new area intends to fund 5 pilot projects in 2013 with the identified priorities being natural disaster management, biological risk situations, urban security, protection & rescue of people and social aspects of civil security research.

d) Joint Declaration for cooperation in Agriculture sector:

Aims at strengthening cooperation in:
v plant variety protection;v conservation of plant genetic resources;v cooperation between Indian and German agricultural research institutions and
seed companies.

e) Joint Declaration of Intent for Cooperation in Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Product Safety:

The declaration aims at strengthening bilateral cooperation in standardization, conformity assessment and product safety through bilateral economic and technical cooperation, intensifying dialogue and promoting coordinated activities in international organizations. Also provides for establishing and Indo-German Working Group Quality Infrastructure.

f) Joint Declaration of Intent  for Establishment of Green Energy Corridors

It aims at fostering increased use of renewable energy in India through technical and fanatical cooperation by way of integrating additional renewable energy generation capacity with the national grid. The Technical cooperation would be implemented through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and KfW intends to provide concessional loans of up to Euro one billion over the next six years.
Under pacts signed, both Germany and India have committed to Euro 3.5 million each towards working on joint research and innovation programmes.

Forest Range Officer (Notification No. 52/2011) Final Key


Forest Range Officer Paper-1 G.S. & M.A.- Final Key
 

Forest Range Officer Optional Papers-Final Key.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

AP SOCIO ECONOMIC SURVEY 2012-13

  

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

National Film Awards 2013 Winners List


60th National Film Awards for the films released in the year 2012 have been announced. Here are the list of winners-

 ● Best Actor : Irfan Khan for Pan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for Anumati (Marathi).

 ● Best Actress : Usha Jadhav for Marathi film 'Dhag'.

 ● Best Hindi Feature Film : - Paan Singh Tomar.

 ● Best Film for Wholesome Entertainment: Vicky Donor & Ustad Hotel (Malayalam).

 ● Best Special Effects: Eega

 ● Best Non-Feature Film: Shepherd's of Paradise.

 ● Best Film on Environment: Black Forest (Malayalam).

 ● Best Telugu film: Eega

 ● Best Tamil film: Vazhakku En 18/9

 ● Best Hindi Film: Filmistan

 ● Best Investigative Film: Inshallah Kashmir

 ● Best Playback Singer: Shankar for Bolo Na (Chittagong).

 ● Best Song: Bolo Na (Chittagong).

 ● Best Choreography : Birju Maharaj (Viswaroopam).

 ● Best Art direction: Lalgudi Ilayaraja (Viswaroopam).

 ● Best Original Screenplay - Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani).

 ● Best Dialogue Writer: Anjali Menon (Ustad Hotel).

 ● Best Sound Recording: Gangs of Wasseypur.

 ● Best Direction - Shivaji Lotan Patil (Dhag - Marathi Film).

 ● Best Editing: Celluloid Man (Non-feature section).

 ● Best Makeup Artist: Raja (Vazahkku En 18/9).

 ● Best Costume Designer: Poornima (Paradesi).

 ● Best Supporting Actor: Annu Kapoor (Vicky Donor').

 ● Best Supporting Actress: Dolly Ahluwalia (Vicky Donor).

 ● Best Film on Social Issues: Spirit (Malayalam).

 Special jury mention for Parineeti Chopra (Ishaqzaade), Tanishta Chatterjee (Dekh Indian Circus) and Nawazuddin Siddhique (4 films).

Manager (Engineering) in Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Notification No. 54/2011) Final Key

MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-1 SERIES: A 500 - G.S. & M.A. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 589 - MECHANICAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 590 - CIVIL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 591 - ELECTRICAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 592 - ELECTRONICS & COMM. ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 593 - COMPUTER SCIENCE - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
MANAGERS IN H.M.W. & S.E. (54/2011) :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 594 - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - FINAL ANSWER KEY

Andhra Pradesh Budget 2013- 14 Highlights

Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, the Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 18 March 2013 presented the budget for the year 2013-14 to the Andhra Pradesh legislature.

Budget 2013-14 of Andhra Pradesh at a Glance

• For the financial year 2013-14, government proposes an expenditure of 161348 crores Rupees. Non-plan expenditure is estimated at 101926 crores Rupees and Plan expenditure at 59422 crores Rupees. 

• The estimated revenue surplus is 1023 crores Rupees and fiscal deficit is estimated at 24487 crores Rupees at 2.85 percent of GSDP

• First ever exclusive Agriculture action plan was presented to the Legislature.

• The revised estimates of 2012-13 indicate a revenue surplus of 1685 crores against the budgeted revenue surplus of 4444 crores Rupees. The fiscal deficit is estimated at.21129 crores Rupees which would be 2.86% of GSDP. 

• The Gross State Domestic Product of Andhra Pradesh (GSDP) at current prices for the year 2012-13 as per the Advance estimates is 738497 crores rupees - an increase of 12.72 percent over the quick estimate of the GSDP of the previous year.

• The interest subvention scheme of Vaddileni Runalu is launched for the benefit of the farmers. An allocation of 500 crores rupees is made in the budget.

• A provision of 6128 crores rupees is proposed in year 2013-14 for Agriculture and Allied Sectors.

• The allocation for Social Welfare department is 4122 crores rupees in 2013-14. The allocation has been increased by 1445 crores Rupees over 2677 Rupees crores allocated in the year 2012-13.

• Five Districts i.e. Rangareddy, Hyderabad, East Godavari, Ananthapur and Chittoor are selected for implementation Aadhar Enabled Payment of all benefits in the first phase.

• Under the economic support schemes, Government is implementing the SC action plan so as to provide assistance to 66213 beneficiaries with an outlay of 423.86 crores rupees.

• For improving health infrastructure in tribal areas, Government have sanctioned buildings for (59) PHCs, (238) Sub-Centres and (19) CHNCs with a cost of 45.97 crore Rupees under NRHM.

ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS IN VARIOUS ENGINEERING SERVICES (Notification No. 41/2011) FINAL KEY

ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-1SERIES: A 500 - G.S. & M.A. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 501 - COMMON FOR CIVIL & MECH - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 502 - ELECTRICAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-3 SERIES: A 505 - CIVIL ENGG - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-3 SERIES: A 506 - MECHANICAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-3 SERIES: A 507 - ELECTRICAL ENGG - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 510 - ARCHITECTURAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY
 
ASST.EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS (41/2011 to 31/2011) G.R. :: Paper-3 SERIES: A 511 - ARCHITECTURAL ENGG. - FINAL ANSWER KEY

Assistant Engineers in A.P.Public Health & Municipal Engineering Sub-Service (Notification No. 49/2011) Final Key

Assistant Engineers :: Paper-1SERIES: A600 - GENERAL STUDIES - Final Answer Key
 
Assistant Engineers :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 632 - COMMON FOR CIVIL& MECH. - Final Answer Key
 
Assistant Engineers :: Paper-2 SERIES: A 633 - ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING - Final Answer Key

Friday, March 15, 2013

Human Development Report-2013


The Human Development Index (HDI) was introduced in the first Human Development Report in 1990 as a composite measurement of development that challenged purely economic assessments of national progress.

This year the HDI report 2013, entitled The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World, emphasizes on the unprecedented growth of developing countries, which is propelling millions out of poverty and reshaping the global system. It covers 187 countries and territories. Data constraints precluded HDI estimates for eight countries: Marshall Islands, Monaco, Nauru, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, San Marino, Somalia, South Sudan and Tuvalu.

Norway, Australia and the United States lead the rankings of 187 countries and territories in the latest Human Development Index (HDI), while conflict-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and drought-stricken Niger have the lowest scores in the HDI's measurement of national achievement in health, education and income. Yet according to the report Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite their continuing development challenges, are among the countries that made the greatest strides in HDI improvement since 2000.

The new HDI figures show consistent human development improvement in most countries. Fourteen countries recorded impressive HDI gains of more than 2 percent annually since 2000—in order of improvement, they are: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Angola, Timor-Leste, Myanmar, Tanzania, Liberia, Burundi, Mali, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Niger. Most are low-HDI African countries, with many emerging from long periods of armed conflict. Yet all have made significant recent progress in school attendance, life expectancy and per capita income growth, the data shows.

Most countries in higher HDI brackets also recorded steady HDI gains since 2000, though at lower levels of absolute HDI improvement than the highest achievers in the low-HDI grouping.

Hong Kong, Latvia, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Lithuania showed the greatest 12-year HDI improvement in the Very High Human Development quartile of countries in the HDI; Algeria, Kazakhstan, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba were the top five HDI improvers in the High Human Development countries; and Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Ghana, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Mongolia were the HDI growth leaders in the Medium Human Development grouping.

The overall trend globally is toward continual human development improvement. Indeed, no country for which complete data was available has a lower HDI value now than it had in 2000.

When the HDI is adjusted for internal inequalities in health, education and income, some of the wealthiest nations fall sharply in the rankings: the United States falls from #3 to #16 in the inequality-adjusted HDI, and South Korea descends from #12 to #28. Sweden, by contrast, rises from #7 to #4 when domestic HDI inequalities are taken into account.

The new HDI rankings introduce the concept of the statistical tie for the first time since the HDI was introduced in the first Human Development Report in 1990, for countries with HDI values that are identical to at least three decimal points. Ireland and Sweden, each with an HDI value of 0.916, are both ranked seventh in the new HDI, for example, though the two countries' HDI values diverge when calculated to four or more decimal points.

The 2013 Report's Statistical Annex also includes two experimental indices, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the Gender Inequality Index (GII). 
The GII is designed to measure gender inequalities as revealed by national data on reproductive health, women's empowerment and labour market participation. The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark top the GII, with the least gender inequality. The regions with the greatest gender inequality as measured by the GII are sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Arab States.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) examines factors at the household level that together provide a fuller portrait of poverty than income measurements alone. The MPI is not intended to be used for national rankings, due to significant differences among countries in available household survey data.

In the 104 countries covered by the MPI, about 1.56 billion people are estimated to live in multidimensional poverty. The countries with the highest percentages of ‘MPI poor' are all in Africa: Ethiopia (87%), Liberia (84%), Mozambique (79%) and Sierra Leone (77%). Yet the largest absolute numbers of multidimensionally poor people live in South Asia, including 612 million in India alone.

The Statistical Annex also presents data specifically pertinent to the 2013 Report, including expanding trade ties between developing countries, immigration trends, growing global Internet connectivity and public satisfaction with government services, as well as individual quality of life in different countries.

The Report also reviews key regional development trends, as shown by the HDI and other data: 
• Arab States: The region's average HDI value of 0.652 is fourth out of the six developing country regions analysed in the Report, with Yemen achieving the fastest HDI growth since 2000 (1.66%). The region has the lowest employment-to–population ratio (52.6%), well below the world average of 65.8%.
• East Asia and the Pacific: The region has an average HDI value of 0.683 and registered annual HDI value growth between 2000 and 2012 of 1.31%, with Timor-Leste leading with 2.71%, followed by Myanmar at 2.23%. The East Asia-Pacific region has the highest employment-to–population ratio (74.5%) in the developing world.
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia: The average HDI value of 0.771 is the highest of the six developing-country regions. Multi-dimensional poverty is minimal, but it has the second lowest employment-to-population ratio (58.4%) of the six regions.
• Latin America and the Caribbean: The average HDI value of 0.741 is the second highest of the six regions, surpassed only by Eastern Europe and Central Asia average. Multi-dimensional poverty is relatively low, and overall life satisfaction, as measured by the Gallup World Poll, is 6.5 on a scale from 0 to 10, the highest of any region.
• South Asia: The average HDI value for the region of 0.558 is the second lowest in the world. Between 2000 and 2012, the region registered annual growth of 1.43% in HDI value, which is the highest of the regions. Afghanistan achieved the fastest growth (3.9%), followed by Pakistan (1.7%) and India (1.5%).
• Sub-Saharan Africa: The average HDI value of 0.475 is the lowest of any region, but the pace of improvement is rising. Between 2000 and 2012, the region registered average annual growth of 1.34 percent in HDI value, placing it second only to South Asia, with Sierra Leone (3.4%) and Ethiopia (3.1%) achieving the fastest HDI growth.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

E-Governance in Debts Recovery Tribunals

In order to enhance the efficiency of Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) and Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) and to provide a platform for seamless operations to Banks, Financial Institutions and general public to expedite recovery of public money, there is a proposal for introduction of e-governance in DRTs. The key objectives envisaged for the e-DRT engagement are as follows:

i) To implement information technology to automate the processes/procedures in DRTs/DRATs.

ii) To empower DRT officials by providing technology enablers to help them deliver best possible services efficiently and to provide hassle free administrative services.

iii) To facilitate applicants and defendants to get hassle free administrative services.

iv) To have access to timely and accurate reports

v) To efficiently manage case records.

vi) To enable banks and financial institutions to easily track their case related information.

vii) To support Recovery Officers with state of the art tools and technology to speedily enforce the orders.

No final decision has been taken relating to the agency for implementation of the project.

Kapil Sibal Inaugurates India’s First All Women Post Office

On the occasion of the International Women`s Day on March 8, the Union Minister of Communications & IT Sh. Kapil Sibal inaugurated India`s First All Women Employees Post Office at Shastri Bhawan, here today. This office is a Project Arrow Office and has three counters. Two counters offer Multi Purpose services like booking of Speed Post, Registration, Sale of IPOs, Booking of Money Orders etc. and one counter is for Sale of Stamps. All these counters of this Post Office will now be manned by Women employees only. The working hours of this Post Office will be from 9.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m.

There are 1003 women employees at the operative level in Delhi circle and their percentage in the total work force is about 14%. In the administrative cadres the percentage is 22%. In a co-incidence the Junior Engineer [Civil] who is Incharge of maintenance of this Post Office building, the Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices of the Postal Sub Division as well as Senior Superintendent of Post Offices of Delhi Central division who are controlling officers of this Post Office are also women.

India Tourism Film “Find What You Seek” Gets First Prize at 11th Golden City Gate Awards

Ministry of Tourism’s new film “Find What You Seek” received first prize at the 11th Golden City Gate Tourism Media Awards Ceremony held in Berlin today to coincide with ITB Berlin 2013. The Golden City Gate is an international film, print and media contest for the tourism industry. The Awards ceremony is held every year at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show.

The competition provides all tourism advertisers to participate in the contest for presenting their new creatives. All entries are assessed by 45 independent international expert jurors with strong industry background.

Shri K Chiranjeevi, Union Minister for Tourism had launched the new campaign “Find What You Seek”, the second phase of Incredible India Campaign at WTM 2012 in November last year along with the new Domestic Campaign “Go Beyond”. By launching new campaign, the Ministry of Tourism has made a paradigm shift by shifting the focus from destinations and products to consumers (travellers). The new campaign emphasizes that there is something for every traveller in India and every traveller can find what he or she is seeking while travelling in our incredible country. Domestic campaign “Go Beyond” urges travellers to travel beyond the obvious , the known destinations to the lesser known destinations.

National Mission for Empowerment of Women

National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) is an initiative of the Government of India (GOI) for empowering women holistically.  It is conceived as an umbrella mission with a mandate to strengthen inter-sectoral convergence and facilitate the process of coordinating all the women’s welfare and socio economic development programmes across ministries and departments.

The salient features of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) are:

1.                  To ensure economic empowerment of women.
2.                  To ensure that violence against women is eliminated progressively.
3.                  To ensure social empowerment of women with emphasis on health and education.
4.                  To oversee gender mainstreaming of programmes, policies, institutional arrangements     and processes of participating Ministries, Institutions and Organizations.
5.                  To undertake awareness generation as well as advocacy activities to fuel demand for   benefits under various schemes and programmes and create, if required, structures at district, tehsil and village level with the involvement of Panchayats for their fulfillment.


The National Mission Authority (NMA) comprises of the following:

I.                   Hon’ble Prime Minister
II.                Minister of Finance
III.             Minister of Human Resource Development
IV.             Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
V.                Minister of Rural Development
VI.             Minister of Panchayati Raj
VII.          Minister of Agriculture & Cooperation
VIII.       Minister of Health & Family Welfare
IX.             Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
X.                Minister of Law & Justice
XI.             Minister of Environment & Forests
XII.          Minister of Labour& Employment
XIII.       Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment
XIV.       Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission
XV.          MOS(IC), M/o. WCD.
XVI.       Chairperson, National Commission of Women
XVII.    Two Chief Ministers
XVIII.    Five Civil Society Members.

The Mission does not involve direct delivery of benefits to individual beneficiaries. Funds have been released for the pilot project in Pali district in Rajasthan as well as for setting up SRCWs in different States.
The total funds earmarked for the duration 2010-15 is Rs 14134.53 lakhs. The BE for the year 2012-13 is Rs 2500.00 lakhs while the RE for the year 2012-13 is Rs 1100.00 lakhs.
23 State Resource Centres for Women (SRCW) have been established under State Mission Authority (SMA) in different States/UTs.

APPSC ASO Verification of Original Certificates

Assistant Statistical Officers in A.P Economics and Statistical sub-service -Verification of Original Certificates will be held on 14/03/2013

BUDGET 2013-14 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1)Pavan Kumar Bansal represents, which of the following Constituencies?
1. Amritsar 

2. Ahmedabad 
3. Chandigarh 
4. Sangrur

2)Which of the following state has been bought into the railway net work for the first time?   
1. Manipur 

2. Assam
3. Tripura 

4. Arunachal Pradesh

3)A8ording to Railway Budget Freight earning to go by?
1. 7% 

2. 8%
3. 9% 

4. 10%

4)Which of the following is true?
1. Steep increase in input costs have been met with hike in Freight rates
2. Indian Railways is aware of the problems of the IRCTC website, and will create a next generation e-ticketing system by end of this year, Bansal said.
3. Aadhar can be helpful for Railways in much respect, from booking tickets to tracking pension of rail employees.
4. All the above

5)Railway Minister has said that a special luxury coach, with the best of ameneties, will run, in selected trains and named it as?
1. Anubhuti 

2. Safety
3. Vikas 

4. Samardh

6)The amount allocated by Planning commi-ssion (budgetary support to Railways)?
1. 3.19 lakhs 

2. 4.19 lakhs
3. 5.19 lakhs 

4. 6.19 lakhs

7)Which of the following is true about Indian Railways?
1. Railways were first introduced to India in 1853 from Bombay to Thane.
2. In 1951 the systems were nationalized as one unit, the Indian Railways
3. Indian Railways is the worlds ninth largest commercial or utility employer
4. All the above

8)The Rail Neer Bottling plants would be set up in
1. Vijayawada, Mumbai, Lalitput, Bilaspur, Patna, Ahmedabad
2. Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur
3. Bilaspur, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Nanded, Lalitpur, Jaipur
4. Nanded, Kolkata, Vijayawada, Ludhiana, Lalitpur, Jaipur

9)Which of the following is/are true as per new Railway budget?
1. Year hike of 5% of charges proposed for 10 years
2. In future, ticket charge may be indexed to fuel price
3. Train protection warning in automatic systems will be introduced
4. All the above

10)How much percentage of RPF vacancies reserved for women?    
1. 10% 

2. 15% 
3. 20% 
4. 25%

11)Which of the following is true about recent General Budget 2013-14?
1. The total expenditure for 2013-14 is the Rs 16, 65, 297
2. The plan expenditure is the Rs 5, 55, 322 crore
3. Non-plan expenditure Rs 11, 09, 975crore
4. All the above

12)Which of the following is true?
1. Chidambaram presented the his eighth Annual budget in Parliament, second highest by any other in the country
2. It was 82nd Budget, which includes interim and special-situation budgetary proposals
3. Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai presented budget for 10 times.
4. All the above

13)How much is allocated for Nirbhaya fund?
1. Rs 800 crore 

2. Rs 900 crore 
3. Rs 1000 crore 
4. Rs 1100 crore

14)How many private radio FM stations will be covered in this financial year?
1. 289 

2. 290 
3. 291 
4. 292

15)The first Independent India’s budget was presented by? 

1. Morarji Desai 
2. Shankumham chetty 
3. Deshmukh 
4. Nehru

16)Income limit for tax saving Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings scheme is raised to Rs 12 lakh from?
1. Rs 8 lakh 

2. Rs 9 lakh
3. Rs 10 lakh 

4. Rs 11 lakh

17)Which of the following is true?
1. Rs 532 crore to make post offices part of core banking
2. Proposal to launch inflation indexed bonds or inflation indexed national security certificates to protect savings from inflation
3. India’s first women’s bank as a PSU proposed, Rs 1000 crore working capital announced
4. All the above

18)How much amount is allocated for Drinking water and Sanitation?
1. Rs 80, 194 crore 

2. Rs 81, 194 crore
3. Rs 82, 194 crore 

4. Rs 83, 195 crore

19)In which of the following place an Institute for agricultural Bioteechnology will be set up?
1. Patiala 

2. Ahmedabad
3. Ranchi 

4. Patna

20)As per Economic Survey the India’s economy expected to grow between 6.1% to
1. 6.5% 

2. 6.6% 
3. 6.7% 
4. 6.8%

21)Inflation expected to fall between 6.2% and by March?
1. 6.6% 

2. 6.7% 
3. 6.8% 
4. 6.9%

22)As per survey report, which of the following sector amounted for the largest share?
1. Health 

2. Sports
3. Education 

4. Employment

23)A8ording to survey, the food inflation mainly driven by
1. Cereal Prices 

2. Subsidies 
3. Oil 
4. None of these

24)As per Economic Survey, which of the following is true about Indian Tourism?
1. The Indian tourism sector needs an urgent image makeover and higher investment in infrastructure, including through Public-Private Partnership
2. Global tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 43 million every year on an average from 2010 to 2030.
1. Only 1 correct 

2. Only 2 correct
3. Both correct 

4. Both wrong

25)Which of the following is true as per Economic survey, tabled in the parliament?
1. As per 12th Five Year Plan approach paper, Indias travel and tourism sector is estimated to create 78 jobs per million rupees of investment compared to 45 jobs per million rupees in the manufacturing sector
2. As per Tourism Satellite A8ount (TSA) data 2009-10, the contribution of tourism to Indias GDP was 6.8 per cent (3.7 per cent direct and 3.1 per cent indirect) and its contribution to total employment generation was 10.2 percent
3. At present Indian Tourism has a paltry share of 0.64 per cent in world tourist arrivals
4. All the above

26)Who among the following is the Chief advisor to the Finance Minister?
1. Rangarajan 

2. Raghuram Rajan
3. Kaushik Basu 

4. Shome

27) The Economic Survey says that the Fiscal Deficit in Financial Year 2013, to be contained at? 

1. 5.1% 
2. 5.2% 
3. 5.3% 
4. 5.4%

28)Fiscal Consolidation road map says that deficit at 3% by Financial year?    
1. 2014 

2. 2015 
3. 2016 
4. 2017

ANSWERS:

1) 3 2) 4 3) 3 4) 4 5) 1 6) 3 7) 4 8) 2 9) 4 10) 1 11) 4 12) 4 13) 3  14) 1 15) 2 16) 3 17) 4 18) 1 19) 3 20) 3  21) 1 22) 3 23) 1  24) 3 25) 4 26) 2 27) 3 28) 4

Friday, March 8, 2013

"Electronics Project Proposal System" (e-PPS) launched

Union Minister for Communications and IT, Shri Kapil Sibal has launched the Electronics Project Proposal System (e-PPS), developed by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, through the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). The e-PPS system will initially operate on a pilot basis.

The Electronic Project Proposal System (e-PPS) is a web-based system that encompasses the complete life-cycle of funding of R&D projects, beginning with online submission of project proposals for funds, to monitoring and management of funded projects. It supports the processes for

a) Online submission of project proposals
b) Evaluation of proposals by experts
c) Project recommendations
d) Project Monitoring

e-PPS replaces the existing manual system of project funding wherein the Project Investigators (PI) submit hard copies of R&D proposals, which are presented to a Working Group and based on the recommendations of the Working Group the proposals are further processed in DeitY. It is a One-Go Dash-Board to see the projects from initiation to completion. It reduces the total processing time of proposals and aids easy dissemination of project information.

"Electronics Project Proposal System" (e-PPS) launched

Union Minister for Communications and IT, Shri Kapil Sibal has launched the Electronics Project Proposal System (e-PPS), developed by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, through the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). The e-PPS system will initially operate on a pilot basis.

The Electronic Project Proposal System (e-PPS) is a web-based system that encompasses the complete life-cycle of funding of R&D projects, beginning with online submission of project proposals for funds, to monitoring and management of funded projects. It supports the processes for

a) Online submission of project proposals
b) Evaluation of proposals by experts
c) Project recommendations
d) Project Monitoring

e-PPS replaces the existing manual system of project funding wherein the Project Investigators (PI) submit hard copies of R&D proposals, which are presented to a Working Group and based on the recommendations of the Working Group the proposals are further processed in DeitY. It is a One-Go Dash-Board to see the projects from initiation to completion. It reduces the total processing time of proposals and aids easy dissemination of project information.

New format of civil services exams declared

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has notified fresh changes in the format of country’s prestigious exam- the Civil Services Exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The decision had come in the wake of recommendations of a committee headed by Prof Arun S Nigavekar, former Chairman, UGC.

For details please click here:

Thursday, March 7, 2013

UPSC Civil Service Examination, 2013


 The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will hold the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2013 on 26/05/2013 for recruitment of various posts of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and certain other Group 'A' and Group 'B' Central Services / Posts.

Eligibility:
  • Age : Not less than 21 years and not more than 30 years as on 01/08/2013. The upper age is relaxable for SC/ST/OBC and certain other categories of candidates to the extent specified in the Notice.
  • Educational Qualification: Degree of a recognised university or an equivalent qualification.
  • Physical Standards: Candidates must be physically fit according to the Regulations given in notice.
  • Number of Attempts: The maximum number of attempts permissible to different categories of aspirants, who are otherwise eligible will be as follows:
    • General Category : Four
    • Physical Handicapped : Seven
    • OBC : Seven
    • SC / ST : No Limit
Online Application Submission : Candidates must apply Online also at http://upsconline.nic.in/mainmenu2.php from 05/03/203 to 04/04/2013 .
Fee: Deposit Rs.100/- (No fee for Female/ SC/ST/PH candidates) either by remitting the money in any Branch of SBI by Cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India/ State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/ Sate Bank of Hyderabad/ State Bank of Mysore/ State Bank of Patiala /State Bank of Travancore or by using Visa/ Master Credit/ Debit Card.
Candidates can obtain details of the examination, venues of the examination and syllabus etc. at  http://upsc.gov.in/exams/notifications/2013/csp_ifs/index.htm

Selection List Group-II Services

Selection List for Notification No. 11/2009 TO 38/2008 , Group-II Services Recruitment for the Non - Executive Post

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Union Budget 2013-2014: New Plans and Schemes Introduced and Proposed

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on 28 February 2013 tabled the Union budget in the Lok Sabha for the financial year 2013-14. In the Union Budget 2013-14, the Union Finance Minister focused on three main sections of the society- women, the youth and the poor. Various new plans and schemes were introduced for these three strata of the society as well as for various sectors. These plans and schemes are as follows:
New Plans and Schemes rolled out in the Union Budget 2013-14:

Nirbhaya Fund: The Finance Minister announced the setting up of a fund called the Nirbhaya Fund - with the Government contributing 1000 crore Rupees for safety and security of the women in India. The Finance Minister announced that various initiatives were underway as well as a lot more were undertaken by Government and NGOs for empowering women and providing them safety and security.
1000 crore Rupees scheme for training youth: A 1000 crore Rupees scheme for training youth for boosting up their employability and productivity was rolled out in the budget. The National Skill Development Corporation would be required to set up curriculum and standards for training different skills.  The trained youth who will pass the test by the end of the training would get monetary reward of 10000 Rupees on an average. This initiative would motivate 10 lakh youth.
• Proposal to set up India’s first Women’s Bank as a public sector bank with 1000 crore Rupees as initial capital.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme to be rolled out throughout the country during the term of UPA Government. This scheme will help the poor. Under the scheme, a bank account will be opened for each beneficiary; and the bank account will be seeded with Aadhaar in due course.
• 10000 crore Rupees earmarked for National Food Security towards the incremental cost.
Drinking water and sanitation will receive 15260 crore Rupees. 1400 crore Rupees is being provided for setting up water purification plants to cover arsenic and fluoride affected rural areas.
• Proposal to launch Inflation Indexed Bonds or Inflation Indexed National Security Certificates to protect savings from inflation.
Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme launched for recovering service tax dues.
• 9000 crore Rupees earmarked as the first installment of balance of CST compensations to different States/UTs.
The Interest Subvention Scheme: This scheme for short-term crop loans is proposed to be continued for loans by public sector banks, RRBs and Cooperative banks, and expanded to private scheduled commercial banks. Under the scheme, a farmer who repays the loan on time is able to get credit at 4 cent per year.
National Livestock Mission: 307 crore Rupees have been provided for setting up of the National Livestock Mission. This will attract investment and enhance livestock productivity. A sub-mission of this Mission seeks to increase the availability of feed and fodder.
• Assistance of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank will be sought to build roads in the North Eastern States and connect them to Myanmar.
• The body of Rural Infrastructure Development Funds (RIDF) is proposed to be raised to 20000 crore Rupees.
• Plans for seven new cities were finalized for industrial corridors and work on two new smart industrial cities at Dholera (Gujarat) and Shendra Bidkin (Maharashtra) will start during 2013-14.
Two new ports will be established in Sagar (West Bengal) and in Andhra Pradesh.
• A power transmission system will be constructed from Srinagar to Leh and for this 226 crore Rupees were provided in 2013-14.
Apparel Parks are proposed to be set up within the Integrated Textile Parks, to house apparel manufacturing units.
Standing Council of Experts: Standing Council of Experts is proposed to be constituted in the Ministry of Finance to analyse the international competitiveness of the Indian financial sector.
• A number of proposals relating to capital market have been finalized in consultation with SEBI. These include simplification of procedure and uniforms norms for foreign portfolio investors, clarity relating to FDI investment, allowing FIIs to participate in new areas, etc.