New National Water Policy

The Ministry of Water Resources has evolved the Draft National Water Policy (2012) to meet the present challenges in the water sector.
State Governments have been actively involved while drafting the Policy. The National Water Board comprising of Chief Secretaries of all the States and Secretaries of related Union Ministries considered the draft National Water Policy (2012) at its Meeting held on 7^th June, 2012. Thereafter, the National Water Resources Council with Chief Ministers of all States as members is to consider and adopt the draft National Water Policy (2012) arrived at as per deliberations in the National Water Board.

SALIENT FEATURES OF REVISED DRAFT NATIONAL WATER POLICY (2012)

1. Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts, Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc.

2. Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high priority allocation for minimum eco-system needs, be treated as economic good so as to promote its conservation and efficient use.

3. Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that river flows are characterized by low or no flows, small floods (freshets), large floods and flow variability and should accommodate development needs. A portion of river flows should be kept aside to meet ecological needs ensuring that the proportional low and high flow releases correspond in time closely to the natural flow regime.

4. Adaptation strategies in view of climate change for designing and management of water resources structures and review of acceptability criteria has been emphasized.

5.A system to evolve benchmarks for water uses for different purposes, i.e., water footprints, and water auditing be developed to ensure efficient use of water. Project financing has been suggested as a tool to incentivize efficient & economic use of water.

6. Setting up of Water Regulatory Authority has been recommended. Incentivization of recycle and re-use has been recommended.

7. Water Users Associations should be given statutory powers to collect and retain a portion of water charges, manage the volumetric quantum of water allotted to them and maintain the distribution system in their jurisdiction.

8. Removal of large disparity in stipulations for water supply in urban areas and in rural areas has been recommended.

9. Water resources projects and services should be managed with community participation. Wherever the State Governments or local governing bodies so decide, the private sector can be encouraged to become a service provider in public private partnership model to meet agreed terms of service delivery, including penalties for failure.

10. Adequate grants to the States to update technology, design practices, planning and management practices, preparation of annual water balances and accounts for the site and basin, preparation of hydrologic balances for water systems, and benchmarking and performance evaluation.

Welfare Schemes for Older Persons

An Act called "The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007" was enacted by Parliament in December, 2007 to ensure need based maintenance for parents and senior citizens and their welfare. The Act, inter-alia, makes maintenance of parents/ senior citizens by children/ relatives obligatory and justiciable through tribunals; provides for revocation of transfer of property by senior citizens in case of negligence by relatives; penal provision for abandonment of senior citizens; protection of life and property etc.

The National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) was announced in January 1999. Para 95 of the Policy envisages setting up of a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) to promote and coordinate the concerns of older persons.

In pursuance of the above provision of the Policy, a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was constituted. In order to have a definite structure as well as to provide for representation from various regions, the NCOP has been re-constituted and renamed as the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC).

A Resolution dated 17th February, 2012 re-constituting and renaming the NCOP as the NCSrC was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary on 22nd February, 2012.

The NCSrC will advise the Central and the State Governments on the entire gamut of issues related to the welfare of senior citizens and enhancement of their quality of life, with special reference to policies, programmes and legislative measures; promotion of physical and financial security, health, and independent and productive living; and awareness generation and community mobilization.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is implementing the National Programme for the Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE) from the year 2010-11. The basic aim of the NPHCE programme is to provide separate and specialized comprehensive health care to the senior citizens at various level of state health care delivery system including outreach services. Preventive & promotive care, management of illness, health manpower development for geriatric services, medical rehabilitation & therapeutic intervention and IEC are some of the strategies envisaged in the NPHCE.

The major components of the NPHCE during 11th Five Year Plan were establishment of 30 bedded Department of Geriatric in 8 identified Regional Medical Institutions (Regional Geriatric Centres) in different regions of the country and to provide dedicated health care facilities in District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and Sub Centres level in 100 identified districts of 21 States.

It is proposed to cover the remaining districts under the programme during the 12th Five Year Plan in a phased manner (@ 100 districts per year and develop 12 additional Regional Geriatric Centres in selected Medical Colleges of the country. 

Town Planning Assistants in. A.P. TownPlanning Subordinate Service (Notification No. 46/2011) Key

•	Town Planning Assistants :: Paper-I-GENERAL STUDIES
•	Town Planning Assistants :: Paper-II-TOWN PLANNING

THE CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT) ACTS ( with year)

 The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951.

    The Constitution (Second Amendment) Act, 1952

    The Constitution (Third Amendment) Act, 1954.

    The Constitution (Fourth Amendment) Act, 1955.

    The Constitution (Fifth Amendment) Act, 1955.

    The Constitution (Sixth Amendment) Act, 1956.

    The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956.

    The Constitution (Eighth Amendment) Act, 1959.

    The Constitution (Ninth Amendment) Act, 1960.

    The Constitution (Tenth Amendment) Act, 1961.

    The Constitution (Eleventh Amendment) Act, 1961.

    The Constitution (Twelfth Amendment) Act, 1962.

    The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962.

    The Constitution (Fourteenth Amendment) Act, 1962

    The Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Act, 1963.

    The Constitution (Sixteenth Amendment) Act, 1963

    The Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 1964

    The Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 1966.

    The Constitution (Nineteenth Amendment) Act, 1966.

    The Constitution (Twentieth Amendment) Act, 1966.

    The Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Act, 1967.

    The Constitution (Twenty-second Amendment) Act, 1969.

    The Constitution (Twenty-third Amendment) Act, 1969

    The Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971.

    The Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1971.

    The Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1971.

    The Constitution (Twenty-seventh Amendment) Act, 1971.

    The Constitution (Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1972.

    The Constitution (Twenty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1972.

    The Constitution (Thirtieth Amendment) Act, 1972

    The Constitution (Thirty-first Amendment) Act, 1973.

    The Constitution (Thirty-second Amendment) Act, 1973.

    The Constitution (Thirty-third Amendment) Act, 1974.

    The Constitution (Thirty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1974.

    The Constitution (Thirty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1974.

    The Constitution (Thirty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1975.

    The Constitution (Thirty-seventh) Act, 1975.

    The Constitution (Thirty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1975.

    The Constitution (Thirty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1975.

    The Constitution (Fortieth Amendment) Act, 1976.

    The Constitution (Forty-first Amendment) Act, 1976.

    The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976

    The Constitution (Forty-third Amendment) Act, 1977.

    The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978.

    The Constitution (Forty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1980.

    The Constitution (Forty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1982.

    The Constitution (Forty-seventh Amendment) Act, 1984.

    The Constitution (Forty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1984.

    The Constitution (Forty-ninth Amendment)Act, 1984.

    The Constitution (Fiftieth Amendment) Act, 1984.

    The Constitution (Fifty-first Amendment) Act, 1984.

    The Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985.

    The Constitution (Fifty-third Amendment) Act, 1986.

    The Constitution (Fifty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1986

    The Constitution (Fifty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1986.

    The Constitution (Fifty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1987

    The Constitution (Fifty-seventh Amendment) Act, 1987.

    The Constitution (Fifty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1987.

    The Constitution (Fifty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1988

    The Constitution (Sixtieth Amendment) Act, 1988.

    The Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1988.

    The Constitution (Sixty-second Amendment) Act, 1989.

    The Constitution (Sixty-third Amendment) Act, 1989.

    The Constitution (Sixty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1990.

    The Constitution (Sixty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1990.

    The Constitution (Sixty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1990.

    The Constitution (Sixty-seventh Amendment) Act, 1990.

    The Constitution (Sixty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1991.

    The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991.

    The Constitution (Seventieth Amendment) Act, 1992.

    The Constitution (Seventy-first Amendment) Act, 1992

    The Constitution (Seventy-second Amendment) Act, 1992.

    The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992.

    The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992.

    The Constitution (Seventy-fifth Amendment) Act, 1993.

    The Constitution (Seventy-sixth Amendment) Act, 1994.

    The Constitution (Seventy-seventh Amendment) Act, 1995.

    The Constitution (Seventy-eighth Amendment) Act, 1995.

    The Constitution (Seventy-ninth Amendment) Act, 2000.

    The Constitution (Eightieth Amendment) Act, 2000 .

    The Constitution (Eighty-first Amendment) Act, 2000.

    The Constitution (Eighty-second Amendment) Act, 2000.

    The Constitution (Eighty-third Amendment) Act, 2000.

    The Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment) Act, 2001.

    The Constitution (Eighty-fifth Amendment) Act, 2002.

    The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002.

    The Constitution (Eighty-seventh Amendment) Act, 2003.

    The Constitution (Eighty-eighth Amendment) Act, 2003.

    The Constitution (Eighty-ninth Amendment) Act, 2003.

    The Constitution (Ninetieth Amendment) Act, 2003.

    The Constitution (Ninety-First Amendment Act, 2003

    The Constitution (Ninety-Second Amendment) Act, 2003.

    The Constitution (Ninety-Third Amendment  Act, 2005.

    The Constitution (Ninety-Fourth Amendment Act, 2006.

    The Constitution (Ninety-Five Amendment Act, 2009.

    The Constitution (Ninety-Sixth Amendment Act, 2011.

    The Constitution (Ninety-Seventh Amendment  Act, 2011.

Houses, Household Amenities and Assets of Andhra Pradesh Figures at a Glance

     

Civil Assistant Surgeons in A.P. Insurance Medical Service General Recruitment (Notification No. 42/2011) Key

•	Civil Assistant Surgeons :: Paper-I-GENERAL STUDIES
•	Civil Assistant Surgeons :: Paper-2-MED.SCIENCE& GEN.MEDICINE

Tenth ASEAN-India Summit Concluded at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The tenth ASEAN-India Summit that was held at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia concluded on 19 November 2012. The summit was chaired by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia- Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN Sen and attended by the leaders of the ten Member states of ASEAN and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

During the summit the discussions were held on identifying the future course of action on the ASEAN-India relations. Success was achieved in deciding the convening of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit scheduled to be held on 20 December to 21 December 2012 at New Delhi, India, the summit will be held to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations.  
During the 10th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India summit, 20th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations was also observed at the same venue of Peach Place, Phnom Penh. The ASEAN-India Summit for the first time was observed in the year 2002 at Phnom Penh.

Marked Commemorative Activities

1.    The meeting between Heads of Space Agencies
2.    Ministerial level meetings in tourism, environment, agriculture, new and renewable energy,
3.    The sending of the Sail Training Ship “Sudarshini” on an expedition to ASEAN countries

Some other commemorative activities on which discussions were held included 2nd ASEAN-India Business Fair and Business Conclave, and the ASEAN-India Car Rally, these would be held during the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit.

Decisions were also made on implementing the Plan of Action and the ASEAN-India Partnership for Progress, Peace and shared Prosperity (2010-2015). These implementations would be followed by the ministers of the ASEAN members and India to contribute in deepening the dialogue relations between the two sides.

Excellent works of the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in production of a good and concise report was also commended at the summit. Recommendations for further advancements of the partnership to next levels were also evaluated. Security, peace and stability of the region, along with strengthening of the maritime cooperation via existing mechanism of were recognized and stressed upon. Strict management of the recommendations would bring back security, peace and stability in the region at the time when security challenges like sea piracy, vessel accidents, oil spills, terrorism and natural disasters are becoming a threat and challenge to the security of the region.

Trade between ASEAN and India in 2011

The trade between the ASEAN and India grew by 43 percent in the year 2011 that amounted to 74.9 billion US dollar that also surpassed the bilateral trade target of 70 billion US dollar. Target for achieving the 100 billion US dollar mark by 2015 for ASEAN-India trade was also identified and set at the summit.

Foreign Ministers of all the member nations and India would be working ahead to settle down thing and conclude the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment Agreements before the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in December in India.

Before this the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh in April 2012 welcomed the adoption of the Declaration on Drug- Free ASEAN 2015 by the ASEAN Leaders at the 20th ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh.

India Agreed On

Both the parties adopted of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration at the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, on 18 November 2012. The two parties also emphasized to contribute supports on realization of the ASEAN Community based on the decided rules of law, democracy, promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. India will be supporting the ASEAN Community building efforts by Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) in which India will play a role in establishment of the Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs) and Centres for English Language Training (CELTs) in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam.

India made a commitment of supporting the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and connectivity with the wider East Asia Region for establishment of the linkage between the ASEAN and South Asia.

The announcement also cleared that India-Myanmar-Thailand highway that is backed by the U.S., which would be operational by 2016 and would act as the Gateway for North East India to South-East Asia. The same announcement also cleared the fact of the alternative route that would connect the central or North Myanmar with Guwahati and Hanoi, on which the discussions were made during the trilateral meet between, India, U.S. and Japan. Both the parties, ASEAN and India looked forward for better connectivity of the region via highways and made decisions on early construction of new India-Myanmar-Laos-Viet Nam-Cambodia Highway. It also decided about the extension of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway to Laos and Cambodia.

Concerns towards Climate Change and Environment

Both the parties during the Tenth ASEAN-India Summit that concluded at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia agreed to work together to respond to the issues of climate change and its impact. They also agreed on strengthening steps to respond to natural disasters that has always remained a issue of concern in the region, like fllod and earth quakes.

Twenty first ASEAN Summit concluded in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The 21st ASEAN Summit Phnom Penh was held on 18 November 2012 at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia- Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen was the Chairperson for the 21st ASEAN Summit Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The head of states of the ASEAN members and the Secretary-General of ASEAN participated in the 21st ASEAN Summit and discussed about things like progress of the Implementation of ASEAN Charter and Roadmap for an ASEAN community.

Issues Discussed

1.    Follow-up to the 20th ASEAN Summit
2.    The Progress Report on the Implementation of Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity
3.    Signed Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
4.    Exchange of View on Regional and International Issues

A Leaders’ Statement on the establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC) was also issued during the summit.

Document Signed and Adopted

1.    Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
2.    ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)
3.    Concept Paper on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC)
4.    ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC)

H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh- the candidate from the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam was appointed as the upcoming Secretary General for ASEAN for the next five year term by the ASEAN Head of States. The nomination was done on the basis of alphabetical rotation plan for next five year that would start from January 2013 and end in December 2018.

ASEAN

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) was created on 8 August 1967 at Bangkok, Thailand after ASEAN Declaration (also called Bangkok Declaration) was signed between the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand. With time 5 more South Asian countries joined the group namely Brunei Darussalam joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999. Today, ASEAN is a 10-member group by now.  The group was formed with a basic idea of promoting social progress, economic growth and cultural development between the member nations and talk on the differences in a peaceful manner.

The Seventh East Asia Summit concluded in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The seventh East Asia Summit (EAS) was held at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 19 November 2012. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen chaired the meeting. The Leaders of East Asia Summit adopted a joint declaration for the 7th East Asia Summit following the regional responses to control Malaria and address the resistance to anti-malarial medicines.

The Phnom Penh Declaration of the East Asia Summit Development Initiative was also taken on this occasion. Discussions and exchange of views on different regional and international issues was also done between the leaders of the member-nations.

Apart from the 10 members of the ASEAN representatives from eight different countries namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and United States of America also participated in the summit.

Issues Discussed

The leaders of the East India Summit discussed on a variety of issues to seek mutual cooperation for growth and to decide the future direction of the member nations.

Priority Areas

1.    Environment and energy
2.    Education
3.    Finance
4.    Global health issues and pandemic diseases
5.    Natural disaster mitigation
6.    ASEAN connectivity

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia and the largest city of the country. It is located on the bank of River Mekong. Phnom Penh is the centre for all types of economic and industrial activities in the nation.

Other summits that concluded at Peace Palace

1.    4th ASEAN-U.S. Leaders’ Meeting Peace Palace, 19 November 2012
2.    15th ASEAN-ROK Summit Peace Palace, 19 November 2012
3.    ASEAN Plus Three Commemorative Summit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012
4.    15TH ASEAN-JAPAN SUMMIT Phnom Penh, 19 November 2012
5.    15TH ASEAN-China Summit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012
6.    7th East Asia Summit (EAS) Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 20 November 2012

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS GENERAL STUDIES PAPER-1

     

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS GENERAL STUDIES PAPER-2

     

Heads of International Offices

Mr Ban Ki Moon-Secretary General, United Nation Organisation
Ms Asha Rose Migiro-First Dy Secretary General UNO
Dr Jim Yong Kim-President World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)

Ms Christine Lagarde-Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Ms Irina Bokova-Director General, UNESCO
Dr Supachai Pantchpakdi-Secretary General, UNCTAD
Mr Hisoshi Owada-President, International Court of Justice
Mr Haruhika Kuroda-President, Asian Development Bank
Mr Kamlesh Sharma-Secretary General, Commonwealth
Mr Pascal Lamy-Director General, WTO
Mr Sharad Pawar-President International Cricket Council
Mr Harshwardhan Singh-Dy Director General WTO
Mr Yukia Amano-Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Mr Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik-Chairman, SAARC
Ms Ahmed Saleem-Secretary General, SAARC
Mr Salil Sethi-Secretary General Amensty International
Ms Helen Clerk-Director General of UNDP
Mr Klaus Schwed-Chairman, WEF (World Economic Forum)

Heads of National Offices

Mr Mohd Hamid Ansari- Chairman, Rajya Sabha

Mr PJ Kurian- Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha

Dr Manmohan Singh-Chairman, Planning Commission

Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia- Dy Chairman, Planning Commission

Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde- Leader of the house in Lok Sabha

Ms Sushma Swaraj- Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha

Mr Arun Jaitley- Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha

Mr V Sampath-Chief Election Commissioner

Mr Syed Nasim Ahmed Zaidi-Election Commissioner

Mr Harisanker Brahma-Election Commissioner

Mr Pradeep Kumar- Chief Vigilance Commissioner

Mr Ranjan Mathai- Foreign Secretary

Mr Vinod Rai- Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Justice S Ratnavel Pandian- Chairman, National Commission of Backward Classes

Mr Rahul Khullar- Chairman, Telephone Regulatory Authority of India

Mr Ranjit Sinha- CBI Director

Mr Kunwar Singh-Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes

Mr Wajahat Habibullah- Chairperson National Commission for Minorities

Mr DP Aggarwal- Chairman, UPSC

Mr SC Sinha- Director General National Investigation Agency

Mr Sukhadeo Thorat- Chairman, UGC (University Grant Commission)

Mr K Radhakrishanan-Chairman, Space Commission and ISRO

Mr Srikumar Bannerjee-Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Sec. Deptt of Atomic Energy

Mr BK Mishra- Chairman, SSC

Mr KG Balakrishan- Chairman, Human Rights Commission

Dr C Chandramouli- Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner

Mr Prakash Chandra Tripathi- Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)

Mr Jandhyala Harinarayan- Chairman, Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (IRDA)

Mr UK Sinha- Chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

Mr Pratip Chaudhary- Chairman, State Bank of India

Mr DK Mehrotra- Chairman LIC

Mr Hardeep Puri- India’s Permanent Representative in UNO

Mr Nirupam Sen- Spl Sr Advisor to President of UN General Assembly

Ms Mamta Sharma-Chairperson of National Commission for Women

Mr Vijay L Kelkar- Chairman, 13th Finance Commission

Mr Ashok Chawla- Chairman, Competition Commission of India

Ms Leela Samson-Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification

Mr Raj Kumar Dhoop- President, ASSOCHAM

Mr N Chandrasekaran- Chairman, NASSCOM

Mr KC Verma- Director General RAW

Ms Nandita Das-Chairperson, Children Film Society of India

Mr S Banerjee-Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre

Mr Satyanand Mishra-Chief Information Commissioner

Prof Krishan Kumar-Director, NCERT

Mr Adi Godrej- President, CII

Mr RV Kanoria- President, FICCI

Mr Sam Pitroda- Chairman, National Knowledge Commission

Mr Mamohan Setti- Chairman, National Film Development Corporation

Ms Mrinal Pande- Chairperson, Prasar Bharati

Mr Ratan Tata- Chairman, Investment Commission

Mr VK Sarswat- Scientific Advisor to PM and Head DRDO

Mr Jawhar Sircar- Chairman, Prasar Bharati

Mr Alok Mishra- Chairman, Indian Banks Association

President inaugurates the 32nd India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2012

The President of India  Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 32nd edition of the India International Trade Fair on 14.11.2012 at Pragati Maidan New Delhi. Addressing the function, the President said the fair has been an excellent platform for micro, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their products and penetrate both domestic and international markets at attractive prices. President stressed that MSMEs are a source of rural empowerment, which is one of the key objectives of Government’s agenda of inclusive growth.

The President was happy to note that the theme of the IITF this year is “Skilling India”. He stated that skill building is an integral part of a nation’s economic progress. He said ITPO has done commendable work in bringing all stakeholders together to share their experience at this important event. 

At the 32nd IITF, the focus state and country are Andaman Nicobar Islands and South Africa respectively. The partner state and the country are Uttarakhand and the Republic of Belarus respectively. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Thailand have set up their “National Pavilion” at this Trade Fair; and about 480 overseas exhibitors from 22 countries are participating in the event. 

Krishna Tirath inaugurates Vatsalya Mela

Smt. Krishna Tirath, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) inaugurated the Vatsalya Mela at Dilli Haat.

Tirath said that the Vatsalya Mela is celebrated every year since the last six years to sensitise the people and spread awareness and information about the various schemes of the Ministry taken up for the development of women and children. At the Mela various stalls have been set up to explain in detail the various facets of the schemes of the WCD Ministry and how the benefits can be availed. Halls providing information on the ICDS, SABLA, IGMSY, and the activities of various organizations associated with it such as CARA, NIPCCD, NCW, NCPCR, CSWB, NMEW, RMK etc have been set up at the Mela. Various NGOs and organizations such as UN Women, UNDP, UNESCO and Nehru Yuva Kendra have come together with this initiative of the M/o WCD to spread awareness about the issues related to empowerment of women and growth and development of the children, the Minister informed.

The WCD Minister also stated that the Ministry has framed legislation such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act 2012 in recognition of the needs of the society to fight the growing crime against children in the domestic and other settings. The rules have been notified from today with which the Act comes into force, she said. She also noted that the Protection of Women from Harassment at Workplace Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha and will be introduced in the Rajya Sabha in the next session. Amendments are also being brought to the Juvenile Justice Act which will make it more strong, she stated. These also reflect the demand of the society to deal with crimes against women and children, she noted. 

The 6 day Vatslya Mela, Smt. Tirath said is inaugurated to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru, 14^th November, which is also celebrated as Children’s Day. Its closing ceremony on 19^th November which marks the birth anniversary of the first woman Prime Minister of the country, Smt. Indira Gandhi shall be celebrated as ‘Shakti Diwas’ , the Minister noted. 

 

India tops world diabetes sufferers list

There are now more people living with diabetes in Asia than elsewhere and India is among the list of top five countries with the most diabetes sufferers in 2009, organisers of World Diabetes Day have said quoting World Health Organisation (WHO) figures.

According to them, more than 347 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide. Since diabetes can be silent and symptoms can easily go unnoticed, early detection and good management can prevent complications.

International Diabetes Foundation indicates that the top five countries with the most diabetes sufferers in 2009 were: India 50.8 million, China 43.1 million, USA 26.8 million, Russia 9.6 million and Brazil 7.6 million.

It is predicted that the number of adults affected by diabetes will almost double from 32.6 million to 51.7 million in 2030 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes, its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness and how it is managed.

Started by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the WHO, it is celebrated on November 14 to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.

Long-term effects of diabetes can include blindness, gangrene, renal failure and heart disease. Globally diabetes is consuming an ever greater portion of medical costs, accounting for approximately 10 per cent of all health care spending according to the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice in 2010.

Barack Obama won the U.S. Presidential Elections 2012

Barack Obama, the leader of Democratic Party on 7 November 2012 was re-elected as the President of USA. Obama defeated the Republican Challenger, Mitt Romney in the U.S. Presidential Elections 2012 by winning over 332 votes as compared to the 206 votes of Mitt Romney of all the votes declared by the Electoral College declared.  Obama was successful in getting around 74000 more votes than the competitor, Mitt Romney out of the eight million votes casted during the Presidential Elections.

The elections were conducted on 6th November 2012 and this was the 57th quadrennial presidential election for the United States. The two, Obama and Romney won 50 percent and 48.1 percent of votes respectively. 53 members in the Senate were from Democratic Party, whereas 45 are from Republican Party. In the House of Representatives, the lead went in the way of Republican Party with 232 seats and the Democratic Party was successful in securing 191 seats. Mitt Romney tied with the President Obama at 49 percent of the Popular Votes.

The Republican Party has lost four Presidential elections of the six Presidential contests and the two won by them was just with narrow margins. At the same time, President Obama, by being back has proved that in the period of austerity and crisis also, an incumbent can survive.

Swing States

President Obama was successful in winning over the eight of the nine swing states including Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado and Nevada. He only lost from the seat of North Carolina.

Indians

Ami Bera- the third Indian-American in the U.S. House of Representatives

Dr. Ami Bera is third Indian-American ever to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The 45 years old Bera took a lead of 184 votes against Dan Lungren, the Republican rival from the seventh Congressional District of California. Before Bera, two Indians to be elected for the US House of Representatives include Dalip Singh Saund in the 1950s and Bobby Jindal was the House member before being elected to be the Governor of Louisiana from 2005 to 2008.

Except Dr. Bera, five more Indian-Americans namely Dr. Syed Taj, Dr. Manan Trivedi, Upendra Chivukula and Jack Uppala and Ricky Gill, were candidates, who lost from their seats in the US elections. Except Ricky Gill all the other four were from Democratic Party.

Dr. Syed Taj, who was a representative from Democratic Party, is the younger brother of Syed Shahbuddin and he basically belongs from Bihar. He lost in the tough fight against his opponent K Bentivolio from the seat of Michigan's 11th Congressional District.

Tulsi Gabbard-First Hindu-American to be in the House

Tulsi-Gabbard is the first Hindu-American to enter the U.S. House of Representatives. She defeated the Republican rival K. Crowley from the Hawaii seat in the one-sided contest. Tulsi doesn’t belong to the Indian Heritage and is not an Indian. She is a daughter to the Catholic Father Mike Gabbard, who at present is serving as the Senator from the Hawaii State and her mother Carol Porter Gabbard, who is a Hindu is an educator and a business owner in Hawaii.

Basic Facts

•    Before Obama, Bill Clinton was the Democratic Party Representative to serve White House for continuous two terms after World War II.

•    Obama is the first President after the wars to be re-elected in the office with an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent in the country.

•    Obama in the last Presidential Elections of 2008 won 349 votes, which was higher than the votes he secured in the Presidential Elections of 2012.

History of US elections of 223 years: In the 223 years history of US Presidential Elections only eight Presidents contesting elections being in the White House lost the elections.

Review meeting of the E-9 Countries concluded in New Delhi

The three-day review meeting of Ministers of Education and heads of delegation of the E-9 countries comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico ended in New Delhi on 10 November 2012 with the adoption of the New Delhi Commitment. E-9 nations decided to expand their cooperation in Inclusive, Relevant Quality Education for All. It took stock of the progress towards the Education for All goals and to renew cooperation in consolidating the gains and addressing remaining challenges.

The member-states reaffirmed the central role of education in all development endeavours and in promoting peace and social cohesion. E-9 Countries decided to expand their cooperation in the area of Inclusive, Relevant Quality Education for All. They recognised relevance and equity as key dimensions of quality in their future efforts and resolved to address the same by making their education systems more flexible and responsive.

The E-9 Initiative, Background:

The E-9 Initiative was launched in 1993 at the EFA Summit of the Nine High-Population Countries in New Delhi, India. The “E” stands for education and the “9” represents the nine highly populated countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan. Given that these countries were home not only to over half of the world’s population but also to more than 70 percent of the world’s adult illiterates, about two-third of whom are women and girls, and more than half of its out-of-school children, any significant progress made in these countries immediately would have positive impact on EFA. It was (and still is) rational to prioritise a group of highly populated countries for the attainment of EFA. The E-9 countries also face common challenges such as decentralization and quality assurance. Hence, the heads of E-9 countries signed the Delhi Declaration and showed their commitment to achieving EFA. Since that time, the E-9 Initiative has become a forum for these nine countries to discuss their experiences related to education, exchange best practices and monitor EFA-related progress. It has also become a powerful driver for EFA and South-South Cooperation.

Since the launch of the initiative, the E-9 countries have made significant socioeconomic progress. Mexico has become an OECD member, while China is now the second largest economy in the world. Brazil and India are also the top ten economies and expected to be the top five economies in the coming decades. Indonesia has also been growing fast and now is a G-20 country. In 1993, the E-9 countries accounted for only 16.5% of world’s nominal GDP. Now, they represent almost 30% of world’s nominal GDP. Some E-9 countries, such as Brazil, China, India and Mexico, have emerged as aid donors and are seen to exercise leadership not only in the E-9 Initiative but all aspects of EFA.

The E-9 countries have also made advancement in the six EFA goals. Between 1999 and 2009, the gross enrolment rate in pre-primary education increased. During the same period, the net enrolment rate in primary education improved from 84% to 89% as the number of out-of-primary school children within the E-9 countries was reduced from almost 50 million to less than 30 million between 1999 and 2009. Youth and adult literacy grew better from 85% to 89% and 76% to 79% respectively. The gender parity indices (the rate of girls to boys in school) ameliorated from 0.92 to 0.97 at the primary level and 0.96 to 0.97 at the secondary level. Two-thirds of the E-9 countries now have over a 90% net enrolment rate in primary education. Adult literacy rates are also above 90% in Brazil, China, Indonesia and Mexico.

Despite these positive outcomes, a number of problems remain to be tackled. The E-9 countries still represent two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults and 42% of the world’s out-of-school children. Along with the quantity, the issue of the quality of education remains to be addressed: the vast majority of children do not receive quality instruction and leave school without acquiring basic skills in these countries due to a number of factors such as teacher development, curriculum and learning environment. Therefore, it is still essential to tackle educational problems of these countries for achieving EFA.

In order to accelerate efforts towards EFA, the E-9 countries work together primarily based on the action frameworks agreed upon during the biennial Ministerial Review Meetings. Since 1993, the Ministers of Education from the E-9 countries have held eight Ministerial Review Meetings to debate selected themes of common interest:

Event	Theme
Eighth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Abuja, Nigeria, June 2010	Literacy for development
Seventh E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Bali, Indonesia, March 2008	Improvement of teacher education and training as a focus of educational system reform
Sixth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Monterrey, Mexico, February 2006	Assessment of quality in education
Fifth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Cairo, Egypt, December 2003	Early childhood care and education
Fourth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Beijing, China, August 2001	The role and use of distance education and information technologies in basic education
Third E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Recife, Brazil, January 2000	E-9 countries 2000 EFA assessments: New avenues for action
Second E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Islamabad, Pakistan, September 1997	Social and political mobilization
First E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting Bali, Indonesia, September 1995	From Delhi to Bali
New Delhi Summit on EFA New Delhi, India, December 1993	The Delhi Declaration and Framework for Action

In addition to these regular conferences, the E-9 ministers meet and dialogue whenever there is an opportunity, such as during the annual EFA meetings and the sessions of UESCO’s General Conference.

In 2004, a Chair of the E-9 Initiative was established with the support of UNESCO in order to improve follow-up, coordination and continuity in-between meetings. The Chair has been held by Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia and, since 2010, Nigeria.

While the E-9 countries have ownership over activities pledged during the Ministerial Review Meetings, the rotational E-9 Chair, along with UNESCO Secretariat, takes leadership of coordination. UNESCO provides technical support and helps the E-9 countries review progress of the ongoing activities during occasions such as bimonthly meetings, teleconferences, senior official meetings and written reports.

During the last biennium, in light of insufficient gains towards EFA Goal 4 on adult literacy by 2015, the Government of Nigeria and UNESCO convened the Eighth Ministerial Review Meeting on EFA in Abuja, Nigeria (June 2010) focused on the theme of ‘Literacy for Development.’ The E-9 countries currently make efforts to implement the Abuja Framework for Action and Cooperation and periodically review their progress through meetings and teleconferences.

A number of activities within the framework have been launched or are in process, such as the Revitalizing Adult and Youth Literacy Programme by Nigeria, the International Seminar on Improving Female Literacy in Cooperation with Women NGOs by Indonesia and preparations for an International Conference on Literacy for Inclusive and Sustainable Development by India. In order to continue the momentum on these l activities and to ensure their achievement, a Senior Officials Meeting was hosted by Nigeria in December 2011.

The low quality of education, including that of literacy, has long been a key challenge facing EFA. While many countries have successfully enrolled millions of learners in schools, a significant majority of them are actually not learning, at least, not to levels commensurate to their educational attainment. The challenge persisits, and the EFA quality goals are dauntingly off track. Thus, addressing the issue of quality will be on the top of the future education agenda.

During the 36th General Conference of UNESCO in 2011, the E-9 Ministers Meeting reached a consensus that quality education, inclusive of everyone where the content is relevant to learners, is vitally important in all E-9 countries. In this context, the E-9 Meeting on Teacher Development for Inclusive Quality Education in New Delhi, India on 31 May 2012 was held to address the issue of insufficient quality of teaching.

The Ninth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting will be held in New Delhi, India on 9-10 November 2012. The focus of this meeting will be “Inclusive, Relevant and Quality Education for All.” India will hold the Chair after the 2012 E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting.

UIS Statistics In Brief

Drug Inspector in A.P. Drugs Control Administration Service (Notification No. 28/2011) Key

	DRUG INSPECTORS : Paper-1 - G.S. & M.A.
	DRUG INSPECTORS (28/2011) :: Paper-2  - PHARMACY