National Commission for Minorities celebrated Minorities Rights Day on 18 December 2012. Minorities Rights Day is celebrated on 18th December every year. The day is celebrated to protect rights of the minorities communities as well as bringing the better understanding among religious minorities in India.
The participants of the Minorities Rights Day included the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities as well as Vice Chairman and other Members of the Commission.
The day is celebrated because on 18th December 1992, United Nations adopted as well as broadcasted Declaration on Rights of Persons who belong to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The United Nations had declared that cultural, religious, linguistic and national identity of the minorities shall be protected by the states. The rights of these minorities shall be respected within the individual territories.The states shall also encourage the conditions for promotion of cultural, religious, linguistic and national identity.
On Minorities Rights Day, i.e. on 18 December 2012, the National Commission for Minorities also released the special issue of publication called Minorities India. This publication highlights activities as well as functions of the Third Statutory Commission of the National Commission for Minorities.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
India lifts World T20 for blind
 |
Hosts India on December 13 triumphed in the inaugural Blind Cricket
Twenty20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by 29 runs in the title
clash in Bangalore.
After Ketan Bhai Patel guided India to 258 with a hurricane knock of 98,
the hosts restricted the visitors to 229 for nine in the allotted 20
overs.
Batting first, Prakash Jayaramaiah made useful 42 while vice-captain
Ajay Kumar Reddy contributed 25, helping India to post a competitive
total.
For Pakistan, Mohammed Jameel scored a quickfire 47, Ali Murthaza struck 38 while Mohammed Akram helped himself to 32 runs.
Having won eight matches on the trot in the group stage, Pakistan could not maintain the winning streak when it mattered most.
India had only lost to Pakistan in the group stage and thrashed Sri Lanka in the semifinal.
Pakistan had spanked England by nine wickets in the semifinals.
The victory is India’s first in a World Cup final after they lost to Pakistan in 2006.
Uttarakhand tops in “Environmental Performance Index (EPI)”
Uttarakhand (scored 0.8123) topped the list of best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental performance. As per the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) released by Planning Commission:
· Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.7316), Chandigarh (0.7270), Sikkim (0.7149), and Andhra Pradesh (0.7147).
· Best states in terms of air quality: Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar (all with average score of 1)
· Paradoxically, except for Uttarakhand, all the States meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide of 20 micrograms per cubic metre.
· More than 10 States do not meet the national standard of 30 microgram per cubic metre for Nitrogen dioxide.
· Except for Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram, no State meets the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard for particulate matter.
· Himachal Pradesh is the only state with 100 % sewage treatment capacity, in the remaining States it ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 % (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in 4 States.
· Total fecal coliform count is as much as 92 % in most of the States.
· States leading in forest conservation and expansion of green cover are Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for transfer of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula.
Indicators taken under consideration to arrive at water quality:
· Sewage disposal
· water quality of rivers
· dissolved oxygen
· total coliform count
· percentage of water exploitation
The indicators considered for measuring the ambient air quality performance:
· sulphur dioxide
· nitrogen oxide
· particulate matter
· Best states in terms of air quality: Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar (all with average score of 1)
· Paradoxically, except for Uttarakhand, all the States meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide of 20 micrograms per cubic metre.
· More than 10 States do not meet the national standard of 30 microgram per cubic metre for Nitrogen dioxide.
· Except for Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram, no State meets the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard for particulate matter.
· Himachal Pradesh is the only state with 100 % sewage treatment capacity, in the remaining States it ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 % (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in 4 States.
· Total fecal coliform count is as much as 92 % in most of the States.
· States leading in forest conservation and expansion of green cover are Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for transfer of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula.
Indicators taken under consideration to arrive at water quality:
· Sewage disposal
· water quality of rivers
· dissolved oxygen
· total coliform count
· percentage of water exploitation
The indicators considered for measuring the ambient air quality performance:
· sulphur dioxide
· nitrogen oxide
· particulate matter
Vinod Rai re-elected as chair of UN auditors panel
Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai has been re-elected as chairman of United Nations Panel of External Auditors for 2013.
"CAG Vinod Rai has been re-elected Chair of the (UN) Panel for the year 2013, while the CAG of the United Kingdom, Amyas Morse, has been re-elected the vice-chair of the Panel".
The Panel headed by Vinod Rai discussed the major business transformations currently underway in the United Nations with Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Some of the major issues that came up for discussion during the meeting include the requirement for optimising the process of deriving benefits from the business transformations currently underway.
The need to put in place a mechanism to govern voluntary contributions which form a major portion of funding that the UN receives and the need for strengthening coordination between the panel and the UN secretariat were other issues discussed during the meet.
The panel of external auditors plays an important role in promoting accountability and strengthening governance mechanisms in the UN organisations.
The panel meets annually to discuss emergent issues in the audit of UN organisations. At present, the panel comprises Canada, China, France, India, Italy, Pakistan, Philippines, Switzerland, Tanzania and the UK.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Poland to host next round of UN climate talks
Poland will host the next round of UN climate talks in 2013.
The decision to hold the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Warsaw, capital of Poland, in 2013 was adopted by negotiators from over 190 countries here in the capital of Qatar, Doha, at the 18th session of the COP.
Poland was chosen on the basis of geographical rotation as next year marks the turn of East European countries to host the annual UN event.
Poland, which relies on carbon-intensive coal for nearly all its power needs, has already voiced concern that greater action on climate will harm its economy.
At the latest UN climate conference in Doha, negotiators extended the Kyoto Protocol, the only internationally binding treaty on cutting emissions of greenhouse gases, to the end of 2020.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialised countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre
The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC)
established at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Sciences,
(INCOIS - ESSO) Hyderabad, autonomous body under Ministry of Earth
Sciences, is being upgraded continuously to provide tsunami advisories
for the events occurring in the global oceans, though it has been
recognized as one of the best systems in the world. The major
upgradation work would be Standardization of the Operating Procedures,
bulletin formats and terminologies with warning centres operating in
other global basins. To achieve this, the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO) has set up a task team
comprising of experts from tsunami warning centres of all ocean basins,
with India as the Chair. The ITEWC encompasses a real-time seismic
monitoring network of 17 broadband seismic stations to detect
tsunamigenic earthquakes, a network of real-time sea-level sensors with 4
Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR) in the open ocean and 25 tide gauge
stations at different coastal locations monitor tsunamis and a 24 X 7
operational tsunami warning centre to provide timely advisories to
vulnerable community. It also receives earthquake data from all other
global networks to detect earthquakes of M>6.5. The state-of-the-art
early warning centre at INCOIS - ESSO is operational since October 15,
2007 with all the necessary computational and communication
infrastructure that enables reception of real-time data from seismic
& sea-level sensors, analysis of the data, tsunami modeling, and
dissemination of tsunami advisories guided by a comprehensive Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP). A host of all available communication
technology options have been employed for timely dissemination of
advisories to various designated authorities to deal with effective
emergency response actions as appropriate. The centre is capable of
detecting tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring in the whole of Indian
Ocean region as well as in the Global Oceans within 10 minutes of their
occurrence and disseminates the advisories to the concerned authorities
within 20 minutes through various modes of communication like email,
fax, SMS, GTS and website. Since its inception in October 2007 to till
date, ITEWC has monitored 339 earthquakes of M > 6.5 out of which 63
are in the Indian Ocean region. ITEWC also acts as one of the Regional
Tsunami advisory Service Provider (RTSP) along with Australia &
Indonesia for the Indian Ocean region. As the oceans on the earth are
interconnected, the tsunami waves generated due to any great earthquakes
in the global oceans can affect the Indian Coasts. In order to protect
our coasts from tsunamis up-grading the present system is very
essential. Up-gradation of ITEWC will also enhance its capability to
provide tsunami advisories to the other needy countries in the world.
The basic infra-structure and the necessary computational facilities are
established while setting up the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre
and hence no major hardware upgradations are proposed. The maintenance
of the entire early warning system is carried out with a budget
allocation of Rs. 17.00 Crores per annum. Model simulations required for
global operations would be run as part of this itself. Additional data
required for the enhancement of ITEWC for global operations can be
obtained by collaborations with centres operating in other countries.
Currently, there are 1800 coastal forecast points covering coastal areas of the entire Indian Ocean region. The necessary actions have been initiated to upgrade the same for covering other the coastal regions.
Currently, there are 1800 coastal forecast points covering coastal areas of the entire Indian Ocean region. The necessary actions have been initiated to upgrade the same for covering other the coastal regions.
Reconstitution of Inter-State Council
The Inter-State Council has been reconstituted under the chairmanship of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister.
The Council will have Chief Minister of all States, Chief Ministers of Union Territories having a Legislative Assembly and Administration of Union Territories not having Legislative Assembly and six Union Ministers Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture & Minister of Food Processing Industries, Shri P.Chidambaram, Minister of Finance, Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs, Shri M. Veerappa Moily, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development and Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of Railways as members.
Five Union Cabinet Ministers/Minister of State (Independent Charge) namely Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Science & Technology, Shri C.P.Joshi, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri M.K.Alagiri, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Shri Ashwani Kumar, Minister of Law & Justice are permanent invitees for the Inter-State Council.
The Council will have Chief Minister of all States, Chief Ministers of Union Territories having a Legislative Assembly and Administration of Union Territories not having Legislative Assembly and six Union Ministers Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture & Minister of Food Processing Industries, Shri P.Chidambaram, Minister of Finance, Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs, Shri M. Veerappa Moily, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development and Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of Railways as members.
Five Union Cabinet Ministers/Minister of State (Independent Charge) namely Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Science & Technology, Shri C.P.Joshi, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri M.K.Alagiri, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Shri Ashwani Kumar, Minister of Law & Justice are permanent invitees for the Inter-State Council.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Govt wins FDI vote in Lok Sabha
Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail on December 5 got the approval of the Lok Sabha as the Opposition motion seeking immediate withdrawal of the decision was rejected convincingly as the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party walked out.
The House also rejected the motion seeking amendment to the rules notified by the Reserve Bank under Foreign Exchange Management Act to enable FDI in multi-brand retail.
Members of SP and BSP, with respective strength of 22 and 21, did not participate in the voting as they walked out alleging that interests of farmers and small retailers had been ignored.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
India ranks 94 in list of corrupt nations
India was ranked 94 out of 176 countries surveyed in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012, with a score of 36 on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), the Transparency International India (TII) said.
Last year India ranked 95 out of 183 countries. However, due to an update in the methodology, CPI scores of 2011 cannot be compared with this years' score, S.K. Agarwal, vice-chairman of TII told IANS. He added that India had the same score of 36 in 2011 as well.
"The 2012 index ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption and assigns scores of between one (highly corrupt) and 100 (clean).
While Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan were the most corrupt countries with a score of eight, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for the first place of the least corrupt with a score of 90.
China had a CPI score of 39, which is better than India, while Pakistan's was 27.
CPI scores and ranks countries based on how corrupt a country's public sector is perceived to be. It is a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption collected by a variety of reputable institutions.
Last year India ranked 95 out of 183 countries. However, due to an update in the methodology, CPI scores of 2011 cannot be compared with this years' score, S.K. Agarwal, vice-chairman of TII told IANS. He added that India had the same score of 36 in 2011 as well.
"The 2012 index ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption and assigns scores of between one (highly corrupt) and 100 (clean).
While Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan were the most corrupt countries with a score of eight, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for the first place of the least corrupt with a score of 90.
China had a CPI score of 39, which is better than India, while Pakistan's was 27.
CPI scores and ranks countries based on how corrupt a country's public sector is perceived to be. It is a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption collected by a variety of reputable institutions.
Bangalore better than Delhi, Mumbai in quality of living: Survey
Bangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata
amongst Indian cities in overall global quality of living index,
according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.
Mercer conducts this survey annually to help multinational companies and
other organisations compensate employees fairly when placing them on
international assignments. According to the global consulting firm, its
Quality of Living index list covers 221 cities, ranked against New York
as the base city.
Global ranking by infrastructure
This year’s ranking separately identifies the cities with the best
infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability,
telephone and mail services, public transportation, traffic congestion
and the range of international flights from local airports, a statement
said.
Singapore is at the top of this index, followed by Frankfurt and Munich.
Copenhagen (4) and Dusseldorf (5) fill the next two slots, while Hong
Kong and London share sixth place. Port-au-Prince (221) ranks at the
bottom of the list.
Indian cities
Bangalore’s overall quality of living rank went up from 141 in 2011 to
139 in 2012 and is highest amongst other Indian cities. While New Delhi
ranks (143), Mumbai (146), Chennai (150), and Kolkata (151) in overall
Quality of living.
Bangalore’s rise in its quality of living ranking can be attributed to
positive ratings for international schools which are suitable for
expatriates, the survey says.
Mumbai ranks highest on city infrastructure category (134) amongst
Indian cities followed by Kolkata (141), New Delhi (153), Chennai (168),
and Bangalore (170).
Vienna retains top slot
In a statement issued here, Mercer said, Vienna retains the top spot as
the city with the world’s best quality of living. Zurich and Auckland
follow in the second and third place, respectively. Munich is in the
fourth place, followed by Vancouver, which ranks fifth.
Düsseldorf dropped one spot to rank sixth followed by Frankfurt in
seventh, Geneva in eighth, Copenhagen in ninth, and Bern and Sydney tied
for the 10th place.
Asia-Pacific cities
Qualifying the Asia-Pacific cities, the survey says that Australian and
New Zealand cities rank higher on the index with Sydney (11), Wellington
(13), Melbourne (18) and Perth (21) following Auckland (3).
At the bottom
Globally, the cities with the lowest quality of living are Khartoum,
Sudan (217); N’Djamena, Chad (218); Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219); and
Bangui, Central African Republic (220). Baghdad, Iraq (221) ranks last.
Region-wise
Honolulu (28) is the city in the United States with the highest quality
of living, followed by San Francisco (29) and Boston (35). Chicago is at
42 and Washington, DC ranks 43. New York, the base city, ranks 44.
In terms of city infrastructure, Vancouver (9) tops the ranking for the
region with Atlanta and Montreal following at 13. In the United States,
Dallas ranked 15, followed by Washington, DC (22), Chicago (28) and New
York (30).
Europe has 15 cities among the world’s top 25 cities for quality of
living. Vienna retains the highest-ranking for both the region and
globally. With six cities in the top 10, European cities also fare well
in the city infrastructure ranking.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Assistant Director in A.P. LifeInsurance (Gazetted) Service (Notification No. 03/2012) Final Key
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Manager (Engineering) in Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Notification No. 54/2011) Key (Exam Held on: 29/07/2012)
Inspector Of Factories in A.P. Factories (Notification No. 02/2012) Final Key (Exam Held On: 19/08/2012)
BSE launches carbon-based index CARBONEX
The
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has launched BSE Carbonex, the first
carbon-based thematic index in the country, which takes a strategic view
of organizational commitment to climate change mitigation.
This index has been launched with the aim of creating a benchmark, and increasing awareness about the risks posed by climate change.
It will enable investors to track performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100 index regarding their commitment to greenhouse gases emission reduction.
Constituents of BSE Carbonex are over or underweighted compared to the benchmark based on their performance in the assessment process. In every industry, companies that achieve the strongest assessment scores are favoured at the expense of those achieving poor results.
This index has been launched with the aim of creating a benchmark, and increasing awareness about the risks posed by climate change.
It will enable investors to track performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100 index regarding their commitment to greenhouse gases emission reduction.
Constituents of BSE Carbonex are over or underweighted compared to the benchmark based on their performance in the assessment process. In every industry, companies that achieve the strongest assessment scores are favoured at the expense of those achieving poor results.
The British High Commission in India through the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund supported the development phase of the index. ENDS Carbon, a specialist in environment, social and governance (ESG) ratings and benchmark services provider, has provided its expertise in assessing the companies with data sourced from the carbon disclosure project (CDP), a not-for-profit organisation which holds the largest and most continuous set of climate change data in the world.
The top 10 constituents in BSE Carbonex are ITC Ltd having 7.11 per cent market capitalisation followed by Reliance Industries (6.48 per cent market capitalisation), ICICI Bank (5.54 per cent), HDFC Bank (5.48 per cent), HDFC Ltd (5.30 per cent), Infosys (5.27 per cent), L&T (4.21 per cent), TCS (3.49 per cent), Hindustan Unilever (2.73 per cent) and ONGC (2.68 per cent).
Meanwhile, the carbon credit market worldwide is now reported to be worth about USD 188 billion, one of the only markets that continued to increase during the recent years of worldwide recession.
About BSE
Established in 1875, BSE Ltd. (formerly known as Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd.), is Asia’s first Stock Exchange and one of India's leading exchange groups and has played a prominent role in developing the Indian capital market. BSE is a corporatized and demutualised entity, with a broad shareholder-base which includes two leading global exchanges, Deutsche Bourse and Singapore Exchange as strategic partners.
BSE provides an efficient and transparent market for trading in equity, debt instruments, derivatives, mutual funds. It also has a platform for trading in equities of small-and-medium enterprises (SME). BSE also provides a host of other services to capital market participants including risk management, clearing, settlement, market data services and education. It has a global reach with customers around the world and a nation-wide presence. BSE systems and processes are designed to safeguard market integrity, drive the growth of the Indian capital market and stimulate innovation and competition across all market segments. It operates one of the most respected capital market educational institutes in the country (the BSE Institute Ltd.). BSE also provides depository services through its Central Depository Services Ltd. (CDSL) arm.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Election Commission Makes Sportswomen Saina Nehwal And Mary Kom As Its "national Icons"
London Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom have been designated as "national icons" by the election commission to help promote voter participation in polls.
The poll body already has former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as its other "national icons".
Sources in the election commission said 22-year-old Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom, 29, who had won bronze medals in London Olympics 2012 in badminton and boxing respectively, will help in boosting women participation during the forthcoming elections.
Nehwal has earlier been the EC's 'state icon' in Andhra Pradesh. She has now been elevated as its 'national icon'.
The commission has been using the services of prominent personalities across the country to help increase voter awareness and participation, and fight the public apathy towards elections.
Kalam and Dhoni have earlier helped the poll body in its campaigns for increasing voter participation in elections.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Education for Disaster Management
On the recommendation of 2nd
Administrative Reforms Commission contained in its 3rd Report titled
“Crisis Management from Despair to Hope” regarding introduction of “Disaster
Management” as a subject in ‘Management and Public Administration’, the
University Grants Commission(UGC) constituted an Expert Committee consisting of
subject experts in Disaster Management. The Expert Committee framed the
syllabus for an optional paper on Disaster Management at the Undergraduate
level and syllabus for a short-term training course for UG teachers to be used
by Academic Staff Colleges. The Commission considered the report of the Expert
Committee on Disaster Management and approved the introduction of an optional
paper on Disaster Management at the Undergraduate level across the
universities/colleges. The Commission further decided that Disaster Management
be introduced as one of the topics in Orientation and Refresher Courses offered
by the Academic Staff Colleges. The Indira Gandhi
National Open University(IGNOU) is also running
various courses in Disaster Management at Post Graduate and Doctoral level
programmes. Similarly, the Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) has also introduced the topic of Disaster Management
as a part of the school curriculum in Social Science.
ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS IN VARIOUS ENGINEERING SERVICES ( Notification No. 41/2011) Key (Exam Held On: 30-06-2012)
Assistant Director in A.P. Economics and Statistical Service (Notification No. 33/2011) Key (Exam Held on: 17-06-2012)
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-1
SERIES: A
500 - GENERAL STUDIES
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 592 - MATHEMATICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 593 - STATISTICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 594 - ECONOMICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 595 - COMPUTER SCIENCE
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 592 - MATHEMATICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 593 - STATISTICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 594 - ECONOMICS
ASST.DIRECTOR IN AP ECONOMICS&STATISTICS (33/2011) :: PAPER-2 SERIES: A 595 - COMPUTER SCIENCE
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Miss Czech Republic crowned Miss Earth 2012
Tereza Fajksova of the Czech Republic was crowned Miss Earth 2012 on November 24 in the Philippines.
Miss Philippines Stephany Stefanowitz as Miss Earth Air , Miss Venezuela Osmariel Villalobos as Miss Earth Water and Miss Brazil Camila Brant as Miss Earth Fire.
Around 91 contestants from around the globe participated in the pageant with a theme in line with that of United Nations' (UN) celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for all.
There were many favourites including Miss Prachi Mishra who represented India and had bagged the Friendship subtitle at Miss Earth 2012.
Miss Earth 2012, Tereza Fajksova was crowned by her predecessor- Miss Earth 2011-Olga Alava of Ecuador.
India ranks 78th in Rule of Law Index 2012
India
ranks 78th among 97 countries in guaranteeing access to all civil
justice, a latest report released while its neighbouring country Sri
Lanka leads the South Asian nations in most dimensions of the rule of
law.
The
‘Rule of Law Index 2012’ report by World Justice Project provides
country-by-country scores and rankings for eight areas of the rule of
law.
India, the report said, has a robust system of
checks and balances (ranked thirty-seventh worldwide and second among
lower middle-income countries), an independent judiciary, strong
protections for freedom of speech, and a relatively open government
(ranking fiftieth globally and fourth among lower-middle income
countries).
“Administrative agencies do not perform
well (ranking 79th) and the civil court system ranks poorly (ranking 78)
mainly because of deficiencies in the areas of court congestion,
enforcement, and delays in processing cases,” the report said.
“Corruption
is a significant problem (ranking 83rd), and police discrimination and
abuses are not unusual. Order and security — including crime, civil
conflict, and political violence — is a serious concern (ranked second
lowest in the world),” the report observed.
According to the report, Sri Lanka outperforms its regional peers in all but two dimensions of the rule of law.
Pakistan shows weaknesses in most dimensions when compared to its regional and income group peers, the report said.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Assistant Statistical Officers in A.P. Economics and Statistical Subordinate Service (Notification No. 30/2011) Final Key
UN Climate Change Conference held In Doha, Qatar
Thousands of government representatives, international organizations and civil society members have gathered in the Qatari capital of Doha for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, on November 26 with a call to build on and implement previously agreed decisions to curb global carbon emissions by the year 2020.
The ten-day meeting brings together the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Under the Protocol, 37 States – consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy – have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. Government delegates at the Conference will, among other goals, try to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of 2012.
UNFCCC
No wonder the climate talks turned into such an alphabet soup when the first acronym they came up with had six letters, ending with three Cs. It stands for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Adopted in 1992 and ratified by 194 countries and the European Union, it provides the foundation of the global climate talks.
COP 18
Each meeting of the countries who have joined the convention is called a Conference of the Parties, or COP. This year's edition in Doha is the 18th such meeting, hence the name COP 18. Things got confusing at the 2009 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, when the uninitiated assumed COP was an abbreviation of the host city.
KYOTO PROTOCOL
Known to the climate crowd as the ``KP,'' it's the most important deal signed within the convention, establishing binding greenhouse emissions targets for 37 industrialized nations. (Keep reading to find out how to say emissions target in Kyoto-speak). The US was the only industrialized nation that didn't ratify the agreement. Adopted in the Japanese city of Kyoto in 1997, the KP expires at the end of 2012. A key issue in Doha is negotiating an extension, referred to as a second commitment period.
LCA
Since the KP focuses on emissions from industrialized nations, a second work flow was set up in 2007 to discuss other climate actions, including by developing countries and Kyoto-dropout US The formal name is the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action. Delegates just refer to it as the LCA. It's supposed to be closed at the end of this year, but some developing countries say its work isn't finished. That's another sticking point in Doha.
DURBAN PLATFORM
Last year in Durban, South Africa, countries agreed to craft a new global climate pact that would include both rich and poor nations. Negotiators gave themselves a 2015 deadline to adopt the agreement, which would enter into force in 2020. A new working group was formed called the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. Most delegates call it the Durban Platform or the ADP.
QELRO
It may have a more exotic ring to it than `emissions target' but it's essentially the same thing. A QELRO is the commitment that a country has made to cut its greenhouse emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. It stands for Quantified Emission Limitation and Reduction Obligation. Don't confuse QELROs with the NAMAs, or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions, pledged by developing countries; or NAPAs, Nationally Adaptation Programs for Action, which are action plans submitted by the poorest countries on how to adapt to climate change.
REDD-PLUS and LULUCF
Even those inside the climate bubble will be hard pressed to spell out what those initials stand for. The important thing to know is they are initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and agriculture.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Third International Agronomy Congress
The third International Agronomy Congress on
Agriculture Diversification, Climate Change Management and Livelihoods
(26-30 November) was inaugurated on November 26.
The Indian Society of Agronomy and the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research jointly organizes the 3rd International Agronomy Congress . The
primary objective is to take stock of technology capital available to
address the issue of agriculture diversification, climate change
management and livelihoods and draw future research strategies to
address the emerging matrix of agriculture problems in holistic manner.
Around 1000 delegates from 24 countries are participating in the
Congress.
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 7th 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.
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 7th 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.
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.
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